[AW] she'll kiss your neck with no emotion

[Katniss]

Home. There really was no place like home. For so long, Katniss thought that home was Ausus, the land where she was born and trained. And then came Rift, another home where she grew into a great leader. And then Novus. And yet, none of these places were really home. Home was in the embrace of Metaphor, staring into the eyes of her son. Home was where she was needed and where she would thrive. Home was a concept that Katniss had not quite mastered, never really feeling like any one place was home.

In the end, it was Kibou that was her home. Her son had grown, taking on life in all of his mysteries. No longer did he need the comfort and support of his mother. For a mother, to watch one’s son grow up and branch out was hard. No longer was she needed. And now she was alone again. No lover. No son. Just herself and her eagle.

Finnick cries out as he soars just above her, his call comforting and welcomed. The eagle still needed her and she needed him. But what was more important was the fact that Denocte still needed her. And so, the mare changes her course, heading into the city in hopes that she might be welcomed home.

So many things had changed in her absence, and yet so many things were the same. The moon still shone brightly in the sky. Torches and lanterns still light the cobblestone pathways of the city. She stands beside the sport where she sent Metaphor into the heavens and she can feel her heart begin to ache.

But with a deep breath, she steps past that point, stepping forward into the future and the unknown. Now was not a time for mourning. Now was the time for redemption. Katniss was back and all of Novus better be ready for the warrior that has returned. No longer was her heart leading her. Some might say that her heart had hardened, making her more cool than warm. But Katniss had seen the damage her heart could do and she would not return to that point. The new Katniss had arrived, her face stoic, her posture tall and rigid. Some may not like the new lease on life she now held onto, but those same individuals could not possibly known the horrors that Katniss had seen in her absence. New scars added to her collection, new wounds that seemed to fester. This was not the same Katniss that left Denocte so many moons ago. This was something far darker. This was the soldier that never was.
 
 

[Morrighan]

some women fear the fire
some simply become it

It's strange to be back in Denocte after spending so much time at the festival. While there are bonfires, they feel different, but then again, so does Morrighan. The fires had been there for purification mostly, but now she feels stronger and like she has a new purpose. Even beyond just being a mother to Maeve and helping her grow into the best version of herself. She feels like she has an even greater duty to Denocte.

So when she sees a familiar face walk through the gate and start down the street, Morrighan isn't exactly impressed. The sovereign didn't know Katniss very well, but enough to know that a champion of battle shouldn't be absent so long. She thinks of Isra leaving her people to help a land far away that she only used to be a part of. Maybe this had been the same for Katniss, but Morrighan will need a good explanation or story to go along with it.

She doesn't hesitate to approach the woman, noticing new scars on her body. Clearly she's been through hell. "Katniss," she calls, her tone much harder than it's been lately. To this woman, it will probably be no different from what she remembers. "Where have you been?" She sounds accusatory, but maybe it's best she is. Katniss better have a good story to tell and now Morr is all ears.

"Speaking."

⚴

@Katniss

[Katniss]

It is the rough voice that captures her attention. Slowly she turns to look at Morrighan. She remembers the regent, though she doesn’t know her well. Kibou had spoken of her once before, but it had been spoken through the innocent voice of a child and not that of a man. She is unsure what the mare wants, though by the way she looks at her, she can only guess that it is not for a pleasant welcoming.

”Where have you been?”

Where hasn’t she been is a better question to ask the soldier. She had been here, there, and everywhere it seemed. There weren’t very many places in this universe that she had not stepped foot on. He journey had been long and hard, full of tragedy and triumph as she tried to secure a better future for her son and for Denocte.

Eyes looked up at the two-toned mare and she sighs. She did not feel as though she needed to explain herself. Only such an explanation was meant for her queen. Perhaps things had changed since she had been gone. But in the end, an explanation really didn’t need to be given. The reason why she had left was for her and her alone. She didn’t need approval to protect the things she loved.

And yet, despite all of that, Katniss knew that an explanation should be offered. Denocte wanted to know where their champion had gone and when they see the changes in Katniss, they might be curious as to why. But that reason was not so easy to relay. Another soldier might not even truly understand, but a sister might. “Ensuring a better life for Denocte.” It was simple, but spoken with a hint of disdain in her voice. It wasn’t the sweet, angelic sound it once was. It was hoarse and raspy, as if she had been speaking for far too long. But really, she hadn’t spoken out loud in weeks. Her voice was simply hoarse from lack of use. Her tone was also filled with anger. Anger against Cato and Clove and their need to try to destroy everything that meant anything to her. “Let’s just say the threat has been eliminated for now.” Her siblings would come back. They would try to kill her and Kibou again. They would stop at nothing, even if it meant burning Denote to the ground in the process. Morrighan should be glad she was even back at all. But something told her, none of that mattered.

@Morrighan

[Morrighan]

some women fear the fire
some simply become it

If she had still been Regent, Morrighan would be pissed, but not as pissed, because she would need to be reporting to Antiope right away. She would not feel that she could fully discipline Katniss for abandoning her court and loyalties without notice. But she is now the Sovereign, so she is not very impressed. Even less so because of the lame explanation that Katniss provides.

Morr thinks of August and how she had tasked him with finding out who may still be loyal to Raum (or enough to make a memorial of him). He left without notice and came back battered and bruised, claiming he was still loyal to Denocte. This reminds her of that where Katniss has returned also battered and bruised, but perhaps with a little more composure than that man had at the time. Still, there's a serious problem if she thinks she can come and go as she pleases without notifying anyone on the counsel. Maybe that could happen under Antiope, but it would not happen during her time as leader.

"Well, I'm your Sovereign now, so that is unacceptable. If you want to ensure a better life for this Court, you shouldn't leave for so long without telling anyone. It makes me question your loyalties- and still does," Morrighan snaps, trying her hardest not to become too furious. It's not easy with her fire always wanting to come through, but she's been trying. For Maeve and for the Court.

Her eyes narrow as if she's studying Katniss now, looking for any cracks in her expression. She still watches August carefully, even after all these months. "If there is a threat to Denocte, you should be reporting it to me and the regime, not going off and handling it yourself. That's stupid and dangerous." She sounds more like a stern mother now and maybe that's how she feels. While she doesn't know the woman well, she had been promoted around the same time Morrighan was promoted to Warden. There was some level of trust there, but it's hard to feel sure of it at this point.

"But since you've done so, you will need to tell me more than that. Who were they and what did they want with us... or you?" she asks, tail lashing behind her. Hopefully it's been made clear at this point that the mare won't get away with a vague story. There is also now an issue of the "threat" she speaks of possibly still lingering. Katniss claims to have taken care of it, but she's not so sure. Morrighan needed to know if it made sense to be hyper vigilant now, or worse, if there was someone like Raum out there that she needed to worry about.

"Speaking."

⚴

@Katniss

[Katniss]

Her Sovereign. What had happened since she had left? What happened to Antiope? (not that it really mattered because she hadn’t really gotten to know Antiope either) She sighs. Life had been so different since Isra had left. That mare had known Katniss in a way that not many could know. She had been there when Metaphor had died, when her son had been born, and had seen her through some very tough times. Morrighan had not seen her at her darkest and had done nothing to instill confidence in Katniss. She didn’t know the mare standing before her, so laying out her heart to her was simply not an option. That sort of friendship had to be earned. Yes, Katniss would be loyal to the death for her new queen, but she doubted if Morrighan would ever amount to a friend.

She wanted to tell her that Isra would have never questioned her loyalty, but she refrains. This mare does not know her and she owes this mare nothing. IN fact, she doesn’t even want to explain why she had left, only that she is back. The reason doesn’t matter, at least not now. “I have always been loyal to Denocte, that will never change.” Morrighan might question her, but she knew where her loyalties stood. But none of that mattered. Morrighan would never trust her fully, at least that’s what she suspected.

She can hear the anger in her voice, the way she stokes a fire of rage and yet, tries to keep it contained. Did she not know that if she stoked that fire too mich, it would turn into a blaze in no time. It would ruin everything, including any hope at a sense of friendship with Katniss. “When I left, it was only to be a short trip. I would never abandon my son…as a mother, you should know at least that much.” Poor Kibou had been left to fend for himself for too long. When she had left, she intended for it only to be a week or two, promising the child that she would return shortly, when a satchel of candy apples and peppermint canes. She did not know that it would turn into nearly a year. When the threat was uncovered to Denocte, it was far too late. It had started out as a threat against her son. There was no time to come back, explain her case, and then leave again. If she had, it would have been too late and her son would be dead – perhaps all of Denocte too.

But Morrighan is not happy with the description that she has been given. She wants more. She wants Katniss to pour our her heart to her and that is something Katniss cannot do. Perhaps at one time she could…but not today, not right now. “If someone threatened your daughter, would you do anything to protect her?” It was an emotional card she hated to play, but she needed her new queen to understand that this had started as an emotional response, as a need to protect her child. She was not sure what kind of mother Morrighan was. Perhaps she was the kind who did not care for her offspring. She hoped that there was at least a little shred of love there. If there was not, she was unsure if she would ever truly understand her reason for going.

She waits patiently, her eyes void of emotion. Her tone flat, as if nothing mattered to her. She had lost so much and it was finally catching up to her. But when Morrighan answers (or chooses not to and the moment becomes awkward), Katniss sighs before she begins to speak. “Their names are Cato and Clove, demons born from hell itself. They are my half-siblings. Born from rape and a need to destroy all that is good. They are the sort you see in nightmares.” She did not expect Morrighan to understand her hatred for her siblings or understand just what they were capable of. She had seen them first hand. She had seen them tear a child into many pieces because they smiled. They were not the sort to be messed with. “They threatened my son…something I could not allow.” Katniss would always protect her child. Even though Kibou was not her firstborn, he was the first that Katniss truly tried to raise. Perhaps it was because he looked so much like his father. Whatever the reason, the maternal instincts in her forced her to act.

“I was only to be gone a week, two at most.” She had originally left to put an end to her sibling’s threat. But the more she uncovered, the more she began to realize that the thread was not just against her son. “But the longer I stayed away, hunting Cato and Clove, the more I began to uncover their true targets – Novus, more specifically Denocte. They wished to destroy everything I loved and protected.” She paused, her eyes full of void, resting on the queen. She did not look away, she did not back down. She held firm. “There was not time to come back. If I had, all would have been lost. I had to press onward because I was so close to finding them.”If she had stopped to come back and gather and army, they would have taken Denocte by surprise and by force. The way things progressed had been for the better, even if Morrighan did not agree.

The details of what happened were a harsh memory that bled at every opportunity. It was like a punctured artery, bleeding profusely when the pressure is let off the injury. Katniss could not go into detail about what she had been through. She could not even tell Isra…nor even Metaphor. “They have been dealt with for now…” They licked their wounds while Katniss hurried home to ensure that her son was still alive and well, that the heart of her court still beat. “I cannot offer you more than that.” There was emotion now in the depths of her eyes. If Morrighan were to look closely, she would see the pain and hurt. Something dark had happened while she was away. Something that would change Katniss forever. Another skeleton for another closet.

@Morrighan

[Morrighan]

some women fear the fire
some simply become it

She feels angry, but there is a lot of uncertainty as well. Her and Katniss had never known each other well. It had been Isra, not Antiope, who appointed her Champion and, like Moira, there had to be something she saw in the woman. She had to be a skilled fighter, but she's not sure if that could be it. As headstrong as Morrighan can be, she would not want to abandon her Court and family to take on something alone. Even though she preferred doing things herself, there would be too many things she'd be putting at risk if she were to abandon it all to fight something or someone.

But Katniss saw things differently. She claims she didn't want to abandon her son, hitting Morr with a "as a mother you should understand" bit that makes her jaw clench. She can't think of any scenario right now that would involve abandoning Maeve for any good reason though.

“If someone threatened your daughter, would you do anything to protect her?”

