[RA] try and come for my job

Flora

Was Flora wildly hung over?
Yes.

Were her eyes the sort of swollen that could only indicate a night of crying?
Also yes.

Was she still fucking up and ready to deal with whatever the day had in store for her?
I mean, pretty much yeah.

In the clothes she'd been wearing the day before—the day of Asta And Danta—Flora thanked the past version of herself who had opted to have today's meeting with Hadama on the coast. Kicking off her shoes, the queen stripped down to just her bra and underwear right on the beach. Given that it was Torchline and it was Flora, the queen doubted if anyone would even give her a second glance, never mind her moniker. Stomping into the water, without waiting for her body to acclimatize to the chill, Flora dove beneath the surface and let the shock of the sea freeze the hangover-shakiness she felt in her limbs, trading the shivers of her sympathetic nervous system for genuine ones. Surfacing with a gasp, the queen was easily able to tread water with her feet as she pushed her soggy curls out of her face.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

The broad-winged manta slid through the chilly waters with all the comfort of a creature born for the open sea, where temperatures were often far colder. It might have been unusual to see one of the great ocean rays so close to shore, but the golden scars that criss-crossed its dark body were by now a familiar calling card of the King, who had made the journey from the Underwater City the long way instead of using the Bubblestream today.

A King who had not expected to find his Queen and co-ruler swimming in the Flowerbirth tides on such a grey morning. A brief breach of the surface to confirm the face belonging to the submerged beach-perfect body was followed by the demigod diving again. The next time he surfaced, a few feet away from Flora, it was with the top half of a man who took in her soggy determination and red eyes with inscrutable calm.

"Who are we declaring war on?" A solemn question that was echoed a moment later by distant thunder far out across the Arclight.

Flora

It doesn't bother or startle Flora the way that Hadama just appears, his movements nearly silent even as his upper body breaks through the surface of the water. She preferred it, actually; had he come from a distance waving at her she'd have had too much time to rethink her decision in coming out looking like such a hot mess.

"I don't think you know him." Flora murmurs, casting her co-leader only a cursory glance before blinking the saltwater from her eyes. "But we could just declare war on the Hollowed Grounds since Danta is an asshole too." She adds with a girlish shrug, her current level of hurt and wounded pride could more than justify razing an entire region. "And it would give us a good idea just how strong we are compared to another land."

Tugging at a clump of blonde, her unbrushed curls knotting together as the sea tugged against them, the queen let herself sink until everything below her nose is beneath the waterline.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Ah. A stranger, then. Unfortunate, but he had faith in Flora's ability to take her vengeance in her own time and way. Still, at the mention of Danta he tilted his head to the side, to all appearances giving her recommendation serious contemplation. Hadama did not blame the Ancient for dismissing Maea from his council after the disastrous Conference, but it had done nothing to endear the Maverick to him, either.

"Hmm. But what would we do with it when we won?" A statement of calm confidence with no room for the alternative. "The port is acceptable. But the rest..." Lightning plains and poor soil that would be decades more in recovery from the Barrier's consequences. Bones and dust and Longheat wildfires. And in Deepfrost, snow. "More trouble than it would be worth," he decided finally.

Though not without a questioning glance at the eyes of his Queen, floating siren-like just above the water's surface. "Is it possible for Torchline to declare war on Danta alone?" As an individual rather than a regional leader.

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.

Flora

"I dunno, make them farm Frey's Breath until they've found every single lily?" Flora suggests, raising her brows to prove she could be clever as well as petty. "I dunno, I'm in the mood for trouble." She huffs dramatically. The queen had come far from being a girl wonderstruck by the mermanta, to a young woman who was desperate for his approval, now to the mess who swam before him, though through it all Flora had never been anything but herself, as she was now.

"Maybe I'll just do it. I think I can take both he and Asta at the same time." Doubtful that the dropping of the butcher's name will mean anything, it at least sheds a tiny bit more context onto the situation. Or maybe it doesn't, who knows. "That way you don't have to be mad at me for starting a civil war." She adds with a small but crooked smile.

