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  • Beqanna

    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


    i feel a bad moon rising - diplomats
    #1
    The air above Tephra is warm, and for a time I use the thermals to soar over the near-island kingdom. I would look no smaller to them than a distant seabird, so far up have I flown. The air is thinner up here, and I know from my lightheadedness that I am nearly at my limits. I have felt this way only once before, when I tried to climb the tallest peak of Hyaline. I'd been forced to abandon the attempt, defeated by my own body.

    It is not often that my body disappoints me. I have honed it well since my first year spent in Sylva, and my thick winter coat has shed out to reveal a well-muscled figure. While I will never be impressive with my diminutive height, I am no longer easy prey. This is also reflected in the hard set of my blue eyes as I plummet into a graceful landing at the edge of the southernmost border. My ears still flick with curiosity and the navy blue of my nostrils flare (the wind is in my favor and the sulfur blows away).

    "Hello?" I call out, in case they had missed the rather impressive dive of gold and blue that landed at their border. Perhaps the terrain here is rough (I'd not gotten a good look at the green blue) and it takes more time to cross it than does the forest or the hills.

    @[anyone who wants to/can talk diplomacy stuff!]
    #2
    magnus

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

    How Magnus loved this warm Tephra air.

    It hit his lungs and expanded, filling every inch of them. It reminded him so much of his childhood that he almost ached with it, but he couldn’t deny the sheer joy he felt whenever he rose to the heat of it. It was like a weight in his chest, something constantly reminding him that he was home, that he was cocooned in this land, that he was safe. He felt it in his very bones, and it brought a strange buoyancy to him today.

    He is patrolling the border when he sees the mare of gold and indigo.

    She is distinct looking and catches his attention and he smiles easily in response.

    Altering his path, he begins to make his way toward her, the vegetation stretching lighting at his legs and the thorns stuck in his tail. When he arrives, he stands several feet from her, his handsome face open and kind. “Welcome to Tephra.” He glances around them, taking note of the quiet land and the individuals who nestled within it. Tephra was not in its heyday, was no longer in its prime, but it was still his home, and he was glad the quiet meant peace for the few souls who still rested their heads within her borders.

    “My name is Magnus. How can I help you today?”

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

    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #3
    Karat
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    It is not often that she wanders this near to the borders.  She knows her brother and the others patrol them, but on a day like today she finds her hooves leading her directionless mind. 

    Kwartzs return has somewhat shocked her and perhaps she thinks that if she wanders far enough, she will cross paths with others that have vanished from her life.  Ketzia, Kylin and her father being the only ones she has no proof are not dead.  She will never see her mother alive and well again, this is all she is certain of.  Though the name of the murderous being that killed her mother is still unknown, it had always been suspected that Sylva had executed the emerald bay mare. 

    Her trajectory leads her towards the south just in time to catch a glimpse of something falling from the sky like a star off course.  She stops to listen, lavender ears tipped forward.  No loud clatter comes and so she continues forward with a quick pace.  

    "Hello?"

    A foreign voice calls out.  Uncertainty plagues her mind suddenly, so much so she contemplates turning around and leaving, but when her view settles on the figure it is a smallish winged horse of gold and navy that appears.  A new boldness creeps up within her and she continues her approach.  

    She isn't far when another golden horse arrives but by now she has been spotted by both and an exit would look silly.  So she gulpes the fear down her throat once more and pushes forward, slowing to a stop a reasonable distance from them both.  This stallion is familiar to her in only a way that she has seen him around and knows that Krom seeks counsel from him.  Maybe it is best he has come along the stranger as well.

    "Good afternoon to you both," She offers with a kind smile.  The stallion, she has overheard, has already inquired of the newcomer needing help, and so she does not repeat it.  "I am Karat, Krom's twin sister," she states simply and without any underlying meaning.  With forward tilted ears she listens for the winged mares response to the stags question...

