[SE] Feels like a fever

She bows to no one.

Raising an eyebrow, her eyes twinkle with undisguised humor. "Are you sure? I may have spotted some tasty elephant beetles near the village." She doesn't think the crunchy exteriors would be easy to digest, but she's never tried them before, and with enough motivation, anything is edible. 

In the midst of her joking, Thal doesn't notice the way she begins to relax into the banter, guard slowly lowering in the shared experience of quenched bloodlust. If she'd cared to analyze herself (which she doesn't), she might notice the shift into friendly companionship.

So much so, that when Kiada asks after her dagger, she settles on open honestly rather than overt suspicion. Maybe it's the fact that she's already seen it in action, or maybe it's because Thal is actually trying to change. Whatever the reason, she takes a moment to admire the expert craftmanship of the weapon as she succinctly answers, "Yeah." To prove her point, Thal strikes the blade against the tree she leans on, watching with satisfaction as it bursts into a flame. Feeling the pull of magic, she manipulates the tendrils into a flicker of a dancing woman before snuffing it out. "It's pretty useful at times." And until she finally masters generating fire of her own - a necessity.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“I’ll end up picking the shells out of my teeth for weeks after.” She counters with a fanged smile of amusement, snorting under her breath to find the companionship quite comfortable in the grand scheme of things – even if she knows this other Ancient is still very much a stranger to her.

Not that it matters too much, given that the next subject over the daggers has her inclining her head and iceberg gaze in full attention of the blade in appreciation. The demonstration has Kiada’s grin growing bright again, nodding with content to see it. “In the world that I was born in, I had this fire magic that would spread out from my spine and make little fiery animals depending on my mood. The second world I went to, it actually was able to burn things and was pretty useful too.” She offers the information easily before remembering herself with the chime of a laugh, that it’s been so long since she’d considered herself as an Outlander with how long she’d lived amongst Caido’s world.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Shrugging her shoulders, Thal flicks her daggers over her fingers again. "Extra seasoning for future meals." And this time, she lets out a small chuckle to accent her fanged grin. It comes more naturally, the banter rolling off her tongue without a second thought. After all, what's the harm in a little conversation? And the conversation feels effortless with Kiada, who seems to laugh so easily with a virtual stranger. 

It relaxes Thal, and she tilts her head, comfortable enough to explore the curiosity that rises from the information. "From your spine? Seems like a strange place for your magic to come from." Although others might find it just as strange that theirs originates from nowhere. 

She flips her dagger in the air, trying not to scare the woman off with the depth of her interest as she asks, "So this is your third world? You think it will stick this time?" Having never considered searching out another world, she doesn't know what it entails or how it may change her. She's become quite attached to her horns and fangs. It would be sad to lose them in a new environment so soon after coming to embrace them.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“Ew, I guess.” Kiada responds with her own laugh melding with Thalassa’s, the sound surprisingly nice to hear as they settle into a comfortable conversation range – at odds with how they’d met. But Kiada had been far happier now since becoming Ancient and finding her fiancé, so content was she that she found trying to reach out and be friendly seemed to work better than anything she’d tried previously.

The information of her worlds is offered easily, though, no longer harboring the stigma of being an Outlander here in Caido. That war had ended a long while ago. So when she questions it being from her spine, Kiada nods with a knowing glance. “Yeah I know. Weird. It worked a whole lot better when it didn’t actually burn things.” She admits with a wrinkle of her nose, amused, despite the fact burn scars swirl along her body, radiating from her spine (if you don’t count the burn scars on her arms and much of her legs).

“It has so far. Been here the longest, at least.” She makes a face as if she’s considering it, before she shakes her head and nods, flashing Thal a smaller and more coy smile. “Apparently I survive pretty well.” Nevermind the fact she’d died and been reborn. That was survival too, at the end of the day. "What about you?" If she's offering up all of these little tidbits of her past, she'd like to know where Thal lived. Just out of pure curiosity.

