there's a calm before the storm

I think I can manage being collateral damage

Well, the first time he'd gone to a shrine with Isla the pair had been greeted by a snake. A lovely one, and likely one that probably had done Frey's bidding at some time or other, but it hadn't been able to provide the aviator with the answers that he (read: that Isla) wanted.

Was he infected? And if he was, what did that mean?

This time he was hoping for better luck, only already things seemed to have taken a turn as the bag he'd been carrying with seeds in it had acquired a small hole at some point, and as he strolled along, he'd inadvertently been littering them all along the stones. Where someone more clever might have just said that scattering the seeds was to be his offering, Everest instead turned on his heel, and, kneeling on the rainbow stones, began to try and meticulously pick up each and every one that he'd dropped.

It was slow going of course and almost instantly Ever's knees began to ache. No part of him thought of quitting or coming back later; he'd promised Isla that he'd find an answer to their question. A few pulled muscles and strained eyes were a small price to pay for keeping his word.

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

"I think it might be a lost cause, dude."

Koa isn't heading to a shrine; he's just out for a stroll. And while Everest Hart isn't the last person he'd expected to find out here, the Aviator isn't far down that list. Truthfully, ever since Flora's revelation Koa's been nervous about approaching his fellow Dragoon. Infection looms large in the young man's mind, sparking his imagination and running rampant with it. Is Ever a spy? Contagious? Secretly plotting to murder them all?

But now as he kneels down beside his friend, Koa can't help but thinking that he looks, well... normal.

Without thinking he starts collecting seeds, despite being fully aware of the futility of the act. It's like a compulsion, helping his friend out. "You take up gardening? Thought that was Mateo's thing," Koa grins, glancing sidelong at Everest and trying to keep his inspection for tentacles as subtle as he can.

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I think I can manage being collateral damage

Lifting his brows, Everest glances up, looking around in the wrong direction before finally catching sight of his friend. Lifting a hand he waves at Koa before leaning back onto his knees and offering a helpless little shrug. "Nah, I could never." He chuckles, his dimples softly appearing on his cheeks.

Setting down the little bag so Koa could add seeds to it, the aviator gestures to the tear that he'd tied into a rough knot as visual evidence. "I was going to bring them to the shrine for Frey, but they spilled on the way." He explains with a sigh. And so naturally he'd been forced to stop and pick each and every one up. His OCD might have been at an all-time low thanks to the infection, but that didn't mean he wasn't still prone to doing things the hard way.

"What're you doing down here?" In Torchline, he means.

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

Koa tilts his hand forward, letting the palmful of collected seeds fall back into their repaired bag. Sitting back onto his heels, he fixes Ever with a thoughtful look. "Frey always struck me as the kind of god who wouldn't care where seeds wound up, as long as they could grow." Happy little accidents, the herald would no doubt call stray weeds or plants, perhaps while wielding a paintbrush and sporting riotous curls.

What is Koa doing down here? Good question The young man shrugs, tanned shoulders bobbing beneath his flamingo-print shirt. "Flora mentioned increased collaboration between Torchline and Stormbreak, so I've been looking into training up their soldiers a bit." He bites the edge of his lower lip, pausing before he adds: "She said she'd talked to Dahlia, actually. About a lot of things. And that your name came up." He wants to hear Ever say it, to give the Aviator a chance to confess. I'm infected, and now I simp for a dictator from space! Surprise!

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Instead of any ominous, life-threatening scene, you are greeted by the sight of cloud wyrms hovering slightly beyond your reach. They twist and turn through the air, puffy forms following their wakes; giving some refuge from the sun.

One even seems to look at you, uttering a soft greeting, before moving on, after its brethren.

---

You’ve encountered a Cloud Wyrm. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.

Cloud Wyrm (uncommon/mythical) - Cousins of the dragon, these small and serpentine creatures boast no wings or destructive breath. Rather, they breathe clouds. Their four-legged white bodies can be seen slithering through the air, puffy clouds streaming from their mouths to ease the intensity of the sun on the plains. They never get any bigger than a weasel, and are known as docile, playful creatures, and they seem to enjoy collecting shiny things.

