See the candle in the window

A spark of appreciative amusement glinted in emerald eyes and Hadama inclined his head in acknowledgment of the young woman's point, the ghost of a smile haunting the corners of his eyes and mouth. He watched the floating stone with curiosity as Seren gathered her thoughts for an answer and he reached a slow and careful finger out to brush against the rock as it approached, to try and set it spinning in the opposite direction.

But soon enough his emerald gaze returned to her, growing solemn once more as she revealed the unforeseen complications of her parentage and the pressures that she was under. Ones that he had never experienced in his own humble beginnings. But even as she laid out the simple, crystalline facts of the situation she did so without resentment or frustration and he inclined his head again in respect for her resiliency. "No," he agreed slowly. "You did not." He paused to consider her thoughtfully before continuing. "Would you be other than who and what you are, if you could be?"

Seren

Brightening as her mother's most recent champion engaged in the game, Seren shrugged lightly. "In some ways, maybe," she replied honestly. "I wouldn't trade my parents for anything, but it might be nice to know what it's like to be obscure and unknown. And for all that I adore my mother... sometimes I do wish I could have the option of choosing her." But then she laughed; "That may just be any daughter's wish though. I'm proud to be her demigod. Any complaints are very minor."

Tapping the stone again to send it swirling back to Hadama, the starchild gazed at him curiously. "How do you feel, being remade? I hear it can weaken you temporarily. Do you feel... different? Legs aside."

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

He appreciated her honesty and her thoughtful answer, his attention remaining on her while the stone was left to spin in lonely splendor in the air between them. Wistfulness, pride, loyalty, love, and a yearning for the unknown... Hadama's serene expression softened as he nodded in understanding.

The stone made its return journey and now that he knew what game they were playing he reached with more confidence to send it coasting with slow and stately whimsy back towards the young demigoddess.

Well. Not so young anymore. Her question drew a tilt of his head as he considered it, a twinkle of humor in his eyes at the 'legs' comment. "Mmh. Not weaker," he rumbled. "Stronger, if anything. But... less resilient. As if I am still finding my new center." His gaze turned inwards as he remembered that night under the moonlight in the Sea of Glass. "There is... starlight in my bones now. It is a bit as if... hm. As if I am burning from within. There is no pain, but I am not yet strong enough to entirely withstand it."

Seren

The years had never had much of a hold on Seren. She was young and old in equal measure, having grown up much too quickly and seen far too much in that brief time. But she wasn't floundering as much anymore, and perhaps that was why she could listen with such serene patience while Hadama slowly put words to his new existence. And what she heard made her smile, soft and with understanding.
"You have been remade, in a sense, so it's no wonder. It will come back, eventually." Sending the stone back a final time, she let herself fall backwards into the sand. Gazing up at the stars that blazed overhead, she reached a hand up as if to pluck one down - but she knew that even should she leap into the sky, they would forever be just out of reach. "The mistake most people make is looking at the stars and say how peaceful they are. They see the soft light and the constancy of them, and don't realize that what they see is only a distant echo of a wholly different reality." Rolling her head aside so she could see Hadama, for once her expression had grown solemn; almost serious. "A star is really no different from the sun. They are a million trillion - no countless - furnaces that all burn in their own way. Some explode, some burn out and fade like a whisper. Some collapse in on themselves and turn into dark, heavy things that swallow everything around them. No two stars are the same, though they may seem like it from a distance - and the only thing they have in common is that they burn. Hot, fierce, and passionate. Like Mother."  

Which is to say, it might take some getting used to.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

Age, indeed, was a strange concept to apply to a demigod who had been born to it and raised among the stars, but Seren had a way of seeming both youthful and wise. Hadama inclined his head in acceptance of her reassurance. As she fell back he watched the floating rock sail back towards him and he plucked it from the air to examine it while she spoke until her words drew his own eyes up to the stars above.

And he listened, not with his usual courtesy but with an intensity that he rarely displayed as she revealed some of the secrets of the cosmos to a Mer who had only ever looked up to see twinkling lights that guided and inspired and gave hope.

It would seem that those gently shining constellations hid far more volatile depths than he'd ever dreamed.

Emerald eyes looked back at his host at last and he tilted his head to the side curiously as he considered the starchild - no, Seren - thoughtfully. "But not you?"

Seren

Catching his gaze, she grinned with more than a little mischief. "Oh, me too. I just haven't found anything particular to burn for yet. I used to dive headlong into the troubles of everyone around me in the past. This time, though, I think I'll try to find my own passions instead."

Was it painting, or sculpting? Was it solving the problems that came to Caido with the frequency of a seasonal storm? Perhaps her path lay in healing, or weaving, or in listening to the woes of the people she loved. There were so many options, and unlike her father Seren couldn't be in more than one place at a time.

"I hope you have something to burn for, Hadama," she told him, with a serene smile. "It seems to be the only thing that makes the struggle worth it. My fathers have each other, Deimos has his region and family... Keep it as close as you can. It might be the thing that saves you."

Stretching like a cat in the sand, she yawned and rubbed at her eyes. While time did not seem to pass in this space, she could feel it go by in the gentle strain on her bones. It was never difficult to maintain her own presence here... but leaving a guest unattended would not end well.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

"Indeed," he murmured, and there was perhaps a hint of quiet support in the simple word as Seren decided to pursue her own life and interests. A person could wear themself to the bone helping others and find nothing left to call their own at day's end otherwise. A lesson that kingship had taught him all too well, however much he cherished the responsibility and duties of his position.

He inclined his head as he accepted her advice in return, curling his fingers around the stone as he looked to the star-spangled sky above. He had much to live for, true, but what did he burn for? His region, certainly. The Mer who called him King. His passions for metalwork and for cooking. But were they hot enough to keep him alight against the pressures that Caido was once more bringing to bear on his broad shoulders?

He did not know.

Her yawn drew his eyes back to his hostess and he tilted his head at her in silent apology. "Is it difficult to hold a second person here?" he asked, curious now as to the pocket dimension's properties now that he was acclimating to its unchanging beauty.

Seren

Content to linger in silence for as long as he needed, the only danger was in her falling asleep. If her expression was a bit somnolent it was only because it was true; it was growing quite late, even for a starborn child of the night.

"Not really difficult... it just takes some concentration," came her easy explanation. "Like... like swimming. If I stop moving I'll start to sink. And that wouldn't be good. Things don't survive on their own in here." Pointing an elegant finger up and off towards a nearby stash of pots, the contents had once been green and vibrant. Now only a brittle husk remained, as vacuum and pressure had drawn all moisture out of them.

"But don't worry, I would never let anything happen to you here." Already she was finding the king to be a friend in the making, a person whom she only wanted the best for. That he loved her mother enough to swear himself to her only strengthened that, and though he hadn't asked for it, Hadama was gaining himself an ally tonight.

"Let me know when you want to go back," she added. "I think I need to guide you out of here... Not sure it's a place that can be teleported from." It had never been attempted at least.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

Her explanation did not entirely make sense to the former-Mer, for whom swimming and breathing were functionally synonymous. But he understood in an abstract way that for humans it was different. The pots illustrated the point with a certain cold clarity. He tilted his head in acknowledgment if not full understanding. The important thing was not the analogy but the reality: this was not a place to linger when Seren was tired.

"Thank you," he murmured at her reassurance. He was finding it easy to trust her, and not only because she was the daughter of the goddess he had chosen above all others. There was a kindness in her, and an earnestness, that he found compelling.

"Mmh. Something we can test another time," he agreed. "If you are willing." It seemed unlikely that it would ever be necessary, but given their uncertain times it might prove useful to learn the limitations - or full strengths - of her gifts. "But for now, may we head back?" He did not wish to tax her, and he had not missed the long blinks of relaxation from his fellow demigod. "Does time pass differently here?" In a place where the night was eternal did time pass at all?

Seren

"I'd like that very much!" Her enthusiasm was genuine, and not only because it would solve a mystery; she rather looked forward to another chance to spend some time with Hadama. So far it had been very pleasant.

Accepting his request without complaint, Seren got to her feet and dusted sand off her dress. Looking around just to see that everything was where it should be - the bone had settled into another patch of sand, the orb was where she left it, nothing had been left behind that shouldn't be there - she extended a hand to her guest so she could lead him back to the lighthouse.
"No, it is the same as on Caido," she assured him. "I can choose where we exit though, as long as I've been there before."

For tonight however, it would be Aumakua. Just as they were saving trials for later, so too would exploration have to wait.

