[SE] To Shun the Lights Above

Any other time Edmund would have been wary of coming to Aumakua. It was a place sacred to Safrin and he'd yet to see the Goddess since his rebirth. She was undoubtedly cross with him. But with her absence, the young Ancient felt safe enough to come and enjoy the view. Perhaps it was out of nostalgia for his childhood innocence, but Edmund had elected to come here to build a lantern to hang over the Adventurer's Guild's door. Sitting on the cliff he used a torch and his fire magic to weave scrap metal together. The idea he was going for was an interwoven ball of metal to place a candle in the center of.  Various metals were spread out around him in a semicircle as he worked under the flickering light of his torch. Intentionally not the stars above. Hadama Edmund Reborn In Fire

Hadama's reasons for coming to Aumakua were very different from Edmund's. It was the shrine-island's connection to Safrin that drew him, and his loyalty to her that had inspired him to build a lantern in her honor. What better place than at the site dedicated to her worship? He had dreamed, once, of filling the shores of Aumakua with candles and lanterns from the goddess's faithful for LongNight but there had simply been too much else to prepare and his people had more than enough on their fins at the moment. Perhaps in Flowerbirth...

For now, at least, he could offer her the work of his own hands, and he surfaced beneath the shining stars above the lighthouse, his supplies in tow.

It was a pleasant surprise to realize that another was there already, the burning torch drawing the eye immediately. Hadama made his slow, silent way through the water towards it until he could make out the dark-haired young man beneath the flickering light, and his emerald eyes softened. He raised his tail and let it flick through the water, breaking the quiet, lulling rhythm of the waves upon the shore as he approached closer. The firelight gleamed from the golden tattoos that covered his scars, warring with the clean, silver starlight all around.

"Edmund," the mermanta greeted quietly. "It is good to see you here. What are you making?" For the scraps of metal did not immediately reveal their purpose at first glance.

Edmund glanced up at the sound of splashing and at the sight of Hadama a small smile stretched across his lips and his eyes warmed. "Hadama. It's good to see you." It wasn't out of the ordinary for one of Safrin's chosen rulers to gravitate to her shrine, but Edmund was pleasantly surprised nonetheless. Shyly the young Ancient held out his work so far for Hadama to see. He was a little embarrassed at the current disarray of in-progress crafting. "I'm making a metal lantern to hang above the guild's door for Longnight." Dark iron and interwoven copper and other metals certainly fit the colors of the Adventurer's Guild. With the red-orange flickering of a candle, it'd be perfect. Noticing the supplies that the mer had on hand, the young Ancient leaned forward curiously, "Are you creating a lantern?" The materials reminded him of what people used for the Festival of Lights. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Swimming to the shore, he pulled himself partway out of the water onto the gravel-strewn strand near to the young man who was working so diligently by torchlight. As the array of metalwork was proffered he examined it with a professional eye, for he had spent his life training as a smith before he'd become a King. "Unique," he deemed the design, seeing where it was beginning to come together. "It will be beautiful." His gaze was warm as he looked back to the Guildmaster, even if Edmund couldn't feel the support he felt in the Attuned Bond. The lantern was yet unfinished, but he could see the raw potential in what it could become from the foundations that had already been laid.

His own supplies drew interest in return and he inclined his head in confirmation. "Yes." He pulled the net bag closer and set out what he had brought: the blue glass buoy, a small set of enamel paint pots, some fishing wire and a spill of stars and moons carved from sea glass. "Safrin is fighting alone right now. Far from her home. Soon it will be LongNight, when the gods are at their weakest." He paused, drawing a slow, heavy breath and releasing it with equal care before he reached for the silver pot and a brush, curving his tail beneath him in the shallow surf as he began to paint simple dots upon the glass. "I am making a lantern for her. A star for her here, when all other stars are gone."

Edmund's shyness morphed into a warm grin, "Thank you." The phrasing of the mer's praise, although delivered less energetically than what Ray would have given, still reminded him of his aunt. Continuing to work on his lantern he watched Hadama set out the components for his own. The light would reflect off of the sea glass wonderfully and the young Ancient nodded, "It'll be beautiful." He didn't comment about Safrin but he did nibble on his lip nervously, "The loom of an unknown threat is hard to put out of my mind." Edmund didn't appreciate the lack of control he had over the situation. It'd made preparing for whatever was coming all the more difficult. When Safrin inevitably failed the young Ancient would make sure to step up and support his region. And to comfort the mer before him who may feel betrayed. Edmund Reborn In Fire

For Hadama, too, the memories swam near the surface. Edmund's grin, so full of warmth and light, was an echo of Ray's earnest and cheerful mien and the mermanta's heart contracted hard. It was just as well that he was given to quietude, for it gave him cover to draw a slow, deep breath in through his nose and regain control of his sorrow as he turned to his own craft.

"I hope so," he agreed to Edmund's praise, inclining his head to his young friend in gratitude. "I will do my best." So saying, he made himself comfortable and began to paint with a steady hand, focusing on simplicity and the smooth curves of ink over glass. The dots began to take on familiar patterns beneath his hand, the brightest of Torchline's constellations recreated in miniature upon the buoy as they spoke.

