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    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    we are crooked souls trying to stand up straight || any
    #1
    there was a heaven in you
    but god there's a devil in me
    He can still taste it.

    It’s on his breath with each shuddering inhale and exhale, lingering like bile or rot on his tongue with each gurgling cough that quakes his lungs. It’s in his muscle and bone; buried deep in tissues and joints, attacking each part of him with a salivating hunger. It’s beyond a sickness, beyond a disease - it’s a curse, bred from hatred and dark magic, coiling itself into his chest like a viper, dripping poison into his veins.

    It’s killing him and he knows it.

    It’s killing him and they know it.

    Carnage’s request would not come without repercussions - this, Warrick knew. Even so, he still obeyed like the dutiful son he was always meant to be to a once nameless father and his starry-eyed mother. His quest had not been about him (is anything ever?) and even now, as a cancer seeks to destroy each part of him, he is worried for his family and his people.

    Not anymore, he corrects himself with a tightly closing squeeze of his oceanic blue eyes, pain burning deep within his soul. He has lost them (though they are not truly lost, his people) and it is because of Carnage.

    “And because you were incapable of protecting them in the first place.”

    The voice is not his own, one that has only started after his few days in his coma. It’s never left him since that moment - a sickly sweet voice that plagues his inner thoughts, droning in monologues when his mind decides to be quiet, a darkness that seems to be its very own entity. Perhaps it is Pangea herself.

    He had awakened to stern faces - those of Marble and Tangerine, and those of two he did not know. The strangers had roused him back to life, allowing their abilities to keep him lingering on the dangerous precipice of life and death, despite never knowing him or his family. They are saints that he did not deserve and he hopes that if (“when!” the voice corrects him in protest) he passes, they would not take his death upon their own conscience.

    They are stricken with grief and uncertainty, those faces around him. He does not get any better, and soon his fevers are accompanied by his own wails and nightmares, calling out for his daughters and his firstborn son.

    I must see them, he had told his caretakers, told Tangerine.

    “Before you die like a dog with your mind and body riddled with disease and blood,” the voice chirrups back.

    So at the once-Overseer’s pleading requests, the navy-winged stallion leaves Tephra for Hyaline. It is at the border that he stops, breathing heavily and lifting his chin to stare up at the cloudy and windswept sky that is opened before him, inhaling deeply of the salt and smoke that has always truly been his home. There are no words spoken in this quiet moment, but there is a solemnity in his eyes as he stands in awe beneath the Tephran sun with his wife and his caretakers that is anything but unclear -

    he does not plan on being able to return.

    WARRICK


    This is for anyone who is staying in Tephra and would like to say goodbye to Warrick before he heads to Hyaline. He wants to see his daughters and his son, and does not plan on being well enough to return from the trip!

    @[exist] and @[leliana] and @[Tangerine] are here to escort him, but they are not truly a part of this thread unless they want to be! <3
    #2
    magnus

    howling ghosts, they reappear
    in mountains that are stacked with fear

    Ever since he had been told of Warrick’s worsening condition, a sickness that spread through his lungs and threatened to keep him from Tephra altogether, Magnus has found himself worrying. It was in him to worry. It was part of who he was—an unchanging part of what made him him. So it is, perhaps, not surprising that the golden stallion had spent his time wandering the borders, tracing the paths that lace through the volcanic isle searching for signs of the navy-tinged stallion who he had met so long ago. 

    As each day passed and no sign unearthed before him, his worry, his fear only grew stronger.

    So it is something that feels like relief that floods through him when he finally sees the stallion, flanked by a mare that Magnus has never seen and the worried eyes of his two nieces. He doesn’t bother to take his time reaching them. He doesn’t bother to pretend that he does not fear for the stallion or that he was not looking to immediately close the distance between them. Instead, Magnus opens up his stride into a long, leggy trot, his hooves easily finding purchase in the soil, navigating the land so intimately familiar to him.

    When he reaches the border, when he reaches the group, there is the faintest sheen of sweat on his neck, his nose dampened, and his gold-flecked eyes burning with concern. 

