"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
The blood bay had been eager to return to Tephra, his sense of purpose restored after some time spent among the new leadership of Beqanna. Those from before, those he knew and were familiar with, had stepped back for whatever reason. Tephra was still relatively unaligned and he felt the need to strengthen her allies, before something happened. He knew that the peace would not last forever. Long legs, lanky even some would say, carried him from the forest where he had been conversing with his daughter towards the sulfuric lands that he now truly inhabited. Part of him wondered if he were crazy for staying, Magnus would not be an easy one to gain the trust of. Such a past as theirs was not easily forgotten, but he had to start that work, it wouldn’t just happen on its own.
Nymphetamine worked his way towards the sleepy territory. Sleepy in the sense that it was a peaceful time for the whole of Beqanna. A time that while nice, never lasted as power and glory were always working underfoot. Even for the bister stallion, recognition drove him, the accomplishment of completing a job or mission, was a strong draw for him. Not so much power-- but he would admit the draw of glory, was within him. Not to the point he wished to userp Magnus, or any other ruler. But if the day came that the reins of a kingdom were handed to him, he wouldn’t bulk from it. The accomplishment of it was alluring. Nymph knew that if those feelings lingered deep within him, there were surficial within others. Tephra should not be complacent within this time of peace. It was time to build allies, for it was allies of old that brought Tephra into being.
The sting of sulfur struck his nares as he entered the volcanic lands. He didn’t stop at the boundary, for he didn’t need to, he had never really been a visitor, never really belonged anywhere else, the bay was simply like a traveler, once long lost, returning home once again. He looked for a time for Magnus, hoping to stumble upon him, as to not have to call out to him. Not that he minded, but preferred to not be demanding of the buckskin. However his search had turned up nothing. So with little else left to do Nymph called out to his first and most recent recruiter. ”Oh, Magnus, dear buddy, won’t you come out of hiding? We have much to discuss, no?” Wouldn’t be nymphetamine without a flare of snark, just out of jest of course. He hoped the king-- is that what the title was now?--would see fit to drive alliances forward, and start building a strong web for any enemy to get ensnared within.
NYMPHETAMINE
Magnus' Personal Thorn, Once Governor of Chamber
ooc: short and choppy, wrote it real quick before leaving from work. just wanted to get it posted before I decided writing was too much work
Tephra was not complacent, but Magnus was content to let her rest.
He had not walked up the side of the mountain, had not faced the faeries with the wind whipping at him, cutting at his sides, for glory. He had enough of that throughout his life; he had enough of titles and power and recognition. He had not bowed his head to the supernatural for another chance to write his name in history. He had simply wanted the chance to atone for all of his sins and provide a haven for those who needed one in the not-so-natural disasters that were befalling Beqanna.
So he did not push the residents to challenge or steal or mock. He did not push them to recruit. He was happy to give them the caste as a place of purpose, but he would gladly bear the brunt of responsibility for the land. He would travel to other kingdoms and greet diplomats who arrived at their doorstep. He would broker for peace and he would be the first one raiders found if they were to ever make the mistake of coming to the volcano’s home. They may not be loud, but they were strong and it’d be a hell of a fight.
He had seen the blood bay stallion enter the kingdom, of course he had, although it had been rather amusing to watch him search for him. Tucked away, he had watched with a bemused expression as the other sought him out. When he had finally called for him, Magnus had simply rolled his eyes and then stepped forward, coming up from behind Nymphetamine. “Who said I’m hiding?” he quipped when he was several feet from the stallion, shaking his head so that his mane spilled over both sides of his neck.
Magnus circled around the stallion so that he could face the other, his expression one that was carefully neutral, even mockingly bored. “What oh-so-important matters do you have to discuss with me?” He didn't hold a grudge against Nymph, but he certainly wasn’t going to give anything to him easily.
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
Sure, Magnus would revel in Nymphetamine’s struggle to locate him. It only seemed natural, the blood bay stallion was more than able to “take what he gave” and didn’t mind that the buckskinned king returning the banter. He preferred it actually. Vanilla was boring, too plain, and the banter kept things a little more interesting. Eventually Magnus came forward, and asked what the bay was in such a hurry over.
