better in the morning

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

“Ooooh…” She trails off, hand lifting to press against her lips as she considers the options. Her head tilts this way and that as she idly watches Belial’s gulping antics, wondering absently if he ever choked on how fast he devoured it (does he even chew??)

After getting distracted briefly, she flashes Deimos a bright smile “Ursur. It’s been a while since I had it.” Since the last time she was here, at least. And it’s the thought that has her tying up her hair and moving to perhaps try and help with preparing the meal. “Can I help with anything?” She asks, letting her gaze linger up at the Sword, that same easy smile on her lips.

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Once Belial had finished his own dinner, his greedy little eyes turned on the remaining portions – yet to be cooked, but he wasn’t picky. Deimos ignored him for attention upon Kiada anyway, nodding at her preference and snagging at the materials. She might’ve preferred raw, but he didn’t, placing the pan and the pieces of meat upon the stove, and waiting for things to heat up.

At her insistence in assistance, he smiled, gesturing his jawline towards the starch nearby. “You are more than welcome to peel the potatoes,” and she’d be able to find an adequate knife in the next drawer over. Well, in any of the drawers, if she really went looking. The Sword was always prepared.

While he tended to the ursur, his curiosity contorted, reshaping from prior conversations. “Did you ever find anything for Fox?”

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

She’d just recently gotten through her bloodlust, so if it weren’t exactly raw and perhaps rare, she’d still be more than happy. But she lets Deimos figure out just what he wanted to make, and given the offer she steps over to collect the potatoes and a little bowl. Looking in the drawer nearest to her, she succeeds in finding a knife for it, and sets up beside him so she can start to carve the skins from the potatoes, just as dexterous as always with the blade.

“Not yet. But I did ask Remi about it. I’m going to go and visit them, but Fox is heading there now so… I didn’t want to randomly be there and ruin the surprise.” She says with a soft little laugh before she nudges him with her elbow and a playful look. “And besides, I figured I might as well take the opportunity to come and see you.” Aside from the quest, of course. “Have you and Evie settled on names yet?”

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Control over fire made cooking far more entertaining, and he hastened towards another skillet for the potatoes as she peeled, so Kiada would be able to place them in when she was ready; destined for home fries. The meat was much the same, and he could contort the sear and necessary degrees without too much issue, grabbing hold of a third for Evie when she came home; figuring she could always reheat them.

Turning over the food while he listened, his head tilted, snorting a little at the notions of failed surprises. “Understandable.” That Remi and Ronin continued to extend invitations into their home surprised him, but then again, with the Bastion’s alterations, maybe they’d intended to continue social means; a change from their days upon the Draig.

At her insinuation though, he smiled, granting a nod. “You know you are welcome anytime.” Not when there was a quest or something else pressing. Her inquiry ensured a firm arch of his brow though, and luckily, they had settled on some portions. “We took your advice on the ‘ere’ part. Thought Erebos would be fitting for a boy. The girl’s list is far longer though.”

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

She wouldn’t complain with the idea of visiting Remi and Ronin – after all, it had been a long time since any of them had likely felt up for visitors. Herself included. Especially given the fact that she’d also been a bit of a hermit forever ago, until she’d wandered out as an Ancient, aiming to start over her life again.

Cutting the potatoes into a fry form, she does drop them into the skillet that Deimos offers, flashing an amused grin his way and the duck of her head in agreement. “I know.” She murmurs softly. “I’m hoping with the upgrade from her that I can visit more often.” She can never live in the cold climate anymore, but, at least she was living. Actually living, instead of the hollow shell of being an Ascended.

She nearly stills the second she hears that they took her advice, and when the name Erebos leaves his lips she bounces on her heels a little with a bright grin. “That’s the one I was thinking of!” She chimes quite happily, leaning over to bump his shoulder lightly with her own, before she chimes a laugh and nods. “That makes sense. Do you have a preference?” She asks curiously – whether or not he was partial to one over the others.

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Given how often Deimos invited anyone outside of his family and close friends (rarely, if ever) into his home, he wouldn’t begrudge any of them being secluded or reclusive. Were he not part of the political faction in Halo, he might’ve done the same – drifting amidst the shadows, rather than constantly out in the open. Preferences of being left alone infrequently occurred regardless, and so they forged onward, hellbent on other things.

Passing over portions of butter to be laden in the skillet for her to stir around with the potatoes, he pondered over other seasonings while flipping the meat once more. The agreement nestled between Ancient accord, upgrades, and the jacket gave him a light smile and nod for her efforts. “Good. Then you could see the other changes to Halo.” The Greenwing especially.

