the Rift


[OPEN] Beyond the edge

Andromeda Posts: 91
Dragon's Throat Healer
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.1hh :: 5 (Tallsun) Buff: NOVICE
Lauren
#1

Wandering alone in the Endless Blue. As much as I enjoy spending time with others, I feel exhausted by the amount of socializing I've done lately. A sigh escapes my lips and I wander into the incoming tide, letting the salt water wash up my legs. First it was aiding Rasta's healing, which really wiped me out, then it was taking the herbs to Resplendence in the Edge. It's not that I resented the job that I asked for, but one does need rest now and then. To heal is to take a part of yourself and bring life and renewal into another. Though it is fulfilling and rewarding, it is very draining. Doing my patrol alone by the sea is a rather nice respite. Slowly I drop to my knees, then lower the rest of my body to the wet sand, in shallow enough water that, at least for awhile, I can very simply enjoy the salty liquid tickling my hairs all over my right side. Eventually, of course, I'll have to move as the tide comes up, but for now the cold water is refreshing. I close my eyes and rest my head up on the drier sand, and as I exhale my nostrils flare and bits of sand are blown away from me.

Of course, this is not how you do a patrol. But as far as I've walked, I've seen no one, spotted nothing of interest. Surely it can't hurt to take a small rest? I keep my ears active, listening in case anyone approaches. I am supposed to be patrolling with Dalibor, but I have no idea where he is, and I'm not sure if he will even know where I am. Does he know we have another patrol together? Will he want to see me? I hope so, but how can I know? We're both so quiet.... Another sigh. Just a moment more of rest, please... five more minutes..

WC: 325
Tag: @[Dalibor] &/or @[Hector]

ANDROMEDA
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*You may do anything you wish with Andromeda excluding dismemberment and death.

Gull Posts: 120
Absent Abyss atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 16 hh :: 9 (Tallsun) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Splat :: Royal Zephyr :: Phoenix Shady
#2

GULL
trouble just grew wings


Oh, it’s your lucky day! The island in the sky had been all right, let no one get you wrong. But it was tiny, and you could only explore so many meadows and smell so many cherry trees before there just wasn’t any more to do. So this morning, you’d set off to find some new adventure for the day, and it’s already paying off. Below you, a sandy beach beckons, and from the way you plunge downwards screeching with delight, it’s apparent that your decision has paid off.

The salty smell of the sea fills your nose as you descend, and you whinny wildly, breathing it all in. It smells like home; only this beach is better. Where you used to live, beaches were few and far between on the rocky island chain, and there were certainly none with sand as soft as this one. Flinty hooves pound into the sand as you land, and you nearly trip in your excitement—should you run into the surf, or have a roll in this marvelous, marvelous stuff? The instinct to itch wins out, and you spend a blissful minute on your side, enjoying the pleasant tickle of sand on your skin. Who knew you’d find such a gem?

And there’s more! For when you rise, down the beach on the distant shore, you see a hazy silhouette…a silhouette with wings. Eager to meet another of your kind, you shake the sand off and canter towards the stranger. Whoever it is is a good quarter of a mile away, so you don’t notice the slim frame and the beautiful speckled face and foreleg until you draw close. It’s a mare, and a beautiful one to boot. Ohohoho, it’s your lucky day indeed.




text
"speech"

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Andromeda Posts: 91
Dragon's Throat Healer
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.1hh :: 5 (Tallsun) Buff: NOVICE
Lauren
#3

I open my eyes and gather myself, rising to my feet. I guess those ten minutes are over... But why so soon? As I settle myself in a more comfortable standing position, I find myself staring at another pegasus not far off. In fact, rather close. I stare at him silently, distracted from the sand grains that fall from my side, and I instinctively throw out my right wing and shake the sand from it, brushing against my side, and tuck it back where it belongs. I can't decide if I'm happy to see another soul here, or if I'm annoyed by it. He's disturbing this moment of peace I've gained for myself, the silence except for the washing of the waves and the cry of the seagulls. I snort, spewing granules from my nostrils. Is he just going to stand there? But no, he's moving now, cantering toward me. He seems so eager....

I have half a mind to turn and run. No, it would be too embarrassing to go back to the homeland empty-handed. 'Oh yes my queens, I was there, but as soon as I saw anything I ran away.' No, that wouldn't do at all. Instead, I stand my ground and wait for him to arrive, not bulging from the exact spot that I rose to. When he finally reaches me, I swing my wings out in a brilliant display, as if beginning some ritual. What causes me to do it I'm not really sure, but something tells me that I want to stop him and make a show. When I'm sure that he will come to a rest, I bring my wings back down and tuck them in again, but leave my head high, eyeing him with my amethyst eye. "Sir."

WC: 296
Tag: @[Gull]
Forever short.

ANDROMEDA
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*You may do anything you wish with Andromeda excluding dismemberment and death.

