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Life hadn't been the same since the events at Old Hem...well...Civisect, now. That's Even that wasn't the same anymore. Luxara had tried to get back into the usual thing, ignoring the notice on her tree about being requested for service n' junk, but there were too many loose ends in the meantime for her to just act like time was in a vacuum. It was nothing like after the WACKY. But maybe she shouldn't compare anything to that experience anymore. It was just too...grand to remember, that it was surreal now. But, if anything could be said about that long ago experience, it was that she got some kind of closure at least. She knew that everyone was okay when she returned home from that adventure. But now? Now, she couldn't believe anything she heard secondhand. The news said one thing, but she what she had seen in Civisect had been completely different.

All that she knew for sure was that the two sides had been making a final ditch effort to take each other on for the last victory, and it ended up being something of a farce. Both leaders were to be cornered by both sides, from the look of it. But that's the most she knew- Luxara and Forera had huddled in their bunks until they had to evacuate during that last push. She had no idea where Kursha and Ganyma ended up in the scheme of things; nor Etsali or Vulpin, either. But she had certain priorities. Long-term over the short-term. And not knowing what happened to her old friends had eaten away at her until finally she did something about it. Her handwriting was sloppy, and the paper was cheap, considering how little she bothered with money.

As Luxara watched from the branches of her hive, her eyes widened in reflexive delight upon seeing Ganyma approach. Then, her automatic grin fell a little. There was...more than one reason why she invited him to her neck of the woods, so to speak. If he was still anything like he had been as Kursha had reported, or how Luxara remembered Ganyma reacting to her presence in Civisect...at least here, she could run if she had to. The memories flashing through her thinkpan were the only things keeping her from dropping on top of him in glee. Otherwise, she would've been absolutely thrilled that he made it.
But, again, things had changed.

Instead, she hopped to the tree behind the older tealblood, coat tails flying behind her, then plopped down from there. She made sure not to be RIGHT behind him, to not spook him TOO much, but she'd have the upper hand either way. "I don't think anyone's knocked on my tree before," she opened with after an exhale, "and it's funny to see since there isn't a door or anything. But there's a first for everything, right?" Now, after cheering herself up with some teasing, she swallowed. "Hey, Cap. What's up?"

She stood there, a little taller than when she had seen anyone last. Partially because of the new, neat boots she had managed to score, and partially because of genetics. Her skirt was already kind of worn, and likely nabbed from some dead greenblood a couple of weeks back. For now, her good old coat was tied around her waist, showing off her tank top instead of the tee she used to have. But that could change any moment if she, say, felt a chill, or felt threatened. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case. They were FRIENDS, and friends should be comfortable around each other! Especially during peacetime...right?

At first she couldn't help but flinch a little at the sudden movement, since the last time he reached for her, she was lifted off the ground by her coat and hanging in fear.
Luxara tensed up, her form rigid as Ganyma wrapped his arms around her. It took her an extra second to process the gesture and...and then the little green bean went limp like she was melting into a puddle of relief. She had been so silly to worry about this. Just one sincere, tight, kind of suffocating embrace was enough to let her know that Gan she knew was back, and what happened back in the ruined city...maybe it was just those stress freak-outs. Or some sort of phase. Something like that. She hugged back in full force, or at least the best she could being of such a puny frame still compared to the boulder that was her tealblood visitor. "I'm happy you made it out okay, too." Her words came out muffled while she was still squished into him.

When he pulled back, she got a better look at him, now that she was willing to look. Ganyma seemed cleaner than ever, though her primary experience was with the two of them getting caught in dirty situations. Now, though, he looked...groomed. At the same time, though, he looked oddly tired. Luxara understood that feeling all too well. But he claimed he was doing well, and why shouldn't she trust him on that?

"Ah!" Luxara snapped back to full attention at the pause after Ganyma stopped talking. "Yeah, chatting on the move works." She put her hands on her hips, looked around, nodded to herself, then pointed towards a long gap through the trees. "If we go this way we can get to the wishing well! It's a quiet, safe spot." Though as far as Luxara figured, with Ganyma looking tough and done up nice, he wouldn't get any trouble here anyhow. "I mean, I wouldn't worry about hunters or anything. If you played it cool, they'd probably think you're some highblood's bodyguard or something! There's so many cheating whimps who come out here who need people juuuust below them enough blood-wise to be like, a lackey, to deal with trolls like me. Y'know, the ones who are great at surviving. They get soooo mad when their super neat awesome automatic-targeting gun doesn't do everything for them, let me tell you." She grinned with pride at that little boast. But if he wanted to move out, that's what they'd do. No matter where they went, as long as she was a sprint's distance from the forest, it was still her turf. "But, right, the well! Yeah! It's fun to watch people toss beetles in and talk to themselves when there's nothing else going on," she added with a shrug. Not a creepy thing for her to do at all.

After making that executive decision, she grabbed his hand to try to pull him along. Of course, it was more of a gesture than an honest to god effort. She knew better than to try yanking something rock solid around! "It's so nice to get to talk to someone again! Everyone around here either wants to shoot you, or is about to die from blood loss, or they jump out of their chitten when you try to say hi... I mean, I've tried going into town, too, but everyone's such a snot. If I wanted that kind of silly behavior, I'd just hang out with Kur. Which, I mean, I've been wanting to do, but..." Oh, jeez, should she even mention Kursha with the stuff that apparently went down between the him and Ganyma? "IIIII had to check in on you, first! To get stuff cleared up! You're...not gonna get mad that I brought him up, right? Cuz I know something happened between you guys. Which is part of what I'm trying to figure out! But maybe, hey, who knows, everything can be okay again?" This kid clearly had no idea just how deep things went.

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha prowled through the underbrush, rifle slung over his shoulder. His eyes hunted the foliage for any sudden movements. Though it was his first time navigating these woods, he was well aware of the dangers that lurked within; aware but undeterred. He had lived his life straddling the line between doing what was practical and doing what was fun. The latter almost always resulted in mortal peril. The dragon in the tombs, the pursuit of the rebel lusus across the desert, the escape from the drones in the collapsed hivestem, the battle for Old Hemisect... Safety had never been a factor in the equation. Not then, not now, not ever.

Still...

Stopping to lean against a tree, Kursha retrieved a note from his rucksack. His eyes traced over the parchment. It was a call for assistance from the Phoenix Initiative; he had found it tucked away in his hive just a few nights before. Supposedly the empire was creating more mischief with the WACKY device down in Chittentown and the rebels wanted to bring their operation to an end. More lowblood meddling. He could not have cared less. The only reason he had joined the rebels to begin with was to spite the Colonel and the system. Now there was no point. No point except for the opportunity it presented. The possibility that...

Kursha flipped open his switchblade absent-mindedly. At some point—he was not sure when—the knife had materialised in his hand from his pocket. He clicked it shut again, and then repeated the action, thoughts anxious. Despite the possibility, he was hesitant to reach out and grab it. The events from the battle for Old Hemisect were still fresh in his thinkpan, and while his anger still glowed hot, it was accompanied by a small degree of trepidation. More than anything else, he did not want to end up alone. But he was alone.

Well, almost.

Luxara had taken his side before; there was no reason why she would not again. Besides, she might be able to help clear his thoughts on the matter. Of course he would not give her the details, nor would he reveal his intentions. He only needed her opinion on the rebels' plan of action. That alone would suffice. From there he would follow through on whatever decision she made, even if that meant leaving his future to chance. Since he could not trust himself, all that was left was to trust his friend. His last friend.

Kursha released a deep sigh and forced his face into a grin. Some of his resolve had returned. This was the right decision. Tucking away the knife and the letter, he pushed onward.

A short while later, Kursha had reached a small clearing. In the centre of it was an old well, half overgrown with ivy and flowers. After a cautious examination of the perimeter, he approached the well and peered inside. Far below, the water glowed with faint light. Something was down there. He narrowed his eyes, crosshairs forming, and the distant glow came into focus: beetles.

“A wishing well, huh?” he murmured. How childish. Only wigglers believed in that kind of nonsense; wigglers and weak-minded fools, of which Kursha was neither. And yet... he did have a wish.

Kursha glanced from side to side, searching for any hidden observers. Naturally there were none. Trying to squash the foolish feeling that was heating his insides, he undid his rucksack and pulled out a single beetle. He regarded it for a moment, as though trying to find some meaning in the petrified insect. Then, with a flick of his thumb, he sent it spinning into the well. He turned away. Three seconds later there was a gentle splash. It was done. A part of him regretted that impulse but another part felt something like relief. Even if he wrote off any good fortune as coincidence it was nice to pretend.

Suddenly Kursha jumped. He heard voices. They were distant but getting closer. Recalling the tales of the highblood hunting games, he sprinted from the well and towards the treeline. As the trees enclosed around him and he crashed through the underbrush, he willed his bloodpusher to quiet. There was no reason to freak out. It was unlikely the voices belonged to hunters. Besides, he was capable. And armed.

Swinging himself into a nearby tree with plenty of foliage, Kursha positioned himself so he could watch the clearing through the leaves. Silently, he pulled the rifle from his shoulder and waited.

Everything would be alright. Everything would be alright. Luxara’s peppiness was confusing to Ganyma. As a kid, she had plenty of energy – kids were just… Like that. Now, her grin was alarming. Was she really happy about all of this, or did she not understand? Ganyma couldn’t get a read on anything that was going on, and her words were filled with what she considered truths.

Regardless of Kursha’s intent, he was not a good influence on Luxara. She had no idea what he’d done, and he was about to tell her everything – until…

“N-no…” Ganyma whispered, too quiet for Luxara to hear. She was going to be a rebel again. Just like Forera. There was no time to interject; Luxara went on as Ganyma nearly lost his balance while standing still in the middle of the woods. He had to correct this. Quickly, before she too lost her life to the rebels.

“Luxara, no!” Ganyma pleaded. He pressed his fingers into his forehead, feeling the heat rise behind his skin. “I’ve turned my life around – no more rebels! You don’t understand...”

Ganyma’s voice was raised. The painful memories and coping mechanisms he’d been taught floated, alternating in his mind. He took a calm breath and pushed everything back into his thinkpan, gritting his teeth to stop himself from speaking too quickly. She could still be reasoned with; she could still be saved. Please, Ganyma, protect her.

“I was in the Phoenix Initiative. But that’s in the past now. The rebellion was planned from the beginning – they put children on the line of battle from the very start, never mind sabotage. Attacked innocent people. There was nothing good about their goal. The battle… Didn’t need to happen. And you were caught up in the crossfire just trying to help.”

He was choked up for words. His prompting was strong. Ganyma believed every scrap. Anarchy. Trolls indistinguishable from eachother, under a new world order built on the massacre of the innocent.

“They – the rebels – they’re no good, Luxara. You’ve got to stay away from them or you’ll get hurt or worse. I was one of them and I regret what I did. We hurt people – me and Kursha both. In the attacks, he…”

He killed three children. Was it that hard to say? They were playing in a rock garden. Kursha lit up explosives. And he killed them remorselessly. Ganyma trailed off. He slid his hands over his face and took a deep breath.

Ganyma sighed. Behind the darkness of his hands he was able to cool down. He listened to Luxara's words with hope, and finally looked up to see her smile gone. Ironically, it made him feel more at ease. It was a good sign, at least. Her caution wasn't lost on him. He straightened, resistant to keep preaching his case. He opted for the safest option. Ganyma pulled her hand down and took it in his.

"I just want you to be safe. Okay?" He stated. Ganyma swallowed the lump in his throat and gave her a grim smile. He wasn't one of the queen's goons -- at least, that's what he thought. He certainly wasn't aware enough to tell Luxara if he was or not. "We can keep going," He reaffirmed his calm with a quick nod.

Ganyma picked up his pace. This whole situation was nearly dreamlike. Ganyma knew what he was told, and he was sure it was right. But Luxara had a point. They'd all hurt people. No one was blameless. The kids he'd protected had grown up and shed their innocence like they were pupating a second time. It was disturbing, but maybe it was unavoidable. There was a clench in Ganyma's chest as he thought about it. Soon, he counted his breaths, and put away his thoughts at the back of his mind again. There was a clearing up ahead.

Gan was being silly again. Of course she was going to be safe! Well, as safe as she could be, considering where she lived and her blood color and all. But she never jumped at danger for the heck of it. Didn't he know that? Silly thoughts about silly things. She had diffused the situation, though. There seemed to be a lot more going on than she thought. Who knows what could set Ganyma off! He wasn't mad at her. It was possible to calm him down. So there was that. Luxara felt like she was in a topical land mine all the same.

While she put up another default smile, she worried a bit. If the strongest person she knew had been reduced to a panicky mess like this, then how could the others be faring? Vulpin wasn't strong at all. He and Etsali had disappeared at the end of that little war... Hopefully they hadn't been torn apart while they were gone. And Kursha and his damage...

Luxara reflected a little while they walked along. Weird how her efforts to make things better just ended up making her fuss some more. She'd have to find a way around these set backs and make some real progress. As they came to a stop, something caught her eye up in the trees. After dropping down, the figure came into sight. Luxara's widened in absolute shock. "K-Kur? What- how-" She knew he was bold, but she never expected that Kursha would ever just kind of...end up in this part of Four Fronds. He was always an odd character, though, so maybe she shouldn't have been so surprised.

She let go of Ganyma's hand and stepped forward and put her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming down, silly? I would've figured something out for us!" Well, maybe not all three of them together, considering how Gan felt about Kursha still. She came forward bit by bit as she talked. "Were you just in the trees back there? How long have you been up in the canopy? I didn't know you were that good at climbing! Dang! Jeez, I really wish you would've let me know you were gonna be here! I've been wanting to show you all the neat stuff around my hive, and maybe we could've ticked off some hunters by faking them out or something! That would've been soooo cool!"

Luxara exhibited a lot of self-control up until this point, but it wasn't long before she couldn't help herself anymore. With a lot less distance between them, she suddenly rushed over to the other greenblood, and jumped at him as she went for an enthusiastic hug. Jeez, he had gotten so tall. Her boots weren't enough to keep up. But he looked fine, and from his words, sounded the same. Maybe she was worrying too much; perhaps Ganyma's state was an isolated incident. "I'm so glad to see you again. You're okay, thank god you guys are in one piece!" As she pulled back a little, she added, looking away from the awkwardness of the situation, "I brought Gan down to see if he wasn't still mad, y'know? After that stuff we talked about? But I should've sent you something, too, huh? I mean, I've been worried after the big fights and all the explosions...I shouldn't have sat on my hands. I'm sorry." Two of her closest friends were fine...well...maybe not exactly fine, but they weren't blown to smithereens or missing any limbs, either.

Speaking of two, there was Ganyma to factor in. s**t. Would he get mad about Kursha being around?

"Kursha." The words were exclaimed like a dull hit to Ganyma's bloodpusher. He stepped forward as Luxara rushed away, clenching his fists into balls. Kursha was dangerous. Kursha was here.

He hadn't seen the troll since he was lifted out of the battle. The night was a blur, but Kursha's actions were clear in his thinkpan now. He'd only grown. He was taller, of course - growing taller than Ganyma now and beyond. It was a bizarre and scary thought to think of the greenblood growing up. He was already so far gone - how much lower could he sink?

There wasn't anything good that could have come from this. As Kursha's false smile twisted off, Ganyma identified the troll underneath, as dangerous as he always was. And now, more lethal. He held a rifle now -- after Ganyma had experienced first-hand his skill with firearms, the resulting feeling knotted his guts. Not only did he threaten Ganyma, he threatened Luxara. And there was no doubt in Ganyma's mind that he would go through with threats of any killing kind.

"Leave Luxara out of this. I left on my own that night, you saw it first hand. I'm not going to fight any more." Ganyma's words were free of his usual stuffed up drawl. His consonants were articulated; his sentences clipped. He had no intention of acting like a fool in front of a hair trigger.

"What do you want?"