{se} cinematic circus

Ru

With training completed, Evie does not linger long - too many Warden duties, one of which includes locking lips with Hotaru’s brother she’s sure - but Hotaru does. The cold wind off the bay doesn’t bother her anymore, and while she isn’t exactly friends with the mer yet in the way her students clearly are, Hotaru doesn’t mind trying to rectify that with a little friendly conversation.

Now that their magic has dissipated, the ningos begin to return to for the shoreline, hunting for any goods the trio may have dropped. They will find nothing, but Ru is amused by their single-brain-cell’d determination. Walking towards Hadama in the shallows, the Valkyrie gestures to them. “They’re not as loud as hels, but somehow I suspect they are even less competent.” Bi-colored eyes turn to the King, and though she’s tempted to discuss their training even more, she keeps the topic at bay. “Will you be attending the ball?”

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

Even with aquaportation Hadama was in no hurry to head back to Torchline immediately. It was his first visit to Halo and he was quietly but intensely curious about the local flora and fauna and currents of the Bay. Although he had been hoping to spend some time with Evie he was fully understanding of the needs of leadership and he bid her farewell with a promise that he would return another day to share the promised Halovian picnic with her on the shore.

He was pleased when Hotaru remained. The headmistress was still a stranger to him, but they would likely be working together for quite a while and it was wise to develop a good working relationship with her.

He followed her gesture, noting the birds curiously and swimming slowly into rocky, black sand shallows to get a better look at the fluffy birds and fuzzy chicks that were pecking at the sand. "The hels are competent enough," he admitted. "When they want to cause mischief. What are these called?"

His stoic features went still for a moment and then he shifted, reaching down into the sand to pull up a large piece of amber that had been digging into his tail. He admired the sea-polished 'stone' as he considered Hotaru's question. "Yes. Though I have not finished my outfit yet. I was hoping to find some unusual shells here for it." Unusual as far as Torchline sensibilities were concerned, at least.

Ru

Ru can't help but crack a grin at the comment he makes, because it's unfortunately true. "Perhaps they save all their brain for those moments, and merely turn it off in the interim." Tilting her chin at the fuzzy little chicks on the beach, looking rather bedraggled with the wind coming off the bay, Hotaru neatly holds her hands in front of herself. "They're called ningos. Good for meat, and their feathers have wonderful insulation properties. Useless for...nearly anything else, aside from making a racket when a predator is around." Usually because they themselves were being hunted, but still, she could give them that small point of usefulness.

Admiring the stone he pulls out from seemingly nowhere, Ru ventures closer, until the seafoam is tickling at her shoes. "There's plenty in the bay, it's one of the few places the waves can wash in in Halo. I can help you look?" She doesn't have much magic to help in the way of the hunt itself, but her Attuned shifts would certainly do the trick. Letting her hawk eyes half-shift into existence, pupils slitting and bleeding gold, she glances down the beach both ways before pointing to her right. "From what I can tell there's more in that direction than the other."

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

"Plausible," he agreed solemnly to her suggestion, humor adding a slight crinkle to the corner of his eyes. Listening to her description of the ningos he nodded slowly in understanding. "Three things they are good for. Already preferable to hels." His decree was made with kingly gravity and if he was joking or serious was up to Hotaru's interpretation.

His discovery of the chunk of amber distracted him from the baby birds, whose continued lifespans were in question if they continued to try and eat sand rather than seeds. He considered the rough jewel, already considering how he might polish it. With a few more, ideally...

Slipping a little deeper into the water for comfort's sake he looked to the headmistress as she made her offer and inclined his head gratefully. "Thank you. Time is short, and I have put this off too long. It is well that I do not require much for attire." If the Ball were to be underwater that would be quite a different matter, but finery that could survive the transitions between water and air and back again was limited, and he would make do as he usually did: bedecked in jewelry rather than cloth.

