"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
10-28-2016, 10:20 AM (This post was last modified: 10-30-2016, 11:39 PM by Arrya.)
You've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed?
The Field was a fucking wash. As I pretty much expected. I’m shit at selling myself, and I’m not exactly great at people on the best of days. I gave it up as a lost cause, but I’m not about to give up on the idea of finding a place to call home. Especially now. After how things have changed with Rhory, and now that there’s a baby on the way - also can I just stop and say holy shit? I’m having Rhory’s baby. My Rhory Lionheart, my best friend. Still a little floored by that turn of events, okay?
Anyhow.
Now that I’m pregnant, there’s even more reason to find a damn place to live already. And since standing in some field waiting for the right person to come find me didn’t exactly go super well, I’ve just decided to stomp around ‘til I find home my own damn self. I’m much better at stomping anyhow.
I took a few days to track this place down, wandering through the Forest, even slumming it in the Meadow a bit though I’d rather cut off my own legs than let my baby grow up in the godforsaken Meadow of all places. And every night I made sure to find my way back to my Rhory (my Rhory, mine in a completely different way now, and I can’t seem to stop touching him now that I’ve started, oops…), even if it means setting out all over again in the morning. Today, though, today I have a good feeling. And it just gets better when I sort of stumble across this gorgeous forest that immediately feels like home.
Holy shit. I think I found it. I poke around a bit first to be sure, then I’m headed back to my Rhory to drag his ass here so we can start exploring. I want to know every single inch of the place by the time the baby comes. Every nook and cranny, every little hazard for baby hooves and every little wonder for baby eyes. This little one’s too teeny tiny yet to be making its presence known even in the curve of my belly, but it’s only a matter of time. And I’m damn well gonna have home ready and waiting by the time it does.
You've got the light to fight the shadows, so stop hiding it away.
I have died every day waiting for you.
Darling, don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years.
He’s still having a little trouble believing that all of this is happening.
One moment, he’d just been reunited with one of his oldest, dearest friends (and the forever light of his life), the next, they’d been embarking on a whole new chapter in their lives. That is, a relationship. And a child.
It’s just so difficult for him to wrap his head around it all. He’d spent years pining after Arrya, years dreaming of a love that could never be his (or so he’d thought). He’d even intentionally kept away from her for decades, with the intention of giving her and her lover space and peace from his own miserable presence.
And now, to have her actually, truly be his?
It’s almost more than he can comprehend.
The past few weeks have flown by in a hazy, pleasant blur, and even now it feels like a dream. Still so hard to believe. And yet it’s real.
And on this particular day, they’re on their way to their new home.
Rhory had spent the morning seeking out any more little scraps about the Change. On previous trips, he’d discovered the reason for the Change, and thank god, found a way for Arrya to possibly regain her abilities. But there’s yet more they don’t know, and he thinks it best for them to be as informed as possible.
He’d made no progress by noon however, and had started to become frustrated by the time Arrya had found him. He’d been so glad then, for her good news.
All the way there she’d described the place to him - with its lush forests and underbrush - but he’d barely registered the information. It matters not to him where they live, in the end. What matters is that Arrya likes it, and is happy.
As they reach the border his blue eyes scan briefly over the thick trunks and luscious shrubbery, before settling back on the bay mare at his side. “It’s beautiful!” But what he really means is, ‘you’re beautiful.’
Hearing a male voice Sunfall doesn't recognize, she jolts. Turning towards it - near the edge of Sylva - she trots quietly over. Leaves hidden under the snow by now, she's able to see two horses. It looked like a pair of lovers, as they were behaving like her and Jedi did when they were with each other - and alone.
"Hello. Who are the two of you, may I ask?" She queries, better mannered than usual upon intercepting any strangers. She puts on an honest calmed expression, throwing her nerves to the back of her mind as she awaits a response. She longed for her Jedi as she felt movement in her belly, wondering how she would deal with four foals. She'd left Kylo and Praelia - the dearest twins did watch each other, and cared more than she used to as a jealous foal for her siblings - with the majority back at the main grouping area, nearer the center before coming to look around.
11-03-2016, 01:19 AM (This post was last modified: 11-03-2016, 01:22 AM by Arrya.)
You've got a heart as loud as lions, so why let your voice be tamed?
Shit, he’s adorable. Have I mentioned that? Those summer sky blue eyes of his take a look around, but they settle on me, full of love and this absolutely stunned look of wonder he still gets when he looks at me. “It’s beautiful,” he says, but his eyes are on me, tracing the lines of my face, lingering on my lips as I smile and lean in to press them against his shoulder. My Rhory.
