[SE] Memories of Fire

"I was a jeweler before I was a King," he revealed, a faint glimmer of amusement in his emerald eyes. Cold forging had been the most common way of bending metal underwater, but magic allowed for a great deal more in the way of options and techniques, and his mother had mastered water and air, heat and storm, in a way that Hadama was still striving to reach.

He stepped back to give Sohalia more room to maneuver and listened with a thoughtful nod of his head at the places she mentioned - strange to him, both. "I have been to neither." Not unusual for a merfolk, though the end of the War had opened up more of the Grounds to the people of the water. "What is Stormbreak like?" One place that he would likely never get the chance to visit, given the limitations on his transformation.

Sohalia

It took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did, Soh's next swing faltered and faded as she turned to stare at Hadama. "You're... the King?" she asked, awe coloring her voice as she looked at the mermanta in a different light. Here she was, chattering away like an idiot, to an actual king? Should she have been acting differently? More deferential, maybe?

But Hadama seemed unfazed by her general state of being, and so she turned back to continue chipping carefully away at the wall, giving herself a moment to gather her thoughts. When he asked about Stormbreak, it was easier to answer, though there was perhaps a hint of deference that hadn't
been there before. "It is different from anywhere else I've been," she told him. "The city is massive, and there's not as much nature as there is other places, like in the Greatwood. But it's always lively, and there is always something to do. I like the hustle and bustle, and there are always new people to meet. Then there's the Celestine, and the Collegium..." she trailed off, thinking of her home with a smile. "I could probably talk about it all day," she admitted.

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

He inclined his head regally in confirmation, but there was a definite glint of mischief in his eyes as he realized that Sohalia hadn't known that little tidbit of information. Luckily she took the knowledge in stride and saved them both the embarrassment of needing to assure her that no special reverence was needed.

In the end, he was simply the merman who handled the paperwork for running his kingdom and his region at least until Harper was voted in at a later point in the timeline.

He was content to listen, and to consider the ruby seam with a contemplative eye. As Soh spoke and chipped away, a trickle of water appeared above the seam and began to seep down into it while the Tidebreaker's eyes took on the color of sapphires. "The Celestine..." he mused, his voice a thoughtful rumble. "Do you know the Caretaker, Lena?" A friend of his, and one he hadn't seen in far too long.

Sohalia

Sohalia would have been pleased to know that Hadama would have been embarrassed had she drawn attention to his title; as it was, she just inwardly began to panic about how to address him now that she knew who he was. Fortunately, Hadama continued to talk to her as though they were friends (acquaintances?) rather than in vastly different social circles, and Sohalia began to relax as the conversation moved on.

"I do! Lena is a good friend," she told Hadama with a smile. "We had lunch not too long ago. It was nice to see her outside of the Celestine. I worry that she works too hard and takes too little time for herself."

She paused in her work to peer curiously at the seam of rubies. She'd managed to open the crack surrounding the seam enough that she thought they might could try to pry the stone free. Water began to trickle down from above, causing Soh to tilt her head to one side in confusion.

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

"Agreed," the tall man murmured, eyes glinting with the self-awareness of his own tendency to overwork himself. There was a reason he and Lena got on well, and their similar work ethics certainly played a part in that. "I am glad she is well." And that she had a friend in such an effervescent and enterprising young woman.

Sometimes his magic was blatant and showy, but in truth Hadama preferred the uses that were smaller and more subtle. The deft touch over the brute strength. As Sohalia paused the Tidebreaker's eyes crinkled at the edges, though the smile was so faint it would be easy to miss. "Watch," he rumbled, letting the slow seep of water sink into the small cracks and microfractures their pounding against the wall had caused. Once it had filled those tiny spaces he flexed his magic once more and the small amount of water underwent a flash-freeze, suddenly expanding--

And cracking several pieces of ruby, including the largest piece that Soh had been working on, free from the wall to tumble to the ground at her feet.

Sohalia

Watch.

And watch Soh did as the trickle of water sank into the cracks around the rubies, filling in the fissures and fractures as easy as, well, water. She couldn't help a soft oooh of admiration as the water flexed, suddenly freezing and expanding in the wall, and a gleeful laugh as the rubies fell free. "Oh, but how marvelous!" she cried, clapping her hands together, admiring the way the rubies glinted in the faint light of the caves.

Soh had always been fascinated by magic, and Hadama's use of water was no exception. She found herself wondering if water came with the territory of being a Mer, or if it was something unique to Hadama. In any case, Soh gestured to the rubies with a grin. "I think these are yours," she offered. "You did most of the work."

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

Though he kept a stoic face, Hadama was not entirely immune to Sohalia's admiration. The merman inclined his head in acknowledgment of her praise, a quiet pride adding a softness to his serene features. He would have been happy to answer her questions had she asked them, but her offer was met with a thoughtful look from the tall King before he knelt a little unsteadily and took his time selecting two of the smallest stones for himself.

Straightening with a look of concentration for managing two separate limbs with knee joints as part of the process, he tucked the pieces into one of his pouches. The largest of the rubies remained on the ground - more than enough to make earrings and a pendant from. "It would not have mattered without your guidance," he rumbled, giving the human a careful half-bow. "The rest are yours. With my thanks."

Sohalia

Though Hadama was quiet and stoic, Soh found herself at ease in the merman's presence. He didn't have the air of royalty that she would have expected from the King of the Merfolk, for all that he held himself regally. She supposed that she wouldn't have expected him to be so... normal. But here they were, carrying on a perfectly normal conversation on a perfectly normal outing, and after they'd basically only just met, too!

So, too, was he kind. While Soh would not have expected him to offer her the largest of the rubies, he did so seemingly without concern. "Are you sure?" she asked, her grey eyes troubled. "It's too much. I couldn't possibly take the rest!"

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

Perhaps it was because he had not been born royal but had only come to the throne recently in his life that he lacked a properly haughty bearing. Perhaps others of his people had commented on it - and with far less approval than Sohalia did now. But regardless, he was enjoying his meeting with the kindly young lady and he was pleased that they had found enough for each of their purposes.

"Indeed," he confirmed to her question of his certainty, inclining his head on a gracious nod. "But I do not need more than this. And you will put them to good use." Her heart was kind, and in order to forestall further protests he offered a second bow and turned away. "Thank you, Sohalia. I hope we will meet again soon."

His steps were unhurried and a little steadier than they had been when he'd begun this outing. He walked back the way they'd come, his trident lighting his way, and stopped only once at a spill of broken stone upon the tunnel floor. It would seem that someone else had been mining recently, and the mermanta bent to retrieve a few large nodules of obsidian with satisfaction before making his way back to the Roar.

Putting himself into the bloody water in order to Aquaport back out was the hardest part of the whole night.

~Fin~