soul fire ;

halle ( 27, local taha guide ) likes the stars. she appreciates them as distant observers, equanimous onlookers over the passage of time. it is in the same way that halle likes the rocks, the mountains, the forests. she likes that the world is ancient, that it has mysteries beyond mortal understanding. she likes that she, and everybody else, is ephemeral. that humans are little else but temporary guests borrowing lodgings on a weary old creature, spinning beneath the stars.

[hallecomet]

text to: halle

pitch: do you think the moon skips leg day

halle: never. she's so strong

halle: maybe i have feelings for the moon

[hallecomet]

natedeckard·:

“a few years ago.” he didn’t want to get into it, but this dig was more an owed favor than anything else. if he’d had a choice, he would’ve stayed home. “so, i take it you travel?” granted, taha had showed him some of the most beautiful places the world had to offer and for that, he was thankful. “the island your favorite place or is there another reason you keep coming back?”

she nodded, recognising the wall that nate had thrown up, and kept strolling. her hands trailed over sprouting ferns and waxy leaves. “i do,” halle said, assertive at first. “i’ve been around africa, europe, russia... but um. yeah. i was born here, so.” she realised this wasn’t a particularly satisfying answer, but let it hang between them. she wondered whether he would dare to touch the wall she’d built of her own.

[hallecomet]

natedeckard·:

“yeah, he’s usually all work, little to no play.” they had a job to do, a very specific on at this point. few results were better than none. “depends. do i get to see something other than another potential dig site? ‘cause i’m kinda over that whole game,” he admitted quietly, though he’d do the job as long as taha needed him to. “how long have you been here? y’know, on the island?”

“lost the spark?” she asked, before she could stop herself. halle wasn’t usually one to pry: blame it on the rooibos. “good question,” she said, though it was really the hardest. “twelve years and three months. non-consecutive.” she started to walk along the forest path.

[hallecomet]

natedeckard·:

@hallecomet·

“thanks for coming out,” he shrugged, somewhat surprised she’d agreed to take on an adventure with just him. “i just feel like there’s so much more to see than what taha has us working on and i might as well try and make the best of it.” and who better to ask than someone who knew the place as well as she did?

“no worries,” halle said, draining the last of the rooibos she’d brought out with her. she narrowed her eyes, smiling conspiratorially, as nate pondered about the island. “you got that right. i respect andros a lot, i do, but he’s got you guys all cramped up there. wanna take a quick hike? stretch your legs.”

[hallecomet]

text to: avi

avi: 🧀🧀🧀

avi: if anyone could do it it's you

halle: blasphemy. it would be like eating my grandma

halle: like little red riding hood gone bad

[hallecomet]

text to: nate

nate: whatever works for you.

nate: but yeah. around the island. sorta tired of this dig site.

halle: i can think of a few spots you might like

halle: no digging necessary

halle: tomorrow afternoon?

[hallecomet]

text to: nate

nate: some angles are nicer than others.

nate: you should look into getting one.

nate: speaking of fresh air... maybe you could show me around later? if you aren't busy.

halle: touché

halle: around the island? sure thing.

halle: how soon is later?

[hallecomet]

text to: nate

nate: hammocks are the best. keeps me from sharing a tent.

nate: i'm sure this sky doesn't really compare to norway, but it's still a nice view.

nate: she's got puns. cute.

halle: it's all the same sky, we're just seeing her from different angles.

halle: damn i could do with a hammock

halle [unsent]: get out of the house u kno

halle: want all the fresh air i can get

[hallecomet]

text to: nate deckard

nate: didn't think you did, but it's all good.

nate: can't disagree. sorta why i sleep outside.

halle: you sleep outside? i dig that

halle: i remember sleeping under the stars in norway. awesome

halle: in the trad sense of the word

halle: also "dig" lol. sup andros

[blond-shell]

Zoë Kravitz on the set of “High Fidelity” in New York on July 14, 2019.

[hallecomet]

text to: avi

avi: who knew a moon could be so yolked ???

halle: YOLKED

halle: exactly that

halle: mm now i kinda want to eat the moon

[hallecomet]

text to: nate deckard

nate: nice observation?

halle: oops. didn't mean to send this to u

halle: u don't agree?

[hallecomet]

text to: open

halle: the moon looks so buff tonight

[expectopatronxm]

[hallecomet]

unscrollingavi·:

Avi reached out to take the stone but pulled back; not certain if it was okay to touch after recalling something he’d read about how stones and things that could contain energies had to be cleansed first. It was tough to say if he bought into all that, but he could respect the process.

“Ah.” He observed the little moon stone, studying the shape carved into it. “Sure.”

Now was as good a time as any, he figured, and sat down in the sand beside her. “So I just pick three?” he asked, leaning closer to see his options. His hand hovered above the runes for a moment as he contemplated the options. The first he pointed at was a smooth stone that was blueish in color; the second, a jagged gray one with pale spots; and the third was a deep red and shaped almost like a brain, or the Millennium Falcon depending on which way one looked at it.

“So is there a method to drawing the runes, or can you freestyle it?”

halle could sense avi’s uncertainty, but he sat beside her nonetheless, and seemed game. she watched him as he peered over the cluster of stones, smiling to herself: his body took to leaning over the stones as she was sure it took to hunching over books, records, manuscripts. a historian’s pose. she watched him choose from the assortment of rocks, plucking each one from the sand and lining them up.  

halle laughed at avi’s question, shooting him a playful wink and tapping the side of her nose. “between you and me, i freestyle it,” she said conspiratorially, before growing serious. “but i think that works better, you know? like, what would be the use of me using the ancient norse runes - where’s the truth in that for me? my experience - my truth - is in the sea, in the caves, in the sea-gulls; the stuff i grew up with. you feel me?” 

she shrugged, before turning her attention back to the stones he’d selected. “okay,” she exhaled, shooting avi a quick glance to check he was still comfortable. halle turned over the three stones, studying them for a while. upon the first, blue and smooth, was carved a wave. “the sea,” halle stated the obvious. “it could mean, well --” she waved a hand to the ocean behind them -- “the sea, but i’ve also been reading it as feelings, uh, emotions.” the second, speckled and grey, was etched with a crescent. “the moon...” halle chewed her lip. “this is to do with mystery, and searching for what might be obfuscated, hidden, by night or by forces beyond your control.” the third stone, like eroded coral, held the image of a square padlock. “and the lock,” halle nodded, mulling over the three pieces in her head. “something inaccessible, or beyond your powers. authority, or a challenge, maybe. something you want that’s out of reach.”

halle’s eyes flickered up to meet avi’s, checking in once more. “does this have any meaning for you? don’t worry,” she added hastily, “if you don’t want to explain.” halle had her own theory of interpretation, but didn't want to scare him away: she understood better than anyone how personal readings were; how vulnerable it was to be 'read', to be seen, by someone else.

[hallecomet]

jvdesandoval·:

Jude was grateful when she didn’t pry; he got along best with people who didn’t ask too many questions, which was why he liked Max. His mother was the only exception, but those questions were easy to answer - have you eaten, are you seeing anyone, are they paying you well, are you getting enough sleep, do you like the people, is it beautiful there - yes or no. Not the probing, open-ended questions from classmates and colleagues that often meant he was being sized up, compared to something or someone. Jude had grown to be good at small talk after a few years of driving around, and he much preferred to stay on that level with acquaintances. 

“Nice,” he echoed, although he wondered where she’d moved from. He figured he’d return the favor of privacy. “I like it, I guess - or I haven’t found anything to dislike. It’s comfortable.” That was mostly thanks to Cambra funding, but there was nothing to make their lodging stand out from any other they’d had on previous jobs. It was the terrain that interested him, that made Ialis unique, the hills and valleys and the coastal settlements. He left the culture and the history stuff to the rest. “I’m not sure I’d want to live here forever - no offense, it’s just not what I’m used to. But you got some nice topography,” he said, matter-of-fact, as they started up the hill. “Any cool spots you’d recommend to a visitor?” 

halle smirked when jude admitted that he couldn’t envision himself hanging around ialis for any longer than was necessary. she’d felt the same thing, at first, when she’d returned. the intervening years had been like moving out of a child’s room to range freely across the big wide world; then, suddenly, she was back in the doll’s house, cramped up, touching base in ialis not from desire but - like jude had suggested - necessity. “none taken,” she murmured, a sardonic edge to her words. “i don’t think i’ll be living here forever, either,” she added, staring out of the passenger window at the higgledy-piggledy houses they were cruising past (shutters down, doors painted brightly against whitewashed stone fronts). 

