"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
04-19-2015, 02:33 PM (This post was last modified: 04-19-2015, 02:34 PM by Isopia.)
I'm the end of a Hitchcock movie; a little dark and a lot confusing.
The walk had been long, and the girl had been pleasantly surprised on two accounts.
The first, was how well Zero was at keeping up with her. Flying was out of the question, and somewhere deep inside the girl wondered if the colt's deformities lingered in his bones as well as his missing wing. Whatever had caused the defect (she hated that word, but abnormality didn't seem any better), might have done other damage in his system that the girl couldn't see from the outside. As they had set off, the girl feared that the walk would test the colts physical limitations. To her joy, it didn't.
The second surprise, was how much the ebb and sway of their conversation on the way over hadn't bothered her at all. Normally she found conversations with those less academically minded than her (which almost always included the young), taxing and arduous. She found their narrow ways of thinking infuriating and yet they were closed to her offers of aid. Pretentious. It was a word they used to describe her often. Zero however, was blissfully different. His mind seemingly worked as quickly as hers did - snapping up bits of information and forming insightful and interesting questions.
The walk would have felt much longer had Zero not been with her.
Eventually, they came to the ocean. They could smell it from a ways off - the salty brine infused the air with a sweetness that made the girl thirsty. As they traveled, the girl made creations out of water so that they could drink wherever they were, but the closer they got to the ocean, the more frequent these stops became.
And then suddenly, there it was.
It stretched out seemingly forever, although the girl knew it could not be so. Still, she dreamed of an endless sea, where time was lost to those who traveled it. That was the type of place she thought she could be happy in.
"This is where I was telling you about." She breathed after her eyes had drunk up enough of the endless blue. Turning to Zero, her bright golden gaze surveyed his reaction, as she tentatively hoped he would find it as amazing as she did.
The walk had been a good one, full of conversations and magic. The more time he spent with the girl, the more and more he liked her. She had a way of talking about things that fascinated Zèklè, a set of mannerisms so unlike anyone else he'd met their age. It seemed adult, but not like she was pretending, and his head swelled with pride as he questioned and responded, pleased at his ability to at least somewhat keep up. Sure, he wasn't as well spoken as she, and he lacked her nuance, her certainty, her kind of... calm, but neither really seemed to mind.
And he was grateful when she did not question him, did not draw attention to the fact they could not fly. Someday, he knew, he'd be able to soar into the heavens on two strong and beautiful wings, but as time rolled past fewer and fewer others seemed to hold onto hope the way Zèklè did.
There was too much wonder to dwell upon his own sorrows. Whenever the boy grew thirsty his friend would produce creatures of water for them to drink, whenever he grew inquisitive she did not seem to mind. Like children do they chatted, engrossed in the seriousness of the world they knew, limited as that knowledge may yet be. With the girl by his side the journey did not feel so long, and he could forget his weariness in the wonder of her company.
The ocean broke before them in an endless expanse of blue-grey-green, as awe-inspiring and glorious now as the first time he'd seen it. Ma had told him all about the ocean, and about how it held secrets he could never know, puzzles he could never hope to solve, and behemoths older than time itself- though the boy doubted this was true. Every puzzle was meant to be solved, even the ocean, and Zèklè held no doubts that one day he could find all the answers to the endless deep. Maybe he'd be able to swim beneath the water, to see the things that lived below! That would be so cool.
He met her eyes with orange-silver gaze, excitement and wonder awash on his face. A vigorous nod in response to her statement- "It's awesome," his fervent voice agrees. "Ma takes me here sometimes. She says there's whales that know more'n us, 'cus they're older'n the rest'uv the world." The girl had already expressed incredulity for his mother's stories, but Zèklè could not help his exuberant retelling, could not retrain habits in the span of a day. Ma had taught the boy all he knew about everything. Even if this gold-eyed girl was expanding his world, his faith in and devotion to Ampere was still firmly at its center.
The boy turned back to face the coastline, letting the salty breeze ruffle his feathers, inhaling sea air and enjoying the invigorating burn of his lungs. The wing which graced his right side unfurled, a kite attempting to catch the wind; tailfeathers fluttered beneath a zephyr's weight, and for a moment he was nothing but air, one with the world. "Maybe I'll see 'em one day," the boy smiled softly, the quiet of his wistful voice almost torn away by greedy fingers of wind. "When I can fly."
