"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
Vita was a full grown mare now, one who was able to escape motherhood the past autumn season. She was still naive and a child at heart. She had made many friends in her young age, so many that she finds it hard to keep tabs on them all.
She had thought a lot about the boy who had no ties to the water, the land dweller like her. He had visited Ischia, and last they spoke he mentioned her visiting Tephra. It had been some time so she can only hope he still lived there, and of course visiting her sisters home was always warming to the heart.
She travels by land, the frigid air would freeze her wings. It was nightfall by the time she reaches the border of Tephra, but she also doesn't mind as it is quiet. She carefully looks around before crossing the border in search of her stellar dappled friend.
She prances through the snowy kingdom, just as amazed with it as the first time she explored it. Aedan! She whispers his name as she continues to explore the land in search of the familiar face.
He is, technically, a stallion now though he hardly feels like it. Two years old is not grown, not really. His legs fit is body and the fuzziness of his coat is from the winter (he’d left his warm home enough to develop a bit of a winter coat) and not his youth, but his face still betrays the youngness of him. The lines of muscles are still soft and untried, his skin still largely without scars other than a few simple scars that all boys are likely to find themselves wearing. His eyes are wild things, bright and vibrant and full of the energy that only the young have.
He may be considered a stallion, but he is far from grown.
Pretty girls are still his favorite thing, and the conversation of adults bores him though at least now he attends their boring meetings. His energy is too much, bouncing off walls and in dire need of a direction. No one has told him that fighting can be a career, but it might be the sort of channel he needs for the energy that seems to thrum inside of him. How counter, for a boy that could put others to sleep, to be so full of energy himself.
He is up to nothing in particular when a familiar voice calls his name. It is a quiet sound, but still, he hears it. For all his energy, he is not a loud thing and he does not drown out the world (he is the night, after all, and it is full of energy and life but still quiet and peaceful). It is a still night in Tephra, as it often is. The land has been quiet, a bit empty, lost and uncertain under its constantly changing hands. Their new Queen was a new face and he has no idea what to expect from her, though he doesn’t much care either. Politics were not something he much cared about, at least not yet.
Aedan turns in the direction of the voice, and it is not long before he finds her. He calls to the stars, an aura of their light surrounding him and making him easier to see. Not that he was that hard to find given the glowing bits of him, a piece of the night sky walking the earth, but still now he is a beacon. “Vita!” he calls, excitement in his voice even though he remains quietly respectful of the evening.
He smiles, closing the distance between them until there’s just something like polite personal space between them. The idea of reaching out to touch her in greeting crosses his mind, but he chickens out and can’t bring himself to do it. “You came,” he says, sounding surprised and pleased all at once. He has not forgotten her, or the pool she had showed him. He’d spend a number of evenings wondering what he could show her in return. “How do you feel about a hike?” Not that she didn’t know what the world looked like from above, but he wanted to show it to her his way.
to be fearful of the night
aedan
@[Vita]
Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission
It felt like an eternity since she had last seen her land dwelling friend. If his coat wasn't so unique she wonders if she'd remember what he would look like....WOULD HE REMEMBER HER? Her mind races with the thought of an awkward encounter with him, one that would force her to run away as fast as possible from embarrassment.
The stag is within sight and she sighs a breath of relief. She expects his dark pelt to blend in with the night sky, but instead he seems to glow with the stars. A small smile tugs at her maw as he grows closer.
There had been so much political drama in her own home that it was that it was nice to get away from it all, even if for just the night.
Vita! he says her name, and dare she say she can detect excitement? HE DOES REMEMBER HER! Her smile is glowing at this point and her body moves quickly to close the gap. Aedan!
He seemed shocked that she came to visit him. Truth he told she can't believe it took this long. Of course I did! I said I would didn't I? A gentle laugh escapes her maw and she quickly nudges her shoulder. But as fast as she does, she overthinks the movement...would he be weirded out now?
But thankfully he didn't seem bothered by it....in fact he asks her if she'd like to take a hike and her eyes light up once again. Oh yes! That sounds lovely! The young mare had a knack for adventures and the thought had her leaping with excitement. She had seen some of Tephra when she met her sister, but surely Aedan would have hidden spots he could show her!
She proves to be less a chicken than he, nudging her shoulder as she responds that of course she came. Of course she did. It seems so simple as she says it and yet he’s still pleased with her appearance tonight, and he finds that the spot her nose had touch is left tingling as she pulls away. He doesn’t mind at all, but rather finds himself wondering how he finds another excuse to touch her in return. The gesture had been unexpected but pleasant, and he is rather interested in more of the same.
