[SE] Rare blooms

Their last trip had gone well enough that Hadama had requested Noe's company again, though this time it was on a more mundane matter rather than a quest for his goddess. He had waited until he had reports of a trio of Deepfrost storms passing to the east over the Greatwood before sending a note to the engineer. He had heard tales of the blooms that followed the desert rains and he had an idea for a gift...

And his due diligence as a demigod to see to.

It was, indeed, a good day for a visit to the deadly sands of Hak Etme, even though a part of him still rebelled against the thought of willingly seeking out someplace so fiercely dry. When his teleportation brought them across the full length of Caido in four short hops to stand at the Boneyard he realized just how wrong he had been.

"Mmh." He looked around at the desert that was anything but arid in the wake of the storms. It had been a week since they had moved through and the sun was rising on the display of green and varied rainbow hues that carpeted - however briefly - the sands of Hak Etme. The water no longer stood in pools and arroyos, but in its wake it had left a rare Deepfrost bloom that was utterly breathtaking. He released Noe and drank in the view, scanning the horizon until he found the shrine of bones nearby. "A moment," he rumbled to the young Breaker. "Please. And then we can gather the flowers."

A pause, a tilt of his head, and the swing of his braid as he considered the young woman curiously. "Unless you would also like to pay respects to Mort or Ludo?"

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

When Hadama had invited Noe back to the desert, it had been a pleasant surprise. She had no love of the arid region, but at least the company was good, and Noe was more than happy to meet up with her friend once more.

It was strange to think of the King of Torchline as a friend. After all, she was small and insignificant, and he was great and powerful, and yet here they were. And here was a great deal more beautiful than Noe had anticipated. Winter rains had left the land awash in multicolored flora, leaving Noe gasping with delight as she took in the sight.

She was so distracted that it took her a moment to realize that they stood before a shrine, and the girl tilted her head as she considered. Ludo had been a favorite of her mother, and she knew Koa still sought it out regularly. Aside from that, her mother roamed Mort’s halls. It seemed only polite to pay her respects, even if she wasn’t sure about the god of death and his herald for herself. ”Yes please,” she said, stepping forward to the shrine as well.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Though he could not deny that Noe was small, Hadama did not think the young engineer was insignificant. He enjoyed her company and the different perspective she brought to their conversations. and he found her an easy travel companion. Their shared first experience of the desert in bloom was a good example of that as they each looked out over the flowers that grew in profusion around the great skeletons that scattered the landscape. The floral explosion softened the remains of the ancient leviathans, wreathed them in pale blues and bright pinks and cheerful yellows that would last a few fleeting, glorious days before the scorching sun burned the water from their flesh and consigned them back into the dust once more.

Life and death in its endless cycle, and the shrine to Ludo and Mort watched over it all in this place where death predominated for most of the year.

Hadama inclined his head at Noe's courtesy, his serene expression softening momentarily. He turned to the shrine and lifted a small box from the mesh bag at his hip. He set it on the altar and bowed solemnly, deeply, giving due reverence to the gods it represented. The thick, fudgy scent of the fresh-baked brownies within wafted out, made for just this purpose. "Thank you, Mort. Thank you, Ludo," he rumbled quietly. "For watching over my brother. My grandfather. And all of the ancestors." A pause, a moment of silence that stretched before he swallowed hard. Found the strength to continue. "And for the peace you have given Ray. Harper. ...Maea." His chest tightened as he held the bow a little longer before straightening, dry-eyed, and stepping back to allow Noe her time in prayer.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Noe waited in silence as Hadama made his offering, doing her best to focus on the scenery rather than her friend’s prayer. It seemed somehow that she was intruding on something private, and she had no desire to be rude. When it was her turn, she realized that she hadn’t brought anything specifically for this purpose. Feeling abashed, she stepped up to the altar and wracked her brain, finally pulling out a small carving of a flower in bloom from her pocket. She’d forgotten it was there until just this moment, but she hoped that it would be accepted all the same. Kneeling solemnly before the altar, she bowed her heard. ”Mort, thank you for watching over my mother. Ludo, thank you for helping my brother.”

She wasn’t very good at prayer, and so she paused awkwardly before climbing to her feet and dusting the dirt from her knees. Feeling as though she should offer something more, she laid her hand briefly on the altar beside the little carving she had offered, her head still bowed, before she turned to Hadama with a small smile. ”So, flowers?”

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

The sand dunes shift under each step, tricking your balance. You pause to regain footing and sense a faint vibration through the soles of your feet. It stops the instant you notice it, leaving behind the uneasy feeling that something just burrowed deeper out of sight, waiting for the right moment.

---

This does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention.

Hadama, likewise, moved far enough back so that Noe could make her ablutions in peace. He turned his gaze to the flowers that bloomed in the mildest of Hak Etme's seasons, gaze running over the arch of giant ribs and the softened curve of massive skulls that had once been ancient behemoths. Some of them were almost familiar, an echo of the great lords of the deepest seas, half myth and half rumor, though what they were doing in a desert he could not guess.

He turned back when he heard Noe's voice, but the ground shifted under him and he tightened his grip on his trident. The sense of being watched was back, eerily reminiscent of that day on the beach with Flora. The aftermath of the fight in Halo. He slid his feet cautiously through the sand and dipped his trident's tines to stir a path through the shifting grains but already the feeling was subsiding.

A faint frown drew his steely brows together as he looked around rather than at Noe, alert and wary of further threat. "Did you feel that?"

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

As Noe completed her prayer, she stepped away from the shrine and teetered in place, the sand beneath her feet shifting and vibrating as though there was something digging around beneath them. Regarding the ground with a raised brow and pursed lips, Noe froze for a moment, as though waiting to see what horrors would burst forth from below to greet them. When nothing happened, Noe shrugged. ”Weird,” she said. Whatever it was seemed to be gone for now, anyway.