He began to swim in the direction she had indicated, pausing occasionally to pick up curious shells that could be strung together, and the occasional chunk of amber. "Will you be attending as well?"

Ru

She does indeed choose to view it as humorous, if only because his stoicism reminds her keenly of Deimos, and it makes her laugh quietly. "See? You're noticing the benefits of Halo already." Most were put off by the arctic nature of the land, but so much was capable of blossoming and thriving in the cold that many people never cared to see.

"I was a seamstress once, so I completed my dress the moment I heard there was a ball," she confesses, aware that it contrasts his own moment of truth. Her lips quirk slightly, aware that she is revealing her predilection for such events. "But you are a ruler, it makes it much more difficult to get such things done." She can remember such days, both in Caido and beyond, and cannot fault him for his delays.

Using her air magic to whisk a few shells that are too far from the water towards him, hovering so he may peruse them and choose which to take if any, the Valkyrie keeps pace with the Tidebreaker as he swims. "Yes, I'm quite excited for it. Social events are the highlight of my season. Halo is not normally the sort of city to partake in revelry." Thus the need to go afield for it.

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

"Mm." His agreement was not exactly enthusiastic but instead was thoughtful as he paused to debate a spiraling shell. Finding a crack in one side he placed it back in the water to fall to the sandy sea floor below. He had a great deal left to explore, even if only within the Bay, but the amber and shells were already proving of interest, and the ningos had certainly been cute little things.

He listened with interest, learning more about the headmistress with every word. He tilted his head when she gave him an excuse, considering her words before shaking his head. "No. I could have found time sooner. But such things are..." He paused, seeking the right words before lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug as he looked over the shells that conveniently appeared in front of him. "I prefer a small, quiet court," he admitted at length. "And my people can be difficult to accommodate." The food would likely be out of their reach, requiring them to ask for help - a blow to the pride of some Merfolk. And the less said about the dance floor the better.

Choosing two of the shells to add to his growing collection, he suddenly dove down and resurfaced with a chunk of smoky green sea glass that would make a good centerpiece between the shells and amber. He gave the Valkyrie his attention once more, and something perilously close to amusement flickered in his eyes. "Torchline might be more to your liking," he suggested, his tone suspiciously innocent. "It is rare for the revelry to stop in Haulani."

Ru

It is a fair reason to have procrastinated, and Hotaru makes a soft sound of understanding. "While I can't say I understand, I do know how hard it can be to encounter inaccessible areas that cannot be overcome. Stormbreak still has not dismantled their anti-Abandoned defenses for example." Something she intends to talk to Deimos about given her current mission and motivations to force the world to accept their Abandoned brethren once more. "But I am not so uncreative as to decree dancing cannot be done under the water," she offers slyly, smiling. "Perhaps you merely need to hold a ball of your own?" That would draw more attention to the plight of the Mer, and put the shoe on the other foot so to speak.

The overt innocence is suspicious, but not enough for her to dwell on given their infrequent encounters. "I loved Torchline when I lived there. Halo is as close to my home land as Caido could offer, but Torchline's life fit my own more closely, I won't deny that. It is why I still visit so often." Her heart would always yearn to find its place, but she has given up believing that meant a region or kingdom anymore. It was something deeper and more meaningful that she had far less hope of finding.

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

"Stormbreak is... difficult," he agreed thoughtfully. "For Mer as well. Though that is not by choice, at least." Unlike the Abandoned, who had been deliberately excluded from the now-floating city. Though the end result was the same, ignorance and negligence were easier for the mermanta to bear than active prejudice.

Her suggestion was met with a bemused nod of acknowledgment as he considered the logistics of such a Ball. "I will consider it," he agreed. The idea had a great deal of merit, in fact, if the water breathing aspect could be overcome without too much slaughter of the local cloud manta population.

