"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
After Ellyse had been appointed as new overseer by Offspring Amore had attempted to find the winged champagne mare a couple of times. Somehow she hadn’t been able to find her during those times, guessing that either Ellyse had been away on kingdom business or that she herself had been distracted by one thing or another before she’d run into the then queen.
Like stumbling upon Karaugh and Kryptic in the cave or ending up staring at the volcano. And once Amorette ended up looking at the volcano, a trip upon it was unavoidable. The smoky black woman was smitten by the volcano and it wouldn’t be the first nor the last time that she’d be covered in ash.
Today that was not the case, well, not overly at least. Her dark coat hides it pretty well, as long as nobody would touch her. Like Levi had after she’d been away for a while. His white nose had been as black as her coat. Perhaps she should’ve bathed, but this was who she was. ”Good afternoon, Warrick” she greets him softly, nodding at him once as she approaches. A small smile lies on her lips as her dark eyes curiously take him in. A bit older, probably wiser too, and ready to take the throne.
”How have you been?”
Amorette
Quand on n'a que l'amour.
@[Radar]
OOC: Sorry, this isn't all to great, muse is lacking a bit today I guess..
He remembers her vividly - a gentle spirit within the intensity and ashen decorum of Tephra, as well as one of the first he had ever met upon his first hoofsteps onto the volcanic island. She has been here, a steady and kindred presence, for as long as his brilliant mind could remember.
His wings - broad and strong and large - shuffle at his sides, the feathers attempting to smooth themselves together with the fluttering movement. Some do not listen, and he absentmindedly turns his auburn neck to tuck a few stubborn ones back into their place, their indigo color matching the indigo of his lips. The smoky black of her skin is vivid against the pale gold of the sunburnt plains, though the smell of soot and smoke that lingers there is intense as it hits his nostrils, stinging them as if she had been down into the depths of the volcano’s belly. The stallion jerks his head towards her quickly, a sharp snort leaving him as his bright eyes, the color of lapis, fixate on her. His gaze is soft, kind (as always) as she moves to join him within the mainland of Tephra, enjoying the warmth of the autumnal sun that is almost forgiving on their backs.
With a smile that alights the cobalt of his lips and reaches to his very eyes, he gives her a tiny nod in greeting. He would have reached forward to perhaps brush the darkness of her forelock from her eyes, but he second guesses himself and the gesture, instead pulling his chin to his chest.
“Amorette,” he greets her with a gentle voice, robust and deep on the humidity. “It’s good to see you,” and he means it, for Warrick rarely ever says things that doesn’t ring with his truths. Her question is a heavy one, and with a quick shift of his vibrant eyes out towards the volcano in the near distance, a rumbling sigh leaves his chest.
“It’s a lot. I’m learning, still. There’s so much I didn’t know about,” he admits with a sharp exhale, “but it is good.” He finishes with a finality, turning his head towards her with a curious expression as he echoes her. “How have you been?” He doesn’t ask about the reason the smell of fire and ash are sullen into her very being - part of him is hesitant to find out. But he stares at her very hard, with a kind of expression that pleads for her to speak truthfully.
Amorette had never strayed away from Tephra, yet it would be another thing to say that she had been an asset to the land. She hadn’t been. She had spent months on the volcano, exploring it from inside out – figuratively speaking of course – and it had only made her realise more how much she loved it. Tephra was her home, not only because Magnus had been the king when she arrived, but because the volcano is like a part of her in a way she cannot even put into words.
However, it is time for her to break her silence. Hopefully Amore would be able to follow the path that had been laid out for her years ago. If she would have to believe both her father and Levi, she should be able to. She hoped she could, that much she owed to her beloved volcano land.
She chuckles at his attempt to smooth his wings into place, with a playful smile tugging on the corners of her lips. ”Struggling to get a few stubborn feathers in check?” she teases. Unlike Warrick she does step forward, into his personal space, to reach out and offer the velvet of her nose to him in a silent greeting. ”It’s good to see you too, you look good.” She means it. It is not only nice to see a familiar face again – other than Levi she barely knows anybody in Tephra, a friend coming back home was always a good thing.
