the Rift


[PRIVATE] a thorn among the petals

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#1

 

sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:



Though not thin, having glutted on mushrooms and moss, found in the Heart Caverns, when other more satisfying foraging could not be uncovered from the snow, it certainly hadn’t been the best Frostfall of my life.  It’s easy to feel like you are King of the Nomads when the world has plenty, and the season benevolent, but the muffling, white blanket of winter is quick to steal your bellowed songs of conquest.  From struggle against the elements, the smallest of these punishments, to death, a heavy, unmistakable blow, I find that, while I still know the songs of glory, I am loathe to sing them again so soon.
 
Instead, I dwell in silence, an almost holy thing, of mourning; for my father, his memory drawing a wince to my face, and for my childhood, at last dead, the chalky remains of rusted metal, devoured by wind.   
 
Now, more than ever, I understand that this wandering way cannot be my life forever, if I ever wish to have any leisure, or corpseless dreams (and, subsequently, a good night’s sleep) again.  However, I am not sure where to turn, having exhausted hope to the south and north.  Left only with the World’s Edge and the Hidden Falls, both full of strangers, their blood mingled, as not even the beasts are apt to do.  The idea of living in a home where the defilement of the ancient laws was not as easily ignored as it was out here made my skin crawl, mostly because I knew that those sort of people no longer felt guilt for what they did. 
 
It was one thing to be overwhelmed by instinct, driven past your will to sustain cognitive processes over the base needs of survival, and to seek recompense.  It was another entirely to do as you pleased, without care for the Gods, or your people.  What would become of the unicorn, if there were not those like me, who remembered that blood mingled is no longer pure, that, eventually it would run so thin as to fade away entirely?  It was noble, to strive to retain the perfection of my people, whether we were truly the first and only true race of the First Gods, or not, and it was just to defend that which one found sacred.  To stumble, I was learning, was merely part of the journey.
 
It was how you proceeded with scuffed knees which determined who you were, not having fallen in the first place.
 
Moving through the sunlit meadow, the young, pale emerald grasses sway in the forgivingly cool breeze, the first magenta blooms appearing from their green knots.  Pausing among them in a particularly flower laden portion of the meadow, Duir’s heart soars at the myriad of wildflowers returned to the soft, grassy underbelly of the thistle plants, and I begrudgingly agree to remain, while he begins to sample each and every one, occasionally sighing with contented delight.  Every so often, at his insistence, I too bend my head to try one, finding that I’m apparently not as into eating flowers as he is.

[ OOC: Sets all his threads today in the Meadow I guess? xD Anyway yaaaaaay flower time ~ ]

sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Glacia @Tiamat

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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
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
It is much warmer here than it is in her beloved mountain home. Although Frostfall has come and gone, and Birdsong is now in full swing among the lush plants and scampering infants, the highland valley of the Aurora Basin still has a chill in the air and frost at night. There is no hint of snow or ice here in the Thistle Meadow, nor is the ground frozen—instead the wide valley is abundant with new life, and everything seems to be rejoicing. The plants grow tall and the trees stretch their branches towards the sun, reveling in the warmth that the rays bring, and even the gentle breeze seems to sigh with blissful content.

Tiamat, child of nature, daughter of the ocean and the sky, celebrates with her brethren. Although she enjoys each season for its importance and individual beauty, spring is by far her favorite time of year. It is when the earth is rejuvenated from its winter hibernation, and from every vale and prairie there is new life thriving, and all of the animals awaken from their cold slumber to delight in the warmth of this joyous season.

The ocean mare is lying among the lilac plants when she notices the darkly-colored pair. With dainty ears slanting forward, she lifts her head, recognizing them once the sunlight plays against marks of brilliant gold. “Rikyn! Duir!” She calls out to them happily, gathering her legs beneath her and thrusting herself to her feet, before she jogs over to the stallion and his deer. Nimue whistles from the stream where she plays, splashing once more through the water, and then leaping through the grasses to follow her bondmate. Reaching the boys, Tiamat smiles to them both. “How have you been?” She questions as she extends her nose towards Rikyn, brushing his muzzle fondly.


notes; I'm sorry it took me a million years!! <333
“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#3


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


Raising my head from my colorful foraging at the call of a familiar, cheerful voice shouting my name, I find the faintest of smiles within my dwindling supply of cheer to share with her. Tiamat, a mare I consider a friend, for she has always been kind to me, and one that is also pretty, surely deserves better company this afternoon, but she has chosen me, and I will oblige.

Duir, on the other hand, is delighted to see her again, rather preferring the company of my kind friends over my more rowdy or rancorous ones. He was in far less danger hanging out with Tiamat and Nimue than he was with Mordecai or Volterra, and his hungry dragons, and the mare’s easy going nature was far preferred to my morose sulking as of late. Greeting her with a cheerful waggle of his tiny tail, his antlered crown bobs a hello, as he moves to stand alongside me.

Emotionally leaning on his better mood, I draw to draw some of his strength to lend to my conversational abilities, especially when her first question immediately bludgeons my rather delicate feelings; the pressure of tears threatens to burst free, but I wrestle them back, disgusted with myself for being so weak in front of a lady.

"Could be better, really," I flatly remark, my smile lackluster, marked by hollow, emotionless eyes, "but well enough, I guess."

Alive. Better than some…

"How about you?" I distract myself with, dredging up memories of the ocean, and joy, rather than of blood, and lifeless, bronze eyes, "I haven’t seen you since the Moon created the sea tunnel."

