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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]  I'd kill for a good coma right now
    #1
    Mazikeen
    Mazikeen had thought she knew heartbreak. But all of the challenges and pitfalls she had gone through over the last year were pale echoes compared to living in a world without Breach. She still expected to see her friend around Hyaline, still considered her the true alpha of the pack. Mazikeen was just a stand-in, a bridge until someone better came along. Until one of the mares who had taken her in and given her this family returned.

    Getting her shifting back had not come with the rush of relief and joy that she had been expecting. It was still there, because she was grateful to have that particular emptiness filled, but it was… muted.

    Mazikeen makes her way to the lake in Hyaline. The sun has not returned but she brings a glow with her - softer than the fire aura she occasionally calls on to light the way. Horns had appeared when her shifting came back and she had not yet gotten used to seeing them constantly in her periphery or the soft, coal-like glow they gave off.

    Her vision isn’t truly impaired with their presence but they are distracting. But at least she is no longer jumping into fight-mode whenever she turns her head and sees the black-and-orange shape, her mind leaping to the idea that it’s an opponent.

    This glow reflects off the surface of the cold lake as Maze stands in the shallows, a small smile appearing when she thinks about how she had leapt and bounded to wake Sabal up and inform her of the eclipse.

    Something, a piece of her shifting, stirs in Mazikeen - it has been given back to her altered, though she’s only just starting to discover the possibilities of what she can do. Sometimes her shifting power feels like a separate entity, something with a personality, and she feels it responding to the memory of her fishy friend - so Mazikeen lets it takes over.

    And then laughs, loudly, when she shifts into… a kelpie? Something similar that she doesn’t quite have a name for? She doesn’t have sharp teeth but the white, scaled tail adorned with black and orange fins that has replaced her hind-end is unmistakable. Mazikeen cannot even move to see if she can swim, she just stays in the shallows - her laughter shifts into something hysterical as she slaps the surface of the water with this tail.



    @[Sabal]
    #2
    Question 

    s a b a l . 



    Sabal wished that the reemergence of the sun would have burned away all the problems. But, as expected, things weren’t that simple.  She’d been out of sorts ever since she’d come back from the mountain. While Sabal was in no way, shape, or form a perfectionist – failure had left a bitter taste in her mouth.  She’d spent longer than she’d ever freely admit moping somewhere near the bottom of the lake before her own sense of how pathetic that was drew her back to the surface world.  But the fact that the sun was back didn’t really make her feel completely better.
     
    Oh and there was the whole ghost thing.  Thankfully, it seemed that the restoration of the sun had given her at least the appearance of being corporeal.  But she was still…not…quite right.  She couldn’t touch anything. Couldn’t feel anything. She was still uncontrollably intangible and the very physical reminder of what had happened on the mountain was, well, not contributing to the already polluted headspace she had going on upstairs.  There were nightmares too.  But she hadn’t been asleep long enough tonight for the nightmares to take hold.
     
    Because something very unnatural and out of place was splashing around in the shallows and making a tambourine out of the surface of the lake.  She was both surprised and not at all surprised when she saw who it was.  It was definitely Maze but she had some new fancy swim accessories so clearly she’d been successful in her quest.  It caused a burst of pride to swell in her chest for her friend, but a flicker of shame ignited somewhere deeper at the visceral reminder of her own failure.
     
    Sabal broke the surface near her friend – a cool blue glow in contrast to Maze’s fiery orange. “Oh my God, Mazikeen, now that the sun is back some people sleep when it’s dark!! Do you know how far sound travels in the water? Like…really far.” She said, in exasperation, but she was glad to see her friend – and something about seeing Maze so unabashedly happy made it impossible to stay angry.  So she didn’t stop the smile from crawling across her lips.
     
    “Secondly. congratulations on getting your shifting back. Seriously. That’s fab. Is this your weird ass way of telling me you want a swimming lesson now?  Can we please do it in the morning?”  However, Sabal is curious about Maze’s new abilities in this clearly superior form of shifting. But she imagined that she’d need some lessons to master the new shapes. And she most definitely would teach Maze what she needed to know about the underwater world – lest her friend be caught off guard. There were other kelpies in Beqanna, and not all had her docile-ish nature.
     
