As Mateo walks down the hall, he tosses an apple up and down. There is something intriguing to the way it hovers, weightless, at top of its arc, before it begins its descent. He imagines the apple enjoys flying, because he can't imagine anything not enjoying it.
This was his morning: lazy sunlight filtered through white linen curtains, a warm breeze that brought the smell of the summer sea, somewhere the sound of music. He slept in today, drifting in and out of smokey dreams. (The air has been clear for weeks but the court still smells like the charred remains of a camp fire. He is convinced that the smell of smoke will taint the rest of his life.) Eventually he rose and shook off the dust and hangover of last night's adventures. Eventually he began to walk in search of a story, or a poem, or a song, or just companionship.
He stops walking when he sees Regis. "Hello, young prince!" The black pegasus folds himself into an elaborate bow. Right leg extended, left tucked. One wing stretched forward and the other back. It is an overdramatic gesture, sure, but its decadence pleases him.
After a moment he straightens, and considers the apple that sits cradled by his telepathy. It is small and green and plucked several moons too early, but Mateo had looked forward to eating it anyway. There was a poem to be written about unripe apples, and he would be the one to write it.
But not today. Mateo's attention turns back to the dun with a warm smile. "Apple for your thoughts?" He gently offers the green apple to the boy, floating it in his direction.
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@Regis wheee I had a random, urgent desire to start this, I hope it's okay! I purposefully left it open as to whether Regis knows him or not :)
take me back home, where the blood runs through my soul
For most, today would seem a pretty ordinary day in the Court of Dawn, but for the young Prince, it was far from it. He had woken early as he normally did, but it hadn’t been hours prior to the rise of the sun, nor had it been the result of a horrid coughing fit. Sure, they had still come once he was up and moving around, but they were manageable and didn’t keep him down for the better part of the day. Not yet, anyway.
Despite the constant urging of his parents and even Atreus at times, Regis took it upon himself to make a round of the citadel’s exterior to stretch his muscles and relish in the sunlight, but more than anything he was eager to greet those he passed along the way, Milo trailing along at his side. A gentle smile was cast to each face – Regis liked to think he knew most of their names and a little about them, but there were, regrettably, a few faces he didn’t recognize amongst their slowly growing numbers. He blamed the fire and the sickness which had plagued him since his birth nearly a year ago, but in better spirits now than he had been in an unfathomably long time, he hoped he could work on changing that.
One such opportunity turns up the moment he rounds a corner, nearly taking out somebody else. “Oh,” he says with a soft, inward gasp, front feet sticking out ridiculously to prevent a crash. He relaxes after a moment, though, head tipping back as dual-colored eyes focused on the familiar minty green gaze of Mateo. He frowns, taking a singular step backward. “I’m sorry, Teo - I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He straightens, however, and smiles pleasantly as the ebony man bows to him, unable to help but chuckle softly to himself. Milo looked on, too, his head tilting curiously to the side at the display. ”Good morning to you, too.”
As the apple floated closer to him, Regis drew his head back to inspect it a moment. It wasn’t like the ripe red apples he loved so dearly, but surely good nonetheless, especially since it was being offered by a friend. ”We can share it,” he suggested, and with that, the young dun reached out to take the apple in his teeth, chomping down to take the biggest bite he could manage. It crunched audibly, and though more bitter than tart, it was still good. With the apple split, the Prince flicked his tail mindlessly behind him as he focused on the stallion. ”Thank you. What’re you doing up so early, Teo?”
It's a little rusty!! I already love Mateo, though <33 @Mateo
Teo is fond of the young prince. It is hard not to be, really-- the lad doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Maybe you could write his sweetness off as the side effect of having your every need catered to from the moment you were born, but Mateo is a man of history, and history has shown time and again that privilege can turn boys rotten just as easily as not. No, little Regis is one of those creatures that shines from the inside not because of circumstance or in spite of it but because that is simply who he is. The whole court benefits from it, in Mateo's opinion, and the smile on his lips brightens to see the dun.
