thecodexabides | Caldera Inbox

What the FUCK did you do?????

[He's mid-sorting this out with Maedhros right now thanks for your text he might sound distracted because Maedhros is putting him THROUGH IT.]

Became corrupted. Also. Accused someone of being something they are not. I am already asking for penance.

Corrupted? What the hell are you talking about.

I have been touched by sorcery. When my Lieutenant touched a Chaos relic and did not die, he was deemed corrupted and sentenced to two centuries of penance. I have been touched by sorcery and had an even worse response. That only happens if Chaos contacts corruption already within.

And how are you planning to seek penance?

Also, you know you're not home, right? Shit is different here. Nothing works the same.

I had asked some to be assigned to me. It does not feel sufficient. I shall have to craft my own.

[If people tell him one more Throne-lit time that this is not home, he will rupture into a Warp portal himself in sheer frustration.]

I am aware of that. This place is not my home. But I am the same as I was. And I cannot endure the touch of the Warp.

( Listen, she needs to make sure. You seem kind of dumb (affectionate). )

I'm just saying that you probably aren't

You know what

Whatever.

If you want to go break shit let me know. I'm having a shit time right now, too.

[The word you're looking for is 'brainwashed']

I do not dwell on theoreticals. Probably is not good enough. Yes. [Breaking shit would be extremely cathartic right now. Or really anything else to get him out of his own mind. He's not used to this much downtime and it SUUUUUUCKS.]

Meet me here.

( don't ask how she sends coordinates, but she does, to some spot in the woods not far from the lighthouse in the dryad lands. She may or may not have been abusing the trees there for a while anyway. )

[It's mostly because he can't sleep anyway and everything is just grating on him that he goes. At least she doesn't seem to judge him. Or hate him. Or want him dead.
Yet.

He'll take it.

Do I want to know what these trees did to offend you, Sister?

[Shhhh shhhhh don't complain, just roll with being called sister.]

Sister? Fuck it, whatever. He's a soldier, she's a soldier, close enough.

"Less the trees and more the asshole that I'm pretending is the tree." She offered, shaking out her hand, bloody splotches on the bandages around her knuckles. "I'm not allowed to kick his ass yet."

The Sororitas were the only mortals that made it into Astartes archives with respect. They were held even higher than the Astra Militarum, for their zeal in battle.

"...is it me?" Am I the asshole? He knows many would say YES. "Because I could take off my armor and--" He's offering, well, not a fair fight, but a less unfair one.

Nina laughed. "What? No. I don't know what you did exactly, but I'm not mad at you." Should she be? Probably. "I'm mad at some dickhead elf that's here now."

But... "if you want to brawl, then I'm willing."

"Yet." This Ultramarine optimism is a thing. Eventually she'll be mad at him. Probably.

Uhhhh. "Does this elf have a name?" Please don't be Maedhros because things would get *awkward*.

He'll just hold up one palm in front of her face. His hands are...not small. "You sure you want to?" Make good choices, little sister. He believes in you. "I am a little harder to take down than a tree."

"I'm sure I'll be mad eventually. I usually am." Would it be his fault or would she just be in a bad mood and he the unfortunate target? Time will tell.

"Solas. Tall, bald, apparently a god." Deserved a swift kick in the ass. The usual.

Nina shrugged. "They don't call me The Ogreslayer for nothing, and you're not even remotely the size of one. How good are you against fast opponents?" Like. Well — he'd seen her fight. She moved a lot faster than a normal person; borderline supernatural, even.

"Fair enough." Seriously. Valid. He gets it. As long as they can still do quests together, as she is one of the few willing to be seen in public with him, she can be as mad at him as she wants at any given time.

"I do not know him, but I am sure you have cause." He's not prying, but he trusts her appraisal. "He claims to be a manifestation of Chaos or some other gods?" See, Gadriel IS learning.

He shrugs. "We could find out." If he gets beaten, at least it would be an honest combat, not shameful like being tied down and slaughtered like a Macragge boar.

"Some other gods? Fen— something. Dread Wolf. A lot of magical bullshit involved and, the real reason I don't like him, he fucked with people I care about that I met here. They don't want me to start shit yet though, they want to plan, see what he does." Ugh. Stupid.

Good enough for her. "Take the armor off. I'd fight you with it on, but I think that would break even my hand."

Don't mind that slight grimace. He may also be rightly accused of 'fucking with people that other people care about here'. It is why he's not at his best right now. "I do not need to tell you that most plans fall apart on first contact with the enemy." Too much planning is a tactical waste.

"It would." No ego, just facts. Even depowered it's still four hundred pounds of ceramite and steel.

It takes a bit because he has to disconnect each piece individually, so hopefully she's keeping herself entertained until he is done, and kneels before his armor in respect before he rises. "Ready?"

"You don't. I know. That's why I don't make plans, but it's their god from their world so technically it's not my place to start shit."

Even if she so desperately wanted to for all the shit she heard he had done.

Unlike a certain elf, Nina didn't get a rat fuck how his armor worked, so she busied herself by retying her bandages and shadowboxing a few feet away until he was done.

"Always am."

Nina was aware of their difference in size, and she moved accordingly, wasting no time using her speed to her advantage to get to him before he, hopefully, had time to react. Getting grabbed by a big fucker usually ended with a lot of broken bones.

He's the wrong man to talk that line about. His literal meaning in life is to drop down on planets that never heard of him and prayed to go hundreds of years without seeing an Astartes, and start all the shit.
"Gods are powerful. You are right to take some cautions. And you should not go alone."

It had taken three of them to free Lord Calgar from Imurah's prison in the Immaterium. Nine if Talasa and Veridian squads were counted for their actions outside.

Gadriel hasn't slept properly since...the incident, so he's not at his best, and his reactions are slower than usual. However, he, unlike others, has no qualms about hitting a girl. Probably many of the Tyranids he's killed were female. A talon is a talon. A fist is a fist.

However, this is sparring, and not a fight to the death. He does know the difference. This is play, just...violent play. And she needs to hurt something that can feel pain, and right now, he needs to get hurt. A lot. So he'll visibly signal the punch he throws, and if she has any sense, she could dodge it or...make more use of it. This isn't about skill or competition. It's catharsis.

"I'll invite you when and if the time comes to kick his ass." She wouldn't be alone regardless, but a giant fuck off space marine wouldn't go amiss either.

Nina liked to win, but in moments like this, she also liked to feel something. Pain was something she was used to, and while she dodged the majority of his punches and landed plenty of her own, she also took some just for the rush of adrenaline and aches that came with it.

It had to be said, too, that Nina hit hard for a woman her size. Small as she was, she was fit and trained constantly, her kicks and punches strong enough to break bones in a lesser man or beast. She was fast, too, hopped around like an annoying gnat. Their fight ended with a lot of bruises, definitely cracked or broken ribs, and a decent amount of blood.

Oh, and with Nina hopping up (what a fucking vertical leap), latching her legs around his head, and using his weight against him to flip him onto the ground, landing with a grunt next to him on her back, panting with the exertion of their fight.

"I would be insulted if you did not." Nina going to face danger without him? She better not try.

He has no real scale of how hard a woman should hit, but he's seen her fight, and he knows what to expect. She doesn't manage to break any of his bones, but he would applaud her effort.

He'd landed hard on his back, taking a moment to catch his breath, panting with what might be laughter. "You're going to have to teach me that one."

Nina laughed, winced and held her side. Yeah, telltale rib bruising. Probably fine. She's had worse.

"Can you even jump that high?"

He's just going to give her a look. Of course he can. "You really like to underestimate me." He's okay with that.

"Feel better now?" Because he does.

"I underestimate your ability to jump high, that's for sure. You strike me as more brute force than agility, but you're free to prove me wrong."

Later though. "Yeah. I usually do after I hit something hard enough. You?"

Still lying on his back, he's going to close his eyes for a minute, like he's trying to remember something. "Phase three. I was twelve." The third round of surgeries. He opens his eyes. "Plus we train a lot." Just not that particular move. He wasn't keen to wrap his legs around a tyranid's tusks.

...though if he had a heavy bolter in his hands that would be fun to try.

He nods, watching her move. "Are you good?" Because he may have gone a little too hard on that one kick to her ribs.

Twelve. Nina didn't know how old he was now, probably couldn't guess. Twelve was when she got out, when she started to learn to live again. Twelve. "Makes sense. I mean, I don't know what Phase Three means, but training a lot. I get it."

She didn't move, eyes focused up on the sky just beyond the treetops. "Yeah. I've had worse. It's always good to feel something once in a while, you know? I've been too complacent since I got here."

He was most definitely not twelve anymore.

"The third round of surgeries. They must be done in a specific order, and even then some times the geneseed is mutated." Not in his case. He was one of the earliest Primaris, and they were scrupulous about following Magister Cawl's directives.

Gadriel rolled to one side, pushing up to kneel by her. "I as well. We should do this again." He reached over, prodding her hip. "After you teach me that takedown."

This is the best mood he has been in since he arrived. And he almost, for a moment, forgot all that weighed on him.

It was what he had come here trying to forget.

She didn't get it, but maybe she wasn't supposed to. Thinking too hard always made her angry anyway.

Nina grunted and swatted at his hand — there was no malice in the movement though. Playful, almost.

"So you can use it against me?" A joke. "Sure."

There's a time for thinking, but in general on an Ultramarine ship it's limited to fifteen minutes a day.

"The physics wouldn't work. I'd have to at least try it on something my mass or larger." Don't ask him how he knows, he can just see in his mind how that would work and it would end up with him getting dropped on his head.

