mend your expectations

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

After checking in with the Dusklight on multiple occasions (and possibly picking a fight with Kia), she's finally been told that Danta is, in fact, in the building this time. She knows she should be happy after all her waiting and hard work and general desire to clear things up, but the anticipation has grown as much as her reluctance. After all, how is she supposed to say 'Relax, it was just a joke' without offending him? Especially when she'd thought him the kind of person who wouldn't let such sarcastic jibes wound his ego? It certainly doesn't give her any hope of how he'll respond to her now. 

But she can't just leave it. She's spent the last few months in a haze, letting something else guide her decisions, moving in the shadows, withering her to nothing, and she refuses to be intimidated now. Not when her friendship with Asta is at risk. Not when she thought she was just starting to get along with Danta. 

Still, she hesitates for a moment at the door, fixating on the grains of wood and the sound of business running down the hall. Light flickers to catch the glint of a bottle in her hand, the label unrecognizable and coated with the dust of Rae's Fingers. Thal glances down at it, momentarily debating opening it for herself. It'd looked good enough, and there's a chance it might make this conversation less awkward, but she lets out a reluctant sigh and knocks before she can change her mind. 

Listening for noise inside, she shifts her weight in her boots, trying to find the right balance between confidence and remorse. It's not an emotion she usually wears and it sits heavily on her shoulders. She'd usually shrug it off, but she forces herself to feel the sensation, a mix of jagged pieces poking at her so that when Danta finally opens the door, Thal is nearly rigid with discomfort, desperately wishing to be put out of her misery.

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

It isn't something well-advertised throughout the Dusklight, but Danta actually spends as little time in the Backrooms these days as possible, leaving the majority of the office management to Kiada. But some things, he's been scolded about realised, can only be done by the Theocrat or the Dusklight's proprietor, and so this particular day finds him behind his desk and arguing with a pile of paperwork.

Thal might notice, when she knocks, that the door opposite (closed, but leading into Asta's office) is pinned with a sign reading DO NOT ENTER: MONSTERS, not to mention a fair bit of clunking and scraping around from Danta's room. It goes quiet eventually, and it's a few further moments before the door to the Maverick's office swings open, revealing the man himself.

Dressed in a pressed black shirt and an equally as dark waistcoat paired with some red tartan pajama pants, it looks as though Danta has forgotten he was dressing for work halfway, and the expression on his face is best described as wary. It only softens a fraction as he recognises Thal, and the hand that remains behind the door promptly drops whatever it was holding (a paper weight, for what it's worth).

"Oh," he says. "Hey. Wasn't expecting visitors." And particularly not ones with your face. "Are you... what's up?"

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

The door opens, and Thal assumes it's a good sign that it doesn't immediately shut in her face - although she notes the suspicious thud from behind the door. Danta looks appropriately cautious, but at least he's talking to her, and she gives a mumbled "Hey" in return, nodding her head in greeting. 

Her tail flicks in a slow rhythm behind her, blue eyes narrowed as she concentrates on the words. "Well... Asta came to see me, and since I can think clearly now the rain has gone without the infection and all," she glances briefly away at the words and shifts her weight slightly, still embarrassed to admit she'd been manipulated so easily, "I realized that my words at the masquerade might have caused some unintentional offense." 

Thal looks up at Danta, doing her best to convey the good intentions that aren't common for her. More common is the bottle she lifts in offering, her fingers wrapped delicately around the neck of it. "I wanted to come clear the air." She pauses, shrugging her shoulders to relieve some of the tension as she adds nonchalantly, "If you have time."

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

That song is gonna be stuck in my head now lmao.

As if in an unconscious mirror of her movement, Danta's tail also flicks low at his heels, once, twice, as he hears her out. "Welcome back to us," he says with a gentle incline of his head. "I know Dygra didn't have particularly strong feelings either way about the void, but I think you suit being an Ancient more than a friend of the Family." But there's more, apparently, and he cocks his head to the side as Thal brings up the masquerade.

"Did Asta speak to you about that as well?" he asks, a whisper of amusement in his expression as he steps aside for her to enter his office. It's a surprisingly organised space - and that's entirely down to Kiada, and he's not to move things around under pain of death - though the desk is currently littered with several origami frogs. They look as if they've been crafted out of Danta's paperwork.

"I've always got time when you come bearing gifts like that." He nods to the bottle in her hands, moving to collect a couple of glasses so she can pour them each a measure of it. "So how do you figure it was unintentional offence, Thal? Because what you said did seem pretty intentional."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

Her head dips as she gives a quiet "Thanks" at his sentiments, feeling like an alcoholic who's finally given up the bottle and become the person everyone had been telling her to be. It doesn't feel as much like a victory when she didn't do anything more than get nicked by a Rose. She just gets the honor of dealing with all the terrible decisions Infected Thal had made. 

Releasing a small breath, she gratefully takes the invitation, stepping inside and sweeping her gaze over the surprisingly organized office. The origami frogs look more like Danta, words peeking from between the folds. She focuses on them more than the man, shrugging her shoulders again. "He mentioned it, but I wasn't really happy with how things ended either." Her eyes shift to glance at him, offering forth the bottle for him to open. 