Reggie offers to share the apple and Mateo laughs. "You'll make a fine diplomat some day, mark my words," he says as he takes the apple back and bites into it loudly. It is firm and rater tasteless, other than being decidedly bitter, and does not nearly meet the expectations he had been building up. There was supposed to be a poem in here, something hidden between the skin and the flesh, but all he tastes is... well, nothing much at all. Perhaps it is a poem of disappointment and impatience. He'll have to sleep on it.
"What am I up to? Oh, you know..." his eyes slip down the hall, casually looking out for Somnus or Eulalie or a babysitter. Does the prince have a babysitter? Anyway, no one is trailing the young pegasus so Mateo takes a step forward with a conspiratorial waggle of the brows. "Looking for trouble. The harmless sort, of course," he quickly clarifies, straightening in what he imagines to be a very dignified way. "What about you?"
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@Regis I can't handle how cute Reggie is ;_;
take me back home, where the blood runs through my soul
Mateo isn’t the first to comment on his mannerisms. Someday Regis would come to truly appreciate them and perhaps see the weight those compliments and remarks held, but at this point in his life, the boy can only chuckle and shake his head. “You’re funny, Teo,” he quips harmlessly, but never the one to forget his manners no matter what he quickly tacked on a sincere, “But, thank you.”
Silence stretches between them for a short period, the hallway filled with the sound of crunching and munching as they devoured the halved apple effortlessly. It may not have been the best in Delumine by a long shot, but anything shared between friends was a moment to be treasured in Regis’ eyes, indeed.
Holding his ground as Mateo leaned in closer, revealing that he was up to trouble with an accompanying wiggle of his brows, the Prince’s dual-toned eyes widened before his head cocked humorously to one side, like a dog having heard something strange. “What do you mean, the harmless kind?” He inquired with all the innocence of childhood, “Do you mean, like… going down to the kitchens and sneaking cookies? ‘Cause I’m real good at that.”
The same question is quickly tossed back to him and a smile spills across his pale lips. “I was just gonna go outside and play a little.” Before one of his parents sent him back to bed or the coughs ravaged him again, whichever came first, but Regis wouldn’t yet allow such thoughts to cloud what was an otherwise good day so far. Then, with growing exuberance and hope shining like stars in his eyes as he gazed up into the muted green eyes of his companion. “Do you wanna come join me? Or I could come join you!”
@Mateo So sorry for the wait! I love them so much ;o;
Mateo had been deliberating between a few ideas for today's harmless mischief. The one he favored most was to fly high up above the gardens and scatter flower petals on unsuspecting lovers strolling below. This act would be his ode to springtime, when cherry blossoms fell like rain. The only issue would be procuring flowers, which were hesitant to grow recently; he understood their hesitation, with winter looming. The forest should still be fine for successful foraging if the meadow was not, but the Viride was rather far and Mateo found himself hesitating to go through all this work just to share a bit of springtime with the world. Unfortunately, being an adult comes with the constant, nagging obligation to be responsible and useful, even in your day off. The young stallion is constantly at odds between the desire to be seen as a man and the disdain for everything adulthood stood for.
Regis' idea of harmless fun is much easier to implement and much more rewarding and so incredibly unexpected that Mateo laughs in delighted surprise. "Like sneaking cookies, exactly! Or throwing flowers on people or drawing eyes on the trees..." He can think of a few slightly-less-than-harmless mischief as well, but he trails off before they slip out. Mateo is keen to set a good example for the boy.
A walk with the young prince is surely the more responsible thing to do than throwing flowers on unsuspecting strangers, so Teo contains his mischievous grin and angles himself to walk beside Regis. "I would love to join you, if you'll have me." He stretches his large wings casually. They want to fly, they always want to fly, even when he's busy doing other things.
"Are you ready for the wedding? The whole court is buzzing with excitement." Mateo has never been to a wedding, and when he heard the news he had poured over the historical texts for days in search of anything he could find about the tradition. It seemed to be a ritual that went back as far as known history, with many details and traditions obviously changing over time and place. In historical literature, weddings are strangely uncommon, or at least underdocumented. He was only able to find details of the most significant weddings, those that either united or divided nations, "I expect members from every court will be there to celebrate..." He trails off, dreaming of the color and the light and the spectacle and the certain beauty of days to come.
