[se] new stars

Deimos

He snorted at her response, accepting the tease but not lingering or loitering in its clasp. Instead, he stared at his own creation, and then slipped the charcoal and paper over her way. “I can make you one, if you would like,” the offer readily there – especially if she cared to design something in her own measures and particulars.

Unaware of another pedestal forming, for he would’ve gladly and quickly knocked it down, his hands took to pressing the feathers in other portions, ruffling them beneath his fingers. Nodding at her notions of keeping things in mind, acceptance of time and patience, the pause ordinarily might’ve given him some level of amusement. Reading cards, drawing, and constructing her own deck were all good things – but the more she ruminated, the more he wondered what she was aspiring towards. Halo had granted her grand opportunities to unfurl and grow her magic, but what else was there to drive and inspire?

The Sword had always had his own intrinsic values – and now he spread them across the wild land by means of protection and guarding, safety and sanctuaries. But not everyone did. Pondering further, and aiming to incite something in the seer’s mind, his persistent was a quiet but firm one. “Do you have any goals? Anything you want to achieve?”

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Alys took the charcoal and paper gingerly, tilting her head to one side in thought before beginning to sketch long, lazy strokes across the page. "That would be nice," she said, even if she hadn't a clue where she would put a lantern. After all, she still lived in the Academy dormitories for now, and light was not exactly in short supply. But perhaps she could use this as an incentive to find her own home. She'd been in Halo long enough to want to put down more permanent roots, and she'd been saving for a house of her own. Perhaps somewhere in the Citadel, where she could open a shop...

Goals and achievements were all well and good for someone like Deimos, who held responsibility for an entire region on his shoulders, but for a humble seer like Alys? She was certain that her hopes and dreams would be entirely mundane to someone like him. Still, it was easier to talk while her mind was half-occupied by her drawing, and as a pretty lantern began to take shape beneath her hands, she said, "I've been thinking about buying a house." A few strokes here, and then some shading... "Maybe opening a shop."

Alys

Deimos

Deimos was a goal-oriented fixture and figure, but mostly because of the responsibilities settled across his soul. Were he not already ensconced into duties, workaholic tendencies, and soldier traditions, he might’ve found ways to relax, rather than remembering he should. For now though, he’d take these quiet little moments, arranging the feathers to his liking, and then leaning back, casually glancing at Alys’s drawing.

And he wouldn’t judge – because he could remember days of feeling aimless and without something pinpointing him in a true direction. Like when they’d all been pulled and torn into the Hollowed Grounds, taken from homelands and things they knew, with Outlander hissing across Natural tongues. It’d taken some time and venture to reclaim any part of him he’d known or understood, besides the molten platitudes of the past.

So something like a house, or a shop, was all the more intriguing. “Plenty of homes available, unless you want to make your own.” Tilting his head vaguely again, not unlike any of the predators beneath his skin, he contemplated and considered. “Could always attach a shop to it as well. What kind were you thinking of?”

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

"I don't know that I'm brave enough to build a home from scratch," Alys said wryly. Of course Deimos would be able to do something like that. Alys, though? No, thank you. "I'd be perfectly content with a house that already exists. Maybe a shop with an upstairs apartment." Honestly, even a small studio apartment in the back would be better than her tiny room at the Academy. Not that she was ungrateful - but even a small kitchen would be an upgrade to her current nonexistent one.

"An apothecary," she said shyly in response to Deimos's query. There were all kinds of things she could sell: herbs, teas, oils, lotions - the list went on and on. Not to mention her crystals, tarot decks, and other metaphysical items. "Natural remedies and the like. It's just - with so much magic here, I'm not sure how much need there is for things like that. I can do my tarot readings and whatnot as well, but I don't want to put all of my eggs in one basket, so to speak."

Alys

Deimos

Waiting for Alys to finish up her sketch, he snorted at the implication of bravery over building a home. Perhaps he was undaunted by so many things due to his past, for there’d been multitudes overcome, and a layer of determination steadfastly wound through each and every vein, but he couldn’t fathom such an accord stopping anyone. “There are always others to help, if you do not,” by way of informing she’d be perfectly fine in reaching out – for Halovians had a distinct designation in assistance. Especially when it meant survival. A reminder, maybe, that she wouldn’t find herself so alone and adrift in this wake.

Though he hadn’t considered her answer before, he could see where she would align with such things. Healing abilities, and their own hot springs measures, could be plentiful, but maybe not always there in a pinch; for how many times had they found themselves in an unrelenting situation? “It would still be beneficial. There are always circumstances where natural remedies could be utilized,” and far more advantageous than nothing at all. “A range of products and abilities sounds plausible.” Enough to have people seeking out her shop, anyway.

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

It was strange, to be sharing her plans and ideas in such a way. She'd held them close to her chest for so long that it felt like a secret, but she found that discussing them with Deimos was strangely comforting. His reassurance that she would not be alone, whatever she may choose to do, made her feel much more at ease about the whole prospect of opening a shop. It was about time, too - with her dearest friends living their own lives (as they should), she'd been a bit at odds with herself of late. Having something to focus her efforts on would be good for her, she was sure.

