"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
The audible crunch of the melting ground beneath his hooves barely registered in the ghostly equine's brain, of which was otherwise filled with fleeting thoughts of his own insignificance, let alone the insignificance of those around him. If only they knew, he mused to himself, how small they were in the grand scheme of things, they wouldn't be such ridiculous clowns. He was referring to, of course, the insanity of his previous temporary estate. When a yearling sat on the throne- you know it was about to be a giant shitshow. He shook his head, imagining just how long the hierarchy would last before being toppled with the slightest blow. Marienelli continued with his angsty musings, making his way out of the treeline with a gait that can be described as nothing else but 'unbothered'. Despite being in a new territory, Mar strolled with a calm demeanor that was typical of someone who had nothing else to lose, nor anything to gain for that matter. His aqua eyes searched the field lazily, not expecting to find anything of interest or concern. Most places were too enraptured in their own dramatic affairs to notice the arrival of a passerby, so Marienelli was used to floating through unnoticed. This was his routine- he arrived, observed the natural wonders and unyielding arrogance of those around for a few days, met some folks, realized that he was becoming attached, and moved on. He had been living the nomadic lifestyle since the age of three, when he escaped the pressure and prestige of domesticity.
Just thinking about it made him shudder.
Unruly grass and wildflowers tickled his fetlocks as he headed toward the roar of water conveniently placed in the center of the field... the center of commotion. Mar allowed himself a quick eyeroll and pushed onward into the crowd, weaseling his way through bodies without any disturbance. This was a skill that he had mastered at a young age, but in adulthood had become tricky due to his bulky figure. Still, he managed, and was soon secluded off to the side near the waterfall, occasionally putting his lips to the water in an effort to look preoccupied. He figured that here no one would bother him. Who would take interest in him anyway?
She'd been a wanderer all her life. Loved and lost and met many others in this strange land. And still she'd stayed the same. Same between black and white coat, same unruly mane, and the same searching need to seek out what wasn't there. Her son had left her side this last year, striking and curious. He would make her proud, she knew. But now... her gypsy feet brought her back to the place it began, back to the field. Wretched place. It was a gathering ground for lost souls seeking sanctuary. She fit the bill, again.
Cold earth beneath her feet, warm sun on her back. Spring had begun in earnest, and it would not be long before the meadows clamored with new life. A smokey smile lifted the corners of her lips. Imbolc had been a sweet bairn. His wild nature made him curious. She would have to visit him, soon. But for now, the roaned woman eyed the field. What would her next adventure be?
Stepping with a lively pace, she worked her way across the new grass shoots, spying at last her intended target. A bold coated fellow, similar to her own coloration. Taller by far, and muscled in a way that suggested cold blooded ancestors. More than that, it was his expression of jaded occupation that drew her in. Nothing like an angst ridden stallion to liven the day. Parked by the water, he was doing everything he could to look inconspicuous, which was having the precise opposite effect on her. She chuckled low in her throat as she approached, dipping her head in respectful greeting to belay her amusement. "Hello! What brings you to these parts, cher?" She asked the lost looking stag. Tickaani kept a steady distance, her eyes shining with the thrill of change .
and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
In the midst of a cloudy, obscure field, two mares romp as if through syrup. One glows a heavenly gold as she frolics, and the other gives of pleasant swirls of shadows that suggest earthiness more than they do evil. Between them, countless threads of indescribable love flow and flutter, binding them together as easily as the sun and the moon, too, are bound together. Irrevocably.
"You haven't been to the field lately."
Well, that's not exactly what the darker one expected to hear as they lilted through some ethereal version of the Abyss. The image glitches as her consciousness weasels its way into the dream, reminding her of her duties as Queen. The lithe mare moves as if to escape the grasp of these intrusive thoughts, but just as she's near to rejoining the angelic mare she calls Wife, the hands of her own being pluck her from the dream and plop her somewhere else entirely.
Well, fuck.
I'm standing in a corner of the field, bed-headed and bleary-eyed as sleep falls from me in buckets. Despite being one of only two dream manipulators present in Beqanna, and by far the senior of the two (considering that the other is my own son whom I am teaching these days), the dreams still manage to have their way with me every now and again. A part of me is thankful that it's no longer doing so by forcing me to birth literal demons into this world - buuuuut the part of me that has just been literally teleported away from my lover and back into the get up of a diplomatic queen is pretty cranky. Imagine having to get to work this way - you'd like, die. So yeah.
Debating whether I ought to turn right around and go back to Hyaline in a show of spite, I eventually settle my frazzled nerves enough to level with myself. I'm here now, I didn't have to spend any energy getting here, and I might as damn well do as my subconscious says and recruit somebody. After all, I believe that, despite our unimportance in the grand scheme of things, we each play an integral part in the functionings of day to day life, existential crisis be damned.