A cool wind announced that the islet had been left behind. The stars shone distant on a sky where clouds had drawn past the moon. The warmth had bled from the air and white froth on the waves announced a storm coming in from the sea. Perhaps it would blow over before morning, perhaps it would not arrive until then; either way, in an afterthought Seren reached a hand back into the pocket space and withdrew a thick sweater to pull over the light garment she already wore.

"Looks like bad weather is coming in," she judged, stifling a yawn in the soft knit of the sleeve. "Where do you stay? I'll be heading back to Haulani, if you want company." She could just return to the island of course, but there was something quite refreshing about walking the beaches at times like these. Purifying, in a sense.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

Her enthusiasm sent a pulse of warmth through his chest as Hadama dipped his head in agreement. It was a good feeling to be so welcomed by a fellow demigod of Safrin, whether Seren was her daughter or not. He reached out to take her hand in his gently, following her with the same trust that he had shown before when she had invited him to see the island in the starry sea that was her own.

He nodded slowly as she explained how the magic worked, offering a quiet tidbit of his own: "Mmh. A useful way to travel. Safrin gave me the power to travel by moonlight, but it is limited to night time." Which, as he was learning, was not always convenient to when threats or emergencies happened.

And then they stepped out onto the rocky strand, the coming storm lifting his hair and tugging it around his shoulders. He lifted his chin to the breeze, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of brine and darkness, and the hints of old kelp and distant smoke from the torches on the coast. "A good night to be below the waves. Or indoors," he added in recognition of his now-bipedal state.

At least, bipedal half of the time.

"But I have more work to do at the Court of Stars," he admitted, retrieving his hand so he could stretch in the chill Deepfrost wind. "And the company is welcome." Which brought up another question as he looked around the sea that now surrounded the lighthouse. "Do you usually use your pocket to leave the island?"

Seren

"Oh, that does sound lovely. If you wish, I am sure she can improve upon that. The moon does appear in the day too, after all." Picking her way among rocks and heather, bare feet found the path down to the beach with a familiarity that spoke of long practice. She had grown up here, after all, and her memory was good. With Hadama in tow, Seren summoned a starlight critter - a starling, glowing faintly in the dim night - to light their way.

"That's great! Ah, well, the island is the pocket, more or less," she tried to explain, "or rather, the pocket contains the island. So yes. It's the only way I have to move quickly. It's not exactly teleportation, but the upside is that I can bring people along." Very convenient in that sense, if a bit cumbersome compared to more immediate teleportation.

"What blessings did Mother bestow on you? If you want to share, of course. If not that's okay." She was curious, but in a detached, impersonal way; the blue-eyed girl wouldn't mind to find out with time.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

"Mmh. First I must learn how to go farther," he admitted, walking beside her down to the beach. "I can only move within a region yet." He could not yet cross Caido in a single bound the way Remi could; a talent he quietly envied. Given the strength of his ability he was not sure that Safrin would grant him the potential to widen its limits, but it would not hurt to ask.

He listened politely as she tried to explain and he quickly realized where the miscommunication had happened. He did not interrupt, however, learning a bit more about her pocket dimension before he spoke again. "I understand now, thank you," he said solemnly, inclining his head in gratitude. "Is that how you move from Aumakua to the mainland?" The lighthouse had been on its own personal island since the War, usually requiring boats or swimming to reach if one could not fly or teleport across the waves to its sparkling shores.

As for her question, a small crinkling at the corners of his eyes hinted at his smile for the star-eyed goddess. "She allowed me to keep my manta and Mer forms," he said first, for those were the most important. "And in exchange for my other shifts she granted me the form of a Hippocampus." And its ability to control and create water. That, at least, had been no hardship to relinquish, for what he gained was worth far more to him. "My other abilities are linked more with the moon and water. Lances of heavy gravity, and healing mist." And the teleportation, but she already knew that.

Seren

An impish smile took over the young woman's expression, glittering with mischief. "Not exactly. I mean, not always. Today I did, but the first time I came here and realized that thibgs had changed, I let Umbra fly me over. It was fun!" A definite perk of her most favored ability; and no doubt the most used one too.

Nodding along as Hadama counted off his gifts, she brightened with interest at the mention of the hippocamp in particular. "Would you show me sometime?" she pleaded, thrown right back to childhood where her days had been spent dreaming of pirates and mermaids - and mermaid pirates - whilst roaming the coast.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields