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+------ Thread: [private] your waves are pulling me under; aquaria (/showthread.php?tid=25190)
your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Eva - 10-17-2019
your waves are pulling me under
i'm caught in your riptide
i'm caught in your riptide
| There had been a tightness in her chest when the first coming changes had come to the tropical island. Eva had for the first time felt uncertain about the changes that came without warning. It was an unexpected storm. She can only imagine the other residents of Ischia did not see it coming either and felt on edge about the changes. However, today, the tightness in her chest is not quite there anymore. The stress of uncertainty that weighed her down feels lighter today too. But there was much more to be done. Eva knew accepting to co-lead alongside Larke would not be an easy task. She still needed the approval of all of those that called the tropical island her home. However, she also knew Larke needed a helping hand to guide and understand the residents of Ischia. Eva wanted but peace and for the rest of Ischia to see that Larke simply meant no harm, but she still was not sure how others would react to such changes. There were many she had not spoken to, and instantly @[Aquaria] had come to mind. If anything, Aquaria should be the first to know. While she might know the nereid mare a bit, part of Eva viewed Aquaria as family as much as Adria was hers. She quickly felt drawn to keep those she knew close to her in these changing times and find the peace they once had all enjoyed before. Eva makes her way down the familiar shores of Ischia. She spent the mid-morning searching along the shores for the light cream-colored mare. The purple mare knew without a doubt she would find the nereid lurking near the waters. It was within her own uncertainty that she felt herself drawn to something innately familiar like the open waters. Eva can only hope that Aquaria does the same too. In the distance, she spots the familiar finned mare along the shore. Eva increases her speed, calling out to the other nereid in a soft whicker that sounds like a song. A smile touches her purple stained lips naturally as she comes closer to Aquaria. She was finally glad to see the other nereid, especially today with the news that she carries and more. “Aquaria!” Her voice is warm and filled with instant joy. “I’m glad I found you.” Her heart starts to beat a little. Sharing the news felt strange for her, but at the same time she needed to tell someone. But her concern for her family came first. “How are you doing?” She asks, looking for any sort of indication as to what Aquaria was feeling. |
Eva
lady of ischia
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Aquaria - 10-18-2019
She had been spending more time in the water lately, swimming further each day. Some times she visited the mainland, others she dove as deeply as she could before the weight of the water grew too heavy to bear. The dark and the silence gave her peace when the world seemed like it was going wrong.
Today she stood on the edge of the water, contemplating another swim. She'd go north this time, find out what lay above them. Or maybe she'd simply float to the reef and lay among the corals and sponges for a while. The fishsong could make her smile despite the darkest of moods.
The reef, she decided, and was knee deep in the water when a voice made her hesitate and look back. Unmistakable on the sand stood the vibrant Eva, as brilliantly colored as any of the parrots who shared their home. Half of a smile managed to hitch up one corner of her mouth at the other mare's greeting.
"Hello Eva. I'm alright." She paused, looking closer at the amethyst woman's expression. A torrent of emotions worked beneath her face, and Aquaria couldn't guess at what they all meant. "Are you okay? You seem little... Nervous?" It was as close as she could get, though the word didn't seem quite right. Her own face drew down in concern. "Are the kids alright? Has something happened?" For days it had felt like they were on the cusp of some change or disaster. It hung in the air like heavy fog, and suddenly Aquaria was certain the cloud had broke. Whatever was coming was here.
@[Eva]
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Eva - 10-18-2019
your waves are pulling me under
i'm caught in your riptide
i'm caught in your riptide
| She had felt a wave of emotions since the change. Pinpointing one exactly to describe what she was thinking, and feeling was entirely overwhelming. The sea nymph had experienced a handful of emotions she never knew could exist. Let alone the ones she would ever feel in such a short amount of time. The purple nereid is an open book to @[Aquaria] as soon as the question of how she is doing is spoken. Eva was riddled with a rush of different emotions and finally speaking to someone about the future held certainty, but she wondered just how well the plans would hold together now that she stands before Aquaria. Their small peaceful world was not the same when she had first met the finned mare for the first time. Eva is just beginning to feel and finally realize how much her life has changed. Eva pauses for a moment as she stares at Aquaria. Her gold-orange gaze holds uncertainty for a moment, but quickly change with confidence and hope. There was nothing to be worried about, she reminds herself. She could not allow herself to tumble just now. Her friends and family needed her. Ischia needed her more than ever too. “I am better than I have the last couple days,” she says softly as she finds her voice now. “The kids are safe, of course.” A soft smile touches her lips for a moment. Her world would entirely turn upside down if something happened to her precious little Aeolus and Loire. She is thankful they are at least still the same despite asking questions about what has happened in Ischia. Eva has only quieted them and told them to not worry. She takes a soft inhale of the air, focusing herself back onto the news she came bearing to tell Aquaria. “I’ve met with the new appointed leader, Larke.” Her voice is more calming this time. She feels more certainty this time as she begins to unravel the news. “She is rather pleasant and seems caring from what I have gathered in our talk.” Larke had left a positive impression on Eva so far. The nereid felt without a doubt that the new leader did not want to cause harm but only help. “Larke asked me to rule beside her.” She pauses for a moment, assessing any reactions from Aquaria for a moment. “I accepted because I know within my heart it was the right thing to do. Ischia would not be the same if we only had a foreigner leading us. Mom—Adria—built Ischia into something beautiful and I do not want to see everything she worked so hard for crumble into nothing.” Eva falls silent with her gaze remaining on Aquaria. Her ear flickers forward, waiting to see what the nereid had to say. She had never saw herself stepping up after Adria had come to her telling her about the change of leadership. It had been heartbreaking to hear, and Eva had only ever saw herself aiding in Ischia where her adopted mother had needed her to go and do. Leading an entire territory and protecting the residents of Ischia was frightening. It was plain overwhelming too! |
Eva
lady of ischia
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Aquaria - 10-18-2019
She stood there listening, relief flowing over her to hear that Eva and her children were alright. But her emotions took a darker turn as the purple mare explained her reason for the visit.
