always prepared

Deimos Evening pressed, and the world lit up anew in wares and foundations, stones marked and etched in scrupulous fixtures and factions. His attention, meticulous and conniving, ranged from the strangers lurking amongst shadows, where lantern light didn’t touch, his imposing figure cutting through crowds, and studying stalls, kiosks, for something appropriate for the Shield. Parting ways only to run more errands and to take care of other matters, his wanderings had turned into musing and mulling of the world here. The Moonlit Tides hadn’t had these lively assortments, the cloak and dagger ministrations, or the promise of riches. Instead, the ocean had been cold and distant, but strong and potent just the same – made them tough, formidable, fortified beacons for the next onslaught, when childhood was over, when wars rampaged on the horizon, and savoring the damp sand was a forgotten blessing. As unfamiliar as this portion of the kingdom was, it still settled into his curiosity, speculation, and amusement (as barren as that had been as of late). The Sword meandered through a bundle of clustered people, towering above the assortment, before inspecting some other notions of jewelry nearby, some charms clustered like stars and moons, clusters of ideas that he could either replicate or barter for. Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

Flowerbirth had meant the end of the Longnight, the ceasing of the monsters tap, tap, tapping at windows and doors (cursed doors, doors that killed, that slayed, that mercilessly slaughtered those of her creed). She had watched from afar, from the shadows of the temple, as the door had been dismantled, taken away by the tall, strong General, watching as her freedom was granted by its absence (though still having to wait until the sun ran below the horizon once more to let her and her sister leave).

It hadn't been an instant desire within her to explore, to expand her horizons - she knew she had wanted to, eventually. But when she heard talk of the easy, joyous times many had in the beach-rimmed land of Torchline, she had been filled with curiosity and anticipation, and made towards the portal promptly from there.

And so she too stalked the markets, keen eyes seeing more than before, drinking in a twilight world full of life, of colour and activity - her hand always resting on the bag slung around her shoulder, a dagger kept within its folds that she was prepared to use to defend herself in an instant. Perhaps that was what she wandered for - a belt, a hilt, a more convenient place for her dagger?

When she saw the man, she paused her search, mind diverting from its original focus to behold the General she recognised by appearance and name only, knowing nothing more than that about him. "What are you looking for here, sir General?" she asked, unable to restrain her curiosity or her question, standing before him, diminutive in comparison to him, but determined all the same to know more about him.

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos A tower amongst the assortment of people, no matter how eroding or crumbling, he managed to cut through a few throngs in order to make his way over to a series of weapons. Scrupulous, fascinated, intrigued by the range offered, the webs of his mind began to spin, contemplating efforts to manifest the same armaments at home, proffered in the shelves of the armory, glinting in potential, in prowess, in prestige, in diabolical means and measures. Different inlays with corresponding designs in deadly intricacies sparked a new branch of brambles, nettles, and thorns, and he spent some time in conversation with the mercantile owners, intrigued by their varieties and displays. With a few more words and haggling exchanged, he came away with several of the artifacts, a matching set in surprise for the Shield, before another crept up alongside him, his rank gliding across the air. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked down upon the stranger – familiar only because of their clustered stay within the Temple, with no name attached. Pondering his reason for being here, in this midst, and likely not back in the Grounds was justified; but then he could’ve asked the same of her – all of them entitled to moments of liberation after being immersed in that hellhole. “Ideas,” he noted with an arch of his brow, then kept maneuvering, parting through a group, then around other gathered near an open stall of food. “Yourself?” Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

Perhaps it was presumptuous of her (it definitely was) to demand such answers, to cast judgements on the General of her home, when she herself had come here as well, to have a break, to sate curiosity, to explore and experience this land for herself. She didn't know the man, save for name and rank and face, who was she to judge him?

Well, she was Evelyn Occidendum.

Eyes beheld the items he held, 'brow raising in silent question, before she followed him, hearing his response with complete dissatisfaction - a frown crinkled the skin between her eyebrows. She didn't what she expected, but still, the one-word reply was utterly insufficient. "Ideas for what?" she pressed, before they came to a stop near a food stall.

Food no longer interested her, its scent doing nothing to stir her senses, dulled as they were in that regard. Keeping focussed on him, she mulled over just how to answer his return query. Then, seemingly coming to some silent conclusion, she nodded a curt nod and reached into her bag, holding the artfully crafted blade, currently wrapped up in the cloth she had found it folded within, on both hands before her.

"A belt and a hilt for my blade," she supplied simply, unwrapping it that he might admire the craftsmanship himself.

