the Rift


[O] Endings and Beginnings

Ruka Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1
The wanderer's path is one that many follow but suits only few. It was not something that sat easily upon the shoulders of the lanky soldier that traipsed now through the trees. He had journeyed far when a lack of familiar faces had failed to hold him here, seeking answers to unspoken questions. Questions about his family, about his love, about himself. Some of them had had answers, enough answers that at last he felt at ease with himself once more. Enough answers that he found himself once more, and the strength to carry on.

But it was still the questions that lured him back, brought his steps back to Helovia over any other place he could have ventured to, founded a new beginning in. The questions, and hope. Hope that not all was as they seemed. But for now? He would settle for what was and what he could make of it.

Winter's chill echoed icy promises in the moans of the wind between the trees, mocked summer's vibrancy in its influence on the leaves turned yellow, orange, and brown. Life was fading in the land, settling toward slumber, whispering alluringly to those who hadn't the strength to carry on. Those whispers went unnoticed by the liver chestnut, the spring in his step unfaltering as he paced deeper into the outskirts of the realm. His green eyes were alert and watchful, waiting for the inevitable appearance of some recruiting soul. There was ever to be one mad horse that would willingly leave the security and comfort of home with the intent of finding some anchorless wanderer to drag back. For once he wouldn't mind finding such.

((Much as I love my Edgers, they are not welcome to come recruiting today. Looking for Basin or Throat for Ruka.))

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#2

tell me that you want to dance, want to feel your pulse on mine
just treat me like a stolen glance of yourself.

Ah, the Threshold, so conveniently located at the foot of their frigid homeland, just on the bounds of equine land. She snorted as she caught their filthy odor on the breeze, so pungent this close to sea level, skirting around the borders that marked where beasts lived and where she could walk without any unexpected mutant suprises. It was particularly cold today, but as far as Illynx was concerned, it was relatively warm; the layer of sparkling frost that seemed to always be upon her cracked and flaked away, proving that while Autumn had come to Helovia, winter never left the Basin.

She felt at home among the trees, however, their deep brown trunks and golden foliage reminding her, in a way, of the reflection she caught looking back at her from slabs of ice or still pools of water. Perhaps it is my season, she whimsied, dark tresses fanning behind her as she trotted right into the entryway of Helovia. Not far in, she scented a unicorn upon the air, her path adjusting to head towards where he was waiting for the wolves to come and find him. She discovered the vagabond a few short minutes later, making no motion to quiet her steps or ease her approach; the snapping of branches and the frailty of dead leaves gave away her arrival. She took in what she could as he came into view; deeply chestnut, almost bay, with white splashes, diminutive in build. But that horn, what a feat of Cinnoru! Illynx smiled as warmly as she could manage at the stranger, her lithe frame coming to a halt a respectable distance from the stallion; she had never been very good at conversing with others. "I am Illynx," she said, her golden eyes attempting to meet his green, "a corporal of the Aurora Basin."


Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Ruka Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#3
An ear tilted, catching the sounds of leaves and twigs disturbed by something of decidedly more substance than the wind. Strides slowed to a stop as he turned to watch for whomever or whatever was approaching, head tilting slightly downward to bring the barbed length of his horn into an angle more receptive to defensive manuevers without being blatantly intended so.

It was not difficult to spot the one who'd found him. Marked in gold more vibrant than anything autumn's leaves could become, there was nothing remotely stealthy about the mare's appearance or pace. Emerald eyes were watchful, appraising, recognizing the swagger of a warrior full of themselves. His tail flicked against his hocks, silently amused that there were ever young would-be soldiers full of certainty of their capabilities. He wondered if she'd be able to survive a bloody war to become one of the seasoned warriors haunted by the deaths they'd seen, or one of the casualties.

Ears flickered, outwards then forwards, as he watched her attempts at polite conversation. Privately he hoped she was better in the arena than in the social parlors, for her sake. A rueful smile tugged at his lips, before blooming into a true, open one of greeting before allowing his voice to chime out in cheery tenor tones. "Salutations to you as well, Corporal Illynx. I am Ruka." Purposefully he refrained from sharing the details of his past. No need to sound as though he was boasting!

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#4

tell me that you want to dance, want to feel your pulse on mine
just treat me like a stolen glance of yourself.

She admired the politeness of this stallion, already; his attempts to remain cheerful in the face of Illynx's blunt introduction found her growing to favor him already. She found a good deal of warmth in his features as he chirped out his greetings, her own forced smile of hello blooming into an actual grin in the presence of his good nature. In her years of dealing with others, she found that only two really suited her tastes; those who didn't talk much, and characters similar to Ruka, polite and charismatic in their own ways (or thus was her opinion so far of the uniquely horned male). It was mildly ironic, now that she thought of it, that she herself fell into neither of these categories.

