pay your respects to society giving me hell; yael, any

[Nao and Ikaro]

they all need something to hold on to, they all mean well pay your respects to society giving me hell They had argued. To an outsider, it might have seemed as though the flaxen mare did most of the latter, while the sooty stallion endured the barrage rather quietly. Yet there was something about the set of his mouth and the steadiness of his dark gaze that eventually made Nao sigh, shaking her dished head with some exasperation. “Fine. You win, Ik.” And he brushed her shoulder and let her use of the abysmal childhood nickname slide as they leave the field together, the mare always a stride or two ahead.    Of course, he understands her reluctance. It had taken some time for her to consider a return to Beqanna – years, in fact. And he knows it won’t be easy for her. Long ago, she had made up her mind to dismiss their history (abusive father, abandoning mother); and now here he was, searching for the missing pieces when she would rather they remain lost, forgotten for the rest of their forever. Yet his sister had always looked out for him, and although he knows a part of her cannot help resenting him for it, he also knows she always would.    The sun is high and hot in the sky when the pair finally arrives at the Desert borders. Nao looks irritated, the wind sweeping sand to grate against her slender legs. She may have conceded to her brother’s wishes, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Ikaro’s eyes soften as he surveys his sister, the coppery dapples of his coat shining in the heat. “Promise me something,” he says, and she turns to him with a huff, flicking her creamy tail impatiently.  “Play nice with the other kids, will you?” And after a beat, she laughs – a bell-like sound (clear and resonant) quite unlike her usual sultry cadence. Ikaro grins, and a rare moment of ease passes between the two siblings as they stand shoulder to shoulder at the edge of their new home, the sun a bright spark suspended in an endless expanse of blue. nao § ikaro you could never feel my story, it's all you know i will not fold, she's in control of everyone and everything