the Rift


Clear Conscience [open/Mauja]
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#1




[OOC: Any can come/join, but she is mainly going to want to talk to Mauja.]

With a heavy heart that she seemed to not be able to wring out, she had nothing but her own mind to keep her comfort. She replayed, over and over, the last few weeks of her life and found that her foolish behavior was absolutely unlike her and nothing that she wished to continue. However, simply making this promise to herself was not enough; Phi had to make certain things right, regardless of how frightened she may be to return.

As such, she found her cloven hooves on the border of the Edge, glad to find that the once burned trees were nice and lovely again. Still, the weather had changed, and the cool air brightened her spirits. The young mare had always been a creature of the frost, and she eagerly awaited the first snow fall after a long and bitter summer.

Respectfully, the young mare stopped her hooves without pressing further into the mysterious treeline, and she simply stood and enjoyed the beauty of this place. Of course, rarely any environment was one that Ophelia found unattractive. At first she thought that coming here, facing the dangers of this place that she had experienced before, was a cry for attention. She did not want others to worry about her, but her tattered heart might lie about her purpose.

So, she spent a day mulling over why she was going, to make sure that her actions were not self-destructive. They were not. Ophelia simply wanted her conscience to be clear - for matters between her and others to be right. Her soul did not need another weight on its already bruised surface.

Curiously, she craned her elegant, pale neck around, ears perked forward on her slender poll. Her dual colored eyes searched the familiar forest for an equally familiar pale, dotted figure. "King Mauja?" she called; her voice, soft like chimes, carried on the breeze. "Or anyone, really..." she added.








Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#2
I couldn't see any time reference in your post, so I hope it's okay I assumed it's late afternoonish? :3 Otherwise just let me know and I'll change it. ^^

Sunlight, moonlight...

Sometimes he wondered if there was a kind of sixth sense bestowed upon leaders - an innate knowledge of things that transpired within the borders of his home, a nagging sense guiding his hooves in the direction where they were wanted or needed. Trespassers, newcomers, lonely family members - somehow, he found a lot of them, simply by following his intuition, and the faint scents the wind sometimes brushed against his nostrils. Sometimes it brought voices, too, whispered words, and at times it felt like it was the Moon herself blowing them his way, speaking them gently into his ears to make sure he heard them. And now, it whispered a gentle query, a hesitant summons, to him, and he felt his eyes slowly open to the world. Warm golden sunlight filtered down through the trees, gently playing across his face and back as the leaves rustled with the wind. The sun was dropping towards the horizon, and he knew that soon the gold would turn to orange, and then to red, until finally that hated disc sunk and left the sky purple. Mauja blinked, clawing his way from the confines of sleep and into the world. Birds sang, and if he strained, he could hear the deep, distant crash of waves upon the edge's base. A fond smile played across his lips, and he pushed his poll upwards, stretching out the muscles in his neck. With a grunt he relaxed again, and stretched all legs as he slowly began to walk forward. It was nothing like waking up to your home on a beautiful afternoon, now that the heat had begun to dissipate. It left the shadows pleasantly cool, and with a snort he shook his head and headed in the direction of the borders.

He drifted easily through the trees, accompanied by the mist that swirled around his frosted hooves. Today it wasn't all that thick, and a lingering warmth in the air told the story of a fairly hot day. He was glad to have slept most of it away, or spent it grazing in the shadows. It would return to night, thickening to fog at dawn - he could feel it in his bones, the certainty that the Moon would start to sweep in with frost soon, to blanket the world in tiny, beautiful crystals that shimmered in the dawn light. There was nothing quite as beautiful as frost.

Pale like a wraith with her mane and tail dipped in red she stood upon his borders, peering at the forest, looking for him no doubt. After all, her gentle, chiming voice had born his name, and he was not quite sure what he felt about that. He knew her name now - Ophelia - and her hellish sister was Ktulu. She'd shut off his air, and it had been an entirely new and not too pleasant experience for the stoic king. That memory was unpleasant, but witnessing Deimos work his powers had been.. enlightening, if nothing else. For now, though, he chose to not reveal that he knew of her little brothers, or her name, even though it certainly was inviting to greet her by it just to watch her face. Why she was back he couldn't fathom, but as long as she didn't bring her devil sister of choke him to death he was okay with entertaining her. Just in case he drew in the air deep, sampling it for signs of Ktulu, but he found none. As satisfied as he could be with it he walked silently towards the white mare, peering at her with open curiosity. Sunlight sparkled in the frost upon his horn and lightened his spotted coat further, giving him a gleam similar to her own. She was quite beautiful - if only her heart would lay in the right place... But he was fairly certain it didn't. "Hello again," he told her in a voice laced with curiosity, a faint smile upon his face - soft, gentle, not at all mocking. Why greet her with jeers and anger, and remind her of that moment? "I'm glad you stayed on the border this time. It makes my life a lot less complicated." Mauja's head tilted to the side, his long forelock sliding off his forehead. "What do you want?" Despite the wording, his voice carried a slight hint of warmth, and that seemingly ever-present curiosity.

