run into the midnight sun

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Vi had told Noah to go to King's End. And while it was later than he had originally intended, thanks to the starfall event, he was here now.

Having not experienced the market place before, Noah made his way over in a boat thanks to the kindness of a young man going to the market with a load of fish. Noah made simple conversation with him on the way over, but before they made it all the way across, he asked about the events of the past Longnight. Met with confusion and fear, Noah didn't get much information. Sighing, but thanking the boy anyway, Noah moved from his boat to another.

And so on and so on and so on, Noah went from merchant to merchant, asking after any information or ideas that people had regarding the troublesome happenings in their world in the recent seasons.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

In terms of the damage sustained in King’s End, this space had it the worst – the Boondocks, surrounded mostly by water hadn’t handled the increase of tides well. So in between everything else the Flood had been doing, he’d ended up here time and time again, working on helping clean up the mess the tides had caused. And it seems the efforts aren’t wasted, with merchants able to get their products out again, some of them lost from being water logged, but at the very least there was progress being made.

It's where Sunjata finds himself now, flitting between merchant to merchant, checking in with them on what he could help with and what information he could pass along – that is until a figure distracts him with his familiarity and admittedly, out of placeness, here in King’s End.

But rather than the previous version of himself that Noah had met, now Sunjata steps up boldly beside the Forsaken, the weight of worry and anxieties lifted from his shoulders, now settling easily at his full height. “Noah,” he greets easily, flashing the merchant a small smile before his attention flickers to Vi’s Demigod at his side. “What brings you all the way out to King’s End?” He asks curiously.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

The demigod kept moving about the floating marketplace. He asked questions about the starfall, Longnight, and other things — but it appeared all out of genuine care. And it was, in some place. But it was also questions fueled by his deity, who had prompted him towards King’s End to look and ask and find—well, maybe find.

Unsuspecting, yet unsurprised, at Sunjata’s appearance at his side, Noah offered the fellow demigod a nod in greeting. He turned his attention back to the small shopkeep briefly and thanked them for their time. Then, he turned to Jata more fully. I actually came looking for some information you might be able to help me with, on Vi’s instruction. He said across the attuned bond, but aloud the words spoken were: ”Just looking around, making sure people are okay.” He gestured slightly with his arm around the marketplace. ”You said it was flooded but I didn’t think it would be this flooded.”

Noah let his eyes roll over the Frey touched man, noting how different his countenance was compared to the last time they met in person. The meeting regarding Safrin’s absence was not the best of circumstances, but neither was this. Noah assumed that it was because of Hotaru. At least that was a good thing about her leaving.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

A smile is offered to the shop keep from the Flood as well – though the merchant in question is one that Sunjata has dealt with quite a few times already. A purveyor of brilliantly hued fabrics and textiles, and if there’s something Sunjata adored, it was colorful and soft things when growing up he had been used to threadbare blankets and shades of white and grey.

They turn away, though, and the Attuned bond fills with the true reasoning Noah is here, and the smile Sunjata offers is nothing if not somewhat amused and curious, head tilting slightly – a look that references well enough with the spoken words. Is it a secret mission? He asks, unable to keep the hint of humor from his mental voice, unsure why Noah would need to be so secretive about it.

But he looks out over the Boondocks while Noah looks him over, a hand rising to brush through his crop of hair speckled with a few pieces of grey these days. “The Boondocks are the flattest part of King’s End, at least we’ve established an evacuation point amongst the hills.” Higher elevation was essentially what the plan was, and room would be available wherever needed to help those displaced. For now, though, parts of the Boondocks have settled, people have adapted, thanks to how hardened they had been living here before it had taken the full plunge into regionhood.