His hand on reflex clamped down on her wrist, pinning it to the ground. He was also playing but also he's wrapped very tightly around the axle, as it were, when it comes to aggression. He grimaces an apology as he withdraws his hand.

"Guess we'll have to find something your mass or larger, then. Do they make dummies that big?" She'll check the guild hall later—

"Hey—" Nina narrowed her eyes up at him in those split seconds where her hand was pinned, her own reflex pulling her leg up to kick him in the head and away from her. Luckily for them both, he let go with her knee only slightly raised. "Easy, brother."

She pushed herself into a sitting position then, grunting at the ache in her side. "Gonna have to give me a day before I can show you how to toss yourself around, but I've probably got time. Where are you staying?"

~~he is the dummy that big~~

"If you show me a few times on another I can figure it out." Hurray for hypnoindoctrination. And a few thousand years of training.

So, if there was anyone about her size who was willing to be thrown around by her while Gadriel watched....

He snatched his hand back. "It was...it was just a reflex." He would have taken the kick in the head if she's managed it. But she'd called him 'brother'. He hadn't heard that word in...too long. Hopefully it meant she understood. Hopefully it meant what he thought.

Gadriel has no idea why she's asking, but he pulls out his device and sends her the coordinates. It's...the middle of the woods, basically. "Here." One benefit to 'here' was that there were zero people trying to murder him there, and another, he had clear lines of fire in 360 degrees. Perfect spot.

Edited 2025-01-06 05:36 (UTC)

"It's all right." She got it. She understood. They were... very similar, in a lot if ways, and she was glad to have someone that just said 'yes' and didn't ask questions when she wanted to hit something.

She looked at the indicated area and frowned. "Are you sleeping on the ground? You know they have beds here, and houses. You don't have to live like you're out in the field — I mean, you can, I won't stop you, but you don't have to."

Just so he knew he had options.

"Sister." Come on, be serious, Nina. He posed it to her in terms she would understand, he hoped.

"Would you, if you were I, choose to rest among the very people who slaughtered you like a hog in the street and left you in a pool of your own blood?"

Town? beds? OTHER PEOPLE? "They," whoever 'they' were, "can have whatever they want. I choose not to be beholden to my captors. Or those who view me with contempt." Thank you but no.

He wants to change the subject because this is really killing his mood.

Now hang on a second, he never said all that.

"I need you to give me names, when you're ready. Faces, if nothing else." Because she was going to fuck some people up if that's true.

Nina sighed. "I meant there's stuff in the woods too. Pretty sure I've seen some busted up cottages, but fine. I'll bring you shit if you need it. Just let me know."

"No." He's gone from kneeling to squatting back on his heels. Our boy is flexible. Also this way he's less likely to have a reflexive oopsie again.

"I have rescinded my right of retaliation." It's over. He's...not fine, but whatever. And he regrets already having pledged that to Maedhros, only to feel the betrayal in discovering Maedhros and the man who killed him were companions. It felt like he'd cut his own throat. Again. For them. How they must have LAUGHED at him when they'd gone off comms. It burns to think about.

But he'd given his word and a word given even to someone unworthy of that trust was still a pledge of honor.

"I can take care of myself, Nina. But thank you." If anything comes up, she's the only one he'd even contemplate asking.

"You haven't rescinded my right." She didn't know the whole... law or code or whatever be abided by, but she didn't follow it. The only way she wouldn't retaliate was if he insisted one more time that she didn't.

And probably once she knew who was involved and what happened, but she'd still be pissed about it.

"You're welcome." She wouldn't press. "I live in the lighthouse not far from here with a few others, if you can't get a hold of me."

It was tempting. It was seriously tempting. But he'd already felt enough dishonor at plotting their revenge-murders himself. He would not let himself fall further into the corruption eating his soul. "Sister. No." He shrugged. "Besides, if I were to be avenged by a mortal female..." The shame! the horror. His pride would suffer a fatal injury.

He suspected she would slap him for that, and he would deserve it. But also that it was an attempt at levity and to desperately change the subject.

"I am fine. I need nothing." But he does remember, just in case.

"Oh, fuck off!" She didn't slap him. She did punch him in the arm though, because he did in fact deserve it.

She shrugged. Whatever. She offered. Nina leaned back on her palms with a sigh. "Whats your plan now?"

He absolutely deserved it. And he took it like a man. But just in case she was actually upset, he added, rubbing his arm where she'd struck him. "Nina. If I were in need of someone to avenge my death, I could think of no better person than you."

That was basically an Astartes marriage proposal. If they did things like marriage.

"Now?" Yeah well. Wow. That was the question. He pushed to his feet, returning to where he'd lain his armor. Time to get dressed and buy some time.

Deep sigh. "It is clear no one here wants my aid. And they are not under the protection of the Emperor, so I am not obligated to help them in any way." In other words, get rekt, Calderans. "Simply try to return home."

Aww. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Not true, but it was definitely one of the best things someone like her could hear.

Nina remained where she was lounging on the ground. "I don't think that's true — the people that summoned us want our help." But fair, she guessed. "And how do you plan to do that? Walk?"

"It was meant as a compliment." So, yes, she coud take it as such. It was about the highest compliment he could think of.

He began the slightly less time consuming process of redonning his armor. This time it was simply a matter of putting the armor pieces on, and letting the communion commence through the connection. He paused, looking over at her, face hardened. "And what loyalty do we owe them? They kidnap us, strip us of all that makes us ourselves, humiliate us, expect us to perform for the privilege of getting to be more like ourselves...and in any of this did they ASK for our help?"

Here is where they differed, though perhaps unsurprisingly.

"What did they take from you?" She asked. "I guess I don't have the same... need, like you and a lot of others might? So being asked to help is just a normal day for me, different world or otherwise. I'm sorry, for whatever it's worth."

He started putting on his armor more hastily now, almost angry. It stung a bit when you drove the connectors home, instead of letting them self-initiate, but that didn't matter right now.

"Everything. I am pathetic as I am right now. No better than a mortal." There might be some contempt in the word. For all the time and effort and pain he spent becoming an Astartes, having it all yanked away and returned to some...lesser state was a betrayal of all he had hoped to escape.
It was why he had no idea why people found him so threatening. To him, he's...pathetic. Empty. Useless.

Might be the fact he's the height and width of a semi truck, but who could say.

"I can help you get it back, if that's not some offense to your pride."

Pffff. He was as harmless as a kitten. He didn't even have a SMALL boltgun.

It was an offense to his pride, but the whole day monitoring Maedhros's comms (why does NO ONE lock their comms) it was almost small by comparison. Besides, an offer of help from a Sister of Battle was different from a normal offer. "I may take you up on that. But I would owe you a debt."

Nina almost protested, but men like Gadriel didn't take no for an answer when they spoke of debts.

"Lucky for you, if I asked for you to make good on a debt, it would just be to back me up in a fight."

"That does not count." He tried to think about what he could offer. "If I get my chainsword back, I could teach you to wield it." Yes, Nina, he was offering to let you touch his sword.

She figured it wouldn't. Nina laughed. "I'm not really a... melee weapon girl, but sure. Why not." Couldn't hurt to broaden her horizons?

"I think I know a guy that'll help me show you that move, too. I'll ask him when I get home." She pushed herself to her feet finally, brushing herself off. "Just tell me when you want to do it."

Gadriel pushed the last pauldron into place, giving a final shrug to settle the armor in place. "It may convert you." Chainswords are very gratifying to wield.

"Take time to heal first." See, he was very considerate. He held out a hand in an offer of gratitude--a handshake, a forearm clasp--whatever she was used to. "Thank you for this." He meant it.

She doubted that, but she'd give it a shot anyway.

Nina, unsurprisingly, clasped his forearm tightly and squeezed. "No problem, brother. I'll be around. Don't get into anymore trouble without me."

[ Random text one morning. ]

What size of bottles do you need for your morning rituals?

[It takes him a minute. Oh. Right. He'd told her about his...situation and his handling of it.]

Any size, really. I would just

fill a small one up

faster. [So embarrassing to admit. ]

I won't make a joke about sizes here but what is the best size for you?

... a quart? That should be good for a day or two. Depending.

I don't know where you live but I will leave a package for you by the quest board if that works?

I do not have an actual...regular place to stay. [Unless a general grid square location counts. ]

That would work.

Why don't you have a regular place to stay?

I'll let you know when it's there.

Oh, do you have a favorite color?

I do not have many possessions that need to be stored anywhere. [Everything he owns can be magnaclamped to his armor.]

a fixed location gives your enemies knowledge of where you are, and what they can take from you. It puts a weapon into your enemy's hand. Why? [He does like blue. All Ultramarines do. ]

Hmm, good point. Should I move out of my house and not have a fixed location?

[ No, she's not saying that to get a reaction. Not at all. ]

Please answer the question?

No. You need a fixed and secure location. You do not have enemies in this place. Do you? [If so only let him know if you can provide names and he will take care of the rest. ]

Blue? I guess

But don't you need a place to rest?

Do you have enemies in this place??

[Welp he is going to have to go into it, isn't he?]
My first night here there was a disagreement. I was nearly killed over it. Safe to say I do not want to be easily findable until I get more of my abilities back.

[ Well, you might have brought this on yourself, Gadriel. ]

What?? [ She sounds very concerned. ] Are there people still looking to hurt you now??

It has been settled.

[More or less. ]

you are in no danger.

I'm not worried about me. [ She sounds huffy. ] I'm worried about you.

there is no need. If anyone tries something, this time, I will respond in kind.

Telling me there's no need isn't going to stop me from worrying.

Maybe I should put a tracker on you.

