One foot in sea and one on shore

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

With the sun at it's zenith, shadows reduced to pinpricks beneath their source. There was nothing to muddle or obscure the colors of the earth and Maea roamed the expanse of hot springs in a daze, overwhelmed by their vibrancy. She had seen it before, of course, but never at this time of day. Always hiding from the sun, or the heat, or people who might know her; this time it was just to breathe and escape the scent and sight of death.

Hunching down by a pool that shimmered with heat, she hesitated before reaching out to test the temperature. Would it burn this time, when the medium was water and not pure flames? No... apparently not. What would be scalding enough to lose skin on another was merely pleasant to her. With a sigh of relief she dunked both hands in, and began to scrub away layers of grime accumulated over hours and days. The ache in her spine from carrying and lifting, building and tearing down matched the one in her chest, and she found herself sniffling when pent up emotion finally had a chance to overflow.

She'd been doing that a lot lately, and it always surprised her. It would seem that the opposite of numbness was caring to the point of breaking.

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

Each and every time the Flood visited Torchline, he’d always made time to come through Rainbow Road, regardless of the task he was here to accomplish. Always leaving one little offering to Frey on their shrine within the colorful stones, taking a moment of reflection over everything that had occurred while he continued to persevere through the difficulties that were thrown at them time and time again. This time, an offering is left and a clear glass jar is brought, reaching down to collect some of the warm water from further down the stream while his new companion – a sea panther – bumbles down the way, swimming through the water until she reaches a deeper point.

A deeper point that harbors a person much to the sea panther’s excitement. And Sunjata, being none the wiser than letting Petronella simply explore the surroundings, takes a moment to collect the water from this part of the world, closing the lid securely, and stuffs it into the bag of holding at his side as he continues down the path to try and see just what had captured Petronella’s attention so raptly.

The sea panther moves in, her gilded eyes focused on the pale horned woman in the water, sunk beneath the water as she is, the little cub is only visible by her eyes and the nubs of her own horns and ears pricked forward as she stares, before diving under the water the second she’s noticed.

Sunjata, on the other hand, spots the woman immediately – like yet another ghost from his past, but from what he can tell has made the change from Ascended to Ancient, a feat he’d convinced Isla to do for her own safety in this day and age. And much like every time before it stills him in his tracks, a flash of pale blue light erupting on the scar on the side of his face, a trail that continues like a lightning flash down the lightning strike scars on his bare arm. “Maea?” He asks tentatively into the air, ignoring the sound of the upset waves in the distance and the calls for helping to move more material.

The Flood himself hasn’t changed much these days – no new scars since she’d last seen him, none visible anyway. Nothing but the flicker of passive magic and his usual bone tired weariness (harder to come by these days, it’s true) as his steel gaze focuses on the pale woman.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

Ripples in the dormant geyser had the Ancient look up, a wariness over her face like a deer ready to bolt. Catching a glimpse of curious eyes and the splashes as something feline vanished beneath the surface, she paused the scrubbing and searched the bottom for a sign of what it might have been.

Distracted enough not to notice the approach, Sunjata's voice startled the pale woman. Growing very still, Maea had to fight the sudden hammering in her chest, of a heart that seemed about to work its way out of the throat. When she managed to turn her own head, it was a slow motion - almost reluctant - until shuttered eyes could take in the ghost of her past. At least, she would have liked them to be void of expression. Instead her eyes were red and puffy, tearing up despite the quick wipe of her cheeks with sleeves soaked to the elbow in water.

"Nnh.. Jata. Hi. Didn't expect... to see you." Or anyone at all, but especially not him. She'd made an effort to steer clear of all the places in the Grounds that reminded her of him, as it seemed pointless to keep chewing over things that couldn't be changed.

Yet here he was, and she found herself uncomfortably off guard.

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

Petronella is easily seen in the water at least, the sea panther darting around for fun and practice – still too young to really be figuring out how terrifying her presence could be for some. She surfaces once Maea isn’t looking at her, though, catching her breath as she paddles around the surface while Sunjata stares, meets that sluggish response to his question, and notices the red eyes.

He tries to scan his mind for the last time he’d seen her, a long time ago in the Grounds, before the war, before his life had changed. Before Nate had died and he’d gone into a horrible spiral of depression and alcohol, before he’d started to fix King’s End and make it livable. And still, he stands there as surprise is writ across his features. “Yeah, uh, same.” He admits, his accented voice reaching her before he realizes he can move again, stepping toward the water’s edge to try and get his companion to stop bothering the Ancient.

“Are you okay?” He asks as he kneels, using his water magic to try and slide the panther toward him – despite however great he is at controlling water is nothing to a creature that survived within it, and the cat chase begins as she easily slips out of the grip the water has on her.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

Rising from the sea like some warm and welcome submarine is a Tumsea. With a smattering of starfish on its shell and a coating of seaweed, the creature looks as if it is trying to reflect the starlit heavens. Slow and kind, the creature glances your way, and though it is difficult to ascribe a smile to a creature such as this, indeed it seems to be smiling at you before descending down back into the waves.

---

You’ve encountered a Tumsea. This counts as a rare creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. You may not kill your rare creature without admin permission.

Tumseas (rare/mythical): Smaller cousins of the Tulmhainar, Tumseas are like moving ecosystems all unto themselves. With shells of brilliant blues and earth browns, these turtle-like creatures can grow to nearly 4ft in diameter and can hold their breath for decades at a time. Bringing vibrancy and health to all the underwater trails they follow, Tumseas are thought to be good omens and are often followed by schools of fish encantados

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

The creature in the pool was unlike anything Maea had seen before. While small, there was no denying the feline grace or the predatory nature of it, and she carefully inched back to keep her hands from being chomped. You never knew.

The inclination to just get up and leave was strong. Especially as Sunjata came over to the pool and began to... do something with the water. Catch the critter? She could see the ripples of disturbance and how the diminutive panther escaped his hands, and the effort not to breathe in the scent of him was making her dizzy.  

"Ah, yea. I'm fine." Awkward, embarrassed, afraid of all the things that kept welling up whenever the Flood entered thought or memory or situation... Actually, no. It was a lie, the wasn't fine at all - but admitting that would be a mistake. So she didn't. "What is that thing..?" Better ask about what he was doing than try to explain her tears.

Glancing up, looking between the pool and him and the sea, something on the horizon caught her eye. For an instance Maea locked gaze with the tumsea, and the compassion in its eyes almost reduced her into a sobbingmess. She blinked, and it was gone; lingering only as an unbearable tenderness around her heart.

How unfair. Why was she always reduced to this whenever Sunjata was around?

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

Luckily, Petronella isn’t into nipping unless it’s Sunjata when he’s making her do something she doesn’t want to do. Like right now, as his focus is entirely on the sea panther instead of seeing through the lie that sits well and good on Maea’s face despite how she tries to hide it. And well, it’s been a long time between the two of them, and he finds it best to not push the situation. After all, if he and Phoebe can get on speaking and friendly terms, surely things could be calm and settled between himself and her, right?

“She’s a sea panther.” The very same kind that Sunjata had fought on the shores not far from here. The kind that in the fight had nearly killed him from the miscommunication between he and Deimos that had given him those electric scars that raced up his arm and hid under his shirt to arc across his chest. “Her name’s Petronella.” His tone has a hint of annoyance as she slips out and distraction blooms in the face of the Tumsea that appears, distracting him enough that sea panther can get away, hiding under the water.

“Hmm, I'm sorry about this.” Sunjata says to Maea, still refraining from looking at her as he displaces some of the water she sits in to lift a makeshift bubble of it out into the air, plucking the panther from within the encasing before he sets the water back with his magic, holding the cub with both hands to peer at her with his own kind of stubbornness Maea knew all too well. A silent conversation occurs and he slips the wet panther onto his shoulders before glancing back down to Maea.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

"Huh. Never saw one of those before." Unlike him, Maea couldn't keep herself from looking. At his hands, fighting to grab and hold the little rascal creature. At any glimpse she managed to catch, honestly, and when she caught herself counting the scars on his face she could have kicked herself for a bloody fool.

And then he apologized. Blinking, Maea rose to get feet as Sunjata did, a hand automatically going to her hair to rake it from her face - hindered by her horns now. As stuck as she, who kept running in place while the world moved on without her.

"Sorry for what? You've done nothing wrong." For once. Though she bit that back; most of her issues bottomed in herself anyway. That they kept running into one another at the worst times was hardly his fault.

Meeting his gaze,  Maea held it with her own brand of stubbornness, almost relishing the way it scalded her insides. "You look well," she admitted. "Are you..? well..?" She wanted to know. Didn't want to know. Wasn't sure which answer would bring her most peace.

Maybe it didn't matter, as long as she remained this raw.

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

“They’re usually considered either an omen of death or a blessing from Ludo. They’re typically huge and are rumored to gather souls… Lost at sea.” It’s a wince as he says it, recalling how Maea had died and how she died. His face twists with the shift for the wince, hopefully blocking it enough with how he sets the creature onto his broad shoulders, exhaling a soft sigh when she tells him he’s done nothing wrong.

“Moving that much water. She can get squirrely.” And besides, it looked like Maea’s weariness needed all the warmth from the heat of the stones that she could get. But it does surprise him when she meets his gaze, another small flicker of light dancing across his scars as he peers back at her, that equal stubbornness met between them.

A small line pinches between his brows at her compliment, head tilting slightly in a small shrug – careful to not push Petronella too far. “Better now. It took a long time after the war to get here, but, I focused on King’s End and Frey and it got me through.” Despite how Nate had died and left him wondering whether or not he’d be better off at the bottom of the sea. Regardless, the wedding ring still remains, a glint of gold among his bronze hued skin. “You became an Ancient. I’m glad.” He offers gently, unsure how she’ll take the compliment from himself.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

Cocking her head aside, Maea looked over the sea panther with renewed interest. She didn't flinch at the bumbling mention of her death - it was a sore spot, true, but perhaps not for the reasons one might think - and the mention of Ludo actually softened her expression a touch.
"I see. A blessing, then. I'll admit, I didn't think you would bond again." Haai's shadow still followed him in her mind, just as Shi's dim light kept haunting the quiet moments for herself. Not often acknowledged, she sometimes wondered if the hollowness of her could be more to do with losing her bonded than she thought.

At least the Flood was working on himself. Finally, one might say, if she hadn't known better. He always had, it just never took the form of anything she could understand or accept. The compliment drew a complicated expression onto the young Ancient's face, half a smile followed by a shrug as she broke eye contact and looked off to the glittering sea.
"I don't know... In some ways I am, too. But this body... it has it's own drawbacks. I spent the years since the war in stone - maybe if I hadn't, things would be easier." Forgetting that she'd claimed to be fine, that she wasn't planning on talking about her problems - as always, Sunjata had a way of drawing truth out of her, whether she wished it or not.

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

Thankfully the blunder is bypassed, in favor for one that hits him in return. And all he can do is hum a note of agreement, letting loose a heavy sigh and a small twitch of a smile. “Yeah, neither did I. She didn’t give me a choice, though.” Which had caused his own upset, the guilt over Haai’s death something he’d had to deal with then and there so that he didn’t ruin the cubs chance at surviving him alongside everything else.

But as the conversation continues and they haven’t gotten into a fight yet, Sunjata shifts to settle rather than stand, making sure that Petronella can’t escape the confines of his shoulder. Eventually, though, the dripping sea panther settles, stretching across his shoulders to clean her paws while he kneels. “It’s better than being Ascended, though.” He offers her gently, looking away the second that she does to scan the colorful stones within the water. “I suppose it’s taking some getting used to when it comes to eating again?” And despite the hardships, at least it seemed like the Ancient were alive again.

No longer cold to the touch robotic creatures, the Ancient could eat and drink and fuck all they wanted. Which, despite how much Sunjata’s changed, still remained part of his comforts of living.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

"They have a way of doing that," she agreed, the corners of her eyes crincling at the companion. Ever a soft spot with her, it was impossible to remain wary when the panther looked so much like a kitten.

Barefoot in the shallow water, Maea sloshed her toes through the pool and did her best to chase away the awkwardness. Did her best to keep her emotions from bleeding through, as well; she didn't want to start anything. Didn't want to be the one who kept clinging to pain as if it was the only thing that existed in the world. If she ached anyway, it was beside the point, and nothing she could do anything about.

"Mh, well. Yes. Mostly since what I'm inclined to eat is a bit different." Sinking down to sit on the edge of a geyser, Maea slipped her feet into the scalding hot water, grateful for the warmth. "I..." She hesitated. Chewed on her lip, agonizing whether it was madness or folly or just weak to try and find solutions in her former lover. But then she recalled that Sunjata was more than that, these days. So she drew a deep breath, and launched into it.

"Can I ask you something? As Frey's demi-god?" Or an old friend. Whichever worked best.

Maea

// ships are launching from my chest
some have names but most do not //

They do have ways of doing that. Haai had been a blessing the Flood hadn’t known he needed, and splitting from her had been an excruciating pain. The thought of it potentially happening again is precisely why he’s now so protective over the sea panther cub stretched out over his shoulders now. Of course, it’s much to Petronella’s displeasure, but he hopes one day she might understand.

As for Maea’s comment, Sunjata hums a sound, nodding his head slightly. “Mm, well, when it’s satisfied you can eat normally. I’ve heard some Ancients use it as a guideline for when they’re about to run low and need to go out and hunt.” Depending on how rare they wanted their meals would indicate just how close they were.

Though it isn’t like Sunjata can judge. After the war ended he’d gotten incredibly thin, refusing to eat to the point he could only sustain himself in his shifts. So he harbored his own time of a similar bloodlust, shifting into the panther or dragon shift and going out to hunt.

His steel gaze flickers back to her, though, curiosity blooming on his face when she decides to ask him something because of who he is now, and he nods. “Sure.” He doesn’t know if he has a good answer to what she wishes to ask, but, he can certainly try.

the flood

// if you find one, please,
let me know what piece i've lost //

I'll drown eventually so don't save me

He seemed to know more about the ways of the Ancient than she did. Things that came so natural to the old ones were both new and strange to her, and with only Danta's brief instructions to go on, Maea struggled to come to terms with it all. Sunjata already touched on part of the problem with his remark, which made it both easier and harder to get the words out when he nodded, allowing the question that burned on her tongue.

"I just... need to know. Do ordinary animals... enjoy the hunt? The killing?" Her mouth dipped at the corners, expressing both disgust and a fear she couldn't hide no matter how she tried. "I've hunted before, but there was never a moment when taking a life was either fun or - or pleasurable. And there's nothing, in the moment, that distinguishes between people and animals... And I'm scared."

Saying it out loud was as difficult as it was a relief. Getting it out there, letting someone know - "I don't want to hurt anything, or anyone. I don't want to become a monster... but I don't know how to control this –" gesturing helplessly to herself, hating the word bloodlust and all of the imagery that came with it of wanton lust, debauchery and savagery.

Sunjata would know how hard it was for her to let go of control. It lay at the core of why they broke up; because she didn't trust easily, and wouldn't share, and couldn't let go and just let things happen, even if it was pleasant. When she turned back to search his face this time, it was all there; raw and laid bare in the glint of her eyes, quivering in her jaw as she chewed the inside of her cheek.

"I don't know what to do."

Maea