But first, he has promised her a hike. So he sets off toward the volcano, though he’s careful to steer clear of the lava that still flows through the land. It would be easy for her to simply fly over, of course, but he has spent his life navigating the world from the ground and so, as always, he does the same now. “There’s this really cool warm spring near the volcano. I think you’ll like it,” he says, smiling over toward her.
He calls more of the starlight to him, the glow around him brightening enough to illuminate their path. “How have you been? It’s been so long, though it doesn’t feel like it.” He cannot help but be aware of how much she has grown, of the stunning young mare she has become. He supposes he too, has grown, turning into a young stallion right alongside her. Yet he still remembers their time together as children, still feels as if it was only days ago.
to be fearful of the night
aedan
@[Vita]
Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission
He reciprocates her touch, it was warm and gentle. She thought about it a little to long, and honestly she wished it lasted just a bit longer. But it didn't, and she couldn't dwell on it in fear he would realize she was trapped in her thoughts.
Thankfully he hadn't seemed to have noticed. Without another word he begins to bring her on the hike he promised. She quickly finds a spot beside him, enjoying the company even if it was silent.
She scanned the area as they traveled. She had visited many places, Tephra being one, yet she had never seen it like this. Blazing red lava seared across the kingdom lands, a sight she had not seen in her previous visits. The terrain was much more dirt and rock covered, than the forest area she had seen. But oddly enough she still finds beauty in the heated land.
Her eyes dart to the constellation spotted stag when he speaks. He tells her about a spring nearby and a smile is instantly brought to her maw. She almost prances about like a filly, her curiosity taking control. Oh Yes! That sounds lovely! her excitement easily detected in her voice, and a child like giggle follows.
Her gaze is brought in front of her, it was almost as though the stars collected together, creating a light on this dark day. It hadn't gone unnoticed, the fact that his pelt matched the sky and for some reason the stars seem to follow him. But she doesn't say anything, in fact she finds it unique and solely something he controls.
Again the silence between them is broken, he asks how she is, even noting how long it had been since they last saw each other. He was right though, it hadn't felt that long...they were just children but she feels like they hadn't missed a beat despite being years older. She instantly grew attached to the boy, her first land dwelling friend, and one she quiet honestly thought about a lot these past couple years. I can't complain, it seems both our homes have had political changes. It drove me insane so I spent a lot of my time away from Ischia....that's why it took me so long to visit. She was sad that so much time had passed, but she still looks to him with a smile. And you? How have you been? Visited any other kingdoms? She curiously asks, but truly she wanted to know who he had met, because even though so much time had passed she still finds herself thinking of him and now more than ever, drawn to him.
He would agree that it feels as if no time has passed at all. There are not years between them, but only days. He feels like a child again (not that he ever feels or acts very grown), and finds himself enjoying the time by her side and wishing there was more of it. He was, admittedly, the sort of boy drawn to pretty girls in general but Vita was not just any pretty girl. She was Vita, and it felt like so much more.
”What happened in Ischica?” he asks, because the truth is he doesn’t actually pay much attention to politics. Obviously he knows that Tephra went through a leadership change, but otherwise none of it seemed to matter much. His new queen was about as useful as the old one, or maybe less. Not that he should be judging because he wasn’t exactly helping out. ”You know, if you ever want to get away from Ischia, you can come here. We can be a temporary home.” Or maybe he’s simply saying that he could be a temporary home for her, but those are certainly not the words he manages to say.
Ah, what an idiot he is.
”I’ve mostly been uselessly lazing about here. Did go to Pangea on a diplomatic mission which was super boring, but met their Queen and apparently she has alien creatures under her control which is pretty cool.” Otherwise he hadn’t been doing much other than playing a spoiled prince, and he definitely hadn’t met anyone that eclipsed her. ”Definitely not as cool as you, though,” he adds, lightly bumping her shoulder.
The volcano seems to grow larger, the space between them and it closing easily. They’d be to the spring soon enough, but for now he keeps leading her through the kingdom in his winding path around the rivers of lava.
@[Vita]
Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission
Vita was truly a child at heart, perhaps even developmentally delayed as she was still as pure as a foal. But it was that very quality in her, that kept her oblivious to the true feelings that bud inside her.
When she mentions the change in Ischia he asks about it, she isn't sure if he truly cares...or if he was just being polite. Regardless, she responds, To be honest...I'm still not sure. One day Adria was ruling Ischia...the next she wasn't. I couldn't accept she would just leave...and so I found it easier to distance myself from all of the drama that surrounded the island. She pauses for just a moment, her fast moving brain is already onto the next topic. I visited though, just recently, I guess a mare named Eva rules now...I've never met her though. She shrugs, although she claims Ischia as her home...the truth is she is as much a stranger to the land as the new queen is to her.
