"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
I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell
She was surprised by the depth of her pain.
It was seemingly alive, thrashing in her chest, snaking through her veins. She had left the forest that day and felt emptied, a husk. It had not taken her long to find Exist, to curl into her sister's side wordlessly and to fall asleep. Sleep that stretched so long and so thin that she sometimes felt as if she would never wake. Sleep that dragged her under even when she woke, its sticky and consistent fingers pulling her below its influence.
Finally though, she woke. Of course she did. It was the only thing there was to do. She couldn't let herself become consumed by it; she couldn't let herself drown under it. That was too selfish. There were things that she needed to do, souls she needed to heal. And so, like she did always, Leliana forced herself to look outside of the pain, focusing her energy outward. She stopped wandering the water-soaked beaches and looking outward toward Ischia. She avoided the forest where he had left her. She instead stuck to the fields and the meadow, or even the challenge grounds. Wherever there were those who needed her gifts. Wherever there were those who called to the healing in her chest.
She exhausted herself often, but never quite to the point of that day.
She learned the boundaries of her gift and did the best to respect them.
Today though, today she chose to stay within Tephra, wandering the familiar landscape easily. Her wings were scarlet and unfurled to their full width as she flew; they rarely changed to onyx any more during the day but at night, while she slept, they often turned black with a smattering of blue and white, the appendages showing themselves in elegant ivory sweeps. It was painful to wake to that sight, the hope crushing in her throat.
That same hope she felt when she saw him.
Her speed quickened when she saw the smudge of black beneath her. She dove, faster perhaps then she should have, the blood rushing to her skull as she landed near him. When her vision focused and she took him in, she made a small noise. "Oh," she exhaled, The air rushing out of her. He wasn't him. Of course, Dovev wasn't here. This stallion was broader, thicker with muscle, and there were no bones piercing flesh.
She tucked the bitter disappointment away, glancing down for a moment so that the curtain of her red mane shielded her eyes. When she glanced up, her face was the perfect display of politeness, her hazel eyes soft and serene, her smile kind. "I am so sorry. I thought you were someone I knew." She took a step forward in greeting. "My name is Leliana." She focused on him, channeling all of her attention to the conversation.
I put everything I had into something that didn't grow like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
The forest is quiet today, save for Dahmer's hoof beats against the soft earth. Peculiar, he thinks, that even the birds have remained hushed in the midst of a beautiful spring day. He has taken to exploring further from the volcano today, where the trees are thicker and the grasses reach nearly to his underbelly. The black stallion moves slowly, weaving between the trees more stealthily than is necessary.
He closes his blue eyes to better appreciate the silence before he draws in a long breath. The sulfur that accompanies their volcano is not as strong in this part of the forest, and while he has grown to love the signature scent of Tephra, it is nice to breathe fresher air.
A breeze kicks up; it rustles the leaves of the surrounding trees and makes the long grasses sway beneath him. It tickles his lean legs, and Dahmer moves towards a small clearing, where the grass grows a bit shorter.
The breeze is not loud enough to mask the flap of wings, and the blue-eyed beast turns his gaze skyward just as the crimson Pegasus comes into view. She lands beside him hurriedly and Dahmer pivots so that he is facing her, his expression drawn up in a semblance of intrigue and concern. She makes a small sound, like the air has been squeezed from her lungs, but it comes across almost... endearing.
Dahmer offers the winged mare a warm grin as she finds her voice, his shoulders shrugging nonchalantly in response, "You can make it up to me by making me someone that you know," he nearly purrs.
The thoroughbred shifts his weight to stand more comfortably, his black ears fluttering to face the mare. "My name is Dahmer. Are you searching for someone?"
I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell
His voice is like smoke and ash, heated but not possessive, and she both blossoms beneath it and then grows inward, her hazel eyes turning foggy with confusion and familiarity. For a moment, she is quiet as she considers him, her face serene, her smile flickering in the corners as she thinks on him. His purr thrums through her veins and part of her wants to lean into it, sink into it until the warmth of it lapped over her back, something kind and hot that reminded her of things she could no longer think on. The other part of her shies from it, as if he has burned her, the echo of his heat enough to send shivers up her spine.
Finally, after a moment of silence, she ruffles her crimson wings by her side, the color bleeding away to be replaced with something white and then onyx and finally settled into the cream and russet of barn owls. “Perhaps I would like to get to know you,” she says quietly, her low hum of a voice filling the air between them, although it was devoid of any knowing womanly wiles. Leliana is devoid of them, stripped of any ability to command her feminine charms. She is vulnerable as she stands beneath his icy gaze.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Dahmer,” she says before turning her head toward the faint crashing of the ocean on the Tephra coast. A subtle enough gesture, but enough time to shield the pain that flashes across her gaze, the reminder of what she thought he was. When her eyes return to him they are still calm, washed of anguish. “I am not. I was surprised to think they may be here, that’s all.” She rolls her dappled shoulders, meeting his gaze steadily. “It is likely for the best that it is you instead,” her voice quiet, a small frown creasing her brow before she wipes it away, replaces it with a faint shimmer of a smile. She could not bear to see Dovev today; she could not bear to smile and pretend with him, pull forth happiness.
