(SE) something in the orange

// the past is just a bridge we burned down behind us
when we left this town, running from the blinding heat //

Now, as it turns out, getting things in King’s End in order was relatively easy to do – but given that he can see the exhaustion Hotaru bears as she expends all of her efforts between the new region, Halo, and Torchline from the damages they suffered, Sunjata finds himself focused more intensely on helping out his old region. Halo was its own situation, avoiding it to not add too much stress to it with his arrival, even if it were to help – so he focuses here in Torchline, arriving on the dark leathery wings of his dragon shift, landing nearby the wreckages of a Port that harbored so many memories for the Flood.

People are trying to piece things back together, others have succeeded in some aspects, but there is still so much work to do. So he shifts back to himself, rolls up his sleeves, and picks a place to start – helping a group of sailors on the edge just before the docks extend out into the water, binding together cut wood collected from a wagon, to replace the pieces that have either been blown away or drifted off into the unknown.

---

Open for anyone! the SE is to help an affected region! <3

the flood

// of our disaster when we left this town
you can rely on me, i will always let you down //

Torchline did, indeed, need all the help it could get, and all who were willing were welcome. Yes, Dorian, even you. Though the wings of a black dragon caused some consternation, most people were too numb or exhausted to flee, and when the dragon became a man who pitched in to help, the ominous shift that had brought him to their shore was quickly forgotten.

From beneath the water the dragon's arrival was barely noted, but Sunjata's addition to the group working on the docks drew a weary emerald eye as Hadama surfaced from helping to sink another piling to replace those lost. He paused to incline his head at the Flood, swimming close enough to speak easily over the sounds of work around them. "Sunjata," he greeted, solemn from more than just a stoic mien after the last few... days? The passage of time was unclear amidst the unending work. "Thank you. How is King's End?"

// the past is just a bridge we burned down behind us
when we left this town, running from the blinding heat //

He doesn’t intend to cause any fear, but luckily people seem more distracted by the work to be done, flitting about here and there with a multitude of objects and items, fitting them together to start replacing what has been lost in the Port. And he fits in well, once he lands and inserts himself, sat near the edge of the water to tie together some of the beams needed with waterproof twine.

Silent in his work, until he notices the head bob up – a familiar face to which he inclines his head toward the Tidebreaker in his own greeting, settled where he is so Hadama can drift closer to speak. “Of course. I’m sorry this happened here.” He wanted to help. Torchline had been his home once, had been the place he ruled over and cared for everyone here too. Despite how many times he’d changed locations or what dramatics had even occurred here, a large part of it still is home to him. He’s pretty sure it always will be.

“King’s End is mostly fine. We sustained flooding, but it’s easier to handle than… Well, this.” He gestures and offers an apologetic smile to the Merking, finishing off the beams and handing them off to someone that passes by. “Do you need help under the water?” He asks curiously, able to shift into an orca that might be able to push enough things one way or another to hold it in place to be bolted in.

the flood

// of our disaster when we left this town
you can rely on me, i will always let you down //

Hadama inclined his head in acceptance of the sympathy. The words meant little after hearing them so often, and Sunjata's assistance meant far more. For all that Hadama had not been present for the Flood's tempestuous reign, the man had gone down in Torchline's history, as much a part of the coast as Remi or Maeve.

He had seen Halo and the Hollowed Grounds with his own eyes. Neither had been untouched, though Halo was far worse. He listened gravely as Sunjata recounted the state of King's End, nodding slowly at the recounting of how the other region had fared. "I appreciate that you are here." Willing to travel abroad to help distant regions, in spite of the flooding in his own. "And glad it is not worse."

