oh my goddess

Isla awakens to the sound of drums. It takes a moment to remember where she is and why - Obsidian Cathedral, Dygra bejewelled, terrible, beautiful, mother, pain and static - and longer still to realise that the drumming in her head is the sound of her heartbeat. A beating heart. Warm, smoky air that she can taste on her lips and feel in her lungs. Hot, smooth rock beneath her cheek. And something still more feral, coiled and waiting deep at her core. Not yet out of control, but very capable of becoming that way if it goes ignored. Shuddering out a breath that doesn't know if it wants to be a laugh or a sob, Isla gets her hands beneath her, then her feet, rising to stand. She wants to plunge her fingers into the ashes and lava, wants to bite her tongue to taste the blood, wants to stare into the Flowerbirth sky until the sun burns through her retinas completely. Another shivery breath and she moves, as if in a stupor, towards the entrance of the Obsidian Cathedral, groping for the light. ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

The Climb is both a nostalgic memory and one that seems recurrent for the Flood. Places where he’d ventured with Nate in fear he might spontaneously combust, paired alongside the wandering for the fire for the Climb Fever, the very same that had brought him down into delirium. But here he is again, because he told Isla he’d come when she became an Ancient, remaining back as she takes the privacy required for making the change, and he waits.

He waits so long in fact that he shifts to that black dragon shift of his, sprawled out on the warm rock to soak in the heat finally after so long of the cold Deepfrost. So much that he’s half dozed off, until he hears the footsteps on the ground toward the entrance of the cathedral. He lifts his head, hearing the pebbles that scrape across the ground, before drawing himself up and shifting back into himself, approaching the entrance with a curious eye.

“How’d it go?” He asks, despite not seeing her yet. He simply trusts that she’s the one he’ll be greeted with when she makes it all the way through.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

It both is and isn't Isla he'll be greeted with as she steps up and into the light, a hand half raised to shield her face from the sudden brightness of the skies overhead. It is the Remedy, of course, in every way that counts, but not as Sunjata will have ever known her. With a crown of deep topaz that curves elegantly back and into her hair, an Ancient's horns seem to suit her just as well as an Ascended's upgrades ever did, and as she lowers her hand to see the Flood, it's like she's looking at him for the first time too. At first it's just warm steel framed by thick black lashes and a shadow cast long enough to keep the sun from blinding her, but as she steps out properly into the Climb, the rest of Sunjata comes into focus. From the scar that cuts his smile a little wider than it should to the curious furrow of his brows, Isla can't help the sudden and fanged smile that flashes across her face. "I feel warm," she murmurs, somewhat dozily. "And... tired. And..." Laughing at herself, she looks down at her hands as if they might catch fire all of a sudden. "I feel good. Does it... do I still look like me?" ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

The horns are the first thing he spies, topaz and golden, amber as the sun glints across them. He remains where he is, allowing her to use his shadow to blot out some of the light, even if he doesn’t need to worry over her exposure to the sun any longer.

There is a smidge of worry as she looks at him like she’s seeing him for the first time, his brows pinched, watching her take him in before she speaks and he relaxes visibly as his shoulders slump and the smile grows across his face. “That’s good.” His accented voice rumbles, taking him closer into her space now that he knows she’s okay. “You do look like you. Just with a new addition.” He adds, stopping himself from reaching up to touch one of the glistening horns, and instead lets his hand drop to offer it out for her.

“I can fly us back if you want to rest.” he offers, already partially shifting the horns and wings, awaiting the word to change completely.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

"A new addition...?" Blinking up at him and tilting her head a little as if trying to see for herself, Isla's fingers do sneak up to touch the amber protrusions curving into her fair hair, flinching away in surprise. "Oh," she says, having quite forgotten that part of becoming an Ancient among the whole feeling everything again for the first time in years bit. He offers out his hand and Isla takes it almost dreamily, her fingers drifting over the callouses on his palm, gently clasping at the warmth of his skin. And unfortunately all inhibition is gone when it comes to his partial shift as well, the medic forgetting her etiquette as she reaches out to touch the leathery membrane of a dragon wing in awe. "Hm? No, I just..." offering him a fanged smile, she can barely stop herself from laughing. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect..." Letting out a sigh - and feeling it - she forces her shoulders to relax. "Could we walk for a little bit first? It's a long way home. And I have never been here before..." ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

It’s almost like she’s in a trance, a dream of sorts when she reaches out to take his hand, touching along the skin and calluses he bears. It shouldn’t surprise him when she reaches out to touch more, but as her fingers trace his velveteen leather wings, Sunjata shivers in his slight surprise, the wings flexing as he allows her the moment to soak it in.

