"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
08-10-2018, 03:53 PM (This post was last modified: 08-13-2018, 06:17 AM by Leilan.)
Leilan
Demons run, but count the cost...
Friendship dies and true love lies Night will fall and the dark will rise
Perhaps they'd had bad timing coming to Tephra, the wind blowing ashes around towards them where they had been on the border that day. At any rate, it seemed that Roseen was not convinced she should live there, but maybe he's wrong somehow.
Hyaline had been much cleaner, but would be cold come winter. Leilan wasn't sure what she liked, but a promise was a promise, and so, he also took her to Ischia. To his own home.
He'd told her to wait for the low tide, and standing silently besides her, he could muse over things to tell her, things to ask her. In the end, he'd gone with the more plain explanation. "Ischia is inhabited by the brotherhood; mostly men, trying to be gentlemen. Give off a unified and strong beacon to the world - if you're interested in those values and don't want to compete with a lot of stallions around, Nerine is our sister kingdom and should fit you then. Or do it like Mosrael; she stays, proving you don't need to be male to be among us. But honestly, I couldn't stand living in Nerine my whole life, so I would understand if this is not your place."
The tide is low enough, and he nods, then crosses. When they reach the beach of the larger island, it's a beachy tropical warmth that reaches them, as well as the sound of parrots in the air.
the battle's won, but the child is lost
@[Roseen] one more! ^^
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
I want to swim away but don't know how Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
Things had changed since Roseen met Leilan, Arthas and Breckin. If you had asked her from the start she would’ve said her life had been turned upside down. Being the target of so many horses at once made her a nervous wreck, and upon learning they were looking to recruit new members for their kingdoms only made things more difficult. Her social life was no longer the only thing to consider when this happened; depending on her decision her entire life could turn for the better or worse. Her future was at stake.
However, now that she had traveled across the land to visit all the kingdoms, Roseen now feels that her life changed for the good. She already visited Loess with Arthas as her guide, and visited two other kingdoms with Leilan. To say that she’s bonded with the two stallions was a safe assumption by now. And even if they didn’t feel the same, which she doubted they did, she was starting to have special feelings towards them both. It may have just been the crush she had on them upon first meeting, but lately she felt it was stronger. Arthas was a huge flirt and certainly knew how to get her heart racing, but he was generally a nice guy. He was kind, and somehow she imagines him as some kind of knight when she’s in his presence; protective, strong, and perhaps not loyal to his mates, but he was loyal to his kingdom without a doubt.
However, her feelings for Leilan were stronger. She had met him first, and spent more time with him, so she supposed it was only natural. Roseen often times wondered if he felt the same about her, even just a little, or if he ever would. As far as she knew, he wasn’t romantically involved with anyone, but she had this gut feeling that he was interested in someone else. The spotted mare known as Breckin flashed inside her mind at the thought. Obviously there was something between the stallion and mare, she could feel it when Breckin approached her. But the vibe she was getting wasn’t necessarily a good one; ‘twas as if something bad happened between Breckin and Leilan. Maybe she was an ex?
Roseen waited at Leilan’s side as he said, then crossed the water once he nodded. Her hooves sunk into the loose sand once she stepped onto the beach. Parrots’ songs filled her ears, and she took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The breeze carried the scent of the ocean, and added a refreshing nip to the sun’s warmth. The weather here was quite relaxing.
She listened as Leilan spoke, ears pricked intently, yet her eyes remained elsewhere as she examined the island. She had no idea who Mosrael was, but Roseen felt a bit of admiration for the stranger. Living amongst so many males must be tough. But the idea of an almost all male kingdom was quite intriguing, as well as an all female kingdom like Nerine. Though intriguing it may be, Roseen didn’t feel so comfortable with the idea of always being around so many stallions. She could barely talk around just one. Besides, with a heart as fragile as hers, she would probably just fall for every guy there. So, perhaps someplace like Nerine would be best suited for her.
“Well, it certainly is lovely here,” she replied softly, then looked at Leilan a little playfully. “So, what all does Ischia have to offer? Certainly there’s more to see than just stallions.”
Friendship dies and true love lies Night will fall and the dark will rise
He's keeping up appearances.
Sure, he's always done that, in a way, but then it was just the appearance of always being the most annoying guy around, forcing smiles out of the very crabbiest horse around, even if they'd hate him for it. But nowadays, he just pretends to be whole, to be what he was a year or two ago; sure, he's a flirt still, but his reasons behind his actions are way too dark for anyone's liking.
Point is, to those who want him to, he can be charming still. Like Roseen - she wants him to be available, she wants him to be that charming man looking for love. A new love, maybe - he knows he can't give her that, he can only give her the actions of a lover, but never his heart. Still, he will pretend, if that is what she wants. He doesn't know what he wants himself, anyway, so it's better to just comply to what he believes someone else would like to have, to see.
His voice is calm enough when he explains about Ischia, and Roseen seems to fall for his pretend-careless attitude. He does it with years of experience, of course, and although he doesn't feel the particular attraction he should, he is still attracted to her physically - in some twisted kind of way. And heck, if he'd do anything, at least that would distract him, too.
Her voice is rather soft, and he smiles at the sound. It is a good sound. A pure sound, a healing sound. Her look is inviting, and so he goes with the flow, and looks from her to the island. "Well, parrot shit, for one. Don't go that way." he points with his nose to a particular part of the tropical forest. "Although... actually maybe we should. There's a cute little meadow behind it, so, if you can stand the bird poop for a bit and don't mind a little climbing, we could go there. It's quiet, but I don't think you mind?" he looks at her questioningly. Sure, it'd take some washing in the creek nearby, and some climbing to get to that point where the good view is, but he doesn't think that she minds at all. If they can be alone for a while longer.
Because, it seems to him that that would be what she'd like to do, instead of meeting all his fellow Ischian brothers.
the battle's won, but the child is lost
@[Roseen]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
I want to swim away but don't know how Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean
If she had known he was only acting, she would’ve said no. But she was too desperate. Too desperate for friendship, for love, for attention. It was her desire to be wanted that made her so foolish. If she had known better she would’ve avoided all of this by seeing through his charming facade and told him she only wanted to be friends. It would’ve saved her a lot of heartache.
But, unfortunately Roseen had not the knowledge nor the ability to avoid the situation she was currently in. Instead, she was tempted by his suggestion to go to this meadow. Though she wasn’t expecting anything special to happen -definitely wasn’t expecting what was to come of it- she figured visiting a quiet place would be a good start, considering how much trouble she had being around others, especially when a whole kingdom comes into play. Besides, she was unaware of just how quiet this place was, and she wasn’t able to realize his reasons for wanting to take her there. As far as she knew, he was still showing her around the island as he promised.
With a little warmth growing in her face, she smiles softly with a light nod. “That would be fine. I don’t mind seeing a quiet place first. Since I have such a hard time around others, I don’t think introducing me to the rest of your fellow kingdom members right off the bat would be the best idea,” she giggled sheepishly, her gaze averting from his and looking towards the area he had mentioned.
ROSEEN
a nomad
@[Leilan], I’m so sorry it’s so short Dx writer’s block got me on this one...
Friendship dies and true love lies Night will fall and the dark will rise
Had he known she did not want him to be like this, he might have not - although, come to think of it, he's on a road to destruction and ruin, and not quite sure if he actually would stop. But he's blissfully unaware, or just plain ignorant, of the way she will feel later - when it turns out he's just trying to be what she wants, although it costs him his heart and mind; that he's not capable of love, not at the moment, and though he tries, not for her also.
Perhaps they'll still be friends in the future, when the dust has settled down. Who ever knows such things.
When he proposes somewhere quiet, that's also something he assumes she may want. He remembers her being skittish around three other horses at the same time, and if he calls out, it will be exactly that. But he also thinks she is perhaps selfish like him, wanting to spend some alone-time with one that is physically attracting, not willing to share someone pretty with the rest of the world. Maybe that's just him, though. He's honestly never understood a mare's mind, let alone her heart. But he's pretty sure that Roseen would easily fall for someone who's nice to her - even on the surface - like himself, or Arthas, or whoever comes after that.
He has no faith in love at this point, that's clear. Roseen however, seems to want it, so he can give. Everything except the true version, everything but that last bit that's called a heart. It'll be good enough for now. And when she accepts his offer, he nods and playfully nudges her shoulder. "Let's face the rain of shit then."
Of course, it's not nearly as bad as he said it would be, exaggeration being one of his perks. He doesn't get under and through the screaming parrots unmarked though, but at the nearest stream he rolls around in the water, to clear it off. He waits for Roseen, then nods to the slope they face. "Up there. The waterfall's on the other side; it's a great view from above." And quieter. Less chance of bumping into someone. Because usually, the others don't look up.
the battle's won, but the child is lost
@[Roseen] short is totally fine!
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
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