[Training] [SE] Carnival knives out here?

Sah

Sah and Lilly had found their way to the Undergrove on a hunting trip. As Caido warmed and the tundra became trekkable the cabin fever that had ben pushed off by the monster, set in. As such they had packed up and made their way into the Wilds.  It was as Sah was pushing some of the hanging roots out of his way that the Abandoned stumbled into a small clearing.

For no apparent reason that Sah could determine, there was a board hanging from the earthen roof. The board had targets similar to that of a game of darts. But the table in front held various knives, not darts. Sah had heard that something called a 'carnival' was in town, perhaps this was part of it?

Stepping forward, Sah picked up one of the knives and twirled it in his hand. Giving a shrug, he tossed it at the board, and it sunk deep into the corner. No points, but hey, he was more of a sword guy anyway. Still Sah retrieved the knife and eyed the target once more.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

Sah Eira broke across Noah's mind with images of the once-wolf. The hunter's head snapped up and his brows knit together, furrowing his brow fiercely. The griffin pressed on again, urging her bondmate to follow her. She insisted that she could smell him, all the way out here. Noah doubted her, but followed her nontheless. What if, by chance, it was Sah? They were close to Torchline, where he asked the man to meet him, but he hadn't expected this the way he came.

"What's that?" Noah asked finally, stepping forward from the dense foliage that had covered him before. He couldn't resist it at all, seeing the man. A smile broke over his face and he closed the distance between them, throwing his arms open and over the once-wolf's shoulders. "I got your letter. I didn't expect to see you before you got to Torchline." He leaned back and held the man out at arms length, looking him over. Noah was unaware that these forceful actions, as filled with joy as they were, would cause the man any pain.

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah hadn't been expecting to see anyone out here, much less Noah. The Abandoned expected the sudden hug even less. Logically Sah had known that Noah was fond of him to a degree, but for one so used to tactile affection, the hug finally cemented the fact. As well as told him that he had misjudged how fond the other man was. It seemed that Noah truly did consider him a friend, just as Sah did. That was nice to realize.

And although Sah was still holding a bit of a grudge over the fact that Noah had called him 'weak' in their last meeting, he still returned the hug just as fiercely.  After the absolute mess that the last Deepfrost was, the Outlander truly needed this. Needed the reassurance that those he cared for were alive and well, and that he himself had survived. Sah practically melted into the hug, even if it did make him wince slightly as his newly-healed-shoulder made itself known.

Sah smiled warmly at Noah when he pulled back, "I wasn't either. It's good to see you." Lilly made her way over and jumped up so that her paws were on Noah's side, tail wagging excitedly. She was happy to see the man as well. As Lilly begged for her own hug, Sah glanced at the carnival game. "Some kind of game I think? Darts with knives? I just stumbled upon it and figured that I may as well get some target practice in." As someone who typically wielded a sword, his knife throwing could certainly use some work.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

The gods were funny, in what they allowed to happen. Breaking their embrace, Noah instantly wanted to start diving deep into how things were in Halo, how Sah was, and give him the updates of his life. but Sah moved to answer Noah's first question, and the Sentinel followed after giving Lily her much-deserved share of his affection. "She's grown quite well. She looks great." Noah complimented Sah and his companion, giving her one last scratch behind her ear before stepping up next to the once-wolf.

"Hmm. Interesting." Noah looked out and down from the table, seeing a knife already lodged into a target. Taking only a second to think about it, the hunter picked up one of the smaller knives from the table. He lifted it, using his eyes to aim much like he would while readying an arrow to fly from his bow. Letting his breath out, Noah threw the blade. It swirled down the field, end over end, until finally sinking into the target. A little off base from where he aimed, but good enough for a first attempt.

He then gestured to the abandoned, as if it were his turn. "I know we will discuss it all again when we meet with Deimos and Cordelia...but please, tell me how things are."

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah watched Noah and Lilly with a fond smile, attempting once more to throw a knife. He tsked as it once more hit the target but outside the range of any points. "Jeez. This really isn't my strong suit". His primary means of offense where his sword, magic, and hand-to-hand combat. The Abandoned had never really trained with projectile weapons, and it showed.

It seemed like Noah had more experience in the matter, "Mind showing me how to throw these things? I've never done this before." Perhaps a bit of instruction would help him out?

Noah's questions didn't surprise Sah but they did draw a sigh from him. "Things...things are.. getting better. Halo still stands but we've suffered quite a bit from the sudden drop in population as people left after the dragon incident. And during Longnight we were attacked." Sah grimaced, subconsciously rubbing his shoulder where the scar was plain to see over the collar of his shirt.

