the Rift


[PRIVATE] Isolate and Medicate

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#1
Direct continuation of the Herd Meeting thread, HERE


Torleik the Bloodskald

Take what you can and leave me to the wolves


Gingerly, the dual-horned stallion immersed his muscular form in the steaming liquid of the hot springs, relishing the heat and the analgesic effect it offered. It was...distracting, at least.

Distracting from all his emotions.

All this bullshit.

The god who'd fucked and knocked up the woman he...wanted...had just popped in and made her lead not long after he'd brought Ophelia in. Just like that. Why the fuck was she so special to the damn gods?

Why was he not?

His heart held so much reverence for them! All of them! He would do his best to be what they commanded, do what they decreed - but no! He was shunned at every conceivable opportunity! Angrily dunking his head under the water, Torleik snapped it back up and glared sullenly at some rocks nearby.

The stallion felt his posture slumping and his eyes cast themselves down to the bubbling water. This was it, then. He was lacking. Everyone seemed to notice it but he.

Why?

What was so flawed in him that he could not find love or respect in this place?

Irelyn cautiously landed by the water, owlish eyes observing with a mixture of desire and fascination. Her bird-like nature wished to bathe with her companion and her particular feline constitution was enthralled by this liquid. With a quiet little skrree! the owl-griffin flung herself into the hot spring for only a few seconds, almost immediately scrambling back out to preen her feathers.

But she couldn't, because Torleik's emotional turmoil was making it hard for her to stay calm, and the molten fire that laced her edges spluttered up and flared every now and then. With each small explosion of fire, her bonded flinched and Irelyn felt...horrible that her very nature caused him such pain. She tried to get close but his flinching got worse and though his eyes were apologetic, the stallion moved back slightly.

'No be scared...I love...?' she said sadly, her words a confused query.

"I love you, too, Irelyn," the Bloodskald murmured, "I'm...it's the fire. Not you, love. Not you." Even his bonded could not be near him like this.

He was broken.


"talk talk talk"




@[Ophelia]

Art by valerie911 @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
#2


Ophelia did not miss the sensation of Torleik leaving her side, his expression painfully obvious. The tilt of his ears weighed her heart but the sneer pained her enough to spark her slow burning temper. Sharp, two toned eyes tracked as he left, white fur taunt over her features as she clenched her jaw tightly. The icy heart in her chest pounded angrily, and she turned her attention forcefully back to the present meeting until it ended. She did not miss Torleik's greeting to the bronze stallion, though.

Fine. Leave.

He had brought her here despite her warnings! She had explained the situation with her daughter once before. The nervousness of others to her leadership made sense, but his? To just leave? Was he so upset with her power that he was going to abandon her like everyone else?

You promised.

This was why her heart was not so freely gifted, guarded beneath layers of ice formed with each abandonment, death and cruel word. This was why she had warned herself - and him - that she was broken. Still, the rune stallion had pushed, coaxing the ice with the fire of his words until he got deep enough to hurt. Ophelia was surrounded with faces she barely knew, faces that scrutinized, scowled and doubted, and Torleik leaving felt like a rock foundation beneath her hooves crumbling to the sea. What did that say? That he would invite her and leave?

So many of these faces were dangerous. The path of leadership was one that she had to tread carefully, words weighed, actions considered. Tinek took off from the snow to follow the stallion, ensuring that Ophelia could find him easily later - when she was prepared to yell. Tinek hoped that she would yell, for once.

The meeting ended, and Ophelia followed to where Tinek indicated through their mental bond. She thanked him as her hooves carried her to shallows that hummed with steam and heat. They stopped at the edge of one, looking down at Torleik as he stood in the water. Though she valiantly attempted to control her expression, the pain and mistrust tainted the shine in her eyes.

"Do you have a problem with me being a strong, female leader?" she asked pointedly, trying to keep her tone even. In actuality, the effort to hide her anger made the words emerge almost whispered. She stood still, flawless and proud marble that was cracking at the foundation.


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#3



Torleik looked up when a shadow crossed over the water, seeing Tinek circling, and his heart did a strange lurching skitter beat. Where there was ice, there was an ice princess.

Ophelia had followed him here. And he didn't want that.

His gaze, flat and guarded, watched her approach, saw the anger in the stiff, rigid lines of her movement and wondered...if she just shattered into a million pieces, what would happen? Would he be surprised? Would it even hurt at this point?

Probably, Torleik mused. He was weak like that.

The pale-and-crimson mare stopped before him and hissed her words - and Torleik? He actually laughed. He laughed because her perceptions were so off that it couldn't be anything other than hilarious. But the mirth fizzled and died as quickly as it'd come and he shook his head. "Oh, Phi," he murmured, shortening her name for the first time. "That's not it at all. I have complete faith you'll be an exceptional leader," the Bloodskald said softly. "This place needs someone strong and sensible for once."

Her aptitude for the position was unquestioned. That didn't mean he approved of the Time God just...popping in, reminding anyone who would listen that he'd fucked their new leader before appointing her. Briefly Torleik wondered if that comment was meant directly for him since he wasn't under the impression that the God of the Spark was too dense to realize that the Bloodskald had feelings for the Forsaken.

So, what? Male pride? Yes, you want her, but never forget I had her first. And gave her a child. Oh and then wiped her memory of it so all the evidence of our encounter remains but she has no recollection because I'm a bastard like that.

Torleik's expression was bitter. He didn't blame Ophelia for the dalliance, nor the resultant child. That didn't mean it sat smoothly, the whole situation. It ate at his own precariously constructed sense of self.

She'd been with a god.

What did she need from him? What could he give her, just a pathetic, broken stallion as he was?

Nothing. He was a fool.

That's all he'd ever been.

"talk talk talk"


@[Ophelia]


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
#4


He laughed.

Ophelia felt rage crawl up her spine, and she forced her hooves to remain rooted firmly on the ground. The glint in her two-toned gaze flamed, and she lifted her neck, squaring her shoulders as if the physical movement could protect her heart. She wanted to turn on her haunches and leave him there to his bath, but she stayed, urging him to continue speaking, to give her a reason to fight. Usually blessed with ethereal calm, Ophelia was experiencing a rare moment of temper.

The words he spoke were almost mocking, and she narrowed her gaze. If he thought that she would be an exceptional leader, then why did he leave? Why did he abandon her to the wolves of the crowd - he who brought her here?

"Oh, I suppose you left me there at the mercy of Deimos, d'Artagnan and Ulrik's words and scrutiny for some other purpose?" she snapped, raising a brow slightly to punctuate her irritation. Ophelia was absolutely rigid. "Or what? Couldn't handle the God of Time in the same vicinity knowing that I am the mother of his child?" The words were hissed angrily, tail switching once around her hocks. Stallions were so confusing and often ridiculous.


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#5


Torleik could have handled her prods about leaving her, abandoning her to the others. She was right. He'd walked off and left her - but since when had that bothered her? She'd never wanted or needed him to stick around before, so why should it be different now? He could have handled being raked over the rocks for that.

But when she asked if he couldn't handle the Time God's presence, something inside of him snapped. The twine that held his temper in check had been slowly unraveling, breaking apart thread by miniscule thread, and her guillotine words sliced clean through the remainder of whatever held it taut.

And he exploded: both internally, and out of the water, muscular forelegs and hocks catapulting him out of the hot spring, steam pouring off his body when more and more of his skin hit the cold winter air. Torleik's eyes blazed just like hers, the anger and pain and shame all too apparent in his face.

"Handle the Time God's presence?" he asked, incredulity saturating his words. "I handled his fucking presence just fine until he took a jab at me by making it perfectly clear that, lest I not forget, he fucked you!" the Bloodskald snarled. "He's a bastard, but he's a god. He gave you a child! I'm just...just a pathetic man who's lost and has no purpose in this sham I'm trying to lie and call a life! What the hell could I offer you? Why would you ever want anything from me?"

Irelyn gave a highly displeased series of avian growls when her bonded's loss of control set her to melting out of her wingtips, talons and beak. The fire did not inherently wound her but it was frightening for the young owl griffin to both feel Torleik so enraged and desolate inside while feeling no control over her own magic. Scared, she scrambled towards him for comfort, her tiny heart breaking when he jerked back and kept space between them.

'Why...you no love? Scared!' she wailed piteously through their bond and Torleik's impotent rage only carved more out of his insides.

"I can't even handle my own companion," he growled, angry, gritting his teeth. The fear of being burned was to embedded in his psyche now and though he longed to bear the pain and scoop up his owl griffin, he was paralyzed with fear. 'I'm so sorry, Irelyn,' he pleaded through their bond. 'I know - I know you're scared. It's my fault and I'm so sorry. I love you, so much.'

Eyes cast back up to the new Lady of the Basin, wary, almost accusatory, expecting her to abandon him here. Let her complete this descent into his nadir.


"talk talk talk"


@[Ophelia]

Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
#6


The only offered reaction to Torleik lunging from the water was the backward tilt of her elegantly shaped ears. She was unmoved, standing firm even as the larger stallion approached. Steam from the difference in temperatures on his pelt rose, giving physical evidence to his assumed anger, but Ophelia cared little for his anger now. The pale princess narrowed her gaze, prepared to fight if she must, even if she was smaller in comparison to his noble frame.

She openly winced at his crude language, having never heard it so openly before, and she glared to hide the pain. As he spoke, she felt the anger in her rise. So that was what this was about? He was actually comparing himself to the God? As if she could even compared the two at all? "Gave me a child?" she barked in response, a bitter, painful sneer twisting her normally serene facade. "He took one from me!"

Ophelia felt emotion shake her body, heart pounding as blood rushed through her ears. She could feel the pumping rock her hooves, anger so high she felt like floating. "Do you realize how difficult it was to tell Roskuld that she was wanted - how hard it was to love her knowing how she came into being?" The color of her eyes seemed to cool to an icy wall. How could he even begin to compare himself to the God of Time? "He is immortal, and I am a speck of dust in time. You think he cares? If he does, the emotion is fleeting at best. I have only ever wanted a good life, Torleik. My wants and needs are simple."

"I am mortal, and I just want to survive as best I can."
That hadn't been going well so far.

The griffin, upset by the emotions, seemed to struggle with controlling her flames, and Ophelia watched with a moved heart. What hurt the most was when Torleik jerked away from her approach, and she shot the stallion a glare. Ophelia called Tinek down from the skies with her thoughts, and the dragon glided close, seeing the poor creature. His scales were armor, and he moved close, gentle exhaling a breath of frost to cool her powers. Tinek did so from where he laid down in the ground, trying to appear as unobtrusive as possible.

Ophelia listened to his words, raising a brow as curiosity knocked on the door of her rage. She turned her gaze back to the little griffin, offering a warm, gentle smile. "Hello, Irelyn," she said softly, having heard her name when they met. "I know how hard it can be when your bond mate is feeling too much. Tinek can teach you how to control it, love." The dragon nodded once, glancing at the little, feathered morsel. He crawled a little closer, nudging her, unafraid of the flames.

She lifted her gaze back to Torleik. "You should not turn her away," she spoke sternly. "What is a burn in the face of the only pure love you will ever experience?" The question was asked in a demanding way, as the answer, to her, was simple. Ophelia was aware of his past and the tragedy of his home, but he did not know that she knew this, that she had pried into his mind.


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#7


Her words cracked around his ears like whips, breaking down anything and everything he perceived and felt. That was expected, wasn't it? He could barely function; why should he be correct about anything? "No" he said dourly, "I don't know what it was like. I know next to nothing about you." The statement was pointed. "Nor you me."

Ophelia claimed she just wanted to survive the best she could but that wasn't enough for Torleik. A view of life like that was bleak and not worth living. He needed something to live for, someone to live for, a purpose.

He had none. None that he could see, at least. His position as Basin General felt like a hollow attempt to pander to one of his skills, Ulrik and he hadn't so much as spoken in the past two seasons until today, and everyone he met, every friend he made, every single person he began to feel any modicum of care for...

But it didn't really matter. It wasn't about them. It was about feeling as though he had nothing to offer and the shame that drowned him in. How could he ever hope to make anyone happy when he was not happy himself? How could he provide for someone when he could not take care of himself and his bonded? Torleik watched with rage as Tinek came down to comfort Irelyn, Ophelia and her companion doing what he could not.

And then the pale mare's words cut him more deeply than anything anyone else in this land had spoken to him. Forget the Sun God's mocking, the Moon Goddess' choice of that drug-addict bastard, Brisa telling him the children were probably his and lying. The anger in him turned cold and black, and consequently, Ireyln's fire went out, the frost dragon's aid irrelevant. In a manner that almost bespoke calm, but the light in his eyes screaming otherwise, Torleik took one, single step towards Ophelia.