Her laugh is contagious and he nods, his smile growing a bit softer as he takes a step back to her side, as if to head out there in random paths until she grew tired of the dry Climb air. “It’s an adjustment.” He agrees softly, without wholly understanding it. He can try, he just simply doesn’t get too far with it, imagining the changes she’s gone through. “Yeah, we can walk.” He offers his arm out to her, initially heading in the direction of Frey’s Breath.

“I can show you my favorite place here if you’d like?” He asks, craning his equally horned head down toward her, tucking his wings in tight.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

"Ah, sorry--" Isla murmurs, feeling the shiver tremor through his wing and drawing her hand back as if trying to school it into behaving itself. "It... yes, it is," she agrees, letting her arm slip through his own as she's done dozens of times before, letting him lead the way to stop her meandering so much. "It's strange. I feel like I'm missing things, but at the same time not." Suffice to say that as an Ascended the smooth calculations of a perfectly operating system had become a comforting background hum for Isla. And whilst that's gone, it's replaced with the raw chaos of taste, touch, smell - speaking of which, as they stroll further into the Climb, the medic absolutely leans in suddenly, pressing her cheek against the fabric of Sunjata's shirtsleeve and drawing in a slow breath. "You smell like cloves," she murmurs. "And oranges. It's nice." Almost belatedly she realises he's said something else, Isla nodding. "I didn't know you'd been here often enough to have a favourite place." ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

“It’s okay.” He begins to cut off her apology, not because it was a bad thing to have her touch his wing, only that he hadn’t been expecting it. Isla, typically in his experience, was quietly observant and would always ask first, just in case. But this version seemed almost more… Free, like she wanted to just take all the experiences she could at once, and after so long of losing out on it who is he to deny her any of it? “Overwhelming, sounds like.” He teases her gently as she takes his arm and he starts to guide her down the path and caverns of Frey’s Breath.

He's soon surprised once again as her cheek presses against his sleeve, soaking in his scent, and Sunjata tilts his head toward her with a soft laugh. “Glad you like it.” He’s not about to tell her that he certainly doesn’t smell nice right now, with the ash and the sulfur and the sweat of the Climb, and quietly thanks his passive magic for such a feat to mask everything. As for his favorite place, though, he gives her a sharp grin as they dive into the first dark cavern. “I’ve actually been here a decent amount. Frey’s Breath is my favorite, though, even before I became their demigod. It’s like a big hotspring.”

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

Free, overwhelmed, impulsive, uninhibited-- any and all of those terms apply, and it's with a blush - a real one that flushes her cheeks pink - that Isla grins her agreement with his teasing. "How could you tell?" She nudges him gently, as if the fact that she's literally just leaned in to smell his clothes isn't an indicator. Ducking into the shadowed cavern after Sunjata, she blinks a few times to get used to the change of light (another comparatively new phenomenom, given how used to seeing in the dark she's been). "Oh, a hotspring?" The smile is audible in her voice, Isla reaching out to let the fingers of her free hand trail along the wall. "I don't think I have ever been to one of those," she confesses. "...Not in any way that counts, anyway." I.e. with a body capable of enjoying them. "We should have considered a hotspring for the House of Midnight." ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

“Oh, I don’t know.” He drawls, giving her arm a small squeeze as he lifts his chin, fully dramatizing his attempts to try and pinpoint how he could tell it was a lot for her.

But they continue walking and he nods as she responds, the winding tunnel warm to Isla’s touch as they get deeper and deeper into it. His wings remain tightly tucked and they cast quite a menacing shadow alongside both his and Isla’s horns as the light filters in toward the end. “Oh, well you’re in for a treat.” He flashes her an excited smirk, the light breaking across them as the hot spring comes into view.

