"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
Humming quietly under his breath, the black thoroughbred wanders casually into what he can only assume is Tephra, judging by the massive volcano that serves as the obvious focal point of the immediate vicinity. Dahmer's blue eyes linger on the lava-ridden mountain in appreciation before turning to take in the rest of the territory. Magnus hadn't lied -- it was much warmer here than back in the frozen Field, and Dahmer soaks in the humid heat nostalgically, his thoughts tugged back to the Subway.
He allows himself a brief moment of bittersweet sadness before he decides to venture further into the territory, being mindful to avoid any lava pools or streams that looked like they would enjoy singeing his hocks. The humid air smells heavily of Magnus, and while the act of exploring another stallion's land would have once kept Dahmer on edge, the blue-eyed beast had taken a swift liking to the King of Tephra.
Spotting a small conglomeration of mares in the distance, Dahmer decides to rest where he is while awaiting the arrival of Magnus. No reason to put the locals on edge before the King got around to greeting him. The black stallion shifts his weight comfortably and cocks a hip, tail flicking lazily around his hindquarters.
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
It has not been long since Lucrezia dispersed from the shadows of Tephra. She had found that a haven away from everyone was needed, isolation from it all. It was a time for her to think and understand what she wanted. As to this day she still seems to struggle with the past memories of the old world, before the Reckoning had come. Even so, she does not allow such things to be granted amnesty. Lucrezia was a stubborn one and enough to push forward past it.
Lucrezia finds herself wandering aimlessly through Tephra. She has taken time to truly get to know the ins and outs of the land she now truly calls home now. If there was anything she was fond of here in this land, it was the constant heat. The humid air reminded her of the once golden sand dunes she lived in. But she had come to appreciate the other aspects that made this place what it was. For instance, she had grown liking for the small volcano and dangerous streams of lava. The hot spring water was refreshing on cooler nights of the year. She might have wished for cleaner air near the volcano so she could explore it more, but, for now, such an adventure would have to wait.
Her nutmeg eyes spot the black thoroughbred not so far from her pathway. Lucrezia is unfamiliar with the stallion, but by his distant scent she knows he is not from here. Part of her at this moment would shoo such an outsider away from her home; instead she comes to believe he does not intent to harm anyone here. Her hoof moves forward and then the others follow after as she makes her way to the black stallion.
“Hello there,” she says warmly as a smile grows to each corner of her mouth. Lucrezia gives the stranger a slight tilt of her head, looking him over one last time before returning her gaze to his own blue eyes. “Welcome to Tephra. I’m Lucrezia.” The beginning of conversations has always been easy for her. In fact, at one time she had been given the position of head diplomat in the sandy kingdom.
Dahmer has sunken into a gentle daydream while he pauses to appreciate the warmth of Tephra. It clings to his black frame comfortably and a contented sigh escapes the stallion's ajar lips. It's in this position that the mare finds him, and it takes a long moment for him to notice there is someone approaching. His blue eyes flutter open at the sound of her nearing hoofsteps, ears rocking in the direction of the stranger as her soft voice dissolves the previous silence.
He offers a lazy grin in response to her pretty smile, his narrow head lowering slightly in a polite greeting to the feathered mare. The blue-eyed beast finds himself thinking that he'd made the right choice in visiting Tephra, if this was the welcoming wagon. "Lucrezia, it's a pleasure to meet you," the warmth in his voice matches hers, "my name is Dahmer."
After his introduction, he falls silent and moves his gaze to inspect the sabino's frame, particularly the feathers that make up her elegant-looking mane and tail. He finds that he's speaking again, his usual reservations diminished while he takes the time to enjoy the heat, "I hope you don't mind me saying... your feathers are very striking on you." The statement is casual and friendly, floating from his lips as if this wasn't the first time he was meeting the lady. His ears are pricked forward to point in Lucrezia's direction, awaiting her response, while his blue eyes search her face for any change in expression. His forwardness had been misinterpreted on occasion, and Dahmer had learned to watch for the warning signs. So far, he seemed to be safe.
"Have you lived in Tephra long? I happened to meet Magnus back in the Field," he cocks his head to motion towards the mingle land, "I was a sucker as soon as he said volcano and no snow."
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
The beginning of this conversation feels old and timeless. It reminds her of the traditional way kingdom had once answered to the call of newcomers. But, for always, that might be the way Lucrezia comes to greet others. It is all she knows, and anything different is foreign to her but is never unaccepted by her. She is always warm and welcoming to new ideas that all play in part to the greater good beyond her.
The black stallion offers her a grin and a polite bow of his head in greeting to her. She smiles at his thoughtfulness in the gesture. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Dahmer.” Her voice is still warm and sweet. The skills of being friendly and mindful of another have been mastered easily by her. Lucrezia has never thought anything more of ensuring guests and newcomers were given but the highest welcome to where she lived. However, his next comment is rather out of the ordinary for her. “Thank you,” she says with a blush hinting slightly at her cheeks. Lucrezia has been given compliments before. She was not a stranger in knowing she had inherited striking characteristics and beauty.
