Koa
There's going to come a day when you feel better
You'll rise up free and easy on that day
The last season had been a grueling one for Koa; forced on back-to-back assignments, he'd barely seen Stormbreak for more than a day at a time. It seemed that Anju or someone else would always have a new task for him, somewhere remote and unpleasant to navigate - so much so that he's not had a chance to catch up with any of his friends. LongNight had taken a particular toll on the young soldier, seeing him escorting a (wholly unnecessary) caravan to King's End. They'd become trapped in the Tar Pits and had to spend an excruciating few days navigating the swamp land. Even now Koa isn't sure he's managed to get the mud entirely out of his hair. His nails, he fears, will never be clean.You'll rise up free and easy on that day
It'd been nearly midday when he finally reaches the Nest, despite having caught the first skyship he could out of the End. His office lay waiting almost the same as he'd left it, save for a daunting stack of letters waiting for him to read and reply. Koa lets out an audible groan upon seeing them; the idea of forming coherent sentences felt unfathomably difficult just now. Instead he walks right past the desk and toward the little vestibule behind, desperate for a shower and then, perhaps, a nap (Pip has already folded herself into a puddle upon the couch).
Tugging off his shirt, Koa pauses in front of the mirror, admiring the splay of green-blue-yellow that blooms across his left shoulder like paint. Gingerly he rotates the battered joint, wincing as pain radiates across his back. It'd been dislocated in The Great Tar Pit Disaster, and while he'd gotten it healed enough to avoid full immobilization, it'll be a while before he can move it without wanting to die. His unshaven and haggard face do little to improve the alarming picture. Usually meticulously clean-cut and handsome, today our poor Koa could only be referred to as 'an absolute mess'.
He's still admiring his battle scars when a knock sounds at the door; and oh by Frey's tits and dick, does he want to pretend he isn't there! Stifling a groan, the Dragoon snaps "Come in!" in a voice that suggests he'd rather be swallowed by the ground and spit out somewhere far distant than actually host a conversation, but his expression brightens considerably when Zavien walks in.
"Zav! Holy shit, it's good to see you!" the young Captain greets effusively, a genuine smile bursting through the shadowed lines of his face. "Quick, get inside and shut the door before Anju has a chance to realize I'm back and sends me on some new assignment to Caido's taint." It's kind of a joke but also clearly not, the sharp edge of exhaustion stripping away Koa's usual soldierly restraint.
And float from branch to branch, lighter than the air
Just when that day is coming, who can say?
Just when that day is coming, who can say?