But the colt was too young to stay long in his reverie. As quickly as it had drifted away his attention returned to his peculiar friend, crooked grin returned to his face, a competitive gleam in the sunbeam eyes. Childish, boyish, Zèklè called to the girl: "Race you to the water! Onetwothreego!" and before she could answer he was off, bounding down the sloping shore on hooves of slate, slipping against the treacherous sand and cawing delight to the indulgent skies.
I'm the end of a Hitchcock movie; a little dark and a lot confusing.
Whales? The girl hadn't heard of whales before. A look of ... of something close to adoration flashed in her golden gaze as she listened to Zero. It was one of the reasons why she happily kept him by her side: he seemed to know things. Important things. What he said mattered to her, and that elevated him to a position that almost no one else held.
Whales. Older than the world ? Surely he was exaggerating, but then again maybe not, if by world he meant something like conscious beings. She thought it made a lot of sense that there were creatures here before Helovian's arrived, and sentient ones at that. That they lived in the ocean also made sense - it was largely untouched by the Helovian population, and the gravity down there was different. She was sure the ecosystems which thrived down below the surface were unlike anything else that she had ever seen.
The girl was about to say something more, when she was suddenly challenged. To a race. Now on the one hand, using her wings would give her a clear advantage. Even across this short distance, her appendages would put her cleanly ahead of the boy. To forgo this advantage might appear like she was trying to coddle him and inadvertently highlight his disability, but the girl didn't see it that way. If they were going to race, they would do it on an even playing field.
No wings for either of them.
Ever the competitor, the girl felt a smile part her dark lips as she started after Zero. The footing was rather difficult, and the girl could feel her body working harder than it normally had to to propel her forward. Her long legs weren't overly helpful either since she didn't have any muscles built up to help her as she sloppily made her way onto the pale beach. Still, she didn't care. She heard her own laughter intermingle with Zero's caws at the sky, and the sound startled her. Had she ever laughed before? She honestly couldn't remember - so few things in the world brought her joy, much less brought her to the point of laughing.
Maybe this is what friendship meant. And if so, maybe that was okay.
Maybe they could be friends. Maybe even forever.
Without bothering to slow, the girl cantered into the water. Her pace slowed considerably as waves tried to throw her back out, but she wouldn't be deterred. Raising her head slightly so that the sea water wouldn't get into her eyes, she tried to find Zero.
"Maybe you don't need wings to see whales-" She began rather breathlessly, as her raven hair tumbled in waves around her face. Closing those golden eyes, the girl concentrated. She'd only ever made actual things before, never a big shape. Her breaths came out in ragged bursts as her mind fought to force into creation what she was thinking. From underneath her hooves came a platform of sorts - created out of the earth. It rose up above the waves and protruded forward a few feet. The second shape she created acted like a pillar beneath, to support the weight. Closing her eyes, she repeated this process until her makeshift earth bridge was about 15 feet long.
"Common! Maybe there will be whales!" She cried as she heaved her wet body out of the surf and onto the bridge.
The hair of a second later and Zèklè could hear the pounding of her hooves half a breath behind him, as uneven as his on the treacherous sand. Her laughter flew up and mingled with his whooping delight, a cacophony of mirth loud enough to drown the ocean and startle birds. The boy decided he liked the sound; it made his grin impossibly wider, his eyes brighter, even as he stumbled and staggered down the shore. Gulls screeched back their disapproving caws, but the boy did not care: he hooted, hollered, as he tumbled through vivid light and silky sand, now running, now falling, now jumping and leaping on spindly legs. Elation ran hot in his veins, his lungs, and for the moments they ran the boy forgot anything and everything else in the world.
This was friendship, and it was great.
He crashed into the water and was immediately set off-balance, stumbling and careening toward the girl as a startled "Whoa my- ack!" escaped his lips. Slate hooves lost what fragile footing they had, and before he could prevent it the boy was sprawling in the surf, legs working desperately to return him to an upright position. He was soaked all on his left side, and as he rose he looked more bedraggled than ever, with his mane and tail plastered to dark, saturated skin and an expression of aggravated shock painted on his face. For a moment all he could do was sputter, mouth opening and closing as he attempted to rid it of seawater; and then, unbidden, unchecked, laughter began to spill from his mouth, and he turned his grin to the girl.
He hoped she was having fun, too.
