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At first glance as he was walking by the stream, Mesec believed there was just a large stone sitting in the stream but he did a double-take when he realized that not all of the thing was stone. Some of it was horse still, had skin and a head, but the rest of her body seemed to have melded with the stream bottom. As though she were growing into it or perhaps it was growing over her? It was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

The girl, from what he could see of the parts that remained unchanged, was familiar - she had been with Aithniel during the tasks that the Earth God had given them - but that was the extent of his knowledge of this young filly. He might have suspected her lineage given enough time to think about the clues but speculation in Helovia was usually a game best avoided. His mind was less concerned about her identity and more occupied by the magic that surrounded her - because it was fascinating.

It seemed that every passing moment more of her turned to stone. His curiosity was enough to make the demigod want to move closer and get a better look but he did not wish to disturb her. A dark leg had been raised to move but he quietly placed it down again and stayed where he was, several long paces away, and tried to stay as quiet as he could. The scene had an undeniable serenity about it and he worried that the sound of a voice or even too loud of a breath might shatter it.

He fretted about being responsible for disrupting her peace. There had been no real purpose for coming to the meadow, he had simply been enjoying the freedom of exploring Helovia again without the burden of finding a murderer on his shoulders, so there was nothing for him to rush off toward. Nothing pressing in the back of his mind (except for the usual worries that never quite left) telling him that standing here was a waste of time.

He craved peace and stealing his way into this quiet moment was too tempting to resist. Mesec wanted to know if she would eventually be entirely swallowed up by the earth - and sincerely hoped she would be alright if that were to happen. For now though, he watched and hoped those white eyes of his were not an intrusion for the few moments he wanted to spare for the living statue.

COULDN'T RESIST POSTING BEFORE BED even though he's kinda being a creep <33

His presence did not go unacknowledged for very long, there was no chance to sneak away without her noticing him. The good news, at least, was that she did not seem angry or offended by his interruption. There was still peace in the meadow even without the complete stillness, a fact he appreciated greatly. She moved slowly at first - well, she hardly moved at all but the stone did - fractures splintered down the statue and it started to crumble away slowly before. It was just as fascinating watching it fall apart as it had been to watch it grow - small splashes jumping from the water as the rock fell into the stream. Did it go into the rock bed or get absorbed back into her? Or did it just disappear?

But these questions were put on hold because she was speaking - stating the same fact that he had realized upon noticing her there in the stream. He shifted awkwardly at first, remembering freshly the pity he had been shown by Aithniel when she had spoken to him in the woods that day. Not easy to put behind him but he was not willing to give those dark thoughts precedence over the other thoughts in his mind. Hadn’t he come here to enjoy the sunlight, to enjoy the warmth, as much as his physical presence was nothing more than a black hole in the sunny afternoon.

A small smile appeared though and he nodded his dark head to her, taking a couple cautious steps forward now that she was no longer as still as she had been. “That’s right, while we were looking for water for the Earth God's ship. Your partner was Aithniel, right?” He wondered if she had known the sun demi-god before or if they had met that day… but ultimately another question followed that clarification. Following the train of thought that he had before she had spoken, before the movement of one feathered leg had caused the final collapse, he blinked those pale, pupil-less eyes of his as he looked back at this skull-faced girl that fit in so much better than he did in the sunlight. “Can you control it when you turn into stone? Or just it just sort of happen?” Magic wasn’t a new concept to Mesec, it was something that had always been present for him, but this particular magic was new and it made him curious - he just hoped she didn’t mind the stream of questions. Perhaps it was a little rude of him but, well, Mesec wasn’t going to meet anyone new by fretting about whether they’d appreciate questions or not. He had missed out on a lot of chances to interact and learn with those that weren’t his mother, and he wanted - even needed to make up for that loss.

It wasn’t very polite of him, maybe, to focus on her statements rather than answer the question that she had posed, but - as they both knew very well - it was usually hard for someone to get around the bomb that was the mentioning of an ethereal parent. Always a conversation spark, that little genetic tidbit. “Your father.” He repeated her words just to make sure that he had heard them correctly - he had figured the Earth God would have another child but hadn’t thought to look for her already, or in a filly that looked as old as the one before him now. Surely she was older than she should be to have been born after Hototo died. Perhaps there was something else at play? It would hardly be surprising. “So you’re Hototo’s…” Replacement was too harsh of a word - even if not for her than for him, the thought of it hit him like a knife to the stomach. He did not want to think of it like that, like their parents would just pop out a new foal whenever they failed the last one - erase the memory and move on for the sake of balance as though none of them really mattered. First Israfel and now Hototo. Dark thoughts followed then and he would not give them the attention they grappled for - instead focusing on finishing his sentence. “Sister.” A much kinder word.

“My mother is the Moon Goddess.” The admission slipped out quietly, the easiest way for him to explain to this filly that they were related - cousins. She knew Aithniel but had she met Roskuld too? He had already delayed answering her question though and decided to not plague her with some of his own… yet. “I did get a gift, though, from your father.” One that Mesec often forgot about - not used to having the ability - but he showed it now. Small, yellow flowers blossomed around his hooves when he concentrated. They did not open, however, for they were evening primrose and would only open their petals when the sun was not in the sky. Not very pretty when they were closed, really. “What did you get?” He asked as the flowers disappeared as his concentration broke.

After his question, she lapsed into silence and he did not dare interrupt her concentration - silver eyes bright with curiosity. She began to sway, even to mouth one word that he did not catch but the result it caused was something that he could not miss. The rocks that had fallen from her body - or perhaps they were other ones it was hard to tell - rose up again and formed something. But just as his eyes narrowed in order to figure out what it was, she spoke again and the rock-creature fell back to the water bed.

She hadn’t maintained the figure for very long but he got the impression that this was the first time his cousin had performed that bit of magic. Not bad for a first try at all! With a bit of practice, she was going to be able to move a lot more than that, he figured. “You can indeed.” He applauded her attempt with a small grin, taking a couple steps forward so that he could lower his head and examine the rocky bed of the stream. There was nothing extraordinary about the rocks and pebbles now, despite the magic that had knitted them together just moments ago.

Sister of the Earthsinger. “That’s a good title to have” One that could be said proudly, though perhaps that pride would not really be her own having never met her brother. Maybe she found it odd to consider him brother but the familial tie was still there - they had the same blood in their veins… or whatever the Earth God had in place of blood. Mud? Water? “It’s too bad you two couldn’t have met… you and Hototo I mean. But there can only be one of each of us at a time I suppose, for balance.” Both she and Aithniel were sisters of those that had fallen, though he had never truly found out what actually happened to Israfel - just knew that she had been replaced with the strong-willed Aithniel. Was it even fair to mourn the death of Hototo and Israfel when it meant that their sisters had life? It would be cold of him to wish back the other at the price of the nameless girl before him.

The reaction to his lineage was not one he had expected - she seemed to brighten considerably and a moment later he found out why. His skin crawled and his ears flattened as she complimented his mother - wondering if this filly knew what she was talking about. The feathers on his wings bristled, shaking his head as he tried to forget the smile that accompanied that statement. Not that he did not believe those things about his mother - she was ageless, she knew things that the rest of them could only guess at and had certainly learned much over the years. Impressive was an apt term, certainly, but this was not a time to pay the conceited goddess compliments, not for him. Not for those that knew the ones she murdered.

“And heartless.” He hissed quietly, voice shaking as he desperately wished he hadn’t said anything so that this topic would not be up for discussion. He didn’t need to bring up his mother but he had, and now he regretted it. Mesec seemed to have a habit of talking himself into a corner, bringing up a subject only to realize too late it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. He hoped that this would be the end of the conversation for now.

Mesec couldn’t bristle about his mother for long, not when other things brought a smile to the filly’s face. He would rather focus on such things, her odd smile bringing him back in the light of the day. She called the flowers that he could bloom beautiful, which he appreciated, despite the fact that he did not wholeheartedly agree - wishing that they would just open their petals and accept the sunlight.

In quiet awe he watched her as she tried again with her magic, the earth beneath his closed yellow flowers rumbling and then shifting - rising to create the figure of a dragon. This time it was unmistakable what the creature was supposed to be. Perhaps not perfect but Mesec was certainly impressed all the same. How could he not be? This was her second attempt at using such a magic and there was a moving earth-dragon before him. It was an accomplishment - so of course he laughed a shaky laugh (not completely at ease yet) when the dragon offered him one of the flowers, reaching out carefully to take it - hoping the quick contact wouldn’t send the rock creature into crumbles.

“Here.” Voice softer now, he in turn offered the flower to the filly, stepping closer so that - should she allow him - he could place it in her mane, tucked behind her horns.

