[SE] what a lunch of nonsense

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Thal is more conscious of Asta's attention, unsure whether it's due to his new shadowy counterpart or her own intense concentration. She treads carefully either way, doing her best not to think about all the things Vesper had thrown at her - about how she might be different or how Asta might take that. So she shrugs her shoulders, dangling her glass like it sits upon a ledge, leaning neither one way or the other. "I think they're growing stronger and Dygra would be doing us a disservice if she wasn't preparing us for what's to come." The glorious chaos that's poised to rain across Caido.

The goddess had certainly made it sound like she had nothing to worry about, her only concern being for Thal's wellbeing. It makes her all the more curious of how other races are faring, and she tilts her head with a bit of snarky pride. "Do you think the other gods are doing the same?" They don't have such a loving maternal goddess who blesses them in the same way, however, she knows of the flowers they bestow and the weapons they might be willing to forge, and she has no doubt it's the kind of information that others might find useful.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

Both the butcher and his shadow’s attention focuses on Thalassa - interest flickering briefly across his face at her comment of Dygra. It was.. Interesting, to say the least, to hear her talk so brazenly of it. Perhaps it’s a rule of being infected, though, to play along and pretend like it is horrible, if only so the rest of them were unaware of her position and how it might have gotten a less than savory violet sheen.

Or, with the follow up, perhaps she’s probing. And for a moment he’s almost taken by surprise, that she would fish for information from him when they had only just opened up to one another. His smile doesn’t falter, the playing along completely in place as he shakes his head with a low hum of a laugh, but his shadow continues to watch her with that smile and amused eyes.

“Admittedly, darling, I could care less what the other gods are doing. Dygra has blessed us, why bother with wondering what the others are doing?” If it wasn’t clear before, his distaste of the other gods is palpable in the tone of voice he harbors. Dygra had been his ultimate savior, and to her he owed his life. And while Safrin had healed him thanks to Flora’s call, the stars that embraced him felt both healing and branding.

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Thal gets the gut feeling that something is off, but it's hard to distinguish from all the other shifting emotions and information that swim in the purple abyss of her mind. Maybe that's why she clings only to the reality of what she can see, determined to believe that she hasn't changed and he hasn't changed and they haven't changed. It helps that Asta puts on a convincing performance. She doesn't notice anything other than the interest in his gaze, accounting it to the topic of conversation more than her. 

Unbothered by his comment, Thal's laughter chimes between them, light with amusement. "I guess you're right." And she usually wouldn't care either, having rarely spared a single thought for the deities, but something draws her to the information. Her shoulders come up in a shrug to dismiss any strangeness from the sudden interest. "It's more of a morbid curiosity for all those who aren't as lucky as us." She's mostly referring to their alignment with Dygra.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

He’s good at what he does, that’s for sure. The mask stays in place and now he’s a touch more cautious with the things he tells her. At the very least, he can certainly urge his distaste of the other gods with her question, smiling to hear her laughter as his shadow dances over his shoulder with eyes that survey all. Whether or not it does or doesn’t, it’s at least an indicator that Astaroth had eyes everywhere.

He grins toward her, taking a sip of the liquor before he nods, understanding glinting in his gaze. “I suppose that is fair.” His horned head tilts one way before the other, before the butcher’s clicking his tongue and resigning a dramatic sigh as he sets his glass down. “I would imagine that if they do not, perhaps that is all the more reasoning to send them our way, wouldn’t you agree?” Bouncing his brows playfully.

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Her eyes widen with interest, her face stretches into a cunning smile. "Treat it as a recruiting point?" The words are laced with a low laughter, amused with the idea of people fleeing their inferior deities in the face of the Family's might. She shrugs her shoulders, sipping her whiskey with a casual pace that speaks of her current lack of stress. "I guess whatever gets people to see that Dygra is the best." The blue of her eyes glitter in their mutual agreement of the goddess's superiority, although she can't say she likes the idea of inviting cowards to join their ranks. 

Speaking of, Thal rolls the bottom of her glass on the table, tilting her head as she recalls the memory. "I met a new Ancient a few months ago. I don't think she liked me very much." She huffs a chuckle, lifting an eyebrow as if to ask, 'Are you surprised?' After all, she's apparently not a very likeable person in general - not that she's bothered by it. At least that's what she hopes her too-sharp grin says to Asta.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

“Why not?” The butcher purrs while the shadow over his shoulder mimes the sensation of a content cat while Asta takes a long slow sip of the liquor once more, trading it for piercing another portion of meat. Inspecting it as they’d gone through the rawer portions already, the butcher’s dark gaze flits up to Thalassa once more, a smile tugging on his face as he nods his heavily horned head in agreement. “Precisely, darling.”

Because she is the best, and Asta would die on that hill happily.

But then gossip seems to be afoot, mention of a new Ancient and how she and his friend had not gotten along, and to that the low rumble of a chuckle escapes the butcher’s throat as he inclines his head. “No?” He asks, though he does read the lines underneath. It had taken him a long time to see this version of Thalassa, longer still to realize that she was simply being cautious rather than hurtful.

“I may have met the same one, as it turns out. Ainthe?” He asks, his shadow squinting at Thalassa with the question while the butcher plops the piece of meat into his mouth, downing the piece with ease as he listens.

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Her sharp smile is directed at Asta and his shadow, wicked delight making it bright. "I guess we'll just have to keep showing them how amazing it is." There's a double meaning that the Butcher probably won't see, one that she refuses to say aloud or acknowledge in her stubbornness. However, she can't ignore some of the recent benefits of either status, and Thal knows if someone asked, she'd be unable to argue against joining. 