Her dark eyes follow his to the volcano, but move back equally as quick to study the bay and navy stallion. Her question had meant to be light, and she’d been genuinely interested in what happened in the time between their last meeting and now. ”I’m sure you’ll be fine, do fine too. And you’re not alone. We all are Tephra” she offers him with a smile, and a light bump of her nose against his shoulder.
”Me?” she echoes, as if she’s surprised he asked. Now it is Amore’s turn to let her gaze travel to the volcano, and believe it or not, she is unable to hide her smile. ”I’m good. Ready to actually engage myself in more than just the volcano.” She means it. Amorette wants to become a diplomat that is of use to Tephra. Though she would never forget the volcano. It still called to her, even now, with the ash still on her coat. ”So, the big question is, how can I offer you my service?” Though there is humour in her voice, she is serious about this.
She teases him, and it causes a shy smile to pull at the corners of his mouth, turning his neck to glance at the now finely preened feathers folded perfectly at his sides. He shuffles them, their downy softness whispering gently against each other, slightly embarrassed. He enjoys that she feels comfortable enough around him to comment on his grooming, and thus wrinkles his nose to feign offense, brows rising amusedly.
“Only always,” he murmurs with a deep chuckle in reference to the stubborness of his wings and the constant haphazardness of his feathers. His face softens as he reaches forward to brush the navy of his muzzle against the ebony of her own, chuffing gently. “It’s good to see you too, Amorette. I like knowing that within the myriad of new faces, old ones are still in the fold.”
There is a likeness between the two equines - the kindred spirit that rests in their souls speaks to the other, and he finds himself tremendously comfortable in her presence. She offers him words of encouragement, her voice light and truthful as it reaches him, and a genuine smile finds his face and alighting a sparkle in his blue eyes. We are all Tephra. The phrase strikes a chord within him, and he makes a mental note to remember it for a lifetime, for the days when he feels overwhelmed and unsteady (which has been a lot of the time, lately).
She has come to find him and it is not by mere chance she has come to him this day. She seems puzzled as to why he would ask her about herself, but he has been there many times himself so he allows her time to think about the question - truly. “Don’t be embarrassed that the volcano calls to you so strongly - it only means you are meant to be here.” His voice is warm and knowing, for he too, has been drawn to the looming mount since his arrival in Tephra years and years ago. “You are kind - your mind and heart are gentle and genuine - qualities that are hard to find these days. Welcome the newcomers, show them our world. Find the outcasts and the forgotten, and show them that in Tephra they are anything but. Bring hope within a darkened and utterly lonely world.”
“That, my dear Amorette, is how you can serve Tephra.”
Warrick
@[Amorette] Basically she is a diplomat, but he sees a lot of himself in her and he always greeted/found horses to bring to Tephra! He thinks she'd be good at doing the same! <3
His chuckle is joined by hers. ”Are you calling me old now?” she teases as she reaches out to meet him half way. She relaxes, knowing that things aren’t awkward between them, glad that it is easy to be herself around him, even now he wears Tephra’s invisible crown. Her dark eyes lighten up amused, and she cannot stop the pleasant curl of her lips.
For a moment her dark gaze studies him. Something about his words make her guess there is more behind them. ”You are right, I am meant to be here. But so are you. You might exactly be what Tephra needs.” Amore hopes he is. She had never really acquainted herself with either Offspring of Ellyse, nor had she been around long enough to be able to say something about their reign. However, she does object to captivity. It is not like she doesn’t understand the necessarily of it in certain circumstances, but what had happened to Karaugh was so very, very wrong. Something Amorette hopes Warrick would not stand for. ”I would like Tephra to become a sanctuary again” she agrees, nodding ever so slightly as her gaze moves back to the volcano again.