Missing the stillness though, his brows rose abruptly at the happy and content chime, granting a snort for the reaction and a toss of his shoulder in return. “No – I liked quite a few.” Recalling the list, he rattled them off. "Imogen, Nami, Chione, Nyla, Maren…," all with points and gestures that sounded appealing. “We may just have to wait and see,” to which he wrinkled his nose; he was a bastion of patience in a nestled bounty of kin not known for such. “Have you finished with the void creature collecting yet?”

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

A lot of hers stemmed from guilt, of vanishing when the Ascended likely needed her most. An issue she’s come to terms with, with the realization that Fox had done the same – something that they both were able to understand and bond over, and it helped take the sting of shame away late at night. That, and with them both being Ancient, there’s no worrying about keeping the home too warm.

But either way, she starts to cook their homemade fries with the butter as she offers her reasoning, and with his approval she flashes him a bright fanged grin – excited at the prospect. Even more excited to be talking about baby names – realizing that she’s never actually thought about her own or if it would be something even to be considered. Too busy running from danger to danger to settle down any roots officially.

And the whole dying thing hadn’t helped.

“Imogen is beautiful.” She hums, though she finds them all to be great choices. At the end of the day, he’s right, that they wouldn’t be able to know until it happened. And she’s hoping that she might get that jacket done just in time to pop in to see them and the new addition to their little family.

“Almost. I believe Maea is working on finishing it up and then we have to spread some rocks? Danta’s got that covered, though.” The rock front, at least. As for the prior, she tilts her head toward him. “I forgot to tell you, Maea is also on the council. She’s an Ambassador so I’m sure you’ve received letters from her. I told her I would take care of Halo for the Grounds.” It was easier, given the jacket and her closeness with Deimos, and it only added to more reasons to visit if she claimed that it was on business.

Not that Danta would care, but still.

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Eyes cast to the home fries, watching as she maneuvered them around, his attention went back and for the between her and the meat. Noting her preference for Imogen, he cast a small smile again, listening at the rest of the work to be done and hastened forth for the Grounds. He already had some foundations of ideas for what Halo might improve upon next, but some discussions needed to be had with Evie.

News of Maea’s ascension into council hood didn’t surprise him – she’d been apt for some threshold of power early on, years and years before. “I have only received letters asking for information about the void creatures I had recorded and seen, and then the subsequent report.” Most of which contained his own notes – so nothing new or noteworthy had transpired. She was an enigmatic sort though, and still held some bizarre quandaries with the Evergreen, so reaching out had never crossed his mind thereafter. “Do you enjoy working with her?” At the semblances of Kiada claiming Halo correspondences though, he had to laugh. “That is fine,” to which he wrinkled his nose, juvenile again.

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

“Interesting.” Kiada muses, having thought that Maea might have wanted to share more amongst the Halo connection – or perhaps she was simply agreeing to what Kiada had said when she’d mentioned that she would handle it. Either way, she stirs the fries and hums a soft little laugh, rolling her shoulder in a shrug as her tail waves idly behind her like a comfortable cat. “It hasn’t been bad.”

She pauses, tilting her head to squint at Deimos. “But… Talyson came to the Grounds asking us if he could put an old gods shrine in which had made things feel a little tense between her and I.” She starts to say, though it was likely one sided, she still couldn’t help that strange feeling. “He apparently needs our approval to do it but… Is it selfish or bad of me to not want one there? Most of us are Ancients anyway and…” She trails off, shaking her head and stirring the fries once more before letting them cook, folding her arms across her chest to look up at him.

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Apparently not, despite Maea’s once incessant need for inclusion amongst the Halovian fold. Regardless though, the ‘it hasn’t been bad’ statement left him with an arched brow and nothing more – perhaps that had been the experience with naught else to show.

Instead, his attention would be drawn to Talyson (a name he had simply passed off from his mind for multitudes of reasons), and a vivid snort rumbled through his chest. The courier’s intentions had always been a bit off and focused primarily upon himself – rather than the stretch of the world around him, so the Sword’s eyes narrowed, then he shook his head as he pulled and turned over the meat once more. “What does he have to do with the Grounds?” Did he live there now, and this had been an expectation launched towards leadership? Had he followed in Noah’s footsteps, treading over boundaries of a jurisdiction where he had no claim? “I do not think it is selfish.” Not now, where there were hordes of other multitudes to think about, especially regarding Family broadcasts and sudden toppling of sovereigns. “Would it benefit the Grounds to have one there again?”

