There was something about this place that was familiar, and slowly as she traversed across the blackened beach those memories that had been covered up were beginning to emerge. The dust was drifting away and with it came recollections of times prior. Vigdis had had a conversation with her Fader here once back when she was younger and so full of anger towards her heritage. Perhaps that very anger had been what had summoned Ingvild to begin with, but Vigdis could not remember a time where her presence was not noted in the back recesses of her mind. Hollow pink gaze stares out at the crashing waves, the sound of them a sweet song that she had sorely missed. Her heart thumps low in her breast but strong, a steady rhythm despite all she had been through. As if her thoughts towards her lineage had summoned him she feels his presence down the beach. Her head cranes slightly, gaze snapping to land upon @Hákon. Their reunion had been abrupt at the Lagoon challenge, it hardly was a place for such things. Now would be the proper time for them to fill in the gaps, and Vigdis herself would try her hardest to feel again. Vigdis had cut off that piece of her a long while ago, likely to prevent herself from feeling the many bones that shattered beneath her weathered paws. Ingvild was the death-bringer; everything and everyone she came into contact with died. Vigdis did her best to push the memories of their cries and anguished faces from her mind. "Jag visste att du skulle komma." She says to him because she had known since the moment she saw him at the Lagoon that he would follow. He looked healthy and she was relieved, allowing herself a moment to sigh softly. Where to begin?

---

*I knew you would come


[pathfinder exp]
+5 Scout a neutral territory
+10 Find a notable landmark in a territory
+10 Discuss the features of a territory with someone

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i'm ready to suffer the sea of course he would come. of course. she was his daughter, she was of his blood. with calypso heavy with cubs, his first litter has been weighing heavily upon his mind — regret and guilt churning together in his chest. he had not failed them, not exactly; they’d all chosen to spread their wings and adventure rather than linger in his sphere of influence. he’d done much the same thing once he’d been drowned — he would not hold it against them. still, it did not make their absence hurt any less. and yet, here she is. as if he’d willed her back into his life. a low sound rumbles in his chest as he approaches @Vigdis, intent on slinging an arm around her broad shoulders to haul her in closer. he was her father, he was owed a hug or two. det finns ingen annanstans jag hellre skulle vilja vara. ( there is nowhere else i would rather be. ) he murmurs, voice uncharacteristically soft as he lapses into his native swedish. seafoam eyes sweep across her features, noting the differences there — just as she probably did for him. she was fully grown now, and nothing like the cub he still imagines her to be. vart har dina resor tagit dig? ( where have your travels taken you? ) it’s not an unkind question, but a pressing one.

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there is nowhere else i would rather be. where have your travels taken you? She allows her gaze to focus on the waves of the ocean, ears craned to listen to the sound of them. She mulls over the question, wondering what to say to him. Vigdis knew that he would have questions and even she still had so many questions that went unanswered. It was easier to allow Ingvild a slice of freedom, if only to supply her fader with an answer. "Långt och brett. Jag stötte på en klan av zigenare och stannade hos dem en kort stund." She speaks, failing to mention that she had slaughtered each of them afterward. Even the man that she had allowed to bed her; it should have been special, but she had taken that from her too. Vigdis is quick to throw her back into her cage, contained for now. The balance was difficult to maintain, especially with constant push back from the other. But she wouldn't allow her to do anything around her loved ones, she forbid it. "Vi var här för så länge sedan. Jag är ledsen att jag har missat så mycket." She says truthfully, finally tearing her attention from the ocean back to her fader. Vigdis wanted to ask about her siblings but the worry was lost on her tongue; as if part of her knew that he would not know of their whereabouts. "Berätta vad som har hänt med dig i min frånvaro." Vigdis says to him then, looking forward to the distraction that it would provide.

---

*Far and wide. I came across a clan of gypsies and stayed with them for a short time
*We were here so long ago. I'm sorry I've missed so much
*Tell me what's happened with you in my absence


@Hákon

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i'm ready to suffer the sea it’s strange, to hear her stories and not be included in them. to have to hear about them, second-hand. he was her father, he wanted nothing more than to have been at her side while she explored and took in the world. but she needed to grow and to learn without him hovering over her — and hákon skagos was a big hover-er. there’s still something she hasn’t told him, a key point that she’s keeping to herself — though he cannot tell if it’s intentional, or simply fallen by the wayside. at least she was not with ofelīa, though. before he gets to ask, she turns the question back to him. what happened with him? he was a boring old man, there’s little exciting in his life. except for — you’re going to have younger siblings, he says, a touch of warmth in his voice. quiet, like he still can’t believe it — like speaking it too loud will jinx it. calypso, my mate, is pregnant. did that make her @Vigdis's step-mom? ehhh, probably. he isn’t sure if she’d ever had the chance to meet the medic — truly meet her, when she was older and not just a little potato. their paths have crossed and diverged so much that it was hard to recall. maybe he was getting older. will you stay? he asks, in swedish but bunny is lazy. here, he watches her carefully — not bothering to appear aloof. he wants this question answered, and he wants the answer to be yes.

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you’re going to have younger siblings, calypso, my mate, is pregnant. 'My mate'. The words fall away from her, only a slight tick of an ear her only indication that she had heard what her fader had said. For a brief moment there is a flash of anger, but just as quickly as it had arrived it was swept away, just as the waves came and went. She could not be angry with him, he had to move on eventually. Perhaps she was the only one still plagued by the loss of her Mor. It was an affliction she had dealt with in her absence; something that would continue to haunt her no matter where she went or what she did. Memories burned into her mind, ones that would never leave her be. Vigdis fights off the well of emotion at the very moment he asks her to stay and she shifts slightly, gaze landing back on her fader's face. "Yes." She had always been a woman of simple words. She would not rob her fader of having a relationship with her, even if she was damaged and still learning how to heal. Even if she had skeletons piling up behind her - she wanted a relationship with him. For real this time. "min ceremoni .. Jag vill att du ska göra det. Inte de andra, de är inte släkt med mig." She says to him suddenly, with a sense of urgency. If she was to stay here she wanted to be a true Skagos, she wanted to be welcomed back to her lineage the right way. She pauses, waiting for him to speak. Vigdis had never been very accepting of her Sigrun bloodline, that had not changed. She was a skagos through and through, having her fader solidify that was the most important thing to her.

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*My ceremony.. I want you to do it. Not the others, they are not kin to me.

@Hákon

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i'm ready to suffer the sea If he knew the thoughts swirling around her mind, their conversation would take a drastically different tone and direction. But he has no way of knowing, though her silence feels pointed. There was always a place for her ar his side -- in this new family he and cslypso were creating, there was always space for her. More than that, he wanted her there and he was relieved to hear she would be staying. It soothed his soul to hear. Now, if only her littermates would come back home to roost, too. Her words come on suddenly, but they're almost expected. It seems that her travels had not carried her to nethelus, nor to her grandmother's side -- she remained unbaptized, and the call of the ocean was strong. Even to him, even now. de kommer alltid att vara din släkt they will always be your kin. he says sharply with a little frown. True, he had no real love for the sigrun family as a whole -- most of the goodwill in his chest for them had died with saga. But he could not discount the idea that she lived on with this litter -- @Vigdis was as much sigrun as she was skagos. Not that either of them could ever forget that. Not that either of them could ever forget @Saga. But, still. He would not reject nor deny her request. He holds it gently in his hands, a solemn nod given with such grace. när du är redo kommer jag att vara där when you are ready, I will be there. he would guide her like his mother guided him, like her mother guided her. On and on and on, just the newest two in a generational line. Severe features soften a little, offering her a smile -- pride evident, even now. har du hört låten än? have you heard the song yet? not just the early melody of a childhood spent by the water, not just the quiet tune that comes from having vellen in her veins. She needed to really hear it, to be ready. He had drowned later, but his brothers had heard it early. Too early, almost -- ambition and savagery pushing and pushing them further and faster. Ofelia had drowned early, too, but he hadn't. He was older than her when he'd finally been ready. Ears tip forward as he waits, eager to hear her reaction. It was always best to drown with others, shield and syskon combined, but vigdis was the only one untested. Perhaps there was a sigrun child out there around the same age -- there were always sigrun children underfoot, numerous even now.

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they will always be your kin. He says it sharply and Vigdis pointedly ignores his stare, knowing that her thoughts must disappoint him. she would never forgive the sigrun for what they had done to her mor, what they had allowed her to endure on her own. They were just as much at fault for her death, her blood was on all of their hands. A crime that would never be forgiven, not by Vigdis. when you are ready, I will be there. have you heard the song yet? He asks her and finally she wrenches her eyes from the ocean, from the sea that called to her. Scanning the beach she reaffirms that they are alone before she would reply, "Jag hör det brusa. Det väcker mig ur sömnen." She says to him softly, neglecting to mention that Ingvild is the one who wakes her with her senseless chants. This pull to the ocean was one she could not ignore any longer, perhaps it was one of the driving forces to bring her back here, back to him. "Jag är redo." She says it with certainty, no doubt in those bright pink eyes. She wanted it to be private, wanted it to be just her and him. And if she did not return then so be it, her fader would be the one to send her off. She tried to convey that to him with just a single glance, do not make me share this with them, but the words stayed glued to her tongue. She couldn't force herself to say them though her heart screamed it from within.

@Hákon

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i'm ready to suffer the sea it is strange, to be in this position. he knows it was bound to happen, and yet… well, he isn’t sure. that’s the issue, isn’t it? he isn’t sure. he’d never held his father’s confidence nor his mother’s zealous fervor. nothing had ever come easy to him, but he would not botch this. he would guide her as best he could, even if a part of him ( Small, true, but still there ) wishes that ofelía were the one to guide her, instead. still, the answer that @Vigdis gives does not inspire much confidence. det finns en skillnad, ( there is a difference, ) he says, husky voice a low hum, mellan höra och lyssna. ( between hearing and listening. ) he isn’t sure what her experience might be — he isn’t sure what her siblings experienced, either. would it be different for them since they did not stay by the sea? would it be different for them since they were demigods? he doesn’t have the answers to those questions, and so he does not ask. du ska inte gå ensam. ( you shouldn’t go alone. ) he says, and it’s the first time he sounds unsure. he’d happily swallow the rest of it, but here he falters — allowing her to see the flash of concern across those handsome features. of course, vigdis is never quite alone… but that knowledge of that would not be reassuring, either.

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there is a difference, between hearing and listening. He says to her and she cannot help the small frown; did he think that she wasn't ready? Was she foolish to have asked? Could he see something that she could not? The self-doubt courses through her but she clamps it down, cutting off that emotional piece of her that hardly ever had any time to express itself. you shouldn’t go alone. He says and her eyes flash, perhaps that was his reasoning of questioning her. But she had been alone all of this time, it wouldn't be unrealistic to consider she would do her baptism solo as well. "Jag har ignorerat det för länge far." She says quietly before finally locking gazes with him again. "Jag måste göra detta ensam." She says to him with conviction. Vigdis didn't want anyone holding her hand, she would not beg to be spared. She wanted to face Vellen's wrath and come out unscathed, or come out however their God saw fit. Ingvild purred then, perhaps she looked forward to facing their God more than Vigdis did.

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*I have ignored it for too long father
*I need to do this alone

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i'm ready to suffer the sea alone. she wants to drown alone. the thought churns in his stomach, causing his mouth to sour with something close to fear. apprehension shows easily on his countance, handsome features turning dark as he looks to her. yet.... her thoughts parallel his own. she has grown up alone -- by choice, of course, but still. the fact that she is here, before him, means something. he did not drown alone but he'd travelled alone, had grown alone -- his skyson, once so important to him, had long since left him behind. he might not be any stronger for the isolation, but never once did he falter without them at his side. and still, she is her mother's daughter. would @Saga be pleased? for her daughter to drown alone, in the way of neither parent. the chimera was dead but still here, still around -- he'd seen her ghostly visage at a previous challenge but she'd dissappeared before he'd had a chance to speak with her. gone forever, gone still. perhaps it would be better for @Vigdis to be alone, too. not alone, he says in swedish, even though bunny is too lazy to use google translate. i will be there -- whenever you think you are ready. the skagos punk is too soft-hearted to allow her to truly go alone; he will guide her, like his mother tried to guide him. he says it with a small smile, even if he wants nothing more than to gather her up and keep her safe forever. he might be her father, but he has no hold over her. she is her own person, grown up outside of his eye -- this is the least he can do, lest she leave him, too.

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