    “Warrick,” his name escapes his mouth quickly, tripping off his tongue and drenched with everything that has gone unsaid. For a moment, Magnus looks for the usurper, the young stallion who had since grabbed hold of power in Tephra, but he dismisses the thought, instead focusing all of his attention before him.

    Guilt seizes his heart in his chest, his throat tightening, and he says the only thing that he can:

    “I am so sorry. I should have come back sooner.”

    but you're a king and I'm a lionheart

    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #3

    Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
    With the change of leadership within Tephra, she had never forgotten about Warrick. He had always been at the back of her mind since the first day she had returned to Tephra. There had been something heavily weighing on him, something that she worried about instantly since she had come back.

    It was seeing Warrick and even her other friends’ emotions and worry about Tephra that had made her instantly take an interest in the well-being of Tephra. She cared deeply for the protection of Tephra and the future it would have with whatever change was on the horizon. It did not look good. It could not be good.

    She had found no trace either of the bay and navy stallion. He did not answer the call when challenged for leadership, and that had worried her even more. It was not until finally a mare had said something—someone she could have only assumed was close to Warrick. Years had separated her from knowing the life her friends had been living, but she can only be happy that there had been word about him in regards to the challenge.

    The mare finds herself following the familiar borders of Tephra. She has taken back her familiar habits if living within Tephra. Watching the lands and greeting those that may come to live or for a visit.

    Then she spots the group in the distance. The pounding of hooves perks her ears forward as she sees Magus striding at a force she has never seen him do. Her heart beats quickly and heavily as her thoughts flood into her mind. A worried expression crosses her face. Please let it be alright, she tells herself—hoping that it was not what she thought it was.

    Lucrezia makes her way quickly to the group at a quick trot. “Warrick!” She calls out. Her expression of concern remains once she reaches the group. Her nutmeg eyes get a better look at the group she has come upon and stops near. There was only Warrick and Magnus she knew.

    She takes a deep breath in, catching the last words of Magnus before speaking next. “I didn’t think I would get to see you again,” she confesses. Her eyes then turn to Magnus, full of worry, but she is glad he is here too. “Magnus, it’s good to see you too,” she says softly. She can only imagine what he is thinking now. What they are both thinking now of their dear friend.

    Her eyes then turn back to Warrick. She does not know what to say next. It was perhaps one of the first times in her life she could not find the words to say.
    ...too close to the bottom.
    html © samshine| character info: here | picture reference: here

    @[Warrick] @[magnus]
    Profile | Detailed Bio | Character Reference
    #4
    She does not fight, or ignore, the pull that instinctively guides her towards the borders. She does not question why she knows, nor does she allows herself to take the easy way out. Deep down Amorette has known for a while, there simply hadn’t been another plausible explanation for his disappearance, but that does not mean the ebony woman is willing to accept it. Yet, even less does she want to turn her back on him now.

    Once before she had abandoned him, overcome by her own grief, and at that time she had told sworn to never let it happen again.

    Her pace is steady, but she does not rush herself. She is dreading the very moment, and she is afraid of what she will see and learn, as it would be another failure to add to her list. Could she even consider herself a healer, when she could not even keep her dearest friend from suffering. Once they come into sight, Amore halts, sad eyes watching the group. Magnus and Lucrezia have beat her to it, they too have come to say goodbye.

    “Warrick..” His name is but a soft whisper coming from her lips, tears already wetting her eyes and thickening her voice. She does not need to say how awful he looks, nor does she need to look him over any more than the first sight she’d seen. Slowly her legs carry her forward, only glancing to her father and Lucrezia for a short  moment, as Warrick holds her attention.

    Like often before, the ebony woman does not halt, but instead steps cautiously into his personal space. Not because she is afraid of whatever he might carry, but to keep her navy friend from further harm. Amorette does not cast her gaze down, but allows her pain and sorrow to show. Slowly she extends her neck, and reaches out to offer the navy stargazer her nose, like they have so often done. “I’m sorry..” she whispers next, heart and mind unable to keep her together.

