[o] tumbling flames

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Without Starfall and the Family to warp his trepidations into something quite unsettling, Deimos could turn towards the horde of other responsibilities bearing down upon him. Much more manageable, feasible, and not holding threatening circumstances, he went to check in on the guild hall first. A little Leafchange cleaning.

It hadn’t gone unused, but he certainly hadn’t been as attentive to it as he might’ve been, had everything else not been occupying his attention. Tending to it in the morning hours meant fewer individuals lurking nearby, and he could be properly absorbed in the task – starting with the hearth.

Bringing it to flame quickly, so the inferno blistered and promised heat within the sanctions, before he maneuvered towards the bounty board. There were quite a few still pinned there, though months later, and he shook his head, amused at the some of the quandaries, before taking down the ones he knew had already been thwarted, or simply not an actual monster of note. The remaining ones sounded familiar – typically void infestations to be dealt with eventually by enterprising guild members.

Stepping into the usual gathering area, much like a den, had manifested in its own array of dust and debris. Shaking his head, he used less strength within his Air incantations, but certainly enough to start sweeping over the tops of shelves or trophies, piling it all into a hovering mass he’d be capable of clearing out swiftly.

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

The door whips open faster and louder than she meant with the help of the wind, eddies of snow drifting in before she can haul it shut behind her. "Sorry!" she calls out as she strips her outer jacket layers off, the warmth already curling inside here feeling immediately stifling with the absence of the outdoor chill. She uses it to beat back some of the snow back towards the door, the way you might kick a dropped ice cube under your fridge.

While Colt is not necessarily averse to the cold, Halo holds no near and dear place in her heart. Bit too hard of a region for her tastes, but she can appreciate how much harder the people that live here are, so she figured she could make use of the barracks to get in some practice with her bow and arrow, or maybe find a sparring partner that had some new moves she could pick up. She stopped here first on the hunt for Deimos, but as she cranes her head around the corner she finds him already busy with spring cleaning.

"Need a hand?" she offers as she steps around into the hall, hands lifted with wiggling fingertips. "Although I can't do that." Would make dusting her house a hell of a lot easier if she could.

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Deimos hadn’t expected anyone in this time of day; hence the moment of surprise when he heard the door open. Arching his brow, he watched as Colt made her way in, leaving snow behind, and some apologies to follow. Withholding the snort threatening to loom in his chest, he persisted in his work, taking the ample control amidst his entity to curate more and more dust from the tops of bookshelves, skittering along the portions of the hearth left untouched, trophies laden and pressed into the wall, and any other debris.

The cloud formed neatly behind him, so as her offer presided through the wooden beams and threshold, he glanced over, acting as if this was normal happenstance, rather than somewhat amusement on his part. “If you want,” came on his residual rumble, eyes flickering over to what she might find worthwhile in the act of cleaning. “You can open some of the windows down here. Get fresh air in.” It’d be cold, but he’d be able to maintain the temperature of the fire and keep it roaring, alight, without everything turning horrendously chilled. “With everything else going on, I did not much pay as much attention here as I should have.” There wasn’t shame in the statement, merely an explanation; the guild had unfortunately been amidst the bottom of his tiered list over the past few seasons.

Collecting the rest, he let it hover for a moment, before the orb of grime, filth, and soot descended into the nearest trash can. “What brings you out this way?”

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

She can appreciate the focused way he leans into his work, and the quiet he slips into that's familiar, the same way she finds herself after hours spent mending fences or riding along pastures with little more than a list in her mind and a dog at her heel. "You got it," she says with a nod, setting towards the mentioned windows with an assured stride. She fidgets with the locks and hauls them open one by one, only struggling with one that sticks against the cold. "I won't tell anyone if you don't," she promises with a wink. "Although I don't think a soul would blame you."

Could it really have just been a few weeks ago that she and he were contemplating the threat of the void, and now the Family has departed and dusty shelves is the newest worry to fuss over?