      @[Lepis]
    #4
    Tephra was never central in the lessons taught to me as a child.  It was far to the west, a distant place of fiery mountains that I'd never thought I'd visit. I wouldn't have any need to, not when I'd have diplomats to make such journeys for me. Yet here I am, standing alone in a tropical forest very far from home, waiting for a Tephran to find me so that we might discuss politics.

    This is just another unexpected turn of events, another experience that I hadn't thought I'd ever have.

    It's clear from the way my blue-grey eyes flick across the landscape and the way I breathe deeply of the unfamiliar scents and listen to the foreign noises that I am experiencing these things for the first time. I do so unabashedly, though when I taste a fellow horse in the wind, I turn quickly toward them with a smile.

    There is no one there.

    A crack of hoof on stiff greenery sounds behind me, and I pivot on my hind legs to find a handsome buckskin stallion wearing a welcoming smile. The smile I'd worn had faltered at the unexpected emptiness of the woods, but it returns as Magnus introduces himself and asks how he might help. I do not have time to answer, because from the direction I had initially turned comes a second horse, this one a soft dove grey with lavender points.

    While I am glad that I had not imagined her, I am curious why she'd not come out earlier. Perhaps she'd not meant to respond to my summons at all, and had simply been near to where I had landed. Had I disturbed her? She looks alright, I decide, and her smile is equally as kind as Magnus's. I do not recognize either name she gives me, but the hard consonant at the beginning of her name and the color of her coat are clear indications of her family.

    "I'm Lepis," I tell them, "Queen of Sylva." The title no longer feels unfamiliar, but to say that it sits right would be untrue. There's no indication of that in my outward appearance though - I am open and light and smiling. The very opposite of the Sylvan reputation. "I came to let you know that Sylva has changed hands after the disappearance of Queen Astarael, and also to inquire after Tephra. I've heard you have made some changes of your own recently. "
    #5
    magnus

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

    Magnus’ head tilts as the lavender filly makes her way toward the duo.

    She is young but appears kind and he gives her a reassuring smile, encouraged that there were others within the kingdom that felt that tug on their heart to greet strangers. Tephra was quiet, but she wasn’t desolate—she wasn’t barren. She had heart within the families that sought to call her home, and it was a heart that he would spend his dying breath to protect. It was something he would always be willing to do.

    He nods toward Karat, shifting his attention back to the winged mare on the border.

    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lepis.” He pauses, crooked grin tilting scarred lips. “And congratulations.” It always felt strange to congratulate someone on assuming so much responsibility, on taking on the mantle of so much weight, but it felt like the proper thing to say and thus he gladly handed the pleasantries over to her. He tips his ears forward at the rest of her message, nodding as she talked.

    “We appreciate you coming to share the news,” he starts. “I’d love to learn more about you and Sylva, especially your vision for the kingdom.” A soft laugh. “Things before the Reckoning were so much easier to discern. Kingdoms had so much history, so much living personalities. It was easier to guess what they would be like after the passing of crowns.” A shrug. “Not that we weren’t surprised from time to time.”

    He glances toward the young mare by them. “We’ve also experienced a shift in power recently.” He strives to keep some of the skepticism from his voice, delivering the news neutrally. It was difficult to know exactly how he felt about it still, his stomach churning at the thought of the challenge and the sight of the sick king on the border, but this was not the time or place to delve into his concerns.

    “Kromium has recently stepped into the role of Overseer. Tephra remains a neutral land, a place for families and individuals alike to find haven.” Magnus worried such neutrality could be seen as weakness by some, but he also believed in the heart of it. Believed in the good of stepping away from politics and attempting to carve out a safe place within Beqanna. If only such good intentions were always honored.

    “I’m sorry, I’ve been terribly rude.” He steps back, gesturing.

    “Would you like to come further into the kingdom? There’s no need for us to perch on the border.”

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

    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #6
    Karat
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    She feels as but a fly on the wall to their conversation.  A nervous but kind smile plastered on her pale lips.  She wasn't used to this diplomatic thing yet and the seriousness of its purpose overwhelmed her, so she was mildly happy with being a fly.

