so much is still unknown

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster In the end, only two people came to seek her at the Sharkfin Inn - The Wraith doesn’t care who they are or what they do, she just wants the information and is happy to offer some rare bits from the other ‘open’ lands for their perusal. The two cloaked figures (oh, how the turntables…) enter and surprisingly enough, don't give her information directly, but direct her to place where she might be able to read about what she wants. True to her promise, after a moment of consideration she offers them whatever she feels their ‘information’ is worth. In the end, it's not what she really wants but Wessex is fair, and neither informant gives much of a fuss about their compensation. Exiting the Inn, she pulls her own hood down and wanders the maze of buildings, mulling over what she's heard. Time for another break-in. So she finds the place, an unobtrusive building, and waits for them to shut down for the the night. Entering is rather simple and the Wraith does so as quietly as she can, taking her time to scan and find something interesting.

Letha had stayed in Torchline to gather some things for her home. She had brought some things to trade away, things she thought some people of the port city to find useful. Some herbs and things she knew to have good medicinal purposes, as well as other miscellaneous items. When she had worked enough, and received what she wanted, she set her sights back for the Hollowed Grounds.

Something familiar caught her eye, however.

She watched the matriarch step outside and pull her hood up. Wessex. Tilting her head slightly, the dark-haired woman kept her attention on the Wraith. She shifted her shoulders, her own black cloak holding her tight and protecting her from the sun of the land, even as it hung low on the horizon. The newly ascended woman did not let her eyes leave Wessex. Her feet followed the woman, interested in where she was going and what she was doing. Her brow furrowed as she followed, holding her bag tight with it full of her homely treasures. Unable to keep total pace with the once-queen in the near-dusk, she fell behind in the bustle of people trying to close shop for the evening. Setting her jaw, she still pressed on.

She watched as Wessex made her way into a building that Letha guessed was not her own, because of the way she moved, she crept her way across the street before trying to hail the woman, silently. Wessex, she called out mentally, hoping the communication would work. The Wraith had spoken to her without words, and Letha was not sure if it would work, but trying seemed logical to her.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster Though her siblings seem to be everywhere (and that’s not a bad thing!), a mental query is just abut the last thing the Wraith expects to come whispering into her mind that night. On top of that, she’s never heard Letha’s mental voice. Looking up, startled, it takes a moment for her to find the bearer of the voice that isn’t Rex and then recall the woman’s name. Letha? she replies, trying to confirm the quiet woman’s name. Because really, she hadn’t said much of anything the last couple of times and the demigod had been rather… consumed by the goings on. Letting the book fall shut, she looks around and can’t immediately see where the other is, so with a slight huff to herself, the matriarch sends another thought the girl’s way. If you want to talk, might as well come in. Makes it easier. They don’t have to worry about distance cutting each other off, and someone, even someone as pretty as Letha, lurking around is bound to be a little suspicious. This isn’t exactly something the Wraith wants to get caught doing; she imagines Remi and Sunjata and Ronin wouldn’t take kindly to her breaking and entering into regular citizen’s shops.

Letha pulled her cloak tighter around her, her face hardening with thought. Lines etched deep into the porcelain as she waited a response. She did not have to wait long, however, for Wessex's voice to reach her. The matriarch is familiar in her head, and her voice even makes the new ascended relax slightly. Letha did not give any response back to the woman, at first, when she started to act on Wessex's invitation to follow her own trespassing. Slipping into the building as the older, more experienced woman had, Letha let down her hood. Her eyes did not need any time to adjust to the lighting. The way her senses responded to this world was something she was finding herself more and more thankful for.

"What are you doing?" She asked, aloud, but in a hushed tone. She felt the inherit need to whisper based on the way the Wraith had slunk here like a snake: stalking and slithering and silent. Ocean eyes moved slowly and carefully, taking in the stacks and shelves of books around them. "What is that?" She gestured, finally, to the book in Wessex's hands, hoping she would not get a sarcastic answer.

She knows its a book, her true question was was why, ultimately.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster More than a little please that Letha joined her, the Wraith continues her scan of the book until the other woman joins her in the shop, pausing every now and then to dig more deeply into a section. When the woman enters, she barely glances up, not because Letha isn’t important, but because she needs to do this quickly. “Looking for some information,” she murmurs, turning the page - then another, until something makes her furrow her brow. “This seems to be a journal of a trader… most of it’s mundane, but… there's this...” There are some new mentions of species, of another place. A place where fire animals live. Unnamed, and yet - as she’s about to turn the page for more information, there’s the sound of footsteps above them, as if the shopkeeper lives above the store and has heard their quiet voices - or the click of a window being unlocked - whatever it is, he’ll soon be down to investigate. Wessex’s finger flies to her lips as she quietly and quickly tries to reshelve the book.

She watched carefully as Wessex skimmed through the book. the Wraith was hyper-focused, and Letha did not really understand what was happening. What information did the older ascended need to gain? The dark-haired woman's face tightened with confusion and wonder, and she tried to get closer and read over Wessex's shoulder before the footsteps sounded overhead. Letha jumped as the floorboards creaked above their heads. She gripped her back tighter, trying to make sure none of its contents made noise from her startled reaction. In the dark, she did not need her eyes to be opened wide to see clearer, but they were wide as a small tingle of panic raced up her spine.

Wessex motioned for her to be quiet, and she knew she needed to listen. Letha had watched Wessex slink into the closed building. It was apparent they did not belong here. Letha listened as the footsteps continued to move above their heads, and sounded over Wessex's connection: What do we do? She did not want to jeopardize their safety, so she waited for the Wraith's lead or isntruction.

Letha did not know the power of the other ascended with her, but she knew it was a hell of a lot greater than her own.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster No, they don’t belong here; but they can get out without being caught. What do we do? Letha asks, and maybe she can see the tiny smile on Wessex’s face as she finishes pushing the book back into place. Offering up her other hand to the girl, the demigod is calm and confident, as she waits for it to be taken, perhaps encouraging her with a nod if there’s hesitation or paralysis due to fear of being caught. We disappear, she says to Letha, as if the answer were obvious and to be expected. Brace yourself, it might feel disorienting. Or so she’s heard, primarily from Loki’s experience with teleporting. Assuming that the younger woman takes her hand, Wessex will teleport them to a couple of blocks away, dropping them down into the shadows of an alley, where a drunk man snores in liquor-induced slumber. When the shopkeeper comes into the space below, hot on the tail of their sudden evaporation, he’ll find only a window ajar and some papers blowing across the floor. Nobody in sight. He must have been imagining things. As for the two of them, Wessex is prepared to steady the girl if she feels any sensory upheaval. Otherwise, she’ll simply wait and see what Letha has to say… about all of that.

Good, bad, smart, dumb, who knows -- but Letha held complete trust in Wessex at this point in their relationship. When the footsteps grew louder and the Wraith held out her hand, Letha reached for it without hesitation and without question. She did not know what was going to happen, but her gut told her that Wessex was going to keep her safe. She was not sure what to expect from the demi-goddess, but Wessex tried to give her a heads up at how she might feel from whatever she was going to do.

And she was right. It was disorienting. In a flash, an instant, they were standing in an alley. Letha's vision was cloudy at first, and her head felt full of cotton. She staggered, but braced herself by reaching out for Wessex's shoulder. She took in a deep, gasping breath, even though she didn't have to. Her body still, at this point, did a lot of things out of memory and instinct than actual need. Letha blinked away the fuzziness, and looked up to the other woman with wide eyes. She could feel her body scanning for anything that was wrong, a small sense of alarm triggering it.

"What was...that?" She asked, her statement broad. She wasn't sure where to start: why was the Wraith breaking into the bookshop, what did she want to know, why was the information important, was that an upgrade that gave her that ability, the list of questions only grew.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster As Letha clutches at her shoulder for support, Wessex wraps said arm around her waist for extra support, keeping a light grip on her until everything seems to right itself. “There you go,” she murmurs rather maternally, watching the girl with a slight smile and following up the encouragement with a gentle pat on the back. “You did better than my companion did the first time. She was screeching her head off and about ready to kill me for it.” She chuckles lightly and looks around, but still finds the alley empty. Good. “That was teleporting. And breaking and entering - but for a good cause. I wouldn’t have stolen anything, I just needed information.” Giving her a serious look (for two reasons), the Wraith tries to ascertain if she’s able to walk a bit. As quiet as the alley is, the drunk has pissed himself and the odor is… unpleasant to her sense of smell. Her nose wrinkles as she makes a face whilst looking at the man. Lovely. “Do you need another moment?” Wessex asks patiently, in no particular hurry tonight - though they could be more comfortable. There are things to digest, a sister to get to know. And they have all the time in the world, don’t they?

When she had been steadied by Wessex's help, Letha tried to bring herself back together. Her scans finished and she knew nothing was wrong, but the feelings that overwhelmed her after their transportation had been so similar to when she had laid on the beach for hours before Amun found her after sunset. She let one, final, deep breath out. She was sure that if her body still needed to, she would have thrown up. But, she didn't, and so she tried her best to button herself up and set stone to her composure. Wessex explained the teleportation, and Letha wanted to ask if that was something the Voice had given her, but instead she assumed the answer affirmative.

The breaking and entering, however, still brought the question of why to the forefront of the younger ascended's mind. What information did Wessex need that required such sneaky, dark action? What was happening that the ascended demi-goddess could not simply ask? Of course, all of these questions stemmed from Letha's ignorance. Being so new in this world, starting relationships from seeds, left out an entire lifetime's worth if information. She did not really know Wessex, or her story, but simply let herself latch onto trust for the woman because Letha had been brought into the family by their goddess.

When asked if she needed another moment for composure, the dark-haired woman simply shook her head. She would go wherever Wessex wanted to talk about what was happening. Her own nose wrinkled at the stark, sharp smell of the alley they stood in. She lifted her hand to gesture that they could move, but her eyes did not let go of her question--she wanted to know exactly what Wessex was looking for and why.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster Unused to such silence, Wessex offers Letha a look that questions her assertion that everything is okay. But in the absence of any spoken (out loud or otherwise) requests or inquiries, she has to assume that everything is indeed alright. “This way, then,” she murmurs, stepping out of the alleyway and into one of the main streets; there are still quite a few people about in this area of Haulani - mostly those who have spent their evenings at bars or other places of leisure - and they pay the pair no mind, either too focused on getting themselves safely home or thoroughly engaged with others.   “Where would you like to go?” she asks Letha, gesturing to Haulani as if it were their oyster. And at this time of night - it is. The options are only limited by their imagination and morals (or lack thereof, in Wessex’s case). There’s no dwelling on what just happened. If the girl wants to know, she’ll have to ask. Wessex is pretty good at reading physical body language, but mental and emotional subtleties have always been a bit more difficult for her.

Letha still wanted to ask Wessex her questions, but she moved on with the matriarch. As the woman gestured out to Haulani, Letha simply said, "I like the water." Anything that would give them privacy while overlooking the ocean would suffice for the younger woman. Should Wessex move, she would follow. Her blue eyes briefly danced around those that traveled the city at night, but none of them looked at the two women with any sort of care.

Letha did not want to waste time. She also was not sure of any proper, polite ways to be getting to the information she wanted. So she asked simply, and not carefully. "Wessex, what were you looking for in those books, in that shop, specifically?" Letha had no idea what the woman was up to, but she desperately wanted to know. "Why did you have to break in in the middle of the night?"" Her brows knit together and she looked at Wessex, her focus wholly on her.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?

WESSEX after all is said and done you're just a carnivore let you in and drink my blood you're nothing but a monster “Water it is, then” Fine by Wessex, she likes the water, too. Strolling down the darkened, empty streets towards the water and the Port, the Wraith keeps an eye out for any drunken fools who might think the two women an easy target. Predation was a problem here, or so she’d heard. And there was sort of slight tension around Letha that she wanted to let the girl sort out herself, so the older Ascended tried to remain at an easy pace, open and receptive to whatever she might bring up. When the question comes, she isn’t terribly surprised that that’s what it is. Anyone would want to know why she was technically breaking and entering. “I was looking for information about other parts of Caido. The parts we don’t know about yet. I’d gotten a tip that that bookseller had some rare books that mentioned other places, but I certainly could’t afford it.” Looking back over to the girl, she makes a ‘hence-like’ gesture. “And sometimes it’s better for me to keep my actions secret. There are people who don't want me - well, us really - exploring.” To say the least. Leaving the door wide open for more questions, the two of them come into an open square, complete with a fountain and a fresh breeze from the ocean. It’s quite lovely in the moonlight.

The sea brought so much comfort to Letha. Before Nate suggested it, she had never thought of making the port city her home, even if she preferred the sea to the forest. Amun was in the Hollowed Grounds, and had given her the easiest avenue for making a home there. While she may still be contemplating what to do about her residence situation, she at least knew what she needed right now. As she spent time with Wessex and questioned her behavior, she needed to draw some strength from the ocean. Letha was not one to try and pry, normally. The expectations of having personal information from others and holding it felt too heavy. However, she was a part of this makeshift family of ascended, and so she felt like she could ask the questions without it feeling too heavy.

"I see." She nodded along, voice quiet. Letha was still so ignorant about the world and the history of Caido, that the idea of someone getting mad at Wessex, or the Ascended population in general, gaining more knowledge about it didn't sit well with the girl, because she didn't understand. "Why is that?" She lifted ocean eyes from the water to Wessex, her curiosity and her ignorance both evident. She hoped Wessex would not dismiss her and her questions--she had not so far, and that gave her some confidence--but she did not know the Wraith well enough to know her patience threshold.

L e t h a

Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?