“Walk with me.” He hums, stepping away from the shopkeeps and anyone else in earshot to a relatively empty space, surrounded by the lulling waves of the water as it laps against the newly defined edges of the region. It’s here that he stops and looks at Noah more fully, ready for when the questions start.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Noah's gaze lingered on Sunjata, uncertainty flickering in his glacier eyes as he weighed the balance between trust and caution. The history between them — marked by past relationships and the complexities of divine alliances — added layers of intricacy to their current exchange, and Noah couldn’t help but hold on to those memories. Of Sunjata’s dragon form crashing in to the Citadel, of demolishing Whitebrim, of chasing him down and blasting lightning strike after lightning strike….

But even if Sunjata were a different man standing beside him, Noah still wasn’t in a place to fully accept it. While not outwardly antagonistic towards the Frey-touched, he also wasn’t ready to give full vulnerability and trust to him. But he stepped in, matching the Flood’s gait. A guarded expression settled on Noah's features. Trust, once fractured, proved challenging to rebuild. Which, Noah probably could guess would happen on Sunjata’s end. He was Certain that the Flood was privy to Noah and Deimos’ reactions to the Valkyrie’s decision.

Not secret, but not everyone is ready to jump on the plans the gods have put their chosen to. Even in — or, especially in — the aftermath and downfall of the Voice. There were plenty of people in the world still unwilling to put their trust in a deity, and Noah wasn’t going to force it. ”Thank you for answering my letter about the refuge. With what’s happening in the world, I think it’s a good asset to Caido.”

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

The uncertainty isn’t hidden from him – Sunjata’s smart enough to know that Noah doesn’t trust him – both from what he already knew with everything that had gone down years ago and everything since then. But of course, the lightning scars that align his body aren’t from Noah – and in fact, if he were to mention such an event Sunjata would have no idea what he’s even talking about, given that the Ascended had used his shift as they wished that night in Stormbreak.

Regardless, they begin to walk to a more secluded place to speak and Sunjata’s side of the bond is carefully cultivated to be playful and curious, rather than share any feelings otherwise. Not that he has them at this present moment, being as strong as he’s become now and the realization of everything Frey had been teaching him, cultivating into the new version of the Flood that stands before Noah – a person relieved and powerful, someone who was ready to actually try and live his life for the first time in what felt like… Well, forever.

And what plan is that? We’ve been disposing of the infected creatures as your letter instructed us to without any issue. He sends mentally, keeping that easy smile despite the crookedness of it from the muscle that doesn’t quite work as well as it once had, not since his father’s blade had gone through it. “Of course. It’s what it’s there for. I only wish it wouldn’t need to be utilized again so soon.” And for this, Noah would feel the pang of truthfulness spill into the bond between them, the blip of frustration that they can’t just have something nice. “I trust you and your family are safe from everything going on?” He asks, recalling the gift Noah had given him and the mention that Vi’s demigod was expecting children.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

As they moved to a more secluded spot, Sunjata's side of the attuned bond exuded an air of playful curiosity, but the words spoken soundlessly across their minds gave Noah relief. The tension he felt dropped a little and he let his face peak with an upward turn of his lips. I’m glad to hear that. I still have doubt in me that people have enough faith in the old gods to listen to them. He uttered. If King’s End was listening with such haste to Vi’s instructions, that gave Noah hope for the rest of the places. Though, he did believe somewhere deep within himself that the heeding of his words came from Hotaru’s influence.

Concern colored Sunjata's next question, a genuine inquiry about the safety of Noah's family amidst the chaos. ”They aged.” Noah said, a flick of his eyebrow enough, surely, to give Sunjata information to fill in the blanks of how he felt about it. ”So that's ultimately why I am curious about the refuge."

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

I’m not so sure why. Sunjata begins, reflecting that smile that graces Noah’s face with one on his own. Everyone's on the same page these days. He sends over, a slight mental shield to block out the pangs of regret from losing Nate in the war after how hard he'd fought to keep him, and the potential that he could have made it out and become Ancient afterwards, like Isla had done.