Above all things, curiosity was one of the largest forces driving Mauja forward through life.
night-fate-stock -- dreamofsandman -- deirdre-T -- deviantart.com // i-mi.deviantart.com
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#3




[OOC: Anyone is welcome! :D Phi is friendly]

The young mare watched as a pale figure walked from the tees, his very presence announcing his title for him. With respect for his position, she inclined her head and then looked into his icy blue eyes. From a brief moment of glancing at her reflection, she knew that she too had one blue eye. The other was crimson, like her sister's.

As she recalled the last time she had met with the King, fear rose in her soul; it had rebelled at being sucked out of her body, inches at a time. The distance she felt from others and the aching of her heart were most likely symptoms of nearly dying, and she realized then that everything on this land seemed to be conspiring against her.

Just as he was trying to make sure that Ktulu was not anywhere nearby, Ophelia's keen, dual colored eyes scanned the mists for Deimos, and at the same time, they both decided that they were safe from darker magic. A bitter smirk crossed her lips when Mauja thanked her for staying on the border, and then she listened to his question.

"In my defense, I was barely a few feet beyond a border that I was unaware existed in this specific place," she added pointedly. "However, I did not come here to argue semantics. I came here to apologize."

Ophelia's expression softened, and some of her heartache leaked through in the gentle lines and curvature of her pale face. "Though I tried to apologize before, my sister's protective nature of me and Deimos' attack made my words difficult to hear." The white and crimson mare then inhaled deeply and exhaled a sigh. "I should not have been such a child before, and I am sorry. "

She took a few steps away. "I hope that in the future, you and I can find common ground on which to stand. " Then, the young creature's gaze was pulled to his crystalline point upon his brow. "Your horn reminds me of Frostfall. I eagerly await its arrival," she commented absently before making to leave.








Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#4
He had a fair guess as to what she sought in the mist, a dark, blue-edged shape that often was not far - a necromancer in its own right, draining the life from the world around them. How he survived without killing off the entire forest remained a mystery to Mauja, who offered Ophelia soft smile as if to say, he is not here, don't worry. He caught no whiff of Deimos himself, though a monster of another sort was likely not far. It seemed that the only times his black pet left his side was when he played with Snö - it suited the King just fine, for she needed a protector after the incident with the Throat. Although, it seemed to him that she was not as easily able to brush the past off as he, bitterness tinging her smirk while only warm curiosity colored his. He could hardly blame it on near-death experiences, for after all, he had had one, too. Curiously he flipped his ears forward when she spoke, and he refrained from pointing out that she'd been a bit further in. Like she said - she had not come here to argue that, so he'd let it rest. He knew the truth, and that was good enough for him. As her words flowed out his head tilted to the side, wondering where this would go. At the mention of her sister, Ktulu, Mauja grimaced slightly. Protective, hell yeah. He'd never argue with Ophelia on that point, at least. "Apology accepted," he told her with the hint of a smile, wondering what else he could say to such a thing. No you trespassed once I'll hate you forever! was far too counterproductive, and d'Artagnan for example had been contemplating the deaths of others all the way at the Edge when Mauja had found him. He'd certainly been forgiven that trespass since.

What was more of a surprise, however, was her desire to find common ground with him. Why on earth? Simply because she'd enjoy his company? He wasn't quite sure. Or did she want something from him, snake into his good graces and learn information about the Edge? She was of the Dragon's Throat, a mixed predominantly Pegasus herd, and if he'd caught Vadim's drift properly she might even be a mixblood. What on earth could she possibly want with him? But he was not one to deny such a chance, to know more, though he would certainly do his best not to slip something valuable to her (or maybe he would, just to see what happened - where it would end up). Curiously he raised a 'brow at her comment, the way her body swayed, as if to leave, walk away the way she'd come. "And how do you propose to find that common ground, if you walk away from me?" he asked with amusement in his voice, not moving from where he stood rooted upon the border. And somehow it amazed him that she, too, longed for Frostfall: white she certainly was, but that was no guarantee to enjoy the snowy season. A lot found beauty in it yet shivered in the cold, some relished it like the snowbeast himself, and some found it a long, burdensome wait until the days lengthened again and the winds blew warm. He would not have pegged her for a thing of winter, but perhaps she was, a fleet-footed wraith with bloodied fringes, the only thing to give her away at a distance. Once the idea had taken root, he could easily picture her dancing across the crust, weightless as a feather blown by the bitter wind, yet steadfast as the mountains themselves in a blizzard - but as he tried to picture Ktulu, he just came up with the image of her dark shape belly-deep in snow, gracelessly sloughing through it in an attempt to get... somewhere. Faintly amused, he snorted.

