"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 V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Loess hadn’t satisfied him.
That is a rare thing, for Ivar is so easily intrigued. The pied horse has chalked it up to his short visit; in each of the other lands he had a fairly extended stay, with a guide that was as interested in showing him their home as he was in seeing it. The same wasn’t true for Loess. Merida had not been a willing tour guide, but an older Ivar can reflect on the experience and realize why. He’d been rather bothersome, and only Heda’s arrival had granted him entry into the hilly realm at all.
He still wonders what he had missed in Loess, and when his mind turns to the kingdom between his homeland and his favorite lake, he thinks of @[Heda] as well. Merida had told him that the buckskin mare lived there now, but Ivar had met her in the Taiga. He knows that growing up often means leaving home, but he’s not yet met anyone who had done it of their own free will. Castile had been forced out of Nerine by his mother, and Kylin had followed her family to Ischia. Ivar’s own parents have made no mention of his leaving, but he cannot help but wonder if the day is coming.
Ivar isn’t really a boy anymore; the last vestiges of his childhood were left behind in the ocean. The colt young stallion is over seventeen hands tall, with lean muscles sculpted by hours of swimming (and now, of running and spinning and sparring). Akkadian has been teaching them to fight, and Ivar shows promise. The homely look of him has metled with puberty, and the young man bears a striking resemblance to his father. Sharp-eyed and incredibly handsome, prone to silence and time in the water. He’s got his mother’s smile though, warm and contagious and charming; the combination is deadly.
Once again he stands at the edge of Loess; this time doing better to mind the border. The sun is warm on the scales (another adolescent development) of his matte black hide, and it glitters brightly on the white of his long stockings and mantle. His tail flips about in the wind, less heavy than the corded black mass of his thick mane. Pale pink nostrils flare in his bald face, taking in the quiet land in intriguing smells of foreign plants.
His brown eyes search as well, keeping an eye out for movement that might be an answer to his curious call of greeting. The red-haired mare had been quick to approach before but he hopes for both his own and Merida’s sake that the mare is on the far side of the kingdom. He’d rather not subject her to himself again, and he’s also looking for Heda as much as he is for entry into Loess. He has question for her, after all.
06-27-2017, 08:10 PM (This post was last modified: 06-27-2017, 08:11 PM by Heda.)
Heda
With all of this, her home, her duties, her new kingdom, and most of all her promise. She has hardly had any time to find herself the luxury of a friend, a comrade. She only held acquaintances after all and all that was left of friendship lingered in Taiga. Her family, her sister, and perhaps even one of her best friends. But she was here now, and even if her people didn't enjoy her company, she was a burden upon all of them. Their previous ways, smashed into pieces, by no other than her. So here she was, a burden upon her very own people, a queen but yet ever so alone.
So there she lies, remaining aloft within the clouds, her navy tipped feather cutting through the cotton candy puffs of condensation that litter the azure sky. Locked within her own little corner of bliss, her very own fortress of solitude crafted completely out of clouds. Silence, a forever echo amongst the atmosphere, until the soft pitter patter of foot steps draws her attention below. She finds herself gliding downwards beneath the very protection of her fluffy fortress, allowing her gaze gaze to sweep across her kingdom. Until, she spots someone, someone rather familiar in fact she might as well go ahead and say hello.
So she descends, gracefully, golden flecked feathered appendages guiding her downwards, until she meets thet cushioned ground. Allowing her wings to flutter at her sides for a moment before collectively folding them on either side. Her gems lift to the individual so politely waiting at the very border of her kingdom, and only when she comes closer she realizes whom has come to visit her. And that very someone is no other than Ivar, she had known him as a boy yet now a boy he was no longer. A charming, and rather handsome stallion stood before her, with ebony scales flecking his black patches, and iridescent pearl toned scales glittering upon his crest. He's become something beyond irresistible. She can't help but shy away, allowing the navy mess of hair to shield her hazel eyes.
As a gentle smile finds it's way upon her lips as always, "Ivar, it's wonderful to see you again." her words are sweet like honey. "I assume your here for another exploration of yours?" She questions with a playful tone. The navy blue tresses of her mane whisk about her golden neck, as the wind run against the hallow of her back, playing gently at the tendrils of grass brushes against her dark cobalt ankles. As she allows her gaze, to flicker about his body, now muscular, and ever so different. She couldn't help but wonder what had brought him to return to Loess.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Contrary to Heda, Ivar has never lacked for friendly company. His forays to new lands had come with new acquaintances, which given enough time (and charm) were easily turned to friends. Loess had been the single exception; the very fact that it is an outlier in most everything is part of what still intrigues Ivar. He is not sure if these hills hide anything more intriguing than that. Even if they don’t, he is young and strong and royal: what else should he be doing with his time but answering questions only he cares about?