Her golden eyes glimmered with friendliness as she searched his face, wondering what sort of unicorn he was. Despite that she found him pleasant company, she was also aware that the Basin held certain requirements past being a good conversationalist. He didn't seem to be as strong as some of their other soldiers, as Ruka was delicately built for a male, but Illynx was fully aware that looks could be deceiving when all your neighbors could have magical powers, that size didn't matter much at the end of the day, and that surely, that thorned horn of his was plenty dangerous all on its own. And, having only met him, there was no way to tell exactly what sort of talents he had without first getting to know who he was. "Lovely day to arrive in Helovia, is it not, Ruka?" she began, eyes moving overhead to the multitude of colors to be found in dying leaves; a pointless question, and she immediately felt sort of silly for asking it. She covered her exasperation with herself by turning her gaze back to him, her black forelock catching slightly on the breeze and coming to land in a fan across her face, a smile lightly traced across her features. "And to gain new acquaintances such as yourself. Have you traveled far?" Having just returned from a long venture herself, she knew just how exhausting such journeys could be; thankfully, she had had the Basin to return to, where as Ruka seemed to not have such options available to him.



ooc: Ugh that's like... ugh. I'm sorry about the badness. :(
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Ruka Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#5
Wasn't it amusing sometimes how just a little bit of good cheer and polite words could create such a dramatic change in another? His smile earned an echoing one in the mare before him, something delightfully honest in the expression. A definite improvement on the bumbling, rough manner in which she'd originally gone about making his acquaintance.

Evidently though it was her turn to study him, and his head tilted deliberately to one side as her golden eyes scanned his face. From behind one ear a braided lock of maroon hair swings loose, the ends of its leather stays swaying. Patiently, his smile still toying with the corners of his lips, he waited for her initial assessment to conclude. He was well aware of his light and lanky build, the presumptions that were drawn because of it. That he was delicate or weak, would quail in the face of aggression. It was the sort of thing he'd grown up dealing with, along with another critical aspect of his being. His attraction to stallions instead of mares, the fact that while he could admire and freely flirt with a pretty filly, there was no desire to take any relationship beyond friendship.

"Ah, yes. It is always pleasant when the trees show their colors and the air is warm." His emerald eyes, shifting to a lighter hue, followed hers upward briefly, then returned to catch her gaze a beat behind her. Another cheery grin broke across his features, catching her smile. "I've travelled farther than you'll ever know, Corporal. Probably farther than I strictly needed to, and too long by myself." A small shrug shifted his shoulders as the lean stud shifted his weight. His right hind was propped up, resting, a small display of the quiet ease he felt.

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#6

tell me that you want to dance, want to feel your pulse on mine
just treat me like a stolen glance of yourself.

She listened to him speak, her ears raised in careful attention to every syllable; while it may be said that Illynx did not care much for individuals, she would not have it be said that she didn't care to hear them out. Others had learned things in their lifetimes that she could not, and only through their words could she experience many details of life that otherwise would have eluded her. She thought back to her reuniting with Psyche, how tangled up in her own head she had been then, and while it had been a couple of weeks since, she still found that she was bundled as tightly as could be in the web that she had accidentally built on top of herself. The words that fell from Ruka's lips hit her heart with a force that made it resonate and ache once more, though she maintained her atmosphere of cheer before the stallion. It wasn't in her nature to drag others down with her inner struggles, and she figured by his statements alone that the last thing he needed was a pity party in the form of a unicorn in the midst of her midlife crisis.

Still, she had to admire him once more for his comfort in such a situation. Had it been her standing here in the Threshold, she would be a mix of emotions, none of which all that positive or uplifting, but Ruka seemed to be rather at peace with his life. She wondered briefly what his secret was, realizing shortly there after that Ruka probably had the ability to care for others past their own gains. "It is never too far if you end the journey at home, I have learned this recently," she smiled, her voice faintly tinted by the shadows swelling in her chest, but she quickly chimed in with a much happier vibrato, "and you are welcome to share in our home, Ruka. I'm afraid that the warmth has already fled the Basin, but there is a hot spring in which to soak, and you would no longer have to be alone." Alone. The word repeated itself like the ticking of a metronome within her head, and she thought of her moss draped cave back at the head of the mountain, how many hours she had spent embodying that single word, by her choice. If only she had a clue as to how much danger her sort of mentality had put her in, as far as Helovia's current turmoil was concerned; she had yet to encounter a doppelganger of herself or any others, her overly arrogant self completely ignorant to the fact that death was waiting just around the corner for vanity such as hers.

Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Ruka Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#7
Refreshed by having a relatively captivated audience, Ruka found it no struggle at all to maintain the playful smile that toyed perpetually with his features. This Illynx seemed one to actually listen, not just hear, and he wondered just how much she delved into his words. How much she sensed lay behind the simple words that, indeed, concealed much.

But there was a small faltering in his facade, a darkening of his green eyes, when she spoke of home. Home. What was home, anymore? Something he'd have to learn anew. But he didn't let his doubts touch his voice. "Indeed. Coming back to where those you care about and who care for you in return can make any journey worthwhile." It was simple banter, an agreement proclaimed in cheery tones while his memories muttered in the back of his mind about the loved ones he'd lost. Family, friends, lover. Missing, gone. Dead? Some, yes. But all? He didn't know.

Even as those dark thoughts roiled, shunted aside when he couldn't close them off, the analytical part of his mind clicked away. The Basin? He didn't know of this herdland from his earlier wanderings of Helovia several seasons before. Was it new? Where did it lie? He assumed somewhere north, since anywhere else wouldn't fit the vague description she'd dropped. That tidbit about the warmth being gone, even while he bathed in the last hurrah of autumn. "Your Basin sounds interesting, Corporal. Please, tell me more? I am unfamiliar with it, and would know what to prepare myself for." There, a cheeky grin as he accepted her suggestion in a roundabout fashion. Certainly, the other three herdlands were a possibility if he wanted to continue scouting things out. But he'd gone too long without seeing a friendly face, and was loathe to decline her offer. Perhaps, in time, he would wander again. But for now? He was content to follow.

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#8

tell me that you want to dance, want to feel your pulse on mine
just treat me like a stolen glance of yourself.

The longer she stood in the company of Ruka (or the company of anyone, really), the more Illynx felt as if she was losing her grip on who she was. The thought itself was the head of a splinter that had dug its way deep into her, so deep that it had caused her to run away from home in order to escape the sensations that it created as it slipped deeper and deeper in. Her whole life, the golden trimmed minx had believed herself to be a superior creature to others, and thus she had always treated others as smaller beings; but lately, and she supposed with age, she had found that her heart was being tugged in more directions than she had ever wanted it to. First, there was the issue of her feelings of friendship towards Psyche, her longest friend but also her leader; it was strange to have such strong bonds tied in one location, and even stranger that Illynx found she enjoyed the presence of the sleek queen of the Basin, despite her decaying faith that connections of the emotional type made one weak and vulnerable.

"Indeed. Coming back to where those you care about and who care for you in return can make any journey worthwhile." The second issue was that Ruka, unintentionally, of course, kept pointing figurative truths in her direction, causing her to look deeper within herself the longer this conversation continued. It made for a conflicting view of the uniquely horned male, providing her with plenty of reasons to find him wise and insightful, but also numerous reasons to wish she'd never made the journey to the Threshold in the first place, or perhaps that she had come with violence in mind; why, oh why, had she decided to be friendly and sociable? The emotions that his simple statement had invoked made her wonder if everything she had ever told herself about herself was a lie - she had, after all, decided to return to Helovia after her wandering because it was home, but as Ruka stated, home had many meanings, not always blatantly stated in the word itself. It was a rather discomfiting thought that she was not as cold hearted and weakness free as she had always assumed herself to be.

Because she was so uncomfortable with the notions brought on by his words as well as quietly scheming behind her smile, she didn't give them any reply, merely grinned in an awkward way that gave hint to the storm of thoughts within her. She assumed, by a subtle change in his body language, that such a response was exactly what he had in mind, as well; she herself was not ready to talk about why she had come back after dashing away from her life here, and she could not expect Ruka to be willing to either. It wasn't until now that she also realized he had most subtly hinted that he had once lived here in Helovia, a fact he hadn't openly discussed - something she gently tucked away in her folds of memory, to be dredged up upon a later date could it be used to manipulate him later on, though at this point, she doubted Ruka was one to be easily used; it was also highly possible that he had refrained simply from having to paint ugly pictures of his past. While his character of "gentleman" had become shaded slightly by this little insight, she couldn't hold it against a fellow to not throw his cards all on the table. She herself had built almost her entire life upon half truths and manipulations.