“Although I could say the same about your blue eyes too. They are very striking on you.” She adds with a small smirk spreading across her lips quickly followed by a light laugh. Lucrezia has never forgotten her sense of humor, despite her normal business mannerism when it came to meeting others. The mare did always prefer to have conversations that were filled with humor and wit, but she knew when it was time to be serious and dedicated to any task that needed to be completed.
Her head tilts to the side at his next question. The smile still lingers on her small lips, as her nutmeg eyes light up playfully. “I have been here for a while now, ever since Magnus and a couple others petitioned for the land at the Mountain.” She recalls her and Magnus’ meeting easily and when he had invited her to Tephra. She could never thank Magnus for what he had done—for allow her to have a safe haven and another chance to start over in a healthy way. “Magnus is wonderful, isn’t he?” She says admirably, though it is friendly and genuine. Her relationship with Magnus had started off on the right foot right away.
At the mention of the volcano and now snow, she laughs. “Yes, the volcano is rather interesting. I have yet to explore it truly.” She says peering over her shoulder to take a look at it. “I don’t think you’ll ever have a chance of seeing snow here.” Lucrezia turns her head back to meet his blue gaze. “I never really liked the snow anyway. It’s a little too cold for my liking.” The sun was always more warm and welcoming than the bitter cold in her opinion.
Dahmer loves the way she blushes at his compliment. His grin widens as he watches her become sheepish for a brief moment, before her own laughter mirrors his. Lucrezia offers him a compliment in return and the black beast flutters his eyelashes playfully. "Oh, you flatter me," he coos. He takes an instant liking to the feathered mare, though he wonders why he's feeling so... giddy. Dahmer's adult life could be, perhaps, the sole reason the word "slimy" was born into existence. Not that he's not proud or anything.
Lucrezia, though... he could be a good boy around Lucrezia.
He listens intently as she tells him about her time in Tephra. The stallion takes special note that she has been here since the creation of the territory. Magnus must be a decent ruler, as he had expected. She presents him with a question about the King that didn't necessarily require Dahmer's agreement, but he nods yes all the same. His meeting with Magnus had been brief, but the other stallion exuded friendliness, and Dahmer had supposed he needed a bit of that in his life.
She turns her lovely face away to gaze at the volcano and he does the same. He was quite curious about it. "Perhaps we should explore it sometime, then?" He pauses, his blue eyes shining with devilment, "You just have to promise you'll protect me when it gets dangerous."
All joking aside, however, "there's not much I hate more than snow."
He had hoped Dahmer would find his way to Tephra after the frostbitten meeting in the meadow. The two had struck a fast, easy friendship and Magnus had found himself easily enjoying the company of the black brute. So when he sees him breeching the border of the volcanic land, his handsome face split into a grin, his scarred lips lifting into a crooked, warm smile. Of course, he had been patrolling the border and while he had been able to make out the shape and form of the stallion, the trip to him was not as quick.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Magnus almost missed the alien weight of the Gates-gifted wings.
Calculating the distance, he began to pick his way through the streams of water and magma. When he saw the familiar vision of Lucrezia approach him, he felt a small knot of anticipation in his belly ease. It was good to know that there were seasoned diplomats who called Tephra home, even if they were not a traditional kingdom. He did not mind carrying the burden of relations, of watching the border and greeting those who visited them, but it was a relief to know there were others to help.
By the time he reached them, he only caught the last bit of Dahmer’s sentence, but it was still enough to cause him to chuckle, his gold-flecked eyes warm with humor. “Ah, but the snow does bring out the color in your eyes,” he laughed as he came to a stop near the duo. Dipping his head in greeting, he gestured toward Lucrezia. “I see you have met Lucrezia.” One corner of his scarred lips rose into a crooked grin as he glanced back to the newcomer. “I trust that the trip was easy. I’m glad you took me up on my offer.”
12-11-2016, 01:50 PM (This post was last modified: 12-13-2016, 05:03 PM by Lucrezia.)
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
Lucrezia is beginning to find this new stranger named Dahmer pleasant. She enjoys the way he jokes around. The mare has always enjoyed a good laugh. She also enjoyed conversations that were witty and challenged her to be a little better than the other one. If anything, Lucrezia enjoyed an easy conversation that was filled with laughter and playful sarcasm. It was also welcoming to have such a conversation like right now since lately she has been feeling a down—but truly has been a lingering feeling these last couple years. “I’ll try not to,” she says with a soft smile, a hint of laughter sparking in her eyes.
At the mention of exploring, Lucrezia is all ears. “Yes!” She says with excitement. Lucrezia has always enjoyed exploring the world. It was how she learned every part of Beqanna and all that it held. And was one of her fondest memories of her childhood. Lucrezia watches as he eyes light up with mischief. She smiles at his next words. “Oh, you are scared of the volcano already?” She laughs happily at him playfully.
When Magnus approaches, her attention turns to him. A smile lifts up her lips as he chuckles. “Hello Magnus.” She greets him with a tilt of her head back at his acknowledgment of her. “How are you doing today?” And then turns her attention back to Dahmer. “Hopefully, the trip has prepared you for exploring the volcano.” Her voice and eyes are filled with a little mischief at Dahmer.
Lucrezia's excitement at his suggestion is palpable and Dahmer grins broadly, taking a moment to pretend to be coy as she questions his courage. He scoffs at her, blue eyes alight with mischief, "Well, it sounds bad when you say it out loud." The words are dripping with mock shame, though he can't help but to laugh when she does.
Magnus joins them swiftly after the start of their conversation, and while Dahmer cannot wait to get to know Lucrezia more, the King's presence is not unwelcome. He turns his sharp blue eyes in the direction of the buckskin, another bout of laughter falling from his lips at the stallion's comment. "I'll give up my blue eyes if it means I can live somewhere warm forever," he grins, "but not the whole eye, obviously, just the color. My father had only one eye -- I may be a bit too vain to survive like that." A joking shrug follows and then he's silent as Magnus addresses Lucrezia. They seem fond of each other, the way his father had been close with his advisor, Aleko, and Dahmer feels oddly comforted by this resemblance.
Ears fluttering forward in his mass of tousled mane, he nods in acknowledgement to the buckskin king. "I appreciate the invitation." His eyes flick again to the sabino mare and he chuckles at her remark, the sound still lingering as he responds, "I don't know, I think I may have to rest up a few days before I try something that daunting. I would like for you to show me around, though, if you think you could handle it." The jab is friendly and playful, but when he turns his attention once more back to his new king, the black beast was a bit more serious. "How can I assist you and Tephra? I'd like to make myself useful to you, as a thank you for allowing me to stay within your land."
Magnus’ smile deepens as he observes the two together, pleased to see that they were getting along so well and so quickly. While he very much enjoyed everyone’s company in Tephra, something that now included Dahmer, it warmed his heart to know that those within Tephra enjoyed each other just as much. Especially someone like Lucrezia who so deeply deserved to be surrounded by friends and loved ones.
“I am doing well, Lucrezia,” he answered kindly, acknowledging her greeting with a twitch of his scarred lips and an incline of his handsome head. His attention was quickly caught by the leviathan and he grinned in response, chuckling at his quick answer. “Thankfully you need not give up anything to live here,” he glanced around them to the greenery surrounding them, “although I will keep it in mind.”
At his next question, Magnus’ expression grew slightly more somber in thought. “There truly is nothing you need to do, although the strength of your mind and sweat of your brow would not be turned down.” Tephra did not require anything for entrance, but it could always use skilled diplomats, strong soldiers. Magnus had been around long enough to recognize that. “The politics of the land are quite simple. We welcome those who simply seek a residence, but we also have a caste for those who seek more purpose. It is not split specifically into peace or war—but we will eventually have leaders for both. If you are interested in putting your skill set to work for Tephra, you are more than welcome to join.”
He paused for a moment, considering the stallion before continuing, “We also have a three-seated Council of leaders to help advise and lead Tephra. One seat for the Head of War, one set for Head of Peace, and one seat for a Council member of my choosing. Since we are a land in our infancy, the Council is empty.”
He wasn’t sure if Dahmer had his sights set on such ambition or if he simply wanted a place to call home, but Magnus figured it was better to be safe than sorry in his explanation—even if it meant being slightly more long winded than he preferred. He shrugged and gave a small smile. “It truly is up to you.”
out of the blue out into the loneliest place that you'll ever know I carried the world just as far as I could but the damage had taken its toll
Here it comes with no warning; capsize, i'm first in the water
Lucrezia gives a tilt of her head to Dahmer. She looks at him over quickly with mocking display of disapproval. “I suppose I could spare you a couple days ready to prepare.” She says coyly. Another smile widens across her lips. She is beginning to notice how it hurts to smile—not that it was a bad thing either. Lucrezia needed to feel this pain more than ever. It was a start of being happen. “It will be a grand adventure,” she adds.
At his reply, Lucrezia is pleased to hear that he is doing well. She has a fondness for Magnus and the best interest for him as well. It was strange to her to see how quickly their friendship blossomed but she is happier than ever to have him on her team and leading her new home.
She listens intently on Dahmer’s next question. Lucrezia has wanted to begin helping Magnus around here in Tephra. She knows that not one person could rule such a place themselves. The burden was much heavier than it appeared. Then again, her father taught her it was important to surround yourself around with strong individuals that would support you. Sometimes her father was full of good advice while other times, she has come to learn, he was not so helpful.
At the mention of the council, she smiles. There had been one time she would have lead the peace caste of the Deserts; however, she had disappeared into the shadows. Lucrezia had feared such responsibilities. But, more than anything, it had been her own fear of if she was capable of even leading others when she struggled to know who she was. She didn’t want to lead anyone down.
“We may be new, but we are surely strong.” She says with a smile to Magnus at the mention of their land still in infancy. Lucrezia believed strongly that this land would blossom into something beautiful and strong. “In time we will have a full council for Tephra.” Although Lucrezia was interested in one of the positions, she does not say anything. She is not overly ambitious as some are. Instead, she serves her home to the best of her ability and hopes that Magnus will notice her efforts. After all, she does trust his decision and judgement for what is best of Tephra.
![[Image: gqYjsHr.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/KjqNDKxc/gqYjsHr.png)
