take only what you need from it

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

He can’t exactly just pop by next door anymore. But that doesn’t mean she won’t be able to find him, not as he sends a letter to Vervain to meet here, unsure if whether she’d be at the Clinic or the Governor’s House, Ex-Governor’s House, he supposes. Regardless, he sends out the letter, returns to focusing on the back half of the Slagveld he’s started to use as a collection spot to try and collect the few things they had at the Grounds, the few things they’d gathered from the Kraai he’d left there after sending it to Weaver so very long ago, and now? A mishmash of things saved from the burned remains of their home.

Now the tough part, the one that had been shifting him back and forth, where to put the new home and where to go about building it. He doesn’t even know if he should have alerted Torchline to his rise in status – no longer Arbiter, but Governor.

The one thing he can focus on is Vai’s arrival, the question he has for her and the hopes that she’ll accept it. It is the one thing he focuses on as he shoves a few things into a box, popping the lid onto it and sighing quietly to himself.

SUNJATA

Vervain

”For someone who just got a promotion, you’re looking awfully brooding,” Vai calls softly over to Sunjata, the witch lingering in the doorway. She tosses a paper bag his way - in it, he’ll find a pastry filled with jam, naturally - and sweeps over to perch against the back of one of the chairs to watch him potter around.

”You’re lucky,” she says, though the smile on her face already suggests she’s messing with him, ”the clinic had two patients with broken legs, so I was free to sneak out and not have to worry about them catching me.” Tucking her dark hair back behind her ear, she takes another fresh look around the place. ”It’s a bit cluttered, in here...” she remarks. ”How is Nate?”

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

Her voice rings out from the doorway and he pauses from tossing a scarf he likely won’t need again into a box, to turn and spot the bag that gets tossed his way. He catches it, flashing her a playful smile. “Me? Brooding? How very unlike me.” He questions, peering into the bag and spying the pastry – easily ignoring the rest of everything he’s doing just so that he might focus on food.

He wastes no time in pulling the pastry out, diving into it while she tells him of her patients, unable to keep the amusement from crinkling his gaze when he looks back at her. “I am lucky.” He flashes her a wink with the words once he’s swallowed the bite. But he approaches closer now, again, avoiding the work he’s set his mind to. “Nate’s great now. We’re just getting things ready for when we build the house.” Hopefully so they wouldn’t have to scramble to throw things into it when it’s done. This way it’s all there, all separated out easily.

“But speaking of the promotion, that’s kind of why I asked you here.” He pauses, of course for dramatics more than anything else. “What would you say if I asked you to be a part of it? The government, that is.” A crooked grin spreads across his face before he takes another bite of the pastry.

SUNJATA

Vervain

”That’s what I thought. How unlike Sunjata, to be sulking around in silence by himself.” Vai can’t help the gentle ribbing, and she grins to watch him attack the pastry as if he’s not eaten all day. And knowing the Flood, that might well be true. ”Ah, but at least he knows when the going is good,” she adds at his confirmation that he’s lucky, and she softens further to hear that Nate is alright. ”I’m glad. Where are you thinking of building?”

And to hear that he’s called her for promotion-related-reasons? That piques Vai’s interest, her brow furrowing as she considers his question. ”First I’d ask you if you’ve recently hit your head,” she says with a cheeky grin. ”But next, I’d want to know what you’d need someone like me for? Between you and Nate, you’ve got Torchline covered, surely.”

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

She manages to bring another bout of quiet chuckling from Sunjata, before he’s leaning against another chair close to hers, focusing on the pastry within the bag now missing a bite or two. “Aumakua, likely. The hills and being away from the water specifically for monsoon season are quite appealing.” His gaze lifts to her again, wondering if she’d agree with the idea but finding whether she did or didn’t, didn’t matter much to him.

“Not recently.” He replies, flashing a grin her way before he takes another bite of the pastry and swallows it down. He tries to think on what he’d want her for, how to word it correctly after it cropped up into his mind. “Well, a little birdie told me that you might be interested. And Nate and I could absolutely use someone a bit more levelheaded most times.” His finger taps against the brown bag as his head cocks, watching her and filtering his mind. “What about an advisor of sorts? I plan on asking Zeph too but seeing as he and I and Nate have our… issues, it would be good to have you there.” To keep the peace and ensure that nobody went at each other’s throats, an even mind when tempers could flare.

