show me beautiful
i'll show you wonderful
as we share love

Since the invasion had quieted down into mere murmurs of discomfort, Kaj had made it his personal mission to seek out those loyal few who had followed him and Archibald to the Falls, to thank them and reestablish his bonds with all of them. They had sacrificed so much, simply because he had asked. He owed them so much, and he wanted to press upon them the importance of their actions, their decision to remain loyal and open-minded. To at least attempt to understand the reasoning behind the invasion that Kaj and Archibald had orchestrated and led together. Though he bid goodbye with a heavy heart those who turned in scorn of his actions, Kaj would not allow himself to dwell upon their leaving. Instead, he would approach those who had stayed, would seek the light in the darkness of the unsure first few moons.

Brisa's necklace still hung round his neck, ever precious. It was a beautiful bauble, and no matter that it had originated from the Edge, he saw it instead as originating from her. She had been the one kind enough to allow him to help her, had been open-minded about her promotion even as her self-confidence had wavered. Kaj did not know whether it was a slight in his own personality or not, but he seemed forever magnetized to mares who were broken and in need of soft touches and gentle words. He couldn't help but desire to shelter them all, teach them the beauty that he could see so plainly, and help them grow into strong individuals. His pride in Resplendence was unwavering, even on her bad days. Gazing down at where the bauble rested on his chest, Kaj mused on when Brisa had become part of the group that Kaj had forcefully drawn beneath his wing.

At least he knew who to seek out first.

So with the item bumping cheerily against his breast, the King - no, Czar - set out. It was a large landmass, but with his wings, the waterfalls were easily traversed. All he had to do was...blue eyes peered down from the abrupt ledge, a smile working its way across a pale golden maw. In the darkness, all he could really see was the faint outline of other land shapes, the downward foamy spiral of the water. Without a second thought he jumped from the precipice, wings snapping out to catch his frame and lift him back to appropriate altitudes. It was the speediest way to find Brisa, at least, and a way to calm his own inner turmoils.

Her gossamer hide evaded him for a few hours more. He worried for her, for Aeolus, for how she would adjust when she had already seemed so easily spooked within the familiar borders of the World's Edge. She was the first on his list for speaking to, and he combed each nook and cranny as he passed, hoping for even a glimpse of pale coat. He knew she had at least remained, and his heart was tender and aching with love and appreciation for the solidarity it must have taken for her to follow him to the Falls rather than stay where she was most comfortable. Or was it her desire to protect Aeolus that had driven her?

Before that train of thought could get appropriately out of hand (and quite possibly dangerous), a flash of ivory in the corner of his eye jolted him out of his stupor. Wings tilted, his right primaries dropping as he curved back towards the spot he'd glimpsed her snowy hide. Landing on a quiet glide, he approached the timid mare delicately, not wanting to further spook her. Her visage was cloaked in anxiety, and Kaj did not desire to amplify that with his presence - much less with a grand, brash entrance.

"How are you faring, Brisa?" he murmured as he came to stand beside her, pale blues attentive and face fully turned towards hers, dedicated to reading her emotions and helping her shoulder them.

@[Brisa]

show me beautiful
i'll show you wonderful
as we share love

Shafts of sunlight danced in a myriad of patterns on the forest floor, blades of october painted grasses and fallen leaves leaving a taste of coming winter on the back of his tongue. But the warmth was persistent to the end, and Kaj found himself reveling in the newly beautiful sight, the shuttering of the sun from his vision by the bare branches overhead, the weak heat on his own golden pelt as he moved beneath their once verdant boughs. She was a quiet, museful sight. Undeniably beautiful, gleaming silver and pewter in the sunlight. A sorrowful sort of pretty, with the somewhat lost, tense expression on her face.

Though he had attempted to move quietly, to give her space and ample warning of his impending presence, she was spooked nonetheless. Kaj dipped his head a little, a shameful sort of apology sheepish and conspicuous on his features. Though it was not truly his fault for having startled her, he also didn't want to draw too much attention to her current emotional state. It wasn't fair to point out her fear, make her feel guilty or uncomfortable for a reaction he was so very used to with Resplendence. All he hoped for was that someday she wouldn't have to do that, be so defensive and flighty. Resplendence had grown as well, and though he knew the change of herds had been difficult, he hesitantly sent up a prayer that she and Brisa could both find some sort of comfort and stability in the coming seasons.

"I wouldn't be entirely inclined, but I'll trust you," he said softly with a smile, azure eyes playful as they crinkled at the edges, hoping to inspire some sort of comfort in the mare before him. Her own question was quick in coming, and Kaj's smile wavered, returning strained and a little forced. "Would you believe me if I said it was complicated?" he half-quoted back to her, a subtle sort of misery clinging to his syllables. There was simply so much - too much - for him to be able to tell her without her growing sick of his fable. An epic, truly.

Touching his nose to the necklace he still wore, he smiled a bit more sincerely at the woman. "It's beautiful. I came here because I wanted to see how you were doing, but I also wanted to know if you would be my Mason once more?" it seemed scarily intimate, how he phrased the question. His. But Kaj did not allow himself to dwell on it, eyes searching out Brisa's pale gems for an answer there that he would surely find before her tongue ever formed the words. She was a glorious open book, and he appreciated that. "Promotions will be at the next meeting, but I wanted to make sure you accepted first," Kaj explained a little quietly, the first hints of doubt coloring his vocals. What if she said no?

@[Brisa]

show me beautiful
i'll show you wonderful
as we share love

She was an amusing, honest sort. Kaj enjoyed being around her for a variety of reasons, but the fact that she could make him smile even when his soul felt heavy was definitely one of the prominent factors. The chuckle that she inspired slipped warm and thick past his lips, eyes flickering to dance across her features. "We constantly astound ourselves, I suppose," he laughed, though he too felt the deeper meanings that shook like ice inside his soul. He'd rather not think about that, though, focusing instead on the soft sound of her laughter, the joy he so rarely got to see on her face. Eyes softened at the gesture, as she told him that she was willing to be his confidante at any moment. So many would say it if only for propriety's sake, but Brisa was too candid a soul to not mean it seriously. It was touching, then, to know that she cared for his troubles and hoped to lift them somehow from his shoulders. "You will be the first I seek out," he assured, voice deep and soft, betraying how touched he was at the gesture. "Likewise I am always here for you, if you are in need of me. For anything," he clarified, muzzle extending in hopes of initiating contact, if she so desired to return it. 

His comment upon her necklace, if anything, seemed to make her shy. Kaj could not help but grin for how it affected her, as he took pride in the jewelry and never took it off. Though he attracted the young and the lost to his fold like a magnet, there were few he could truly call his friends. Brisa was firmly one of them, and he cherished the physical manifestation of their relationship beyond all else. Kaj did not like to ponder on his lack of friends, and so he instead focused on the joy he felt whenever the light would glint off the sides of the necklace and remind him of the day he'd encouraged her to figure out how to make it, and how she'd presented it to him so nervously. Kaj hoped that one day she would trust him when he said he cared for her, that he would not leave her as Note had. Woah there, Kaj. Suddenly he too felt flustered, and coughed softly to dispel the notion. She'd never want him anyways, not with how broken all the others had left him. He could not see anything he had left to give her that she would want.

"Thank you," he said instead, eyes alight with happiness that she would take up the mantle once more. "Perhaps I can help you figure it out once more?" This was said far more tentatively, because he was afraid that she would realize that he was asking to be in her company because he enjoyed it, enjoyed her. Probably more than he should. Not that she would need his help, she'd done marvelously on his verbal encouragement alone back in the World's Edge. For all her self-doubt, Brisa was talented, and Kaj trusted her to do her job well.