[RQ] [SE] But wait—there’s myrrh

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

Kiada must have been quick in her search, for no sooner she was at his side. He had half a moment to gaze curiously at the cover, smile, and then nod at her own assertions. “Trying to find something she does not have yet.” Some of them were familiar; copies of particular and popular titles were lined on their own bookshelves at home. Others seemed particularly trivial or not worth the price tag, before his fingers slid over a spine and he wrenched it out of the rack, content to read the back portions, study the cover, and all the detailed notions within, thumbing through the pictures and phrases. He leaned down so Kiada could glance at it too – scientific and inscribed with growths and alterations in plantlife, from studied proportions to new advancements, interlaced with greenhouse specifics. Something useful and practical for the Evergreen; he could indulge her with other portions later. “This should do.”

Keeping it in his grasp, and presuming the Harpy would follow, he continued his next venture towards indestructible versions. “What did you find?”

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

“Ahh,” the Harpy starts to say, letting a smile bloom on her face. She imagines it’s a difficult undertaking – after all, she’s seen their library, and for how much she knows Deimos she imagines Evie’s reading habits are not dissimilar. As such, she wonders how many titles he’s memorized in order to find one that the Evergreen doesn’t have yet. But the Sword finds one, and Kiada leans in to scan the title and whistle a little low sound of appreciation. “She’ll love that.”

As for her own? She does follow after Deimos like a dutiful little dog, chiming from behind him as she explains. “It’s a story about a girl that lives in a lighthouse all alone. A ship crashes because the light went out and then she has to help them help her and I think she finds love?” She muses, having read the first page of the spine for a summary, not enough to give it away but Kiada can imagine the plot regardless – hopeful that she might be surprised within it.

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

He snorted, albeit loudly, and scattered a few people nearby in his amusement. When they scuttled off, he shrugged, finding that it made his meandering down the aisles easier, eyes scouting out where the board books and indestructible portions and pages were. “Maybe she will go mad instead,” he mused; given the situation this lighthouse character was in, it didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility. But it did remind him of something else he wanted to snag…and as they passed by a stack of familiar reading (he’d seen enough of similar covers Evie had stowed all over the house), he made a mental note to return to that section.

Meanwhile, he crouched within the specific row, still managing to be a towering and formidable cretin even as he perused children’s tomes and titles. “Probably need two copies,” one to give to Safrin, one to give to Erebos. “He already has some on ursur…unicorns…frost foxes…,” he murmured quietly, fingers already thumbing through several and placing them back.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

“Ooooh.” Kiada chimes, laughing to herself as she watches the people vanish like they’d just witnessed something terribly dreadful. All the while, she flashes Deimos a fanged grin of amusement and cocks her head as she trails after him. “Maybe! I’ll let you know when I finish it.” And she would, absolutely, tell him the details of whether the character found love, lost her mind, or if anything else occurred.

She remains standing where he peers at the book titles and lists off a variety of creatures, her head tilting slightly as she considers it. “What about… Luxere? Or… Oh! Something not Halo related?” She tilts her head as she thinks about it, unsure if it had to be Halo or not. “The Greatwood had the Tulmhainar that I met a long time ago… I wonder if there’s any books about it.” A time long since passed, where she’d been ‘sacrificed’ to the large, impressive creature, and it had simply been a story teller requesting her history like a book for it to read.

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

The Tulmhainar reference had his head raised swiftly, and a long, long sigh filtering through afterwards as he tried to render some sort of peace in the motion and notion of memories. His jaw clenched substantially; before a release, his hand maneuvering over the Halovian contents and further down Torchline information for children. The panic in hearing they’d been “sacrificed” after kidnapping – while perhaps not alarming to the Harpy in the aftermath, had been abysmal for him, and he shook his head. They didn’t need to mention the Spire’s devastation upon another either. “Maybe a Tumsea instead.” Towards better things – and the maneuvering cousins of the earth-sharing turtles were far more intriguing and impactful for him. “We saw one at the tournament,” and why he’d created the trophy with such an emblem.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

She, perhaps, should not be as casual as she has been over the entire ordeal of many years ago — but in the face of everything, and actually dying, it seems the blunder of misunderstanding what the fae considered a sacrifice was actually relatively fine in the grand scheme of things. But she does take note of his body language and flashes him a small apologetic smile as she nods to his suggestion.

