[SE] Feels like a fever

She bows to no one.

With the Festival of Lights done and Deepfrost now in full swing, Thal thought it was a good time to explore the area that'd been the topic of so much conversation. What was so special about this place that people were flocking here now that the Void had been cleansed? As she made her way through the twisting trees and scurrying animals, she couldn't see it. Yet she tried. 

Leaving her crew at the village, she stepped into the silence of her mind and followed a path into the dark forest. Her usual awareness wasn't dampened, but she absorbed the information differently. She didn't try to look at everything through the trauma-induced lens of threat or benefit. Instead, she let her senses brush against the sounds and colors, looking for things that might spark some sort of emotion or motivation. Looking for something in herself.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

It’s been a while since Kiada has stepped foot in the Greatwood. A space that had harbored so many memories – when she’d been captured upon her first investigation of the land as soon as it had become cleansed by Caido’s expansion. When she’d been sacrificed to the Tulmhainar who only wanted her memories when she was sure she was about to die for the first time. Ah, but she was attuned back then. And attuned back when she’d joined the Cloister of Trials and battled the leader of the Fae for ruling the place, beating out everyone else that had tried before succumbing to the leader’s expertise.

And then she’d moved on. She died. She came back wrong and wandered and fought in so many battles again and again, only to finally find comfort in staking her claim once more as an active participant in her life.

And now she’s back here, embracing the wandering disorienting trees like old friends, utilizing the sounds to her best ability to try and spot any creatures she may be able to sate her bloodlust with. She wears her red jacket that keeps her nimble and warm despite the cold of Deepfrost but it doesn’t stop the fire that flicks at her fingers in a slow ribbon-like blaze ensuring she stayed warm enough.

That’s about when she hears the shift of foliage, of a boot stepping over too cold ground. And she diverts her path out of pure curiosity, only to stumble across what appears to be a fellow Ancient. One she hasn’t seen before, but one that seems to have a weight about her that almost seems kindred in some ways. “Are you hunting too?” She asks, her voice a lilting, lovely pitched thing as she flashes a fanged smile the stranger’s way.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Thal would never admit to being startled, but the sweet voice that filters towards her tightens the muscles along her spine as she spies the newcomer amongst the shadowed trees. Having left her crew, she hadn't been expecting company, and her hand immediately drifts towards her sheathed dagger, assessing for danger. Yet the way the woman smiles at her doesn't scream 'threat,' and the Ancient features (much to her dislike) incline her to be 'friendly.' So she consciously tries to lean into her recent teachings: Don't be hasty. 

Manually releasing each finger from the weapon, she scans the rest of the tree line before shaking her head. "Not exactly." Pushing out a tense breath full of instinctual reactions, Thal meets the woman's blue eyes with her own. "But I did see a cluster of glotters by the nearby river. They look like they've been fattening up for the cold weather." They'd nearly tempted her, but she hadn't felt inclined to spill unnecessary blood recently - which was turning out to be really inconvenient. But maybe this stranger could use the information.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

The harpy’s smile sharpens a touch to see the stranger imperceptibly move toward the dagger within its sheath, though it isn’t less perturbed by it. If anything, Kiada gets it. And already she likes this stranger well enough to not immediately start to snap as she was known to do. Blue eyes meet blue, though Kiada’s are far icier and brighter though not for lack of trying to warm her attention. “Glotters, huh?” She repeats, nodding her horned head, the curved black and flecked ruby additions extend out from her skull in an easy sweep amongst the waves of her dark hair.

“Thanks for the heads up.” Stepping out from the path to start to head down the way Thal just left, she glances at her sidelong before she tilts her head toward her to officially greet her. The giant scarred X on her neck rough and warped twists with the movement as her lilting voice makes another appearance. “I’m Kiada, by the way. In case anyone asks where I went.” She winks playfully because no, there wasn’t anyone out here that would ask where she went, but the thought was enough for her to find amusing to say anyway.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Taking in the woman, Thal gets the odd sensation that she's looking at a different version of herself. Blue eyes, dark hair, sharps smiles; yet the friendliness feels so foreign, a skill she hasn't practiced herself in far too long. It intrigues her more than she'd expect, drawing her in with each polite word. In fact, she nearly responds with 'You're welcome,' like a normal person. 

