[RQ] dust to dust

FOX

It has not been an easy trip out of the Hollowed Grounds - especially at first. Ascending into the freezing skies to travel across to Torchline wasn't on Fox's to-do list for the season, and there have been more than a couple of difficult moments where keeping warm has been essential rather than preferable. But as the ship breaks through the weather front and enters more tropical climes, Fox thaws - both literally and psychologically.

The company for the journey has been a huge help as well, if he's honest, and now as they're finally walking across the coast towards the haze of heat and bubbling magma of Apopo, he's in high spirits. "Have you spent much time in Torchline?" he asks Kiada, his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. "I'm starting to think I should have left the Grounds and come to live here."

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

Oh it’s been tough taking that trek. So much so that Kiada’s mostly sat in her jacket Deimos has made her and strayed nearer to the little torches on the skyship. And of course, offering what warmth she can to her companion as they traverse and break through the tropical climate of Torchline. It’s a breath of fresh air, really, walking along the coast not covered in snow with the promise of the bubbling warmth of the volcano at the top. “I have, actually.” She laughs lightly, keeping the coat tight around her. “I know one of the Kings here.” Harper, specifically.

She hopes he’s doing alright, but she doesn’t dwell on the man as she turns her gaze up at Fox with a brighter smile now that she doesn’t feel like a slab of cold marble. “There’s still time if you want to.” She offers with a soft laugh before she shakes her head. “My father figure was actually surprised, I think, that I’ve been in the Grounds and not here.” After all, every time they met before it had been in Torchline where she could soak up the warmth the land had to offer.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Oh?" Fox grins at that, and if there's a slight flush to his cheeks out of latent embarrassment, so be it. "You know, I also met one of the Kings the last time I was here. I didn't even know who he was until he said so - makes me glad that I remembered to be polite." He'd met Hadama, of course, so between them they've got all of Torchline's royalty by first name.

Letting his feet sink into the sand as they begin the upward slant towards where Apopo spills into the ocean, Fox casually offers a hand out to help Kiada over the uneven ground. "Mm, that's true enough. But I couldn't leave the people of the Grounds," he admits; it's what has kept him there for this long, after all. "Does your father figure live here as well?"

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

It’s an effect that bounces back toward her as he grins to her, sparking a chime of laughter from her throat as she listens to his story. “Were you worried he would toss you out if you weren’t?” She asks, before a secondary thought occurs to her and she leans toward him as they walk, still trying to stifle her laughter. “Honestly, I can’t imagine you not being polite.” A bounce of her eyebrow seems to suggest she can’t imagine him as anything else but the perfect gentleman, more than ready to please.

And she can confirm that he certainly has.

The muscles in her calves strain as the slope upward starts to take effect and she’s grateful for the hand he offers her, snatching it up as she traverses the uneven ground, using him as leverage to keep her from twisting an ankle at the very least. “That’s a fair point.” She offers to him, looking over to him with understanding as she nearly steps into a shallow hole prepped to twist her ankle, recovering quickly enough to give his hand a tight squeeze, shaking her head at herself despite the smile when she goes to answer his question.

She already knows at this point that Fox knows who he is, so there’s no use in beating around the bush. “No, he’s in Halo.” A place she can’t go comfortably, even if she’s made the trek once with the jacket Deimos had made her. “His name is Deimos.” And she looks at him to await the reaction, iceberg eyes scanning him for everything she expects to see dance across his face.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Well, either toss me out or drown me. I met him in the Torchline canals." And Fox can't actually swim, so that could be something of a problem if Hadama had decided to take offence to him. Flushing further and shoving his hands deeply into his pockets, Fox shoots a playful frown at Kiada. "You make it sounds as though you'd prefer it if I were rude," he says. "I can be impolite if the situation calls for it. Luckily it hasn't, just yet."

She'll know if it does, though.

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze back, Fox shifts to ensure neither of them fall down any nefarious holes in the rock, helping Kiada hop over a crack between two boulders before they continue on their way. And of course he reacts the exact way she expects him to, his brows rising, understanding blooming in his hazel eyes. "Monster Hunter's Guild Deimos?" he blurts.

"Oh. Well, shit. I mean - he's great - but I didn't-- I mean..." Laughing helplessly and feeling as though he should have had one of those fatherly conversations with Deimos before going anywhere or doing anything with Kiada, it dawns on Fox that it's entirely far too late for that anyway.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

“Oh, oof.” Kiada trills with a very vocal wince, a sharp inhale through clenched teeth while they walk. It’s broken with the huff of laughter that leaves her after, a chimed sound that she doesn’t tone it down when he flashes that playful frown her way. “I would love to see the day, Fox.” She purrs to him equally as playful, as he squeezes her hand back and keeps her upright. They know each other’s clumsiness at least, and it’s a boon as they help each other over the crack between the boulders.

And still, she keeps her hand in his, selfishly not wanting to part them any sooner than necessary. Especially as he reacts just how she wants him to. “Mm, yep, that’s the one.” The Monster Hunter’s Guild inherited from her who had inherited it from Ronin. But he starts to stumble over his words and she raises a brow toward him as she steps over another set of crumbling stones, helping to pull him over them with her. “You didn’t what? Don’t worry, I’m sure he already knows.” The Cheshire grin spreads across her face, because she’d last seen him right after their romp where his mark had sat starkly against her pale, scarfless neck.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Keep it up and you might see it sooner than you think," Fox fires back at her, smiling over his shoulder and slowing his steps so they might navigate the uneven ground together without having to release each other's hands. And it's a good decision, as it turns out, because in the next moment the hunter is thoroughly twitterpated and tongue tied, and he entirely relies on Kiada to help him over the crumbling rock.

"Kiada," he hisses, blushing and grinning only because clearly they're way beyond the point where he might salvage the situation, and eventually Fox huffs out a long sigh and draws her close to let his arm rest around her shoulders, as if they're still huddled on the skyship. "I'm beginning to think you enjoy tormenting me," he murmurs. "So should I expect a really angry giant of a man on my doorstep any time soon?"

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!