[private] It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Printable Version +- Beqanna (https://beqanna.com/forum) +-- Forum: OOC (https://beqanna.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=24) +--- Forum: Archive (https://beqanna.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=81) +---- Forum: Lands (https://beqanna.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=98) +----- Forum: Brilliant Pampas (https://beqanna.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=103) +----- Thread: [private] It's crazy what you'll do for a friend (/showthread.php?tid=29979) Pages:
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It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Obscene - 08-08-2021 I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
Since he had been spit back into the wildflowers (when the lion had roared and charged and with a blink of an eye he was back into the world he knew), he had been avoiding his Seneschal. There wasn’t one definitive reason of why. Part of it was what he had discovered about himself in that outer world, the epiphany he had about what lived within him. Another was the growing restlessness and sense of distance that he felt growing between them. Built on a seed of mistrust planted by Reave regarding the Heir of the South. Speaking of the Heir… his tentative meeting with Cheri in the meadow, that conversation of a wary truce… There was no one reason he had been avoiding her but he knows he cannot do it forever. Despite the jumble of his confusion, the mixed bag of emotions that he still can’t fully (refuses to) understand, he cares deeply for the striped mare. She had been the first in many ways. The first to follow him when he had claimed the Pampas, the first to see worth in him that he still doesn’t always see in himself. She was his first lover and he cannot deny that space, however big or small, that she takes in his wilted little heart. Most of all Aela was his closest friend, the first one he could consider as such anyways. And that meant something regardless if they both liked it or not. It is a late summer day and the sun is high in the sky as he parts the wildflowers with his broad sable body, adorned in the familiar dust of glittered gold with the added new addition of the sparkling gold stars patterned across his chest. Spring had passed quietly with none of the repercussions he had worried about from his fall activities surfacing to haunt him. His craving for the golden Empath had not ebbed in his time away from her and it surfaces now when he spots her familiar figure in the heart of the Pampas, stirring those muddled thoughts and feelings into a new frenzy. They have both been keeping busy in their own ways. Would she be angry with him when he tells her of his trip to Hyaline? And that he had done so out of his concern and worry for her? What will she say when he brings up his meeting with Cheri? Would she lie to his face and insist not knowing the thread of blood that ties those two together, the one Reave had informed him of? Would there ever be a line he could cross that would bring her true feelings to the surface? Would he ever know where exactly they stood with each other or was this a tentative dance they would do for years to come? Questions, so many questions. “Aela.” His voice is gruffer then usual but it carries a hint of warmth that he carries just for her. She is stunning in the sparkling golden sunlight, radiating beams of hazy brightness behind her as if they came from some inner glow of hers and not from the burning star in the sky. He can feel a certain wariness running an invisible hand through the golden ribbons tied into his raven mane, as if sensing this conversation might be different to ones from the past. obscene @Aela RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Aela - 08-11-2021 YOU'RE ONLY AS SICK AS YOUR SECRETS RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Obscene - 08-12-2021 I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
He had not missed the new scents and faces amongst the flowers and so he finds his characteristic smirk as he replies jovially enough. “I have.” His crimson gaze looks her over thoughtfully before he steps closer to her, closing the small distance between them to press his muzzle to the curve of her jaw. Regardless of the conflicting emotions and uncertain thoughts he had regarding Cheri, he did care deeply for the striped mare before him. However much creatures like them can love another. “As have you.” He murmurs before pulling away and creating space between them again. Different to the way he had once plundered the golden plains of her skin in discussions like these before but things had changed. He had changed...a little. And he was focused on what he needed to tell her, of those memories that she was already piecing together. It was just a matter of where to start. He has no intention of keeping any of his recent meetings from her but everything that he had been up to in recent months was a mix of good and bad and so he is uncertain of where to begin. So he starts with what she had been doing as he glances over the flowered meadows of his territory, catching a few figures silhouetted against the golden summer light. A flicker of warmth reaches the bright red of his eyes as he scans the beauty of the land, the Pampas were an idyllic place to live after all and they had created something here. Something tangible and real. Something he can't imagine having done with anyone other than her. “I see we have some guests. Anyone in particular I should be greeting personally?” He asks as he brings himself out of his reflection of pride and looks at her again. He had intended to leave it there until he catches the constellation scattered across her haunches. How had he missed that before? He steps towards her again, his muzzle running along the pattern as his eyes darken. As he glances down at his own stars glinting across his chest. “Where did you get these?” He asks quietly, turning his vibrant gaze back to her with a penetrating stare. obscene @Aela RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Aela - 08-15-2021 YOU'RE ONLY AS SICK AS YOUR SECRETS RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Obscene - 08-16-2021 I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
There is no denying his attraction to the striped Seneschal and it goes beyond her physical beauty. She is a dangerous and deceptive woman, an enigma he’s never been able to solve. As her lips find his neck he visibly unwinds, the uncertainty and resentment fading piece by piece as it always does when he was so close to her. However they both seem focused on other things today as she pulls away when he does to answer the question he had asked of her. “A leader?” He asks, visibly impressed. She had been busy, hadn’t she? He didn’t know much about the sub-kingdoms of Tephra, they hadn’t interested him as a child and they don’t much interest him now, but holding on to one of their leaders sparks an idea and he makes a mental note to seek out their captives as soon as he is able. “Does this leave Islandres open for the taking?” He asks, two ideas now in his head. What would it mean for them to take one of the islands? What if the Pampas became more than just a sub-kingdom to Loess? Just as Aela hated the North for reasons she kept to herself, he hated the ash-lands and everything they had stood for. All the lies and memories that he wishes he could forget. Destroying that place doesn't sound so bad after all. She brings up the quietness of the area and he sees an opportunity here (one of many) to discuss one of the important things on his docket. “Tephra might not be quiet for much longer.” He says to her, fixing the mare with his bloody gaze and watching to see if he might wipe away her disappointment. “I’ve met with Gale.” He says, waiting with interest to see how she would react to this and then going forward in recounting the entirety of that meeting to her. Including the deal that the Curse and he had discussed. “Shall I pluck the child from the kingdom?” He finally asks her, loathing the thought of his hooves hitting those black sands again but unwilling to let anyone else collect the filly. The child that they may or may not return to Hyaline. As his lips trace the constellations engraved across her haunches they both think of the Pampas Champion that they had not seen over the past few months. Both recalling the star-touched stallion with a mirage of mixed feelings. When she speaks of the dream he finally pulls away, catching the way she looks at his own chest with recognition. “But it wasn’t.” He responds darkly, unhappy that she too had been pulled into that other world. Wondering if they had both faced the same monsters or if they had battled different things. “It wasn’t a dream.” He says as she reaches for him, as he focuses on the way she traces the stars and growls softly with approval. “She marked you as well.” She says and he is confused, wondering who exactly she is. After Carnicus it had all seemed to glitch out and go wrong and he can’t really remember what he had seen before he had been whisked away and returned to the flowered lands. However he can still see the black dragon staring at him. He cannot forget its serpentine smile. He pulls away from her again as he remembers what he was, what he would become, a fate he cannot change. And it brings all that mistrust and suspicion back to the surface to the point where he needs to know once and for all just how much he can trust her. “Your brother paid a visit the other day. I wasn’t aware that you two seem to be related to the whole of Beqanna.” obscene @Aela RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Aela - 08-18-2021 She nearly purrs at his question of her theft of Islay. They doused your soul in water, @Obscene RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Obscene - 08-23-2021 I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
She teases him with whispered promises of steals and he shudders pleasantly beneath her warm breath, enjoying how close she is against him. For a moment his meeting with Cheri is forgotten, chased away by the sweetness of the flowers that clings to her golden pelt. He finds himself wanting to raise that same wanting in her, one that she seems open to by the implication in her tone, as he growls low to her… “What if Tephra was to lose one of its territories? Guide me Seneschal.” He demands, low and gruff as his muzzle trails lazily down the length of her neck, pinching the skin near the base of her mane through blunted teeth. It doesn’t take much to convince her when it comes to the deal with Gale. He had never doubted that it would, knowing Aela’s natural affinity for stirring the pot. However he is torn on returning the girl or keeping her for themselves. Although they had both purposely left out exact wording regarding Sickle’s final destination, it would be a game of chess to see how they interpreted each others meanings. One that could raise them high or bite them completely in the ass. He figures the first step is getting the filly in the first place and then worrying about the rest of it after. He almost misses the word “playmate” but he refocuses on her even as he brushes over her star speckled haunches. He responds to Tephra first. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind.” He mocks her gently, laughing softly into the sun of her skin. “Fyr?” He finally asks her, not sure if she had said fire or fear and confused by both meanings in further reflection. “What’s a Fyr?” The mood shifts and everything turns on its hinges as they break apart and face each other. He can see the flare of her temper in the coolness of her oceanic eyes despite the smile on her lips. He in turn only seems to visibly harden as his own gaze sharpens with displeasure. It is only the fire that first distracts him from the clicking of scales as they scatter across his smooth skin. He catches it out of the corner of a crimson eye as if flares around her hooves. His own temper cools enough to catch her story and he finally loosens a breath from his tightly wound chest and flexes a muscle in his jaw as she mentions Loess, instantly catching on to the true meaning of her words. “I was getting to that.” He responds coolly, watching her carefully as he tries to assess the root of her irritation. “Cheri as the new Heir of Loess has some plans that might interest us. She’s arranging some sort of gathering with some of the North to discuss it. I believe your brother will be in attendance.” He pauses, considering her sullenly for a moment. “Obviously your attendance would be appreciated.” He falls silent for awhile, watching the way the light plays across the curve of her face and feeling himself at a sudden invisible crossroads. She is beautiful but as much as he wants to touch her... he can't seem to unwind that firm knot of doubt in his chest. He can relate to the golden mare better than anyone. Being abandoned by their families, being born different. He does feel for her, that subtle pain that they both ignore and pretend doesn't affect them in the least. Yet he can't shake this feeling, this invisible wall that he seems to slam into when it comes to her. “What are we doing Aela?” He finally asks, unable to keep the question to himself anymore. obscene @Aela RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Aela - 08-27-2021 Obscene shudders beneath her touch - and despite that the way she can't fight off so many unfamiliar feelings between them - this is familiar. The attraction between them is like wildfire; once the spark lights, there is no stopping the way that desire burns through them. For Aela, it flows molten through her veins and the palomino presses her gilded skin suggestively against the onyx stallion. They doused your soul in water, @Obscene RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Obscene - 08-29-2021 I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
It is always easy to fall into his desire, the one thing he has never doubted is her enjoyment in these entanglements, that she likes it as much as he does. Over the course of two years he has familiarized himself with the curves of her body and he is an expert at finding those places that might illicit more from the small devious mare. She presses against him and he in return curves himself around her. As if nothing had changed, as if it never would. She reads his thoughts effortlessly and he whicker’s softly into her mane with approval, teasing a loose strand of her wild blonde hair as she speaks the idea aloud. “Would an island please you?” He asks her quietly, a coaxing question meant to allure her in more ways than one. “Better yet, shall I bring you the redwoods on a silver platter?” A gift, for her loyalty and the hard work she had put in. He knows that the Pampas wouldn’t have risen nearly as quickly without her, a fact that he has never denied. Together they had turned the simple territory into something else. Something bigger than the both of them. It only makes the uncertainty between them that much harder. As for the situation in the East, there is not a doubt in his suspicious mind that Gale’s promise to leave the Pampas untouched is an empty one. It’s a thought she could easily pluck from his mind, if only by looking at the skepticism in his eyes. Only a fool would trust the words of the devil and he trusts the navy stallion as far as he can throw him. Which isn’t much at all. Holding on to Sickle is a dangerous path but a tempting one. Depending on what they find in Tephra, he wonders if information would keep the thing in Hyaline off their backs even more so than a child that Gale hadn’t bothered to take himself. The plotting between them dies, for now, as topics change and he realizes that he’s missed quite a bit himself in his time away from her. The boy she shows him makes him still and that flare of jealousy baits the snake within when she calls the colt “hers” but it fades quickly beneath the confusion that floods in. The boy holds the same spots as his mother and for a moment he wonders…. No. He hadn’t been gone that long to notice if Aela had grown round with child. Besides, she had made her thoughts on autumn shenanigans quite