Before him, the seafoam lunges forth onto the shoreline, drawing delicate particles of sand into the darkness where he so often yearns to be lost within. The hefty scarring the lay across the surface of his skin had been caused by the very same rough and raucous current, churning angrily as the distant horizon is darkened with the looming force of a roiling storm. The sky is becoming dim – not with dusk, but with thick and heavy clouds, cloaking the once vibrant, cerulean sky with its dull, vibrating gray. Somewhere beyond the horizon, the sunlight lay, but hidden away by the dreariness of a wild and unwieldy tempest. It is not unlike her presence – a powerful, thundering hurricane – coming upon his shoreline with tempestuous force, sweeping his hardened resolve out to sea. 

   His gaze his heavy upon her, tracing the rounded curve of her hip and the broadness of her barrel – she is not expecting, but he hardly expected her to be. She had leaned into him when he had last seen her, seeking him to covet her as he had once done before, but he felt too guilty to let such carnal desire stir him again – she deserved so much more, and he was a bitter and broken thing, incapable of anything more than a physical connection beneath the pale but blinding moonlight. 

   He could not love; Isle had told him as much. He was selfish, hungry, and intangible – there were pieces of him that he had never let her see; self-preservation that had saved his weary heart when she had inevitably decided he could not fit into her picturesque fantasy. He had been the unfaithful one – but she had been the one to cast judgment; to steel herself away from him when the agony of his own torment had become too much for her.

   She had pushed him away, and he let her. 
   He had pushed her away, and she let him.

   And slowly, the two were left – adrift at sea.

   He was too weary and worn to brave the same heartache again.

   Quietly, his voice rises above the force of the roiling ocean, his darkened gaze heavy upon her own, vibrant and bright.

   ”You are welcome here – surely you know that,” he pauses, his dark mouth twisting into a grave frown. ”what has happened to Taiga? And who is it you have brought to Tephra?”

Reagan

Somewhere along the line, she had lost herself.

She had been wrapped up inside the heart of another, and had forgotten her own power. Offspring saw a storm….Reagan saw a sad little puddle. In another life—the one that she had known with Plug, and with Cross—she had been a force to be reckoned with, and she had done the taking, rather than the other way around. It has been forever since she has had the confidence in herself that she is necessary. That she is needed.

But, suddenly none of that mattered anymore. Her green eyes stared up at Offspring, with the sudden realization that she could not predict the future. Even knowing she could see what could happen next, she knew it was only one of a countless number of possibilities. Looking into his mind—ever so gingerly—she could see his past, his brokenness. He was not ready. He may never be ready.

And she was through defining herself by the relationships that she kept.

She laughs to herself—an airy sound that never quite reached above a mere whisper. If he knew she was fawning over him… he would probably run for the hills. She know she would.

But what she did not expect was him to break his conversation with Tantalize immediately. She feels his presence, and turns to meet his gaze. The beach is calm and soothing, and the sand beneath her hooves reminds her of calmer days on the Motherland. Before her life was so turbulent.

Before her life is this.

She hears him speak, and she twists her dark lips into a smile, reaching up to lip his nose affectionately. He does not pause for long though before turning the conversation to more important things. Whatever was between them—if anything—would have to be put off until another time. “I am not entirely sure. I know that there was a change in leadership. Everyone scattered, and then, a wall. The land rumbled and anyone in the vicinity would have had to be dead not to know that something sinister was happening.” She takes a breath, and steps out to view the ocean, her gaze heavy—her heart even heavier.

“Ruan was deposed. Creatures in the forest whisper that a white Ghost with fire in his eyes became the new King, and that the Wall was put up to keep others out…or in. The fight over the land was rough. The land rumbled and then there was a loud howling. Everyone who did not get out, died. With Jinju missing….I fear the worst. I may not see them anymore, but I do still care about what is left of my family…” Her voice trails off then…unable to continue.

“The wall remains… but it is impossible to pass. Even for me. The wall was created by magic… one can only guess who created it. Or who caused it to go under.”

“Your offer is generous, and I will take it if you genuinely want me here.” Reagan stands still, looking at him, almost wanting so shuffle her feet. “As for who I brought with me...That night at the river…I” A blush plays across her features. “Our daughter waits at the border of this land. Her name is Ceara.”