[open] don't come find me; any

[Divest]

The years have come and gone. Divest used to count every passing year, noting the different seasons that came and went. Eventually though, she stopped counting. Time merged, blending, into one. It was only the changing of each seasons, marking a new period, that reminded her the world was still moving. Perhaps she would even forget the passing of seasons too—would time in the end have no meaning then? Maybe she was always destined for this—living a life where there was no end, at a standstill. An immortal life by its own nature where time is perceived differently. Time would become irrelevant, existing would not matter, and then life would have no meaning. When you can live forever what is there to live for? She needed to know—needed to find the answer. But where could she start? Where could she find her answer? Beqanna She remembered it. The beginning of it all. The land she had once known—once had called home. Home, she thinks and turns towards the direction of Beqanna, the ingrained instinct buried deep within her, takes her there. --- The air is hot and humid when Divest first arrives back to the land of magic, but she can feel the hidden crisp edges of winter biting at her heels. Even if there were no signs of winter here, she knew not too far away there was lands filled with snow or was it the uncertainty she faced that bit at her heels. Divest inhales the warm tropical air. Her silver eyes trace along the jungle treeline, noting the different bright colorful flowers and flora that decorate the landscape, and then drift up to the horizon of the jungle. In the distance, the smoke from a small volcano drifts in a slow and constant motion. She has seen the volcano a thousand times before from the viewpoint of her childhood home—one of the small islands off the coast. She isn’t sure what brings her here, to Tephra, instead of returning to the island from where it all began for her. Would she not find the answers she was seeking there instead of here? Divest has always been one to follow with logic and reason, but this time she has decided to follow her instinct instead. Shaking her head, the pastel mare tosses her silver mane. Divest lets her thoughts slip away and proceeds into the jungle, following a worn-out path that she thinks may lead her to the heart of Tephra.

[Gale]

i hear the wicked get no rest, but when you do ---------- i hope you dream of me The brindle creature remains near the waterfall. Mostly he is beneath the water, searching in and around the mysterious spring from which erupts liquid magic. The shapes he takes are varied but always aquatic, and this evening is no different. The sea turtle becomes a horse as he reaches the shallows, standing up and shaking the mane away from his bright blue eyes to better See the green horse moving through the jungle. Pale white and growing along the length of his spine, it is a stark contrast to the iridescent navy blue that comprises most of his skin. Equally white are the now-damp feathers of his quetzalcoatlus-like forelimbs, with which the horned magician easily climbs up the shallow bank. The glowing black antlers that grow from between his ears are very unlike those he’d worn at their last encounter. Gale has trouble recalling their last meeting, and must sort through the years and layers of shadows. But he is sure he had known her, and from the way his newly-resurrected host recoils from the probe, she had not been just an acquaintance. “Divest.” He says, stepping closer with a bright smile. “It’s been a while.” There are no shadows on his handsome face, but they twirl and twine around his legs, illuminated on occasion by the lightning that flickers in miniscule bolts across his skin. GALE

[Divest]

Following along the worn-out path, the pastel mare listens thoughtfully to the unfamiliar jungle sounds that fill her curious ears. She is cautious of the shadows in the jungle though—unaware of what dangers that lurk in the darkness of Tephra—but she is naïve of the real danger that lies ahead of the path that she follows. Her ear flickers at the sound of a faint hum that comes in the distance. With each step she takes, the vibration of the hum grows louder. She recognizes the sound as she comes closer, pulling through the canopy of the jungle. The worn-out path fades away from her hooves, opening to a hidden spring with a waterfall. Stepping forward, away from the shadows of the jungle’s canopy, she feels the warmth of the evening sun on her. Her silver eyes do not fail to catch the iridescent navy-blue stallion emerging from the swallow waters. Gale? She thinks with a confused and curious thought. His presence was unexpected. She is beyond surprised to find her childhood friend here and now standing in front of her. A warm natural smile curls up the edges of her soft lips as her eyes flicker across the figure of the still handsome stallion. “What a surprise to find you here,” she says softly with a soft laugh. The years between their last encounter have been long. Gale was in some way the same physically besides a few changes she notices, but those bright blue eyes of his had not. She wonders what has happened during those years. Would she learn that he had found what he had been looking for all along—his family and memories—and that life has been good to him. It was a wishful thought. Divest was not a fool though. She was not blinded by the world and all the fairytales that she had been told. There was never a perfect world, even beyond the lands she wandered across outside of Beqanna. It was a constant battle between chaos and peace. A world she knew she had to learn to be strong in. She meets his gaze again, memorized by his bright blue eyes and handsome face, with a soft smile still on her lips. “What are you doing here?” The pale mare asks because the last time she remembered Gale had been living at the Resort—now called Islandres. “Do you live here now?” She shouldn’t have expected things to remain the same on her return—time did not stop here. Divest knew deep down Gale was meant for better things than the simple life of an island life.

