Welcome to Gaia! ::

During his performance with the truth ring night, Melvin had spent over a week generally avoiding others as best as a small island allowed. After time passed he often kept occupied fishing and gathering for himself or others amd talking to those that passed by. Sometimes he'd swim out as far as he could and swim back to shore just so he wouldn't get sluggish with diving on the off chance they got home. There were times he would sit in the sand, making runic symbols over and over or mutter to himself as he traced out layouts for a house. When the days got longer and his mood more depressed, he'd write out mission reports complete with his signature before the sea would wash it away.

Discovery

There wasn't much else to do, so Ever stood on the shore and stared out toward the horizon, where a fair-haired figure surfaced between the waves, disappearing and then reappearing farther away or closer. The sight of it sent a shudder down his spine, a slow trickle of sweat under the collar of his shirt, a strange fear at just how far away they dared to go.

When Melvin decided he'd had enough and swam back, Ever was still sitting and watching, still a little shaky and nervous. But he looked up and offered a flash of a smile, brief, across his face. "Find anything good?"

Quiet

Jordan nodded, and sat down in the sand, brushing his hair back out of his eyes absentmindedly. He leaned his elbows on his knees and studied what Melvin was drawing while Melvin drank. A steady diet of seafood, coconut, and water was not the most interesting thing in the world, but the gesture of bringing food was still something.

He shook his head a little to the question, and took a breath as if he was going to speak. But the silence in his head was ringing, deafening, a ragged absence that he couldn't quite get around, and he closed his mouth again, giving Melvin an apologetic look. He angled his thumb at the drawing in the sand and tilted his head, inquiring.

Quiet

Jordan nodded to the explanation, but at the question he froze briefly. He looked away, then back; he didn't really have a good way to explain, even to himself, why it was so difficult to speak now. "Gone," he managed to force out, past the ragged hoarse feeling, and held up Ferros's ring to indicate what he was talking about. It could have been an illusion, but it seemed to him as though the red stone had lost its depth and fire, looking strangely dull and flat.

Quiet

Jordan nodded, looking miserable. He held his hand out and tried to summon; there was a brief shimmer in the air, as though it was about to work, but the hammer didn't materialize, remained a ring. If they had to fight anything, he might not be entirely helpless, but he was certainly badly handicapped.

He scrubbed a hand across his eyes and nodded again. Quiet didn't really cover the sensation of absence, but it would do. He could stand to be alone for an hour now and then, with Ferros in a weapon golem, still there and still active. This was different, day after day after day of a void where his partner should be.

Quiet

The offer was a relief. Jordan accepted the stick and leaned over to write in the smooth sand. Sorry. Throat tries to close up if I talk. The emptiness is too loud.

He paused and looked at that, his expression rueful. Sounds crazy I guess, he added, and on a new line, Saliva too?

Quiet

We're close. Did that on purpose, work together better, but problems if he's gone. It was the short version. If Melvin had questions, they were probably better asked when Jordan could speak properly again. He had to assume that that would happen, that Ferros would be back, sometime, somehow. The alternative wasn't a thought he could face.

waterworld

Melvin has been sitting on some rocks looking at the wave pools as he took a break and drank some of the fresh water from the cove from a coconut when he had spotted someone swimming. And not just swimming, but swimming well. Slowly drinking, he watched as they went lap after lap, each one showing how much stamina and endurance they had while keeping form.

It didn't take long for Melvin to find the equivalent of prime time television on the island.