This too doesn't register in her brain as a reason to leave. "I would do anything for Maeve, but I'm certain I would never leave her. That would do more harm than good," she says, a roughness to her tone. Perhaps if her fire ever got out of control and she was a danger to everyone, but she doesn't foresee that ever happening. Her magic is nothing like what it used to be and she has a better handle on it.

When she gets to more of the story at last, the Sovereign is watching Katniss carefully. She sees the way she sighs, yet seems stiff or perhaps numb to what did happen. It had been a family issue of sorts and one the mare didn't expect to have to handle for so long. When she mentions her half siblings wanted to threaten Denocte, this sets Morrighan on edge. There has been peace among the Courts ever since Raum was killed, so for there to be any possibility of danger makes her feel tense. Especially since she hadn't been aware of it until now.

Even when Katniss says they have been dealt with, it doesn't make her feel much better. How could she know for sure? Morr doesn't know who they are to feel comforted that one single woman can eliminate them as a threat. The way she's described them, they could still be out there and a danger to them all. Really, Morr is not convinced at all.

"I wish you had sent a letter to let us know, even at the very least to say you were okay, or to let your son know," she says once Katniss is finished. She has nothing more to offer-- it's a bit disappointing, but Morr supposes it's better than no explanation at all. "I'm still concerned about these siblings of yours, so I would like a more thorough explanation soon so I can let the guards know to be on the lookout for them. For now, I guess, you can get settled in." It's clear in her tone how difficult it is to move forward with this. There are too many holes and loose ends for her to feel comfortable that this is just all over. It would likely take time for her to simply trust Katniss' word and maybe it would be the same for her in trusting Morrighan as her new Sovereign.

"Maybe a trip to the medics first," she adds, noticing again the rough shape that the woman is in. The Champion is not Moira, so part of her wants to try and give her a chance, even if there is still a lot of skepticism.

"Speaking."

⚴

@Katniss

[Katniss]

A letter. A letter of words is always something written from the heart. It contains one’s deepest desires and reveals its darkest truths. A letter had to be thought out and planned. In her situation, a letter would do far more harm than good, at least once she continued on her mission. “I did send word. I wrote to Kibou and do the court to extend my absence. Did you, rather Antiope, not receive it?” When she knew she would not be home in a week or two, she had written a note. It was vague and held very few details, but she had sent word. She could not come home and tell her queen that her absence would be extended, so she had written. If Antiope had not received her words, then someone had happened.

Perhaps her letter had been lost in the mail, as so many letters have done. Perhaps her messenger bird had been killed upon his journey. There was no real reason as to why neither her son nor her queen had received her letter. But now it was far too late to wallow over spilled milk. What’s done is done. “After the initial letter, I could not send more correspondence. It would have given away my position and put myself in more danger.” As a warrior herself, she should at least understand that being undercover was important to a mission such as this. To carelessly send word and show her position would give her siblings an unfair advantage. But perhaps she misjudges her sense of strategy in times of war. After all, she doesn’t know Morrighan well.

But when she is finished telling her tale, she cannot help but notice that Morrighan is not pleased, that she is not satisfied. What did the mare want? Clearly she wanted something that Katniss could not give her. She wants more and Katniss is too tired to tell her that she cannot give her more. She doesn’t know her well enough to pour our her heart to her. Her siblings had been dealt with for now and knowing them, their bruised egos would keep them at bay for now. Sure, in time, they might try again, but they were too proud to come back now. Denocte was safe for now and Morrighan didn’t seem to believe her. They were at am impasse.

Thankfully, they finally move on, silently agreeing to disagree. Perhaps this was the start of a friendship? Respect? Or perhaps just a nice card to be played. However, Katniss does not need her hospitality. When Morrighan suggests that she make a trip to the medic, she shakes her head. “The medics cannot fix the real injuries.” Her body was bruised and bleeding, but her injuries extended far deeper than a few broken ribs or cuts that would fester and bleed. Her injuries ran far deeper than any medicine could ever hope to heal. Unless Morrighan could fix the loathing and self-hate she felt deep within her soul, there was nothing that could be done for her. “Kibou will not allow the superficial wounds to bleed, he will heal the cuts with his magic, even if I refuse.” His son had a healing heart. Even though Katniss wore her wounds proudly, her son would not allow her to bleed. His love for his mother would not allow him to see her in pain. And so, he would stop her bleeding, even if she asked him not to. He was so much like his father that it hurt.

