(o) i can't be your midnight love

princess, with lips made of glass

“You certainly seem an expert in it.” She replies easily, to the comment of camping of course. A hum of a laugh leaves her throat with it, and she can’t help the gentle, playful smile that crosses her face as well as she considers what it might take to make the experience fun. Perhaps it’s something she can let him handle, provided their friendship grows that far. And so she offers the tidbit of Torchline – a place she’s only been to once before the volcano had erupted. Now? Now she doesn’t know what exactly the place looks like, but with Deepfrost and LongNight approaching, she’s panning on taking a trip there when she’s tired of the snow and being bundled in furs up to her neck.

So she offers him a small grin back, an incline of her head. “I’m always searching for another excuse to go. Perhaps after Deepfrost.” She muses aloud, though her glacial gaze scans him and his face briefly as he offers the shouldering and opening of the door to her, light steps taking her through as Auni follows closely on her heels. She glances back toward him at the nod toward the kitchen, and following that way as well – helping where she can to unload the amount of vegetables in her arms, trying to capture his gaze as he ushers her back out when it’s finished. A look that almost seems to say ‘they seem fun’, before she finds the almost lobby and takes a seat.

“You’re welcome, Chuy.” She says, a brighter grin given back toward him with the slight nickname he’d given her. Not the first time, nor the last time someone’s called her that, but it has a special ring to it with the accent that lingers on his tongue. The idea of something to drink, however, has her head tilting while Auni darts toward another cracker that had found its way toward the floor and his ever sniffing nose. Of course, it doesn’t last long as Auni goes to follow Chuy wherever he goes in the hopes of more surprises.

Her gaze lifts toward him with a feline, playful smirk as she realizes what he’s done but makes no comment on it. “Wine would be nice, thanks.” She offers lightly, going to remove a few layers of the furs now that there’s a fire warming the room around her. It’s not like she has anything better to do – and Auni might whine and bleat the whole way back to where she’s staying if she chooses to leave now of all times.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

As it turned out, luxere loved crackers. This thrilled me - I wanted to know everything I could about, well, everything, but especially the fauna of this world. The small deer creatures were pretty obliging so far in my attempts to lure them near, to prove that I am a friend, a kind fellow who only wants to know more so that he can help in the future. They were magical - their glowing antlers made that obvious - and I couldn't help but wonder if that changed their physiology, their way of healing. Could they even fall prey to injury, to pain? So many questions - I would have my answers, no doubt in one of Jigano's books, one day.

I grinned innocently as Kia's gaze looks at the feasting luxere at my feet and then upwards to meet my eyes, feeling very much like I was being scrutinised, albeit in a kindly, playful way. There was something behind those eyes, something deep and far more intense than before - did they flicker into the shape of a feline's, or was that just the way the light struck them, the way her eyelids squinted around them slightly as she threw her piercing stare directly into my own? She deigns to make no further comment on the matter though, instead proceeding to accept my offer of a drink and make her way deeper into the sitting room, shedding some layers as she goes.

I do similar, removing my many-pocketed leopard seal coat, and the fleecy layer beneath it (not before I transfer more biscuits into another still-accessible pocket, however), leaning them on the back of the chair I would eventually sit in. From a cupboard I gather cups and wine and water - while I was slowly gaining a taste for the wine here, I still had terrible tolerance for alcohol, and so I poured myself a water and Kia a wine. Handing her the cup, I take a seat nearby, taking a moment to simply enjoy before launching us back into conversation.

"So it's a date then," I grin cheekily, making the declaration with confidence and certainty. "After Deepfrost, you give me a tour of the world while I take care of the camp," I lift my cup in a sort of toast, my gaze asking curiously if she would join me.

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

She makes no further comment on it, finding no need to when it comes down to it. He’s been caught, it’s evident by the way she catches his gaze, the look in those similarly glacial eyes that are soft in a way that her own rarely were anymore. But there’s a crinkle of amusement in the corners of them, before she accepts the offer of the drink and sheds her coats and myriad of furs, leaving her in a short sleeve shirt with the scars that fleck along her skin. The X in her neck is stark and sharp against the paleness of her skin, a cross between a scar and a brand of sorts in appearance that’s quite visible from the way her hair is braided to settle along her back.