I am much harder to kill now than I was when I arrived. if you need to know where I am, you can always ping me,

What if something happens to you?

Nothing will happen. If someone tries to kill me I will take them down with me.

How do you mean?

One of my Astartes organs. The Belisarian Furnace. If I am in danger of dying it revives me. Almost entirely. And then I can take my own revenge.

I realize that should make me feel better.

Also, why do you keep texting instead of talking?

because every time I speak, I offend someone. I have more time to collect my thoughts in text.

I prefer your voice and your talking to me rather than texting.

You don't have to worry about offending me, okay?

Then I will speak. If you prefer.

[What had he been saying? ]

As I said, You do not need to worry about me. I am safe.

I do, thank you.

I'm still going to worry but how often does that furnace work? Does it need a cool down?

It releases chemicals into my bloodstream. Healing agents, Pain suppression. Combat stimms. It needs time to refill. About a week.

So, if someone or something is big enough to take you down the first time, what happens if they take you down again after the furnace kicks in?

Then I die. [But it would be a legendary an epic death.]

Lydia. My kind are not afraid of death. Only of dying dishonorably.

[ She bites back a sigh. ] I guess you would.

I know that you aren't but please understand that won't lessen my worry. I'll just deal with it and hope that you're okay but will you tell me if there is anyone who has a problem with you?

[No, wait. This isn't how it's supposed to work. What is going on?]

Lydia, You aren't allowed to worry about me.

[It's like a law or something.]

I will tell you if I am under a threat, though, if that would make you feel better.

[ Just accept it, Gadriel. ]

Excuse me? I'm ignoring that, Gadriel. I'll worry about you whether I'm allowed to or not.

[ Screw that law. ]

Yes, it would make me feel a lot better. I'm also going to hope that my banshee will warn me if it senses you're close to death.

[The problem with people worrying about Gadriel is it will make him think twice about doing stupidly violent things. Which sometimes need to be done.]

I can take care of myself, Especially now.

But I will also worry about you. [SO THERE.]

[ That’s the point, Gadriel. She wants you to think twice. Who else will watch her so closely to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble? ]

That’s good, I’m happy you can. It just doesn’t change how I feel.

Fine, we are in agreement. [ GOOD! ]

Now that we’ve established that, I’ve left you something by the quest board.

[Thinking twice doesn't mean he's not going to go on and do stupid violent things. Just that he will feel bad if he gets hurt.

He honestly expected more pushback on that. Oh.]

Oh? Will I know what it is?

[ That works too. Luckily for him, she’s used to people being in dangerous situations and doing violent things.

She is keeping him on his toes. ]

It’s a box and it has your name on the top.

[ True to her word, there is a box tucked behind the quest board and it has his name on it. Inside he will find a bunch of glass bottles of a deep blue color. There are some smaller bottles but she has included a few bigger bottles that will last him a handful of days each. ]

...Gadriel? ( She half expects him not to answer, and wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.)

It's Night Sky.

I'm sorry.

I killed you

Why are you apologizing?

You did what you had to do to stop me. My clone. Simulacrum. Whatever. I would have begged you to do it if I had the voice to do so.

I guess I'm sorry for... hurting you again. I always seem to, one way or another.

You were possessed.

Because I am here and I have brought corruption in my wake.

I'm not sure what you mean by you bringing corruption. Do you think my being possessed would be your fault?

It is the third instance of a manifestation of the sorcery of my world into this place. Which only seems to happen around people I associate with.

Almost as if I am the source of contagion

( That was... alarming, but Night Sky wouldn't assume it was actually his fault.)

I can see why you might think that, but what happened was, how can I say this...

It's inevitable, with me? My soul is bound to an Archfey, back home, I'm only free because I'm here. All that you saw was just something that could happen in the future if I'm ever back in my world or, somehow, the Green Knight shows up here.

I'd ask you to do it again, for real, if it came down to it. I just wish it didn't have to happen at all — I wish I could have stopped, when I heard your voice. Because I heard it all while I was trapped — you tried to save me. And I'm sorry that you couldn't.

If you never want to see me again, I understand. I know it probably hurts. I just wanted to say sorry for putting you through that.

Why.

[He's not referring to anything she's said, just...why.]
Why is it, every time. Every single time,
that I am with you.

And we make a...a good memory. Something IMMEDIATELY happens to destroy it?

( She was quiet, and when she spoke, it was soft. )

I...

Terrible luck, I guess. Some curse on my bloodline, maybe? I don't know. I don't mean it, Gadriel. I care about you, a lot. I think about you all the time — I like being with you, but you're right.

Maybe you're better off away from me. You don't deserve this pain.

I think I am the one who is 'cursed.' Unless it happens with your other friends. [He doesn't mean to make such minimal answers. He just...he can't handle too much at a time right now.]

Certainly not to this degree. ( She laughed; mirthless. )

I don't think it's your fault. I think you're just... unlucky enough to know me. And I'm sorry. Really.

I'm around, if you ever want to talk, or... yeah. Probably dumb to invite you over. ( She kept her voice low. Maybe he wouldn't hear the way she choked up. ) I'll just fuck it up again.

There is no apology needed.

Sky. I killed you. I felt you die. You had to know that it was me.

[He's pretty sure she and he should not be around each other--for her safety.]

( but she hated that. She didn't want that. It wasn't fair.)

I felt everything. I heard everything. I know who killed me.

But you did it out of mercy. You did it to protect other people.

I'll never blame you for it, for whatever that's worth.

Did I?

Are you certain that that was why I did it?

[Because he's not, anymore.]

Yes.

You tried to get me back, but I wasn't in there. I wasn't coming back. Killing me was a mercy — a freedom. Most wouldn't be able to do it, and I would have just suffered more; hurt more people.

I succeeded because I am exactly what they said about me here. That I am dangerous. Too powerful to be safe around.

I always felt safe around you, Gadriel. ( She did, truly, when they had those moments together that were always ruined by tragedy. By her. )

What you did was a kindness, one I'd ask you to do if it ever truly happened, even if I hate knowing how it would hurt you.

You should not. No one should.

Because I would do it again. [It was his duty, to extirpate heresy, to purge evil. He would do it again. But he shouldn't. ]

But I did. I still do.

You wouldn't hurt me now, would you? So what's the problem.

The problem is ME. [If it were video he would hold up his hands, show the stain of her blood still on his armor because he hadn't had the heart or stomach to wash it off yet.]

How can I come near you with hands that have spilled your blood?

( it is a fair point, but Night Sky doesn't like pushing people away, especially someone she likes. Someone who was willing to do something truly terrible to give her the freedom she always wanted. Not many people would understand that.)

I — I don't know. If it's too much for you, I won't make you. I'll keep my distance, if that's what you want.

[A heavy sigh. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden, to be something she had to avoid. ]

Sky, you do not have to avoid me.

I am glad you are safe.

Are you at your home? With the bath?

But it sounds like you want me to, so I don't know what you want, Gadriel.

I am.

Because I do not know what I want, either!

I want it to never have happened. But that is not possible.

( there's a soft, little sound of distress.)

It's not. I guess... take some time to think? I'll be here, if you need me.

You know where to find me.

Are you alive?

This is Davrin.

How is Nina? Are she and Finnich...allies still?

[Gadriel has priorities.]

I don't know. She's been upset.

What the hell happened exactly? From your point of view?

The...daemon killing or with Nina?

[He gets in so much trouble it's hard to keep straight.

He'll just presume he means with Nina.]

She came to yell at me. Finnick was there. He and I disagreed. As we do. And I sent her after him.

She yelled at you because she was worried about you.

And what is the daemon killing?

she worries far too much about me. I do not deserve her concern.

[He hates this story, because he knows he doesn't tell it right, ever.]

A daemon possessed an...acquaintance of mine. I tried to force it to leave. It did not. I had to kill her.

She does. Which is why you need to stop upsetting her.

Well, you got it. There isn't anything you can do about it now.

Nina said it was a clone of your friend. Not the real her, right?

it is not something I try. Or intend. To do to her. A clone? No. Clones are psychic Nulls. She would not have been able to perform sorcery if she were a Null.

You probably didn't listen to her, right?

Maybe in your world but we're not in your world. We're all from different worlds, Gadriel. That means things are different and you're coming up against things you don't know.

Looking at them like they're something you do know weakens you against them. It's foolish.

I listen to and value everything Nina tells me. She is my sister. She understands It did not weaken--. It did weaken me. You are correct. I should have acted without hesitation. I shall in the future.

Good.

She tries, she really does. But you two fighting messed with her. Family is important to her.

That’s…wait, that doesn’t actually sound good.

What do you mean by that?

I was not trying to fight with him. he refused to take my offer. I would not have fought him. My problem is I have forgotten who I am. I have let this place corrupt me. It has obviously caused problems.

What was your offer exactly?

I don’t think you’re listening. Why do you think it’s corrupted you?

He had attempted to kill me before. i invited him to try again when I was slightly less helpless. As retribution for the harm I had caused to another Visitor. It is corrupting me because I am hurting people--Nina. Sky, Lydia--who get close to me. That is not supposed to happen.

[ He sighs because this was supposed to be a straight forward ‘Stop upsetting Nina’ talk but now look where they are. ]

Okay, well stop that. Stop inviting Finnick to kill you or attempt to. You don’t have to get along but stop fighting and putting Nina in the middle.

She cares about you both. Be grateful for that.

How are you hurting people? By not listening?

I was unaware until then that they were so close. [Which was why he had shifted to talking to him, trying to reason with him, and not goading him into attack. ].

why would i be grateful for something that has caused her pain? She should not worry about me at least. If I am not worried about dying or being injured why should she?