    “And thirdly, are you like…accessorizing now?” Sabal asked, finally realizing that aside from the very hard to miss fins…Maze was also sporting some very fancy looking horns that are definitely new.

    can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes.
    manip by squirt


    @[Mazikeen]
    #3
    Mazikeen
    Was it ever going to get any less fun to wake her friend up and see her rise from the depths? There’s a certain feeling of relief she feels every time, though, knowing that Sabal is alive and well enough to be annoyed. Her laughter fades in to a sparkling smile as the kelpie arrives and Maze relaxes in the shallows.

    Mazikeen’s own sleep schedule was non-existent but she had a particularly hard time relaxing at night, still on-edge and still feeling the need to patrol. It didn’t seem right that the monsters had just totally disappeared. While the words ‘I’m sorry’ don’t cross her lips, the grimace that Maze makes says the truth of it - she actually did forget that people slept in the dark, and she didn’t know that part about sound travelling in water (though, she does tuck that little piece of information in the back of her mind to bother the squid in the future).

    So, instead of an appropriate apology, she says “A swimming lesson in the dark sounds like a perfect chance for you to drown me and be rid of me forever so no thanks, I think I’ll pass.” This joke falls a little flat this time though, the absence of Breach is still a sore spot, and Mazikeen’s bright smile fades at the rush of grief.

    No more jokes about losing anyone. She’d had enough of that in her past and she literally had a date with it in the future.

    Mazikeen doesn’t bother to hide the display of emotions on her face in front of her friend and it’s probably all too obvious when she forces herself to smile. She’s got a little trick to it now, even though it makes her feel a little ridiculous, and her skin prickles at the memory of kisses shared by the shore of this lake the first day the sun had returned. Thank the stars for all the factors that allow the blush she feels to stay hidden.

    She shakes her head to clear it, the glow from her new horns shifting as she does and their weight giving her a slight headache that grounds her again. “They showed up after I finished my quest. I’m not very used to them yet.” And then a slight pause - maybe it’d be polite to let Sabal go back to her sleep but they both knew that wasn’t about to happen. “Now, since you’re up…” And the grin that takes over is nothing short of feline, even in this shape. “I have some news but I also just wanted to see how you’re doing. You know, besides being a grouch about a late-night visit.”



    @[Sabal]
    #4

    s a b a l . 


    No apology.
    Typical.

    Mazikeen truly had no shame. The kelpie let out a soft huff as she allowed herself to drift along the surface, letting the calm waters lap quietly at her sides.  Night seemed almost comforting now after living in the dark for so long. It was a weird twist for the girl who had once worshiped the sun, but she definitely had a new appreciation for the dark.

    “Well yes that would be the traditional kelpie way,” Sabal quipped.  Because Maze was fundamentally correct. Most kelpies weren’t really interested in how well something could swim...more so how quickly they could drag it to the bottom and leave it there.  The thought caused something to stir in Sabal. It’d been a long time since she’d been on a proper hunt.  She kept her hunting activities...moderated here in Hyaline. But perhaps it was time for her to venture outside of the kingdom.  Obviously she posed absolutely no threat to Mazikeen - who despite her proclivity to get under Sabal’s skin was still her chosen family. Maze would only ever see the bottom of lake when she had the gumption to go see it herself.  “But Hyaline would just be so boring without you.”. Though she wouldn’t be averse to a full night’s sleep...

    As annoyed as she was at being awoken, she really did need this distraction.  That didn’t mean she was going to spill her guts to Maze right away.  She wasn’t sure how to work that into conversation. Oh by the way - you know how the monsters are gone? I tried to help with that and failed miserably and I can still walk right through things as a result! It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine! Yeah. Unlikely that’d be happening tonight. Especially when something was clearly up and it was annoying that she didn’t know what it was. Then again, how could she if she’d been moping at the bottom of the lake?  Damnit.

    “You so did not wake me up just to see how I was feeling. No one does that - not even you.” Sabal whirled in the water - sending glowing ripples and bubbles in all directions. “Spill. What’s up with you?” the kelpie asked demanded, her bright eyes narrowed. She was...suspicious. This was so like Maze and totally unlike Maze at the same time.  So clearly there was news she was missing.