"You think I want this?" he hissed, deep voice barely above a whisper. "I love her more than anything in this world and you think I push her away for the fuck of it?" Such expletives were not normally part of his vocabulary, but then again, such rage was not normally part of his soul. "I want nothing more than to let her fire burn me to the bone if it would convince her I love her, but I can't. I can't move when she's burning. I can't think when she's burning. I can't breathe when she's burning - and you sit there and think you have the right to insinuate how easy it should be for me to not push her away?"

Fuck you. The thought was unbidden, sick and putrid, and Torleik hated how dirty he felt for being so pyrrhically volcanic inside. But now? Now all that was spewing was ash. And ash made everything cold.

Ironic, how he couldn't run from the fire that was eating him alive from within.

I love you. I hate myself and I love Irelyn and I love you. And if I can't even love my companion how I'm supposed to, how can I ever love you the way you deserve? The thought stream was sobering, and all the pent up rage started to melt from his muscles, leaving him feeling like he'd run across the entirety of Helovia and back.

"I want to love her, to help her, but I can't."

"talk talk talk"

@[Ophelia]


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
#8


Ophelia knew he was right. He barely knew anything about her at all, and she supposed he must have learned quite a bit at the gathering that should have come from her lips instead of another's. She frowned. Her flawless memories were a curse. Her past returned to her mind so easily and so clearly - often she lost herself in past experiences and did not realize how much others did not know. Learning someone took time, time that she and Torleik had not experienced, but she had spoken to him as if she had expected him to understand.

Certainly he did though? She had explained that she had been abandoned, that she was broken.

Why did he leave her there alone?

She stood up for his companion then, a culmination of past experiences forming her response. Torleik stood right back, taking a step forward which she initially ignored. Then, he spoke. She lifted her gaze, watching Irelyn's fire extinguish immediately. Ophelia furrowed her brows, trying to absorb his words despite the lingering ache of her own heart. She let them linger in the winter's air, both of them breathing heavily. He looked ragged, tense, and she was shaken, off center when she normally carefully toed the very line of her own duality.

He was afraid of her fire in a way that was crippling, and she wondered what it was like to feel that way. She knew that his home had been burned down, and those left painful memories. Her lack of instincts had never let her fear the elements, so she struggled to empathize with this emotion. However, she could empathize with his words. Ophelia had been trapped by her own inadequacies and hurt Tinek in the process, and the kind words of an elder had offered her wisdom.

Wisdom was not one of her personality traits, but surely she could help - at least in some way. He would need time to calm down, and she would need time to rid herself of the likelihood that his leaving in the meeting was a precursor to leaving forever. Ophelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, struggling to find her center again. For now, she was shoved off to one side and rebelling, but she would make it to the middle again.

"I have no right to insinuate any ease," she said finally. "Since... I was born, I have never felt an innate fear of... anything," she said, admitting a weakness. She had never told anyone these words before. "But because of this, I have been hurt and injured more times than I would care to admit. What you feel toward her fire is not inherently wrong, Torleik." Ophelia was unsure of how to proceed. She could speak truth, and risk alienating him further. Or, she could try to coax him into understanding.

Maybe this would be a moment when manipulating him would be positive? The idea made her chest do funny things, like what it did when she was about to do something wrong. But, logically, it made sense...right?

"Fire... Fire is destructive and strong, but is it not also powerful and beautiful?" she suggested. "When I look at Irelyn, I see a passionate flame, not a dangerous one. Does the wielder make a difference?"

Again, she put her own emotions aside. The hurt was still there, but admitting that hurt aloud would only put her at risk for more pain. She hid behind her walls to help others, as was the greatest and most beautiful flaw of her design.


Heartstrings Come Undone
You know I'm trying to believe that you're never gonna leave...
Art by: veradaine @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#9
Torleik

Bring me to the fire; throw me in the flame



His ears snapped forward, focusing on her words. No innate fear of anything? Nothing at all? What it must be like to feel impervious. The sounds of her voice still sliding over the pits grooves of his brain, Torleik felt a sensation like bitter water in the back of his throat. No fear, and she felt herself on a pedestal to judge his? Black, velvety audits slowly swiveled back to pin against his skull, the Bloodskald wondering if this woman would ever find anything in him that she wouldn't judge.

That was a foolish and fleeting notion, he knew, and her apology by way of telling him that his fear was not wrong was accepted - if done so silently. How could fear ever be wrong? How could any emotion be inherently wrong? A motivation could be moral or immoral, good or bad. A desire could be upstanding or base. But a feeling - how could a feeling be judged? Torleik was silent as Ophelia's words ebbed for the moment, looking down at Irelyn who was huddled on the ground trying to hide in her own plumage.

And suddenly he was so tired. Brows wrinkled over eyes glazed with weariness and deep sorrow, Torleik slowly sank to his knees, then to his belly. Prostrating himself could not bring him low enough to beg forgiveness for the pain he knew he'd caused this little one who would forever be a part of his soul. "I love you so much, ástin mín," he rumbled, reaching out his muzzle towards her slowly, cautiously - not for fear of being hurt, but with the trepidation of her rejection. Children were the cruelest beings in the world, sometimes, ruled as they were by their basest passions and whims.

His heart stilled when her feathered head butted up between his nares and rubbed, and he exhaled with relief. 'You love...?' she queried, uncertain.

'Always and forever, Irelyn. I swear on my life.'

A pause accompanied his given word, and then she rubbed against his muzzle again. 'I love.'

Inwardly, he laughed once to himself. Children were also the most loving creatures in the world, ready and willing to forgive at a moment's notice. Ophelia's voice slid over his ears like silk once more and the prostrate general raised his gaze to her regal form, considering what she claimed. Does the wielder make a difference? Could he see fire as a wild element, dictated by who controlled it, or would he forever be confined to his crippling fear?

How could a strong man hold such a fear inside and call himself strong? But was not strong; who was he fooling? Ever since he'd come to this place, he'd been a damaged, broken man and he had yet to find a reason to pick up all the shards of himself he'd left littered all over the place and shove them back into the proper mold. When would he find the motivation? What would it take? Irelyn wasn't enough?

Torleik's gaze laid heavy on the pale princess in front of him and let the slow, methodical progress of his mind and soul move forward without resistance. Like a mountain troll thundering onward with each step, the pieces of the logic fell into place with heavy, echoing crashes in his head.

He was a father to this tiny owl-griffin, her caretaker, the purest love he or she would ever know.

He was the general of the Basin's ragtag group of soldiers.

He loved this woman, for all the pain or joy it might bring him.

He had a life to raise, a purpose to fulfill, and a woman to pursue. A true Viking needed only a few things more for his life to be truly complete: battles to fight, mead to drink and songs to sing. Why, then, was he crawling on the ground like a worm, bemoaning his life and his pain and his failings?

