"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
I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
She has changed. He has thought it about a hundred times during this encounter and it dashes across his mind once more. She holds herself differently, seems more settled into herself. As if she was certain of exactly who and what she was. This is something new to him, a new version of her to play with. He finds himself excited at the thought. Miss him? She snorts and he can now see the worry that pulls at the lines of her face and the breathless way she speaks of her missing father.
He does not know that much about the North. Only that they bred like rabbits and seemed to all be connected and had now integrated into the Southern lands he resides in. But he does know what it’s like to have your sire go missing. To not know where your parents are. For him it leaves more bitterness to scald his tongue but he is silent, watching her mounting concerns. As they cross into the ones related to Hyaline and he scowls slightly at her as she does exactly as he expects. Resisting. Not listening. Stubborn girl to the end.
“I’m serious Cheri.” And perhaps because he had taken that first step with that small piece he had removed for her, he allows a hint of worry to reflect in those glimmering crimson eyes. What about Gale? What about him indeed? “He’s probably not the Gale you know anymore.” He finally says quietly. Having now met the stallion in question himself, he was more wary than ever when it came to magic. “I’ve seen the things he can do. Stay away from him.” He is aware of how much quieter the meadow is getting, how the crowds have lessened.
That he is mostly alone with her.
“I assume he’s another relative of yours? They seem to be everywhere, this family. I’ll give you that, you were good on your promise to set them on me from all sides.” He chuckles softly but there is little amusement in it. “Gale, Reave, Aela… anyone else you feel like throwing at me?” He turns his head to look at her, catching Light glowing in the distance. Remembering that she had said her father had gone missing. He’s not sure what kind of relationship she has with him but he doubts it is anything like the one he had with his own. “Your father…” He starts and then stops. “I’m sorry” he wants to say but he can’t even if it was the truth. This tentative truce between them was still so new and speaking to her on somewhat friendly terms feels foreign. “What’s he like?” He ends up with instead. “So I know what to keep an eye out for.” He finishes with a toss of his head, as if he had better things to do then look for her sire, as if he wouldn’t look at all.
If anything, Cheri appreciated the candor between herself and Obscene. Even when they’d been brutally at each other’s throats like two dogs gnawing over old sores, they somehow still managed to keep honesty at the forefront of every insult. Were it not for the gravity of the situation Obscene was describing to her, Cheri might’ve been mildly impressed with how fluid and easy their conversation was going, but that desire was quickly eclipsed by her curiosity over Gale.
Obscene really was trying his best to put her off the notion entirely, but the way he spoke so adamantly against her father’s half-brother came as a shocking surprise to the once-Taigan. She couldn’t help but to be suddenly focused on what little truths she did know about Gale, and her recollection was bare. She only knew that he was a relation of her father’s and therefore a distant relation of her own, but his involvement in her and her family’s life had mostly been kept to the fringes. Cheri did know that her father had always been stand-offish about his origins, though everything outside of that had been an easy topic for Yanhua to talk about.
That’s probably why it’d been one of the first mysteries she set out to solve in Loess, with Tarian no less. Another one of her distant relatives (they’d come to find out) who also ironically seemed to have a chip on his shoulder about Obscene.
But Aela? “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Cheri interrupted Obscene’s questions about her father, somewhat in disbelief. “You think that Aela and I… That we’re related?” Her expression faltered, switching rapidly from disgust to surprise and then back to disgust again.
It had always irked Cheri how much Obscene’s Seneschal took after the northern tribe, and upon their first meeting one another she had been a bit shocked by the obvious likeness between the small palomino mare and her uncle Nashua; especially with the glowing leg stripes. But the idea that she could’ve been from the same bloodline just seemed too surreal to even consider. Not to mention the fact that Cheri never remembered seeing the irksome troublemaker at any point in her childhood.