Before Flora can elaborate on the form her revenge might take, the sea breeze seems to solidify into a small congregation of cloud wyrms. Tilting her chin up and shading her eyes just before their wistful bodies block out the sun, the queen smiles softly before stretching out a hand towards one.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

"Tempting," he granted of her plan, morally grey though it was. The following admission of her mood - bold and honest and entirely Flora - brought a sparkle to the mermanta's eyes, though he held in his smile. It was good to see her energy for drama returning in spite of the chilly waters they swam in and whatever transgressions the Grounds had committed against her.

And then there was a smile from the Doubletake, even if it was small and crooked, and Hadama's own mouth curved up briefly as he bowed his head to her. "I believe that I owe you a free attempt at a war," he pointed out, having not forgotten his own ill-chosen actions at the Midwinter Conference - or how Flora had given him the benefit of the doubt after.

Whatever else he might have offered was forgotten in the moment as a school - pod? flight? - of cloud wyrms passed by, playful and friendly and far more welcome than any Void-touched incursion. Hadama floated still in the water, watching one curious little wyrm come over to investigate Flora, twisting around her hand to investigate her shiny, polished nails before he spoke quietly, setting aside the talk of war for the peaceful moment. "I checked our inventory of Tumsea shells the other day. We have enough to trade this season, if King's End remains interested. Should we send the Archon a letter?"

Flora

Lifting her fingers above the waters if only so that she could snap them in response, the queen's smile grows positively radiant with mischief. "You're right, you do." She laughs. "Maybe I ought to save it then." Puffy and red though her eyes still are, some of the sparkle returns as she sighs and gives her head a little shake. "I'm not actually going to do anything." Flora murmurs; it would have been onbrand for her to do something drastic over a one-sided breakup and so it seemed the sort of thing that was perhaps worth clarifying. "It was just a..." Biting at the inside of her cheek, the queen wasn't sure how to finish the sentence if only because she didn't know what it actually was. Was it just a few dates that amounted to nothing? Well sure, but it was also a few dates under the pretence of leading to a few more all while the man was secretly in love with someone else who was also secretly in love with him, and said other man was also the one to have set everything up, but Flora had thought it was going well, and—

"—messy sort of situation." She says with a mild shrug, sighing before her attention is stolen by the whimsical movements of the wyrm fluttering by her fingertips.

"Yeah that sounds good. I might go to King's End to visit my mom for a few days, so I can always ask him about it then, too." Flora whispers, not wanting to disturb the wyrm and its investigations of her nails.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Whatever Danta and this Asta had done to hurt the Doubletake, her resilience in the aftermath was a welcome sight. Though he made a mental note to find out who 'Asta' was. For future reference. Hadama might not know the circumstances that had led to the morning's emotional swim, but it was enough to know that if Flora chose vengeance it would be on the subtle side.

His opinion on Danta and the Maverick's predilection for 'messy situations' he kept to himself for the moment.

The cloud wyrm was a far more charming focus for his attention as it explored Flora's nails with avaricious curiosity before it finally gave up its dreams of being able to steal one for itself. Hadama nodded slowly, careful not to make any moves that might startle the little wyrm, and his own voice was soft. "Send Hotaru my regards, please. And if Sunjata is not ready to trade, we can improve the bridges between our floating islands."

AKA if things didn't work out for trading this season, they could do a regional improvement project instead.

Flora

"Will doooooooooooooooo." Flora hums in a sing-song voice, her gaze still focused on the inquisitive wyrm.

"Oh, by the way, I was thinking of going to see Rae to ask for one of their lilies." Glancing over her shoulder at the Tidebreaker, the queen lifts her eyebrows. "I've been to Frey's Breath so many times (like 4 or 5) and I just think...I mean, based on what my dads said about the meeting you all had, there isn't really time to just keep waiting, is there?" Still whispering so as not to disturb the wyrm, only as it trills in parting before floating up to join its brethren does the queen relax, her arms flapping back into the water.

"The longer we wait, the stronger they get, right? That's what Vox said?"

