the Rift


[OPEN] The Whole Shack Shimmies

Finn Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1


Today, I had found myself in a wondrous place of sandy beaches and blue, salty waters that seemed to go on and on for miles, further than the eye could see. It was beautiful, and honestly, it was the first time I had ever seen an ocean before in my life and oh. My. Jörð.

Tawny hide blended against the sand as I moved at a gimpy walk, chocolate eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as I took in the sights all around me. The salty stench of the water was pungent and sour in my nose, but oddly enough, it had me feeling even more giddy than usual. I could envision myself tearing across the shore, bucking and kicking out like a madman as the sand flew up into the air and was thrown about in my wake... But alas, the throbbing pain in my left front leg was a constant reminder that I had to be careful and couldn't afford to be careless. The old wound still ached to the high heavens, and I could only imagine how bad of shape I'd be in if not for the leather boot wrapped snugly around it.

So instead, I would find another means of having a bit of fun.

The push and pull of the undulating waves was mesmerizing, and unable to hold myself back any longer, I shifted my direction and began to approach its foamy edge. I wondered, what sort of treasures lay beneath the never ending blue of the magnificent body of water? How many kinds of creatures swam just beneath the surface, and what did they look like? It could have been a daunting and positively terrifying thought to some, but I knew little fear. Ever the curios one, I longed to know and find out for myself, but I could do little as a land lover.

My hooves sunk into the soft sand as I stepped into the wake of the ocean, every step taken causing a schlerp! and pop. The waves lapped over my hooves, their chill bringing relief to sore frogs. A thought clicked in my head then, and lifting my left front leg and tucking my head towards my chest, I worked to pull loose the two thin leather ties that held it together. Once it was free, I gave an upwards throw of my head and tossed it back onto the safety of the shores. Lowering my leg back down, I headed further into the waters and as it splashed up against the swollen cannon. Sucking in a harsh breath, I hissed between suddenly clenched teeth, but it took little time for the pain to recede and for comfort to take over.

"Aaah, thank Eir," the murmured words passed my lips just moments later, and for now I was content to simply stand there and bask in the warmth of the sun hanging overhead, the soothing waves of the ocean, and the relaxing sound of the gulls bickering just feet away.

[ooc - For Romani and anyone else who would like to join!]


"talk"
F I N N
to coax the darkness into light



Romani Posts: 205
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 7
Mare :: Equine :: 14.2 :: 9 HP: 66 | Buff: NOVICE
Kasai :: White Tiger :: Wind Whip Sparrow
#2


Romani

It seemed that wherever the roads took her, the beach of white granules was never far on the horizon. Perhaps it was the sight of the churning, blue ocean waves reflecting the brilliant white light of the sun... Maybe it was the wondrous, soothing melody of the waves crashing against the shoreline. No matter what it was, however, Romani had always been drawn to the Endless Blue, and always returned. It had definitely become one of her favored places to travel when it came to the magnificent land of Helovia...

But nothing like home...

A wistful sigh left the confines of the palomino mare's lips. Indeed. It had been ages since she had last stepped hoof within the beautiful terrain of her homeland, Ossic Briar. Perhaps one day she should go and pay everyone a visit, but that wouldn't be for awhile. Her heart still yearned for the roads to be traveled, the unexplored to be conquered, and the Haflinger intended to do just that. It wouldn't be until her passionate soul was filled before she returned home, to serve.

The stocky palomino kept her pace almost leisurely as she strolled across the white dunes of sand, head raised high and relaxed, soaking in the sun. The warmth felt good along her shoulders and across the broad expanse of her back and withers, and she could tell by the loping actions of the large cat at her side that Kasai was feeling quite the same. The beach was the tigress' favorite place of respite, for the feline loved to twist, roll, and turn in the sand, stretch out belly-up, and nap away the afternoon. Perhaps they both deserved a good sunbathing with the distance they had covered...

As they made their way across the ocean front, a song bubbled forth from the Haflinger's lips, sweet and melodious. It started as a gentle 'hum', followed shortly by quick words, and as she sang, the mare's hooves swept through the sand, kicking up granules towards her feline companion in a playful dance. "Oh, tiradaridadam! I come from the villages, money and rings in my satchels. Beautiful you are, your eyes are beautiful, and here! I left my home for you!" Kasai balked as her black and white pelt was coated with sand, crouching low, and then swiftly bolted towards the waterline, and Romani's laughter echoed across the picturesque beach.

"Oh come now, sweet! It's just sand!" Picking up her pace to that of a swift trot, the muscled Haflinger followed after the white tiger, azure eyes soaking in the familiar sights of the beach... Save for one tawny form that caught her eye. Kasai, oblivious to the fact that they weren't alone, loped through the waves of the ocean, mindful not to go too terribly deep into the churning waves. Twisting her head to regard the form of her companion, Romani trusted that Kasai would mind herself and avoid trouble before approaching the buttermilk individual who stood among the waves.

As she approached, the short stallion seemed to be fumbling with something upon his leg, and with a mighty jerk of his head, the oddly shaped device was hurled over the water and landed with a fwumph! in the sand. Romani eyed it with a critical set of azure oculars before focusing back on the buckskin lad.

"Greetings, stranger!" The gypsy called jovially from the shoreline, smiling in her good mood. Hopefully she wouldn't startle him. "You, uh... This is quite an odd thing you have here. Are you well?"


You Ain't Ever Gonna Change
You Got a Gypsy Soul to Blame
And You Were Born for Leavin'


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Finn Posts: N/A
Unregistered
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#3


The first indication that it was no longer just me and my gull friends, came in the form of a shout that nearly sent me leaping out of my skin. I had already grown so content and relaxed standing in the water that even my bottom limp had begun to tremble and my eyes fall shut, but they snapped wide open at the call of another.

My thick body shot forward a few steps before I whirled my rear end around to face the stranger, the water flying up around me, left front leg nearly buckling at the force and speed of the movement due to its weakened state. But rather than the huge hulking monster my mind had expected to see, it was but a fair lady of gold and copper, and a large, striped feline. I eyed the latter with trepidation, but if this lady showed no fear of it, then I figured I shouldn't either. Or at least... not yet.

A nervous laugh escaped my throat as I looked from the tigress back to the mare; what a fool I must've looked, acting in such a cowardly way at the mere sound of somebody's voice... "Sorry about that, lass, my nerves got the better of me I suppose." Picking up my feet, I stepped out of the water, the sand continually causing me to sink down a few inches. At the lady's question, my eyes shifted to that of my discarded boot and I chuckled softly. "It's a boot I fashioned for my leg here," I explained, lifting the still swollen and throbbing leg for her to see, "The pressure of it helps me walk a little better. I suppose I should find myself a healer, but... No such luck for this traveler thus yet."

Closing the distance between us just a bit more, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the white tigress, I offered the lady a bright smile as I spoke next. "My name is Finn, madame," I said, and just as I opened my mouth to ask of her own, my eyes grew wide and my words died on my lips as I really got a good look at her. Those bright blue eyes, that pure white blaze and those stockings, and that coat of coppper... Could it really be? Sucking in a breath of shock and awe, I could hardly help my staring for a few moments before my impending exclamation came.

"By Jörð... Could it be? Princess? Is that really you?" The words started out as a whisper, but grew in volume as they were said. It couldn't be, no; the heir of Ossic Briar just couldn't have ended up here, outside of the Kingdom and in way of all the dangers of this land.

Was she well in the head? Was I well in the head?


"talk"
F I N N
to coax the darkness into light



Romani Posts: 205
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 7
Mare :: Equine :: 14.2 :: 9 HP: 66 | Buff: NOVICE
Kasai :: White Tiger :: Wind Whip Sparrow
#4


Romani

Much to the Haflinger's horror and embarrassment, the buttermilk Fjord reacted in just the way that she had hoped he wouldn't. The tawny stranger seemed to balk and stumble over himself in a terribly clumsy display that had Romani wincing with sympathy, but as his rear end swung around and he managed to stay upon all fours, albeit barely despite the sloshing waters, they soon stood face to face.

