[SE] Keeping the peace

Sah

Despite how powerful the Wild Thunder had grown since coming to Caido, there were and always would be things that were beyond his capabilities. Turning down his sweet elderly neighbor when she asked for assistance with the most bizarre of tasks was one. Some of her requests were tame such as repairing her roof or helping her run an errand. Others included painting the trunk of the tree in her front yard purple or placing fake eyes in each of her windows during LongNight. She was an interesting woman, to say the least.

This was a new one, though, and the hybrid was just relieved that it was something relatively normal. She wanted a rock wall along one end of her property to act as a fence of sorts. Apparently, the neighbor on the other side kept trying to place things that were beyond their own property, and it had almost turned into a fistfight. between two people that were probably older than Halo itself.

And that was how Sah found himself spending a morning beginning to build a fence with stones and mortar.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Sohalia had not expected to find herself in Halo in the midst of Deepfrost, and yet here she was at Koa's bequest. Bundled in a thick winter coat and outfitted with sturdy boots, she wandered Snowcloak, her nose pinkened from the winter chill and her hair tumbling in gold waves around her face. Tarak perched on her shoulder, looking particularly miserable; he wasn't built for cold, and he shivered against her cheek as he grumbled in her ear.

A familiar form appeared through the snow, and Soh approached cheerfully. "Sah! Hi!" she called, cheerful in spite of the frigid air. It looked like the hybrid was building a fence, and though Soh was no fence-building expert, she was more than happy to try and help. "Do you need any help with that?"

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah glanced up at the sound of his name, a grin breaking out across his face. "Sohalia! It's good to see you. What brings you all the way to Halo?" At her offer for assistance, he gestured for her to join him. "By all means. I'm happy to have help. Mrs. Irene asked me to add a wall here." He leased in closer and whispered, fighting off a laugh, "The moral support would be appreciated. See the window on the house next door? If glares could kill, Mr. Issac would have taken me out at least twice so far this morning." Sure, enough, a stern face was visible in the window, glaring with the ferocity of a wolverine whose tail was stepped on.

The man was less than pleased by Mrs. Irene's solution to their spat. Sah gave the man a friendly wave and Mr. Issac stomped away and deeper into his house. The action had the hybrid letting out a snort of laughter.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

What brought her to Halo was a secret, but she didn't want to outright lie, so she said, "I'm meeting a friend." That's what Koa was, wasn't it? A friend? Or would he be more of a... co-conspirator? A colleague? Tal's recommendation that she ask what he wanted echoed in her mind, and she wondered if she would have the opportunity. After all, if they decided to work together, would it even matter what their personal relationship was like? They'd be stuck together after that, friendship or no.

As for Sah's task, Sohalia glanced surreptitiously at the nearby window to find a stern face looking out at them. She averted her eyes quickly, trying not to be too obvious and pressing her lips together to fight a smile. "So you're playing referee?" she asked with a raised brow. "Well, I have time; I'd be happy to lend moral support and physical labor. Just show me what to do!"

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah nodded, easily accepting her answer. Secret rendezvous were nothing new. Between the ever-shifting romances in Caido and the end-of-world meetings that popped up regularly, someone was always meeting someone else in secret. Or maybe he was being too cynical, and it was just a regular visit.

The hybrid chuckled at the Attuned's analogy, "Yup. It's not how I expected to spend my day, but it's not so bad. Thank you for helping." He handed Sohalia a small bucket of mortar and a small shovel before gesturing to the pile of loose rocks beside him. "I've got the base layer done so all you need to do is take a small shovel, smear some mortar on top of one of the stones and place it into a gap. We'll keep stacking them up until we have a wall."

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Ah, but how close to the mark you are, Sah! What once might have been a secret lover's meeting was now a rendezvous for entirely different - and entirely more important - reasons. But at least he didn't pry, and as the man allowed the conversation to shift, Sohalia found herself relaxing almost imperceptibly. At least she didn't have to lie. She didn't know Sah well enough yet for the truth.

The Luminary accepted the bucket of mortar and a small shovel, then nodded at Sah's instructions before beginning to assist. "Is a wall going to solve the problem?" she wondered aloud, scooping out a bit of mortar and smearing it on the growing wall. In her experience, something this simple wasn't likely to be a solution, but then, everything in her life had been complicated for longer than she cared to admit. Perhaps this argument was something that a simple solution did exist for.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah resumed building the wall, laughing under his breath. "Temporarily. Hopefully. But no, I'm sure they'll find something else to fight over." It might not be about property lines, but he had no doubt that the duo would find some other matter to wage a feud. His best guess was that it'd be over how tall each other's trees were and the amount of shade they casted on the opposite lawn. Or perhaps at what hour candles were lit in the windows.

The Wild Thunder guided Sohalia as they built the wall layer by layer. Soon it was almost to Sah's knees if standing. The hybrid paused, "I'm honestly not sure how tall this needs to be. It's more of a marker." He tilted his head at his friend, "Do you think shoulder-height? Or should we go higher so they can't even look at each other?"

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Sohalia looked at Sah with a mixture of amusement and befuddlement. She wasn’t sure she entirely understood his role in Halo; what did he do that he was stuck moderating this kind of petty disagreement? Was this a punishment? Deimos didn’t seem like the kind of Warden to dole out this kind of punishment, but then, she didn’t know the Sword that well. Maybe her first instinct was wrong.

Or maybe Sah was just a nice person, trying to do his bit for his region. That, at least, she could understand.

They built the wall up until Sah paused, and Sohalia looked up from her own efforts to tilt her head to one side. ”I mean, it depends, right? If you think they’ll find something to fight about anyway, and this is mostly symbolic, then I’d think shoulder height is fine. But if it might help for them not to see each other, we can go higher.”

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah laughed at Sohalia's expression, "I know. But I couldn't possibly say no to Mrs. Irene when she asked for help." It was a tame request, and the hybrid was always willing to lend a hand to his fellow Halovians.

The hybrid nodded, considering his friend's point. "Shoulder height it is." Plus, his shoulder height was likely comparable to that of Mr. Issac, and probably equal to that of Mrs. Irene's nose. The woman would have an easy time ignoring the man with a wall of that height. All she had to do was not look up.

Sah fell into the repetitive motion of spreading mortar and placing stones. It was therapeutic in a way, apart from when he'd occasional spot and disgruntled face in the window. Each time, he had to restrain from laughing or giving Mr. Issac a cheeky grin.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

Sohalia had to admire Sah’s dedication to his neighbors. She supposed she’d been the same, back when she’d had a place to call home. There was a pang of sadness as she considered all that she’d lost, all that she’d forsaken after her capture and subsequent release, and she wondered if she would ever again have a true home to go back to - not just Flora’s apartment in Torchline or an inn here or there.

But her sadness passed quickly as she continued to help build the wall, the physical labor soothing her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She placed stone after stone upon the wall, building it up in sections. ”So have you always lived in Halo?” she asked as they worked. An innocuous question, but a way to pass the time.

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah froze before placing the stone that he'd been working on. "Well...not exactly." It had been years since he'd had this conversation with someone, and it dawned on him that very few people outside of Halo were probably aware of what he was nowadays. "I'm an Outlander. I've been in Halo since I came to Caido roughly seven years ago. My twins, Soleil and Luka followed me to Caido not long after."

The hybrid let out a sigh as he busied himself with the next stone, "To be honest... we weren't even human in our prior world." His lips twitched as he raised a brow at Sohalia, "I think I've done a decent job in adjusting. I still occasionally do something that's apparently weird but usually I can get an explanation from someone with relative ease." And many people in Hal had simply accepted the fact that their Wild Thunder was a bit odd. He was so damn lucky that they accepted him and the twins nonetheless.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

And I know I'm asking too much
And I know I'm taking control

When Sah froze, Soh blinked, tilting her head to one side and offering an apologetic smile. She hadn’t meant to pry into his past if it wasn’t something he was comfortable sharing, and she hoped that if he in fact didn’t wish to share, he would deflect and they could move on. So she was a little surprised when he divulged that he was an Outlander, and had previously been something other than human, which piqued the Luminary’s interest. She’d met very few Outlanders, and knew of even fewer histories, so to hear Sah’s was intriguing, to say the least.

And then something clicked, for she’d met Soleil before. ”Oh!” she said. ”I’ve met Soleil. She’s sweet!” She grinned. Perhaps they’d weren’t close friends, and it had been a while since she’d seen the other girl, but still. ”I didn’t realize you all weren’t from here. I bet it was challenging to get used to things. I’m from Caido, but when I left the Hollowed Grounds, there were plenty of things that I had to learn about the world.”

But a heart that's not worth breaking
Isn't worth much, not at all

Sohalia

Sah

Sah perked up, "You have?" A warm smile stretched across his face, "She really is. She reminds me a lot of one of her mothers in that regard." He snorted a laugh, "And other times I swear I'm looking at a mirror." Soleil was so kind and adventurous, a free spirit with a heart of gold. The hybrid was so damn proud of her. Luka too, in all of his steadfast loyalty and occasional mischief. His pups were the absolute best and no one could tell him otherwise.

The Wild Thunder nodded as he placed the last stone, "It was." He stood up and dusted some debris off of his pants before holding out a hand to help Sohalia to her feet if she wished. "But I've grown to love learning about this new world." He grinned, "I imagine living in one region and then suddenly having an entire world to explore is similar in that regard."

With their work complete, Mrs. Irene approached, skipping along as she stuck her tongue out Mr. Issac as he watched from the window. Sah wasn't able to hold back his laughter as the woman thanked the duo profusely and ushered them inside for a well-earned lunch.

-[FIN]

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?