[SE] become the gold

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

Hauling another segment of snow over the ground, he persisted in peeling away layers of fallen abyss, more and more of the road became less of a desolate and stark outline, and further portions of the Halovian streets they were all accustomed to. It was enough of a routine into his incantations now that he could listen fully, rather than pausing to soak in information – if the Ru quip, and her obvious whereabouts amidst Sunjata’s abode segmented anything, it was amidst a barely scrutable clenching of his jaw.

And even then, he kept the nature of his rancor to himself, eventually breathing it away on a forged inhale and exhale, before his eyes flickered back to the Seer. “Torchline is always nice, if you enjoy the sea. I heard the waves are higher now.” Whether that would entice her towards the ocean remained to be seen – his own affinity for waves and beaches clambered straight from childhood and wild youths across sands, leaving their imprints on bare feet and hoots of gulls. “And perhaps eventually Stormbreak will be open.” Not that he was all that eager to explore the once-prejudiced domain, save for maybe out of spite.

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

Unaware of the history between Deimos and Sunjata, and lacking an opinion of Ru's new (old?) beau at present, Alys continued her work with hardly a glance in Deimos's direction. If there was the briefest of pauses in conversation, she attributed it simply to their work; and then he was offering advice and direction on places she could visit. She had indeed heard good things about Torchline, and she had to admit to a healthy curiosity about Stormbreak, which had been for so long closed to them. As for the rest of the world, she wasn't sure that the forest world of the Greatwood much appealed to her, and the Wilds were sure to be, well, wild. She hadn't been back to the Grounds in some time, but she hadn't much desire to return now.

"What do you think of them?" she asked, grunting as she cleared a particularly heavy shovel full of snow. "Stormbreak, I mean." She thought of Stormbreak much as she thought of the gods: she hadn't had much use for them, seeing as they had seemingly no use for her. Still, if her opinions of the gods were changing, perhaps she should be open-minded about Stormbreak as well.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

Content with steering the direction of the conversation far and away from the Flood, he pondered over the inquiry. It was partially difficult to surmise notions about Stormbreak, given the parameters and perimeters they’d once merited wholeheartedly against Abandoned, the assaults of the Ascended upon their stony fixtures, and then the alterations and changes they’d pledged to make. “They have a long history,” which Alys would know more far than he, given the state of Naturals and Outlanders. “Mostly of prejudice and discrimination. I do not think it did them any favors leading up to the war.”

He shrugged his shoulders, pondering over the rest of the circumstances thereafter. “But they also have young leadership now, who seems to be seeking to remedy those wrongs.” And in the process, stumble, discover, and volley their way through. “With much to learn.” At least in the ways of politics, or life in general, as he’d saved Sohalia from one monster, and he was certain that probably wasn’t the last one she’d run into. Pausing, he tilted his head back in her direction. “What do you think of them?”

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

If Stormbreak's leadership had much to learn, then so did Alys. She'd already changed a great deal from the person she'd been upon leaving the Grounds: hard-headed and spiteful, with a chip on her shoulder because of the lot she'd been dealt in life. She'd for so long believed that it was easier to dislike others before they had a chance to dislike her, but she'd caused herself only pain and loneliness that way. "I used to hate them," she said with a shrug. When she'd been younger and more naive, and believed the world worked in black and white. "With all their prejudice and their devotion to the gods. It always seemed like they thought they were better than the rest of us." And perhaps many had, or else there would have been no need for curses meant to keep the Abandoned out.

"But it's not that simple, and if they're willing to change, then shouldn't they be given the chance?" With that said, though, did she want to be the pioneer for change? "But at the same time, I don't want to be the first Abandoned to set foot in Stormbreak. Not alone, anyway."

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

Abhorrence and contempt was a familiar feeling to the Sword, once as the Reaper, and in his current state. Much less than before, where enemies were gained rapidly within Helovia, but the emotion still built its way along his ribcage and through blackened portions of his soul, when they were well and wholly deserved. To hear Alys bore such sentiments didn’t quite surprise him, only because there were scores of others who’d suffered far more than he, and multitudes of Outlanders, before they’d all arrived. Stormbreak had held their high and mighty prestige while segments of the world were isolated and enclosed, scorned and forgotten. Nor would it be much of a shock to Deimos if that land still held such particular sentiments, especially amongst its older constituents. Prejudice could easily be forged through generations.