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@Regis no worries at all! I figured you don't mind me time bending a bit for wedding talk :D
take me back home, where the blood runs through my soul
Mateo’s laughter flows easily and without a care in the world. He’s easy and enjoyable to be around, and the Prince finds himself hoping that he might soon be well enough to spend more time up on his feet, perhaps even unaccompanied out of the citadel itself if his health continued to improve as it had been. His grin broadened and his two-toned eyes were alight with mirth at the prospect of retrieving some sweets, hopefully with a little more ease considering Mateo would be with him.
“I don’t think uncle Po would like it if we destroyed his flowers,” the Prince remarked without any hint of malice, rather just stating the fact in an idle manner. He loved his uncle and knew how much he loved all the flowers and other flora he cultivated, and to imagine him upset was disconcerting. Then, the boy giggled softly as he considered his companion’s other suggestion. Trees weren’t meant to have anything like eyes, but to imagine it in his head is utterly humorous.
Side-by-side bard and Prince make their way further down the hall, and Regis barely needs to pay attention to know that his feet will find their way to the mess hall without trouble. Cocking his head toward Mateo, the dun brightened considerably, which was a feat in itself given how ecstatic he was just to have a friend at his side and cookies on his mind. “I am,” he answered amicably, “Momma and papa are really excited for it. They’re so happy, too, and I’m glad, ‘cause they’ve been super busy lately.” What with the fires, the aftermath of the destruction and the recent murders, there had barely been any time to breathe for either of them. Regis hadn’t liked not seeing them for extended amounts of time, but he always knew it was because they were taking care of their home and those who needed their help.
“… I don’t really know what all you’re supposed to do in a wedding, though,” the colt admitted without shame, a thoughtful frown tugging at pale lips as he rounded yet another corner. “So I’m kinda nervous about that. But I know it’ll all be okay. What about you, Teo? Are you excited? Have you ever been to a wedding before?” In a bombardment of questions, he tacked another one on for good measure, his words gaining speed. “Do you think Oriens will be there?”
Regis brings up a good point about the regent not being happy with the flowers being destroyed... And as he thinks more about this he realizes he hadn't thought of the plants at all, they were just another food item to him (some of them far tastier than others) and not a living thing. "Do you think flowers can be happy? Or sad? Or hurt?" The ethical dilemma is an abrupt change of subject, but that might not come as a surprise to Regis-- the black pegasus tended to say whatever was on his mind, as soon as it popped in there, especially among friends.
Talk turns back to the wedding and Mateo grins. "Oh, I've never been to one but I've read about them. There's a ceremony and then a great party... There's nothing to be nervous about, you just have to walk around and talk to strangers and let people congratulate you. I imagine diplomats will be there from all the courts to pay their respects, maybe even the sovereigns themselves." It excites him to think of meeting these characters he's heard so much of in story and song. "They say king Asterion can bend water to his will, and sovereign Isra is a storyteller with the power to transform the ugliest of things into something so beautiful it would bring a tear to the eye. And Seraphina of Solterra, there are so many rumors about the girl queen! The wildest I've heard is that you'll turn to ice if she looks at you with her blue eye!"
Not to mention the regents, the emissaries, the food and (very importantly) drink from all four corners of Novus. It would be a grand event, something to sing about for many years to come-- and he could not be prouder that the newlyweds were from his court.
"Of course, one could not ask for a better sovereign than your papa." Mateo's left wing reaches out to brush against Reggie's right. He had always been a very physically affectionate creature, and around friends gentle touches like these were offered without thinking-- or without asking, which on some occasions became problematic if the receiving party was not fond of physical touch.
"What does he think of you sneaking around for sweets? He doesn't get too upset about it, does he?" Mateo keeps his voice light and carefree, although the closer they get to the kitchens the more nervous he is about getting caught-- and potentially getting the young prince in trouble. He casually looks around but they are still alone in the sleepy hallway. "Oh, Oriens will most definitely be there. He's everywhere, even if you can't see him." He nods sagely, happy to keep pace with the questions bombarded on him. "Especially for the union of his people."
take me back home, where the blood runs through my soul
The next string of words to leave Mateo’s mouth aren’t what Regis had expected them to be, but they don’t entirely come to him as a surprise. He’d always enjoyed the young stallion’s company as well as his debates, because they made him truly think before providing his answer. It was a good thing to practice, he supposed, if he wanted to surmount to anything near what his parents were some day.