[ OOC: eee its okay <3 ]

sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

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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
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
Although the ocean mare is not quite as perceptive as some, it does not escape her attention that the golden-marked stallion is more downcast than usual. She knows him well enough to recognize the flatness of his smile, and the fatigue that dampens his usually bright (if not rather mischievous) gaze. With dainty ears swiveling forward in concern, she cannot help but wonder what has influenced him so dismally, and considering the tragedies that have plagued Helovia lately, it is easy for her to assume the betrayal of Kisamoa. Little does she know just how deep Rikyn’s grief runs.

“Has it really been that long?” She questions absentmindedly when the stallion redirects the conversation to the blue mare. Tiamat remembers that day on the beach, when skepticism had weighed on her fragile mind, but ultimately the sea stallion’s monster’s gift of breathing underwater had lifted her spirits.

It seems a lifetime ago now.

She feels bitterness at the memory, wondering how they had all been so easily fooled. “I suppose it has! My goodness, how time can fly,” the Mender shakes her head with a chime of seashells, managing a small smile despite the ache in her heart.

Breathing deeply through her nose, she continues, unable to completely shake the burden of betrayal from her shoulders, although she finds comfort in her friend’s company. “I could say the same. There were times when I found myself less haunted by...” Tiamat shifts her weight uneasily, not used to feeling such terrible things, unfortunate events. Even so, it is a lovely day today! Don’t you agree?” She forces her smile to brighten, stepping forward and turning her body to stand alongside Rikyn.

Sighing wistfully to herself, the ocean mare leans her head against the man’s dark shoulder, looking out across the Thistle Meadow. It is undoubtedly beautiful—time goes on, despite their tragedies, and spring has brought life. “Let’s enjoy it while we can,” she murmurs, watching as her companion chirps happily to Rikyn’s stag. If only they could have this moment forever.


“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#5

 

sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:



Her eyes soften as they meet mine, a quiet indication that she’s noticed I’m not my usual self.  That she either does not want to press me, or assumes the cause to be something else, is not really important; I’m just glad that I don’t have to talk about it, and that, instead, she chooses to discuss absolutely nothing at all.  One of my favorite topics, mostly because it has no serious implications, really, other than potentially falling into silence, and it allows me to keep hiding inside myself.
 
Maybe it’s just my overall melancholy demeanor, but Tiamat seems kind of sad, too.  She doesn’t have her usual, cheerful smiles in tow, and her words are heavy, somehow, lacking the playful bounce that usually entails each dulcet syllable.  I’m regretfully glad when she admits that she actually isn’t her normal self, happy to know that my sadness isn’t managing to ruin everything.
 
Everything is just slowly being ruined, is all.
 
Her head rests against my shoulder, softly, and I turn to look upon her with as best a smile as I can manage, awfully sorry for the both of us.
 
"It is," I answer, my tail curling about my ankles and dragging through the grass; I’m distracted by this glance, and the soft sadness in her usually bright, sky toned eyes, when Duir chances a grab at the blue stone the Time God had given me, fortuitously (as has often been the case with this tricky little rock) wedged between the very rim of my shoulder plate and flesh.  Sneakily, with his stone in tow, the buck pretends to move to greet Nimue, who calls to him with peculiar whale song, all the while plotting against me.
 
I’m just beginning to really enjoy the comforting feeling of her resting against my body when my buck reaches out with the blue stone, and firmly touches the mare on her shoulder, a mischievous glint in his eye. 
 
“Let’s enjoy it while we can,” she softly intones, just as I feel the all too familiar grasp of the blue rock’s magic pull through my veins.  For whatever reason, maybe because I hadn’t expected it at all, the grasp it takes is firm, and almost immediate, and though, inwardly, I haven’t bid my body to do any of what proceeds, it does so, anyway.
 
"Oh, I have an idea!" I (oh god) cheerfully quip, suddenly grinning and looking at her like I’ve never looked at fucking anything in my life, not even kittens, literally bounding a step forward.  Plucking a few of the best looking flowers from the nearby cluster (some brightly colored red, white, and violet wildflowers), I return to Tiamat, and tuck them into her mane, behind her ear.  "There.  Now the day is even lovier."
 
Duir, staring with a wildly bemused smile, our mental link literally resounding with the sound of his laughter, looks at Nimue, and nods with a rolling gesture of his shoulder, as if seeking approval for his deeds.  

[ OOC:  Hopefully Duir touching her with the rock is okay!  I felt like it expedited the action quite a lot. :)  If you'd rather he not I can amend it.  Just let me know! ]

 

sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

Wishlist - Plots

Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

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
#6
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
Tiamat is wholly oblivious to whatever the stallion’s companion might be plotting. She simply rests against the man’s broad shoulder, her eyes half-lidded as she gazes out across the Thistle Meadow, enjoying the beautiful view of the gently rolling hills and budding growth of spring. Even Nimue, who has front-row seats to whatever Duir plans on doing, doesn’t understand what the stag is trying to accomplish. She warbles a low and soft sound, trailing at the Cerndyr’s side when he moves, the whale’s blue eyes large and questioning.

The sea maiden might have very well slipped into a daze of happy contentment, lulled into a trance by the warmth of Rikyn’s skin, and his familiar scent comforting her. However, when Duir presses the stone’s cold, smooth surface against her shoulder, she is startled back into reality. “What—?” She pulls away from the dark stallion to look towards his deer, arching her neck to get a better look at what exactly happened. All the Mender is able to comprehend is Duir holding a blue stone (a beautiful blue stone, she will admit, but why? Does he wish to show it off as a prize of some sort?)

Be that as it may, Tiamat is unable to voice any of her questions before Rikyn chimes (yes, chimes) in with an idea. “An idea?” The mare manages to ask, her white eyes turning upward. Rikyn—brooding, grumpy, loveable Rikyn—is beaming down at her with an expression that can only mirror her own merriment. Tiamat is caught off guard by his sudden change in mood. Others might question it, analyze even, but the blue maiden is far too enraptured by the contagiousness of joy to bother.

It simply is, and she doesn’t hesitate to seize this happy moment.

With her spirits lifting, she watches as the golden-marked man dances among the wildflowers before plucking a few, and returning to her side. Tiamat’s smile warms at his touch, fluttering her lashes bashfully. Seeing the blossoms tucked behind the mare’s ear, Nimue trills a whistle of delight, clearly approving of her new adornments. Chirping then to the stag, the little ocra bumps him playfully, joyfully bobbing her head up and down.

“Aw, Rikyn! This is a wonderful idea, how thoughtful of you. You’re right, it’s more lovely already,” Tiamat laughs gleefully, arcing her neck to show off the flowers while a broad grin curls her lips. Catching sight of the wildflowers behind him, she leaps with bouncing strides, calling to him over her shoulder. “I don’t think you should be without one of your own!” Giggling to herself, Tiamat searches the blooms, gathering a small cluster of bright blues, rich purples, and pale yellows. Satisfied with her little boutonniere, she bounds back to the stallion, and tucks the flowers carefully along the crest of his neck. “How dashing,” she croons when she’s completed the task, stepping back to appraise him.

A handsome stallion indeed! The length of her lion tail curls from enjoyment, and her eyes sparkle brighter than the twinkling of her sister stars. While she appreciates her handiwork, she catches a flash of color out of the corner of her eye, and turns to see a distant tree sprinkled with rosy blooms. They are the prettiest color she’s ever seen! Oh—follow me! There are some beautiful flowers over there,” Tiamat bids him to follow, laughing blithely while she prances through the meadow.


notes; omg I'm loving this already :'D
“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#7


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


So, while I’m frolicking about the meadow with Tiamat, inside, I’m doing everything I can to make it stop. Duir, however, has other plans, occasionally trying to again brush the mare with the stone, to keep the grasp of the magic tightly wound about my will, and so no matter how I bid my hooves to stop, or my mouth to shut it, I’m trapped inside a box, inside myself.

Brushing Nimue with my nose in passing as she bobs about in praise of my handwork, the odd sensation of her slick skin would normally send a shiver through my body, but that natural repulsion towards the strange is repressed, when one is under the throws of Tiamat, apparently. The acceptance itself is what is strange, my consciousness finding, for the first time, that it could experience weird and find delight, rather than offense. The smile playing across my face is counterintuitive to the mental scowl which faces this affront to my rational, and though it does feel sort of nice to hear and see Tiamat so happy, especially due to things I’m doing, I can’t help but wonder what sort of lasting damage this is going to do to my reputation.

Turning to follow her traipsing step, I move after her several paces, my lips still curved into a bright, cheerful smile. When she comes back around, her bundle of blooms in tow, the idiot I’ve become perks up at the sight of the bouquet, while inside, I recoil.

No! I mentally plead with myself, run, move, anything!

Alas, soon the flowers are fastened in my tangled mane, their bright colors are in stark contrast to my dark hair. I’m quickly becoming to upset with the entirely situation to really appreciate her closeness, or how pleased she is with me, anymore, and, infuriatingly, the more frustrated I become, the easier it is for the magic to dictate my body on what to do.

So, when Tiamat cheerfully exclaims as to the profound beauty of some nearby blossoms, and beckons to me with her chiming giggles and impish glances, I instantaneously move along with her, a clownish smile plastered on my face. Looking ahead, I see the tree she’s talking about, which, I guess, is a pretty nice tree. The idiot I currently am forced into the role of, however, is utterly delighted at the presence of the bloom laden boughs.

"Wow! They are really colorful, huh?" I add, trotting beneath its branches, a few stray petals drifting downwards in the subtle breeze. Plucking a bundle, I hand it to Duir, who’s grinning like a loon, entirely too amused with himself to argue about holding the bough, too much. Besides, he’s very recently applied more essence of Tiamat to the peculiar rock – there is time for him to hold a branch, so I can cleanly break the small blooms away.

Turning towards Tiamat with each delicately plucked flower, she is soon to be bedecked in dozens of the pretty flowers, neatly arranged in her sea-hued mane.


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

Wishlist - Plots

Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

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
#8
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
Behind her, Tiamat can hear the muted hoof beats as Rikyn follows her through the spring meadow, and casting a glance over her shoulder, her grin widens at the sight of the stallion’s expression. He seems to have a happiness that rivals her own! She has never seen him act even remotely this delighted before; granted, they haven’t known each other for too long, so perhaps it is a side of him that is rarely given a chance to shine? She would have never expected this darling little secret, but it is undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.

Sweeping in a large circle beneath their chosen tree, the ocean mare looks up through the blossoming branches, allowing herself the full view to appreciate. A dainty ear flicks towards Rikyn when he comments on the flowers’ beauty, and Tiamat can’t help but nod enthusiastically in agreement. “They really are,” she croons, the corners of her eyes wrinkling with the strength of her smile.

Noticing that the dark stallion has plucked a branch from the colorful tree, the sea maiden jogs over towards him and his stag, stopping and arching her neck as he places each of the bright blooms into her hair. When he finishes, she takes a step back, and poses playfully for him to admire her newest adornments. “What do you think?” The blue mare hums with a bat of her long lashes, flicking the length of her lion tail joyously, and laughing delightfully to herself.

Meanwhile Nimue, who has since floated up among the lowest of the boughs, nudges them with her nose, causing several stray flowers to fall around Duir. She chirps happily, staring down at him with sparkling blue eyes.

“Here—” Tiamat reaches down to grasp one of the fallen blossoms gently between her lips, and then stretches to tuck it behind Rikyn’s ear, “now we match!” She giggles, clearly pleased with herself. Her eyes then shift towards the stallion’s companion, having not overlooked the fact that he keeps nudging her with some sort of rock. “That’s a fascinating stone you have there, Duir—does it do something?” Her voice is laced with laughter, her head tilting in her curiosity. She looks between both of the boys, knowing that Duir can’t communicate directly with her.


“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#9


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


Nipping at her shoulder as she turns to model my handiwork, I turn up to dreamily stare into the falling petals Nimue tousles free, and my cheeks really start to ache from all the smiling. Despite my inner horror at the utter frivolity with which I’m presenting myself, there is something wonderful about being this way; for instance, I’d never have noticed these flowers, or how very nice they smell.

I might also have never felt this happy.

Maybe I thought I had at one point, while my friends and I walked across the world together, young, and full of hope, but it was a different sort of joy, then. The kind you couldn’t really appreciate, because there had never been a time when you were really unhappy, at least not in way that was thorough enough to tarnish the bright gleam of childish naivety, and the peace therein. Yet, even then, or as I’d chased fireflies with Xynia, or stood shoulder to shoulder with her, late into the night, staring into the Starpool, could not compare to this feeling of oneness with everything, and a joy to be alive and among it all.

I had not known one could feel this way, I think, inside the smiling loon of a body mine has become, my life having been dark and heavy, the sort that left the person who lived it very much the same way. I had never imagined what it would be like to be someone so unlike myself at all, and now that I had…

Her lips kiss my ear, her breath warm, and enticing. This new me, however, barely notices, merely lifting his foolish head to proudly present the carefully placed bloom, while Tiamat (thankfully) asks Duir what he’s doing with that rock.

Halting from where he’d been cheerfully dancing beneath the falling blooms and petals, Duir’s lips tilt into a sheepish smile around the shining blue rock.

"Oh, the Time God gave it to me, so I could learn about my magic!" I tell her, my voice cheerful, not at all representative of the true upset I have inside my heart for Duir at this particular point in time, "it’s supposed to let others make me feel and act like they want."


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

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
#10
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
The grin across the sea maiden’s lips deepens with the Cerndyr’s expression, her head lowering briefly as she looks to the stag and laughs gently, blowing away a loose petal that had fallen on her nose before she turns again to Rikyn. Whatever is happening between the two boys, she is clearly enjoying it. The stallion’s initial explanation causes her eyes to brighten, and she nods in wordless enthusiasm, always eager to learn herself. However, when he elaborates on the nature of the stone, Tiamat’s brow knits together in thought.

What a peculiar thing for a rock to do! How does it know what she wants? How does it make Rikyn follow its instruction? How long do the effects last? (She remembers then how Duir had repeatedly nudged her with the stone, and can’t help but smile amusedly to herself). Why does the stone do this, and how will it aid the stallion? So many questions! Then again, Helovia’s gods do tend to work in mysterious ways, especially when it comes to magical quests. Oh, interesting!” The ocean mare acknowledges with a tilt of her head, her white eyes flickering again to the stone clasped between Duir’s teeth.

“Well,” she continues shortly, eyeing Rikyn with both humor and sincerity in her gaze. “I want you to be happy, of course. I have to admit, I’ve never seen you smile so...enthusiastically before,” another chime of giggles breathes past her lips, and she shifts her weight forward, leaning a step closer to the dark stallion. Fluttering her lashes against the sun, Tiamat looks up to him with a broad smile. “It suits you!” She winks, playful, even if the complement is every bit as true as the warmth in her heart.

Exhaling a whimsical sigh from her nostrils, the ocean mare glances again to the blossoming tree, and then to the ground before she begins to lower herself among the lush grasses. Resting her body along the cool earth, she rolls over onto her back, stretching comfortably. Glancing to the stallion, Tiamat beckons for him to join her.

Once Rikyan has—presumably—settled at her side, she looks over to him. “What magic is the Time God helping you with?” One of her dainty ears slants toward him out of curiosity, silently wondering how the stone’s strange ability could be connected to his magic—if it is at all. “I’ve never been on a quest before, but I’d like to, I think,” the words slip from her tongue in a verbal musing of thought, little more than a murmur as her attention drifts, following the gentle dance of the flowery boughs as they move in the breeze.


“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#11


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


While I’d hoped Tiamat would put a stop to the madness, she, instead, seems intrigued, and amused. My outside self, therefore, is happy, too, all while I shout and writhe on the inside, demanding that Duir give me the rock back before he does any permanent damage to my reputation. When she turns to me, though, I can’t help but return my attention to what she says, wondering why it is that she would want to be around someone so cheerful.

It suits me?

My buffoon body steps towards her, a happy smile on my lips, hoping to brush my nose across her cheek in thanks; inside, I retreat towards a dark corner, my mind suddenly stricken with a heavy wonder. Seeking through my memory for the last time I’d smiled and existed with such abandon, I find nothing, except very old, very faded memories of being too small to hear and see the things that had become my reality as soon as I had the capacity to know.

Was I really that unhappy? And… if I was… had I truly never been happy to begin with?

"It’s all thanks to you, Tiamat!" my mouth laughs, truthfully, openly, revealing how much she might mean to me, if I let myself look at the growing bonds between us to carefully; it really was, after all, all thanks to her. All these smiles were hers, borrowed from her well of sunshine, which seemed to eternally refill itself, again and again.

Suddenly concerned for my mental well being (sensing the sudden change from anger, and struggle, to sorrow, and hopelessness), my buck moves to lay down with Tiamat, pressing the stone down onto her belly, to keep the contact between she and the magic steady. Not far behind him, I lay next to her, tucking my legs neatly alongside me, rather than exposing my belly to the sky, like she does.

"Oh, I have the ability to make other people do stuff I want them to," casually tells my body of all my dark secrets, the things I’d never have told Tiamat before, out of fear that she would reject me, for the dark nature of my powers (and, lets be honest, general being). In the throes of the spell, however, I’m hopelessly left to the whims of the magic, which, apparently, cares not for my emotional reservations (or that I'm still drowning in my inward melancholy), and plunges forth like an arrow, without abandon. "I want to get better at using it, you know? So he sent me out to learn about it, by experiencing it."


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

Wishlist - Plots

Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

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
#12
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
The sea maiden is oblivious to the riptide of emotions that contorts within the dark stallion’s mind. She does not know his griefs, and cannot possibly understand the burdens that he carries across his too-young shoulders—all she sees are the smiles on his lips and the twinkles in his eye, and all she comprehends is his natural grumpiness (hardly able to fathom the losses and pains that might have carved into his youth). Still, it is her nature to be concerned, and it is with nothing but sincerity that she looks over the hard lines of his face, trying to understand the pieces that he gifts to her.

Casting a smile towards the gilded buck as he places the peculiar stone on her stomach, Tiamat finds her eyes momentarily drawn to its dull surface. Delicately, she nudges it with a cloven hoof, watching how the sun’s light catches its angles like any other rock (so unassuming), and ponders on its effects while her gaze drifts back to Rikyn. Her heart warming for his sake, she sends a surge of good feeling in his direction, not sure if he will be able to sense it (because she really has no idea how a little stone can control someone so absolutely), but she hopes all the same.

Turning her head among the grasses, her white eyes rest on him when he continues, explaining the nature of his magic. Not surprisingly, it shakes the ocean mare a little bit.Make other people do things?” Tiamat questions with her eyes widening, one of her ears slanting sideways in uneasy question. Taking away someone’s free will is something that had never occurred to her—it is only natural and right to have one’s freedom. “Does it hurt them?” She presses, concern leaking into the contours of her expression.

Having shifted her weight to stare at the golden-marked man more intently, the blue maiden leans forward, wanting to understand the constitution of his abilities (and, more broadly, the general workings of her friend’s mind). However, when he reveals the purpose of the strange stone, a wide smile—more amused than usual—twists across her sapphire lips. “Well I suppose it serves you right, then,” Tiamat laughs softly, briefly scrunching her nose up at him and shaking her head playfully.

Tilting her head, she finds her curiosity suddenly bubbling, her interest swelling and surging into questions that reach her tongue before they register properly in her mind. “What have you learned so far? Anything useful? Anything interesting? What else has someone made you do, or feel? How long do you have to obey the stone’s power?” She stares at Rikyn with wide, excited eyes, a full moment passing before she realizes her enthusiasm. Chuckling at herself, she tucks her head bashfully, still unable to contain the passion that illuminates her expression.


“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#13


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


With the stone safely with the sea-mare, Duir wanders off to play with Nimue in the falling blooms, answering her whale song whistles with his own weird calls and grunts. Certainly less beautiful than Nimue’s chirrups and croons, I’m at least glad he isn’t making the weird, hauntingly shrill noise that reminds me of a woman screaming.

“What are you doing?!” I’d asked him the first time I’d heard the horrible racket.

“Giving praise to the world!” he had answered, his eyes afire with what I could only call hope, and oneness. It had made it harder to be upset with him for making me want to kill him (thereby ending that sound forever).

Glancing over at me, amused with the memory, he promises not to praise anything, here.

The moment is timed in perfect synchronization with Tiamat’s influx of good intentions and happy thoughts, so that I almost rise to my feet for the sheer happiness intoxicating my blood suddenly. Gone, swiftly, are the morose thoughts of my past, or the mourning layered over it, for the urge to simply exist in the moment, and with a contented sound, my body leans towards the sea-mare’s, so that our shoulders might touch. Turning to meet her eyes when she nervously inquires upon my magic further, the worry I feel beneath the eager, helpful smile currently plastered on my face is sealed away.

I really don’t want her to hate me, is a sudden realization, a frightening one, especially considering I don’t usually care if someone likes me or not.