The vision said quite much on differently he valued the twins.
night-fate-stock -- dreamofsandman -- deirdre-T -- deviantart.com // i-mi.deviantart.com
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#5




The soft smile that curved his lips made her wonder if he could read her mind, but she supposed that her body language was just as obvious as his. As he grimaced, she inwardly smiled, thinking that Ktulu would be proud to know that her gift had struck fear in the heart of the King of the Edge, but the crimson and white mare said nothing. When he accepted her apology, she smiled rather brightly, and an invisible weight lifted off of her already heavy shoulders. Still her heart ached, and she desperately wished that it would just stop. "I appreciate your acceptance; you did not have to, but I will admin that I feel much lighter now that what happened between us is passed."

She had assumed that this simple talk would be enough for the Ice King, so she had started to leave, her cloven hooves crunching the already crispy grass. His deep voice caught her by surprised, and one of her pale ears tipped in his direction, and she raised a brow when she turned to look back. Ophelia chuckled softly, the sound like chimes. "That would be rather difficult," she agreed.

He seemed surprised that she would miss Frostfall, or least, that was what she gathered from the brief shift of his features. "I believe the Frostfall is one of the only parts of living within the Throat that does not appeal to me," she replied. "I spent many months in the Frostbreath Steppe upon my arrival here, hiding from my own mind." The young mare smiled sadly, her dual colored eyes growing distant. Ophelia could not decide whether she spoke so much because she trusted him or if this was information she found unimportant. Most likely the latter; her appearance had been missed by her sister and father, so she could not know exactly who else had noticed her absence so long ago.

As for living in the Throat, she did not think that fact was terribly giving. The herd was mostly feathered, but Ophelia was obviously not. "I return to the snow as often as I can." She glanced up once more at his icy horn. "I can only assume that you too appreciate the snow?" she asked. Was she talking too much? Perhaps. Now hush.








Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#6
Had it burned her so, knowing that the Edge King was displeased with her? His eyes narrowed a fraction, barely noticeable, as he listened to her bright voice. So at odds, the gentle lilt of her voice with the frigidity of her appearance. Was it truly a monarch's regard she worried for, or was it the other side of the coin - that she cared not what he thought, but wished to make amends for herself, because she was displeased with her own reaction? Both were equally possible. As a King, he had met so many shallow and vain individuals, who fawned at him and fell at his feet, bowing and smiling their false smiles while they waited for him to elevate them and their silver tongues to high status, before striking a horn in his back. And each and every time he met them, he loathed them, cared not for their elegant, pretentious movements. He only cared for the fire in their hearts and the steel in their spine, both which those bowing cretins usually lacked. The very concept of losing sleep over what a ruler thought about you was, to him, foreign. If she came, simply because she did not want to look bad in the eyes of a King... well. That was her problem. Or was it so, that she saw him not as a King, but as an individual? Some did, and he appreciated it, but with her, he was not sure. And she did not mention Deimos. Did she wish to forgive him his attack, too, because she'd been "such a child", or did her revenge, her shrill, dark promise of repaying him eye for an eye still stand? Could she break her own oaths, despite having given them at perhaps not the sanest of moments?

His words gave her pause, her movements stalling, and he stood where he was regarding her curiously. Had she expected him to be bitter and angry, wishing her to leave, perhaps even growling at her? Mauja was hardly a rude creature. Rather, he was the type to smile, pretend to forgive and forget, and then invite you in for tea. Whether or not he had asked his dear Doctor to poison the tea or not was another matter entirely. Still, he knew this round of the Russian roulette was safe - he had not brought Deimos with him, intended not to lure her into the shadows and spring his necromancer upon her. No. It was easier to not actively loathe, but he would not forgive, either, by will though, and not by simple biology. She was pleasant enough to be around, beautiful to look at, and she seemed keen of mind - he liked the sound of her voice, the gentle tinkle of her laugh, like a brook in spring. He knew that there could lurk wildness in it, a bitter and untamed edge; she was her own silver lining, hiding the dark of a storm cloud. For now, he would enjoy what she had to offer, but her allegiance had her doomed in the end. "Are there so many ghosts in that skull of yours, that you need to hide from yourself?" he asked with a small smile, stepping forth from his border, leaving the ash-stained ground behind. Out, away, from the deep, dark secrets of his trees. He did not trust her. He did not want her in there. Out here? Of course she could be here.