"A Longnight monster attacked the citadel and nearly killed us. Kiada, Neron, Morgan, and I, that is. We're the ones who killed it." A snarl was pulled rom Sah's throat, "It could have been catastrophic but thankfully no one died."

The Abandoned sighed heavily, trying to let go of some of his anger. "We've been cleaning up the mess left behind." A small tired grin appeared, "I'm hoping things have been better with you?"

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

"Sure." Noah smiled and lifted a knife. "I'm no professional by any means, but Weaver and I used to throw knives instead of darts." He held the knife flat in the palm of his hand at first, showing Sah the blade. "These knives are different than hunting knives. They're meant to pierce rather than to slice. You can see the thin, but sharp, point and fairly dull sides." He turned it over in his hand, before taking the knife and holding it by the blade in two fingers. He held his thumb against the blade, and curved his index finger to hold the opposite side of the blade. "You have to think of how it will fly in the air. It's less balanced than an arrow, but more balanced than your sword. There is still some weight to the handle, so starting by holding it like this will help it propel." Noah demonstrated by bringing his arm up slightly and back, then flicked his wrist and released the knife. It flew across the open space before sinking into the target, in the second-most outer ring. "Like so." Noah said, taking a step back for Sah to have room to practice.

Noah had not expected Sah's words to be the update he was given. Noah had not expected that a mass exodus would be the result in what had transpired, but there was something in it that made sense. "She can't fool the people. They see that Morgan follows the Voice, and she let the ascended come in and display how they are willing to dominate and destroy." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. What followed, though, made Noah's blood run cold. The hunter took a step to the side, having to ground himself as he felt ice shatter over his back and shoulders. "Attacked? How did--oh no, the portal--" Noah's jaw clenched, the fire of anger bubbling and boiling in his gut -- a feeling all to familiar lately that he had spent most of his life trying to avoid. When Sah moved, Noah then noticed the faintest peak of a scar. It was still fleshy and raw -- not healed fully. The demigod swallowed.

He couldn't even believe the bullshit that he was hearing. She invited the ascended into her bed, into the lives of his people, invited this monster into their world and put all of the people of Halo in danger.

He could strangle her to death with his bare hands with the anger that roared within him.

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah listened attentively as Noah demonstrated the proper way to throw a knife like this. Sah matched his grip to the older hunter's, emulating the technique.  Once he felt ready, Sah lined up his next throw, keeping the brief lesson in mind. Noah's guidance proved useful as Sah let the knife fly. To his satisfaction, it landed squarely in the inner circle of the target. Not a bulls-eye but close enough that the Abandoned smirked in satisfaction.

Sah could practically feel the rage coming off of Noah in waves and it surprised him somewhat. He'd never really processed that the other man was capable of such malice. It was a bit concerning as well and Sah found himself stepping forward to squeeze Noah's shoulder. Just as the older hunter had done when they'd first met and Sah had nearly spiraled into grief and shock over the implications of coming to Caido.

"No one died. Those harmed will heal." The Outlander repeated, forcing Noah to meet his eyes. "Do not let your anger blind you. To protect Halo and prevent further fighting within it's borders, we need to keep a clear head."

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

The rage and anger that boiled within him was more intense than Noah anticipated. He was a man that hated feeling angry, but with the last year he has lived in more anger than anything else. It weighed on him. Even before his face contorted with the anger he felt now, the lines in his forehead were deeper and his mouth pulled further and further down into his beard. The most prominent lines before had been the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes from smiling. That was no longer true.

The hunter reached down and grabbed a knife. He launched it towards the target, though down the field he could see nothing but red. He repeated it two more times before he took a breath. He gripped the table the knives rested on, his knuckles turning white. "What do you think we should do, Sah? We can't let her keep destroying our people and our home." Whether or not Noah meant the Voice or Morgan was unclear.

The three knives all had sunk deep into the second middle ring of the target.

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah gave Noah's shoulder one last squeeze before turning and grabbing two of the knives. Throwing it, he tried to collect his thoughts. His distraction meant one of them hit the outermost ring but the second knife buried deeply into the third ring from the middle. Letting out a breath, he turned and eyed Noah worriedly. "I'm not sure if you'll like my stance to be honest." The Outlander threw one last knife to brace himself, and this time it landed close to the bullseye. Sah was too tense to celebrate and instead began to try and explain his thoughts to Noah.

