[SE] Singing in the rain

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

A summer storm rushed in from the east, heavy clouds headed on a collision course for the mountains of Draig Cordillera. Before they ever got that far squalls soaked the sprawling grasslands and mounds of King's End, and the stillness of the Barrows was amplified as a haze of mist and rain filled the air. Having strayed just a little ways off from the safety of Meadowreach, Seren found herself soaked to the bone within the first few minutes.

Umbra did not seem to mind the damp, not in the slightest. While flying was made difficult in the pounding rain, he had a grand time of skipping about between the growing puddles. The mood was infectious. Once she had kicked off the boots - they always chafed when wet - and tucked them away, she too began to seek out the puddles. Chanting children's rhymes like this was a game of hopscotch, they took turns picking out the biggest, deepest puddle they could find.

It was Seren who struck gold. Between two of the mounds a veritable lake was slowly filling up, so deep that she could not quite make out the bottom through the rain-splattered surface. A reckless thrill tickled her stomach - it was stupid. She shouldn't.

But she did anyway. With a resounding whoop, the girl charged in and leaped up high into the air. Then down, down she went, and splashed into a puddle deep enough to reach her waist. It was freezing cold, and even as she fended off Umbra as the dragon came splashing in after her, her teeth began to clatter.

A fortunate thing, that shelter and dry clothes was only a step away.

Seren

LOCKE

How he keeps ending up out here, he's not sure. But it's nice to see new places, explore new shit. And it's not quite as hot as in Torchline so there's that. But it's raining, like a proper deluge and he loves it. It soaks into his clothes and reminds him that he's still very much alive. The smell isn't half bad either. The urge to shift is strong but he ignores it for now. He hears a woop of excitement and then a splash and his head tilts. He heads towards it, expecting to find a child and finding Seren instead. She might as well be a kid though, really.

"You're gonna catch a cold, Seren." He's standing a few feet away, also soaked but it's fine. Locke is used to summer rain storms and he doesn't get sick, not really. Doesn't mean he can't scold the girl anyway. "And who is that with you? Got your dragon finally?" Maybe if he'd still be a dragoon, he'd have one too. Part of him is jealous but he bites it down to make his way closer to her.

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

Spinning around to see who was talking, Seren broke out in another whoop of delight. "Locke! Hi!" Bursting out of the puddle, she all but leaped at Locke with arms outstretched, and would probably tackle him to the ground if he wasn't prepared. Soaking wet, water sloshing from her drenched clothes and hair and - who even cared, it was raining anyway.

"I missed you! Thank you so much for the letter. The tea was delicious, and I meant to reply right away but then something happened and I got distracted. Then I talked to Mother and finished up something, and I thought I'd come surprise you in Torchline. But you're here. How are you?"

It was a deluge of words, drowning out and completely ignoring his smart-ass comments about colds. Only at the end did she remember the mention of her dragon, and Seren nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! His name is Umbra. Have you seen how big he is? It's only been a season, but look at him."

Gesturing towards the blue reptile as Umbra came crawling out of the puddle, Seren was quite right. The dragon's withers almost reached the middle of her thighs by now, with a wingspan that exceeded Seren's entire height. Still on the scrawny side, half-grown as he was, there was still a lot of dragon to behold.

Seren

LOCKE

She's so excited to see him and it bolsters him a little bit. Has anyone ever been excited to see him? He lets her tackle him, wrapping his arms around her tightly for a second before pushing her back to look at her. The rain is plastering her hair to her face but she beams up at him. She really is a little slice of starlight, huh? He seems content with what he sees so he grins back at her.

Then she's talking so fast and it reminds him all too much of a kid. So he waits, nodding his head as she goes through her little speech before turning to look at Umbra when she points to him. "M'alright Seren. Glad you're having so much fun. Just playin' in the rain then?" He'll have to dissect everything in a second but he's too caught up looking at the dragon.

He holds his hand out to Umbra, rubbing his fingers together to call him over. "Glad you liked the tea. If Maeve wasn't a Madam, I'd say she should be a tea maker." He gives her a little grin over his shoulder, "What'd you talk to your Momma about?"

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

Wary as always of anyone his bonded got close to, the dragon approached but slowly. Slitted narrow eyes took in the tall man and his outstretched hand. The fingers wiggling before Umbra's nose looked like sausages, but a sharp thought from Seren put him off the temptation to take a nibble. Instead he nudged his head into the hand, grudgingly allowing some moderate worship of his glorious self, while contemplating the man's scent.

"She absolutely should. Yeah, just having fun," Seren agreed cheerfully. Slipping an arm around Locke's back, she nestled herself in beneath his arm like he truly was the brother she had accepted him as. "We talked about... mh, a bit of everything. What makes you reckless, and whether it's best to fight or run when something happens, that sort of thing."