They look almost like disproportionate siblings I decide as I watch them get closer and closer. Or rather, as I watch the one approach the other; the draft is clearly acting the suave, uninterested bloke, whereas the filly (though I use that word only as it suits her disposition more than 'mare') flounces towards him eagerly. I can't quite tell whether the approacher belongs to a kingdom; she doesn't look familiar, though even in my position of power I can't presume to know all the inhabitants of Beqanna. Still, the vibes they throw off as one - stoic and energetic, jaded and free-spirited - draw me towards them like a moth to the flame.
And the gods, well, they want to see these moths burn.
I destroy the unified nature of their meeting as I walk towards them and settle, my mahogany-and-white coat colourful compared to their greyscale pallets. The antlers atop my head gleam slightly in the pale winter sunlight, arching wide and tall above us, though I do not position them in any threatening manner. Instead, I lower my Arabic head to them both, wondering as to the whereabouts of my familiar, though only momentarily. Panthera will do as she pleases, and I ought not waste time worrying about it.
"Hello," I offer in easy, smokey tones. A slight smile accompanies the words, softening the harsh angles of my well-bred features. "My name is Kagerus, I am a Caretaker of a land called Hyaline. From where do you both hail?" I pause, my nutmeg eyes drifting from the stallion to the mare. "And, pray tell, what are your names?"
@[Marienelli] @[Tickaani] Kag got really excited and wrote y'all a novel.
07-20-2018, 10:17 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2018, 10:19 PM by Marienelli.)
Well, shit.
He realized that his plan was foiled when a similarly colored mare flounced into his area, warmly bestowing her kindness on a most unamused subject. She seemed so... happy. So full of life. Her energy literally sapped his own and he gave an inaudible sigh, picking his head up from the current flowing in front of them. He gave her an obviously forced closed-mouth smile, trying his best to be polite. Besides, she hadn't done anything to him. Yet.
"Um... ah... hello. Uh, just.. chilling?" He replied with an unsure tone, trying to indulge the monotone-colored mare. It was painfully obvious that he didn't interact much with others, though he was trying to hide that fact by retaining the same borderline creepy smile from before. Maybe if I keep smiling, she'll go away? He thought, and the idea seemed reasonable.
Until well shit number two.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." He mumbled to himself, turning to face the colorful antlered mare, his smile slowly becoming more and more strained. She was a sight to behold, but she wasn't out of the ordinary for a place like this. At least, not for what little he'd seen so far. She had a calm voice, unlike the first mare whose voice was so full of cheer that he was sure she'd chewed a few weeds in her lifetime.
The girly with the antlers regally stated her name, occupation, and residence. It almost made Marienelli want to laugh and ask for proof of citizenship, but she didn't seem the type to think it was very funny. What was she so haughty for anyway- it's not like she's 'Queen of whateverthisplace'snameis'. His brows rose, and before he could stop himself-
"Hyaline? Like, the cartilage? Sounds stable." He said, humor filling his voice but not his face. He had learned some basic anatomy crap from one of the places he had stayed at last and boy, did he think it would never come in handy. He waited a moment for the joke to sink in before actually answering, looking to both of the mares as he spoke. "Anyway, my name is Marienelli, but please, call me Marienelli. I'm not from around here and I don't know where I've been so you and I have the same question, love, but no answer." He said the last part directly to Miss Antlers, aka Kagerus with a glint of pain in his eyes. It was gone in a flash as he turned his icy blue eyes back to Sister Joy, waiting for her real name so that he could stop with the nicknames inside of his head despite the pride he took in coming up with them.
He was standoffish and leery of her, it was clear. Perhaps with some care she might convince him that she wasn't out to get him. Like approaching a baby fawn. Yeah. And then... Kagerus. She'd never interacted with the woman during her time in Hyaline, sticking to the edges while her son was small. But the distinctive coated mare was familiar, if a bit hornier than before. Pretty, powerful, with an aura that made it plain that she knew she was all that and a bucket of apples. A heady laugh was stifled quickly at his cartilage comment. Well. Hyaline could be considered more stable than most, anyway.