He paused at the offer of help, considering. "Yes," he said slowly. "Could you steady the posts while I dig out beneath them?" The 'posts' were sections of entire tree trunks, a mere ten feet long near the shore but increasingly longer, heavier, and more unwieldy as the dock was rebuilt back out into deeper water. "If you stay near me, you will be able to breathe underwater," he assured the demigod, not knowing whether that was one of the Flood's own talents.

and catch a cold heart staring at the water, babe

He can only imagine how it must sound to hear the apologies over and over again, but it doesn’t mean he means it any less. At least he can offer it with action – helping to fix what had occurred in a place he’d called home for so long, a place that was as much a part of his heart as anything else these days. So when the appreciation is offered, Sunjata’s head inclines in a soft nod. “So am I.” It had been easy to make the plans, easy to trust those there to handle the flooding on the edges and care of the boondocks, and truthfully he hadn’t wanted to go and witness the potential of losing the last home he and Nate had ever shared together – not wanting to watch it bob along the waves.

So, he’s here. Offering what help he can as he nods toward the water, gaze lifting to meet Hadama’s as the offer is accepted. “Of course.” He answers to the suggested work, already moving to remove the few things he’d brought and worn that he doesn’t want to get wet, tucking them away in a small pile before he dives into the water. It takes little time to get deep enough in the water he doesn’t beach himself, the tall Outlander shifts into the shark bite scarred orca shift deep within his bones, morphing and melding into a large enough creature to help do exactly what Hadama requested. Unfortunately I can’t breathe under water, but this shift allows it so I won’t need too much air too quickly. A perk of surfacing for water in deep dives, he supposes.

He nears Hadama, careful of his size and shape, his dorsal fin missing a small chunk out of it as he dives a bit lower than the surface of the water after having taken a breath. Let me know which one you want to work on first. And he’ll follow the Merking to the first post, prepared to use his body to steady while Hadama digs out beneath it.

remember you flew

SUNJATA

It had taken some time to get used to the idea that landfolk had things they didn't want to get wet... but then, the Mer had things they didn't want to dry out. Once Hadama had considered that side of things, his patience had only increased while humans divested themselves of whatever they needed to before slipping into the water.

And at least in Longheat the sea was warm and welcoming now that its volatile Flowerbirth churning had settled and its fury at the new island that had been forced into its heart had been slaked.

As Sunjata joined him and began to shift, Hadama moved back to give the Flood space. The orca was impressive in size, and the drawback the outlander mentioned would likely not even matter for a project so near to shore and the surface. Indeed, the mermanta agreed, while the orca took its first deep breath and then moved to follow him.

It was only a short distance to the first marker, a stone from the rainbow road placed to mark each new spot. Hadama signaled the crew on land to roll the next piling along the dock and tip it into the water where he helped Sunjata position it. Then he left the orca to steadying the large dock support while the mermanta swam down to its base, using his water manipulation to compress water between his hands and shoot it in a powerful jet beneath the pole's base. As the sand was blasted out of the way the pole began to sink slowly into the seabed.

Have you had a chance to ask Frey about the void-touched plants and animals? he asked, curious about what the god of nature thought about these new organisms preying on Vi and Rae's creations. There was a moment of hesitation before he continued, each word measured with a weight of equal dread and stoic determination to face the truth. However hard it might be. Or... about Safrin's fate?

and catch a cold heart staring at the water, babe

The short distance allows Sunjata to get a feel for the project at hand, and with it came the help of Hadama’s signaling alongside the helping him position it. With it, the Flood remains exactly where he is, left to steady the support while Hadama worked on settling it into the sand to lower it down to the level they need it at.

The question, though, sparks a moment of consideration, long enough to hear the follow up with the question of Safrin’s fate – something, admittedly, Sunjata wasn’t too privy too or would be privy too. But nevertheless, the Flood hadn’t gone to see Frey since the starry goddess’ return anyway. I haven’t. He offers up easily, though not without a following explanation – because it’s a question he’s gotten constantly from anyone he talks to.

The aspect I follow tends to lean more toward reproduction and such. Which, given the last time I asked them about the current threat, they told me there was nothing more to do than get stronger and live life because there was always going to be another bigger predator that appeared. So saying, he’d simply assume he’d get the same answer. The why worry about it when you can fuck and live and indulge in life as it is right now talk over and over again. So I’ve run off of Noah’s letter, which I imagine you likely received too. Take them out whenever you see them. That had been his running mantra as of late.

