+5 BWP Exp
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring (1/2)
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land (1/2)
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

What was wrong with this place?

In the span of his life here, he'd witnessed multiple wars, and weird mist and now the weather was going absolutely bonkers. On top of that their son went missing, and he couldn't find a sign of Gawain and his family.

It felt as if the world around him was crumbling, and he couldn't really do anything about it.

Every day the peach paladin was traveling from territory to territory to try and find Naga. There was hope within him that his son had just gotten lost. He didn't want to think about the other options. Everywhere he went, the land was upturned - aniadar was on fire, the dunes were insect-infested, snowstorms, rain storms, and everything possible.

The Tundra didn't seem like the place that Naga would do normally, but Bhaskar was desperate. He hadn't slept much these past few weeks, exhaustion hanging heavy on his shoulders. It seemed like the lake wasn't spared from nature's wrath as it's waters were flooding the whole area that surrounded it. Bhas raised his head to glance about, finding only destruction. No sign of his son._{BG — ART — CODE}

there were very few things that could surprise voluspa at this point — but this seemed to take the cake. the overtaking of the mist had, by far, been a product of her own nightmares, cruel and diabolical in more ways than one. but this nasty turn of weather was simply miserable, and seemed to be tearing the valley apart, limb by limb.

Given this, the valkyrie was not sure why she ventured up into the thralls of the tundra, but she did know that she regretted the decision by the time that she arrived. it was just as much of a mess as the rest of amaryllis, with fresh snowfall covering the earth, storms raging in the distance, and the lake flooding across the surrounding area in a merciless sort of fashion. the sigrun wrinkled her nose at the sight of it all, dark brows furrowing across her forehead — until she noticed another shape within her company, appearing as though he was revelling in the same sight that she was.

"careful not to get too close." she hummed casually towards @Bhaskar, though, at the end of the day, it was little more than a simple suggestion. "i don’t think nature has much kindness left, given this mess." but that was just the way that the world worked now, wasn’t it? every time that they thought to have found a sliver of peace, of quiet, it was snatched away and turned to dust just as quickly. it was either that, or voluspa had turned herself into quite the pessimist as of late.

art by cala + coded by flea + background credit

+5 BWP Exp
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring (1/2)
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land (1/2)
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

His dark, sunken eyes were lacking in any light more than usual as they traversed the far-away snowy hills and mountain slopes, the flooded landscape that stood before him. The man sought to put one foot forward, but a warning voice made him stop mid-way.

He turned knowing full well that it was not the voice he sought after. And yet he couldn't help but feel disappointment wash over him when he saw obsidian instead of plum.

@Voluspa was black as coal. So dark, that even her eyes were black. She reminded him of this dark kid he'd shown a few fighting moves to a while back at the shore.

No, don't think so either, he sighed, gazing around them.

They came here bushy-tailed and bright-eyed, with dreams of a great land where they could live merrily together... they couldn't have been more naive. Now his friends were gone, and his son was missing. If he took Neph and Devika and left Amaryllis everything would be more simple. Or maybe they'd starve to death.

And what if Naga returned? No, it wasn't an option. Can I ask you something? Hopelessness - that's all he could feel right now. It was worth a try, though._{BG — ART — CODE}

once upon a time, she may have been a bit more inquisitive to the phenomena that played out before them now. perhaps she would have trudged towards the water’s edge and investigated the cause, curious and bright and interested — but now? now, voluspa saw it only as playing with fire, and, frankly, she had no intention of getting burned. not again.

she had originally thought the mist to be innocent, after all. and in turn it had swallowed her beloved whole — stolen him for months that they could not get back. and so she thought it foolish to tempt the fates and vellen again, mainly out of fear that, maybe this time, she would be the one snatched into the abyss. she would not risk it, nor could she forgive herself if such foolishness came back to hurt khal.

it was for all of the reasons that her warning hung upon the air, gaze slipping back to @Bhaskar as he seemed to echo the sentiment. that was not all that he offered the sigrun, however, as his question prompted the brief, though fleeting, quirk of her brow. it seemed spoken as a loaded question, but she would not turn away. "go ahead," the woman affirmed, opting to bring herself a few feet closer to the colossal brute as she did. and though her eyes swept back towards the expanse of the broken world before them, her ears remained swivelled in his direction, unsure of what exactly he could desire from a stranger such as she.

art by cala + coded by flea + background credit

+5 BWP Exp
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring (2/2)
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land (2/2)
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

He watched as the water continued to rise, its tendrils snaking their way through mud and dry land. The water reached the base of the mountain, destroying old paths that have been there for maybe centuries.

He felt a chill crawl through his skin, making the peach fur on his back rise. The air was heavy, his feet were frozen and caked in mud. With the Jungle's wildfires, Bhas wondered if they'd ever be able to return to their den. Or was Aniadar going to turn bare and smoky like its eastern part? It had been the only place he'd called home since his arrival. Now, it was at risk of being destroyed.

@Voluspa's agreement was quick. He turned to glance at her. Have you seen... a plum-pelted kid? Has yellow under his eye and on his chin. He gestured towards his own eyes, then at his behind. Splotchy butt marking like mine? Green eyes. Should be... he hummed, clearly exhausted. Ah, crap... maybe six-nine months? He clearly doesn't remember._{BG — ART — CODE}

oh.

the question stung something deep within voluspa’s chest, her face shifting towards an expression that was more solemn and raw. @Bhaskar was missing someone — except it wasn’t only someone because it a child, that she could only assume was one of his own. and though she listened to the man’s description thoughtfully of the young boy, the sigrun already felt a weight splaying across her body, seeping into the corners of her eyes in the process.

in truth, she did not want to answer him. wholly because she did not like the answer she had to give.

"i haven’t," the words felt heavy on voluspa’s tongue as she finally forced them free, almost poignant enough to cause her to wince. she knew what it was like to love and lose, and she did not wish it on anyone - not even a stranger. "but, i can help you look for him, if you want. where was the last place you saw him? and was it before — all of this?" she offered her help without feeling the need to ask anymore overly personal questions, her shoulders pivoting so that she could fully face the rogue now. there was no denying that he looked exhausted, riddled with untold emotions and the heaviness of his loss - but was he interested in reaching out and taking the offered olive branch? voluspa supposed she would have to wait and see.

art by cala + coded by flea + background credit

I havent.

Of course, she hasn't. The steel-eyed giant glanced back at the overflooding lake, letting out a heavy sigh. What did he expect? It felt hopeless to go around asking, but Bhas had nothing else left. Only wandering and hoping that Naga would reappear healthy and well... asking others was simply to make him feel like he's doing everything he can. That he's giving it his all and exhausting all options.

@Voluspa pitied him, and he supposed that it was one of the reasons why she offered to help search for Naga. He watch her speak, evidently trying to decide if he wanted to drag this complete stranger into his mess. At first, he thought it was best not to... and yet he still answered her following question. Yea... before all of this shitstorm, he mumbled, unable to look at Voluspa and instead peering at the ground. He didn't want help, but he needed it._{BG — ART — CODE}

the sigrun watched as the man’s gaze twisted and that rolling sigh fell from between his lips, knowing, certainly, that the answer had stung him just as hard. she would keep an even expression, however, brows furrowed only slightly and her body craned purposefully in his direction, ever attentive. "what is his name? with weather like this, the more eyes, the better." she pressed a little further, knowing full well that her offer would not last should he decide to continue on his own. which would be fine, of course, and @Bhaskar's prerogative — it was just that voluspa could not shake that twinge in her chest, or the tug of her instincts to at least offer what she could.

"i haven’t seen him, but the next lion might. so, as terrible as it feels right now, you just have to hold onto hope that you’ll find him again." because what else could they do? pity was perhaps the wrong word, but she saw herself reflected in the heaviness of the man’s features and the weight that coated his words. if she had given up on khal, well, surely voluspa never would have forgiven herself. and while she could not say for certain what would become of bhaskar, or the cub, she did know that regret was one of the heaviest burdens to bear. she did not want to be tied to another 'what if'.

art by cala + coded by flea + background credit

He felt a dull ache that he'd never really felt before -- the depressive dampness of their surroundings could very well describe the sorrow that was hanging heavy on his heart. Bhas never thought he'd lose his son so easily. One day the boy was by their side, and the next he was gone. Naga, he answered, the name bittersweet on his tongue. There was regret now that he hadn't appreciated his son enough. That he hadn't spent enough time with the kid.

The water continued to flow, forcing its way down pathways that it shouldn't go down. The terrible weather all around wasn't really helping him look for the plum adolescent, nor did it bolster his morale. Still, he was hopeful. @Voluspa needn't say that, but her words were helpful nonetheless. Yeah. He's a tough kiddo. he mumbled._{BG — ART — CODE}

"naga," the sigrun parroted, letting the name roll off or her tongue, testing it out and imprinting within the forefront of her mind. she would not forget it - both for @Bhaskar's sake and for that of the boy. and while voluspa did not intend to make false promises that she may not be able to keep, the pricking in her chest remained poignant and raw, urging her, willfully, to do what she could. "i’m sure he is." she added on after a moment more, lips twisting faintly at the edges as the sound of rushing water grew louder and more worrisome in her ears. despite the surprising nature of this meeting, even she could not deny the fact that these lands seemed to be a ticking time bomb, caught somewhere in limbo, as if they were about to break in two at any given moment.

and the valkyrie, for one, did not want to present when the entire valley flooded into nothingness.

"my name is voluspa —" she said finally, pausing as her eyes swept across the man’s features again. "— i think it’s about time to get out of here before either of us get swept away, but i hope that i’ll see you again." she remarked, an unspoken hopefulness looming across the edges of her words in the same fashion that it had before. when your son is found and brought back to you.

Pausing for a few moments more, giving the brute ample room to say whatever else he thought needed to be said, voluspa would be quick to rid herself of the freeze once the two of them opted to part ways, disappearing back into the shadows of the mountain range. Exit.

art by cala + coded by flea + background credit