[se] unnecessary acrobatics

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving Holy shit. No, but really. Holy shit. Having decided, after dropping another shipment of gin down to The Hanged Man for Flora, to take a stroll through the Oerwoud before departing for home, Ronin finds himself at the Brittlebone Bridge. And what a terrible idea it has turned out to be. What would usually be a picturesque walk along creaky planks and sheets of vines and flowers has become something out of a veritable horror movie. Tangles of cloud spider silk make the going tough if not outright impossible, and the Nova is forced to twist and shimmy to even get a little way through the webbing. It's stronger than it looks, too, and he'll be fucked if he's going to spend all day teasing his way through it. But he can't exactly evoke his namesake's ability without checking for other people first. "Hey! Anyone around?" he calls.

Splat is having an absolute blast. The Darkling has been twisting and turning and eating all of the spider silk in his way. Edmund is equal parts thankful and horrified. Where is the silk even going? Does a vague blob of darkness, teeth, and smoke even have a stomach? The Ancient is too scared to ask at this point. At least his companion is happy, if the hums of glee coming through the bond are any indication. Edmund pauses as an unfamiliar voice calls out from the other end of the bridge, "Yes!" At the sound of the voice, Splat returns to Edmund's side and does a bizarre staticky, rumbling thing where his edges jump up and down. It's weird and vaguely reminds the Ancient of a cat arching it's back and hissing. Edmund Reborn In Fire

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving It's a good thing he's checked, as it turns out, Ronin smiling to himself and calling out again. "Good to know!" he shouts. "I was going to try and blast my way through this stuff. Are you on the other side of the bridge?" He assumes so, because that's the vague direction the voice is coming from, but the canopy of leaves and vines can distort distance and direction at times, so he doesn't want to lean too heavily on that assumption. Either way, it's with a dragon's talons that Ronin begins to carve through the silk - it might be like steel, but it's no match for a demigod's strength. Still (not that he knows it yet) it isn't as efficient as eating it, like Splat is doing. "Have you got a way to clear a path?" Ronin continues. "I'll work my way to you."

It was certainly good that Edmund had replied then. "Please don't blast me! I think I'm directly in front of you!" It sounds like the voice is slowly drawing closer. The Ancient can vaguely hear the sound of silk tearing over the sound of Splat's renewed eating. Not even wariness can stop the Darkling it seems. "I do!" The Ancient calls and continues to follow the bottomless pit that is his companion across the bridge. Soon the vague shape of a man and another creature begins to be visible behind a sea of silk. Is that a dragon? Splat sends a vague trickle of curiosity and desire through the bond and Edmund lets out a jumbled sound of alarm when he catches on. "Absolutely not! Do NOT eat them, Splat!" The Darkling's edges blur as he makes his annoyance clear. A single bite couldn't hurt, right? He just wants to know what these new creatures taste like. Edmund Reborn In Fire

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving "I was hoping not to!" Ronin calls with a laugh, resorting to talons and brute force to hack his way towards the sound of the voice. As it turns out, both Edmund and Splat are correct - it is a dragon - and Sugar lifts her pale head from where she's been coiled about Ronin's shoulders to trill a sound that's half greeting, half warning to the ravenous companion up ahead. "Um?" Ronin sounds a touch worried, but not too much given that the voice is advocating for them not to be eaten, and as Edmund and his darkling finally come into view, the Nova slices a sheet of silk to the side and raises a (now human) hand in a wave. "Looks like we found each other." He grins. "I can't believe those spiders managed to cover the whole bridge."

Splat eyes the newcomers as he chomps on the remaining spider silk, still eying them with hungry curiosity. Edmund shoots a look at his companion and the darkling merely rumbles before slurping up more silk to munch. His companion seems cooperative for now, but the Ancient will have to remember to find the darkling more new things to try. Actual foods, preferably. Edmund gives the man a nod as he eyes the bridge, "Truly." Holding out a hand to shake he offers, "I'm Edmund. It's nice to meet you." The darkling rumbles and the Ancient translates, "That's Splat." The darkling grins a toothy, silk-filled smile. Edmund sighs and adds, "He bites." Edmund Reborn In Fire

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving Shaking Edmund's hand but with his eyes firmly on the young man's companion, Ronin is openly agape at the sight of such a creature. "Ronin," he murmurs distractedly, "the pleasure is all mine." And then, as if finally realising that he's staring, the Nova lets out a self-deprecating laugh and straightens up. "And nice to meet you too, Splat. This is Sugar - she also bites." Huffing out a cold, judgemental breath at the men and the darkling, Sugar shifts to get more comfortable around Ronin's shoulders, before deigning to ignore the lot of them. "If you don't mind my asking, what is Splat?" the Nova asks at last, glancing between Edmund and the fuzzy dark cloud.

The name clicks and Edmund's eyes widen, "Oh! You're uncle Ronin." Giving some context he adds, "I'm Maeve's son." Saying his mum's name sends a pang of guilt through him. One that he shoves down for now. He really needs to send her a letter. Splat hovers around Edmund's shoulders, doing a loop as he ignores the dragon. Having finished his silk, the darkling considers his next snack. Spotting some vines, he gets to work. Watching his companion, Edmund responds, "A darkling." The Ancient had known instinctively what Splat was when they bonded. A fact he's thankful for. "Splat's odd. I think he's teething right now." At least, Edmund hopes that's the reason as to why literally everything had to go into the darkling's mouth at the moment. "He also named himself by body slamming the ground until I landed on that name." Edmund Reborn In Fire

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving I'm what? Ronin might have blurted, had Edmund not helpfully followed the statement up with something that makes a lot more sense. "Wow, no shit." Grinning, he rubs at the back of his head. "I mean, of course you are. Please don't tell your mother I didn't instantly recognise you." Either way, it's good (if not a little strange) to see the children of the friends he knows well all grown up and... getting companions that eat everything, apparently. "Are you headed back to Torchline?" he guesses, given the direction he's been coming across the bridge. As for Splat, it's with a slow tilt of his head that Ronin examines the creature. "He certainly has a mind of his own," he agrees. "I can't say I've ever come across a darkling. Maybe they are all like that?"

"I won't. She'll be too busy lecturing me for some poor choices anyway." Edmund lets out a breath through gritted teeth and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "I'm heading home to Torchline briefly before setting out again. I'm moving back though." He's been away for far too long and if he wants to set up his guild, he'll need an apartment there. Splat twirls in a circle, morphing into the silhouette of a bird and flying around his bonded. Edmund tracks his companion with a small smile, "Maybe." The darkling really was quite odd. He gives Ronin a grin, "I need to get going but it was really nice to finally meet the last of my uncles. I'll see you around?" Edmund Reborn In Fire

RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving It feels like there's a lot to unpack there, and Ronin isn't sure whether now is the time to really bring it up. They are in the middle of a bridge, after all, and while he might be Uncle Ronin it's not like he and Edmund have ever really had a conversation outside of this. "Well, maybe I'll see you there," is what he settles on. "My daughter runs the Hanged Man - I drop by with supplies pretty regularly." Watching as Splat stretches his creativity and smiling at the bird that circles Edmund's head (sort of like a little vulture, but he doesn't comment on it), the Nova of course steps aside for the Ancient to go past. "It was nice to meet you too. Be careful out there - at least you don't have to worry about any webs for the rest of the way across the bridge." Giving the boy a friendly nod and checking over his shoulder a couple of times as he continues, Ronin will find that the same is true for his own journey. Thanks, Splat. ~FIN