I think I can manage being collateral damage

"No, I know, I just...I had something sort of important to ask and I didn't want them to think I was being lazy." The aviator admits, his lips twisting to one side

"Oh? That sounds nice. The weather is definitely better here." Ever says with an easy laugh. He'd obviously been spending a good deal of his time down in Torchline. Probably more than was wise given his position in Stormbreak, but as Dahlia hadn't said anything about his absences he didn't think he had any reason to alter his schedule quite yet. That and gods but he really did love Isla, and as dramatic as it sounded in his own mind, being away from her more than he had to nearly caused him physical pain.

"Yeah?" Still eyeing seeds, the aviator only glances up briefly as Koa drops his bomb, the impact of which was clearly lost on Ever. "O..kay?" Glancing at the dragoon, Ever blinks with obvious confusion. "Because I'm her Spyglass?" He ventures uncertainly, feeling like the young man he'd once been trying to peel back the layers of innuendo and metaphor to understand what people wanted of him.

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

"So much better," Koa agrees, chucking heartily and shaking his head. "What about you? I feel like I've seen you here as much as at home." Including at that strange, strange bazaar, the one where the confused Dragoon had left holding a jar full of death. And of course Koa's heard about Ever's new girlfriend; it'd been the talk of the barracks, that Everest managed to snag such a babe. Though Koa had been sure to snuff out any gossip that veered into mean-spirited, get a group of young soldiers together and there's bound to be talk.

As usual Koa's insinuations go directly over Everest's head, and honestly? It's kind of a relief - at least some things haven't changed. A fond smile drifts across his face, though worry still hazes the bright glint of his copper eyes. Koa isn't good at deep shit, and part of him would like very much to just go back to willful ignorance. But he's also trying to mature, and he cares about Everest, and really doesn't want to see his friend grow tentacles or die. So he bites the bullet and swallows his masculine aversion to The Feels.

"Because you're infected," Koa says softly, gazing at the Aviator to gauge for a response.

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I think I can manage being collateral damage

"Yeah, I mean...things are going really well with Isla." Ever says a touch shyly, not because he was at all embarrassed to say it, but because just the mere thought of her had his chest tightening and his lips tugging into such a wide smile that it made it hard to speak. "I know I should probably be at home more, but...it's hard, you know?" There's a faint blush spreading across Ever's cheeks and the bridge of his nose now, and though he lets his gaze drop back to the rocks he can't quite stop his smile.

Looking up, Ever meets Koa's gaze calmly as he exhales, his eyes lowering to his friend's shoulder. Nodding stiffly at first before a sigh has his shoulders loosening, the aviator leans back fully onto his heels and ruffles a hand through his curls. "Yeah." He admits, perhaps a touch lamely; but he was, what else was there to say?

"That's what I was going to talk to Frey about. To see if I really am, and...what that means, I guess."

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

"I'm glad for ya, man," Koa says, and he means it, his smile permeating into his voice as he reaches out to gently touch Ever's arm. "You gotta go for it, when you find something special." His own skin warms as he thinks of Flora, of the potential he's hoping to bloom into something real.

And maybe he's a little envious of what his friend has, of the certainty Everest seems to feel about his relationship with Isla. Because for all his hopes and dreams and pining, Koa's still terrified that fuck this up, and Flora will reject him, and he'll be alone.

But anyway. Back to the matter now at hand, and the big purple elephant in the room. Letting out a breath of relief to learn that he isn't the one breaking this news, Koa purses his lips in sympathy, not sure what to tell his friend. "What... what do you think it means?" he asks slowly, searching for words Ever will understand. "Cus like... I feel like you've definitely been different. But have you noticed anything? Felt anything?" Grown any tentacles where Koa can't see?

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I think I can manage being collateral damage

Ever doesn't flinch away at the touch as he might once have, but instead seems reassured by it as you'd expect. "I think so too. It hasn't been that long, but I really love her." The admission is an easy one to make and has the aviator beaming.

Ah, but then there's the purple of it all.

Sighing again, the aviator sniffs in a breath and holds it for a moment as he regards the clouds drifting impassively overhead. "I don't know what it means, but...well, you've known me for a while, right?" It's a rhetorical question; the kind the old Everest didn't understand. "I know I'm different now, but it's never been easier to be me than it has been since I've been infected." It's said with all the weight of the blasphemous admission he knows it is, yet as he makes it, his blue eyes are unflinching as they regard Koa.

