Delivery Surcharge May Apply

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

Another note of eerie, enigmatic glee flowed from the gourd; sounding something between a garble, a grumble, and a hiss, but his grin was enough to indicate the contentment, rather than any other emotion he could’ve rendered. Several vines opted to work together this time, blocking the stone as it reeled back, and then adhering to more strength when it was time to volley.

Melita snorted something at Tal’s first statement, but it diminished in the spell and spill of her feet, splashing again in some idle impulse, letting the heat and warmth of the pool linger over the calloused wake of bare soles. Amused and entertained by her own actions, she could only vaguely tilt her head in his direction, watching the cascades and ripples, before her gilded eyes went upwards. “Remi used to be an Abandoned, then a Hybrid, when we were all in the Hollowed Grounds. An alchemist. But since then, he’s become the demigod of Ludo.” Of death. An alteration from the gentle man into something, someone, tempestuous and temperamental. And given half of the circumstances, ones that Melita knew about anyway, maybe no one should’ve been surprised.

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun

Tal leaned back, hands resting against the warm, steam-slick stones as he tilted his head up to try and see through the mists to the cavern's ceiling above. It wasn't possible, but maybe that weird house he'd seen earlier had just been a trick of the Breath, playing on the fears the Gore Crows had sent through him earlier.

"Wait - the Lullaby? Fuck, you really have met everyone." Tal shook his head ruefully, torn between annoyance and envy at the girl who seemed to have everything. Friendships with gods, favors from demigods, magic weapons, and successful revenge... some people just had it all.

He lingered a little longer, letting the steamy silence lull him while the companions played their little game. Eventually, however, he realized the time was getting away from him and it was still a long ways back to the edge of the Climb. "Look uh... thanks. For settin' my map straight an' bringing me here an'... stuff." He scowled uncomfortably as he used his shirt to dry his feet and pull his socks and boots back on. "If y'ever need anythin' delivered to someone, just let me know." Which seemed a stupid offer to make when she seemed perfectly capable of delivering things herself, but Tal just scowled harder at not having anything else to offer by way of gratitude. "See you around, Mel."

Melita

Eating fire is your ambition
to swallow the flame down

She shrugged her shoulders again; being clustered with one another in trial after trial within the Grounds had made all the difference in the way she knew multitudes – rolling her eyes at his reaction. All of them, really. “Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome,” and she waved him off, rising to her feet after one last splash within the pool. “Stop being a doofus and pull your head out of your ass. You’ll get a lot farther on that way.” She winked, but clearly meant the proclamations, before grabbing hold of her items, preparing to head off.

The honeybee doubted she’d need any deliveries, but the sentiment was pushed to the back of her mind, just in case. “See ya,” and she heralded a mock salute, snagging at Fangorn, and making her own way back towards Torchline and a future dragon.

{FIN}

to be lit up from within, vein by vein
to be the sun