[SE] fundamentally loathsome

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Danta is not renowned for being much of a thinker. He acts, moves, kills, feasts, and it's worked for him very well so far (in his humble opinion). But since the pretty blood red moon hung swollen in the night sky, he's had things on his mind that are burrowing in there like maggots.

And when he does need to think, on the odd occasions, it's here to Frey's Breath that he comes. Barely able to see through air clogged with heady steam, the Ancient reclines in the water against one of the hot rocks, letting the head permeate deep into his bones. With closed eyes and a deep, steady movement to his chest, one wouldn't be blamed for thinking he's asleep.

Anyone approaching will quickly learn the truth, however.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Eternum moved through the hot, misty air, beads of sweat trailing down his forehead. The steam was at times so thick that he could barely make out the shapes of his surroundings. It was stifling, but he soldiered on, his senses on high alert. That's when he noticed it, a silhouette slumped against a nearby wall. His heart leapt to his throat, every instinct screaming danger. Heat exhaustion was not uncommon in these parts, he'd learned that the hard way.

"Hey!"

He picked up his pace, his boots pounding against the heated ground. As he got closer, he could see the figure was indeed a man, his head lolling forward, seemingly unconscious.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Submerged and reclining as he is in the hot springs, even were Danta paying attention, he might not have noticed the approaching figure through the steam. As it is, cold blue eyes snap open only at the sudden sound of a voice, the Ancient already half rising out of the water to dispatch whatever is causing the disturbance. Turns out, of course, that it's him, though only as the other man gets close enough to make out his face does he realise as much.

"I was doing quite wonderfully until someone began shouting at me," he drawls, though the wry smile curling across his lips suggests he's not nearly so upset as his words might imply. "I didn't realise Frey's Breath had a lifeguard. Have you been working here long?" His smile is wide enough now to show the tips of his fangs, Danta slumping back in the hot water to watch the man above him.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Eternum chuckled awkwardly, the panic subsiding as he realized that the man was not in any immediate danger. He ran a hand through his hair, slightly embarrassed.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to interrupt. Just passing through and saw you, thought... well, never mind."

His voice trailed off, the steam causing his words to almost dissolve in the air.

"I'm from Halo actually. And I've seen some hot springs but this... this is something else. Honestly, I think if I sat in that water, it'd boil me alive."

The last part came out more like a joke, his attempt to ease the awkwardness of the situation. Despite his worry being unnecessary, he was still glad the man was alright.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Thought I'd decided to go to sleep forever in the springs?" Danta guesses with a sly smile, watching the other man for a few moments before he shifts in the water, resting his forearms on the hot stone at the side of the pool. "Oh? Does Halo have a hot spring?" he wonders, never having been to the region (and never planning to, unless it's to visit a certain masseuse) and so knowing nothing about it.

Grinning up at the stranger now, his spaded tail lashing lazily beneath the water, Danta tilts his head. "I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad," he drawls, playfully splashing a little water at him as if to prove there's no boiling to be done. "Just decided to visit the Climb for a good time?"

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Eternum laughed, shaking his head.

"I’m just glad to see you're okay. And no, we don't have hot springs in Halo as far as I know, unfortunately. I've only seen them in my travels to this area."

A relieved smile spread across his face as he saw Danta was okay, his previous worries subsiding. His expression then turned thoughtful;.

"Actually, I came to the Climb to learn more about the eclipse. As an Abandoned, I've never really paid much attention to the gods, but this phenomenon has piqued my curiosity."

He paused, looking at Danta as he contemplated his next words.

"It's strange, isn't it? An eclipse in this time of year. I wonder what caused it..."

His voice trailed off, his mind filled with questions and speculations about the celestial event.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Inhaling a long breath through his nose and huffing it out, Danta considers splashing the other man again for good measure, but it feels like a waste of water (and of flirting, frankly). "All the more reason to travel here often," he says with a lazy shrug, the Ancient letting his head loll against his forearm as he gazes up at the other man.