“Tumsea’s are a really good option.” She agrees, clutching the book a bit closer as her head tilts. “Did it just show up along the beach while everyone sparred?” Curiosity gets the best of her as her iceberg gaze fully takes in the Sword, trying to imagine what that might have been like.

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

Deimos still had a difficult time resolving some of the traumatic events of the last few years; eerie reminders of things that could’ve, or had, been lost. While Kiada might’ve been able to shake some portions off easily, he was not such a creature – and while it didn’t run as deeply as it had done before, portions of those events would never truly go away. He kept his harsh reminders close, notched in his ribs, so as not to forget the pains, mistakes, and mishaps of the past. He’d rather not repeat them.

She seemed to take the suggestion in stride, and then their eyes were over figments that didn’t fracture. “Twice,” he mused. “Made for a nice mascot amidst all the mayhem.” Like fighting two demigods at once, Sah’s blunder, or Ru’s potency. His gaze finally hit upon the familiar marks of the creature, angled along the spine of the tome, and then wrapping around the cover. Snagging at it, and content with the way the board book had clearly been designed for the most rambunctious and beastly of children, he figured the indestructible facets would fit well along Erebos’ bookshelf.

“There. That should be enough.” Maneuvering that into his grasp as well, his gaze went back towards the Harpy as he made way to the shopkeeper. “Did you get everything you needed?” Afterwards, it’d be only the quest requirements for their regions.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

“Twice?” She asks, her smile brightening at the thought of it – trying to think of if she’d seen one in person. Coming up empty, she nods and hums a soft laugh, imagining the trophy he must have created for the event, nudging him with her elbow right before he finds the book regarding the creature. “Congratulations, by the way.” She chimes softly to him, letting a hint of pride bolster her voice.

Nodding in agreement to it being what he was looking for and him having everything he required, she trails after him easily and just as bright despite some of the harsher comments made. “Oh yeah, I think it’ll do perfectly.” She’s got more than enough to keep her entertained and to hopefully be able to help Fox manage his sea sickness.

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

He nodded at the number confirmation, winding their way back up to the merchant. “Thank you,” in response to the other notions; the tournament felt like lifetimes ago in comparison to everything else meandering around them. He didn't offer any details, unless she wanted them, mind already occupied on the next set of motivations. The promises of peaceful platitudes had come undone very swiftly, and Deimos would be more grateful to find some balance in all of it again.

Snagging at another book he’d been eyeing, he brought everything up to the register and paid for the wares. Shifting all of the items into his bag of holding as she completed her transactions, and they could vacate the bookshop, his shoulders felt a bit lighter. “Hunting down the void creatures should not be too difficult,” it’d be the keeping alive part – but then again, Halo had more than enough storage to keep the beasts and flora occupied. He maneuvered them around the shops and kiosks, further towards the outskirts of the plaza. “Let me know if you see any,” as he peered around, senses sharpening.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

“You’re welcome.” She says softly, flashing another beaming smile before they step up to pay, and she tucks the book into the bag of all her other trinket conquests since arriving to the shops today. Slipping it onto her back, she follows him back out into the bustling streets, nodding. “Fox and I had a cage we put a raven in from here. It worked well enough to keep it alive but you’re probably going to want to keep it in a room where nobody has a lot of access to.” She remembers the dreadful feeling of wandering past Danta’s office, week after week.

Keeping her eyes peeled the second they reach the outskirts, she sees some movement in the trees that she nods her head toward, pointing a finger and nudging him with her elbow for him to look and see whether or not it might lead to any void creatures out and about. An assumption about where wildlife were meant there might be more to the eye seems to be her guiding thought.

