#seawrought

Nothing like him, of course. Waste of resources, waste of time. He knew they were watching as he stalked the trail of this Rhode Island operator in the drizzle and misery of this marshy hell. He knew he was being offered up for something like her to chew him up and spit him out in pieces, scribbling their little notes, yearning for just what it might take to get their hands on something so valuable.

          A fortunate stroke of luck for him as his apparent corpse washed upon the shore where someone was camping nearby. The harsh waters had claimed most of his clothes and armor, damaging them in certain parts, but his body remained intact, save for a few dents and scratches which littered his sleek black polycarbonate limbs. A few wounds also marked his visage and neck, the few exposed places where skin still remained and not manufactured materials. He would be icy to the touch, his systems offline, or in a state of malfunction, or a low-powered mode, waiting for his Sentinel Health RX System to boot back up, to reverse the damage caused to his internal mechanisms. 

          The person rescuing him would just need to pull him to a safe, warm, dry location and give him some time to recuperate. After all, David Sarif’s augmentations were the most state of the art augmentations to exist on the market. They would not let Adam down when it mattered the most, he was certain of that. 

@seawrought sent: ‘ Malkuth? Can I, um… talk to you for a moment? ’ Highmore motions for the Kuranta to join her, before presenting her with a small, simple box. Inside is a collection of chocolates moulded into the shape of seashells, some in lighter shades, some of a darker variety. ‘ This, um… I was trying out a lot of different chocolate recipes earlier, because of—a-anyway. I ended up making a lot of them… Would you want some? I’ve heard it’s fine to give them to friends, too, as a sign of appreciation. And I am grateful for your company, so… ’ On second thought, maybe Malkuth doesn’t want this at all. Maybe she’d mistrust something Highmore made, and who could blame her?

‘ Anyway, I’d understand if you don’t want them. ’

The sound of her name being called out usually elicits from the woman a jump for joy. More literal than not. Jubilations would be abound as someone wishes for her company, companionship, camaraderie, etc. This isn't the usual, however. This holiday had found itself (and Malkuth) in The Kitchen at one point or another. And while she hadn't been crafting something as unholy and illegal as marmaloni there had still been fallout from-

...experiments...

So it is then, that Highmore is first met with a look of panic, Elafia in the headlights, before the standard faire Malkuth takes hold. Relief. It's not one of the kitchen staff asking why there had been carrots in the fondue pot!

"Oh- oh! Highmore oh my gosh hi!! I haven't seen you in forever don't you know how much I miss you??? Yes lets talk!" But over here where they aren't in the hallway and attracting extra attention. She's more or less hiding after all. But the surprises go beyond chocolate covered vegetables today.

Sure, the chocolates are tasty looking and better than the 'homemade' attempts the Kuranta had tried. But. Highmore? What was that you said to Malkuth? Where once she was ready to shed tears in apology, the glimmering beads in her eyes now step forward from another sentiment.

"You're finally admitting it? That we're friends? Eeeeehehehe!" Chocolates are accepted but before that private space is invaded as the excitable Kuranta embraces the Aegir and wobbles them side to side with the momentum of excitement. "That's better than any candy! You're making so much progress! I mean we've been friends for ages now but you know what I mean! You're agreeing! What do you mean you understand if I don't want it- Himo I'll eat so much chocolate I'll get sick! Which was the plan already for this week but now you're included too!"

"....oh, I was going to give you some chocolate too! Definitely! But I'm uh... lets just say that they're... not... ready yet? Yeah. I'm still working out the kinks in my recipe. Current doesn't like candy so I thought maybe if I combined vegetables with chocolate that'd work to counter their anti-sweet tooth? But... um...."

Word by word you can see her expression faltering.

This is bad. Terrible, really. It’s so much worse to deliver this gift herself than having someone else do it, granting blissful anonymity. But now that she’s already here, there’s no going back.

‘ Um… here. This is for you. ’

Reluctantly, she offers an inconspicuous enough looking small bag for him to take—inconspicuous if one disregards the suspiciously similar appearance to the one that Bart received from a totally unknown sender last year. This time, however, there are no coins inside the delivered pouch, real or otherwise. Instead, it contains white chocolate moulded into a selection of seashells. Crushed almonds cover a few of them, evoking the image of shells on a beach, half-covered by sand. A few others shimmer with edible glitter instead, looking as if the waves had covered them with sprinkles of sea foam.

‘ It’s nothing special, but… I hope you’ll like it… ’ And while he inspects the gift, Highmore’s gaze drops to the floor, allowing her hair to more generously cover her face—less for his benefit, and more to hide her all too obvious embarrassment.

"Oh, is that so ? "

The gift bag elicits a sense of deja vu in his hands, except its demure sender happens to stand before him rather than pursue him distantly. Cute.

Bartholomew tears eagerly ( albeit still carefully ) into the bag, bringing its contents to light. Inside, the chocolates—a confectionery masterpiece—invoke images of sunken treasures the waves left behind under his appraisal. Yet, even with a pirate's bottomless greed, how could he dare to eat these exquisite works of art ?  

"Sea star ... Why, these are priceless," he finally says, giving Highmore his attention again. But she's already looking away, a mistake on her part. Precious.

Naturally, the sight of Highmore with hair low over her eyes sends his insides into a tizzy, heart like a fluttering bird trapped in a cage—or perhaps as a thousand ignited fireworks? Nevertheless, Bart reaches forward, setting a hand alongside her jaw, guiding her attention back to him.

Oh, how he can't help but flush when finding her shy, opal gaze.

major arcana meme :: open

@seawrought sent: [WHEEL OF FORTUNE] for malkuth! it's not like haimo needs inspiration from a totally-not-friend or anything though!

[WHEEL OF FORTUNE] - Do they believe in destiny/fate? If so, what do they believe their "purpose" is in this life?

Well, if there was such a thing for her to be aware that'd mean there's not a lot that could be done, huh?

But no, I don't think she or much of anyone believes in that manner of future in The City. It's a place pretty much bereft of that optimism which is part of why she was part of The Big Game Plot of harvesting Light to spread over the city, to give the people of The City a chance to fight back against the oppressive lives they existed within.

That backfired. Then it backfired again. If she believed there to be such a thing as destiny it would be quite the long-winded and patient thing, wouldn't it? And she is... not the most patient person!

No, instead Malkuth is very much the type to try and take matters into her own hands- despite the statement above, she definitely still struggles with her limits and knowledge. Something I believe is made apparent towards the latter parts of Ruina. The difference is that she's relying on herself to push forward.

But that's getting off track!

Obviously, Malkuth's purpose in life is to get Highmore to smile and have fun. :DD!!

will seaborn-tentacle sashimi do or