“Is there anything else I’m missing?” Her disbelief turned to frustration, shaping her eyes into narrow slits and giving her mouth a dissatisfied air. “My father is missing, Gale is dangerous, Aela is related to me… What’s next? Are you going to tell me that another Eclipse is coming?” Cheri laughed bitterly, only to keep herself from grumbling.
She forced herself to think rationally. If this was the terrible news she would be receiving upon her grand return, then perhaps she should be grateful. Life could always get worse, and her youthful memories of living in constant fear during a never-ending darkness reminded her of that truth. So she sighed deeply and collected herself, closing her eyes for a moment and steadying her nerves before she could calmly proceed.
“What a mess.” Cheri commented dryly. What a mess indeed. She could only look up at Obscene as the sun descended with the finality of a grand finale, choosing to ignore its brilliant display of heavenly-borne colors for the familiar black-and-speckled gold of the Prince’s dark skin. “Funny,” She thought, “that he would end up being the uncomplicated one.” - After a moment of quiet contemplation and enjoying the last of what their day had to offer by way of light, Cheri answered Obscene’s offhanded questions about her father.
“Yanhua.” She started out softly. “That’s my fathers’ name. Everyone called him Yan.” Cheri smiled. “He’s a giant. Made of legs that kept him just as tall and proud as the Redwood forest he watched over.” She recalled. The nearly seventeen-hand figure her father made might’ve been imposing to outsiders, especially with the added length of his curled goat horns, but Cheri spoke of him with a cherished fondness in her voice.
“He loved Taiga.” That same soft voice broke into despair. Cheri looked away, bit her lip and swallowed down the pain. “He would’ve never left without a good reason. Not even to die.” The appaloosa tried to recover with a sarcastic laugh, rolling her eyes.
“And that is exactly what concerns me.” Cheri admitted. There was no pain in her tone now, no trouble or sadness that moved her body to react; there was only the unsaid forbidden: that something terrible had happened. Something terrible had taken her father and mother away, made orphans of her younger sister and infant brother, and something terrible could jeopardize the home she grew up in - possibly the north entirely. Her eyes flashed up at him.
“I won’t seek out Gale.” Cheri promised Obscene. That much she could do. “But I am planning on flying north.” She exhaled. “I’m thinking of gathering those relatives of mine.” She smiled. “You know, the ones I’ve ‘set’ at you from all sides?”
Even in the midst of chaos she saw the humor.
“I think it’s time we all got together again. Past time, maybe.” Cheri told him her plan in so many words. Then she couldn’t help but grin into the dusky night air. “And since we’re trying this ‘truce’ thing, I guess that means you’re invited too.”
08-16-2021, 02:54 PM (This post was last modified: 08-16-2021, 03:23 PM by Obscene.)
I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
If he could press the images into her mind like Aela could do to him then he would have done so instantly, with or without her consent. He would have shown her just exactly what her navy blue family member had been up to and perhaps might have even shared the offer that Gale had specifically made to him, another token of good faith in this strange and tentative truce they had just solidified between each other. Instead he becomes distracted by the flickers of shock and disgust that cross her face when he mentions Aela. That wickedness sparks in the red of his eyes as he tries to sift through her feelings and see if they were real or merely just a display to throw him off. But it seems to be honest, that frustration at least, that quickly follows as she huffs and narrows her eyes.
“Reave is her brother. You really didn’t know?” He asks, pleased that at least he wasn’t the only one caught off guard by the whole thing. Of course there was still Aela herself to speak with about all this (and he is aware on some level that she should have been the first in line for this conversation) but the worry that perhaps she had known all along still rankles him, still leaves an acidic taste of resentment on his tongue. ”What a mess.” She finally says and he says nothing as there is nothing to say. It is a mess. All of it. Including whatever the fuck this was going on between them.
He cannot look away from the brilliant slashes of burnt orange and wispy pinks that fill the darkening twilight, he had always had an eye for beautiful things and sunsets happened to be one of them. She speaks to him of her father as he watches the colors dance across the sky and that resentment seems to spread, drawn out of dark crevices and old forgotten wounds as she speaks so fondly of the parent she had known. As naturally his thoughts turn to his own sire, the vanished Overseer. “A giant you say? I’ve never seen a giant before.” He murmurs to her but his voice is flat and it is clear that his mind is only half-trained on her.
