[se] skipping stones

In between modest explorations within Stormbreak, returning home to Halo to venture towards other duties and responsibilities, he made time for Kiada. Making good on his promises and convictions, he’d sent another note her way when the opportunity struck, and flew over the outer portions of the Grounds; so often like ghosts themselves.

Not that they hadn’t been without wraiths and phantoms their whole lives, but the notions seemed to be spiraling into more tangible threads with this alteration in seasons. More than once he thought he’d seen things out of the corners of his eyes, reminded of days before Caido, or other lives lost in the midst. It was never quite enough to gain traction on, but just plenty to know they were there.

His gaze narrowed as he landed, shifting back into human form from the eagle abyss, and drawing alongside Kiada’s familiar figure against the outline of broken isles – the woodland the same, if a bit murkier and more dreadful. “You have them here too, hm?” he made by way of greeting, jawline jutting towards a silvery substance floating over the rise of water, before vanishing altogether, and he could give credence and attention to her instead of specters on the wind. “How are you?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

She’s precisely at the meet up spot when she sees him fly over. It’s colder out now but nothing that a simple sweater can’t suffice for the Ancient, but she does adorn it even still with a nice pair of boots and a very soft and comfortable scarf around her neck, flashing Deimos a beaming smile when he lands.

Only to have it falter slightly when she glances over where he points out – a huff of a sigh leaving her as she nods. “Unfortunately. Annoying little shit heads.” She grumbles under her breath, exhaling a sigh before she focuses back on Deimos and steps over to embrace him. “I’m really good! How are you?” She asks, pulling away slightly to flash him the return of that prior beaming grin.

stitch me into all your plans

It probably said something about the Sword in that he didn’t find the wraiths irritating – and something like figments of the past. A blur of motions and yesterdays, parallel times and places, where others suffered or reclaimed, rejoiced or sunk, found a balance until something else gave in. If he were to see any recognizable from his multiple lives, he doubted the reaction would be annoyance; perhaps shame, humiliation, and the damned ache that eternally coiled through his ribs at not being able to save or salvage them all.

Which was why he did nothing but stare across the vast expanse, watching as another few airy wisps curled against the skyline. “Have they been doing something?” He answered instead, predator notions following the billowy figments as they drifted across grass, their hands reaching as if to pluck at the filaments, before dissipating again. Maybe Kiada had come across some of those who were more belligerent than seemingly or simply naught.

Then her arms were around his side, and he could loosen the threshold on specters to embrace her into his hip and torso. “I am all right,” glancing down to give her his own easygoing smile. “What have you been up to today?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

“No, just… Hanging around.” She says with a wrinkle of her nose, distaste clear in her body language before she shakes her head. “Reminds me of LongNight here in the past.” Which wasn’t a great feeling – one that brought the reminder of Ru’in’s form waved around like a puppet on shadowy strings, used to torment her until she’d inevitably failed her quest for Ludo. A feat that had prevented her from seeking out any gods since then.

Luckily for her, though, she presses into his embrace with ease, letting it soothe away those tendrils of anxiety, pulling away to flash him an easier smile of her own. “Today? Mm, fed the dread raven, watered the frost bloom, opened a piece of mail, and after that my day was pretty much done.” She lists off her tasks easily with a soft laugh. “Came out here for some peace of mind. I’m also trying to come up with a gift for Fox.” Little things here and there that have brought her to the serenity of the wooded areas.

Releasing him fully, though, she peers out over the berry bushes, spying blackberries in the midst that have her drifting closer to pluck some ripe ones off their branches. “How’s Evie been?”

stitch me into all your plans

There wouldn’t need to be any reminders of LongNight – not with all the lacerations and bruises they both shared. But his eyes were keen, staring at the staggered remnants of the past as they flickered in and out of motion. “At least these ones are not attacking,” he offered with another squeeze to her shoulder, tucking her further into his side. Instead, they seemed to be delicate and omniscient, floating past in different worlds and veils, barely seeing them or one another at all. It wasn’t to erase the quandaries they’d experienced – but perhaps to alleviate some of the tension, the trepidation, the aches and pains of trial after trial.

Rather than become diminished into those melancholic aspects, he remained stoic and stalwart, shaking his head and chuckling as she described her day. “What sort of gift?” The Sword was always the practical sort, but Fox seemed to be too.

Then she unfurled away, and he was left to adjust the bag on his shoulder and regale with more information, adapting to a boyish tilt of his head. “She is doing well.” And if there was more to share embedded in there, he hid it behind a very careful and juvenile smile, information tucked away for later. “Since Ru moved to King’s End, Evie has taken on the Academy too.” Which meant they were continuing to be careful and considerate of how much they were balancing – he couldn’t argue or say much, between Warden, General, and guildmaster duties. “How is Fox?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

“Thank gods for that.” Kiada concedes, content to be tucked into Deimos’ side as they catch up, and despite the heat of Longheat she’s equally grateful for the heat his side offers – soaking it up like a lizard with a heat rock. She tears her gaze away from the ghosts in the edges, flashing him a grin. He’s correct in assuming that Fox was the practical type, at least. “He doesn’t do well with flying or being on boats in general.. I was thinking about figuring out a gift that could help him.” She offers, before figuring she should elaborate. “Some creatures he’s had to deal with lately have been in the water and he’s always come home a little green after.”

She steps away, though, stepping toward the blackberry bushes to pluck a few, popping some of the ripe ones into her mouth before she collects another handful and returns, offering him some should he want to indulge. “She sounds busy.” Kiada murmurs through the bite of blackberries, but her amusement and relief at things going well between them is palpable in the twist of her lips. “Fox is good, aside from the sea sickness. He’s been busy with hunts here and there.” She pauses before a thought occurs. “Oh! We went to Stormbreak finally. It’s where we got the awful raven.” She lets her gaze focus on him, excitement lingering in the crease of her eyes.

stitch me into all your plans

His eyes caught hers and he gave another solid wink, pursuing indulgences in these moments rather than wandering off into the melancholic edges and ends – another ghost clung to the shades of the branches nearby and drifted away once more. “I wonder if there are herbs that may alleviate that,” with a tilt of his head, never one to consider medicinal supplies and aesthetics, but knowing enough that there were certainly options. “What else has he seen in the water? I have come across the void river stars and encantados,” he added with a wrinkle to his nose, half-wondering if the Grounds needed a hunting element as well.

Not one to deny much offered food, he snagged a few blackberries from her grasp, grateful, and acknowledging it with a nod of his head. “I think most of us are,” he added, with a wrinkle to his nose. “Besides waiting for some other news or information to drop about the moon island, creatures…,” and whatever else lurked and remained.

Dusting off his hands a moment later after the berries had been consumed, he tilted his head back her way, eager to hear her own thoughts about Stormbreak. He hadn’t been to much of it at all – and would likely have to be cajoled for the efforts. “And how did you find it?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

“There are some.” She confirms, having done some of the research, but she was hoping for something else that might alleviate any of the sea sickness without having to drink or eat something. As for the rest of the void creatures, Kiada’s nose wrinkles in distaste as well, before she sighs and shakes her head. “Nothing new from the river stars and encantados as far as we know. The echo sharks have been particularly mean lately, but not because of the infection.” She offers the information easily, finishing her blackberries about the time that he is too, wiping her hands together to get rid of the dirt and little bits of red and purple juice from her hands despite the fact they stained immediately upon coming into contact.

“I always feel like there’s never a break.” She sighs wistfully, shaking her head as she peers back out toward another ghost coming in closer than the others had – warily, as if unsure whether or not to approach. She eyes it curiously. “It was like a real city? Old and organized and so many shops. I had a great time.” She admits, perhaps a bit sheepishly considering how terrible the people who had ruled Stormbreak before were, but gods if she hadn’t gotten such wonderful outfits there.

stitch me into all your plans

When she admitted that there were some, his brow arched, waiting for some other kind of deliberation or answer. Perhaps she hadn’t found it satisfying, though he figured she wouldn’t like the next suggestion (the potential of inquiring a god), his head tilted vaguely instead, granting an intrigued disposition without digging too far. “Were you thinking of an item instead?”

Echo sharks being mean failed to segment anything he knew of the species – save for being amongst predators and therefore rationale lending towards hunting specifications, so his brows furrowed briefly. “What do you mean?” More vicious? More conniving? An alteration in how they approached, and could it be a result of void inclusions, or something else altogether?

As for the other sentiments, he could only lift his head, a long sigh unfurling, watching as it dissipated into puffs of air, much like the ghosts nearby. He wouldn’t comment on the notions; they both knew how Caido worked. There would be small, minute increments where they had moments of peace and repose, before everything else seemed to unravel. This was another set of instances that he couldn’t name yet, other than dread, or apprehension, as they all waited for something else to drop.

His eyes followed a wandering spirit as it mingled across the water ahead, dashing along with no need for the mirrored surface. Stormbreak was something else he had difficulty in defining, with all its sentiments stored in various directions. He gave her a slight smile, and a mild snort. “Any recommendations then?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

“Something like that.” She murmurs about the item, shrugging a shoulder lightly before snorting. “Last thing he wants to do is eat or drink anything when he steps foot on it. I read that sometimes people use pressure points to try and alleviate it. Like on the wrist.” Here, she lifts her wrist and presses into the hollow of it to show him an example in case he didn’t know – which is something that occurs to her that it’s possible he does know about those pressure points.

Anyway, subject of the echo sharks has her nose wrinkling as she stares out at the specters in the distance. “Lately they’ve been appearing and shouting out the sounds of the Grounds falling during the war.” It’s a quieter admission – something she’d heard as she hid herself away, refraining from fighting for it, refraining from dying again. She exhales a small sigh, shakes her head.

Talk of Stormbreak is easier, at least, and when he asks for recommendations, she nods her head with a perhaps a hint too much enthusiasm. “There’s a café in the plaza that sells the most delicious pastries. Oh! And a little boutique that has a bunch of comfortable clothes, if you wanted to get Evie a gift.” She elbows him lightly, her grin returning.

stitch me into all your plans

His eyes followed her movements; Deimos knew about pressure points, but all the distinctions were valued and present for violent, vehement, battle-honed layers, which was not Kiada’s indication or motivation. So he nodded, head tilting vaguely, pondering if he’d seen anything of the sort nearby – Isilme hadn’t been renowned for anyone with seasickness (the Moonlit Tides portions would’ve sent them to live elsewhere, given the nature of their climate), nor Helovia. “Perhaps some sort of band or bracelet then? I wonder if Torchline would have anything suitable.” Considering their coastal enterprises, large expanse of sailors and the like, maybe others had found reasons to stock such supplies.

More wraiths unfurled nearby; some looked as though they were lowering an ax or cutting schisms apart – a bizarre image, really, when nothing tangible stood in their path. His attention went to her remark instead, brows furrowing slightly at the parallels of the echo sharks and war refrains. “Unfortunate,” he murmured; those reverberations would always be enough to remain in the threshold of nightmares and trauma. He didn’t ask what they said – didn’t need to – when he’d heard so many amidst his own experiences. “Maybe you can invest in some ear plugs too, while you look for Fox’s gift.” Meant to be a joke, to pull her out of those refrains, with some meaning behind it as well.

The recommendations for Stormbreak had his eyes widening briefly, but he promised to place them all in the back of his mind. Cafes and bakeries were far more promising than the notions of clothing, and might’ve been enough of a lure to pull Evie over there for later ventures. “Perhaps,” he snorted, elbowing her in return, notions of other needs for shopping circling around his head and ceasing for now. “Sah and I made it over to the Celestine.”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

She hums thoughtfully – having not thought of Torchline for such a trinket. She files it away for later, flashing a grin up at him as the pieces come together, emitting a chime of a laugh. “I hadn’t thought about Torchline.” She admits with a shake of her head. “I think I’ll have to take a trip when things calm down a bit there.” And avoid the big fuck off island in the middle of the water now.

As for echo sharks and their calls of the Fall of the Grounds, Kiada’s nose wrinkles, allowing Deimos’ joke to bring her out of the memories that shadow as she watches the specters. “Might have to.” She admits with a playful sigh, before delving into all the goodies that Stormbreak had.

She perks up at the mention of the Celestine, though, her grin spreading. “That’s where we found the raven!” Glad that he has an idea of where the awful void raven came from, she settles, starting to walk a little toward one of the ghosts in the fringes that keeps looking like it’s daring to come closer. “We weren’t able to stay long to see the rest of it. We needed to get it a cage.” So to the city they went, dread in tow.

stitch me into all your plans

He gave her a juvenile smile, not entirely full of mischief, but certainly with similar attributes contributing. Opting to take a teasing tone, especially at her insistence at remaining within the Hollowed Grounds for a while, he snorted, lifting his nose intentionally higher, on pretenses of sedition. “What am I always being told? To take time for myself?” She should have some spare moments to collect gifts and trinkets for Fox, without running into too much calamity and ruin. The Grounds had survived through far worse, thus far.

And if she didn’t go soon, who was to say she’d have the opportunity again?

Growing restless, maybe it was the ghosts, he began maneuvering along the side, pressing his wake along the embankment. He listened all the while, head tilting slightly to convey his understanding and ear, pondering over the maledictions beginning to spread further and further out. “That is a shame. Beautiful place.” And nothing he would’ve expected from the world of stone and inherent abhorrence. “Was it within the enclosures?”

deimos

Never let them drain the river of your soul

kiada

At his childish smile, Kiada can’t help the roll of her eyes and exhaustive sigh, one that melts into a snicker of laughter at the idea of it. Sure, she’d always told him the same, but Kiada was nothing good at taking her own advice. Something she should probably work on.

Regardless, the ghosts start to move and Kiada follows suit, reaching into herself to try and feel for anything different and finding a shiny gem of warmth that has her tail flicking with surprise, something akin to fire – curious enough that if Deimos were to conjure such a thing she might try to steal part of it to try it out. For now, though, she follows on his heels, watchful and waiting as the ghost starts to stutter, edges blurring out and sharpening in rapid succession.

“It flew into the enclosure, which made it a bit easier to catch it at least.” Between her and Fox it was easy work, if not a bit terrifying given the dread and anxiety it had stirred up.

stitch me into all your plans