SUNJATA

Vervain

”Ah, I see. And is this going to be built exactly where your old house used to be, or like... a few feet away?” Vai wonders with an unapologetic and shit-eating grin; she can’t help but tease him, though, for burning down a house and building another right on top of it. ”At least you’ll not have to get used to a different place, I suppose. Though I suppose it’s lucky that I did use Remi and Ronin’s old wagon as my herb garden, else it would have burned to the ground.”

She’s quite like to know who this little birdie is (it’s Remi and they all fucking know it), though she isn’t sure whether she ought to take an ‘advisor’ sort of role. ”I’ve never done politics,” she reminds him gently, rubbing at the back of her neck. ”But if you think I’d be good as an advisor, or a peacekeeper, or whatever will be helpful for you to help Torchline... then of course I will be there.”

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

At her shit-eating grin, Sunjata lets out a bark of laughter, a shake of his head. “Further down the hills I imagine. Closer to Haulani in that regard.” At least, that’s where he’d imagined it. He still needed to figure it out with Nate, but so long as it was far enough away from that house then the memories he has of it won’t plague him further. Instead, he does offer her a crooked smile at her comment. “That is very lucky. I’m sorry it happened, again. I don’t remember it still.” Not very well at least.

But when it comes to the birdie that told Sunjata of the government shift and Vai’s interest, it absolutely is Remi, but Sunjata wouldn’t say anything unless asked in that respect. As for politics, Sunjata hums quietly in consideration, that crooked smirk remaining on his face. “Who else would be better to help me figure out the harder things by playing a bit of a devil’s advocate?” Of course, he can’t help the edge of a smirk that threatens to cross his face with the terminology, thinking nothing of it until it slipped out. “I can always use your help and advice.” He murmurs a bit softer then, a bit more boyish in nature. “So we could call you an advisor or a peace keeper or… Did you have any ideas?”

SUNJATA

Vervain

"I can picture you and Nate building a house into the cliffside," Vai admits with a faint grin. "Right over the ocean, all snug and cosy and lofty, built out of wood and the stones." With a perfect view of Haulani and all of its goings on, of course, and hidden tunnels every which way to connect them to all the important (and potentially unsavoury) contacts in Torchline. She shakes her head, though, as he apologises again about the fire. "You couldn't help it. It's not like you got sick on purpose with the specific idea to burn your house to the ground."

But their talk turns to work - or soon to be work, it appears - and Vai smiles gently to Sunjata. She sneaks across to steal a bit of the pastry she's brought for him (because he's got to pay her somehow, right?) and musses up his hair. "Advisor works well enough. I can't claim to be a peacekeeper, really. Because as your Advisor, there might be a time when I think war is the best option."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

There’s a crooked edge to his smile as Vai speaks of a cliffside home, as if she’s reading it from his mind. He remains silent until she’s finished, the comments of stone and wood, backed up right into the cliffside, a vision he and Nate had shared in long late-night talks. “That’s exactly what we want.” He rumbles, a bit of a nostalgic sigh slipping from him – the thought of a hammock over the edge, a balcony that could look out along the moonlit ocean, entangled with his husband.

It’s a possibility that has him wistful and longing, but one that isn’t available at the moment, and he tries to shove it to the side while he focuses on Vai and smiles softly, a dip of his head as he knows for a fact that it had been an accident, that they hadn’t chosen to be homeless. But it had simply happened.

As for the role Vai would take, he watches her approach, holding out the pastry while she takes a piece and musses his hair – a playful roll of his eyes given to her. “Advisor it is then.” He rumbles, though he gives her a knowing glance, a low hum of a laugh leaving his lips. “Even if it’s just a peacekeeper between me and the rest of my council.” Because it would likely be a task and a half. “How are you and Felix doing now that Remi and Ronin are getting that getaway they wanted?”

SUNJATA

Vervain

Vai raises her eyebrows in surprised delight to learn that her idea of their perfect little home is pretty much what Sunjata has in mind, though she nudges him at the roll of his eyes, too busy with her bite of pastry to try and offer a response just yet. "Mm, advisor it is," she echoes, slinging an arm around him in a one armed hug while she licks the crumbs from her fingers. Letting him go once more, Vai moves to perch on a crate and offer him a grin.

"Oh I'm sure that won't be all that necessary. Sunjata Wrenzaok, bad with people? I have never heard such a thing." She winks, knowing that he has a penchant for getting into all the trouble under the sun. "Felix and I are good. I barely see him these days - he's gone native into Torchline, I think." Laughing, she runs her fingers through her hair. "I'm happy for him."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

The arm loops around him, however brief it may be, and he flashes her an easy grin with it before she’s released him and perched on a box — Sunjata finishing off the rest of the pastry, cleaning his hands, and moving to dive into the box beside her in an effort to reorganize. “You obviously haven’t seen Zeph and I together where one of us isn’t dying yet.” He looks over at her with a raise of his brow, the edge of a smirk forming on his face.

But he returns to the crate, pulling out Lusea’s lantern and Maea’s, setting them on top of another crate beside Vai while he digs into the crate a bit deeper, pulling out a few blankets he’d used as boundary to ensure the lanterns didn’t break. He takes them out, folding them up as he listens. “Hopefully he doesn’t get into too much trouble. When I was his age, the places like the Haulenani were a frequent visit.” A quiet hum of a laugh.

SUNJATA

Vervain

"Mm, y'know that's a good point. I'm looking forward to our first council meeting - I wasn't aware that Zeph was going to be a part of it as well. What's his role?" Vai is grinning like they're thick as thieves, leaning on the crate so she can peek curiously into the box he's unpacking. The lanterns catch her eye, of course, and she makes sure they are steady on the crate as Sunjata moves onto the blankets.

"These are pretty," she remarks, choosing not to dig any deeper than the surface that's presented to her, just in case it hits a nerve. Instead, Vai wrinkles her nose at the prospect of Felix frequenting anywhere like the Halenani, though she supposes as he continues to get used to living in a much more grown-up form, it's more and more likely. "If you do catch him there, you'll direct him straight home, yeah?"

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i have done bad things, did them to good people // got no self control, it's the root of my evil
wage war in my head when i'm tryna keep it peaceful // a little feels good, a little more and it's lethal

“Helping with the naturals and the like.” He replies easily. He knows well enough that a council of entirely outlanders was a sure fire way to get him in trouble with a lot of Torchline. It’s a boon, as it were, Zeph was trusted and well liked, well known. It’d hopefully work in Sunjata’s favor to have the man on the council.

The mention of the lanterns though as a softer smile forming. “Ones for Lusea, the other for Maea.” He wonders if Vai can tell which is which, whether the bronze and metal hues of fire for Lusea would be an indicator versus the pale ivory hue and fragility of the lantern for Maea.

He perks up a bit with the mention of directing Felix home, though, a bright laugh leaving his lips as he deposits the folded blanket, pulling out another one. “I don’t think I’m particularly welcome there. Though I do wonder if being Governor changes that rule.” Was it really considered breaking a rule if you were the one that resided over the entirety of the land? Regardless, he tosses that blanket to Vai with a grin, reaching in and pulling out a few weapons from the base of the box.

SUNJATA

Vervain

"Smart. If there's anyone who has the gift of the gab with the people of Torchline, it's Zeph," Vai says with a grin. Her tone might be playful and joking, but she's serious about her faith in the dockhand's abilities. Sunjata could have done a lot worse for himself than choosing someone like Zeph to represent the bridge between Governor and people. Her smile fades a bit as he explains about the lanterns, her fingers very carefully dancing across one of them. She nods her understanding, wondering who she might make a lantern for this year. She has plenty of ideas in mind... but it's not worth getting sucked into those memories just now.

Raising her eyebrows to hear that he's not welcome at the Halenani, wondering whether he's done something unsavoury to the ladies and men who work there, it takes Vai a moment to remember that it's because Phoebe owns the place. "Ah, I see," she says through a light chuckle. "Well... perhaps if you catch him going in there, you can just holler at him from outside."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!