[SE] don't be suspicious

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

Stormbreak hadn’t gained any preference on Melita’s end of things – eternally wrinkling her nose at the pendulum of holier-than-thou platitudes and an inkling of superiority. Even with both her uncle and herself being demigods, it still rankled at her edges, which was probably why she’d chosen to settle along the rooftop of the Silk House area, legs swinging off the fringes and food laden between the two of them. She had no need to intermingle with the hustle and bustle of the crowd below, grandiose and better than the rest, when they’d been found smuggling and gambling and fighting just as much as the other regions.

Rolling her eyes as she listened to someone below complain about the heat, she let that bristle settle on her shoulders, dipping a wing into the spicier sauce nearby. “So, how’s shit lately?” she started, glancing over at her uncle with a brow arched, several things needing to be addressed but not quite sure how to start the process. In the end, it was just on her usual blunt, emboldened pieces, beginning before she retreated from it entirely. "I was thinking it'd be fun to have a family dinner or something soon."

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

Stormbreak wasn’t his favorite place to be – but he supposes it could be much worse if he was actually stuck in the throngs of the crowd down below. Instead, it’s actually rather pleasant being up top here with a smattering of food between him and his niece, snacking while watching the people go by.

It also doubles as the perfect perch to try and see if he spots his fiancé drifting through the crowds. With no luck yet, Sunjata takes a bite out of a drumstick, a touch lost in thought as the heat bakes down into them and takes a moment to swallow it down before he’s turning toward Melita with a small smile. “Sure, that sounds nice.” He agrees automatically before he answers how things are, because they aren’t really good but they aren’t really bad either. King’s End was still flourishing, even if the fact he’d been looking for Hotaru had ruined the original Flowerbirth plans. “It’ll just be me, though, if that’s fine?” A pause as his nose wrinkles, trying to figure out how to say it. “Ru hasn’t been home since before LongNight and we haven’t been able to find her yet. According to Frey, she’s alright.. It’s just.. Yeah, been kind of a lot lately.” His shoulders seem to deflate a little with the answer, the drumstick bone spinning idly in his hand.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

The spice hit her tongue and she rather liked the notion of hellfire springing back against her teeth, taking another bite as he accepted the offer – one portion secured and done – while her gaze swept downward, watching as several women fanned themselves. At first, his initial response didn’t clue her in that something was amiss, mostly drawn into her own tidal wave of trial and error, of wobbling steps and fumbling inadequacies, striving to make room for new pieces. “Oh, um, I was going to bring someone, if that’s all right -,” cringing, because not one part of that was smooth, her cheeks flickered into a rosy hue and she would inevitably blame it on the chicken and not the efforts behind the speech.

Though it may not have mattered, given what he admitted seconds after. “Wait – what?” Her head swung back in incredulous, bewildered facets, eyes rounded, then sharpened, narrowed, as if she was trying to pick apart the puzzle flung outward. Her mind wasn’t an overly analytical one; but Ru had patterns, tendencies, and she swallowed down an accusation that wanted to take hold. “Do – do you know why? Like…what the fuck.” And they’d already asked Frey, and if she was fine. “Or do you want help or…”

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

He cues in almost immediately when Melita mentions inviting someone to the family dinner, his gaze drifting from the crowd to scan her with a new intrigue — letting the quiet confusion settle for the moment to tell her about Ru and then he can ask her who she’s bringing.

Not that it’s a bad thing, of course. It’s a better thing to talk about than his whole silent attempt to not spiral. “Yeah, that’s totally fine.” He says before he launches into the explanation, sighing and wrinkling his nose a little. “I don’t really know? She was working on a project like she usually does.” Which as Melita knows, means she’d be done on occasion to ensure she could perfect it.