"Thank you," she told Deimos warmly as he assured her that her idea for a shop would still be useful despite their magical abilities. She valued his opinion, and to have his support meant a great deal to the seer. "I will give it some more thought. I don't want to leap into anything without a solid plan." If nothing else, Alys was meticulous in her planning - perhaps to her detriment. She could get stuck in ideas and methods and never actually do anything. Maybe this time would be different.

Alys

Deimos

Plans were part of his daily routine, a structure he found comforting and reassuring, despite circumstances that led to those points, or notions thereafter. It was an arrangement of calculations that didn’t always have to hold steadfast in malicious or vehement boundaries; but to be cast in simplicity, in building, rather than annihilating and tearing worlds apart. “You are welcome,” he nodded again, ensuring that he meant it, eyes flickering to the sketch, waiting for her to be finalized with those ramparts and lanterns too.

Though his gaze went back to hers, and he muffled a snort; never pondering or considering Alys to be anything of the impulsive type. There were certainly friends and family of his who craved for the knee-jerk and emboldened reactions to set them alight; but the Seer didn’t strike him as such an individual. “Nothing wrong with that,” biding, waiting, until an opportunity was right. “Just as long as you do not waste chances.”

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Had Alys wasted chances in her life? Perhaps. There was once an old seer who came through Alys's home village, and she had offered to take Alys under her wing. But Alys, too young and naive to know when to take a leap of faith, had elected to stay with her family, despite their disdain for her craft. If she could go back, perhaps she would have chosen the seer. Perhaps she could have learned more, honed her skills, and seen more of the world. Instead, she'd stayed in the Hollowed Grounds, resented her family, and failed to travel until much later. Even now, she'd seen little of Caido beyond the Grounds and Halo. That, too, was something she should remedy.

Was she wasting chances? Was that why she felt so stuck and out of place? "I don't know that I should start anything during LongNight," she mused aloud. She'd heard plenty of tales around LongNight, after all, and she'd been warned not to leave the Citadel. "What's it like here, anyway?"

Alys

Deimos

Fiddling again with the ends of his lantern, his gaze went towards her end of the parchment, intent on seeing the design. “How is it coming along?” But the inquiry thereafter gave him enough pause to cease movement with his fingers; stopping entirely once he had a moment of reflection. “That is up to you. It is relatively quiet. Not unlike any normal day within Deepfrost,” save for the lack of sun. Anyone could still travel, work within the Citadel, linger along their safe and tidy threshold.

Of course, that didn’t mean it had always been that way, and he cast his glance elsewhere, staring across the deck platform and beyond. “Much better than what the Hollowed Grounds used to be.” Full of monsters, demons, torture, and horrible memories meant to scar and bludgeon for generations – enough so that Deimos was always a little more tense, despite the years that had gone by.

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Her lantern design finished despite the fact that Alys had given it only half of her attention, she offered the paper back to Deimos. "There," she said. "What do you think?" It was a simple design with snowflake accents along the sides. Alys thought that it would cast interesting shadows when lit, but the detail shouldn't detract from the amount of light it would provide.

Alys listened to Deimos, then nodded. "My family always stayed in as much as possible during LongNight," she said, her voice darkening slightly. "We lost my uncle to LongNight monsters, and a cousin." It had seemed like if their family was going to lose someone, it was going to be during LongNight.

Alys

Deimos

His eyes went instantly to the design, scrutinizing and calculating no matter the subject; but bemused when he finally saw it, allowing another small smile. “I think it will work,” with the lightest of teases and a wrinkle to his nose to indicate the minor taunt, before beginning to cast the incantations between his hands again. The lantern was brought to life segments and seconds later, cast within his mind and then throughout the gilded works of his enchantments; conforming to the lantern’s outline, shape, and then the snowflake accents cut along the slits; where beams of light would eventually land.

Thereafter, he passed it over to her, listening simultaneously while awaiting her judgment. That she had lost some didn’t surprise him; it seemed to be a commonality between Grounders. Staying inside had been difficult for them too – restless, yearning, striving, trying to alleviate the torturous aches around them, and somehow making it all worse. He’d know – he’d craved to do the same and ultimately ended up harming. “I am sorry for your losses. We lost quite a few in our experiences too,” a quiet understanding, for beings caught amidst the Voice’s threshold and all her monsters. “May this time be better.”

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Alys watched as her sketch was quickly and easily brought to life, mildly envious of the ease with which Deimos summoned forth the elements. When he passed the lantern to her, perfectly rendered and ready for use, she murmured a soft thank you and set to inspecting his work. "It's lovely," she said as she held it up, twisting this way and that to admire the snowflakes carved into the sides. "Thank you."

The conversation shifted to loss and ruin, and Alys nodded solemnly at the thought that this LongNight might be better than those preceding it. It wasn't long after that the seer gathered her lantern and bid her friend goodbye, leaving him to his work in the ice and snow as she returned to the warmth of the Academy dormitories.

-FIN-

Alys