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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


    I am a mermaid that you dreamt // Moira
    #1

    I'll be almost to the ocean when you open your eyes

    She dozed on the beach, prone and nestled into the form-fitting sand. Sunlight, blessed sunlight, drew milky tints from the scales that lay in neat rows down her body, warmed her down to the bone. It was paradise, as it was meant to be. Even the scent of decaying fish had faded from the breeze, evidence of her work in cleaning the beaches. 

    A deep, contended breath expanded her ribcage with salty air. There was a dream, dancing on the edge of her mind and promising something wonderful. If she slipped just a fraction deeper into rest, it would be on her. In the frustrating way of dreams, and sleep in general, the wanting pushed it out of reach. Her eyes stayed shut a moment longer, in denial that the moment had passed. 

    It had, though, and her eyes fluttered open. It was easier to sleep with the sun overhead. The burning circle was a watcher, a guardian, and she was doing her best to trust it again. So far, so good. Rolling to her side, the scaled mare rose just enough to look at the water rolling back and forth on the sand. Grit clung to her cheek and side, glittering where it stuck. She was lost in thought, trance-like with the sound of the waves and the heat of the sun. One leg cocked out, silvery scars wrapping it and making it unwilling to bend completely beneath her. 

    It was a peaceful day. One where thoughts crept up on her unbidden. Her daughters were stretching their limits, watching the world expand around them like ripples in a pool. Wild things, like all her children. Her grandchildren, a thought she still hadn't quite come to terms with. Oh, but she loved them, more than she could ever explain. Maybe Lilliana would understand. She made a promise that she would look up her old friend soon, and find out. There were new faces on the island, something that lightened her heart to see. The island was home, the residents, family. It was how it was meant to be. 

    And there were darker things. New faces, but how long would they stay? It was a cycle she'd gotten used to but it still made her sad to realize faces she'd grown accustomed to was no longer here. That was her task, though. Giving the weary room to heal. Healing enough to face the world again. Even she was healing, alongside her island. That was enough to make her begin believing in magic again.

    Aquaria

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    #2
    The kitten-guppies prefer to spend the midday sleeping, so I leave the trio of baby felis marus to their dreaming and lazing about in search of something else to occupy myself. I know that Acciona is busy, but I wander toward her favorite beach anyway because there is a slim chance the porpoises might be passing by on their way to their afternoon hunting and I could join them for a swim.

    I walk toward the sea, my dark hooves sinking into the bone white sand. I have been out of the water for some time, caught up playing with the more terrestrial of the marus kittens, and the glittering gold and violet fins along my dark body droop in the bright sun. I consider skipping into the surf. But touching the water will begin the shift quickly, and my twin sister’s cove is not the best for a nereid’s sand-to-sea transformations.

    Better to stay on land, I decide, and begin to trot parallel to the ocean along the firmly packed sand just out of reach of the surf. The spring sunshine is warm on my satiny grey sides, and even though they do not look their most glorious on land, the glint and glitter of the fins along my neck, sides, and legs and the scales on my underbelly are a lovely sight.

    I am ever hopeful that the next visitor to the island might appear on my watch, and for a moment my heart skips a beat when I see movement ahead. Closer, I find that it is my mother rather than someone unknown, but I still leave the shoreline to come closer and affectionately bury my face against her neck before pulling away.

    “Hey Momma!” The kingfisher that has been following along through the trees now comes to rest on my back. The sensation of his small claws reminds me of my companion’s other new-found ability, and my violet eyes light up at the prospect of telling my mother.

    “Look what we can do!” I glance over my shoulder at the bird whose gold, purple, and white coloring matches my own, and nod my head. The bird with no name opens its black beak and emits a noise unlike any other kingfisher. To me it sounds like the waves on a summer day, a compelling noise that draws my attention, and I am curious what my mother might know of it.

    Satisfied, I nod and the noise stops, and I look back at my mother.

    “What do you think?”

    @[Aquaria]
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    #3

    I'll be almost to the ocean when you open your eyes

    Her reverie was broken by the sound of sand crunching underhoof, and completely gone by the time a delicate head had nestled against the smooth surface of her neck. An easy smile curved her lips as the youngest of her brood greeted her. 

    "Hello, Minnow," she answered in turn, shifting her weight to see better what the elegantly finned girl had come to show her. The bird, a stocky-built fisher with sharp eyes and a sharper beak, seemed to have developed an affinity for Moira. Lately the two were nearly constantly within eyesight of each other, even as Moira and her twin grew more independent of each other. 

    It was, as always, bittersweet to see her children become their own creatures. Feral boys and wild girls, each with a taste for freedom no island could contain. She could no sooner halt the tides than stop them growing, and the results would be just as disastrous. They knew that first hand now. 

    Pushing away her weary thoughts, Aquaria turned her attention to the demonstration being given. Her eyes widened in quiet surprise at the oddness on display. "That's a new one," she commented when prompted. 

    "You're sure he's not part parrot?" She asked, dryly humorous. There was nothing parrot-like about him once you discounted the simple fact of both being birds, yet it was truly unusual for a bird outside that family to be so talented a mimic. 

    With a grunt of effort, the pearly mare rose to her feet. She gave the bird a sharp look, remembering particular shapeshifter she'd known who adored pranks like these. There was no answering wink or other recognition, however, so she put the idea away for the time being.

    Aquaria



    @Moira
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    #4
    Her mother smells of the sea, and her embrace surrounds Moira like sun-warmed sand, and the girl smiles happily. There is so little about her life that is not wonderful, and so she is pleased but not surprised that Aquaria has not seen a bird quite like Moira’s before.
    She seems impressed, too, and the filly shakes her head with a laugh when the Dame asks if the bird is part parrot.
    “Not that I know of!”

    While Aquaria climbs to her feet, Moira looks back out over the ocean. The mainland is nearly out of sight, but she knows that the trees there have almost lost their autumn foliage. They will be bare, ready for the coming winter, and Moira wants to see them.

    “Would it be okay if I went to the Mainland?” She asks, knowing she is just approaching the age at which she’ll no longer need her mother’s permission. She doesn’t need it now, not really, not if she could convince Grandmother to spirit her away. But she does try to be a good daughter, and so she asks.

    “I’d like to see Helion again, I think. And maybe see what the Meadow is like?” She had told her mother about the golden sun with enthusiasm, explaining that he has a sister who is a moon, and that she'll meet her someday too. 

    @Aquaria
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