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

Nodding at the wisdom and notions, for he already had the cage, he peeled it out of the bag of holding, carrying it along as they searched the street boundaries. “I could probably keep it in the Palace.” Deeper, in one of the storage rooms, and out of access for anyone else. “Or in my office,” he offered with a wrinkled nose; an excuse to not drift in there so often. He could always have his mail come to the barracks anyway.

The moment she sensed another creature in their midst he turned in the pinpointed direction, eyes narrowing as he honed in on the particular tree. Giving a single motion of his head, he maneuvered onward, quietly, hoping to either not disturb whatever lurked, or feel another foreboding unease drifting along – a sure sign of void cretins.

So the trepidation felt, a familiar, sinking feeling along his ribs right as they motioned below branches, was enough of a sign. His gaze caught a flicker of blackened wings, and it was his turn to pass the cage over to her. Were she still Attuned he might have simply and silently offered the plans therein the bond, but he could settle for whispering them towards her as he prepared. “Keep it open. I will see if I can use my Air magic on it.” And simply guide it in – without either of them having to touch or be mauled by the creature.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

Nodding in agreement, Kiada stifles a soft laugh from behind her gloved hand. “We kept it in Danta’s office. He never stopped complaining.” In hindsight, they probably could have found better places for it, but her amusement in seeing the shift in Danta’s face every time he passed by was certainly one that Kiada couldn’t help but to recall if she were ever feeling low. Sorry Danta.

Creatures flit to and fro, though, bird wings flapping and garnering attention, and Kiada follows dutifully as he offers her the cage to help in the capture of it. The idea and intentions are clear enough for her, but she appreciates the quiet whisper nonetheless, nose wrinkling as the dread raven comes into view.

She does as required, keeping the cage open and high enough to hopefully make it easy for the bird to swoop on in before closing it – a much easier way than her and Fox had to do it. (They’d used a net and towels to trap the creature).

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

DEIMOS

what tried to destroy you
didn't have the strength

He stifled a smile in return for the nuances of Danta’s suffering, but hoping to avoid the same in his own office. Instead of embarking into amusements though, his focus and concentration lay inherent on the dreadful creature above, who wasn’t going to know or understand what hit it in moments thereafter.

He unfurled and unraveled the Air adornments in a leisurely manner initially; like a soft breeze, until the lull was enough for the void beast to outstretch its wings. Only then did he nab it in a tightly controlled parallel, an indignant squawk followed and other wretched, foreboding sentiments filling his chest, but he ignored them. The focus honed too greatly and the magic too powerfully to be outdone by a bird; despite its best attempts at hastening away or striving to drive its beak in their direction.

Keeping the incantations woven over its frame so its wings were taut against its side, the bird could do nothing more than complain as it was neatly placed within the cage. He only loosened a breath when he could reach up and close it, and the beast glared at them from inside. “There. Well done.” A satisfied nod followed, even as he snagged at the container and kept it an arm’s length and wide berth away. “Thank you for the help,” he insisted, glancing back over at the Harpy. “Shall we go?” Any excuse to be rid of Stormbreak was enough for him at the moment.

still you stand
sturdy and smelling of smoke

KIADA

the harpy

They did have better things to do than enjoy the momentary annoyance of Danta’s pain with his office being overrun by the void. And, despite the awful feeling churning in her stomach, she is quite glad to be here to help – hoisting the cage up enough for Deimos to work his magic and let it coax right down into the cage that she keeps open, held in places where the bird can’t reach out to nip at her should it wish to. And as soon as Deimos closes the door of the cage, she’s draping a piece of cloth over it to keep it from trying to attack anything in sight. “Good job to you too.” She chimes, flashing him a smile that’s a little bit green around the edges.

Handing him the cage, she shakes off any residual dread and collects her things, before looking back the way they’d come. “Lets. Thanks for letting me tag along.” She says, nudging him with her elbow and a bright smile, before she remains glued to his side the entirety of the trek home for her first, then to Halo.

- FIN <33

all bright things must burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3