Birds of a Feather (DCStuck)

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Ah! Cripes!" Cortem hastily followed suit, swooping down after Aquila, landing on his feet and scraping across the ground before dashing up to the wayward purple blood. "Yo! Maikye, dude!"

Sure, Cortem was concerned about Maikye. He had been concerned about all of his teammates since they had disappeared from the meteor, and he was more than willing to help a bro out. Although, while he successfully hid it from the others, there was quite a bit of disappointment brewing beneath the genuine worry.

So much for quality time...

[Monolilith]

Maikye looks up. He doesn't seem startled by the new pair of wings, nor even the presence of his teammates. He just seems... empty. Given his typical valiant battle with whatever drags him down so hard, seeing him like this is surely unnerving but not... unanticipated.

"js' go. m' fine."

[ShadesofGrey18]

Aquila knelt down by Maikye, worry etched on his features. "M, dude... Jeez, man... No you're not. What happened to you?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Bro..." Cortem stood in front of Maikye, essentially blocking his way. "Listen, the whole crew's been splitsville for a while now, and it's pretty clear that s***'s still goin' down up in this hood. Now that we findin' each other, we gotta hang tight. Help a brotha out, y'know? So c'mon. What's up with ya?"

[Monolilith]

Maikye shudders, softly. But his voice, when after a thoughtful - or else completely empty - pause, he speaks, is softer yet.

"crocdad's dead. gone. kamulo's dead, too. dunno what to do with myself. all you guys are godtiering, and i'm just... here. what's the point?

"i don't get it..."

[ShadesofGrey18]

Aquila nodded, walking over and squeezing Maikye's shoulder. "C's right, y'know. The others are off doin' who knows what; we really oughta stick together."

[ParamountKeymaster]

Cortem gave Maikye a sympathetic gaze. "Mai. Bro. Don't be beatin' yourself up. We all lost somethin'. I miss crowdad. I miss Kam. I know the feel. And hell, I only recently tiered, and I know you ain't the only one who ain't got that far yet. That don't mean ya ain't here for a reason. It's not like I know what any of us is supposed to do next, and I'm the fate guy!"

He then gave Maikye a smile and a light punch to the arm. "There is a point, though. I feel it, brah. Now that we're hooked up, we're here to help ya figure out what the hell it is."

[Monolilith]

Maikye looks up. Those eyes are so... empty, today, yet they seem to penetrate. He stares at Cortem, for an uncomfortably long silence, then closes his eyes again. The gentle flecks of violet coming through vanish under heavy grey lids. His fins rise and fall with a breath taken. Whatever he found in Cortem's briefly exposed soul... he's disappointed. But it's impossible to figure out why. Since when has he ever been this... hollow?

"i guess. let's just go."

[ShadesofGrey18]

Aquila gave Maikye's shoulder a squeeze, nodding. "It'll be alright. We're just trying to get a scope of this place... we'll get through this, alright?"

With a flap of his wings, the jadeblood went up a little higher, putting his sharp eyes to use. "Hmmm..."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yeah, man, chin up." Cortem's smile never faltered as he cast Maikye a warm gaze. "Once we check this place out, who knows? Since we wound up here, maybe the rest of the gang will too! We could get the crew back together, maybe find a place to chill..."

He looked up at Aquila as he scanned the horizon. "I was just asking Quil where O got off to. Other than her, we still gotta hook back up with Dz, Laggie, Siri..."

[ShadesofGrey18]

Aquila shook his head. "I really wish I knew where O went. I'm honestly worried, considering what happened before..."

When Sirion was mentioned, Aquila snarled slightly. "Rrh... He and Lagola... I don't know. I wish I did."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Yeah, gotta make sure peeps ain't gettin' into trouble." Cortem nodded. Anxious as he was to get the team back together, of course he was concerned for everyone's wellbeing.

"Well... I ain't the seer, I can't pretend to know how it works... so is there any chance you could figure out the most hopeful course of action for er'yone, Quil? No pressure, bro, just figured I'd ask."

[ShadesofGrey18]

Aquila nodded. "O'course. Leave it to me."

The eagle-eyed troll flipped his hood up, obscuring his eyes. A faint white glow seemed to appear around him as he focused his power, searching. He was quiet for quite a while, before...

"Okay. I think I've got a bead on where we need to go. Shall we?

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Do let's!" Cortem shot Aquila an a-okay sign, then he smiled at Maikye again. "See, man? We'll get the crew back together, check this place out, and everything'll be peaches and gravy. We got good things aheada us."

He then cast both of his companions a humorous smirk. "So... we flyin'? I mean, I'm more than willing to give Mai a lift."

[Monolilith]

... Maikye doesn't reply. He barely even glances up when he hears himself being addressed. He just keeps trudging along, maybe giving a soft, indecipherable grunt. This is more than just weird Maikye behavior - it's kind of scary. He always seizes the moment. He always charges boldly ahead. He always whips out some fancy speech, or provides some noble insight.

Has he finally given up? Maybe now's not the time to dwell on it - maybe he's just dehydrated. He needs to get to safety.