[center][h2]Look Out Below[/h2][/center] The endless, sandy beaches of the Kubrajzar deserts baked in the sun, almost to the point where one could wonder whether water could even exist nearby. Had the sun had its way, all the water would’ve likely boiled off this beach a long time ago. Except for the odd brave bird scanning the seas for anchovies, life was rightfully absent from this large slice of wasteland. The waves lapped weakly at the deserts, and the moisture they left behind seemed to disappear in an instant. Salt and oceanic refuse coloured the beach a murky gray, and it all it all just looked like the most hostile place on the planet, save for a few others. And it was there one could find a corpse. A corpse? No! It was very much alive, give or take a few heartbeats and exhausted wheezings. He had done it, the madman: Twilight had swam across the largest ocean in the entire world, and he swore to himself and anyone who was listening that he would never do it again. His sea-salt crusted eyelids cracked open to reveal bloodshot eyes looking up at the burning fate awaiting him if he decided to walk forward. While not optimal, he also had no idea where these drighinas were - they could be living in the desert for all he knew. He dragged himself around in the slushy sand until his legs remembered how to stand. Then he cupped seawater into his hands, purified it and drank deeply. These divine powers were coming in handy, even if their owner bugged him about using them responsibly every now and then. What did she know about responsibility anyway. The avatar rose up slowly and stretched out. He had done this all on his own. He was his own man, and nothing could stop him now from completing his mission and learning the secrets of worldsong! NOTHING! He heard it too late, all things considered. A distant noise, hardly audible over the lapping waves, rapidly resolved itself into the familiar sound of a woman screaming, [colour=F7BF86]"aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHOHNOOOOWATCHOUTDOWNTHEREEEEE!"[/colour] Had he been mortal, his every bone would have broken and he would’ve rightfully been pronounced dead on the spot. However, considering he was in fact part deity, he managed to get off the hook with only a mild concussion and an aching back. He had been flattened against the sand once again, though, brought low by the weight of another, presumably female creature. Wheezing for air, he struggled to produce words one might say in a situation like this, such as “hello” or “how’s your day” or “get off me, dumb bitch”. The dumb bitch, having had her fall cushioned by Twilight, wasn't more than a bit stunned. She lay on Twilight, looked up at the desolate landscape around her, and only after a good minute did she bother to check on the man under her. Or get off him. Despite her shaky legs the woman got to her feet, took a few deep breaths, and began lightly kicking Twilight, [colour=F7BF86]"Are you uh, alive? Hello? Helllllllo?"[/colour] The man groaned and slithered weakly around in the sand. With every kick, he whimpered angrily until he finally said, [colour=lightpink]“YES! I’m alive! Stop kicking!”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]"Oh, good. Great. Whew,"[/colour] She eyed Twilight's sand caked face for a moment before, eventually, asking, [colour=F7BF86]"Sorry are you Twilight? I'm supposed to meet a Twilight."[/colour] The avatar dusted his face free of sand and got to his feet. [colour=lightpink]”Pfft! Pwah, eh! … Yeah, I’m Twilight. Who’s askin’?”[/colour] He beat the sand and leftover kelp off his clothing. The woman stopped, hesitated, and slowly pointed to her face, which bore an increasingly concerned expression, [colour=F7BF86]“...Me? I’m asking?”[/colour] Twilight sucked in deeply. [colour=lightpink]”I understand. I realise this. It may have crossed my mind that it is, in fact, you - the only other person within what I can guess is a radius of forever - who is asking. If you would allow me to explain for a moment, that phrase is merely a way of asking…”[/colour] He cleared his throat. [colour=lightpink]”WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]“WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SAY THAT,”[/colour] The woman screamed back before, rather suddenly, deflating and protesting half heartedly, [colour=F7BF86]“It’s not my fault existing is so stressful! That fall wasn’t even a quarter as fun as I thought it would be, and then you start asking crazy questions and yelling at me. This is terrible.”