He spied another piece of amber in the shallows and swam close to retrieve it while he listened to Hotaru speak of her time in Torchline. He remained there instead of continuing on and used his magic to draw a small globe of water up. He dumped fine black sand into the slowly spinning sphere and then deposited his chunks of raw amber. The rotating current kept them from sinking through the bottom as he focused his mind and magic more tightly, causing the orb to spin swiftly  while the stones within tumbled against each other and the sand, slowly becoming polished by the friction of their impacts.

"You strongly resemble a young woman I know there... Flora Kaliesin. A relation?" he asked curiously as he worked.

Ru

“The floating nature of the city certainly makes things difficult,” she chuckles. While not afraid of heights, she wonders how many had left the city for that exact reason. Bit of a problematic resolution to the outbreak of war in her opinion. “If you need any incentive, I would be happy to help you plan - or be your first attendee.” Maybe, like some reverse Ariel, her love life would have better odds below the sea.

Watching him work, she tilts her head at the unexpectedly astute observation, and her smile is amused as she considers the question. “It’s the hair, isn’t it? But yes, she’s my daughter. It’s difficult to live so far apart, but if you’ve met her you must know how independent she is.” Just like her mother. Not the type to want to be crowded by a parent, and certainly not one who is so similarly minded. They’d run out of people to bed that the other had not within a season.

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

"Thank you," he rumbled, inclining his head in gratitude for her offer. "I have a busy LongHeat ahead. But afterwards, perhaps." There were new regional improvements to plan, a co-leader to elect, and perhaps a guild to get off the ground... But at least he couldn't complain that ruling Torchline was boring!

His magical tumbler was making quick work of the polishing as the orange and yellow amber flashed through the water, their colors gleaming brighter as the rough outer surfaces were burnished smooth and shiny. They would match well with the colorful drapes that Flora had helped him choose for the Ball, and speaking of Flora...

"The hair, yes. And the nose," he added, eyes twinkling with amusement. "She is a bright star in Torchline. And a friend. You have much to be proud of." And much to mourn, in the loss of Flora's twin, but he held back his condolences unless Hotaru indicated she was ready for them.

Extending his hands, he let the polished amber stones drop into them and examined them with satisfaction. They were not the shells he had come seeking for his outfit... but they would do even better.

Ru

"If you need any assistance with anything do let me know," she offers easily, aware of just how heavy the crown could weigh and how busy a ruler's life could be. Torchline is as familiar to her as Halo, and she would never turn down a chance to go back.

Her smile softens into something more private and tender at such lofty compliments of her daughter. "I am, more than you can believe. I'm glad she has a good friend in you. I daresay we can even call you a family friend?" Laughing softly to try and distract herself from the hurt that gnaws at her ribs, daring her to ask if he'd been Enzo's friend as well, if her son had been nearly as bright as his twin, if -

Shaking her head, she refocuses on the amber with a nearly unblinking gaze. "It turned out beautifully. Hopefully I will see you again at the ball, I'd love to see how you incorporate them." Depending on how many people showed there would be plenty of time to stop and chat with him amidst her dancing with Talyson.

your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don’t have a choice but I’d still choose you

Hadama tilted his head agreeably at Hotaru's offer. It was generous, and her own magics would likely be a helpful addition to any preparations. It was a consideration for the future, however. For now, the Flowerbirth Ball was foremost in his thoughts as he gathered the adornments to complete his outfit.

The family resemblance between mother and daughter was certainly striking - in attitude and confidence even more than appearance. The ghost of a smile crinkled the corners of his eyes as he nodded again in acknowledgment. "I would like that," he assured the Valkyrie. Though he hadn't known Enzo, the young man's loss had been felt keenly in the shadows it had cast over Flora.

"Indeed. And I look forward to your outfit as well." He was always interested in landwalker fashions and how different they were to handle the dry weight of the air. And now that he knew another friend would be present at the Ball the event began to take on a brighter lustre. All that was needed was to pin the amber to the sea silk and shell jewelry and--

"I will see you there." His promise came with a bow that turned into a dive into the shallow waters and in a blink the King was gone.

~Fin~