"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
08-07-2018, 10:50 PM (This post was last modified: 08-08-2018, 07:40 AM by Thalassa.)
She must agree, that charm comes naturally for him. For Thal, each silver-tipped word takes effort,but it is a rewarding labor with someone like Leilan. Deep down, she suspects this isn't going anywhere concrete. It is simply the timeless dance of flirtation, driven by flesh rather than feelings. She was scared that somehow she'd changed, that somewhere along the line she got so lonely that now she was falling for a stranger. But she realizes that she isn't falling for him, she's falling for the idea of him; of a summer fling characterized by harmless romancing and an attractive form.
Her ears flick towards his snarky remark, and her contemplative expression is replaced by a playful smile. He jostles her in return and splashes her with a singular hoof. Surprised, she sputters reflexively, probably spitting water at him. She doesn't care though; he's started a war. She rears up on her back legs and crashes down into the water, sending a small-ish but effective tidal wave back towards him. Then she smirks, eyes narrowed seductively, and approaches him. She passes right under his nose, close enough to his chest that she could brush up against him like a cat; but instead, she lets out a throaty rumble and shakes her drenched pelt all over him, before leaving his space as quickly as she came. Now back to the comfortable distance of a few feet away, she squares herself with a triumphant glare. "Gotcha back."
Satisfied with her retaliation, she relaxes again, expression without a hint of apology, waiting for him to make the next move.
@Leilan
OOC: Sorry, I just wasn't feeling it today. Thought I should just get this up now before I put it off forever. XD
Thalassa
Get over your hill and see what you find there
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
To him, the purpose was not falling - just having some fun, and, if not that, at least to be distracted from his thoughts. The ones she had almost wanted to point out, but, not today he wouldn't.
The water was ample distraction. Helping them cool on this summer day, and, just for the fun of it and the sight of her face. For a moment she stood there just sputtering, spitting some water. But then she realized what he'd done, and although he stepped backwards casually, she was suddenly in the air, forgetting her bruises, and crashing the river's surface to get back at him. Now, he was getting fully drenched but he in fact, did not mind at all.
Actually - he just stood there grinning at her like an idiot, welcoming the wave.
That was until she came close - narrowing his eyes at her through his water-bearing lashes, blinking the droplets away still, he froze in his spot when she started to pretend brushing against his skin, what was she doing now? It was too fast a switch, couldn't be earnest, or maybe he shouldn't have been flirting so carelessly with every - splash! -
Well, that settled it. She was walking away, obviously thinking she was the smart one - too bad she was relatively dry and he was drenched fully still - again - doesn't matter. The point is - he's larger and quick in catching up. And so with several long strides he is with her, playfully tugging at her mane, and pushes his overly-wet fur against her side without further ado.
"dear crow, your voice is right enough; but where are your wits?"
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Thalassa] ^^
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
08-09-2018, 08:39 AM (This post was last modified: 08-09-2018, 02:46 PM by Thalassa.)
With all the splashing and noise they were making at the river, Thal noticed that small animals were scurrying away. Songbirds replaced their melodic songs with the sound of wings fluttering to safety. Squirrels used their tiny, sharp claws to scuttle up trees. She watched them, for a moment, sort of enjoying their little chaos.
She looks back at Leilan as she walks away. He'd stood still while she splashed him, smiling, but oh, did she love how the smile erased and became a baffled expression as she pretended to turn up their physical contact up a few notches so quickly. You could see those wheels turning under that silvery roan skull. She lets out a soft, breathy chuckle at the thought of his thoughts.
Suddenly, it sounds as though a tidal wave was crashing towards her, and she glances back just in time to see the bulky stallion breach the distance between them at lightning speed, playful expression cloaking his features. He tugs her mane and rubs his drenched side against hers. She whinnies shrilly, surprised at the cold water touching her unexpectedly. She launches herself away from him as quickly as possible, leaping in and out of the water to gain distance. "Hey! I was just getting dry, you half-wit." Under her indignant expression lies a small, happy smile, though. She was having fun. She looks up toward the sky and realizes with a start that the sun was setting. She must have been there for quite a while.
"Well, Leilan, I don't know about you, but I think I'd better get out of the water before I grow gills and flippers." She flashes him a blazing grin. Thal swims toward the bank Leilan first came from, and heaves her wet body out of the water with a low grunt. Then, closing her eyes and shakes herself off. "Care to go for a walk?"
@[Leilan]
Thalassa
Get over your hill and see what you find there
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
She squeals, wanting to get away from him, and he can only really laugh. A genuine one, for now. That has been some time.
Although he is still drenched wet, the trick worked, and got him a properly surprised and almost irritated reaction. He snorts, content with what he's done, and only grins at her words. "Gotcha back again." he says from his place still in the water. But she gets out, saying she doesn't want to evolve into a half-fish creature. Hmm, that reminds him of one. "Yeah, we don't want that." He's serious. One mermaid with teeth is enough, thank you.
She asks for a walk, so he follows her up the riverbank and takes his time shaking the water off his fur, forcing her to either take a few steps back or be wet once again. "Whereto, little angel?"
"dear crow, your voice is right enough; but where are your wits?"
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Thalassa]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
This time, she feels his laugh more than she hears it; it is the substance of real joy rather than simply flirtation. Thal appreciates that - that he isn't just a player. Sure, he doesn't seem to be looking for anything serious; but that wasn't a bad thing. It is only when stallions view mares only as a means to an end that Thalassa becomes angry. Fortunately, she hasn't met any like that, only heard of them, and she would like to believe they don't truly exist. Then again, she's a bit of a romantic.
