the Rift


[OPEN] Like stars burning holes right through the dark.

Zyanya Posts: 70
Outcast
Mare :: Unicorn :: 14.1 hh :: VI
Tai
#1
Zyanya
Slipping into the steaming waters, a small figure of porcelain gold and light blue.  A tail impossibly long and mane drifting about a tiny shoulder sinks beneath the bubbling waves, the heat encasing her frame in an unfamiliar warmth.  Hot springs, a novelty in the Aurora Basin, were something new to experience - like so much in Helovia.  Unlike the rest of the snow-dusted realm, the springs held warmth.  Though Birdsong began to warm the air and touch the mountains, snow still lay dormant in the shadows of the land, and the peaks ever graced with a healthy cap of white.

The steam drifting into her lungs from the surface of the happily chirping water seemed rightfully out of place but no less welcomed.  The pallid mare had been within the Basin for quite some time now, and she had failed the promise made to Rexanna.  Finding a purpose, it turns out, is easier said than done.

However, the fates of her life brought her ever closer.  Perhaps the most helpful meeting so far had been Thranduil, though their time together ended with a bittersweet clash.  The soft lips of the mare tug into an easy smile as her mind wanders to Haldir, hoping the deer remains the burst of life and joy he was then.  Zyanya missed the small charcoal tipped face, with large open eyes and friendly presence.  Here within the Basin, though she had met many, she doubted any considered her a friend.  All the interactions thus far remained superficial.  With a childish hope, Zyanya clinged to the possibility that the viewing festival would not only bring the Aurora Basin closer to the rest of Helovia, but the members within the magical realm closer together.

Just like the warmth of a smile, the reassuring touch of a loved one, the heat of the springs reminded her just how lonely and cold her journey thus far had been.  Maybe, once she found her job, she could focus on finding a friend.
Maybe.

""



ooc -- For Tiamat, but anyone may join in!
YOU ARE THE BLUEST LIGHT.
image credit to Steve Corey on flickr.com


@Tiamat
even if you're lost you can't lose the love because
it's in your heart

Magic & Force allowed, barring permanent changes or death.

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#2
Look to love, you may dream—hope is home,
and the heart is free.
When the herd meeting had been dismissed, Tiamat had left them in a hurry of confusion and hurt. Perhaps it is not her place to feel so bitter, and perhaps it is not her right to have bound him by promise to these snowy mountains. Even so, the unexpected announcement of the Haruspex’s (former Haruspex) departure had come as a blow that the delicate woman is unused to. She feels...betrayed, almost. Forsaken. Sequestered to the darkness of her cave, her soft, fragile heart is caught in a rolling turmoil between bitterness and guilt (because who is she to feel so selfish? Who is she to have wanted him against his will?)

The ocean mare is not familiar with these painful emotions. Having been fortunate enough to enjoy the purity of her own little world, and escape the dark shadows of anger and hate, she does not understand them, much less know how to deal with the gnarl of  distress that twists her heart. It is not that she doesn’t love Ashamin anymore—he will always be her dearest, dearest friend—but she is hurt that he had left with no warning, no goodbye.

(Then again, is she so self-centered to assume that she deserves an account of his every plan? That he would need her permission?)

Groaning to herself, the blue mare rolls on her side, tucking slender legs beneath her and rising from the cave’s stony floor. She would like to forget these grievances that haunt her mind, muscles quickly coaxed into motion with the hope that—perhaps—a change of scenery will help ease the trembling of her heart. Stepping into the waning light, she sighs through sapphire nostrils, pausing a moment before descending the short distance to the Basin’s floor. Only after she has already strolled in the hot spring’s direction does she decide on her destination, reminiscing of the warm waters and steaming, wispy comfort of its vapors.

It will do her good to be surrounded by her brother’s waters, connected through him to both her parents, soothed by the ever-abiding love of family.

Nevertheless, on this rare evening that she would perhaps prefer to be alone, fate does not agree. Already bathing in the hot springs, is a pale mare that Tiamat does not recognize; she has maybe caught a glance of the small mare around the Basin’s valley, but there is no name paired with her face. Taking this in stride, the young Mender does not hesitant in her original plans (perhaps fate has not given her what she wants, but what she needs). A suffering heart should not have to bear its sorrows alone.