Dalibor Posts: 48
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 10 | dam: 2.5
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15.3 :: 9 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
redgod
#4

Another season, another patrol.

He and Andromeda were paired once again, much to Dalibor's pleasure - though he told himself he needed to stop being such a recluse and actually attempt to interact with the woman outside of a work setting.

But he knew how to work, and it was the only place he was comfortable.

Pushing a breath out of his nostrils that ricocheted around in his chest and throat, making a low nicker, the stallion remembered the last time he was here at the water's beginning.

The Endless Blue - and Gold Leaf, talking about how weird she was, and showing off her fire magic. Briefly, he wondered what had happened to her, but pushed the thought aside as ancillary to the present concerns. For, as he wheeled in the sky and spotted his partner below, he also spotted a very unwelcome guest. Hawkish eyes narrowing, Dalibor's mind flashed to the last time another had come between himself and his intended target.

That little scholar-bitch, too wrapped up in his own tangled worries to notice another presence. He would not have that happen again. Drawing his wings to his body, the warrior took a sharp plummet in the air, hearing it whistle past his ears as he dropped like a roan meteor from the sky. In the back of his mind he heard Andromeda say something after flaring her wings (a display of beauty, or a warning to keep distance?), but he paid it little heed.

Just before smashing into the sand, Dalibor threw his wings out wide and halted his controlled fall, forcefully meeting the ground right in front of this interloper. He kept his feathered appendages spread, blocking Andromeda from view, raptorial eyes looking positively predatory as he sized up this little prick.

"You," the stallion grunted. "You are interfering with Dragon's Throat business." In an attempt to be the remotest smidgen of polite, he did not command the other male leave immediately, though every centimeter of his rigid, taut posture, flared wings, and hard eyes screamed it thoroughly without audibly spoken words.



@[Andromeda]
@[Gull]

"talk talk talk"


I will fail you, of that I'm sure

Gull Posts: 120
Absent Abyss atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 16 hh :: 9 (Tallsun) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Splat :: Royal Zephyr :: Phoenix Shady
#5

GULL
trouble just grew wings


If in the unlikely event that you spent a day in our world, and if on the even more improbable chance that you sat through a rom com, you would recognize this scene as one straight out of a movie. You’re on a beach. The sun is shining. You’re running across the sand towards a beautiful girl. In slow motion, she unfurls her wings…do you hear the angels singing? Either way, you wouldn’t have to be the least bit familiar with the tropes of a love scene to see this as the beginning of some sort of mating ritual. That is, until the sun goes black and over a thousand pounds of horseflesh slams down into the sand in front of you.

Needless to say, you didn’t see that coming. You curse as the stranger sends you stumbling backwards, nearly causing you to lose your balance. “WHAT WAS THAT?!” you squawk as you finally manage to get your feet under you. It only fuels your indignation that this idiot is blocking your view. Before he picked this spot for his crash landing, you were kind of in the middle of something. However, it seems that the feeling of dislike is mutual, for the interloper is giving you some seriously angry eyes. “You,” he growls, “You are interfering with Dragon’s Throat business.” You stare beadily back at him, unimpressed. If he wasn’t one of your kind, you’d have already attempted to shove him out of the way, but as it is, you’re losing patience. Dragon’s Throat? What’s that supposed to be? And is he threatening you? At the thought, your own wings flare violently, and your ivory chest expands as you draw yourself up to your full height. Nobody messes with Gull, especially when there’s a lady present.

Blue eyes flashing, you step towards the stallion, intending to come uncomfortably close. If he expects you to stand down and turn tail, that fall must have rattled that little brain around in his thick skull. “And YOU,” you sneer, “are interfering with mine.”



text
"speech"

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Please do not tag Gull except for in opening posts or spars!

Dalibor Posts: 48
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 10 | dam: 2.5
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15.3 :: 9 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
redgod
#6

Dalibor smirked as this fool screeched like a little bitch and flailed about when his path was suddenly blocked.

Impressive.

He could already size up this stallion for exactly what he was: a useless sack of sperm, parading around as a ladies' man. What a waste of life. Normally, Dalibor would have let the scene play out, amused to watch a male whose only goal in life was to fuck either succeed because of some mare with horrifically low self-esteem, or get utterly rejected like the piece of trash he was.

But this? Towards Andromeda?

No.

When the white male stepped closer, wings flared, the roan was utterly unimpressed and figured he would close the gap between them even more. If he was trying to be intimidating, he was failing. Taking the last few steps to span the gap, the smile on his scarred lips was positively glacial. "Oh, forgive me," the warrior drawled, lowering his wings and turning his gaze around to the beautiful woman behind him. "He wants to sweet-talk you, then put his dick in you. After that, he's going to want to get away as quickly as possible to repeat the process with another mare. Would you like to be part of a pump-and-dump?" the roan inquired of the starry mare, making utterly no effort to sugar-coat the possibilities for her.

This stallion could fuck around elsewhere.


@[Andromeda]
@[Gull]



"talk talk talk"


I will fail you, of that I'm sure

Andromeda Posts: 91
Dragon's Throat Healer
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.1hh :: 5 (Tallsun) Buff: NOVICE
Lauren
#7

I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life. If I could just wither away inside my skin, suck the life, all the matter away. I never wanted to be the center of attention, and though I certainly want to be a desired woman, I've never wanted the COMPETITION of attention to get .. out of hand. But here in front of me are two pegasi stallions, getting steamed up over little ol' me. I back up away from them, spreading my wings again as I get flustered over their hormonal bickering. I wasn't sure that Dalibor would find me to do our patrol, but it seems he had little difficulty, and upon spying this other pegasus the handsome roan took no time to insert himself. I'm surprised there was enough space for him to land without crashing into either of us! Before the younger pegasus can even speak, Dalibor is cutting him off, threatening him with angry body language if not words. But as the gray foolishly engages the desert warrior, the words of my adored grow stronger, angrier -- and he turns them toward me.

I've never seen my handsome patrol partner, stallion-that-I-maybe-secretly-fantasize-about get so ... ugly. The rage in his eyes makes me step away from him, and the words that come from his mouth make me feel like someone has painted tar all over me. His words are revolting, ugly. They make me cringe inside my skin and I want to run from this... thing that Dalibor has become. He's always so quiet - is this what he's like when he finally speaks up? At first, I can't seem to speak, as if the words have been choked out of me and there's nothing left, certainly no air left to pass through my vocal chords. Tears rise to my eyes. Of course, his anger is meant for the newcomer, but he's looking at me, and the words he uses when talking about something that I could be a part of... My lips move, and it takes a moment before anything actually comes out.

"Dalibor!" When words finally come, they're breathy, aghast. His name is not said with love or kindness, just.. horror. "How could you.. how could you say something like that? That's HORRIBLE!" My voice grows stronger to the end, and anger shows in my tear-filled eyes. I glance apologetically at the stallion who has rightfully taken offense at Dalibor's intrusion. "How do you know what he would do, and how could you.. use such filthy language toward me?!" Hurt, I'm hurt, Dalibor. My body shakes from it, and my eyes show a betrayal. He's trying to defend me, but .. is this the way to do it? And how does he even know that this grey pegasus was even after such a thing?

WC: 779
Tag: @[Gull], @[Dalibor]
Omg.. muse.

ANDROMEDA
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*You may do anything you wish with Andromeda excluding dismemberment and death.

Dalibor Posts: 48
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 10 | dam: 2.5
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 15.3 :: 9 HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
redgod
#8




Her expression, the tears in her eyes, they all told him that he'd done wrong, that he'd fucked up.

And then she spoke, and everything came crashing down around him.

No.

Why.

I just want to protect you and keep you safe.

Why would you do this to me?


The thoughts were unbidden, rising to the forefront of his mind more quickly than even instinct could shut down his barely functioning emotions. But instinct kicked in real quick, and the cold, familiar bitterness snaked down his spine like an oozing sickness, numbing as it went.

Andromeda didn't trust him. She didn't understand him, couldn't understand him - just as Africa couldn't. He'd been an utter fool to think either woman was capable of handling his brokenness and accepting him for what he was. A smile like clenching of one's stomach just as they're about to vomit jerked across his lips and the painful void in his normally bright eyes dulled them to a lusterless pair of dirty marbles.

Dalibor knew he should've expected this. Why was he surprised? He was unlovable. The one person in this entire godsforsaken fucking world who'd loved him had been murdered, and now he was cursed to be alone for the rest of his days.

He just needed to accept it.

But that was a difficult tonic to swallow, and he fought it every peristaltic undulation on the way down. The starry mare wanted to know how he knew what this stallion wanted, and the answer was shameful: because he'd once been a stallion like that, hopped up on himself and strutting about like a fucking peacock. It was an alpha male personality that wasn't hard to discern. As she'd already smashed his pride to a million little shards of useless detritus, Dalibor felt no shame returning his gaze to this interloper with a snort. "Seems you can have your way with her," he said, vocals flat and utterly devoid of any signs of life. Because of me. "Glad to facilitate that for you." The sarcasm in both his statements was quite relevant despite the deadpan delivery.

Dalibor cast one last devastated look Andromeda's way, asking why, seeking an answer he felt he didn't even really want as to what made him so radioactive that he couldn't hold on to anyone - even those he wanted to keep. Turning and walking along the coastline, the roan didn't even bother to fly away. He had a patrol to do, so he'd do it.


Both of them could go to hell.



@[Andromeda]
@[Gull]


OOC: Posting order is a lie because Dalibor wouldn't stick around after that. I'm/he's out.

"their speech goes here and this is the color"

DALIBOR
Not one of you bastards has a cross to bear

Gull Posts: 120
Absent Abyss atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 6
Stallion :: Pegasus :: 16 hh :: 9 (Tallsun) HP: 64.5 | Buff: NOVICE
Splat :: Royal Zephyr :: Phoenix Shady
#9

GULL
trouble just grew wings


When the roan male steps closer, you can feel the adrenaline surge into your veins, can feel the nearly tangible thrum of the air between you. There’s going to be a fight here; you can feel it. Your muscles tense, and you begin seriously sizing up the competition. But just as you’re eying his wingspan, dark feathers drop, and the stallion turns his head to address the mare behind him. Before you can get in so much as an, “excuse me, miss, is he bothering you?” the accusations are flying. The stranger’s barely said ten words to you, and already he’s assaulting your character, claiming that you’re here for a little loving and leaving! If you weren’t already incensed, in retrospect you might have found this funny. The stallion who obviously finds you such a threat has no idea that you’re not who he thinks you are—not yet anyway. You wouldn’t know, would you? It’s a little hard to be a player when you haven’t exactly…played. But in the heat of the moment, you’re too offended to be flattered, or even amused. Here you were, enjoying a sunny day at the beach, until this jerk decided to drop out of the sky and ruin everything. Honestly, it’s your opinion that he’s just mad that he didn’t get to her first.

Fortunately for you, before you have time to spit that last bit out, the mare is speaking, clearly horrified at Dalibor’s (for that’s what she calls him) crude implications. A wiser stallion would have jumped at this opportunity, would have turned on the charm and oozed innocence, but you’re neither wise nor charming. You’re hotheaded, and Dalibor just took the fast track to pushing every last one of your buttons. Even as the mare rebukes him, you are not appeased—there is no room in your heart even for cold satisfaction to come creeping in. Even as Dalibor seems to deflate and verbally concedes to you, there is no room for triumph. Even as he begins to walk away, you cannot find it in yourself to let him go. You want to strike at him, to make him feel the sting of your wounded pride.

“HEY!” you yell, thundering down the beach after him, “Don’t think you can talk that way to ME!”

@[Dalibor]

OOC: Tagging Dalibor to see if he wants to respond! Don’t want to keep you if he’s out, but it’d be terribly out of character for Gull to let that one go XD



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Andromeda Posts: 91
Dragon's Throat Healer
Mare :: Pegasus :: 16.1hh :: 5 (Tallsun) Buff: NOVICE
Lauren
#10

I would have gladly taken the uncomfortable, crawling sensation that had taken hold of me moments before, over the horrible breaking that is happening now in my chest. I hadn't expected him to react as he did. I didn't think that my words would send him away. Don't leave me, Dalibor, please.. The tears come freely, spilling down my cheeks. What happened to my pleasant, solo patrol? The one that was a respite, freeing me from the day to day wearies. It's been shattered, by one stranger and one... more a stranger than I ever thought. I.. I don't know what happened. He came from nowhere, wrapped in wrath before he could even gauge the situation. At least, that's how I viewed it. He addressed the stranger before he even said a word to me, and his words were not of kindness. Not a hello, a how are you, let me defend you... A little decency is all I ask for, I'm not a barbarian! His language was foul and ugly, and I feel tainted just thinking about it. I.. I can't think about it.

"Seems you can have your way with her. Glad to facilitate that for you."

No words. I have no words for him as he departs. I stand in shock, not moving. He... he left. After delivering me on a silver platter to this complete stranger. My heart is shattering in my chest, shards piercing surrounding organs and tissue. He.. he left me, perhaps thinking that I didn't want him to defend me? That's not what I meant at all. I was upset because of the words he used toward ME. Shouldn't I be angry? Shouldn't I be justified?

Maybe. But I feel much too concerned about my broken heart to be angry. Has he left me for good? Is the budding something between us doomed before it can really take off? What sort of communication failed between us? Are Dalibor's emotions only wrath and pride? How could he use such language when he's talking about me? Or make such horrible assumptions about an innocent stranger? I mean, wait for some evidence first, right? Does he know how much he wounded me? Does he even care? Am I just.. chattel to him? Some property to defend or give away? Can he treat me like a self-sufficient being?

I don't know how to express my feelings, the ones that consume my mind. I look at the stranger, staring at him with a face full of emotion but eyes glazed over as thoughts swirl. "I..I.." I'm sorry? Forgive me for my almost-boyfriend's attitude? Please don't rape me? Hi, I'm Andromeda? Nothing seems right to say. Nothing seems right to do. Nothing IS right.

WC: 456
Tag: @[Gull]
Dalibor just broke her heart :(

ANDROMEDA
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*You may do anything you wish with Andromeda excluding dismemberment and death.


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