This conversation seems over and yet, Katniss isn’t sure she’s quite ready to leave it. There’s so much unsaid but perhaps it is because neither one of them trusts the other. At some point they needed to build trust and respect. Katniss wasn’t sure if it would ever happen, though. If they left the conversation and carried on their separate ways, would anything really change? “I can settle in tomorrow…tonight, I am on boarder patrol.” Even if she wanted to go home, to hold her child close to her and sit quietly by the fire, her duties would always come before her own comfort. She might be broken and bruised, but she still had a duty to Denocte.

@morrighan

[Morrighan]

some women fear the fire
some simply become it

When the woman mentions sending a letter, Morrighan raises her brows in surprise. She hadn't heard anything, so unless Antiope kept the information from her for whatever reason. She's starting to wonder what more there is that she had been wrong about when it came to the former Sovereign. Of course, there could be a number of other reasons why Morr didn't hear about the letter.

"News didn't travel to me, for whatever reason," she replies, the bitterness clear in her tone. As frustrating as it is to be left in the dark, none of that mattered at this point. She supposes it makes sense why she may not have sent any other letters after that. It still doesn't change how she feels about Katniss taking on this danger alone.

It seems there is one thing that the two women have in common- stubbornness. Katniss refuses the medic's help and would rather get back to work. Maybe it's a quality Morrighan can relate to and appreciate, but it also made her realize how others might feel when she refuses help.

"Alright, well I'll let your son know you're here then and he can come find you," she tells her, her voice softening. If Morr had been gone for so long, the first thing she would do would be spending time with Maeve rather than watching the borders. Whatever else is going on in Katniss' head, hopefully she hadn't lost sight of what was truly important. It's why Morrighan tells her rather than asks.

With nothing more to say, the Sovereign nods. "Welcome back, at any rate," formalities always feel so unnatural to her. "I'll leave you to it and see you around soon." Her eyes rest on Katniss for a little while longer as if to say maybe don't leave again before she turns and heads back into the Court streets to look for Kibou. Hopefully, for their sake, it will be a good reunion for the two of them.

"Speaking."

⚴

@Katniss figured I'd close this here <3 let's thread them again soon! Hopefully they'll be less tense/awkward next time haha

[Katniss]

She does not tell Morrighan that she has already seen Kibou, that she has made sure he is safe and well. She also does not tell her that she has already refused his healing help, though she knows he will heal her anyway. It seems pointless to say anything. What would it change? Nothing. She still had boarders to protect. The life of a soldier does not end the moment a child is born. She still has duties and responsibilities. But she says none of this, however. Quite frankly she doesn’t have the energy to argue. Her injuries have made her weak, though she does not show it. She would rather save what energy she does have for more useful things.

Katniss is already starting to walk away when she hears the mare speak. She pauses, so not to look rude in front of her Sovereign. “Thank you.” She has taught her son the importance of manners and so she knows she must be a good example of them herself. So she thanks the mare for her formalities, even if she does not need them.

At her closing remarks, Katniss nods her head, though she’s unsure if even she believes her actions. After this meeting, she is unsure if she likes Morrighan. The woman questions her loyalty and that makes Katniss suspicious. And yet, she says nothing.

Instead, the two mares walk away in different directions, each setting off to do a different task. While Morrighan goes to find her son, Katniss heads up into the mountains, a place that always seemed to bring her solitude. Perhaps an evening of silent reflection is what she needs to get herself back into the right headspace. Her absence had been physically and emotionally draining. Her body is tired and weak and yet, she still puts one foot in front of the other. Tomorrow the sun would rise on a new day and Katniss hoped that just maybe she might feel like a better woman. Yet something told her she would wake up in the same manner with the same attitude.

@Morrighan