11-06-2019, 02:31 PM
IT'S NOT POWER THAT MAKES YOU THE STRONGEST
The first person Nikkai sets eyes upon now that she’s not-dead is a stranger. The rustle of movement draws her attention, the instincts of a mare who was a warrior in life, and she’s swung her head towards the black mare even before the friendly greeting reaches her. In a tense heartbeat, she’s swung her brown gaze up and down the mare and decided that she isn’t a threat, and also somehow she knows this mare isn’t a relation of her own, or any of her friends.
The knowledge makes her stomach clench and her head hurt; or perhaps it’s not the knowledge itself but the use of a skill she’d never had before. Something she doesn’t understand, and thus cannot even begin to control. So, it hurts, like when you run a gauntlet or fight a fight your body isn’t ready for. As the mare starts to come her way, she looks around again and notices how dead her childhood home looks in winter without its bright colors, and again before she can really think it through it happens – they’re surrounded by flowers, riotous blooms that carpet the distance between the black mare and herself. The pain in her head is bright and she’s almost sick to her stomach, but the feeling fades quickly to the back of her mind, a lingering ache.
Both mares’ attention is drawn to the loud, angry movements of the stallion underneath a tree just out of range of her normal awareness. Nikkai pivots neatly that way, moving unconsciously into a fight-ready stance, but that doesn’t hurt. (That is something she has always been capable of doing.) Another moment of silence, a heartbeat of consideration, and she decides he’s not an immediate threat either – just a very annoying sound. The grulla mare trots a few quick steps to bring her closer to both the stallion and the mare (who is - laughing? this earns her a slightly more wary look from Nikkai).
“Stop that,” she snaps, annoyed at the way his stomping is smashing her newly created flowers (in addition to just the general painful sound of his shrieking voice). But, she is conscious of not knowing why he’s throwing a child’s temper tantrum; perhaps he is as discomfited by his new life as she is? “Are you alright? Do you need help?” she offers in an attempt to gentle the scold, and flicking her gaze to the mare in a way that makes it obvious she’s including her in the conversation. “I’m Nikkai.”
The knowledge makes her stomach clench and her head hurt; or perhaps it’s not the knowledge itself but the use of a skill she’d never had before. Something she doesn’t understand, and thus cannot even begin to control. So, it hurts, like when you run a gauntlet or fight a fight your body isn’t ready for. As the mare starts to come her way, she looks around again and notices how dead her childhood home looks in winter without its bright colors, and again before she can really think it through it happens – they’re surrounded by flowers, riotous blooms that carpet the distance between the black mare and herself. The pain in her head is bright and she’s almost sick to her stomach, but the feeling fades quickly to the back of her mind, a lingering ache.
Both mares’ attention is drawn to the loud, angry movements of the stallion underneath a tree just out of range of her normal awareness. Nikkai pivots neatly that way, moving unconsciously into a fight-ready stance, but that doesn’t hurt. (That is something she has always been capable of doing.) Another moment of silence, a heartbeat of consideration, and she decides he’s not an immediate threat either – just a very annoying sound. The grulla mare trots a few quick steps to bring her closer to both the stallion and the mare (who is - laughing? this earns her a slightly more wary look from Nikkai).
“Stop that,” she snaps, annoyed at the way his stomping is smashing her newly created flowers (in addition to just the general painful sound of his shrieking voice). But, she is conscious of not knowing why he’s throwing a child’s temper tantrum; perhaps he is as discomfited by his new life as she is? “Are you alright? Do you need help?” she offers in an attempt to gentle the scold, and flicking her gaze to the mare in a way that makes it obvious she’s including her in the conversation. “I’m Nikkai.”
Nikkai
@[Kradle] @[Starbrow]