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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    [open]  peace is a bird who sings
    #1

    Accompanied by a couple of her fellows from Tephra, Isilya makes her way across Beqanna to visit Pangea. Although she could use her magic to teleport them there in the blink of an eye - she’s shy about using her powers on others and a little nervous that she might accidentally dump them all into a lake or the middle of a volcano if she makes a mistake. So they travel the traditional way.

    Unless stopped, Isilya would have kept up a companionable amount of chatter along the way - just enough to fill any potentially awkward silences and toeing the line between a friendly and annoying amount of talking.

    She does not say anything particularly important, but it helps calm her nerves. Especially the closer they draw to their destination. She’s relying on the older of her two companions to tell them when they’ve arrived, and pauses as soon as she is told to. She’s filled to the brim with anticipation, excitement, and a dash of fear - wondering what they’ll find. All she knows is that someone new has taken over this kingdom, and she’s very curious to discover whether they could be a new friend.

    Of course, she very much hopes so - and does not currently have the ability to consider any other possibility.

    It's a little past dawn when they arrive, the golden-pointed mare's favourite time of day. Her vines are decorated in roses of red and pink for this visit, ranging in large blooms to small rosebuds. A warm voice calls out from where she stands near the border, beckoning any residents who would like to say hi to come and do so.



    image by Reitro


    @[Aedan] @[Ryatah] @[Anaxarete] and anyone else from Pangea who would like to say hi!
    Reply
    #2

    Politics did not fit her quite the way they had in the past, but out of all of these strange new lands, Tephra was the closest she had to being a true home. She cannot say that she feels the same allegiance as she had with the Valley, or even the Dale, but there was some sort of invisible thread that kept her attached there; one that no matter how she tried to sever it, she never could.

    Isilya makes the fourth crown that she has served under in Tephra – ‘served’ being used very lightly. Her interest in the kingdom fluctuated, and it was hard for her to remain focused when things that rarely concerned her. She had so many other ways that she would rather spend her time than to watch the same dramas unfold and repeat themselves over and over.

    But finding out that Anaxarete was the new queen of the east? That caught her attention.

    So far she had not revealed anything that she knew of the once queen of the Chamber; not even that knew who she was. She followed along with the small group from Tephra, quiet and watchful as always. The soft glow of her aura lit up the dark of the early morning, until dawn itself began to stretch across the sky. When they finally reach Pangea, she glances sideways to Isilya and says with a faint smile, “We’re here.” It is not the Valley, and it is not the Chamber, but it doesn’t surprise her that Anaxarete was drawn to it. 

    Ryatah
    even angels have their wicked schemes
    Reply
    #3

    i have loved the stars too fondly

    Well, this is what he gets for opening his big fat mouth. Let me know how I can help, he said. Somehow he expected them to just ignore him, to pretend that the silly half colt hadn’t said anything at all. Nope. As it turns out his new queen is very nice, and she’d invited him along ontgis diplomatic mission even though he had no business being on a diplomatic mission.

    If he was being honest, it wasn’t really the worst thing. It was something to do, which he was in constant need of. Sometimes coming up with his own plans was exhausting, so it was nice to not be the mastermind at any rate.

    Isilya chatters among about nothing in particular, and he answers when appropriate. He doesn’t mind her chatter, though. It gives him something to listen to, something to do when he’s called upon to answer. The other one is quieter though, her aura lighting their way and so Aedan finds no need to call to the stars. His markings glow, though they alone just make him an easy target but give off not useful light otherwise.

    Eventually the glowing one (because he knows so few names) says they are there, so he comes to a halt and waits. Even though he’s stuck with two women that seem more like a mom than a girl, he is a bit excited to see what happens at these sorts of meetings. It’s probably boring, but at least he’ll have a clue.

    to be fearful of the night

    aedan

    Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission

    Reply
    #4
    HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND

    “Well, well,” the shadowmare says as she makes her way to the visitors. Familiar shapes, the pair of them.  One, a new acquaintance.  The other, a figure familiar to the Beqanna of old.  She hadn’t expected to see the two of them together.  There is a third with them too - a younger boy, she does not know, but she dips her head in greeting to him all the same.

    She’d be unsurprised to find Isilya at the border after the previous encounter with Ripley in the forest.  The plant magician seemed intrigued by the alien creatures and Anaxarete still could not determine if the pale mare was incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.  She was, however, surprised to see Ryatah at her side. It seemed that the pale mare had done a better job at carving out a home for herself in these new kingdoms. And it seemed that this new Beqanna had been kind to her as well - she certainly didn’t remember Ryatah as someone quite so angelic. 

    “Fancy seeing the two of you here,” she breathes, her gaze flickering between the two mares.  She had been expecting an envoy from Tephra, but did not know who would come. “And welcome to you as well,” she says to the boy, “I am Anaxarete.”   Loess had already made an appearance - she knew it was only a matter of time before the others made their way to Pangea. Anaxarete has no intention of alienating Tephra when a fellow magician sits upon the throne. So she knows she must play the game.

    “Isilya, Ryatah - what brings the two of you to Pangea?” she asks, inclining her head in what would be considered to be polite. “Come, please, it is more comfortable by the river than it is out here,” she adds, beckoning them into the heart of Pangea.

    A N A X A R E T E
    image credit 
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    #5

    It is a complete surprise who comes to greet them, but rather instantly upon seeing the dappled grey mare a brilliant smile lights up her features. “Oh Ana! Hello! How wonderful to see you again! Where are your beautiful friends?” But before Ana might answer, she turns her attention to Ryatah and Aedan to explain - not wanting to exclude anyone. “She has the most exquisite creatures that she’s taking care of and keeping safe. I was quite lucky to get the chance to meet them recently!” Isilya’s eyes shine in complete adoration of Anaxarete and her kind heart - protecting those utterly unique creatures from a world that might seek to harm them.

    The shimmering mare still has no idea how close to death she had come.

    She is all too happy to follow Anaxarete as she leads them deeper into Pangea, and does so with a small spring in her step. Although Isilya enjoys making new friends, the sensation of running into those she has already met is a new and absolutely wonderful ones that makes her feel wonderful.

    As they walk, she explains why they are there. “We’re here from Tephra. I’ve recently been made Queen so I both wanted to introduce myself - which is redundant now that it’s you! - and we were hoping to find out who had taken over Pangea. Perhaps even discuss the possibility of a friendship between our two kingdoms.” The word ‘alliance’ isn’t one she knows to use, but she likes the way friendship feels when she says it.

    Truthfully, Isilya has absolutely no idea how any of this works. This is her first diplomatic mission and she finds her eyes straying to Ryatah - the elder of her two companions - wondering if the angelic mare might have anything else to add. It’s not that she doesn’t think Aedan would, of course! But she suspects, whether she is right or wrong, that this visit is as much of a learning experience for him as it is for her.




    image by Reitro


    @[Aedan] @[Ryatah] @[Anaxarete]
    Reply
    #6

    “Anaxarete,” she says in that soft way of hers, with a slow smile that lifts at the edges of her lips as the shadow queen appears before them. She liked the familiarity of it on her tongue, and the way it tasted like it was spun of nostalgia. She has almost found a place here in this new version of Beqanna, but she missed the old – she missed the Valley, she missed all the names that had become familiar to her, she missed situations like this where introductions were not necessary.

    But she falls quiet, and instead she glances to the side to Aedan, and with a tilt of her head she beckons the young boy forward. “Anaxarete was queen of the Chamber, once,” she explains to him, and to Isilya too, she supposes, since while it was clear she has met Anaxarete she is not entirely sure if she knows her. This becomes all the more apparent when the Tephra queen excitedly describes what Ryatah can only assume are the xenomorphs, and her impossibly dark eyes flit to Ana’s knowingly with a slight tip of her delicate head. “I’ve always known Ana to be a great caretaker, so that does not surprise me in the least.”

    She still isn’t sure why Anaxarate had picked Ripley, of everyone, to change. Perhaps it was just by chance, an opportunity that arose that the shadow magician couldn’t pass up. The thought of Ripley creates a strange twinge in her chest, but she feels no resentment; she cannot blame Anaxarete for simply being who she was, just as she never blamed Carnage, or Atrox, or anyone else.

    From her place alongside Isilya she walks, and while the other mare talks she finds her gaze traveling across Pangea – maybe hoping that somewhere she would find two familiar galaxy-colored figures lingering. She forces her attention back to the task at hand, especially when she feels the weight of silence and Isilya’s eyes on her. Luckily, she has done this far too many times, and they were almost always the same. “An alliance with Pangea sounded far better than being enemies,” she says, and is only slightly teasing. “If you’re interested, of course. I’m not sure what kind of plans you have for Pangea.”

    Ryatah
    even angels have their wicked schemes


    I forgot about this cause I'm the WORST so here's a fast reply before I forget again lmao
    Reply
    #7

    i have loved the stars too fondly

    Another mare approaches them, apparently already acquainted with everyone but Aedan. She does at least spare him a glance, and he nods in her direction politely, adding “Aedan,” though he doesn’t say anything else because it doesn’t seem to be required of him.

    His Queen responds in her usual, overly happy manner, not that he’s bothered by it but rather he just doesn’t know what to do with it. What, exactly, does a teenage boy do with an overly happy older mares? She is not Vita, after all, and so he finds himself at an inexperienced loss for the proper behavior. Besides, it is mostly directed at the other Queen since they are all friends and he’s the fourth wheel. Ha. Can you be a fourth wheel? That’s supposed to be an odd number thing and yet here he is, fourth-wheeling it.

    Could he tell Vita that? Probably not. Maybe he should get a male friend or two. They might find it as amusing as he does.

    Isilya does turn to him and Ryatah to explain what she’s talking about, something about exquisite creatures. “Creatures?” he echoes, interest peaking for a moment at this in a boyish sort of way. What sort of creatures? His mind explodes with possibilities, though none of them come close to the truth. He cannot imagine the truth as Isilya cannot imagine that they actually intended to kill her. Granted he’d probably find it way cooler to know they were killer creatures than Isilya would, but maybe that’d make her happy too.

    He’s definitely a fourth wheel (but at least not a neglected one) as Ryatah too, turns to include him, giving something of a history lesson though it is mostly lost on him. The Chamber, she says, and he cannot really place it other than to know that once, it was kingdom here. Everyone with half a brain knows the basics of what had happened in Beqanna; how the world had been shaken to its core and ripped apart, put back together into the world that Aedan knows. He cannot imagine what it was like to live through it, and he is glad he did not. He wonders, though, what the Chamber had been like. It seems inappropriate to ask, though the question lingers on his tongue. Maybe he could ask later.

    As they walk, he drops slightly behind, close enough to still be a part of the group and to hear what’s going on, but far enough to be out of the way. This is not his part, and even his inexperienced self knows that he is here as an observer and student. He tries, mostly successfully, to keep his attention tuned into the mares and their conversation, though he cannot help but let his eyes wander a bit to look over this place. He’s never seen it, and exploring is always his favorite thing to do. His feet itch to take a different course, to simply see what he can find, but he lets himself to led to the river that Anaxarete mentioned.

    to be fearful of the night

    aedan



    i'll stop being so slow now...

    @[Anaxarete] next

    Use of mild power playing is allowed; no injuries without permission

    Reply
    #8
    HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIEND

    “Welcome Aedan. You come today in good company,” she says in a way that could almost be interpreted as pleasant.

    Isilya is one of the very few capable of instilling surprise in the shadowmare. Her ear twitches ever so slightly when she references her beautiful friends. The little magician is perhaps the only one who would ever refer to her creatures as such. She has heard them called any number of things - but never beautiful. Not by anyone other than herself, that was. Anaxarete, however, saw a very different beauty than Isilya in the otherworldly creatures.

    But she is more than aware that Ryatah’s blood runs through Ripley’s veins, and that Aedan has no knowledge of the creatures at all. How could he, a child of new Beqanna.  So she offers an explanation to the trio - the first she’d ever offered so freely.  To Isilya for her lack of judgment, to Aedan for his simple curiosity, and to Ryatah for the simple reason that after all this time she deserved it. ”Yes, creatures,” she begins - feeling that perhaps after all this time Ryatah should know what had happened to her daughter. “The first was mortal once. I found her, attempting to isolate herself. The creature within was consuming her from the inside out. Driving her mad. Killing her.”  There’s no exaggeration. The memories have not faded for Anaxarete. She knows they never will.

    “I intervened, and in doing so the monster consumed the mortal. When she awoke - she had no self control, no mortality, no memories. So I bound myself to her. And to her children. Both to keep them safe and keep others safe from their impulses.”  This too, was true. Though it wasn’t to say that this bond hadn’t been advantageous to her throughout the years.

    “Now they live here,” she said, gesturing to the expanse of Pangea before them.  She draws to a halt before one of the life-giving creeks that feed into Pangea’s primary river. The shadowmare does not turn to gauge the reactions of her retelling of Ripley’s rebirth. Instead, the dappled mare dips her head, taking a quick pull from the cool water before returning her attention to her guests.

    “Please accept my congratulations,” she says, with a small dip of her head towards the little magician, upon learning of her ascension.  Isilya as queen of Tephra is intriguing to her, and in that intrigue there lies opportunity.  “I wish both you and Tephra well in your future endeavors.”  Her gaze flicks between the three, her mind shuffling through the new possibilities unfolding before her.

    “As for an alliance - I certainly think that would be mutually beneficial to both Tephra and Pangea,” she says, offering a small smile to the plant magician and her companions.

    A N A X A R E T E
    image credit 


    SORRY YALL GOT STUCK WITH STORYTIME.
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