She pauses in her battle with the stubborn window, glancing over her shoulder. "I wanted to ask you if I could use your barracks to get some training in. King's End doesn't boast quite so many warriors and I'm liable to get soaked if I ask Sunjata anytime soon after the stunt I pulled at the rodeo." She grins despite herself, still pleased. "Missed you there, by the way," she says not unkindly, just in conversation. The window finally budges and almost takes her with it before she can relent her force fast enough to keep her footing.

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

The air whipped through, cold and unrelenting, and he let it slide along for a moment, before catching its chilling wiles and conducting the temperature to something feasible. All they needed was something to breeze, not freeze, through and chase away the age-old portions left to linger over one too many seasons.

The promise made him snort as he maneuvered to one of the bookshelves, immediately rearranging tomes and journals left out, closing pages open on random monsters that seemed like ancient, buried things now. “Still – should be busy enough again. Need to clean out whatever is left of the void.”

It did feel very strange, odd, to already be moving past all those threatening gestures and hovering, looming omens. He’d grown so used to the heavy, burdensome weight across his shoulders that he didn’t know what to do with the lifted portions – gone, frayed, soon to be forgotten.

Her inquiry made his mind shift gears though, and he nodded as he went through another pile, placing some back in alphabetical order. “Of course.” Though the implications of Sunjata being mauled caused that residual arch of his brow again. “What did you do?”

Ah, the missed rodeo. He probably would’ve known had he actually gone. But after Dorian’s remarks, the Family itself, the past gatherings where widespread panic and bloodshed ran rampant, all he’d wanted to do was sequester himself in the known reaches of his home. “Sorry. Spent time with my family. Maybe the next one.”

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

It's true the void did not fully depart yet, and those remnants would keep them chasing violet until the last echoes of it remained only in memory. Even then, the world would move on, too accustomed to horrors and monsters to be bogged down by this latest threat, she's just glad they all managed to survive it too.

She nods in appreciation as he grants her access to the barracks, which she supposes he would have welcomed anyway, but always better to ask she finds. "Oh, just gave him some payback," she says casually, although there's a smugness to it. "Lassoed his foot when he was walking by at the rodeo," she says with a grin. "Between ursurs and the Flood, might have to get me an upgraded version of them one of these days." For now though, she'd keep her distance, heeding Deimos' wiser words last time they'd been hunting.

She dusts herself off now that the windows are all opened, the fresh breeze coming in like a greedy hand to swipe out all the stagnant and musty air. She busies herself with rearranging some chairs that have been pushed back crooked, grabbing up any items that seem out of place as she goes, things left out from their homes for too long. "Well, now I'll have to put on another one just for you." It had been a success, but the idea of running it again feels like something she'd rather not dwell on so soon. It'd taken up more resources than she cared to admit, but the memory of it does always bring a smile, making it all worth it, truly. "You can always stop by and get a mini-show," she offers instead, "'bout this time of year we're breaking out the babies and moving the cattle around, so it might not be a big to-do, but guarantee someone's eating dirt on the daily."

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Once the books were taken care of, he set to righting anything else out of place – tossing remnants of objects no one had bothered to take care of, or left forgotten – some earned their place in a lost and found container by the bounty board. While Colt rearranged chairs, he considered the room, tilting his head to see if there was anything else to square away, before shrugging his shoulders. “Heading upstairs,” because there’d be more to do amidst the second floor, where all the small rooms for sojourning hunters, offices, and the library was held.

He snorted at her ‘payback’, not sharing any of the several he’d supplied to the Flood over the years. “Maybe you can get some accuracy embedded into it,” at which he gave a juvenile grin, before advancing further, ascending towards his guildmaster’s office.

Another one he didn’t frequent on a regular basis – but the tracings of whatever he’d been working on last still lingered on the desk – the beginning stages of some drawing of Alys’s dream, trying to align portions to match the description. Something they might’ve faced, had they been forced back into the thresholds of Starfall again. A part of him still wanted to venture downward, into the promises pieces of beneath the isle.

Sighing, he rolled it back up, listening to Colt describe the other events from nearby. The Sword truly didn’t have any natural idea about a ‘rodeo’, save for some kind of ruckus with farm animals. “Erebos would probably like that.” Evie would probably try to ride something. Amhran might be intrigued. Partially to amuse himself while he sorted the pile of papers along the surface, he laughed, amusing himself, contemplating hunting down livestock as a hellhound. “Can I chase things?”