It wasn't very often that the gypsy was met by an individual shorter than she, so the height difference was almost unsettling. Still, Romani's azure oculars remained locked on the buckskin's form, sizing him up through the distance between them as though trying to place a name to his face. He didn't seem familiar... But he was a handsome thing. Thick and stocky, much like the build that the gypsy herself carried, he was adorned in the colors of a fawn, with soulful brown eyes and blonde tresses. The way that they stuck up, straight and in-place from the crest of his neck almost caused her to giggle. All in all, this stranger was an adorable sight.

"No harm done, good sir," Romani responded fluently as per his unecessary apology, muzzle lifting and lips returning to that jovial, gentle smile, "It was rude of me to come upon you so abruptly like that." Still, the young stallion dragged himself from the churning waves, and the gypsy didn't miss the way that he tenderly favored his leg. As he explained the strange and mysterious contraption, called a boot, Romani ventured closer to the strange leather-crafted object and nosed it with the tip of her muzzle, curiously examining it. What a strange contraption indeed.

"A boot, you say? How extraordinary..." Because really, it was. Never in all of her days had the petite mare seen such a thing. Still, the mare's gaze was snapped up from the boot so she could focus on the swollen, painful looking appendage that the Fjord sported. Once again Romani winced in sympathy, a pinched expression crossing her cherubic face as the stout stallion spoke of his plight. "That's... Terribly unfortunate. I know some medics, but I don't believe they'd be close by..."

Finn was the name of this blonde Fjord wanderer, and Romani straightened as Kasai finally padded to stand beside the Haflinger. The white tigress eyed the stranger with unbidden curiosity, head tilting and ears flicking forward as she sat upon the white sand, tail twitching left and right. The golden-red gypsy made to speak, to introduce herself as well as her beloved Kasai, but the next words that were uttered from Finn's mouth caused her breath to catch within her copper breast.

...Wh-what?

Azure eyes grew wide, and for a moment Romani wasn't certain just what to expect. It had been years since a title had been placed to her, besides that of a soldier or vagabond... But this... This wanderer knew her? Did she know him? "I..." The words caught in her throat, and a look of genuine bewilderment spread across her face. "Do... Are you from Ossic Briar, Finn?" The question came out in disbelief and uncertainty, and Romani felt her heart begin to race. Did he share the home in which she was born? The home in which she was destined to serve, if she ever returned? "Aye, once... Perhaps you could call me Princess, but I am but a wandering gypsy nowadays. I... My name is Romani. This is Kasai, my companion."

Swallowing thickly, Romani went on, daring to take a step closer to the Fjord, curiosity as well as surprise shining in the azure depths of her eyes. "Do I know you?"

Did she?


You Ain't Ever Gonna Change
You Got a Gypsy Soul to Blame
And You Were Born for Leavin'


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Please Tag Romani in all Replies!

Finn Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#5


It was, it was, it was! It was her! The golden princess, the white-maned heir to the throne!

Watching the bright blue eyes of the copper mare widen, my own mirrored the action, and my mouth slowly began to drop open and stretch back in a wide grin. Everything else, my boot, my tomfoolery and downright embarrassing display at being startled, all of it had suddenly been forgotten in the white blazed face of royalty. It was clear to see that the princess hadn't been expecting such a question, but in my defense, I hadn't been expecting to run across the fair maiden on Helovia's beaches, or anywhere so far from the Kingdom.

"I am," came the chime of my voice, a quick answer to an easy question, one I was and would always be proud to give. Had I been born canine rather than horse, my tail would have surely been wagging so hard that my entire body would be quaking and wiggling back and forth, but lucky for me, that wasn't the case. She only confirmed my suspicions further when she spoke her name, and only another from Ossic Briar would have known that, and only the princess herself would have... well, looked like the princess.

She asks if she knows me, and only then does my face slip into something of incertitude. Did she? I had stood before the Queens themselves many a time, but at this very moment, I couldn't recall a time where Romani, too, had been present. "I don't know," I answered honestly, brows furrowed as I tried but failed to remember, "I really don't. I served as a courier beneath our fair Queens, but I'm uncertain if you were ever present. You may have seen me when I was just a boy, though, when I accompanied my mother on routes throughout the Kingdom." Back then, my young mind had paid little attention to those around me, focusing completely instead upon mother and our task at hand, a habit that was both good and bad I suppose.

A troubled look blitzed across my face then, and I looked upon the princess with utter confusion. A gypsy, she was? A curios thought, really, and instantly she had managed to grab my attention tenfold. I might have asked why she traveled without company, but then I recalled the white tigress standing near her, whom she had called Kasai. "A companion, you say? Can... Can you speak with her? Does she talk?" Each syllable was coated with just a little more excitement, until I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Calm down, Finn, before you hurt yourself.

"If I could ask, my lady," I continued after a moment, meeting Romani's gaze as my own shone with curiosity, "Why are you so far from the Kingdom? Do our Queens know?"


"talk"
F I N N
to coax the darkness into light



Romani Posts: 205
Outcast atk: 4 | def: 8 | dam: 7
Mare :: Equine :: 14.2 :: 9 HP: 66 | Buff: NOVICE
Kasai :: White Tiger :: Wind Whip Sparrow
#6


Romani

Romani did not miss the proud confirmation that Finn gave upon being affiliated with Ossic Briar, and that filled the Haflinger's heart alight with joy. Finally, finally, someone from her homeland, from her Kingdom! The thought and realization was wholly uplifting, and a positively beaming smile stretched upon the mare's dark lips. Azure depths sparkled in merriment, and she listened completey and with rapt attention as the buttermilk wanderer spoke of his occupation within Ossic Briar.

A courier? Immediately the gypsy thought back to the life she had temporarily left behind, the life of a Princess destined to serve her country. There had been many a courier to serve the Kingdom, but only few were honored enough to serve directly beneath the Queens... One dedicated mare came directly into Romani's mind, but for the life of her she couldn't recall if she and Finn had ever crossed paths before. At least, directly. "I believe I may have seen you, once or twice among the crowds with your mother... But I'm afraid it's been so many years ago, that I can't remember." Here, a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. "My apologies, Finn."

As the direction of the conversation turned towards Kasai, Romani's azure oculars sought out the form of her striped companion. Seeing both equines turn their gazes towards her, Kasai straightened up where she sat with a deep purr, puffing out her chest and clearly enjoying being the subject of attention. "Aye, a companion. She has been with me for many moons now and we've seen many a grand places together." The Haflinger and the white tigress had nearly been through everything together, really; through the trials of her botched relationship with Xanthos, to her failure as a mother with Jasiri, to the loss of friends, the loss of homes or places to live... Through all of the heartache and pain, the ups and downs, the failures and triumphs, Kasai had been with her, and that alone was far more precious than which Romani could articulate.

"I can speak with her through my mind," the golden-red gypsy further explained, her eyes seeking out the warm brown orbs of the Fjord courier before her now, "And she can mentally speak to me, but she cannot speak out loud, as we do. I don't know how exactly it works, but we have a mental connection. A bond, if you would... Kasai is able to feel what I feel, to taste what I taste, and is able to see through my very eyes."

A rueful grin suddenly twists the gypsy's features, and her eyes shoot to the innocent looking tigress before re-directing her eyes to Finn. "As for instance, right this moment, she believes you're quite a handsome creature." To which caused Kasai's head to jerk in Romani's direction and an indignant growl escaped the feline's whiskered lips.

As Finn went on, curiosity practically leaking from his every pore, the Haflinger's eyes softened. "Mm... I left because I felt it in my heart that I must. Ever since I was but a filly, I yearned to explore, to see the unknown and the world around me. I wanted to travel, but for a long time I was bound by my duty to our Kingdom. I broached the subject to our Queens, and they each gave me their blessing to begin my venture..." Save for the detail that one day, she must return home to fulfill her destiny.

"What of you, Finn?" She asked at last after a few moments of silence, azure eyes sparkling in genuine enjoyment. When was the last time she had such a riveting conversation? And with one of her own, no less! "What brings you to the land of Helovia, living the life of a wanderer? ... And please, just call me Romani. I'm far from royalty right now."


You Ain't Ever Gonna Change
You Got a Gypsy Soul to Blame
And You Were Born for Leavin'


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Please Tag Romani in all Replies!


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