Though she really seems like the Torchline type, if Kiada had to guess.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Thal finds a smile lingering on her face, small but present as they shift away from discussions of questionable edible creatures. Her eyebrow quirks up with perplexed interest. "Why? Did it burn through your clothes?" She isn't aware of the burn scars that litter Kiada's body, and in her experience, she'd rather have the combat applications of fire that can actually do damage. 

The next question makes it Thal's turn to face her own mental scarring. Her smile flinches momentarily before she decides to speak the truth. "I... don't remember." After a moment of pause, she continues, "but apparently, I was a mermaid before Dygra changed me." She shrugs her shoulders, dismissing the way admitting it aloud seems to solidify the truth in her mind. Even if she hasn't spoken to the woman who claims to be her 'mother' since their initial conversation, she can't hide from her own past.  

Thal smiles wider, pushing past the discomfort to focus on the present. "Now, I travel on my ship, The Marauder. " The 'pirate' part is omitted for obvious reasons, but she's proud of her ship and crew. Why should she be ashamed of that? And maybe Kiada will find it more interesting than her heritage.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

That was one thing that didn’t help the flames that actually did burn. But she supposes, aside from scarring herself, it also had the ability to ensure that nobody got too close behind her for fear of getting burned. “Sometimes. That part sucked, for sure.” She says with a light laugh, rolling her eyes a little, but her face remains playful and easy.

She takes note of the hesitation, of the way Thal’s smile flinches slightly with the answer. It seemed truthful as anything, though, and she nods before she settles a little and is able to offer her own truths. “Huh.” She starts, before the mention of a ship has her brightening and forgetting momentarily of her own shifts in races since arriving here.

“A ship? That’s awesome.” She’d had no urge to sail, but she does miss flying. And when something was in your blood, she supposes it only makes sense you drift back there occasionally. “Its been ages since I’ve been on a ship. At least one that didn’t fly.” She clarifies with a small snort.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

"Hmm. Sounds annoying." To have to worry about singed clothes and strange anatomical origins. It makes her all the more confused about the reason. She tilts her head, blue eyes squinting in thought. "Were you still able to control it? Like moving it through the air?" Thal tries and fails to imagine launching a fireball from her spine. Her own magic has served mainly practical purposes, pulling it from one place to another, but she can't imagine lighting a candle on her back. 

If Kiada has questions about her past, she's polite enough to keep them to herself, and Thal appreciates the focus on her ship, a smile coming easily with the topic. She shrugs her shoulders again, trying not to read into the excitement that flares in her chest. "I suppose if you ever want a ride, you're welcome to join me." Her voice is nonchalant, trying to play it cool even as the 'friendly' offer still lingers in the air.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

Snickering a little at the thought – because yeah, it was annoying, but at least she was able to turn it off in her second world where it actually did burn things – the harpy nods her head. “Yeah. I could summon little… fire elementals, I guess? They were the shape of animals.” (It’s really confusing because back then she’d been a horse, but y’know, we’re pretending that whole thing didn’t happen but the magic did, what’s logic?)

Biting her tongue about anything for Thal’s past, sensing the fact she might not want to talk about it, the harpy instead focuses on the ship – something she assumes to be a point of pride for the other woman. And while her voice is nonchalant, the offer is in the air swiftly and Kiada latches onto it with a bright and easy grin, so free in comparison to how she might have been years ago had they met. “I’ll definitely take you up on it one of these days if I ever see the Marauder in Jack Tar.”

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Kiada's snicker makes Thal's smile reappear, still somewhat unfamiliar but comfortable on her face. "Hmm... I suppose that could be interesting." She still doesn't really get it, but that was another world, with strange rules and experiences that she may never come to understand. All she knows is that the Ancient is obviously here now, somehow laughing with her in a forest. 

The topic of her ship is similarly easy, the shared grins coming one after another. "You may. We frequent the port." Thal shrugs her shoulders, even as she knows that they'll be back in Jack Tar within the week. "My crew likes the nightlife in the Grounds." As if that's the only reason, and not that she's considering settling in the area herself (screw timelines), Thal leaves it at that. Instead, she tilts her head as she asks, "Do you live in the Grounds?"

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“That’s one way to put it.” Kiada admits, a touch wistfully despite the amusement that’s very clear on her face – pushing past it so swiftly to focus on the ship. Because let’s be honest, that’s way more interesting to the harpy than to talk about all the trauma of the worlds she’d come from. The less likelihood of her having to explain the scar on the side of her neck, and the swirls of burn scars along her shoulders and arms, the better at the end of the day.

So she focuses on Jack Tar, of whether or not she’d see the Marauder there, and she nods a touch eagerly to hear that they frequent the port. “Yeah, I do. I’m actually the Registrar.” She says a touch proudly, before her tail flits behind her and she softens a touch. “Basically Danta’s right hand girl.” And responding to all the correspondence that comes through – making it easier for the Maverick to make his own decisions, though she was the go to when it came to bouncing ideas off of.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

Content to leave pasts in the past, she smiles secretly at Kiada's excitement. Maybe she should offer people rides more often. Maybe it would help her learn more about whatever government structure they're discussing. Even with the explanation of 'Danta's right hand girl,' Thal has no idea what that entails. Her head tilts curiously as she asks, "What's a Registrar do?" If she's spent any time around leadership, she doesn't remember, and pirates only have Captains and First Mates. It's a lot less complicated. 

It also makes her wonder, as she hears the familiar name. "Hmm. I've only met Danta once. What do you think of him?" The little time she's spent with him resulted in her covered in blood, limping home; however, she can't deny that he'd been polite after their original scuffle, even offering her the majority of the ramphire. And if she's going to consider the Hollowed Grounds as a possible place to restart, she'd like to know what kind of leader she'll have to deal with.

Thalassa

it's 2am and i took 17 shots of vodka trying to forget your name
but the only name i forgot was mine. and sober —

“Oh, I pretty much handle all the paperwork and help him make decisions for regional stuff.” She murmurs, a tone that seems to suggest that it isn’t much, but she’s very happy to do it and feel a part of things. In comparison, it likely isn’t that much different than Thal’s own First Mate. Someone to run the ship while she’s away, if it ever needed to be done.

As for Danta, her lips quirk into a brighter smile – playful and content. “He’s great, actually. Really carefree about the little stuff, can be a little intense on the really important shit. But honestly the best boss someone could ask for, in my opinion.” Her grin widens, her honesty flaring brightly in praise and content.

It’s about that time she notices that the light is getting darker, and rather than be trapped out here in the snow, she flashes Thal a softer fanged smile. “It’s getting late, you wanna walk back with me? I can answer more questions you’ve got, if you want.” She suggests, bouncing her dark brows playfully as if in invitation.

KIADA

— or drunk, you're the only thing on my mind

She bows to no one.

"Hmm... Sounds important." She doesn't like paperwork, so Thal can appreciate even more having someone else do it. Very similar to Danta and Kiada's relationship, she makes Spook do any filing of forgeries official documents or correspondences. And sometimes she lets him have some input on her decisions. For now, she's trying to get him proficient as a leader, otherwise, she can't trust the crew to follow him in her absence. 

Perhaps she and Danta aren't so different, expect that he sounds much more laid back than her. Considering he was wearing shorts with little sharks on them when they first met, that isn't hard to imagine. If she chooses to settle in the Grounds, she gets the feeling that there won't be a lot of rules or expectations that she would need to abide by. The thoughts swim in her head as Thal nods along, choosing not to comment further on the leader. 

Kiada's comment has her glancing around at the fading sunlight. It's surprising that so much time has passed without her noticed. Maybe it's a sign of change, of budding friendship. Although terrifying, Thal pushes aside the urge to run from the opportunity. Instead, she shares in the fanged grin, setting out towards the village to reunite with her crew. "Sure." And even though she doesn't have many more questions, she is appreciative of the company, noticing how different it feels from when she entered the woods, alone with her thoughts. 

[FIN]

Thalassa