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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    [private]  between the lines of fear and blame | heartfire
    #1
    Gale
    it's hard to keep a straight face when i just want to smile --
    starlight crashing through the room, we'll lose our feathers



    The ache in his head left by the monster has finally dissipated after a full night of sleep. OR perhaps a full day of sleep. Gale is no longer certain of the time, and only the coming and going of the tide convince him that it is doing so at all.

    Something skitters down by the water’s edge, and Gale’s sharp eyes turn toward it.
    Too dark to see.

    He scowls and looks harder.
    Something shifts within his newly healed eyes, a hot spark of magic he hasn’t felt before. He’s given and taken sight, and flipped through images of the past seen by others. He’s never had need to alter his sight though, nor reason to think himself capable.

    The small pale shape of a crab dances along the water’s edge, and the black sky lightens to a charcoal grey. He follows it up to where the sun hovers in the sky and finds that a myriad of colors radiate weakly from the dim and distant ring of light. How strange, he thinks, but how useful. He looks around himself again, and finds that the words is easier to see, and that the same colorful light seems to emanate from all things warm. Perhaps this is what the Alliance has given him, but he is doubtful. It feels too familiar, like a window he’s passed by but never actually looked through.

    Gale looks back at the water again, but all is dim. It is the land that appears bright, and as Erne swoops down to land on Gale’s mane, the brindle stallion is nearly blinded by the colors that emanate from his companion. Dazzled, he blinks until he’s back to his own equine sight, and is grateful a moment later when something far larger and equally warm draws near.

    @[Heartfire]

    Reply
    #2

    you can run but you can't hide
    breath on your skin, I've arrived

    She had meant to be long gone already, but it seems that when one lives a life as tangled as hers had been, there is always just one more thing. First the raven queen had fallen (satisfying what lingering sense of justice she had left), then the birth of her grandson had left her daughter in a state of limbo. A state Heartfire had not been content to leave her in. But she had finally woken. Then the darkness had come.

    It had not taken her long to determine that there is nothing her presence here could provide in either safety or effectiveness against it. This is so far beyond her that it would be laughably arrogant of her to imagine that her presence or lack thereof would prove in any way useful. And so she would take her leave, as she should have done months ago (though, truth be told, it hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things).

    But her path is not a straight one. Not today, of all days. Not when the memories on this island may aid her in her search (in all likelihood, they would not, but even now she struggles to admit to any sentiment). For a moment she wades through the past - the troubled birth of her youngest twins, the audience she had been loathe to show weakness before even in her delirium, the fear and anger of their father. The moments afterward, where it had become increasingly clear he had somehow stolen her affection.

    She closes her eyes then simply breathing in the scent of sand and salt. After a time, she opens them before moving towards the gentle waves (so very different from the cold, wild ones of Nerine). She realizes almost immediately that she is not alone here. Feet stilling, she eyes her unexpected companion, able to see with relative clarity even in the dark.

    Gale. She would recognize him anywhere though they had only met once. Long ago, when he was still a child. She doubts he remembers, but she would never forget.

    She is not certain he had noticed her. If he had not, she makes no move to draw his attention. Though she had always kept an eye on the many offspring Wolfbane had produced, she had long ago learned it is far better if they do not know her. A life involving her is rarely a peaceful one. And for all her other faults, she cares enough that she would not wish to force such a life upon them.

    heartfire



    @[Gale]
    Reply
    #3
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    Gale had tried to find Heartfire a few times as a child. Well, he’d tried to use his magic to let her know to find him but his memories are fragmented, and in truth he’d never come even close to success. Gale’s only true recollection is that sensation of wanting to find her, and he naively assumes that the same must be true for her. That they had met, and on the day that he hadn’t died, is a memory he hadn’t ever regained. He’d not had it long enough, and there is nothing remarkable about blackness that would make him suspect.

    Yet despite never having lain these eyes on Heartfire, he is still able to recognize her. Blinking away the layers of heat and obstruction takes him some time, and it’s not until they’re near enough to speak in the darkness does he see in enough detail to be able to identify her. “Oh.” He says, blinking rapidly. “It’s… you. Hi.”

    Gale knows of Heartfire only what Wolfbane had told all his children, and looks at her with great admiration. She is the living source of the magic that he uses even know to look at her, and that awareness sends an unconscious shiver down the length of his mane. It shakes the silky white hair that grows along it, and he resettles the wings that his new shifting ability has re-gifted him.

    “Have you ever seen the future?” He asks, the question emerging before he can stop it. He recognizes it (he’s always planned to ask her if he ever found her), but he’d imagined it emerging a little more naturally later in the conversation. But his curiosity is insatiable and his ability to mind his tongue is weak, so he does what he can to explain: “I mean, can you see the future in the sight of someone whose seen it? Has anyone seen the end of the darkness?” That his magic has its drawbacks is something he’s learned double these past few months. He can blind the monsters, but only if he is willing to blind himself for hours as well. And Gale, who loves to see, is rarely willing.

    @[Heartfire]

    Reply
    #4

    you can run but you can't hide
    breath on your skin, I've arrived

    On the surface, her once unique gift with sight had seemed almost banal in the first blush of her youth. Though she could steal and alter it at her whim, it was not at its core a particularly frightening or awe-inspiring gift. Not in the way her ability to destroy was when she received it. But it had not taken her long to discover it’s true power. Over the years, she had honed and perfected into an unusual weapon.

    And for a time, she had reveled in it. Over time however, it had made its way silently through her offspring, manifesting only on rare occasions. In the end, that had proven enough. She had learned then, in a way impossible for her to see before (when it had been only her with such abilities), just how dangerous it could be. Not to others (though it could be that too), but to the self. She had known of the stories told of her. Had known even that they tried to emulate what they heard. But as so often happens with stories, they grow and become far more than they ever were in truth.

    Had she been a better woman, she might have tried to provide them instruction. But even to this day, she believes her tutelage would have been far more damaging than helpful. She doubts Gale would understand, so it is a truth she would forever keep locked close.

    Her lips curve upwards in faint smile at his greeting. Despite all appearances to the contrary, she does genuinely care. And so he receives the softer side of her. The one that does not immediately speculate or call into question the motives of the day.

    That he recognizes her does not surprise her in the slightest. That he immediately delves into a deeply controversial topic does (though she rather suspects he doesn’t yet realize just how controversial a topic it is). She does not answer him immediately, instead considering his question carefully. After years of navigating the finer points of her ability, even she does not fully understand the source of it. But she does know visual memory is not in the eyes, as Wyrm had once quite wrongly assumed.

    The short answer to his question would be yes, but it is hardly the full answer.

    “I have,” she finally answers, her words slow and thoughtful. Her blue eyes don’t waver from him, sharp and focused in their intensity. “Whether anyone has seen the end of the darkness, I cannot say. I gave up on seeking future visions long ago.” She tilts her head slightly, gaze sliding briefly to the water lapping at the pale sands. “They are as fickle and ever-changing as the waves. The past is a far better tutor than the future will ever be.”

    heartfire



    @[Gale]
    Reply
    #5
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    The silence that follows his question is a long one, but it does not bother Gale. He spends it thinking, and when she speaks it breaks him from his haze. Gale once again meets her gaze, with his blue eyes so like her own. Is this what it feels like when he looks at someone, Gale wonders? No, he decides, this is a Heartfire sensation, and not just the similarity. Gale feels very small under his ancestor’s gaze, but he does not break it despite the rapid beating of his heart.

    Her answer is far from a simple one, but it is easy enough to translate. Seeing the future is not the answer. Gale had been hopeful, and eliminating the theory is painful. There will always be others, he tells himself, and he can learn from the failures. Heartfire speaks of the past, and Gale – who has no memory of most tales of the past – wonders if perhaps she knows more than she is letting on.

    “Has this happened in the past?” he asks, “This darkness sort of thing? These monsters?” That his home has a rich past is no secret to Gale, and that there are more tales than he has lifetimes to learn will forever be a regret of his. When Heartfire turns to look at the sand, Gale follows the lines of her face, wondering briefly how much of them had played into his own appearance. IF she were to frown, he decides, she’d definitely have a strong resemblance to Eyas.
     
    @[Heartfire]

    Reply
    #6

    you can run but you can't hide
    breath on your skin, I've arrived

    “There is always something,” she replies candidly, a half-hearted amusement coloring her words. And it’s true, there is always something. For as long as Heartfire could remember, this world had seemed to tumble from one disaster to the next. Some proved far worse than others, but they were inevitably always life altering to some. “If this darkness has been here before, it’s far enough back that it would take more lifetimes than I have to find.”

    Her gaze returns then to Gale, speculative as she eyes him openly. “But that hardly matters,” she continues, her voice carrying a certainty that belies her recent admission. “The past is not a better tutor because it will tell you what to do.”

    She smiles then, though it’s a curious thing. It almost flickers with amusement, but the edges are just a bit too sharp, blue eyes glinting just a bit too brightly for genuine humor. It is not a joyful smile. Rather, it is one of a woman who has seen so many make the same mistake Gale was teetering towards.

    She knows however, that is a lesson no words are sufficient enough to truly encompass. She might try, but it is only the experience that can truly teach one the value of what she speaks. Still, she does try. At the very least, perhaps she could show him the right path, as she had tried to do with Aela.

    “If you traipse through enough history, you will notice one thing that always remains consistent,” she shifts slightly, facing Gale more fully, serene features focused and devoid of leftover traces of humor. “Our nature.” She pauses, head tilting as she assesses him. Was that enough for him to understand? “Circumstances change, the tides rise and fall, but we never do.” One brow tilts up, as though inviting him to refute her. “I don’t look to fluctuating futures,” she continues with a note of finality, “because it has served me far better to achieve what I wish by understanding the nature of my fellow equine.”

    heartfire



    @[Gale]
    Reply
    #7
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    He learns forward as she speaks, navy ears pricked alertly. She’s not seen this thing, she answers, but he has no doubt she has seen others. Gale’s knowledge of the past is limited to those images he has taken and the stories that Eyas has told him. There have been horrors before, their world has even been rent and reformed, but to Gale: this is the very worst his Beqanna had faced.

    Beneath her intent gaze, Gale feels rather exposed. He doesn’t shrink away (though nor does he meet her eyes for long periods). She smiles, but it is not reassuring. 

    Most of what she says makes no sense at all, but Gale nods. They make no sense now, he reminds himself, but he has not really thought about them yet. He’s just remembering them now, and there is no desire at all to refute her. With all his self-directed philosophizing, Gale has arrived at a similar conclusion himself. Understanding the motivations of others is most helpful, except…he still hasn’t quite figured out exactly how to discover them.

    While he has her here, and since she has brought up the topic herself, Gale continues in his habit of peppering the conversation with questions more often than responses of his own. “What if you don’t know what you want to achieve?”

    @[Heartfire]

    Reply
    #8

    you can run but you can't hide
    breath on your skin, I've arrived

    Heartfire is not a woman often given to philosophizing. The advice she now offers is not one she had practiced or refined. Not even one she had spent a great deal of time agonizing over for herself, much less for others. When she was younger, more naive and full of unearned pride and an overweening sense of self-aggrandizement, she might have even believed the advice she now gives something everyone should aspire to.

    But age and experience have tempered the more self-centered views. Had taught her that her experience is hardly universal or applicable to everyone. It is part of the reason she had decided against mentoring those who inherited her gifts.

    And in just a few simple words, Gale reminds her of that. The question highlights their differences in a way that little else could. Heartfire had always known what it is she desired - had always pursued it with a single minded intensity. And as it had changed over the years, so too had her course.

    She doesn’t respond immediately, instead tilting her head slightly to peer at him with a deep scrutiny, as though trying to pull more out of the words than he had offered. Finally, with a soft sigh, she responds in an almost offhand manner. “I have found that what we want isn’t static.” She pauses, her blue gaze sharpening as it bores into him. “And I don’t have an answer for you. I have always known what it is I wanted, so that is something you will need to find on your own.”

    The faint smile returns to her lips, her expression gentling as she lifts her chin to gesture mildly at him. “You have all the tools you need. I suggest you use them.”

    heartfire



    @[Gale]
    Reply
    #9
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    Gale does not often feel new emotions, having experienced most of them in the ten years since his resurrection, but beneath the sharp scrutiny of his great grandmother’s gaze, he discovers a new one. He doesn’t quite have a name for it, but it is immensely uncomfortable.

    So much so that he shakes his shoulders as though he might rid himself of it, and in doing so realizes how bare his sides feel without his wings.

    He wants them back, he decides, and takes Heartfire’s advice. They sprout from his sides, white like Woflbane’s, with a twin streaks of red flowing from the wrist joint of the left. He’s smiling, pleased with himself, and looks back at Heartfire.

    “Maybe I’ve been overthinking.” He admits to her, knowing all too well how often he is lost in indecision. He hasn’t ever thought of himself as cautious - that was Tiercel’s domain - but perhaps he has inadvertently become so. Perhaps he needs to stretch his metaphorical - and literal - wings.

    @[Heartfire]
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    #10

    you can run but you can't hide
    breath on your skin, I've arrived

    A rare smile breaks across Heartfire’s sharp features as she watches the wings emerge from Gale’s shoulders. A smile that highlights what loveliness there is in her normally unassuming demeanor. Had she realized it, the smile would have vanished as swiftly as it came. She had never desired beauty for herself, and she would hate what it revealed.

    But she doesn’t realize it, her attention instead fixed on her great grandson’s blossoming confidence and understanding. A gift, free of the strings she might normally attach to them.

    “Maybe you have,” she replies softly as her smile fades. She watches him for another moment, her features once again inscrutable. And when she continues, there is a note of a farewell in her tone. “I think you will do well enough for yourself.”

    After a long silence, she turns to go, gaze lingering on Gale for only a breath before she turns her attention to distant horizons.

    heartfire



    @[Gale] I figured I would wrap this thread up unless you had more you wanted to do <3
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