[SE] Ringing in spring
for Evie <3
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
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#1
He had missed his friend in Deepfrost. He understood the difficulty in traveling from Halo in the cold season, and he knew that her duties as Warden kept her there much as his own kept him in Torchline. At least, most of the time.

But there were times they could slip away from the responsibilities they had embraced, or at least widen the scope of them to include a little exploration outside their usual swimming grounds. The mermanta had been looking forward to meeting with the apothecary today, both for her companionship and to explore the possibilities of the Ringing Algae that he had learned about from the Fae.

He had brought a small colony of the algae out of the sunken caverns below and closer to the surface to tend, and the imposing King hunched over his small aquaculture, painstakingly trimming away dead winter growth below the water to encourage new air sacs, using a tiny pair of scissors in his large hands.

Evie

Ringing Algae (common) - A species of massive algae that grows in the underwater caverns of the Stone Symphony. Due to its size, the air bubbles it produces are large and sturdy enough for a human to stick their head into and breathe for a time, however doing so will cause a period of tinnitus to follow.
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
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#2
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
With spring comes the mobility necessary to visit friends outside of Halo, and while Evie has fewer of those than she would like, it's no different from her youth within the barrier. Close confidants are all she really needs. But even so, stretching her legs so to speak is an opportunity she won't let pass by, and the Greatwood is still largely a mystery to her. One that enamors her immediately with its wide swathes of foliage and towering trees. Halo will forever be the champion of her heart, but as Evie stares up into the dappling of light through the branches overhead, she wonders if maybe in another life this could have been her home.

Coming upon Hadama drives that thought from her head, and Evie smiles beatifically as she approaches, hurrying along to the water's edge. "Hadama! It's so good to see you, it feels like this winter was longer than normal," she bemoans playfully, getting situated and seated on the silty beach to peer at his work. "Is that it then? Have you figured out what it's called?" She hadn't stopped to talk to many of the locals, fearful of being late to their meeting.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
Played by: Cirago Offline
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MP: 10170
#3
He was so intent on his careful trimming that he didn't notice Evie approaching until she spoke. Even so, his hands remained steady and he finished clipping another small brown section away from the healthier green algae mass before he raised his silvered head to greet his friend.

"Evie." His deep voice was warm with welcome as he looked the human over, relieved to see no new scars visible. Quite the opposite; she looked happy and healthy and he was quietly glad of it. It would seem that the strange creature that had troubled the Greatwood during LongNight had been an isolated occurrence.

"Thank you. Deepfrost in Torchline was quiet. I will not complain about that." He tilted his head in wry acknowledgment of what the opposite of 'quiet' usually entailed on Caido. "But it has been too long since I have seen you. How are you?" A veritable cascade of words from the mermanta as he cupped water in his hands and let it sprinkle over the top of the floating carpet of green and blue algae.

"This is Ringing Algae. The Fae say it can be used to breathe underwater." He looked at Evie with a hint of mischief mixed with challenge. "Though I cannot test it myself."
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
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#4
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
Evie admittedly does much the same kind of once-over, glad to see that the changes are minimal and have no indicator of lasting harm. Crossing her legs leisurely in the sand and leaning over her knees to watch him work - with no complaints about his skill, which is a compliment from the apothecary - the Evergreen takes a moment to be grateful that they'd both experienced quiet LongNights. "We needed a quiet year of it," she murmurs. Even after the end of the war, they'd all held their breaths throughout those sunless days, wondering if old monsters would find their ways back to haunt their doorways.

"I'm quite well actually. Halo is thriving, my relationship is strong, we have peace at last..." trailing off with a smile, Evie plants her elbow on her thigh and uses her hand to support her chin. "The only downfall is one of my very few friends is so far away!" The cheekiness pairs well with his silently proposed challenge, and the redhead laughs. "When we first met I didn't know how to swim, but I do now. I'd be happy to test it out."
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,252 | Total: 7,219
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#5
A few new scars had been gilded on his dark skin since their last meeting; the result of a run-in with a pack of echo sharks in Deepfrost. Otherwise the King looked tired but well, and some of the weight seemed to lift from his shoulders at seeing his friend again. He tilted his head in silent but fervent agreement with the need for a quiet year after all the chaos leading up to and during the Great War. Torchline's monsters didn't tend to limit themselves to LongNight, but the lack of communication and travel during that time made it difficult to call for help in need. Though outside of the tropical coast...