He might get his answers sooner than expected, he thinks. Though he’s not seen Heda in flight before, he suspects that there are not many winged buckskins with navy hair in the skies of Loess. She lands and come nearer, and Ivar’s suspicions are confirmed. The feathered wings that she tucks into her wings after landing merit a long gaze; Ivar is rather enthralled by wings. He does well enough on land and in the sea, but the sky is something that he will never explore.
Looking back to meet her eyes, Ivar finds that she’s shielded them behind a hank of blue mane. Though he’s not sure why, he suspects that it’s something to do with the way he’s grown up. Admiring glances from strangers are no longer a novelty, but the often startled reaction from those he has known since childhood is sometimes still strange. Ivar knows that he looks different – looks better, astonishingly so – but that still gives him no base from which to react. He doesn’t mind, he’s decided, but not minding and knowing how to react are two very different things.
He chooses, like always, to pretend that nothing has changed.
Returning her smile, Ivar nods his head in agreement of her assessment. “I am,” says the young stallion. Her roving eyes do not go unnoticed, and while they might not be the cause for the way he arches his handsome neck, he will also not mind if she keeps looking.
“Though to find you, too.” He adds, “I wanted to ask you about choosing a new home. You’re the only horse I know who has.” While the political climate between Loess and Sylva might be unstable (though due only to lack of communication and not volatile tempers), it hasn’t occurred to Ivar that he might need to be concerned about it. He’s only here to see Loess and to find Heda.
His intentions are driven by curiosity and a sense of adventure, but as he traces the smooth line of Heda’s jaw and neck with his brown eyes, he wonders if there might be adventure of a different kind to be found here. While the heady season of autumn has come and gone, the blossoming drive of an adult stallion to gather a herd has not. It’s a recently discovered instinct, one that he’s not yet had time to dismantle with the more logical part of his mind. Ivar is bright enough to know that some mares – mares that are queens in foreign kingdoms – are off limits, but that doesn’t do anything to quell his animal nature.
She grins at his answer, the explorer she knew was back at it again. Ready to inspect rocks, and admire the beauty and nature of her kingdom. But what did he wish to explore now? She was assured he had quite the full tour already. Perhaps he wished to venture farther into Loess to gaze across the lake, and search through the placid waters for different colored pebbles glossed with a rather peculiar sheen? Or was he here to witness the birds flocking south for winter? But surely what he was for, or at least what he spoke of next wasn't exactly what she was expecting from him.
She assumed his question managed to find it's way into his head due, to his growth and maturity surely all birds do need to leave the nest eventually. And she assumed Ivar was indeed processing the idea of leaving Sylva for another kingdom. So she ponders briefly, her experience is simple, she didn't want to linger any longer due to the sudden force of duties upon her shoulders. She had exhausted her powers in the effort to bring joy to the entirety of Taiga but in turn she payed the consequences for exhausting her powers. She was sluggish on a daily basis and hardly ever held the energy to go aloft, and fly about the cotton candy flecked skies. So her decision was made, there was opportunity and she took it, and that opportunity led her here, to her own slice of paradise.
"Well my choice was weighed by my own tiresome duties in Taiga. I had grown quite exhausted through my efforts of spreading joy throughout the entire kingdom, and well I thought it was about damn time to have a change in pace." She chuckles at the mere thought, although her leave did leave some damage within Taiga itself. Her decision was made in a timely manner, quick and decisive. "My philosophy I guess is everyone needs a change of scenery every once in a while." She adds, allowing a playful smile to widen those velvet lips of hers, as she tosses her golden cranium ridding her forelock from hiding her hazel gems.
"Well then on that note, come, come it's time to go exploring!" She chuckles once more, as she swings her body around trotting into the depth of her homeland. Allowing her head to sway back to make sure he's following in step, as the navy whisps of her tail whisk about her hocks. It's time to have a mini adventure of their own.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Rarely is he sure what he is looking for. It’s not something tangible, something with a name. It’s more of a sensation, the feeling of finding something that he has never seen before. The woods of Sylva have already become familiar; he can wind his way through the forest paths with his eyes closed and find his way. He’d like to be able to do that with all of Beqanna – perhaps all of the world beyond as well.
