we're far from the shallow now

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

Wessex seems like a different person entirely, and what’s worse, her bioscans give her enough temporary awareness to realize that something is wrong. It’s agitating, she seems twitchy, as if someone had given normally calm and collected Wraith some speed, but laced it with something else.

And there’s no one in the Ground she can trust - not Sam, not Evie, Rory’s gone a wanderin’ and won’t be coming back (FUCK YOU JIGANO), the twins are too young and new, Amalia would kill her, Deimos would give her to Safrin - so she has to leave. She has to go somewhere safer than the Safehouse.

And who is safer than the safehouse?
Hotaru.

And Nate, cause he’s a Doctor.

Sunjata’s good too.

The Wraith pops into the scorching air outside the Slagveld with Loki, her companion immediately calling for Haai while Wessex strolls into the boxing ring. Oh no. Oh no. This isn’t good, this is a mess, and Magrethe can’t live in a mess. Magrethe would hate this.

Everything else forgotten, the Wraith finds a broom and with the single-mindedness of a child given a VeRy ImPoRtAnT taks, begins to sweep sand from the monsoon out the door. She does not, however, find a dust pan, so she uses her shadow instead.

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

Haai is there – and by now she’s well aware of what sound Loki makes when the dragon searches for her. So it isn’t surprising as the young dragon zooms into the Slagveld to find a fuzzy canine with iridescent wings prepared to barrel into the dragon in greeting.

Sunjata’s far less warm of a welcome – far more confused, just as Wessex is, but that doesn’t mean he’s not glad to see the Ascended. No, as she enters, moves to grab a broom, Sunjata’s hanging from the loft in his bat form – watching curiously, trying to remember who exactly she is, when he realizes it and immediately drops to the ground.

It’s less graceful than he usually is, shifting back into himself with a thud of his boots to the floor – his shirt lost somewhere and revealing the tattoos, a sheen of sweat from the fever, and all of the scars, a few bruises here and there but nothing terrible all things considered. “I was wondering when I’d see you again.” He murmurs in greeting, moving to take the dustpan from her shadow to hold it for her. “Where’ve you been hiding away?”

SUNJATA

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

While Loki is always thrilled to see Haai, she can only indulge in playing for a couple of minutes, because there is something wrong with her bonded (much like Haai’s, though of course, she doesn’t know that yet).

And when Sunjata approaches Wessex, she is just as cordial, recognizing him for who he actually is. Her shadow even plays nice, giving over the dustpan and settling back into its normal place while she tidies up a pile before nudging it into the pan. “In a shack and a cave and ice. Sometimes it’s cold there.” Or is it the Deepfrost in her? The soothing balm of the Voice’s energy? She sighs in either contentedness or pleasure at the thought of being cold, before fixing him with a very sisterly expression.

“Now have you set a date yet, or must Magrethe forever wait?” Such a silly situation. But everyone loves her sister, and she sure as hell can’t blame the girl for wanting two men at once. “Is she here?”

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

It’s not a surprising thing to see the shadow hand the dustpan over. After all, Sunjata’s seen quite a few shadows move recently, imagining it had become somewhat of the norm. And he holds it down as she tidies up the pile, sweeping it into the pan so he can discard it and they can go again. “That sounds awful.” He comments, voice edging toward something of a groan of a sound, but the smile that crosses his face finds amusement with it regardless.

And then, as the question leaves her, his head cocks to the side – filtering his mind for Magrethe. It filters a few more times until eventually – his mind shifts it to Hotaru, and he licks his lips in contemplation as he focuses on moving the dust pan again. “She’s home. Recovering.” He chews on his cheek for a moment before his steel gaze lifts to scan her face.

“Not sure yet, but hopefully soon. Safrin says I’m sick so… It’s gotta be delayed again.” A shake of his head, an easy frown crossing his face as if it were the last thing he wanted to do. “Did you know, Deimos got me electrocuted?” He asks, shifting the subject quickly and easily – extending a starry tattooed arm toward her that shows pink spiderwebbing scars along veins – how the skin beneath the tattoo remains black and swirling with stars, but raised the entirety up his shoulder.