    She listens quietly as the mare states her name and place within their worlds.  It doesn't take anymore than that announcement for her lips to go flat and eyes to go wide.  Though the mare before them looked harmless, the affiliation with a kingdom that has caused her so much heartache, heavies her thoughts.  Her heart begins to pound and her breathing draws shallow.  A slight tremble of her knees sends her stumbling backwards even as the golden stallion is making light of the situation between them.  Did he not know what Sylva was?  What terrors it has plagued on these lands and Beqanna's people? The lives lost, her mother's life? A gasp escapes her maw just as he finishes inviting the Sylvan into their home.  Her voice is weakened but she cries out in protest, "No!" Her lavender tinted head shakes gently as she finds her throat dry of more words.  Attempting to steady herself and calm her mind, she leans forward slightly.  "I...I am...sorry, but you can't come in farther,"  her silver eyes turn and plead the golden stallion for reconsideration.  He must know the history and the potential threats to their lives Sylva held, right?... 



    @[Lepis] @[magnus] so ya... idk what this is lol just go with it
    #7
    Magnus is friendly and welcoming, and I find myself relaxing. He speaks of a time before the Reckoning and that brings a smile to my navy face. I’ve never known such a world, being the second generation born post-Reckoning, but I have heard the tales.

    ”Those were simpler times, I’ve heard. ” I reply with a tilt of my head, “But this is the only Beqanna I’ve ever known.” I would have never known the buckskin stallion was an immortal, but now I have done my part to make sure that he knows I am not - or at least that I am as young as I look.

    I have lifted my foot to take a step forward, ready to accept Magnus’ offer and venture further into the kingdom. I do not have time to take a step or begin to tell him more of Sylva and myself. Instead, the lavender and grey mare barks a sharp “No!”, and I freeze in my tracks.

    My blue-grey gaze is wide, and I take in the way she looks frantically at Magnus, and realize that her odd behavior had begun as soon as I’d mentioned my home. ”You’re afraid of Sylva.” I guess aloud, but there is no judgement in my face or tone as I say it.

    ”The red forest has a well-deserved reputation.” I add, resetting mey weight in an obvious attempt to show her I have no intentions of advancing into her home if she does not wish it. ”But Arthas and I intend to make changes. Sylva will remain powerful -“ because it surely is, if even the name of it strikes fear into a stranger? ”But there will be no more senseless violence. We’ll be taking a page from Loess, where both Arthas and I are originally from, and will be working by contract.”

    That at least is part of an answer to what Magnus had asked - to hear more about Sylva. There is more to say, of course, but I keep a cautious eye on Karat, as she is the one with the most obvious concerns.

    ooc: so i wrote this a few days ago and thought i’d posted it. this rewrite is not as good as the first, so i’m sorry! there are probably spelling errors but my phone isn’t good at catching them D:
    @[Magnus]
    @[Karat]
    #8

    I wanna give you wild love, the kind that never slows down
    I wanna take you high up let our hearts be the only sound

    Whatever he expects in this moment, it’s not this.

    It’s not the sudden influx of fear, rushing into an otherwise calm conversation like a sudden gasp. At her exclamation, Magnus puts his hoof back down, settling into his weight in a similar fashion as Lepis and turns her head toward the purple filly. He doesn’t dismiss her fears, even though he doesn’t understand them, but his gold-flecked eyes grow dark, thoughtful—concerned. For a second, he considers what she is saying before he turns his head slower back to the mare in question, listening to Lepis’ rebuttal.

    So much has happened in his absence, so many things he just doesn’t have a way of understanding.

    During his last reign, Sylva had been a quiet kingdom. Calm. It mostly kept to itself. He has no way of fully grasping the fear that radiates from his companion. He turns back to Lepis, adjusting slightly to shield the child more. “I clearly have several pieces of history missing,” his smile is slightly bitter, as it always is when he discusses the time lost. The way he slipped in and out of it so often, losing himself in the years that mean so little to him anymore—months passing in the seeming blink of an eye.

