Sohalia Although the angel has never before partaken in patrol duties, it would seem that it was now her job to do so. In the wake of their time in the caverns, the Dragon's Throat herd had grown smaller. Many of their ranks had chosen to follow Midas to wherever it was that he had gone (if she listened to gossip, she might even know where that was) and others had fallen prey to the darkness. They were smaller - weaker? - and so they all had to contribute where before there was assumed safety. Of course, if nothing else, she doubted that any Helovians would assume that they were safe ever again, not after all they had been through. She preferred to patrol from the skies, but on this particular day, she found herself in need of metal scraps for her projects. The wall, of course, was a large part of her duties as Forger, but she had not been ready to see its ruins just yet. After all, she had built the wall from the sea inland, and now much of that land was covered by the ocean. She had cursed a great deal after her initial survey of the damage, wondering if everything she touched in life was destined to fall to pieces. The tantrum had quickly subsided, however, for the angel had grown older and wiser in the caves and had emerged anew, as a butterfly from a cocoon. It was her time to shine, now, and she was determined not to let something as silly as a little salt water stand in her way. And so she walked, Astraeus keeping watch from high above. He was still quite young, but it had not taken long for him to begin to fly. He was, after all, a creature of the skies, just as she was. Besides, his golden form kept her company when she began to feel sorry for herself. He was not one for pity parties, often swooping down from above and nipping a sensitive ear with his rather sharp young beak. It was not a pleasant sensation, but it had begun to train the negativity from the angel's mind. She felt more like her true self every day as she began to realize just how much her time in Helovia had changed her. It felt good to get back to her roots, even if she needed a little help. So focused was she on the ground beneath her hooves as she cast magic out in waves, searching for metal, that it took several tries for the zephyr to break through her concentration. Though he could not yet form words, the ivory fae always knew when he needed her attention, and was able to form a mental picture by seeing through his eyes. Now, as her head jerked up, she saw a newcomer hovering on the edges of their land, looking quite passive. Neither Sohalia nor Astraeus thought that she was a threat, but she would need to be welcomed, and the angel was more friendly than some others the newcomer might come across. Her hooves beat out a trot through the sand, still casting her magic through the earth and marking points to come back to later. The one fault in relying on Astraeus's mind to greet someone new lay in the fact that he did not know who she knew; in other words, acquaintances and friends to Sohalia had, in many cases, failed to meet the young wakiya, and he could not place their faces. As Sohalia approached the mare waiting on her borders, she was pleased to find that it was Cashmere that awaited her. She had not been close enough to hear the mare's request for the crafter of the herd, but she approached all the same, a broad smile on her face. "Cashmere!" she called, announcing her presence. Astraeus, eager to meet a friend of his bonded's, swooped down with a call of his own. Her zephyr loved to be the center of attention. "How are you? What are you doing here? Oh, it's so good to see you!" "Talk talk talk."