No true man acted this way.

Sinewy threads of muscle tensing and rippling beneath his glossy black rabicano coat, the Bloodskald picked himself up from the ground and met Ophelia's dual gaze with a newfound steadiness. "The wielder always makes a difference," Torleik finally replied. "But fear is a strong motivator. As is anger." He glanced away, then back, and took a step closer, reaching out to touch his muzzle to her neck. The gesture was purposefully intimate, though brief. "In my anger, I left you when I should have stayed. I'm sorry," he murmured. "I failed you once. I will not fail you again."


"talk talk talk"

@[Ophelia]


Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
I was the reason you feel sick inside


Ophelia watched with furrowed brows, expression tight, as Torleik focused the whole of his attention on the tiny, destructive creature. He bowed his great body to the ground, coming face to face with her, the little griffin who barely took up the space of his muzzle. Feeling uncomfortable in the open, emotional situation, she turned her face, staring off into the treeline and shifting her weight onto one hip. Gray lips were curled into a slight frown, wondering why in this world she did not deserve the same affection that was given to others so easily.

She was broken.

She was the overlooked toy, the one left in the chest when everyone had already taken what they wanted.

Tinek flew overhead, a silent and grown sentinel in the sky. She felt his presence now as a strength instead of that of a child. He was wise, the two a pair, equal in minds and often conflicting in their idea of wisdom. Ophelia was glad to see him grown into his own role, a dragon king, but she did miss him as a child. She supposed this is what being a parent felt liked, if she were any good at parenting. Roskuld sat in her mind as a guilty weight, a stone of failure mixed with love and loss. Phi wanted to make it right, but how could she?

The weight of his gaze caught her attention, and she furrowed her brows again, slowly sliding her head around to find him still on the ground. She wondered why he was staring, what he was thinking. Soon enough, he stood up, rather gracefully for such a gigantic beast. Though she too was tall, his stature was far thicker, and she was always impressed when the muscular ones managed to move like dancers.

Another apology. Who was this Torleik? So few actually repented their actions against others. She had expected him to brush her off when she had stated her grievances. In her anger, she had expected a fight, one that would leave her with one less friend - as always. He was such a surprise, an enigma... something... different in this world with similarly shaped puzzle pieces. Torleik was a corner.

He spoke, and she listened, confused by the gesture and confused by him in general. When her statistical view of the world managed to crumble at her hooves, her expectations incorrect, she was often thrown. "Thank you," she said quietly, wondering when the sting of him leaving would fade. Ophelia remembered all, every word, every feeling... This made the concept of 'forgive and forget' difficult, and she was a rather vengeful creature at the core.

But she did want to forgive. That counted for something, right?

Ophelia wanted to tell him that he couldn't make promises like that - that he would fail. She would fail. They would fail each other. The thought was... nice, but so wrong. Instead of snorting and telling him wrong, she held her tongue, attempting a small, brief smile that felt so awkward on her features. She had come here to fight, and now she was scrambling.

Now she had no idea what to say and felt incredibly awkward. "Ah, Irelyn looks... better," she said quietly.




Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#11
Torleik
Still alive; sill awake; still believe in our escape



He wasn't privy to her inner workings or even her outward signs of discomfort while he was paying attention to Irelyn on the ground, groveling as he should for her forgiveness. His people took bloody vengeance for less pain than he'd dealt out here today. Ophelia, by all rights, could have challenged him to battle for his cowardly abandonment of her during her ascension to her newly minted political station. He had fallen so short in such a blink of time, failed the two most important women in his life so fully...he could only hope both would forgive him in time.

His companion seemed willing to do so without much second thought - and why would she act otherwise? She was still a child, still unaware of the lingering pain of others' mistakes and mishaps, the scars that remained after someone else's barbed words or pointed actions. Irelyn would learn that on a day that would arrive far too soon, but it was not this day; and it was not at his hooves she would know the pain of her heart, soul and mind being trampled by another. For this, the viking was grateful.

So with his repenting at Irelyn's altar complete, he turned to subtle supplication for forgiveness at Ophelia's, his begging marked by a simple apology and promise to be better. The disbelief he saw on her face slung an arrow at his soul not for himself, but for the realization that so few in her life had been strong enough to tell her they were wrong, hadn't they? If this was so new to her, so foreign and befuddling. Torleik's resolve to be a better man found a solid foundation here, bolstered by the knowledge that he could be better for her, not just because he should be.

Perhaps that was a fault, that being good just for the satisfaction of goodness was not impetus enough for him. Not now; maybe in the future, he could be that noble man for no other reason than because he should. But it was not of concern to him, for if he could not be good for those around him, being good for himself meant nothing and would only reflect a self-absorption the Bloodskald refused to ever reflect off the mirror of his soul. This pale princess thanked him, offering a smile so fleeting he almost though he'd missed it.

Rune-carved horns shifted, catching the light as he shifted his head to the side, curious. That smile illumined her face more than he'd seen it glow in ages. What would be required of him to coax out the anomaly once again? With a gentle nod to his side, Torleik began to walk towards the hot springs nearby, finding this pool to be, unlike Ophelia's joy, a common panacea for his ills and aches. The day she smiled regularly would be a victory.

"She does look better, doesn't she?" he murmured, giving his companion a glance as they moved, smiling softly at the hybrid animal. "Her state reflects my own; I really must improve on controlling my emotions, for her sake." Irelyn, not paying much attention to her bonded's conversation, took a running leap into the hot springs, using her owl wings to help propel her around on the surface. It amused him to no end that she enjoyed water, as he would not have expected either a bird or a feline to have such a proclivity, let alone a fusion of the two.

Her little body made a splash that flicked water up onto his forelegs and the sight of her antics made him chuckle - and gave him an idea. With a smirk that was half-affected and half-true (what was that about faking something until it was real?), Torleik turned and let his tail dip into the warm water. Mischievous expression directed towards Ophelia now, the Bloodskald paused, rumbling, "You look radiant when you smile," before whipping up his tail and flinging warm water droplets her way, aiming for her shoulder or side and avoiding her face just in case.

The miserable failure of his aim was apparent as he saw the water heading straight for her head, and he instinctively ducked his own crown as if doing so would aid her in avoiding the liquid somehow.

Gods, he hoped she wouldn't be angry with him for trying to do something stupid for a smile. When was the last time they'd laughed? Felt at ease? With each other? Her smile was so beautiful; he just wanted to see it again. If he could make her angry, he could make her happy.