[/colour] After a moment spent moping she let out a huff, stood up a little straighter, and held out a hand, [colour=F7BF86]“But I’m Kesheret. Which is long, so you can call me Kesh. Or K. Errrr, no, Kesh works. Anyway my Mom, or Dad I guess? Momad? Damom? Look Tekret is mad at you and sent me to tell you to go grab a sword and give it to a guy.”[/colour] Twilight froze. [colour=lightpink]”Oh, uh… That so. See, I was hoping it’d take him, her, it some time to, y’know, find me and give me something to do in order to, uh, repent. I’ve kinda got plans already aaaand, y’know, not too keen on being a delivery boy just yet.”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]“Wow,”[/colour] Kesheret regarded Twilight incredulously, [colour=F7BF86]“Seriously? I’ve been alive for like, a week, and I already get that's not how this works. Uhhh, but if you’re insisting well... I guess I can let mom know? I mean her first idea was to just have a whale swallow you, and oh! Oh! I did suggest she curse you with impotence. Maybe that one?”[/colour] Twilight flinched. [colour=lightpink]”W-well, I would just have Gibbou uncurse me! How’s that, huh?!”[/colour] He looked up to the sky. [colour=lightpink]”You’d do that, right?”[/colour] No response. He deflated and made hard eyes at Kesh. [colour=lightpink]”Look, look, look…”[/colour] He pursed his lips. [colour=lightpink]”You said you been alive for a week, right?”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]“Weeeeeellllllll,”[/colour] Kesheret pursed her lips in thought, turned around, and started counting on her fingers before nodding to herself. Task done, she turned back to face Twilight with a flourish and proudly declared, [colour=F7BF86]“Nine days!”[/colour] Twilight scoffed in exaggeration. [colour=lightpink]”Nine days! Why, that’s plenty old enough to think for yourself, missy. C’mon, think for a minute - what has your mad-dom ever done for you?”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]“Uhhhhhmmmm, made me?”[/colour] Twilight clicked his tongue in disapproval. [colour=lightpink]”Rookie mistake, kehd. Sure, they might’a done something dumb like that - like -making- you, but what have they done for you lately, y’know? Like, when was the last time they gave you help when you were in trouble? Or the last time they invited you out for a cup’a tea? Nah, nah, you gotta stick it to the man, ‘cuz the man’s never gonna look out for you. You get me, sister?”[/colour] [colour=F7BF86]“Well, one: I’ve never actually been in trouble, though that does sound fun. Uh, two: not sure what tea is? And pretty much every day Tekret was with me she was a lady.”[/colour] Kesheret took on a contemplative expression for a moment before finishing, [colour=F7BF86]“Also I don't think I’d want to stick things on Tekret even when she’s, he’s a man? Kinda sounds messy.”[/colour] Twilight smirked. [colour=lightpink]”So y’see… You -could- get me to swim aaall the way back and, what, receive, like, empty thanks and another mission… Or…”[/colour] He hooked his arm around her neck and gestured at the horizon. [colour=lightpink]”... You could try aaall the things you said you’ve never tried before - and more - if you do a liiittle bit of duty shirking.”[/colour] Kesheret ducked out of Twilights hold, turned to face him, and threw a thumb over her shoulder, [colour=F7BF86]“Sword’s on the other side of the desert. Which is where I’m going, to try all those things. Because unlike some, vaguely fish smelling people, I don’t piss off gods and get duties to begin with.”[/colour] With that Kesheret set off, took her first long steps into the blistering heat of Kubrajzar’s wasteland, promptly stopped, squinted in an effort to see anything other than sand and hesitantly added, [colour=F7BF86]“Buuuuuuut if you want to tag along, I won’t tattle?”[/colour] [colour=lightpink]”Not tattling? Now you’re speaking my language. Buuut I have something I need to do first - I gotta find a drighina. Promise it won’t take long - I’m just tryna learn the secrets of the worldsong. A week or two max.”[/colour] A woman's head turned one way, then the other, and after seeing nothing but water and sand she concluded, [colour=F7BF86]“Well, no drighinas here. So uh, I was gonna go that way?”[/colour] She pointed into the desert, [colour=F7BF86]“Do you have a preference or? I don’t know if the uh, ‘world song’ has a directional bias, but I’m pretty sure I don’t.”[/colour] Twilight shrugged. [colour=lightpink]”I heard they live by the sea, so… I saaaaay we go that way.”[/colour] He pointed due north. [colour=F7BF86]“mMMmMMMmMMMMMMmmMMMmmmMMM, ok?”[/colour] Kesheret mimicked Twilights shrug and set off.... That way. [hider=Summary] Women fall for Twilight. [/hider]