"I guess it does a little bit, if you fight it," I reply, thinking about when Albrecht and Merlin had touched it the rock, and how badly I hadn’t wanted them to have that control over me. Though I had mostly felt fear, and anxiety, there had also been an undeniable mental strain that was very akin to pain, and, of course, the struggle of your muscles against themselves could leave you quite worn. "Mostly, its just unnerving."

She teases me, though, which makes me feel a little bit better underneath this friendly, open façade of the magic, that maybe she won’t hold it against me that I’m a little (okay, a lot) darker than she is, inside, and out. Looking away with bashfulness I don’t quite understand and a fluttering in my chest that is warm and exciting, like fire, without the burns, I playfully scoff as she giggles.

Her barrage of questions is what draws my golden eyes back to hers, from the flower laden branches above. With my mouth tilted in a smile, I try to remember each question, to answer it, even though she seems embarrassed to have thrown them all at me in such a fashion (meaning I maybe shouldn’t have to get them all). Still, her enthusiasm is endearing, and, as I always have, I like talking about myself, and my adventures, to such a degree that I often forget to ask others about theirs.

"It seems to effect me so long as the person touches the stone, and I guess I’ve learned some stuff. I certainly know now what it is like to be powerless to someone else’s whims and thoughts," I start, thinking about Merlin, and how she had almost driven me to doing unspeakable things, or Albrecht, and the feeling of being very, very old, and alone, of your own volition, "I’ve almost been raped by a twisted child, and got to experience what it feels like to be old, bitterly resentful, and alone. I... I’m quite afraid that I’ll be like Albrecht, someday. I hated him, before he touched the rock."

I'd tried to kill him once, after all. I might have tried again to crush his skull beneath my hooves, or walked away from him as he plead for help from the heart of a blaze I could spare him from; I certainly would not have shared with him compassion, or given a fuck like I couldn’t help to now. It was easy to be wrathful and cold towards someone until you understood them. Then it was only easy to be angry with yourself, and how you always seemed to do things that would, eventually, make you just like everyone you never wanted to be, in the first place. Sighing, I look away from her, down at my dark knees. Even being Tiamat can’t stop the heaviness from stealing away my smile, for a somber expression, the look of inward pondering.

"And I still do. But, Tiamat," looking back to her, golden eyes searching, honest in their doubt, not shielded behind the ruse of knowing all and being in complete control, "I can’t hate him anymore without hating myself, too, because I know why he is the way he is... I know, and I resent him for showing me in the first place."

Because it makes me feel so ashamed to be me.


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

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Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

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
#14
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
Up within the brightly-colored boughs, Nimue trills happily when her cerndyr friend comes over to join her. Rolling her head against a nearby branch, she is able to knock several blooms free, and watches with bright eyes as they twirl below, landing around the golden-marked stag. Crooning a low whistle, she clutches a small bouquet in her mouth, and floats down from the branches, sprinkling the vibrant petals around Duir while her little lashes flutter. There is something of a smile around her lips (as much as a whale can smile, that is), and her gaze sparkles in a way that is familiar between the ocean pair.

On the other side of the large trunk, lying among the grasses and basking beneath the sun’s playful rays, the blue mare’s eyes have wandered from Rikyn in thought. She ponders on what it must feel like to have someone else control your body for you, and while she is relieved to know that it isn’t entirely painful, she can’t shake the chill from her shoulders. “I can imagine,” the maiden murmurs, believing that that experience would be very—unquestionably—unnerving. Perhaps seeing a glimpse into the Time God’s wisdom, she thinks that it is fair for Rikyn to feel what he can put others through.

There are few things that are more dangerous than someone who wields such potent powers, with no understanding or regards to the plight of their victims. It is something that can separate a man from a monster.

Looking at the darkly-colored stallion, Tiamat doesn’t see a monster—even when he continues, explaining the lessons he has learned and the horrors he has experienced because of the stone, she doesn’t see a beast. Initially, the ocean mare is horrified— “Hated? Raped? —she repeats with wide eyes, her voice little more than a choking gasp as her fragile mind tries to comprehend that someone can be so twisted. How could someone ever take advantage in such a sick, cruel way? It is then that she sees the man, hurting, behind gilded eyes that have perhaps seen too much.

Shifting her body so that the peculiar stone tumbles from her stomach and into the crook of her foreleg, Tiamat moves closer to the stallion, reaching out to bring her neck over his in an embrace of comfort and friendship. Their conversation, so easy and bright moments before, has suddenly become more raw. The struggle is etched into every line of Rikyn’s expression, and Tiamat fears to think what sharp pain it would be without her own influence. She pulls him closer, breathing into the thickness of his dark mane, her glass heart twisting compassionately for her dear friend.

“You shouldn’t hate yourself,” the mare whispers, fervently, while she clings to him with her body and soul, “You shouldn’t hate anyone, really...but especially not yourself.”

Tiamat wills her words into his heart, as though she could make him see what she sees—not a monster or anything to be ashamed of, but a man who has only been battered and bruised, torn and reaped by the terrible woes of life. He feels, he wrestles with remorse, and she loves him for that.

Inhaling a breath that trembles with emotion, the sea maiden pulls back a little, tracing her lips over his shoulder. “Maybe it’ll just take time. You understand someone now in a way that you never could before. Being a good person doesn’t necessarily mean that you like everyone. It’s so much more than that,” a chuckle manages to thread through the passion in her tone, the sound crackling through the tightness of her throat, and she has to swallow before continuing. “It’s...respecting someone else, trying to understand someone else, especially in spite of any misgivings the two of you might share,” her muzzle is resting against his skin by the time she quiets, her eyes watching how her breath plays with the flowers braided into his mane, while her thoughts remain suspended.

Suddenly she pulls back, wanting to meet his gaze. “You’re not a bad man, Rikyn,” she insists, assures, and promises him, knowing that while Rikyn may be haunted by the shadows of the world, he is not one of them.

Out of the habit of her inhibition, the ocean mare trails her muzzle along the bridge of the stallion’s nose, tracing the golden line of his marking as it curves across his cheek. It is not unusual for her to be close or intimate—it is not in her nature to hold back any part of herself—but once silence is able to settle between them, Tiamat abruptly realizes just how close they are now. A warmth suddenly blossoms within her chest, both delicious and painful at the same time, and her heart suddenly beats erratically in her ears. She stops, looking into his eyes before she has to look away, uncharacteristically flush.

“Do you think,” Tiamat begins, suddenly shy. “Do you think we would be having this conversation if I didn’t touch the stone?” She’s afraid to meet his gaze, and only does so from beneath the protection of her lashes, wondering through her bashfulness if she has taken advantage of him.


“Speech.”

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@Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#15


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


It goes well at first, even if some of the concepts that I can discuss without flinching cause the demure mare to withdraw in shock and horror. It makes me smile to watch and hear her scoff, mostly because I can’t ever remember a time that I was so closed off to the realities of the world. It’s endearing, to be around someone like Tiamat, and to be trapped under magical possession like I am now, it’s almost impossible to think negatively (though, surely, I manage).

That anyone can be as pure as she is gives me hope. Hope that, maybe, the world our ancestors ruined isn’t entirely fucked up, after all, and that, all over this planet, there were still individuals like my friend who could be horrified by the notion of hate.

As she curls up closer to me, our bodies closer than I can ever remember being to anyone, there is something about her tenderness that hurts more than any sort of physical pain I’ve been put through. More searing than Gaucho’s flames, more piercing than Volterra’s dragon’s claws, the magic can’t stop me from rebuking the inclination to press further into her embrace, to drown in the warmth that makes my cold heart burn.

I hide, instead, in my knees, which curl up defensively, and fit up and around the sides of my nose, which sinks with the weight of everything, and the way her words make me feel. Even when she pulls away, the sensation that aches inside of me continues to gnaw away at my consciousness. When the magic again pulls my falsely hopeful eyes to look at her, I’m still hiding on the inside, wanting her to stop caring for me, to move away, leaving me in my comfortable, sacred alone, where this strange, inner pain cannot find me again.

Try to understand them, she says, like it’s easy, or like anyone has really tried to understand me. Not everyone is like you, Tiamat, I want to shout at her, able to say how the feel, or even able to feel how they feel, for that fucking matter. Some people don’t follow the laws of wind and laughter, or this inexplicable feeling of hope and faith that courses through me, ridding the rippling shape of laughter, and joy; some people are ruled by the stone, by the croon of the storm, and the chill slice of winter through the red breast of autumn, which devoured their spring. Yet, the magic makes me listen, leaves my puppet’s mouth still, and eyes watching, ears lifted, and though within I writhe, and shout, and recoil from the beacon that she shines into my darkest hollows, I cannot ignore her.

She touches my face with her lips, and her words strike like a dagger on fire through the muddled webs of my thoughts. Her breath washing over my face, and the wild rush of how very bad I really am, force my eyes shut, a moment in which I both revel in the delight of her lips kissing my cheek (as once, my mother had done, but only when I was very, very small, and still a toy, who did as it was asked), and wish to recoil away for the very same reason I long for it, all while unable to in the thrall of the magic.

I hate this. I want it to stop. I don’t want to go back here.

But the door opens, none the less, the path winding back, back, over hills that are black and blood strewn, to those which are green, and glow in the sun. They seem so far away from here, from where I am now, who I am now.

"But I am a bad man, Tiamat," I tell her, because I am. She cannot see it because her radiance chases away all of my wickedness, forces it to hide, for fear of her notice, but there is evil in my heart. Evil I cannot undo. "You know me the same way everyone else does. As I let you see me. You are good. I try... I want to be good for you, too, and Erebos. For everyone who thinks that maybe I’m more than what I really am, but I’m just me."

A nobody, at my best, and, at my worst?

I don’t want her to know. Maybe I won’t be able to stop life from wending down that trail, but I won’t be the one to set us on it. Not today. Not yet. Falling into silence, I pray to whatever God is listening that she doesn’t ask why I am wicked, or why I hide behind versions of myself. I pray, most of all, that she doesn’t hold me with all that love in her voice again, because it makes all those layers feel like they are made of paper, that has dried into dust in the sun.

"No," I answer, when the silence is broken, her voice timorous, emotional in way they have not been before. Meeting her wary eyes, I wish I could lie. I wish I could tell her that I trusted her, and that I believed she could trust me, too, but I don’t, the same as I trust almost no one. All my life, I had been told to hide, to keep secret, to be ashamed, or afraid. I was too comfortable in the shadow to willingly move forward into the light. "I’ve never really talked to anyone like this...except Erebos, maybe."


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

Wishlist - Plots

Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).

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
#16
tiamat
like the ocean kissed the sky—
“But I am a bad man, Tiamat.”

His words have her ears swiveling backwards while her blue brow puckers, the paleness of her eyes growing intense with concern. “Rikyn—” she tries to interject, but the dark stallion continues, seeming truly convinced that he belongs with the shadows and demons of the world—a possibility that the sea maiden sees no chance in, no matter how passionately her dear friend tries to convince her. He might not be perfect, and he might have made some grave mistakes, but there is nothing that Tiamat cannot overlook—because, right now, she sees goodness in his heart. She sees hope.

He falls into a moment of silence, and with her lips pursed together, it is all the blue mare can do to not shake him (gently, tenderly) out of his miserable haze. Rikyn, don’t you see?” Her voice becomes vehement, and her eyes search his without looking away, the distance between them diminishing again as she leans unconsciously forward in her passion. “Listen to yourself! You try, you want to be good. Doesn’t that make you better in itself? Would a truly bad man want and try to be better, to be good, even if it’s only for the ones they hold dear?” She pauses, allowing her words to settle over him, before she finishes with a definitive, “I don’t think so.”

Tiamat breathes heavier now, physically moved by the fervor that courses like adrenaline through her veins. Still, she does not avert her eyes from the stallion’s, willing for him to understand, to see what she sees in him.

Even when Rikyn confesses that all of this—these precious words, these feelings—would still be locked away without the peculiar rock, she is not deterred from her faith in him. In this, the ocean maiden is uncharacteristically stubborn, clinging to him in the way warmth clings to light. “Either way,” she says to the stallion, softer now, “I appreciate you opening up to me.” Sapphire lips curve into a grin, more intimate than those before, every bit sincere in her gratefulness of his honesty.

Feeling the warmth flood her cheeks again, she lowers her eyes. Arching her sleek neck, Tiamat reaches down to nose the rough stone that lies in the crook of her leg, nudging it towards Rikyn. “You can have your stone back, if you’d like. I won’t pry any more secrets from you,” she glances back up to him with a spark of mirth in her pearly eyes, the smile that twists her lips now more familiar, more playful. While part of her wishes to hold onto the small rock, to savor this moment for as long as she can (because she is unsure what will happen once the spell breaks), Tiamat doesn’t have the heart to hold the stallion against his will.

“Speech.”

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  @Rikyn
please tag Tia in all replies!
magic & force are permitted.

Rikyn the Puppeteer Posts: 549
Aurora Basin Lord atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 4.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 :: 4 HP: 70 | Buff: SWIFT
Duir :: Royal Cerndyr :: Earth Spirit Bunnie
#17


sweet bitter words, unlike nothing I have heard:


Rikyn -

She tremulously argues, falling silent as I move on, unwilling to discuss my actions or thoughts about that any longer, somehow able to rend the compliant idiot the magic has made me away from revealing everything I’ve kept privately, to myself. When her eyes grab mine, my name again rolling from her mouth, as if she has said it all her life (how can she trust everyone like this?), and she implores me, her words feel like ice dropping into the hot pit that is my stomach.

She has so much hope, and light. I bask in it while cringing away, silence finding me for some time, my mind wondering if maybe she’s right, or if, inversely, she is simply too pure of heart for her own good. What I had striven for in my life had been nothing of value, thus far. I served myself, and the desire to do as I wanted. I had served Vaelenne, and her nefarious army, hidden at the heart of a magical forest, behind the ruse of serenity, and peace; I had fallen into service of the First Gods, who did not walk the earth, but swam far beyond the deepest depths of a pool of ever-still water, bound to some realm we could not see, forced to project their power through a small window. Even worse than those who had suffered beneath those I’d served, then, I had always been a part of something nefarious, or cruel, and that I, selfish, naïve, wicked within my heart, had been so easily diverted along such a path.

I’d broken Aithniel’s heart, and abandoned my friends; I had left them to take the lives of innocent strangers alongside strangers, astride the thrumming tide of war and youth, and the promise of touching the sort of power that would sing throughout eternity. There was blood upon me, even if Tiamat did not see it, and it was blood that I had cast upon myself, out of greed, selfishness, and small mindedness. I see that now, here, in this world of love that is her, and I look away from her imploring, warm eyes, without a word, wrestling the magical demand to spill the rest of heart out upon the clearing floor down.

I wanted to change, and yet, changed nothing.

"Oh, Tiamat," my magically foolish self sighs as she thanks me for being honest with her, and I lean over with emotional weariness into her nearby form, "you would find warmth in a cold ember, but it’s why I’m so glad you are my friend."

Reaching for the stone she nudges towards me, suddenly almost sad to take it back, despite having hated everything up until this point, I feel the magic start to fall away almost instantly. Again, the dark inside of me rises up, slowly eating the sensation of being truly happy, and though the stone itself is still warm from her skin, inside of me feels cold.

I’m not sure what to do, when I’m entirely myself again, and instead sit and stare off into the distance, unsure what to say. Afraid, though I’d never admit such, that without the spell, it will very different, part of me wants to get up and leave. Hurt her feelings, warns Duir of this tactic, and so I remain where I am, holding the stupid rock, and feeling entirely foolish with so many flowers in my hair, and feelings roiling about in my chest.


sing along, mockingbird; you don't affect me.


Image by TheArtlex@DA

@Tiamat

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Force/violence is allowed to be used on Rikyn permitted it does not permanently maim or kill him (PM me!).


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