Thal narrows her eyes at the visceral reaction. She's not ready to go that far. Instead, she unashamedly glances at the scar, accepting the name with a nod of her head. "Thalassa." It comes out rougher than intended, although not quite aggressive in light of the cordial atmosphere. Yet the woman is already moving away, heading back into the trees towards the glotters and leaving her to wonder about the interaction. Almost every part of her says to let her go and move on. Almost. But that tiny piece screams to follow. It craves the company, suggesting that this is what she'd been looking for when she stepped into the forest. 

If she lets her leave now, she may never find out. 

Sighing in defeat, she lengthens her stride to join Kiada's side - at a healthy distance. Her eyes briefly flit to the woman before focusing on the path ahead. "They were somewhat hidden. I'll show you where." Thal's tone is nonchalant but firm, daring her to try it alone.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“Nice to meet you Thalassa.” She chimes as she steps away, leaving the stranger with a name to her own devices as she intends on heading down the path the captain had just come from. Fully intending on taking the trek on her own, she’s almost pulling on that thread within her to exchange flesh for the armored plates of her lial shift when she hears the woman join her at her side and she glances over to hear the firm tone she takes.

Nodding and flashing another easy but still somehow sharp smile, Kiada shoves her hands into the pocket of her red jacket. “I appreciate it. It’s been a little while since I’ve done the whole bloodlust thing, so I figured I’d get a head start on it with how cold the season gets.” Shivering dramatically, Kiada can’t help but to remember how Fox had found her when the Dusklight and the VlamVloed didn’t have any room left in their inns to keep her.

She’d had to find a place to sleep amongst the flame of a fire she’d built out in the snows.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Despite the instinct to lead in silence, Thal almost laughs at the absurdity of their weakness. They have so much power, yet nature itself conspires against them every year, threatening to solidify them in frozen stone. It's pathetic and embarrassing, but a commonality they share. "Fair enough. I hate going out in the cold if I can avoid it." Her own shiver echoes Kiada's. She hasn't experienced many Deepfrosts as an Ancient, and she doesn't remember the ones before, but what little time she's spent in snow has been miserable, full of slow reflexes and aching limbs. Last year, she'd spent most of her time between Torchline and the Hollowed Grounds. She wonders if this year might be the same, full of jumping from one heat source to another. 

Recognizing the area ahead of them, Thal gestures forward with her head. "They were right over here." The dark side of the path hid a gap in the trees that opened onto the riverbed. Stepping under the low-hanging branches, Thal scans the flowing water, ears open for the tell-tale sounds of the playing glotters.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“Yeah, me too these days.” Because she hadn’t always been like this. She was born in the snowcapped mountains, not unlike Halo. She’d lived in Halo for a time. She was as much of the ice and snow as Deimos was and yet, life had other ideas. She’d lost everything that allowed her to be the fire in the ice. But she’d managed to find her way without it.

Now, she simply thrives amongst the bonfires and warmth of the Grounds. Of the banter with Danta and the comfort of her fiance’s cottage. A simple life for a woman who’d wanted to conquer the world. Perhaps dying reevaluated a few important things in the Harpy’s life.

Nodding to where Thal’s head nods, she peers over at the path that hides a gap in the trees. She follows suit, ducking beneath the branches carefully like a hunter out searching, the young woman keeps her eyes peeled. “I’m going to shift.” She whispers, wondering if perhaps she‘d have better luck spotting them if she were her predator’s shift. And just like that, woman becomes lial, molten rock and lava and sharp teeth, low to the ground in search for glotters playing or diving beneath the surfaces of the water.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Thal doesn't recognize the deeper meaning in Kiada's words, or the past life lived, simply accepting the words as they are - a commonality. Shrugging her shoulders in indifference, she watches the woman shift into a lial, a creature she hasn't seen often outside of the climb. Thal's head tilts to inspect the reptilian form. She might have been jealous if not for the lack of wings. Her own lyvern form was much more convenient in various situations, and she wouldn't trade it for anything. 