It was grossly simplified of course, but Seren wouldn't repeat the whole conversation. She absolutely could... but there were too many secrets there that were not hers to share. "Mother showed me a new trick!" she offered instead, eager and excited as always. "I will be able to go almost anywhere I like now."

Looking up at the man, whom she scarcely knew but had tucked neatly away into the 'family' category all the same, she recalled the letter he'd written. "You wrote in your letter that you wanted to show me something? What is it, did something happen?"

Seren

LOCKE

Locke scritches along the top of Umbra's head, tucking behind his eye sockets. Aidon always like when he scratches there. "Do you think he's going to be bigger than the other dragons? Some of the dragoons had pretty big ones." No Sunjata of course but still. Big bois.

Seren nuzzles herself under his arm and he feels something he's not sure he can explain. He gives her a little squeeze though, pressing a little kiss to the top of her head. "M'glad. Sorry I interrupted your fun." Not that she seems upset by it at all but still. She was clearly having a good time, she deserves it. She is just a kid after all. "Sounds like normal Momma talks then." Not that he would know but hey! He gives her another squeeze because he can and he's touch starved.

He tilts his head as he looks down at her, eyebrow quirked up. "Oh? Then you have no excuse not to come visit me, huh?" He sticks his tongue out like he's scolding her except he isn't at all. Locke takes a step away from her, finally untangling himself from her so he has space.

"Something did happen. You're not the only one who visited one of the Heralds lately. Not your momma but still." Should he have gone to Safrin? He's not sure. He doesn't regret going to Frey through. With another moment, he shifts into his jaguar form and shakes himself of the rain before nuzzling up against her legs. An almost purrlike rumble bubbles up in his chest. It's not a purr, of course, but it's as close as he can manage.

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

Glancing down at her dragon - who had closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the scritches - Seren pursed her lips in thought.
"Not biggger, I don't think, but probably pushing the limits for what a bonded dragon will reach," she replied. "I can't say I mind, honestly. It's just good he can feed himself."

The waved away the idea that he would be Interrupting anything. This was simply a different kind of fun, and much better in her eyes. "None at all!" she laughed, tickling his side a little before Locke pulled away. "I still want to do that bar fight, remember? You promised to back me up. I will absolutely need it, seeing as I don't have any decent weapons." Holding upp her small fists to demonstrate, they were quite small and inefficient indeed. At least she knew how to take a stance - training with Dragoons had its perks.

Half thinking Locke had withdrawn from her because of the tickle, she was about to apologize when the man suddenly changed. Seren's mouth fell open in wide astonishment, and something close to reverence deepened the blue of her eyes to near violet as the reached out. Open palms brushed the sleek, thick fur of the jaguar as it wound around her; she had to root herself to the ground to prevent being knocked about by the big feline as it made contact with her leg.

"Locke, this is magnificent!" the girl breathed. Awed, she sunk to her knees and reached out her arms, to steal another hug - as if the enormous animal could never possibly hurt her. It was Locke, after all.

Seren

Maybe all you need is someone to trust

"Yeah I wouldn't want to try to feed a growing dragon. Teenagers are hard enough to keep fed." He kind of laughs, letting himself bask in the warmth of her. "Hmm, you sure your mom would want us to get into a bar fight? Nevermind your father." He can just see it now. Hey Ronin, Seren and I got in a bar fight, for fun!

Then she mentions weapons and his head tilts again, thinking. There's something tickling at the back of his mind but he's not quite sure what it is yet. "Might have something.. Not much right now but you might be able to make it into something.." A shrug and then you shifting and stuff.

She's down on her knees with her arms wrapped around his neck and he rumbles again. One paw comes up to pull her into something of a hug, his head nuzzling into her shoulder. He's bigger than her normally but he's massive in this form. Not that he'd ever willingly hurt her, of course. He shifts back after a moment, on his knees with his arms still wrapped around her. He leans back, grinning.

"Frey attuned me so I could protect you and Maeve."

LOCKE

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

"My father is training me himself, I have no doubt he'd be proud to know I could handle myself in any type of fight. And you clearly don't know my mother very well," Seren laughed, with a grin that was wide and quite fierce. "She told me to go out there and test myself. To see what I'm made of." And stars, if she wasn't looking forward to it.

Big and soft, warm and kind. Whatever else there was to Locke, that would always be his core, in her eyes. Whether as a fierce jaguar or the man grinning at her like he'd just pulled the prank of a century.
"You did that for me? Locke, that's... I don't even know what to say." Overwhelmed, Seren searched his face for truth, like he was simply exaggerating. But all she could see was sincerity, and a heavy feeling settled into her chest. Awe, and respect... and responsibility. Mave was a given, and one thing. But to include her in the list of people to keep safe... that dragged this man into a completely different world.

"Are you... do you know what you are doing?" Her smile was warm, but there was an undercurrent of worry in her tone. "You know what I am. Who my mother is. Protecting me might mean placing Maeve in more danger."

