nobody can hear you

Soh was unaware of Sunjata's considerations; she had no idea just how many shifts he had, having only seen the macaw before - along with whatever he had partially shifted to downstairs. She simply waited patiently until he was ready to go, then followed him to the windowsill and launched herself into the air. She always forgot how much she enjoyed flying until she took off again, feeling the wind in her feathers and the way her wings stretched through the air. For a moment, she was content to tilt up a little, feel the sun on her round face. Then she was on Sunjata's feels, following him up through the blue sky.

A better view of the valley was exactly what Soh was hoping for and, not for the first time, she lamented the fact that she couldn't fly and draw at the same time. Still, if she could commit the broad strokes of the valley to memory, it would make filling in her map easier later.

But flying in silence was boring and rude, so Soh peered at Sunjata through golden eyes as they climbed higher in the sky. How is your quest coming along? she asked. She remembered that their first meeting had been interesting, if awkward for her, but that he'd made even a strange topic easy to discuss with a stranger. Indeed, he hadn't felt very strange to Soh at all, even for a girl that made friends far too easily.

Sohalia

there's more to living than being alive

you promised me sunshine, why's it gloomy? we'll wait 'til the night to catch the moonbeam

He takes her on a swooping view of the valley and the flowers from the distance when her question fills his mind, the attuned bond offering some amount of surprise down it back toward her – as if surprised that she cared enough about it to ask. Perhaps he’s simply too used to people brushing him off, too used to it being for reasons that he had been under the assumption of the things he’d done before the war. He was still an unfavored man with enemies sprinkled throughout, even if he is a demigod.

A bit stagnant. Need one more person to tell me and I have one more place to visit. He admits, having become somewhat unaware of it given all of the other things that had happened – reunions with the twin of his deceased husband, with his niece he’d never known quite how to talk to, exhaustion over trying to navigate this new post war world.

So rather than let that uncertainty and discomfort cross over the bond between them, the macaw stuffs it down. Have you decided to pledge to any of the gods? A question for her as they bank to the left toward the Last Step looming off in the distance.

SUNJATA

As she admired the view of the valley, happily allowing her awe to travel through the Attuned bond, she felt a flare of surprise from Sunjata and glanced at him with piercing golden eyes. She wasn't exactly sure what had prompted that reaction - whether he'd expected her to forget, or just not care enough to ask - but whatever the reason, Soh did care. Sunjata was a friend, and therefore what was important to him was important to her. Hmm, she hummed thoughtfully. I can ask some of my friends if they would be willing to speak with you, she offered. It was, after all, the least she could do.

The valley below was beautiful, full of flowers and life, and Soh took a moment to commit some of the landmarks she could see to memory. I haven't, she said in response to Sunjata's query. I'm rather drawn to Frey's nature aspect, but I feel like I need to have something to offer before I approach them, or any of the others. And she was just a simple young woman, her only true skill lying in her cartography and artwork. Would a drawing be enough to offer to a god? She didn't think so. And what could she do, other than that? Besides, she still had a lot to learn about the gods.

Sohalia

there's more to living than being alive

you promised me sunshine, why's it gloomy? we'll wait 'til the night to catch the moonbeam

The offer that she could ask some friends to speak to him is a kind one, generous in that it would help immensely in this quest where he feels like he’s hit a roadblock. But he’s hit one because of everything that had happened before the war, the opinions everyone had of him. He was Safrin’s Betrayer, after all. A leader of Torchline that had fallen and given up.

The macaw continues to swoop along the gusts of wind as he figures out how to respond. I would appreciate that, Sohalia. He offers her, sending a small line of happiness down the bond toward her. Small, because it’s the only little bit he feels on the subject. I’m not exactly favored amongst the majority of people, so depending on who you ask you might get quite a strong no. I appreciate the attempts in advance, though. He tries to explain, before he lifts higher into the sky as the Last Step comes into view.

As for the gods, however, Sunjata hums a note of understanding. My advice is to get all the information you can before you agree to anything. He’d been trapped with Safrin for years, originally thinking it was what he wanted, but he was wrong. Also, Frey likes peaches and fresh fruit. I haven’t met the nature side but I imagine they’d appreciate the fruit all the same.

SUNJATA

Sohalia, somehow, remained blissfully unaware of Sunjata's reputation and, as such, in her unbiased opinion, he was a rather lovely person. And if she could help, she wanted to. She didn't know many people who would be willing to talk about intimacy with a perfect stranger - or, at least, she didn't think she did - but she could give it a try all the same. Well, people must not know you very well, she said, the dismissal in her mind-voice making it very clear what she thought about those people. You've been perfectly nice to me. We'll ignore the fact that Soh didn't actually know him very well, either.

As for the gods, Sunjata's advice was very welcome. A rush of gratefulness passed through the Attuned bond. Thank you! she said warmly. Peaches and fruit - that, she could do.

The land unfolded beneath them as they soared overhead, and Soh took a moment to appreciate the warmth of the sun against her wings. Sure, it was a little hotter than was comfortable - she was in a shift meant for colder climes, after all - but it was beautiful all the same, and she could enjoy the keen eyesight of her shift to take in detail that would otherwise have been impossible to see. What's your favorite part of King's End?

