At the mercy of the thorns

Moving away from the Hollowed Grounds in the form of a massive basilisk didn’t take as long as it would on his natural legs. While it was still no simple feat, Noah did not think much about it. He was scouting another place to leave his vial to the stars of the night, for Safrin to pour herself into it and prepare it as a part of his magic. The Oerwoud seemed a place that the starlit herald would touch, and so Noah made his way there.

Finding himself at a bridge that certainly would not hold him as a commanding reptile, Noah shrunk down to himself. He stood at the edge and inspected for a long time before stepping into the first plank. The bridge groaned beneath his weight, and his breath hitched in his throat. Was this going to hold him? Remembering his compass in his pocket, and confidence building in that, Noah took another step out, and then another, and another.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

Isla, on the other hand, has been to the Brittlebone Bridge before, and knows it can hold more than just her own weight. (It's also decent for sitting upon and throwing sandwiches from, if that's your thing). Memories also pervade this particular landmark, though, and so it's of no real surprise that she meanders across the planks at a pace best described as a dawdle, a pack slung over her shoulders, her skirts carelessly knotted to keep them above her knees whilst travelling the jungle.

Movement ahead has her glancing up instinctively, surprised to see another person walking in the opposite direction, and she slows her steps automatically to allow him to pass. Having never met the Sentinel face to face (and knowing absolutely nothing for his hatred of her former race), Isla offers a polite smile of greeting as she waits. More fool her.

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

There was little recognition as Noah looked upon the woman. Her sun kissed skin and flowing golden hair, the way her cheeks were plump and warm with life — none of that resembled the Remedy that had fought on the opposite side of the war. Noah cocked his head in a way that was more bear than man, and offered her a lazy wave in return to her smile. ”Didn’t expect anyone else out here.” He said, voice an even tone, soft enough to be respectful of strangers but underlined with the glacial cut of his distrusting homeland.

”Are you traveling?” Noah asked curiously, his cocked head moving up to use his chin to point at her bag and tied up skirt. Noah was traveling, but certainly not in the same way. He didn’t have anything on him save for the compass in his pocket and a knife sheathed in his boot. She looked as if she were intending to be out here for a while, where Noah would poof himself back to civilization when he was ready.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

"It can be a challenge, especially in the heat," Isla agrees of being out in the Oerwoud, not that she looks as though she's struggling at all, because she isn't. Then again, with the obvious signs of an Ancient curving back into her hair in a glitter of topaz horns, it's of little surprise that Longheat doesn't give her any trouble. Shifting her pack on her shoulder, she offers a nod in return to his question.

"I'm on my way to Torchline," she explains. "I got a little turned around going through the Feverlands, so it's taking longer than I expected. Did it look as though the beach was close from the direction you travelled?" she asks hopefully. If not, it could be a little while longer of wandering and pretending not to be lost. Isla doesn't have a map to go by, and even a tiger's senses only go so far.

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

"I came from the Grounds. I think the ocean is the opposite direction." At least, Noah guessed. He hadn't had to travel through any water as he traversed the land in his massive reptilian form. He lifted his hand to point in the direction he indicated. "You honestly may have been closer to it from the way you came."

Noah's eyebrows knit together as he rolled over the rest of her statement. "But if you're going to Torchline, from the Feverlands, it probably would have been faster to travel to King's End and catch a ride on a skyboat." After all, there were near-constant boats sailing now. Especially with the refuge and the rumors of Sunjata's brothel. Supply ships were coming in and out probably every ten days, if not weekly.

Unless she was traveling the long way for a particular reason, but even then Noah didn't take any time to speculate.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

Following his gaze off into the undergrowth, Isla winces as she realises he's probably absolutely right. "Of course that's the case," she says with a self-deprecating laugh, shifting her pack on her shoulder. "Do you mind if I walk with you for a little while, since I'm going back the way I came? Hopefully I can find some landmarks from there."

As for King's End and the skyships, again, he's correct, but Isla's awkward smile hopefully answers the question without needing to extrapolate too much. "I was on my way out of King's End, to be honest. I left in a bit of a hurry." Which is to say that the sooner she got earth under her feet and left tracks in the dust, the better.

"Where are you headed, since you came from the Grounds?"

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

He didn’t rub in what he had pointed out. He didn’t give any more explanation or reasoning, either, as her self-shrinking laugh left her lips and echoed out around them. While his face stayed a glacial neutral, his thoughts whirled and wondered if she really even knew where she was — or where she had come from. Maybe she didn’t know the ships had existed.

”I wasn’t really headed any where in particular. Traveling some just to continue to get the lay of the lands beneath me. Since the war there are so many new things Rae has given us.” Noah gave her a sideways glance. ”I have a quest, and part of it is to leave something out beneath the stars. Scouting for the best place for that.”