Seren

LOCKE

"So I guess our bar brawl is uh approved then? By the parents. Should be fun." Its maybe more the explaining why she's in a bar with him. But surely Ronin wouldn't take Locke's intentions the wrong way, right? He's not that protective.

He tilts his head at her surprise, maybe he should've been a dog, "You're my little sister, Seren, of course I did it for you." Is this another one of those he's thinking he's something to someone that he's not? Caring too much about someone who doesn't feel the same for him? That seems to be a pattern. He's so desperate isn't he?

The next line confuses him more. "How so? You do know she's your mother's follower, right? Is it because it wasn't Safrin who changed me?" There's no real anger to his voice but there is.. Something behind it. A bristling. "You do realize that this war that's coming? We're all already going to be in danger, right? Protecting Maeve might put you in danger. Protecting you might put her in danger. Really. I just wanted to make sure I was the one who was wielding the knife. Being Accepted is fine and well but it wasn't Safrin who put out the fire at the Wren Society. It was the Voice. I can't have that in the middle of a fight."

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

Teeth worried against the bottom lip as Locke bristled against her concern. He was right, of course. The war would affect everyone. Yet she couldn't help but feel that there was a difference. A matter of degrees, in terms of how much heat would gather around her versus Maeve.

"No, Locke. Please. It's not that," she interjected, when he brought up her mother. The attunement to Frey, as if she would ever have objections against that. "I know the war is coming. I only worry that the fighting will be harder where I am. Because no matter how devoted Maeve is to my mother, to Safrin... I am her demigod. There is a target painted on my back simply because of that, whether I step onto the battlefield or not."

She reached out a hand for his face, to trail light finger's against his cheek, if he would let her. "I am so honored, Locke, and you don't know how much it means that you really think of me as your sister. I just don't want you to get hurt. Either of you. Not for simply being close to me." Yet she was not so strong or so foolish as to think she could make it on her own either. Safrin had mentioned gathering loved ones and protectors around her, but not until now had Seren understood that it took just as much courage to let other's protect her, as it did to protect in return.

She could never ask Locke to stay away.

Seren

LOCKE

Locke grabs her face between his hands, squishing her lightly before pulling her forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "I understand that. Doesn't change my mind, Seren. I can't imagine I'm going to come out of this unscathed. That anyone will. I might as well do something worthwhile with my life if I'm going to have to risk it anyway." He leans back, studying her face, like really looking at her.

She's so young to be thrust into all of this and he hates it. He takes a slow breath, a soft smile that's reserved for only those closest to him. "Do you want to know a secret Seren? I haven't even told Maeve." The reason he loves her so much, so quickly. The reason he'd risk his skin for her. He doesn't wait for an answer because he's sure she'll ask. She loves stories after all.

"I used to have a little sister. Just like you. Full of life, of light. Used to say she was the sunshine to my cloud, ya know? And one day, I let her get on a big ol' boat and she never came back." His voice is shaky, not that he cries but still. "I'm not letting that happen again."

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout

And I hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay

She did not shy away from his touch, like she might have when they first met. It was a slow process, but Seren was learning the importance of these physical gestures, and the difference between this and the flirtatious teasing that first made her recoil from Maeve. Her cheeks were soft and round, very squishable under his hands and unblemished in ways that had nothing to do with freckles. Made and not born, the inevitable signs of wear that should follow even a girl of her seeming age was just not there. The touch of his lips against her forehead made Seren think of her father, and her smile was fond, trusting as only she could be as she smiled up at Locke.

Of course she would listen to his secrets. Keep them secret too, tucked away like a treasure on an island under the stars. It was what she did.

His story might be heartbreaking, and she might ache for his loss and the pain lingering in his eyes...  but she would always have a smile for him.
"You are far too kind, brother," she murmured, and reached up to drape her arms around his neck in a hug. "I don't think you can prevent me from going on a boat..." Any boat. Literal, figurative or otherwise. "But... I suppose if you want to come along, I don't mind having you there to watch my back."

Mind it? Oh, she could hardly imagine anything more reassuring.
"You said you might 'know' about something, before? About fighting." She tried to shift the subject to something a little more cheerful, so he wouldn't be so sad. "What were you thinking about?"

Seren

LOCKE

He knows he can't stop her, not in the long run. But she's not a little girl, even if she is young. She is not a human either. She's got her own claws and he has to be okay with that. He holds the hug as long as he can until she's pulling away and he tries not to look too upset. "Of course, Seren. We've gotta watch each other's back's. How else are we gonna brawl?"

For a second he's confused because his brain is still on dead sisters but then it catches up to what she's talking about. "Well, I came across this thing.. A big bone. And I can't seem to do anything with it and I know you've got your Momma and maybe between you two and Ronin and Remi you can figure out something to do? Might make a good weapon?" Plus he's already gone back on his deal with the guy so it's not like he can just get rid of it. He burned his bridge already.

I'm motivated by the lack of doubt
I'm consecrated but I'm not devout