    “How can you assure us that whatever atrocities were committed in Sylva’s name will not be made under your rule?” A pause, his face contemplative but not cruel. “If you are a kingdom that works for the highest bidder, how can you assure us that you will not take a contract where senseless violence is the cost that must be paid?” He has seen enough in his lifetime to be wary of a kingdom with blood on its hands—it had taken a long time for him to overcome his prejudice of the Valley—but he also knows that the kingdom one soul inherits does not always remain the same. If she was determined to change the course of Sylva to something better, than who was he to say she couldn’t? Who was he to deny her?

    For a moment, he breaks his eye contact with her to look to Karat.

    “I know you’re scared—and it looks like you have every right to be—but we can’t live in fear. If Tephra is to remain a sanctuary then we can’t hold our neighbors at arm’s length when they tell us they have good intentions. We have to trust,” he holds her gaze, “and that sometimes takes the most courage of all.”

    I wanna go where the lights burn low and you're only mine



    @[Karat] @[Lepis]
    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #9
    Karat
    Blood is Thicker than Water

    It surprises her how quickly their movements stops.  Had she sounded that loud, or more bold than she realized?  It gives her the needed strength to straighten and raise her head just the slightest.  Lavender ears bending to find the mare defending her kingdom.  Assuring them their intent is harmless and they only wish to know more of Tephra, and most likely boast about Sylva's newfound purpose.  She questions silently everything she hears of Sylva.  Her chance to interject would not come at this moment as Magnus steps in.

    Enough of her mind stopped spinning to catch the slight protective turn of the golden stag and the way diplomatic words oosed from his core.  A thought crosses her mind that perhaps he could teach her the ways of diplomacy, but she pushes it away for the time being.  There were other things at work here and she wasn't about to miss the navy tinted mares response.

    Before the answer is given, Magnus turns to her with reassuring words.  That we cannot judge the masses by the actions of a few.  She understood this, so she holds immediate damnation of the hellish kingdom.  Instead she turns her lavender tinted eyes to the mare, and with a deep breath she attempts diplomacy, "My troubled history with Sylva is long, yes.  And I will hold only those responsible for the death of my mother accountable for their actions... Tell me, what have you done to ensure the senseless violence will be no longer?  Have those who committed these crimes been dealt with?  As Magnus said, how can any of us be sure these acts will not find us again?"  So many had gone missing from Tephra shores that year.  Who was to say the beast was not their new weapon?  "Tephra is a neutral kingdom and we do not seek vengeance.  Your contracts will be worthless here."

    Her gaze flicks to Magnus, her heart was not thrumming in her ears any longer and her knees did not tremble with fear.  "Perhaps we should find my brothers, Kromium and Kwartz.  I am sure they would like to know of Sylva's visit..." 



    @[Lepis] @[magnus] sorry this took so long and it is total poop.  I can't concentrate with Magnus sexy pic staring at me XD  I slipped in Kwartz name too Wink
    #10
    Magnus' reaction is telling, and my blue-grey eyes flick from his face to Karat's as the buckskin stallion admits that he is ignorant of Sylva's reputation. The questions he asks aren't unexpected, but the blatant dismissal of our contracts as worthless by the grey mare cause my ears to flick back against my head for a moment. That is the only reaction I show, and I am prepared to answer what they have asked of me when the purple-pointed filly speaks again.

    For a long moment after Karat speaks, the wind is the only sound, rustling the greenery around them. The names she speaks so easily had far more of effect than I'd thought they might - at least, the second one does. There is an uncomfortable coil of fear in the pit of my belly, one that I had nearly forgotten.

    "I'm leaving." I tell them both, though that is already clear from the way that I have taken a step away and spread my pale wings a few inches from my sides. "It is fortunate for Kwartz that you already find our contracts worthless." I add, and the words are clipped and flat. "Because the only way I'll be willing to treat with you in the future is if you deliver that bastard's head when you arrive."

    @[Magnus]
    @[Karat]
    ooc: since lepis isn't in sylva anymore i wanted to wrap this thread up but also add a small dollop of drama before I did Big Grin




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