So this was it. This was what had been happening on the edges of their lives, only now to be revealed. Adria had left, she knew that when a search of the island revealed no sister. The gold splashed girl had assumed it meant she'd taken up her suggestion to visit their parents, and that was all. But no. She'd been deposed, replaced with someone Aquaria had never even heard of.
A look of baffled incredulity crashed across her face, echoed in the waves that landed higher on the sand than they had been moments before. "You're kidding. You've got to be kidding. If Adria doesn't want to be the island's caregiver any longer, I can accept that. But what has anyone done that's so awful they can't trust us to sort out our own leadership?" An uncharacteristic scowl creased her brow.
More confusing, Eva seemed unaffected, even pleased with the news. Of course, that could be to do with her sudden promotion. "Eva, this isn't right. We're not just playthings for the kingdom." She huffed, indignant over this turn of events. "I'd rather it were just you leading us now. You're more than capable, and you know the island as well as anyone. Certainly you have more right to this than... What did you say her name is? Larke?" The sea mare shook her head dazedly. "I'm sure she's lovely but that doesn't mean she has any business managing us."
Her burst of passion was bringing rougher waves ashore, and her eyes pricked with the threat of tears. This news had upset her more than she'd realized, bringing up a fear that their home, her home, was destined to be turned into another broken piece on the kingdom's political game board.
She looked at Eva, unsure what she was hoping to find. A spark of independence, maybe, or a hint of shared dismay over their new regime. Something other than blind faith.
@[Eva]
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Eva - 10-19-2019
your waves are pulling me under
i'm caught in your riptide
i'm caught in your riptide
| Her expression of hope quickly contorts to concern at the reaction of Aquaria hearing the news. She feels her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as the waves crash from where they both stand on the shore. Purple stained ears flicker forward slightly back and forth, listening as Aquaria unravels her frustration for the news. Everything had seemed hopeful when she had left Larke and sought out to find Aquaria to tell her the news. Part of Eva had felt there would be rejoice from sharing such news, but she is surprised to see such a reaction from Aquaria. Should she not expect it though? Would the other residents of Ischia feel the same too? What would Adria have done truly? Eva glances down and stares at her hooves as Aquaria continues speaking. She is beginning to feel small again. Almost like a child. Maybe she is not cut out to rule like she had thought. Larke had seen something within Eva that might have not entirely been there. Perhaps she is too naïve of the world and her ability to rule will only lead Ischia and its residents into failure. At the mention of her name, her gaze lifts up and meets the fin-mare. Her heart felt heavy as it beat against the layer of her bone and flesh. It felt like her heart was going to burst out any moment now. Turmoil replaced her previous expression now as she finally realized what was happening. She should have come here with a full-heart and ready to take on the world, but still a bit of uncertainty was deeply buried within her. Eva has always been naturally a peaceful being. The nereid wanted harmony and certainty again for all the Ischians. However, she wanted what was best for Ischia the most. Maybe that is why she came to Aquaria first before gathering everyone together with Larke. The fin-mare was the closest thing she had to family here besides her siblings and children now. If anything, she needed to see things from a different perspective and not be blindsided by what was dangling before her. Eva straightens herself, glancing to the roaring waves that come crashing against their hooves. Aquaria’s passion was felt deeply. She does not blame her adopted aunt for feeling such things. It was her right to feel angry and wrong about the changes that have been made. Ischia was not simply a tool that can be bent and used as needed—she knows better than that. Her gaze meets Aquaria once more. Eva’s expression of turmoil is there, but it is softer this time. If something was right, she knew in her heart she could not let it go. She could not let this entirely go either. It was not recklessness, but for the greater good. It was not selfish, but for all of Ischia. “You are right,” she says softly but with more certainty than she had felt before. “Things have been just so chaotic around here. I just want things to go back to how they were. When everything was peaceful, and I knew what to expect.” She sighs softly as she unravels her thoughts to Aquaria. “It felt right at the time to accept the position. Larke is kind and seems to be a good person, but I can't get rid of this feeling that something is still wrong.” However, she knows she cannot make the choice alone. There were important friends and family here. Their lives were changing as much as hers were changing too. It was not her choice to decide the change, but all of Ischia. “I want what is best for our home, Aquaria,” she says, “I agree with you that we have given no one else any reason as to why we cannot care for our own home or lead it.” Eva pauses for a moment, wondering if it was the right choice to be going down this path. She doesn’t feel like a traitor in making this choice though—it was her home after all. “It’s our right to decide who will lead us. Tephra is not Ischia. We are Ischia. Should it not be our and the rest of the Ischians choice to decide who leads Ischia then?” She feels her heart quieting now. A feeling of more assurance that this was the right path to go down then perhaps previously. The nereid looks at Aquaria, waiting for what she had to say about her change of heart. |
Eva
lady of ischia
@[Aquaria]
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Aquaria - 10-19-2019
Threads of guilt cut at the sea mare's heart to see Eva's face fall at her words. Her eyes fell a moment, lips pursed to see the new conflict rising in the violet mare's expression. She hadn't meant to hurt her. Not at all, she'd only been expressing her own misgivings at the situation newly brought to light.
