be the entire problem

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Not the most covert person on her best days, Melita hummed under her breath, trying to look incredibly innocent under Isla’s gaze. She wasn’t certain how much of her reputation she wanted shared, or known, and while the Dragoons certainly weren’t going to come after her, she didn’t want the target pinpointed directly upon her the moment she set foot in Stormbreak each time. Instead, she shrugged. “And you see how it’s received,” she handwaved in the direction of the woman, whose voice seemed to be going more frantic by the moment. There were some echoes of "we could've lost an eye!". The remnants of the water balloon were now on the ground, as the Karen stomped repeatedly and gestured at nothing. The guard seemed to be taking it well though, save for a roll of his eyes.

Besides, now there was food, and she took the wonderful distraction for what it was, immediately diving into the soup, savoring the richness. She listened too, in between complimentary swallows. “Mm. Are you still set up in Torchline?” She could recall brief snippets of Sunjata talking about Isla’s contributions, but given how little she paid attention, it probably wasn’t a shock that the Honeybee had forgotten.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Isla

"I certainly do," Isla titters to herself, wincing a bit if only because the Karen has become particularly shrill; she isn't surprised when one of the waiters in the bistro goes outside to peek at what's happening - and potentially cause more trouble for the guard, if he can't keep control of whatever crowd of Karens has gathered around him. "He's going to have more trouble than just water balloons if this keeps up," she remarks with a smirk, before falling silent to eat a few bites of her sandwich - and yes, to dunk it into the soup when she's sure she won't spill it down herself.

"Mm? I am, yes," she says regarding Torchline, nodding to the Honeybee. "I set up a clinic in the floating part of Haulani. It has a great view of the ocean, but I find myself wondering if I shouldn't have build it on the ground." Given that some people with injuries might not appreciate climbing stairs to try and get to her. "I'll be taking a skyship back down after this."

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Melita bit into her sandwich as well, and sipped down the wine with equal measure and fervor. Humming again, she glanced back to survey the rest of the scene, where the guard seemed to be escorting the woman out of hearing range; given how many now seemed intent on approaching and getting involved. “Makes someone want to do it again though,” she snickered, before continuing with her food.

Torchline was a breezier topic anyway – and the Honeybee arched a brow, not realizing how much work and effort Isla had actually put into the notions. Despite her mother’s predilections, the demigod had never followed her mother’s professional route – her twin might’ve, had she lived into adulthood – Melita had been far too busy fighting tooth and nail for whatever she could scrape up. And it made her want to survive, beat, and pummel, rather than mend. “Oh, well. Maybe you could make a pulley system.” She gave another grand grin, as if this was a wondrous idea – sending injured people up on ropes and pallets.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Isla

"Mm, makes someone want to turn a blind eye to it as well," Isla replies, a sly smile only just visible behind her glass as she takes a sip of her wine. At least whatever the guard is doing seems to be working, the Remedy watching as the woman and her gaggle of compatriots are led inside the Tower - a victory, they consider it - and the square outside falls to a more tolerable volume. Having considered his work done, their waiter comes back inside and Isla reaches out to finish her sandwich.

"A pulley system? That isn't a bad idea," she admits - only Isla of course is thinking of using it for medicines and supplies and other items to send down to an outpost on the lower parts of Haulani. "I'll consider it - thanks, Melita." Sitting back in her seat to admire the scenery outside and take a slow spoonful of her soup, she tilts her head. "From in here, it doesn't seem quite so stuffy a place, does it?"

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Melita paused, very briefly, wondering if she’d been caught outright. Playing it off as best she could, she raised her wine glass to clink against Isla’s. “Cheers to that,” she hummed once more, before attacking the remainder of her sandwich – watching the proceedings from the corner of her eye until they all seemed to vanish. Another time, maybe.

The Honeybee didn’t expect her idea to actually sound feasible, so she immediately puffed and glimmered with juvenile pride, taking another sip of her drink to avoid looking too Cheshire and smug. After all, it was rare that her notions were found to be not bad.

She shrugged at other aspects to Stormbreak; very content to brew and brood about their moody demeanors as a whole. “I guess not. And the Plaza is neat too.”

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Isla

Laughing warmly as their glasses chime off one another, Isla raises her own in a toast as well before taking a drink, content to let those sleeping water-balloon-dogs lie, evidently. Now that the distraction of the Karens and their incessant noise isn't so blatant, she's content to enjoy her food and wine in peace, soon polishing off the sandwich and vegetables and sipping her soup as Mel considers Stormbreak as a whole.

"The Pacifist Plaza, you mean? I confess I've never actually been there," she admits, tilting her head up towards the shadow of The Tower again. "Stormbreak still feels quite new to me, despite living under it in Torchline. As Ascended we weren't exactly welcome here, and the feeling has never really left despite being Ancient now." Even if she sees others like herself quite contently walking the streets, shopping and enjoying the city.

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

She does mean the Pacifist Plaza, which she acknowledged with a nod of her head. While it was the scene of the crime, it also had a little bit of a bright speck in an otherwise strange land that was Stormbreak. “Oh, you should. Lots of shops and stuff.” And probably the only part, besides the Celestine, that the Honeybee could recommend.

And then she grimaced around the remains of her sandwich at the notion of Ascended and stuff – it’d been a not so good very bad time in those moments of before the war. She’d know – she had some part in hunting down relics after all. “That’s fair.” Her eyes went a little downcast, uncertain how she should feel about the whole damned thing, even after years separating them from the chasms and bedlam. “I think it’s kinda fun to make them feel uncomfortable,” and while that wasn’t an admittance on her recent exploits, it certainly explained Melita down to her core. In a big ‘fuck ‘em’ kind of way.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Isla

"The next time I come up here I'll be sure to visit," Isla says with a decisive nod. She doesn't have time today if she wants to catch the next ship heading down to Torchline without arriving back at the island region in the dead of night, but hopefully there will be other occasions. The Family notwithstanding.

Her own smile fades as she notices Melita lose some of her shine, well able to guess that it's due to the Ascended; it's not something Isla likes to think about either in truth. Too much loss and bitterness is still ripe beneath the surface of her thoughts if she digs at them. Finishing her soup and taking another sip of wine, Isla does recover with a soft laugh at the Honeybee's next point, however.

"I'd be inclined to agree, but as a doctor I find people don't really take well to you making them feel uncomfortable," she points out. "Especially if I have a syringe in my hand already."

sooner or later, we all have to wake
and try forgetting everything

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Wars and battlefields, even on floating isles nowadays, chiseled something within Melita that she hadn’t scorched upon in some time – and purposefully. Instead, she went more towards Isla’s other notions, giving a light laugh. “Eh, sometimes just being a doctor does that anyway,” she quipped, with a grin. Which was probably why she rarely saw a medic. Not when healing fountains were available.

From there though, the ladies could end their meal and depart – Melita content that she’d finally truly met the other woman, didn’t come away feeling like a doofus, was amused that Stormbreak couldn’t take a god damned joke, and that Isla wasn’t a snitch.

[FIN]

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun