"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
10-31-2016, 12:36 AM (This post was last modified: 11-05-2016, 10:04 AM by Stillwater.)
ooc: he went on a bit of a rant. feel free to skip to the last four paragraphs or so
Stillwater
It seemed his perfect coastline could no longer hold him. He'd chosen to exile himself from the place they'd named Nerine. What once was a peaceful solitude, quickly grew to a raucous disturbance of bickering wretches. Even the walls of his cavern below the sea could not restrain their squawking from his sanctuary. All they ever did was fuss at each other and whine, make demands and look down on her.
Why their queen did not line them up and flay some respect into the insulting peons was beyond him. He'd nearly done it himself. But he saw the writing on the walls, and he wasn't about to stick around for the filthy mess they would soon make of his little paradise.
They walked all over her. She was queen, but they were the rulers. Somehow these archaic, primitive barbarians could form speech and control her. All the deals and promises he and his queen could have made would have been meaningless. It would hold no weight when the squabbling brats talked over her and made their own demands on him. And she would have let them. Initiation ritual?
Over their dead bodies.
He'd already seen what was to come. They'd make their noise, then the whole territory would grow quiet. An uproar would flare up suddenly, and in the wake and ripples of its passing her kingdom would fall to rubble and dust. And he sure as hell wouldn't be there when it happened.
He'd left immediately and gone underground, isolating himself completely until they would forget he even existed. Out of sight, out of mind. Like he was never there.
Now he was in this hell-hole of a hodge-podge of bodies like some vagrant. The caves at the edge of the Meadow could hardly be called such; pathetic, shallow scoops out of the earth. Nothing like the intricate passageways of his glorious cavern. Some other poor bastard was confined to them as well.
For the most part, the two of them had kept out of each other's hair. On the rare occasion they did cross paths, they said nothing; only nodded to their fellow recluse and kept right on with their business. It was an unspoken arrangement: I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.
At dusk, most of the bums skittered off to their own little corners of the world. He'd wait until night had fully fallen before venturing out into the open to feed. Normally his dark coat swallowed the dim moonlight and shrouded him in anonymity. But tonight he'd enjoyed his dip in the tide and the light danced along his wet spine like glittering stars.
A presence eventually came forward. He ignored it. Sometimes they did that, approached him and expect him to spout off pleasantries. His endless silence usually got the point across, so he didn't even hesitate and kept right on grazing. Shoo now, don't bother me.
come down to the black sea swimming with me go down with me, fall with me, lets make it worth it
the grey girl loves the night. as she is pale, it never covers her or protects her from unseeing eyes. but she loves the solitude of it, of the twinkling of celestial beings millions of light years away, and how her silver moon waxes and wanes. she loves that the sky is the same but never really the same; the stars change their bearings and residences as the mortals seem to do.
nighttime shadows create stark contrasts against the landscape as she studies her surroundings. her desire to see more of beqanna has fueled her, so she has explored every inch of the meadow. it almost has started to feel like a home as she become more acquainted with the creeks and crevices, the wide open grasses, and small streams that line the landscape. she has begun to even sense who is here often and what faces and smells are new to her.
she sensed him long before she saw him. she could almost feel the vibrations off him, giving off a sense of foreboding and not very amiable. so she avoids it in her exploits, her only intent to find a new corner of the meadow. she dances through her treeline path, moving assuredly between the roots and vines that seem to harbor at the edge of the meadow. she has done this so many times now it has become second nature to her, something as easy as breathing.
but then something different catches the corner of her eye and aletta can't help herself. she is intrigued. she pauses, even feeling as if she has slowed her breathing down as she watches him. it is almost eerie, a black sheen against the blanket of darkness. she has to see it closer, and her feet simply keep moving forward though some small part of her says stop.
but each step closer brings a more vivid image, the uncertain form turning into a dark stallion who has been... swimming. it seems such an odd thing to do at such an hour, but who is she to judge? she is a night wanderer when she should be sleeping, safely tucked away in some corner. she is tempted to keep on going by, but the idea of a late night swim has filled her with such mirth she is almost bubbling over with it. and still a few strides away, aletta asks "how was your swim?" her mind is merry with thoughts, like a schoolgirl giddy with laughter. but aletta simply looks on the stranger, trying to keep her features placid and neutral.
aletta
the innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time.