Noe looked out at the beauty before them, gesturing towards the expanse with a grin as she left thoughts of creatures beneath the sands behind. ”So, flowers,” she said as she looked at their options. ”Are you looking for anything in particular, or just…” With that, she gestured again towards the abundance of flora available to them. If there was something specific to search for, she’d do it gladly, but if not, it seemed that their options were endless.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Hadama was less inclined to dismiss the incident, but neither was he certain of how to pursue it. If it had come from under the water he could have dealt with it, but he had no power over the earth. He remained alert, attention beneath them as Noe admired the scenery, but eventually he raised his head to follow the arc of her arm.

"Flowers," he confirmed, his voice a wary rumble. "The most fragrant you can find. I will use the petals to make a gift." At least the flowers were low so that he could seek them out while paying attention to the half-obscured sands. He kept his ears open and other senses straining for another sign of unrest as he moved into the multi-colored field and began to choose his quarry. The colors mattered not at all, so long as the aroma was pleasing - and strong.

"Do you also give gifts during Deepfrost in Stormbreak?" he asked as they gathered the precious petals.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Noe wasn’t sure why Hadama was so on edge. Sure, the ground rumbling was a little creepy, but nothing bad had happened. Besides, it was so pretty here! Why focus on doom and gloom when there was an abundance of glorious blooms to be found?

So Noe began her hunt, bending to sniff at various flowers and plucking those that passed her inspection. She began to amass quite the bouquet in one hand, using the other to gently pull blooms towards herself and pick the most fragrant. ”We do,” she confirmed. ”It’s not much, but I got some sweets for my brother and father.” In truth, she hadn’t really known what to get the Carpenter men - not when she so rarely saw her brother, and her father had always been hard to buy for.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Thanks to the softened soil in the wake of the rains and the milder temperatures of Deepfrost the flowers had bloomed in such profusion that it was easy to find fragrant blooms. Their bouquets were quickly filling up and Hadama's arm was quickly becoming hidden beneath the mass of color - and especially lovely, fragrant scent - of his own bounty.

Despite his continued wariness there was no more indication of trouble and eventually even the keenly alert Tidebreaker began to relax. Finding a skull stone to rest on, he began to strip the petals from the flowers they gathered, filling a large glass jar with them. The rainbow colors rose swiftly between his and Noe's offerings, and when the jar was half full he added a carefully measured pour of alcohol in before capping it and slipping it back into his large pack. "Sweets are always welcome," he agreed with a twinkle in his emerald eyes. "If you want to learn how to make some by hand, I will be happy to show you." Not today, perhaps, but there was always later - or next year, gods willing.

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Their bouquets were growing rapidly, filling with the most fragrant blooms from the desert, and it wasn’t long before they relaxed on a nearby skull to start stripping the petals from the flowers. It reminded Noe a little of the childhood game everyone used to play to determine if their crush loved them. She smiled at the memory, thinking, they love me, they love me not, as she continued to pick at the blooms.

She watched as Hadama poured in alcohol, then turned her attention to the conversation at hand. At the king’s offer, Noe’s eyes lit up. ”Ooooo,” she gasped. ”What kinds of sweets can you make?” She was rather partial to chocolate, herself, but there was also something about saltwater taffy that always had her picking some up when she visited Torchline.

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

With the first round of the incipient perfume beginning its several-day steep, Hadama began to gently de-petal another round of their flowers, this time storing the petals dry in a second, smaller jar. Though he kept his attention on the work his hands the edges of his eyes crinkled slightly at Noe's obvious delight at his offer, and though his expression remained serene there was a decided air of pleasure at her genuine interest.

"Baked desserts are easiest. Small cookies or fruit tarts," he offered by way of example. And what was a tart, after all, but a tiny, bite-sized pie? "Pudding made with bananas or coconuts. Or chocolates. I have made several molds for them in the shapes of shells." He finished filling the second jar and stowed that as well before he offered Noe a hand up, eyes bright with amusement. "If you would be interested in learning to make them yourself someday?"

Noe

Best believe I'm still bejeweled
When I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer

Honestly, Hadama, who wouldn’t want to learn to make their own sweets? The costs of some of Noe’s favorites had gotten outrageous, and she was certain that it would be both cheaper and more satisfying to make her own - and, of course, it would be pleasant enough to spend time with her friend while she learned. What a strange friendship had blossomed out of that day on the beach with the kites!

”Oh, it all sounds divine,” she responded dreamily, offering a handful of plucked petals for the second jar. ”I’d definitely be interested! Is this just your way of convincing me to join Torchline? Because it’s working.”

And when I meet the band, they ask, "Do you have a man?"
I can still say, "I don't remember"

Their friendship did not seem quite so strange to Hadama. But then, he had developed something of a habit of befriending the youth of Caido, and food was often an integral component in bridging gaps between species, regions, and generations.

Perfume, less so. But this was a gift for a very specific person, one he knew well, and so the process continued as he saved more of the petals to be rendered down later. For now, the main jar was steeping in its alcohol and would continue to do so for several days as the liquid absorbed the aroma from the petals to create one of the rarest and most unique scents on Caido.

"Indeed," he rumbled, a teasing light in his emerald eyes as he agreed with everything she had just said in one efficient word. "Send me a letter when you are ready. I will set aside a day for it." In Flowerbirth, when the weather was warmer and he would, hopefully, have a little more time for his friends.

For today, however, they were done with their tasks and he was content to take Noe home to Stormbreak before returning to Torchline alone.

This time.

~Fin