"Oh, you mean the blood moon?" he drawls, assuming that's what he means by the eclipse. "Dunno - I figured it was Dygra, even though the festival happened in the Hollowed Grounds." He doesn't understand his goddess's motivations there, and he doesn't claim to try - it had been fun either way.

"It's about time someone celebrated her, after all."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Eternum's eyebrows shot up in curiosity at the mention of Dygra.

"Dygra?"

He was trying to place the name among the little he knew of the gods. As an Abandoned, his care for divine matters was rudimentary at best. However, his recent experiences had started to pique his curiosity.

"Could you tell me more?"

Eternum paused, considering his next words carefully.

"In my youth I rarely paid much attention to the gods, but lately... well, it feels like it might be time to start learning."

He gave a small smile, an acknowledgment of his own ignorance, yet also a willingness to broaden his horizons.

"And the blood moon, was that her doing then? Seems like it might have been an impressive show of power, if so."

His gaze remained on Danta, eager for more insight into these fascinating matters.

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Now it's Danta's turn for his eyebrows to shoot up, the Ancient snorting and looking at the Abandoned as if he were stupid. "You're standing in her demesne," he says dryly. "Mother of Ancients, goddess of entropy and chaos, Caido's spiritual opposite...?" His expression twists as if to say ring any bells? but of course if it did, he'd have probably mentioned it before now.

"Can't say if the blood moon was her doing, but it the event was definitely an occasion to celebrate her. And the peak of Longheat, I guess." Shrugging in the water, Danta drifts deeper into the springs again, settling against his rock and regarding the stranger through the steam. "There's a shrine to her here if you want to know her more intimately," he suggests with a fanged smile.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

{OOC, can you add the {SE} tag to the title?}

Eternum blinked, taking in the new information with visible surprise. He felt a bit foolish for not knowing more about the goddess, especially considering what the man before him had just said. But he had always been somewhat detached from the gods and goddesses, focusing more on the practical matters of survival.

"Interesting, very interest."

He tapped his chin as he committed the information to memory. He found himself intrigued by the idea of a deity who represented chaos. Lightning could be chaotic, and he had magic that allowed him to produce sparks. It certainly seemed fitting, considering the chaotic nature of the world they lived in.

He looked at Danta, his expression thoughtful.

"Thank you for sharing that. I think I would like to visit this shrine... if it's not too far. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"She is, and more than that besides," Danta informs the other man, raising his eyebrows as if wondering whether he really is going to just walk into Dygra's shrine and try to have a chat with the goddess. Balls of steel if so, and the Ancient can actually get behind that kind of attitude. Or in front of it, or under it, he's not particularly fussy.

"Not too far," he confirms, hefting himself out of the water enough (naked, obviously) to lean against the hot boulder and point through the steam to a barely visible tunnel in the distance. "Follow that route and you'll come across the Obsidian Cathedral. You can tell you've reached it, because you'll be in a cathedral. Made of obsidian." Hence the name.

"Leave a blood offering, if you really want to get Dygra's attention."

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Eternum listened to Danta's explanation with a serious expression on his face. As the other man pointed out the location of the shrine, he nodded, committing the path to memory. Despite his uncertainty, he was intrigued by the choice available to him. He was unsurprised to see that

"I see. The Obsidian Cathedral, huh? I think I'd like to visit. Thanks for letting me know where to find it. Although, I don’t know about seeking out her attention. Maybe I’ll just poke around and check it out at a distance."

One thing that’d been drilled into his head since he was a kid was that Abandoned didn’t get much love from gods. He had no intention of meeting one unless he thought it would be beneficial to do so.

“I’m Eternum by the way. Thanks for your help!”

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Mmm, be careful where you decide to poke. Sometimes we can get the attention of the gods without meaning to," Danta says with a sly, fanged smile. Hells, maybe the stranger will walk into the Obsidian Catheral as a whatever he is and out of it as a fellow Ancient. One can dream, eh?

Sinking back into the water to leave the newly introduced Eternum to his devices, he waves a lazy hand in his direction. "Danta," he calls a greeting as he kicks off from one of the rocks to go floating gently away into the springs. "Always a pleasure." One way or another.

~FIN

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!