Sohalia

there's more to living than being alive

you promised me sunshine, why's it gloomy? we'll wait 'til the night to catch the moonbeam

At her rebuttal and dismissal of Sunjata’s words, he can’t help the chimed laughter that drifts down the bond, replacing the wariness that had sat there moments before. I’ve changed a bit. He offers unhelpfully, trying not to darken the topic too much by dumping on her the fact that he was selfish and ruthless in the name of ensuring his husband survived the war, and when he didn’t… Well, there was nothing left but this odd shell of a man who’d lost everything, trying to pick up the pieces and be the perfect demigod he’d agreed to be. It’s simpler to say that he’s changed.

Because he has. And he’s still striving to be better.

He is a smidge grateful as the subject changes, though it doesn’t help that he accidentally sends a momentary, hollow hopeless feeling down the bond as he tries to keep a shield up to prevent it from slipping down, replacing the feeling almost immediately with a soft answer. Barrows. Or the Boondocks. All for varying reasons, but something about the hills and tombs in the Barrows felt comfortable these days. Perhaps the attempts to continue to try and cling to things that weren’t there, like the Villi.

They arrive at the very top of the Last Step, however, and Sunjata perches on the edge of it, peering down the huge amount of space down to the ground below, before looking back over to the steps leading up. It's essentially a staircase to nowhere these days, but it was still a unique enough landmark in King's End to be notable.

SUNJATA

Her answering giggle through the bond was sweet and innocent, completely unaware of the reason for Sunjata's amusement. So he'd changed. Everyone changed. Perhaps those who disliked him had, themselves, become different people - if they met again, perhaps things would be different.

It was a good thought, anyway.

And then there was a momentarily deep sadness that leaves Soh cocking her head to one side, studying Sunjata's winged form through piercing golden eyes. She understood, suddenly, that there were layers to this man who had been so kind to her - a history, perhaps, that had not been so kind to him. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it spoke volumes, and Soh softened a little through the bond. It wasn't pity, exactly, but a certain melancholy that took over when someone she cared about was hurting. Unlike Sunjata, she tried very little to hide her emotions, so it was likely quite obvious when she changed the subject yet again, hoping to avoid eliciting that hopelessness that had seized Sunjata for that moment.

I wish I could take a picture in my mind. It's much more difficult to draw a map from the air, she joked as she perched beside him on the edge of the Last Step, shuffling her wings so that her feathers lay flat and unruffled against her back. Do you mind if I shift for a moment? This is a wonderful view of the land, and if I can just get down a few details...

Sohalia

there's more to living than being alive

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

He can feel the immediate shift in the bond between them and he realizes that he has let some of the internal feelings slip. He gets his emotions back in order, blocking out every little terrible thing that had happened to him to put on a face of pretend when they land on the Last Step. So he listens for her words, humming a soft sound of amusement down the bond that lends to agreeing. It would be very nice. He agrees, refraining from mentioning that the world he was from had things like cameras, the ability to do exactly what she wished she could.

I don’t mind. He offers her easily, shifting back once she’s shifted, a long leg dangling off the edge of the Last Step as he leans against the last little support and scans the area. “You know, I have a dragon and a Pegasus shift if you did want to jot down things you see without having to stop to do it.” He tilts his head back to her, the light this high up making the scars on his face stand out more. The one along his cheek and the one that splits his eyebrow, while also drawing attention to the pale one under the compass tattoo on the left side of his neck that peeks up along his jaw.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

Sohalia

She shifted easily, sitting on the edge of the Last Step with her legs kicking in the open air, digging in the bag at her side for her journal as Sunjata shifted beside her. She flipped open to a new page and fished out a pencil, beginning a rough sketch of the landscape before them, occasionally holding up her pencil to perfect a measurement or analyze the distance between notable markers.

The information about Sunjata's shifts surprised her, and she glanced up at him, looking impressed. "Wouldn't that be uncomfortable for you?" she asked. It seemed fairly intimate, to ask someone to carry her about, and she wasn't sure how comfortable she was with being that close. She studied him for a moment as she waited for a response; the light caressed his cheeks, highlighting the scars and tattoos on his face and neck. Her fingers itched - it was just the kind of scene she would love to put down on paper, if only it wouldn't be awkward to do so. A brief moment of longing spiked through the bond, followed by her sense of shyness, and she turned her attention back to the landscape before her.

"How many shifts do you have?" she asked casually as she sketched, genuinely curious. She only had the one, and she wasn't honestly sure how one went about procuring others. Did it just happen, or did one get to choose their additional shifts?

I've been waiting for your touch to bring me home

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

He’s too busy looking out over the side of the Last Step to see her glance to him, the question instead bring a soft snort to his lips. “No, not usually. I’ve fit quite a few people on my back as a dragon.” He offers, looking back over toward her to feel the brief moment of longing, letting the confusion in him linger but not share across with her, instead watching as she continues her sketch, hoping that it might distract him enough from letting her shyness and longing bring comments off the mark from his lips.