She smiled sadly and he found himself curious about her demons, that in herself which she sought to hide from; ever curious as he was, it came as no surprise, but it was a thing he knew he was unlikely to ever learn of. The secrets that niggled at his inquisitive mind the most were the personal ones, the traumas of a childhood or the long, sad tales of abuse - or the ones of greed and ambition, fallen kings and riots. Those were the things he desired to know the most, and the ones that were the hardest to pry loose from the hearts in which they lay. Few were inclined to share such intimate things with strangers, and even if he would've had the time to wriggle his way into her good graces, some things were never spoken of. So he resigned himself to the fate of always wondering, but never knowing - to store the enigma of her being along with all the others he had met, mysteries their owners took with them to the grave, never for the FrostHeart to know. "I am the son of snow," he said, a vague smile playing across his face, as if secretive. "This summer has nearly driven me mad, and now that the chill of autumn is finally on the way, I prance like a lunatic." He tossed her a rakish grin, elegantly sweeping past her and facing towards the west. He wanted to forge on, bull ahead, not want to give her moment to comment on his statement of lunacy - it was a thing best left as it was, not dwelt upon or even addressed. "There are other things of beauty to witness here. Have you seen the ocean from on high?" he asked, as if nothing at all had happened - as if he'd said nothing at all about prancing.
night-fate-stock -- dreamofsandman -- deirdre-T -- deviantart.com // i-mi.deviantart.com
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#7




Did he narrow his eyes at her? The expression as so brief that she questioned whether or not it had appeared at all, but if he did, what reason did he have to mistrust her? She supposed that all Kings had to be generally distrusting of others, but she was coming here to apologize. What other motives could she be here for? Well... she was a spy, but she had heard that Mauja had spoken to Kri himself before. All of this was much too complicated for her simple desire to apologize for her previous actions.

Ophelia did not see herself as any creature of unique beauty or grace; she was simply herself, and she had no intentions of using her natural, striking appearance for her own gain. She seldom saw herself in a reflection, and even so, she was rather self-conscious of her strange colored eyes and the fact that she was so plain compared to her exotic sister. Everything about her was natural; she was comfortable in her own skin, unaware of its charms, but mildly displeased with a few features - a typical female.

She alluded to her memories and past, and she snorted bitterly at his comments about ghosts in her head. There were many, many ghosts in her head. Memories of shades, demons, wraiths that wanted to kill her and drag her body into the hell that was currently named 'Isilme'. He stepped from the borders of his land into a neutral zone, and she watched curiously. Was he trying to get her father from his borders or was this an attempt to metaphorically create common ground. Even though she found Mauja to be respectable, she did not think him kind or trusting enough to do so out of his gentle nature.

"I did," she replied honestly. "When I first arrived and was too young to understand why I could not forget the death of my birth place," she explained, though still rather cryptically. Ophelia was not keen on yet again baring her soul and history to one who would not do the same. Rishima had finally been open, but she doubted that Mauja would do the same.

Still, something drove him to stay and speak with her. Was it simply curiosity or the desire to study the enemy? Phi did not consider herself his enemy, but she supposed that she was not in a position that held her responsible for the lives of so many. His rakish grin was quite handsome on his pale features, and she chuckled as he called himself a lunatic. "I would be hesitant to describe myself as such, but I too, very much enjoy the snowfall. Most of this summer I spent elsewhere, for the Throat was much, much too miserably hot for my tastes."

Kindly, she smiled. "Though I suppose some lunacy is warranted after this terrible Tallsun," she added in an effort to cushion his feelings in case her words had stung. But he did call himself a lunatic - that was on him. He asked then if she had ever seen the ocean from up high, and the crimson and white, young mare shook her head. "I have not. Never have I visited somewhere with an overlook to the sea. I am sure it is beautiful," she commented. Was this going to be an invitation into the land?

And if it was... was it safe to follow?








Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Delinne Posts: 232
Hidden Falls Curiosus II
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 hh :: 15 Buff: NOVICE
Dezba :: Black Jaguar :: Stormcall Ina
#8

As she trotted peacefully through the once burned forest - a part of the Edge she hadn't have the time to explore yet -, the mare heard voices.
She raised her head higher, and listened. Sounded like Mauja - the Ice King - and a mare that she didn't recognize on the voice.
The mare snorted and turned the way that the voices had come from. It was the border, a part of the outline around the Edge, where Mauja stood with a white mare. She had strange, red eyes - or no, one was blue - and a twisted horn in her forehead.


As she examined the white mare, she listened to her words.
"...Never have I visited somewhere with an overlook to the sea. I am sure it is beautiful..." Her voice was indeed beautiful, and the mare herself was a real sight.
The black Friesian snorted again, but more quietly, and looked at them from the forest. The trees had grown gracefully once again, and the only sign after the fire was ash on the ground.
'I wonder who she is,' the mare thought, and looked at the white unicorns that spoke to each other.


Dell, as this Friesian unicorn was called, didn't quite like to spy like this normally. She was a bit of a loud-mouth, and couldn't exactly be quiet for very long. But she still didn't want to disturb the two horned equines.
She looked around her, to check that she was alone while watching the two in front of her. But she had to reveal herself soon enough, since sooner or later they would see her dark body with the white, strange markings among the trees and her vaguely glowing horn.


The mare sighed, and lifted her one front leg to begin her movement forwards. She walked out of the darkness, raised her head and smiled a bit to the two.
"Hello there, my King", she started and smiled a bit more. She studied the white mare with her blue orbs while thinking of something else to say.
And it didn't exactly took long.


"Why are you two out here by the border?", Dell asked curiously and looked at them both.
Who was that mysterious mare?


Word count: 374

Walk, walk, walk.
"Talk, talk, talk."
Think, think, think.
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#9
Well. Her answer did not exactly give him much, but he hadn't expected anything else either. Perhaps one day someone would surprise him and blurt out everything they knew to him when prodded, like a sack of secrets exploding (or if you had your mind in the wrong place, something akin to a bloated corpse and maggots). Instead, he just blinked silently, owlishly, at her. The death of her birthplace. Where had she come from? Who was she? Who was her mother? Did she have red fringes or was there some other secret lurking in the red, red, blood of her veins? If I cut her open will it spell out the truth for me? Doubtful. Tempting? Slightly. He chucked the notion out the window, peering at her with curiosity instead. Where had she come from, then, if her homeland had gone under so thoroughly? Mauja had simply, in a way, left his, though calling it 'simply' was too much of a lie. Nothing was ever simple. Leaving home hadn't been simple. And despite his best efforts at steering her aside from lunacy, she commented on it, and he gave a vague snort, slapping his pale, raven-decked tail against his flanks. "I'm not sure it's lunacy to enjoy snow," he said quietly, then widened his eyes slightly for the scenic benefit and turned to face her. When he wanted to, he could look unhinged, derailed, the thin band of white hemming in his icy blue irises; his head tilted to the side, long forelock sliding off it. "But doesn't brilliance and lunacy go hoof in hoof?" And his ears swiveled, muzzle shooting up to catch the drifting wind. He knew that smell. Delinne. Was she here? Why? Curiously he turned to look at the Edge, ears flickering as Ophelia spoke of the water.

He didn't respond, because the black Friesian with her lightning patterns was emerging from the bushes. She smiled, and Mauja backed out slightly, giving them both a smile. He quickly erased the "madness" he'd put on for show, replacing it with the soft, soft snow of his features, a strange warmth lurking in the cold-colored depths of his gaze. The slight smile he usually wore curved his lips, and he dipped his head. "Delinne," he greeted her with a gentle, warm voice, inwardly grimacing at the use of his title. King this, King that. It was getting old, but he would not force someone to call him by name unless they wanted to; if they felt they owed him respect by calling him his title, they were welcome to it. He did not wish to make them uncomfortable by demanding otherwise of them. Aurelius had, after as he put it, bathing with someone, come to first name terms with him. It had been nice, since being called your grace was a bit grating on the nerves. The question posed was slightly odd, but he just smiled. "We're having a conversation - if that even counts as a proper answer to the question 'why'." He shook his head, still smiling, long raven feathers brushing against the white of his arched neck. "This is Delinne," he told Ophelia, watching her snowy shape again. He liked her smile. It was gentle and soft. And oddly enough, he liked the difference in her eyes, the red of her mane and tail; it was beautiful, a contrast he could enjoy, even though it in certain light looked like blood of snow. "And as you both know, I am Mauja." It'd be good if Ophelia caught the drift and introduced herself. It'd be easier if he legally knew her name, and not just through her brothers. And maybe, just maybe, he could ask about her mother and red fringes - see how it really was.
night-fate-stock -- dreamofsandman -- deirdre-T -- deviantart.com // i-mi.deviantart.com
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#10




Ophelia smiled and shook her head. "No, enjoying the snow is not lunacy." She agreed with him kindly. Something in his own mind caught his attention, and she turned her face to the side, brows raised curiously and dual eyes wide with interest. Though she was not aware, Ophelia had a keen gift to give her undivided attention to those she was speaking to; nothing else could distract her from the importance of their words and nuances. She was an observer. His words made her smile. "Yes, from what I have seen. So you are not a lunatic. You are simply brilliant."


Phi's words hung awkwardly in the air, and she wondered if her compliment bordered on flirting; she hoped not. The crimson and white girl no longer held the foolish notion that another could desire her for the closeness of affection or love. Nor any other more carnal emotion. The approach of another caught the white mare's attention, and her delicate ears tilted toward the striped shadow. Still, her focus was on Mauja. Once she came into view though, Ophelia's eyes slid to her figure, a dark form similar in build to the snow kind.

She studied the new creature like a student would a book, taking in every subtle nuance of her form. And like that, she was a permanence in the pale's mind in clear perfection. A smiled curved his lips and he knew her by name. Delinne. She called him her king, and she noticed that his voice was softer when speaking to those in his herd. He was a loyal soul. A true leader, focused on the well being of those beneath him.

Why were they at the border? Because the last time she crossed it, she nearly died. Her expression soured slightly and she gave Mauja a pointed glance before turning back to this Delinne. "Hello, Delinne," she replied in respectful, chime-like tones. "I am Ophelia, from the Throat - thus why we are on the borders. My previous venture across them was not an experience that I wish to relive. Ever." She said calmly, collected even in her mild irritation with the past. Was Mauja watching her? A pale, blue eye slid to the king, gazing at him curiously.









Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Harlequin Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#11
The sound of hooves drumming against the ground cuts through the air. The beats are irregular and the power of them varies - as if the runner can’t decide on a gait or even if it wants to stay on the ground or not. Soon a laugh accompanies the beats, a laugh quite unusual - almost deranged, but the hint of madness is so vague that it’s almost impossible to pick up. It’s disguised by notes which are giddy, soft and high and it’s not impossible to hear that the laugher is a female.

From south she comes, bucking, hopping and swirling, a flecked and spotted mare, she wears a white hide covered in irregular black fields and freckles. She’s a slender little story, but she’s no beauty. Her mane and tail are frizzy, the ends of her hairs are split and she has little symmetry over all - she’s just simply irregular in many ways. Her quite unfeminine head is weighed down by to big horns - similar to the horns of a bongo antelope. They angles and twists backwards from behind her ears, their base very thick and points dull. In a way they resemble a jester’s hat, just put bells on them and the similarities will be unarguable.

She explodes into the trio - jumping around them, laughing and bucking. "Well hello there, brother and sisters! Isn’t it a beautiful Orangemoon afternoon? I’ll say, to meet three of my own kind, I am truly blessed today!" she sings as she darts closer to the pale steed.

"Wow, such lovely spots you’ve got - we could trade some you and I, if you want to." she winks an eye and without giving him time to answer she hops on to the dark mare. "You’re also following the black and white theme I see. Good choice, hun, but aren’t stripes supposed to make you appear thinner, at least that’s what I’ve heard." She laughs and it’s hard to know if she’s just joking around or if she meant to hurt the mare. The jester moves on, curling around her own body in a way most would say is physically impossible. When she reaches the youngest of the three unicorns she stops mid-stride and for a second she’s quiet, then she blurts out; "You look pale, love. Seen a ghost lately?" then she laughs at her own joke and throws herself to the ground where she rolls around three times. Quickly she gets up on her feet again, just beside the striped mare. "Shh, don’t tell her, but she can’t be in the bb-club." she half whispers while her black and her white eye gleefully sparkles towards the girl with the red fringes.



Delinne Posts: 232
Hidden Falls Curiosus II
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 hh :: 15 Buff: NOVICE
Dezba :: Black Jaguar :: Stormcall Ina
#12

The words in the air were easily caught up by the black mare's ears, and she observed the two unicorns ahead of her. The mare was white with a likewise-colored mane and tail - except for the red hairtips and her eyes.
As Dell looked closer, she was rather beautiful and she had a very feminine tone in her looks.
She snorted, and nodded easily to Mauja's words. Of course she knew who he was. Why wouldn't she? The reason why they were out here confused her a bit. It wasn't quite the answer she had expected, but it had to do for now.

Delinne looked at the white mare as she spoke to her, introducing herself as Ophelia from the Throat. The Friesian tilted her head slightly, almost unnoticeable. Dragon's Throat? Well, now she knew why they were at the borders for real.
"My previous venture across them was not an experience that I wish to relive. Ever."
Did she mean that she almost got killed by the Edge-members? Delinne shook her head, and smiled at the white mare.
Just as she was going to greet her, chaos appeared.

Literally said, chaos. A jumping and laughing mare approached them, bouncing between them and whispered rather mean things. Dell just widened her eyes, thus she hadn't seen such behavior among adult horses. She had two almost straight horns between her ears, that seemed to be weighing down her cranium.
Delinne watched the mare with a raised 'brow, and listened to her. The words she spoke didn't quite attach to Dell very much, but still a few words were caught.
"You’re also following the black and white theme I see. Good choice, hun, but aren’t stripes supposed to make you appear thinner, at least that’s what I’ve heard."
"What did you just say to me, foolish mare?", Delinne said. The tone in her voice was a warning of the boiling irritation inside her. Did that mare just say that Dell looked fat?! She snorted loudly, and slung her head as she did. No one called her fat.

The unicorn watched the silly mare jump to Ophelia and comment on her beautiful appearence - though not in her profit. And as the mare surprises Dell again, she decided to roll around like a dog on the ground. Who was this foal?
In the name of the Gods, what was wrong with her? Did she loose her mind?
Question after question whirled around in her head, as the mare continued to confuse her with her silly tricks.
Finally, she stood still.
"Shh, don’t tell her, but she can’t be in the bb-club." Ehm, what?
Dell looked at her with a confused look in her blue eyes, and asked with a very irritated yet asking tone:
"What do you mean by that, foal?"

Word count: 475
((OOC: Dell is confused and she's starting to show off her (my) short temper xD))

Walk, walk, walk.
"Talk, talk, talk."
Think, think, think.
Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#13
"Yes, from what I have seen. So you are not a lunatic. You are simply brilliant."

It was entirely, utterly, completely, wholly, ridiculously unfair that such a comment left him speechless, tucking his head like a yearling who just had the first pretty mare give him a flattering comment. Fortunately for him, Delinne was eclipsing their attention, and he fought to keep a hold of his expression - to keep it with the same warm neutrality. No disbelief at what she'd said, no confusion, no embarrassment. Mercilessly and systematically Mauja tried to intercept each emotion before it made its way to the nerves of his facial muscles, but he could not keep his tail from giving his sides a few quicker, restless lashes. Hopefully she wouldn't notice. Hopefully she was too busy staring at the lightning-marked Delinne to look at the King and his stupid coltish reaction. Hopefully no one would see, and no one would care, and they'd just leave him in his - what, misery? He wasn't quite sure it was misery. Misery was cold, seeping, drowning. Misery was not a slow, gentle warmth, a quickening of the blood, the desire to give a shy, honest smile. No. Not misery. Just emotions that had no place in the life of an Ice King, a racist leader of a racist herd, with an agenda to take over the world. Inwardly he sighed, tinged with sadness. His life was not meant to be like that. The very magic of his blood defied it, and the attitude, the path he'd chosen, had further defined it - and him. Cold, cruel, merciless.

Yet it tugged at his lips, but he kept his eyes distracted, wishing he could drown inside himself - the quick dip under the surface, and not the slow death of sorrow. Cool his head off, get back on track, not so derailed, unhinged, thrown off course by a simple, innocent comment. Folly. Utter folly.

And of course, Ophelia would not let his own vague explanation suffice. It had been all smiles and masks, hiding the deeper, darker truth, but she let out a piece of it, and where annoyance should harden his features it was guilt that stabbed at his heart. There were darker days in Mauja's life, and the day Ophelia had crossed their border had certainly been one of them, even before her hellish sister nearly had choked him. He wanted to apologize, to take back what had happened, his own callous attitude when he'd just watched her fall over and kneel - his only comment being that she'd be awfully hard to move once dead or knocked unconscious. Still, he had called Deimos off. He'd have to life off that, for a while, the knowledge that he had intervened at least a little - too little, too late, anyhow. He would've smiled, then, said something ironic or hurtful or plain stupid, knowing that his own conflicted emotions could not be allowed to tarnish this - if he had to thrust the white mare aside for the sake of his herd and what he desired in the end, so be it and swallow the pain.

He would've, but he didn't; something spotted black and white waltzed out of the vegetation and he willingly allowed that distraction, too, to eclipse his attention. So convenient, all these mares popping out of bushes, rescuing him from the need to answer difficult things. Small, compact, spotted, this black and white menace swept down upon them without a single scrap of mercy, laughing and speaking foolish things. The mild amusement in his pale eyes turned to cold the moment the veiled insult slid off her tongue, jabbing at his faithful Delinne and earning a sharp, disbelieving remark. And then, she insulted poor Ophelia too, and something cold and dark and terrifying uncoiled in his soul. A growl threatened to tear its way from his chest, his entire ribcage vibrating with the suppressed noise. He fought to keep the beast in check, yet the blood in his veins chilled, darkness clawing at the edges of his mind - protect and serve, ice poised just a breath away. Just a single, swift decision away. All he had to do was to reach out...

He held back. Mauja the Ice King did not impale strangers or rip their bodies apart starting with their veins. Mauja the Ice King spoke deceivingly soft, little blades of poison running off his tongue.

"And what do they say of spots - the greater the spots, the greater the insanity?" His voice cut across the air like a cold blade, something unforgiving and unamused in his normally warm gaze. "Who are you, and why are you pestering my friends?" He was the only one she had not insulted (he'd done that himself to rob her of the fun); Delinne was a herd member and Ophelia he couldn't think properly about now.

( since Rover dropped Harley we're just to pretend she hopped off and left them alone. xD )
night-fate-stock -- dreamofsandman -- deirdre-T -- deviantart.com // i-mi.deviantart.com
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here
Ascended Helovian

Ophelia the Amaranthine Posts: 701
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7
Mare :: Hybrid :: 16.0 hh :: 6 Years HP: 77 | Buff: BULK
Tinek :: Royal Silver Dragon :: Frost Breath & Shock Breath Tamme
#14




She had expected a myriad of emotions from Mauja, mainly to cast a stern glance like one would to a child who was making up stories. However, the great stallion seemed to hide from her compliment, his angular face tilting down as his tail flashed nervously at his sides. Even though his white lashes touched his cheeks more often, his crystalline, blue eyes remained a mystery, hiding everything behind a wall of ice. Absently she wondered if he let down those walls for anyone, or was he just as alone as she was?

Delinne seemed to discount the gravity of her words with a smile and a shake of her head, and Ophelia closed her two colored eyes, inhaling deeply. The sound of Mauja's voice rang clear through her mind like it was happening just now only a few feet away. She stared at the spot where her knees had hit the ground as every ounce of joy and emotion that made her alive leaked out of her pores, leaving her empty. A shell. He had called her a vulture. "This is inconvenient. It'll be hard to drag her away." Cold. Cruel. To the point. How could those words have come from the same lips which spoke to her now?

Ophelia said nothing more. Instead, she took a moment to avoid eye contact with Mauja, afraid that the emotion of conflict and injury would damage his current view of her.

Ophelia was aware that she was being insulted by the spotted mare, but her words were so interesting that she gained a curious expression, tilting her head to the side just a little to consider those words. Metaphorically, she lived with ghosts - they haunted her mind incessantly. Just now, the ghost of another experience had reminded her about her near death. Ironically, the mare was right. She had seen a ghost, and she was pale. What an odd choice of words. Apparently she was also not allowed in the 'club' - whatever that meant. Obviously being from the Dragon's Throat meant that she was not allowed anywhere inside the borders.

Delinne took offense to being called fat, and she was surprised that Mauja had shot an insult back at the pinto. Ophelia stared him him curiously when he mentioned that both she and Delinne were friends. She was his friend? Was this simply a guilty conscience speaking after the incident with Deimos? She wanted to know, but she respected his mind too much to peer through his most intimate pages.

Almost as soon as she was there, she was gone. The pinto mare danced away in a fit of madness, and Ophelia's gaze watched as she left. And, as any true observer, the pale and crimson mare had spoken nothing at all. "That was... illuminating," she mentioned flatly. And his words angered her, and her two toned gaze flashed to him for a brief second. She blinked and the anger disappeared. "You do not know her?" she asked Mauja curiously, the chime-like tone of her voice ringing with a slightly more urgent pitch.

Deimos had not destroyed her life? Mauja had not threatened to drag her lifeless and inconvenient body out of the herdland?








Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done.
Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning.


Please tag me in every response!

Delinne Posts: 232
Hidden Falls Curiosus II
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 hh :: 15 Buff: NOVICE
Dezba :: Black Jaguar :: Stormcall Ina
#15
[OOC: You can skip me, I don't have any muse for this ^^]


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture