the Rift


one hundred ways to break a heart [open]

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#1

The grove of lovers wasn't exactly a place the stallion visited often. Only once before had he set foot in this part of the forest that extended beyond the borders of the Edge, and that time he had been dragged along with Fajira for reasons he still hadn't been able to figure out.

He felt a bit out of place as he strolled along the edge of the water. It was the time of spring, a time for happiness and love. This was a place suitable for lovers, a place to stand side by side, speak intimately about matters concerning only yourselves.. and a place for other things. But the heart of this silver knight belonged to no one, and only the white dragon who now flitted on and off between the canopies of some nearby trees ever craved his company. Normally this wouldn't bother him. Normally, the intimate friendship he shared with Fajira and the family of the Qian was more than enough.

Why was it then, that he could only heave heavy sighs as he walked, thoughts and feelings for once shared with no one but himself? Perhaps it was for the better; the White would probably have laughed had she seen the state of his mind right now, and if it was something he could live without it was being mocked.

It was just... He felt uncharacteristically lonely, and the beautiful day with clear sky, sweet smelling flowers and chirping birds only made it worse.


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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#2


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



Feet were moving once again under her as Tor traveled from Steppe to Grove. "Is that Lace once again?" The mare asked herself, quietly, under her breath. Oh dear. He didn't... have a mate, did he? Whoa girl. What are you asking yourself? By the Gods. She was confusing herself, like so often. Her step stuttered for a moment, pausing, at his scent that had become familiar over their journeys together. One journey, maybe two, darling. Not plural, surely. Yet it felt that her and Lace had finally figured out their relationship. Or maybe not.

But onwards she moved, even despite her confusion. Maybe she could speak to him, at least. Her passed mentor would say today was a good day to do it (no, not that do it!)... as in, talking to him. Tor! What? You aren't nervous, are you? Oh gosh. She needed to calm down. The flowers smelled lovely, and would taste lovely with the sugar that fell from her mane and tail, covering everything in delicious white. It was not pouring from her, luckily, just a thin steady stream, and when she shook her head, the sparkling grains of sugar cascaded from her like a rainstorm.

"Lace. What are you doing here?" Should I flirt? Ask him something? Why am I confused like a filly with a handsome stallion? Stop it, Tor! Forget it! He's a friend. Or something. She fixed a smile on her face, and just hoped confusion wouldn't shine in her chocolate eyes.


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#3

Her scent should have been familiar. On a normal day he would have scented her coming from a mile away, should the winds blow in the right direction, and nothing about her would have made him startle. But between blossoming trees, scented shrubs and the sugar sprinkle that drizzled from both their tassels, his nose wasn't working too well and his thoughts were elsewhere.
So when the voice of the wandering healer called out to him, the magic-touched stallion almost jumped out of his tracks. In a cascade of multi-colored sugar he bounded off to the side, splashing into the cold spring water with head snapped up high, ears flat against the neck and tail erect... Not the most dignified reaction.

"Tor!" he said with surprise lacing the voice once he calmed down enough to recognize the mare - the friend? "I didn't hear you coming... Nothing much, I'm just taking a stroll. What brings you here?" Here, of all places. As he splashed back up onto solid ground, he quietly hoped he hadn't unknowingly crashed a roses and pink ribbons kind of meeting. Was she the kind to go on dates? The thought felt foreign, but what did he know? It wasn't like they knew each other all that well anyway.

With a breath of warm air he reached out to touch her nose in a comradely manner, taking note of the changes to her pale mane and tail. "You too, huh" he grimaced and hinted at the crystals that beaded from the neck, covering the ground in glistening frosting at the slightest of movements.

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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#4


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



It was, needless to say, not the reaction she was looking for, with the stallion leaping away from her like a startled deer. And his ears were pinned and his eyes were surprised, his tail was up like a banner. Her heart squeezed a little and she took a step back. Did he really not like her at all? But then, much to her befuddlement, seemed to calm and addressed her. Who takes a stroll here? Tor wondered, eyeing him a little hesitantly. It seemed they were both treading lightly around each other, but she didn't exactly understand why. "Umm... I suppose..." Curse her tongue! Why was she stumbling over the words like an idiot? There was definitely something wrong with her! "Uh. I was... just... taking a walk, I guess." Did she add she had smelt him and had coming looking? Or did she leave him alone? Did she leave now?

"I could smell you from downwind, and I thought I would come talk to you?" Yes! Her tongue was working again! And then it stuttered to a question. Tor! Why was she so nervous around him? Really, honestly? Surely I'm not in love with him! Gods above! Let her speak. "Uhm..." She dropped her gaze to the soggy ground. What should she say? Where was the little angry-face dragon Fajira? Then he reached out to nudge her, and her heart stopped. But he only gestured towards her sprinkled mane. And her heart dropped. And maybe splatted inside her stomach.

"Lace. Do you love anyone?"


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#5

The welcoming smile turned slightly quizzical as the painted draft appeared to struggle to produce words. Her answer was just as vague as his own had been, if not more, and the ever curious part of him had to wonder why. Was she still hesitant to speak to him, after the misunderstanding with the kidnapping? He hoped not; that matter should have been resolved long ago, and if anything the stallion had hoped that their adventure in the Marsh had sealed some kind of mutual camaraderie.

The more Tor struggled with what to say, the more curious the silver-coated equine became. "Yes? Of course you can, we're friends aren't we? You don't need an excuse to spend time with me, I always have time for you." He tilted the head slightly to the side as the smile grew warmer, intending the words as kind and reassuring - completely oblivious to his own good looks, how such phrasing of words could be interpreted, or what kind of effect they might have. Even though he almost always attracted the presence of females for some reason, Lace had never learned to take advantage of that; too much the gentleman, the silver knight was just that - polite, friendly, kind. And rarely more.

As such, the question that suddenly spluttered from the lips of his friend was completely unexpected. Golden eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment the seasoned warrior, the noble glazier and urbane stallion so wise to the ways of the world, found himself rendered speechless, completely taken aback by the question.

Astonishing. Were they so good friends that a question like that would be reasonable? No, wait, that kind of question could never be reasonable. Why was she asking? Was it just curiosity, was she trying to find out if he had weaknesses, did she have someone in mind? For a fraction of a second his mind struggled to recall the faces of eventual mares that could be connected to him and thus might be in danger, but then he reeled himself in. Tor was a friend, remember? There was no way she'd be out to harm him, what was he thinking?

Hiding the confusion behind a mask of thoughtfulness, Lace's eyes avoided Tor's gentle brown ones, voice slightly aloof as he tried to reply in a reasonable way.
"What is love..?" he said with voice that trailed slightly, as if he wanted to avoid the topic entirely but couldn't find a good enough reason. "When Fajira's egg was handed to me, it was because I promised her kin to care for her, for as long as we both breathe, through good and bad. Unconditionally and with all my heart... But since our minds are so intertwined, can you really call it love? I love her like I love myself - no, more than myself; when she dies, so will I, for we are a part of one another, and one cannot exist when the other is gone."

As he spoke the gilded orbs slowly returned to look at the mare, warm and bright as he explained the nature of the bond to her. It didn't answer her question though; in all honesty, he wasn't sure what to say.

"I suppose I do care for the Qian, too. Somehow they've become family to me, as much as they are to Mirage. I care for her as well, we are friends and she knows me better than most... " He was struggling, it was becoming more and more apparent for each sentence, that was delivered with a slightly questioning tone, as if trying to glean from her expressions when she'd heard the reply to what she asked about.

"I... suppose I love a great deal of people" he finished with a slight shrug, more or less giving up the mental fishing for faces, names and reasons. Shifting the weight between his feet, the eyes narrowed the tiniest bit as he looked back at the healer, as if she was a puzzle he hadn't managed to solve.

"What about you?"

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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#6


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



Why, oh why, did she have to ask such a question? Of course he would return it to her! Her heart tightened evermore, she cast her gaze downwards shyly moments after turning it up to his golden eyes. His smile, his warm smile, had turned questioning, and she could feel heat crawling through her, not I'm-too-warm, but embarrassment. And Lace had said they were friends- that she could always go talk to him. Always. Oh gods, why did she have to be so mixed-up around him? It wasn't like her to be shy, not at all, and here she was, a stuttering fool.

So that was what it was like to be bonded. To have a piece of your soul flying around. Tor didn't frown, didn't smile, didn't do anything. She didn't know what to do. Confess her feelings, just let the river of words unleash from the dam that was her mouth? What would she say? Did she even have the approval of Fajira? Do I love him? Is he clueless? Does he know of her feelings? So many questions! And not enough answers, not enough... It wasn't like her to be like this, so mute, like Crow. But she wanted his approval, wanted his companionship. Did that equate to love? Yes, he was handsome, but there was so much more to Lace, so many pieces of his personality and history she didn't know. It bothered her and toyed with her mind evermore, until she was a stick being thrown by a raging river, pulled this way and that, swirled and tossed and twisted until she didn't know what was right or wrong or love or hate or companionship or dragons or anything.

What do I say?

And then he began talking of the Qian, then his compassionate eyes met hers. And he asked- what about you? What about her, indeed? She swallowed. She could confess, risk their very friendship in fact, and maybe, maybe he would know. Maybe not. Again Tor clears her throat, and by doing so, she launches into deep water, not knowing how to swim.

"Love is the bond that holds people together. It's chains and shackles, sometimes, but at other times it is the rope that saves you from drowning." Family, for one thing. It was awful and amazing. Friendship. Ophelia immediately came to mind. "I love... I love life. I love watching the sun rise and the sun set, I love the first snowfall, I love the birds in the skies. I love listening and I love healing, I love so much and at the same time I love nearly nothing, for if one loves everything, is it love? I cherish my friendship with Ophelia, with Cassiopeia... with you." Her heart was going thumpthumpthumpthumpthump now, and Tor was praying, hoping, and was terrified of rejection when she spoke her next words-

"I think... I think I love you."


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#7

He nodded gently as she explained her view on the subject. The stallion had more or less given up on trying to figure out why the kind mare was intent on speaking about a subject that clearly made her uncomfortable. Instead he simply accepted the choice of topic, and tried to treat it as seriously as he would a war meeting - to her, it almost seemed to be.

The names she mentioned were carefully stored away in his mind, to be remembered and connected to faces at a later date. They weren't overly familiar - he'd probably heard them being mentioned sometime in passing, by gossiping mares or chatty outcasts - but information was information. It would always be of use, eventually, some way or another.
A hoof shifted, skin on the shoulder twitching as the first horsefly of the season tried to make a snack out of him. It was persistent, buzzing around under the warmth of the sun; the second time it landed and tried to bite he swung the head around and chomped at it with large ivories, a movement so unconscious that didn't take away his attention from Tor in the slightest.

Therefore, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd heard her correctly, as she delivered the conclusion of her thoughts. Lace froze, body growing absolutely still - breath held, heart almost stopping in the chest. He had to pause and reverse the words, to make sure it wasn't something he'd made up in some subconscious daydream, unnoticed slipping into the conversation.

But no, that wasn't the case.

Very, very slowly, almost cautiously, he turned his head back and met the gaze of the mare - Tor, the vagabond, the roving healer. Yes, this was Tor. He'd met her three, maybe four, times? Each meeting had been a disaster, between storms, wolves, misunderstandings and undead magicians, with no chance to really stop and talk. What did he know about her? Next to nothing. What did she know about him? Probably even less, because Lace wasn't very talkative about his past - or anything of importance, actually.

"I..." he started, but then quickly interrupted himself, eyes locked on the mare - the very adult and independent mare - who stood before him, quiet and vulnerable. Lace quickly reassessed the situation in his mind, tried desperately to find a reply that would be kind, true... He found none.
"I don't know what to say" he admitted quietly and lowered the head, breaking eye contact to give both himself and her room for thought. But maybe thoughts weren't what was necessary here?

She loved him? Mind boggled at the very thought of all it implied, sending heat to his face and made the heart rate pick up. He couldn't remember when a mare had said that to him last, said it and actually appeared to mean it. Love, honest and true, was a foreign concept to him, a dream and something spoken of in fairy tales. It had no place in the land he had grown up in, nor had it been something he encountered in all the long years on the road.

Wordlessly the gilded stallion stepped closer, very carefully as not to startle his friend, and reach out the neck to press the cheek against hers. An eye of liquid honey peered into hers as if to try and view the feelings she claimed to hold for him; ever kind, warm, grateful... and sad. Because as much as he wanted to bring a smile to her lips, his heart didn't move at her words. Perhaps it was too early, perhaps it was a feeling he would never hold for someone - perhaps she just wasn't the right one.

He didn't say anything. There were no words to describe the emotion that filled the chest and made it hard to breath. All he could do was offer his shoulder, should she want it - it was all he had.

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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#8


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



As soon as she said the words, she wanted to take them back. Push them into the back of her mind. Squish them, crush them, pull them away. Now she had gone and ruined it. At least maimed their friendship. Why did she have to ask him? So much for blue skies meaning good signs. She wanted to run away. She wanted to stay. She wanted to say I'm joking. But she didn't do anything. Instead, she dropped her head, squeezed her eyes shut, feeling heat rise around her.

I don't know what to say.

"No, it's fine Lace. I messed it up. I shouldn't have said anything. I mean, I hardly know you. You hardly know me." She thought her voice would be cracked or at least sad. But instead there didn't seem to be anything behind it. Tor sounded... empty. Not empty as in sorrowful. But... she didn't know. Why had she been such an idiot? Why? "I'm sorry."

But he came up to her anyways, pressed his cheek to mine. It was warm. There was sugar trailing from his forelock, twisting down to my lips. One golden eye met one brown eye. There was sadness in there. Warmth. Maybe surprise. What had she done? She pulled away from his touch, shaking her head. Maybe she would have run away from him, but she didn't want to tarnish her image in his eyes even further.

The draft moved silently. Quietly. She didn't run. Two, three steps back. "I'm going, Lace. This wasn't the right time or place." There was a momentary look of pain and guilt and horrible regret in her eyes, and then she left. Without noise for once. Her heart was weighed down, and her mind was lost.

You messed it up, Tor, you finished it.


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#9

There was a funny feeling in his gut. Like how it had felt that one time when he'd eaten unripe blackberries, only the painful twang resounded much deeper inside him this time. He'd felt heartache once before in his life. That time he'd almost begun to believe in love, almost given in to the wonderful eyes and soft touch of another, almost allowed himself to drown... But it hadn't lasted, and once parted from her, the knight realized that the feeling had been superficial, dishonest and untrue. It had been little more than self-gratification on his part, and the aching soon passed - probably thanks to Fajira.

This was similar, but not the same. It wasn't for his own sake that he ached now, but rather for the sake of the gentle lady who so bravely had laid open her very heart. For him. And as he couldn't find words, when he hesitated, she apologized.
It was the most heart wrenching thing he'd ever heart. Guilt draped over the shoulders, weighing him down more and more of each timid, apologetic word. He felt like such an asshole. Would it have been so hard to give her a smile, say 'Me too' and play the part she obviously must want him to take? Another stallion might have done it, another would have slipped into the part of the lover without a second thought, soothed her heart and made her happy.

But it wasn't in his nature to do something like that. Lace was too honest, with himself and with his friends, to ever want to hurt Tor like that. It would have been the cruelest thing, to create a lie out of something so precious.

He remained wordless as she pulled away from his touch and began to back off, tongue stuck at the gums in a dry and useless state. A bell rang in alarm as she turned to walk away though, and before he had a chance to think through his actions the legs were moving, neck reaching out to stop her...

"Wait, Tor. Don't leave, I.. You didn't do anything wrong. " He reached out to touch her whithers with the nose, but just before the soft velvet made contact with her skin he paused, hesitating. What if she didn't want him to touch her? She'd pulled away just now... He didn't want her to hate him, but he couldn't let her walk away either.

"I'm sorry. You took me completely by surprise, that's why I answered so poorly. Can.. can we talk about this? Please." There was a worried gleam in the eyes as he waited, hoped for her to respond. Please don't let her disappear, please let her stay and talk this out with him. This was a serious matter, not something he could or should joke away or just let slip away.

Above all else, he didn't wish for their friendship to be affected. It meant too much for him, the vagabond who hadn't settled down or befriended anyone seriously anywhere since he left his homeland so many years ago. This bond, however fragile and thin it was, it had to be maintained.

If Fajira had been able to see into his mind at that moment, she might have noticed something something at the core of the stallions soul. A reason why it was so important that Tor could walk away now... But the dragon was blinded, the bond numb - and she was too busy chasing dragonflies over the surface of the pond to pay attention to the two horses.

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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#10


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



If the world was covered in sugar like the icing that fell from Tor's white mane, would everyone be just as sweet?

He didn't say anything. He didn't lie. He didn't return it.

Was it really so bad to love someone you hardly knew? She knew him well enough, Tor had thought. I mean... I know him for being kind've sad and kind and always doing something. I trust him with my life. He saved it, I saved his, in the Marsh with undead necromancers. Lace. Was life just being cruel? Karma, Tor believed in, but what had she done that was so awful? Honestly? Truthfully? She didn't know. No idea, no clue. Instead she felt a mixture of emptiness and sorrow and guilt for putting them in this position, this awkward phase.

But then she heard his hooves hitting the ground and felt his warm breath on her withers and an apology and she felt more confusion. How is it even mentally possible to feel this befuddled? She wondered.

Can we talk about this? Lace's voice was pleading, and her heart felt like an ugly mess. A more bitter part of her, a very small part but there nonetheless, wanted to trot away like her younger sister might've done. But she was Tor, the kind mare, the soft-hearted mare- sensible, wise, caring, wandering, and a healer. It would only go against her nature to leave one confused.

"You're talking right now, Lace." She responded quietly. Her feet stopped moving, settled on the moist dirt. The birds were trilling. It seemed so out of place, the wondrous setting. It should be raining and gloomy and hopeless. "What is it?" She wanted to say more. But there was nothing to say on her lips. "I just..." Her buttery voice was melancholy, but it trailed off uncertainly. "What is it?" Tor repeats, not knowing what else to say.


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#11

Her question left him speechless once more. She stopped, and he would be eternally grateful that she did, but the words that came out of her mouth sounded like she wished he hadn't stopped her. Confused, Lace withdrew his muzzle, instead slipping up by her side until he was standing halfway in front of her - just in case she'd try to run off again before they'd sorted this mess out.

The stallion took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. The scenic view of the Grove was forgotten, the radiant sun and vibrant plant life unimportant. All that mattered now - and wouldn't she have been happy to hear him say that - was Tor, and the feeling that he had wronged her. A mind completely unsuited for this kind of situation worked furiously to find a solution - he felt he had to solve this, like it was a problem given at a test, a question that couldn't be left unanswered - before she grew tired of waiting, before the moment to make right had passed.

Oh, how he wished that his heart would be more flexible. If he could just grow to love her right then and there, flash forward something that should have taken months and years to develop and realize...

"Don't be sorry that you told me how you feel, please. I couldn't be happier to hear, and I'm only sorry that I can't... that I don't hold those kind of feelings for you. Yet. Who knows, maybe if we continue to get to know one another things will change. I can't promise anything, that would be foolish and cruel, and it's not like I'm asking for you to wait for me either, I'm not that selfish. Just... I don't know. I don't want you to feel like you've made a mistake by talking to me about it."

He'd begun speaking fast and intensively, as if she'd try to leave again if he wasn't convincing enough. Why would he have to convince her? But as Lace went along, the voice grew more uncertain, those sooted ears tilted disheartened on the poll, and by the time his voice trailed off the stallion looked little more than a colt, caught in the midst of a prank and ready to face a scolding.

Somewhere along the line, he had lost all control over the situation. Why was he trying to convince her, when she was the one with a wounded heart? He'd gone after her, but didn't even know what he himself wanted. Her friendship, yes. More? That was where it grew difficult, where he began to feel halfhearted and hard pressed for an answer.

Come on, come on, Tor, his thoughts churned quietly. Help me out here, lets row this boat ashore... on way or another.

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Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#12


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



Oh, dear. Tor thought to herself, avoiding the urge to shiver. From pleasure or nerves she didn't know. And here the boy came in front of her again, slipped like a fish ahead of her, turned to face her, as if blocking her from running again. I couldn't be happier to hear, and I'm sorry I don't have those feelings for you. Warm brown eyes blinked, trying to make sense of his words.

How could one be happy to be loved, but not love back? If he didn't love her, couldn't he just say that, instead of saying these hesitant maybes? Not promises, she knew, but... yes, she felt hopeful, and at the same time didn't want to feel hopeful. She didn't want to break herself down again. Didn't want to feel this confusion and pain all jumbled together into a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces didn't fit.

"Lace." Tor said, because it was a good way to kick off her next words. "Do you know why I became a healer?" She paused, and continued on. "When I was young, I lived in a nice tidy place, cozy and friendly with family. We were a good herd, and lovely one. A stallion came by, a stallion named Nanook. For a while I thought I loved him. I thought he was something special. But eventually I realized he was not so much a love as a brother. We traveled together, him and I. He found a herd of his own to foster. I left, kept traveling, apprenticed to a mare named Lei. It was then I heard news of him. He had died due to an infection. My brother died. And I decided to making healing my profession, instead of something to do. I don't want to have anyone feel the pain I felt. And I finally understood the saying my teacher had told me- 'Healers are born, but only become through pain'." Tor smiled faintly. No longer did she feel sadness for her lost family member- she remembered the good for him.

Her tail flicked, swatting away the flies. "Lei was a wise old mentor. Blind, a bit crazy, an astronomer. She was fun though. She taught me new ideas and I learned so much from her. A bear killed her." Tor swallowed. Somehow, her response had turned into her story. "I left again, came to Helovia. I still wonder what would've happened if I went home to Li'Nal again, the place of eternal winter, to help my herd there. Sometimes I wonder if my sisters miss me, or if they've gotten over the pain of me being gone like I with them. I wonder about my dad. I wonder about my mother. Blackfoot he was named, and my mum was known was the fairest in the land. If only her looks had passed on to me!" Tor chuckled, thinking way back to the slender Friesian.

"I met Paladin first. I moved on. I healed Mauja and the ex-Edge. Compassion. I was scared at first, of being rediciuled by other horses for being kind to racist unicorns. Faelene as well. I met Ophelia with Mauja. I traveled to the Endless Blue, met Phi again. She's probably my closest friend in this wild land with gods of flesh. I was offered to join a band of mercenaries, you know? I was hesitant. I joined anyways, because what better way to help heal than heal anyone who needs it? I was taken by you a long time ago. Sometimes I feel I only really began living when I came here." She sighed. It felt strange, recounting all her memories. Lei the Shaman. Mauja the FrostHeart. Ophelia, dear Phi. And Lace... where did Lace fit in?


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.

Lace the Silverthorn Posts: 459
Deceased atk: 5 | def: 9 | dam: 5.5
Stallion :: Equine :: 15.3 hh :: 14 HP: 65 | Buff: NOVICE
Fajira :: Plain White Dragon :: Fire Breath Chan
#13

LACE</style>
before the sun sets
GLORY
</style>


He stood silent, allowing her to speak uninterrupted until the torrent of words came to a halt. Ears pricked forward, he heeded every single vowels, every uttered phrase, searching for something that might aid him in his search for an answer on what to do now. But no matter how he tried, the stallion couldn't find a point in her tale, no guiding lights or epiphanies hidden between phrases.

Once Tor ran out of words, a silence began to grow in the grove. It took the form of stale breaths, awkward dancing of uncertain eyes, and altogether it made the situation more bothersome than it might have had to be.

He didn't know what to say. Was she trying to tell him that she had no room for a maybe, that it was black or white, and perhaps not even white since she wasn't sure herself on what she was feeling? It was too cryptic a message for him to fully understand, and in his lack of knowing what she wished to hear, he ran out of words to say. Hooves shuffled over sprouting grasses, trampled the earth beneath the weight of his guilt. A butterfly flitted past, close enough for the ethereal wings to brush against his nose. A soft touch, barely felt, but enough to return the tongue from its frozen state.

"I'm sorry" he said once more. Simple words, falling like a rock after breaking the surface of quietness. Heavy, relentless, denying. "I hope we can still be friends..."

But perhaps it was a futile hope? Lace couldn't help but feel like something very fragile and precious had been shattered now, something that couldn't be retrieved. Did she feel the same? Or had she become too filled with regret to sense anything else? In any case, this conversation had emptied its possibilities. There would be nothing more to say or do - if the healer tried to leave this time, she would be allowed to go unhindered. The stallion who shattered her dreams had too much on his mind now, too many things to sort out with himself.

CREDITS: Schwartze | venomxbaby | 116802
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♦ Permission granted to use magic and violence on Lace and Fajira
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The Store | The Warden

Tor Posts: 197
World's Edge Nurse
Mare :: Equine :: 17.1 :: 9
Adoptable
#14


bound to wander forever, but maybe not alone



He listened, with those golden eyes, listened with his open heart. But it wasn't right. No, it wasn't. One day, certainly, they would be friends. For now... it would remain to be seen. There was that precious something, perhaps the beginning of a friendship, that had been stretched too far, and had snapped in a thousand gleaming shards.

Then there was a silence, an awkward stop, one where neither of them spoke, before Lace broke it, shattered it, and Tor wished she had the silence as opposed to speaking to him again. She was confused now, the one thing concrete in her mind that he did not return her affections. Yet now she had to wonder if they were true, or maybe, simply false. Did she love him, whole-heartedly, as she was convinced, or maybe was it something smaller?

"No. It's okay," Tor replied quietly, "I hope we can too. But sometimes it takes only time to repair a broken bone, hmm?" She wasn't sure if she meant the friendship or her heart in this case. Yet she was the healer, and she was determined to tend to this wound until it healed, and maybe she would find someone else. Maybe they just weren't right for each other. Maybe... but at this moment, Tor's thoughts were running along sadder paths, as opposed to the hope of a fragile relationship. "I'll see you again soon, I hope." Tor said lightly, trying to mask her befuddled mind.

With one glance into the waters of the pond, she left, holding onto that image of the two of them in the fractured movement of the oversized puddle. It wasn't the right time or place. Maybe one day, but for now, she truly had wrecked their friendship, at least in her mind; and maybe they could figure it out in a few weeks when she had organized herself better and knew what she was doing here in the land frozen in time, where every move dragged out.

[Finished, I think!]


TOR



WORDS OF COMPASSION ARE STRONGER THAN ANY ACT OF POWER.


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