[private] In the shadows of a crackling fire [Rosemary]

[Yanhua]

And when all the lights are broken, You keep the fire going

Borderline; where was she? Yanhua sighed to the wind and then fell silent, amused at the way his voice sounded almost… musical. He shook his head and thought nothing of it, laughing at the mysticism and chalking it up to wishful thinking paired with the heavy fog of an early Taiga morning. He was out alone for the first few hours, methodically doing rounds and hoping to come across the blue-haired beauty who had recently secreted herself and his unborn child away. No such luck befell Yanhua, and he could only attribute the lack of her laughter and warmth to Amarine’s presence - a thing he was singularly guilty of - and therefore, felt he couldn’t muster up the energy to be angry at Borderline for spiriting away.

He only hoped that wherever she was, she was safe.

If she came home to him, his heart was still hers for the taking; there wasn’t time for love lost in his little corner of paradise. He had enough emotion and heart to give back to the world tenfold, but he did understand that not every horse held that same capacity. He should’ve talked to Borderline, told her what had happened, and so the blame lies on Yanhua alone.

And still, he couldn’t muster the drive to leave Taiga and bend his every waking moment toward finding her. Not while Amarine had uprooted herself for him and not while the twins were still so young. They needed their father and Ama needed his support, and Yanhua refused to be the blight on a family’s memories like his own… Nevermind him, he stopped the thought there. The generational curse ended here, now. He would break that cycle. Permanently.

At the far edge of the Redwood territory he paused for a break, stretching down into his heels and bending his head towards the golden star painted over his chest, relieving the tension in his long back. A pleasant grunt left the stallion’s lips, and then a gusty sort of exhale as he returned to a normal stance with a flick of his tail and the quirk of his hind hoof. Seasonally, the weather was near perfect and the distant hum of the River’s roar beckoned him, but Yan resisted. He closed his eyes to the majestic scene of the woods and raised his bearded chin instead, focusing inward with a smile. Quietly, he gave thanks to the world for blessing Amarine with an easy first birth, for the health and wellness of his beautiful twin foals, and asked for guidance in the days to follow this one where matters of Taiga’s future concerned him.

As if in silent answer, the whispering woods replied and tickled his round copper cheeks.

And when all the nights feel like they're closing, You're leaving an opening

@[rosemary] I figured they could play around with their new aura traits this thread, if you want!!

[rosemary]

open hand or closed fist would be fine

--rosemary

the blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

It's simple, really: her love of the dark wood. And when one thinks about it, it's quite simple that the tight-knit trees of Taiga would tickle her curiosity enough to be irresistible. The fog and distant twitter of birds - she hums along to it, swishes her tail amongst the mist, insists to herself that she is but a nymph belonging to the ageless redwoods. Nevermind the tensions between the East and the North, nor the scent of the salty cove on her skin, or endless relatives that love to torch this land so.

(And nevermind how she thinks the burning such a thrill, too. It's a secret, that darkness. Her face is so soft and sweet, her voice so warm, her song so enticing - she won't let them know what twists like a stomachache within her. She hardly knows it herself.)

The Taigan fog reminds her of the sparkling in Molech's aura, so she spends all the time she can dancing in it before it evaporates. She dips her nose down, drinks it in, dreams of the lavender irises that flash and taunt her in her dreams.

In her hours of daydreaming and melting, Rose begins to wonder if a Taigan will stumble upon her. A sly grin curls her lips at the thought of a bristling Northerner curling their lips at her. Perhaps they'll balk at the salt that washes her skin and tell her she has no business among their beautiful, peaceful redwoods. That no soul as fickle and complicated as hers deserves to live amongst such quiet loveliness. What a thrill that would be, to read their furious aura and try out the voice the sirens of the ocean gifted her.

It isn't a Taigan that finds Rose, but Rose that finds a Taigan - and one that she recognizes at that. Some strange confidence emboldens her and she trots toward, breathing out, "Yanhua." She comes to a restless stop, hooves shuffling in the smallest of prances and neck arching to accentuate the look of concern on her face. She's still new to understanding the auras others carry, but she can just barely tell there is something . . . else beneath the man's peace.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Rose finally adds after briefly scanning his the air around him. A coy, teasing smile simultaneously lights up and darkens her face. "Calypso isn't here to frighten you today. Do you live here?"

@[Yanhua] i'm sorry this took me ten thousand years D:

[Yanhua]

And when all the lights are broken, You keep the fire going

There are no bristling Northerners left to curl their lips. Neverwhere has been beset by Popinjay, who dances to the beat of her own thunderclaps. Leilan had never been one to believe in borders, and why would he? What was the point of worrying about the world when one could freeze them, or snap them shut in the gaping expanse of their toothy maw? Izora is another ghost in the wind; Yanhua thinks of her often but doesn’t disturb her peace. Lilliana is the only one who may or may not feel a moment’s worth of hesitation, and right now she’s out building the blocks of foundational alliances. Soon, perhaps, it will be the east who curls their lip at the north, and Yanhua thinks this more probable given his not-so-recent gallivanting through Hyaline.

He would rather the rest of the world come to him, anyway. The long-horned stallion prefers to be caught by surprise. This is the footing he knows best, the situation he enjoys the most. In the unknown and unexpected, he likes to do the same: everything that is not expected of him becomes apparent. Where he’s usually calm, collected, and austere the unknown gives him the chance to be more like his twin: wild, reckless, and mischievous.

@[rosemary] finds him that way.

“Rosemary?” The faun-horse wondered, half-amused and slightly concerned. Was she alright? Was he alright? “That’s what you get for thinking. And Calypso startled me, she didn’t frighten me.” He teased her, lied to her, smiled mercilessly at the look of wild abandon shrouding her face. There are no echoes that swirl around Rosemary like wondrous ghosts, no memories or reveries that strike Yanhua when they meet. For that reason alone, he enjoys her company. For many more reasons unspoken, he’s delighted that the wind blew her his way.

“I do live here.” He confided in her, shaking his horns in her direction. One of his hooves struck out playfully, no harm intended. “Come and see it with me before your nanny comes and collects you for bedtime.” Yanhua danced, turning away from her to face the darker portions of Taiga’s heartswood. “Tell me everything, in case we never meet again.” He laughed in a way that creaked like the boughs of evergreens far above them, ready at a moment’s notice to take off and lead the galaxy mare wherever she desired to roam.

And when all the nights feel like they're closing, You're leaving an opening