[PQ] (SE) used to the darkness

nobody really cared, so it never really mattered. it never really mattered, so it never really happened
what's the point in fightin' for a happy ever after? the past keep's hauntin' the future i imagine

He’d spent a fair amount of time working on trying to ensure that Torchline would be ready for the season’s upcoming storms. A lot of it hits some recollection, some memory driven deep within his mind of Korofi and their constant attempts to shore everything up much the same. It’s a strange sense of that unlocked memory of his, a nostalgic sensation that hits the good parts of his previous world.

So he goes with it, deciding on a day, deciding that perhaps it might be easier to remake the banks with a few extra attuned hands, and placing a notice on the notice board just in case.

He doesn’t imagine that they’ll need much in the way of tools to use when they could use their shifts – his paws in his panther form for instance were great at digging deep, trenches, and banks. And so it’s this form he chooses while he waits for everyone to show – along the edge of Haulani, to prep Haulani by stacking sandbags to make a bit more of a bank, and to dig a few small drainage sections that might help reallocate water where it should be, rather than in the middle of the town. And so he waits, by the edge, sitting as his panther form, tail curled about his haunches with steel eyes that scan and wait.

---

Open for Attuned only pls <3 It's also an SE for prepping Torchline ;D so if you need it come and get it! Just post your arrival for now!

1. Sunjata
2. Deimos
3. Ronin

SUNJATA

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

While they spent their days drifting amidst Torchline, the monolith presumed he might as well help before returning to the Grounds to do the very same measures. Their needs seemed to differ from home, and from what he’d heard and discovered, required much in the way of water control, and striving not to flood. Using his enchantments might’ve been more efficient, but upon reading the note on the boards while passing through, and the tenuous agreements between him and Sunjata, he meandered his way towards the chosen routes of Haulani.

He assumed the preferred shift of the hellhound for now, large, Stygian paws marching over sands and cobblestones, down the ridges and roads of Haulani, until he reached the destination. His eyes went first to the panther, familiar in their last sieges and assaults, jaw feathering as he clenched down upon fangs at the memory, before his eyes riveted to the materials already present. I can help, he offered thereafter with a singular nod, sitting back on his haunches as well. Sunjata would have every right to refuse him, and it wouldn’t bother the Sword any, but the beast was willing to give back to the community harboring him and the Shield, while they sought recovery and relief from ongoing traumas.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

RONIN

An excuse to go prancing around and bother help Sunjata? Don’t mind if Ronin does.

He arrives fashionably late, but they’ll spot him coming a ways off; his antlers will drop soon enough, but for now their light is as bright as ever, the luxere stag approaching the rest of this rag-tag group. The sight of the panther is one Ronin knows well, but the... whatever-it-is? Not so much.

The Star’s confusion shows itself as a polite questioning through the Attuned bond, and he circles around to stand with Sunjata, gazing out at the choppy waves. I guess I’ll be the beast of burden in this little venture, he says, amusement rumbling in his tone. Just don’t bite me - I have a hard enough time with Remi in this shift. Stupid predator-prey dynamics.

nobody really cared, so it never really mattered. it never really mattered, so it never really happened
what's the point in fightin' for a happy ever after? the past keep's hauntin' the future i imagine

Sitting there as a panther, he watches as a large canine approaches – ears perked forward as he focuses on who this person could be, having never seen the shift before. It’s intriguing, really, at least… was intriguing, until he finds that it’s Deimos – the deep rumble reverberating in his head and Sunjata’s head dips toward the fellow General with a nod. Thank you for coming. He offers – because hadn’t Deimos been generous enough to let Sunjata help whenever he was in the Grounds?

He had been, and since their recent conversation, Sunjata harbors no ill will toward the General. As for the deer that approaches, Sunjata recognizes the antlers immediately – a pulse of friendliness sent toward the Star as the luxere circles and stands with him. A huff of a laugh leaves him, ears wavering uncertainly, a feline grin spreading across his face. Can’t make any promises, Ronin. All in all, Sunjata has a fairly good hold on his feline shift – one of the ones that had been with him the longest.

But when it seems like nobody else is appearing, the panther moves to stand – paws flexing along the sand as he does so, lithe body stepping along the edge of where he’d planned on digging, and if his tail boops Ronin’s side, well… He won’t say it did. I figured we’d be able to use our shifts and dig some drainage sections along Haulani to help alleviate flooding. He offers by way of explanation, pausing to turn back and look to Deimos and Ronin.

I’ve marked the spaces where the roads bend down so that way we don’t have to redo the entire road system. Indeed, the two with him would find small little markers in the dips of the road to signify where to dig.

---

Thank youuu <3 We’re gonna start digging some drains that’ll lead out to a sort of drainage field in the jungle area! Sunjata’s marked some spaces to begin digging!

No post order <3

SUNJATA

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

If Sunjata were to tell him to leave, based on prior occurrences and experiences, the hellhound wouldn’t have been surprised. When a thank you came instead, the beast nodded, his attention deviated towards the incoming animal – a luxere – and he only knew who it was based on the other rumbling sibilances and sounds. Ronin, he extended with a nod, leaving the jocular machinations off and away; focus on the directions, on what was to come, on what was necessary.

Digging drainage sections and ditches to cease flooding – sensical (a surprise, given Deimos’ track record with Sunjata’s incidents)  - and his gaze went out towards the sea first. The Tides hadn’t had much in the way of flooding, but they’d also never orchestrated canals to rumble and ramble through cities, and he couldn’t recall anything by way of merfolk. Instead, they’d had the powerful, potent undulations of the ocean, giving it the ample respect it was due, and striving to be equal forces within its ebb and flow.

The massive canine maneuvered thereafter, eyes sharpening on the marked contortions, and motions of might, distinction, and strength maneuvered, picking along one of the spaces. His paws sunk diligently into the soil, claws rapaciously itching their way over the earth, intending to dig, dig, dig, precision and fortitude placed into each twinge of his muscled limbs.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

RONIN

Ah, Deimos. Merry little band we’ve got, here. Ronin, oblivious of course to any tension between the two men (perhaps deliberately so, given the Attuned bond), turns his attention to what Sunjata would have of them. Digging is not going to be his strong point given that he has hooves rather than paws and claws, but equally it’s still probably going to be easier going than if he were on two legs.

With a huff of acknowledgement - and a snort thrown Jata’s way for the unceremonious booping of a tail - Ronin heads out to work as well. His hooves make short work of the tougher ground, allowing him to break through it and into the softer sands beneath. From there it’s a matter of shifting the earth - a task that he knows how to do, even if luxere are not renowned for it.

nobody really cared, so it never really mattered. it never really mattered, so it never really happened
what's the point in fightin' for a happy ever after? the past keep's hauntin' the future i imagine

They take to their tasks, each one finding a marked space and beginning to dig. At first everything seems to go well, the drains beginning to take form. But the deeper they go, the more difficult the terrain becomes. Hardened clay and gravel begin to fill the holes dug. That’s not the end of it there, either, not as all three of them continue to dig.

Ronin’s hoof will strike a nest of sorts, deep within the dirt. Fire ants that begin to crawl up his leg. They haven’t bitten him yet — instead just flooding up his leg to try and get wherever they can that’s not getting struck by sharp hooves.

Deimos will find as he begins to dig further, a large stone within the hole he’s digging. The edges are sharp, and it looks like he’ll have to dig around it to try and knock it loose.

Sunjata on the other hand doesn’t have much luck either. His paws carving away at the dirt encounters a rather small brown scorpion that appears, unearthed and angry — You’re fucking kidding me! — immediately sending his hackles rising as he jumps back and growls low and deep in response with his teeth bared, waiting for the terrible creature to crawl out of the hole so he might try and kill it to continue to dig his hole.

---

Fuckin bad rolls fam LOL

Ronin finds a nest of fire ants!
Deimos finds a big sharp rock!
Jata encounters a terrible gross scorpion rip

No post order!

SUNJATA

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

A merry little band indeed.

He would’ve snorted at the implications, had the beast not been distracted by his efforts. Claws gripped into earth, pulling and pushing it apart, and though it would’ve been far easier to implement using his enchantments or incantations, the work coiled into his muscles, into his movements, nearly a relief to put the strength and might to use. Down, down, down he worked, until eventually the nails scraped against a jagged surface.

Not soil, not loam. A rock, sharp, and despite his insistence at poking and prodding it, had compelled itself to not budge, lodged in its ancient threshold. It seemed quite determined to remain, and might have, had it not met him, another incredibly stubborn, seditious, iniquitous individual.

With a sneer designated solely for the stone, he maneuvered off to the left, digging there, intending to find the boundaries or outlines of its contents, making it easier to pry from the holding, and to carry on with his pursuits.

--

Deimos digs off to the left side of the rock, trying to find its edges in order to get it out.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

RONIN

Pfffff, this is easy. Even without paws or a shift that’s even remotely cut out for digging, Ronin is convinced they’ll be done within the hour at this rate. Then - obviously - the world gives him a tap on the shoulder and explains to him why that won’t be the case. But if only it were that polite about it.

Ants swarm out of the hole and up his right foreleg, causing the deer to spring backwards unhappily. Oh how about no, he says, giving the hoof an unhappy shake only for the ants to go absolutely nowhere. So Ronin does the stupid logical thing and generally tries to buck and shake them off, likely going staggering into Jata at the same time.

---

Ronin responds to the inconvenience by losing his gods damned mind, you’re welcome.

nobody really cared, so it never really mattered. it never really mattered, so it never really happened
what's the point in fightin' for a happy ever after? the past keep's hauntin' the future i imagine

Oh, how things couldn’t have gone worse for Sunjata. Steel eyes are narrowed and pinpointed on the scorpion, the small brown creature raising it’s arms up in quite a threatening pose that has the hackles on his spine raising further – but then Ronin is there, colliding into him and the panther scurries in an attempt to avoid the hooves that come his way. He narrowly avoids the hooves, slipping beneath Ronin as the luxere’s hoof lands with a crunch and a squish of the scorpion that had been threatening Sunjata before.

And where relief may have once been, suddenly Sunjata feels fire and a variety of small bites filtered through his dark spotted fur. He finds a way to his feet again, trying to shake the ants out the best he can, hissing and growling against the singing pain the little pricks cause. You bastard. Sunjata rumbles toward Ronin – attempting a jesting tone, knowing that the Star hadn’t meant to do it, but fuck if it didn’t hurt at all.

Deimos, on the other hand, is quite successful in finding the edge of the stone and a way to wiggle it out to keep digging.

---

O U C H

Ronin kills the scorpion but shares his fire ants with Sunjata bc of course he does, and their holes don’t get dug further!

Deimos gets the stone loose in his hole!

Keep on keepin’ on, no post order!

SUNJATA

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

The thrill of rapacious success contorted through his frame, some foolish segments of pride he hadn’t had in weeks (and over a rock), as the stone was dislodged. He dipped his head down, jaw interlocking over the jagged surface, pulling, pulling, pulling, haunch muscles undulating, until it was liberated from the loam. The beast shoved it off to the side, figuring someone would be able to utilize it, and only then heard, noticed, the commotion.

The Sword glanced over to compatriots to find an odd, bizarre situation unfolding. Ronin’s luxere contortions were at work, visibly shaking hooves, bucking, and then launching sideways into the panther, who was scurrying around. Are you all right? came across the bond to both, because quite frankly, he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on.

His eyes caught another creature scuttling nearby, some sort of ant, clearly intending to return to its home – and he placed a semblance of the occurrence together. On a hunch and whim, and it wouldn’t hurt to try, ushering his compelling abilities, telling it – and perhaps its cohorts, to leave.

Then he resumed his digging, intending to make more progress.

--

Deimos tries to compel the ants away, and keeps digging.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts

RONIN

You’ve got a real weird way of saying thank you, Ronin rumbles back at his companion, thinking about making a quip regarding scraping scorpion off his shoe, but it’s cut off by the fact that ants are biting the fuck out of him. Snorting his displeasure and trying to back up a few paces to stop from accidentally stomping Sunjata underfoot, Ronin at least manages a laugh through the bond to Deimos. Just a small issue, he says airily, still trying to shake off the ants.

If he’s successful, he’ll return to his original digging site (filled with more ants, yay) and choose, wisely, to start picking at the ground in a different area. No drains for you, ants. You can just drown, so there.

---

Ronin tries to shake off the ants, and then attempts digging elsewhere.

nobody really cared, so it never really mattered. it never really mattered, so it never really happened
what's the point in fightin' for a happy ever after? the past keep's hauntin' the future i imagine

A huff is given toward Ronin for the commentary, simultaneously getting bit a few more times by the fire ants, while Sunjata clenches his jaw, maw snapping shut. He, much like Ronin, attempts to shake off the fire ants – hoping they might fall off once they’d realized they weren’t welcome – but that wasn’t entirely the case. I could’ve gotten it. Sunjata rumbles back toward Ronin about the scorpion, despite the fact he most certainly didn’t especially if these rolls keep up.

But then there’s Deimos, Ronin’s comment back toward the General, and suddenly the tiny creatures are departing – even going so far as to leaving Ronin’s hole to dig, and Sunjata finds his section once more with a bit of whiplash going on and the feeling of fiery pain panging through different parts of his body. Deimos’ hole finally gets to the bottom, where it’ll meet a channel Sunjata’d been working on before – a drainage pipe of sorts made to take it to the drainage fields he’d scoped out.

Leaving Sunjata and Ronin to continue to try and dig their holes.

---

Lmfao these rolls you guys. GOOD JOB DEIMOS.
Everyone else keep digging I guess??

No post order!

SUNJATA

We're lost in the space between
who we are and all that we're trying to be

Some quiet satisfaction embedded itself into his sentiments, as the ants went marching away, departing from where they’d been wreaking havoc. He said or offered nothing to that effect, of what or how he’d done it, eyes surveying the relative calm.

Then it was back to paying attention to his own machinations, watching as more earth shifted and sifted under his power, eventually coming across a drainage pipe, and ceasing his work there. Found a pipe, was a deep rumble and murmur across the bonds, leaving it there with its marker.

Thereafter, he presumed he was meant to move to another, instigating a continuation of the work at hand; simplistic enough, not requiring much consternation or thought (unless something else occurred). He reached another marker, and paws dug into the earth once more.

DEIMOS

Stop trying to show how to save our souls
It takes dying to know
How to live as ghosts