@Gale

[Gale]

i hear the wicked get no rest, but when you do ---------- i hope you dream of me There is no caution on the mare’s silver face, no suspicion at the forefront of her mind as she regards Gale with a soft smile and easy questions. So she does not know, he realizes. She has not been told to be wary of him, and the delight of continuous anonymity brings a pleased smile to the blue-eyed creature’s face, one that goes well with his bright eyes. He needs to make sure she remains unaware, Gale decides. Perhaps he’ll keep her a while, he thinks, and see how many dark things he can pull from that bright face. “I do live here,” he tells her, “I came to visit, and it was emptier than Islandres. I decided to stick around, to see what I could do with the place.” That is mostly true. He’s been doing his best to drive the few remaining residents out. “Is this a stop on your way back to Islandres?” He asks, and there is nothing but curiosity in his bright eyes. The cursed creature has made itself an inextricable part of Gale, and his approximation of the brindle stallion is flawless. It must be, to fool someone who had know the blue horse before he’d been Cursed. What could he do with Divest, he wonders? He’ll keep her in Tephra, he has already decided. Had she any skills? Color changing, he recalls, which is little use. But had there been something else? He wants to ask but knows better, so instead searches for any visible sign - scales or scorched earth at her hooves or the glow of magic. His blue eyes slide down her neck, the shade of green reminiscent of the soft leaves of the succulents that grew along the canyons of Loess, and then along the curve of her bare shoulder where no wings grow. Divest’s skin is unmarked with scars and though Gale matches thanks to the waterfall, he finds her lack of injuries somehow offputting. He’ll give her some, he decides, or set her up to receive them. He has been staring - as Gale always has - for long enough. He recalls, at the very last moment, to don a faint look of abashment at his wandering eyes when he meets hers again.  GALE

@Divest

[Divest]

There is only familiarity in those bright blue eyes of his—unaware of his deceptive nature. She will come to regret this day perhaps, knowing damn well she should have followed the more logical decision to return to her birthplace. Truthfully, she was not sure what she would have found there. It had been quite empty when she left to explore the world. She is naïve for now—until the day Gale decides to remove the mask he masquerades in now around her. The stallion brings a sense of comfort to her, a feeling of relief she has longed for since she has questioned her true existence. Divest isn’t quite certain she will discover it right away, but when you can live forever why worry about time? Divest had made the right decision she decided after hearing what Gale has said about the condition of Islandres. Tephra being empty was surprising. She wonders for a moment what the other lands of Beqanna are like—what sort of tragedies did her homeland suffer from in her absence. Yet, she is glad to hear that Gale has come here to offer his help. “You were always meant for bigger things, weren’t you?” The pastel mare says with a warm smile thinking about Gale living in Islandres since she first met him. His determination to find out who he truly was gave her that insight. “Tephra will surely see better days with you here.” She considers his question for a moment. The island was not far from the volcanic territory, but she did not feel drawn to the black sanded island. “No, not really,” she replies thoughtfully, “I don’t think I would find anything there worthwhile.” Her mother had disappeared, she had never met her father, and she assumes those she knew on the island have long moved on. “Maybe a visit would not hurt,” she mentions because there was something sentimental about returning back to the island eventually, “But I think for now I will find somewhere else to stay.” The pastel mare can feel his gaze wander, searching across her delicate figure. Divest was well aware of how beautiful she was, her mother had told her one day she would understand how her beauty would be a weapon. She would enchant others with ease, using it to get whatever she might wish for. Divest, however, doesn’t reveal her strengths (she hides her true capabilities by appearing simple and moving with profound confidence). She would never allow herself to appear weak. When his gaze meets hers once more, she smiles bashfully at him. Divest would not openly admit her attraction to him is still there from all these years apart—Gale perhaps and always would be her childhood crush. Instead, she breaks away from such silly thoughts and ideas, reminding herself she was no longer that island filly. “Do you think I could stay here for now?” She inquires because right now she’s not even certain where she would go.

@Gale

[Gale]

i hear the wicked get no rest, but when you do ---------- i hope you dream of me “I left Islay and Fenwe in charge,” he tells her, “But could find neither on my last visit.” Gale shrugs casually, since disappearances in a paradise renowned for solitude were not a concern. Had he been able to find them, of course, their fates would have been far darker. “I could use you here to help me.” He tells her with a smile when she suggests Tephra will flourish under him. Perhaps it will, with less horses to trample the greenery, and with moans and weeping where once had been the echoes of laughter. His host had hidden most memories of Divest from the Curse, so he picks through the green mare’s mind for what he is missing, and finds a youthful attachment that he is sure he can easily exploit. “Some of the residents do complain of nightmares,” he admits to her, “But I’ve had none in my home beside the waterfall.” He pauses, as if considering the implications, and then continues: “You’re welcome to stay there with me? If you’d like?” He’s found that heartbreak is a wonderfully powerful emotion. Taking it from someone else will surely make it all the more delectable. He must be careful for a while, he decides, must be patient and careful to not reveal himself too soon. Such a prime opportunity has stumbled into his lap, and he glances due east to where the Mountain stands, and wonders if Fate has had anything to do with this. Perhaps it’s only luck. “Have you been to Tephra before?” He says, turning his brilliantly blue eyes back to her. “It’s not nearly so colorful as Islandres, but it has its charms.” He thinks of the frightened children who huddle beneath the trees for protection from his powers, and smiles. GALE

@Divest

[Divest]

She was not surprised to hear that the paradise island laid empty. It had been quite vacant growing up, despite a few familiar faces she remembers. Her mother had perhaps chosen wise to live there considering the events that played out before her birth with her father and mother losing Sylva. It had been the perfect place to live a quiet life, undisturbed from the world. “Perhaps they will turn up,” she says, but there doesn’t seem to be any concern for their disappearance, and she leaves it at that. If not, someone was bound to turn up and claim the leadership position. Returning to the black island, even to rule over it, did not entice the pastel mare the slightest. Gale offers her something more—something she knew would not have been the same if she returned to the black island. She needed to be useful, sitting around had only ever left her wanting. There was nothing else for her to do either, except to seek the answers to her questions—the purpose of her return to Beqanna. Divest did not even know where to start with that. “I would like that very much,” she says with a smile when accepting his offer. “Nightmares?” She asks with uncertainty, “What would be causing the residents to have that?” It was troublesome. The pastel mare wondered what kind of darkness lurked in the jungle, dark magic that haunted the residents. Her doubt flickers away at his suggestion. It sounded like her best opinion, but she wasn’t even against it in the first place. “That’s very kind of you,” a soft smile appears across her delicate lips. “I promise I won’t be too much trouble for you.” The mint mare’s smile widens into a playful grin. “I’ve never been to here.” Everything was new to her, and she wonders what kind of marvelous things she would find. Gale speaks of it having its own charms, which it did have its own kind of beauty. She glances towards the beautiful waterfall behind him and then to the volcano that stood high above the treeline in the distance. “Could you show me around?” She asks, turning her silver gaze back to him.

@Gale

[Gale]

@Divest

i hear the wicked get no rest, but when you do ---------- i hope you dream of me Perhaps they will turn up, she says, and Gale nods in genuine agreement. He certainly hopes they do, and decides to pay another visit to the black-shored island soon to be very sure. The place has proven to be a land where one might easily get away with murder, and he rather eager to try again. With Divest, he thinks? Perhaps, but only after he has drawn everything else from her that he can. She steps so eagerly into his plans, telling him that she’d like very much to be useful. At her query about the nightmares, Gale shrugs as if to say: this is a world of magic, and her concerns seem to quickly vanish. She calls him kind, and Gale licks the teeth that he means to close around her throat before he’s done with her. They’re flat and dull for now, revealed only in a mischievous smile that matches her own before he adds: “Good trouble only,” and a wink that disappears quickly as he turns his head to look out at Tephra. “I would love to,” Gale says, smiling at the knowledge that she does not know this land. That will make it much harder for her to run away. “First though, have you any aches from travel? Try stepping into the water.” He waits a moment, then adds, much as the Gale she had known would have: “It’s Nikkai’s waterfall. It can heal any injury.” GALE

[Divest]

Seeing his mischief smile only draws her lips naturally up into a wider smile. “We shall see,” she says in return. Her silver gaze as well then follows out to look over Tephra. For a moment she is brought back to simpler times—a time where monsters and dangers did not exist. The black sanded island had been a paradise of peace. Gale brings the past even more into the present as he stares off into Tephra. She glances at him for a moment, knowing these simple moments were rare (and she would eventually learn she had been in the presence of a monster all along). Turning her attention back to look out at Tephra at his next words, she smiles softly. She would love it too, Divest would say, but she does not admit those things so openly. Instead, her curiosity turns towards the waterfall he speaks about now. The pastel mare remembers hearing stories of the magic entities that had been left as gifts. “Well, not so much as others might,” she says with a soft laugh. Divest has never felt an ache or pain in her life, truthfully. She may appear to be without magical abilities, but underneath she was well equipped. “Although, I am rather curious of this waterfall Nikkai has left behind.” And with that, the pastel mare steps forward towards the shallow bank. Would the healing properties feel any different than the ones she feels constantly flowing through her? Magic had always been a curiosity of hers. It had never seemed practical to her in the slightest, but their world in Beqanna was filled with it. There had to at least be some sort of sense to it. Emerging into the spring waters, the pastel mare instantly feels a rush of refreshment overcome her. The weight of her worries slips away, and she wonders if the waters are always this way. Gale had mentioned it could heal any injury; however, did that include the dark thoughts that lurked in the shadows of her mind she wonders. Divest turns her gaze back to Gale and says, “I suppose I did need it after all.” The calming of the water was warming, but she did not realize the storm that would eventually come from the monster behind Gale’s masquerading.

@Gale

[Gale]

@Divest

i hear the wicked get no rest, but when you do ---------- i hope you dream of me Not so much as others might, she replies, and Gale’s brow raises with clear interest. So perhaps she does have some hidden abilities. Though he’d taken the ability to steal thoughts from the body of a dead man, it is not a skill that the monster had perfected. He is still best with images, things that have been Seen rather than Thought, and the knowledge of Divest’s healing ability is something new to him. He does like healing. He likes taking it away, and watching as the disbelief settles over them, as realization dawns in their eyes as their body betrays them - remaining broken and torn instead of mending itself. How will Divest respond when he takes her Healing, Gale wonders. He thinks she might cry; those silver eyes will be breathtaking were they to sparkle with tears. Gale resists the urge to find out so soon, instead remaining still as she wades into the water. The fog stirs, splitting around her pale green body as she enters the water. Should he follow her? Slip into the water as something long and dark so he might rip her belly out from under her and turn the pool red with blood? Gale takes a step closer, half-smiling at the beautiful image. Will the waterfall heal her as he rips her open? How long might he rip her open, watch her repaired, and tear into her again? His eyes slide hungrily across her, searching once more with his Eyes that he’d not missed anything. No scales, no wings, no outward indicators of anything. He takes another step, and another, and only when he’d just hardly lifted his foot to step into the water, he finally pauses. He’s getting carried away. Destroying her body would be a temporary satisfaction. Best to keep her alive, to draw black emotions until she is nothing but a dry husk, and then he will kill her. That image does make him smile outright. So he meets her eyes again, this time seemingly unabashed at his inspection, and asks: “You have abilities then? Some type of healing?” When she comments on having needed the water after all, Gale nods agreeably. Perhaps it has soothed her as well, washing away any worries that might put her on edge. “Anything that might make the walk to the volcano shorter?” He asks, a perfect imitation of Gale’s bright smile and teasing eyes. The white-haired stallion had always been a talker, and though the Curse is more tight lipped, he chatters on for Divest’s benefit. “I fell in once. Not something I’d like to repeat, so I wouldn't recommend it. No even with the waterfall so near.”  He grins, mischievous despite what would otherwise be a frightening tale. It had ended well, it would seem, as he is (again) living and breathing, watching Divest with amusement. GALE