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos Ah, another individual who continued to pry after his one-word answers. Most had learned to either accept the taciturn, reserved speech, take the minute granules offered, and then some poked and prodded farther, to see what they could stretch and bend from him. In this case, it wouldn’t be a massive waste on her part, but he still chose them carefully, extending another trade for a set of daggers nearby. “New weapons for the armory,” he concluded, allowing her to see the curved edges of the serrated pair, before setting them along his belt. With these notions and foundations, he could contort and create, fill a section of the barracks with the stilettos, for those that preferred closer combat. The stall of food had an assortment of breathtaking scents, and much like a cat, he wandered along the annals of smells, enticed into a stack of flat cakes to take back to the inn. While making his haggling purchase, giving over a concoction of bejeweled creations fragments from the palm of his hand, he listened to the girl’s intonations. The beast arched a brow once he’d received his wares, eternally intrigued by armaments, piercing eyes studying the crafted sword, with small hints of admiration. “Yes. It deserves a respectable home.” A belt, a hilt, and a sheath most likely, upon her person for future drawn tactics and annihilation. He surveyed her once more, pondering a set of conclusions, and not quite asking the inquiries managing to rumble along his skull. Instead, his head rose, attention meandering along the crowd, to the hustle and bustle of the market square, even along the ignition of evening. Time didn’t seem to matter here, in the rush, push, and pull of warmth. “I saw some over here,” and then he parted the way, much like a sea, with his mass, people maneuvering out of the monolith’s path. Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

Bright eyes drank in the daggers he proffered for her to look upon, curiosity and yearning clearly evident as she admired them. The girl had ambitions, had desires to thrive and moxie enough to get her there, and to do that she had to grow, to adapt and change. A dagger alone wouldn't do that, she knew, but it was a step, a promise, to herself and the world, that she was willing and open, fresh putty ready to be shaped into whatever fit best in the world.

Tucking the blade back into her bag, and following the behemoth of a man through the crowd (finding his ability to carve a path through the crowd a rather convenient wonder) she passed by the food stalls once more with barely a thought, not missing the pangs of hunger that plagued her family so often, as the gift of her Ascension gave her everything she needed.

When they came to the next stall, she saw thing that did interest her, an assortment of hilts, belts, and sheaths too. Chewing her lip, she eyed a particular style she liked, but upon hearing the price, and offering what trinkets she had in her bag, she stepped back once more, unable to come to an agreement with the stall owner. "Perhaps another time." She concluded softly, guarding her tone so as not to reveal the depth of her disappointment, in herself, in her family for leaving her and her sister nothing.

With a sigh, she gathered herself, looking to the man with renewed focus, able to push the matter of her dagger to the side for now (or at least put on a decent performance of such). "How long will you stay here?"

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos He watched with a keen eye, noting her admiration, the curiosity, the intrigue of the blades in his palms, before putting them away. Always intent on education, on wisdom, on sagacity, and encouraging tactics, skills, and a gaining of experience, he tilted his head, stoked on the mettle of his own intrigue. “Are they your preferred weapon?” Uncertain of where the Ascended would fall on her yearning for knowledge, practicality, or effortlessness in the swiftness, in the rampage, of those serrated edges; but an extension of the barracks lingering behind his teeth just the same. Training was important, especially with recent ongoings, consequences, and lack of transparency, the world shifting in a direction not many of them could afford to be thrust amidst. Another inquiry settled in the back of his mind too, pushing it aside for later. Their wanderings from stall to stall only ensued more haggling, and he didn’t fail to notice her hesitancy, then lack of a purchase. There was a moment where he considered buying them for her, because he could always contort, snag, or intimidate into a deal; but felt no need to insult her either. In the end, he maneuvered along, expecting her to either follow or hasten off in her own direction. “If you cannot find anything here, I can always make one to your liking,” he offered instead; in muffled undertones and rumbles, not glancing back to see her reaction. He passed through, parting more crowds underneath lantern and luminary light, guided by the sights, sounds, and scents, pausing momentarily as she asked her inquiry, eyes resting on a performance made by puppets – the obvious representation of Ludo striding across a beach, courting and calling to the crowd. “Mid-Flowerbirth.” Honeymoons with the Shield; then they’d return, back into the folly, hopefully rejuvenated, healed, soothed, or assuaged from the torments they’d endured again and again and again. His gaze finally went back to her as Ludo transformed into someone in the gathered ring. “And you?” Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

A shrug, an action demonstrating her refusal to commit to a preference of weapon, was given in response to his question. "We used knives everyday on the farm, for different things" soft tones chimed. "They are familiar to me. I have not used other weapons to know if I prefer them." She just wanted something more than herself, something substantial, something vicious, that she could wield, twist and put to work towards her own devious machinations and designs.

Surprise widened her eyes a moment as she took in what he offered her. "I would be honoured, General. I… would you maybe teach me about other weapons, too?" It was as if she gained the confidence to ask directly for such merely from his simple offer, following eagerly in his steps as he weaved through the crowd. They were a blur to her - her focus upon the man, the General, as hope dared to bloom within her un-beating heart at the idea of what he could offer, what she could learn - she couldn't wait to tell Mabel.

Attention idly shifted to the play, to the puppets that paraded about, mouth tilting into a thoughtful line as she considered the question thrown at her. "Not that long. My sister and I will come and go through the portal. We haven't ever gone further than the Grounds before now." Firstly because of the barrier, then because of their family and their desire to cling to the Old Gods who ignored them time and again.

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos Not so much a preference, more of a familiarity based on necessity within the reaches of home; he nodded, accepting the answer for its merit and sagacity. Much could be said the same for any of them, their chosen occupations permitting them to wield a certain amount of skill with objects rendered. His lifestyle had been one of brutality, protection, predictions, tactics, and maiming, leaving worlds in rubble and ruin, save for their own. Armaments had certain effects, for use on the battlefield, or in skirmishes, duels, wide-scale masses meant to break kingdoms apart. If the girl already knew how to implement a knife correctly, she’d be well-suited for closer combat, acts in which one saw life drain from their adversary’s eyes. His offer seemed to surprise her, and then he had a militant follower in his midst once again. He withheld a laugh at the eagerness, permitting the crook of a smile to form in the corner of his mouth, attention turning towards another stall of leather goods, walking away from the play, pausing in case she wanted to peruse beneath lantern lights, beck and calls to other passerbys. The mountain considered the weight of the acceptance, and pondered if this was an opportunity for another topic as well, relaying the mission and words Safrin had consecrated upon him. The piercing slate of his eyes drifted back to the Ascended, features rendered nonchalant again. “I can, if you are willing to give me your perspective on something.” Her answer to his last inquiry meant she’d been a Natural, long since devoted to the hollowed contortions of the world, likely born within that bubble, knowing nothing else than the torment and successes, if they went hand in hand at all. “Be sure to see the ocean then,” and he quirked a brow, raised his head, turning it in the direction of the sea; to make the efforts of the journey worthwhile. Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

Farm life had taught her the ways of knives, of skinning animals, slicing meat, cutting vegetables and fruits. She could wield pitchforks and shovels as well, though they hardly lent themselves to convenient the same way a good blade did. But none of the blades from home had been crafted with such care as the one she had found in the Grounds, with a note attached blessing anyone who needed it to take it.

"Of course." Curiosity piqued, had she been interested in looking at the sights and sounds that surrounded them, she no longer was. Bright eyes considered him with a slight head tilt, mind sent awhirl with possibilities of what he could want her perspective on, when he was so much more lived and experienced than she, a simple farm girl turned Ascended?

Well, she wasn't necessarily simple. Sheltered, perhaps.

The ocean was mentioned, and she followed his gesture to glance at the great deep midnight-blue expanse in the distance, her keener senses able to see the subtle rise and fall of waves breaking. "I will," she promised, before turning her attention back to the man, awaiting more information from him, that she might lend him her perspective.

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos The monolith's vigilant stare roamed down the vast array of stalls still left to peruse. The beast believed she’d hold a unique foundation on his inquiry; and she’d also been immersed in the Temple, seen the damage, seen the cost. For a moment he said nothing at all, uncertain how to broach the subject without making matters worse, and he’d never been gifted in the measures of discourse. The Sword could understand armaments, could comprehend the swing of a blade, but words were more difficult to parse through, left vulnerabilities and weaknesses out into the air. He didn’t yield to its power as much as incantations or cutlasses, couldn’t bend it so easily. Maybe that was why politics, no matter how much he found himself embedded into them, had never been his forte either. He’d much rather spend days along battlefields, amongst training crowds, comfortable in the precision and weight of his armory. Eventually, his eyes lingered back down upon her, and then away, to the horizon. “I have considered destroying the door,” and he figured she’d know exactly which one he meant. “In case it fell into the wrong hands.” He wouldn’t insult her intelligence; presumed she could parse through which individuals could utilize it for further destruction and mayhem. “What is your stance?” To have it rendered and taken apart, burned, for all the regrets, death, it had already caused? Or to find another use – ones he’d already rendered within his mind – instead of forgoing potential? Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

It wasn't until he mentioned the door, the accursed barrier that locked them inside the entire Longnight, that the girl had any idea what he might want her perspective on. It was a heavy topic, the implications of his query not lost on her, but still it required a lot of thought from the girl who usually let her wits dance off the edge of her tongue the moment they came to light in her mind. No, this question required more consideration, and so she took it, worrying at her lower lip as she weighed up the various directions her response could go.