Zèklè stretched his neck toward her, trying to steal her words from the greedy, drowning waves. Something about whales... and maybe wings? A tickling shock of fear skittered up the boy's spine, a terror of being left behind. Would she...? No. With a single word the fear was dispelled by a strong, certain knowledge that his new friend could not be so cruel. She wouldn't leave him to chase the whales herself. She would understand that the mission was a shared one, that the knowledge belonged to both of them now, that there was injustice in using somebody like that. They were friends, after all. And friends didn't do such things.
He knew this, and so his fear was quickly quelled, and in its place bloomed curiosity, confusion, and excitement. He was delighted in her shared fascination with the whales, secretly thrilled that she didn't find him silly for it, or stupid... because they were real, Ma had said, and they did know lots of things, he bet. The earth had begun to bubble and boil beneath his feet, and while at first masked by the unsteady pull of the waves, the boy could not miss his friend's magic for long. Earth rose to the surface of the water, forming a crudely constructed bridge, and a second later understanding burst through the confusion which clouded his brow, and he scrambled forward, eagerly pulling himself onto the earth beside her. How brilliant! She was so smart, and so kind, and she had thought of him, accommodated him, never judged him, and... and...
And now they would go see whales!
In that moment she met more to him than anyone ever had, except perhaps his Ma.
If Zèklè's excitement could manifest as steam the visibility level would drop to negatives. If it were a scent they would both pass out from its overpowering nature; if it were a sound, no earplugs could ever keep it out. Without thinking he flung himself toward his friend, throwing his head across her withers in a joyous, thoughtless embrace. "You're the best!"- and then he was suddenly aware of their closeness, the feeling of her (her) body against his, and he pulled away, a sheepish smile on inky lips. Awkwardly he shook water from his body, sending a spray in every direction, and dashed forward toward the end of her bridge, eager eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the mythical leviathans and the adventures they might hold.
I'm the end of a Hitchcock movie; a little dark and a lot confusing.
You're the best!-
She felt him, close and hot. Or was it that she was hot? That panting - was it her, or him? And surely just from the sprint down to the water ... there was no other reason for her heart (his heart?) to be racing, was there?
Why was it so warm!
His head felt draped across her wither for an eternity, his body pressed against hers for a millennium. She had never really been this close to anyone before. Of course there had been the awkward nursing sessions with Kahlua, but both mother and daughter bore this with grit teeth and parted as soon as possible. The only other time had been with Volterra ... she had thrown herself at him when he had collapsed, urging him to get up and continue helping her. At the time it had seemed like nothing.
Not like this.
This was unending.
You're the best
Wait. Hadn't he said that already? Time had stopped, was reversing. She could feel the way her hair rose to meet his embrace all over again, and how it sent a cold chill down her spine and into her hooves. But the chill hadn't been ... it hadn't been bad. Or .. Even her vast mind couldn't describe it. Maybe it was that it felt too good. No, not good. It was too stimulating - no! no that either. Her mind couldn't capture what it felt like. Only that it made her stomach flop, made her hooves want to dance away, and caused a feeling in her throat that was a mixture of a scream and a laugh.
You're the best
But he was pulling away. Her golden gaze turned to follow, intent on the sheepish smile that played on his lips. Had she really just stood there that entire time? Hadn't she moved, hadn't she done anything? It felt like years had passed, and yet during all of that time she hadn't thought of a single way to respond - to his embrace or his words. And so as always, her round golden stare was her only communication. Her lips remained still. But he was off - bounding ahead of her after showering her with droplets from his coat. Finally her dark lips twitched, a ghost of a smile, as she moved after him.
The path before him began to expand. Using her magic, she re-shaped even more earth so that they could travel forward. The girl knew almost nothing about whales, but she was sure they were fairly large. Even though the water was deep for them, it wouldn't be deep for any whales they might encounter. They needed to go further.
"I bet we'll see one." She said as she caught up to him. Standing shoulder to shoulder, she looked out towards the horizon, completely clueless as to whether or not her statement was true, or even likely. It wasn't like her to say such things, but she felt the need to break the silence. Which, again was not like her. Silence did not bother her, but for some reason, she didn't want to make Zero feel uneasy about their ...
There were times when the souls of the very young seem to call to one another. They bind without words, and forge lifetime friendships where ones might not have otherwise occurred. As unremarkable but as beautiful as a gentle summer rain, they come and go. Easily forgotten, but with life long consequences.
As for many species who lived beneath the waves, whales live a great deal longer than the majority of helovian's while. In all likelihood, one whale could outlive multiple generations of the same line - watch the rise and fall of herds and leaders, watch babies grow old, beget new children, and then finally die.
They could, if they chose to.
On this day, one did decide to. Intrigued by the sudden earthen pier which appeared out of nowhere, from the depths a decidedly older whale began to emerge. He was nearly 180, and his dull, flat gray body showed signs of his age. Still, he was limber enough and had no life threatening diseases. He would outlive those on his council, of that he was sure.
Water bubbled suddenly near the end of Isopia's pier, as the whale expelled bubbles of air. It broke the water tension and allowed him to easily breach without causing too many waves. He was trying to be courteous to the bridge, as he was unsure how sound its construction was.
"Whale whale whale. What have we here?" He called, his thoughts echoing in the minds of the children. It was a tired joke, but he liked it just the same.
She didn't respond to his foolish declaration, and he boy was happy to let the moment disappear, a bewildering awkwardness and the flush of fledgling affection torn away by the playful wind. Later, perhaps, he would think on the moment, reflect on what it meant for him, for her; he would think about what he could have done differently, or what he wished she had done instead, or how this would change things the next time their paths crossed.
Or maybe he would never think about it again. He was, after all, a boy.
Deeper they traveled, and Zèklè was not afraid, even as the sea beneath him darkened into a vast, unfathomable blue. Part of his brain was painfully, titillatingly aware of how fragile his footing was. One wrong step, one falter on the girl's part, and the flightless lightning would be cast to the mercy of the tides, swallowed by water far too deep for him to possibly survive. There were monsters in the ocean, and while the boy prided himself on his swimming abilities and could probably make it all the way to shore, what if they ate him first? Or he got tired? In the event of disaster, the girl with the golden eyes and skull-shaped markings had wings to carry her to safety. All the lightning child had was trust, and courage.
He believed in her whole-heartedly, and thus was not afraid.
Something was changing, a faint shift of tone and color in the water which the boy was faintly, exhilaratingly aware of. The girl grew still, so the boy did, too, his barren shoulder trembling against her winged one. Electricity sent shivers through the blood in his veins; he didn't realize it but he was trembling, nearly vibrating with excitement- was this it? Was this the moment? Would he actually, really, for real and true see a whale? A bubble rose from the murky water, popping in time with the skipping beats of his heart.
Then the bubbles became a maelstrom, and the maelstrom became tsunami, and the tsunami became a- a- a-
It was almost too big for him to fathom. Grey, vast, infinite, the behemoth turned a gigantic eye to the children and the brash, brave boy felt horribly, amazingly small. "Whoa." For a boy with a personality as vast as the sky, it was a humbling, terrifying thought, and it made him feel more alive than he ever had before. Sunbeam eyes fluttered briefly to the girl, looking for the exhilaration he felt mirrored on her face, but his gaze was like a lodestone drawn to the iron of the whale; he really was incapable of looking away for long. It wasn't until the creature finally spoke that he realized his mouth had been open the entire time- Zèklè closed it with a snap, and was still. But only for a moment.
"WOW!" And now the boy was alive, electric, the frozen shock evaporated into vigorous, youthful, unquenchable excitement. When he opened his mouth again it was a breathless torrent which poured forth, loud and exuberant and peppered with rapid-fire questions for the mythical beast. "Are you really a whale you're huge what's it like livin' in the ocean are there other big things I never meeted a whale before but I heard lots an' do y'know lotsa secrets we must look real small to you oh wow what's you're name I'm Zero an' this is my friend an' she's lookin' for her name an-"
Small lungs failed and he inhaled deeply, before finishing his monologue with a final, eloquent,
I'm the end of a Hitchcock movie; a little dark and a lot confusing.
Luckily a rather big something surfaced to save the day. Gone were the moments of uncertainty and doubt, the lingering fear that she had said too much, and done too little. Perhaps later the girl would fret and replay these moments over and over - but for now, a new star had taken center stage.
A Whale.
WOW!
Zero was right. wow. The girl had never seen a creature so large before - and as she peaked over the edge of her platform to gaze into the murky hidden depths, she realized just how large the creature must be. They were only seeing a fraction of it, and still it was far larger than both of them put together. How could it grow so large? Her mind knew very little of gravity, and knew even less about how things worked under water. Without science to fall back on, her mind lingered in awestruck wonder.
