[o] The dissonance of purgatory

Luka

I know there are angels singing somewhere
I hope they sing for us

The shake of her(?) head only confirms the humanity that lies beneath fur, but no shift accompanies the answer. Luka’s hand slowly parts from the clothing behind him, though this time he keeps it closer at hand. Had she shifted nude or something for the springs and now feels uncomfortable? Luka isn’t sure he’d be comfortable averting his eyes to give some semblance of decency so perhaps it’s best - though it leaves him stuck in many other ways. Hardly the type to talk excessively in the first place it’s daunting to imagine talking to essentially open air.

He keeps his legs in the hot water as he watches the interloper the closer they move, shoulders relaxing only slightly when the algae takes their attention instead of himself. Lifting one leg out of the water he props his foot on the ledge and drapes an arm over it to rest his too-warm cheek against his bicep. Eyes held on the deer…thing, he at least lets his eyelids fall halfway to give some illusion (mostly to himself) of relaxation.

“Not sure what Attuned find socially proper, but this is weird y’know?” It’s more an observation than an accusation, timbre too steady to be directly insulting. “Not sure you can even swim in that form.” He is only familiar with the animals regularly found in Halo and sure, deer can swim, but in a hot spring? Would she even be able to safely get in and out? All the weirder that they came to the springs just to eat then, but Luka isn’t the authority on normal social behavior, much less Attuned behavior, so what does he know. Maybe he’s just projecting so he won’t feel the sick squirming in his chest.

For our bruised mouths are an act of resistance
and our singing hearts, together, make a beautiful prayer