From here, she could hear the party just across the short stretch of black sand. To think her mother had settled so close to those who had cast her out, and never let it bother her... that said, it seemed their old neighbours had been a quite lot, mostly keeping to themselves, hoping their prior reputation alone would be enough to protect them, and as far as she could tell, it had.

Deluge had sent Scald ahead, no doubt her father would want to know the outcome of his offer, but there was a lot the Fallen girl had seen in that short explosion, undoubtedly not the last extinction burst Dread's father would throw their way, that she knew she probably wasn't supposed to see, or hear. Some of it even seemed to be news to Dread. She walked into the frigid water deep enough to submerge the slash to her arm, refusing to pull a face at the way the water made it sting. "So yer ma was kidnapped huh?" She tried to keep her tone conversational. "Though ter be honest, it seemed like news ter you too..."

"speech"

He'd been near silent since walking away from his father. Other than tutting briefly over the wound, it was mostly seething silence. The things said between Dread and his father had wounded the boy in a way that was harder to heal than physical. He'd bared some real, true feelings... and the response had come like a slap in the face. There would be a day that those feelings would tip over into something far worse than just emotions, yes. Today wasn't that day. The boy moved stiffly, sore from the day's fights, though he kept time with Deluge.

Stepping out into the chilly water was a shock to his system, but a welcome one. It soothed the raw flesh, the scrapes and bruises. It's only now that he realized just how badly his head hurt, too. What did he even say to Deluge, after she'd heard so much? What could he say? He was grateful when she finally broke the silence on her own. Gaze remaining trained out over the water, he let go a ragged sigh. "I never knew. I've never felt like I can talk about her with him." The loss of his mother had hurt him deeply, and there were so many things he hadn't processed. Dread spent so much time trying and failing to care for his father's emotions, for his siblings' emotions, that he hadn't taken the time to feel on his own. He'd always billed himself as the strong one, and he couldn't have let them see him break. Not in his mind, at least.

"How's your cut?" Dread turned to look at her now, gaze settling on her face. Concern mixed with guilt as he looked to Deluge, feeling very responsible for the bloody outcome of the afternoon.

"speech"

Deluge didn't know what to say when Dread confirmed he didn't know about his mother. She wanted to stomp back to the battlefield and fight the Armada leader again, tell him to come and unfuck this mess he'd made, of his own kid! Her parents weren't the most attentive, and her mother certainly never spared her the truth for her feelings, but looking back and seeing how she'd come out of it... Well maybe that was better than... whatever this jumbled up mess was. She liked the guy, she really did! Or at least, she thought she did... but did she even really know who he actually was?  Did he even know who he was, free from the weight of his fathers expectations? That sort of upbringing could fuck a wolf up... but he'd chosen her, so she resolved that she wasn't going to leave him high and dry. They'd break away from whatever weird sexual tension was going on between their dads and figure it out together... If that was what he wanted.

When he drew attention to her leg, she lifted it from the water and turned it to get a better look, "This little thing? It'll be fine, though I do ha'fter say, nobody's dad 'as stabbed me fer kissin' their kid before." Her smile was lopsided, she didn't mind, not really. Scars were kinda hot, if she did say so herself, and it would be good practice for Sakana to patch her up. She didn't want to push the bruise that was... whatever was going on with his mum for right now, so she attempted to change the topic, and put her foot right back in it. "So if we do get enough bodies tergether fer a band, who do yer reckon we raid first? Your dad or mine?"

"speech"

The feelings hanging between the two of them are... complicated. Dread feels they're deeply complicated, but then, what sad teenage boy doesn't at least think he's deep and complicated. Who knew what he actually was. In truth, he's never thought about who he is. Who he is at his very core. Without the weight of the Warlord's expectations draped over his shoulders, Dread feels naked. Exposed. Though it's vindicating, it's also scary. Not that he'd admit it out loud, of course.

At the mention of a band, his eyebrows lift. Dread straightened up, thinking about it for only a heartbeat. He'd never much pictured himself a pirate, and to think, he wouldn't have to be. They could see the world. He could get over the travel-related anxiety that had plagued him for as long as his memory served. If he wasn't chained to a physical location, then he could be truly free. And then there's the thought of raiding... Dread thinks for just a moment. "Yours, and then we pillage all of Auster. No reason to go north in the winter." He grinned. He wouldn't have to freeze his rear end off all winter, they could just chase summer back and forth. The idea of raiding the Armada did cause a bit of a lump in Dread's throat. The boy pushes down the feelings that he can feel bubbling in his chest.

"Sorry I couldn't stop him from stabbing you." The words carry more weight than Dread expects them to. They rest strangely in his mouth. Like there's genuine tenderness in his tone, perhaps more than he knows he's capable of. Though the words are borderline comical, Dread really did feel bad about not putting himself between them sooner. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, before slipping back out over the sea.

"speech"

Deluge liked Dread's logic, she preferred warmer weather because it meant she didn't have to freeze her tail off to stop her skin from becoming a flaky, itchy mess when whatever made her coat glow didn't get enough saltwater, and at least her dad probably wouldn't get butt-hurt if their first raid was against him, you know, proof she could make it and all that. She leaned into his side and smiled when he apologised for her getting stabbed, she even managed a little chuckle, "With any luck I'll get a badass scar from it, no need ter apologise, I'm sure I'll end up wi'worse b'fore I'm done." She turned her head and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Growin' up an' makin' yer own life is what kids're supposed ter do. We'll be better fer it." She tried to reassure her companion. They were gonna be ok, because she wouldn't let them not be.

"speech"