[SE] if god's the game that you're playing

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

The Tanglefoot was known for its sentient vines, and when Sohalia had heard that, she'd determined that she simply had to see it for herself.

It was Flowerbirth, the young woman's favorite time of year, when all the plants emerged from their winter slumber to blossom, even more beautiful than they'd been the year before. The day was bright and sunny, though one could hardly tell it from within the jungle. Rays of light speckled the forest floor from where the sun shone through the canopy of leaves overhead, illuminating small swathes of vines and other plant and animal life.

Sohalia wandered carefully across the jungle floor, giggling as the vines did indeed move beneath her feet. They lifted her into the air, higher and higher, enough that she could take a seat on some of the low-hanging branches of the trees around her. With one last laugh, she settled amongst the boughs, her legs dangling from the tree as she leaned against the giant's trunk.

In truth, she had two reasons for coming here today. The first was to see the vines, but the second... well, that was a different matter entirely. Digging in her bag, she found what she was looking for: a jeweled pin, bright and shiny, in the shape of a lovely spring flower. She intended to leave it somewhere for Ghilio, the Flowerbirth seasonal deity. But where would be best to leave it?

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Melita had never been a quiet soul. So rampaging her way through the jungle wake, staff in hand to brush aside the branches, vines, and brambles threatening to surround her, was loud enough to signify her presence. So was her conversation between her companions, as Fangorn bobbed around by her feet, and Sila flitted around, leathery wings not quite unfurled gracefully in the midst of so much greenery. “Think it’ll be enough?”

Just what it was didn’t come to pass; though the vampire gourd grumbled lowly, vines snaking around. “True,” she pitched again, shrugging her shoulders, escorting another vine out of her way.

Glancing upward, at the shrine and not towards someone lingering in the upper boughs, she paused, contemplating. “Well, here we are,” she uttered instead, and began to reach into the bag over her shoulder. The bronze dragon was a bit more observant though, long snout reaching upwards, snagging at another unknown scent.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

The sound of someone pushing their way through the jungle interrupted Sohalia's thoughts, and she looked down from her vantage point with some interest as a red-haired young woman emerged from the trees, accompanied by a duo of interesting creatures. The first, at least, was something Soh was familiar with: a dragon. The second, though... what exactly was that?

She could hear the stranger speaking, though she couldn't quite make out the words. Not wishing to be rude, she called out a cheerful, "Hello!" from the bough of the tree she sat on. She wiggled her fingers in greeting towards the curious dragon, whose snout waved in the air, clearly intent on Soh's scent.

Gently placing her offering back into her bag, Soh climbed down from her tree limb and back onto the vines, retracing her steps until she made it to the jungle floor. "I'm Sohalia!" she said, holding out a hand with a friendly smile. "I hope I'm not intruding. I was just exploring the jungle."

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Had Melita been paying attention, she might have noticed the way Sila sensed another nearby, or the eerie pulsing of Fangorn’s vines, stretching outward. Instead, she began digging around in her bag for the offering, and when the greeting came from above, she hastened her eyes up, up, up, rapidly – unaccustomed to being forced to taste something like her own medicine, for the Honeybee was a frequent climber.

Instead of anything friendly or welcoming at first, her hands dug into her staff, and she uttered a “Fuck,” something menacing and hissing, a threat in the way she handled her weapon. Sila scurried behind Melita’s curtain of hair, and the vampire gourd grumbled lowly, watching, waiting.

And then they were only treated to the stranger hurtling her way to the forest floor, and Melita wasn’t quite sure what to do. Keeping her hold on her staff, her eyes narrowed, suspicious, as if she’d never done the exact same thing as the woman before her. “Melita,” she offered eventually, glancing at the youth and wondering why the tension flickered through her own shoulders. Bewilderment, perhaps, given how long it’d been since she’d had to be on guard for anything. “No, you just surprised me,” came on a grumble, before eventually relenting on a single handshake.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

As Soh descended from the branches, she heard the stranger curse in surprise and realized that perhaps she should have been more careful. She'd clearly learned nothing from her brush with death at the Mistbanks, where only timely intervention by Deimos had protected her from being too friendly with a Ceffyl Dŵr. But there was no one around now but the other young woman, and should she choose to attack Soh, there would be very little the Attuned could do to stop her.