But it’s been so long now. “And just hasn’t come home..? Deimos has been looking and Flora was who channeled Frey to ask. She tried to channel her after, too, and couldn’t.. So I don’t know what that means, but I’m not–” He cuts himself off, hands dropping to his lap with the drumstick limp between his fingers. “I’m not sure whether to be more sad about it or pissed off.” Comes the quiet admission as he stares away from Melita, unable to look at her while he suddenly feels fragile.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

She could feel his eyes on her, but she wouldn’t quite dare to pull her gaze back to him, save for when he gave an agreement and didn’t ask any further. Thinking she’d gotten away with it for free, she quietly ‘huh’ed to herself, believing she’d scored a win (after all, that’d been way easier than she’d come up with on her way over here). Besides, Ru’s disappearance was far more of a distraction, and her eyes narrowed, more confused than ever as more information spilled forth.

Ru and ‘project’ could mean much of anything, though perhaps the subject didn’t really matter. It was the lack of coming home, not being able to be found or channeled, and then his quiet admission that had her jaw clenching. She’d stood up for the Valkyrie’s end many, many times before, especially when it had come to some harsher outlines with their breakups and makeups in the past, and with everything going on, had figured they’d both finally settled into something. She shook her head, not grabbing another bite at present, mulishly clambering her way through this – because, it seemed, he needed some of her support. “Remind me to tell you about my channeling adventures,” she muttered instead, more as a means of deterring the mood from getting rampantly morose. “But I think it’s fair for you to be a bit of both.” For the lack of explanation, for the strangeness of it all; both emotions burned against her too.

She tapped her chin, lifting her gaze away from him and back towards the sky. “Could she be trapped or caught somewhere? Though that’d be strange that she couldn’t -,” her nose wrinkled again. “I guess…what do you want to do?”

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

Unaware of the fact she thought it’d be a bigger deal than it was, Sunjata settles in for explaining his side of the experience – the fact that he (and nobody else, it seemed like) could reach her, but the understanding that she was okay still lingers uncomfortably in the Flood’s mind. “Does it have something to do with almost drowning in Torchline thanks to Kai and Flora?” Sunjata asks, using it as a means to glance over at her and flash a small smile – because he’d forgotten to reach out to her and see how she was after Flora had told her about it even if it had been his intention.

He nods, though, something settling in his gut to know that it would be fair for him to feel both of those emotions, even if he wasn’t sure if it would be. He doesn’t know the circumstances, but at this point he isn’t sure if it would change the feelings he has.

He returns his attention back down to the crowds below, puffing out a sigh as he sets the drumstick remains in the plate of discarded bones, snagging another. “I don’t know. It was just.. the nonchalance I guess. Flora asked Frey if she was alright and they just showed up and were like ‘well, yeah, obviously she’s fine’ but it’s like… I don’t know. If she is, why couldn’t she have told us?” Stubbornly taking a bite of the chicken wing with a more mild sauce on it, the Flood takes the time to chew and swallow it down before he drops his little bombshell. “I don’t want to go back to how I was, but I don’t think I can do this again.” Comes the quiet admission, staring down at the crowds with some of that older part of himself closing off again as the sharp barbs of pain become a little too overbearing.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

He'd picked up on her muttering, and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it does. Who the fuck summons someone in the middle of the fucking ocean,” meant to be rhetorical; masking all the other insights, conundrums, and trauma it’d given her in the wake of being useless, nearly dying again, and how far ignorance could damage within a single statement. She’d had her moments of vengeance on Kaisel, and explanations, but her wounds bore deeper the longer she didn’t even glance at them; shrugging it off to pretend something still didn’t scald.

She snagged another portion of the spicier wings, opting not to ignore her stomach, listening all the while. The lack of explanation was a cutting blow – the way it billowed out in other sanctions and livelihoods. Nothing from Ru when she knew better. When she’d been involved in so many of the other tribulations. When she hated the way Sunjata hadn’t communicated, amidst so much strife and Safrin children and every other nuance. Nor was Melita certain she was the person to have this discussion with; apt to cut people off with one flare of her temper and naught more. When she discovered the other person didn’t give a fuck about her, why she should care about them? “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, taking a sip of her water, glancing down at the people milling around below, still bitching about the heat.

But these wounds were different and seemed to cut into the soul, rather than the skin. Lacerations no one could see, until he voiced them. “And I don’t think you should have to-,” came on a clench of her jaw. “It might be something totally innocent and she just lost track of time or…,” not, and Ru had simply grown indifferent, focused on herself and whatever means necessary, instead of what waited and lingered and was there. “I guess, like, how long do you wait?” How long did they search for? How long did they grasp and pull at straws and hope?