It’s her sarcastic laugh that pulls him back, that brings his glowing red eyes back to her as she speaks of being concerned and he can’t help the twinge of pity (such a strange feeling that he's not sure he has ever felt before) that flutters around his decaying heart. Because he understands better then anyone what it’s like to have your family go missing. Her promise to not seek out Gale does little to soothe his concerns (does little to make him believe her) but he nods slightly anyways. If she was traveling to the North she would find out herself soon enough. He was not her keeper or her babysitter and he had no desire to control her or anyone else. He snorts at her comment of family but it’s his turn to grin at her now, something less smug and something more real and crooked at her offered invitation. “I do love a good party.” Glittering vermillion eyes search her face again as he wonders what exactly he had just gotten himself into with this damned family.
As the day fades and the moon begins to make its epic rise into the night, he feels the call to return to the Pampas. It was past time that he met with the golden striped mare Cheri despised so much. “As fun as this has been I believe we both have things to do before your grand event.” He says, stretching his neck and unwinding his muscles from the relaxed stance he had been taking. He pauses, scrutinizing the Heir of Loess as that strange look returns to his glittering sanguine iris’s. “By the way... Have I told you how awful you look today?” He suddenly says, that conceitedness returning as he smirks at her.
It was here, that inevitable hour of conclusions. Cheri sensed it as much as she knew it to be true: that all things must resolve themselves in order for new things to begin, but this one felt especially hard to let go of. She told herself it was because of the undercurrent feeling she was getting, that Obscene hadn’t really decided on her measure of sincerity regarding their new (tenative) truce. It certainly wasn’t because she considered herself in any sort of danger concerning her feelings toward him, no. Not that at all.
Instead she tried to tell herself that it was lingering fear. More specifically, the lingering fear of their next meeting reverting back to how they’d been before. Cheri would absolutely loathe that outcome if it were the case, and the only way she knew for sure to prevent it from coming was by keeping Obscene here. And like always, that was the exact opposite move the Pampas Prince wanted to make.
“See you there.” She told him, powerless to prevent the inevitable any longer. He’d only been half-engaged at this point anyways. Curiously, Cheri wondered alternatively about what ‘things’ he’d be doing in his spare time, but quickly abandoned the thought when she realized he’d paused before heading off into the night. “Not like his usual calling card.” She remembered, smiling inwardly at herself.
When things got boring, that was typically Obscene’s cue to exit stage left.
This time though, he seemed to have one last trick in his arsenal for Cheri. Taken by the remark, the lovely creature gently glowing in the dark replied, “you haven’t.”
She would’ve liked to see him try.
By choice, she sprung into a trot instead and flared her wings, taking to the sky in the measure of a few, meager flaps. They’d see each other again soon enough; Cheri just had to trust things wouldn’t go to hell before then.
I can see through you, see your true colors Cause inside you're ugly, you're ugly like me
There is only so much politics and kingdom planning he can take. He tries to engage her again, tries to lure her back in with his usual tricks but it seems she had no mind for them today. Or it was possible she was finally starting to see through him now that he had foolishly allowed himself to reveal what he had.
“You haven’t”
Her lack of irritation would normally annoy him but there is something in those two words that holds him still, that keeps him waiting and watching as she suddenly trots forward and springs into the air. Alright, perhaps he did deserve that, being the one left in the dust for a change. He watches her rise higher into the illuminated night sky, his red eyes glowing brightly as he smiles and murmurs quietly. “I can not.”
The Dark Fae slips into the shadows, feeling a shift in the winds that follows him all the way home.
![[Image: Obscene-Pixel.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/fTkjKh9Q/Obscene-Pixel.png){kind=tracking}
