[se] rhythm is nothing

Noah Olson We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight Cordelia was sleeping most of the day away in their hunting lodge, the aches and pain at the end stages of pregnancy nearly too much for her to handle. Her mother threatened and forced her to stay in bed, and gave her some raspberry leaf and chamomile tea to hopefully move things along while also giving the woman some much needed comfort. Noah, on the other hand, was sentenced to the out. He was far too restless and when his mother in law found him pacing the kitchen she sent him away. Go find us something fresh for dinner. She commanded, and Noah did head out, though it was with a dipped, reluctant head. Gathering up his bow and his quiver of arrows nonetheless, the hunter and his griffin moved out. Noah had Vidore stay near the lodge where he could graze, but also so that his healing touch was only a blink away should they need it. Eira went to the skies and Noah followed. A few hours passed and there were no signs of Luxere on the crisp spring day. Surely, like Cordelia, they were napping too. So, Noah followed the path towards the few traps he had set in the last month to see what he had managed to snare.

Encountering Alys on the Tundra had effectively taken Hotaru's hunting day from her, and so it is that she goes further afield today. It has been a few years now since she lost most everything - her companion, her lovers, her land, her child - and yet the solitude of her own feet across the crackling grass never stops feeling out of place. Things are easier now. Not brighter, but perhaps more predictable. More certain. Her hunting days are merely proof of the rigid schedule she now keeps. And so of course it must be that as she ruminates on this, she finds her schedule disrupted for the second time this week in the exact same way. Company in the Greenwing is less unexpected given the more plentiful game, but recognizing the distant figure is more so. The only reason she even manages it is by idly shifting her eyes, hawk pupils slitting and dilating until Noah's familiar figure is close at hand despite the distance between them. She hesitates for a moment. Cordelia's pregnancy has been too hard for her to take to visit the man very often, and she can't say she enjoys the woman very much on a personal level either. Last season she had dropped off all of the twins' old clothing to their doorstep without sticking around to chat. Aware it would be too painful. Because of it, the temptation to turn around is high, but she thinks of the way Noah had carefully written 'all my love' on his letter and feels momentarily ashamed for her weakness. She has not been as supportive of a friend as she should be. As she could be. So Ru tightens her grip on her holstered bow and changes direction to intercept the demigod, a small but sincere smile lighting her face as they become close enough to converse. "How far along are you in your checks?" she calls out, hoping there is still time to join him. the valkyrie

Noah Olson We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight Noah was crouched down in the underbrush, resetting a trap meant for hare or other small game when Eira lit into his mind with their mental bond. The hair on the back of his neck prickled only for a moment before the griffon’s eyes gave him the flash of the Valkyrie. Letting go of the breath he had been momentarily holding, the hunter stood.”Hotaru,” He smiled up at the woman and stood, wiping his hands off on the sides of his jacket before reaching out to hug her. He didn’t hesitate in his movements, and would only be stopped from his display of affection and greeting if Hotaru completely moved away and out of his reach. ”I’ve really just started. This first one didn’t have anything in it.” He said, shrugging some as he stepped back from her. He adjusted the strap of his quiver some before gesturing for her to follow him. Unspoken from his mouth, but clear in his body language and the brightness of his glacier eyes, was the evidence that he truly desired her company. While it hadn’t been expected, it was welcomed. He hadn’t seen as much of her as he would have liked in the last year, even after briefly training under her in the Academy. The truth was, Noah hadn’t been the good friend. He was too focused in on his little world to help her heal. He was so, so selfish and he didn’t even realize it.

He needn't have wiped his hands, because the moment his arms open Hotaru is falling into them like a body into a grave, careless of any dirt or debris. Though she is only given a moment with their arms around each other, she takes what she can before it is gone - refamiliarizing herself with the natural scent he carries, the strength in his grip, the faint sound of his heart beneath her cheek. More than the touch starvation these days she has found it difficult to remind herself that her loved ones are alive and well when they are out of sight. She knows it is because Enzo died in an entirely different land while she was completely unaware, but logic has had little hold on her lately. "It's good to see you," she murmurs into his chest before they part, and hopes the ache for company is not too utterly apparent on her face, clearly relieved to have been invited along. These days her impeccable poker face has been rather lacking as well. "I'm sure the luck will pick up," she reassures as she falls into step beside him, used to adjusting her gait for taller men such as him and Deimos. And, though it hurts her to ask, she forces herself to do it - "How is Cordelia? Still waiting?" All too aware that the woman is either at or beyond her due date at this point. the valkyrie

Noah Olson We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight ”I think she’s going to start murdering things soon.” He chuckled, shaking his head some. ”She’s overdue, now.” And the steps that her and her mother had taken alongside the advice from Phoebe to try and get things moving was keeping them all busy. Happy to have her at his side, Noah felt the warmth of it spread through him. Above them, Eira chirped and the Sentinel altered his course accordingly. ”The Academy keeping you busy, then?” He asked, lifting a brow slightly. He wondered if she even had any time for her spa these days. Thankfully, though his first snare was empty, his second was not. While it had been set for a hare, Noah couldn’t say he was disappointed to find a ningo caught in the thin strand of cord. It was plump and exceptionally feisty. He knelt down and hooked the bird up by the legs. With a swift motion he used his other hand to grasp around its neck and swiftly and humanely bring its life to its end. Untying it from the snare he transferred it to his belt, and stood up to go with Hotaru to the next trap.