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

There were not many on Caido who could so casually drop going to see one of the Great Gods, but given her parentage Flora was probably at the top of the list. Hadama nodded slowly, considering his own responsibilities in that regard. "That is what I remember," he agreed slowly. "The more time the Void has to spread, the stronger the Family grows."

The wyrm fluttered away to rejoin its own, far more benign family and Hadama watched it go for a moment before giving a soft sigh. "I will go to pray at Frey's shrine tomorrow," he decided because what are timelines. "If I am lucky, I will soon have a Lily to share with your fathers. But I wonder if we should also try to cleanse the corrupted regions. Weaken them, and perhaps make it easier for the island team to push further." He began a slow, easy pace back towards shore as he spoke. "We will need as many Lilies as we can get for that." And once they finished their current quest for Vi, perhaps they could find a Lily to set aside for Torchline's benefit, to lock the Void out of their region for good.

Flora

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuck." The queen groans, and gods the urge to just sink beneath the waves where the water would drown everything out was nearly too strong to resist. Such a shame that Hadama would undoubtedly save her if she tried.

"I think I remember hearing something about that. The like...B team, wasn't it?" Flora, who had become quite strong in her own right had still been intentionally absent from the gatherings of the Big Kids. She heard the information quickly enough from her family, but more than that, she had absolutely no desire to play hero or put her neck on the line without having full control over where and when.

"I kinda talked to Deimos about it briefly...about how we doubt if any of the regions are really going to be selfless enough to give up the chance to protect their region for the betterment of somewhere else." Flora lifts her eyebrows a touch leadingly. "Cause I mean...if you and I spend the MP call down Rae or Vi again...and we waste a chance to do something for Torchline in order to partially cleanse the jungle? The swamp?" The queen frowns, sinking down into the water to hide her shrug.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky

Indeed, Flora. There would be no Queens drowning on Hadama's watch. They were in this together now, and she would not get out of ruling that easily. Not if it meant he would have to go back to the days of doing all of the paperwork on his own, without someone to take half their share of Torchline's various complaints, suggestions, and petitions for royal intervention in petty personal squabbles.

He gave several moments of thoughtful consideration to being called a 'B team' member, but could not find any inaccuracy in it. "Mmh. It is the best we can do with our current strength," he admitted candidly, still working to regain his seat at the Big Kids table as he adapted to his demigodhood.

Hadama had apparently gained a reputation at some point, and while he was satisfied with the assumptions people tended to make based on it, he was not constrained by it. "It is unlikely," he agreed pragmatically with the assessment of the Doubletake and the Resurrected Sword. "When we finish our current quest we will need only one more task to cleanse Torchline fully." As much as it could be, given the presence of Starfall in its waters. "We cannot help another region until our own is safe." He submerged far enough to fully wet his hair and then slicked it back as he bobbed up again.

"Though if I were to choose a region to help, it would be the Greatwood. For the chance of finding Vi's Roses." And increasing their options for finding even more cleansing items... as difficult as the flowers were to come across.

Flora

Resisting the urge to voice just how little she wanted Hadama to ever find himself part of the 'A Team', instead the queen merely nodded softly as she looked over her shoulder toward Starfall with a slight sneer. Selfishly both as his co-ruler and a Torcher Flora didn't want to see any harm come to the Tidebreaker nor was she inclined to have him darting off on some heroic adventure, leaving her to protect the region should something go wrong.

"Another?" Flora says, her eyes darting back to Hadama as a furrow lined her brow. "But we'll have done the city and the ocean, and once we finish the coast, what else is there?" Am I being stupid? Biting at the inside of her cheek, her legs kicking beneath the surface every now and then, the queen can't help but want to argue against Hadama's pragmatism in favour of simply being selfish. "We could just...order everyone to spend at least one afternoon per month in Frey's Breath..." She suggests. "That seems easier than trekking all the way to the northern most part of Caido to search for roses?" Especially when the probability was the same.

"I just..why do we have to be the ones to sacrifice? It isn't our fault that its taken Halo three times as long as its taken us to complete our quests."

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did

Code stolen from Queen Sky