Tick puffed a breath through her lips, smiling faintly as the mighty Kagerus went about her introductions. She's got a pleasant voice, to be sure. A voice that was made for pillow talk. With a courteous dip of her dark head, the roan sat back on her hip in carefree greeting. "I'm Tickaani, though most folk know me as just Tick. Most recently hailing from your very own Hyaline, but figure I could do with a change of pace. Never could get these feet of mine to stay in one place long." She shrugged a shoulder, unapologetic. There one day, gone the next. Tick was well aware that she did not constitute prime kingdom material. They tended to prefer those who held a sense of land loyalty about them, which was something she just couldn't quite muster. Sweeping a look at the tall fellow, Marienelli, was it? Now that was a mouthful of vowels. He might do better as a kingdom dweller, you could never tell.
and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
"I'm actually only fucking my wife these days, but I'm flattered that you think I've got that much game." My quip comes without hesitation in response to the words muttered beneath the stallion's breath, an instinctual response as I am faced with the defensive and haughty nature of the male before me. His smile is straining to stay just that, twisting and deflating like a rabbit under the hoof; as if to keep the balance of things, my own smile only grows. Ah, to be such a diamond in the rough; I would give much for that kind of naivety again.
From there come more quips on the part of the stallion, a jibe about the meaning of my kingdom's name. I'd actually not heard of that interpretation before, and so I lower my head obligingly. "Rightfully so, I suppose." Lifting beantlered head, I perk my small ears to listen to the rest of what the stallion has to say. Marienelli, he introduces himself, a feminine mouthful - it suits the roguish stallion. There's a flash of a new kind of emotion in the depths of his icy blue eyes - but before I can accurately analyze it, he is turning to look upon she who now speaks.
Tickaani, she introduces herself, and from Hyaline. A pang of guilt runs through me as she states this, and I waste no time after her spiel to express this sentiment. "I am so sorry to have never met you within our own borders, Tickaani - we have many residents coming and going as is encouraged by our sanctuary kingdom. I hope you are able to find a place to rest your feet;" a benedictine smile colours my expression, "Even if that place is not Hyaline."
Turning, I focus my attention back on the black and white stallion before me. "As you have heard, Hyaline is a sanctuary kingdom. We harbour any and all who need time to heal or hide, as long as they are not criminals or scoundrels. I am one of two queens guiding the politics of our kingdom, and we are in grievous need of soldiers to guard and protect our refugees." A wicked smirk shifts my expression, head tilting in accompaniment. "But with that silver tongue of yours... I am sure we could find room for you in the ranks of our diplomats."
@[Marienelli] @[Tickaani]
SO SORRY FOR THE LONG LONG WAIT! I am 100% back now!
07-31-2018, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 07-31-2018, 08:23 PM by Marienelli.)
I AM A BED OF COALS AND YOUR MOUTH SETS FIRE TO PARTS OF ME I FORGOT I COULD FEEL.
Marienelli listened politely to the two women in his midst, itching to simply turn and walk away but fighting the automatic response that he had instilled within himself years earlier. Tickaani, is it? he mused, rolling the name around in his mind. It had a nice ring and was easy enough to say. He nodded to acknowledge the monotone-colored mare's little speech about Hyaline. His icy eyes slowly wandered back to the warm toned princess once she'd started to speak. "Ha-ha." He replied, sarcasm oozing from his burly voice. He watched the to mares reprise their sentiments toward each other, his plastic grin finally slipping from his porcelain lips. So, the two lived in the same kingdom and didn't even know who the other was? A single brow rose as the stallion considered this fact and compared it to the kingdoms he had been a part of before. This seemed to be a recurring theme- the hierarchy rarely knew their subjects, and vice versa.
A kingdom could get into a lot of trouble that way.
He shook his head slightly in passive disappointment until being addressed once more by Lady Kagerus. She spoke of her kingdom favorably, playing it out to be some sort of "melting pot" for the lost and abandoned. Did he fit into that category? Of course, his subconscious whispered. Shoving the question down into the depths of his mental filing cabinet, he continued to listen to Kagerus speak. "Uh, Lady, you've got a damn bad taste in strangers. I'm not the kind of guy you want hanging around- for anything. I'd only fuck it up, and then what would you do? That's right, be full of misery and regret, just like the rest of us. I appreciate the offer, but me and my silver tongue seem to be doing just fine where we are." He dipped his head in respect. He had nothing to offer her- sure, he had experience to look back on, a knack for manipulation, and an intimidating presence to boot, but like he said, he'd only make her sorry she'd ever met him. Marienelli desperately craved to be a part of something, but he was honestly terrified of the responsibility. Or terrified of the commitment it would require. Either way, the idea of belonging made him both hopeful and nervous as hell. He looked back and forth between the two mares, and made a decision. "Tell you what," he spoke decidedly, "If Tickaani comes back, I'll come too. And we might can discuss a potential career for my future. Kapeesh?"
@[Tickaani] @[Kagerus]
MARIENELLI I JUST KEEP ON WISHIN' THAT THE MONEY MADE YOU STAY
![[Image: kag]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/2e8039018ce4dff6112c167ec23e886a/tumblr_p72zjit7wC1s5a0qvo1_100.png)
