"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
Everything just felt so wrong anymore it was beginning to feel like it was actually right.
Time had passed since when she had last seen Leilan. Breckin had since been promoted to an Advisor by Scorch before her bald friend had passed the Nerinian crown along to Wishbone; there was a growing frienship there between the idrilat and Khaleesi, one the leopard mare was becoming increasingly gracious for as it helped ease some of the maiden's festering thoughts. As thankful as she was, it simply wasn't enough and she often found herself wandering or throwing herself into matters of diplomacy. The day would soon come upon her when she could no longer avoid him, but she was going to try her damned hardest to put it off for awhile longer, at least until she could regain some type of composure again. Her current world was comprised of fake smiles and pretty words spilling from her charcoal lips, but it was all a charming facade these days with no sincerity left to back it up.
Today she had felt the finely crafted mask begin to slip out of her unmotivated grasp, and this time she didn't fight it's descent. The vacant smile had dropped, and her body had turned southward, slipping out and away from the Nerinian borders. Hyaline had been her goal initially, but the legs affitted to the wanderer-at-heart carried her brooding mind beyond even the mountainous realm, having long since resolved to explore something much more intrigueing. The rounded plains of Loess quickly embrace her, feeling the bristle of scrub beneath heavily burdened treads.
Hungry eyes alight with feverish curiosity rove the area around her, taking in--for the first time-- the odd landscape of the realm while notching another 'first time' experience off the rather large list she kept mentally. There was so much she had yet to do, and still so much she had yet to figure out. But that metaphorial climb just looked so damned daunting from her current vantage point that with each passing day she cursed herself louder for not just figuring out where to start down that path. If nothing else, at least she had already learned that the world wasn't fair, life wasn't fair, and nobody owed her a fucking thing."Just remember, Breckin, if the world didn't suck we would all fall off," she says with a heavy sigh, speaking absentmindedly into the rising gale.
_____________________________
@[Wolfbane]
I was listening to a whole bunch of music genres while I was writing this so it might seem a little all over the place
Sometimes, a flight intended to be quick turns into an afternoon excursion and Wolfbane wonders why he ever said yes to Arthas’ request ot become heir. Not like the old gray dog couldn’t shake a few more children loose from the pouch if he tried - every time he seemed to catch up with his continuing mentor, some mare or other was close at hand. The promise of a vagabond lifestyle had been heavy cream to his tongue whenever duty pressed him towards Nerine or the common lands and he reasons he could’ve easily become a brother of Ischia and left this job to other birds more suited for pecking and shitting downhill, if he’d only said, “Not for me, no thanks.”
But here he is, King of all Loess in his gold-and-blue striped glory, trotting amiably around the twists of paths until the breathy sound of someone talking stops him cold. Furrowing a satiny, gleaming brow and driven by rampant curiosity he finds his barred legs taking him up and over an unleveled rise of pitted earth, lush and green on the surface despite it being mid-august. A stranger waits below, giving him a surprising feeling of Déjà vu and prompting him to call out with a heavy, thick voice, “Should I know who you are?”
Any other guard might’ve been a hair more serious. Wolfbane, however, wears nothing but a sly, witty grin as he winds down to meet her face-to-face. The appaloosa can’t even assume that he might be angry at her because he’s just so lackluster and sarcastic, easing to a halt on even footing as though he’s unperturbed by her presence and, truly, he is. The brine of iron and salt on her skin is unmistakable; Nerinian and therefore clear to come and go as she pleased.
Unsurprisingly there’s no one around to hear her pathetic attempt at comforting herself. The rocks and shrubs do little to offer their condolences to her delicate state of mind either, but their quiet presence alone is a warmly welcomed contrast to what she’d been used to lately. They wouldn’t judge her for dropping her tactful mask for awhile, allowing herself to loosen the corset of restraint she’d donned expertly some time ago. Perhaps this would be just as good a time as any to allow herself to tap into the rising swell of whatever the hell it was she had been trying so desperately to repress. With that thought now deeply rooted and the expulsion of a tightly drawn breath, Breckin forces herself to physically and mentally relax, at last shedding the skin of self preservation.