It’s no matter, really, there’s far more scars that hide beneath the exterior.

And as he returns, her gaze finds him again despite the fact Auni can’t help but to keep sniffing after Chuy’s path, waiting for the crumbs and crackers to fall when they inevitably did. So she takes the wine as it’s offered, nodding her head to him with a softer, slightly less feline smile. “Thanks.” An easy response, going to move the glass to her lips, as he takes a seat and begins to speak. She’s glad she hadn’t quite taken the sip yet for the way her eyes slide back toward him, a dark brow raised in her quiet amusement.

A date? Well, she certainly wouldn’t complain. Her lip curls a bit more in a playful smirk toward him as she cocks her head a bit avianlike – a feature of her attunedness. “It’s a date.” She agrees with a light hum of a snicker leaving her throat, toasting her wine to his glass of water before taking a sip. First stop, Torchline. She offers through the Attuned bond toward him, a dark brow raising despite her lips not moving to speak them, aside from shifting to something more akin toward that similarly feline smirk from before. “You have to make it through Deepfrost, first. We’ll see if you get tired of me before then.” She winks.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

The scars that line her body are something I see, take note of, and then allow my mind to focus on the next thing, the next task. The deep lines were like pages of the history book on Kiada - locked away in the restricted section of the library, and while I was keen to learn all that she had to share, I would not go wandering in those forbidden corridors of knowledge until invited. I hungered for knowledge, but that did not mean I had to be a dick about it.

My words have the desired effect on her, though truly I didn't know how I expected her to react - I didn't know a lot about her, only that she was helpful, kind and her humour seemed to be in line with my own. Her curious gaze reminds me of the inquisitive stare a bird would make as it assesses its prey - and I wonder if I will eventually grow into my attunedness in these ways I have seen others of my race do so. Will I begin to see the world through feline eyes, will my muscles grow stronger, my reflexes swifter and more accurate? I internally shrug at the thought, accepting that the only way to really know such things is to let time do its thing on me and discover for myself. I have a quiet confidence that with practice, I will master all that there is to master regarding my attunedness - and I lived for the challenge that such a life brought.

Her voice permeates my mind, and I let it wash through me like a warm, slightly dangerous hug. Torchline, I thought, though I had not yet mastered the art of communicating via thought when in this form yet, so she would not hear it, I nod as I internally repeat the name, hoping my reaction signifies that I had indeed heard her, and looked forward to the prospect.

A chuckle jumps from my lips as she winks after her final comment of survival. "You're not wrong - about making it through Deepfrost, that is," I quickly amend my words lest she think I agree that I would get tired of her. "Heh, I may have just met you, but I don't think boredom or fatigue are going to be issues." Me on the other hand? Who knew when she'd grow tired of a newcomer who, no matter their enthusiasm, was still new, still learning the ways of the land, the culture, the correct thing to do.

"I uh, certainly hope we make it through Deepfrost. Those who I've spoken to who've lived in Caido for much longer talk about it like the season itself is out to kill them," my face grows a bit more serious, as concern and a deep thoughtfulness smooth out the laugh lines and replace them with a soft frown between my dark brows.

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

She speaks, and then follows up through the Attuned bond – like a little secret, for their ears and minds only, and her iceberg gaze flickers along his face to see if it registers. There’s a slight dip of his head, and her smirk shifts positively feline in nature with that, calming and quelling a bit as she focuses on the chuckle that leaves his lips, on the way that he tries to clarify that he doesn’t mean he’ll get tired of her which is surprising enough.

She’s sure it’s the latter rather than the former, when it comes to her, after all. But she can’t help but to snort lightly to his response, shoulders rising and falling in a small shrug as she goes to take a sip from her wine, letting the glass rest in her hand after she’s swallowed. “Aw, Chuy, don’t say that. You hardly know me. What if I’m the most boring person in all of Caido and I just put on a wonderful performance?” She teases him lightly, grin sharpening a small amount before it fades briefly as he continues.

There’s a deep bob of her head as she gestures for Auni to return to her, her gaze drifting back toward the Luxere at her feet as she rests her hand in the fur behind his neck, stroking gently along it. “Not so much here in Halo, as far as I now. But in the Hollowed Grounds, it is.” Perhaps it’s a bit too somber of a conversation topic, but he wasn’t going back to his previous world (Oz, was it?) and it’s probably for the best he finds out sooner than later, no?

“In the Grounds, when LongNight comes, monsters come out with the full intent to kill and take for power. It’s a horribly long week. We sing to the Luxeres to bring them near the places we stay in order to try and get their light to ward away the darkness. Two years ago, we had a heard at the Temple of them but some started to run off. Me and a few others left that night to try and get them back – and Auni, poor Auni here was very sick. He’d run off with a few other Luxere’s but he was… Possessed by one of them.” A frown crosses her face as she lifts her gaze toward him. “A monster got inside him and when it came out, it killed one of the people I went with. I brought him back to try and get him better and he bonded to me.” Of course, it had been a rough start because that was when Ru’in had died as well.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

The woman was as playful as she was ruthless, seeing my fumble in words and clinging to them, poking and prodding them - though not in a nasty, unkind way, but with just the right amount of sass and spice. My grin slants into more of a smirk as I softly retort: "Well, time will tell, I suppose." It was said softly, with kindness intended, and perhaps just a bit hope, that indeed this chance meeting would evolve into a friendship. I was in need of friends, and had been lucky to find a few friendly faces at least, upon arriving here (though Korbin's permanent teenage glare wasn't exactly 'friendly'), but no real, true friendships had been formed, and I missed them, I missed that feeling of being able to rely on another being, and have them rely on me.

I sigh, internally, once again working to stay in the here and now, and not let all that I have lost distract me.

Kiada expands my knowledge of the upcoming season, and I admonish myself slightly for my lack of this knowledge beforehand - my landlord was relatively quiet-spoken, he told me that Halo is expecting a swell in numbers for the season, but I never could get an explanation as to why out of him. It seemed backwards for me, to have people migrate to a place so remote, so enclosed by winter and frost and snow and cold during the time when that season will strike the hardest - and yet, it would seem, that season strikes other regions even after, just not necessarily with snow and ice but with magic and terror and torment.

"I'm sorry," I hope my tones reflect the genuine sorrow for her plight, my honest and regretful feelings that she had to relive such an awful time just to retell me, a newcomer wanting to know more. No wonder it wasn't spoken about much. I lean forward in earnest, putting my cup down on the floor beside my feet, reaching out a hand - though not touching her unless she so desires to place a hand in mine. "Truly, thank you, for explaining that. I think I understand everyone's trepidation with a lot more clarity now. I'm sorry,-" I repeat, not caring that I probably sound like a rambling idiot, "-sorry that you had to go through that, that Auni had to, that you lost someone. That's just,-" I shake my head as I pause, empathising with her story, "-that's shit."

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

“Indeed it will.” She agrees easily, a wide smile given toward him before the conversation dips toward something far more full of sorrow and sadness and an ache that she tries to hide through the attuned bond, but is unable to quell – having not yet mastered how to keep her emotions in place. Which, you would think, she’d have figured out pretty regularly up until now. But she hasn’t, and with it, all she can do is offer the explanation of life in the Grounds during Deepfrost and what it meant to have survived two years in the thick of it.

The fact that he extends his hand and she contemplates taking it, before it becomes almost a point to prove. A point that the hand that lingers in his when it’s offered and a small smile is given at his apology – though it isn’t his fault – is felt with a hand calloused from weaponry, hardened exterior and a wintery face that almost always seems unphased. “I’ve gone out every LongNight.” She informs him with a slight nod of her head to that – a bit of an added explanation. “I wasn’t close to the person that Auni accidentally killed. But… I was close to someone who died the first LongNight, while I was out getting him. One of the creatures stole his soul and I was given a quest by Ludo to retrieve it last year.” There’s a moment where she recalls beheading her lover, and her heart thunders a moment before she regains composure and flashes him a small smile.

“I wasn’t successful last year, and I need to train a bit more before I try again.” Her head tilts a bit more avian-like with this, a bit more calculating, a woman born to fight and having lived many lives doing that very same thing for survival coming to the surface. She lifts her other hand to grab the glass and take a sip, keeping her other hand in his should he wish to keep hers within. “And it is pretty shit, if I’m being honest.” She snorts, trying to lighten the mood.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

There is a moment, a breath, a heartbeat, where my hand sits out over the small expanse between us, empty, vacant except for the hope it holds, and offers. My hands aren't the smoothest, I was never afraid to do farmwork or physical labour, and working in the veterinary field meant working around animals a lot of the time, but the callouses on her hands tell a different tale - one of a warrior, of sword-fighting and archery, of a life full or more challenges than I could ever dream of.

I had a feeling that my introduction to Caido, hard as its been, is considered easy mode to most others here, after hearing a few stories now. I think I had a lot left to learn about this place.

Emotions wash over me, through me. I feel like a conduit, a thoroughfare of empathy, of feelings and emotions and I get a better understanding of how this has affected her, how it has impacted her - the pain, the sorrow, the terror and anguish, the ache even after all this time that reminds her of what occurred. It is a wonder that such heavy sorrow can exist within one being, but then, perhaps that is why the Attuned bond exists, to share the burden, to promote the empathy it invariably does, to truly communicate the impact with no question, no doubt, no variables on words or stories.

Kia speaks of a quest, a task, bestowed upon her by one of the gods (-or was it a herald? I hadn't quite gotten to memorising that yet-) to retrieve the soul of another, the very essence, and I couldn't help but think of everything that could go wrong with such a venture, that even if successful, even if it was at all possible, what sort of life would be returned to her, and to the lost friend?

"I.. I want to help. In whatever way I can," I begin, hoping I am not coming across as too forward, too keen, too pushy against this woman I have only just met. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, "I just, I can hardly imagine what you've been through." I let a soft smile tug at the corner of my lips again as she agrees with my rather abrupt summation from before - yes, it is pretty shit, and I'm glad she could find that light confirmation in my words.

"You mentioned training - what sort of training do you do?" The question is posed as an attempt to move the topic along, to safer, calmer waters, to allow us both to breathe a bit easier, to knock that bitch nostalgia back into her box and live in the present, at least for another moment.

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

His hands aren’t precisely clean either, and her gaze flickers back over toward him with a bit more consideration. Her hands were calloused in the ways of weaponry, of battles and armor worn upon scarred skin, of iceberg eyes cold and sharp and calculating beneath a helmet weaved with antlers and flame. His were calloused differently, but still a working man’s hands as she figures out. And she doesn’t pull her hand away as she explains, instead, focusing on the response.

She doesn’t expect his answer, another offering of help when he hardly knew her, hardly knew the shadows and dips of her stories of other worlds, of reasons why she’d had deserved every bad thing that had come for her. Of falling in love with a god and torn in two because of it, of watching herself die to save him. To end up here with a severed bond, halves of her soul missing into the ether, of her twin and companion out in the winds of the universes.

Instead, her gaze lingers on his face, on the soft smile that tugs at the corner of his lips at her declaration. “I’ll let you know. I’m taking this year off to bother you, remember.” She teases him lightly, a playful wink granted his way before she settles – having heard the sentiments before, having felt them intensely before over and over again, world to new world, to new new world again and again.

