we owe this to ourselves

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Sohalia giggled when Sunjata huffed a laugh, pleased to have gotten away with her teasing. Unfailingly kind, she would never want someone to take her playfulness too seriously, and it was always a risk with a stranger. Still, the longer she say with Sunjata, the less of a stranger he became.

Talk of the Feverlands brought a strange look to Sunjata's face, and Sohalia couldn't quite place the expression. "My friend Tal told me they're pretty terrible," she admitted, her excitement a bit toned down. In fact, Tal's exact words were that they mostly just mud an' stink an' giant swamp rats. In truth, it didn't sound particularly appealing, but she still wanted to see them. It wasn't the same, hearing someone else describe a place. It was one thing to hear, and another to see.

King's End, though, Sohalia recognized, if only by name. "I saw King's End once," she mused aloud. "Nowhere that people lived, though. What's it like?"

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

It certainly helps to see a place to try and decide whether or not you never wanted to go back. Sunjata can think of a few places like that — notably, the world he was from. There were parts that he’d missed, sure, but aside from that? The general tension in the air, the things he had to do, he’d rather never end up there again.

So seeing the excitement on Sohalia’s face was relieving, and Sunjata hums a note of agreement on the Feverlands, until the conversation shifts toward King’s End.

“It’s fairly sparse, meadow-like, with a river and rolling hills, but I did create a refuge there for people during the war. Since then, people come and go as they please. Across the way from it, I’m in the process of opening a brothel as well.” A small casual shrug. The brothel itself was open, but in order to make it blessed by Frey there were a few additional steps.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

"It sounds lovely," Sohalia said with a sigh. How Sunjata had created a refuge during the War was a marvel; from what she'd heard about it, the War had been long and terrible, and Sohalia couldn't imagine how welcome such a refuge would have been.

At the mention of a brothel, Sohalia flushed slightly. It was still uncomfortable for her to think of sex and sexuality, but she didn't shy away from the topic. "I suppose a brothel would make sense, what with you interacting with the sexuality side of Frey," she said frankly, ignoring the heat in her cheeks at the prospect. She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Are there many brothels in Caido?" She hadn't seen any, but then, she was also not as well-traveled as her companion.

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

It was lovely – the refuge for anyone and everyone that wanted to refrain from feeling the effects of the war. The only downside being you didn’t know what happened during it until it was over. Which, for Sunjata in particular, had been one of the hardest things. His husband had been among the casualties of the New Gods war, and with it he’d had no idea of the news until the barrier had fallen. He was amongst the rest, ones who had lost their loved ones in the war, and it had nearly broken him. Still nearly breaks him, if he thinks about it too much.

So the distraction he’s given himself in creating that particular brothel was a welcome one – one that kept the shadows at bay just a little bit longer. “Would make sense, wouldn’t it?” He teases her back lightly, keeping that slightly amused smile on his face as he takes in the flush to her cheeks. As for whether there’s a lot of brothels in Caido, Sunjata rolls a shoulder in yet another shrug. “I only know of three by name, including my own.” One in Torchline, Stormbreak, and King’s End. “But I’m on a quest with Frey right now to make mine stand out a little bit more.”

He looks away from her to grant her a little bit of privacy, following a butterfly as it zips through the leaves. “If you’d like to, you could be a big help with it?” He asks gently, no judgement in his voice whether or not she agreed or disagreed.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

As someone new to the world beyond the Hollowed Grounds, she was never sure what to expect. For all she knew, maybe brothels were common in the rest of the world. Sohalia was relieved to find that she was not, in fact, living under a rock, and that there weren't very many brothels in Caido. It didn't really matter, of course - though she was not likely to seek a brothel's services, she held no judgment for those who did, and she found it interesting that this man was in the process of starting his own. It added a layer of mystery to an already mysterious stranger.

When he asked if she'd like to help, the look on Sohalia's face was probably priceless. She could only think of one kind of help she could be in relation to a brothel. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do about her virginity, but she certainly wasn't interested in doing anything about it right now. But then, maybe she was making too many assumptions. Sunjata didn't seem like he was propositioning her, anyway. "What, er - what kind of help do you need?"

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

The look that crosses her face is one that immediately has Sunjata going over the words he’d said, trying to determine where he’d fucked up. But as she partially shies away from his question, he flashes her a soothing smile. “Just an answer to a question. Don’t worry.” It wasn’t anything too outlandish.

He takes a deep breath and begins to explain. “If you had the chance to be intimate wherever you wanted to in Caido, where would you pick?” He asks, choosing the easiest verbiage to make it less awkward for her. He wasn’t one to judge, either, simply needing the locations people wanted to be either most comfortable in or to try for the sake of trying, in order to visit it and take note of anything important or dangerous about said locations.

Easy enough, right? He hopes so.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Whatever Sohalia had been expecting, Sunjata's question was not it. What a strange thing to ask of someone you just met, she thought. But still, it was better than her original assumption, and she felt shamed to have had her mind jump to that, of all things. Her blush deepened.

Aloud, she hummed thoughtfully, embarrassed and intrigued all at once. "I... don't know," she mused. "That is to say, I've never really... thought about it." It was the truth. She'd learned, of course, of how sex worked. She'd just never really thought about it in relation to herself. She tilted her head to the side, her brow creasing as she contemplated a better answer.

"I suppose I'd want to be somewhere private," she said finally, looking anywhere but at Sunjata, her face still aflame. "But, aside from that... I've really only been to the Hollowed Grounds and the Greatwood. I guess, of the two, I'd choose the Greatwood. It was nice."

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

Her blushing cheeks darken in color but she doesn’t ball away, and while he knows it is an awkward question for a complete stranger, it does help Sunjata a bit in trying to gauge just what it was he would need to accommodate for. So he listens, humming a quiet response when she first speaks. “Some people don’t think about it at all.” He offers with a slight shrug. More of a… When it happens it happens type of idea. But then there are some that want it to be absolutely perfect — in the instance of a first time or perhaps something that sounded fun — and Sunjata wasn’t in the business of judging any of it.

Gods knew he’d gotten around in a variety of places. Perhaps that’s why Frey had chosen him, after all — he wasn’t inexperienced. And he wasn’t as reserved as Phoebe was once upon a time.

She answers with the Greatwood and Sunjata nods his scarred head in agreement. “The Greatwood is nice. Any place in particular or just anywhere within it that’s private?” He asks, trying to probe for a bit more information to figure out where he needed to visit in order to follow Frey’s orders in determining the safety of the location for such an endeavor.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Sohalia didn't know if embarrassed was the right word for what she was feeling, exactly; that implied a certain level of shame associated with sex, and that wasn't quite right. She'd never been taught that there was anything wrong with it, exactly, just that there was something special about it that made it better with the right person.

She pondered Sunjata's probing question, swinging her dangling leg gently as she thought. Where were her favorite places in the Greatwood? She thought of the Bodega, which was anything but private; then she considered the Undercroft, but that didn't feel quite right either. Finally, when she'd ruled out all other options, the Observatory came to mind. She hummed, her brows raising in consideration. "Anywhere private, yes, but... I suppose, if it was possible to get privacy, maybe the Obseervatory? Under the stars?"

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

It is a bit probing and personal, but it’s places that Sunjata needs to visit — where he needs a bit more of an answer to determine just what Frey had asked him to do. So he waits, patiently, as she decides, and when the answer comes he hums lightly in agreement. “Oh, that would be really nice.” He agrees, flashing her a soothing smile before he turns his attention back toward the branches, briefly, as the shadow of a bird through the trees blocks them momentarily.

“I appreciate the help.” He adds in case it wasn’t clear; the Flood making a mental note of where he needed to visit, tucking it away for a later date. “I can show you the way to the leap of faith if you’d like?” He asks her, knowing that she’d had a book out that she’d been drawing in, wondering absentmindedly if it were a poor time to ask her that if she’d planned on resting.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

The shadow of a bird flashed through the trees, and Sohalia glanced up, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten. It was hard to remember, for a moment, what she'd come to the Oerwoud for, as wrapped up in her conversation as she'd gotten. But she'd come to explore, to see the sights, to experience all that the beautiful jungle had to offer, and it was to that she would return - as soon as Sunjata was on his way.

Not, of course, that she was hoping that he departed quickly. They'd had an interesting conversation, aside from the bit about intimacy, and even that was intriguing in its own way. She wondered why he needed to know, specifically, and if it would be rude to ask. "You're welcome," she said. "I do hope that it helps with your quest." When he offered to show her the way to the Leap of Faith, she smiled. "Thank you, but I think I'll stay here a while. I'm not in any rush to get there. I'm just enjoying the journey."

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

“It does.” Sunjata offers easily, hoping it might alleviate some of the confusion surrounding it. “We’re attempting to make it so that the rooms can adjust to be whatever anyone wanted it to be. So I have to ask people the same question as you, then visit those places to take… Notes, I suppose.” He sits back a fraction, stretching out his legs to dangle them off the branch as she does, leaning back on his hands to glance back out in the direction of the Leap of Faith and the Mistbanks.

She doesn’t take him up on the offer, which doesn’t bother the Flood any at all, and he inclines his head toward her with that very same soft smile that tugs on the gnarled scar on his cheek. “Well if you make a stop in King’s End in your travels, I can show you around.” Provided she wanted that. It was the least he could offer her for all the help she’s been.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for

it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going

Something in Sohalia loosened a bit at Sunjata's explanation, a sort of tension she hadn't known she'd been holding. It was hard to pin down exactly what it was, except perhaps a hint of suspicion at how her admissions would be used. "That sounds interesting," she said, her voice sincere and, perhaps, a bit intrigued. "I can certainly see the appeal. I wish you luck!" she added with an encouraging smile.

At the mention of King's End, her smile widened, dimples appearing on her cheeks. It was a kind offer, and one she would, in all likelihood, take advantage of. It was always nice to make friends on her travels, and it seemed that she had made a new one today. "I would like that very much," she agreed sweetly. "I'll be sure to let you know when I come that way."

and when it's dark out, no one's around; it keeps glowing

SohaLia

SUNJATA

i was never the sharp knife, but i was never the dull mind
i was somewhere in between, a thorn, an acquiescent

Her well wishes on his luck for finishing this quest are greeted with that very same smile. He hopes it’ll be as simple as that, traversing to the Observatory (provided he could get in) and that the rest of those he asks don’t have to do with something terribly awful or dangerous. He wasn’t about to try and travel to the lava pits just to decide what kind of safety concerns that would include. (It would be a lot, he’s sure).

King’s End, however, is the place he’s essentially remained over the last few years – minus the stint before the war where he’d ruled the Hollowed Grounds in lieu of Isla at the time. Things had been different then, he’d tried to race for relics to push the war in a different favor, had made countless enemies and had his name plastered around in all the worst places.

That and spending a night in the Stormbreak jail wasn’t particularly on his list of fun things to do.

“Send a note and a place to meet and I’ll be there.” He offers her, stretching out again now that the headache is gone and he figures he can get back on track to what he was doing. “Well, I can stop bothering you now, unless you have any other questions you’d like to ask?” He asks, tilting his head.

so you said it was for me, when you tried to break me
well you can save your breath, i know, i'm not the kind you pray for