Be grateful that she cares, that’s what I mean.

Because she cares!

[ He has a realization. ]

You’re not hard to people caring about you, aren’t you?

I do not want her to feel pain, because of me. I am not grateful that knowing me hurts her. Davrin. I am an asset in war. When I die, my armor is reclaimed and my geneseed harvested. What is the point of anyone caring about me?

Maybe you don’t but you can’t change it. Thats the one side to caring.

I reached out to you because I was worried about her. But I wouldn’t give up knowing her just to spare me discomfort.

Yeah yeah and I’m a weapon of war too. I’m meant to have no ties and to fight the Darkspawn until I die but here I am. It doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart or want more.

Look, do you care about Nina? Or the others you mentioned?

Edited 2025-01-29 18:06 (UTC)

Nina means a great deal to me. She is...she understands or at least tries to when no one does. And she corrects me when I am wrong. I do not think I offer her anything in return. [Which is not a great feeling. It's not supposed to be one-sided, is it?]

If anything happened to Nina, I would tear this place into pieces until I felt she had been properly avenged. [Basically, that's 'I care a LOT']

Good to know, now I have another person to call if anything happens to her.

But answer me this, if you can care, why can’t they?

Because.

[No, that's not the end of it. He had to think about it. It took time, so there was a long gap before the reply. ]

because she has others who depend on her. Like you. It is like an arch. Without the capstone, the arch cannot hold. Some pieces are more important than others. Nina is like that. A capstone.

She is important.

But telling someone not to care about you is a shitty thing to do, both to them and to yourself.

You can’t go this alone. It’s not corruption to care about others. All pushing people away does is leave you lonely.

Edited 2025-01-29 20:02 (UTC)

why? [Honest question. He doesn't get it. ]

she knows I care about her. A great deal. [In an entirely asexual platonic brother/sister way. which still feels weird to say to Nina's boyfriend.]

[So I am lonely. there are worse things. Like having to kill someone you care about.

[ No one can see him but he is pinching the bridge of his nose at the moment. ]

It sounds like you did it for the right reason. I'm sure they'll forgive you.

Look, just try to fix things with Finnick?

If they do not, they do not have to. Forgiveness is not a right. [Lioriley had refused his apology, withholding her forgiveness.]

HOW I have rescinded my right to retaliate against him. I have given him advice about armor--good advice. I sent NIna after him when he ran off. What more would you have me do?

I guess you're right.

What's his problem with you then?

I do not know. He does not listen to me. He is like a Blood Angel. All he sees when he sees me is rage. Perhaps he would listen to you.

[ Shit. ]

I'll probably talk to you later.

Gadriel, I have been thinking of ways to help you overcome some of the hurdles that you have faced in socializing with our fellow Visitors, and I think I've come up with a potential idea to help.

Have you, perhaps, heard of a knock-knock joke?

[ This can only go well. ]

Inquisitor. [What a ...surprise...to hear out of the blue from an Inquisitor. Not alarming at all.]

None of those words parse. [Like, even 'joke'. What is that?]

[ An Inquisitor with a plan! ]

I -- Hmm. Gadriel, you've... found things funny before, right? Laughed? Somebody said something silly and you had a little chuckle about it?

[ She had thought, unkindly, when they first met, that he did not have a face built for jokes. She had assumed she'd been exaggerating. ]

[There is a long pause because he really has to think about this.]

When our Vanguard says he craves a bloodbath, or at least a bloodshower...it is amusing.

(ooc: yes Decimus actually says this in the game.)

Well -- [ What the fuck. ] That's a start.

Jokes are things that you share with people to amuse them. It creates a social bond. People...normally like laughing, and they like it when people make them laugh -- thus, they like it when people share jokes. I thought that knock-knock jokes would be a good introduction, because they are very formulaic. There is a method to them that you might mesh with better than others.

It'll be a good start to helping develop those bonds and learning more jokes!

[ She's not expecting a miracle here, but you have to start somewhere. ]

Humor is part of squad morale, yes. Like when I reminded Brother Chairon of the time he got trapped on an elevator full of Orks. [It was funny only because Chairon had been the only one to exit the elevator alive. High comedy.

[Is she trying to explain humor to him? He understands humor. Sort of. In his own way.]

I understand. [He absolutely does not. He is ready for instructions.]

Ah, yes, just so. [ There is probably a lot to unpack with that, but the point is that he's aware of what humor is. Which she had not been entirely convinced of. Assuming things about Gadriel's social skills seemed... unwise. ]

Alright, the formula for a knock-knock joke is thus: You begin by saying 'Knock knock', and the other person must reply 'Who's there?'. If they do not do this, you can politely ask them. Then you say the first part of the joke -- what this is will vary, as there are many variations of knock-knock jokes. Whatever you say, the other person will repeat it back to you, adding a 'Who?' to the ending. Then you finish the joke.

An example: Person A says 'Knock knock.' Person B says 'Who's there?'. Person A says 'Tank'. And Person B replies 'Tank who?'. Person A says 'You're welcome!'. The joke is that person A set it up so that Person B said 'Tank who', which sounds like 'Thank you'.

Do you follow, so far?

[ There is something very odd about explaining the minutiae of a joke -- Is she treating Gadriel too unwitting? He's not a stupid man. But a sense of humor is as much a skill as archery, and you do not give someone a bow and assume they can fire an arrow. ]

Why do you knock? Why not just use a fragmentation grenade? [See, she thought she'd have to explain humor to him. He understands humor. It's basic things like doors that confuse him.]

Wait, no -- the idea of the knocking is to represent knocking on a door, like you want to be let into a person's house. That is why the response is 'Who's there?'. The person asking the joke is pretending to knock on the other person's door, and the response from the other person is pretending to ask who is at their door.

[ Where did the grenade even come into play?? He is truly a mystery at times. ]

If they have closed their door, that should be a sign they do mot wish to be interrupted by word play?

Why do they have doors. What are they trying to hide? [why have so few Ultramarines fallen to Chaos? Probably this. ]

[ She has to take a long moment to try to wrap her head around what the hell Gadriel was talking about. ]

Gadriel -- people usually... Well, usually in my world, and here, if you haven't noticed, keep their door closed regularly. You knock if you wish to enter their house. If they don't want to be interrupted, then they don't answer.

It can be assumed that the person who is engaging in the joke with you wishes to engage in wordplay. If they do not, then they will let you know. Or ignore you. Just like someone who doesn't wish for company when they knock on their door.

[Believe it or not this is not a thing Gadriel has dealt with much here.]

Doors are unnecessary risks for heresy. Many things can happen behind closed doors. None of them good. [You want him to interrupt heresy? Wait. That's not the worst idea.] We do not have them.

If I used a door and did not wish for company, I would shoot whoever was attempting to interrupt me. Is that a risk?

[ She'd argue about the closed doors thing... but then he says something even crazier than normal. ]

Gadriel. [ Now she sounds aggrieved. ] You can't shoot people for trying to seek your company! Either ignore them, or use your words! It's not a risk for anyone else!

And it's supposed to be a joke! No one is going to shoot you for a knock-knock joke.

...And you shouldn't shoot anyone for knocking. You'll have have all of Caldera outraged at you, and that is the opposite of what this exercise is for.

[ Does she have to be concerned about this now. ]

I cannot shoot people here, because our captors have not yet seen fit to return my boltgun. [Very frustrating and he cannot imagine why.]

You are the one expecting me to knock on other people's closed doors. I should know what the risks are. [Should he don his helmet? ]

[ What the heck is a gun. Well, bolts go in crossbows: Maybe it's some kind of fancy crossbow, fit for a guy Gadriel's size. Makes sense to her. ]

I am asking you to pretend that you are knocking when you start the joke off. It's the set up for the joke. There are no real doors involved. And I'm quite confident no one will shoot you for it. [ Unless they really and truly can't stand knock knock jokes. ]

Do you understand the basis? I have a book I got for you, that has plenty of knock knock jokes, so you will just have to read them. We can test a few out, if you are unsure.

[Ma'am you are asking him to have and use an imagination.]

This seems unnecessary. Why would I pretend there was a door to attempt to amuse someone? Are they laughing at me hallucinating doors? [This sounds vaguely humiliating. He'd rather be shot at.]

You got a book...for me? [...what? A gift? It's so...thoughtful! He might need a moment. ]

[ The only way for him to learn to use it is to try! ]

They won't think you're hallucinating, they will be laughing at the joke. And I suppose it depends on your definition of necessary -- I will not force you to do this, but I think it would help you make friends and get better at socializing with other Visitors.

And yes. I thought you'd like having a book to help. [ It is a Bioware Protagonist's sacred duty to give their companions gifts. ]

This sounds...unwise. [But she is an Inquisitor and she could command him to do it and maybe it was part of his penance? If so, he had asked for something challenging and painful, but he had been thinking more along the lines of, well, physical pain.]

I got you nothing in return, however. [You can't just give people gifts out of the blue like that. ]

[ The most challenging form of pain is stepping outside of what you know and growing from it. What Beleth is asking of him is, in her opinion, far harder than if she just gave him twenty lashes, or whatever. And far longer lasting than a simple wound.

That is the reality of the ruthlessness behind the gentleness: Not to simply assign some mundane physical pain that can be forgotten once it is healed, but to make Gadriel grow as a person. ]

Hmm. You can do me a favor. There are two men that I know, that I think could use a little practice with humor, as well. [ And she sends Gadriel the handles for Solas and Felassan both. ] Try out one of the jokes on the two of them -- the more esoteric, the better. That way, you can aid me as I attempt to train them, as well.