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

She deposits the miscellaneous shit she gathered to him when he starts to place his own assorted lost things, since she hasn't got a clue where they ought to be (and might have mistakenly picked up something that was, in fact, already home). Finishing off the chairs she heads up after him as their conversation continues.

"Accuracy?" she repeats with a snort, "that seems to be the one thing I got going for me," she smirks back in response, knowing all too well his thoughts about her antics with the ursur. "Now some damage, or something that ensures I won't go dirt skiing, that sounds better." Maybe something to snap it back into her hands, so that it wouldn't be up to a companion to try and loosen it from around a felled beast's tusks. "I'm working on arrows right now though," she admits instead. "Figured distance is a better choice than connecting myself to something pissed off." If she's angling for his approval, she'd never say it.

She grabs a broom she spots and sets about to stubborn cobwebs clinging in corners, the kind that'll stick even against the pulse of his air magic, unless he blows the whole building over. "Erebos is your son, right?" she asks with a grunt as she has to jump up to get one corner with the bristles. She already knew some of Deimos before joining the guild and pestering his halls with her questions, and being in the position he is means some of his privacy has been forfeit to the masses, not that she expects he'd keep a boy tucked away like a secret. "I'll have to bring him a stick horse next time," she smiles, glancing over at him with a laugh as he asks about chasing things. "I'd pay to see you chase something."

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Deimos begged to differ on that statement, but let it go for a low laugh instead. “Depends on if you want to tie an element to it.” He could see, as long as she hit her target, and kept it contained within the lasso, a good way to signify and certify her intended damage. “There is always adding some retraction to it,” he nodded in accord and agreement, much like Flora’s charms for her daggers.

The portion of longer-range weapons always settled well with him anyway, as discussion turned to arrows. He started placing several documents back on their necessary shelves, along with anything else he’d taken and maneuvered while in a rush or distracted. Old letters were either snorted at or discarded, placed amongst other portions he’d either toss in a trash bin or set aflame. “Wise to have something you can use to hit from a distance,” especially with all these void monsters still looming, or anything else that might linger and loiter elsewhere. Caido had its tricks. “I have seen many get far too close,” and then, it ending in some sort of disastrous plunge.

Rearranging a couple more books on his shelf left him content with the arrangement, before moving outwards towards the rest of that hall, long strides heading towards the library. Much of the setup was the same – tomes upon tomes of monsters and myths, anecdotes and journals, some ancient trophies still there on the walls. At her inquiry, he glanced back with a nod, eyes catching over the other cobwebs and narrowing his focus upon them, giving a twitch of magic and watching some desecrate immediately. “Yes. He will be two in Deepfrost.” With a fond smile to follow, long strides taking him through to one of the long tables nearby and wiping the top of the surface – wrinkling his nose at the grime. “He has sat on Zuriel a little, but certainly not anything major.” Balance was difficult with toddlers, and Deimos had been there the entire time. He’d likely enjoy a stick horse though.

And as for chasing something, the Sword would do that entirely for free. Laughing again, he shook his head, snagging at a rag and beginning to polish the wooden surface. “I have several shifts that could do the trick.”

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

She leans against the wall for a moment in thought, imagining a flame wreathed lasso for a moment before shaking her head. "I think I'd want it to still be useful as a normal lasso, so probably no elements, or really any damage I can't select easily." She didn't need to be roasting her cows alive. Perhaps she could make that a condition of its making, that she has to will the damage? Sounds better to make the tools sufficient and add something more special to her jewelry, to funnel into the tools as needed.

She'll take his agreement on the arrows as a success in her choice. Next time she'd not be so fawn struck while they all fought off some monstrous beast. That and little by little, working up her strength with more than just the ranch work, which is why she's here after all.

Speaking of, she glances up just in time to watch her next batch of cobwebs just splinter apart, and she shoots him a startled glance. "Gods, can I hire you to come clean my house?" Honestly, what is she even doing here other than distracting him? Maybe she ought to get the super sweeper 5000 from Frey instead of some arrows. She starts to open the windows up here too, since the cobwebs all seem handled in one form or another.