clear. It takes him a second, past the shock of jaguar dapples, to watch the colt raise flowers of fire and he can clearly see the outline of the Den behind him. As the image fades, he doesn’t miss the pride in her gaze which is another new surprise to him. He hadn’t taken her for the motherly sort. What else had he missed about his Seneschal? “Well done.” He finally says (truthful enough for the child was obviously powerful and beautiful), still perturbed by the colt’s uncanny resemblance to his own family line as well as the way he wielded his fire so deftly. He makes a point to find this boy later and see him in the flesh, oblivious as always to the scattering of scales raising patterns along his midnight coat as his temper begins to churn and spread. Speaking of Loess only makes it worse. The fire is new. He’s sure he would have remembered it from before and perhaps he had thought it a trick of the light. But now it flares around them and he thinks he catches flames in her eyes even as she is quick to extinguish it. He is thoughtful as he considers her, despite the creeping tension, and wonders where those had come from. His father had once been wreathed in flames and where one might flinch from them, he only steps closer. He can feel the edges of contentment where he was sure there had once been anger and he frowns slightly as he looks at her. “If the North has a problem with your attendance then I will firmly remind them of the favor I did for the Isle.” He says quietly, still shielding her from the brunt of the chilly winds despite the distance that had grown between them. The healing of the star mare and her gruesome broken body still linger in the back of his mind, an image he recalls when he reminds himself how lucky he is to no longer be mortal. And then they arrive to the inevitable, the conversation they had been beating around the bush for months if not longer. When it came to Aela, he had willingly submitted to her whims and destructive whimsy time and time again. It had never been a problem before and in certain context he would continue to let her pull his strings. But he no longer wanted to be only her puppet. Over the course of their complex relationship she has worn many titles. Seneschal on the surface, friend and lover just below, and on a deeper level something more that he still couldn’t find the words to say. The blurred lines hadn’t mattered before but now they suddenly did. He had not missed the way his two elite would huddle close to each other the few times he had caught them scheming in the distance. And while the star studded stallion often kept to himself, he hadn’t missed that subtle connection between the two when he had first met the mimic. He had seen it from the very beginning. When he had looked at him and saw himself reflected back in more ways than one, his strengths and his weaknesses. The Pampas Champion seemed to easily fit against the pieces of her where he struggled to connect. Neither had a right to claim anything on the other. Both were guilty of their own discretions (he much more than her) but the tentative truce that had somehow arisen between himself and the crystal Heir of Loess had hollowed something more in him. And the piece of himself that Cheri had managed to pry loose now left him exposed to certain elements that he hadn’t felt before. She speaks of Sickle and his gaze darkens. Yes, they were going to steal the girl but her deflection is duly noted and hangs heavy in his chest, wrapping around the shriveled thing that he assumes must be his heart. And then she asks the question that brings it all to a grinding halt. What did he want? “You.” He finally says, unwavering as he steps close to her again, his muzzle possessive against her golden cheek for a moment before he swings it away and brings it to his chest while arching his broad neck. “I would have all of you Aela. Not just parts of you.” He finally confesses, his crimson eyes blazing as he smirks at her and writhes with a new uncomfortable feeling that has nothing to do with the serpent within. “But that’s not possible is it?” He finally says as he looks past her to the expansive land of hill, stone, and dying flowers around them. “How is Skandar?” He finally says (a little too calmly) when the pause becomes pregnant enough, when his knowing gaze falls back into the brilliant blue of hers. It hadn’t seem to matter before, each of them turning a blind eye to the blatantly obvious. He didn’t want to turn his head anymore. If anything Aela had done her job well on him after all. She had stoked his ambition, had made him see the possibilities of himself that had been submerged beneath a dark murky surface, had made him want just a little bit more. Once he had thought the two of them would rule the world. They still just might but not in the way he had originally thought or hoped for. obscene @Aela RE: It's crazy what you'll do for a friend - Aela - 08-30-2021 It is easy to fall into the rumblings of his desire. This is a game that the pair have played time and time again, and the outcome always yields a mutual benefit (or so Aela thought): the two of them come together in more ways than one to make this once-empty territory a thriving one. Their numbers were growing, they were gaining a reputation, and they came together in an understanding that came from the twining of limbs, shuddering sighs, and gasping groans. They doused your soul in water, @Obscene |