"There was a disturbance here," he said slowly, looking deeper into the Greatwood where the owlbear had rampaged. "...But it did not reach the Village." With a shake of his head he returned his attention to Evie and smiled at the good news she brought, welcoming the balm of peace and joy she was able to share.

"I have been meaning to visit the Academy. At least, to meet with my fellow students in Halo's Bay." He was something of a correspondence student at the moment, but now that Deepfrost had broken its hold on the northern land, travel by water was at least possible again. His eyes warmed and he tilted his head in invitation at her. "If I come early, we could share a meal?" And a conversation by the icy shore, before the lessons began.

Her revelation of being able to swim brought the slow smile back to the mermanta's eyes and he gestured invitingly to the water beside him. "The air bubbles are underneath this patch. If you push your head inside slowly, it will not pop." He waited for her to join him in the calm waters of the estuary before submerging to see how it went.
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 6,169
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#6
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
Evie does not quite frown, but her expression takes on a more serious collection as Hadama alludes to some sort of trouble in the Greatwood. "Were there any losses?" It is asked quietly, hands folding silent in her lap; perhaps a hold-over from a lifetime in the Grounds, holding vigil in the brief minutes their busy, beleaguered lives could afford. Young children taught to remember names of people they'd never met, faces they'd never recognize, until they formed a list of history drafted in the blood of innocents from the pen-talons of monsters.

"The Academy itself is beautiful, but if the war gave us anything, allowing mer to travel to Halo is something I appreciate." It keeps her small cluster of friends closer at hand. "I would love another seaside picnic! Plus I can bring far more diverse foods if the travel is shorter." While she'd never been happy with the Voice's portals, there was something to be said for their convenience in traversing Caido's vast lands.

Shuffling on her knees to more of a standing position, the Evergreen follows Hadama into the shallows of the estuary, grateful both for spring's warmth and her own cold resistance as her leggings take on water immediately. Taking the man's instructions into her mind, Evie holds her long fiery hair at the base of her nape with one hand, and slowly submerges her face - elegantly fighting every human instinct not to do so. It is worth the internal struggle, as the air meets her the second she draws it into her lungs. The tinnitus does not yet set in, so for a moment she merely grins, looking at Hadama out of the side of her eyes and giving a bright thumbs up. A little too afraid to talk and potentially pop the bubble.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
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Posts: 1,252 | Total: 7,219
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#7
Hadama was silent a moment at her question, then tilted his head in affirmation. Those drawn to the strange LongNight occurrence had arrived in time to save the Village, but not all of its defenders. Though he had not known the Fae who fell buying time for more help to arrive he honored their memory.

But this was not a day for mourning. The conversation turned to more joyful things and he focused on the future rather than dwelling on the past. "Halo, and elsewhere," he agreed contentedly. His emerald glance took in the depths of the Greatwood behind them, and further still to the Hollowed Grounds beyond before returning to Evie with the subtle smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "But Halo is special." Because he had a friend there that he was looking forward to seeing again.

He slid Safrin's ring from his finger as Evie slipped into the water, though he held it ready to don again in a hurry if anything went wrong. For the sake of testing the efficacy of the algae it would only get in the way, however, and he needed to see how well the vegetative air bubbles worked. He watched his friend bravely sink below the water and ease into one of the waiting bubbles, knowing from his experience with other humans how much courage it could take to try and breathe underwater. Her smile, then, was a relief and the mermanta relaxed and smiled back. He tilted his head curiously, pointing up and waiting a moment before gesturing further into the estuary's waters. Did Evie want to surface, or explore beneath the waves a little longer?
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 6,169
MP: 9427
#8
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
Evie takes a quiet moment to honor lives she'd never known, to quietly pray they'd found their way to Mort's arms as swiftly and painlessly as possible. It is not foreign to her to then move on to lighter topics, to smile and laugh; grief is an expense of energy most Grounders had learned they couldn't afford in lengthy expenditures. "Halo is special; that's why it's the best city," she teases, nose wrinkling in her habitual manner as she grins. She has yet to see the Underwater Kingdom, which is something she hopes to achieve someday. Hadama may only come to know Halo by her shoreline, and Evie wishes there was a way to change that.