"Your Basin sounds interesting, Corporal. Please, tell me more? I am unfamiliar with it, and would know what to prepare myself for." His bright smile broke the growing anxiety about herself into small pieces, her mind refocusing upon his question with a bright intensity that came only when she thought of things she felt proud of, pretty face blooming into a smile that spoke volumes of how she felt about her home. The Basin was, quite possibly, the love of her life, despite having been born in World's Edge and having put in fewer years in the snow peaks than she had with the Moon worshipers, and there was nothing she would adore doing more than sharing its small details with new arrivals, and the main reason that she had returned to Helovia. That he didn't know of the Basin meant that he had been gone before the rise of the Plague to their seat of power, a careful constructed veil of a herd-land to cover their true and dark intentions - and said also that he may not approve of the freezing cold home of the Frostheart and Dark Empress. "It is to the west of the snow covered mountains, Frostbreath Steppe," she said, ebonite muzzle pointing towards the peaks of the Steppe that could just barely be seen over the tops of the panchromatic leaves, "and is ruled by Mauja, the Frostheart, and the fierce Lady Psyche; mostly a collection of warriors, but we require all talents." She didn't think to mention the heritage requirements for the Basin, believing that Ruka was smart enough to figure it out on his own when he arrived and also so as not to give away any of the herd's true purpose through accidental slips of speech. "Like I said before, there is a hot spring, but also a lake, and there are many caves to explore. Sweet grass in the warm seasons, the mountains themselves feeding the fields, though now they wither." Her eyes sparkled lovingly as the picturesque scene filled her head, every detail as beautiful to her as it had been the first day she had stepped foot in the Basin, her golden gaze coming to rest upon the bright green of Ruka's, a dreamy smile unfaltering upon her lips, "I find it delightfully serene, despite the cool mountain air."



Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Ruka Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#9
Though struggling with his own emotions and the task of keeping them buried out of sight, the chestnut stallion was not so far out of line to not pay attention to his new acquaintance and the subtle differences that fluttered across her features. He'd watched her go from gruff indifference to open friendliness, and now watched a strange stiffness catch hold of her smile. An ear twitched, wondering just what sort of chain reaction of thoughts he'd unleashed within her. Of course he had no way of knowing just what she was thinking about, it could very easily be dark thoughts about him just as much as thoughts about herself or someone else she knew. But it was curious, all the same.

Then, again, that stiffness vanished as soon as he requested information about the Basin, replaced by a brilliant smile full of enthusiasm for the subject at hand. And then she plunged ahead, droppping tidbits of information that both confirmed suspicions and brought about new questions. Yes, the Basin was to the north, way up in the lands that were forever chilly and prone to snow. Not an overly delightful thought, though her reassertions of a hot spring pillowed the prospect of deep cold, along with the promise of good grass when the seasons were warm. Though he knew that such warmth was fleeting at best.

It was the names she brought up that made his mind whirl. Why were they familiar? They were not names of Vanthrans, nor denizens of the lost Tides. And yet... familiar in ways he couldn't grasp. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing he didn't know, but a fact that he tucked away for later consideration. Besides, he couldn't bring himself to dash away that dreamy smile that adorned Illynx's face with fresh questions that would obviously be prying. "Well it sounds like someplace definitely worth seeing, if you'd show me the way. And I think I wouldn't mind staying." Not too much, anyway.

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#10

tell me that you want to dance, want to feel your pulse on mine
just treat me like a stolen glance of yourself.

Despite her beliefs that he would refuse her for the cold nature of the Basin, she was pleased to hear Ruka respond with an agreement to follow her up the narrow trail and into the guarded mountain home, given to her herd as a gift from the Time God when they had all been ousted from the Edge. She hadn't mentioned that, and a single one of her ears dropped back once more in mild irritation with herself, quickly washed away with the simple logic that at least she hadn't prattled on about it like a love struck filly.

Her already jovial smile grew even warmer, her mind replaying the faint flicker of recognition that flashed across Ruka's face at the mention of Mauja and Psyche. She had heard that word of their organization was starting to leak out of the sealed confines they had attempted to keep it in, but it seemed that not enough had gotten out to make those familiar with the callings of their leaders uneasy to the point of not following the recruiters home. Either that, or Ruka knew full and well what he was walking into already, and had made the decision to come anyway - another resource she filed away neatly.

"Splendid!" she chimed, golden eyes glimmering with an inner fire, her well toned body turning towards home, "You may grow to adore it as I do." Her dark hooves clipped neatly down the trail, a brief gaze given behind her to assure that he followed, and then she carried on, inwardly proud of her success in the Threshold today and outwardly chatty towards slender framed Ruka.

[ ooc: I guess they can walk into the herd meeting together? x3 lovely timing on the finishing out of this one. lol ]
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 


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