"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
Tephra is gone and Evermind feels its absence in her heart. The lush jungle of her birth, filled to the brim with plants and animals of such numerous quantity she feels like there are still some she had not yet learned the name of. It was so alive and now it is somewhere she cannot even visit. A dense fog sits heavily on that part of Beqanna, teasing her with something just out of reach, as though if she could only just get through the shimmering mist she would be home again.
No attempts have been successful, and so she looks for distraction in what is new instead. New lands, new experiences, new faces.
Evermind does not stray far in her wanderings - she may be interested in new things, but she’s not given up hope on Tephra just yet - and discovers the flower-strewn hills just to the south of where her home used to be. The meadows are alive with spring colours but she finds herself wandering to the coast where willows send their long branches down to brush the surface of the water.
She's come here seeking something new but instead of wandering further in order to find it, she focuses on a small growth of flowers nearby and feeds them energy so that the patch doubles in size and new pale blue blossoms pop through the soft ground.
Even if she was not so young or was of Beqanna’s own blood, she would know nothing of the longing that so many are currently experiencing, for this is the only place she knows and she has not yet found a desire to leave its beauty. Thus far, she has not met anyone to give her much information, so she takes to exploring within the boundaries of the Gates in her childish ignorance, disregarding the fact that she does not know if she needs permission to be here.
Today, she finds herself occupied by the innocuous wildlife. They are soft-looking creatures and she gives chase to those unimpressed by her boisterous activity, for she is lacking in friends of her own kind. She bounds playfully after a rabbit, mimicking its hopping motions as best she can. Bubbles of laughter break the gentle ambience as her play leads her across the meadow, far from the centrally placed willow tree that is quickly becoming her little haven. She pauses as the sound of moving water reaches her ears and her mouth dries up.
Ruled by the moment, she seeks out the source of the splashing to slake her sudden thirst. She emerges from beneath a smaller version of the tree that she’s grown so fond of, just in time to witness Evermind’s little display of magic. Positively tickled with delight, a pleased noise escapes from her as she hurries to greet the mare. As she draws near, she takes a moment to admire the older woman’s delicate aesthetic. Their outward appearances are as dissimilar as could be, perhaps as reflections of their respective inner qualities?
”Hello!” She stands before Evermind, brimming with youthful energy as her face splits into a wide smile. ”How did you do that?” Her steel-colored eyes spark with wonder as they shift from the pretty face to settle on the newly sprouted flowers.
Just as she had hoped, something new finds Evermind without her having to look too far. She’s delighted by the arrival of a winged filly, and even more delighted that this new arrival is impressed with her flower-making skills. She had been young herself when Beqanna had begun to change and now cannot recall if she has ever met anyone younger than her - so this moment is infused with novelty for her of all kinds.
Right from the start, the filly stumps her with the phrasing of her question. “How?” Evermind repeats, a smile growing on her face as she looks from her new companion back down to the flowers. “Well you know, I don’t really know… I just think about it, and it happens. Usually. My moms can do it too, and it’s always been something I could do.” She pauses in thought, delighted by the way the question caught her off-guard and is making her think about the magic that has always seemed so innate. “It only works with flowers though.” She had tried, when she was younger, to see if everything she thought about would happen - but try as she might she couldn’t make it rain or couldn’t make the frogs living on the trees in Tephra climb up her sister’s legs instead.
There is no disappointment to be felt at being limited to only plants - flowers and growing things were, after all, built into her heritage.
Her pink eyes and attention are solely focused on the young girl and her voice is warm as she introduces herself. “I’m Evermind, what’s your name?”
"I don't want my life to imitate art, I want my life to be art." -Carrie Fisher
A shiver of satisfaction slides along her spine as the mare explains the magic. The idea is pure novelty to her young mind. Though wings are commonplace in her family, the supernatural certainly is not. Another question sits at the tip of her tongue, but Evermind answers it before it can spring to life. Even if it’s only flowers, it’s still quite fascinating.
“I wish you could teach me..” Her tone is dreamy and full of longing. She loves beautiful things and would be thrilled to create them on the smallest whim. Indeed, part of the reason she has not bothered to return to her home is because Beqanna is bursting with pleasing elements, from the sublime plants to the frolicking wildlife to the elegant mare before her. “Are your moms pretty like you?”
She knows that her own dark appearance with its pops of fluorescent colors is attractive enough, but perhaps because it is her own normal that she is always captivated by those with contrasting appearances. They just always seem more angelic, more amicable when she comes across them. The soft glow of Evermind’s voice only confirms the girl’s opinion and her smile shifts from one of enthusiastic joy to one of reassured ease.