Maybe this is the first step to bridging the gap between worlds, however. It takes a great deal of bravery, but the reward is worth the trepidation, the stilted, gasping first breaths that enter her lungs. Staring around unblinking at the shallows around her, marveling, it takes a moment for Evie to notice Hadama's hand signs. She hesitates; it is better to fully test the bubble, right? It will surely pop eventually, and while that will be scary Evie trusts in her friend. Experimentation will only help everyone else they can inform of this little miracle plant. So Evie nods carefully and pulls herself along by the bottom of the estuary until she is fully submerged, hair a halo of fire around her head.

It is here that the tinnitus begins to develop, and the Evergreen winces with it. It's a strange thing to hear in the otherwise deadening silence of the water around her, but she pushes through it - and, just in case, does another thumbs up to assure Hadama it's a bearable pain. Waiting for him to lead her onward wherever he chooses.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
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#9
"Hmm." Hadama's non-answer held teasing disagreement in return as he kept his expression stoic, though his eyes danced with humor. "The next time you are in Torchline, we will go to the Spiral Marketplace," he rumbled instead. Perhaps then he could change her mind - though to everyone their chosen home would always be the best of places, he knew, and was content in the knowledge.

Hadama had been swimming through the estuary throughout the day, gathering the algae for tending and examining the patches that grew closer to the sea against those that were farther back in the fresh water. He had his full attention on Evie and her bubble-helmet, making sure that she could breathe and that it remained intact. So it was that he noticed when she winced and swiftly began to slide the ring back on his finger. Her gesture of reassurance a moment later had him watching her with concern but trusting her judgment and giving a slow nod. The ring was returned to his grasp and he offered his free hand to her instead.

His tail was more than strong enough to move them both through the slow, gentle currents of the estuary, roughly a body-length below the surface. A small school of large goldfish swam towards and around them, glittering like living jewels on their way to the sea and the mermanta turned to follow them, checking back on Evie regularly to see how the increasing salinity of the water was affecting the bubble and her comfort.
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 6,169
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#10
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
The ringing is still present and painful, but it does little to dissuade her from continuing onward. Hadama's hand reaching for her helps Evie focus on something aside from the awful tinnitus, and though his skin is disorientingly similar in temperature to the water around them, his grip is gentle and firm enough to ground her as it pulls her carefully along into the darkening depths of the estuary.

Evie longs to be able to speak with him, but she's nervous to disrupt the bubble too much and risk popping it. Even if she felt brave enough to do so she wonders if he'd be able to understand her - suddenly finding herself filled to the brim with questions about what life is like for him beneath the water and having to stuff them into her brain for later.

For now, the bubble seems to hold well despite the increase in depth and salinity - not that Evie notices, too charmed and enchanted by the goldfish Hadama has them slowly following. Her eyes are wide and shine blue in the dappled sunlight that pierces through the water's depths, scarcely daring to blink as she watches the wide flowing tails that ribbon out behind each creature as they swim. Her hand squeezes at Hadama's, having no other way to communicate the awe and wonder that balloons in her chest, making it hard to breathe despite the surety of it all around her inside the bubble.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,252 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#11
He had been assured by a Fae that the bubbles were fairly sturdy, so long as one was careful. Still, he was cautious in both their speed and the path they took and he let Evie guide how much and how far she was willing to test the strange algae and its useful properties. There was no need to rush things and her comfort was more important than his experiments.

He couldn't hear her voice, but he could see the joy in her eyes as they followed the goldfish and he felt the pressure of her hand. He gave it back with his small, mischievous smile and stretched out their joined hands slowly and gently until her fingers could brush the cool hardness of golden scales and feel the soft, yielding muscle beneath before the goldfish wriggled faster and slid ahead of them once more.

He sensed the change in the water in his nose and on his tongue and he slowed their gentle pace until they had stopped, the top of Evie's fiery head only a few inches below the surface. The water was siltier here, and it was hard to see for very far beneath the waves. Here, too, it was brackish and easier to float as the salt of the sea overwhelmed the fresh water from the Symphony.

