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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 dark matter, your road to ruin; Djuna
    #1

    i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

    He is lost in thought as he traverses the edges of the meadow, dreams and plans and schemes whirling in a way that would be nearly impossible for anyone with the ability to follow. With memories lingering in so many forgotten corners of Beqanna and all the possibilities to come coursing through his skull, it is a wonder he has not surrendered to madness.

    It is a curious thing that he remains almost perfectly sane beneath the force of so much knowledge. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it’s merely that those destined to house such things have been designed for it. It’s a pleasant thought, but he knows better than most that it is simply not true. Not with the madness that runs so rampant in the parallel branches of his family.

    The bone-shrouded stallion is distracted momentarily when Rune dives from the sky above, wind whispering through his feathers as he abruptly flares them wide to halt his descent. He lands heavily on the bone protruding from his hip, causing Reave’s leg to dip briefly beneath the weight of the large harpy eagle. Reave pays little mind to the bird’s antics, pausing only long enough for Rune to settle before starting forward again.

    The bird’s landing had caused the bone to pull against his flesh, releasing a fresh trickle of blood from the ragged edges where it continues to force its way through his skin. Reave ignores it, so accustomed to the way it pulls and splits with movement that it is little more notable than a fly bite. It is only when he reaches the edges of a familiar pool, waterfall streaming down from the stone ledge at the far end, that he halts. His gaze is curiously distant as he stares at the streaming water. An expression that clearly says he is far, far away regardless of where his body currently rests.

    reave



    @Djuna
    Reply
    #2
    Djuna
    the would-be queen
    Djuna's mind is blank as she zigzags back and forth across the open Meadow. She's trying hard not to think too much, concerned where it might lead her if she does. The past few weeks have been nothing but thinking, and all she wants now is to rest.

    Tall autumn-dried grass dances against her sides, the tide of rich yellows parting against the vessel of her body as she zigzags back and forth across the open plain. The inside of her pretty head is empty, no real goal or destination in mind as she wanders back and forth, back and forth. Eventually the speckled woman finds herself at the edge of a small pool, its glassy surface disrupted by the waterfall at the far edge. The gentle murmur of water lures her from the safety of the grass. Forward she steps until she's nearly at the sandy bank.

    But then she sees him, standing just across the little stream, and she freezes. Not out of recognition, but disbelief. What ― who? ― is she looking at?

    Skin splits and cracks and gives way to sun-bleached bone, protruding ghoulishly through the chestnut stallion's coat. She nearly recoils at first, instinct driving her towards repulsion, but jade eyes remain glued to him. It's strange how she's unable to look away, somehow fascinated despite the way her stomach rolls. 'How does he live like that? Is he in pain?' Djuna wonders as she continues to stare from where she stands on the opposite bank of the pool that separates them, rooted almost as deeply as the grass that sways against her own hips. It's not until several seconds later that she realizes there's blood dripping from his hip, carving a rivulet of crimson through his chestnut-and-ivory coat.

    Ten, twenty, thirty more seconds pass by before Djuna finally forces herself forward from her spot, stepping out from the midst of the grasses and onto the sandy edge of the bank. "Hey!" she calls out over the distant droning of the waterfall and the susurration of water, "are you okay? You're bleeding."


    @Reave
    Reply
    #3

    i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

    He is aware of her the moment she settles on the opposite bank, her memories a cloud of stories around her dancing on the emotion coursing through her breast. He is curious, as he always is, but he says nothing at first. Instead he stares, blue eyes gleaming with a strange brightness behind the glow of his bone mask. He knows the moment she realizes he is there, and the moment she recognizes what she is looking at. The revulsion and the fascination that war with each other.

    He is used to the way his bones rupture so sharply from his skin, but he knows it is an uncommon sight to most of the world. One day, when he had reached the peak of adulthood, his body would settle into immortality and the bone would stop growing. He has seen all the paths that lead to it - an inevitability. Until then however, the bone would grow and he would bleed.

    A grin pulls across his lips when she finally snaps from her reverie and surges forward, shouting across the water at him.

    Slipping forward, he splashes through the water until he reaches the opposite bank. Rune, annoyed by the spray of water, screeches before spreading his wings and launching into the sky. The movement releases another trickle of blood. Reave ignores it as easily as he has all the rest. When he is finally close enough they could have a normal conversation, the red and white stallion grins impishly, eyes gleaming with amusement. “How kind of you to be so concerned for my welfare,” he offers by way of greeting, gaze steady on her from behind his mask. There is something decidedly roguish in the look he gives her. “I must ask though, what would you have done if I were not okay?”

    reave



    @Djuna
    Reply
    #4
    Djuna
    the would-be queen
    His question gives her pause.

    "Well... I guess... I don't really know." Djuna admits somewhat sheepishly, embarrassment flaring hot under her skin. Helping others had never really been imperative to her, unfortunately, and as such she'd never learned how to react in a situation where someone else might be relying upon her for their well-being. The once-was princess never had reason to believe she might end up in a situation like that. Luck is the only excuse she has for avoiding it this time around. Pale lips press together briefly in consternation as she considers her next words. "I guess I would have tried to find someone who could heal you. I couldn't do it myself but I'm sure there must be others who would."

    That was the reasonable thing to do, right? Compassion, empathy, tenderness, all these things had never been particular strong points in Djuna's personality, but she knew what neediness looked like when she saw it. That wasn't to say that this guy looked needy ― but... well, what else was she supposed to think when he had bone and blood pressing from his skin? These kinds of... oddities, they didn't occur back home. Horns and wings and split hooves, the occasional odd color, those were normal. This was most certainly not.

    So she bit her tongue, not wanting to offend. He must be fine, she figures, if he can speak so calmly while actual bones protruded from his flesh. Would it be untoward of her to ask him about it? She inches towards the edge of the pool, stopping when she feels water lapping at her pasterns.

    The green-eyed woman opens her mouth and before she can really think, asks, "So this is... normal for you?"

    So much for not being rude.


    @Reave
    Reply
    #5

    i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high

    He can see the hesitation and embarrassment in the memories that assault her in the wake of his prying question. It had to be uncomfortable realizing that he understood her inability to help if he had genuinely needed it. Aside from her lack of healing abilities, while she is not a particularly small mare, he is still larger. And heavier, weighted down as he is by the bone armor jutting through his skin.

    His grin widens at her stammered response.

    She is clever enough though, he would give her that. She responds in the only way that makes any sort of sense for her, and Reave chuckles at that. He can’t seem to help himself. He cares little that she lacks any sort of tendency towards compassion (he too lacks those very same things). It’s far more fun when they are susceptible to the recklessness pulsing in his soul, and that sort of creature is rarely found in someone with a gentle, healing heart.

    “There are and they have,” he replies casually to her question, wicked amusement written across the shrouded lines of his face. “And yet, here I stand bleeding as though they never did.”

    He shrugs carelessly before shifting and splashing from the water onto the bank. The clear, sharp blue of his gaze remains fixed on her, curiosity lurking in those brilliant depths. He grins at her next question. He wouldn’t know whether it is rude or not, nor would he care. Reave has always been given to speaking his mind. Whether he should or not, he rarely cares, and if others find him rude… well, that is their problem to solve, isn’t it?

    Which is not to say he is a cruel or callous man. He isn’t that, though neither would anyone call him kind.

    “Yes.” His reply is simple and honest. The gleam in his eye is far less so. “You get used to it,” he adds with amusement before introducing himself. “I’m Reave.”

    reave



    @Djuna
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