"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
Lead the way. No more, no less - he doesn't let on about how my alterations to him make him feel, nor do I press him for this information. As my tears dry along the powerful muscles of his neck, I figure that I haven't really the right; I've been intrusive, literally stumbling upon him in a dream and prying my way into a psyche that hadn't invited me there. But he is coming, and that says something; something, I'm just not sure what.
We walk in silence, the mottled shade of the forest eventually falling behind us as the spring sun gently warms our backs - his wide and strong, far taller than mine, the picture of Friesan perfection. My stomach clenches as I look upon it, knowing that by the time we reach Hyaline, he will return to the self that nearly got him murdered. My stomach clenches even more at this, causing my eyes to drop; I shouldn't know such intimate details about a total stranger.
As we come upon the scentline, crossing it into Hyaline, I figure that there are ways to solve this problem. Inhaling with the clear intent to speak, I allow my shoulder to brush against his compassionately. "So, Hephaestus." My tones are friendly and lyrical, different from how they'd been in the dream - perhaps a little faker, a little less me; because we all know that true vulnerability is exhausting to share for longer than the length of a dream. "Do you know much about Hyaline?"
@[Hephaestus] This is shitty but I wanted to get something up for you <3
She has questions. He sensed them boiling just below the surface as she peels herself away from him and angled herself toward the start of their journey. The moist residue of her tears lingered upon the sinew of his shoulder a reminder of how his past had affected her. He is numb to it.
The anticipation of his return to the mountainous kingdom of Hyaline lingers between them and he longs to finally find peace within the shadow of it’s towering peaks. Perhaps there he could finally wrap himself in the silence of his new existence.
Hyper aware of the workings of her magic upon him he keeps his gaze focused on the path ahead as they walk. He did not want to see the reality that she had so carefully conjured for him – that would only intensify the pain when it faded to reveal the horrifying truth. There was no love in the world for a monster like him. Though he was good and kind and gentle, he would always have the horror of his face to set him apart as unfavorable. No woman would carry his children, voices would always deaden when he approached, and pity would always fill the pits of their eyes. It was a reality that even the most powerful of magic could not erase.
He senses that she knows this as well as her eyes trace along the edges of their path. However, much he desired to resent her he found the emotion impossible to form. There was a kindness to her and he suspected that she battled demons of her own. As always, he served to warn her against wasted time.
They were nearly within the borders of Hyaline when her voice broke the silence. Questions. There were always questions.
“I’ve visited before,” he offered warily. “I had the honor of meeting Solace.”
Much like all seasons, spring had its own scent. In Hyaline it was floral with notes of rain, intermingled with the crisp mountain air. She knew that the foals were being born, but Briseis still did not know anyone enough to really pay attention. She merely assumed that despite Beqanna’s peculiarities, the reproductive cycle was more or less similar to what she liked to refer to as “the real world”. There was a part of her that, if it weren’t for her reoccurring nightmares, would be convinced that this place was a dreamland. Wings and magic, Kings and Queens, faeries and mysteries...it still seemed unreal. It was only the shadow-spun webs that took over her sleep that reminded her that, when she finally awoke (sweating, breathless, trembling), that this was real.
Her nightmares were difficult to decipher. Most often she dreamt of being driven into the sea, but she cannot see the faces of those she feared. They are faceless, and even though she tries to look at them, she can’t. And so she runs. She runs straight and fast even though the roaring of the waves grows louder, even though she can feel the spray of the sea. She runs even as the waves crash into her chest, cold and powerful. It isn’t until she is drowning, gasping, that she wakes up. It is all too similar to how she had awoken in Beqanna for the first time - washed upon the shore, weak and confused. Only now when she wakes up, she is in Hyaline, and even though she tells herself she is safe, she can never to go back to sleep.
Sleep deprived, she walks along the outskirts of the kingdom, as she often did during the day. The black mustang seemed to find some sort of comfort in finding new paths, having become so accustomed to solitude that she didn’t know what to do with her newfound safety in the sanctuary kingdom. She was grateful that Kagerus had brought her here, but still she struggled with blending in.
She winds her way through a thin copse of trees, and that’s when she sees them. They are coming towards her, and her heart immediately leaps into her throat, caught off guard. Her eyes flit to Kagerus’ face, and then to that of the dark stranger. Her movements had come to a halt, the raven-black mare standing somewhat rigidly, only the breeze stirring her tangled mane. She realizes her unease often comes across as rude, and a faint smile lifts the edge of her lips. ”Oh...sorry. I was just...walking,” she lets the sentence trail off, realizing how lame it sounded. Obviously she was walking. They both had eyes, she was sure they could have came to that conclusion without her help. With her heart beat beginning to slow down she settles her eyes on the stranger, her shapely head lowering just slightly as a form of greeting. ”I’m Briseis.”
And then there is a period of silence, which to her feels like it stretches on for eternity. With uncertainty she looks to Kagerus, and this is the first time she feels what she can only recognize as tension (perhaps sadness?) in the air, and she begins to realize that perhaps she had just unknowingly interrupted something private. ”I’m sorry,” she says with no other explanation, and she shifts her weight to set off past the duo.
briseis. you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece
I've visited before. I had the honor of meeting Solace.
My ears quirk at this warily-given bit of information - I'd mentioned Solace to him back in the forest, but he hadn't given any indication that he knew this land's Queen. I nod at first, considering his words and their implications - at first a pang of jealousy runs through me, but I recognize that it is directed towards Smoak, and not towards Hephaestus at all. The Friesan, though battered and bruised at his very first breath and ever onward, is softhearted. At the thought, I find myself carefully pressing my nose to his shoulder as we walk, allowing him to lead us through the land. He deserves to feel like a leader - he deserves to be seen differently that he had been at birth.
"She'll be glad to see you again."
We do not go far until another ebony figure graces the spring-green hillsides. Briseis, standing amidst a thin copse of trees, gazing at us with the frozen eyes of one caught by surprise - but I smile to see her, adjusting our path so that we will all meet. Although her silence and warily twitching ears could be interpreted as rude, I know better than to think such a thing of the little mustang - she is incredibly new to this land. Sometimes, as I am curled up next to Solace and the twins at night, my mind ranges across to the dreams of all of Hyaline's inhabitants, and hers are rarely calm. I do my best to subdue the night terrors, lending her a quiet's night sleep here and there when I am feeling well rested and able to go without myself.
"Please, don't go!" I exclaim softly, stepping forward and placing myself in the path she'd just readjusted to. My ink-dipped nose reaches out for her, nuzzling her affectionately. "I've got to be off to see Solace - she needs someone to watch the children while she visits her father in Tephra." I know that these words probably mean little to either of them, but in time, it will. Briseis smells wholly of Hyaline, and I feel that it's safe to assume that, though hardy and travel worn, she's not gone far past our mountain range.
For now, it's my turn to take a step back, preparing to depart from the group. My eyes go to the wry-nosed stallion next to me, a gentle smile hung across my lips. "Briseis, this is Hephaestus. He is kind hearted - it would be my pleasure for you to get to know each other." With that, I dip my horned head and slip away through the copse of trees towards the northern mountain, where Solace and my's grotto quaintly sits. I wonder as I go, whether the stallion will appreciate what I've said about him - but in truth, I won't ever know. Hopefully, his residency in Hyaline will not be cut short because of my forwardness.
They are well within the fold of Hyaline when Kagerus’ nose presses itself against his shoulder. The touch of another was still quite foreign to him and he fought his instinctual urge to flinch away from her attempt at comfort, though for who’s benefit he was unsure. She is confident in his memory as her steps begin to falter, her eyes glazed over with deep thought. Her words are dazed and distracted as she speaks, but he welcomes the break from the silence with a strained smile. Normally flat faced, he was beginning to attempt to wear his feelings upon his sleeve. The notion was still odd to him but he knew that, if he wanted to be accepted by the others that dwelled within the sanctuary, they would expect him to be an open book. Though, at the moment, he struggled to even allow others the tiniest of peeks.
Halting suddenly, the smell of another quickly reaches the soft edges of his nose. His eye searches the path ahead and finds the black mare, partially hidden as she gazes upon them. Apologetically she steps before them, her posture and demeanor unsure. Briseis, she names herself and Hephaestus attempts another smile. As the mare offers another “sorry,” she prepares to leave but Kagerus is quick to bade her to stay. Curious, Hephaestus’ eye snaps onto her now, the curve of his brow rising at the sound of her implications. She wanted them to get to know each other. What exactly did she mean and to what extent? Surely she did not expect him to go and divulge those pieces of him that she, herself, had stumbled upon?
His body stiffened.
Kagerus was eager to return to her family, that was easily understood. He had stolen enough of her time and as she departed he found himself carefully ensuring that his mask of hair was securely in place, his old insecurities returning.
Briseis.
They were alone and he was completely clueless as to what should come next. Awkwardly he cleared his throat. "My name is Hephaestus," he offered, his insides flinching at the sound of his own gravely voice. "Have you lived in Hyaline long?"
Break My Shackles To Set Me Free
@[Kagerus] @[Briseis] My poor awkward butterfly boy...
06-01-2018, 06:23 PM (This post was last modified: 06-01-2018, 06:43 PM by Briseis.)
Kagerus reads her body language all too well, almost immediately asking her to stay, but Briseis is hesitant, although she does not shy away from her touch. She was terrible at making conversation, and the fact that most were too kind to tell her so and suffered through her awkward attempts at small talk just made her feel worse about it. But her dark brown eyes flit to the face of the newcomer, and she feels guilty. The black mare knew what it was like to be new, to feel out of place, almost like you were just in everyone’s way. She isn’t sure if Beqanna or Hyaline will ever feel like a true home to her, but she was doing her best to try and fit into some sort of mold, in attempt to keep her loneliness at bay.
There is a flicker of panic when the painted mare makes it clear that she will be leaving them, and Briseis is already worrying about how in the world she’s going to manage to not scare the stallion off, or at least not make the situation so awkward that she will have to avoid him for the rest eternity. But as Kagerus makes her exit she becomes all the more acutely aware of his presence, eyeing him cautiously from behind her own tangled veil of forelock. It’s funny, if only she could read his thoughts. He finds himself feeling shameful of the way he looks when to Briseis he is the most normal horse she has come across since arriving here. The wings, the scales, the horns, the vibrant colors - she doesn’t understand any of it. But a wry mouth that she hardly notices, and other physical differences that he keeps hidden, she doesn’t dwell on any of it.
In fact the only thing she notices is the similar tension that hums in between them. They are clearly both out of their element, but she welcomes the sound of his rough voice, since it gives her something to answer. ”I’ve only been here a few weeks. I’ve been in Beqanna a bit longer, but I didn’t have any place that I lived.” Her own voice, while not as sing song and melodic as some, was much softer in comparison to his. ”Kagerus brought me here, too. She seems to be good at finding a home for wayward souls,” she says with a slight laugh, which came across as unnatural since she felt so out of place during this meeting. She sighs, shaking her head and offering softly,”I’m sorry, I’m really not good at this whole, um, talking thing.”
briseis. you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece
It is immediately apparent to him that the art of socialization was one that they both lacked. Abandoned by Kagerus, he shifted, uncomfortable beneath the unguarded stare of the stranger. Absently his broken gaze trained along the length of the mountain ranges, memorizing every nook and crevice upon its face. Hyaline was beautiful and the peace of it brought him joy. He was proud to be able to call it his home.
Intently he listened to Briseis as she fumbled with her words. After so much time spent alone, he hadn’t been forced to engage with very many others. Solitude had been his preference, until now. Although he had managed to be sought out by the self-declared misfits of Beqanna. To him it had become apparent that if you lacked discerning features such as wings, horns, or bright colors paired with an equally unique pattern – the average had become an oddity. His twisted and scarred appearance set him at a disadvantage when affronted by the gifted. Many had attempted to right the wrongs of his life, Kagerus was no exception. Though she’d meant well, it was hard to forget the effects of her dreamscape. Likewise, he was unsure of Brisies intentions, or Kagerus’ in their introduction. Politely he listened, a strained smile upon his face.
“I have been in Beqanna for two years now,” he offered, thinking upon the farewell to his nomadic lifestyle.
It had been comfortable. His loneliness – a familiarity. It had been easier than having to endure others’ attempts at empathy. Quite a few claimed to understand the truth of his plight, but only a handful actually could truly understand the path he was on. No one could possibly understand the pain he endured daily. All too often he thought it would have been easier if his father’s attempt to murder him had been successful.
Talking was not something he exceeled at. Silence became him as his singularly brown eye studied the black mare’s face. Her features were appealing to him and he enjoyed the shyness of er manner. She reminded him too much of Erinys, only Briseis did not bear the deformity of the other. He smiled.
“I am glad to have met you Briseis,” he said with a gentle nod of his misshapen head. “I look forward to sharing this beautiful kingdom with you.”
Break My Shackles To Set Me Free
@[Briseis] I tried to finish this up the best that I could. We can start a new thread with them if you would like. Just drop me a tag
![[Image: kag]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/2e8039018ce4dff6112c167ec23e886a/tumblr_p72zjit7wC1s5a0qvo1_100.png)
