[ME] leave my fears behind me for a while

SUNJATA

clipped wings and you're the one holding the bone saw
now things are getting so out of control

He thinks that hosting the meeting in the new town is the best choice of action, and while he’s dreaded much of everything leading up to this, this one was particularly a tough one. Why? Because he wants to be transparent. He wants to answer questions and prove to his citizens that he cares, even if the infection had made him oblivious and uncaring of the void creatures in the past.

Now that he and Hotaru are healed, well, the Flood is taking responsibility. And with it, he posts on the notice board and swallows down his stress as he waits in the town center of New Haven, the snow held at bay for the braziers of fire that aim to keep everyone warm, booths lined up on the outskirts for steaming hot cocoa or coffee and sweet pastries and snacks for those in attendance.

Snagging a coffee for himself and stamping out the cigarette, he flashes Hotaru a small smile, bolstering himself for what’s to come, feeling the tick of panic flare to see her face as it had been infected before it vanishes. And then he waits for everyone to filter in.

Once everyone has, he flashes each one of them a bright smile (one that doesn’t fully meet his eyes). “Thank you all for coming. Help yourself to the booths at the sides while we get started.” He pauses, in case anyone does take him up on the offer, before he clears his throat to project it a touch better, lifting the scarf up and around his neck. “I’ve gathered all of you together to say that I’ll be trying to meet with Rae so we can get a section of King’s End protected from the void. We’ll just need to decide what portion we’re starting with. The two options are the Barrows, where the refuge and the House of Midnight reside; or here in Mourn, with New Haven and the Skyport.” A glance of acknowledgement toward Talyson if he’s in the crowd dictates a gratefulness for the Skyport itself.

“The second portion, is to be transparent with you all. I’m sure you heard the broadcast that mentioned Hotaru and I. And I wanted to clarify that it is true. We were both infected by the void and the Family, but we are free from them now. And I wanted to apologize to you all… for the past year or so of my inaction of making sure King’s End was safe for you all.” The smile falters toward a frown, before he takes a deep breath and pushes on. “That changes now. And I am open for questions, should any of you have them.”

The floor is open.

---

Meeting to decide where in King’s End we’re gonna protect from the void! Either Mourn or the Barrows!

Also the floor’s open to take any questions they might have about the infection or what not <3

the spiraling starts and we can't pull up, our hands are tied together so,
on the way down, we make every moment count

They had flown back from Halo immediately.

To mourn, and try to pick up the pieces when what was lost could never be replaced.

His heart was breaking for his partner, but it was nothing compared to what she was going through. It had been tempting to stay home, to hide from the world, but there were too many reminders of Sascha throughout the house. Her bed. Her favorite toys. The treats kept in a jar in the cupboard. Her favorite blanket. And slowly, slowly, the shape of her loss was beginning to grow familiar in spite of how fresh it still was.

But the world continued to turn and the Void continued to spread and Tal had shaken loose enough of his worry and grief to attend the meeting called by their Archon. Somewhat to his surprise, Alys had come with and he squeezed her hand as they took their seats towards the back. For once he didn't head for snacks or drinks, or even look at the booths. His attention was first on his partner, and then on Sunjata as the Archon began to speak. Pale, tired eyes watched and Tal listened with half an ear, though at the mention of protection he drew a breath to make his opinion known--

And then he blinked, focusing fully at the reminder of the broadcast that had first given him a fuckton to think about before... before Sascha's death had rocked their family to its core and sent everything else spinning from his mind. He'd been meaning to ask Hotaru what Vox had meant...

Well, he didn't have to ask now. Infected. Both of them, but especially Hotaru, and Tal's stunned gaze went to her, lost and aghast as he realized just how far apart they'd drifted.

Realized that he hadn't known.

"What... how...? An' since when?" he managed to get out, struggling to find the words in the right order when so many questions were left hanging in the wake of that pronouncement.

Alys

this night is alive with the smell of insane —

This was a pain that Alys wouldn’t wish upon her worst enemy.

She’d been in a fog ever since the yeti had fallen upon the tundra. All the way back to King’s End with Talyson, she’d been largely silent, almost catatonic with grief. Tal and Boreal had done their best to soothe her, even amidst their own pain, and later, she’d find it within herself to be grateful for that. At the time, though, she’d been incapable of seeing past her own debilitating anguish. Even now, it was hard to do more than simply exist. Breathe. Live.

Because she didn’t deserve to be alive. Not at the expense of her companion.

And yet, her life was precisely what Sascha had fought so hard - had given up so much - to save. So if nothing else, she owed it to her companion and the ultimate sacrifice she’d given to press on. She couldn’t just lay down and give up. No matter how badly she might wish she could.

So here she was, a shadow at Tal’s side, not quite ready to stand on her own but also not wanting to be left behind. She wasn’t sure what was worse - to be alone with her grief, or to be out and about before she was ready. She gripped his hand as they took their seats, ignoring most of the crowd in favor of shrinking against her partner’s side.

She listened as Sunjata spoke, her gaze swinging to Hotaru at the revelation that they’d been infected. Things began to click into place, like why they had done nothing against the spread of the Void even while the other regions had fought tooth and nail to protect their lands. If she hadn’t been so numb, perhaps she would have managed more than a concerned look at her friend - but as it was, Tal spoke for the both of them, and Alys remained uncharacteristically silent at his side.

— it's reaching for me and it's calling my name

How do I keep myself from fallin' apart when I ain't never felt part of a whole?

There is a comfort to not being required to stand at the front and explain everything to the citizens of King's End the way the Flood has to today. Hotaru has not found the same sort of power as she had once in Helovia - ruling, reigning, or building kingdoms. It has burned her inside over the years, but rarely in recent ones. This is the part she doesn't miss. Though she hardly cares what people think of her, the few whose esteem she does are unfortunately the ones who also gather. People she has admittedly been avoiding. First to conceal her infection, and now...well, she doesn't feel she can until she speaks with Flora, which still feels so far beyond her reach.

She smiles back at Sunjata when their eyes meet, eyes briefly darting to the side before returning, habitually trying to skirt away from the brief visual horror that continues to plague her. It won't stop her - she's far too stubborn for that - but she has no idea if it will ever really end.

Her eyes don't leave her fiance as he speaks. A part of her, selfish and guarded, withers and snarls to have the news of their infection - her infection - revealed to all, but it's unavoidable. She can only weather the oppressive sense of vulnerability she feels as the weight of various eyes come to sit on her shoulders. Her hands clench where they sit hiding in her coat pockets, allowing her expression to remain untouched. She doesn't return their stares. Her heart may be theirs in some aspects, but only in private. The Valkyrie will not indulge intimacy in such a fraught and public setting.

"Dahlia is how, though I'm unsure if she is the only one who can do so or if any of the Family can infect someone at will." Each word is carefully chosen, though you'd never guess with how brusquely she delivers them. "We were infected at different times. But the results remain the same, and we must rectify our inaction as soon as possible." Their questions aren't unwarranted, but Hotaru feels more restless with each passing day. She wants to establish their protections now. "The refuge has protections of its own, but there's reason to believe they don't work against the Family. Protecting a space that also removes powers may not be the right idea if we're ever forced to defend it. My vote is for New Haven and the Skyport."

HOTARU

A hush settles over the wide expanse, muffling distant animal calls. You get the uncanny sense that something is mirroring your footsteps, hidden among the undulating grasses. Every time you stop, the stillness clamps down. Each time you look back, the landscape is empty—yet the feeling of being observed never eases.

---

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

// You've got your demons

Thorn is admittedly late-ish to the meeting. Having gotten a late start on the time it took to get to the new town, Thorn realizes quickly it’s his first time witnessing it. Appreciating the glint of gold amongst the snow flecked stones, the courtesan approaches silently, focusing on the words he can hear projected from the Archon, and the somber sense of the meeting he hasn’t expected.

He collects a cup of cocoa, drifting to sit beside Talyson and offers him a small smile of greeting, before he hears the admission from the government, the outburst from his friend, and the subsequent answer from Hotaru. His brows pinch and he awkwardly shifts the bundles he wears, lowering the scarf as the sensation of being watched pours over his senses.

He hunches down a little bit before he clears his throat to answer the previous question. “I vote New Haven, too.” Sure that meant it would be more dangerous to work at the House of Midnight, but that meant the town could be quite a literal Haven if things started to go south.

Well, more south, he supposes, based on the increase of infected creatures in the rest of the region. He casts a glance sidelong toward Talyson and Alys again, the courtesan settles to listen more.

---

Thorn votes for New Haven too!

Thorn

and darling, they all look like me //

He didn't quite have the energy to smile, but he leaned to the side briefly to bump Hawthorn with his shoulder, quietly glad of his handsome friend's presence. With Alys on one side and Thorn on the other, Tal was as comfortable as he could be given the weight of grief still on them. And yet...

And yet. The hairs on the back of his neck wouldn't stop prickling and he kept having the urge to look over his shoulder, but all he ever saw was the quizzical - and eventually slightly annoyed - face of the old lady sitting behind him. It wasn't quite as bad as that day at the Castaway Exchange with Soh, but it was getting under his skin and making him shift uncomfortably. At least until Hotaru spoke up, her answer stunning him back into stillness.

He barely heard Thorn's vote as his fingers twined more tightly with Alys's and he swallowed past several lumps in his throat. Denial was chief among them, but already anger and grief were vying for their share of his attention, and none of them were helpful right now. Even Tal had to admit that this was neither the time or place for dealing with it, but...

Fuck, it was hard to keep it bottled up.

"Barrows," he rasped out, before swallowing hard and trying to get a deep enough breath to explain. "Because th'people in th'Refuge won't be able t'defend themselves. Not like folks in Mourn can. An' 'cuz I really don't want t'risk th'Void gettin' into any o' those old graves an' makin' th'daemons an'villi more dangerous'n they already are."

Alys

this night is alive with the smell of insane —

Through the last few days, Talyson had been her lifeline, and though his grief had mirrored her own, his strength had been steadfast. Now, though - now that his world was quietly rocked and she could feel the waves of rage and despair rolling off him in waves, she shifted to pull his hand onto her lap, tracing soothing circles on the back with her thumb. She might be broken and battered, but she damned sure wasn’t going to let her partner suffer more than he had to. If she could take even a little of his pain, she would do it gladly, adding it to the pile that festered quietly in her own mind.

Ignoring the prickling at the back of her neck - which was as creepy as it was constant, these days - she considered her partner’s words. She was inclined to vote for New Haven and the skyport, since they relied so heavily on the ability to come and go. But Tal made good points. If the people in the Refuge would be unable to defend themselves - if those very protections might not work against the Void and the Family - was it really fair to leave them to fend for themselves?

But if they didn’t protect the skyport, then what if they needed aid and others were unable to come? If people were unable to leave? Where would that leave them in a time of crisis?

But the Barrows held their home.

Alys spoke for the first time. ”If we protect one now, will we protect the other after?” she wanted to know, meeting @Sunjata’s gaze. ”Or does it have to be one or the other, and that’s it?”

— it's reaching for me and it's calling my name

SUNJATA

clipped wings and you're the one holding the bone saw
now things are getting so out of control

Hearing @Talyson’s outburst, Sunjata’s lips part to begin to answer, only for his fiancée to speak. He silences himself swiftly, steel gaze flitting over toward her, having not expected Hotaru to speak so quickly and so open. Nodding, though, because the truth was what fell from his lover’s lips, Sunjata’s gaze flits back toward the rest of those gathered, their people, ones he’d let down.

And while it was hard to be transparent about everything he and Hotaru have endured, it was important. Especially for these next steps. But there’s a discomfort that swells through the meeting that has his gaze flitting away from his citizens, scanning the area for any sign of threat, when it fades and he can focus on the rest of them as decisions are made and announced, and more questions are aired.

“I spoke with Frey who helped me make the Refuge before the war. The only way to protect the Refuge completely from the Family would be to get their blood.” He admits with a frown – a terrible challenge, especially with how high alert the Family already was. But he looks to Alys with his jaw set, reminded that he needed to speak with her, before he answers her question. “As for that question, I’m not sure how difficult it will be to protect the first one… We’re attempting this late, so, the Family is probably on high alert for anything that they could lose in order to help us keep their void out of here.” He says on the air of a soft sigh. “And... Hotaru and I are enemies, now, so it’ll be nearly impossible for us to step foot anywhere the Family’s taken over. But my hope is that we can do both. I just… I don’t know how feasible it will be.” He frowns softly, before his gaze flits back toward Talyson and Thorn.

“If we did choose New Haven, I would recommend and hope that we can temporarily house those from the Refuge within the town until we can have a better way of knowing.” He murmurs before he finds himself frowning again. “And I should tell you all, too, that even if we protect against the void, we’re only protecting against the creatures that are infected. The Family can still come and go.” Just in case it influenced anyone’s thoughts.

the spiraling starts and we can't pull up, our hands are tied together so,
on the way down, we make every moment count

Alys's hand in his helped to ground him, and Thorn's warmth at his side reminded him that he wasn't looking down the barrel of a betrayal alone. Hail, he wasn't looking at a betrayal at all, not if the rumors about what it meant to be a Friend of the fucking Family had any truth to them. Ru and her beau hadn't had any choice in what they'd done, right?

Right?

He squeezed Alys's hand back, feeling the soothing warmth of gratitude for his partner easing some of the pain he felt. It made it easier to focus on her words, even if they were directed at their Archon, and Tal bit his lip as he turned his attention back to Sunjata to hear his answer.

It wasn't... great. Not the bit about needing Familial blood, and not the news that shit was going to be a lot harder than it had been before. Truth was, there weren't a whole lot of people in King's End who weren't on the Family's shit list in one way or another. And after all that he and Alys had lost, he wasn't about to risk any of them again so soon. "Then I still say th'Barrows," he decided, stubborn and angry and hurt but trying to hold on to rational reasons for his feelings. "Th'New Haveners can stay in th'Refuge just as easily as t'other way around. An' frankly, those o' us who live in or near th'Refuge've been here a lot longer."

And, selfishly, that was where everyone he loved in King's End lived.

Alys

this night is alive with the smell of insane —

Protection against the Void would be most helpful if it could be spread, but from Sunjata’s words - and the discomfort rolling off him in waves - it was clear that things wouldn’t be that easy. Even protecting one area was likely to be hazardous. If they succeeded once, would the Family allow them a second chance?

Biting her lip and shrinking next to her partner, she considered his words. Of course she wanted to protect her home and her loved ones - and she could see the benefit of protecting the Refuge, certainly. But New Haven deserved protection, too, and it had the skyport, besides. If they couldn’t easily get in and out, then that meant that others couldn’t, either, and if King’s End were ever in need of aid…

But if the Family was still a threat regardless of where they protected…

”I agree with Tal,” she said finally, her voice small but firm. ”If we’re only able to protect against the Void, but not the Family, then it seems like there’s still a threat no matter what we do. Do we know if protecting against the Void protects against infected people? Or are they still able to come and go? With all due respect, if the two of you were able to be infected, then it seems likely that there may be others.” After all, they weren’t all demigods, and if even the gods’ chosen weren’t safe, then what chance did the rest of them have?

— it's reaching for me and it's calling my name

// You've got your demons

It wasn’t comforting, really, not for the courtesan as he listens to their Archon speak. But he remains silent, leaning forward a touch to hear that Sunjata had spoken with Frey over the Refuge itself, and when the answer comes? It’s less comforting than he hopes it would be. Talyson’s decision, while understandable, was still one that he couldn’t find himself fully agreeing with. And it’s with a slight frown as he glances toward Alys and Talyson, quiet amongst themselves so the Archon can’t hear.

“We lose our magic ‘n shifts in the Refuge, though…” And while some people were okay with that, Thorn finds himself wary of it. The fact that he could heal with his magic was a large portion of why he didn’t like the idea of going somewhere that it would be deadened. And while he worked in the Barrows, in the House of Midnight, he thinks he’d be okay staying where the Skyport is, so if he needed to leave immediately… well, it would be an option.

Not wanting to start an argument with his friend, of course, Thorn seems a bit dejected with the idea of suggesting the place opposite of them and he looks away and back to the Archon and Hotaru when he makes his voice loud enough to be heard. “I still am votin' for New Haven.” He sinks back into the chair, slumping more than his carefree posture ever lets him, pointedly staring at the back of the chair in front of him rather than Talyson or Alys.

Thorn

and darling, they all look like me //

SUNJATA

clipped wings and you're the one holding the bone saw
now things are getting so out of control

He knows it isn’t easy – to make those decisions feel so final. But he can answer the questions and listen to the worries of those he leads, those he’s friends with and cares about. Those that he’s let down and yet can offer a unique perspective to questions they have regarding the infected.

Such as Alys’ questions that come up, his steel gaze focusing on her with a nod. There is a threat regardless of it, it’s just whether or not the creatures will come into the area. “I know from experience that it doesn’t protect against those of us who are infected.” He knows it isn’t the answer they want to hear. But he promised them he’d be honest, and there’s nothing worth hiding here. “When I was infected I was able to walk in and out of the regions that had already protected against the creatures. It didn’t feel any different for me.” Which was concerning, but the next tidbit of information might help them relax a bit more.

“But… Given that Ru and I are healed now, a fortunate side effect is that we can tell when someone is infected.” It was traumatizing and horrifying, but a powerful tool. So as he levels his gaze to Talyson and Alys and Hawthorn, he offers them a small and sad smile. “So… We’re able to tell. And because of that, we can do our diligence in trying to heal those that are infected with the healing springs of Halo.” Which had healed the both of them.

But as for the vote? Well, if Hotaru’s remaining on the New Haven aspect and Alys and Tal have decided to go with the Barrows, that puts it at a tie. So his gaze flits toward his fiancée, flinching for a second as he spots the ghost shade of the infection across her face. “Are you still voting New Haven?” Will he have to be a tie breaker?

Would he choose wrong? Or would the answers he’s offered change anyone’s opinions one way or another?

the spiraling starts and we can't pull up, our hands are tied together so,
on the way down, we make every moment count

How do I keep myself from fallin' apart when I ain't never felt part of a whole?

She remains solitary and focused entirely on her fiance, grateful for the fact that nobody present seems keen on challenging her for her attention. Though she doesn't agree with all of the points presented, she can equally see the benefit of protecting the Barrows and the Refuge. If the Family won't be kept out either way it would be helpful to keep the void creatures away from the residents who cannot defend themselves with magic or shifts if they did attack. Though she nods her head - visibly, but mostly to herself - when Thorn's murmured comment of discomfort arises quietly from the crowd.

Her lips purse subtly when Sunjata reveals the fact that they are both now defacto Family detectors. She doesn't want people to ask how. Doesn't want to talk about any of it really. And lately the Valkyrie doesn't want to be helpful. She wants to tear apart the man who killed her daughter with her bare hands and then somehow shove everyone she loves into a single room and let the world burn outside until it figures its own shit out. Alas, this is why Sunjata is Archon and not her - and for good reason. But as his eyes move to her and he asks her directly, the prickly spines and scales of defensiveness soften and slide away.

Being the deciding vote is not any less intimidating on her behalf. But she isn't the leader here. The blame will fall less heavily on her shoulders than his if things go wrong - and that's all that really matters to her. Whether she truly agrees or not doesn't if it means sparing him the looming terror of that doubt and all the ghosts it drags with it. "I will concede and agree with protecting the Barrows." But that is all she will say on the matter. The rest can fall on feigned deaf ears until the meeting concludes.

HOTARU