"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
Part of her feels that she no longer belongs here. It has been months, maybe longer, since she last felt the breeze kiss her skin and the sun wrap her in its eternal warmth. A smile lingers on her lips as her muzzle lifts to the sky to savor these moments. This is her home and yet it's like a long-lost lover that she has just found again. Her breath vibrates as she hums pleasantly to herself before opening her deep brown eyes.
The meadow.
When she sees the spring grass kneeling to the wind's strength it brings back memories of her siblings, of her parents, of Trystane. She misses them but even as they fog her vision she still does not try to find them. Maybe one day their paths will cross again. If that does happen maybe she won't be quite so ashamed of herself; hopefully life will have blessed her in some way by then. Cerva doesn't have the ambition to be a Queen like the rest of her family. While her siblings and parents have flourished Cerva has kept to herself and adapted to a life not typically seen fit for a once-princess.
Solitude. Withdrawal. She's a figment of memories now. No one likely remembers her or her family. They wouldn't care to because she is nothing valuable anymore. Her mane has grown unruly with leaves and flowers strewn in her locks. The shine of her eyes has dimmed during her time of seclusion. Deep down she knows who she is - who she will forever be - but she has never been one to live up to her name or the reputation of her family. She is simply Cerva.
i'll pick up these broken pieces 'til i'm bleeding
if that'll make it right
As Cerva reenters her home, Nihlus slips free of his. Frost clings to his charcoal-red fur as the scent of the Tundra falls behind his nimble rabbit legs - best to disappear in this form. Quieter and less noticeable than his rugged equine self departing, and less magic-disturbing than his astral-projection. More reliable, too. When using the projection as teleportation, things often go very astray - he’d rather not let that happen tonight.
Through the hours of the wolf and owl the man travels, light of hop, and quiet, too. His bark-lined paws provide ample protection from any snow he encounters, but the rest of him becomes uncomfortably damp due to his unfortunate mass-to-surface area ratio in this form. Eventually, as the scent of the Chamber falls away and the buck veers west, the sun rises, and in the face of the new dawn, Nihlus shifts into his long-legged form.
Shaking out his sopping mane with vigor, the stallion idly stretches his muscles - too long in the form of the jack rabbit really pulls those muscles he doesn’t use as a horse. Life’s a bitch, I know. Grumbling good-naturedly to himself, Nihlus finishes the tail of his trek at an agreeable trundle, and finally, around noon, he finds himself in the meadow.
Home sweet home, hey, sister?
Brows bouncing up upon sighting his mirror image, Nihlus shimmies himself out of her field of vision and summons a happy little rain cloud right above her pretty little head. After a few decidedly fat drops splatter against her figure, Nihlus sends the cloud dancing away - he wouldn’t want to send Cerva running, the meek little thing, oh no.
As the man saunters towards her, he whinnies to her in the way that only siblings can; an echo from the past, when they and Daemron lived beneath the supervision of Noori and Eight, the mighty and powerful Gods - or so they seemed, until they disappeared off the face of the earth. Nihlus wonders how his siblings took their parents’ evacuation of the land of the living - Nihlus had moved out of the Valley before that point, being the most independant of the triplets. He figures that the loss must have been harder on Cerva and Dae than on him - after leaving, they stopped existing to him, too, after all.
Trying out a cocky grin instead of the coolness Cerva might be expecting, Nihlus opens his mouth to speak, but only air comes out of his mouth. Shaking his head for multiple reasons - including potential, very unmanly tears - Nihlus gives up on words and throws his neck around Cerva’s instead.
Hug it out, bro, just hug it out.
Memories bombard him, the scent of her skin bringing up the dregs of his past like the last tip of a cup of cold hot chocolate. Literal years have passed since these two last spoke - more than a decade, Nihlus guesses. Squeezing his sister tighter just before letting go, Nihlus knows that his forwardness will be immediately accepted. Or at least, he hopes he knows - as a child, the rainboy was strange, eccentric, and very cold - but if anyone ever truly knew this side of Nihlus from early on, it was Cerva.
Still, his change in demeanor could be rather shocking. But hey, did you expect any different from the boy who used to introduce himself by saying ‘I can make it rain?’