But there is more than just land that he wants to see; he wants to find the horses too. They are more unpredictable than the land, harder to understand. It’s a delightful puzzle, but a frustrating one as well. He doesn’t understand what drives them. Today, he wonders why everyone seems to leave their childhood homes. Heda’s answer – she was tired – is a foreign one to Ivar. He lacks responsibilities of any sort, so the idea of getting tired of them in incomprehensible.
She mentions spreading joy, and he wonders if she is being literal.
It’s an intriguing thought.
“We share that philosophy then.” The young stallion tells her with a matching smile.
When she turns away he follows readily, stepping forward to fall in behind her. He keeps close. Not close enough to make her feel uncomfortable (though who could be when Ivar looks the way he does – perfectly handsome and perfectly trustworthy?), but close enough that now and again he thinks he almost feels the brush of her navy wings against his shoulder. She’s been here in Loess a while, he knows, and as he breathes in the dry air of the kingdom he realizes that all traces of the Taiga have left her skin. She really does belong here, he thinks.
“I am curious though,” he says as they make their way through the land, “When you said were spreading joy…” referencing her earlier comment. “Is that with some sort of magic or just your natural sunny self?” Sunny is a playful, neutral compliment. It doesn’t quite match the way his eyes trail up the blue line of her dorsal stripe and the lurid warmth in his brown eyes as he meets her gaze.
It's hard to imagine now, that she had left her home, her childhood in the dust. It was so long ago after all, and back then she was just a girl confused with the pleasantries of diplomacy, add troubled by her ever so foreign exhaustion. Until she decided to push past her boundaries, and break away from her troubles. Landing her here, and despite her lack of diplomatic skills she managed just enough to earn the trust of her subjects within the matter of a year.
Funny thing it is, to look back at everything. To piece the memories together like patchwork, until you eventually have your own quilt, when it comes time. Eventually one would have many quilts, for the many stages of life. Therefore Heda had begun to sow her own passage, upon her new quilt.
Her gaze flickers about, in wonder she herself hadn't quite fully explored every inch of her kingdom. Always pent up to one corner, or perhaps one singular border, for there was always something to tend to. Other kingdom for to consult and alliances to be pending within the clockworks of her brain. But now as she look at everything as she leisurely counters in step with Ivar she begins to find the little things. Minute species, of insect crawl about the large spread tropical ferns, as little holes, or perhaps indent are cleverly crafted into the very hearts of Cacti sprinkled about. And what's this? Mounds of dirt enthrall her, as petite ants stroll about in their neat little lines trailing along the tiny little hills. She hadn't seen this before... perhaps Ivar hadn't either. As the two frolic forth deeper into the depths of her kingdom. Straight into the very heart.
And as they trek, her golden lobes swiveled in Ivar direction to catch his every word, allowing her eyes to trail along his handsome face every so often. She's glad to hear he agrees, although her excuse for leaving is rather pathetic, running away for her problems and all. But despite that one little kink, it seemed quite logical in a sense. If your not happy might as well, take your leave right?
A coy smile finds it's way to her lips once more as he speaks of her spreading joy, of course anyone in their right mind wouldn't take the term literally, but in her case. It was VERY literal, in the very fact that she herself could control the very emotions of anyone. A chuckle is released before she allows herself to explain herself, "I'd like to say it was just my sunny self. But it's a lot more complicated than that." She chuckles once more, pondering for a moment on how she was going to exactly explain her emotion wielding powers. " I have something called Empathic Projection, it's the ability to take, feel, and project emotions onto others." She states, her small little trick simply. For it was quite the tool in tricky situations. For a moment she just sits still, before walking on. It was simply enough time for her to grasp ahold of joy, and to gently pluck the strings of Ivar's very own emotions in an effort to show him her capability. She only hoped he was in the right state of mind to fully feel, the faint emotion coming over him.
She can't help but allow her gaze to linger upon him for longer, curious to see how he would react the sudden yet faint rush of joy to wash over him. To see if he'd smile, or laugh, or crack a rather entertaining look of both confusion and joy. "Ivar do you have any tricks up your sleeve yourself?" Her wings flutter at her sides, in anticipation as she eyeballs his gorgeous scales lining every inch of him.
Go ahead. Laugh at the girl that loved to easily
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Once again sorry it too SOOOO long to respond, I've been pretty lame lately with posts.
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
A curious butterfly flutters beside them for a few paces. It’s easy enough to confuse Heda’s blue markings and his own white-scaled sheen for a pair of overlarge flowers, he supposes. The monarch grows bored of them before long, and disappears over a pair of enormous saguaro cacti. The white orchids that grow in the crooks of the giants belong in the humid tropics, a vastly different environment than the one in which these cacti should thrive. Ivar has seen both in their natural homes – the desert of Pangea and the rainforest of Tephra, They don’t belong here, and yet here they are. Magic, Ivar decides.