A wry grin answers that familiar expression. “I can understand that. Twins are always especially difficult to carry.” Adding in a lengthened pregnancy was just torture at that point. “I’m sure you have it covered, but if there’s anything I can supply, you know you can call on me.” She would do it for him and him alone, but the help itself would at least be present. She watches as he neatly and humanely kills the first animal in his trap, mulling over her answer. “It takes up most all of my days, but I don’t mind. All the students are flourishing, I couldn’t be prouder.” Of them and of herself for proving an able and willing guide for their powers. “It does leave me little time for seeing people who are not my students admittedly,” she huffs with an apologetic smile. It leaves her lonely most days, only Deimos and Talyson seeking her out regularly, but Ru hasn’t made any attempts to change that. Though things are brighter now, she has been devoting herself wholly to her cause, this new mission she has taken up. It takes precedence over her former years of debauchery and mischief. “But tell me about Vi’s mission for you in the Grounds. I’d like to hear what you’ve been up to.” Allowing him a stage to speak as she walks alongside him, attentive and intrigued as the terrain falls away beneath their feet and the hours whittle away. the valkyrie

Noah Olson We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight With the first ningo tucked safely on his belt, Noah moved easily at the Valkyrie's side towards his other snares. Eira, however, was quicker than they were. While he was dealing with the first catch, the griffin had taken the time to scout the others. Like the first, they were all empty. Companion transferred the message to her bondmate, and headed towards the pair. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay on longer as a student, but I'd be willing to come in and help as time allows." While it was unfortunate, it was not a moot day. The Sentinel had one ningo, and as Eira circled above them and trilled her arrival, she dropped another that she had taken on her own in front of Hotaru. She didn't stay long, but gave a caw of departure and took back to the skies. "She likes you." Noah assured Hotaru, jutting his chin towards the fluffy white bird. "The gods aren't always entirely specific." He said, his face showing amusement while his tone insisted there was frustration below the surface. With the looming threat of their world being taken over on the horizon for everyone to see, the mission had been clear. Peace was an entirely different entity, and it was even harder to navigate. It was easy to fight your enemies. It was harder not to create any. "Mostly he just said that the Grounds really needs support. It is not thriving after the war like we are, or even fairing well enough like Torchline. Stormbreak has enough tradition to keep itself afloat"--literally--"without much direction. The Grounds were so harmed by the Voice, though. And with the ascended, well, their population is low as well."

She gracefully waves away his apology, just as she'd done with his letter. "It allowed for another student to find her place, and you are always welcome to train whenever you desire even if you don't hold the official student title. But I would be happy to bring you in to help with more complex sparring." Utilize his powers in tandem with her own to put her students in more difficult scenarios to help their magic grow. Startled by a carcass dropping out of the sky, Hotaru catches it by the edges of her fingertips and a bit of magic to buoy it above the ground. Looking up at Eira, she smiles, heart fond. "Thank you, Eira," she calls heavenward, a pleased pink touching the skin of her ears as Noah confirms her favoritism. "I have always liked her too. She has grown so much from when you first found her." An understanding hum precedes the softening of her expression, sympathetic to his plight. "Not to mention many fled the second the barrier fell after years of containment." Nothing had a greater desire for freedom than caged things. "If you would hear a suggestion, perhaps restoring the quality of the land itself would help. Crops and cattle still struggle to grow there after years of the soil suffering in the barrier, and the Ascended had no need for food to focus on fixing it. People will not stay where they will starve." Then again, that would require a quest from a god, and the Grounds would need a leader for that. "Do you have any thoughts on prospective leaders there?" She awaits his insight, already constructing plans to help in any way she could. the valkyrie

Noah Olson We all want something to hold in the night We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight Noah was glad that Hotaru was willing to keep open arms for him regarding the Academy. Having people around to help him with his magic was a good thing, and he "I asked Vi what he thought about Darkeye, because from what I could see he was the only one trying to do anything for the grounders...but he wasn't so confident." Which, in all honesty, Noah supported. He wasn't sure he could trust Darkeye to be an ally, while at the same time he wasn't an enemy, and certainly it would take a great deal of work for the Sentinel to trust the cleric. "I think that's a really good idea." Noah said, turning back towards the lodge. "If the land itself flourishes, then the people can flourish. Do you think there is a god that the grounders might have more propensity towards?" His natural inclination, of course, was to ask and bring Vi to the land. Would the grounders welcome that, though? He wondered if Frey might be an option, though with the history between the grounds and Sunjata he wasn't sure if that would work.

Hotaru almost counts herself lucky that she hasn't encountered this individual given the accounts she has heard from Deimos and now Noah. "Hm...that's another primary problem then, getting people interested enough." Perhaps Vi would permit Noah to make advancements without being the region's leader? As they turn back towards the lodge, Hotaru's mind goes along a similar pathway, recalling Sunjata's tenure as ruler of the Grounds. "With how prevalent the seasonal deities are becoming, and how little their names were bandied around before the war, you might have the most success proposing working with Ghilio or Mathair." Not that Frey wasn't an option, but it was a more neutral start. "Otherwise, most nutrients are dead and decaying things in the soil. Perhaps Ludo could help?" The herald didn't have much hold in any place but the Greatwood. Hotaru continues to expand on the idea as they walk, taking comfort in his presence and the chance to catch up that they've been given. - Fin! the valkyrie