As for Safrin, though, there’s a small pulse of apology where the starry goddess is concerned – nothing from his care over the goddess, but for the not knowing. I haven’t heard of Safrin’s fate either. Her and Frey aren’t exactly on the best of terms, as I’m sure you can imagine. I'm sorry.

remember you flew

SUNJATA

Sunjata's help made the work much easier, not least because the demigod's impressive strength allowed him to handle alone a task that would have taken several merely mortal people. Though Hadama's portion of the work required intense concentration to maintain the pressure on the water, he could still manage to form his questions and to listen to the Flood's answers.

Which were indeed interesting. Frey's dual aspect was known to the mermanta in an abstract sense, but he would have leaned towards Nature if he could not reach Safrin. He accepted Sunjata's explanation of his patron aspect with a pulse of understanding, but the bond sang softly with a thoughtful lack of words as Frey's advice was imparted.

Yes. I have been rooting out the void-touched flowers. But now... His brow creased in a faint furrow as he redoubled his efforts, cutting down at a sharp angle through the sand and seabed so the piling could be sunk deeply and sturdily into its new home. We are becoming overrun, he admitted reluctantly but with blunt honesty. Many animals are affected now, too. Every day it seemed like a report of a new species was coming in. Unsettling at best. Actively dangerous, more often than not.

On later retrospection Hadama might realize how inappropriate it was to ask Sunjata a question about Safrin, but in his worry and his focus on the task at hand he momentarily forgot the rumors of the friction that existed between the Flood and his former patroness. Of course, was all he murmured in acceptance of the apology.

The first piling sank down to the marking on its trunk and Hadama released his magic and drew more water past his gills, nodding for the orca to surface if he needed to. The mermanta joined him, calling the attention of the humans on land to bring another of the large poles. Have the creatures in King's End been affected as well?

and catch a cold heart staring at the water, babe

Each and every time the thought of threats reached Frey it had been answered with trying to ensure life continued to thrive, in whatever manner that might be. Such was the idea behind the Refuge, after all. Not unlike a Caido version of a Noah’s Ark, in case everything outside of it went to shit. At least life would survive, get a new start, and try again. This time he imagines it isn’t that different, and the last thing he wants to do is continually ask Frey over and over again what they can do if he’s going to receive the same answer again and again.

He continues to help Hadama with the supports, bracing it easily in this form, shark bite scarred tail wavering slightly in the water to keep him rooted within the ocean against its waves as he listens. There’s a pulse of understanding, a sensation that seems to suggest same in King’s End, unfortunately. It seems like when you root out one, two more take its place. He sends over with a mental sigh.

The of course is accepted with no comment, a pulse of acceptance in return, but instead choosing to focus on the next comment as soon as the piling sank down. He rises, blasting some of the water as he takes a breath of air from the surface, his dorsal fin a large towering pillar that helps mark where the Tidebreaker and the Flood were located as they wait for another pole. Unfortunately, yes. The river stars are actively aggressive and I heard reports it’s started to affect our unicorns. A pang of sadness blurs the lines with that, for Sunjata had always believed unicorns to be such pure creatures. To see them based down to a mockery of themselves is truly something that sparks worry within him. All he can do is hope that Morgen keeps his herds safe from the threat, while the rest of them remove the tainted equines where they could.

remember you flew

SUNJATA

Yes, the mermanta rumbled, his mental voice holding a note of emphatic agreement with Sunjata's comparison. Not unlike the mythical hydra, these void flowers were tenacious - and vengeful. The task was never-ending, but that did not mean it wasn't worth doing.

One support down, this time much faster than the previous pilings Hadama had sunk thanks to Sunjata's help, and they were able to take a short rest while waiting for the next one to arrive. He was able to turn his attention fully to the Flood as the man reported the strange behavior of the river stars - and the unicorns.

Mmh. The river stars here, too. But unicorns... He trailed off thoughtfully, a grim tension in his jaw as he looked towards the horizon and the new island that lay beyond it. The silence stretched as he pulled his thoughts together, slowly and carefully, and it wasn't until the next piling arrived and was being lowered into the water atop the next marking stone that he spoke again to the demigod of Frey.

...Are the void-born are something new to Caido? Twisted forms created as dark fascimiles of the local plants and animals? Or were they changed from their original forms? Corrupted but still rooted in the world's natural order?

and catch a cold heart staring at the water, babe

As far as Sunjata was concerned, any little bit helped – even if it didn’t feel like it. Because even if taking out one or two of them in the grand scheme meant that there would be at least one or two less out and about stirring up more trouble and illness. So as it stands, during the short break Sunjata rises back to the surface, takes another breath and lingers while they wait, content to breathe where he can within the momentary reprieve.

It’s saddening. Sunjata admits, in regards to the unicorns – such pure creatures. Perhaps a part of him, the Pegasus part that’s equally equine and familiar with such a creature as a unicorn, is the base of such sorrow.

But he dives down, as soon as the next piling arrives, taking a moment to slip under the surface to help support it like they had previously done. In terms of creatures? Sunjata asks, not wanting to misinterpret the question asked. As far as I can tell, the affected creatures are just that. Affected by it. Tainted. A steel eye focuses on Hadama beneath the waves, confusion flaring within the attuned bond.

remember you flew

SUNJATA

The corruption of the unicorns was sad, but it was more than that. Yes... Hadama trailed off, some of his concern washing into the Attuned bond as the piling arrived and they both dove down to guide it into position. The mermanta left the orca to the task of steadying the large, heavy post as he once again used his magic as a water jet to blast away the sea floor beneath the piling so that it would sink deeply and hold steady against any normal tide.

Sunjata's response to his question earned a small pulse of acknowledgment as Hadama focused on the job at hand, and it was several moments before he was able to pull his thoughts into the right words. The Flood's answer was not entirely reassuring, especially when combined with the news of the unicorns. If unicorns can be affected, then so can other companions, he said slowly, piecing together a realization that was far from comforting. And if wild unicorns and dragons were affected, then bonded companions were likely susceptible as well.

It was a good thing that Rae had healed Flora before they learned what the corruption would do to a person.

and catch a cold heart staring at the water, babe

He steadies the post, watching idly while Hadama uses his magic again to drive the post in deeper, feeling it against the hardened blubber on the outside of his shift as the post starts to move and shift, sinking in further and further. He doesn’t expect the Tidebreaker’s words to illicit such a response within him, though, a stirring pang of surprise and immediate fear that Sunjata swallows down so quickly with the walls of his attuned bond that he hopes he hadn’t felt it.

He doesn’t know how much Hadama knows of him, or whether or not he’d lost his companion before he’d gotten the little sea panther now, but it isn’t something he wants to talk about too much at the present moment. I hadn’t thought of that. He admits instead, trying to keep his side open and clear for the next instruction, waiting until the post is set and Hadama gives his clear before he rises again to the surface for another breath of air, mulling it over.

Though, I suppose, it can infect everything then. Flora’s wound is proof of that. And here they were again, faced with another threat with no way of knowing or understanding how the fuck to get out of it.

remember you flew

SUNJATA

If Hadama noticed anything unusual within the Bond, he did not show it. Though fear for companions seemed like a reasonable reaction to such news, any feelings that might have escaped were fleeting enough that they did not seem to be shared intentionally, and therefore were not his business. Indeed, he seemed genuinely oblivious to the details of Sunjata's own experience with the loss of a companion. The mermanta had been well and firmly below the waves during most of Sunjata's time on Caido, and though he'd heard the unsettling rumors of the entanglement of Frey's demigod with an Ascended, he knew little beyond the public knowledge of the Flood's time as Governor and his unique status as a demigod of two different deities over the course of his life.

In spite of their shared trepidation the next piling went in without any trouble, and as they surfaced they could see the humans and Ancients building the dock structure out along the path they were creating.

Yes, Hadama agreed, quiet and grim within the bond. I did not notice any differences before Rae healed her. Not in her behavior or appearance, aside from the bandage around her arm long after the wound should have healed. But it may work more slowly in humans. He paused, and then acknowledged reluctantly: And Mer.