VenomXBaby

Sohalia She remembered Midas, a golden figure of leadership despite his black and white pelt; he had been accompanied by a pheonix whenever she had seen him. They had, of course, been on speaking terms, but she had never truly gotten to know her Sultan. He had known her when she was trapped within her grief, throwing herself into crafting as an escape from the mistakes littering her mind. She had known him when he was ever-present and ever-watchful, lording over his family with kindness and gentility. She wondered if he had changed in the time since the darkness, and why it was that he did not choose to return here. She wondered if he had worn a mask all along, if he had found it easy to desert them and leave them in the hooves of Ampere. Unlike Midas, the newest addition to their herd and the second Sultana of the Dragon's Throat, Ampere, was impulsive and rash, though the angel did not doubt her desire to prove her worth. The blue had worked hard to streamline patrols and organize intelligence, leaving the more diplomatic matters to Africa. Despite Sohalia's former opinion of the mare, she had to admit that the changes had been a blessing. The herd, from what she could tell, was safe, and under Ampere's leadership, perhaps they would remain so. Although Sohalia would go to great lengths to support Africa both as a leader and a friend, it was Ampere that the angel was sure she would rely on for her safety. There was something to be said for that. The angel knew the newcomer from the time when her bonded was but an egg. Cashmere had proven instrumental in her desire to keep and raise the youngling, whatever it hatched to be. Unfortunately, Sohalia had forgotten that the unicorn had never truly met the creature that she had expressed such interest in, and so she had not prepared the grey for the arrival of the briskly sparking avian. Oh dear, she thought, Astraeus, calm down, you're scaring her! But despite her obvious discomfort, Cashmere still offered a greeting, boosting Sohalia's respect for and approval of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry - this is Astraeus. He is a zephyr - actually, he hatched out of the egg that we found in the caves, do you remember? The sparking is quite harmless, I assure you." She smiled kindly, hoping that her friend was not too put off by her young bonded's display. The wakiya, having settled on his angel's back, offered a soft croon. Sohalia was amazed to find that not only was Astraeus interested in Cashmere, but he remembered her voice from the caves. Unlike many others, whom he greeted with irritation and outright dislike, he was pleased to see the unicorn and desired nothing more than to go say a proper hello. "You're never going to believe this, dear, but he remembers your voice. He'd like to come say hello properly - would you mind terribly?" The first portion of Cashmere's greeting finally came to light with the matter of her electric companion settled. She was eager to help, even more so to show her friend the magic that had become so deeply ingrained in her being. "By the way," Sohalia offered, "I'm the Forger here. You've found your crafter! I'll tell you whatever you need to know. I was actually looking for scrap metal - if you walk with me, I can pull a nearby vein from the ground and show you." "Talk talk talk."

VenomXBaby

Sohalia Astraeus responded to Cashmere's giggle with obvious delight, preening himself handsomely and puffing out his chest. He began to strut back and forth along his bonded's back, clearly showing off. Sohalia smiled and rolled her eyes, though her teasing exasperation was lost on her young companion. "Alright, then, you silly creature. Go on," she told him, allowing him to flutter quickly from her spine and toward the unicorn. He hovered for a moment in front of her face, flapping his wings hard to stay in place, searching her eyes for something (though it was difficult to determine what, exactly, he was looking for). Then, with a cheerful chirp, he pulled himself up and over, landing softly and carefully on Cashmere's back. He was very careful not to startle her, and that alone was enough to draw a small chuckle from his bonded. "He certainly likes you well enough," she told her friend with a grin. With that out of the way, she turned her attention again to the real reason for Cashmere's visit. The unicorn asked if ore was the angel's craft and, noticing the unsure expression on the mare's face (not knowing, of course, that the real reason was the Voice), Sohalia jumped to answer. "Yes, exactly!" she said with enthusiasm, adding a bit of praise to her lyrics. Astraeus coos quietly, picking up on his bonded's attempt to cheer the girl. "The best thing about my craft is that I am not limited to any one substance," the pegasus began to explain as she walked toward the vein of iron she had found earlier. "I can take any ore from the earth - gold, silver, bronze, iron, any metal at all - and shape it to my will." Her words began to slow as she pulled on her magic, transferring some of her attention into the ground as she coaxed the iron through cracks in the earth. "Here in the desert, it's quite easy to... excavate. The ground beneath our feet is... far from solid, so the metal can move between the grains of sand... and... surface!" And with that, iron moved from the ground into the air, grains of sand draining from its surface as it rose. Though it was not molten, the metal had taken on an almost liquid-like quality, molding and shaping to her will in the air. She allowed it to harden and settle in an unmoving block on the sand. "You see, I like to store my metals in blocks because they are easy to stack, but it's quite easy to break off the bits and pieces that I need. My magic can act however I need it to - like a knife, to cut through the metal; like a hammer, to beat the metal into sheets; and so on. I am working with steel to build the wall - or I was, before the sea took that portion of our land. This, though, will make an excellent, strong chain. It's also quite heavy, so we could use it for statues. Or we could make it into a gate. The possibilities of iron are quite endless, actually, since it's so malleable, and it takes a lot of heat to melt, so it lasts for a long time." Her eyes had glazed over as she rambled, and when she realized how far off topic she had gotten, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was a scholar, before I was a crafter, so the properties of the metals I work with is very intriguing to me." "Talk talk talk."

VenomXBaby

I'm pleased, to say the least, by the zephyr's interest in me. Astraeus flies over to me and gently lands on my back. I've never had that happen before, and the feeling of his claws gently hugging my hide is a different sensation. A little painful at first, but soon my body gets used to it. And then I find myself comforted by his weight there. It must be lovely having a companion. Though I admit I am envious, joy for my friend is my overwhelming emotion. Joy that she has someone in her life who cares about her, whom she cares about. The bond that can sometimes be so hard to forge in the first place.

Sohalia moves on to discuss what I came here to discuss. She compliments me on my basic understanding of what she is doing, not understanding that my uncertain disposition was due to the Voice. But how could she know? I cannot fault her for not reading my mind. I follow her to the vein that she prepares to pull from, explaining that she can gather many different metals. That's quite handy, actually... Some part of me is aware that each metal has different qualities, and therefore differing usefulness, depending on the situation. I watch her draw the iron from the ground - pausing to focus between sentence fragments - and let it form into blocks for easy storage. Smart.. Though with my glass I'm not sure if that would work very well. She tells me more about the iron and what she might do with it. I smile and nod - not in the placating fashion, but the "yes I'm listening and understanding" fashion.

When she is done speaking I reassure her worry with a big grin. "Don't worry, you weren't rambling. Everything you've said is interesting and informative. I only have one more question I guess. Is there anyone else who crafts with you?" Of course this is part of my mission from the Earth God. Learn the crafters, learn the craft. Sohalia has done a fantastic job in assisting me, but I must know the answer to the last question to feel that I have all the information that I need.

OOC: I'm so sorry this is shit. I'm just so tired and I have no muse, but I really wanted to post to it. <3

To find someone who loves me... Ah, how very nice that would be! For the longest time I have searched and searched to no avail, my efforts for love always falling far short of the mark I've been trying to reach. I have naively believed in the concepts of true love and soul mates, only to be disappointed time and again. I foolishly thought Note to be the one, for he was the first stallion I ever loved, the first to sire my children... And yet when I needed him most, he vanished. As though that weren't bad enough, it was so easy to move on, so simple to leave the memory of him and his perceived abandonment behind - and I have to wonder if I ever loved him at all. When he returned from where've he had been, I felt only confusion. There was no joy - only fear, for I had moved on in his absence. Of course, his replacement was no better. Gaucho was difficult to get along with, to put it nicely, and after everything he disappeared, too. I can't help but wonder if I am simply bad luck.

But now I have Astraeus, and with him my life has become much better. He is a constant companion, and it is not because I keep him by my side, but because he wants to be with me and protect me. It is not, perhaps, the romantic relationship that I have always envisioned for myself, but it is a loving companionship nonetheless. I certainly can't imagine my life without him, and to me, that is the ultimate compliment. Of course, the love of my life has become my craft, for it is in my work alone I can find true solace from the pain of my life. Besides. I have decided not to wallow in self pity any longer. Those stallions have taken enough of my soul as it is without gift wrapping it for them even in their absence. No longer will I be dependent on anyone else for my happiness.

Speaking of others - "I used to work with another Forger, but he has been absent for many moons. I'm not sure if the darkness took him, or if he simply decided that he was needed elsewhere... But he was gone soon after my own promotion, so I can't say I ever knew him. Since then, I haven't really worked with anyone else. At least not anyone with the Sun's gift." I smile at the girl to show that my solitude doesn't bother me. "In a way, it's quite peaceful."

OOC :: posting on my tablet, so I'll add a table later!