...right?

"talk talk talk"


@[Ophelia]

------------------------------------------------------------
Why are they so adorable. ;-;

Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA
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No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


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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
#12
Ophelia
We're dancing in this world alone

Torleik had once been a bouncy, bumbling child who tumbled in and out of life. Now, age had swiftly ascended him to his royal state, hunting and philosophy becoming his favorite past times. The wild creature was still in there, somewhere, but unless provoking, he would not be wrestling around any time soon. He was gone, somewhere, but always present in her mind. With size and skill came independence that she was glad he had, and she hoped for him all the blessings in the world. He hummed affectionately through their bond to indicate his gratitude, the sound distant; he must be flying far around the Basin.

The pale princess nodded to Torleik’s words, having discovered that nugget of morality some time ago when advice had been imparted by a strange, old mare. “You can always ensure that you are in a place which helps your control,” she offered, remembering Hellena speak as if it were yesterday. “I used to lead a band of mercenaries and spies and we called ourselves the Grey. My twin sister and I lead this group side by side and we conquered the Foothills which is now called the Hidden Falls. We lead together until the strain of lies and contracts became too much, and I gave up my leadership for him,” she said, nodding her nose to the sky to indicate she was speaking about her dragon. Ophelia rarely ever spoke of her past, not because she was secretive, but because she did not think anyone cared to know. Living in the present was important, especially for her, but every now and then, some things applied. Ktulu was, perhaps, the only one who knew some of the more minor details, considering that they were raised together.

Ophelia watched the cat owl wade around in the pool, looking at the waters warily. The depth was unknown. Some creature could be residing beneath the smoking depths, but Torleik had never been yanked below the surface to never see the light of day again. Rarely was she wary of anything, but anything could be living beneath the surface; wasn’t it just common sense to want to make sure it was safe?

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she barely noticed what Torleik doing before his compliment was struck like a sword through the heart. Ophelia was struggling to process his words, gaze snapping upward as she stared in disbelief, wondering what he meant at all. Radiant when she smiled? Such romantic words, so rarely spoken in her presence, were confusing, and she approached the situation like one would a mathematics equation, attempting to rationalize the answer. She barely had time to do any of this as his tail snapped her way, bringing droplets of water with it, and she closed her eyes, scrunching up her face in a wince as she lightly turned her head away. The warm water dotted her hide around her cheek, a few making it onto her long, white lashes and the rest splatting at her neck. Once she was sure the assault was over, she cracked open her pale blue, left eye.

Slowly the expression faded into an actor’s face of haughty disbelief as she puffed her chest and lifted her neck in a lofty way. “Did you just… splash me?” she demanded, welcoming the reprieve she had to let his compliment sink in. The words still stung in a way that burned through the ice, and she was surprised that it felt so… nice. Ophelia slowly waltzed to the edge of the hot spring, seeing him through the curling smoke that now wafted between their bodies. Torleik would learn something about her today, something that he might not like. Phi was a vengeful creature, intent on payback – even in play.

The pale princess swiftly turned her haunches as if she were in battle and kicked backward, letting her hind hooves catch in the water and send a wave up toward where Torleik stood. As soon as she landed, she was moving again, her dance graceful as she lightly moved on cloven hooves. A smirk curled one side of her face, which was close to a smile, right? Phi watched him carefully, wondering if this would little battle would end up with her being doused.



Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#13
Torleik
And you're giving me such sweet nothing


Torleik noticed Tinek was no longer present and though to ask about his location, though Ophelia did not seem perturbed by his absence. "Does Tinek go off on his own often now?" inquired the stallion, glancing to the skies in case he'd simply missed the dragon circling above. There was little movement save for a passing pair of birds, of what kind he could not tell.

Her words regarding his control were not all that well-met, and his expression became slightly more rigid. "If I could always guarantee I was in a place to help me control myself, I doubt I would have these issues as I do," he said stiffly. It was not like him to admit weakness, or faults of a severe nature, yet here he had done both to Ophelia - and she was telling him to just make sure he was always in a good place? As if he chose to put himself in bad positions for his emotions? Still, he listened to what the mare said, listened to her tell him that she gave up her leadership for Tinek. The mild irritation the stallion had felt prior gave way to slight stubbornness, and almost some manner of entertainment. "You want I would give you up?" Torleik said somewhat pointedly. "Those that make us feel most strongly are those those that should be held tightest."

It was an adage from his mother, something she'd often said about Torleik's father. The young colt had asked one season why his mother loved his father when his father clearly had no intention of remaining faithful, and those words had been her answer - and her answer every time after when Torleik asked why she put up with him following one of his many transgressions. Though the rune-horned stallion could clearly see his father loved his mother, he had long ago vowed to never make the same mistakes as his sire, to try to love two women at once, to try to pretend that doing so did nothing but hurt all involved.

Ophelia's story did intrigue him, though he felt that pressing would only cause her to close off like a snapdragon. A trickle of doubt dripped in through the back of his mind, all the pieces he knew from before finally falling and clicking into place. She had been a great spy once, an exceptional manipulator, clever with her words and actions so as to get exactly what she wanted from the other equid or the situation. What was to change that now? What was to prevent her from using him in the same way - even if she only did so out of habit? Brows knitted together in the silence that followed, his thoughts carving their own winding paths through the rocky glaciers of his mind.

In all of Helovia, Torleik though of one woman he'd met who seemed straightforward and fully self-sufficient, and that was Ophelia's sister Ktulu. The negative of Ophelia in virtually every way he could imagine, the dark sister was a warrior, blunt, without the smoke of stealth and the silk of lies gilding her form and beguiling others. Ktulu was a shieldmaiden of honor and strength, like those in the tales of his homeland. Ophelia was everything that frightened him in a woman.

She was crafty, sneaky, clever with her tongue, saw the world as chess pieces to be moved and played against one another. Politics was an arena Torleik had left to his brother, despite being at least somewhat capable of holding his own when it came to such treachery and self-promotion. In his personal life he couldn't handle that level of falsehood, all the lies and deals behind closed doors; he had a simple heart that wanted to live honorably and love fully. The Bloodskald shook his head slightly, irked with himself that it had taken him so long to consider this. He had foolishly let his heart lead him where his mind should have been directing the expedition.

Now he was in a dark cave with a pinprick of light to follow and hope he didn't lose his footing along the way.


He supposed he'd best enjoy the journey, then, since it could all end in a frozen disaster. And that didn't affect his ability to be sincere in what he said, now did it? So he complimented her and then flung water at her face, hoping it might amuse her. Ophelia's response was not quite what he'd expected. She puffed her chest out and affected a royally haughty air, opening one, beautiful blue eye at him asking if he'd...actually...just done what she thought he'd did.

"Hm. Seems I did..." the dual-horned stallion rumbled with a grin, sensing there was more to come. He was correct. For a fraction of a second he thought she might kick him, but the water that splashed up and spick-spick-spicked against his skin in little droplets of wet heat told him differently. He chuckled as she trotted away from him, his body warmed by her smirk and the playful, almost vengeful spark in her eyes. The heat from the springs around them seemed to have seeped into his body and settled in his loins and he grunted.

This was the same feeling he'd gotten prior to his...utterly idiotic foray with Brisa. Torleik was almost 100 percent certain Ophelia wouldn't even let him near her for that reason, and he felt a little guilty for being so easily aroused. Surely he should be better than this. But he shoved those thoughts away and went after his pale princess. His own movements agile for what one might think, given his size, Torleik attempted to fake her out by leaping a little towards the hot springs, then suddenly the other way. With luck, that would drive her closer to the water's edge - which would be aided (he hoped) by his reaching out and trying to playfully bite on the side facing away from the water.

If all went well, he could nudge her into the spring and claim complete victory.



@[Ophelia]

"talk talk talk"


Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
Ophelia
the world was on fire


Ophelia listened to his question and nodded, smiling. "He has his own life too, and I enjoy sharing it with him," she replied. Then, she told him a personal story, one that was important to her. The advice she had received from Hellena that day had changed her life. That point had been one which directed her down a different path, and the words meant so much more than just a literal place. She frowned, ears tilting back as her expression tensed.

His words, though true, were not entirely applicable to her story. She was speaking about sacrifice for those you cared about, so that you could do right by them no matter what - even if that meant giving up something important. Her story spoke of doing what was best for another, not yourself. The pale princess narrowed her gaze ever so slightly. "Those you care for are worth it," she replied tensely in agreement. "I never said anything about giving me up."

She stood stiffly, feeling the pain of his slight rubbing an ache in her chest. Did her story mean nothing then? Ophelia snatched her gaze away, looking down at her hooves as anger masked a plummeting self-confidence. Advice that had meant so much to her, held so much weight and value had been so easily cast down. The start, a snippet of her past which was rarely told, had been ignored. Hellena had helped shape her future, helped her realize that filling her world with lies and tension was only straining the beautiful bond between her and Tinek.

"It's about self-sacrifice. Selflessness for the benefit of those you care about," she grunted, tightening her jaw. Giving up leadership of a herd she had built from the ground had been one of her life's greatest sacrifices. This reminded her of why she rarely opened up. How quick were others to judge when she imparted advice and a life choice. Argument had not been what she had intended. Did he have too much pride to consider she offered? That made it seem like she meant so little to him as a leader, an individual, equal...

------------------------

Ophelia trotted from the spring with her head raised, still smirking. Unaware of the feeling of feminine wiles, she acted on whatever little instincts she had. She had no intention of seducing him and no idea that she even was. Honestly, she felt like she was playing for the first time in her life. So much of her childhood had been plagued with violence and tension, running from shades to save her and her sister's life. Little time was left for careless fun.

The time god had also left his emotional hang-ups and scars. He had taken advantage of her memory and her body in a single action, and she had given him a child. Never again did she want to feel this way, so full of anguish and upset and yet trying so hard to care for a child she had not wanted. Admitting that to herself had been difficult enough. Getting over these issues would take time and love but more importantly understanding and patience.

She watched him dodge out of her way then back in her direction, and she snorted in amusement, smiling. The pale princess was closer to the water's edge now, and his light shove with his nose pushed her gently just into the shallow of a spring. Luckily, she recovered well, jerking her body up and out of the warm water with the crashing of her heart. Ophelia could not remember a time when she had ever swam before, and the deep waters were dangerous and unnerving.

Still, she was not offended, just glad that she had survived. Breathing roughly, she felt the chilly bite of the air and shook out her coat, glancing at Torleik with a nervous smile. "Ah the water..." she said, struggling to admit a weakness. "They are not deep?" she asked, just to be sure. Her hooves had hit a silty bottom, but did it get deeper? The tips of her hair were wet and her lower coat revealed a dark skin underneath, making her appear almost blue.

She was not at all mad or upset. Just taking her time to weight the shock of that tinge of fear of never making it to the surface again. While rationally she understood that he would never shove her to her death, the irrational fear of the water had clouded her judgement. "I cannot see... through it," she replied. "Did you swim often where you came from?" Was that why he was so brave?




Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#15
Torleik
I embrace the coming draw, the erase of every wall



He could not imagine Irelyn going off too far on her own, having her own adventures, getting into her own problems and troubles. She was still a young thing, still attached to him, still wishing to be close enough to him at all times that if something went wrong, he could save her. The thought that one day that would change hurt his heart; one day, she would not need him anymore, and the sadness that weighted his heart was hard to swallow.

Ophelia's shared story did not make the point she had hoped for, at least not to him, and his response earned him a tight expression and ears drawn back towards her crown - not to mention her narrowed gaze that he did not fail to catch. Torleik frowned, pushing breath out of his nostrils. What was it she was trying to tell him, then? Her words were brief and seemingly clear: Stop whining and fix it. Put yourself in a position to be better. Give up what you care about so that you do better by others. Where was the compassion in that? Where did her sharing a story about such a large sacrifice she'd made become a way to commiserate with him? He frowned, irritated she did not seem to understand this at all, but mostly somewhat wounded. Surely she understood struggle? She had just told him a story of sacrifice - and sacrifice was a struggle in itself.

Why, then, could she not show compassion for it?

"You cannot simply tell me to fix my problems, Ophelia," Torleik returned, his voice quiet and even, soft almost. There was no reason to fight. He did not want to argue. "I, in fact, cannot always ensure I am in a place that helps my control. All I can do is try to remove those things which make my control tenuous. Or try to remain calm in those situations in which I cannot get away." He sighed, knowing she did not understand why he'd spoken about giving her up. "No, you didn't. But those who mean the most to us affect us the most - and they are often the ones who bring us the greatest imbalance just as much as they bring us our greatest strength. Yet you tell me to purge those things that damage my control...do you see, now?"

Would she make him state it so plainly so soon?

