The Edge of the World [Tangerine/Any]

[Diable Rouge]

Diable Rouge

>

The months since his child's death had passed in swift motion - autumn turned into the cold winter, and Diable had excused himself from Tephra's lands for a brief period of time, which he was grateful he did. When it came time that spring rolled around, he took it upon himself to follow his commander's orders and guard the southern border. While he stayed plenty busy with his work, he still often dreamed of his time with Tangerine, the twins, and his little miracle, Kaiode.

The border of Tephra was relatively quiet lately, save for the few visitors that washed up on the beaches. When he saw them, he would observe them to see if they posed any threat, then ask a simple line of questioning: what's your name? where are you coming from? what is your purpose here? To which most either wanted a home, or they were a diplomat coming to talk to Offspring, and he would send them on their way. His job was not particularly hard, but he made sure to keep up with his physique in case an intrusion caused for action.

Today was no different from any other. He stood upon a small hill, and scanned the terrain for any newcomers. Residents he recognized he would nod to politely, then his face would grow stone-cold and focused once more. The afternoon sun was hot today, and his red coat grew damp with perspiration. His muscles twitched away the flies that landed on them, and his tail flicked the sides of his rump. He looked to his left, where Kaiode would once have stood, and sighed. Although it had been months, it never got any easier. Everywhere he looked was a reminder of the short-lived family he had adored - him, Tangerine, Solace, Svedka, and Kaiode. A little unit that he loved with all his being, torn apart within seconds. He swallowed the lump in his throat, then turned his attention back to his duties once more. 

in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet.

@[Tangerine] <3

[Tangerine]

tangerine

face to the sun

He is easy to spot, standing on that hill - alone. 
Alone. 

He should have the boy by his side, the sweet boy who would be a yearling now. But that would never be now - they, collectively,  had failed him. 

Little did Rou know how Tang could have made a difference. But the wound is still too raw for her to be able to broach the topic with the stallion. The truth had been hard enough to disclose to her winged lover, it would be years before she could tell him of her premonition which possibly could have helped to prevent the fatality that day.  Tangerine had come to respect and even love, in a way, the buckskin stallion. Of course, it was a different kind of love than what she felt for Warrick, but it was there and it was valid and it was hard for her to see him in pain.

Tang approaches Rou with a shadow of a smile on her lips, something soft and unobtrusive. It had been months, yet somehow it still felt wrong to greet her companion with joy. Silently she comes to stand beside him on his vantage point, gently touching his shoulder with her muzzle in way of greeting.

"I'm glad to see you are back." She had noticed his absence. They had spent nearly every day in each others company for a full six months until he disappeared after the accident. Not that she blamed him, a grieving parent was never to blame.

Before she broaches the topic she has come to speak with him about she gives him a moment. The painted mares worried amber eyes search his face, waiting to see if there is anything she can do to help. But even as she tries to read him Solace is, of course, not far from her mind.

>

[Diable Rouge]

Diable Rouge

>

His peripheral vision catches a glimpse of her golden coat, and his heart stops. He had avoided this interaction for far too long now, he knew they needed to talk, but his heart still ached. A piece of him, his shining light, gone without even a warning. He inhales the sulfur-ridden air, and turns his crown to face her. 

Tangerine. The savior of the broken child, held a special place in his heart. Her heart, however, was intertwined with Warrick, and he respected that greatly. He spent many days with her, and their bond was that of best friends rather than lovers, which he did enjoy while it lasted. Diable Rouge gives her the best smile he can muster, before gesturing for her to take a place by his side. 

The place where Kaiode should be. 

"My duties were to my home," He starts, staring off into the distance. "I couldn't disappear forever." He looks over to Tangerine, and all he can think about is Solace. The little light, shining so brightly. He worried about her so much it gave him nightmares, and he cannot help but let his worries slip. "Is Solace okay? He asks, nearly in a whisper. He knew she believed it was her own fault, and the permanent scar that lay across his own heart was probably heavier on hers. He didn't like to think about a child living with that kind of guilt...he didn't want a child to grow up feeling the way he felt about his mother: that it was his fault. He sighs a bit, looking down to the ground and trying to make the thoughts retreat from his mind.  

in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet.

@[Tangerine]

[Tangerine]

tangerine

                    turn your face to the sun - let the shadows fall behind us

I couldn't disappear forever.
She nods; she knows. Duty - it was a word she had learned about here in Beqanna and a word which roused mixed feelings in her breast. All the men in her life were duty bound to their Kingdoms and she had learned to accept it.

'Except for Carnage,' she muses, cynically, to herself. He was above duty.  But the dark god was a shooting star, bright and brilliant and gone, he couldn't be considered a man in her life -
even if he was the father of her unborn daughter. 

Some part of her was even glad that she would always be second to their love of the land. She would always be second (at best) to the Great Wife: Duty. 

She never asked to be anyone first, to be someones only would be too much pressure for the wild mare. 

But concern for her daughter, not herself, was why Tang had sought Rou out today. Solace, who also is showing the signs of a duty-bound kingdom dweller, is why she is here. The death of her 'little brother' had hit the girl hard and she refused to process the even with her mother. Tang's comforting words seemed to fall on deaf ears anytime she tried to broach the topic, and she couldn't help but suspect the child partially blamed her mother. 

"She has been quiet," the painted mare ventures, "I think it would mean a lot if you would speak with her." Was it too soon? Should she not be asking so much of him yet? Solace was the only one who had loved the colt as much as Rou had, maybe they could draw strength from each other. Her amber gaze returns to his face to search his feature and gauge if she has asked too much. 

[Diable Rouge]

Diable Rouge

>

"I think it would mean a lot if you would speak with her." 

His body tenses at the thought - he knew it was necessary to speak with the child. The thought of having to talk to Solace about his own experiences, and how it wasn't her fault, made his stomach turn. Secretly, he had always wished for someone to come to him and tell him that his mother's murder was in no way caused by his actions...he had never received this talk. And now he was letting Solace feel the same way. How could he be so self-centered? She was growing older by the minute, and he could not allow the burden of Kaiode's death to lay on her shoulders. He knew all too well what that kind of guilt can do to a child. He casts his gaze over to Tangerine and sighs, nodding his head sharply. 

"I should've done it sooner," He admits, turning his crown to face forward once more. "I was selfish, Tang. I'm sorry." He swallows the lump in his throat, and forces himself to make arrangements to meet with the little light. "Her and I, we need to talk. We have more in common than she knows...I hope I can save her some pain."

in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet.

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