It has the warm rockery that guides up to the bubbling water, warm enough that drifts of steam peel off of it, and Sunjata’s drawn to it as he always is. “There’s no saying we can’t add one later on down the line.” He hums, lifting a hand to wave along the surface of the hot spring, the water moving within it to his magic. “Besides, now you get to test it out for the full experience.” He flashes her a grin that tugs on his scar, head tilting slightly as he waits for her to take the area in.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

The squeeze to her arm and the warmth against her fingertips may as well be full body sensations for how drawn into it Isla becomes, the fledgling Ancient fully reliant on Sunjata to steer her in the right direction - and to stop, when the air grows heady and hot and the ground gives way to steaming water. When he does, and his voice pulls her from the way she's been watching their shadows dance along the stone, she has to admit that he's absolutely right; she's very much in for a treat. Her wow is half breathed out on a sigh, Isla letting releasing Sunjata's arm so she can take the place in properly. Every breath feels thick with steam, her fingers grasping for the moisture in the air, and she steps forward to peer into the dancing waters with a smile that lights up her entire face. "I didn't know anywhere like this existed in the Climb," she says, gazing over her shoulder at him. Test it out snags further at her attention, Isla glancing back at the hotsprings and barely needing to consider it before starting to shift to draw her shirt over her head, obviously fully intending to do just that. ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

He has taken the time to look around the Climb and see what hidden wonders sit therein. This is just one of them – Mountain’s Roar coming to mind as the other hidden treat within the hot, volcanic borders. But regardless, he lets her go to chase after the humid air, standing back a bit as he continues to manipulate the water ever so slightly, until she’s finished peering down into it. Then, lowering his hand he approaches as well, giving her some privacy as she gets ready to slip into the hot spring. “There’s this and a rather large waterfall the other way.” He murmurs, trying to remember from memory and unsure whether he’s correct or not.

He imagines it isn’t like she’ll fully remember his directional blunder with the way she’s so focused on the sights anyway. So he gives her the privacy while working to get his own shirt off, revealing his scars and tattoos once again to the glow of the sun that peeks through Frey’s Breath. “How was it, by the way? The change?” Pure curiosity has him wondering if it had hurt, to be taken from something without pain and shoved into a new version of oneself. He knows it had hurt him immensely to remove Safrin from his bones. And if it had hurt, then the hotsprings were a perfect place to go to try and alleviate any lingering soreness, he hopes.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu

Once she's come back to herself a bit, Isla will undoubtedly be grateful for Sunjata's gentlemanly behaviour, even if at present she barely realises what she's doing and that it's in plain view. (At least there's no one else currently enjoying the hotsprings, she supposes). "Ah, well at least I have seen waterfalls before," she says with a small smile, discarding her clothes at the side of the nearest spring. A study in opposites in almost every way, Isla is pale and free of ink and scars, though at least one of those things is liable to change now that she can bask freely in the sunlight. Slipping into the hot water, it's enough to take her breath away even if she wasn't hyper-aware of every sensation, the Remedy quite literally speechless for a long moment before even considering Sunjata's question. "It was..." Gazing up at the overarching caverns, the steam glittering against the topaz that crowns her head, Isla seems pensive, if anything, though the emotion in her pebble blues is undeniable. "It was like being given permission to live again," she admits. "It felt like dying, and coming back. I... it's hard to put it into words, sorry." ISLA when it's just the two of us, only the two of us, I could die

I'm about to cause a damn ruckus

It was a fair point, of seeing waterfalls more so than hot springs. But either way, it’s a beautiful moment to find reprieve in the dry, hot environment that the Climb was known for. So as she slips in and becomes mostly hidden away by the small waves that the hot spring offers. Sunjata, in the meantime, slips his clothes off as well, slipping into the hot springs opposite of her as the heat soothes his muscles, especially the scarred part of his wing where it had been broken.

They droop in the water as he gives her his full attention. “No, it’s okay.” He murmurs softly, leaning back into the water, glancing over at her and the curve of amber that dances around her head, like fire against the sunny blonde of her hair. “I get it. It was like that with Frey.” A shoulder shrugs, splashing some of the water as his wing moves with it.

the flood

How you bleed when you bleed nothing?

totally sniped from odd ilu