AS they walked, Noah looked to her again, the horns glinting and gleaming in the light that filtered between the canopy of trees and the blanket of light mists. ”Did you, uh, wake up in King’s End?” He knew the ancients — at least most of them — to have been in a stasis slumber for decades and decades.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

Falling into step beside the Sentinel, Isla at least knows the immediate ground (well, bridge) beneath her feet as they walk, given that she's just come this way. "Mm, things certainly have changed," she agrees, of all the new places to explore. "And a great deal more water than before," she adds. "I've never met a Mer, but I bet they're thrilled to have so many more places to go."

Tilting her head to hear of his quest, she nods away into the distance. "I passed through a few areas where the trees thin out to a sort of meadow. One of those might suit," she suggests, though of course he might have something else in mind. As for waking up in King's End, the answer is yes, but probably not the one he's looking for. "I was living there for a little bit," she says, hoping that helps. "But it was time to leave."

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

Still totally unaware that this woman was once on his enemy's side of the war, Noah kept step with her. He hesitated slightly as they traversed the bridge when it swayed and groaned gently beneath their weight. There weren't many bridges in Halo, and to say that his experience with them was minimal because of it was still an overstatement. But, she seemed confident enough as their strides carried them across the tropical crevasse. His eyebrows lifted some at her statement, and he committed it to memory. If there was a place here where Noah could fulfill part of his quest, he would.

"I've heard a few people have chosen to live within the sanctuary there, even after the war." Noah said idly, trying to keep conversation going at least a little bit. A few years ago, the man may never have tried. He would have let them walk in companionable silence until it was their time to part, but he had grown and things had changed. He was known, now, even if it was a bane at times.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

"I think it will hold. It seems remarkably strong," Isla says conversationally of the bridge beneath their feet. Whether she's merely making small talk or she's noticed the hesitance in his steps remains a secret; either way, even groaning and swaying, the Brittlebone doesn't seem intent on throwing them into the water.

"Yes," she agrees of the refuge, nodding and smiling across at the Sentinel. "Quite a few, lately. King's End is getting busier. It probably helps that there's a demigod running a brothel, there." An offhand comment in an offhand conversation, because the last thing Isla wants to discuss in detail right now is Sunjata. Not that Noah is aware.

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

Noah gave Isla a small smile despite his discomfort at the way she held such confidence in the bridge beneath them. It was only when they were nearly a quarter of the way across that Noah let his eyes come back up to look ahead of him rather than down at his feet. ”My name is Noah, by the way.” He offered.

He kept his gaze ahead as they walked, and missed any expression on her face that kept him from talking further about Sunjata. But Noah didn’t need any help not to go down that road. Though he had tried to keep civil with the other demigod after the war, he still held him out at an arms length and kept himself shielded from the idea of him.

”The brothel not your scene then, huh?” He half-chuckled, though the question may have been better if he had phrased it closer to the lines of “what is drawing you out of King’s End” rather than what it was.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

Isla keeps an eye on the path in front of them while Noah watches his feet, the Remedy smiling and nodding politely as he offers his name. "Isla," she replies. "It's nice to meet you. And probably a stroke of luck on my part, given that I was going entirely in the wrong direction." At least she can get to Torchline at some point in the next day or so. And while unexpected, the company is admittedly nice.

"A brothel isn't my usual haunt, no," she agrees with a soft laugh. "I was working there for a while, though - as a doctor, I ought to add. I took care of the infirmary there." But that's toeing close to the well why did you leave line, and she clears her throat and glances back to Noah. "Are you from the Grounds?" she asks, remembering that he said he'd come from that direction.

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard

Isla.

Isla, leaving King’s End. Leaving Sunjata’s brothel. Leaving Sunjata’s refuge. Leaving Suntaja’s company.

There was a name he knew to follow a woman named Isla, and until this moment, Noah had believed her head. Isla the Remedy. Isla the Remedy, an ascended.

Noah’s blood ran cold and hot at the same time. Heat crept up the back of his neck and over his ears, but the color seemed to drain from his face. His glacier eyes kept impassable, cold, but he stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep the clenching of his fists hidden.

He blinked, her words ringing fuzzy in his ears. He didn’t grasp what she said about the brothel, or the chuckle that wrapped around her voice. His head throbbed. She asked about the Grounds - he heard that part. ”N-no.” He said, coughing in an attempt to disguise the way his voice stuttered. ”Halo.”

His eyes flicked sideways towards her, trying to read her face for any of the recognition in her that mirrored the recognition within him that caused his body to malfunction.

noah olson

the emptiness of broken flesh, at the mercy of the thorns

Isla

There is a Noah from Halo that Isla absolutely should recognise, given his status, his reputation, the part he played in the war. And blame the years between then and now (and probably a good dose of trauma), but no bells ring in the Ancient's mind to hear his moniker and the place he hails from. Happily leaving the dots unconnected, the only thing fizzing in her mind is mild concern for the man beside her as his demeanour changes.

"Is everything okay?" she asks softly. "I can walk on ahead a little if you like." Clearly Isla thinks that Noah's discomfort comes from the creak and sway of the bridge, amplified naturally by their simultaneous footsteps. "At least there's a canopy on either side so you don't have to look down, right?"

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it
When you hit me, hit me hard