So he listened, never quite a victim of those imperial thoughts because he simply hadn’t cared – born amidst worlds where magic had been accepted. He’d never hidden who he was, never had to curl and coil into himself and pretend to be something he wasn’t, like Evie, or scores of other Abandoned who represented a repressed mass. But he’d willingly barrage his way through any biases, indifferent to their haze; for one Voice did not equate to all incantation-bearing people. “It never is,” at least with anything simplistic, and especially not with Caido. “I think if we are cautious,” to which he always was, and he could hazard a guess Alys was much the same, “and give it some time, there might be substantial progress. I believe the leadership means well.” In that they probably didn’t want to cause an international scandal, and impending hellhole, by opening a world only to maim them. Still – he also didn’t want to be the first, though that seemed to be an unavoidable thing, given who and what he represented. “Understandable. They intended to hold an event to welcome Abandoned in.” In another world, time, and place, it would’ve been a trap, and even now, he couldn’t quite release those trepidations. “I will go, if only to ensure the safety of our own.”

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

Life was never simply black and white, a lesson that Alys had slowly come to learn during her time away from the Grounds. It had been easier, in her youth, to assign everything a specific place in her mind, but in reality, things shifted all the time, and now that she had grown beyond the borders of her home region, she could appreciate the beauty that shades of grey gave the world.

If Deimos believed that the leadership of Stormbreak meant well, and was willing to brave the unknown to find out, then Alys could, too, she decided. "The more of us go, the safer we'll be, right?" she said, tilting her head to one side. Her dark curls cascaded over her shoulder, and the seer tossed them out of her face before continuing. "If they're extending an olive branch, then I suppose we should be well represented. I'll go, if you're going." She trusted Deimos to keep them all safe, at any rate, and who knows? Maybe he would need someone to watch his back for a change.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

A majority of life, and people, were mixed in aspects of grey – neither entirely contemptuous or malicious, nor forbearing, virtuous, and holy. Neither Isilme, Helovia, nor Caido had blended themselves richly into black and white, though it wasn’t to say alternating and warring parties certainly didn’t try, pinpointing sides into declarations of vicious slander. Some days he could've lived on hatred and animosity alone. The Ascended had been much the same, in that Deimos had understood why they’d done so many things, but in the process, had lost multitudes of their righteousness and platitudes through murderous means, playing directly into Old God’s notions and tales. Even now, Stormbreak held its own lofty heights, and while they’d survived assaults and sieges, there were parallels of cruelty to break apart there too. And the Heart, and her constituents, had at least strived to take steps and right the wrongs.

They probably didn’t know half the stories, but the overarching theme was enough. Deimos stilled for a moment, before maneuvering more snow, making it a pattern while he thought. “Yes,” he gathered first, because he meant it wholeheartedly – between himself, Ru, and Evie, there’d be a formidable stance, and he’d shelter any and every Halovian, or Abandoned amidst the threshold, without complaint. He arched a brow at her response though, a grin lifting along his mouth again. Had he known she intended to watch his back (as very few had ever bothered), he might’ve been touched – instead, he unfurled a sigh. “Sounds official then.” A mild amount of mischief curled through him, if a little wild and juvenile, never too far from deviance. “I would like to know what else they have kept locked there.” Away from the prying, straying eyes of those with magic.

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

With that settled, Alys nodded with a quick smile. They would go to Stormbreak, would break down the walls and barriers that time had erected, and would return all the wiser for their efforts. She was curious about what the region would be like, having heard only tales of a great city among the clouds, full of gothic architecture and lacking the natural component of the other regions.

Deimos's statement was met with a raised brow as the seer contemplated his meaning. "You think they're hiding something?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. It wouldn't be surprising if they were, she thought, but what it could be, she couldn't say. Perhaps she would consult the cards before they traveled to Stormbreak, to see if she could get a hint of what might transpire.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

The juvenile grin unfurled further, nearly Cheshire, as he commanded his attention back to piles of snow, easing them away from more cobblestones. He gave it more than a moment of spun silence, perhaps to antagonize, maybe to simply provoke and be obnoxious, before shrugging his shoulders. “I do not know much of what they hold,” and most would be based on rumor and hearsay, since they’d never been able to see for themselves. “But if you were them,” and thanks the gods neither of them were, “Would you not tuck something away?” From prying eyes and those with incantations, shuffled amidst corridors of ancient stone and slate?

