"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
The leggy chestnut marched into the Field determined to give this whole group living thing one more shot. First, her own mother had disappeared, then the broad who had picked her up from the Adoption Den had also ditched her. Now she was almost grown, her gangly legs filled out, her wide innocent eyes just showing the beginning of disillusionment with the world. She wasn’t sure if it was just her or if abandonment was just part of the process of growing up. Certainly, not everyone was bound to just disappear at the drop of hat. Then again what did she know?
Still despite her previous disappointments here she was again. A little cautious, a little hurt but still willing.
raeanne
There's a wild, wild whisper - Blowin' in the wind
[OOC: It's been about a million years since I've been here so excuse the tiny post!]
Nobody should be judged for something they had no part in. Like a child wasn’t to blame for its mother’s wrongdoings, or one friend in a group of four for the mischief of the others. It’s not Beqanna, nor her habitants, that are to blame for any past disappointments.
However, what they can do, is offer a new chance. That is all Tephra is about. The volcanic land is a home for those who have none, a sanctuary in its own right, if you wanted it to be. Amorette hopes to spread this word through Beqanna, to let everybody know which direction Tephra is taking with Warrick’s raise to the throne.
Today it leads her to a young chestnut mare in the field. She carries some kind of reservation with her, but yet at the same time it seems like she came to the field with the right intentions. ”Hello there” she greets the chestnut girl with a light drop of her head and a pleasant smile tugging on the corners of her lips. ”I’m Amorette and come from Tephra. Who are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
01-26-2018, 10:41 AM (This post was last modified: 01-26-2018, 10:43 AM by Raeanne.)
Light green eyes danced over the unfamiliar, dark-haired mare as she approached. She returned the slight bob of her head, ears pricking forward as she spoke. “Raeanne.” She thought for a moment about the heavy, drape of vines and about the inclusive scent of mares, that was her home so long ago. “From no where I guess.” A self-deprecating smile tugged at her mouth. The jungle had been her mother’s home more than her own and the Adoption Den was home to none. So she really had no roots anywhere, at least not yet.
“Is your home welcoming newcomers like myself? I’m a bit tired of wandering, I’d like somewhere to settle down for a bit.” She couldn’t say forever, for who knew what the future really held. Maybe she’d meet someone, maybe he’d live elsewhere. Isn’t that what happened sometimes? For now though, she just wanted somewhere that she could call home. She wanted to wake up to familiar scents and faces. She wanted to call out to friends and acquaintances as she traveled through land that was as familiar as her own hooves. She wanted a home.
raeanne
There's a wild, wild whisper - Blowin' in the wind
Loess. It’s the kingdom he fought for, that his friend commands, that he had last decided. It was his place of residence, not yet a home or a place that his heart beats only for. It’s a place littered with rocky outcroppings and noise, with individuals wanting a refuge and a place to sleep. Most followed Ivar there; he was their muse and their fascination. Undoubtedly, he has a charm to lure women to his kingdom – and to his bed based on Isobell’s lust for him – and Castile questions his ability to mirror that.
The field, he knows, is the initial step, but he hesitates as the tall grass meets him, kissing the bottoms of his knees. There are many here, he quietly observes while suppressing the rise in his pulse, trying best to not allow his embarrassment to shift any part of him again. Control: the word echoes in the crevices of his mind, applying a temporary balm as he forges on.
Mismatched eyes glance back and forth searching for someone – anyone – but rather than voluntarily approaching, he finds himself suddenly between the two mares. A slow, thoughtful blink, and then a sheepish, ”Uhh,” before reeling backward. ”My apologies for interrupting…” he almost turns away to resume his search, his heart quickening to a deafening hammer against his ribcage. How he didn’t see them is baffling, but as he begins to pivot, he catches a small snippet of their conversation. Tephra, he hears, then a place to settle. His curiosity dwells longer on Tephra – the creature within him coils with interest – as he recalls the volcano that reaches skyward. Lava, heat, smoke… It’s everything he would want – need – to fuel the monster now rattling its cage bars.
That’s why he mustn’t go.
Clearing his throat, he inches a step back again to look at them both, suddenly deciding to join them. ”I’m Castile,” a name they can now associate with his awkwardness, ”from Loess. It’s another nice place to settle if you like options.” Beneath his unruly forelock, a slow blink of self-disapproval. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he has gone from a nonchalant stallion to a rambling colt.
She gets exactly the reaction she’d hoped to get. Well, perhaps a burst of enthusiasm would have been, but even Amorette – who saw everything in the most optimistic way – doesn’t hope for such reaction. Interest and a friendly reply is all she could’ve asked for. ”It’s nice to meet you” she tells the young chestnut mare with a light drop of her head. ”And whole Beqanna lies at your feet” she adds with a smile and a gentle bump to her shoulder. Beqanna has seen many changes and there definitely had happened a lot, but Amore likes to believe there is a place for everybody.
While Raeanne speaks the ebony woman finds herself listening carefully, one ear fully pointed towards the chestnut girl, while the other twists and turns around as an dark and white stallion stands not too far away from them. His arrival beats her to answering Raeanne’s question. Curiously she looks at him. Loess, other than the name she doesn’t know the hilly kingdom.
Although he basically is the competition, she sees his arrival as a chance to learn more about Loess. Maybe she, Warrick, or someone else should visit Loess on behalf of Tephra. Getting to know one another would be the first thing, but who knows what could grow from there? Anyway, introductions first. ”Hello, I’m Amorette, from Tephra” she says, dipping her head once in his direction before moving her gaze back to Raeanne. After all, the chestnut mare had asked a question, one Amore is more than happy to answer. ”And you would be more than welcome to join me, and all the others, in Tephra if you wish so. I would be more than happy to give you a tour around.”
It was not hard to imagine that one would like to see a potential home before deciding to live there. What if the place was not to your liking? Amorette had first set foot in Tephra because she’d heard the rumour her father lived there. It was all that was needed for her to feel at home, instantly feeling at home. In the best situation it would be like that for Raeanne too, but it could as well be not to her liking at all. Something the young red woman has to decide for herself.
Rae offers another small smile at the gentle nudge. She would have never before thought of herself as reserved but the first three years of her life had somewhat diminished her. Perhaps in the years to come she’d find the loud, brash filly she had been. It would take time though.
She wasn’t quite as observant her companion and the arrival of the young stallion startled her. She stepped back a half-step before catching herself. Only another part of the welcoming committee. Something in his eyes, not the mismatched color, but the intensity that seems there for a moment then gone. Shuttered. It was enough to capture her attention. She drew in a deep breath as if she could somehow scent the change in him but nothing.
He speaks his piece, another land. Something else new. “I’m Raeanne.” She looks between the two. In the past she was impulsive, a snap decision and she was on her way. Now though, she hesitated. “I suppose it’s hard to decide having never been to either.” She stalled for another moment of thought before finally turning to Amorette.
“I’d love a tour of Tephra. Get a feel for it.”
Her eyes swung around to face the young male, “and if I’d still be welcome after that then come see Loess.”
She looked back between them both with a small smile, “all of this is new to me and it’s hard to know what place will feel like home until you see it for yourself. At least, that’s how I feel.”
raeanne
There's a wild, wild whisper - Blowin' in the wind