The mention of what kind of training she does, her head tilts a small amount as she glances out over the room they sit in briefly before turning her attention back on Chuy. “I’m pretty good with throwing knives and archery.” She murmurs softly, a small smile crossing her face with that. “Want to work on my sword work a bit more with shielding and perhaps my attuned shifts. I have two, you know.” She flashes him a grin with it, one that has canine teeth growing a bit more pinpointed, eyes a bit more feline in nature before she returns back to normal. “As you grow stronger here, you’ll unearth more shifts you can change into.” She informs him with a nod.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

My smile softened, transformed, again, into something genuine, something grateful, as she seemed to accept my offer of help, and reminded me of our earlier conversation - ah yes, she was going to be my tour guide too. Though after her tale and stories of death and darkness, loss and curses and quests, I had a bit more wariness about the oncoming season, and my survival through it all. I had a lot of hope, and determination, and willingness to grow stronger, faster, better at whatever skill was needed to survive here, as I slowly but surely accepted that this snowy town was my home now, and it might prove more challenging than hard mode of Earth - Oz, as I had inadvertently labelled it.

"Hardly a bother," I quip quietly, returning the wink with a flutter of my own eyelid, before letting the conversation move along.

I am very interested in as she speaks of her various skills with weapons, and I almost jump in to ask further about them, when she then talks about being attuned. My attention does not divert at all now - I was captivated, and thoroughly pleased as I watched her partial transformation take place right before me, the feline teeth, the eyes, the ears - I am besotted by the possibility.

"I had hoped that would be the case," I confirmed, mirroring her nod, unable to keep the excitement from my tones. "I also have a feline shift - a clouded leopard," I share, unable to hold back the sheer nerdy delight.

"On my homeworld, magic wasn't a thing - it just didn't exist, or, maybe it did, forever ago, and humans found alternative ways of living, and abandoned it. Weaponry and hand-to-hand combat had mostly become unnecessary -" I try not to think of the weapons of mass destruction that were used in wars, their devastating and terrible consequences on civilisations - no, I was talking about medieval times, when weapons such as swords and knives were all that a man could swing at their enemy. "- and as such, I am grossly unpractised in all things attuned and self-defence." I shrug, acknowledging my abject lack of skills, though I hoped to convey my interest in learning about them.

"Perhaps I could bother you for a bit of guidance in those areas?"

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

His own reply, the slight wink granted back, does wonders to lighten the mood for her. And she snorts within her breath at it with the quip – halfway between wanting to say ’we’ll see,’ and ’you’ll find out’ before it dies on her tongue and she lets the moment be. Instead, her attention focuses on the mention of training and what she’s more versed in than others – the blades attached to her hip and one in her boot marked with a snowflake to reminisce the Basin and everything it had offered for her, a gift from Deimos not long ago.

So instead, she focuses on the Attuned comment, showing off a small amount but to a welcome face that seems to enjoy it. She can hear the excitement within the tone of his voice as she focuses on his face again, bright glacial eyes meeting his own with a raise of her brows. “A clouded leopard?” She repeats, grin growing a bit wider at the opportunities. “I’m a caracal.” Complete with the tufts on her ears, though she doesn’t comment that bit. He’d find out soon enough, she’s sure. It’s one of her favorites.

Instead, she focuses on his explanation of this homeworld – Oz – and what it had for options. No magic, seemed rather dull and boring, but she nods never the less, wondering what kind of world it might have been like to live in without danger breathing down your neck every few steps, every few weeks away. There’s a deep nod that accompanies it, the understanding. Because if she didn’t have to learn how to fight, what would she be doing? She doesn’t know, it’s never been given an option until now when she’d helped at the bakery with Amalia. Perhaps that, perhaps something else.

She knows she’d be incredibly different than the strong, bright woman that sits before him and sips lightly from the wine, smirk curling around the edge of the glass before she nods to his question. “I’ll certainly have the time if I’m spending a whole season here.” She replies easily, cocking her head a small amount. “I have the caracal shift and a bearded vulture shift.” She informs him, sitting up a small amount in her seat, elbows braced on the elbow as she focuses on him a bit more intensely. “Which would you like to start with first? Weapons or shifts?”

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

When the portal took me, swept me off the barren, icy plains of Antarctica and delivered me to the equally barren, frosty climes of the Fangs, it stole from me several things. My phone, my watch, anything slightly technical, it rejected, and yet it wanted me, it pulled me through. I was glad to have kept all of my clothes, and a couple of knives - a large hunting knife, and a smaller paring knife, each hiding in the pockets lining my thick winter boots. It seemed the portal knew that I would need some kind of weaponry, though I was grateful to not receive a live demonstration of that need just yet - I knew the time would come soon enough.

I would have to look into getting more weapons, I suppose. I was a nerd - I had a replica of Jon Snow's Longclaw sword at home. Idly, I wondered if something like valerian steel existed in this world, and imagine myself as Jon Snow, slaying white walkers and generally being a badass. #goals

The topic has shifted, and all thoughts of Jon Snow are plunged from my mind as I now try to envision her as a caracal, with a copper pelt and those darn adorable tufted ears. Not gonna lie, I was so excited to see that shift one day - and to interact with it in my own spotted form, to test myself against her feline graces and strength, to know if I even stood half a chance against her.

She mentions a bearded vulture shift, and I will admit a small token of surprise blossomed within me - I'm not sure what I was expecting, but apparently it wasn't that, but then, why should I expect anything? - and again that thought trail was swiftly abandoned as she pinned a question on me, asking directly what we should begin with. I note her posture has stiffened, straightened, her attention fixed directly on me, as if she is scrutinising - perhaps imagining me in my shifted form as I was her?

"I'm yet to acquire myself a proper weapon - and I am very keen to learn more about what is to be attuned." I answered her after a thoughtful moment, a shiver of anticipation causing the hairs to rise along my forearms, though they remain cloaked beneath a layer of material.

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart

princess, with lips made of glass

Her gaze lingers on him, calculating, wondering whether he’d be better with a sword versus a bow – whether both might be something he wished to hold within his arsenal, or if he were more like her, with the idea of it being a bit more pinpoint and sharp on a variety rather than being an expert in a few. Though, she really shouldn’t be surprised with the answer she receives, seeing as he’d just explained what his home world was like, after all.

But there’s a vibrant smile that blooms across her face and she lifts a hand to brush the dark hair from her face as it breaks loose from the braid. “What can you see yourself using?” She asks, pulling back a small amount from the intensity of her posture, to reach down and pull one of those blades from her boot, to set it on the table in front of him for him to test out. “This is one of my throwing knives.” She offers, flipping it in her hand before handing the hilt edge toward him, a slight grin crossing her face with it.

“Or do you want to build up the muscle for a sword? A bow?” An avian tilt of her head as her gaze flickers back to his face, wondering and thinking. As for the attuned shift, really, it comes down to embracing the instincts that come with it. And once you manage that, still enduring it as yourself, that’s when the fun begins. That’s when you can separate the difference between yourself and the skin you wear while still fully embodying it. A new life, a new test of sorts. A new weapon to wield when things got rough.

and a voice cut from steel

features born from thunder and battle

KIADA

"Hmm," I hum softly, pulling up images of myself as Jon Snow once more, a longsword in hand, slaying enemies without faces who dared to threaten mine and my friends' safety. Of course, for that to be possible, I would need a few more friends, and some enemies too - the friend part I was keen to acquire, the enemies, not so much.

I lean forward to examine the knife she offers, carefully accepting it, trusting that its edge was sharp and true. I examine it with a clinical eye - I was used to scalpels and scissors, not knives and swords, but as I worked to gain proficiency in those tools, I'm confident I will learn these too. "There were stories told, of great warriors who would slay their enemies with swords made from a special steel," I meet her eyes as her gaze finds mine once again.

"Every boy dreams of becoming a great knight, even if such things no longer exist. I think I would like to have a try at everything - though my landlord might not appreciate such activities within his lodge," I smile as I deftly turn the blade about in my hand, offering her the hilt once more with far less flourish than she did me, but efficient nonetheless.

Chulane

sxc.hu
whimzi on deviantart