guns for hire

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

It’s the calm before the storm, as it were. He’s rested a bit in Torchline but he still looks somewhat ragged, bags heavy around his eyes but a lightness to his figure that he hasn’t held in what feels like years. It’s better than the lightness of before, because now he feels no strings attached. His attention is focused on the future again, what it might hold, rather than the sinking feeling of each day passing.

He’s back at the coast, at the ocean that tempts him, drawn into the choppy waves of the storm in the distance that approaches. But he isn’t alone, drawing the attention of two, playful pink dolphins, and a cloud manta in their curiosity. He keeps mostly to himself, bracing against the cold with the partial shifts of his orca form. Nearer to the beach but not so close that he beaches his newfound friends.

And he relaxes. For the first time in a long while.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

Sunjata might be relaxing, but Maeve might as well be the complete opposite. One would think after "swimming" with a kraken, it would be nothing to wade into the shallows and find one of those dolphins Safrin told her to ride, but it takes everything in her to even make it out to calf deep. There is a storm on the horizon and not much time to do this. While the shield has done a wonderful job keeping the worst of the monsoons at bay, the smaller storms still come to bring their rains to the shores of Torchline, chasing Torchers from the beaches for the afternoon.

The Nightshade doesn't see Sunjata. Nor the friends he's made. She's too busy attempting to hyper herself up into going any deeper. There had been a small pod of them playing on a sandbar a little ways out. If she could just get there... Well, she didn't know what she would do after that. Maeve wasn't sure how she was even meant to go about convincing one to let her ride it.

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Likewise, Sunjata doesn’t see Maeve at first. The choppy waves of the storm and the grey foggy hue to everything has him focusing on the company he has, the encantados that surround him, the cloud manta that zips above and then disappears so suddenly he’s almost surprised. But the cold washes away the burn, soothes the singes of his ragged mind, and it’s only when one of the encantados fidgets, alerting Sunjata to her presence, does he notice Maeve.

He sits up a bit more, the creatures adjusting their distance around him as he focuses on her. “Maeve?” He calls out across the water, giving her some time to notice him — paired with the wave of a lightning scarred hand. Aside from that, he waits, unsure what it is she’s doing. After all, she’s not exactly what he’d call an avid lover of swimming in the ocean.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

She's not expecting to run into anyone out here. To hear someone call her name and when he does her head snaps his way, jade eyes wide and pulse instantly skyrocketing, putting her on high alert. It's only when she realizes who it is that she lets out a breath, relief quickly shifting towards curiosity, "Jata?" Maeve questions, voice barely audible over the waves and belatedly Maeve realizes that he probably can't hear her. "What are you doing here?" The same question could likely be asked of her.

The Nightshade doesn't move from the spot she's rooted to. Her feet as heavy as lead, keeping her weighed down in that one spot, unable to even take a step further into the shallows. Her own hand lifts in a small wave before running it through her hair to hide the way they tremble.

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

Luckily for Maeve, he can hear her, thanks to the earring in his ear that enhances the sound. He’s bobbed around a bit by the waves as the creatures give him a bit more space and he uses his orca tail to focus on heading toward the shallows a bit more, keeping his head easily above water. “Catching a swim before I head home.” In case it wasn’t clear, he hasn’t left and come back. It feels like he’s been in Torchline for an age when in reality, not much has changed.

His hairs a smidge longer and his beard is longer than when they’d last seen each other last week, and aside from that one arm that floats in the water is pale and clear of tattoos. The constellation on his chest is missing too as he faces Maeve more fully. “What are you doing out here?” He shoots back, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

The distance hides the obvious changes at first. The missing tattoos and longer hair. It isn't until he gets closer, rising out of the water to meet her, that she realizes there is something off. The Nightshade blinks, lips parting in quiet surprise as jade eyes look him over, noting the missing tattoos. Not just any tattoos. Safrin's. She's tempted to ask, but the question dies on her tongue for the time being, distracted by his own line of questioning. "You haven't made it home?" Maeve manages, hand falling back to her side as she shifts, keeping her feet from sinking into the shifting sands beneath her.

He's teasing her. Something he hasn't done in some time. This surprises her too and she can't help the soft laugh that pushes past her lips, rising up in her chest, light and airy. "I'm trying to complete something for a quest. I asked Safrin to make me faster. Of course she had a few ideas on how to do that." All manner of catching things, having races, and riding things. Which is what she's attempting to do now.

Maeve glances behind him, noticing splashing behind him and realizing the company he's brought along with him. "I have to ride one of those, actually. If I can convince one to let me." Her lips twitch into another smile and she manages a slight step forward. "A little problematic given that swimming is still a slight challenge."