Asta's chuckle makes her grin, a devious awareness of her tendencies and reputation. She snags at the final piece of meat while he reminds her of just how small Caido actually is. The movement of her shoulders is a dramatic shrug that slides into the lift of her fork to her mouth. "Don't know. Never caught her name." It's the most cooked part of the pork and she has to chew a little more before swallowing to add flippantly, "I think she was too busy being offended when I told her I didn't want to share her ash ferret." There were multiple reasons for her having declined the offer, but she laughs at how sensitive the woman had been to find her response insulting. Most Ancients don't want to share their food anyways.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

“I have never stopped.” The butcher purrs back to the captain, his smile and his shadow’s smile equally as sharp and vibrant when he flashes it her way. But then, he’s chuckling to hear that she hadn’t exactly made a friend when it came to a new Ancient, and while Asta isn’t surprised, it is still a bit amusing either way.

Nodding as his brows lift, in a gesture of oh, I see, that it hadn’t even gone that far when the girl had seemed more than willing to give her name to a fellow Ancient. Thal must have really made the impression.

He chuckles again, nodding, heaving a soft sigh as he leans against the top of the table, horned head heavier now as he angles it slightly. “Now, now, from my understanding she is still learning. Or, she truly does enjoy sharing?” Bouncing his brow with the question, Asta isn’t sure which it might be, but what he does know is that she had recently become an Ancient. Which was likely quite the learning curve.

He’d had portions that were hard to figure out initially, too. He can’t fault a new Ancient for that.

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

His deep chuckle and 'Now, now' make her think she might have handled things inappropriately despite what she would have categorized as a minor tease. 

Feeling like a chastised child for not playing nice, Thal crosses her arms to lean back in her seat. She doesn't quite pout - because captains don't pout - but she certainly dons her confidence in defense of her actions, tail flicking annoyedly off to the side. "That much was obvious. Even in her fyrhund shift, she couldn't catch the thing. I had to help her." Although 'help' might have been a strong word, considering she'd been playing with the ash ferret almost as much as the Ancient. Flashing her fangs, Thal recalls the measly bit of meat that dangled dead from her hand with a bit of disgust. "The thing was so small that there was barely anything to share."

She shakes her head and flicks her hand in dismissal, reaching forward to grab at her dwindling whiskey. "Either way, I doubt we'll be spending much time together." It might have been a mutter if she hadn't believed it enough to give it a sharp edge. Because she didn't think the woman would want to see her again. Not as friends or companions or anything else of the sort.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

Seeing the equivalent of a pout cross Thalassa’s face has the butcher’s chuckle deepening a touch as he leans back, his shadow hovering over his shoulder and watching her with equal parts amusement that remains hidden better in the butcher’s face. “Not everyone has the instincts that you do.” He hums confidently, because they both knew her. They knew she was a fighter at heart. So when Thalassa got her first shift, she likely didn’t have the struggles someone else might not have.

Pouring a bit more whiskey into his glass and topping hers off, the butcher relaxes again in his seat as he imagines a tiny little ash ferret versus a fyrhund. It was an appetizer at best, all things considered, but in a pinch for a bloodlust it might sate enough to get to bigger prey.

Still, he nods with understanding, his lengthier horned head bobbing in agreement. “She may make an appearance here. The Dusklight had been recommended prior to my meeting with her, from my understanding.” Not that he would tell Thal she was here to avoid her. If anything, he’d be more inclined to tell Aithne if the captain was around in case she wanted to avoid it.

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Thal knows that the compliment is as much truth as a placating technique based on the coiling amusement of the pair's expressions. It still makes her feel childish in her need for validation, but that doesn't mean she denies it, her head lifting with pride and a hint of snark on the curve of her lips. "You're right. Not everyone can be a natural like us." Although Asta might be surprised to learn that her first shift wasn't quite as vicious or predatory as he might think. 

Accepting the refill of her drink, she immediately lifts it to sip - which turns into a gulp at his words. Her voice is thick with sarcasm as she says, "Great. As long as she doesn't get in my way - or do anything stupid to piss me off." She adds a sharp, mocking smile to the end, knowing that there's little that doesn't set her off. Thal even crosses her legs, her glass dangling confidently in her fingers and her tail flicking idly, everything about her posture turning to that of the swaggering pirate captain who would relish in the opportunity to put the woman in her place. However, she might have added that if Aithne plays nice, she might be willing to do the same.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

// day breaks sorrow //

“That is true.” He agrees with a low chuckle, pouring some of the liquor into his glass and fill hers up. Setting the bottle down, he lifts his glass up a few seconds after she’d lifted her own, the butcher hearing the sarcasm and snorting in answer. Nodding and making the little toast with her and taking a sip, he lets it burn nicely as his limbs remain loose. The shadow over his shoulder seems to smile a bit wider with he result, but the butcher agrees regardless. “Well I cannot say she won’t, but, time will tell.”

His chuckle is gentle and amused as he flashes his softer smile toward her, scanning her again before plucking the second to last bite of meat from the plate - echo shark, he thinks - before devouring it and settling in for easier conversation until he’s drunk and warm enough to bid her goodnight before he goes to figure out just how he’s going to mention the return of his haunt magic to the Maverick.

- FIN

Astaroth

// and i still feel the edge of this cold knife //