“Hello there,” she approaches the ice-frosted stranger with little inhibition, a genuine smile softening velvet lips. “I don’t believe that we’ve met—officially, at least. I’m Tiamat,” a friendly tip of her horn is given to the other woman, the length of her leonine tail swishing behind her before she steps forward, descending into the springs. “The water feels good, doesn’t it?” She sighs happily, smiling deeper as the warmth cocoons her body, swathing her in a blanket of relief. “I come here to relax, or to enjoy the view of the Aurora Borealis; or simply to appreciate the warmth,” the Mender’s voice is laced with breathy laughter, softening the hard lines of heartache across her face.

notes; I am SO SO sorry! I will really try to be faster from now on<333
“Speech.”

@Zyanya | image credits
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Zyanya Posts: 70
Outcast
Mare :: Unicorn :: 14.1 hh :: VI
Tai
#3
Zyanya
Above, the night sky dances to live with twinkling lights, dusted across the obsidian surface.  The glitter of the stars illuminates the snow, reflecting their pale light with surprising force.  The illumination is still too dim for fine details, but Zyanya is still aware by sight, just as much as the soft crunch of snow beneath hooves, that another approaches.  She swerves, mane dancing in a circle about the tempest of warm waters, to view the one who approaches.

The dim light dulls much of the mare's vibrant colors, hiding the element of the sea from Zyanya's floral eyes.  The porcelain doll herself stands out much like the snow which radiates the ethereal light of the heavens, being so pale in color.  Her dainty frame cuts like a knife through the darkness of the water, gleaming beneath the rumbling surface.  So, the mare which approaches her is of a darker hue, but something in her prescence is blue, like the sea glittering out at her feet the day she met Thranduil.  Perhaps even before the blue mare rouses enough from her thoughts to notice Zyanya, a smile is already decorating the tiny girl's face.

Like sunshine in the depths of the night, the gentle expression is warm and inviting, much like the waters in which she stands, belying the cool colors of her makeup.  "Hello," she responds in greeting, the voice small and frail, like a child's, but radiating a light much like her smile.  Tiamat, she introduces herself, and the mare stows away the information quietly, listening intently to her as she slips below the waves, as if part of the water herself.  "I am Zyanya."

She nods politely in response to the question, the smile taking on a whole new light of shared appreciation.  Eyes follow silently to the sky as Tiamat speaks of the lights, giving them a name that she did not know they held.  All this time, Zyanya had thought of them as merely dancers, whose vibrant colors waved and gleamed among the thousands and millions of stars above.  Tonight, they were mostly green, fading toward a soft fuchsia.  Their pillars were soft and long, swirling upward and out toward the east in waves.  "It can be hard to find warmth this far north," her light, soft voice barely breaking over the small crashing waves.  "I tend to find it in the hearts of those that live here."

A sheepish smile replaces the steady, light tug of her lips.  Her mind races through the gentle faces of those she had met, their words warm and welcoming, cradling within her a sense of safety and welcome she had not felt since home.  A quick blink covers the heartache that pangs when the mare realizes, quite suddenly, that this is now home.  The faces of loved ones were gone, disappearing from her life as she fled to keep it.  Now, only the immortal stars above knew what had become of her beloved family.

""



ooc -- No worries!  I've been struggling with work and some health problems so I'm trying to slowly catch back up myself.  Take your time.  :)
YOU ARE THE BLUEST LIGHT.
image credit to Steve Corey on flickr.com


@Tiamat
even if you're lost you can't lose the love because
it's in your heart

Magic & Force allowed, barring permanent changes or death.

Tiamat the Ocean's Light Posts: 360
Aurora Basin Lady atk: 8 | def: 10 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 15.2 :: 6 years HP: 60 | Buff: NOVICE
Nimue :: Common Orca Leviathan :: Boil Reli
#4
Look to love, you may dream—hope is home,
and the heart is free.
“A pleasure, Zyanya,” the ocean mare reaches out towards the smaller maiden with a soft smile, brushing her muzzle against the other’s (should she allow it) in a gesture of friendship. In the past couple of hours, Tiamat has painfully realized how absent she has been from her herd family—of the new faces (of old ones who have left them), and of positions cycling from one shoulder to another. How much has she missed? She has taken no leave of Helovia, but for some reason she finds herself alienated more than ever. As though the world is moving on without her.

It is a silly notion, of course.

Tiamat would never intentionally set herself away from the happenings of the Basin and the world. She is the epitome of a social butterfly, after all. But, perhaps, these awful new feelings that have rooted themselves within her heart have seeded unfamiliar doubts—and unfamiliar fears. Never before had she considered the fact that she could feel so bitter (or that so much pain could sprout from the threads of love). There is so much she doesn’t understand, doesn’t know, and rather than feeling the swell of curiosity and excitement, she only feels fear. For the first time in her life, Tiamat considers the question: how much does she want to know?

Attempting to release all of her insecurities in a long exhale, she shifts her weight through the water, white eyes looking to Zyanya from beneath long lashes. “Indeed,” she manages to smile, “I have lived in the Basin for a few years now, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other place. The people here are my family.” The ocean mare finds it easier to relax as she talks about her beloved homeland, her love for the white mountains washing over her aching heart like a soothing balm. Her words are genuine, heartfelt, and she finds joy in knowing that someone else has found what she has.

“Also,” the blue Mender continues after a brief pause, her eyes sparkling beneath the light of her sister stars, “You don’t need to worry, we help each other out during the winter—bathing in the hot springs, sharing the warmth of fires, gathering wood. It’s cold, but you’re far from alone.” A breath of laughter softens the tail end of her words, knowing full well the generosity of her herd mates. With a slender build and satin skin, Tiamat is far from built for the ice and snow—but she has never suffered.

Sweeping her leonine tail in a long arc just beneath the water’s surface, the ocean mare shivers once as a rush of warmth bathes her body. Her eyes close in a long blink, opening just after the first syllable leaves her lips. “How long have you lived here?” Her gaze is unassuming and her smile is kind; she tries to focus on now, on these words, rather than the heaviness in her chest.

notes; I know the timeline between this and the herb gathering is a little fuzzy, so I figured just treat them independently from each other? :3
“Speech.”

@Zyanya | image credits
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Zyanya Posts: 70
Outcast
Mare :: Unicorn :: 14.1 hh :: VI
Tai
#5
Zyanya
The soft nuzzle upon her maw is accepted with something short of amazement. The forward, easily offered kindness of the mare in her company filling her with joy. Many here within the Aurora Basin seemed keen to extend friendship, without much question or thought, which comforted Zyanya in the depths of her self-doubt and loneliness. The absence of her family still left a void in her soul, something she could not be certain would ever disappear entirely. Still, like raindrops in a summer rain, the smiles, the laughs, the warm gestures of acceptance filled the chasm, maybe one day to overflow and be forgotten entirely.

The pale colors mare withdraws further into the water, feeling the intensity of such close interaction to be odd. Much of her time here had been spent traveling the overworld alone, learning of Helovia's beauty and mysteries through firsthand experiences and the tales of a few kind souls. There had been few who had gotten close enough to touch the tiny doll. The reminder of soft, physical touches and the emotional warmth made her stagger back, uncertain how to react normally.

The smile does not waver, though, lest Tiamat assume she was not actually welcomed near the girl amid the rolling waves of the hot springs. Quietly, the pale maiden nods along with the blue mare as she speaks of their shared home, a reverent tone of love apparent in every syllable. It is soothing to know that the love for this land could be found in the hearts of many. "That is a relief," Zyanya says honestly, imagining the crackling of warm fires against the white of the mountain peaks. Winter had been one of her least favorite seasons in her old home, for the valleys lost the lush green foliage and flora she adored. Iktan had always enjoyed snow, however, but without him, the season would seem to be missing something.

Perhaps the Aurora Basin and those within could make up for the dire loss.

"Not very long," she admits shyly, her voice small and delicate, hardly more than a whisper among the steam rising into the air. "I am still getting settled, you could say; I haven't even chosen a job, as Rexanna put it."

""
YOU ARE THE BLUEST LIGHT.
image credit to Steve Corey on flickr.com


@Tiamat
even if you're lost you can't lose the love because
it's in your heart

Magic & Force allowed, barring permanent changes or death.


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