I see ghosts wherever I go

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

It’s a slow road of healing, put on a fast pass with Hotaru’s unicorn. But he’s not sure if because the equine was still young if that had any affect, but it still hurt in spaces — feeling more like the dull constant pain of a bruise whenever he moved. Shirts? Good luck. Cloth rubbing against the scarring that had taken out much of his shoulder’s wing tattoo were a no go. But the rain, if he thought hard enough, it almost felt like he was in Korofi.

The humidity, rain pouring on wounded skin, exhaustion bore down to his bones, all a recipe for a perfect recreation of home.

It takes him a bit longer to get down toward the lighthouse, to sit along the edge to watch the stormy wind chopped waves below and let the rain pour over the revealed skin. And he does close his eyes, hoping that some sort of relief would settle as he leans forward a bit, quiet and tired and unfortunately incredibly sober.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

The trip to the Greatwood had taken most of the day, and when Vai returned it was to the pouring rain, the huntress soon soaked by the downpour as she picked her way up to the lighthouse and the homes beyond it. The living situation would likely have to change soon, if they were going to be staying in Torchline for any length of time, but for now she walked the trail she was learning to know half as well as those in the woods. She had a satchel with her, brimming with herbs and other treasures, some of them very carefully picked so that she might cultivate new plants.

It was as she reached the top of the cliffs that she spotted him; a tired silhouette hunched against the rain and oblivious to the rest of the world. And Vai recognised him, heading over with the intention of a brief hello and a question about why he was sitting in the rain, until she saw the wounds, the bruises, the marks of a fight gone very much awry.

”Sunjata,” she spoke clearly against the rain so she would get his attention as she approached. ”Everything okay?”

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

If he tries hard enough with his eyes closed, he could in theory almost fall asleep. He almost does, too, with the familiar pattering of the rain against the stone of the shrine behind him, with the crashing waves of water below. One leg tucked under the other, his elbow resting on it with his head cradled a bit, breathing long and deep breaths to expand and pull at the somewhat healed tight skin. Nate has done a great job initially, Atlas having gone the extra mile, but it still wasn’t entirely enough.

He just knows he can’t remain cooped up in the house forever, needing to stretch his legs, clear his mind, relish in the fact that the sun has risen. Vai’s voice is a welcome and familiar distraction, his head lifting and steel eyes flickering over to her form as she approaches, but he makes no move to shift and make room. It takes too much effort. What doesn’t, is a soft smile that crosses his face for her in greeting, hopefully welcoming enough. “Hey Vai.” He rumbles with a tired voice.

“Could be worse.” Could be better, goes unsaid, shifting a bit and flicking some of the rain from his fingertips as his gaze drifts back out toward the sea. “You?” He asks, tilting his head a bit toward her after a few moments, tearing his gaze away from the waves below.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

”It always can be worse, until we’re dead,” she remarked with a wry smile back at him, moving to take a seat on his other side where there was a little more room, setting the satchel down beside her. ”I’m doing good. Felix and I are staying in Torchline for a little while, so I got some herbs from the Greatwood in case they’re needed. Hoping to grow a few here, if they take.” She patted the satchel, before glancing back across to Sunjata, blue eyes dancing over the marks that covered his bare skin.

”Burns,” she guessed by the look of them, frowning gently. ”What happened? If you want to talk about it, obviously. Explains why you’re out here in the rain - I just thought it was a habit for us to start to meet like this.” It did always seem to be raining when she ran into the Arbiter.

lalallalal quote quote quote

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

A hum of agreement leaves him more like a sigh, turning his attention toward her as she takes a seat. “Oh?” A brow raises curiously, as thoughts start hitting. “You can use some of the garden here if you want. Nate would probably appreciate it.” Any natural healing herbs and what not would probably be welcome, in his mind at least. Added benefits to help Nate’s practice, to help where he could.

But then she’s commenting on the burns and a humorless laugh leaves him, a nod as his hand moves to trace over the edge of the burn to his shoulder. “Mhm. Got roped into helping evacuate a creature in the fingers. A lava octopus. Didn’t like me much.” His hand slips away to run through his wet hair and slicking it back as he lets his eyes land on her again. “As for the rain? The rain feels like home. Wouldn’t mind more of it.”

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

”Really? I’ll have to stop by soon then, speak to him about it. Up here there’s probably more of a chance of them growing than down on the sand,” Vai said, making a mental note to do just that and smiling to herself at the idea. It reminded her of the cabin she had shared with Devrum back in the Hollowed Grounds, and the garden she had cultivated there.

Drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of his voice, she followed the movement of his hands across the burns, wincing as he explained. ”I can see that. It’s healing up well, though. How are you feeling?” Wretched, she thought by the look of him, but she left it to him to say.

Kicking a foot back against the cliff side, the huntress turned her face up to the rain for a few seconds, enjoying the patter of it on her face. ”Did it rain a lot, then?” she asked. ”I’ve heard tell this will last all season. You might be in luck.”

lalallalal quote quote quote

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

“He’d do well having something else on his mind.” Sunjata remarks with a nod, a softer thought of a smile crossing his face as he focuses on her and the conversation, working wonders at tearing his mind away from the lingering pain beneath the pink healed surface of his wounds. How is he feeling, however? He shakes his head a bit. “Feel like shit. Better now though. Unicorn healing plus Nate’s obsessive care.” He snorts lightly to that.

But it had worked, all of it.

The subject of home has him nodding. “Lots of rain, flooding for months.” He mulls it over. “Learned to swim in the flood waters, actually.” He leaves out the fact his father had pushed him into the flood waters, as they’d done with all children, a sink or swim for survival, how he’d almost drowned that day. But he tilts his head back toward her with a small half smirk. “I do think I’m in luck.”

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

Vai could guess at what Nate might have on his mind based on the state of Sunjata, though she obviously wasn’t to know the rest of it. ”Stress can be a killer,” she agreed, tucking her wet hair back behind her ear and giving her full attention back over to him as he continued to speak. ”Gods, it must have been bad if this was after healing,” she said softly, glancing over the fresh scars with a practiced eye.

”I can help, if you need,” she offered. ”Either with magic, or I’ve got a couple of things from the Greatwood that’ll knock pain on the head. Think I might have something to help you sleep, too.”

But then he talked about the rain, the flooding, and she raised her eyebrows, her mind coming up with images of how it might look (without the drowning boys, thankfully). ”Makes a change for you,” she remarked about his luck, offering a wry smile.

lalallalal quote quote quote

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

He nods to Vai with the comment of stress, refraining from tacking on the fact that Clemente’s death had also hit hard for the Doctor, and instead chooses his words a bit more carefully. “He was attacked before LongNight. So when you talk to him, he’ll be different than before.” Perhaps a warning? He doesn’t really know anymore.

As for the scars, he nods to that as well. “They were third degree burns. I think I’ll be lucky if I can get the ink back in once they’re fully healed.” What, with the warped edges to the burns, from where skin had pulled tighter than others. “Wouldn't mind something to sleep easier if it’s not a hassle.” His voice takes on a slightly softer, more exhausted tone as he glances back out toward the ocean’s waves.

Talk of home was often bittersweet, no matter how much he hated it there. It had its perks in some places, and less in others. So a quiet huff of a laugh leaves him, attention remaining on the waves. “I sort of hope it does flood. Might feel like the old me again.” He lifts his gaze to peer through the clouds before he leans back and turns his head to her again. “A bit different though. Nate and I are getting married, so.” A soft smile curls the corners of his lips, the rain streaming through dark hair and dropping along his skin in small rivers.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

”Attacked? Shit, Jata... yeah, of course. I’ll keep it in mind.” Vai let out a long sigh, wondering if there was just something about Torchline that... attracted danger. But no, that couldn’t really be right. Because danger had come after the people she knew in the Hollowed Grounds as well. They were magnets for it, and Nate and Sunjata seemed no different. Perhaps her visit would be more well-timed even than she had expected.

”Maybe you can get it worked around,” she suggested about the tattoos, looking over the closest scar, the puckered skin, the angry pink. ”Either way, it’ll seem easier to deal with when it’s not hurting so much.” But the only thing for that was time, unfortunately. Still, if she could help even a little, that was something. ”No hassle at all. I got a lot of these kinds of herbs for Ronin, after... yeah.” She shrugged. ”I’ve got plenty to spare.”

With a soft smile, she reached up to muss at his wet hair - looked like the only part of him not bruised or burned to shit. ”From what you’ve told me about the old you, is that wise?” she asked, gently teasing. The revelation though - of marriage - had her eyes lighting up, and if not for the sorry state of him, she’d probably have hugged him.

”Y’know, that’s about the only good news I’ve had in a long time. Congratulations, both of you.”

lalallalal quote quote quote

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

“Got him across the face. He’s missing an eye.” Perhaps it’ll be easier for her to not have a visceral reaction to seeing his fiancé if he could help it. But she says she’ll keep it in mind and that’s all Sunjata can really ask for at the end of the day. At least talk of the herbs and sleeping in what Sunjata hopes feels more like a coma than anything, will help. “How is he? Ronin, that is.” He asks, steel gaze flickering over her face with the question, concern for one of his closest friends evident in the panes of his face.

As for the old him, he shakes his head when her hand runs through wet slicked back hair, shutting his eyes as a soft laugh leaves him, pulling at the soreness of the burn to his side. “It would be fun.” He muses, not necessarily wise, but amusing. “They called me the Flood back home.” He rumbles a bit nostalgically before shaking his head and shifting the subject to the wedding.

And there’s a light to his eyes as he focuses on her reaction, the ease of which Vai mentions her congratulations. He rubs thoughtlessly at the palm of his left hand, from his last wedding, before he swallows down hard and nods. “We’ll have the reception at the house. You’re welcome to come, with Felix if you want him to come.” He hums, an invitation. The wedding itself is planned to be small, not the glorifying huge gatherings everyone else seemed to have, himself included.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

Gods, but when it rained it poured, didn’t it? ”You two must make a right pair at the moment,” she murmured, raising an eyebrow across at him and sighing. ”If either of you need any help, or if I can do anything, just let me know alright?” she said softly, gazing out at the grey fog of the ocean, the huntress brooding on everything he’d said. Talk of Ronin drew her out of it, Vai smiling sadly to him and shaking her head.

”I don’t know much, he’s been shut in his room since he got back home. All I know is that he’s had trouble sleeping. I’m not surprised, to be honest.” She ran her fingers through her hair. ”I didn’t realise you knew each other.”

At the explanation that apparently it would be fun, Vai raised disbelieving eyebrows at Sunjata and grinned. ”Listen, you can be the Flood here but without all of the...” She gestured at... all of him? before breaking into a laugh, the mood buoyed by talk of more pleasant things.

”That’s very kind of you - I’d love to,” she said with a nod. ”Though you aren’t doing yourself any favours before your wedding, sitting out and getting soaked like this.”

maybe i'll lie to you, maybe i'll play this role

maybe i'll act like my act is together

They really do make a pair, a pair of emotional messes at the moment. Though if Sunjata’s being honest, he isn’t surprised by this. It seems normal, all things considered, that things are fine and then fucked up and then fine again. Only this point of it being fucked up is going longer than he’d like. “I will.” He vows quietly, unsure what, but he’s sure it’ll come to him when the opportunity presents itself.

For Ronin, however, he nods at her comments, having imagined the same and understanding far deep down the kind of turmoil the Dark Star is going through. “Me neither.” He agrees at first with a heavy sigh. “Mm I think he’s probably one of my best friends, to be honest. Not sure if it extends the other way. Haven’t asked.” A small wry smile forms on his face before he shakes his head. “When Seren was given to him, he’d sought me out. I helped fix up the house you’re staying in for him and Remi to live in.” And govern from, and all of that.

As for him and the Flood, a brighter laugh leaves him as she gestures to all of him, dark brows raising in purely amused offense. “Ouch, Vai. Ouch.” He reiterates, pushing forward a bit to lean forward once more and aiming to shift the subject to his wedding. It works for the most part, invites given, her mother henning him.

“Oh I didn’t realize it wasn’t socially acceptable to enjoy the rain.” He retorts, flashing her a brighter grin.

maybe i'll cope with life without hope

maybe i'll open the door and fall through the floor

SuNJATA

and I loved you so much it was making me sick

A smile touched to her lips at that, and she nudged him very gently, keen not to jostle him about much. ”Maybe you should ask,” she suggested. ”With what you’ve both been through, it sounds like the two of you could both use a friend.” It was a surprise to hear quite what they had been through, admittedly - the huntress raised her eyebrows, impressed. It made sense as to why the houses were so close together now, too.

As Sunjata spoke again Vai couldn’t help but laugh, having to hide it behind her hand and shrugging her shoulders. ”I’m so sorry - it just came out like that!” she apologised, still smiling as she settled back. ”I never said it wasn’t socially acceptable - just that you probably aren’t helping your injuries, and it would be just your luck to get the flu just before you are getting hitched.” The flu would probably be the cherry on the top at this point.