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

“I don’t know.” She admits with a casual shrug, eyeing the fries before looking back up at Deimos. “He mentioned he does deliveries there and it would be nice for people to have a place to pray to when visiting.” She says with a small sigh, shifting her weight as her tail starts to wrap around her leg as if in contemplation.

But the Sword doesn’t find it selfish and she releases a soft sigh of relief, nodding as she reaches out to stir the fries again to make sure they don’t burn on one side. “The majority of people there are Ancient. If we want anything we can go see Dygra. We have our own.” Her nose wrinkles a little at the thought of others being around before shrugging a shoulder. “I just don’t want the same thing to happen that happened with the Voice, where people could utilize the old gods shrines there to try and push some other agenda against us. Dygra’s been kind to me and I’ve heard nothing bad of her.” Not like the Voice. And Dygra hadn’t asked her to do anything impossible or terrible.

She didn’t want an old gods shrine in there to give someone a stepping off point to point to the Ancients as villains in the place that was supposed to be their safe haven.

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

So in the end, it was about Talyson, and the rest of the world an afterthought. Snorting, and noting not much had changed in the interim of years knowing and understanding the courier, Deimos rolled his eyes. Taking the ursur meat off the skillet, he kept them warm and hot through fire means, while reducing the heat on his portion of the stove. “I would not base a decision on someone who does not live there.” Between Noah and Talyson, the world seemed to be carving out a niche in audacity lately. If the messenger were to become a resident, rather than just an individual passing through, it would be another story.

A long, slow sigh filtered through his lungs and chest as Kiada described her worries. He could comprehend these angles, though he hadn’t been an Ascended. But the way history played out, the way things could change and shift so dramatically, always left those lingering doubts – especially when something ancient became new again. “Which is understandable. Even though we were told Dygra was not a threat, sometimes that does not matter in those who cannot listen.” Thereafter, he applied to simplicity, to boundaries long since learned through trial and error, and only at a loss to those willing to use and abuse. “So if you disagree, then so be it.” He could have his shrines elsewhere, preferably in lands where he resided.

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.

i am made of bullets; shrapnel /// you are solar flares and soft lips
better creatures could love you i know ///

She admittedly didn’t know much about the courier – but the talk shared with Deimos cements the fact within her that she isn’t comfortable with it and that’s okay. He needed the permission of everyone within the Grounds and Kiada didn’t want to share part of the Grounds, even if others came to visit. They had shrines all over the places for their gods, if one space was left alone to be solely theirs, she’d want it to be the Grounds.

“That’s true.” Kiada hums once Deimos has already moved the meat over. She reaches back for the knife, wiping it off before she sticks the edge of it into the fries to find them done as well – already moving to remove the pan from the flame, she looks up at her father figure with bright icy eyes, reminiscent of his own in so many ways despite not being blood related. “Thank you.” She murmurs softly, already feeling more at peace with her decision. “I’m glad it’s not an overreaction.” She admits with her nose wrinkling slightly before she settles in and nods toward the food.

“I’m starving now, though, shall we eat then test the coat?” She asks, a glimmer of eagerness in her gaze to get started (and more than content to reside here in the confines of his home for a night after, the nostalgia sinking its claws into her hard tonight).

kiada

/// but now they'll have to get through me
my love should wear a warning sign, damn right i remember you

Deimos

Kiada wouldn’t be missing anything by her lack of interactions with Talyson – so he nodded at her insistence and gratitude instead, granting another smile. “You are welcome.” Moving the food over, and hastening towards grabbing plates, he worked on shifting Kiada’s meat, rare, and his own, while saving Evie’s for later, when the Evergreen had the opportunity. “And no, I do not think so,” by ways of overreactions, as he hastened around to the table, and began to find them drinks as well. “The Grounds has gone through a tremendous amount. He can find elsewhere for his shrines.” And didn’t need any more petty dramatics to follow – though he wouldn’t be surprised if the courier managed something asinine out of it regardless.

Already in agreement with eating, he smirked, grabbing the water and fixing it to the surface, pulling out a chair for her to snag once she’d delivered and dispersed any potatoes. “I can bring Zuriel with us too, if you want.” He wasn’t certain about the parameters with her healing and Ancients, but she’d been capable of mending Ascended, so the powers might’ve been there, forged along through primordial positions.

what does it mean to look upon a ruin
we are boneless. we are boiling hot blood.