When the words register, her eyes widen. “Oh. I’m so sorry. That was terribly rude.” She shakes her head, distress clear in her expression. “I am lucky to have crossed paths with you, I’m sure.” Embarrassed, her wings flutter and she glances at the ground beneath her feet, frowning at her clumsy conversation skills.
I put everything I had into something that didn't grow like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
He is immediately drawn to her. To her vulnerability.
Her face, her bright eyes, offer up her emotions with no reservation and a quiet mmm hums in his throat. Dahmer watches her closely, equally enthralled by her face and her color-shifting wings. Her voice is tentative as it quietly breaks the silence, and the black beast widens his grin just a bit more.
Blue eyes watch as Leliana's face crumbles into a frown and he snorts quietly, taking a small step closer. His ears flutter as the breeze encircles them, the branches rustling overhead, and the stallion strains for a moment to hear her speak. Lips twitching upward at her second apology, the stallion shakes his head. "No need to apologize, lovely Leli," he pauses briefly before saying, quietly, "I don't like anyone who makes you frown."
It doesn't look natural on her beautiful face. He doesn't like it.
He grins, in hopes that it will draw a warm expression onto her face again. "Were you born with your wings? They are beautiful."
I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell
No one called her Leli except her sister, and the endearment sounds both strange and comforting on his tongue. She cannot help the way she softens to it, the way that she eases into it, stepping into the silent, undisturbed pools of his presence. She has no great walls to protect herself, even after her entire world had been torn asunder, and she doesn’t pretend otherwise with him. As he casually mentions Dovev, although he of course has no idea what he is discussing, she just shakes her head and rolls her shoulders, trying to shift away from the pain that settles between her lungs. It was difficult to breathe around it.
She has no way of countering the statement, and she knows she would be unable to pretend that there was not someone who brought the frown to her face, so she just laughs, the sound fog and silver bells as it unwraps from her throat and into the air between them. It was easier to distract herself in such a manner; it was easier to turn her mind toward this easy conversation, words with little weight, no consequences.
“I had them at birth, but they were taken from me after the Reckoning.” There was no bitterness in her voice, just simple truth as she twists her head slightly to regard them. The wings shift again, turning for a moment into black leather with ivory appendages, the sight startling; she forcibly shifts them again, back into those of the barn owl. Shaken by the reminder of Dovev, she takes a second to gather her thoughts before turning back toward the black leviathan before her. “My twin, Exist, was given the ability to return gifts to five others. She came and gave mine back to me.” Her eyes soften at the memory.
“They are not all I was born with though,” her smile is just a tick mischievous as she glances at him.
“Although that is not quite as easy to show.”
I put everything I had into something that didn't grow like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
Leliana's laughter rings and rings, and Dahmer restrains his own to better hear hers. There's something innocent about it, and while the black beast had gotten into the habit of disregarding those he would consider inexperienced or lacking ferociousness during his reign of the Subway, he has discovered here in Beqanna that it is usually the innocent ones that end up being the most fun.
The winged mare doesn't respond to his candid statement, instead electing to answer his inquiry. Dahmer doesn't mind, had actually expected that she would move to a more comfortable topic. Her laughter had been more than enough to appease him, and so he lets her off the hook this time.
Later, though, he wants to see how far he can get her to open up. There's just something about a challenge that makes everything else in life seem so much more... exciting.
Leliana's wings shift color and texture, drawing Dahmer's brilliant blue eyes to them for the show. It's a unique sight, and he can't help that his gaze lingers on them for an extra moment or two before returning to the pretty face of his new companion. "How thoughtful of Exist to return them to you," he offers a more genuine smile, opting to steer away from his lopsided smirk while discussing a topic that sat on the more serious side of the spectrum, "the Reckoning took many things, I've heard." His own homeland had been destroyed, though by natural disaster and not divine intervention. A swift pang of nostalgia hits him in the chest.
Pushing the bittersweet feeling away, Dahmer notices the mischievous glint that has slowly worked its way into Leliana's eye. The black beast grins at her again, his devilishness returning. "Oh? Will I be lucky enough for you to show me?"
The stallion tosses his head to remove a tousled forelock from his gaze. He arches his neck in an impressive display of muscle and presses his maw to his broad chest for a moment, before extending his head to the mare and whispering ever so quietly, ever so sinfully, "I'll do anything."
I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell
There is kindness to him, but also danger, and she finds the combination both confusing and familiar, the edges of him warping even as they talk. For a while, she tries to track the differences and the subtle shifts but she inevitably gives up, throwing her proverbial hands in the air and just enjoying the changes in his demeanor, the darkness and light that toys in the depths of his icy blue eyes. He was quite unlike anyone she had ever met—not Dovev with his ghosts or Magnus with his demons. He was refreshing.
