[P] A day in paradise.

[Vanora]

"You should fear what I am."

Summer had finally dawned upon this new world and yet, Vanora wondered if Solterra ever experienced winter. The air was sweltering, it pushed at her lungs. It was dry, so dry, she could feel no moisture in the air and still, a smile spread across her dark lips. This was exactly what she needed, she needed to be here. Here, the ocean’s aroma was far off, it was hardly there. This was the torture she would endure to keep The Naga silent and powerless. This, this was the only way to keep the world safe from the beast that stalked within her mind. 

At the thought, she felt the creature that prowled about within the darkness, on the other side of her mental shield. It was a cat in a cage, it paced, restless, hungry. Vanora had grown accustomed to the anxious energy within her skull. There was no escape for her but that shield she’d built, that had helped. However, The Naga had made it very clear that nothing could keep it quiet and Vanora knew better then to underestimate it. This was why she was here. In Novus, The Naga’s powers had been stripped to nothing more then scraps on a bone. Being in the desert had left the monster practically hopeless. Vanora relished in the feeling. 

She was pulled from her thoughts as the bay woman realized that Solterra was more than she imagined. She’d left the court to explore and what lay before her now left her pleasantly surprised. A paradise, beautiful and lush. Life bloomed around her, plants flowered and birds sang. Ahead, a large pool of turquoise water called her name. Aching limbs suddenly screamed at her as she neared the oasis. The girl lowered her nose to the pristine water and allowed herself to enjoy the freshness. The water travelled down her parched throat as she drank greedily. 
Nora lifted her striped face, silver eyes scanned the area for any signs of another equine. With no one in sight, she’d allow herself to savor in this gift from the desert. Slowly, the woman’s legs carried her forward as the water climbed up her legs. The Naga almost sighed at the sensation. 
It is not the ocean, but it is better then sand, the creature murmured quietly. 
“For once, I have to agree with you,” Vanora replied, her voice echoed across the rippling water. And for a moment, girl and monster enjoyed the crisp water that slid over Nora’s shoulders and back. 


"Vanora Speaks."
The Naga speaking.

tag: @Seraphina

coding: aimless
art: zeni-graphics

[Seraphina]

☼ s e r a p h i n a ☼

if not by faith then by the sword
I'm going to be restored

It feels like it has been a very long time since the Davke attack; it feels like the Davke attack was only yesterday. Seraphina feels caught in-between times, as though she is floating in some great middle space from which there is no escape. Whatever tiny flicker hope she had of better things has been utterly extinguished, leaving her exhausted and ghostly, bleached like pearl-white bones in the desert sun. Nevertheless, she persists. She struggles to repair the Capitol with insufficient materials. She burns her dead, even though each flame she lights feels like a slap to the face – somewhere, high up above them, the sun god is laughing, and she still follows his rituals to send her dead to his side. He doesn’t deserve them.

He wanted them to die.

Ash clings to the shiny silver of her coat, leaving it dusted in charcoal; she smells perennially of the sickening combination of woodsmoke, incense, and burnt flesh. She moves without ever feeling like she is moving – anything she fixes comes with the constant, knotting fear that it will be undone the next morning. Seraphina knows that she is falling into their trap, into their pace. She knows that her response to their assault is almost devastatingly weak, and she knows that everything that they have stolen from her cannot be taken back. All she can offer is some paltry resistance, to force her head up high, to force herself into the mold of desperate composure that she knows so well, to swallow up the indignity and frustration and fury that burn on the tip of her tongue each and every gods-damned day because, like an animal caught in a trap, there is nothing she can do.

Already, she hears whispers. Already, she hears that she is no true queen of Solterra – just a false, shade-like silver creature, reduced to ashes in the radiance of the sun. Already, she hears that she is forsaken by the god to whom she once offered her life, her absolute obedience, her everything. Both of those things, she thinks, are true. Both of them are true, and yet she remains because she can do nothing but remain, even though her every instinct wants her to run. (But there is nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Everywhere she looks, snakes bite at her heels.)

She slips away from the wreckage of the Capitol, moving towards the Oasis. The sun beats down mercilessly on her back, and the suffocating, dry heat of summer burns her throat. This is nothing she is unaccustomed to, but it feels particularly oppressive as she slips like a shadow over the waves of the dunes, not halting in her mechanically even strides until her eyes are greeted by the distant sight of lush green.

As she draws under the canopy, palm leaves dappling shade across her coat, Seraphina realizes that she is not alone – in the water stands a rich bay with a tail like a whip and a powerful frame. She regards her with narrowed eyes, wondering if her own presence has been noted, yet; nostrils flare to catch her scent, and, though she remains as tense as livewire, she calms slightly when she catches the scent of the Capitol fresh on the mare. She doesn’t recognize this girl, but she is likely not one of the Davke, then. She advances onto the shoreline, making little effort to guise her presence. In spite of her stiff, cautious stance, there is no obvious hostility in her posture as she moves towards the water’s edge.

“And who,” She questions, advancing ever closer to the brilliant, lapping turquoise of the Oasis, “might you be?”



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



tags | @Vanora
notes | <3

@

[Vanora]

"You should fear what I am."

Vanora enjoyed the water that had settled over her entire body. It cooled and relaxed all the muscles that ached bitterly in her lithe body. The turquoise water was cool and delightful. Nora relished in the feeling. With silver eyes closed, she allowed the sounds of the oasis to engulf her. The noises of birds and insects filled the air, each of their calls unique. The chocolate woman simply listened to life go on around her, even The Naga seemed to still for a moment.

However, their peace didn’t last as a voice echoed across the water. Vanora’s eyes snapped open and settled upon a stranger near the shore, she was only a few feet away. The silver woman’s words were almost confrontational and she felt The Naga bristle.
Who does she think she is? The creature murmured within her mind. 
Vanora tilted her head at the monster’s question and observed the newcomer more closely. An heir of authority rested over the lady and Vanora couldn’t help but wonder who she truly was. For a moment, the lioness remained silent and contemplated the other’s tone.
I would have torn her apart for speaking to me like that, The Naga grumbled.
“I am Vanora,” the maned woman replied, her voice was dry but respectful. She hadn’t appreciated the manner in which their uninvited guest had questioned her.
“Who are you?” she questioned, her head once again tilted as she took a step towards the other. Water dripped from her bodice as she did so, but Nora held her head high. She would not cower, not even for a moment. 
Good girl, The Naga chuckled from within the darkness, approval resonated across the thin wall between them.



"Vanora Speaks."
The Naga speaking.

tag: @Seraphina

coding: aimless
art: zeni-graphics


OOC: Sorry this is so short!