“Skywalker, but Sky is easier.”
She looks at their surroundings again as she offers her name, feeling that magnetic pull of its wordless invitation once more. Without missing a beat, she returns her attention to Evermind with an eager question lightly coated in emotional supplication. “Can I stay here?”
“I'm sorry, I wish I could too.” Evermind would love to share her abilities - they bring her so much joy, usually, and it would be such a blessing to be able to share. The question about her moms helps distract her from this momentary melancholy, and brightens her pink eyes with a smile once more. “Yes, they are very pretty.” Evermind looks a lot like one, she knows, but she takes pride in knowing there are pieces of them both inside of her. She doesn’t know how to explain her parents to someone who does not know them. She has siblings and they all always just knew. So she leaves it at that, even though it doesn’t make her a very good conversationalist.
She wishes she could materialize whatever flower she wanted - one bright white and one a rich crimson - and maybe that would help her unlock the ability to talk about them.
Skywalker introduces herself, offering a nickname - but Evermind is already in love with the poetry of the longer version. “I love your name. Does it suit you?” She asks gently, just in case the girl dislikes it for some reason she can't guess. She doesn’t know how old someone needs to be to fly, but Evermind has no problem envisioning the young girl twisting and gliding among the clouds and stars just as easily as she is standing here.
To Sky’s question, she answers as honestly as she can. “I don’t see why not.” She looks around too, at the branches of the willow near them and the fields of wildflowers she can see not far behind. “I only just arrived but I was thinking I might live here too, and it’d be nice to have a friend.” Here her smile brightens as she once again focuses on her young company.
"I don't want my life to imitate art, I want my life to be art." -Carrie Fisher
She senses that there is a small sliver of sorrow over not being able to teach her how to create her own flowers. Her smile softens into a look of concern.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind if you can’t. It seems like it would be fun, but don’t be sad if you can’t teach me!”
Happiness is one of the only things that motivates and matters to her, so she is mollified when Evermind’s face lights with it again. Whether it is because she is still a child or because of a deeper character flaw, the girl does not notice Evermind’s reluctance to tell more of her parents. Instead, she notices the warm feeling that spreads from her nose to her tail with the compliment on her name. Her smile widens again, but there is a touch of confusion in her storm-colored eyes as she tilts her head at the mare.
“Yes, I think so..?”
She is not quite sure what Evermind means by the name suiting her. Is she just wondering if Sky doesn’t like her name, or is she asking about flying? Because—
“I like being in the clouds very much! I don’t know why the adults always tell me I shouldn’t have my head in them.. it’s very pretty up there and I like to pretend I’m running on them like I run on the ground down here. I wish I could show you!”
She loses herself for a moment, nearly able to feel the crisp winds stroking her cheek and ruffling the feathers of her wings, despite their currently being tucked at her sides.
Truly, flying is an endless supply of joy to the youngster, for many reasons. While the ground has its own beauty and treasures, the aerial views reveal the breathtaking details of the entire picture that are sometimes concealed by limited lines of sight, such as the demarcation where the gentle shimmer of the expansive ocean devolves into chaos as waves swell and crash against the shore. There is also a sense of freedom, of escape, that she is unable to replicate by staying grounded, so she takes to the sky often when feeling overwhelmed or upset.
Her attention snaps back as Evermind speaks again. She misses the first bit about staying in the Gates, but her mind latches onto one of her favorite words.
“Oh, I love friends.. yes, we should be friends! I wonder if there are more friends here?”
The kindness from the filly inspires a feeling of warmth in Evermind’s heart - she appreciates the reassurance received, and is delighted by Sky’s response to her question about her name - she answers it perfectly. Because, indeed, she is a sky walker - or runner.
“I think having your head in the clouds sounds like a perfect place to have it.” Evermind had not been raised like that - her parents had encouraged dreaming, even if their clouds were the soft tufts of dandelions or the wispy blooms of smoketrees.
She wasn’t prone to wishing for things she did not have, but in this moment she wished she had inherited her mother’s wings - or the ability to craft them for herself. Sky painted such a lovely picture of running through the clouds and she could only imagine how dazzling it would be to be so close to the sun and be surrounded by it like she was once surrounded by the lush green foliage of her jungle home.
Skywalker’s enthusiasm brings forth a bright, delighted laugh from Evermind - and she’s thrilled to have made a new friend in the youth. The sky-dancer mentions other friends and, well, there is no time like the present to find out for themselves. “Perhaps! What do you say we go see if we can find some?”
Evermind