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

“No, not yet.” Sunjata answers easily, unabashedly, shoulders shrugging as he looks up at her from the shallows edges. “Got a bit distracted, you could say.” Here he flashes an amused smile, something easier, something far more boyish than he’s offered her before. And when he teases her and hears her laugh, something else in him eases too. Surprisingly, the mention of Safrin doesn’t dour him, doesn’t make him flinch. Not for now, anyway.

Later? Probably. But for now? Now he’s simply enjoying himself. “Of course she did.” He comments, head tilting as he keeps himself above the water, leaning back just enough to let his orca tail splash idly in the shallower depths as he glances back toward the creature she nods to. “Hm, well, suppose you’re in luck then. You just so happen to have someone that can talk to one so you can.” A wink is offered and the orca tail vanishes back into legs, still scarred with shark bites, but he draws himself out of the water like some type of relieved siren, his newly blank arm outstretched for her to grasp onto.

“Did you ask her for something in particular or leave it up to her to decide?”

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

It's shocking, really. The way his skin is free from ink. Nothing to mark him except for the scars that longer on his skin. It almost looks wrong. He'd always been marked by Safrin for as long as Maeve could remember. To see him without them? It was definitely an adjustment. Her eyes shift back up to his, jade meeting steel, smile growing at the ease that seems to be hanging around him. That was new. "Get held up?" The other question goes unsaid. What happened?

"Lucky me indeed." It sounds suggestive. The way it falls off her tongue. Though it doesn't hold any of that flirty playfulness that typically came from her. No, that's reserved for Locke. Still, her lips curl as she slips her hand into his, taking another tentative step forward into the depths. "It's some kind of item. I'm not sure what she has in mind."

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

“Definitely held up.” He admits with a laugh, taking her hand and letting her determine just how long it takes to get deeper in the water. His skin is cold beneath the water that drips off, and only one of his arms contains a wave filled sleeve — but no longer does the star pattern within it move. “I went to go see Frey about an item actually. Turned into a bit more than just that.” He hums with a hint of a laugh ending his tone, pausing in his speech so that he might be able to call one of the encantados closer.

It pulls away from the pack, drifting toward them as they make their way deeper. But they’ll need to get further in if she doesn’t want to beach the creature in the shallows. Her tongue ends up suggestive and all Sunjata can do is snort to it, nodding in his understanding as she continues about an item. “I would wait a bit to go and see her. I imagine she isn’t in the best mindset right now.” But so long as she was kind to Maeve — as he imagines she would be — then all should be fine.

All he knows is he’s going to certainly avoid her for a while. As long as he can, really.

But the encantado waits at the edge of the shallows, crooning a sound as it waits for their arrival.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

It's strange seeing him so light. Maeve doesn't recall a single moment that she's witnessed the Flood this way. Except perhaps when they were in bed together, but even that was short lived. It always was. The Nightshade grips onto his fingers tightly, noting the chill that clings to his skin and the lack of swirling stars on his arm, brows lifting towards her hairline at his words. "Oh? Anything you care to share?" To see Frey instead of Safrin for an item was... interesting. Especially given his allegiances to their starry goddess. Her mind can't help wandering to Nate, curious if the item has to do with him and if that's why he sought the other herald out, knowing that Safrin would be hesitant to do anything for the Ascended Sunjata was bound to.

Her curiosity is further piqued at his words, jade eyes growing sharp and perceptive as she looks him over, taking another few steps into the ocean. She's up to midthigh now and soon she'll be past her hips at this pace. It's hard to ignore the way her pulse picks up rapidly, but she does her best to push past it in favor of holding on to him, stepping forward again. "And why would that be? It wouldn't have anything to do with all the stars going out, would it?" As if anyone could miss that display. Maeve certainly hadn't and given the pieces of the puzzle she has before her, the picture is starting to become all that much clearer.

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

“An item to help Nate and I.” He hums thoughtfully, still just as playfully. “But first, I need to help four pairs of people get laid. So if you know of any couple please indulge me.” This is said a bit gentler, a bit quieter as if it’s a secret just between them as he helps guide her into the deeper parts of the water rather than the shallows. He can tell her pulse quickens and yet Sunjata simply drapes an arm around her, bracing her from her back as well as letting her latch onto his arm.

A vibrating laugh leaves him with her words, a roguish grin cutting across his face, tugging at the scar there. “Oh it has everything to do with the stars going out, Maeve.” He says this a bit more seriously, before he leans in, head hovering over her shoulder as he continues to compel the encantado close enough not to beach itself while also remaining still for Maeve to reach it easily. “Frey made me one of their demigods.” It’s a low rumbled sound, akin to a purr as he pulls away, drawing her to the edge where the encantado awaits.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

Just as she suspected. Her lips twitch, a soft sound pushing past them, forming a single word, "Ah." She licks her lips then, feeling the heat of him against her back, pressing into her space without a care in the world. It dawns on her then how very little is between them. The space so minute that only the barest hint of water and clothing separate them.

Her own thin linen tank top soaked through and clinging to her skin, leaving very little to the imagination, not that he needs to imagine anything. He's seen it all before. Her fingers tighten on his hand, clinging all the tighter at his words, "Pet and Adam come to mind, but they're both Ascended. Of course there is Locke and myself." A subtle hint, letting him know that the Attuned was back in her life, back where he was meant to be and she was no longer inclined to play the role she did before in the Flood's life.

The way his voice dips, dark and forbidden, vibrating through her as his head lowers and his breath is exhaled in a warm rush against the shell of her ear. She shivers, goosebumps rising across her skin as a trembling breath pushes past her lips, acutely aware of where he's hovering. The still fresh bite mark from Locke pink and shiny against her pale skin where it's starting to heal. It's not desire in her belly. The heat that simmers there. It has nothing to do with him exactly. Her mind flashes back to Locke, his promise in her nightshade garden and she wonders if this would classify as enough to justify what he vowed to do, but before the thought can go too far Sunjata is speaking again.

His words catch her by surprise and she stumbles, suddenly reaching the edge of the shallows, legs not long enough to touch the bottom anymore. "Frey? Jata... I- I don't know what to say." It suddenly makes her encounter with Frey seem so much more. The way the herald had taken his form, but had Locke's eyes. The feeling that overwhelmed her in their presence. The same feeling that washed over her around Sunjata before she got control of her emotions for him. The feeling that Locke elicits in her now.

Wasn't this a development? One she absolutely wasn't expecting.

Maeve

SUNJATA

so, collect your scars and wear 'em well
your blood's as good an ink as any

He isn’t trying to push anything, isn’t trying to do anything at all really. He’s simply lighter, more himself, far more playful – the face of a man she’d never truly known, but likely heard of. This version of Sunjata is far closer to that which had arrived in the Grounds so many years ago, long before marriages and Torchline were even in his sight. But there is some relief when she mentions Locke and herself, and he’s sure she can hear him click his tongue in thought. “Ascended, not ascended, it doesn’t matter.” He rumbles with a hint of amusement. “I’m glad Locke made it back to your side.” He is glad, truthfully.

He lets the thoughts spin in his head as he tells her his news, as he goes to catch her from her stumble – compelling the encantado closer so that she might be able to latch onto it instead of himself, flashing yet another charming grin once she’s got a hold on it – those shark bitten legs shifting back to his orca tail. “That being said, perhaps I might be able to put something together for you and him. A treat, on me, to help my quest?” His head tilts a fraction, the long water soaked curls splaying out under the certainly gentler pulse of the waves. “And then…” He pauses, the lightning scarred hand dancing above the waves as he speaks, his steel gaze flickering from it back to her face. “I can check you off my list, hm?”

It certainly couldn’t hurt anything. And it would be one step closer to falling into a new role that the herald had offered him.

go scratch your name into the clouds
and pull them all... d o w n

I get them all worked up and down on their knees, you see

She knows this. That his demeanor, however suggestive it may seem, is merely playful. There isn't a real desire behind his words. No heat in his actions. It is simply the fact that he has new life breathed into him that has things feeling charged. Maeve has been around Phoebe plenty, but the demigoddess didn't give off the same sensation Frey did. Perhaps the herald had blessed Sunjata in a different way? The Nightshade wouldn't have been all that surprised. Maeve takes another few steps forward, stopping just at the edge of the shallows, knowing her feet would no longer be able to touch past this point.

"I am too. Look, Jata, I don't know if you ever talked to him. I don't know what he's said. If anything. I know that he stayed with you until Longnight passed and I would be stupid to think that you two didn't talk about me at least a little given the circumstances." Their history, the way everyone always seems to compare the two, the way people never stop talking about Sunjata and Maeve, about the similarities between her child and Sunjata. All of it tangled up to create a mess that Maeve didn't truly realize the full extent of until now. "But whatever he told you about me... About my feelings before... I don't feel that way anymore and the fact that I did was something you weren't meant to know. I knew that anything beyond friendship could never be, but I was selfish and I took what I could."

It all comes out quickly as they linger there on that edge. She still holds tightly to him, her chest rising and falling rapidly for a different reason as she pushes forward through her confession. "That doesn't matter now because I love Locke. A part of me always loved Locke, but I was too stupid and caught up in everything else to even recognize it for what it was. I hurt him because of that. I just want you to know that while I might love you... It isn't like that anymore and it hasn't been for some time." The Nightshade finally finishes, drawing in a shaky breath as she dares to look up at him, cheeks flushed as a wave of sheepishness washes over her.

"So... Yeah, I guess that would be nice." It would be a proper ending for this whole mess. At least in her eyes. With all of that said and done, Maeve reaches towards the dolphin, carefully wrapping her fingers around its fin and using it as leverage to slip onto its back.

Maeve