She rolls his eyes as he snorts triumphantly. "Ha, ha, you're so funny," she says sarcastically. Then her lopsided smile returns. But her ears prick as he says, in all seriousness, 'we wouldn't want that.' She looks at him, slightly concerned and curious. "Wait, if there's magic here...are there also mermaids?" She realizes how much she has grown to love this place, with its whimsical lands and diverse creatures, but when she was little, she'd always been drawn to mermaid stories, rather than princess ones.
She can't help but smile wider when she hears that nickname again, altogether cheesy and sweet. As he follows, she walks towards the treeline, where she'd first come crashing through the undergrowth to earn her nickname. When he asks where they are going, she turns her head towards him, espresso eyes sparkling playfully as she peers into his chocolate ones. "I don't know. I haven't had a proper adventure since I arrived here, unless you count nearly becoming a mermaid. Do you have anything in mind?"
Thalassa
Get over your hill and see what you find there
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
He forgets, she's new. And hardly knows a thing. He looks at her slightly concerned expression, and smiles. "Sort of, but they're rare enough, lucky for us sorts. They're Kelpies. Always dangerous." he shakes his head, remembering Ivar's looks and the one moment swimming with Deiti -thank heavens she was young and still innocent then- and sensing her circling was impeding danger. No, he wasn't going to try again. Well, he did but, he's glad he's still here. "The different traits come in different shapes and sizes, I'd say."
Enough of the serious talk. She asks about an adventure, but he has no immediate answer, dumbfounded by the way she looks him in the eye. He's definitely a sucker for big dark eyes, so he is speechless at one point. "Uhm. Not really..." He tears away from her then, knowing she reminds him of someone, and he'd rather not. Hearing the river rush behind them, he nods to himself as he thinks of somewhere to go. "Want to go see where the river ends?"
"dear crow, your voice is right enough; but where are your wits?"
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Thalassa]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
08-10-2018, 11:40 PM (This post was last modified: 08-10-2018, 11:42 PM by Thalassa.)
At the mention of the word 'kelpies', her mind travels back to spindly legs and playmates, when stories were swapped like a sort of established currency, whoppers growing bigger to see who could tell the scariest ones. She hadn't heard that word since then, and frankly, she didn't think it was a real thing. "Wow. They sound pretty...haunting." Man, I really need to get out more. The truth was, she had grown placid in her solitude, in her endless, mindless wanderings where she didn't have to worry about anything but where she placed her feet. But she's since discovered that playing it safe never yields her desired results. You've got to push to make the problems go away, and fight for what you want.
Maybe Leilan is the first step to what she really wants; relationships. Maybe love, maybe a fling, maybe a friend, maybe an enemy. She sincerely hopes Leilan will never fit into the latter category, but she presumes the others would do.
There's something in his expression when he returns her stare... she can't quite place it. Like grief, longing, bliss rolled into a bundle and shoved into the depths of his being. For some reason, she has this feeling that it's not about her. She wants to ask him about it, but she selfishly decides to pretend it away; she didn't want to jeopardize the fun they were having, or ruin the mood. She breaks from her thoughts and puts on a polite smile and answers his inquiry about seeing the end of the river. "Sounds like a plan." Thal follows the river as it bends and thickens and tapers in places, ready to stop standing still. She glances back at him again, at the sunbursts of gold in his tresses. "So, Leilan, you asked me where my home is, but what about you? Are you from a kingdom?"
Her eyes are just a bit tight at the corners, from suppressed questions and little hints he's given without speaking. She has a sneaking suspicion that he is digging shallow graves for the unwanted emotions that torment him. It's easy for her to recognize the symptoms; she's lived them before. He has words left unsaid, endings left unplanned, beginnings left unexplored. She can't help but wonder about who his unspoken words belong to.
Thalassa
Get over your hill and see what you find there
With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair
Your beauty is beyond compare - oh, if I could hear but one song from you
I shall hail thee Queen of Birds...
Leilan only nods at Thalassa being impressed by the idea of kelpies. Good. He didn't want to bring the new girl into trouble for telling that there are mermaids and neglecting to tell her they're actually dangerous. Besides, he was having a good time around her, and would not mind spending another day (or night) with her sometime in the future - would be hard if she got herself killed in the meantime.
And maybe she'll just want to fix him. He's ruined, deep down, however. Unable to return to what he was when he just arrived back here, in the meadow that day. Okay, to be fair, he was an annoying prick, but only with the best intentions (forcing the other to show their true colours). Nowadays he was just being a joker and a charmer to prevent his own true colours from showing. How ironic can one be.
His mind and heart are arguing over the girls he meets, always. His heart wants the other one; his mind is playing tricks on the heart and tells them they all look the same, one way or another. With looking Thalassa in the eye just now, that's exactly what happened - his mind holding on to the small similarities to convince whatever's left of his heart to go with her, instead of yearning for the other. But when she glances at him and asks a question, the inner battle is won by the mind once again, and he starts walking along the riverbank. With any luck they'll both dry before the sun sets, and hopefully, they'll reach the sea by then. "I live in Ischia," he tells her. "It's a brotherhood kingdom. But as you may understand, it can get boring there also, with only men to surround you. The only women there are either as tough as we pretend to be, or someone's wife or daughter." Also known in Leilan's book as not to be messed with. "So I like to hang out in the common areas as well." he shrugs a little, and softly nudges her shoulder with his own in passing with an inviting grin on his face.
"dear crow, your voice is right enough; but where are your wits?"
there's something here that doesn't make sense
let's go and poke it with a stick
@[Thalassa]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
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