Luckily, it’s an easier question to answer, and he hums as he tilts his head up to think on it, scanning the clouds that pass over them through the sky. “Ten, I think.” He pauses, tilting his head back down to her. “Ten so far. Sometimes they’ve just shown up without me realizing it.” He used to think it was a gift from Safrin – and while it might have been once upon a time, it were those shifts that hadn’t been taken from him when he’d had Safrin burned out of his bones.

“I have the macaw, a panther, a nyala, an orca, a bat, a cobra, a dog, the dragon, and the pegasus.” He lists them all off, making a mental check list that he crosses off with each one as he flashes her an easier smile. “The dragon can breathe lightning and the pegasus can summon water, not unlike the magic Frey gifted me with when I became their demigod. Suppose it’s in the name, though.” He trails off – because he is known throughout Caido. He’s the Flood.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

Sohalia

Well, that seemed to answer that. As Soh continued to sketch, she considered the offer briefly. She would much prefer to fly on her own two wings, but if it would allow her to get a rare aerial view of the valley and sketch it at the same time... "Then I'd appreciate that," she said with a smile, her thoughts turning easily back to her plans for a map of the area. If she could get the overhead distances right, then she could add in the major landmarks, some sketches and notes of flora and fauna...

She'd almost lost herself to thought when she remembered that she had asked a question, and her eyebrows rose as Sunjata listed off ten shifts. "How wonderful it must be to have so many options," she said, and this time it was easy to tell where her longing came from. Perhaps one day she could get at least one other shift herself - maybe something for traveling along the ground rather than through the sky, though that seemed to be getting rather ahead of herself. Oh, or maybe two more! Something for traveling underwater would allow her to see where the Mer lived, after all.

She shifted her attention back to her maps. "Are there many unique animals and plants here?" she wanted to know. "I know you have unicorns, but otherwise...?" She liked to make note of such things in her cartography.

I've been waiting for your touch to bring me home

temporary fleeting thrills, keep me bruised and make me ill
my skin has lavender tones

“No problem.” Sunjata rumbles easily before he’s listing off his amount of shifts, and soon enough that longing pang through the bond makes sense. So he hums along a soft little sound, settling in again as he looks over the edge of the Steps, down and down below. “I’ve had my macaw the longest.” The one most closely tied to his heart, despite the fact it had been a gift from Safrin when she’d attuned him. He supposes some things couldn’t be taken away that easily.

Her next question has him squinting out into the beyond, head tilting as the dangling silver feather earrings in his ears dance around his shoulders. “I know of a few off the top of my head. Blink Hares, Daemons, Mouseshrooms, and Enenra. Mostly want to stay away from the Daemons and Enenra if you stumble across them.” He offers the information, looking back to Sohalia with a soft smile.

“Oh, and the Villi, though I’ve never seen them. I’ve heard about them, though.” A casual shrug offered as he thinks about it.

the flood

tell me i'm a loaded gun, tie me up and come undone
i can cover it up, i can cover it up

totally sniped from odd ilu

Sohalia

Soh continued to sketch out the landscape. She was nearly happy with it now - at least, the bare bones of the sketch - and thought that the rest she could probably fill in from memory. A few drawings of the local flora and fauna here, a few notes about the area there, and she'd have a map worth reproducing and selling.

As Sunjata listed off creatures native to the area, Soh flipped to a new page in her journal and began to jot down names, making a mental note to herself to do some research on them when she was back home. Luckily, she had ready access to the Collegium and plenty of time. Surely she could find some notes and drawings, especially of the creatures that Sunjata warned her to stay away from, instead of having to track them down to study for herself.

"Thank you," she said warmly as she snapped her notebook shut and tucked it back into her bag. "This was a perfect place to stop. I appreciate you showing it to me. I think I'm ready to move on, if you are."

I've been waiting for your touch to bring me home

sleep don't visit, so i choke on sun // and the days blur into one

He’s content to sit there beside her as she takes down the notes of the fauna and flora he’s described, his gaze flickering back toward her as she finishes up the notes and extra details on the page in her notebook, and as she speaks with warmth again, Sunjata’s smile blooms again. “I’m ready whenever you are.” He offers, solely focusing on her schedule. His was open, his availability not hindered by anything at the moment. It was both relieving and a bit frustrating – given that Sunjata doesn’t particularly do well with having nothing to do.

It’s too easy to let his mind wander.

“If you want to step back, I’ll shift and meet you on the edge so that you can climb on.” His accented voice lingers in the air between them as he stands to reach the edge, hopping off of it to get a fair amount of distance between them for his largest shift. And indeed, it is large, the size of a bus. He needs all the space he can to let it out and the small space on the Steps wouldn’t have come close to offering all he needed.

But the dragon appears, wings beating loudly as he pulls himself higher and higher to align his back with the Step so that she can easily climb on. See? Plenty of space. The dragon rumbles to her, pulsing a sense of amusement down the bond.

and the backs of my eyes hum with things i've never done

SUNJATA