Flying at night was perhaps even more intriguing than doing it during the day. Don’t get her wrong, Gyps loves flying as the sun warms her back and casts her rays on the land below her, but the night – with only the limited night provided by the stars – was mysterious and alluring in its own way. Soon the black and blue mare would have to change her occasional life in the sky for one on the ground. Her barrel had already started to swell a bit and a pair of keen eyes should be able to recognize the early stages of pregnancy. Even though Gyps loved the sky, she was mature enough to value her child over her own desires.
Even from the sky it was easy to make out the pale form of a horse, as it slowly neared the water bank. The movement at night – while most other horses chose to rest – sparked her curiosity right away. Gyps was still young and often driven by youthful desires and ambitions. Probably because a part of her youth had been stolen from her, as she had been given away as payment for her mother’s freedom. So even though she was a mother-to-be, the blue haired mare didn’t even try to fight some of her still childish characteristics.
It is only when she’s almost ready to land that she recognizes the dark but glistering stallion. He had been hidden from her view, his coat too dark to notice from the even darker sky. She lands a little distance away, with a soft thud as her hooves hit the ground. Gyps doesn’t even try to hide her presence, ruffling her wings before she folds them against her side. Blue and black, with some white painting on her head and legs. ”Hi there” she greets the duo once she’s near enough, arriving just in time to hear the pale mare ask the dark one about his swim. ”What a silly time to go out for a swim, but I’d have to admit, bathing underneath a starry sky does have something alluring and exciting.”
She closes some of the distance between them almost casually, only dropping her head in a silent greeting as she’s sure that they are both able to actually notice it. ”I’m Gyps.” With that and a friendly smile, she makes her way towards the water, to lessen her thirst.
They came at him at once. His standoffish quiet did not sway them. With a soft thud, the one fell from the stars just as the other was nearly bubbling with questions. And she did then; inquired after his slick, damp coat with a soft, angelic voice. He kept a tilted ear on the other at his back, lifting his head from his meal to stare into the Moonchild's eager eyes. With a deceptively steady "how was your swim?" he sensed a control over her emotions and almost smirked.
Then little Starfall stepped in.
"What a silly time to go out for a swim," she said in her own sweetly casual voice, "but I'd have to admit, bathing underneath a starry sky does have something alluring and exciting." And with a toss of her name -Gyps, a dip of her head and a smile, she sidled over to the water's edge.
Her flippant comment grated on him, but he only stared at her back in silence. He hadn't been bathing. With how often he melted with the tide he hadn't a need for cleansing like the rest of them. And he'd do it whenever he damn well pleased. No longer chained to another's schedule, not even Lady Time could hold him to Her whims. That Naga queen had no idea how much power over him she'd let slip through her grasp.
But his power was his now.
How was his swim?
Perhaps you could join me next time, he offered with a slow smile, and decide for yourself. His darkness shifted so that he could hold both his star and his moon in view. Water pooled at his feet like ink, a serial drip that collected then slid along his torso and legs. Collected again, slid again. Gyps drank from his ocean, and he looked to the other in neutral kindness.
With eyes the color of shadows in the loch, he held the Moonchild's gaze. There was an air of invitation. He'd meant his offer. Come. Join me in the water. He stared a few moments longer, locked on her glittering eyes. How would that glowing white coat look drenched in the darkness of the sea? Would she still shine so brightly? He sensed something change just in the slightest, and his smile grew. Gyps finished her drink and he broke his link with the Moon, dark gray-blue eyes met the Star this time.
Tell me, do you swim?
come down to the black sea swimming with me go down with me, fall with me, lets make it worth it
aletta has a moment when she comes into his full view, feels his eyes on her, and she struggles for her words. her query had been playful (though still curious) and when he hadn't answered right away, she felt herself grow uneasy, unsure. it was something that she wasn't familiar with for aletta had always been herself, simply asked and said the things she thought, and had no afterthoughts or regrets. but when she starts to answer him, gyps saunters in and aletta is almost smitten with her. she takes in the mares wings, her beautifully colored mane and tail, and her early secret. (it was easy to notice with the slight swell of the barrel).
the mare seems brash, she has no qualms of what she has said, and she simply drinks from the lake. aletta momentarily shifts her focus on the mare, watching and waiting for something, some type of introduction. and she gets her introduction, gyps. and then aletta catches a quick, fleeting glance of stillwater, his gaze focusing on gyps and then moving away. aletta finally lets out her lilting laughter, no longer able to keep it from bubbling over. she smiles to both of them, "ah well, flexibility seems much more enjoyable over predictability. even if it seems a bit silly." she shares a secret smile with gyps, to engage her in a little teasing.
her eyes lock back with stillwater, locking for a moment. join me in the water, he says. and feels herself struggling for a reply, a right answer (if there is one). but she lets the struggle go, and shrugs her shoulder in a friendly banter. "perhaps i might." the girl smiles (almost shyly), "simply extend the invitation next time." but there is a flicker of something in those dark eyes (something fiery, gutsy) that aletta hasn't experienced before. and she enjoys it.
aletta
the innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time.