    @[Warrick]
    Just HAD to get a reply up here.
    #5
    there was a heaven in you
    but god there’s a devil in me
    He doesn’t know what to expect as he comes to the edge of his kingdom (though, at the very same time, he knows exactly what to expect - a bitter ending, one that has come too soon and too fast) and so when he comes to a thoughtful stance beneath the open expanse of sky and billowing smoke, he is at a loss. Across the border and the long trip into Hyaline would bring him to a place where he could not return from; a fact that settles neatly across the worn planes of his face and the blood that stains the cobalt of his lips (Tangerine had cleaned it away before exiting the volcano, but even the short trip to inland left his breathing ragged and shaky, with new droplets of ruby red adorning his chest and mouth). Warrick attempts to clear his throat but is unsuccessful as always to rid the constant feeling of blood and tissue that rises from his esophagus, so instead he settles by pressing his lips into a thin line, closing the brightness of his blue gaze to soak beneath the Tephran sun.

    What felt like brief, fleeting moments in the warmth of the sun became longer and longer as the once-king rattles beneath it, his ribcage stuttering and the crackling of his lungs seemingly louder in the silence of his caretakers and wife. Tangerine’s nose is pressed gently against the dampness of his neck, nourishingly placed to his skin (as if her touch alone was fueling his strength, seeping her very soul into the darkness that lurks inside him) and for a moment he is peaceful - wavering between awake and consciousness, finding solace in his final moments in Tephra despite the disease that idly thrums in his blood.

    The steady hoofbeats of another pressing into the soft earth of the inland plains stirs the once-king, rousing him with slow blinks of bloodshot eyes and the deepening shadow of sunken bone of his face. Magnus’ voice reaches Warrick’s ears before the navy stallion’s cerulean eyes find the familiarity of gold-flecked eyes. The recognition brings a weak smile to the cobalt of his mouth, leaning slightly on Tangerine’s body for support. There is a soft flutter of his grand, feathered wings and Warrick’s head lowers slightly. Magnus will always be the king that came before Warrick’s time, as well as an old friend.

    “Your return would not have stopped this,” comes the raspiness of his voice, brittle and broken on the humid air. There is a slight creasing of his mouth into the shadow of a frown, “though I am glad to have seen you before - ” - I get worse.

    “- before you die.”

    Warrick’s voice trails off and he does not attempt to finish the sentence nor provide any optimism for the future. His brow furrows slightly and there is a hardness in his eyes (he recognized the direness of his current state, though has not ever had to voice the fact out loud), his throat tightening immensely. He swallows, but the movement creates a heaving of his chest as he begins to cough, doing his best to keep the brightness of red from emerging from his mouth.

    Thankfully, Lucrezia’s presence allows the stallion a moment to regain himself, both physically and mentally. “Lucrezia,” he greets her, the name on his tongue warm and genuine. For a moment he wonders what day it truly is and if this is merely all a terrible dream, and he is still the young and naive stallion that once found both the uniquely patterned mare and the buckskin stallion as leaders and his superiors. Time has since changed him (changed them all) and though they are not who they once were, they somehow have found each other once again. The thought brings a semblance of a smile to his face. “It’s good to see you both, dear friends.” He’s about to go on - to perhaps strengthen them in this time of transition and his own tragedy, to remind them that not all is lost (not truly) - but his thoughts are brought to a halt as a familiar voice whispers his name.

    “Amorette,” he replies gently, his own eyes turning steely against the new emotion that her presence has brought forth. The sight of her own distraught plagues him, and though he instantly searches for some way to erase the worry and fear that strikes her, he knows there is none. So instead he allows her to approach him with a solemn look - it is a moment that is too serious for words. She stretches to meet him and he is hesitant - would Carnage’s magic slip into her pores with just a drop of his own blood? - but in the same moment he could not refuse the gesture, one that has become so natural to them both. “Do not be sorry,” he says sternly to her, and then louder, to the others: “none of you be sorry for me.”

    He snorts softly, turning his face away from Amorette’s to lift his chin into the air slightly, trying to appear strong in the midst of the disease that shackles him. “This is not in vain. My plight will not go without purpose. Keep watch on our home - all three of you - for there is something powerful that I have made sure will come to Tephra’s aide in the near future.”

    “I cannot stay here. Hyaline is where I will find rest, with my family. Honor Tephra as you have always done, my friends, and she will not fail you.” He cannot speak for Kromium, the child-king, but with the three before him assisting the metallic stallion, Warrick will rest easy knowing that Tephra will not go astray. “My daughters and son, Marble, Sibyl, and Warden, will remain here with you all. All I ask is that you take care and guide them in my absence.” The stallion swallows hard, his face screwing up slightly.

    Absence.
    Death.

    Tangerine’s lips press gently into his neck, lush and warm and divine against the cancer that writhes within him. He looks to Amorette even though his words are for all of them, his cerulean eyes pleading.

    “Will you do this for me?”

    WARRICK


    HERE'S A REALLY SAD NOVEL THANKS
    @[magnus] @[Lucrezia] @[Amorette]
    #6
    Kromium
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    The iron horse is not oblivious to the gathering that begins to form along Tephras borders.  He knows them to be members of Tephra, all distinct in their own ways -colors, markings, even posture.  Though today one does not stand as strong as he remembered all those years ago.  

    His ironclad neck levels and head lowers, as he stands atop a flat of pumice stone -the shadow of the centerpiece of these lands threatening to conceal him.  Emerald ears tip forwards, but he cannot hear their voices, only slight movements register to him.  The moments they share and soft words spoken are among family, whether born or formed it does not matter -they are all Tephrans at heart.  He cannot help but smile softly at the bonds formed.

    Unfortunately, he does not believe his presence nor opinion would matter amongst them.  He could ask Warrick to remain here, assure him that their is no bad-blood between them but he believes the cobalt pegasus knows this.  That Warricks decision to leave is on his own accord and for reasons Krom could relate to, family.  It worries him though, the fragile appearance of the Overseer -it is hard to not notice.  So silently he wishes Warrick well and to recover from whatever ails him.  That perhaps one day they will meet again, and he would greet the navy tinged stallion with nothing less than respect and kindness an Overseer of Tephra deserves...

    He didn't want to interrupt but also didn't want to not say(not say) something Smile
    #7
    magnus

    howling ghosts, they reappear
    in mountains that are stacked with fear

    Magnus is not surprised when he is joined by the others, but he is comforted by their presence. He breathes them in deep, these two angels of Tephra, and he smiles at them both, although the curve of his lip is stained with the fear that he feels so deeply in his marrow. They both crowd around the stallion before them, circling him, just as the mares by Warrick stand watch. All to pay respect to a stallion who is leaving, to a stallion who has dedicated so much to the land beneath them, to those who stand here.

    Magnus’ feels his heart clench in his chest, a grief that washes through him.

    He is just leaving to rest, he thinks, but there is another part of him that immediately brands that a lie. He is not coming back, something whispers into his mind. He won’t be back. He swallows against the sorrow that rises in his throat, the familiar feeling of watching those he cares for leaving, but he doesn’t let it reach his eyes. Not here. Not when everyone fights so hard to be strong before Warrick and his family.

    For a moment, Magnus glances upward, tipping his heavy-jawed head up to see a glimpse of the iron colt who now wears the mantle of Tephra’s protector. What the boy’s motives are in keeping his distance are sit outside of Magnus’ understanding and he doesn’t try to wrestle with whether it is from pride or respect or other. The relationship between usurper and Overseer was never going to be warm, regardless.

    Dismissing the stallion, Magnus brings his gaze back down, all of his attention focused on Warrick. He listens quietly, one corner of his scarred mouth lifting into a crooked smile. “You’re surrounded by beautiful women and family that loves you. There’s nothing to be pity you for.” The humor is mild though and dies quickly, his gold-flecked eyes burning. He swallows, throat tight, and nods his head.

    “Of course, Warrick.” Of course, he would abide by his wishes. Of course, he would watch over Tephra and the family that stays behind. His glances toward Marble, catching her gaze and holding it for a moment before looking back to the pegasus. “I will do whatever you need of me. It would be my greatest honor to help you and your family in whatever way that I am capable.”

    but you're a king and I'm a lionheart

    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #8

    "I know, mom."

    Warlight's last words before she closes her eyes and lets Hyaline fall away from her consciousness.  despite her attitude, the yearling princess does value the information her dream-walking mother has given her; the hours they spent practicing this particular skill are invaluable and she knows it. Especially today, when she had been entrusted with a very important job. 

    With a deep breath, Warlight slips into the day-dreaming state that activates her gift, picturing the precise stretch of beach they had visited the day before to prepare her for her task. Three... crashing waves... two... sweltering heat ... one...

    Swoosh

    The world shifts around her,  rousing the familiar giddiness in her belly, and Warrick's granddaughter crosses the continent of Beqanna in a breath. 

    The humidity hits her first, the heady perfume of tropical flowers and sulfur nearly sickening the yearling after her unconventional journey. But she stands, a bit feeble at first, and shakes the sand from her bay-splashed pelt. Her strength returns swiftly as she spots her Grandfather with his companions, and Warlight picks up a springy trot. 

    The hushed tones and somber nods of those gathered cause her to slow once she is within speaking range. Round blue-black eyes search each face as she quietly slips beside Warrick without introduction. She waits there, with his wing draped lightly over her mahogany back as the beautiful mares respond. The young girl watches them with a hint of admiration in her fresh, dished face, and only once does her gaze flash to the strange stallion watching in the distance.

    Once there is an appropriate pause (she was learning manners, despite what her mothers may say) she touches her muzzle gently to Warrick's cheek, and her voice is hushed and sweet. 

    "We can go as soon as you are ready,"

    Warlight
    Soul as sweet as blood red jam

    Jumping in here! Once everyone is done Warlight will use her teleportation to take Warrick to Hyaline. Tang and anyone else who is going to Hyaline will follow on foot Smile

    also, because she was just here yesterday feel free to assume she told warrick/exist/leliana/tang of this plan
    [Image: Warlightpageddoll1.png]
    #9

    Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
    The presence of everyone gathered around at the borders of Tephra makes her more comfortable despite the current situation. This was a goodbye, and often was not one of the fondest moments for her. Truthfully, she even has to admit, it was also one of the most comforting farewells ever.

    Lucrezia finds the silver lining within the darkness of this moment. Being surrounded by those she has grown close to and loved. This is what Tephra was all about. This is about she had pictured her family and home to be like the very first time she had stepped out of the Chamber and into the world. After all these years, she finally realizes she has it now.

    She knows this is the final farewell. The very last time she will ever see her dear old friend. Was he not just a boy only days ago? Lucrezia fumbles through her memories of Warrick. He had been so eager to learn of Tephra and how he could make a difference by being a part of the castes. Then he had raised up to be the leader of their volcanic home (when she should have been here, but she cannot think like that, not now at least).

    Her gaze also glances up towards the grey and iron stallion. She cannot help but wonder what he is thinking about their gathering. Krom had not been here long, but she hopes that he is not feeling out of place as they say farewell to their previous Overseer and friend. The outcome of it all had not been one many of the Tephrans favored (even she did not like the outcome, but it had happened), and she must accept what it has come to. Though the path will not be easy, it can at least be fixed in the right direction with those that care to be a helping hand in Tephra for Krom to be successful in his ruling and the well-being of their home.

    Turning her gaze back to Warrick, her attention focuses back onto him. She is glad to her the faint humor in Magnus words. It brings a smile to her own thinned lips. However, it is Warrick’s next words that bring her soft smile to an impassive expression. Lucrezia cannot help but what he means by what he has done. What sacrifice has Warrick made in order to protect their home? Was this why he is sick? Dying now?

    Lucrezia doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t even have to courage to ask him what he has done. It didn’t matter she tells herself with a motionless nod. Instead, she nods in response to his requests first and then speaks up after Magnus. “Yes, yes,” she says softly. That is when it hits her, soft tears form within the corners of her eyes. “We will all look after your family. I will do whatever I can for them, no matter what.” Warrick’s family was her own family. Blood did not need to define who she would protect, she learned that long ago.
    ...too close to the bottom.
    html © samshine| character info: here | picture reference: here
    Profile | Detailed Bio | Character Reference




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