As for the Refuge, though, and Noah’s children aging, he does catch that glance and the smile falls with a hum of understanding. “I see.” Is all he can say – because he’d experienced the strangeness of it before, once, when Kamaria had returned home at the age of a teenager when he had literally made pancakes with a six year old that morning.

“While the Refuge works as intended, I’m not sure if it works against the affliction occurring. I’m having to do tests with it.” He admits, in the sake of being completely transparent and honest about the happenings. While it worked for their abilities and magic, this affliction was something else, and with it the uncertainty that gnaws at his chest. “So I would wait to send your family there until we know it can be wholly safe.” Because the letter had gone out right before things started getting weird, and now that it’s here and physically in their faces? Well, the realization has sunk in.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Halovian upbringing. Noah explained simply. Halovians weren’t known for being the most trusting of people, and though Noah had been more trusting that others, it was having that trust broken that led him back to mirroring his contemporaries.

Noah kept nodding along as Sunjata spoke and they walked about the docks. Stopping in a rather open spot where there was space for a floating shop to be, but wasn’t currently occupied, Noah let the sun bask over him. He tilted his head up some, squinting against the sunlight but watching as gulls flew and squeaked overhead. ”I don’t plan on sending them directly unless there is something as cataclysmic as war ahead of us, but I was thinking of asking one of the gods to build a device not unlike my compass—“ When mentioned, Noah flashed it to Sunjata from his pocket, ”—that could transport them there instantly.” He thought Safrin could make such a thing, but he hadn’t sought her out since he learned of her return. He knew she needed time to heal.

”Other than killing off the void flora and fauna, is King’s End working on anything to help in the long run of it? Hadama told me that Torchline is on a quest from Rae for protection against them.”

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

relive who i've been at my worst,
every single night, looking for a distraction

Ah, Sunjata hums through the attuned bond, figuring that it made sense as much as anything else. He doesn’t have anything to add to it either, content to let it slip away as more important information is addressed, walking along with him toward that open spot where the sun beat down, bringing out the multitude of freckles even further on the Flood’s face and already bronzed skin – only his scars a fair shades paler than the rest of him in the golden light.

“That would be handy to have.” Sunjata comments, wondering if he could do the same for one of his trinkets – now that the Ascended room in the Grounds didn’t exist. Regardless, one thing at a time, and he’s got a lot on his plate as it seems.

As for the next question, Sunjata wonders whether or not Noah had heard him or if the sounds of rebuilding and the dull roar of the waves were enough to drown out the timber of his voice. “As I said, I have to test the refuge to know what adjustments need to be made. Aside from that, building another shrine here and a town in the meantime.” Tilting his head slightly toward Noah with a small amused smile, Sunjata shrugs lightly. “The only shrine here at the moment, as you know, belongs to Safrin and Vi.” And while he wasn’t Vi’s demigod to ensure he received the god of life, he certainly didn’t need the bad news that came along Safrin’s winds. “But, the one I'm building is for Frey and it's almost complete. I hope that I know more about the refuge and what it lacks by the time it is.”

When it comes to the town, intended to be a space for people to move to and open up more options for people to relocate temporarily, especially in events like this, where many of those displaced have taken up residence in the House of Midnight and parts of the Refuge.

the flood

waiting for the sun to rise
pretty sight for some hollow eyes

totally sniped from odd ilu

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

With Noah firmly satisfied in the answers he sought, there was little else for him to ask. Noah nodded, lifting a brow as Sunjata went on about a shrine, a town, and the refuge. The plans seemed good for the betterment and benefit of the whole of King’s End, and Noah felt a lick of relief in it. At least Hotaru was going to be living in a place that provided for her. ”If you need help, I can’t speak for the whole of Halo, but I would be willing to lend a hand.” He said, extending an olive branch. Whether or not Jata would take him up on that would yet to be seen, but at least Noah could offer it. He wasn’t ready to sever any relationship with Hotaru, and if it meant this, then the demigod was willing to do it.

Even if he didn’t like it.

”Thank you for your help.”

FIN

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn