[PRP] Wafting Ashes

[Light Atago]

Another bland day so far... What could she do to toss in some excitement?! Her brow furrowed to reflect this mild frustration as she padded through the lands, tail flicking lightly behind her, chain clicking lightly around her neck as she walked. "Hmm..." She had told Aki to meander off... She wondered if that was a mistake.

"Well, fine then..." She muttered to herself, making things just mildly more interesting as she walked along- time for some strength training. She increased the gravity on herself and the area just immediately around her... Her bangs de-poofed at the increased pull, but otherwise Din seemed unaffected. She did this when she doubted she'd have any conflicts... Increasing the gravity she herself was exposed to could make her physically stronger, and she did it so often that she no longer appeared to be affected, even though she had put the gravitational increase on herself. She kept an eye out for anyone interesting nearby...  

[Puhterodactyl]

The young god sighed, his head hung low and forelock covering his eyes. He trudged across the plains in equally somber spirits, having left his cubs with a good and trusted friend, and his familiar in an equally well-protected herd. So what exactly was he doing? Fleance wasn't sure, though he never was. The ashy foot prints he left everywhere in his wake were blown away by the dry wind, but as he trudged on, something changed.

Footprints were supposed to remain where he'd already stood, and the wind blew against his side. So why were his ashes being drawn forward? In a similar manner, he felt himself drawn in the same direction, watching the fruits of his feet, it took him very close to a large, blue form, and startled him severely when he finally looked up. He knew in an instant he stood in the presence of another immortal, and his heart was filled up with dread.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Din noticed, too, that strange little tidbits were present in her altered field. She looked up to see... Another immortal. She tilted her head and let her increase go, bangs refluffing immediately. This one she hadn't seen before- and he seemed scared. In all honesty, she hadn't been so terrifying.

Ok, maybe it would be weird to see someone surrounded by bent grass, only to have it all let up in just a moment, but so what? He was a god too. Of what, exactly, she couldn't tell.

At any rate... This would be interesting. "Hey," she said- the casual type of greeting she only gave to other gods. She treated most mortals more like, "Hi there lab rat," with gods on equal terms with her. There were some mortals she cared a little bit about... Well, ok, a decent amount about, but that was it!

She looked down to her paws quickly then up again, an effort to keep her bangs in place now that they were more loose. "I'm gravity- Din-tei," she said, keeping her gaze expectantly.

Fleance stared at her nervously. He couldn't quite help himself. It was just a habit he'd fallen into after being reborn so many times over. He bobbed his head in a polite greeting and responded to her introduction. "I'm Fleance. Ashes is my domain." He coughed and cleared his throat, more ashes still wafting from the god's innards.

True, he wasn't the most socially graceful god out there, but he was more at ease with mortals. After all, they could hardly do a fraction of the damage a god or goddess could. But Din-tei seemed nice. She wasn't threatening him in any way, direct or indirect. So he forced a smile to the blue goddess, and blew a puff of air at his own bangs to free them from his eyes.

"Fleance... I don't believe I've met you before, not in a past life, anyway. You're one of the first in this one," Din said, turning her eyes skyward as she pondered. No, she was quite certain she didn't know him. All the same, she would remember him. Ashes. She was meeting quite a few gods in this life so far- and she hadn't been interacting with others for quite a while. He still seemed on-edge though, an emotion she didn't like to invoke in other gods. Who knew what creatures would do when flighty, especially gods.

She didn't miss his trying to free his mane from his eyes. "I think I can help with that, here..." She said, approaching as non-harmfully as possible. She expanded her sphere and pushed up with all her might. It wasn't anywhere near enough to lift an entire lion, but it was certainly enough to make them feel much lighter. And more importantly, her bangs were lifted, floating where they wanted to, but she kept them out of her face. "I'll bet that'll help," she said with a nod.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Again Fleance sort of nodded his head, a sort of an acknowledgment that they had never met until now. Of course, she would know better than he would. The only gods he remembered well after a rebirth were his brothers and sister. Juuku was also a familiar face, and in concerns to the surfing god, it just happened to come back to him a little slower. The adolescent couldn't help how he felt around the higher powers. Though they were on a level playing field, that didn't stop him from feeling unease. But with any luck, that would fade over time, at least on the basis of a personal relationship with Din-tei.

He flinched slightly as she drew closer, his eyes watching her closely as she approached, his head pulled back and the dim red spheres crossed to watch what she was doing. The mane on his head grew lighter, fluffier, and stray furs stuck up at odd angles. He pulled a face, and then tried to change it into a grin. "Uhm. Thanks, Din."


"Well, I can let it down if you don't like it, but it's a new sort of convenient," she said honestly. She often used this power not only to train her muscles, but also for conveniences like keeping her hair out of her eyes. Useful, practically speaking. Not excessively useful in a fight or anything, but there was no situation like that today.

And this was the first time she'd really looked at the adolescent god before her. Sure, she had seen him when they met, but that didn't mean she was looking. He was... kinda handsome. Without consciously stopping herself, Din let her thoughts wander for just a moment... Then she pulled them back. Din wasn't the type to turn down a good time- not at all. So long as she didn't grow overly attached, it should be fine. Besides, it had been... what, at least an entire lifetime, that she knew of, since she had had any sort of fun. Well, any of this particular sort of fun. However, the grey god before her didn't seem to have the same idea floating around in his head. So she pushed that idea out of her mind. Or, at least, she tried.

So long as she didn't grow attached, she didn't mind.

"So, you out in search of anything?" she asked, making conversation.


Fleance laughed, "Oh no, it's fine." He patted it with a paw and with a sheepish grin askew, "It's kinda funny. Looks that way too, probably..." He didn't catch her gaze as she looked him up and down. Instead, he snuck one of his own. Gravity, eh? He thought it fitting that her body was marked with arrows. He also fancied her ear piercings, absentmindedly flicking his own adorned ear. His thoughts then led to how she wasn't that bad of a goddess. Why, not bad at all. He felt a little more at ease, without thinking, and relaxed, leaning and putting his weight on one leg to let off another. Maybe he'd just made a new friend. They were few and far between, especially one from the God Haven.

But then she hit a sore spot. A quest? His eyes fell to the ground and his posture changed again, this time to unease. "Uhm, well, I'm looking for my brother."



"It's pretty interesting, isn't it?" Din asked with regards to her gravity. "I love messing with it," she said, actually giving a genuine smile- a rare gift these days. "And besides, it feels pretty cool," she said. While she always remembered her powers from past lives when she was younger, she always forgot the feeling of using her power on herself. It always surprised her.

She noticed that he had just eased up, until she hit on something that made him tense.

"I see," Din said, pondering the thought of a brother. She wondered if she had one... Who he would be if she did. "I've run into the Cursed and Rhetoric," she said, offering up the male gods she'd bumped into that she could remember. "Other than those two, I doubt I can be of much help, I'm sorry," she said. After a short pause, she reached out her paw and put it on his shoulder, with a gentle pat. "I don't have any family, not that I know of anyway..."

She wondered if she'd had them once, but she certainly didn't have them now.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Fleance watched her smile, and found himself thinking it was quite nice. But the thoughts of his brother put too big of a damper on any pleasantries. His expression was now as though he'd smelt fetid meat. But that was his own personal demon, not something to drag a stranger into, no sir. So he shook his head, poofed bangs growing even fluffier and bead clacking against his skull.

The adolescent shrugged, "I've got other family, though. They're what's important, really." He tilted his head. "Oh, you don't have any family at all?" He looked at her and spoke "That's rather sad..." He caught himself, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I mean... Not sad, just you know, I don't know." He furrowed his brows, looking concerned about if he had ruffled her feathers.


"I don't think I ever did have family- if I did, I certainly don't remember them," she said, brow furrowing in thought for a few moments before she pulled herself out of that reverie. "I'm sure in a past life I really longed for family, but I've made due without. Sometimes it's nice to not have anyone to tie you down, you know?" she asked, though the words unspoken "but other times you really feel like you need someone" were left hanging in the air. There was the smallest falter in her composure, and just for a moment the regret of being alone in this world flickered across her face.

But she regained her composure quickly and pushed those thoughts from her head. She had thought she was over this a long time ago, it seemed that wasn't entirely the case. Dammit. She was stronger than needing anyone. She was. She was back to normal with a bit of a smile, "So it's fine, I'm almost curious to see what a family would be like- being in one, anyway. I've watched them from outside, but I'm sure that's not as informative as being part of said family," she mused aloud.


Fleance tilted his head to the side and his ears back. He nodded, thinking he knew what she meant, and likening it to how he himself wasn't one to make mortal attachments when time or his brother would so quickly and easily take them away. But he, unlike Din, had someone to fall back on. Several someones. Ezriel, Pele, Juuku, Yoshiteru, and Alais were his go-to group. Also, he now had children of his own. Yes true, they were mortals and seers, but they meant the world to him, especially his youngest, Kimo. Her dark colors were very much like his brother's, but her heart was light and pure.

It was only for an instant that he saw her appearance shift, but it changed just as quickly. His ears flicked forward and he stared at her somberly. "I love it. Most of it, but I do, really. But... I don't know what I'll do when my mortal children die." The thought of it chilled him to the bone, and it was sobering to think about. Somehow, he resented himself for bringing mortals into the world. It was bizarre, but it broke his heart.

"Yeah, I suppose it would be nice to have a family," she said. An immortal family, anyway, not one that will desert you. Even then, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't desert you, given the flow of time. No, she supposed you could remain with someone for a lifetime at most before they somehow left you in the dust, or forgot about you... Confusing, that. She'd have to think on it next time she was sitting around waiting on Aki.

"You have mortal children?" She asked with a head tilt. She remembered having fallen in love with a mortal once... And it wasn't his mortality that ended that, it was him. Mortals seemed so foolish. Without the flow of more time, they could be like immature cubs. But even... Even now she was confused- that stupid mortal Tasuki had told her that she once watched over a group of mortals in her last life, so apparently she didn't think they were that bad.

"Getting attached to... Any mortal, you run that risk, cub or adult, your offspring or a complete stranger. Buuut..." she said, pondering, remembering her past. "I'm not sure what to tell you, there. I don't remember ever having had cubs by a mortal, so I don't know how to relate." She thought for a moment.

"Maybe, just remember that when they die, unless they turn into real terrors down there, it's likely that they'll get to heaven, and be happy there for eternity," she said with a nod. She supposed that was the silver lining to that dark cloud.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Still lost in thought, Fleance bobbed his head at both her statement and her question. "Mmm. Three of them. Two boys and a little girl." That number was off, however. Fleance had not a clue about a litter he'd sired in his past life. Those cubs were young adults, now. Fleance had died and been reborn soon after their birth, but thankfully their mother had kept them safe, and from really knowing who their father was.

For being so young in this life, he sure did have a tangled family dynamic. But for the rest of Din-tei's speech, Fleance's face and eyes were blank. He was too lost in his own thoughts about his family and friends. His children that would die, his brother that would like to see him in the same state, Alais and her cubs that considered him an uncle... It was all too overwhelming for him. Everything about the god seemed to droop, as though Din was still pulling everything down with her powers.  

[Light Atago]

"That's nice," Din said carefully, having noticed the change in mood in the god. This was the precise reason she didn't want to buy into love and what it brought with it. And yet, here she was, caring. That's right, she cared!

She needed to stop that pronto. Her face even reflected some mild concern. Though, whether it was because she cared about him, or the mere fact that she had caught herself caring was anybody's guess. She pondered what to do as a moment of silence passed by.

"It's getting late, my little maned wolf will be needing me pretty soon," Din said. Aki came in handy, she knew there was a reason she kept the wolf around. And provided some food on occasion. And typically found her shelter day-to-day.

... She would have to have a word with that wolf about self-reliance. That would come later, though.

"I'll catch you later, ok Fleance?" Din asked, actually smiling before turning to head off. She took to the skies in search of that black wolf.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Fleance caught himself moping and his self-loathing grew a little. But noting the time as well, she was probably right. Yoshiteru was typically whiny, and Alais was probably growing tired of caring for six cubs- three not her own. But when she said she had to leave... Fleance nodded reluctantly. He really didn't want her to go. He didn't know why that was, but she said she had to.

He stood and bowed his head. "It was very nice to meet you, Din. Please come and see me again. I'll probably be in the area..." He wasn't so sure. He was a real wanderer. However, he could stand to stay in the area for a while longer, if only for her sake. The cubs wouldn't mind a time of rest, that was certain. So right there Fleance committed himself to the territory- if only for a week or so.

"Bye, Din."

The end.