If she's huffing, it's just because she's deeply jealous. Some little finger waves would certainly make the ranch work a bit easier from time to time, although there's a certain satisfaction in managing it with what she has on her. "That's no fun," she clucks her tongue in disapproval at him. "You shifters always spoil the game. I meant I wanted to see you run around barefoot after a sheep or something." Although admittedly now she's curious what he can change into, something she might start greasing the wheel on for the next rodeo she runs.

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Glaring at the surface that seemed be to stained with something; he was going to guess rings of age-old alcohol, he added a little water to the rag and swept it across, seeing if it did anything. Upon further inspection portions seemed to have fled, so he kept at it while Colt ruminated nearby. The inquiry made him glance up again though, a loud snort to follow. “Given how long it took me to get this part done,” gesturing towards the guild as a whole, “you will probably have better luck in your own time.” Nor did he particularly want to clean someone’s house – save for his own – but he left that unsaid.

With the windows opened and sinking through the rooms again, he adjusted the temperature within the air once more, making it comfortable for them to continue working. The odd blemish on the table seemed to be disappearing, not at a rapid rate, but leaving nonetheless. Her own rebuke at his idea was met with a roll of his eyes though – even if the statement was true. “But it would be fun for me,” and quite frankly, that’d be the only reason he’d commit to the bit.

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

"Whatever you turn into, you can't actually eat any of them" she flicks her gaze over to him in playful warning as she thrusts open the last window. "I mean, they get eaten, but when the time is right." In other words, when they make her the most money.

"So," she says casually as she rearranges some of the books that she notices are put back hastily. "What sort of things can you turn into anyway?" She hums under her breath, a thought forming. "I'm going to guess... a bear." He certainly struck her as gruff enough, and his abilities on the void ursers had been like a deadly swipe. Bears are formidable, despite their friend-shape, something best kept a healthy distance from, despite promising to give excellent hugs. She can't speak to how well Deimos hugs, but all the rest checks out.

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

That hadn’t been his intention – but he gave the pretense of a very put-upon sigh regardless. Once he’d tackled the stain and restored the wood back to its natural color, he maneuvered through to the back rooms, opening the doors to air them out – noting nothing terrible, but likely some sweeping or dusting would need to be involved again.

He could hear her inquiries off in the distance though, and he snorted, having no intention of giving up the game so easily – nor being lured into whatever she was concocting. “That is one of them,” he rumbled in return. Though he didn’t use the grizzly form often; most situations called for the hellhound or some flying portions. “You may not be familiar with the rest.” Save for perhaps the eagle. Glancing into one of the storage rooms, he snagged at the broom laden there and went to tackle the first space.

DEIMOS

COLT

Got a head full of noise
About a hundred different things I'm tryna avoid
I got a mind in the gutter
Got trouble on one hand, a beer in the other

Her lips slide into a satisfied line when she guesses correctly, glancing over her shoulder from the bookcase to where he lingers down the hall. She leans back a bit, but can't see him, though his voice carries down fine enough, tempting for more guesses. At this, she pulls a face full of disbelief. "I most certainly am not," she calls back with a bit of a sing-song lilt. She sighs as she flips more of the books into the proper order, thinking as a finger trails along each spine like a stick along a fence line.

"No hints?" she asks, mulling over whatever other creatures he could be with less success. Maybe a buffalo, equally gruffy and dangerous in their own right, and a touch more stubborn and ornery. She's worked with some a time or two, and they're smarter than cattle, which usually means more troublesome. She prefers her walking burgers to be a little bit stupid, makes them easier to handle, even if it also means they get themselves tangled in utterly stupid and completely avoidable situations.

Hmmm. She wanders away from the books once she's satisfied they're complete, grabbing for her broom again to keep knocking loose dust and cobwebs as she meanders the way he went. "Penguin! Since you live here." He could personally serve as a sled for his son.

Got the wind in my hair
I got nowhere to go so I'm already there
Can't say I would and I can't say I wouldn't
If I don't come back, don't come lookin'