As if sensing the nearby predators, the trio of glotters literally slide into view, using the sloped bank as a means to splash into the river. Their little yips to each other mix with the crashing water, sparkling through the cold air as they twist under the surface a few times then run back up to do it all over again. They might have gone about their game, ignorant of the threats, if they hadn't spotted the subtle glow of Kiada's lava eyes through the trees. One of them squeaks fearfully, moving to vanish into the forest cover before either of them could react. Another stops dead in its tracks to change directions, diving for a rock. But Thal's too quick, her dagger flying through the air to hit its mark. Its skin sizzles as the fire bursts from the blade. The high-pitched screech is too late to warn the third who's momentum is already carrying it down the slope and straight towards the hungry lial.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

So focused on the bloodlust that begins to grow unleashed in her chest as she shifts to the long, sharp and heavy reptilian lial that slinks toward the water slowly as the predator within her skin wished for, the Harpy zeroes in on the glotters as they play and slide into the water, returning back to the banks the second her orange hued gaze focuses on them. The fearful squeaks spark her attention only for a brief moment, because her prey is the one still sliding down unable to stop.

Thal is quick with her dagger into the glotter and Kiada, with the superspeed of the lial, is quick too. Zipping into the water with a brief hiss, the lial launches from the river’s waters to snatch the sliding glotter in the air before it has a chance to hit the water. And without much care for anything else, her long jaws crunch, giving the glotter hardly a chance to respond aside from a squeak of surprise before it’s followed by silence and the scent of iron.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Her dagger raises in case the lial misses the easy target torpedoing straight towards its mouth, but her concerns are unwarranted. The satisfying crunch of bone and coppery scent of blood is more than enough to let her know that the glotter has met an unfortunate end. Thal leaves Kiada to her meal, leaping across the river to retrieve her dagger from the other carcass. She grabs the handle, inspecting the blood and singed fur with disinterest. As she pulls the blade from the muscle and tissue, the burnt flesh works against her before releasing its grasp to let her rinse the metal in the river water. 

When she rises again, Thal lifts the dead glotter towards the lial gorging herself. "As long as you don't mind the charr marks, you're welcome to this one as well." On closer inspection, the dagger seems to have cooked through the fur into the meat, cauterizing the blood and searing the meat, but she doesn't think the hungry Ancient will mind. If anything, it might add some extra flavor or texture.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

The glotter is decimated easily, blood spreading into the water quickly before vanishing in rivets of clear, pink tinged water. The lial, focusing her attention with far less of a blood lust now that she’d taken the edge off, drifts toward the other Ancient where the blade is withdrawn and cleansed, to the other glotter that still harbors some semblance of life (though what kind, one might ask), where the heated blade had cauterized the wounds keeping it in that state.

Not that Kiada minds, a low rumble of a sound that vibrates the pond she remains in is the precourser to her agreement as she slips up the edge of the pool to snap long and sharp jaws onto the glotter, pulling it back into the water with her as she crunches, biting down and snapping the poor creature in sickening crunches, stealing the rest of its life in the matter of seconds, ending its suffering and indulging in the rest of her bloodlust.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

As the lial moves forward, Thal momentarily wonders if it wants to eat her. But she stays confidently still, the glotter offered before her to be quickly snapped away by strong jaws. She watches the surprising lack of gore as the second carcass vanishes from existence. Her own experiences in bloodlust have left her and her weapons coated in a sticky, coppery mess. Yet this Ancient makes it look so... humane. It wasn't a gorging display of violence and entertainment, just precise kills to fulfill a need. If she hadn't seen the hunger in the woman's eyes, she might have questioned whether she had any bloodlust at all. And somehow, she finds that funny. An Ancient with table manners. 

Finally giving Kiada a smile full of amusement, Thal leans against a nearby tree. "Do you need more than that? We can probably find you something else." Her dagger flips comfortably through the air, red edge catching the weak sunlight that filters through the air as she raises an eyebrow in question. Although, having a conversation with a hungry lial makes her look like a crazy person, it's not like she has anything better to be doing right now.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

Luckily, Kiada isn’t interested in eating people regardless of whether or not her bloodlust was at the forefront of everything. Right now it’s tempered, relaxed with the initial glotter now completely devoured as she works on the second one. It certainly is the best equivalent she could do of an Ancient with table manners, as she downs the second glotter and the lial makes her way back toward the shore, stepping out of it to shift back and flick the water from her hair. “No, that should be good for a while.” She admits, flashing Thal a fanged and amused smile of her own.

“Nice blade, by the way. Deals fire damage?” The slightly charred metallic taste in her mouth tells her that it was, but as she drifts closer to the captain once she’s rung out her hair, is a good indicator that she’s incredibly curious.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind