HUNT THE MOON.

SOMETHING  YOU'RE  MISSING

MADE  YOU  WHO  YOU  ARE .

Crossover and Multiverse friendly. Written by Nia ( 30+ & any pronouns ) .

MINORS DNI ; PERSONALS DNR.

template cred. psd cred.

❝  I  could  name  a  few  things  actually  ❞  ,  there's  no  smile  given  ,  no  break  in  her  glare  ,  but  to  most  people  who  knew  her  ,  this  was  Nefer  on  a  good  day.  ❝  though  I  personally  see  no  benefit  from  your  apologies  ❞.  Nod  Krai  was  hopefully  past  suffering  from  any  further  major  disasters  in  the  near  future  ,  and  for  all  she  cared  ,  Nefer  had  helped  save  the  day  after  all. 

Heels  clicked  upon  the  ground  ,  arms  folded  ,  Nefer  wasn't  here  to  be  open.  ❝  I  heard  you've  been  laying  low  ❞  albeit  an  interesting  choice  of  living  arrangements  ,  not  that  she  cared.  Nefer  was  past  feeling  sorry  for  anyone  whom  had  been  the  author  of  their  own  downfall.  ❝  but  why  stay  in  Nod  Krai  at  all  ,  what  is  it  you  gain  ?  ❞  brow  rising  ,  she  was  here  for  one  thing  only.  Information. 

Credit to the lady Nefer, she likely could name a few things Rerir should apologise for —— but she doesn't  ( at least, not this time ) . She's practical though ; words are never good for much if they aren't accompanied by actions. Would it anger her if she knew they had that belief in common?

" As low as I can, "  he replies, gesturing to the top of his head. Her question is a fair one though, and not one he gains anything from by not answering. So —— " The kuuvahki in Nod Krai is ... helpful. Makes it easier to keep control of myself. "

           ' Yes, I don't need food either. Yet, indulging in eating still brings some comfort. ' at least for her, that is. For often the goddess found herself seeking for something sweet to the palate, and her friends, such as the kuuhenki, tried to bring these little happy moments around.

           With that said, the little one who's been close to Columbina floated back to Rerir, wiggling happily.

Ah, so she is similarly afflicted ( albeit, for a different reason ) ... Rerir can, then, take comfort in the knowledge he will not be expected to eat around her to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

" Mm? " Such a kind-hearted little one... He gives the question some thought — whether it be that he might like to sample different berries, or something more to his liking. Either option would be agreeable enough.

He settles for a middle ground. " I wouldn't mind trying some of the other berries, " he admits, then grimaces a bit. " I prefer meat when I do need to eat something. I can... go into town for that myself though. "

                                 at  first,  her  back's  to  him.   it's  only  when  her  ears  twitch  that  isabelle  shifts  her  focus  onto  rerir   ;   ooooh,  so  that's  where  he's  been.   fuck.   was  she  in  town   ?   no.   was  she,  mayhaps,  doing  something  else   ?   one  hundred  percent.   which  means,  well   …   perhaps  he  doesn't  care.   either  way,  her  tail  sways  low,  brows  knitting  in.   ‘   beastie  seems  t'  like  it  here,   ’   complacent  tone  smothers  her  tongue  as  isabelle  approaches,  settling  herself  beside  rerir,   ‘   know  it's  no  nod   -   krai,  but,   ’   the  smaller  offers  the  sinner  a  half   -   bent  grin,   ‘   it  is  better.   ’   yet  mention  of  going  to  town  is  met  with  her  head  shaking  from  side  to  side.   nothing  good  comes  from  denying  things,  so  isabelle  [   instead   ]  falls  to  the  ground,  shaking  her  head.   ‘   sadly,  no.   nada.   everythin'  was  either  gone,  or  unavailable.   so,   ’   head  pivots  to  glance  back  at  rerir,   ‘   i'll  go  t'  the  city  or  something  tomorrow.   y'  can  come  along,  if  ya  wanna.   ’   

He is content to remain where he is, knowing Isabelle will join him if she wants to stay and chat before going inside —— and, sure enough, she settles herself beside him. He acknowledges her with a quiet hum. ❝ It is nice here, ❞ he agrees. For him, it's the distance from here to the closest city that he likes the most. The pleasant scenery is merely a welcomed bonus.

When Isabelle lays back, Rerir pauses in his carving to instead turn his head, taking in the change in posture with a single blink. ❝ I ... might. If I can figure out what to wear. ❞ Which, for him, is less about clothing than it is about concealing his true appearance. ❝ What do the people there typically look like? ❞

                                 did  he  just   …   the  foul  pout  on  isabelle's  face  comes  from  the  perverted  comment  she's  made  about  him   ;   about  rerir's  eating  habits.   which,  well.   she  won't  go  into  detail.   least  not  for  the  time  being.   not  as  she  huffs  a  sigh,  quad   -   stare  finding  rerir's  after  the  fact.   ‘   wait,  what   ?   ’   a  brow  lifts  at  his  remark  about  her  tasting  better  than  soup.   (   so  maybe  he  had  heard  her   !   )   with  her  chin  resting  on  rerir's  spine,  isabelle's  vice  tightens  just  so.   as  if,  by  some  means,  she's  making  a  point  with  her  words.   that  was  until  rerir  remarked  her  taking  the  few  bits  of  a  meat  out  for  beastie.   ‘   are  y'  really  gonna  blame  me   ?   ’   she  pivots  around  rerir  after,  her  chin  now  resting  on  the  sinner's  torso,  that  pout  on  her  face  near  permanent.   ‘   i  was  feedin'  beastie   !   big  boy  needed  somethin'  t'  eat  and  i  wanted  t'  be  a  good  mummy   !   ’   

The brief silence that follows his ( admittedly, crude ) comment is telling enough ; he smirks, briefly, though it's gone once he's looking down at the vegetables again. ( That pout twists Isabelle's face into something cute ; at times, she truly is so very easy to tease. )

❝ So that's where they went. ❞ It isn't an issue either way. Whether she had eaten them, or did indeed give them all to Beastie, the two of them need the food far more than Rerir does.

Rather than lean down and bend his bones further than should be done, he conjures forth an Abyssal limb, resting the hand between Isabelle's shoulders to keep her pressed close to him. ❝ I don't think it counts as blame if you did take them, ❞ he says, and the smirk returns now. ❝ Which you did just admit to doing. ❞

The reassurance that his camp is safe is greatly appreciated; when Rerir returned to a stable form, one of the first places he targetted was the area around Thunderclap Reef where he had been camping. Of course, refusing to comment on not devouring him isn't a choice overlooked. As a sort of homunculus with the Abyssal core of a certain navy-consuming dragon brother, he is keenly aware that one so completely composed of the Abyss as the Rächer must have far less control over the dark power ever-gnawing away at his soul.

Is it his place to comment on the potential nutritional value of a stranger? Gods no —— but, he's pondering it regardless. He has done worse. If anything, the only thing stopping him now is complete disinterest ; why go to all that effort when he isn't even hungry? Why risk causing trouble for anyone that might stumble past this place? No. Better to just ... not indulge certain urges. ❝ Stop worrying, ❞  he says, and rolls his eye.  ❝ And don't worry about offering me anything either. Keep the food for yourself, you look like you need it more. ❞

Ah-

Perhaps her stare lingered a bit too long, her curiosity growing a lot more than she cared to admit. She sensed it, a familiarity that reminded the Harbinger of her homeland, one that remained in the ghosts of her memory. Something about him reminded her of a past that she particularly didn't want to dig through. With his question, she averts her gaze, standing a few paces away from him with her arms crossed over her chest.

Is she uncertain?  ( If she is, why? )  Is she … wary of him?  ( She should be. )  She doesn't move any closer, something Rerir appreciates but will not admit, and when she finally does speak it's … dismissive of whatever thoughts she'd had when she first saw him. He can't blame her ; he would probably do the exact same thing.

❝ Fair enough. ❞  If not for her remaining exactly where she is, and still staring at him, he would consider the conversation done. … but she still hasn't moved, and she is still staring so, after a few more moments, he lifts his head to acknowledge her properly. Now she just looks annoyed.

❝ Are you just going to stand there and stare then? ❞  he asks, not that he sounds the least bit against the idea.  ( She wouldn't be the first person struck silent by his appearance. )  ❝ At least take a seat. I won't bite. ❞

That makes sense. He can even understand that on a personal level, having often done his own rounds at 'odd' hours, either unable to rest or not needing the sleep. ( Sometimes she had convinced him to just ... read beside her, or just lay down ; anything so she knew if she woke through the night, he wouldn't be far. )

When he realises he has been quiet for longer than might be polite, Rerir clears his throat. Right. Talking to someone. That's all well and good but he ... has always found it easier to bottle his troubles up and ignore them, so as not to seem weak. The few people he had trusted with that side of him are ... long gone now.

❝ I wouldn't know where to start, ❞  he admits with a low, wry laugh.  ❝ I don't need much sleep anyway, but on nights where I'd like to but can't … ❞  He shrugs and takes another sip of his drink.  ❝ Doesn't feel like I'm caged in when I'm not in my room. ❞