Muffling laughter, but determined to see if he’d goaded her into some segments of curiosity and suspicion, the depths of his eyes raised upwards, following the rise of the sun, before flickering downward again. “At the very least, I have heard of a large library.” Full of knowledge and tomes and books off-limits to those of their decree; until now.

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

Comfortable enough with Deimos by now to let loose her own juvenile tendencies, the seer stuck her tongue out at him as he grinned at her, all but inviting her to jump to her own conclusions. "I don't know what I'd do if I were them," she said tartly. "But if I were them, their idiotic ban on Abandoned would never have happened." Still, she tilted her head in thought as she shoveled more snow. If she wanted to keep an entire race out of her home, surely there would be a reason for it. "Maybe they're just extra vulnerable to magic, somehow."

News of a library piqued her interest, and she half-turned to raise her brows at Deimos before continuing on with her task. "Libraries are good places for secrets," she said. Who knew what might be hidden away in books? Secret histories, secret knowledge, secret passageways - it was all possible in a library. "You know they're probably just really boring, right?" she asked with a laugh.;

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

He laughed at the tart response, completely unbothered by the extension of juvenility; when comfortable, he often intended to unfurl others anyway. While he moved another pile he listened, shrugging his shoulders when she mentioned she wouldn’t, but none of them had lived within the times of the Voice’s rise – just her prominent display in years past. He could fathom and understand the vitriol to some extent – but not an entire race, simply because of one stark-raving mad individual. “That would be something,” as he leaned into the theory, but doubted it. If anything, they probably would’ve found all sorts of routes to navigate, avoid, and deteriorate the Abandoned population. It hadn’t been that long ago that they’d been marching towards doing the same to the Ascended.

As for libraries, he nodded, the slow smile returning. “Or at least some history.” Which he took value and stock in, having not been born and raised in this world. “I have heard many stories, but there could always be more.” And even if it was dull, he wouldn’t mind reading over tomes left and forgotten, or snagged often.

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

Maybe it was naive to think that there was nothing special about Stormbreak other than their apparent hatred of Abandoned - but if they had some kind of weapon, or secret, or whatever, wouldn't they have unleashed it on the world already?

Alys tilted her head to one side as she considered this very unlikely side of Deimos. "I didn't have you pegged as a library sort of man," she said almost apologetically, fighting a smile. "You know, with all the weapons and fighting and stuff." She battled with a particularly heavy drift of snow and lost, grumbling as she dropped her shovel full to break it into more manageable chunks. "What kind of things do you like to read?"

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

DEIMOS

the ocean does not apologize for its depth
and the mountains do not seek forgiveness

He snorted, loudly, at the insinuation. Perhaps he fit the mold of the gruff, burly warrior, but his scholarly mind and cleverness had won them over through battles, schematics, and politics on numerous occasions. “I hope you are not stereotyping me,” he responded bluntly, with the cool arch of his brow to signify a joke and jest in there. Maneuvering another pile so that it began to resemble some miniature steeple, he laughed again. “My portion of the library is well stocked with nonfiction material,” which yes, he was certain she could imagine. “Much on weaponry, war, monster hunting…,” the art and science of formations and armaments, some well-worn and earmarked for future notions, alongside brandished sketches and foretold outlines.

“If you want anything fiction related, you will have to consult with Evie.” He wouldn’t give away her affinity for the romance novels, merely grant an inward eyeroll at the material and covers. “And you?” The Sword wouldn’t grant presumptions towards Alys, waiting to hear her preferred topics.

for the space they take
and so, neither shall I

Alys

At his joke, it was Alys's turn to snort. It wasn't like she'd ever seen the man with a book, though of course she should have taken into consideration his keen mind. Someone like that wouldn't be content with complacency, and his preference for nonfiction books made sense when she considered it. "Perhaps you will find new material in Stormbreak," she suggested with a shrug. "If their library is as vast as it sounds."

As for herself: "I like histories," she said. There was something about the past that made it easier to see the future. "And books about people. Psychology. Why people are the way they are." And if it made her business as a seer easier? Well, that was just a pleasant side effect.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head