Then he's jumping right in and Thal looks away to hide the wince. But she can't hide from it - she won't - and she does her best to keep her voice steady as she talks. "That night... my concern for Asta and my own dampened emotions made me want to lighten the mood. Usually my sarcasm is pretty obvious - it's sharp and too snarky to be taken seriously - but things were... harder and I couldn't get the tone or the expression or anything right." Her jaw clenches, her dark hair rustling as she shakes her head at the memory and all the aching that had debilitated her, how terribly that night had gone in general. 

Sighing, she looks up to meet his eyes, sincerity swirling in their blue depths. "I would never think that Asta needs saving from you - not with how happy you make him. And I care too much about him to ever jeopardize that." She had said as much to Asta but she would say it a million times over that her wish is for him to have all the love and joy that he deserves - and she would fight anyone who tried to take that from him. After seeing the way the two men interact and having heard how much Asta cares for him, Thal would be an idiot if she thought coming between the two (if that's even possible) would be anything but painful, and she refuses to hurt him like that.

Her tone is quieter - softer - as she hesitates before adding, "I'd also like to think we were becoming friends, and I don't want my stupid comment to ruin that." Thal moves her eyes away again, uncomfortable with the honesty and what he may see in her gaze.

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"I see," Danta says quietly, nodding his thanks as she offers the bottle. He contents himself with popping it open and pouring them both a generous drink while she begins to explain, the Maverick soon plopping down into the seat behind his desk and gesturing for Thal to take the other opposite, if that's what she feels best doing. He's quiet to listen, and then for a few moments afterwards, brows drawn into a frown. Eventually, he reaches out to press against one of the origami frogs, the pressure of his finger causing it to 'hop' across the table.

"I know what Asta and I are to each other these days is pretty new, compared to some people," he says quietly. "But our story begins centuries ago, and it's not a kind one for the most part. The truth is, there was a time when he would have needed saving from me, if I'd gotten lucky enough, and it's not a reminder I enjoy."

His gaze lifts slowly, a little cool, but that's because Thal is far from the only one in the room who has difficulty admitting to and expressing emotions, especially painful ones. "I'd like to think that too," he says, reaching for his glass. "Which is why it felt like a choice you made, when you could've just spoken to us both that night." Nevertheless, he holds out his drink to clink the glass against her own.

"Water under the bridge," he says quietly. "Especially since you marched all the way here to see me."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

The hop of the frog is a welcome distraction that draws her gaze in the silent interim, yet it doesn't soften the impact of his words when they come. Asta had briefly mentioned his violent history with Danta, but she's never seen signs of their past, and hearing that she'd reminded them of it only brings her guilt higher. She takes the offered seat, seeming to shrink in the process, cradling the drink in her hands. Her eyes follow the swirling of the amber liquid in the glass, her expression pinching. "I didn't think about what memories that may stir." Finally, like a breath that she's been trying to hold, that's forcefully pulled from her lips, Thal says a quiet, "I'm sorry." It isn't any less powerful for its volume, weighing heavily in the air between them like the charged atmosphere after a rare storm, one that might never appear again. It's something precious and delicate despite the gravity of the intent, something that she tried not to linger on. 

When he offers forth his glass, Thal straightens her shoulders, infusing them with the comfort that came with their shared agreeance of a budding friendship - even if she still needs to work on combining it with the connection she has with Asta. Dipping her head, her dark hair parts around the base of her horns as she does something almost as shocking as apologizing: she takes the criticism. Don't let it be said she's not trying. 

However, she doesn't take it too seriously, reaching forward to meet him halfway. "I understand. I'll make sure to include you in my sarcasm next time." There's a small hint of a smile there, a glimmer of relief in her eyes as the glasses clink softly against each other, but her words are genuine, the promise feeling as solid on her pinky as the glass resting there, as sweet as the alcohol that coats her tongue.

Letting the playfulness sooth the discomfort of the last few minutes, Thal shrugs her shoulders. "It took more than one try." In a cross of her legs, she situates herself more comfortably in the chair to deliver the next bit of news. "By the way, I may have pissed Kia off in the process." She takes a pointed sip, avoiding Danta's gaze like if she doesn't see him it won't register. But in her moment of 'good intentions' and 'friendships,' she doesn't let the moment hang too long, lowering the glass to look at him again, a smile slightly too sharp to be called 'sheepish' on her face as as adds, "But I'll fix it."

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"I wouldn't expect you to, honestly. We're doing our best, as well, to leave them in the past on purpose." And for the most part that's where they stay, until things like this - and like Asta's haunt or Danta's gore crow shift - cause those memories to rear their ugly heads. He's gazing firmly down at the liquor when Thal's apology comes, Danta blinking a couple of times in surprise as he lifts his eyes to her face where, of course, she's looking anywhere but at him.

He doesn't blame her either - it's how he prefers to give his apologies, too.

"It's okay," he tells her nevertheless, and as their glasses finally clink together, he feels his shoulders relax away from his ears, the Maverick sagging back in his seat and taking a long drink. "Mm, I'd appreciate that. I'll be certain to snipe and needle at you as much as I do to my other friends, too." Flashing her a fanged grin over his glass, Danta finally sets it down and starts to gather up his frogs.