"I'll be honest. I don't care much for any of Caido's gods. I doubt I ever will. One doesn't simply give up an entire life of devotion to one God only to bow to another from another world less then 2 years since their arrival." This was the part that had Sah nervous, "I'm not in this war for the Gods. I'm pretty neutral to towards them." The younger hunter eyed Noah determinedly. "I'm in this war for all of you. Deimos, Cordelia, you, and all the rest of he people back in Halo. My only goal in this war? It's to see all of you survive." The people that had taken him in. The people he loved and would die for.

Sah ran a hand through his hair, "Halo needs to stay safe. Neutrality would be best, allowing the Citadel to become a fortress for all across Caido who wish to avoid the fighting. But neutrality often fails and if that's the case, having Halo for the Old Gods seems the most likely given the region's history."

The Abandoned eyed his friend contemplatively, "A coup or any means of force will make things worse. The people of Halo need to choose which Gods they want if or when neutrality fails. They have to decide for themselves." Sah's eyes narrowed, "And Noah? If you want to keep Halo safe? You'll have to respect whatever choice they make." The Abandoned took a step back, giving the man a moment to think.

"But that's a later issue. The main concern at the moment is getting all of you back to Halo. We're weak with so few defenders. I'm on the council. I can try to negotiate a way back into the city. You all will likely face some kind of punishment but at least Halo will be protected." Sah fell silent, eyeing Noah warily.

Although he didn't know about the man's new status as a Demigod, he did know of Noah's devotion to the Old Gods. He was concerned of the mans' reaction to Sah's priorities in the war. If Noah decided to chase him away, the Abandoned didn't know what he'd do.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

Noah took a deep breath and lifted himself off of the table that he had rested himself against until his knuckles turned white. He smoothed down his shirt and shook his head some. "I am sorry for that outburst. I don't like to be angry. It feels worse than anything I've ever felt." He ran a hand through his hair, and picked up a knife to twirl in his fingers as he listened to Sah and evened out his breathing.

"Sah, neutrality is not going to be real in this world. I honestly think that sitting in that notion is as ignorant as it comes. Neutrality will get Halo destroyed, because then it will become a fortress for people who are enemies of either side that we cannot protect." His voice was even as he spoke to the younger hunter, the tone indicating no emotion from him.

"The way you speak makes it seem like we were the ones who brought violence to Halo. Sah, all we did was have a conversation with Morgan. She chose to abdicate the throne to us, and then brought in the Ascended to attack her own people. We drew them out of the Citadel to keep everyone safe. You seem to be forgetting that she is the one who is power hungry, selfish, and a liar. All we did was speak to her about our concerns and intentions, and she stepped down willingly before coming back to kill her own people." Noah let those words sink in for Sah, because it did seem that he was forgetting. He was projecting Morgan's intentions and malice on the Sentinel and the Sword, on Cordelia. "The people had decided, Sah. When we spoke to the masses about what had happened, no one told us to step aside." Was he forgetting everything that had happened?

They were never the ones who were violent. They were never the ones who endangered Halo.

It was Morgan. "Halo only lets her stay now because they are afraid of her. If you think anything else, you're fooling yourself."

"And I will be quite honest with you where I stand in all of this wartime talk. Vi has made me his demigod."

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah nods, seeing the truth in Noah's words even if he didn't agree with all of what was being said. Passive threats of violence didn't indicate willingly abdicating to him.  But otherwise, Noah was right.

Sah sighs tiredly, "I know. I just.. next time.. when it comes down to the final choice? Let the people decide anonymously. I have no doubt some had further reservations but were afraid to bring them up in such a public manner." Sah himself had ben wary of bringing up his concerns and he was one of the bolder citizens. There were surely others and quiet concerns could lead to gaping divides if left unaddressed.

"I think there's less fear in Halo then you think." Sah shook his head. "Maybe I think the people of Halo are more resilient then they are, but I think most of the fear is coming from uncertainty. They know, we know, that this is far from over. That Halo will have more shifts in power in the coming days unless things are handled properly." There was an anxiety in the air, born of uncertainty and potential dangers. "But I do agree that Morgan needs to be removed from power and that there are many in Halo that have not forgiven her for her actions."

It might not have been foolishness as Noah said. It might have been born of the creeping numbness that had been spreading through the Outlander as of late, appearing at times only to recede at others. A numbness to all that was occurring except for his goal. A disregard for things and emotions that would make it a more difficult endeavor.