"So, Cerva,” he says in his deep, clear voice, straightening to fix his sister with his piercing blue gaze, "It’s been a while.”
Nihlus
rain manipulating, rabbit shifting, astral projecting son of Sinder & Noori
THIS IS SO CUTE also why the heck does Nihlus demand novel-long posts when I have no muse for him, but my museful ponies can barely plop out two paragraphs. Nihlus, you're an asshat and I love you.
Far too preoccupied with her own musings Cerva doesn't take note of his scent in the air when the wind shifts course. Nihlus bypasses her notice without effort until the heavy raindrops plummet down across her. At first it causes her a fright in which she shies from before tilting her head up to see the small gray cloud hovering. It didn't soak her, not yet, before dissipating with a quiet whir. "Hmph," she pouts for a split moment as her deep brown eyes search in front of her for the one horse she knows to ever have such control. "Where are you, Nihlus?" Her gut wrenches in both anxiety and excitement. He is her brother after all, but it has been years since they have last seen each other. How much could he have changed?
A breath catches in her throat as she expectantly waits for him to arrive while sifting through probable situations and conversation topics.
No, she's overthinking this. This is her brother, her Nihlus.
His embrace comes as a shock to her but she doesn't shrink away from it. Instead she smiles as a vine of ivy spirals up his bark legs toward his shoulder then his withers. She halts it at the base of his neck while she melts into him. The moment stirs something long forgotten inside her. After so much time had passed Cerva began to ponder her love of family or even the idea of it. This, however, is when she realizes that no matter how much distance and time may come between them, the love of family is eternal. A reassured breath escapes her as their cheeks press warmly together. Just feeling his presence again fills a part of her heart that had begun to freeze over.
"My sweet Nihlus, it certainly has been quite some time." He has already reeled back and straightened himself by the time she pivots to face him. Their eyes meet for the first time in years and she holds his stare for a long moment as a grin adorns her pretty face once more. "How are you? What have you been up to?" Where did you go and why did you leave me? The latter goes unsaid but is readable in her gentled expression.
i'll pick up these broken pieces 'til i'm bleeding
if that'll make it right
He feels the creeping of her ivy up his leg before he feels her melt into him; funny, that they would both greet each other with the powers their mother blessed them with before their physical bodies. He smiled at the notion, memorizing how she and the ivy felt pressed against him. Since their parting as children, Nihlus and Cerva have remained apart; this moment was unquestionably one he had no intention of forgetting.
A grin has already blossomed upon the soil of her lips when she turns to pivot him; it’s hard to grow happiness without a little rain, after all. An identical expression adorns the man’s typically sinister face; I guess too much rain can be a bad thing, too.
"It certainly has been, sister - I offer the greatest of apologies, you can be sure.” His voice drips in a delightful dry humour, one Cerva ought to know unfortunately well. The rascal only widens his grin, blue eyes glowing more brightly in light of their reunion. Yes, for an icy bastard with an offensive opinion on everything, he sure does have a big, sweet heart. In his own sarcastic way, of course.
He sighs dramatically at her questions, leaning heavily to one side as he summons an answer from Deep Within. At the sight of her gentle, sad eyes, however, the man straightens (well, posturally) and answers genuinely.
"I’m doing alright I suppose. I’ve been a resident in the Tundra ever since mom and dad disappeared, but I’ve done a shitty job of ‘upholding the legacy’ or whatever you wanna call it.” His lips tug downwards in humiliation and anxiety. "I’m not really good at this whole life thing. Ever since Carnage...” He fades off here, his cocky grin coming back into play at the thought of his venture into the afterlife, and the trait he now holds as proof of his quest. "But that’s a story for another time.”
Shaking his dished head with a slight chuckle, Nihlus sizes up his little doe of a sister, and wonders just where she herself has been. He saw the look in her eyes, the one that asked where he had been and why he had left her; she wonders if she can see it in his. "What about you? Been up to anything over the years that your ol’ brother might like knowing a thing or two about?”