Magic is even less predictable than lands or horses; perhaps Ivar could learn more about it here.
He pulls his dark eyes from the smooth sweep of her wing as she answers his question, glancing up at her now and against as they walk. When she smiles coyly, he pays even closer attention, intrigued by the pleased secrecy in her expression. Not figurative joy-spreading, he’s realized just as she admits to it. Her explanation is intriguing, and as the unbidden joy washes over him, Ivar knows that it was accurate as well.
He shivers at the sensation – not unwelcome but totally foreign. She asks if he has tricks and he smiles. It’s a molasses type of smile: sweet and slow and heavy. Does he have tricks?
“Do it again,” he says, knowing that simply speaking the words aloud is not enough. It’s the first step though, using that tone of voice, the one paired with smoldering eyes that cause a female to long for his warmth at her side against the crispness of autumn. “Do it again.” says the stallion, his pale mouth pressed gently against the curve of her shoulder.
She’d asked about his tricks, after all. This was one of them – tactile hypnosis. Unique in his family, Ivar’s ability to influence the minds of others while maintaining physical contact is a recent development. A curious quirk indeed, likely caused by the melding of a genie and a water dragon. Even in the odd world that is Beqanna, there is a first time for everything. His request is simple, the required contact. He wants her to repeat what she’s done with her empathic projection, to make the little wave of joy ripple across him a second time.
“Other than that?” Ivar asks abruptly as he pulls away, his light-hearted, friendly tone of voice a stark contrast to the sensuous one of only moments before. “None that I can show you here,” he admits to Heda with a wry grin. “I’m my best in the water. Kelpie, you know?”
kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis
ooc: it's totally fine! i know life can get in the way of posting
also, in case it wasn't super clear in the post, ivar is trying to use his tactile hypnosis to convince Heda to project joy to him again
07-23-2017, 08:48 PM (This post was last modified: 07-27-2017, 11:33 AM by Heda.)
Heda
She watches intently for his reaction to encompass every inch of his body, it was as if every strand of hair upon his body stood up, like a cool chill traveling down the spine. And just like that it hits him. As the joy slowly encompasses the entirety of his body, that genuine smile of his widening by the second, and just as quickly as it had washed over him, it exits. Her hazel hues meet his, as her smile softens.... "How was it?" She asks. For everyone it was different, sometimes hated, and sometimes annoying but she could tell by the distinct glow of curiosity within his eyes, but what she hadn't quite payed attention to was his own feelings.
Her gaze flickers as she begins to feel his very intents, of what was about to happen next. Her smile hardens, in confusion, as his sweet low vocals enter her nave tipped lobes, her body tenses for a moment in an effort to resist, she doesn't take mind to his gentle touch, but she definitely doesn't like being controlled, nor manipulated. But his voice, as it echoes between her ears, so tempting and so sweet, she is tempted to brush up against him, her breath fluttering. As she does as she is told, expelling joy upon him once more, in a faint, and ever so sweet gloss. And then his words, this longing of him, disappears with the action. Her heart thundering within her chest, as she is both surprised and bewildered by what just happened.
Her hazel gaze meeting his, confusion still blanketed her facial features, with a simple furrow of her brows. "That.... what was that?" She manages to emit through, a flurry of confusion.
She often knew little of other abilities, other than her own, and her families collection of peculiarities. But this, that she didn't know what to think, she wanted it again, but she didn't in the same way. She wanted to feel that longing for him, that vulnerability that encompassed the entirety of her body as he manipulated her into doing something. But she didn't like, the lack of control, as a queen now she had all the control, and it was foreign now to be chained down for just a moment. To breathe in the commands of another, and obey. It wasn't too often now that she, a queen would abide to others that are not her people.
"Kelpie? That's something." She states still rather wrapped up in her own confusion. She now wishes she could watch him in the water, to watch him shift, and become something entirely new, she can't help but imagine how he would look, with that handsome face of his plastered upon an aquatic creature, if only there was water here... somewhere. But all there were were streams, small shallow, and most often half dried up by the time someone reached it.
As they continue to frolic through her lands, Tropical, and rather desert like vegetation dotting the landscape in a gorgeous masterpiece she can't help but think, back about how Ivar asked about choosing a new home. It would be great to have another friend around, especially someone like him. But she could tell, now was not the time to ask, for adventure lit a spark within those eyes of his. Rich with both curiosity, and joy, and she can't help but allow her gaze to linger upon him, once more capturing the obsidian, and pearl glints of his scales.