Noah's next words shook him from his thoughts and made Sah raise a brow. The fact that Noah had met Vi was astounding and Sah wanted to ask the details. However the only thing he could get out was, "Vi? Not Frey?" That shift surprised him more then Noah's new status. But the other hunter's demigod status couldn't be ignored. It complicated the plan that had been taking shape in the Abandoned's mind. Sah would have to think further on it before sharing at a later date.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

Noah lifted the knife he had been twirling in his fingers and tossed it at the target. It did not have as much power behind it as the last three had, but it still hit its intended place with a thwunk.

"You don't know Halo like I do, Sah. Wardens have come and gone, and we've always survived. But until Neron came in, no Warden had ever acted like he and Morgan do. We thought we could ignore it, continue on as we always had -- but we were wrong. The day that Neron brought violence to the Citadel because of his allegiance with the Voice and his broken promise to the Eirachi, I vowed never to let such things endanger us again. I have spent my entire life providing for and protecting the people of Halo." He rolled his shoulders back, glacier eyes cold as his voice dropped in warmth to follow suit.

"Before the Voice came into our lives in Halo, we were fine. With where Morgan sits, the voice will always have power." His jaw feathered. Inwardly, he wanted to throttle the boy -- for he was acting childish. He was lost behind his own illusion of the world around him. He didn't know Caido. He didn't know Halo. "You said yourself that "...we've suffered quite a bit from the sudden drop in population as people left after the dragon incident". The people that left were afraid, Sah. You can't deny that." Was he really so blind that he couldn't see all of this in front of him?

"Vi chose me. I did not seek this out for myself." Noah replied, full of humility and honesty.

will it save us from our sin?

Sah

Sah picked up a trio of knives, throwing them in quick succession as he listened to Noah speak. He needed something to ground him as Noah's words hit as subtly as a slap. The first knife hit but the other two sunk deeply into the target, one nearly coming through the other side.

The Outlander met Noah's eyes, his own blank in comparison to the demigod's ice.  "You're right. I don't now Halo like you do. I don't know Caido like you do. I know the people that left were scared." Each statement was made bluntly as he threw another knife and it landed straight on the bullseye, sinking down to the hilt.

His voice grew contemplative, tinged with melancholy "Perhaps I'm projecting too much onto Caido but I'm working with what experience I have." The admission stings but it is the truth. Less then two years into Caido and Sah still struggled at times to separate the mechanisms and norms of his home world and this one.

But projection wasn't the only factor here. It was also the vague information that Sah had been continuously given on what had happened in the past. Hell, this was the first time that he was hearing that Neron's crimes were entrenched with a broken promise to the  Eirachi. He'd known that there was some kind of promise, violence, and that the goddess had been involved. But it was the little but important details like this that seemed to go over people's heads when they spoke about the past. It was maddening.

Sah let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair, suppressing his frustration. "I've spent an unfortunately large percent of my life on the battlefield. I've probably taken more lives then I've saved. And I'm not...I'm not great at playing the political game to minimize casualties. But I want to at least try in Caido. I want to at least try to regain Halo in a way that won't be an invitation for another invasions. That's what I've been trying to work towards, poorly it seems." What was the point in retaking Halo, even peacefully, if it just led to another round of conquest? Then the uncertainty he saw in the people would truly turn to terror.

Still Noah's news is something to celebrate, even if it does complicate things. The new demigod's obvious reverence is true to his character and brings a tired but genuine smile to the Abandoned's face, "Congratulations."

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

will heaven step in?

Even as Noah continued on, listening to Sah and replying, his voice was still as calm as it had been since he apologized for his anger. "That's the thing, then, Sah. You make all of these decisions and thoughts based on what you don't know and what you think will happen. This world is not the world you once lived in, and the quicker you come to realize that the better off you will be." Noah did not mean his words to tear down the once-wolf, but instead bring him back to some clarity. "You have to face the realities that are happening here, in Caido. We know that war is coming. You say you've spent time on the battlefield--so tell me, Sah, have you ever seen neutrality save people? Or do those that claim it and choose to stay passive get snuffed out by those more nefarious than them?" He tilted his head some, and lifted a brow.

At Sah's explanation, Noah sighed. If that was the man's background, he did not understand why he was standing where he was. "I will tell you right now that siding with the Voice, letting Morgan side with the Voice, keeping Halo in a place of vulnerability, will not save lives. Have you any knowledge of what she has done in this world?" He would be amazing, truly, if he had never heard of her works, given the time that Noah knew Sah spent with Deimos.

While normally Noah would have accepted the congratulations with thankfulness, he simply couldn't in this moment.

will it save us from our sin?