"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
Even though Nalia remained under the influence of Kaurma's compulsion ability, the filly retained her happy-go-lucky persona all the way back to Nerine. Of course, she didn't remain in the mare's face half the time, sensing that invading her space so often would spur a fight Nalia didn't want. But that didn't stop her from trying to engage in conversation, not wanting to spend the entire trip in silence.
The return trip to Nerine was longer than Nalia's original, since she was slowed down by the bay mare who couldn't fly like Nalia herself. The filly was content to take the longer trip, since it meant she could see all the beautiful scenery she had earlier up close. There were also a few times when she would take to the sky just to have some fun, not wanting to let the stick-in-the-mud mare turn her into a boring single-minded creature.
Still, the fact remained that the mare held sway over Nalia's mind, or else she wouldn't be doing this. Nalia no longer felt a buzz at the back of her brain, which had been the indicator that the mare had used her ability, unknowingly to Nalia, on her, but she still had the strong tugging at her brain to take the bay mare to see Breckin.
Which is why, roughly a day and a half after they departed Loess, the mare and the filly arrived back at Nerine's border. Even though Nalia had marched into Loess the previous day without a care for who would see her, the filly had the mare stop just inside Nerine's border before she turned to look at her.
"Well, here we are. Not much to see yet, but I wanted to let Breckin know you were here before we go any further," she explained with a smile. Turning her gaze back towards Nerine's core, the filly let out a call for the kingdom's Queen, hoping she could hear it and would come investigate what Nalia was trying to tell her.
Along the crescent curve of Nerine’s grey shores, the Leviathan queen stood alone. The scene played about before her eyes again, and again; the fighting, the anger, the hurt, the rage, the confusion and pain. It may have been the tenth or twentieth time she recalled the scene seemingly deeply rooted in the sands of her homeland. Through solemn dark eyes, she watches and wonders who they were, who they are, who they had been. There were no audible sounds with the vision, or any clear physical indicators that might be recognizable—they merely appeared as dim dancing shadows before her hungered eyes. It had been the first vision to pour itself into her own mess of thoughts and emotion, and still the one who’s reasoning remained elusive to her. Though the weight of emotions the unknown pair seemed to possess no longer affected her directly, it did little to remedy the haunting feeling that coiled within.
Breckin had nearly fully grown into her powers at this point in her life, practicing and honing her skill set until their uses could easily be called upon. Really, she had had little choice—accept them, or be overcome by them.
A call rising from the southernmost border begs for her attention, and she releases the ghostly memory of someone unknown back to the earth from which she’d called it.
Her dark eyes find Naila’s painted silhouette easily as she draws closer to the edge of Nerine’s boundaries, smiling softly at the now familiar taste of the maiden’s sweet cheerfulness. But her expression slightly wanes, feeling the brush of something more viscous against the filly’s mind frame as opposed to the more feather light weight she usually carries. An omen perhaps, had she the desire to delve deeper into the young Leviathan’s memories immediately. But the leopard woman bars the idea for now, her eyes falling onto a bay mare cloaked in Loess’s scent that followed in Nalia’s wake.
The pounding of untapped memories rises painfully between her eyes—a similar sensation she’d felt when she’d visited Klaudius—and she can’t stop the minor wince the sensation elicits. Breckin takes a moment to check herself, reminding herself not for the first time to avoid getting into the habit of prying into a stranger’s memories, even if said stranger has a an altogether disconcerting vibe to them. Resolving her thoughts to allow the Loessian mare the opportunity to speak for herself, she redraws the lines of her mouth into a smile again. Still, she can’t help but wonder if the mahogany mare would give her good reason to tap into those memories she carried.
“Hello Nalia,” she says in greeting to the girl, before redirecting her attention back to the newcomer, ”Aside from Arthas, I believe you are the only other Loessian interested in passing our borders. I’m Breckin, welcome to Nerine.”
BRECKIN
call me forward when the crown falls .......
@[Nalia] @[Kaurma] so she senses that something's off, but I didn't know how much you wanted her to know or find out or feel, if anything at all so I kept her from prying lol
09-25-2018, 03:00 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2018, 08:02 PM by Kaurma.)
Their pace is slow, but it is by choice alone. No she could not fly, but her speed was as unnatural as horses having wings. This small fact is something the piebald filly need not know, and it doesn't seem to bother the cheerful girl at all. Nalia was so interested in all the simple things that life had to offer that she didn't question for a moment the effects of mental manipulation. This brought a grin to Kaurma's lips.
Once crossing the border, after skirting around her sisters kingdom, she finds them halting. Nothing more than a twist of ears was given as the call was sent for the Nerine queen.
Moments pass slowly but soon another is spotted against the landscape. The stark contrast of white against the rather drab kingdom sparks interest within her, as well as releasing Nalia from her compulsion. Kaurma remains shadowed by the cloak of tree cover but perhaps here it did not matter. The sky was cast over with slate grey hiding the suns rays.
The mare is quick to join them with glances at them both, what could be construed as a faux smile bending the narrow of her alabaster lips. She echoes the mares position and tips her ebony ears forward to listen to the queen speak.
A muffled snicker rises in her throat before she indulges the Queen, "Arthas is no longer a member of Loess, but I get your point." Golden eyes brighten just the slightest, "I found one of yours wandering Loess... Might I say someone of such naivety should be awares of where they trapse... especially since they lacked bringing anyone of interest with them." A smile christens her dark lips and exposes the sharpened tips of her fangs, "No harm, no foul."
Her eyes hardly shift from Breckin regardless of what Nalia was doing, "More importantly I have come to introduce myself. I am Kaurma, Consort of Loess." The entirety of her expression brightens with pride at her accomplishment. Tricking a King into giving away such a title was an impressive feat, keeping it would prove much more difficult...
Kaurma
What goes around, comes around
@[Nalia] @[Breckin] I timelined jump on the Arthas bit. If Breckin doesn't want to know he isn't in Loess I can edit but I figured she might care to know that tidbit for queenly knowledge
The bay mare appears comfortable masked by the shaded grace of the trees. There’s a easily won confidence that clings to this one, like an intangible aura—you don’t have to see it to know of its existence, more like a matter of perception. No trace of fatigue appears to wear the lines of her face as she regards the spotted queen, not unlike the same way said spotted queen peers back.
When the wind breaks across her, Breckin shifts to compensate, attempting to prevent the gale from overshadowing the Loessian mare’s words. Adjusted now, she settles patiently as the unknown mare brings a small light to the reasoning behind her appearance with Nalia. A quick switch of her dark gaze between the mahogany woman and the painted filly is given as a placid understanding register’s into the speckled dame’s mind.
“Well, I appreciate your overseeing that Nalia was returned home safely. I’m sure she was just curious to learn of Loess’s unique charm.” An easy smile flickers at the edges of her charcoal lips, amused that Kaurma held the title of Loess’s consort. “You must be quite the woman to garner such attention from King Wolfbane.” Her smile widens at the marginal pause, “Undoubtedly, you must be one hell of a bloody force to be reckoned with, Queen Kaurma.”
The dark smile against the contrast of her white face begins to diminish as her head tilts curiously to the side. “Forgive me for rekindling a past topic, but you mentioned Arthas is no longer in Loess?” Hadn’t it just been recently that the dappled stallion had journeyed a diplomatic pilgrammage to Nerine in the name of Loess?