Mesec noticed the small shiver as he got close enough to place the flower, the flick of her ears. But she did not flinch entirely, did not shy away, so he did not falter in the simple act of putting the closed flower there. Who knows, perhaps it would not wilt by the evening and she would get to see it bloom - he’d like for her to see that after she had brightened up at the sight of them in their closed state. It would be another tiny gift within the small one he had offered her already.

He doesn’t question the uncertainty in her voice or the way she changes the subject - maybe she didn’t like to be touched or found his gesture awkward. But, thankfully, the question she asked didn’t leave him much time for dwelling or his own wave of uncertainty. When asked what he could do, he grinned - the gift from his mother was one that he enjoyed using and more than once it had come in handy. Even when he had only been capable of teleporting between shadows it had been a fun trick but now, now he could call the shadows to him. So even on this bright day, standing out in the open as they were, it was a helpful magic.

Moving one step back from her, he called on the shadows to surround him - and like always, they came swirling around him like dark mist until they swallowed him up. A patch of darkness in the otherwise bright meadow. He disappeared from the side of the stream where he had been standing, a faint popping sound as the air rushed into the spot his body had just taken up, and then reappeared on the other side of the stream and of his young cousin. Well, not quite - he held onto the magic for a couple seconds longer, staying invisible as he reached out to tug gently at her mane before stepping back and finally releasing the magic and becoming visible on this new side of the stream.

It felt a little silly, showing off, and he shuffled one of his fore-hooves against the loose rocks by the stream side but she had asked, and he watched silently for her reaction, the last of the shadows dissipating around him.

As the shadows wrapped around him, tingling against his skin, he wondered what it looked like. The summoning of shadows around him, blocking out the sunlight and forming a black hole right there in the middle of the afternoon. The shadows and obscured his vision too, in that final second before he teleported from one spot to the next. The last thing he saw was the look of concentration on the young filly’s face and he realized he was growing rather fond of Hototo’s little sister despite himself. He rather hoped that there would not be any new demi-gods popping up, as they seemed to appear at the absence or death of the others, but well… he did not know a way to bring Hototo back and welcoming his sister into their odd little “family” did not diminish his grief.

He agreed with his mother when she spoke of balance and he understood the need for the gods to all have a child for the balance, it was her other methods that he held issue with.

Mesec’s trick was rewarded when she jumped - flashing out her wings as she spun around and he could barely help the laughter that erupted warmly from him. The shadows faded away from him in time to catch the tugging of her smile until it was a true smile. He had not expected that his little show of magic would be greeted with such a reaction! Where he had marvelled at hers, the absolute wonder that came with the ability to create where he could only cloak and vanish in shadows.

But, in the light of her wonder and smile he could (or would) not refuse her when she breathed out the words asking him to do it again. With a dip of his head, he called upon the shadows again to wrap around him - darkening his body and the air around him. This time, when the shadows surrounded him and he disappeared - he reappeared further away, down the stream about 20 meters, appearing with a small splash in the cool water. “I’ve never really tested to see how far I can go. Usually just short trips.” He explained, walking along the stream back to her. Still a smile dancing on his silver-lined face but he could not shake the shy feeling that crept upon him whenever he was the centre of attention. “But I doubt crossing Helovia would be possible.”

She was quick to dismiss the limitations he placed on his magic, for which he was thankful. Although he wasn’t sure she was right, there was a chance certainly! “You’re probably right, I should practice more.” Not right this minute, though he was tempted to see just how far he could stretch his limits. He always tried to stick with spots where he could actually physically see where he would appear. It just seemed like a good idea to know where he was going or who knew where he would end up. Or would the shadows guide him away from re-appearing inside of a tree? Mesec played around with his magic a little bit but he had to admit that he hadn’t really given it a lot of thought until now.

His new cousin just seemed to have that sort of effect on him. For one so young, she had an incredibly advanced mind and he had to admit that he was incredibly impressed.

She went on to explain that their parents could appear and disappear all across Helovia and he had to admit she had a point. They might only be half-gods but there was still that half. And being able to transport himself across Helovia? “That would be pretty handy - if we ever needed help, I could find some so quickly.” If he could move across Helovia, he could carry any time-sensitive messages. He could get out of dangerous situations, far away from them. Though that would be more tempting if he could take others along with him.

The next topic, coming in the timid form of a question, seemed incredibly random at first before she explained how she had gotten to that point. He frowned as he tried to think - there was a simple answer but, of course, there were exceptions. “Not really. There as a monster, once, that I fought with some others... and Ros - my little sister - we used to wrestle but it was never anything serious. Never a battle.” Maybe putting up with Ros sometimes felt like a battle but it had always been in good-humour. They never squared off and brought themselves to serious blows. He did not doubt her ability to win if that ever was the case. “My magic would be really helpful in a battle, you’re right, but I never… I’ve never really had the inclination to fight when I was younger. I thought I could protect those I cared about in other ways.” And his parents had tried to teach him about using other strengths as an offense - poisons, shadows. Neither had served him well but neither had the belief that he could protect his family. “But we’re not always that lucky.” He smiled again now, though it wasn’t with much joy - a pained smile that soon grew into a curious one as he wondered where her mind was. She seemed to have a knack for sending him into douses of thoughtful moments, what was it like inside her mind? “Now what about you, Little Earth?” Without a name to call her by, and Sister of the Earthsinger being long and formal-sounding, a spontaneous nickname was born. Was it wrong to grieve for Hototo while feeling fond of his replacement? “Are you thinking about throwing around some rock dragons at me?”

Her response to his teasing question started out playful and coy but it soon grew into something beyond the joke - a critical analysis of their world and what they needed to survive in it. Why Hototo had not survived in it. Perhaps he had been too good - and the fact that this world was too cruel for someone like Hototo to thrive made Mesec crestfallen. There should not be such a thing as too kind, too pure.

As she trailed off, her words might have been despairing if they had been spoken in a different manner but perhaps Little Earth was just stating the facts. It would be strange if she were to be nothing more than a clone of her brother but Mesec did not think there was any danger of that outcome coming around. Already she was so very different. “I don’t think you’ll end up like him. You look at the world differently than most... and certainly clearer than I do. We need that.” Maybe Little Earth was just what they needed right now. He could absolutely say that he enjoyed having her around - she seemed to have a talent for stating things in simple terms that should be obvious, if his mind wasn’t so bogged down by worries and concerns about far too many things.

It was nice to think that they might have a purpose and he clung to the hope that his was not to bear the darkness in the balance - to be the monster that tried to snuff out the light so it would always have a reason to shine. They needed both, he knew, he just had preferences on which side of the balance he could belong on - and it was not the side he was born into.

His dark tail swished lazily against his legs and a smile grew when the earth rumbled around him - preparing himself for what felt like it was going to be a large size of earth to collect and get tossed his way. Would he be able to teleport to safety fast enough? But, before another dragon could form, the pieces fell back down harmlessly and his own smile grew when he saw hers had as well. He liked making Little Earth smile, enjoyed that she seemed to have fun teasing him as he had with her. “Well I won’t be having any rock grow around me to weigh me down but all the same, I’m not going anywhere.” He didn’t add the words ‘I promise’ in there, though it felt like he was making a promise. One that he would surely have to break, eventually, because he could not spend every moment of the rest of their lives with his new cousin though maybe it wasn’t quite so literal.

Suddenly, he realized that though they had shared information on their family tree but not their names. “I’m Mesec, by the way.”

sorry it took forever!

Unaware of how uncomfortable his change in subject had made her, he was aware only of the fact that she was using the same logical tone that she had been using this entire time. “Really?” Her confession surprised him, but he was not put off by the idea. As she explained further, his surprise faded into understanding and he nodded, showing that he understood - or thought he understood - her motives. He had never met someone without a name before. Never met a foal so concerned about what they were called. He had never questioned his own assigned name, had he? He had heard some silly names too and thought that the filly’s crusade to find her own name seemed more noble than it did ridiculous.

“That’s… that’s pretty neat, actually. Most of us don’t get that choice, we’re named right at birth. My mother picked mine, that’s usually how it goes.” One parent or another, biological or not, someone usually assigned the names. They picked something that they liked, something that they thought suited their newborn child. Which was funny, in a way, because how could you know what suited a child before it had begun to live? And often they might have a name that did not suit them at all. Though, Mesec had to admit, even if he hadn’t questioned his own name it was rather fitting and uncreative of his mother. ‘Moon’ certainly summed it up pretty well, didn’t it? She had named him after herself, as a vain goddess might think was sensible.

“Do you think my name is silly?” He asked after a pause, teasing her with a laughing smile. And then he thought of how he had been calling her nicknames all this time, coming up with titles to call her. “Oh, do you mind nicknames? I don’t have to call you anything if you don’t want, I don’t mind. We’ve been getting along fine without names so far, it’s just something normally exchanged when meeting someone new.”