”Your words fluster me, Warrick,” words that are spoken with fondness and maybe, just maybe, a bit of playfulness. Dark eyes find his’ again, this time more serious, and she nods her head ever so slightly. ”I’d be happy to.”
But, Tephra wasn’t all about business. And it’s not only business why she had approached the newly crowned king. Now the business is out of the way, it is time for some fun. ”Would you like to accompany me?” she asks with a smile, her gaze moving from Warrick to the volcano a she gently nudges her head in the direction of the looming fire spitting mountain. Every once a while she had the need and desire to climb up the hard rock, but together was much better than alone.
Amorette
Quand on n'a que l'amour.
OOC: I hope she'll live up to his expectations haha. But yess, it sounds just like her!
“Never! Calling you old would only be an insult to myself as well!”
He returns her banter with his own, a rumble of a laugh cascading up his throat and into the humid air, their muzzles meeting casually. His new role has seem to have brought many out from within the shadows of the volcano, and he is glad. His nights have been lonely, and the stallion always enjoys sharing conversation and stories with others. He wonders what Amorette has been up to, how life has been treating her since they had last seen each other (which had been entirely too long) and he stops himself from asking too many questions - the day is still young and she seems more than happy to continue to remain here beside him for the time being.
She feels her eyes on him - studying him, but in a way that is not judgemental - she is taking in the framework of his being, perhaps trying to see past the delightful blue of his eyes to see what really lies beneath. If she is successful, she will find his heart and mind battling each other, one fraught with the need for justice while the other is begging for the need of peace - a sanctuary is how he’s always seen Tephra, but certain events prior to his leadership leaves him wanting for justice, and to oblige to the rulers before him.
He had not been here, he reminds himself, he was gone with Tangerine in the Great Plains, so he cannot just swipe away things that happened in his absence. He must let Karaugh serve her time (peacefully, he thinks, for he knows nothing else of what has happened down within those caves) and then it will be done, and his heart will no longer be in conflict.
“You will do well,” he reassures her, “I have a feeling that you are a light within the darkness.” He smiles warmly, bumping noses with her once more, this time playfully instead of in greeting.
She nudges him in the direction of the volcano, his eyes brightening with the orange glow in the distance. Warrick spends most of his time within the belly of the volcano, in the heated grotto where he awaits Tangerine’s return, and with a breathless smile he turns back towards Amorette. A hike upwards instead of down seemed rather inviting, especially as the afternoon’s shadows begin to grow longer as the sun moves across the sky.
“Of course,” he replies, shuffling his wings at his sides, their downy softness brushing together in a whisper. “It’s been awhile since I’ve traveled there on land. Lead the way?”
Her lips curl up at his reply, and she’s ready to shot something back at him, but decides to hold it back. He rescued himself there, for now Amorette would let him think that. There hadn’t happened much in her life to make her old either. It had been rather uneventful and quite lonely. The volcano was wonderful, but it had put as much as a task on her shoulders as Warrick had. The dark woman carries both with pride, yet the pressure was one she couldn’t ignore. Plus she felt like she had to successfully carry out both.
Both her tasks conflict with what happened and was currently happening in Tephra. She doesn’t know about the necessity of it, but if two rulers stood behind it, who was she to question them? Her heart screams it is wrong, while her mind fights back using Karaugh’s deception back in the cave. Even though the abuse is still plainly wrong, Amorette is glad that she isn’t the one who has to make the decision. That burden rests on Warrick’s shoulders, and, if they are really as alike as she thinks they are, he is conflicted by it as much as she is.
A light in the darkness. There is no way of denying how good that sounds, and Amore can only hope she’ll live up to Warrick’s warm words. ”I like the sound of that” she replies lightly, a warm smile tugging on the corners of her lips as she speaks. ”I will have to make sure not to outshine Tephra’s righteous king.” This time it is her turn to bump her nose against him.
That he doesn’t need to say twice. The smile on her lips grows impossibly wider and there is a bright twinkle in her dark eyes. The volcano is a beacon to all of Tephra, more than one found their way back home with the volcano as their reference point. ”I hope not too long for you to now struggle with the climb?” she teases him, but she does not wait for Warrick’s reply.
She had explored most of the fire spitting mountain, except for the caves that lingered underneath. Ever since Lucrezia had planted the idea of climbing the volcano in her mind, Amorette had enjoyed doing exactly that. She enjoys his company, even in the silence. There is no need to exchange words – and the both can make better use of their breath as they climb. She follows the familiar path up, causing some small rocks to tumble down from time to time, only glancing back from time to time to see if Warrick had lost his footing yet.
Warrick, known for his grandeur wings and the auburn that fades into the cobalt of his muscular legs, is roused forward by her gentle banter, a glimmer in her gentle eyes that are far more than welcome by the stallion, a laugh leaving his lips. He almost reaches forward as she glides past him to playfully bite at her smoky shoulder, to chide her for thinking that she must not outshine him (he holds no light of his own, can’t she see?), but he refrains and merely watches her stride away from him for a moment before collecting his thoughts and joining her, his dark hooves pushing into the ground with rhythmic beats.
“I’m not sure,” he admits with a grin, “you may end up dragging me to the very top.”
Amorette takes the lead easily, and he allows it. Their pace is slow and steady, allowing for Warrick’s gaze to trace the landscape around them as they rise to higher elevation, bits of rock and debris kicked loose from her slender hooves clicking down his path. The trail they walk remind him of simpler times (however distant and dark) when his wings were just a dream and he was a stranger among the land, scouring each lava river and each grain of sand on the darkened, soot-stained beaches.
Now, with much reflection and nearly a somber look in his cerulean gaze as the orange and red of sunset begin to find its way throughout all of Tephra, he realizes so much has changed. The state of his whole country hangs in the balance of every decision he makes, precariously perched on the cusp of success or a downward spiral. It weighs heavy on him, even with the distraction that dear Amorette brings him with their adventuring up the rumbling volcano, and ever so often his eyes will dim and his brow will furrow, but he made sure that each time she glances behind her to check on him, a genuine smile would be flashed towards her, to reassure her he indeed is keeping up with her.
They reach a point in their journey where the heat is stronger, more palpable than ever as they bring themselves closer to the frothing mouth of the volcano. His auburn coat is dampened with sweat from not only the heat but from exertion, his nostrils flaring wildly as the air turns thin on his throat - but he is not worried; his legs remember the climb and they carry him sturdily, and if his balance begins to teeter from one side to the other, one swipe of his wings will place him solidly behind her once again.
Cobalt ears prick as the sound of bubbling magma becomes louder - they were fast approaching their target, and with the dimming light, the stallion glances upward to see the spitting flames and embers just above them - powerful, breathing, and very much alive.
With a smile he remembers the story of Pele that he had told a young black and white colt many seasons ago as they traveled the beach, and before he can stop himself, he finds the tale leaving his navy lips: “Pele - the fire goddess within the mountain. Those well versed in the legend, say that Pele will sometimes take a form of an old and sickly pale mare to test others – asking them if they have shelter or for them to care for her. Those who are generous and show her compassion are rewarded with their deepest desires, while anyone who is greedy or unkind, the fire of the mountain will swallow you whole.
I do hope we do not get swallowed into the volcano tonight, Amorette.” He finishes with a breathless grin, his eyes sparkling with the embers that fly around them.
”You wish” she chuckles, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she looks back at him with a playful twinkle in her eyes. ”Or are those wings of you merely meant for decoration?”
Though familiar with the path up, Amorette had long ago learned to not rush her way up. The most sturdiest looking rock could become your downfall, and even though she is able to heal any and all wounds on her body, she preferred to not have to do so. Occasionally she glances back at Warrick, she doesn’t know why exactly, and every time she’s reassured by a smile. He’s keeping up just fine. And he’s doing fine too, with the occasional sound of his wings flapping – to keep his balance she assumes. ”Not only decoration I see” she grins when she glances back at Warrick another time.
The heat had never really bothered her. Sometimes Amore did miss the change of season, due to the other seasons one learned to enjoy the separate seasons. Tephra wasn’t affected by them, except that it was a little hotter in summer than during the other seasons. The volcano kept the land warm and humid. That doesn’t mean the heat doesn’t have effect on her. Her coat, too, is soaked with sweat and ashes clinging to it. It doesn’t bother Amorette, just like she enjoys the somewhat burnt smell.
A smile tugs on her dark lips. They were nearly there. She’s just about to momentarily stop, turn and tell Warrick just that, but he beats her to it. Amorette finds herself clustered to his lips as he speaks. Nobody had ever told her about Pele. Both her ears pin forward and instead on continuing her way up, her attention is focussed on the bay and navy stallion.
His final words have her chuckling. A light shake of the head and her gaze moves back up to the volcano. Her grin matches his, just as the sparkle in his eyes. ”We won’t,” she replies eventually. ”Tephra doesn’t turn her back on those in need.” Not if it was up to her, and Amore liked to believe that she and Warrick were still very much alike.
For a brief moment she had looked back at the navy male, but soon the spitting volcano holds her interest again. Her head cocks a little to the side as she muses over what Warrick had told her about the fire goddess. ”Pele..” she murmurs, more to herself than anybody else. Beqanna’s fairies were very much real, it makes her wonder how real this goddess in Warrick’s story is. ”I wonder if she’s the one who blessed me then..” Once again, she is simply speaking her thoughts out loud.
Away from the volcano, her gaze turns to Tephra. From the volcano they have perfect view on the land as the sun is slowly setting. The clear day – the humid mist had been absent today – makes it possible to see quite far. ”Isn’t it beautiful?” she asks. Amorette thinks it is, but really, she is quite biased to Tephra. No other land had made her feel just as much as home as Tephra has.
It is easy to be with her, and he is glad that she has found him. He welcomes the distraction she brings, and the humor in the softness of her voice, and he wonders why he has not spent more time with her before. At her humorous remark he laughs, flexing his wings with a simple stretch of their span, for a moment showing her the glory of the large wingspan. “I assure you, they are not!” He replies with a single thunderous flap, pulling them close to his sides with a soft ruffle of feathers. As if to prove his point, he curves his neck as his chin presses to his chest, trotting behind her at a quick and elegant pace, to show that he is in fact more than capable of making this journey with her.
He tells his story - a familiar one and an adored one - and he is happy to see that she is enjoying it as much as he. Her retort causes him to match her laughter, a knowing smile on his face. “You are certainly right,” he agrees, nodding his head. The volcano - Pele - would never swallow the up.
Soon Amorette turns from him, her gaze set on the smoking plume that rises just before them, the sweltering heat piercing their skin yet neither find it uncomfortable. He watches her with a thoughtful gaze, recognizing the way she surveys the spitting mountain, and the way her voice leaves her lips. She is as much a part of Tephra as he is, he decides with a gentle snort of realization.
Warrick moves to stand beside her, the flames of the volcano’s precipice loudly crackling and rumbling before them. His wings flutter at his sides, silently staring down into the boiling mass of lava. “I think she gave me my wings,” he murmurs to her quietly, as if it was a secret for only her and no one else. “Because I needed them. I needed to be able to be near the stars.” He pauses, his gaze out of focus as he recalls his family and their ascendence into the heavens, and the thought makes him swallow hard. With a gentle cough to clear his throat, he turns to her and asks:
“What did she give you?”
They both turn to look out over all of Tephra, and though Warrick has seen every inch of the land from his time spent flying high above it, for some reason their position on the volcano made him see it in a different light. “It always will be to me,” he tells her, his voice warm with adoration for his country.