"I know; but would you ask me to sacrifice someone I cared about for another? To irrevocably damage one relationship for one that will always be, and therefore can always be worked on? Sometimes, to makes things better, it requires taking, rather than giving." He took another deep, slow breath. "Clearly you love Tinek deeply - I cannot imagine giving up your leadership for your bond with him. That decision must have been immensely difficult, and I am certain it was not made lightly." The Bloodskald gave a small smile, trying to reassure he he was not angry or attempting to verbally spar. "If it is any consolation, I believe you made the right choice. I hope that one day my bond with Irelyn will be as strong as yours is with Tinek. And if I must walk away from something to make that so, I will. But I will not walk away from someone."

Perhaps she didn't understand because she couldn't. Perhaps she didn't understand because she was not considering people meant more to him than things, or positions, or power. He was not an ambitious man like others, not apt to climb political ladders, crest social hills, set himself on a throne of others' backs that he might step on them every time he observed his power. And nor did he assume was she - but Ophelia played the game far more than he, and understood the art of putting someone aside far more than he ever could.

This was not so when the man you fought next to could be the last one you saw before going to Valhallr, and you should be honored to die next to a brother you trusted regardless of his blood-relation to you.


--------------------------------------

Though he could be exceptionally brooding, at heart, Torleik was a happier creature - so he tried to bring some of that mischievous happiness to Ophelia by splashing her. This, of course, turned into something more and he found himself in a small battle to see who would win the water wars.

And, it seemed, win control of his instinctively male, lustful nature.

A laugh of triumph erupted from deep within his chest when he watched Ophelia splash into the water - he had won! - but the smug joy of his victory was quickly doused by the jerky way the mare yanked herself from the waters and back into solid land, her chest heaving with rough breaths. Brows furrowed, face showing clear concern, Torleik quickly came alongside her and nosed her neck softly to reassure her everything was fine. He had never seen her wet before and it was...like seeing a different woman. It hadn't occurred to him that the skin beneath her pelt was dark, so to find her suddenly a blue-ish hue was fascinating and alluring.

Her beautiful voice asked him, haltingly, if the water was deep, saying she could not see through it. The Bloodskald could not recall a time in which he had wanted to embrace and comfort anyone more than he wished to now, being confronted here with Ophelia's fear. She'd admitted to him she had no innate fear of things she should, and to find her unnerved by something so simple as a hot spring was like putting his heart out to be trampled on. Gently, he again nosed her neck and silently descended into the water to the full depth, the waters lapping just above his chest, tickling at his neck if he decided to slouch. "This is the deepest they go," he assured her. "And yes, I did. My people and I lived on the coast, by the sea; water is...comforting to me."

He smiled warmly at her. "Join me," the Bloodskald urged. "You will be fine. I promise." He would keep her safe and show her that fear was nothing in the face of...of what? Care? Compassion?

'Is love. You love.'

Torleik glanced at Irelyn, who sat there on the edge of the spring, snatching at bubbles that popped and swirled on the surface of the hot water. Her owlish eyes met his with a wisdom that only the young held.

'You have feel when you say you love me. So, is love. Same feel.' Her offer was a sealing truth, and Torleik frowned a little, wondering at his heart's foolish nature. Of course he knew this; he'd admitted it to himself before, but this time it...it just seemed so...dangerous. He wasn't sure she could love him in return, and that fear was not one overcome by love.



@[Ophelia]



"talk talk talk"


Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA
[Image: 531c0b471919e]

No man is an island.
Pixel by: Tamme :D


Please tag me in all posts! Thank you!
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
#16
Ophelia
And no one could save me but you


Ophelia listened patiently, feeling the sting still itching at her heartstrings. She was not outwardly compassionate. The most affectionate gesture she had managed in her lifetime was the tight embrace from her sister. Her words were even more heavily weighed. Rarely did she admit feelings, choosing fact instead. Disagreements with facts were folly. Disagreement with emotions was pain. Why would she reveal her heart? What would it gain her besides another fissure in an already shattered organ? The reward was precious, but so far unattainable. How could she trust to trade her heart for a foreign concept, so distant. Thus, her words were tempered, offered from the heart but not containing much except surface.

Perhaps this was what he sensed. For even though she shared her past, she shared little of herself. Facts were facts. Ophelia frowned, listening to his words with confusion. How did she mean anything to him at all? Who was this man to so easily claim his affections and place her in his soul. She saw him as a small child, picking up the pretty things he wanted and holding them tightly, but to him, she was not just an object. He respected her, treated her well, and she thought, even admired her status.

And he could admit that he was wrong. He was an enigma. So entirely confusing. Every word he spoke made her confused, awkward in her own skin.

She nodded lightly, having absorbed his words while the tilt of her ears shifted forward - ever so slightly. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath and exhaling her tension. "I understand. I would never damage the relationship with my sister, and... relationships are important." Why could she not just be honest? Why was it so hard to bear her feelings for him to see? She struggled for a moment, swallowing hard. "I worried that I had, when I left," she said quietly. "I am fortunate that Ktulu is so loving and patient. I have tested her more than I care to admit - unintentionally, but..."

Ophelia took a deep breath. She came with baggage. What was left of her was not whole. Torleik had to decide if she was worth the effort of picking up pieces, if she was worth taking the hurt for whatever reward lay at the end. Everything she touched ran away or broke. Why could he be any different?

.......................................

She was surprised to find him so quickly at her side, reassuring her folly. Brows furrowed deeply, she looked up at him, still so incredibly confused by his attitude and manners. Why did her stupidity warrant such compassion? Why did he not laugh at her actions? She wanted to laugh at herself for being such a fool. Yet, there he stood, his whiskered nose pressing against her neck, and she was at a loss for words. A quick, embarrassed explanation was all she managed to get out, trying to unravel this puzzle that was Torleik.

Little did she know that the key was so, so simple. She was looking at a word search that was already filled in through damaged lenses, trying to work through the cracks and scratches. If only someone would take them off....

Torleik's muzzle touched her nose again, and she watched him walk into the shallow waters, the sky above filled with vibrant colors. She smiled a little, one side of her mouth hooking more than the other. His memories of losing his family... the fires. She hadn't noticed before the proximity to the water, but as she looked back through his visions, she was able to discern the truth in his words. Ophelia felt her heart tug at his loss, able to understand the pain of losing everything. As much as she hated to admit it, home was tied to land as well. She still thought of the Tides - where she was born.

As she watched him descend into the water, she could not help but admire the musculature of his haunches. He wasn't looking, so she felt no guilt in staring. The thick strands of his tail ran wild around thick bones and feathered hooves. When he turned back, she swiftly averted her gaze, her eyes meeting his as he urged her into the water. Ophelia raised a brow, looking at the surface and unable to help but wonder if this was some grand metaphor.

