[private] strange serenity

[claudius]

How bizarre it is, to exist at all—but especially to exist in a world that must change and change and change lest it crumble at its seams. How strange, this world, that might tumble over and over into nothingness if it does not chase the chaos beating constantly at its center. How odd to not know that all worlds exist within their own chaos, to only know this one, to only know this.

Nothing is permanent, that is certain.

Claudius believed he had learned that lesson already, once when his heart was more fickle—more brittle. When he chased dreams like they were butterflies on paper thin wings, eyes as wide and as vast as the blue sky above him, he learned how little the universe cared for beating hearts.

He has not always known himself to be wise, but in recent years he thought himself to be somewhat of a philosopher (though never has he mused aloud to another, that seething pride only philosophers carry). Such wisdom means nothing in the face of random. He knows that now, standing upon the shores of the Ruins. The pale periwinkle of his eyes glitters with the reflection of the night sky so serene above him.

The last time he stood upon these ruined shores, he told a star-kissed stranger of his beloved Tephra. All her embraces and sweet scents. He thinks of Areane now—though mostly he wishes to be beneath these same stars while above the lush grass of Tephra. Willing that ache away, Claudius remains statuesque, a light spring breeze moving pieces of his mane.

claudius

i start the day lying and end with the truth

that i'm dying for the knife

@Colby

[Adrestia]

She is not upset by the destruction of Beqanna.
She knows that in order to rise from the ashes you must burn first.

But she is mildly inconvenienced by it.

Her home was gone, but she knew that nearly everyone was experiencing the same hardship, as they were left to crowd onto the scraps of land that were still standing. As someone that was not terribly keen on being in such close proximity to almost the entire population, this was not an ideal situation for her. The urge to remain in her phoenix form was tempting, nearly all consuming; a nagging prickle beneath her skin, an itch that demanded her attention.

She suppressed it, though, even if she was more than a little curious about the kingdom that supposedly existed in the clouds.
There was, after all, plenty to take in down here, especially when the chaos is still fresh.

This evening she finds herself in the place they had dubbed the Ruins, and despite the current lack of land, it still seemed quieter than the rest. It was a welcome respite from the frantic energy that had settled across everywhere else, and she could feel her chest loosen. With the tension she had not realized she was harboring eased away, her silver eyes find a lone figure in the distance, and she tilts her finely shaped head in contemplation.  The quiet was nice, but company could be nice, too.

She draws closer, her silver brindling shimmering in the moonlight with every easy step, until she is close enough to say, “It’s a bit tragic that now the most peaceful place in Beqanna is the part known as the ruins, isn’t it?”

-- A D R E S T I A

@claudius

[claudius]

“But perhaps a bit fitting?” Claudius answers, pale eyes glancing sidelong at Adrestia.

He is not necessarily surprised to find a stranger at his side, but he certainly did not expect to find another amongst the darkness of the Ruins. Naive, he thinks to himself. With nearly all of Beqanna displaced by the arrival of two entirely foreign kingdoms (seemingly from other worlds entirely), he should have known others might seek shelter in unconventional places.

There is nothing but pure curiosity in his gaze when Claudius finally does turn his face toward the woman. He blinks a few times, exhaling outward before offering her a warm—if a bit uncertain—smile. Pretty, dusted in glitter like the stars above—like all the strangers he seems to meet, apparently. He’s never seen a purple quite so deep, so when his eyes wander to study all of her, they linger. He is not shy in his observation, though he does murmur a polite pleasantry before offering his name:

“Claudius.”

Satisfied with what he has gathered, Claudius turns back to the washing ocean.

“Do you think there will be more peaceful places to replace the ones we’ve lost?” he muses aloud, more to himself than to Adrestia.

claudius

i start the day lying and end with the truth

that i'm dying for the knife

@Adrestia

[Adrestia]

“A bit too fitting,” she concedes with a short laugh, and despite the lack of formal invitation she closes the distance between them.

She can feel him looking at her, and she does not wilt beneath his gaze. Instead she watches him watching her, an almost amused simper lifting just at the edges of her lips. Adrestia does not think of herself as anything remarkable, but she is aware that the shimmering silver that stripes her sides has a way of catching the eye of those she passes. Nearly everyone in Beqanna was some shade of beautiful, and she did not let herself get caught up in the idea that she was in some way unique.

“Claudius,” she repeats his name, her silver eyes lingering on the pale blue of his, before she makes her own introduction. “My name is Adrestia. Previously of Hyaline.” There is an almost forced indifference to the way she says the name of her long lost homeland, refusing to let her mind snag on the way even speaking it tugs at something she has been ignoring behind her ribs. She can ignore it for a little longer, she thinks. Can ignore it until it has the decency to disappear, just the way Hyaline itself had.

“No,” she says, casting her eyes out over the dark sea, continuing matter of factly, “I don’t think peace exists anymore.”

-- A D R E S T I A