    “You’re glowing,” she murmured, “and not just...you know...literally.”


    can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes.
    manip by squirt


    @[Mazikeen]
    #5
    Mazikeen
    Sabal does not answer the question of how she's doing and Mazikeen is only momentarily distracted by how she wished she looked as pretty as her friend when whirling in the water instead of basically being a beached whale as she was right now.

    “Don’t think I don’t notice how you’re dodging the question, Sabal. We’re going to circle back to it because after surviving what we did over the last couple years, I am absolutely someone who wakes a friend up to see how they’re doing.” Sure that could have come during the day too but Maze had been… distracted. And now she is absolutely even more concerned about what’s going on in her friend’s water-logged brain.

    So hopefully if Mazikeen spills, it’ll give Sabal whatever time she needs to be able to say what she needs to so it won’t need to be dragged out of her.

    When Sabal mumbles that she’s glowing, Mazikeen’s ears flick backwards in a mock annoyance but there’s a smile for a moment that absolutely betrays where her mind is at. She tells herself to focus, though - she hadn’t woken Sabal up to tell her she had realized she was in love. She wasn’t that awful of a friend. So she lets those ever-present worries seep in to sober her up, the ones that tell her that when Gale gets back from whatever he needs to do he’ll have realized loving her is a mistake. He’ll see her weakness and think she cannot handle what’s coming and push her aside again.

    And then whenever he hurts someone, it will be her fault.

    That does the trick and there’s no smile on Maze’s face when she just decides to start talking and see what comes out. She trusts Sabal and wants her friend to be prepared for what Maze's future looks like. “Well… okay, so we’re going to have someone come to stay with us for… well for a bit, anyway.” Mazikeen may want years but she’s attempting to make herself be realistic. “I need you to help me keep an eye on him. He’s sort of… cursed. I mean, he’s usually nice and I think he’ll be okay for a while but eventually things may shift. I’m not telling everyone, I’m not even sure I’m allowed to tell you, but I need you to know. If you notice any violence or something off that makes your squid senses tingle, let me know. He’s… well, he’s coming here because I promised to end things if or when the curse becomes too much, before it can get worse.” which is only a little complicated because I love him very much but it’s totally fine “And please, Sabal,” (you know it’s serious when the pleases come out and Mazikeen’s expression turns a little pleading) “Don’t - don’t tell anyone, don’t even let him know you know unless he tells you himself. If things take a turn I’ve already decided we’ll go somewhere else until… until it’s over. Somewhere he won’t be a danger to anyone else. I don’t know if it was the right thing to do, to bring him here, but I want to be near him and I couldn’t leave Hyaline yet and...” She trails off, well aware that she’s started to ramble, and goes about preparing herself for Sabal’s reaction.

    “His name is Gale.” She offers then, belatedly, and she can’t help the smile that sparks in her eyes when she says his name despite everything she’s just said. Or how it brightens a little further when she remembers something else, something a little lighter than what she had just shared - “Also, I may have told him to give you something shiny to win you over… so be nice if he actually does.”



    @[Sabal]
    #6

    s a b a l . 



    Sabal lets out a huff at the fact that she has effectively been caught despite her attempts to divert the conversation away from her own current state affairs. She rolls her eyes and imagines how fun it would be to dunk Maze underwater just a little before the shift in Maze’s attitude takes center stage.
     
    Okay so this is almost worth the rude awakening. At first Sabal is intrigued by the idea of a visitor, but something about Mazikeen’s expression is…confusing. Like the dumbstruck happiness she’d seen a few minutes ago totally doesn’t mesh with this like…existential dread that she’s seeing. Sabal does not understand the ~vibe.~ But like hell she’s going to tell Maze that.  So the kelpie keeps her mouth shut and listens. Believe it or not, it is something that she’s capable of and is pretty damn good at from time to time.
     
    ”Cursed,” Sabal repeats, quietly, wondering what that actually means. ”What exactly should my squid senses be looking out for, exactly,” She asks, cocking her head ever so slightly because she mentioned cursed and violence in the same sentence but little more than that. And Sabal had a very active imagination.  Maze was lucky that the rather serious content of the conversation was enough for Sabal to overlook the squid senses quip. For now.
     
    “He’s important to you,” Sabal states. She does not ask because she has an exceptional ability to read between the lines. Mazikeen would not go through this much effort for just anyone. This would be the perfect moment literally endless teasing, but it doesn’t sit well in Sabal’s stomach considering all that Maze had just divulged.  This was heavy shit. Obviously he was important to her and she’d functionally offered to kill him when this curse consumed him and where Maze was one of the strongest people that Sabal knew…was she that strong? Sabal hated that she doubted her, but her reasons for that doubt were that she knew all the great things that Maze was capable of – and the compassion that lurked below the surface of that fiery exterior.  Maze did everything with a ferocity that not everyone could understand – and that absolutely extended to her relationships. But this? Sabal didn’t want this to be the thing to break her friend.  The unanswered questions spread like a ripple in her mind, and she blinked them away to focus back on the present. 
     
    “Well you sure how to pick ‘em.” Is what she settled on, a jest sure but in the statement was also the clear acceptance of not only everything that Maze had just told her, but her subtle acknowledgment that she knew.
     
    ”I won’t tell anyone. I promise. And you know I’ll help you – both of you,”  This was the dangerous sort of secret, especially when Maze implied that this curse was something dangerous.  What Sabal didn’t know if it was dangerous just for Gale or if it was dangerous for everyone else. But at Maze's final words she allows her mood to lighten, somewhat.  Maybe some would be offended, but Sabal isn't going to be offended if it means she gets a present.  And she has a treasure trove hidden at the bottom of the lake that she hasn't shown a soul. 

    "It better be good," she said, finally letting a smile creep upon her features, "I have incredibly high standards, you know."  



    can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes.
    manip by squirt


    @[Mazikeen]
    #7
    Mazikeen
    Sabal asks for what she should look out for and Mazikeen thinks back to the story Gale had told her about his parents, when she finally learned what to expect (and learned how dumb she had been to make her promise at all without knowing ahead of time). She knew how annoying it was to try to keep an eye out for something when you weren't even sure what to expect so she shares what information she has. “He told me that it would start with lying and that eventually, once it’s in full swing… he’ll try to tear apart anything that displeases him.” She can’t remember if he said try or if he had been more certain - but Mazikeen adds it in because she’s set against letting there be any tearing of any kind. “The same thing happened to his dad so he knows what to expect. I asked how long it would take to get to the point where… where he’s too dangerous and he said it’s up to me - for as long as I can stand him.” The smile that is on her face now is as sad as they come. The fierce, wild flame of a hope that she’ll get years and the chilling fear that she already had the only good afternoon she’d have with Gale - or maybe the lies had already begun and the day they had beneath the renewed sun was false.

    Gale is important to her - and she nods even though it’s not a question, that sad smile remaining. He’d been important to her for a long time but it was only recently that she had figured out why. What it had meant when she hadn’t been able to think of anything else while they were apart and part of why she could not let go of her promise.

    The “Thank you.” she manages to both Sabal’s offer to help and promise to keep this secret is sincere and heartfelt. She’s glad Sabal isn’t cussing her out for bringing Gale to live here (yet, anyway) - she’d been worried and knew her friend would’ve pointed out an obvious solution if there had been one Mazikeen missed. She may look like a manatee but Sabal had a quick mind and a quicker tongue. She grins at the comment of high standards and makes a mental note to maybe help Gale pick out a present for Sabal. She’d like the two of them to be friends, while they can. Maybe they could all go swimming.

    Her promise to Gale is one she made back when she was just thinking she’d be able to stand him as a friend. But it remained one she still stubbornly intended to keep, no matter what.

    She knew it was going to hurt - and because it’s Sabal here and no one else, there’s no point in trying to deny it so she doesn’t look away when her orange eyes shine with tears and she lets out a humourless laugh. “I’m pretty fucked, huh? He tried to push me away for a while there… I thought it was because he thought I couldn’t handle it or because he thought I sucked without my shifting.” It’s difficult even now to believe that Gale had found her distracting or that he wanted her far away so she couldn’t be hurt. “It probably would’ve been easier but I couldn’t just…  well, you know how stubborn I can be.”


    @[Sabal]




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