(SE) dying on promises

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

There’s still a bit of surprise that lingers within Sunjata as he traverses the snowy paths of Halo. He’s returning from receiving the last letter from Remi, a bit torn between going home and ensuring that they finish everything they can here. But he’d done what he could, sent out the letters to the leaders of the metal and Frey’s Breath. And now all he could do was wait and hold up on his end of the promise.

He’s wrapped up in furs, passing by the shops as he grabs a few extra supplies before he makes a trip back to the Climb in search of those lilies, when he spots a familiar figure far in the distance, eyes partially shifting through the darkening streets so he might better see who it is. He’d expected to speak with Wessex, hadn’t expected it to be so soon. But he wraps his furs tighter around him, picking up his speed so he might catch up to her, a hand outstretched to grasp onto her arm to catch her attention. “Wessex! Hey, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” He offers honestly, fixing her with a small relieved smile to see she was in one piece at least.

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

The Wraith doesn’t seem to notice Sunjata until he touches her, at which point she seems to flinch and whirl around with talons in the middle of unsheathing. Reminiscent of a startled animal until recognition flashes across her face, Wessex is all predator for a few long moments. And then she is not; recoiling at her own reaction, that recognition is quickly followed by horror and - well, it isn’t shame, but the echo of her own words in her head. I’m dangerous. “I’m dangerous,” she repeats aloud. “I’m everywhere and dangerous.” Gods, is she actually a Wraith now? Waving her hand in front of her face at the sudden thought, she then vigorously repeats the waving action in front of Sunjata’s face. “Sunjata can you see me?” Can everyone? Can anyone truly see her other than the Voice and the ghosts that haunt her fevered dreams? WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

She whirls, and immediately as her talons begin unsheathing, Sunjata’s dragon form armored skin begins to cover his throat in interlocking plates, both out of surprise and protection, as he lets her go. He raises both hands in a bit of surprise as her words register and his brows furrow in a bit of confusion. But right, right, she's sick.

So he slaps on another one of those smiles, offering her a small nod. “Yes I can see you.” He comments, head tilting a bit as he considers her. “Don’t know about everywhere but you are still dangerous, I imagine.” Flashing her a wink, he moves to step out of the way of the alley they’re down. “Walk with me so we can talk?” He suggests, taking a single step further down the alley, seeing if she follows.

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

“Everywhere,” the Wraith dramatically insists with a glance around, though it’s not obvious if she’s still talking about herself or not. And the wink? Well the wink is both confusing and comforting. She knows that dangerous people don’t wink, and also that Sunjata isn’t dangerous to her. Because of Nate. And other reasons. So the wild animals calms and becomes docile again, allowing herself to be led down the alley (presumably for privacy) like a pet or a child. “What’s going on?” she asks, both genuinely curious and utterly unaware of the rumblings of the world around her; anything that isn’t written down is forgotten, at some point. Only the big things remain: protect the family, find the metal, stop the Fae? Even that last one is a little fuzzy. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

The insistence is met with as understanding of a nod that Sunjata can give the Wraith, the Flood offering an easy smile and a wink in the attempts of getting her to calm down. It makes it easier now that Sunjata’s shifts have edged toward the predators again, no need to let his prey shifts show when his behavior matches hers far more now – predator to predator.

But she follows him, thankfully, and he puffs out a brief cloud of white in a sigh of relief before he’s far enough down the alleyway that he doesn’t think too many people will listen in – doubts that too many people would even care anyway. As for what’s going on? Well, he turns to Wessex with a wider grin splashed across his face. “I’m governor of Torchline now, Remi stepped down.” He begins, pausing to see her reaction to it – unsure what kind he might receive while she still suffers the sickness. “That being said, you wanted to talk about the letter I sent? Nate and I tried to speak to Loren.” He rumbles, perhaps a bit thoughtfully, before his head tilts toward the Queen with a raised brow, waiting for what it was she insinuated she wanted to talk about.

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

There is nothing but childish delight from the Wraith when the Flood tells her he’s become governor. Right now, that delight is for other things, for a friend doing a good thing - later it will be because he is inextricably tied to the Ascended and that will, hopefully, sway his polices as a leadr. But back to the now - Wessex claps her hands and squeals quietly, “Oh, that’s wonderful.” Her head bobs up down repeatedly as she reaffirms that statement with, “Good news, yes, very good news.” But there’s more. Gasping as if he’s told her some sort of mind-blowing revelation, her eyes grow big and hopeful. “Did it work? Did he agree to give it to Her?” Whatever she had to say (and it's debatable that she ever did) is forgotten. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

The childish delight that spreads through Wessex does spark an easier smile to Sunjata’s face, a small dip of his head in agreement, unable to really add more into it. It was wonderful, it was good news. And he realizes why she might think so – because he’d vowed to her to help them and he certainly would try to. But that’s not particularly a conversation while Wessex is sick, while he still has those lingering affects and needs to drink the Frey’s Breath water.

Her gasp does cause a slight furrowing of his brow, head tilting to the side a bit as he regards her as the question reaches him. The smile is replaced by a frown, a sharp inhale and a slow exhale. “I don’t know. He said he wanted to exhaust other options first. We tried.” It’s an honest answer – and as they would soon find out, it would be Remi, Ronin, Amalia, and Morgan that would urge the summoner to give the metal to the Voice and cure them all.

As it was right now, however, there wasn’t anything else to go off of. “We explained that it was the only way.”