"Isla has done a full physical and can't find anything at all. All my faculties seem to be working as they were, my mind just..isn't so tightly held together, you know?" It was the best way he could think to explain it in just a few words. "The only thing we've really noticed is that void things don't bother me. The animals are either friendly or they leave me alone, and the plants just...I mean, I guess I don't sense them the way everyone else does." They didn't smell, didn't make him feel an oncoming sense of doom or panic.

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

Koa is not emotionally intelligent. A Good Egg, yes. A Loyal Friend, certainly. But he's also selfish, and shallow, and foolish, and young. And while he'd often found himself perplexed by Everest, or annoyed by his eccentricities, or at a loss for how to relate to the Aviator, it had never crossed his mind that Ever might struggle with it, too.

The realization hits him like a punch to the gut.

"Was it really that hard?" Koa's voice is soft and wavering, his dark eyes searching Everest's face. "Being you? I mean-- shit, Ever, I always thought---" He trails off, running fingers through cropped hair and shaking his head. "You were just always you. And it seemed like- like you were okay with that." Not suffering, not asking for help. Just... okay.

He listens to the rest of it - to the lack of physical issues, the safety from the voidlings. Chewing on his lower lip, Koa scrunches his nose. "And your feelings about the Family? About Dahlia? How do you know if those are... I dunno, real?"

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I think I can manage being collateral damage

"I mean..." Not quite able to answer that with any sort of eloquence, the aviator offers the dragoon a tight smile as he rubs at the back of his neck. "A bit like...like walking through a hallway with the lights off, only there are strings that crisscross everywhere, constantly tripping you up. For most people the hallway is empty and the lights are on, and when they have a conversation or have to do something they can just..walk down it. For me, though..." He gives his head a little shake. Not only were there things constantly there to trip him up in the darkness, but sometimes things were incredibly loud, or cold or too hot, making it almost impossible to concentrate on navigating what was already a rather complex task.

Lifting his eyes, the aviator smiles. "I only knew how to be me, back then." He says in a quiet voice.

Thoughtfully, Ever gives his head a little shake. "I think my feelings are my own?" Raising his eyes as if to try and scan his internal network of feelings and beliefs, he frowns. "I mean, how would you know if they weren't? How would any of us?"

.

Koa

There's an art to life's distractions

The lights aren't always on for me, Koa wants to say, but that is beside the point. He's listening attentively, trying to wrap his mind around the lived-in experiences Everest shares. For Koa there's always been the ability to shrug off those tripwires and intrusive thoughts, to just be cool when things threaten to get out of hand. But Everest has never been able to just be cool, not for as long as the Dragoon has known him.

Not, it seems, until now.

How would someone know if their thoughts were their own? It's a disturbing thing to contemplate, because if you can't trust your brain what do you have left?

(Clearly our sweet summer Koa has never dealt with mental health issues beyond ADHD)

"Well... how did you feel about it before? The Family and all that?" Before he was infected, whenever that was - if Everest even knows. "Like, did your thoughts about it change suddenly? Or were you always... I dunno, okay with all that?" He gestures vaguely in the direction of Starfall, a violet blight against the distant sky.

To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

I think I can manage being collateral damage

"Uhm...I don't think I had any feelings about it." The aviator says after a moment, giving his head an uncertain shake. "Sohalia was...well, was finding things very hard at the end and she was already gone more often than not. So when Dahlia arrived and said she was going to take things over instead it felt...expected." Wasn't that always the way of things when leaders began to fail in their duties? Especially when young leaders began to fail? And nothing Dahlia had said or done thus far had been contrary to what was best for Stormbreak.

"And it isn't as though we haven't had leaders who weren't born in Caido before. Look at Deimos, Sunjata, even Remi and Ronin before that." There were more of course, but at least those ones had done some good while in charge. Were still doing it.

Glancing over his shoulder toward the shrine, the aviator looks back with a lopsided smile. "If...if you want you can come with me? Hear what Frey has to say about it for yourself?"

.