[ Maybe she CAN be evil and ruthless when she wants to be. ]

Edited (i decided felassan should suffer too) 2025-02-27 18:42 (UTC)

[This is truly evil. If he ever doubted her status as an Inquisitor, he never would again. ]

I will do my best. [It will be terrible.]

Are you at your camp?

I can be soon.

[Long story: Gadriel has been doing random chores for petty cash for some old woman near his camp. He has no idea why she needs so much firewood or why she insists he chop it for her barechested, but bones are bones and it is something he can actually do. ]

( BOY you gotta tell her about that, that's so funny. )

I'm coming over. I have something for you.

Nina headed to said camp a few moments after she sent that message, a big box in hand, holes poked through the top. She had a bag slung over her back, too, and if he wasn't there before her, he would find her sitting with all of it on the ground.

(It is not funny, it is *capitalism* and Gadriel is in his himbo era. Or would be, if he had a clue.)

There was no point saying no to Nina. He'd learned this long ago. So he'd told the nice widow he worked for that something had come up and headed back to his very luxurious spot in the woods.

He may be slightly sweaty when he arrived, with his bodyglove tied around his waist. He hadn't taken the time to brush off the splinters so he just came as he was.

"What did that box do to anger you?" Because why else would you stab holes through innocent cardboard?

Nina had the box open just enough to stick her hand inside, clearly messing with something before Gadriel showed up. When he did, she promptly closed it again, and a soft little squeak echoed from inside. Ignore that.

"Huh? Oh. Nothing." She shrugged and looked up, brows raised. "The hell were you off doing?"

It was his turn to shrug, before looking down and seeing the wood chips on his skin. He started brushing them off.

"There is a widow who lives on the outskirts of the village. She asks me to do chores for her." Which she supervises. Closely. From many angles. "She goes through a great deal of firewood, apparently."

Welcome to Gadriel's odd jobs.

Clearly there was something living in the box. He can figure out that much. "Do you need me to kill it?" Because why else would she bring something.

And people think Gadriel's some kind of monster? "That's nice of you." Genuinely.

"No." She was quick to reply. "This is what I was bringing you. It's — uh. A pet." Had he ever had one? Doubtful. "An animal companion. You're always out here by yourself and you've seemed... upset a lot lately." Not that she helped much sometimes, but. "Come here and sit down and I'll take him out."

"It is money. And it is nice to feel useful." Even if the use is partially 'eye candy'.

Gadriel sat down next to her, curious.

He has never had a pet. No time or space on a battle barge for animals. But he is familiar with the concept. "Like Archmagos Barcus's cat. Satchel." He like Satchel. Fellow predator vibes. He had shared fish with her.

"Never met Satchel, but yeah." She said, lifting the top of the box up and off so he could see the creature inside. It was a small winged kitten, orange with a white muzzle and little tufts of white on the tips of its ears. It clearly could not fly properly yet; wings flapping uselessly but excitedly when the box was opened.

"He's a baby, so be gentle when you pick him up. I brought stuff to take care of him." A nod to the bag beside her.

"Satchel is very nice." Which means it had taken her 0.46 seconds to con Gadriel into sharing his fish.

Is he--

He supposed that was an invitation, and he reached carefully into the box, scooping up the orange ball of fur and feather. "Warm," he observed. He didn't know why that surprised him.

She didn't need to worry about him being gentle. He had gotten accustomed to how fragile things were here. "What is its name?"

"Doesn't have one." Nina watched him for a moment; unable to keep herself from chuckling when the tressym kitten batted at a woodchip still plastered to his skin. She reached down to the bag beside her and started pulling items out — a bowl, a ball of string, what looked like a colorful feather on a stick, a parchment wrapped package of meat.

"You can name him whatever whatever want. He's yours."

"Hello, little killer." Those claws were surprisingly sharp. He was not ignoring you, Nina. Honestly. He's just distracted.

"I will call him Elion." Same ferocious energy. It would be nice to have some companionship.

One thing though. "How will he learn how to fly correctly?" Is there like....cat school he should enroll him in?

"Elion?" That sounded like a purposeful choice. Maybe it was the name of someone he knew, to think of it so quickly.

She shrugged. "Figured he would pick it up on his own. I heard they're smart. Or, you could visit more and maybe Assan and the dragons could help him learn." She reached over to gently pet the cat's head. "And yes, we have dragons now."

"One of my fallen brothers." Elion, the first to fall under the leadership taken from him and given to Titus. The first Titus refused to mourn. The first wedge between Gadriel and his lieutenant.

"Would Assan be gentle with him?" Listen, little Elion is going to be the most gentle-parented cat in this entire place and nobody better hurt him.

"Delightful. More heresy." Seriously, Nina, give his poor brain a break.

"It sounds like a strong name." She said with a nod.

"I think he would be." Assan was a rebellious little guy sometimes, but he had been playing nice with their hatchling so far.

Nina frowned. "Dragons are heresy, too?" A genuine question. "Their mother died. We couldn't just leave them there to fend for themselves."

"You would have liked him, Nina." Who knows. If one Space Marine nearly drove Nina nuts on a regular basis, maybe two would have been worse. Imagine two Gadriels.

"I would have to supervise." So, okay, play date is going to happen. Does he have to bring snacks? He's not sure how this works.

"Nina, everything that is not Terran in origin is suspect." And possibly heresy. But he's used to it by now. He's teasing. Mostly. "What killed their parent?" Does something need killing? He and Elion could take care of that.

She probably would have. For all Gadriel annoyed her, Nina knew it was because he was her brother. That's just what siblings did — and she could handle two of him, even if they'd definitely drive her crazy.

"We can all supervise." Always bring snacks.

She shrugged. "I don't know if it was natural causes or something else, but she was gone almost as soon as we got there. Davrin and I weren't going to just let them be born alone and scared."

Nina was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, by the way, for how I acted the other day. It has to be hard not having the support of your brothers here. But you — you have me, you know. And I have you. And I shouldn't forget that."

Hmm. The odds might be better for Gadriel to actually win an argument against Nina if he had one of his battle brothers with him.

That sounded...alarming. "And you just...carried these baby tyranids home?" STOP BEFRIENDING XENOS.

But that does raise a question. "Where did you find Elion?"

YOU'RE NOT HER REAL DAD.

"I have a habit of picking up strays. I was one myself." She muttered. "They're fine. You worry too much."

Uh. "...He was eating garbage outside one of the taverns."

HE CAN'T BE ANYONE'S DAD.

"Some of these strays can be dangerous, Nina. Just...be careful." Not little Elion here. Look at him, trying to swat at one of Gadriel's armor communion ports. Perfect little predator.

He scooped up Elion, trying to get the kitten to look him in the eye. "No more garbage for you. That is not balanced nutrition." He needs balanced nutrients, obviously. But that brought up..."what does he eat?" Yes he's super well responsible here. Best cat dad ever.

Not with that attitude.

"As careful as I always am." Read: not at all. Nina laughed. "I brought some chicken and fish for him." She motioned to the wrapped package she had pulled out earlier. "They're carnivores. Once he's a little older he'll probably hunt his own food if you're keeping him out here."

"If you need me to come and kill your 'dragons' when they go feral, please let me know."

Listen, if your life turns into a trainwreck, he will show up to stab the hell out of that train. In another world, in another context, it would be romantic as all get out to have someone volunteer to come and slay your dragons. Very swoonie. But this is Gadriel and Nina is his sister.

He gave Elion a gentle wiggle. "We eat the same things! I will hunt for you until you can catch your own." Elion responded by swatting at Gadriel's nose.

NO.

Nina laughed. It was always funny seeing a big guy and a tiny animal. She was reminded of Caleb bringing home that puppy off the street—

Her laughter faded off at the thought. She shook her head. "I'll let you two bond."

He was a little distracted with little Elion, who was flapping his little wings unable to take off but trying hard. "Do you want to fly? Here." He picked up Elion by the belly, to zoom him around.

Oh. Wait. He stopped, Elion flapping his wings impatiently. "Nina." His voice gets serious and almost, SHUT UP, emotional. "Thank you. For this. And everything." But mostly his little orange son

And people think Gadriel is a terrifying beast? Look at that man playing with a little kitten.

"You're welcome." She stood up, brushed herself off, and kissed the top of Gadriel's head, giving the kitten another pet. "Enjoy bonding time."

( good morning! some weirdo left a gift at Gadriel's camp that is probably being batted around by Elion while left unattended. Thankfully, the round glass bottle was secure enough that the pale liquid inside would not leak out, the top corked and the neck wrapped with a purple ribbon. A note was... somewhere nearby. )

I often gift nectar made of golden apples to those that I enjoy spending time with. Unfortunately, there are no golden apples here, so these sweet yellow ones had to do. I hope the taste is not unpleasant.

May moonlight guide your steps.

- Melinoë

(She wouldn't know when he got back to camp so she wouldn't know how long he sat, holding the bottle in his hand (after liberating it from Elion who found the sloshy color irresistible) and reading the note till he had it memorized.

Fun fact, memorizing things doesn't mean you understand them.

This poor communication bird, because he's started and restarted it a dozen times. )

I owe you a sunset. We could share this at that time ?

( Her response comes an hour or so later, because she was busy dicking around in the woods when her bird chirped with the message.)

Tonight?

[A swifter response, probably a little too swift to be cool. ]

Do you know Skyfall docks? There is a small park used by a school. It is empty by sunset.

I can find my way there.

See you soon.

By the time she arrived, Gadriel was waiting, with the bottle, and some food, and also Elion, who did not want to be left out of anything. Right now, Elion was napping in his helmet, lying on the grass, Gadriel rocking the helmet idly with one hand, looking down at the puddle of orange fur like it was the best thing in the world.

Melinoë arrived not long after he had with only a small bag looped over her shoulder, the sprigs of a few random herbs visible when she angled just right. Sorry, Gadriel, she was going to greet your cat first, kneeling down to observe the ball of orange fur and feathers as it rocked in its nest.

"Good evening." that was to you, Gad.

Edited 2025-04-05 01:02 (UTC)

Greeting Elion first was always acceptable. He would not have brought the tressym along if he didn't remember and care how much they had liked each other.

"Melinoë." He inclined his head, where he had cleared a spot for her to sit. If she did not mind sitting on the grass. "Thank you for coming." He was not good with small talk, or any talk, really, around her.

Of course he wasn't. His entire body was covered in scars, and she was a goddess.

She didn't mind, and took the spot beside him, legs crossed and her bag of herbs and other gathered items set off to her other side.

"Rude to decline a friend's invitation." She replied. "Besides, you do owe me." And smiled.

Rudeness had never stopped anything. "We were occupied searching for the last shard." He still hadn't put the pieces together yet in his mind, what it all meant.

"Did you see a healer about your leg?" She seemed to be walking normally on it, at least.

"It was a trying time." Melinoë had... thoughts. Most of which consisted of her just assuming gods were being gods and chaos was having a field day. It was always complicated interpersonal nonsense that drove wedges between them and put the entire world at risk.

She stuck her leg out, the bite mark gone. "Yes, it has healed nicely. I told you there was no cause for concern."

In Gadriel's world the only reason gods existed was to give sentient beings a hard time. "There will be more to come."

These moments of relative peace were more than he had ever had, but still felt too rare somehow.

He leaned to examine the unmarked flesh. "You do not scar." Jealous? Yeah a little bit.

"We will be ready." She always was.

She looked down. "The healer did a fine job. Besides, if I did scar, I fear my entire body would be marred for how frequently I am wounded." She flexed her ghostly arm, brows furrowed. "Some linger regardless."

He touched his right cheek, with a wry smile. "Mine is."

She has only ever seen him in full armor. Not only had every battle left its mark on his skin, even the surgeries to make him what he was had left scars. One problem with the Astartes organs that promoted fast healing was fast meant scarring.

He reached out to touch the arm--not fast, and slow enough for her to pull away or signal she didn't want it. "My brother Chairon had an augment for his right hand. Lost it to the Orks." The arm did not bother him.

"You wear them well. Marks of a warrior." No shame in that. And not all were blessed to be gods obviously.

Melinoë did not pull away. Her arm felt the same as the one with flesh still upon it, despite the ghostly glow and visible bones.

"Mine is a reminder of my arrogance, when I tried to help a friend and did... too much. Tried something I should not have. But we learn, we grow, and we carry on."

"All scars are a sign of failure." A parry not perfectly executed, a strike that did not strike home. "We wear our failures until they overwhelm us." And then they are dead. There's no romanticizing the Astartes.

"But not arrogance." He trailed his fingers down the arm, and then pulled away. "It is never arrogance to push oneself beyond one's abilities to aid a bro--friend." One day, 'brother' would not be his default word.

"You sound a lot like Nemesis." Said with a fondness perhaps one would think was odd, given how she and Nem often spoke to one another, and the topic at hand. "I find myself inclined to ask if you are always so bleak, as I might ask the same of her."

She let her hand fall to her lap. "I would have been dead if I did more than this — then I would have failed in my true task."

"Then I am glad you did not do more." He had seen too many die young and full of promise, when just a little more tempering would have made them stronger. A tragedy. A waste. "It is not still painful, is it?"

"I am not bleak. Merely realistic. We accept the burden of becoming what we are knowing that there is only one way that it ends, and the path may be either short, or long, but it always leads to the same destination, and it is always paved with suffering." But someone had to step into the breach, or else humanity would have fallen long ago.

And look at what she had become — a diligent, undying titan slayer. For the best, obviously. Melinoë shook her head and smiled up at him. "No, it does not hurt."

That sounded a touch too familiar. "Always suffering?"

"Sometimes, those with augments say it hurts, and that they can feel their original limb." It was not something Gadriel had experienced, thank the Emperor, but he had seen enough.

"For my kind, yes. Suffering strengthens devotion." Straban's words, not his, but true enough. "When you are willing to sacrifice all that you have, all that you are, you become a purer instrument of His will."

"Magic may work a bit differently than augments. This feels as if I never lost my arm at all." Which was convenient. "But I kept the reminder regardless, so I would never forget."

Melinoë pulled her knees to her chest, chin resting atop them. "And what is your kind, exactly? I had assumed you were mortal, at first, but you suggested otherwise. And who is he, whose will you serve?"

"Sorcery is very different, yes." At least in his experience. Thousand Sons sorcerers resurrected their dead in the middle of combat, seemingly without effort.

Eerie to watch. He'd rather deal with things the non sorcerous way.

"The Adeptus Astartes. We begin as baseline humans but are...adapted. In many ways." The height, obviously. Less obviously, the things like Betcher's Glands and Iron Sinews. "We serve the Emperor, whose genius was behind our creation."

"And you chose this?" She asked, unjudging; merely curious, since he had asked her the same.

"Yes. Of course. Who does not dream of becoming one of the Emperor's own Angels, the best of his blade against those that seek to destroy humanity?" It was better than the hivesprawls, it was better than the idle and corrupt life of his family, safe on Talassar.

"From the way you speak of it, I suspect many walk this path?" She turned her attention down briefly, reaching over to pet the top of Elion's head. "What ways have you been adapted for your station?"

"My Chapter has a thousand brothers. And many more die in the attempt to become what I am." So, elite, but not unique.

Elion, of course, being the attention whore that he is, butts his head into her hand.

"We undergo many surgeries to implant organs that aid us. We also have hypnomat sessions that teach us to control functions about our bodies. We are immune to human diseases and can endure pain or injury that would kill a baseline human." Which was not to say they were indestructible, or could not feel pain. They could simply handle a lot more of it.

"It sounds as if you are mortals made more like gods, save many of the boons." Like immortality, for one, and the lack of scarring, for another. "That seems trying, but you have endured and you serve a cause greater than yourself."

She paused, still idly petting Elion, her expression growing somber. "Do you ever regret it? Being put on such a path since you were young, it being all you know. Do you ever wish you had more of a choice?" And who was she asking, truly? Him... or herself?

"We have many gifts baseline humans would envy us for." The fact they don't age, the height, the nigh invulnerability. "It is the highest purpose I can imagine." Admittedly, his imagination may not be that great.

Elion is out of his helmet, so Gadriel began toying with it, idly, for something for his hands to do. "I would not make a different choice." A sigh. "But there are things I have come to realize...I regret that I cannot have."

Melinoë scooped Elion into her arms and plopped him onto her lap as she readjusted, skeletal hand scratching between his ears and down his back, careful of the wings.

"Like what?" She could guess a few things.

Was he going to have to frisk her when she left to make sure she wasn't catnapping Elion?

The tressym flitters his little wings against her, purring with happiness.

Meanwhile yeah wow this helmet is really suddenly interesting to look at. Never mind Gadriel had worn it for over a century. Because there was nothing like having to explain, uh, this to a beautiful woman. But she had asked. "We can never sire children," that was the easy part to explain, now for the more difficult one. "Nor can we...well, do the act that would result in that." VERY diplomatically put.

He might!

The mention of not siring children was not so shocking — not because she assumed that was the case given what he was or anything, but merely because it just did not seem like something someone of his order might concern hismelf with. Doing his duty over all else likely left little time for childrearing. The second half, however, made her cheeks pinken slightly.

"You can't?" Well that wasn't fun for him, was it? "If you have never laid with someone, could you truly miss it?" Again, she didn't sound accusatory, it just made sense — why miss something you never had.

Ah, but isn't that what she did all the time? She pursed her lips. "It is not something that need be done to enjoy the company of another. I am enjoying this just fine."

He did not want children, though little Elion had made him feel that there was definitely some reward in raising a thing from helpless to competent he enjoyed.

"It is...complicated." Really complicated, and stupid and embarrassing and he hated all of it. "I can," what's the delicate 'you're talking to a refined beautiful creature' way to say this? "experience things. I just cannot participate. As I should." SURE that was super clear, right?

"This place makes one expect, well, otherwise." He shrugged. He was trying to accept it and move past it.

Melinoë fumbled a bit, unsure what to say. Which was odd — she usually just spoke her mind regardless of what her conversation partner thought. This was clearly delicate, though.

"Is the experience not enough, then? There is no right way to physically indulge."

Stop trying to make a space marine cry, please. This was mortifying enough to admit.

But at least she understood what he had been talking about? Around? In the general vicinity of?

He cleared his throat, wishing it were as easy to clear absolute mortification from his brain at the same time. "It has proven a disappointment to my, er, partners during my...experiences." Turned out Gadriel was fine--more than fine--with perpetually edging, but his partners had a different view.

"Did they tell you as much?" She asked. "And were you disappointed, up to that point?" She needed a little more information — not that she was a bastion of knowledge in the topic, but still.

Well now Gadriel would have to mansplain sex...to a woman. Surely, this will go well. Surely he is the BEST to explain this.

"It is." Wow the sunset sure isn't sunsetting fast enough to be a distraction. "When there is a lack of a. A certain response." Do not make him draw a picture. "Women feel that it means they are undesirable." That was something he did not have the skill with words to overcome. "I was not disappointed because I had no expectation or understanding of what was normal."