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

It’s clear that Wessex doesn’t understand why Loren could say no to them. The three of them. “But why?” she asks, without realizing that Sunjata wouldn’t know the answer. “I told him, you told him, Nate told him…” Her brow furrows deeply, reaching for a memory. “Amalia. Did Amalia tell him? She said she would help.” That is what the girl had said, right? Well, even if she hadn’t, the Wraith is now convinced her fellow demigod did. Her mind continues to wander down the path of who said what and when and the various things that have happened. They all jumble together, their timelines indistinguishable from one another. “If they don’t,” she mumbles, picking at something on a sleeve, “The Fae will get us again. They said so.” WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

For a moment, Sunjata’s lip twitches downward in a frown at the mention of Amalia, before his shoulders shrug. “I’m not sure.” It’s as honest of an answer he can give. He doesn’t talk to Amalia – they don’t get along, likely wouldn’t ever as far as Sunjata could see. But when she mentions the Fae, Sunjata nods quietly, watching her curiously as she picks at something on her sleeve. “I will try to keep you all safe.” He rumbles, trying to offer an encouraging smile, but unsure if it works.

But in an effort to get the conversation to lighter tones, the smile grows a bit wider, him reaching out to tap at her arm to get her to follow him down the path. “Nate and I went to the Climb. We went to a place he said looked like a church. It felt… strange there. A basin sat in the middle of it and there were benches around it.” A raise of his brow to that, tilting his head toward the Queen curiously. “Did you see it when you went?”

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

Wessex shakes her head, hearing his reassurance, but batting it immediately away. “You can’t. Not from the Fae and Safrin. Not when they work together.” And it’s true, isn’t it? That he won’t stop anything Safrin does. For Nate, maybe. But not for Wessex, and not for the other Ascended. This she knows - or perhaps truths become more clear in this unfiltered state. Her head shakes back and forth in a preoccupied manner, but she still follows Jata’s lead, down the wider path to - oh, somewhere, it doesn’t matter where. “I saw a waterfall,” she says with a bit of a disgusted hum. Water is still bad. “Big one. Surrounded by a lot of rock. And then the thing behind it.” Miming an arch, Wessex’s hands draw the shape, the little dips holes where things were supposed to go, and the platform itself. “It was cooooold.” And that was goooood. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

She shakes her head and pushes away his attempts at consolation, his lips quirking in a frown as he focuses on what she’s saying. “I don‘t think Safrin is out to harm the Ascended the way Ludo is.” It’s an honest answer. She hadn’t cared when he’d engaged himself with an Ascended, had offered options to keep Nate safe if a war were to come. And what then? If she was so out to get them, why give them the boons?

Of course he hasn’t asked her directly, perhaps it could be something he could ask at a later date. All he knows is that she can’t help them, not in the way that it mattered to Sunjata if things went south.

As it stood now, however, Sunjata guides her down the alleyway, a mixmashing of streets that would roundaboutly lead toward the Kraai if they kept heading down the next crossroad, when he listens to her comment of the waterfall. He looks back over at the gesturing of an archway, head tilting slightly as he considers it. “Hm. A place you could put things? Like lilies perhaps?” He asks, recalling how Loren had said he and Wessex found the place to put the lilies in. And since he’d offered to help with the lilies, it was helpful to know.

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

Wessex laughs at his statement, a long, dry chuckle as she reaches out to pat his hands in a there, there manner. She even starts to walk on, led by Sunjata, attention caught here and there by people or buildings or particularly shiny bits of ice and snow. A place to put lilies? It causes her to pause and her gaze disappears into the distance as she considers the option. “Lilies at a waterfall?” There’s rock… and water… and flowers need water, don’t they? But they don’t need rock. So it’s a little difficult for her to say. In the end, she shrugs, not wanting to give the wrong answer. “Maybe. Two and two and two and two and two. But lilies need earth, not rock, so -” Again she shrugs in an overly animated way, shoulders dropping and making her arms swing a bit. “Where’s Magrethe?” the Wraith asks suddenly, tilting her head up at the Flood with curious and slightly concerned eyes. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm

SUNJATA

the flood

feeling alive while you fight for your life
as you swim back to the beaches

He listens to her, actually listening. Two and two and two and two and two. It makes sense, something settling with him as his head whips toward her, brows raising as she repeats what she said in the letter back. Two, five times, made ten. Loren had said ten lilies needed to be placed there. It was all the confirmation the Flood needed as he stared at the Wraith, a half smile blooming along his face. “Yes. Yes they do.” He murmurs softly, despite the way his lips curl in hidden amusement. It had to be where the lilies went.

At her sudden change though, Sunjata stills, brows furrowing once again and lips shifting toward a frown, uncertainty lingering in the steel gaze he gives her. “Magrethe?” He repeats, as if the name might help give him an idea who she’s talking about. It doesn’t, and he turns his attention back down the path they’ve walked along. “I don’t know.” He rumbles, an answer for both who Magrethe is as well as where she’s gone.

don't be scared of the tide, just prepare for the ride
as you float, you float, you float

She gives him a look out of the corner of her eyes. “You know,” Wessex insists playfully, mock pushing him away as if theyre having a drunk conversation instead of… whatever this is, this delusional mish-mash of words and meanings. “Magrethe. And you. And Nate.” She gestures to indicate that the three of them are together or that he should know what she’s talking about (shouldn’t everybody, she’s being perfectly clear). “Short. Blonde.” A long pause as she stares at him because there’s really only one person who fits that description. “My sister.” How can he forget? Sunjata is her doublinaw and you need two people for that kind of title. WESSEX She whispered back, I am the storm