At his question, she laughs again, the sound welcomed in her throat after so much time of silence.
“Perhaps,” she toys with the idea, lifting his hazel eyes to the sky above them as if considering it. She then takes a step forward, wrinkling her nose playfully. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” She closes her eyes for a moment and reaches into herself, grabbing a hold of the healing power, the coils of it wrapping in lazy loops in her chest. She knows that it is an intangible thing, but to her it is the opposite, the rope of it weighty in her hand. She could feel it, alive like a snake, breathing into existence at her prodding.
With some gentle coaxing, it unravels and slips into her hand as he draws it out and then pushes it into the stallion’s chest. She hums as she works, the sound musical and lilting, her mind entirely focusing on navigating through his inner depths. There are no great wounds to heal—no gashes that she needs to knit together or bones to repair—but there is enough. Enough aches and pains from the strain of simply living that she roots out, pressing cool hands to each feverish spot. Methodically, she finds them all, easing whatever pains he may have—shallow scrapes, bruises, aching muscles. She soothes them all.
When she is done, she opens her eyes, the hazel of them bright.
“How do you feel?”
I put everything I had into something that didn't grow like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
There's a sort of pride emanating from the mahogany bay mare and it's tinged with an excitement that Dahmer finds contagious. He grins at Leliana happily, ears pricked forward in curiosity as she takes a step back and closes her hazel eyes. Her gentle hum catches the black beast's attention and it soothes him as he begins to feel pleasant in a way he cannot remember ever experiencing before.
His eyelids slide slowly to cover those bright blue eyes and he lets himself sink comfortably into this new feeling. He stays silent until Leliana speaks again, and only then do his eyes open to find his winged companion, confident in her abilities.
Dahmer flexes his muscles, astonished at how new he feels. The dull ache in his knees that he'd grown accustomed to, the twinge in his neck, the imperfections caused by the battles and adventures he'd been a part of... all amazingly, wonderfully gone.
He smiles at Leliana, incredulous. "I don't think I've ever felt this good." He picks his legs up, prancing in place for a moment before laughing and giving the beautiful mare a wink, "I'm going to need you to teach me how to do that. But, now the issue how, how will I ever repay you?"
I know what it is but I'm hoping that all is well no harvest of green but it's still my heart to sell
As proud as she was of the work she could do, had done, she grows shy beneath his praise, dipping her head down so that her chin skims the slope of her breast. She glances up, regarding him from beneath her thick lashes and smiles kindly, the curve of it barely twisting the edges of her crimson lips.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she says a little breathy, the joy of her task enough to buoy her. She was natural in that habitat. Whatever fears she may have felt or insecurities may have plagued her disappeared when she stepped into that role, the rest of the world disappearing. She was good at healing. She knew it; it was as natural to her as breathing. She could piece together fractures, knit together scars.
She was talented, and it felt good to work with confidence.
Still, it was confidence that was short-lived and short-changed beneath the brightness of his blue eyes, and she finds that she stammers a little at his next question. “Oh, you don’t have to repay me, Dahmer.” She glances away, as if wringing her hands, and then looks back at him. “I didn’t mean to make you feel as if you were obligated to repay me. Consider it a gift. Just a gift between friends. That is okay, right?”
Her smile wavers on her mouth, flickering in and out of existence, her wings at her side responding to the uncertainty and changing from the onyx of his coat to the beautiful teal of his eyes. She rolls her shoulders and then finds his gaze again, smiling a little. She breathes out unsteadily, trying to find her certain of balance, before she settles again, her wings blue and pulled in close to her mahogany barrel.
“It is nice to talk to you.”
A secret that she presses into his hands before she glances down at the ground again.
I put everything I had into something that didn't grow like going on a wild hunt, shooting arrows without a bow
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
Breathy and bright-eyed, Leliana curls under his praise and Dahmer snorts amiably at her modesty. His ocean eyes soften as he chuckles, the corners crinkling just slightly. "That was not nothing, beautiful Leli," he affirms warmly, "it is okay to be proud of what you can do." The stallion's gaze lingers on his crimson companion for another moment before he turns to look over the contours of their surroundings.
Leliana's stammering voice brings his azure eyes back, another charming grin curling up the corners of his lips. He's quiet for a beat, noticing the way her smile droops in her uncertainty, and he nods quickly in response. "Of course that's okay, and I assure you that I never feel obligated to do anything," a small shrug follows his statement and Dahmer gives his winged friend a guileful wink, "but I'd love the chance to do something nice for you. Might even earn me some brownie points."
The stallion's voice grows quiet near the end of his statement, as if telling Leliana a secret meant only for her. Itching to step a little closer to her, the black beast shifts weight and nearly takes a stride forward before his eyes catch another shift in her beautiful wings.
Black. Blue.
His lips twitch, the smile knowing. "I'm flattered," he muses, soft and sweet, "My day would have been dreary without your smile."
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