The completion of her mental transformation had only just finished when the undisputed sounds of footfalls worm their way into her cognition. The darkness of her eyes flicker with mild annoyance as they turn in time to watch the approach of an unknown stallion. A chord of familiarity is stricken somewhere deep within her but she has no time to appreciate the sensation as whatever psychological strip dance she just did for herself has left her feeling openly raw and naked. There would be no time to draw the curtain back before this interaction was to take place, so whoever he was, she would receive him with unbridled exposure.
At the very least, Breckin matches the smile upon his lips, as he stills nearby, allowing herself the time necessary to take in the contrasting colors that painted his coat before answering him. “Doubtful, gent. I’m the type of person that’s hard to forget once you’ve met me.” Whatever annoyance had first plagued her dark eyes gives way to humor as she tilts her head a fraction to the side, “Something tells me you are too.”
“How could I forget,” He laughs, a genuine sound to accompany the newcomer’s sharp wit, “Breckin, of course.”
Extending a welcome nose towards her, Bane marvels at the rise of activity he’s seen in the past few weeks here. Loess had been thirsty for change, it seems, and if those from the Northern kingdom were curious enough to travel this far south just for a break in schedule, he assumes he’s doing something right for a change.
“I’m Wolfbane, the new caretaker of this place.” He responds in like, once the shimmering darkness of his curious nose is retracted. For a moment he watches her, takes in this traveler as a whole (with her ink spots and white coat,) and then his eyes are trained once more on hers, questions bubbling to the surface of his foremost thoughts. “Did you come for the thermal springs?” He guesses aloud, turning aside so that Breckin might continue on her journey if she wished.
“Or something more directly related to Nerinian ongoings?” The pegasus stallion grins, “I noticed the smell; been there a few times myself.”
07-17-2018, 04:11 PM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2018, 07:39 PM by Breckin.)
A previous version of Breckin would have stiffened, balked even, at the warm gesture he offered, but this was not the same mare of a year passed. The slightest of urges to remain dormant with the relative stranger tries to grapple for her faculties, but it is easily carried off in the shifting winds of her evolving demeanor. It was releasing really, this new outlook upon life. Her involvement in the Tournament had been a catalyst of sorts, along with that last rendezvous with Leilan...there's a momentarily lapse in her thinking, and the deepness of her eyes seem to turn a shade darker. Though she stubbornly refuses to lose the grasp of the cheeky grin she wears in the present moment. This would not be the time and place for those thoughts afterall.
She reciprocates with a step nearer to him and the extension of her own maw, sharing in the the warmed air exchanged between their breaths.
"Wolfbane," she tastes the sound of his name upon her charcoal lips, mirroring the retraction of his own evening sky hued nose. She'd briefly heard of the agreement between the two lands, but her knowledge was deficient in the details. "I'm glad to finally have a face to put to the name, though I must admit, you're not what I expected." As severe as her words might be perceived by another, she was quite sure that her present company would easily notice the obvious contrast in the tone of her voice to the smile that met with her eyes. Honestly though, he was much more intrigueing than she had imagined Loess's current leader to be.
"I didn't know such a thing existed as the thermal springs," she replies, glancing beyond him as he moves to shift out of her way. "I've never been to Loess before and I was..." her voices fades, searching for the most accurate word without giving her true motives away. Shifting back to lock upon his gaze, she defaults to the simplest explanation at the root of most of her decisions, "Curious."
A pale ear flickers lacksadaisically at his last statement. "Perhaps that is why you seem vaguely familiar. Maybe I've seen you from afar, or maybe we've met in a different life," she muses aloud, but mostly to herself. She hadn't entirely forgotten the twinge of some kind of revival in her gut when she'd first seen him. Perhaps he had felt it too, the way he had first announced his presence and all. With a swift shrug of her shoulder she diffuses the philosophical idea before it threatens to devour her thoughts. A girl could get lost within such fanciful ramblings.
"Forgive me," she says apologetically, "I've already lied to you." Pausing momentarily, she rethinks her statement. "Actually, it was a half truth. I'm not only here for curiosity's sake. I'm also running away. From myself." The cool attitude she'd expertly possessed quickly dissipates into a cringe-worthy grimace at the sound of her own admission. Was she still talking to him or herself now? Or both? Not entirely sure why she felt so at ease with him, her features contort into mild confusion, "I have no idea why I told you that."
By some grace of the Gods her slipping composure regains itself in the form of a witty smile, "I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that I'm not here for the thermal springs or a diplomatic visit." Her tone inches further beyond the edge of modesty, "I'm here for something more along the premise of research."
@[Wolfbane] wine might have been involved in the making of this post.
As she pulls away from his welcome, Breckin eases the conversation into a territory Wolfbane is all too familiar and comfortable with. Her comment on his nature and overall “look” rouses a throaty laugh from the pegasus, one that seems a bit conspiratorial to match the likewise grin on her own mouth. She’s not aware that would be his preference, to always be unexpected. It doesn’t bother the colorful brute one iota that Breckin calls him out on it - he intends for Loess as a whole to be the very definition of surprising, not just himself or his rule.
Attentively he listens to her reasons for a visit as they walk together, happy that the speckled mare has come regardless of the occasion. The sense of their familiarity with one another is hard to ignore and Bane nods in agreement with her theories on past meetings and lives. In a world like Beqanna, who was to say the impossible couldn’t occur? The striped drake doesn’t discount her conversation, he only laughs again when Breckin eases into deeper emotions. “I have a trait that divulges the truth from those nearest to me.” Bane lies smoothly, peering aside at his female companion with a sparkling eye.
“It’s called being incredibly suave and handsome, which I’m sure you agree with.” The leader jokes, hoping to ease the Nerinian local’s obvious discomfort with light humor. King of Loess, Pirate Lord, whatever - the winged stallion prides himself on being easy-going to those deserving, flexible, and overall a listener. When the gentlest of wit returns to her expression Wolfbane concentrates again, intrigued and enraptured without bothering to check where they roam. “Call me your willing lab rat, then.” Her guide agrees eagerly, excited for something to dispel the usual hum-drum of his day-to-day duties.
“What test should we conduct first?’ The fanged creature smiles, turning with the bend of their path where the hot springs lie in wait.
WOLFBANE
@[Breckin] Mac N' Cheese was definitely involved in the making of this post xD
Following his guidance closely, it was nearly like a reopening of her eyes; eagerly they roved the gentle swells and dips of Loess, taking in as much as possible while still politely paying attention to his responses. Every scrub, tree, boulder they passed, she desparately tried to quickly study it. It was utterly fascinating to her, how relatively small Beqanna seemed to be, but how every terrain held remarkably different landscapes and flora. It was breathtaking and brilliant, and now that she'd found good company and a better attitude, the stark beauty of Loess had finally been revealed to her.
A brow inclines gently when he remarks about his truth divulging abilities, followed quickly by a surprised snort and genuine laughter. As the humor fades upon her lips, she realizes how nice of a feeling it was to openly laugh. Lately it seemed as though she could easily evoke some type of humor from others, but the sound of her own laughter in her ears seems foreign and rusty from disuse; it had been quite some time since someone had made her laugh so freely. Smiling was a warm and friendly gesture, but being able to share in easy laughter was held a different appreciation in the mind of the leopard mare, and instantly Breckin finds herself developing a certain fondness of her brightly contrasting guide.
"Here I had thought that you might have just been easy to talk to. So thank you for enlightening me." After a few steps further and a sideways glance she adds, "And since I'm doomed to get the truth pulled from lips eventually while in your presence, I might as well not waste time denying how suave and handsome you are."
When the air feels as though its shifting towards a rising temperature, her eyes train ahead of them with the promise of a captivating smile threatening to emerge, "I'm so glad to hear you're so willing to help. Hopefully my beautiful charm is working equally as well as your trait and you're speaking the truth. I'm not sure I'm in a state of mind to refuse such a generous offer if it is sincerely being given." Sparing a quick glance towards Wolfbane, the brewing smile finally emerged. Charming and beautiful were the least likely words she'd use to describe herself really, preferring instead perhaps quirky and tolerable above anything else, but at the time the former words seem to fit the bill better.
A haze was becoming visible to her then, beginning to blur the edges of the flora that were resilient enough to grow close to the springs. Inadvertantly, she steps closer to his side, regarding the springs with mild caution; she had never seen anything like them before, and was not entirely sure what their purpose was. Searching for his gaze amidst the land cloud, she finds it and widens her mischievious grin, "The first thing to do before testing, is to isolate a problem, and seeing as I'm obviously perfect and have none, perhaps my suave and handsome subject has a problem I could help with?" He would know she was lying of course, she'd already admitted as much that she had problems. But the reality was, she'd already begun collecting data for her own personal research when they'd first crossed paths--and she has been the lab rat all along.