More than any personal need, there was Ischia at the heart of it all. Everything the island stood for, and everything they risked. There was no easy path that she could see, only that she didn't trust Tephra to have their best interests at heart. And by placing a perfect stranger on the island's seat with no warning, Tephra was showing exactly how little they cared about or trusted the islanders. It was unacceptable, and the little nereid did not intend to let it stand.
For a long moment, it feels as though she and her friend stood on opposite sides of a vast breach. This was a moment to choose loyalty. To the Island or the Kingdom, to the murky ideals of horses they'd never met, or to the peace they'd always cherished. For Aquaria, it was an easy choice, but she knew better than to expect the same decisiveness in others.
She had almost given up, given in to the lonesome uncertainty on the horizon. Eva's voice broke the salt washed quiet with her own sweet tones, speaking words that Aquaria hadn't expected. She should have trusted the other mare more. "I want that too. I want our home to stay home, and I don't believe a stranger, however nice she may be, can give us that."
She smiled gently at Eva, knowing what she asked was no little thing. "We can to this. I don't think you and I are the only ones to feel this way. Let us bring this to the attention of our friends and family, the ones this change actually matters to." She stepped through the water to place her cheek comfortingly against the vivid locks of Eva's mane.
"You'll not be alone, through any of it. If the King is reasonable, he'll understand and let us make our own choice. And if he's not reasonable, well. He can stick a starfish in it." She laughed, pulling ropes of water to coil about their legs. They were daughters of the sea, and she felt that perhaps their ruler had forgotten exactly what that meant. Aquaria at least was beginning to realize that if you want peace, you have to fight for it sometimes. A paradox, but so was she.
@[Eva]
RE: your waves are pulling me under; aquaria - Eva - 10-20-2019
your waves are pulling me under
i'm caught in your riptide
i'm caught in your riptide
| Eva had never imagined she would face a challenge like this. She was a ship caught into a storm. Surrounded by sharp rocks against the raging waves. There were only two choices he could make to escape the storm. Each of them was a risk for her life though. None of the choices would be easy. However, she knows only her heart would lead her safely out of the storm. She had to believe in herself in this moment more than ever. Following her heart before had been easy but this would be the most difficult thing she had ever faced. Choosing the Kingdom or the Island would change it all. In her heart though she knew she had to choose the Island. It was the Island that had given her everything she has now. It had given her a mother that raised her to the individual she has become today. It had given her a loving family she could not trade for anything else. It had given her children of her own. More importantly, it had given her a home she never thought she would have. The purple nereid nods her head in agreement. As much as she liked Larke from their brief meeting, it was not the kind of leader their Island needed. Ischia was facing a time of change, and Eva knew within her heart it needed someone who would protect it and guide the Island through these troubling times. “We can definitely do this,” she says to Aquaria with confidence this time. Eva welcomes the embraces of the fin-mare. If anything, this was the kind of conversation she had needed when she first left Larke. Aquaria, she decided, was someone very important to her now, especially in such troubling times when she needed someone dearly like her mother. Eva laughs loudly at the idea of a starfish when Aquaria makes a comment. “I would love to see that!” She at least hopes the King will see reason within their concerns about the changes in Ischia. They all needed peace and unity between their two lands. If anything, she hopes Tephra would be able to see that. “Come let us gather everyone,” She says pulling from the embrace of Aquaria and waiting for her to follow her to the Island’s meeting place. |
Eva
lady of ischia
@[Aquaria]