shadows of solitude

Noah wasn't much one for frequenting a library. While he could read, and often did read tales of the past, he was much more likely to find a person to help him figure something out than he was to read about a problem.

But he needed to know more about this place and this land and how the people lived here before the barrier's entrapment. When the Holloweed Grounds was a growing and thriving place, ready to make their mark on the world.

He scoured the library for hours, trying to find the volumes he thought would benefit him. The water was a strange comfort as he walked and worked and read, the constant and steady of it reminiscent of the steady whistle of wind through the snowy landscape of Halo.

Eira glided through the shelves and levels of the Atheneum with a book grasped in her front talons. Clicking to her bonded, the griffon dropped the book at Noah's feet. It landed with a crashing thud, sending a cringe through Noah that caused him to look around to see if they had disturbed anyone else in the library -- but it was fairly empty. Sighing, Noah took up the book and dusted off the front cover. Sending his thanks to his griffin, he set himself down at a table with the few books they had collected, and began to read.

f o r s a k e n

I used to hold your haunted neck; I know I'll miss you if I close my eyes

Fairly empty is not the same as completely empty, and there is at least one someone lurking in the stacks of books in the Atheneum. Well, lurking is probably a bit much; Danta isn't a big reader (quelle surprise) but he's been trying to look at some maps of the Hollowed Grounds in its pre-war state. Maps, as it happens, are nearly as boring as books. And you know, with the whole water feature thing in the library, the place is actually pretty cold.

So as the tome slams on the ground courtesy of Eira, he's disturbed from his very peaceful nap slouched in one of the chairs with the map over his face. Squinting at the light and sitting up abruptly as if to make it look as though he hasn't been sleeping, he glances around just in time to see a familiar face settle down at a table nearby. "I didn't know you were in the Grounds." He yawns to Noah.

Dantalion

Undisturbed by the ruckus she caused, Eira simply glided off with her chest warmed from Noah's thanks. She was soundless as she landed on the top of one shelf, folding her wings in carefully to her sides and settling in to keep an eye on Noah -- and the ancient that stirred.

Noah had barely made contact with the chair before Dantalion was pulling is attention. The crinkle of old paper maps made him lift his eyes. He scolded himself inwardly for not having noticed the sleeping ancient, yet did not let anything appear in his outward expressions as his glacier eyes settled finally, and steadily, on the Maverick's gaze.

Surprised to see the Maverick, though working hard to keep himself stoic and pulled together (as to not remind the ancient of their time together in the climb), Noah gave him a nod of greeting all the same. "Sometimes life calls for change of scenery." He said, voice even and strong and an image of the Fangs. "I didn't know you were in the library."

f o r s a k e n

I used to hold your haunted neck; I know I'll miss you if I close my eyes

"Oh? Not a fan of Halo any more?" Danta tilts his head, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Noah hasn't said it (not even remotely) but the fact that the Sentinel has come down from his frosty seat to slum it in the Grounds is everything he needs to boost his ego about all things leadership. "I forgot I was in the library myself," he confesses through a yawn, stretching out in his seat before rising to stand.

"Find anything good?" he asks, tilting his head at the book Noah has selected for himself and reseating himself at the table opposite the other man. He brings his map with him, smoothing it out so he can examine the spiderwork of lines and chicken scratch notes with renewed boredom. "I met a cartographer in Torchline," he says, mostly to himself. "Maybe it would be worth having her make a new map of this place."

Dantalion

The mention of Halo stung deeply, a knife digging in between his ribs. Had he not been grasped by his immense amount of self control, he would have winced. Alas, here he was, a glacier before the Maverick. ”Duty above desire.” He replied simply, voice held together with every ounce of strength he had.

He flicked his eyes down again from the Ancient to the maps sprawled across the table, but then noticing the scrawling, scratched notes and intakes. Noah lifted his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly, imparting to the world a feigned curiosity and care. ”That could do the people well.” Traders and common folk alike would be served well from a new map of the place. He was sure there were places that not everyone had explored after the war.

He then gently indicated the book in his hand, shaking it back and forth a few times almost as a child would a rattle. Perhaps the Forsaken was hoping by shaking it more of its knowledge would fall onto him. ”I was doing some reading about before the barrier. Before the Voice. Honestly, there isn’t much.” He said, sighing some.

Would the Maverick notice his pretend animations?

f o r s a k e n

I used to hold your haunted neck; I know I'll miss you if I close my eyes

"Duty, huh? What duty have you got to this place?" Danta wonders, his thumb grazing across one of the spidery marks on his map "Mm, it could," he agrees, though we all know Danta is thinking of himself first - but it's true that the Grounders would benefit as a result of his decisions. "Maybe I'll reach out to her. She said she lived in Stormbreak."

The real question isn't really whether Danta notices Noah's playing at interest, but rather whether he cares enough to comment. (Two guesses as to the answer). Tilting his head at the book, he wrinkles his nose a bit. "Mm, I didn't know much about the Grounds myself," he says, and maybe there's a hint of apology there too. "Vi would probably know."

Dantalion

Noah's gaze remained fixed on Danta's map, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of skepticism at the Maverick's motives. It was only because he didn't know the Maverick well or was it something else and because he had felt foolish in front of him before. He was willing to put aside any reservations he might have had about Danta's motivations for the sake of progress in their shared endeavor, however. So he sucked in a breath.

"Do you remember her name?" Noah hoped it was someone he knew from his time in Stormbreak. Reaching out to another friend for help seemed like something that he could do, even as shame and guilt bubbled beneath his skin.

As Danta commented on the book and suggested that Vi might have more information, Noah nodded with a forced appreciation. "Vi's insights are invaluable." The name of his deity on his lips felt like ice -- but not just cold. It felt like when he lost his balance on the Sea of Glass and smashed his face against the ice. Or when Ronin dropped him out of his nimbus and the pain that rushed through him was so great he transformed into the basilisk trapped within his amulet without thinking about it.

It just hurt.

f o r s a k e n

I used to hold your haunted neck; I know I'll miss you if I close my eyes

Folding his long legs to sit cross-legged in his chair, Danta rubs the sleep from his eyes and turns the map this way and that as if it might hold some new insights by virtue of facing a different direction. (Unsurprisingly, it does not). Pursing his lips, it takes a moment to recall the name of the girl he'd seen in the Hanged Man, but he gets there eventually. "Sohalia," he murmurs. "She's friends with Flora."

Humming a non-committal agreement about Vi and his ineffable insights - because Danta much prefers Dygra's opinion on things, wouldn't you know - the Maverick rolls up the map back into a helpful scroll and ties a bit of string around it. "Well, that was useless," he mutters. "Good luck with your..." He waves a hand at the book. "I'm headed to Jack Tar Landing. Sailors probably have a better idea of the lay of the land now anyways."

Dantalion

As Danta pursed his lips in thought and finally recalled the name "Sohalia," Noah's interest was piqued. "Sohalia," Noah repeated, "she's the leader of Stormbreak. I'm sure she would be available for an official meeting with you." He tried to sound as helpful as he could, the feigned interest still waxing in his lifted brows.

As Danta hummed non-committal agreement regarding Vi's insights, Noah sensed the Maverick's preference for another opinion. It was clear that they had their differences. Noah tilted his head slightly as Danta rolled up the map. "Perhaps the sailors will have what you're looking for. I think I'll keep looking in the library." With a forced smile, and an indifferent gesture of farewell, Noah went back to the desk he had claimed for himself before Danta called to him.

Noah returned his attention to the book, determined to unearth any clues that might shed light on the Hollowed Grounds' history.

FIN

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