Still, that didn't stop the young woman from trying a friendly greeting, hoping to dispel the tension that she'd unintentionally created. It seemed to work, and the stranger offered a name and took Soh's proffered hand. "It's nice to meet you, Melita!" Soh said brightly. "I'm sorry to have startled you. I was just exploring, and wanted to see the sentient vines. Oh, and leave an offering for Ghilio!" she added, belatedly remembering her other task.

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Normally Melita would’ve been the bright, effervescent, streamlined bout of chaos, but caught off-guard, she wasn’t certain what to feel other than caution. The other woman clearly didn’t represent any threats, but the notions still ran crisp through her veins, and she took more than a couple breaths to dissuade the intentions of white knuckles over staffs.

“Oh,” she uttered stupidly, uncertain of what else to say, and conceded by wrinkling her nose. Fangorn brushed his vines against her ankles, maybe as a means to an end or to aid her in some manner of support. “I’m here for the offering too.” Eyes pinpointed on her companions, either by Sila’s tail curling along her shoulders, or the gourd’s overly large and enigmatic, eerie eyes, she sighed again. “This is Fangorn and Sila.” Satisfied with those hasty introductions, she mulishly stared back at the shrine. “What did you bring for Ghilio?”

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

That Sohalia was not a threat was an understatement. Aside from the fact that she hadn't a mean bone in her body, her entire demeanor spoke of a naive youth experiencing the world for the first time. Just now, she clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels, feeling a bit bad for having startled the other young woman and getting the distinct impression that perhaps she was being a bit too much. But at least Melita hadn't run for the hills yet; there was still time to recover from her blunder.

"Hello," she told Melita's companions, consciously trying (and failing) to tone down her bright and bubbly nature. The dragon, at least, she was comfortable with. The vampire gourd, well...not so much. Still, it never hurt to be friendly. At Melita's question, Soh sobered slightly. She was unsure of her gift, having never left an offering for a god before, and she almost wished she could have made her offering in private to avoid any judgment. But Melita was here now, and it seemed that they were bound to make their offering together, so there was no avoiding it. She dug in her back and gently pulled out the jeweled flower. "This," she said, holding it out for Melita to examine. "I wasn't really sure what to bring, so I hope Ghilio likes it."

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Perhaps Melita wouldn’t be so standoffish if she’d been the one springing from trees, but such was the life of chaos and reflection. Striving not to be mulish for no reason other than irritation, she shifted along her bag again, intending to snag her offering. Since Ghilio had craved water while he was contained within the desert (who wouldn’t, honestly, the place was an absolute hellhole), she’d grabbed something similar – but a brighter, prettier canteen.

While she rummaged, Fangorn stared at Sohalia – offering a friendly grumble, rumble, and some vague expression of a wave with his vines, fangs curling over the adornments of his eerie features. Sila persisted in being far too shy, even if they’d been working on her apprehension, so the Honeybee let her rest behind locks for now.

Eventually, she found the vessel at the bottom of her bag, pulling it out, while simultaneously glancing at the woman’s contribution. “Oh. It’s nice.” Its sparkling nature certainly enticed Melita’s eye – who had a penchant for all things rocks, interesting, and intriguing – but she hadn’t known what to snag for the seasonal deity either. “I grabbed a canteen,” she proclaimed, a shrug of her shoulders following. “Last time we had to give him an offering, it was in Hak Etme.” As if that explained it all.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

Soh stifled a small giggle as the gourd offering some semblance of a wave, enchanted in spite of her initial confusion about the creature. She wondered briefly what it ate. Was it carnivorous? Was that why it had fangs? The dragon remained hidden; it was clearly shy, and Soh wished it would come out so that she could show it that she meant no harm.

Having never really left an offering for a seasonal deity before, Soh beamed at Melita when the young woman praised her jeweled pin. She hadn't a clue what use a god would have for such trinkets, but it had been pretty, and it had made her think of spring. "Thank you," she said shyly, tucking it carefully away in her bag. She looked over Melita's offering with interest. "Hak Etme?" she asked, somewhat eager to hear of a new area. "It's a desert, right? What was it like?"

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

Placing the canteen along the pedestal, Melita wasn’t sure if she should dump the entire container of water over the stones and vines, or just…leave it as is. For the moment, she opted to just stare at it, and shrug, as if the vessel would tell her exactly what to do, before the inquiry strummed its way to her mind.

Probably a simple question for most. They’d answer ‘shitty’ or ‘hot’ or ‘unbearable’, but Melita had been born in the midst of a desert, and for some portions, as her feet had hit hot sand, she’d been whisked away to moments in the Dragon’s Throat. She’d half-expected leathery wings to spring overhead, or large cliffs to rise out of the horizon. “Dry, full of landsharks.” Her nose wrinkled for a moment, hesitant to give so many things away. “But if you like the heat, it’s not terrible.” Thinking again, and toying with the canteen back and forth between her palms, she figured she’d include one more disaster, for a sprinkle of fun. “We defeated a bone monster there once.”

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

Sohalia watched the other woman place her canteen on the pedestal and belatedly realized that she should probably do the same. But then, wouldn't it be rude, to crowd Melita while she was making her offering? Perhaps it would be best to wait for her to move away? Soh wrestled for a moment with indecision, clutching her bag to her side indecisively. In the end, manners won out, and she released her grip on her bag to allow it to swing back to her side.

Melita's description of Hak Etme was simple and succinct, and Soh had to stop herself from endlessly pressing the young woman for more details. Her patience was rewarded when Melita mentioned a bone monster. "What is - well, I suppose it is what it sounds like, isn't it?" she asked, laughing at her own silliness. "But however did you defeat one?" She leaned forward slightly, eager to hear whatever story would unfold from the other woman. If nothing else, Soh loved a good story, and that sounded like quite the tale.

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

The youth made some silent gratitude and acknowledgments to the seasonal deity, head bowed, before backing away, and closing up her bag. Sohalia could do what she wanted, for the Honeybee wouldn’t care, head tilting in her own seditious mannerisms to listen to the inquiry.

Ignoring the part where her and Ronin’s friendly fire aspects had definitely caused some serious issues (death), her reply came along an absolutely feral grin. “We blew it up.” Power and might and heralds and dominion had won over, quickly, even with the unfortunate side effects. Whether or not this would alarm the other, she seemed rather innocent, didn’t worry Melita in the least, apt to be blunt and to the point.

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life

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

We blew it up, said Melita matter-of-factly, and Sohalia tilted her head to one side, both confused by the brevity of the other woman's statement and impressed by her abilities all the same. "Oh," she said rather stupidly as she considered this new information. She certainly wouldn't be able to do anything of the sort if she came across a bone monster. Maybe the desert was somewhere she should avoid - at least for now.

She was a little disappointed when no other information was forthcoming. There had to be more to the story. Who was we? Melita and her companions, or were there others there? How had they blown it up? When it blew up, did bones just scatter everywhere? Was that the end of it, or was there more to the battle than a simple explosion? But it seemed that Melita was not going to be giving up that much detail. "Have you been other places, aside from Hak Etme? Where's your favorite?"

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

SohaLia

Melita

they should have checked the ashes
of the women they burned alive

The Honeybee didn’t have the attention span or focus to be a great, grand orator or storyteller, so Sohalia would unfortunately be left to her own imagination on the roots and segments of a blown up bone monster, and the aftermath surrounding it. Glancing back at the shrine though, ensuring the water still remained there, she eventually gave way to the younger woman’s other questions.

Arching her brow, she refrained (look, more personal growth) from mentioning how badly the Hollowed Grounds fucking sucked, and meandered back to notions of partiality. “Well, I live in Torchline, so that place is my favorite.” Eyes lingered on the canopies surrounding them, nose wrinkling as she catered to other thoughts. “Frey’s Breath is really awesome, because it has a bunch of rainbows and rocks. And the Crimson Cataract, because everything is red and neat…” She paused again, mind working overtime to circumvent each place she’d traveled and traversed. “King’s End is cool too. Like the Boondocks, and Mourn.”

because it takes a single wild ember
to bring a whole wildfire to life