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

“Yeah, it wasn’t a smart move.” He agrees with a weary kind of sigh – because he definitely has been channeled in the water before, though it made sense for him to be. He was the Flood and had control over the ocean, unlike most others these days. He’d be perfectly apt for it – but it was rare that Sunjata got channeled these days without a threat on the horizon, so he lets those thoughts settle while the conversation moves on.

His gaze remains on the crowds down below, finishing off the wing in his hand and depositing the remains in the discard plate between them, sparking some water to life to clean his hands off in and dry them, a bubble of it hovering by Melita in case she wished to wash her hands when she’s done, too. “That’s the hard part, I think.” Sunjata admits, the confession gripping his chest in a vice that makes his throat tight, that has him glaring down at the crowds below.

“I don’t know how long is enough but also enough to make it hurt less.” He wrinkles his nose, drawing silent for a few moments to chew on the inside of his cheek. “Besides, it’s not like I’m trying to fall in love again or anything. I don’t think I can, anymore.” A humorless laugh leaves him in a huff. “I’ve got a pretty shitty track record.” Everyone either died or left, so really what was the point?

He takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly. “It’d just be nice to not be alone, I guess. But is that enough of a reason to stop waiting?” Maybe it's a rhetorical question, one that the Flood isn't sure how to word just right, but so long as the point gets across it should be enough.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

“Anyway, it made me feel fuckin’ useless,” she managed to grate out, dusting her hands off and taking the floating water to wash the sauce off her fingers. The root of the issue remained there, striving to be shrugged off when it had previously eaten at her for weeks; stashed amongst her bones. “Though at least Colt’s was funny,” as a means to fluff the feelings away – let them become bygones and distractions. Tossing ducks at him had been amusing, if a bit confusing. “What the fuck was she doing anyway?”

But Ru was a much more difficult facet to dwell on, and she was afraid she didn’t have anything for him but her own nuances on the subject; bewildering and confounding as they were. The Honeybee couldn’t grant too much advice when it came to matters of hearts and bonds, the way he’d somehow been scorched and gauged and caught on the nettles on almost every single one of his relationships. She opened her mouth to say something, then quickly shut it, eyes flickering downwards, swiftly patting him on the shoulder as a means of consolation – and taking the water ability with it. “I mean – she left you alone. That’s the thing. And she should know better. Gods, better than most.” Wholly ignorant of the actual means holding some portions together, she sighed, uncertain on all these precarious boundaries. “Maybe it’s just a timeframe for you. To give up searching or whatever. Or don't, I guess.”

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

Sunjata frowns a little and shakes his head, shooting her a small smile. “You’re not useless. That was a shitty channel.” Time, place, and reasoning were just as important when it came to channeling and utilizing their abilities. “It’s not your fault.” He tries to reassure her, his smile brightening a touch only to shift into a snort and a shake of his head – an exasperated roll of his eyes following it. “Ugh, she’d gotten some friends together and egged the House of Midnight. I was just trying to scare them off when she channeled you. Then I had to clean up egg and hella ducks.” It was funny now, but at the time it’d really sent him into a bit of a fury given he’d been mostly alone for LongNight.

As for the reasoning as to why he was mostly alone for the season, the Flood feels the pat of his arm and peers down at the crowd below again. “You’d think so, right?” He says with a sad little scoff of a laugh, sparking more water magic to life to let it trickle down below on the occasional people drifting through. “It’s been two and a half seasons. I don’t know whether that’s too short of time or long enough to say ‘fuck it’.” He sighs, lifting his attention to go and peer over at Melita and squint through the sun. “But maybe that’s enough time. Nate and I didn’t wait this long last time..” Which maybe had been shittier before, but they’d still managed to work it out when she returned.

Now though? He’s not so sure he can recover from it.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

She glanced down as he uttered those syllables and phrases, catching glints of movement below as more ladies bitched about the humid air or the billowing smoke from wildfires. But she gave him a small smile in response, a shrug of her shoulders, feeling the impact of things she’d needed to hear; despite the amount of time from the moments. “Thanks.” Colt’s explanation was a way to shake off whatever doldrums remained on that subject, snorting as she sipped down more of her water. “You could egg her ranch right back.” By way of suggestion and vengeance, despite her minor blip of being involved.