Was she ready to face her fears? Was she read to dive in?
Inwardly she rolled her eyes. Gods, she hated romance stories.

And yet here she was, looking at the handsome, demon-horned stallion waiting for her in the hotspring, and she was paralyzed with her inability to make a decision. Whenever she did something for herself, someone got hurt. She had put a wedge between herself and everyone else for a reason, and it wasn't just her own pain.

Ophelia shed her doubts and walked to the edge, looking down at the rippling surface as she let her forelegs slide into the silty ground. She let her toes catch the gravel and hold her, nervously stepping in. She tried not to think about it too much. Once she was submerged, the water lapping at her chest, and she looked up with a soft expression. "It's warm," she murmured softly.

@[Torleik]

Credits: Image by Schwartze @ DA




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!

Torleik the Bloodskald Posts: 354
Outcast atk: 4.5 | def: 8.0 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 11 HP: 66.5 | Buff: SWIFT
Irelyn :: Plain Griffin :: Molten Dagger RedGod
#17
Torleik
As flawed as you may think you are, you're perfect to me



For the passionate warrior, facts and feelings were often the same. It was not an overtly rational way to live his life, but if you could not be fervent about the facts you clung to, what good were they? A cold, empty life of information was no way to spend your passage through the days, years, decades of living. Torleik’s heart was not worn on his sleeve by any means, but for as tough as the Bloodskald could be, his heart was a resilient but damaged beast; it beat fiercely, unwilling to give up despite all the hits taken, damage absorbed, and joy siphoned away.

To play at being anything other than that which he was…Torleik did not understand such games. His failure at politics came from this confusion and inability to participate in and successfully deliver a long con in that manner. Short deceptions, being reticent to divulge truths, not bothering to correct others’ assumptions of his nature – those things the warrior could handle. But to bury himself beneath a façade of icy indifference? To strangle his thwarted desires until they ceased to exist? Never. His blood burned too hot for that. Torleik was a man, and no man could live and not call himself a coward if he put his head down and hid from the storm of desires and needs that shaped him.

Just as this pale scion of wintry perfection couldn’t fathom why or how he so easily found value in her and her failings, the adumbral gladiator hadn’t the faintest of intimations why she drowned herself in a viscous abyss of pretermission.

The Bloodskald did value her; she was in the highest echelons of his esteem – slots almost exclusively reserved for family and those in Valhallr who had given their lives next to him in the cleansing crucible of battle. Ophelia was so very dead to self, so willing to put down her to pick up the other. It angered him and he could not stand by and allow her to continue her perpetual martyrdom without reward. Someone had to come beside her and stop her from plunging that knife inside over and over, spilling her blood out for everyone else and staining her alabaster grace like mud on the hem of a glamorous gown.

The White Queen finally spoke again, agreeing with his assertion that relationships were paramount in one’s life and Torleik noted the pause. Had she meant to say something else? Something she couldn’t let past her lips? “Your sister is a loyal ally. Family…family is love,” he murmured. And though her assessment of her brokenness may have been correct, if only she knew the man before her had already chosen to pace himself behind her so as to gather up whatever chips and pieces of her soul that got knocked off along the way…


Torleik didn’t see stupidity in her actions, he saw fear and uncertainty – and knowing that she had no innate fear of anything, to find such feelings inscribed on the tome of her face concerned him deeply. He cared, about her, for her, and fear was not something he wanted her to associate with her time spent in his presence. So he did what he could to reassure her, demonstrating with his own person the safety of the hot springs that seemed to unnerve her.

Each undulation of the colored ribbons in the sky reflected off the water, played off of Ophelia’s light coat, making it seem like he was seeing her in all of her colors for the first time. She was beautiful in every single one and that little crooked half-smile on her lips made his heart stumble in its steady rhythm. The Viking knew he’d do anything for that smile. Slipping under the surface, he beckoned her in with him, hoping her trust in his good intentions had taken deep enough root for a little sapling of hope to sprout.

Torleik gazed up at her, all the constancy in the world distilled into his form in this moment, waiting with shallow breath to see if she would follow his lead. Her heterochromatic eyes stared back and he hoped the flesh mask that was his face let his desire for her show through. One eternity, a whole eon of life and death, creation and fall felt like it passed him by before the one they called Forsaken broke the stillness and slowly took her place next to him in these healing waters.

The face with which she addressed him stirred his protective nature and he vowed to himself that should it kill him, he would defend her to his dying breath. Even if she rejected him, pushed him away, chose another – she was the kind of woman worth fighting and dying for. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” the Bloodskald inquired, the question layered with meaning. The hot springs themselves were pleasurable, of course, but didn’t it feel freeing to shed the shackles of fear and move forward? That was what she had given him by her presence during his anxiety attack over Irelyn’s fire; could he not return it? And did it not feel good to choose faith in another? Be close to another warm body that wanted you there?

No other words needed to be spoken now, he felt. They had shared fear and conquered it; taken refuge in each other’s strengths.

They were good for one another.


@[Ophelia]


OOC: Omg they are adorable.

"talk talk talk"


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[Image: 531c0b471919e]

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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
#18
Ophelia
All good things must come to an end


Hot water lapped at her sides, and she dove in, unsure of her every step but moving forward regardless. Her cloven hooves scraped along the gravel base of the hotspring, and she ventured closer to Torleik regardless, his height greater than hers and providing stability. A simple not was a sufficient answer to his statement, agreeing sincerely. The black pits threatening to pull her down, down deep into the abyss were now places of comfort, thanks to Torleik. As she stood, letting the water permeate her skin and relax along her spine, she took a deep breath, gazing up into his deep, blue eyes.

Bewilderment.

She was absolutely bewildered by him. The night sky overhead filtered through the clouds, and the shards of stone, permanently captured in the fibers of her hair, sparkled like stars. Gently, unsure, she let her body fall against his, watching the black-blue of the sky slowly begin to fade to light. Words were unnecessary, and she exhaled a frosty, white breath, pink and orange tones beginning to hum into day. Responsibilities and the rest of her life lay ahead, and she could not stay here in these waters forever.

Ophelia turned and smiled at Torleik, striding forward slowly. “Day,” she murmured. “I should go.” And yet she stayed, even for a few moments. Seconds later, she tore herself from the waters and walked out, shaking out her coat and feeling the chilly bite of the morning nip at her body. There at the edge, she waited for him to exit the waters as well, so that they could walk side by side into the dawn.



[[outro!]]




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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.


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