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the Rift

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Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459

Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5

Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE

Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan

#21

09-16-2012, 07:22 AM

LACE

Who, in his mind,
has not probed the dark water?

Perhaps it was the signs of her happiness and general ease that allowed him to relax and enjoy the quiet conversation. Slowly but surely he began to forget about the storm that hollered around them, violent even as it began to fade. The rain brought no discomfort, and within the company of the mare and the dragons the stallion allowed himself a small moment of peace, of comfort and pleasure over the chance to use his mind. The quiet battle they fought was one of understanding and ideals, and it was one that he liked far better than the heated clashes upon the battlefield. Perhaps it was shameful of a warrior to think like that, but for the moment he didn't care. Shame was something he was familiar with, and he had lived with worse things than a short time of displayed weakness.

"Oh, I have faith in your ability to claim a land for yourselves" he returned, smiling but still serious in his attempts at finding cracks in her reasoning. "Any group will remain strong while fighting for a common goal, it is the time afterwards that will reveal how strongly you really are connected. Even I could probably pull together a group and convince them that they need to stick together to accomplish something, and with the initial enthusiasm we'd be able to pull through. But once the fight is over and everything return to normal, the real trials begin." How would she keep them together when they had time to consider their personal lives again? Stallions and mares formed bonds of love and friendship, then broke them; families were created only to separate once more, spreading the bonds thinner and thinner until a group could disperse without a trace. It could happen so easily if there were no common goal that went beyond loyalty to a leader and a name. A group needed an ideal to strive towards, a goal to work for that involved every one of the members, from the generals to the newborn foals. Without it, any regime wold only last so long.

He had to smile to himself as Mirage began to answer his doubts once more. Yet again she managed to come up with a good reply, and not only did she manage to silence him but as she delved into the concept she was striving for he found himself nodding, agreeing and liking the things she spoke about. Balance, huh. It was fleeting and vague, but far better than promises of greatness and glory he had heard many other leaders speak about. Mirage's goal felt suitably humble, and in the long run it might even be possible to achieve; as long as she didn't try to swallow too much at once.

The stallion hummed quietly as she finished and turned the head to look out over the frothing sea. Listening to the sound of the chattering dragons he mulled over the possibilities that rested within her dream, how it could be applied to reality and the infinite amount of wills and ideas that compromised the minds of the living. A desire was kindled somewhere in the depth of his soul, a wish to be a part of it; if everything went right the Qian could become something great, a legacy that was more than a land and a form of rule. It felt like something worth leaving behind, and that if anything attracted the stallion who had nothing but his own memories to confirm his existence with.

Golden eyes turned to the remnants of the smoldering log. Quietly he slipped away from her side and walked over to it through the rain, his feet soundless against the wet sand. Stopping in front of the charred piece of wood he regarded it for a while, compared it to the darkness and the doubt that so far had clouded his mind; with a snort he shifted the balance back to the hind legs and lifted the front above the ground. A statue of black and gray, wet and obscure within the darkness of the day he hung, suspended in the air for a moment. Then black feet came down upon the fragile wooden carcass and he crushed the log with a determined look, unflinching as hot ash was stirred up into the air and burned the skin of his legs and belly. The wet coal chirped and squeaked beneath the dark hooves as it was ground into the earth, a symbol for a weakness he had to overcome. Perhaps this was his chance to redeem himself, to begin anew and join with a higher purpose.

"I'll help you in whatever way I can.. is what I'd like to say. You're very convincing, and I admit that the world you want to create is one that I have longed for myself. But Mirage, I just can't jump into anything without thinking it over carefully first." He looked up from the log and over at the dark queen with a directness in the golden gaze that told more than words of the conflicting wishes within him. "I hope you will have patience with me for a while longer... Perhaps I will have straightened things out by the next time we meet."

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