Her eyes bounce about before, finding the scarce movement of a sand toned rodent scuttling across their path. Her nostrils, flare as she bows her head in curiosity, "What is it?" She questions, for she herself hadn't been fully introduced to the creatures of her own kingdom, and knowing Ivar's rich experience in exploring perhaps he had some knowledge to share upon this petite creature.
Go ahead. Laugh at the girl that loved to easily
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@[Ivar]
Ooooookay, long but it was worth it. The hard part was trying to continue their conversation, or knowing what to say, so I went with a rather clueless Heda xD
I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
At first she had hesitated. They all do, somehow innately aware that something is not quite right about the pied stallion’s intentions. It’s not quite wrong either, however, and Heda caves easily.
Joy washes over him again and this time is smile is wider than before. The joy she’s given him and the pleasure of his own triumph are a heady combination. Ivar cannot help his curiosity. While he knows that she’d given in to the hypnosis, the stallion suspects that she might have humored him even without it. He knows his looks alone are a lure enough, and the winged mare is intriguing enough that he is willing to use them to his advantage.
“Hypnosis,” he answers.
It had taken some time to put a name to it, that odd ability. There’s more to it – the necessity of touch, but he doesn’t elaborate. He is constantly provided with opportunities for physical contact, most of it platonic. A few though, have been more than that, and the curiosity from earlier raises its head again as she murmurs ”Kelpie? That’s something” with a rather distracted air.
“It can be fun,” he adds, hoping to assuage what he can only assume is worry over his ability. It would be easy to abuse, he knows, but those are not his intentions, not with Heda. She is a queen in her own right, not a flighty filly from the meadow. She is accustomed to being in control, he should have realized that. Still, he wonders if perhaps she wouldn’t like to let her guard down now and again, to relax and let loose. He could tell her not to worry and she would not, tell her to feel good and she would.
She seems ready to explore further and Ivar follows her wordlessly. There is no mention of water, and he wonders if perhaps this land is a dry place. That’s a startling thought for a creature most at ease in black water, but his hooves are equally good on land as at sea. He could adapt.
From the corner of his eye, he can see her watching him, and it confirms his suspicion. His eyes trail up the tucked feathers of her wing and the soft yellow line of her neck, stoking the warmth inside his chest. Ivar breaks his stride, ready to press her into the shadows with kisses and let her know exactly how lovely he finds her (political consequences be damned). Before he can though, something darts across his hooves and he freezes.
It’s just a mouse, he realizes, but as he stops to look more closely, the same question that Heda asks him is echoing in his own mind. What is it?
It’s no field mouse, that’s for sure. At first he thinks it is missing front legs, but at the edge of the path it crouches down and reveals little paws that had been tucked closely to its chest as it leapt with those overly long hind legs. It’s ears, too, are rather impressive for such a tiny animal.
“I’ve no idea,” he tells her honestly. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Gerboas are not native to Sylva after all, nor to any of the other lands that he’s visited. Perhaps Loess is the perfect place for them.
She watches him, the faintest hint of affection lingering within his masculine musk, as he nears her. His scales glittering off a reflection upon her golden coat as she peered down at the creature, allowing her gaze to meet his. Watching for that wonder and curiosity to seep into his mind, and for that sweet spark within his eyes to ignite into glorious flames, as his mind began to work like clockwork. As she watched with envy as he inspected the creature with bright eyes, that mind of his digesting every single detail he intakes.
If only she worked like that, but she was more meek, and more directed on the point. Straight and simple as always. The simple question waving like a banner within her head, What was it? That was all she could muster for she knew little of other species, only those of Taiga she knew. Deer, wolves, and of course many other other critters that scampered about the redwood forest. But here, she only knew so much.
So now looking at the creature, she considers what few species were in her knowledge that were rodents; Rabbits, Squirrels, and Mice. Her nostrils flare, as she finds herself perplexed by the long legs, and rather large ears, so what was it? She stares for a moment longer, Her gaze flicking back and forth before responding. "A mouse?" Her words are laced with both confusion and wonder, as she continues to study the petite rodents features before raising her gaze to the piebald stag.
A smile finding a way onto her lips, and with sweet whiskey words,"You said Kelpie didn't you? I would love to see that some time." She comments, slowly easing herself against him, the sweet autumn and seawater musk of his, enthralling all of her senses. And all she can do now is look into those gorgeous eyes of his, her heart fluttering within her chest.
Go ahead. Laugh at the girl that loved to easily
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Something short and sweet before I officiallly leave. (Aka now)
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