"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
-Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me-
Up she stretches, craning head and neck through the twist of time and space while her hooves strike clear water and the undisturbed lakebed beneath it. One second they’re in Loess, the next they’re trudging along the shoreline of Hyaline while the murmur of Circinae’s portal closes quickly behind Ivar. “Home sweet Hyaline.” The green mare chuckles, shaking loose water from her coat as she slips easily onto the bank of Amet’s homeland.
“When was the last time you visited?” She questions @[Ivar], turning a sodden neck aside so that she might glance to him with ears upturned. In the bitter heart of Winter the mountains are capped in white and a chill settles readily over skin in the form of frozen droplets. The crisp curl of her breath billowing out around her nostrils leaves her whiskers coated in steam. Circinae turns the question on herself, internally, and struggles to realize how long it’s been since her last visit, too. “The vision never ceases to amaze me. Out of all the kingdoms I’ve served thus far, Hyaline has been the most impressive on first appearances.”
She’s seen them all; the kingdoms, that is. It wouldn’t be a hard thing to fathom or complete with a gift like hers and when she gets the chance, she eases away for a glance here and there. Nerine’s gray bluffs and her angry shores, Tephra’s looming volcano, Syvla’s red-gold woods. All of them seem enticing and beautiful in their own way - Loess had been the last on her list. She realizes (with the reluctant quirk of a smile) that Ivar had been the one to grant that final goal.
Something in his favor, at least. “I’ll miss it.” She murmurs, before turning out to the open expanse with a mouth pursed for noise.
A howl slips loose, unexpected and odd coming from the throat of a horse but the deliverance is spot-on: low and mournful, the note hovers in an echo before the imposing mountain range swallows it whole. Satisfied, the pony-mare relaxes on frigid legs and waits patiently for the arrival of @[Amet].
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
The flippancy of her response has him bristling. Does she think him a child, eager for validation? He does not want her respect. She is far too light about things that require care, and while Ivar does follow her into the portal, it is out of curiosity about the adventure rather than any interest in spending more time with the green mare.
He has not given any indication that he is well-travelled, and so when Circinae asks after his last visit, he turns to look at her with an entirely nondeliberate stillness. “In the fall,” he replies without a moment of hesitation, turning only after speaking to look at the kingdom around them. It has been longer than a few months since he has seen the place from this angle, he muses. “Though we didn’t make it much past the border.”
They hadn’t needed to, he doesn’t add; he had only wanted to show Zhenga the sunrise and that did not require a trek through the heart of the kingdom.
Circinae calls for Amet, and the lupine nature of her summons is unmistakable. Something else at the top of the food chain, Ivar muses.
Far less appealing than Thana though, he decides.
“You’re leaving here for Ischia.” Ivar says flatly. It is not a question, but rather a verbal assembling of the various clues the green mare has left. He’d not been sure if Amet had left the mountain kingdom as well, but Circinae’s affirmation that they were indeed going to Hyaline had confirmed that. He’s still not entirely sure what Loess had to do with this, but it is a rather long walk back to the Hillands, and it’s nearing dusk.
kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis minimal grullo tobiano king of loess
11-19-2017, 05:16 PM (This post was last modified: 11-19-2017, 08:38 PM by Solace.)
Solace
Hyaline's Lake was the living heart of the kingdom. Many of the residents passed their days there, weaving stories between the fragrant wisteria trees which shade its shores. So, her gaze is always returning to the lake's sparkling surface, even if she is high on a mountain peak keeping watch over their borders.
That is where she is today, a thousand feet above sea-level when she sees them as then pull themselves from the water portal. Solace is alone, and she doesn't hide her surprise. Her young heart jumps as she sees the black and white stallion, but she is disappointed when he moves and she realizes that this is not Castile. Still, the gold and cream mare sets off at a trot over the stony mountainside to reach them as quickly as she can.
The stallion at the shifters flank is strikingly handsome, so much so that the young mare has to force her round, blue eyes away from his alluring features. Something in her begs her to look again, causing frustration to bubble in her chest, and she meets the familiar green mares pale eyes instead. "Circinae, Welcome! I hope your pack are well. Sorry for the wait." Her breath comes quickly after her run, but she retains her poised manner as she again turns her gaze to the stallion.
"And hello to you too, I'm Solace. Any friend of Circinae's is welcome here." Amet had made that clear during their most recent trip. Solace resists the urge to look over her shoulder for the golden King, Instead, continuing on with her duties. "What brings you two to Hyaline? Sightseeing or Business?"
Her tone remains graciouse and inviting, but she has a creeping suspicion that this is more than just a freinldy visit.