Ru was a different alteration though, and Melita wished she knew enough about relationships and those tethers and lines more than just what she and Iskra had discovered and picked apart on their own; because she wasn’t certain how to help, other than talking it out. Instances of Nate, of timelines, of anger and disappointment, lined against her brow, as she managed to conjure a little bout of water to flicker through her fingertips. “I think you’ve said it yourself right there,” she mustered, before firing down a jettison of water towards a pair of women loudly wailing about something or other.

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

“You know what, maybe I will. You wanna help?” He asks her, shooting her an amused look because he’s positive if he had anyone in his life that would be likely to dive into something stupid and silly such as that, it would be his niece. Another bonding experience, honestly, and already the thought reaches him with amusement at the prospect, pushing away some of the shadows and shades that have tried to bloom in his mind.

But it always has a tendency to come back, honestly. He offers her a small smile, gaze dropping to the water that flares at her fingertips that he mirrors with his own and a little ribbon that swirls in the air, catching the sunlight and glinting lightly. Her answer is the same one that blooms in his chest, too, one that he’s not so sure he can quiet down once it sets its roots in there. It sticks into the crevices and Sunjata takes a deep breath, sprinkling some water up on his face and over toward Melita with a bit of fun after she’s harassed a pair of women down below. The droplets fall upon another person wandering around, one that squeaks a little in surprise. “I think you’re right.” He agrees, letting it bypass the rest of the sorrow that clings to him.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA

to be lit up from within

vein by vein

The offer restored a bestial little grin on her features, the response almost immediate. “Uh, of fucking course.” Pausing, because she was watching the woman sputter below, she studied the outset of people again, and then shot another loosened spurt of water over an array of crowded teens. Their balking and squawking was enough for her to turn her head back to her uncle, head full of impulses. “We could even take the Firecracker and drop egg bombs over!”

But then there were the other things snagged and crawling there, and she could hear the agreement and accord, and the way a chord seemed to snap. She loved Ru and she loved her uncle, had thought maybe things could work out. They’d had a history. The Valkyrie knew better. There could’ve been engagements, weddings, more hordes of children – and now there seemed to be a finite amount of days before all of that was broken apart. “I’m sorry for all of that shit.” That even after trying so hard, and so many rocky, rumbling paths, the trail seemed to be taking an abrupt end.

She couldn’t speak from experience; all her losses had been tangible, heinous things clinging fast to her ribs, shaping the way she’d been carved into the earth. Not the grasping, rasping unknown, and the way it had scattered those lines and possibilities. And her and Iskra were fledgling eaves; figuring out pieces and particles in their own way. “It’s not fair,” she shrugged; knowing life wasn’t, but that it always seemed to land on him seemed to be a more bitter configuration than most.

to be the sun

MELITA

if there's one thing the gods love, it's tragedy

“Awesome.” Sunjata hums with a soft laugh and a nod, lips quirking into a small smile as Melita offers a very good option. Brightening already with the prospect despite the frustration that lingers in his chest, Sunjata nods his agreement again. “That sounds great. Maybe we can do it after the rodeo so she doesn’t have a reason to kill me.” Or at least, try to. He was immortal after all and very few people knew the actual limitations of his immortality.

His gaze drifts down to the crowds below them and the shimmering water at their fingertips, her apology meeting the same thought line that his own had been ramping toward day after day. “It’s not your fault.” He says instead – because it wasn’t. And at the end of the day, he didn’t think it was his fault either. It was just the reality of what it was – maybe he wasn’t cut out for love, tried his hand too many times only to watch it crumble again and again.

Dropping more water down upon unsuspecting people, Sunjata does tilt his ear toward her when she shrugs and says it wasn’t fair – something resonating in him that seems to completely coincide. “Not a lot of things are.” He admits. Especially in Sunjata’s life, where the fairness of things had always tended to be at an all time low.

with wings that burn and boys who fall

SUNJATA