Gentle as the comment is, Breckin’s compliment on his looks and attitude post-tease give Wolfbane every reason to be glad he’s skirted actual duty for an evening of experimentation. “The adverse effect of your potent charm is doing its job -” Bane smirks, a look of pure fascination smoldering into his hazy, honey-green eyes. “- I feel like I couldn’t lie, even if I wanted to.” He quips, enjoying the way she moves nearer to his side once the gauzy film of steam envelopes both.
The leopard-spotted dame finds him already gazing at her, once she turns in search of his stare through the humid cloud. Wolfbane’s hooves know these intricate trails well, so much so that they weave over top themselves expertly as he leads on into the heart of this particular thermal spot. “I could use some advice, actually: ” He begins when Breckin takes their game into a new direction. There’s not a moment of hesitation on his end over the subject matter; he’d agree eagerly that she was perfect in her own way. “A rare bird comes to my nook of Loess,” The drake smiles devilishly, glancing aside at his companion before stepping away.
“her song is unnatural in its beauty, a note I’ve never heard before.” Bane explains, slowly calling on his power to shift himself bit by bit into invisibility until he disappears from Breckin’s view. “When she goes, I’m sure I’ll think of nothing else.” His familiar voice pipes up, suddenly on her opposite side.
For a moment silence overcomes them, Bane having left the spotted mare to mull over his issue alone in the swaths of heavy mist, and then (from directly behind where the Nerinian horse now stands) he solidifies again as if to surprise her.
“I’d like the bird to stay for a while, or at least return frequently.” The impish magician pipes up once she can see him again, wild stare blazing as his grinning mouth exposes a set of matched fangs. “What do you suggest I do to keep her interested?”
She'd devoted all of her attention to him then, at the mention of his need of advice, gratified by the sense that she could possibly be of some use. The focus upon him is enough to diminish the michievious grin she'd worn to a smaller incline, before it runs away from her face completely. Furrowing her brows inquisitively at his progressive disappearing act, her dome swivels to the side he had once been standing upon, casting flickering ears back and forth. But the confusion is fleeting at the welcomed tone of his familiar voice appearing on her opposite side. Smiling softly, her head rotates back to look directly in front of her, dropping her head slightly and closing her eyes trancelike while simultaneously allowing Wolfbane's words to seep into her understanding. Bloody charming devil, she muses, realizing there would soon be no hope left for her if he kept this up much longer. The musculature of her frame stiffens when his voice carries on from behind her; enough of a startle to warrant her dark eyes to reopen. It's only when his voice lapses into silence that she turns to face him squarely again.
There's a soft smile on her lips again, and the slightest tilt of her head in appraisal, "Quite the problem. Honestly, it sounds like you need to get out of Loess more often, I think you'd be surprised that these birds aren't as rare as you imagine." A stupid quip, a half-hearted attempt to deflect the blindingly obvious temptation this meeting was quickly shifting towards. The ache in her heart had already begun to dull, and the frigid walls of self-preservation had sunk lower into their pits with each passing second.
When Breckin had turned, she had drawn some space between them, allowing the clouded vapors to quickly fill in the void she'd opened. But she takes a step nearer then, brows furrowed as if seriously pondering his predicament. "Really though, I think that it's possible you have already been matching her serenade and keeping her interest all along."
Aligning her deepening gaze with his again, and shifting her smile to a quirky lopsided grin, she presses further into the space between them, causing swirls of humidity to rise alongside her. "Lucky for you, I have a hypothesis," the leopard woman offers with a softened voice. She draws herself to a stop just in front of him, "If..", she begins while moving her muzzle to hover just above the fine line of his chest where the gold met with sapphire, "you approach her in good faith," she continues while tracing the line of his markings to the point with merely the heat of a whispered breath, "and try to touch her...gently, then maybe, she'll let you hold her. At least for a little while." The line she traces with a painstaking intrecacy rounds back upward, and she follows it closely, ever careful to keep from touching him in that immediate moment. Her lips hover somewhere along his neckline--teasing, daring, testing.
"The only way you will know for certain however, is if you decide my prediction is worth testing."
@[Wolfbane] congratulations player one, you've cleared the level and have unlocked the ability to touch the Breckin. lemme know if i'm dumb and read things wrong and need to change them.
![[Image: Wolfbane2.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/601918740845559818/696502662816071770/Wolfbane2.png)
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