“I think they can be,” he provides after a moment, his brow remaining thoughtfully furrowed as the cogs of his mind churned. “I’ve seen the sunflowers in the meadow, and Po told me that they move throughout the day to follow the sun. I don’t remember why, but… maybe it’s ‘cause they’re cold, or they just think it’s pretty? And if they can feel that, then why can’t they feel other things?” Abruptly he frowned, looking somewhat troubled as something clicked in his head. “But… I also kinda hope they can’t feel anything, since we eat them.” The imagery was perhaps the darkest thought to have ever entered into his mind, but just as quickly as it had come, it was swept away with talk of the wedding.
Mateo speaks of great Kings and Queens, all names he’s heard of numerous times growing up in the citadel. His imagination runs wild as he pictures Asterion crafting gargantuan figures made of water, goliaths prepared for battle without so much as a word. He imagined Isra with the power to change fate itself, her word a law that the rest of the world must follow no matter how they try and resist. Then there’s Seraphina, felling any foe with naught but her icy stare. It all causes his shoulders to shiver; he would have to mind himself around them, assuming he did get the chance to meet them for himself.
Then, the colt beams the brightest smile at mention of Somnus himself; his hero, his mentor, answerer of a thousand questions, protector from monsters under the bed, his papa. What Regis aspired to be. He was the greatest of them all, and the Prince didn’t need to meet the other Sovereigns to know he was right.
His own mottled wing bumped gently against Mateo’s in response to his gentle touch, smile unyielding until mention of how his father might feel if he knew what they were getting up to. Slowly his head lowered in an uncertain manner, eyes darting this way and that as though searching for the gilded form of his father. “Um… I don’t think he’d like it too much.” An honest answer, just as both his parents had always taught him. “But… sometimes he thinks it’s funny, and joins in with me. Maybe we should just grab one, though.” That wouldn’t be bad, right?
He wonders then if Oriens can see them right here, right now as they creep steadily toward the kitchens, like two vagabond criminals about to pull the greatest heist of the century. His nerves grow and he glances around all over again, but if Oriens is invisible, he supposes he won’t find him anywhere. With his eyes set on the door ahead, the Prince breathed in deeply and cast one more look Mateo’s way. “Alright… just one, remember? Unless we bring one back for my momma and papa, and Anemone, too. They can’t be upset, then.”
@Mateo <3 I figured we cold maybe end here? :D Or keep going if you wish! Either way, I demand another Teo/Reggie thread soon!
Mateo, for all his precise memory of facts and figures and dates, did not know much about the natural world and its mechanisms. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in plants and flowers, geology and tides. He just was so violently passionate about other things that he didn't have the time for nature. He intimately knew the wind, as all pegasi do, but did not ask many questions about the rest of it-- except to know the names and color and smell of beautiful things, to better weave them into song and story. All this is to say that he did not know this fact Regis shares about sunflowers following the sun (is that perhaps the reason they are called sunflowers?) but if this knowledge came from the Dawn Court regent, Mateo could not question it.
" But… I also kinda hope they can’t feel anything, since we eat them." The young prince hits the nail on the head here. The truth sinks into them at the same time, the possibility that they had taken a horrible thing for granted without even thinking about it until now. "I hope so too," Mateo says earnestly, for if the plants were aware of being eaten alive then horses were no more noble than wolves. And while nature needed a balance-- birth, life, death-- he hoped it did not need to be so violent and painful.
Oh, but the morning is too young, and their hearts too light, for the heaviness of philosophy! Mateo is glad to steer the conversation elsewhere, to kings and queens and the living history they are apart of. Eventually they reach the doors to the kitchen; tall, broad, well-worn. The dark grain of the wood(, walnut?) thirstily drinks up the morning light. Mateo hesitates, looking from the door to his friend and finally back to the door. "Just one," he echoes with an agreeable grin, and he quietly steps through the door into the kitchen.
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@Regis I think this is a great place to close it... Thank you for such a fun, lighthearted thread!! I definitely want another with them <3