Hadama tilted his head at Evie questioningly and pointed to the air above and then, after a moment, he pointed underwater back the way they had come. Did she want to swim back on the surface? Or stay below for the return trip?
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
Played by: Brit Offline
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Posts: 1,182 | Total: 6,169
MP: 9427
#12
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
Considering how little she'd known of the algae prior to sticking her head in it, it's a remarkable show of her trust in Hadama to remain under the water for so long. It's worth every second, enough to overshadow the constant wariness that warns the bubble could pop any moment. As Hadama guides her hand forward to touch the large goldfish the Evergreen puts those thoughts behind her. There is only the cool, slick scales beneath her fingers, the oddly powerful flick of the ribbonlike tail across her palm as it swims out from her loose grasp. She watches it depart, a shining jewel that flickers like a candle flame about to go out beneath dappled sunlight, and envies Hadama for his ability to see this so readily.

As the water around them darkens, the light above finding it more difficult to penetrate and mark their way, Evie debates utilizing her magic to force the silt down and clear the water - but she has no idea how delicate this ecosystem is compared to her vast knowledge of all the ones on land, and even the things one might consider meaningless or temporary could have unknown consequences. Hadama's gestures are slow and easy to interpret, and Evie grins as she points underwater in the same way he had. Of course she wants to stay beneath the surface! Even if they encounter nothing else to gawk and marvel at, the experience alone would be worth the extra time spent.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told
the Tidebreaker
King of the Merfolk / Chef

Age: 38 | Height: 6'6" | Race: Mermaid | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 9 - Strg: 34 - Dext: 30 - Endr: 40 - Luck: 36 - Int: 0
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,252 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#13
Hadama did his best to live up to his land-friend's trust, intent on keeping her safe and comfortable in the water. He kept them close enough to the surface that even if the bubble popped they could reach the air within seconds and his hand was closed firmly around his ring, ready to slip it back onto his finger in a heartbeat if it was needed.

But the algae proved admirably tough and Evie no less so. When he offered her the choice of air or water her decision brightened his eyes with an answering smile of appreciation and he squeezed her hand in gratitude. The way back upriver would have been more difficult without his magic, but he used it lightly to ease the current against them so Evie could swim without needing to fight for headway.

Another school of goldfish swam past beneath them, flashing in the light as the water cleared again, and their gentle swim soon ended back where they had begun. Hadama retrieved his hand to slip his ring back on to ensure there would be no discomfort for Evie while she removed the bubble-helmet and he waited to surface until she did, beside the little colony he had gathered to tend. "How was it?" Emerald eyes glinted with quiet good humor as he tilted his head at his friend curiously.
Evie Ignatius
the Evergreen
Warden of Halo / Apothecarist

Age: 34 | Height: 5'5 | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 8 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 30 - Int:
MICAH - Regular - Tide Jaguar
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,182 | Total: 6,169
MP: 9427
#14
Evie
I'm growing up, but I'm not growing old
These silent communications drive home to Evie that she knows Hadama better than she thought to be able to understand him in this way. It shouldn't be so unexpected after nearly two years of friendship, but she has been without a long-term friend for so long that it feels new once more.

The way back is a little more difficult, Evie needing to loosely kick her feet to help them along, but it's nothing the pair can't handle together. The goldfish are out in numbers today - or perhaps they always are, and she simply cannot see them from land - and as they stream past in a school of gold and orange she feels envious once more of the beauty of this entirely novel realm.

It seems it was over far too soon, but as Evie emerges and the bubble dissipates, the tinnitus falls fully away and she is left soaked and beaming. "It was...gods, amazing! Such a different kind of beauty than I'm used to, and the sounds! It's muffled but the vibrations feel so obvious on the skin, is that what it's always like?" Evie feels like she has a million questions, and all of them compete to find their way out at once. "If someone speaks underwater, can you hear them? Do humans doing it sound different from mer? Or do you only utilize the Attuned link?" Shaking her head, wait hair clinging to her nape and down her back, the Evergreen laughs at herself. "Sorry, that's a lot. I almost forgot to tell you - the bubble works great, but it causes a terrible ringing in the ears after a moment. Must be where it gets its name." But she'd wear it ten times over to experience that again.
And I hate to do anything that I've been told


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