[open] everytime I go I'm scared it's going to be the last time

[Nemeon]

Although it had nothing to do with him, Nemeon had hoped that the earth shaking and Beqanna changing might trigger a change in him. Maybe if magic was acting up, he could find a way to get it to alter him - and then he could finally see the world under sunlight.

No such luck, though. Guilt keeps him from trekking to the mountains in order to change this fundamental thing about him - if he was going to change something, it would be that blood of his that causes the grass to wilt if he stands for too long, or presses in the fear that even if he were to make friends in the darkness - it could never be more than that. He was a health risk.

Only safe, he was pretty sure, when his skin turned to stone and then he could not feel anything at all.

These are not thoughts that are currently going through his mind because the sun is still sinking towards the horizon and he is a statue - his wings folded neatly at his sides and a curious expression on his face. He had arrived at this new land not very long before the sun rose and had not yet gotten a chance to explore.

The light on the smooth stone surface turns from golden to orange and finally red as the sun finishes sinking. And while there is still just a hint of colour to the west, Nemeon’s eyes turn from grey to golden and he inhales a deep breath.

It's still a relief, every night, to breathe again. Though he knows he wouldn't even know the difference if tomorrow he just stayed a statue forever. 

NEMEON

open to any

[Katarina]

your soul is able, death is all you cradle
sleeping on the nails, there's nowhere left to fall

Not much passed between the dark mare's emerald eyes or those of the thick maned lion that lingered near. They had taken to the ruins for a sense of structure (no matter how broken) as Katarina worked to find them a stable home. Beqanna had given quite a jolt not so long ago and now what had been is now lost to the sea. Kat regarded it al with a shrug as she could not remember any current ties to those lands.

Zu, the mammoth black lion near her, watched her with annoyance touching his features. He was not the biggest fan of their current situation but by the laws, he was bound to her in heart and mind and so yawned deeply to expose his terribly long teeth then smirking at Kat. "Zu, if you expect me to be shook at the thought of you eating me, I say, dahling you have sure got me completely and utterly fucked up." Kat returns the smirk equally. Zu huffs and tears from Katarina's side to find a pool of warm sunlight splitting between heavy clouds. "Good kitty." A little swipe at her companion as he growls lowly before curling up into a nice sun puddle to accommodate his large size.

From not far away, something catches her eyes. Something grey...but glinting? "I'll be right back Zu", her words are met with ear flicker and tail twitch. The sun was heavy and pregnant in the sky, blurring to red on the onslaught of evening but Kat figures she would investigate what captured her attention. The inky black mare picks her way carefully over the rubble before something of a horse begins to take shape. The air is sharp with an undertone of acrid smoldering...odd. "Hello." Her voice reaches cautiously to not startle the other but it is rich and velvety in it's execution. He appeared to be stone...but equine? It is Beqanna after all.

"Are you okay? You sound in pain but perhaps I am mistaken." The black mare finishes in a quip but her eyes never waver. He is fascinating to watch.

katarina

you have admired what every man desires
everyone is king when there's no one left to pawn

[Nemeon]

Nemeon barely get a chance to take his first breaths free from the stone before someone is saying hello. He feels a little disoriented in these initial moments, and thinks for a moment that his twin has found him again. She had enjoyed volleying him with information just as soon as the sun has sank.

But his golden eyes focus and it is a stranger with a sleek black coat standing there instead.

He’s silent for a moment, his brain taking a little extra time to process her question, before he offers her a small smile. It’s a polite expression, and one he hopes erases any hint of pain.

Nemeon doesn’t feel any now, but it would not surprise him to find out that there was pain in the transition. Just enough that he forgot about it after a few moments of being alive again. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like something that he should discuss with someone he’s only just meeting.

“Not in pain, no. Just enjoying the night air.” Which isn’t exactly a lie, so the grey stallion thinks it is fine. He attempts to subtly stretch his neck a little, feeling his flesh-and-blood body eager to move after standing still as stone all day. Nemeon's curiosity about the place they're in creeps back in and his grin becomes a little warmer, a little more real as he changes the subject. “Have you explored this place much?”

NEMEON

@Katarina