SUNJATA

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

She looks at him with wide eyes, once she hears he’s sick. “But I’m sick too,” she whispers, trying to figure out how they could both be sick. “And Sam. The Voice said -” What had the voice said? She frowns, not quite able to remember, other than this little echoey tidbit. “Protect the families.” As she glances at Sunjata, her eyes narrow a bit and she seems to be calculating.

“You’re… family now, right?” Either way, it seems right to her. There’s Nate, who’s family. And Magrethe. So he is doubly family. Having arrived at that conclusion all by herself, Wessex repeats it more firmly and enthusiastically this time. “Yes! You -” she jabs a finger at his chest, “ - are family.”

And there is still too much sand here. Glancing at his arm as he shows her his newest battle woulds, she is momentarily distracted. "Did it hurt?" Because what is pain to her, anymore?

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

There’s a frown as Wessex’s whisper is heard – brows furrowing slightly as he tries to figure it out. “…I think Nate’s sick too.” He frowns, lips curling easily into wrinkle lines that have already begun to form. And then his eyes are lifting back up to hers as she says protect the families, his brows remaining furrowed as he moves the dust pan to try and follow the trail of dust and dirt she’s nudging into a pile.

He stands to dump it again and turns back to her when her finger pokes him in the chest. The confirmation has a small grin forming along Sunjata’s face. “What’s that make us?” He asks, if he’s been inducted into the family – one he’s heard Nate speak of so many times. Already he’d ensured he’d try to keep them all safe – try to do what he could to make sure nothing happened to them. It’s why he’d worked so hard to try and find out who attacked Nate, who the Order was.

But he’s forgotten it all momentarily as he tells Wessex he was electrocuted, a small snicker leaving him as he twists his arm this way and that to show her the extent. “I think I was dying. Vai and Zeph saved me… I think I was going to have a heart attack.” It’s the only reasonable thing. But then he’s leaning toward Wessex as if he’s telling her a secret. “I blacked out and was thrown quite a ways away from where I was standing.” He sits back on his heels with a smug look across his face – because he’d made it. He’d survived.

“Hurt like hell though.”

SUNJATA

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

“Mmmmm, that’s good,” she hums to herself with a smile when he tells her Nate is sick too. Another name for Sam’s list, and it’s very good for Jata and Nate to do things together, isn’t it? Even Magrethe. They should definitely do Magrethe together, and even though the idea of two cocks at once makes the Demigod jealous, she wouldn’t say anything out loud. Because it’s her sister and one shouldn’t be jealous of their sister. Mama said so.

Suddenly dropping the broom in search of something else to clean with, Wessex laughs at trying to label their relationship. “You aaaaare… my double-in-law.” Another laugh, this one more full, more delighted. “My ‘lectrocuted dublinaw.” Oh, that’s good. Yes, that ought to be written down. Changing gears, she heads towards the ‘office’ to rummage around for a pencil. And with a one-track mind, she fails to notice a jug of water out of place. Something hits it - either her, or something else she kicks - and sends the jug toppling, water spreading towards her.

It does the cleaning trick, but also triggers something in the Wraith. She practically climbs the wall, fangs bared at the wet spot.

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

The broom drops with a smack against the ground that inadvertently has Sunjata flinching, gaze tearing away from Wessex to stare at the abandoned tool as if it held some form of offense for making such a loud sound. And when his gaze lifts back to her, the smile shifts a bit crookedly. “Double-in-law.” He snorts, but shrugs, taking it for what it was.

Welcome enough to the family, right?

He moves to go and grab something to help clean with now that he’s left the dust pan beside the broom – not thinking anything of it, until the jar of water spills and Wessex is climbing the walls like a cat. Of course, Sunjata stumbles back too – into a table of sorts when he hears the crash, and upon further inspection he spies the water. Feathers flare from his shoulders and neck, stiff as a board as Haai comes from wherever she and Loki were playing, to toss a towel over the mess and drag it away when it’s soaked enough (almost as if she’s had to do this time and time again).