“if you’re after recommendations, you can come along to one of my weekday tours,” she teased, turning to the driver. “but i’ll give you this much for free: if you walk just northwest of anthebes bay, up through the forest path, you’ll find a small cluster of rock pools. the water is so clear there, it’s...” halle hiccoughed, shaking her head. “it’s pretty special. how long are you here for, jude?”

[hallecomet]

oftutankhamun·:

makara wasn’t easily impressed. from clothes and drinks to the people that she surrounded herself with ; everything had to perfect. she would never settle for something below her standards. but the more she was around halle, the more she genuinely appreciated her soothing presence. she was different, a mystic force that wore a pretty face. but when she heard her question, her smile grew wider. whenever makara spoke of her home she had to smile, it was something stronger than her, an invisible force capable of bewitching her lips. ancient ruins and hot sand mixed with modern creations and buildings - that was home. not the cold and gloomy london.  “ you should. and i genuinely hope that you’ll get a chance to try it one day. it’s the best coffee in the world. of course i miss it. i miss it more than anything else. coffee and baklava, and  basbousa and well all the other sweets, ’’ she chuckled lightly, trying to shake off the strange wave of melancholy that had washed over her. 

she followed the other girl, allowing halle to guide her and pull out a chair for her. she had wanted to take the lead, but alas, halle was quicker.  “ i adore the view. it’s breathtaking. you obviously know your way around here. and all the best seats, ’’ her last few words were followed by a quick wink, something rather casual and playful. 

 she leaned an arm on the table and propped her chin in her hand, focusing her attention once more on the girl. “ i like your rings and jewelry. they suit you quite well,  ’’ she commented and averted her gaze toward the menu.  “ do you have any recommendations? ’’almost every option on the menu seemed tempting. how could she order just one thing? how? 

“ hm, what do you think about … well how ‘bout we order every single thing on the menu? that could be fun? it would be my treat, of course. i feel like you deserve a small token of appreciation for all your hard work.  ’’

halle had tried baklava once or twice on her travels - there was a lebanese café beneath her hostel in budapest - but makara’s sincere reverence for the sweet made it sound holy. halle smiled reassuringly at her companion, allowing her to bask in memory for a while. when makara winked at her, halle laughed softly, dipping her head to one side. she felt bashful and playful, enjoying their back-and-forth. “this island has a lot of mysteries,” she added, taking her seat.

in moments of an absence of thought, halle did not drum her fingers, but rather swirled a fingertip or two in a circle. her hand was engaged in this light, unselfconscious movement when makara commented on its adornments. “thank you,” halle said sincerely. her eyes moved appreciatively to makara’s pearls, their opal lustre bright in the mid-afternoon sun, but she chose not to return the compliment: halle always found quick-return compliments disingenuous; even if it was true, it sounded grasped and forced. 

skipping her eyes over the menu - catch of the day, olive tapenade, lush crisp salads, halle was struggling to settle on just one recommendation. her eyebrows raised when makara suggested a sort of mezze, everything at once. halle bit her lip. it was a kind gesture, and a grand one, but she didn’t want to take advantage. “damn,” she said, laughing lightly, “you sure know how to treat a lady. there’s just one thing, um - i’m a vegetarian.” halle’s voice hitched, feeling suddenly self-conscious. she’d been vegetarian since she was nine, when her parents (both vegan) gave her the choice, but she worried how makara would take this rebuffal of her offer. this was odd, halle felt, since she never worried about others learning her views. and yet. “i’ll eat fish, here, since it’s super sustainable on the island. if you wanted to treat me to that,” she added, somewhat coyly.