it's impossible to hide, even in plain sight. it's been a few days - long enough for most of her scales to shed, for her bloodshot eyes to return to normal, but the horns remain. they're smaller than they were and she'd hoped they would shrink back down altogether like the rest of her changes had reverted, but no such luck.

the gold that had outlined them before is muted, leaving obsidian black to peek out of her silver hair. 

stares either carry the weight of reverence or hatred, with very little in between and though she's done a fine job of ignoring both, she's been out here less than a day and she's already mentally exhausted.

she sets down a crate of supplies she'd been carrying when thomas approaches. 

"thomas," she greets with a terse nod. "here to lend a hand?"

Thomas Benoit

☉

"got another wave of supplies coming in. can you offload them from the dragons?" 

the draciary's denizens cast shadows from where they circle above sootopolis. it's a painful sight for freya, but it's not wholly unwelcome. years of waiting for this moment; the streets of her city are ruined, with houses collapsed, lives lost. 

the cost of war is a heavy weight on her shoulders. 

"from the reports, i heard you fought well. got civilians out safely too."

Thomas Benoit

☉

the charlatan. she blinks. "oh. yes, they've given me some trouble before." almost ended her altercation with elisabeth before it could begin. her only saving grace, oddly enough, had come from the timely arrival of one of the underbosses. 

she lets his words float over her as though she's listening to a report. sweat beads her brows as she continues moving supplies alongside him. throughout his debrief, she does frown, but she nods along with him and, when he's done, she sighs. 

"it won't be good pr, but good. you put civilian lives over bloodshed. i won't fault you for that." there are other people, other flashes from the midst of combat, that have rubbed her the wrong way. 

"i should have given Cillian Quinn more trouble while i could," she says, showing the tips of slightly too-sharp teeth. 

Thomas Benoit

☉

at least he had his priorities straight, which is more than she can say for some of the other league members who were there. she recalls zacian, her back to the harbinger, raising her useless sword to the leviathan under her avatar's orders. freya pinches her brow and shoves the thought aside. 

she'll have a talk with Navy later. 

"it's easy to think of what we could have done differently, but that's a dangerous sentiment, thomas. you'll lose your mind beating yourself up about it like that."

the mention of illeana reyes's powers draws the professor to the forefront and with it, walsh's warning. 

"but for now, we look towards protecting our other cities and rebuilding sootopolis."

Thomas Benoit

☉

the inversion of gravity does nag at her. there were so many variables and anomalies on the field, so much collateral because of lack of planning. well, not for lack of planning. lack of follow-through. it's exhausting, thinking about the battle, about the numbers that turned on their own against kyogre. 

would they have been able to take complete and total control of sootopolis if they had committed everything to war?

or would they have lost the faith of their people in totality in doing so?

the gloom disperses at his offer and freya's stunned silence melts away to earnest warmth. her eyes brighten and she reacts as though this is the first piece of good news she's heard in days (it is). 

"absolutely. we'll have to discuss the details, of course, but i have a fundraising banquet in the works. it would be an immense help there, and with efforts moving forward."

Thomas Benoit

☉