The door was accursed, but perhaps, only to her and her ascended kin - to others, it was a shield, a protective layer against the monsters of the Longnight.

Monsters. Were they also her kin, if the door was made to affect them so? Or were they lost, beyond help, and so no longer her kin? All her life had been spent fearing the monsters that came every Longnight; such feelings did not disappear easily, even if she was granted greater strength and keener senses than before. The stinging of sunlight on her skin whenever she tried to venture out of the shade during the day was a stark reminder of her mortality, the effect the door had on their Queen yet another.

In the wrong hands, what would the weapon do? Destroy her, and her kin? But would that also mean the monsters of Longnight too? Did that not mean some good, in the bad could be achieved by its existence too?

"I think, in the right hands, such a weapon-" - for that is what the door was, even if it was only ever meant to be a shield - "-could be used to slay the monsters of Longnight." She began, quietly, looking up to the man from her comparatively diminutive height, seeking to pin him beneath her hard azure stare. "But once they are slain…" Words drifted into a silence, as she mustered the courage to complete her thought. "…it would serve no other righteous purpose, no matter the hands that wielded it."

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get

Deimos He knew the weight of the question, held it by the brawn on his shoulders, the straight, taut, rigid contortions of his spine, the noose on his neck, the anvil on his skull. It bore a tremendous, overwhelming hold, for all the soulless things it represented, for all the protective elements it could’ve provided. The inquiry was no small task, and so he lifted his eyes away from her as she processed, carefully took it all apart, carefully delving into the intricacies of the matter. It was no small feat for anyone to ponder, and he gave her all the time she required, still in the silence, eyes scanning, roaming, lantern lights and the movement of others around them. Her conclusion was justified, and he nodded, pausing to bear her decision. The monsters of LongNight had been the core of the door’s creation, why he’d sought it all out in the first place, why he’d thought to ask a herald if there was anything to be done. While the end results hadn’t been what he was aiming for, not by any stretch of the imagination, it could still prove useful when the evening swelled once more, and the demons came out of their shells, their vessels, their hollowed, hidden worlds. “A time limit,” he justified her answer – segmenting it into the design of scarcity – if nothing else erupted between now and then. “Thank you.” Wise words from the young but experienced. Then the monolith maneuvered again, motion in the wake of restlessness, another investigation summoned to the brink of his mind, circulating information, wondering if everyone in their sanction had been afforded the plots and schemes, if it was only hearsay and rumors, or if there was something more etched in stone. “Have you heard of any future plans to destroy the monsters?” Out of sight and out of mind Make everything alright So let the sky and sea collide Just not in our lifetime

EVELYN

A time limit; a way of ensuring that such a weapon of destruction and doom could only have opportunity to slay the enemies of all (monsters) rather than the enemies of a few lumping an entire race in with the monsters. To be able to cause such instant, finite death with just a touch - an unintentional, innocent touch at that - it held implication far greater than she would ever riddle out completely, no matter how smart she thought she was. He expressed gratitude and she nodded, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she felt satisfied that she had helped, that he had understood her, possibly even agreed with her? It gave her a sense of accomplishment, false or real, she wouldn't know for some time yet.

The question he posed in return surprised her, eyes widening and head tilting as if she wasn't sure she heard him correctly. Further plans? The girl was ignorant, woefully so, frustratingly so, and so suddenly hated herself for it - had there been an option, a way to secure the world from the threat once and for all? But who would have the power to plot such a thing, who could hope to stand up to the many ancient, broken, monstrous creations of the Voice and hope to defeat them?

Or perhaps, perhaps, it wasn't a matter of working against the Voice at all, to achieve such means. "None aside from the weapon you speak of," the girl cursed herself for showing her surprise before, much preferring to guard her expressions, but this titbit was too shocking, too great for her to guard against. Time passed, and she didn't pose any further questions on the matter, wanting to ask who, when, where of the man, to become involved further - but as it was, she nor her sister were capable of making a difference in such a war yet, so she asked something different.

"Do you think there would be a Longnight if the monsters were all slain?" Would darkness fall still? Would there be a need to stay indoors, to protect and fortify the town? Or would it be just another week of Deepfrost, cold and gloomy, but comparatively safer, brighter and endurable than Longnight?

cross me once
i dare you
it is the only chance you will get