"We came to find whales-" She mumbled, sounded uncharacteristically flustered. Her ears momentarily pinned backwards as she realized just how incompetent she must have sounded, but nonetheless words continued to spill out of her dark lips. "I built this bridge so that we could come out further so that you - well not you specifically. The general you meaning 'whales' - er .. So that it would be easy to find us. " The girl paused, taking a breath. She wanted to fan her wings and erase from the record everything that she had just said, for it suddenly sounded so childish and silly to her ears. Knowing that she couldn't, she bristled slightly. For some unknown reason she wanted to lean against Zero. Somewhere deep inside she thought that that might help. Instead, she allowed herself to glance at him sideways for a moment before continuing.
"Zero is right. I want to find my name ... And he wants to find his magic." She offered, trying to deflect attention away from herself. If the whale could just name her, and then ignore her completely and focus on Zero, that would be the best.
His rubbery lips pulled back at Zero's enthusiasm, which he bore with great appreciation and patience. It wasn't often that he heard such genuine joy, and it made his heart sing.
I am really a whale, he confirmed, his voice a gentle rumble in their minds. Have been for as long as I can remember- He added in jest, his smile widening as Zero's questions and exuberant statements continued on. A laugh interrupted their thoughts as the whale nodded gently. I do know a few secrets ... You don't live as old as I am without picking a few up...But i'll tell you one thing. I've never met a Zero before! He winked, trying to return some of the boy's childish glee.
Turning to Isopia, his smile diminished slightly, but only because she stood in such stark contrast with her boyish companion. Whereas his happiness threatened to drown their land-bridge, she stood confused and ... sad. At least, that's how she appeared to the whale.
Your name, is it? Have you looked for it? Amusement crept back into his voice as he inquired as to the status of their 'hunt' for her name. And magic? My. That is a tall order.
Zèklè's mind was in a million, billion places, streaming with a thousand thoughts and a hundred ideas and a zillion questions, of which at least 99.9% directly involved the whale.
The WHALE! He hadn't appreciated how bit it was, not really, but once he'd had a moment to catch his breath the boy's eyes filled with the behemoth of the deep, filled and filled and just kept filling until the creature was spilling out of them and into every recess of his brain, and still it was so very big, and strange, and beautiful. It was like the desert, in a way, though totally and completely different; it was like nothing he had ever seen; it was like everything he had ever wanted, and then more. He tried to find all of it, but so much (how much?) still lurked, hidden, beneath the water- and for all he knew it went on forever, and he would never see it all.
Indeed, it took him a moment to determine exactly where its head was in relation to anything else, but he quickly found an enormous eye and latched onto it, staring intently into its depths. The voice echoed through his head again; he started, glancing around uncertainly, wing fluttering and hooves shuffling to bring him closer to the comfort of the girl's side. It wasn't that he was frightened, exactly, it was just so strange- but he grinned as the whale spoke, quickly relaxing, giggling at the massive wink. "I bet we're the first horses you met, huh?" he questioned, full of a youthful arrogance and pride- certainly nobody else had ever been clever enough to get this close to a whale, and he and his friend would go down in history for their tremendous achievement, the bridging (literally!) of whale and equine worlds.
A part of his mind was taken aback - shocked, even - when a tremendous and unprecedented outflow of words came sputtering from his friend's lips. So far she had been so careful, so eloquent, so much better-spoken than the talkative child- he turned to her, both amused and concerned, his face a mask of I hope you're okay but that was really funny. Zèklè grinned (and really, had he ever stopped grinning?) nodding profusely: "Yeah, isn' her bridge great?" Praise of the girl came easy to his lips: he had meant it, sincerely, when he said she was the best (besides Ma). It only made sense that the whale should know it, too.
There was no anxiety or trepidation left in Zero's mind, only a trembling, brilliant excitement and a naive, unquenchable joy. "Well you're real tall, so you shouldn't have any trouble," the boy shot back, laughter in his voice. His gaze kept flickering between the girl and the whale. Not only was the creature as awesome more awesome than Zero had ever expected, but he was funny, too! He bumped his shoulder against the bloodstained girl, a little part of him concerned that she wasn't having as good a time as he, that she wasn't happy because that would be awful. He wanted her to enjoy everything the same way he did; he wanted to hear her laugh again, to see her pretty smile.
But he could not stay quiet for long. It simply wasn't in his nature. He turned back the whale, more questions ripe and bursting on his tongue, sunbeam eyes violent with a desire to learn. "How d'whales get their names, anyway? My ma gave me mine but my friend's lookin' for hers herself. Did you do that too? Hey!- What's your name, anyway?!" Such an obvious question, but maybe the one he wanted answered most of all. What was his name? Did whales have names? Would it be totally different from anything Zero had ever heard, or would it be just like theirs?