Nihlus
rain manipulating, rabbit shifting, astral projecting son of Sinder & Noori
He is practically a stranger now. It has been years since they have last heard each other’s voice or even breathed the same air. Her skin tingles underneath his touch as she wonders how easily she melts into him after so long. Should their compassion one another still be so strong? They’ve led separate lives and have experienced different obstacles. They have either strengthened or weakened since being apart; they’ve changed, and yet when Cerva looks at her brother she still sees him as a young boy. They shared the womb together. They shared mother’s sweet milk. They shared everything until the day life broke them apart. A smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she realizes that, yes, they should always love one another.
Nothing should ever truly break them apart.
With a grin still adorning her pretty face she dips her head humorously, ”And I accept your great apology, sir.” Her voice is honeyed but sharp, her eyes twinkling. Perhaps Nihlus hasn’t changed quite as much as she originally thought. As her vines descend back to the ground Cerva takes note of the slight change in his demeanor when he mentions Carnage. ”Wh—“ she begins to ask, but the topic is quickly dismissed. ”Well, hopefully it wasn’t too traumatic,” it doesn’t seem to have been based on the way he is acting, but the concern for him is still there, still beating on the glass when she looks at him.
”At least you have a home.” The response slips from her more somberly than she had anticipated. The beat of her heart flutters suddenly and her lips purse into a thin line. Was it too much to admit that the former princess no longer even has a home? Would he pass judgment that she has fallen into the shadows even worse than he? A lump forms in her throat that she tries to swallow. ”I met a boy, but it seems so long ago and I haven’t seen him since.” A shrug ripples through her lean shoulders. Why should anyone stay with her? She is nothing in comparison to mother. She seems incapable of holding onto anything – or anyone – for very long. ”That’s about all the excitement I’ve seen. So much for making our parents proud.” There is a small amount of hurt writhing in her voice and in the sigh that passes from her lips.
i'll pick up these broken pieces 'til i'm bleeding
if that'll make it right
They fit together like the sun and the moon whence the eclipse is finally upon them; like the tide at its highest point, finally making love to the furthest shores. He is the rain to her desert; she is the ivy to his poison. Nihlus, the arrogant old fool, has no doubts as to their infinite love for one another; he’s been isolated enough to recognize the unbreakable bonds of family when he has the opportunity to be around them. Which is not often; and perhaps it is in that matter that he doubts. Doubts himself, his motives, his past decisions, the decisions he’s making right now.
Just. What the fuck is he even doing?
Her pretty, grinning face brings the man out of his momentary existential crisis. Well, it’s far from momentary, but he pushes it aside for the time being. Reaching his nose to softly blow a strand of Cerva’s forelock which has become stuck in her white-bark blaze, Nihlus returns the warm smile with ease. “Nothing traumatizes me, little sister.” He winks. “Except you, of course.”
Upon her following retort, he immediately regrets his jibe. He grimaces apologetically, and shuffles his hooves sheepishly. As a light goes off in his mind, he opens his mouth to speak, but she cuts him off, and he closes his mouth, happy to wait his turn in the conversation, and to lend a listening ear to a sister who sorely needs one. Yes, Nihlus might be the king of douchebaggery, but he’s also a lovely brother.
“I don’t think Noori and Eight gave a damn about us, anyways. Plus they’re both awol themselves, so don’t be too hard on yourself.” The handsome stallion rolls his shoulders, eyeing the meadow around them - for once, he hesitates. Or, more specifically, he thinks before speaking - it’s something of a miracle. In the end, he decides to speak his mind, hoping for the best as he jumps off the deep end.
“Sooo… What if we both looked to improve our current stations in life?” His glowing blue eyes bored into her glowing green ones with great intent, and his smile had mysteriously disappeared. “Like. Let’s go to a kingdom together. Or go to the field and then to a kingdom, I don’t give a fuck - but let’s hold each other accountable. Let’s get shit done.” His gaze softens, and his heart pangs - he loves his sister, and the thought of losing her again after all this time is just… Unbearable.
“Let’s go back to how things were.”
Nihlus
rain manipulating, rabbit shifting, astral projecting son of Sinder & Noori
If Cerva is head-over-heals for Nihlus’ impromptu, totally IC request, she can reply here or just go straight to the field, or to the kingdom that they ‘decide’ on. Or if she’s not, she can still reply here, lol. But Nihlus demanded to be cute so here is cute Nihlus, being sentimental and clingy.
