If anyone could have seen him, they might have thought him dead himself. Of course they could not see him. Instead, the only visible clue that there was life at all was the skirting of rocks. All else was hidden, by the stolen cloak upon his back. In honesty though the gold was glad for it. Now for nearly three days the golden had been awake upon his feet. Dragging himself through the chaos. He always did enjoy being in the thick of it, but now, he wanted to be nowhere near it. A cave, quiet and cold seemed the perfect place to ignore everything the last seventy two hours had held.

Slipping, and sliding along the ice floor of the Arch the invisible gold found some serenity in knowing the end of this hatred day was nearly over. He could want nothing more. The smell of burnt flesh still lingered in his nose, and the sound of Kahlua’s screaming haunted his hearing. Too many nightmares, to many waking days.

It was not meant to be though. Somber, and dragging, the beast arrives to his valley. But what should have been a vast valley view was blocked by a gathering. Harks fell flat as a familiar tall dun blocked is path. What in the world could Gaucho want? The golden had not been included in prior conversation, so he mind wondered if the invasion was a shock to him. Though it did not seem like war was coming to their door. Especially as a small black and gold figure huddled before him. Sleeplessness clouded his reason and he could not understand the reason for this unknown creature, and the presence of Gaucho. He wasn’t in the mood for tricks. There wasn’t even a whim of energy left to lie. He just want everyone gone. Everything done. Even if he had to do it all himself.

Coming up, remembering the cloak still upon his back, he hears the last words of the gold mare. Dad. Lightening. And the gold freezes. He knows now why she is here. Breath exhales slowly as the moments pass with him frozen and loosing grip again. Eyes fell back unfocused to see the charred body upon the platform, to smell the burnt flesh, and know its name. A shiver runs down his spine, and the words of the dun only vaguely enter in. Antlered mare…Arah? But she did not have a prisoner did she? How long had he been away again? A mist filters over him and in such state he nearly misses the arrival of the lord and lady. Weary as he was, it could not find its usual high level of processing, and was clearly floundering upon the rocks.

The lady’s clear voice broke washed over him and he lifts his head. He just wants to leave them as he sees the mare begin to come to the realization he already had. Let them figure it out for themselves. Drown in it if they wanted to. He did not care anymore, nor did he want to think of the smell of the burnt body. But he could not. Of course he could not. It was in every figure of his being to not. So he was caught in the crosshairs. Unable to leave the scene, but unable to bring is full self to it. Did he care the Wildfire would see his true colors? Of course he cared, but he didn’t have the mind to begin to think that far. Even the gold could suffer dearly from lack of sleep. Besides, as much as he would love to see the swan princess answer for some crime, she was HIS. His spy. Her actions were not unprotected.

Reaching back the gold pulls the black cloak from his shoulders to his satchel at his side. To them, if they could be pulled from thought enough to notice, they would see space shiver, and like the falling of dust settling on an object, the glittering cloak of the gold, and his form beneath appear. He is not his usual self though. More closely than ever he resembles the shell he had been in the winter, eaten away inside by flies. But this was a much heavier sickness. His head, neck tired as it was from holding it, looked to weigh a hundred pounds. His shoulders sagged, and hips slacked. Dirt smudged along his coat, where dust had collected on his sweat under the leather of his armor now concealed. And those eyes. Those earth eyes usually sharp and clear were dead to them.

Even his voice was deadened. “He has gone.” Toneless and empty it spoke without soul. “Ulrik has taken his body to the Heavenly Fields.” He turns from Deimos’s back to the white form of his lady. Those eyes staring emptiness into her. “He sends it with Essetia back to the Falls.” Then the gold turns it looks at gold and black mare. He had not even the sense to catch her name earlier. On her features, bearing so closely the emotion on his he lingers. Her soul though knew what it felt. Sadness and grief. His did not. It was empty. There was little to grieve for him. He had always despised the czar. So the loss was not a cause for sadness. But in the throes of this foggy world, that scene had cut him all the same. No mortal could sense death so clearly, and be unaffected. So he winces and in his down cast face, speaks to her softly. “He too grieves.” It was a lie, as far as reality could actually tell him. But in honesty the gold thought Ulrik did, and in the bluntness of his mind felt it no lie to say so. Perhaps it was as close as the gold could get in this moment to telling her he was sorry for her.

There was still another issue, and so his head turns, and at last his eyes follow, to Gaucho. The fact that the dun would want to kill him passed through his mind. But it also slipped out ungrasped. He gave the dun’s attitude, if he had one, not a single fuck. Not one. There wasn’t even the enjoyment of seeing a ploy revealed (which was usually his favorite part). Instead the golden squarely looked at the dun, and in the same tone and shape as the prior sentences, he spoke at last. “What business do you have with my spy?” It was flat as the others, but with a little harder edge. Perhaps it was his lack of sleep that caused him to stand so uncaring before someone who could so easily crush him. If the dun wanted to fight for his honor then so be it. So close to the death of another, and the deadness of his soul, the threat would hold little actual threat.


OOC :: You are invited to tell thran he looks terrible, because for once he won't beat you up for it. XD
"Speech"