"Yes. Not knowing more details is... difficult. But there are things we can do to prepare." He paused to glance at his friend upon the sand, offering what encouragement he could. "Our training is one. Activity helps against the uncertainty." He rinsed the brush and then opened the pot of black paint, sketching a stylized tower on the lower portion of the lantern. "I will need help restocking the shelters in Flowerbirth." It was less a statement than an invitation, offering Edmund something to take his mind off the unknown threat... or at least to do something productive about it, that might help ease his dread.

As Hadama worked, so too did Edmund. Weaving the metals together required a combination of elbow grease and finesse that held his attention. Finishing a section, he melded it together just as the conversation continued. The young Ancient's lips twitched, understanding the mer's intentions, "I would be delighted to help." Restocking the shelters was a good start to their regional preparations. The shelters had been crucial during the War from what he'd been told. Locked away in the sanctuary, Edmund hadn't seen them in use firsthand. But Ray had told him about the efforts that she, Hadama, and others had made to guide the citizens to safety. Edmund Reborn In Fire

"Thank you," the mermanta murmured, inclining his head momentarily in gratitude before returning to his painting. The glass now held a stylized but recognizable rendition of the lighthouse on its island beneath a sky full of familiar constellations. He turned it slowly around, making sure that he hadn't missed any section, before he capped the black ink and reached for the gold to add a single dab of warm, welcoming light of the beacon burning in the top of the tower.

"Your goddess..." He began, and then paused, considering his next words carefully. Deft fingers cleaned his brush before reaching for the glass ornaments he had brought and stringing them onto fishing wire at staggered intervals. "Does she have insight about the coming danger?"

With a final twisted piece of metal welded in, Edmund held up his finished lantern. Under the moonlight the different tones of metals created a halo effect as he inspected it. With a satisfied smile, the Ancient set it on the ground beside him as Hadama spoke up. Pausing, Edmund nibbled on his lip. "I haven't asked, yet. I was considering going to Mother after LongNight." Having only just completed his quest, he felt a pause in requesting things of Mother was due. He didn't want to be greedy. Drumming his fingers on his leg, the young Ancient considered the matter further. Hadama's polite inquiry was noted, and Edmund appreciated the gesture. "Mother is as old as Caido as far as I understand it. She may have insight on whatever is looming. I hope she will be able to shed some light on the matter." Even if Dygra knew more, she may not necessarily tell him. He could only hope. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Careful dabs of mussel glue soon attached the ends of the fishing wire to the bottom of the buoy and Hadama held it up with satisfaction. The charms had been Soleil's idea back in Leafchange, and he was content with the effect on his own lantern. He set it nearby Edmund's, admiring the younger man's creation while the Ancient considered his question and how to answer it.

It was, unfortunately, a dead end for the moment, but one with hope on the horizon, much like the distant dawn. He nodded in acknowledgment of Edmund's intention to visit - and ask - as soon as the darkness lifted, but the words that came next brought a thoughtful look to his face. His tail swept slowly through the water.

"If the danger is an old one, yes. If it is new... then we must wait for Safrin to return to learn more about it," the mermanta said slowly.

Edmund smiled at Hadama's finished lantern, "It's wonderful." Despite whom it was clearly attributed to, the creation was beautiful. It seemed fitting that a person as refined as the King would be capable of crafting something delicate with such finesse. The young Ancient's tail flicked side to side as he considered Hadama's next words. "Perhaps." The threat had the implications of being old enough to have left the collective memory of the people of Caido. But it could also have originated in the time between Dygra's descent into sleep and the rise of the heralds. It was frustrating to not know the timeline of such things. "I think it is likely something older... but I am unsure if it's old enough to be from Mother's time or if it's from a time between her sleep and the barrier being dropped in the Grounds." The Voice had known of Dygra. Had Dygra known the Voice before she went into stasis? He shook his head with a small smile sent towards Hadama, "We could drive ourselves mad posing hypotheticals all night." Edmund Reborn In Fire

"As is yours. Ray would have loved it." The deep voice gentled on the name, and he reached a large hand forward to brush a finger delicately over the edge of one of the outermost metal curves as if against a cheek of flesh and blood. Beneath the stars that burned high above his expression softened to something wistful and fond and sad. A sigh that would have barely ruffled seafoam whispered from his lips before he withdrew his hand and regained a semblance of his stoicism as their conversation turned to darker questions.

New enough to be unknown to even the youngest gods of Caido or old enough to have been forgotten by all but Caido and Dygra was, as Edmund pointed out, academic. Until they had more answers there was no way to know for certain, and they could not seek them until after LongNight. Flowerbirth, it seemed, would be an even busier time than usual.

Hadama inclined his head in agreement and slipped deeper into the waves, easing the discomfort of being half-beached and the places where small stones and shells had been digging into his stomach and tail. "Indeed. I must leave mine to dry overnight," he informed the young man. "For now, I should sleep. Good night, Edmund." A warm smile flickered through his eyes before he slipped away and down into the night-black waters, off to grab a few hours' rest before the next crisis arose.

~Fin~