To her surprise he offers Tephra as a temporary home, her eyes glance to him quickly with a budding smile. Ever since she met Lilliana she found herself struggling to not flee to Tephra. A home with her blood....and of course Aedan, the boy who fills her mind.
Tephra? Home....well... She pauses, and her body comes to a halt with it. Ischia wouldn't really miss her....and if she stays in Tephra she could spend more time with Aedan, which is really what she wants. Her gaze finds her friend who is a few paces ahead, she quickly moved to catch up to him once more. I think I'd like that... She smiles, her gaze lurks around them as she fears embarrassment in sharing eye contact.
They continue and he tells her that he hasn't done much. She holds back a laugh at his response, because honestly she hasn't done much of anything for her home. He continues to tell her that he made a diplomatic visit to Pangea, the new queen has alien creatures? She took a moment trying to picture them in her head but she is quickly brought to reality when he bumps into her shoulder, noting they weren't as cool as her!!!
Her gaze falls to the floor, if she could blush she would! Her temperature increases and she searches for a moment to find the words to respond with! Oh! That was all she could muster up ..oh? Now she's really riddled with embarrassment, I've traveled a lot, and I haven't found anyone like you either. Finally! A response more than one word. Still as she speaks her gaze does not search for his and in all honesty she forgot what they were going to do, she was just blindly following him.
Aedan was a boy, and a four year old boy is just an idiot. There’s a lot of truth to that. He’s too much a teenager to really trust feelings, and honestly, maybe he’s just smart enough to realize that to admit it is to risk breaking her heart. The idea of breaking her heart is something he can’t quite entertain, and he’s too much of an idiot to be trusted with anything so precious. Even though it didn’t really work that way.
He asks because he cares about her life, and not because he actually cares about politics. But clearly it had affected her, and he finds that he cares about that, wants to know about that. She says their last ruler simply left, and he nods as he listens, not interrupting. ”I hope Adria is okay,” he says, having no idea who Adria is but guessing that the mare was important to Vita.
But then she calls Tephra home, the word temporary absent. Maybe she didn’t mean to exclude it, but he finds himself thrilled at the prospect of her living here. Maybe not forever, but maybe…He stops, turning to face her for a moment, feeling too adult and too confused and definitely like an idiot, but he says it anyway. ”I’d like that too, Vita. A lot, actually.” Then, in a fit of embarrassment, he turns and keeps walking forward.
He nearly walks past the hot spring as she speaks again, too distracted by his own damn brain and...and her? He catches himself at the last minute, nodding his head in the direction of a slightly secluded area. There were low bushes around and a bubbling hot spring in the middle of it. The elevation here, near to the volcano, was a bit higher, giving a good view of a large swath of Tephra below. He steps into the hot spring, nickering for her to follow. ”It’s a little warmer than the water in Ischica,” he says with a grin, pretending like he didn’t just want to tell her how he’d missed her. How he wants her to stay here.
oh he's such an idiot
Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission
No one had asked her why she left Ischia....there lives kept on going, with or without her. But he took the time and he listened to her why. He even took the time to respond with something other than a generic response.
It happened so long ago, that she truly is at peace with it. She knows that Adria is swimming in the ocean, or quietly living in beqanna. Me too, she says in a hushed voice, moving her maw to gently touch his cheek.
She couldn't explain the feelings that he made her have, mainly because she has never experienced them before. But she feels comfortable with him, safe.
It was a no brain for her to agree to live in Tephra. Yes she had friends in Ischia still, but she feels more disconnected to the island than ever. She even hopes the Leliana would be lurking around Tephra, or some of her nieces and nephews!
Aedan stops walking when she agrees to live her. His gaze finds hers and he seemed to almost choke on getting the words out but he finally speaks, saying that he would like for her to stay. She could feel her heart beat grow rapid, but he quickly turner and she silently exhaled the breath she was holding.
He kept walking and she quickly moved to catch up to him. But no sooner than when she catches up to him do they arrive at the spring! He tosses his head in the direction and she takes in the scenery.
It was beautiful! The spring was surrounded by bushes and quiet honestly it was foliage much closer to Nerine than Ischia. You could even see down to the mainland of Tephra, and that was a sight of its own. She was almost too lost in the beauty to hear him nicker, but when she hears him she notices he was already in the spring! She laughs and moves towards the spring, you could see the steam emulating from the water, but when she steps in it is the perfect temperature.
It was warm, but warm enough to take away any body aches. She could close her eyes and fall asleep in it! He notes that it is warmer than the Ischia water, and he was right! The oasis she brought him too in Ischia was cold, only warmed up when the sun felt like it. It's perfect! She says as she stops before him, truly meaning he's perfect, but she keeps that to herself.