So many questions! He wished he could ask them all at once, or just know the answers.... though what, he supposed, would be the fun of that?
I'm the end of a Hitchcock movie; a little dark and a lot confusing.
Zero was so excited. She could practically feel the enthusiasm wafting towards her. It made her want to pull away. She had never experienced anything even remotely like what she pictured him to be feeling now. She didn't enjoy things the way that he did, she simply wasn't capable. Standing there, on a bridge of her own construction, having found a whale (which seemed an absurdly hard task to begin with), made her feel nothing. Nothing at all. If it weren't for the opportunity to learn her name from a creature she regarded as much more knowledgeable than she, she could have taken to the sky without a moments notice. It was only Zero who was tying her here - Zero, and her desire to not disappoint him. For she knew that if he could see the darkness inside of her, he would run. Or try to fill it. Both options seemed equally terrifying.
Zero's joke about height brought an uneasy smile to her lips, which quickly froze as his skin once again found her own. She couldn't tell if the boy had leaned into her intentionally, or whether his excitement had finally gotten the best of him, but either way it had the same time-slowing power that his last embrace had. She felt fluttery, cold and hot, confused and empty. Please stop.. her mind begged silently, as the girl's gaze remained blindly fixed on the whale. I don't know what it means ... Then he was gone, and the emptiness took over once again.
"Ait-" Aithniel. Her delicate ashen friend flooded her vision and the girl could feel her mind relax into something it knew. "-my cousin-" She continued, "Said she just knew her name. I've never found anything like that ... I know my purpose here ... to bring balance to the world. I know to do that I require more understanding, more knowledge of it. I seek out wisdom wherever I can find it, listening to the philosophies of others and correcting them when I can. It's the only thing that I am certain of and yet ... I don't know my name."
The girl felt silent, feeling as though even know the purpose of this little quest was to find her name, that she had somehow stolen Zero's thunder. He was clearly so impressed with the whale, that she almost felt as though she should give the two a moment. Some part of her, unmotivated by actual emotions, wanted to please him - wanted to keep him in a perpetual state of everything is great. She didn't know why - it wasn't caused by any sort of rationality that she could find, but it was there nonetheless. A weight in her chest.
The whale chuckled warmly as Zero continued his pun. So many of his kind were adverse to rhetoric or amusement, that he rarely found those who understood his humour. The few who did were pitiful when it came to trying to respond. As it was, the whale was having a better day with these two than he had had in decades with his kin. "You certainly aren't the first that I've met young man - when you've lived as long as I have, you've nearly seen it all. " he rumbled kindled in their minds.
The whale dipped his nose under a wave for a moment to replenish the moisture on his head before pondering Zero's question. "Whales are born with a name - they are not given one. It is not unlike your custom ... some parents, if you ask them, will say they simply knew the name of their offspring. It is much like that. We have a name, and those around us with voices are able to discern it. You who are above ground, if you are lucky, experience the same. " He responded with a definitive nod. "As for me, I am called Pushta. It is a good name - it has served me well for several decades, and I daresay it will do for several more."
Although Pushta would have preferred to further his conversation with Zero, he turned to Isopia, with almost regret. There was so much weight upon her. It was as though her mind threatened to push her into the water and drown her so as not to have to bear it any longer. The whale felt pity for the poor demi child. "It seems to me that you have already found it, youngling." He advised, taking on an academic tone that seemed to mirror her own. Something told him that fun and games would not fly with her. "Whales have a way of knowing these things, and yet it seems you have come out here for nothing. In the dialect of the ancients, ισορροπία, or isorropia, and σοφία, or sophia, mean balance and wisdom. Together - Ih-soh-pee-ah, or Isopia, means you. It is clear as day. At least, it is to me. I feel it around you - do you not also?"
"Now young man!" Pushta fake-scoffed, turning back to Zero. "What is this nonesense about missing magic?" His voice rose to a crescendo in their minds, as comical shock lined his words. "Magic practically rolls off of you, as did Isopia's name roll off of her. Don't tell me that you don't see it? Or are you hiding it?!" With fake outrage, Pushta flopped dramatically back into the water, sending ripples and splashes towards the two on the bridge.
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[P] Strings & ceiling wax & other fancy stuff