Hearing that she's pissed off Kia in the process of coming to see him has his hands pausing, though, a laugh scoffing from between his lips. "Oof, I don't envy you," he tells her. "This is gonna piss her off enough as it is." He gestures to the frogs. "I did sign them before folding them, though. And if you look close you can read the titles."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

With apologies delivered and the air cleared, Thal feels a thousand times lighter, even managing a full faced, fanged grin at his threat. "Do your worst." There's a challenge there, yet the skip of her heartbeat isn't from the verbal sparring to come, it's from the sense that Danta is a friend now. They might not ever be as close as what Asta is to her, but with so few in the category, he's already in the top five, and that makes her happier than she'll ever admit out loud. 

Her smile deepens as he laughs, morphing into a grin as he gathers the important frogs papers in his arms. "At least you didn't shred or burn them." Her shoulders shrug, eyes glittering as she imagines the fury that would rain down. "She should give you a gold star for that." Finishing off the rest of her liquor, she sets the glass on the desk, raising a playful eyebrow as she props her head on her arm. "Any advice on getting back into her good graces?" Since he's had so much practice with it.

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Oh, I will. But when you least suspect it. Can't have you waiting for it to happen now, can we?" Danta grins in return, fangs on full show as well until they disappear behind another generous gulp of liquor. It's enough, the company and the booze (and the frogs) to distract him from the current location, and he settles back in his seat to count through the 'paperwork' and ensure he hasn't missed anything important.

"That's very true - and there have been a few that ended that way. Kia prefers the frogs, I think." She probably actually prefers it when correspondence and sign-offs aren't turned into origami animals at all, actually, but listen, you get what you get. "She should, shouldn't she? And gods, I dunno - maybe start with the same peace offering you gave me?" he suggests. "And an offer to go hunting? That always cheers her up, far as I know."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

Her eyebrow raises, mocking doubt twinkling in her eyes. "You only plan to do it once? Better make it count then." She wouldn't make it easy. If nothing else, Thal is always ready to banter with snide remarks. Danta would have to say something particularly outlandish - or insulting (at his own risk) - to catch her by surprise. She has to admit that she's looking forward to it. 

A huff of laughter escapes, looking at the frogs he attempts to organize. "I can imagine." Thal doesn't know how Kia had reacted after shifting or whether she'd ended up with singed paperwork after their fight, but it's a lot harder to read through soot than folds. "I think I can scrounge up another bottle somewhere, and I guess I could suffer through a hunt." The not-so-hidden smirk lightens her features. "To make things fair, I'll even offer you the same: If you ever need a hunting partner, let me know." Although she suspects he and Asta do their own hunting together, she lets the offer stand.

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Only once at first. It's different when it's intentional instead of just second nature," Danta says with a smirk. "Gotta get some practice in, you know?" And he for one is looking forward to it as well - especially now that the season is winding down and his lover might get a few of his senses back in order. Danta has had quite enough of acting like the responsible one (and doing a piss-poor job of it), thank you very much.

"Oh, she's suffering through a hunt?" He can't not grin at that, the buzz of the alcohol already enough to loosen him up, evidently. "That's very kind of you, though. I'll probably take you up on it, especially next season when shit gets cold here. Always better to take care of bloodlust in pairs or a group when the snow's on the ground, I find." Less chance to fuck up and end up a statue until the snows melt and you're found.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Dance with the waves, move with the sea,

The laughter that escapes is just as teasing, a metaphorical poke in the ribs as her voice drawls, "So, what I'm hearing is that you need extra time to think about how to really make it count." She might have been flattered to know he puts so much thought into his jibes if that were really the case. Regardless, she'll take whatever he wants to throw her way. 

Thal answers his grin with a full one of her own before it scrunches at the thought of cold, a literal shiver running down her spine as if a brisk draft had infiltrated the warmth of their conversation. "Ugh. Don't remind me." She shakes her head, a lick of fire curling at her fingertips to ward off the imagined gust. "I was out in Halo for barely a few minutes and I swear my blood had rocks in it. My fingers were turning a sickly shade of gray." It was an uncomfortable experience to say the least - chilly company aside.

Thalassa

let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"But of course," Danta drawls, "especially if I'm to make a good impression. I save all of my best insults for my friends." That's a dramatic lie and then someone for anyone who has gotten on the Maverick's truly bad side, but he'll still make a point of thinking of a particularly good jab for Thal since they're on the subject.

He offers a similarly unimpressed grumble about the cold around a final sip of liquor, Danta draining his glass and setting it down, empty, next to his pile of paperwork frogs. "Mm, I visited myself. I've got a good coat to ward off the cold," good meaning magical, "but it wasn't great. Best to haunt Torchline or Hak Etme, or to just stick around here in the Inner Quarter where the bonfire is."

That latter is certainly his plan for Deepfrost, anyway. "Anyway, thank you kindly for the drink, but I think I should probably file... these... before I forget what they are for." He gestures at the frogs.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!