Well of course he draws them in. Or well, it had actually been the pale mare that had caught Gyps’ attention from high up in the sky, but even so, it wasn’t that strange that they had come. After all, only a few souls roamed at night. That didn’t make them bad or dark or dangerous, Gyps herself was out too after all, but it did hold something mysterious. And the black and blue woman was all for adventures, especially now she still could. Andras probably disagreed with her, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t harm him, or so she thought.
When she lifts her head, the glistering droplets roll down her skin and lips, before dripping in the same water as they had come from. Her ear had twisted in the pale one’s direction. What she had said caused Gyps’ lips to curl up, sharing an amused look with the other mare. ”When was life ever predictable?” she asks in return, fully smiling now. ”It is flexibility and the unknown that add a fun and thrilling twist to it.” For a moment she wonders where her words come from, what made her say them. She of all knew how unknown turns and twists could be bad as well as good.
With the dark and pale one in a conversation together, Gyps took a few steps forward. He had made her curious, curious enough to explore the water by herself. Was it really as good as he tried to make them believe? Anyway, she didn’t venture in far, just until the water stood to her fetlocks. She had to admit, the cool water felt nice against her skin. Turning around she meets his gaze, this time his question is directed at her, instead of at the pale mare. ”I can’t say I can, but I also cannot say I can’t.” Gyps had never tried to swim before, so she honestly doesn’t know. ”Guess I will have to try one day.”
Once she had stood into water that reached till her stomach, and wet the tips of her wings as she flared them widely in an attempt to scare a stallion away. But that stream hadn’t been fit for swimming, the tide was too strong. After that time Gyps hadn’t even thought of venturing into water that deeply, but she couldn’t say it didn’t intrigue her. Perhaps it was just as wonderful as flying. ”You talk casually about swimming, even inviting one to join, but at the same time you haven’t introduced yourself. You both know my name, but yours are still a mystery to me.” Although she seriously is interested to learn their names, her tune is playful and teasing, just as the slight glister in her eyes as they move from the dark to the pale figure. ”Care to enlighten me?”
They tittered and tattered as old maids do, plucking painfully at his ears with their nonsensical chatter. It became more effort to hold a friendly face to them through the annoyance. His patience was thinning.
It wasn't their fault, not fully. What he really wanted was his goddamn cave back. Each day that passed out in this horrid meadow was another day he spent plotting his way back to Nerine. To run the damn place himself, if he must, since clearly no one else would do so. Weak bastards.
Ah, but that shy smile of the Moon reeled him back in, snatched his attention and temporarily buried the dark thoughts of Nerine. His ears tipped forward in interest, his eyes sliding to her lips. But alas, she denied the silent invitation in his eyes to enter the water, to join him. With a vague offer of "next time", she quieted.
He held his smile on her a long moment, imagining her lunar figure returning someday to fulfill that offer, glowing in the night like his very own lighthouse as she did now. Maybe she would come again, or maybe she would only be forgotten in time like a vague memory. They were such fickle things, memories.
The other was talking, prattling on about who knows what. Then it seemed she was inquiring to their names. Ah, little star. It is the very moon beside you, our Luna. He looked to the pale woman again, a wolfish grin on his face. The two of them were so fitting, the missing elements to his night. He was the darkness, and they the light. This was beginning to get fun.
Stillwater, he said smoothly, so easily. It was what mothers warned their children of; Be wary of the still waters, they would say. Don't stray too close, don't look too deep. Don't heed the whispers of the undines and water spirits, for not all were benevolent. Don't tangle with the Loch Ness. But even he knew that serpent was just a lazy old hag depending on her legend to frighten away the ones that would hunt her. Old and feeble.
He, on the other hand, was the hunter.
What brings two angels from the sky in the middle of the night? he asked, black hair still curled and dripping with the tears of the sea.
come down to the black sea swimming with me go down with me, fall with me, lets make it worth it