Connecting a lot of dots right now. Your cat is really fun to pet, Gadriel. Made for a great thing to stare at, too.

"I do not know about most women, but there are plenty of ways others have made me feel desirable that did not involve a physical response." And, yes, she would have taken it as a sign of interest, obviously. "But if they know beforehand, I fail to see how they could be disappointed."

She looked up finally, cheeks still flushed. "Normal? Please. No one is 'normal.' What does that even mean?"

Elion is both of those things which is why Gadriel had to settle for flipping his helmet over in his hands. "I do not know those ways." Obviously.

"They did not know beforehand. I did not know beforehand that it was expected." To him, everything was, well, normal for him, save the fact that for once, he was not in discomfort or pain.

"Normal. Fitting in." Which he wanted to do, but was always at a loss exactly how.

"Compliments to my appearance, or a desire to get to know me are a few I can think of." The bar was... a little low!

She scratched between Elion's wings. "If you do not fit in, surely I will not." They had a lot of similarities to be sure.

"But you are beautiful." In another man's voice, that would sound like a slick flirtation. This is Gadriel. He is arguing. Because she was so beautiful, she probably walked around in a cloud of compliments.

Or should.

"Do not take me as a model of anything here. I made many errors I am certain you will not."

Well, she took it as flirtation. An attempt to do what she suggested immediately after she said it. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "That remains to be seen, doesn't it. Oh." A nod to the horizon. "The sun is setting."

"There is no need to thank me for stating the truth." There has to be something more to flirtation than stating facts. Otherwise, he'd excel at it. Because he is very good at factual statements.

Why could the sun not have started its downward slide five minutes ago? The clouds did not disappoint, sending streaks of rosy gold dancing over the water.

He reached into his bag--his semi-employer widow had insisted he bring bread and some cheese. He had no idea why but he knew better than to argue. It was food and maybe she wanted some food.

Except he realized he had nothing to cut the bread or the cheese except his combat knife. Well, maybe she wouldn't mind.

"Thank you for the compliment." It did not compare to being called beautiful by Aphrodite, but who truly could compare to that? Still, it felt nice, and she was not going to be rude and not accept the compliment, even if he was just 'stating facts.'

Sunsets were not a thing Melinoë experienced, so she stared at it with a look of wide eyed wonder as the sun dipped low and the sky was painted with pinks and purples as light clashed with dark, the glow of the moon and the dimming sun, reflected on the waters below.

Melinoë didn't mind, or maybe she just wouldn't notice, while enraptured by the sight before her. "I was told my brother fought to seek the surface, to find our mother. I wonder if he remained long enough to see this."

True, being called beautiful by a goddess of beauty was probably more significant than being called such by a man whose face is more scar than face. But he meant she was dazzlingly beautiful, like something rare and scintillant.

And he had grown to love watching sunsets, but he wasn't watching this one. Not really. Instead he was watching the play of light, the different colors and shadows, fall across her face, her expression of wonderment and delight, and he felt that maybe he had done something right this time.

He knew he didn't have to explain why he liked this: she understood, the way she seemed to understand the parts about him no one else did.

"I hope he did." And he hoped she would see many more here.

"Me too." She would ask him, next they saw one another. But she had a feeling Zagreus hadn't been able to craft a spell like she had that allowed him to survive. He just endured, time and time again, just long enough to see their mother and try to being her home.

Sunsets were not long affairs, but she enjoyed all of it as the sun eased down further and made way for night. She hoped Selene could see her, somehow, and knew that she was coming back eventually. Could tell the Headmistress as much. This had to be part of the fates design. It had to be.

"Thank you for this, Gadriel."

"Maybe one day you could share one with him." Because it seems better shared, honestly.

He averted his gaze as she looked away from the sunset, lest he be (rightfully) accused of staring at her. He wanted, at least while he was here, to have a small storehouse of good memories. He would not push to make them other than they were, because that had always gone badly. But he could, maybe, enjoy a small, bright, quiet moment, to shine against all the darkness.

"I did not make the sun set." So, no thanks needed.

He nudged the bread and cheese. "If you eat things." ...do goddesses even eat?

"If we are both here, I should suggest it soon." That was a good idea, actually.

"I did not suspect you had, not unless you were secretly a sun god." Didn't strike her as the type. More... war oriented. Ares would like him.

She looked down, tore a bit of bread off, and handed some to him as well. "Did you think I did not eat?"

"You are the first goddess I have met. How would I know?" Chaos gods ate the souls, or blood, or pain, of their subjects. Eating some fresh-baked bread was reassuringly normal.

"I am not secretly any sort of god. I do not crave power of any sort." Which is what gods were in his world.

"I am? There are certainly gods about." She had only met one other, Loki, but perhaps Gadriel had not had the pleasure? "I suppose you wouldn't, then. I do eat, though, just not meat." There was none here, so that wasn't an issue, but for future reference.

"Not all gods crave power."

Loki, well, to be honest, he'd never seen Loki eat anything, either. He had seen him turn into a woman, and be blue and other things, but eat? Not that he could recall.

That was absolutely not the look or sound of him filing that away for future reference. Nope.

The dark was settling in around them, soft wings of shadow folding down. Gadriel pulled out the small bottle she had left at his camp. "Would you share this as well?"

Ah, the "Nectar" she had made.

"Of course. I apologize if it is too sweet — golden apples usually have a specific taste that I could not replicate with the mundane ones offered here, but I hope it is still drinkable."

"It will be fine." Even he knew that it would not be particularly flattering to her for him to point out he could and likely would drink it if it were poisonous, a) because he literally could and b) Ultramarine rations were terrible, so even awful-tasting was an improvement.

He held the bottle out to her. Night had fallen completely but he could swear it seemed that the bottle held a little glow, as if it had captured the last rays of the falling sun.

She took the bottle, popped the cork, and took a small sip. The liquid was indeed very sweet, and just a little tart. Drinkable and certainly not poison. Probably.

She handed it back to Gadriel. "Not my finest work, but I did not botch it entirely."

He took the bottle back, taking a sip and waiting, savoring it first before speaking. It reminded him of the night he had spent with Night Sky, when she'd fed him the glucose, sweet and earthy and almost too hot to eat right away. This was different, cool, and sweet in a way that seemed to sparkle on his tongue.

"I like it." For whatever that is worth. "You should not diminish your efforts. You did what you could in imperfect circumstances."

She watched him expectantly, and smiled when he did not retch at the taste of the nectar.

"When I am able to find some golden apples, I will make a proper one." She said cheerfully. "Without any magic involved."

"This is fine as it is." Mind you, Gadriel did not have the most refined palate. Sweet was good, because he could recognize it. "How did you learn to make this?"

Right now, it was really just fancy apple juice. "I was given the recipe. Proper Nectar is a divine indulgence for the gods of Olympus and is made of golden apples. A treat in the Underworld, although less so now that I can make them myself."

"This is good enough for me. I am no god." Obviously. What would he even be a god of? Social awkwardness?

He handed it back to her in case she wanted more, looking over the bay, where the stars were glittering on the waves from the sky above. A different kind of beauty, where the roiling waves managed to look peaceful somehow.

"So you would refuse if I offered you the true nectar?" she asked.

Melinoë gently pushed the bottle back toward him. It was his gift to drink, not hers. She still had plenty stored back at her camp. Instead, her gaze drifted to the water and the darkening horizon.

"I shouldn't grow complacent here," she murmured. "My duty to slay Chronos weighs heavily on my mind. And yet… these moments of beauty are hard to turn away from."

"No. I would refuse nothing you offered." Wait. That came out a little...much. But he couldn't think of a way to retract it so he just let the words hang in the night air, watching the sky on the water.

"I understand. My chapter, my kind, we have the hours set for us for our Primarch, so that we have something to fill our time, other than worry and idleness. It is a blessing sometimes."

"Good. It is rude to refuse a gift from the gods." She teased — although it was very true if her interactions with the gods of Olympus were to be considered.

"Most of my time is spent hunting down Chronos, or aiding my family on the surface. The Crossroads offer some reprieve, but even then I feel anxious when I am not moving. Is it like this often, here?" Should she expect it more?

Figured out who killed Skan.

I'm going to kick his ass.

Skandranon died? Is h--has he returned yet?

[Wait. Those are not the important questions. At least for right now.]

Who.

And where.

Did I not tell you? Sorry. He's back.

Percy, and I don't know. I have to hunt him down.

Percy.

The one who has my combat stimms? [Oh, that could be very bad.] Where have you looked already?

The one who was playing with explosives a few months back who refused to tell me where he was. Who could have potentially hurt innocents and, look at that, he fucking did!

Finnick's inn and the guild.

[Sounds like the same guy. But still. This felt like a betrayal. This was his worst fear here--that the captives would turn on each other. ]

Have you. [He didn't want to say it, for fear of implicating Barcus, though he knew the gnome was innocent: as much as he loved Nina, her wrath was sometimes a little...intemperate.]

Have you checked Archmagos Barcus's workshop?

Hey.

Thank you for helping Lulu.

No one Of us Should be assaulted Like that. And he means A great deal to you. I would Gladly Have done more.

I know the last time we were all together things went south. But I'm glad you were there this time.

I know you would, but I'm glad you didn't. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, too.

Night Sky I know he means the world to you What is precious to you is what I will defend.

( oh, she's crying now. )

I don't know what to say besides thank you. You don't know how much that means to me.

We should... go for a hunt or something sometime. If you want.

[There's a long pause because he's feeling emotions, too. All he's ever wanted was purpose and to protect others and she gave him that chance. ]

I only wish you happiness. If anything I am grateful to you for giving me the chance to keep you safe. I would like that very much.

It's appreciated. Really.

Just tell me when and I'll make it happen.

I am hopeful he has recovered And that you also are recovering. [Because he's not stupid: he saw how upset she was, it was all over her face, her posture. It had taken a great deal out of her to see her beloved like that.]

Whenever you are free from worries.

[He's honestly so glad she's even talking to him again that that's more than enough to make his day. ]

He'll be okay.

You'll be waiting forever for me to be free of worries. How about tomorrow?

[Well, that's a sad thing to say. ]

Night Sky. If I can ever do anything to alleviate your worries, please let me help. But tomorrow would be fine. I am looking forward very much to seeing you again. </tt.

I'll let you know. I'll see you tomorrow.

Tomorrow came, but Night Sky did not arrive until the evening hours, accompanied by both of her dogs so they did not get bored and tear up the treehouse.

As per usual, she was in her regular floral attire, a bow slung over her back along with a good amount of arrows. Given how he hadn't moved very far from his original camp, he wasn't difficult to find. Night Sky greeted him with a wave as she stepped out from the trees.

"You've upgraded since the last time I visited."

Edited 2025-08-19 00:05 (UTC)

He wasn't concerned. If he hadn't heard from her by midnight, he would contact her, but he would just assume that she was doing other things. The last thing he wanted was to add more burdens to her.

He catches sight of her, as she steps from the forest, and his gaze softened. "It is good to see you." In any circumstance, but especially tonight.

"This is all, well, most of it, Melinoë's." The pillows, especially. "She is trying to civilize me." It's going...50/50?

Night Sky was more a nocturnal creature anyway. Didn't make for ideal hunting, but the creatures of Caldera didn't abide by the laws of most realms. They'd get something one way or another.

"It's good to see you, too." She smiled and stepped closer, the dogs on her heels, sniffing around the campsite. They smelled cats. Multiple cats. The dryad opened her arms for a hug from the Astartes. "Melinoë? Ooh. Sounds like someone has a giiiirlfriend."

It didn't matter if they caught something or not, to Gadriel. He just wanted to see her and know she was, well, all right.

He was surprised by the hug--he had wanted one, but didn't want to press, to ask her, so he just folded his arms around her, careful of her antlers, with a soft sigh.

He blushed at her teasing tone. "I think you would like her. She is very strong willed." Like...he had no choice. Once she decided things would happen...that was it.

She liked hugs. And they were friends, even if things had been... odd for a while now.

Night Sky grinned as she leaned back to look up at him. "Yeah? Sounds like your kind of girl. I'm happy for you, big guy!"

Things had been odd because he was stupid and prideful, and he was upset that it took something that hurt her so much to bring them back to talking together.

He released her a little from the hug--she probably wanted to, you know, breathe--looking down at her. "You would like her very much. She is very brave and I have put her through a great deal." Like dying, like having her rescue him from the healers. "You look...like summer." He's learning seasons, slowly, and she did look like the embodiment of the season, flowers strewn over her body and antlers.

He wasn't the only one. Night Sky didn't want to lose any friendships if it could be avoided, though.

"We always put the people we love through a lot more than we plan to." She said with a knowing smile. "You missed my antlers falling off and growing back in." She chuckled. "The flowers always match the season. Soon I'll be brown and red."

Her...antlers falling off? He brushed a leaf dangling off one gingerly. "Did it hurt? Were you ill?" Listen, body parts don't just fall off, Sky. That's weird.

"I feel like I have missed an entire season, then." She was probably pretty in early spring. Well, minus the antler thing.

"I should have asked if your dogs are afraid of cats." Elion wasn't afraid, but he was flapping around above the dogs' heads, curious.

"My head hurt for a little while, but Lulu took good care of me. Now they're big and strong again." She grasped one of her antlers and tugged for emphasis, her head cocking to the side. "Yeah, I guess you missed spring. Autumn suits me better anyway."

The dogs didn't seem bothered, both of them watching Elion flap around. "They don't mind. When did you get a cat?"

Yeah he'd imagine growing part of your head back would probably hurt. A bit. "I will...not be verifying that." Because what if his ~~Idiot~~ Astartes Strength managed to break them? He will take her word for it. "I hope you will let me see you in autumn." Just see, nothing more. He's not a weirdo.

Well.....

"My sister Nina found him. In the garbage. And thought of me." Because they were both...male? He never could figure that part out. "He is very friendly." Though he is eyeing the things dangling from Sky's antlers in a way that makes Gadriel...just a little nervous.

"I don't see why not." unless something absolutely stupid happened, Night Sky was not going to let this friendship lapse again.

She laughed and lifted her head up to try and pet the tressym. "He's cute. Never thought you would be a cat person." And then, to Elion, who could actually understand her: "Are you being a good boy for Gadriel?"

"I would like that." He has no intention of being stupid again (no promises, but the intent is there).

"He is exceptional." Obviously. "And he understands companionship." Like a true brother, Elion always wanted to be with him.

Elion for his part, wasn't used to talking to people, so if she got anything from his empty orange brain it was that he thought she was really pretty.

She would take the compliment. Night Sky laughed and scratched under Elion's chin. "Is he coming hunting with us?"

Like his dad, Elion is a fairly simple creature. And the chin scritch pulled a rumbling purr from him, as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"He could, but he should probably stay here and guard the camp." Someone has to keep all these pillows safe. And he didn't want Elion distracted by the dogs.

He's so cute. Night Sky could sit and pet him all day.

Alas. They had things to do. "Aww, okay. We'll be back with dinner soon, little guy. Then we can cuddle." She smiled up at Gadriel. "I'm ready when you are."

Elion would literally let himself be pet by her all day. Unlike Gadriel he's very open about enjoying things he wants.

"What?" Don't look at him like that, Elion. "She said she would come back." Ah yes, reason and logic and delayed gratification: things all cats understand.

Elion pouted, but went back to the door of the tent, trying to look as pitiful as possible, wrapping his tail over his feet.

Gadriel turned to Night Sky. "It will feel good to chase something." Kill too, but sometimes he just wants to hunt something.

"I promise I'll come back and pet you for as long as you want! And bring you back dinner. That sound good?" The purring like a motorboat suggested yes.

She laughed. "Yeah? I know you hate sorcery, but I feel like you would love to just run around as a wolf. Or a bear. You give big bear vibes."

Do not try to steal Elion from him, Night Sky. Gadriel will be sad.

"We will bring you something too big for you to bring down yourself." So, like...a treat.

"I can also just enjoy you running." The same way dog owners enjoy watching dogs race around. He doesn't really need more than that. It's just good to spend time with her again. "I know you know a good spot for this."

Sergeant? When you have a moment, I have a favor to ask.

And also a question or two. There's something about this place I keep turning over in my mind, and I need input from someone who's observed more than I have.

So perhaps that's two favors, technically.

I am at your disposal, Archmagos. Anything I can assist you with I will gladly do. [He owes Barcus so much, for his help and just being one of the first real friends he made here. Also the whole not being able to save him from dying thing. Yeah. That too. ]

[Barcus isn't keeping score, of course. Although he knows full well he's done a few favors for Gadriel too. They're friends, it's all good.]

Well the first thing is I wanted to make a sword for Bel, and I could use some assistance at the workshop with forging it. It'll have to be about half the length of my body to be the right size for him and that gets unwieldy to work with at my size.

So yes, whenever you can set aside a few hours here and there, I need a stronger assistant. I thought of asking Ashton but I think you have more weapons experience in general. [That, and flirting with Ashton would distract him terribly and he wants to do his best work.]

But the other thing is, I keep thinking about old quests. Things that have gone wrong that we've had to fix. And then I keep thinking about what you say about sorcery and the Warp and my alchemical findings.

There was some kind of aberrant corruption in the mines at least once, and then there was that town where the little boy fell into the well. And the sky island, I didn't go there but I heard there were voices that were driving people half crazy.

I suppose some of it can be attributed to the unknown god in the Moon, but I don't think that can be all of it. I think there's something else happening too.

So I suppose I'm asking for your opinion and experiences here. Which is a lot, but perhaps we can talk it over while we work on the sword?

I would be glad to assist but I know nothing. [So Barcus would have to teach him the basics. But he can hit some metal with more metal, for sure.] Bel has been very kind to me It would be an honor to assist. [As for the rest... It takes him a while to respond because he knows this is not a conversation to have on a network where they're being most likely monitored, but he doesn't want to SAY that because then other spying things might happen. ] That is an interesting topic. May I bring Elion to the forge?

You know nothing about forging, perhaps, but you know a good weapon when you see one. I think you'll do. I think you might enjoy the process, actually, but really I just need heavy lifting from you.

[Of course Bel has been kind. Barcus smiles to himself. He didn't know whether they knew one another, but it's nice to hear they're friends as well.]

Yes, that's about what I thought you'd say, regarding the topic. [He knows Gadriel doesn't trust the birds, and while it wasn't something Barcus worried about until now, he's starting to get the idea that a little paranoia might be the right way to proceed. After what happened to Lulu...

Well. Secrecy won't hurt anyone.] Oh! Yes, and I'll bring Satchel, as well. We'll have to keep them back from the fires, but they'll probably run around the attic and be fine.

I'll be there in half an hour, come by whenever you have a chance.

Caldera Inbox

@ogreslayer; text

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Are we format changing? Let's format change

Bitches love format changes

you format changed my format change! I dig.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

feel free to godmod him to whatever end of the fight you want bc neither of us dig long fights

Likewise, change or add whatever

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

text; @banshee

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

voice

Re: voice

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

. voice

no subject

no subject