A curious look took Nymph’s features. Surely Magnus would know… sure Magnus had a vision, a plan. Surely, Magnus knew he had one of the best diplomats in Beqanna standing within his lands. But then again maybe he wouldn’t Magnus hadn’t been there for his years… Magnus only knew him as the traitor. Sure they had since forgiven and not-quite-forgotten, but Magnus didn’t know that Nymph was more than trained..able. The bay searched Magnus for the joke, the jest at the heart of his quandary but didn’t find it. So he sighed and resigned himself to having to say it. He hated that. Not for the pride of it, but...way it would make him sound, pretentious and over reaching. ”What is the plan for Tephra? Beqanna sleeps, but not for long I am sure, the scale will tip eventually. We will need allies. Who will they be? I worked with Killdare for years building and maintaining our allies. I assume I can do the same here and now.
Tephra was young, but they didn’t have to be weak like a young nation though, they had some of the wisest leaders amongst them, and generally an experienced crew of generals and diplomats and the like. They had an advantage, surely Magnus would want to take advantage. Nymph had been away too long to know the strategies for their current alignment, but he would learn, and move to enforce and grow their standing. He had done it once and would do so again. He just needed Magnus’ approval and direction.
NYMPHETAMINE
Magnus' Personal Thorn, Once Governor of Chamber
ooc: i mentioned to you in cbox, since I am back ish now we could wrap this up even though it is super old. your reply can be end or you can pick it up in new thing...whatever is your fancy.
howling ghosts, they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear
Magnus respects Nymphetamine’s history, his skills; he respects all he has done, even when he had done them after betraying the Gates. Still, within this new Beqanna, this new land, he is relatively untested. He has not worked alongside Magnus and not been there over the past few years as a reliable diplomat. He has, instead, been wrestling with his own inner demons—trying to find his place within this new structure.
Magnus can understand that, but it doesn’t change the fact that he has been toiling to build this land up, working on strengthening their reputation and numbers, reaching out to potential allies, all without the active support of the blood bay—and now he was being asked to answer to him. His handsome face remains impassive but his gold-flecked eyes are sharp beneath his tangled, matted forelock.
“I am aware of all of this, Nymphetamine,” he growls lightly,. “Do you think that I take the responsibility of being a leader so lightly? Do you think so little of me to think that Tephra has been kept under a negligent eye for the last few years?” He snorts and then falls silent eying the younger stallion, irritation built in his veins. Still, he knows the other stallion is not without his talents so he reins it in just a little.
There is silence for a few moments before he shrugs. “There have been few, if any, formal alliances established between the lands so far,” he finally says. “We have established friendly relations with Nerine, Taiga, Sylva, and Ischia, although we have not formally tied ourselves in anyway.” He lifts his nose to the border, looking outward. “We are not friendly with Pangea,” a simple declaration, built mostly on his own gut intuition than anything else. “Nothing has been established outside of that as of right now.”
Another pause as he tilts his head toward him.
“I would be interested in hearing your opinion on whether we should establish formal alliances.”
03-19-2017, 12:40 PM (This post was last modified: 03-19-2017, 12:43 PM by Nymphetamine.)
Like a Thorn to the Holy Ones
Nymphetamine knew he hadn’t been around, he knew that he had dropped the ball. When he left, Tephra had been fine. It had Offspring, Killdare, Mallis, Topsail, and the others to hammer out the details, to make sure Tephra had what it needed. Tephra didn’t need him, he didn’t know that all that would change so quickly and that Magnus would have been left alone to do the work. Maybe things would have been different right now had he known, but he can’t go back and change things. The bay was here now, he was trying to get to work, to help, to lighten Magnus’ load. Thought it didn’t seem to matter, as Magnus glared from behind his light eyes. Before Magnus even spoke Nymph sighed knowing he had upset the ruler. He feared such a thing, from the beginning, but oh well. He saw no point in tiptoeing around what he needed to be helpful and useful. Magnus would just have to swallow his grumpy old man feelings and come to terms.
Magnus words fell off his tongue with an ill-contained temper. Though Nymphetamine would be grumpy too if he had done all the heavy lifting by himself. The old buckskin was too willing to go alone, Nymph planned to change that, he wouldn’t allow it. Nymph listened to his words, making sure to keep his face neutral, as to not start the buckskin off on any further tangent. When he fell silent nymph grinned. The telling grin that his signature snarkiness was about to flow. ”Never, my liege. The great and wise Magnus would never rest on his laurels and leave Tephra weak to attack, to dwindle away to nothing. No. No. But I would warn that his old face might get frozen with such a stink eye if he continues to glare so. But seriously, Magnus, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve wasted enough time already to then tiptoe around what work I need to do.”
The great fae themselves would have to put the blood bay back together if Magnus took his jest wrong, but what was life without jest and danger? Nymph eyed the leader caution behind the merriment in his eyes. Surely he would live to tell another tale, but Magnus went on about their allies before addressing anything else. Nymphetamine listened closely, trying to pick up the details. As if the leader’s inflection would hint at the minor feelings and gut reactions that go into trust and alliance. Either way, nymph was not a king, or a ruler, or anything of the sort. He had been a right hand and a confidant, but alliance decisions, in the end, were never his. So when Magnus finished Nymph didn’t know what he was looking for from him. He simply nodded, allowing the silence to sit for a moment. ”Well then, that is where I start. I’ll go them ask how they are faring, and if they would favor official ties; that I am gathering information for you so we can grow our friendships….unless you think otherwise?”
He knew Magnus didn’t fully trust him nor his abilities, it would be interesting to see how Magnus moved forward. Nymphetaime was untested by the buckskin’s opinion, surely, but nymph knew the job kingdoms were different but diplomacy was largely the same. Time hadn’t changed things that much.
howling ghosts, they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear
If Nymphetamine had asked, Magnus would have corrected him—he hadn’t done this alone. He had pulled together an assembly of horses who had worked alongside him to make Tephra what it was today, a lively and bustling land. He would have told him about Ellyse as Head of War, as Lucrezia as Head of Peace, and Dahmer as his third Council member. He would have told him of the way they had worked and toiled, greeting newcomers, visiting new lands, and even going to the field to guide new souls home.
At the blood bay’s teasing, Magnus rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t expect anything else from the jokester but for him to treat it jovially, to let the golden stallion’s irritation roll off of him easily. Which was most likely for the best. Magnus had a strong Council and capable members of the kingdom, but that didn’t stop him from knowing that danger lurked around every corner. He would be a fool to turn away the help of an established, seasoned diplomat simply because he was annoyed by the other’s presumptuousness.
“You are more than welcome to travel to the lands, to see for yourselves how they are fairing, but you would be wise to touch base with Lucrezia before you go. She serves as our Head of Peace and has made several journeys herself; I would hate for us to visit other lands and give the impression that our left hand does not talk to our right.” He rolled his shoulder. “Ashley from Ischia was recently here, but as far as I know, we have not yet visited his island. Nayl from Nerine has been here, as well, and I recently went to visit her. I traveled to Taiga a while ago with Aranea and Longer, and both Lucrezia, Dahmer, and I have made two separate journeys to visit Sylva.” Another pause, a small scowl. “Pollock and Sinew of Pangea recently arrived here, but the trip was short-lived.” They had quickly shown them the door.
He inhaled deeply, as if he could rub the palm of his hand over gritty eyes. “I believe that catches you up on everything. After talking to Lucrezia, I would recommend starting with either Ischia or Taiga. I will likely accompany you on the first visit as it’s one of the only kingdoms I have not yet personally visited.”
There was much that goes upspoken between them, or at least it may seem that somewhere along the way they missed the mark. Nymphetamine would never take the job his lead did as a job, or assume it was one such way or another. No, he knew the toll of a king, or any other form of ruler. He knew the personal sacrafice, the need to be “always on” to be what your people needed you to be. He understood, and he respected that. He joked around, and poked fun, but he respected the task of leadership and especially that of ruling. It had been a dream once, to lead to follow after Killdare and take Chamber further still. The reckoning changed all that. Obviously the blood bay had no clue if he would have ascended to kingship, but there had been signs he was a contender and he was honored for it.
Now, he just another face, and maybe that was fine, maybe he needed to just be. Magnus needed to trust him, fully, and figure out that he did indeed take him seriously. That would take time, first and foremost. Nymphetamine knew all those things, but that didn’t take the sting out of hearing the phrase “head of peace” followed by another's name. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, nor was it surprising that Tephra had moved on without him. That didn’t make the sound any less painful. Nymph held his features still a, and simply nodded his agreement, not trusting any joke to not come across as a curt judgment. Though there was a corny joke about talking hands in there somewhere, it seemed that Magnus had not quite liked his earlier jest, but the rolling of his shoulders he seemed to do when he need not speak said enough. ”I will go find Lucrezia then, I’ll trust her to report to you the decision, chain of command and all that jazz. Unless you need something else from me first…?”
He flicked a smile at Magnus, through all the history it would be nice to finally work on the same side, or more so be able to. It wasn’t often things ended up like this, but he was glad that they had smoothed things over. It would have been a shame to have to leave Tephra, considering he was one of the originals who helped make obtain the volcanic lands. This wasn’t how he had imagined it would go, but life rarely is what we think it will be. Might as well make the best of it.
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