“You think so?” I ask, smiling as I rub my face against his neck. Then I peek up at him, catching blue eyes staring at me like I’m something special. He’s always managed to make me feel that way, like I’m something special, even when I feel like I’m nothing. Even on my worst days, he’s held me like I’m precious, and not in the sarcastic way I usually use the word. Like I’m some kind of marvel, and he’s just in awe that he gets to be near me.
Eyes like that can make a girl feel all sorts of cherished. Can maybe even make me start to believe I’m more than just some worthless Meadow rat bound to fall right back into the dirt when the world decides it’s sick of toying with me. Eyes like that can make a heart beat faster, can trigger a giddy little flutter in the belly.
I’m leaning in for a kiss, because that is definitely not getting old anytime soon, when a voice cuts in out of nowhere. “Hello. Who are the two of you, may I ask?” Okay, so it probably wasn’t out of nowhere. Not completely. Odds are the welcoming committee isn’t made up of ninjas. But I was a little distracted, and I didn’t hear her approach. Startled, I jerk my head back to look at her just before my lips touch the corner of my Rhory’s mouth. Aww damn. I was looking forward to that, too.
I’m not a fan of surprises, and missing out on a kiss makes me grumpy, so my ears pin back and my eyes narrow before I can remind myself that I’m supposed to be playing nice. Meeting the new neighbors. Making friends. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm my nerves and the racing of my heart. And when I open them again, I sneak that kiss anyhow, even if it’s a much quicker one than it was going to be. Okay. That’s better. Now when I open my mouth, I won’t say anything stupid.
“ ‘course you can ask, princess, we’re practically invading your territory here I’m guessing, huh?” Fuck. So much for not saying anything stupid. I try again, hoping for once my mouth will listen to my brain. “We’re new. Just moved in, as of about half a minute ago.” Whether the current residents like it or not, kind of. Baby needs a home, and Mommy picked this place, and how everybody else feels about that is barely my problem. “I’m Arrya. This is Rhory. He’s my…”
I trail off, looking up at him and pretending for my own sake that I don’t have the sappiest goddamn expression on my face when I do. My...what, boyfriend? I’m not crazy about the word, but I’ll use it if he prefers it. My...mate? Sounds so solemn and serious and stuffy, but we’ve definitely done so and there’s proof on the way. Again, if he likes it, I’m game. My eyelids drift half-closed as I lean in to brush my lips along the line of his shoulder again. “My Rhory.” Easy enough. Honest enough. But it’s still incomplete. “And I’m his Arrya,” I murmur, and that finally feels like a true answer. It’s enough for me, that he’s mine and I’m his.
But I’m flexible.
You've got the light to fight the shadows, so stop hiding it away.
11-17-2016, 12:12 AM (This post was last modified: 11-17-2016, 12:12 AM by Rhory.)
I have died every day waiting for you.
Darling, don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years.
She loves the place - he can see it already - and he loves it simply because she loves it. But there’s more than just love for place in her eyes, there’s love for him, and it still bowls him away to see that emotion so nakedly apparent in her gaze. “I know so.”
He leans into her touch, and gazes right back into her liquid eyes, content to just bask in their closeness and the pure joy of the peaceful moment.
She’s leaning in for what he knows will be a kiss (again, how did he get so lucky?), when his rapture is disturbed by a strange female voice ringing out through the clear air.
He deflates, just a little, the golden moment broken, and his scarred head turns, blue eyes alighting on the approaching grullo mare. He can feel Arrya bristling at his side at the intrusion, and while he doesn’t blame her, he nudges her slightly with his shoulder to remind her to be polite. They are the strangers here after all.
Buuuut it’s too late. His lips can’t help but quirk at the oh-so-characteristic Arrya sass, but he tries to prevent it from turning into a full blown smile - he doesn’t want to offend the newcomer. His head cocks to the side for a moment in amusement as she struggles to find an appropriate label for their relationship. He can understand her turmoil - it’s hard to find a word that truly describes what they’ve gone through and experienced together. He personally still thinks of her as his sun and stars, his everything … but that would be a little much to be revealing to a stranger. What Arrya finally settles on works well enough for him, and he nuzzles her gently with his scarred and splotchy muzzle.
Finally he returns his gaze back to the stranger, and he offers the mare a friendly smile. “We’ve only really just arrived. Would you have any recommendations on spots we could rest? I want to make sure this one,” he nudges Arrya, “takes it easy.”
