[SE] through the shallows

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

The hybrid had promised she’d be willing to help with Team B or C or whatever actual cohort it was, and so Melita held her to it, arriving in tow with her score of companions and her rampant chaotic assemblage.

I.e. she did fly here, and didn’t crash and everything was fine.

“Ah, still nice,” she breathed in the vibrant plumes and the radiating heat, already down to her swimsuit, aiming to pin her hair back as Sila took off for scouring the cavern and Fangorn plucked at a few stones. “Have you seen the flowers before?” The Honeybee couldn’t recall if Aurelia had actually seen the plant life in any other impactful way, besides her amazing chicken-scratch drawing; the time of the second blight had been a particularly shitty interval.

So she began skipping over to a bounty of stones outlining part of the pool, searching with greedy little hands and fingers.

to be the sun

MELITA

Aurelia

So never fear to feel good
when everything's wrong

Aurelia followed Melita and her companions, though she went a little more slowly than they. She paused before the water's edge, peering across the steamy hot springs with curious, searching eyes. "No, I don't think I've been so lucky to have seen one - in person - before," she answered without looking, kneeling down to touch her finger to the still water and watching the ripple as it expanded outwards.

"Have you?" She asked, to which she did look over at Melita with a quirk of her brows.

Picking her way carefully, Aurelia tread a rocky path that wound through and around the springs. Though she stayed well within eyesight and earshot of her lily-hunting companions, she tried to find her way towards the center to get a better overall view of the area. Hoping that the lily's petals would pop out at her from this vantage point, she stopped and surveilled their surroundings.

and find some beauty there
'cause all we ever are is brave

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

“Yeaaaaaah I think,” she wrinkled her nose, the memories a little fuzzy and hazy. It’d been some years ago, when they were all searching constantly, not unlike present day, for a way to cure the ongoing sickness. Voice caused again – you know the one. “Or at least when we had ‘em all piled together. And then summoned a monster thing,” to which she waved her hand – since that was also par for the course. Ain’t no thing.

Completely unbothered by the conjectures, she shrugged her shoulders and waded further, humming a little under her breath as she mired her way along stones and warm water. “You’ll notice them quick anyway.” Considering it was the only thing that grew her, as far she knew.

to be the sun

MELITA

Aurelia

So never fear to feel good
when everything's wrong

Aurelia's heart sank as she scanned the springs. The shimmering surface held no secrets, and the crevices in the rocks revealed nothing of value. No gold or turquoise petals, just the cold, hard truth of her failure. Her lips curled into a frown as she let out a low, disappointed sound. She glanced at Melita, who was equally unsuccessful in her search.

"Well..." Aurelia paused, her voice laced with resignation, "worth a shot, I suppose." If they hadn't come, they would have missed their chance entirely. Ignorance and timing were fickle beasts.

She sat on a nearby ledge and began to shed her boots. "Might as well enjoy the springs while we're here," she muttered. She peeled off her socks, her clothes, until she was left in her undergarments. Then, she slipped into the soothing waters, submerging herself completely. The warmth enveloped her, relaxing muscles she didn't even know were tense.

When she surfaced, she pushed back her wet hair and turned to Melita. Her mind raced with a thousand questions, and a few apologies too. But she settled on one, a burning curiosity that had been gnawing at her since the bar. "If I remember correctly, you promised to tell me more about becoming a demi-god. What... what happened?"

and find some beauty there
'cause all we ever are is brave

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Despite the warm temperatures and pleasant water, Melita could feel her features turning back into that disdainful wrinkle of her nose. Nothing in sight – so once again, naught to bring home with success in their hearts and potential in their grasp. Had it been this difficult before? Maybe they hadn’t been as rare or sparse? She’d been so hellbent on helping that she couldn’t recall, and with a long puff and heave of her breath, she only uttered: “Well this is lame.”

While the plumes extended into her crimson hair and making them aspire and spiral into curls, the inquiry launched her way. It did cause some of her sour mood to lift, and a mischievous glint circumvent the frown. “Ohhhh,” she started off in a some flare of the dramatic, whisking her fingers over the top of the water and splashing haphazardly in little trickles and drops. “Ludo asked me at the last Festival of Lights.” She’d accepted, obviously. “Nothing with the death angle,” not like Remi had been – just to give her an idea. “But more of the chaotic variety.”

From there, they'd be able to catch up on other portions, with or without the sprigs and blossoms of the lilies nearby. 

[FIN]

to be the sun

MELITA