Which leaves Sunjata to move toward Wessex, to try and throw an arm around the Wraith’s shoulder, offering a fever warm body. “S’okay, Wessex. Haai got it.”

SUNJATA

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

Loki follows Haai, initially alarmed and wild-eyed at the commotion and her friend’s response to it. But as the half-grown dragonling soon realizes, her bonded is just scared. Of what? It’s weird, and Loki finds herself crooning soothingly beneath the demigod, an action she’s done more and more of late.

Between Loki and Sunjata, the Wraith releases the wall and slides down, allowing herself to then lean into the Flood and gather her companion in her arms when she hops up. Under any other circumstances it might be a quaint portrait - the two of them and their companions - but there are undercurrents of anxiety and unsteady foundations. Whatever is within Wessex is close to toppling her. “Haai is so good. Loki loves her.” she murmurs, intended recipient unknown.

What she does know is this, as she surfaces for a moment, exhaustion replacing fear. “I think I’m Queen again. There was - a - something. The Advocates are welcome back in the Grounds.” If they want it. She would never force them back.

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

Haai curls around Sunjata’s leg as he coaxes Wessex down. And when she does, his arm slips around her, keeping her close and sharing his fevered warmth. She leans into him enough that his other arm comes around, reaching up and resting along her other side with Loki between them. “Haai loves her too.” He rumbles, flashing a small fanged grin Wessex’s way as Haai croons her agreement to that statement at the very least.

As for the Advocates, though? His head tilts, giving her a big squeeze. “Congrats.” He offers her as she tells him she’s queen again. “I think… I think Nate and I wanna stay in Torchline. But, the VlamVloed is still a part of the Advocates.” Gears are spinning, as if he has to think hard about what comes next. And when it does, he’s lifting his head toward her ear as if he might be telling her a secret, voice dropping almost that of a lover’s whisper. “Under it is a safe room if you need to get away from anything.” He doesn’t know about the Ascended Safe room. But he does know that he’s got his own in the Grounds when they go to visit.

And then he pulls his head away a fraction, steel eyes scanning her face to see what she makes of it.

SUNJATA

I will stand by you forever; you can take my breath away

The idea that she might hide if she needs to get away from anything prompts a wry chuckle, frying in the back of her throat. “Silly, The Wraith doesn’t hide. There’s the tops of the Fangs and the bottom of the Ocean. There’s the dark. And the mines of Snowcliff. And the tunnel in the dust storm.” She tries to point out each place on an imaginary map in front of them, seen very clearly in front of her eyes, each place with its unique environment. Really, the only unsuitable place is the Climb and even then, she would go there if she had to.

“You keep them safe,” Wessex says a little sadly, her hand falling from the map. “Magrethe doesn’t need me any more. Nate never did.” But she loves them regardless, otherwise she wouldn’t be quite so morose about it. Loki peeps and tugs at a strand of hair, getting her attention before her mind wanders off again.

“S ‘zat? Oh. Yes.” Loki is wise beyond her years, and the woman’s sage nod acknowledges it. “We should go.”

WESSEX

// look who's digging their own grave //

She explains that she doesn’t hide, and his fevered mind is half tempted to ask if the tops of the Fangs and the bottom of the ocean were exactly that - hiding, that is – but the thought slips from his mind just about as easily as it had arrived. And he concedes, flashing her an easy smile before her voice shifts toward something sad. Keep them safe? From what?

Then it hits, and he vaguely remembers why he’d need to keep them safe.

“Okay. I will.” He hums, letting the Wraith go. And when she admits she needs to leave, the Flood does nothing more than stand there in the somewhat cleaned up mess of the Slagveld post monsoon, watching as Haai howls a quiet goodbye, hand half raised in his own attempt to say goodbye.

- FIN <3

SUNJATA