enough with the lies tell me one
more time my blood your line is this you inside
A
year had passed. A year. She had kept him waiting for that entire year, so it stood to reason he would have moved on. Salome did not know why she came back. If Gareth had indeed moved on, it would cause them both pain to see each other. It would cause her to be angry if he told her he had a new love. But. She had to try.
Salome did not know what would be expected when she found him. It had taken the better part of a week to track him down and here he was... The same location. The same mountains. The same features of the man - weary but busy. This time, she stood right where he could see her. She did not run. "Gareth." Salome's words were a clear whisper in the night, her hood down. He could see her. The long ears, the feathered mane... And also the red pupils.
The fangs.
Her curse.
She stood a few paces away, hesitating. As much as she longed to run, to embrace him... She shouldn't. He would be mad. He might have waited long, but she had been a coward. She had run away. I'm sorry she wanted to wail at him, but knew that his reaction to her presence would be enough to know how to proceed. If he reacted negatively, she would know. If he stood and stared before anger, she would know. But there was a sliver of chance.
It wasn't often Asterios traveled to the courts, but sometimes he simply could not help himself, especially with how purely unique they were. It was simply for his lack of devotion to the gods of these lands that prompted him to not join their ranks. His religious upbringing would suggest that he should - but his heart and mind still belonged to Joriah - like his parents would say. So for now, this was easier and as long as none of the Sovereigns had any issue with his coming and going he would keep doing it.
Not that he had asked for permission in the first place... but he figured he would receive note of it if that were to be the case.
One of his favorite places to visit had to be Denocte's Night Markets, especially once it grew to be a little darker - the sun slowly making way for the moon to rise, awakening the Market in an almost magical way. Lights turned on, more people arrived, music started playing... It was truly an environment he tended to thrive in.
Still, he kept mostly to himself for now, focused on simply basking in his surroundings and pulling energy from the atmosphere around him. That didn't mean he wasn't giving a wink and a smile to anyone that met his gaze, even holding a small though sometimes a little flirty conversation to those who were brave enough.
This? This is where he felt good. It almost felt like home.
The wound is too reminiscent of the first time he had come against a Teryr , but he supposes this is what he gets for kicking the idol of god , now isn't it ?
The sun peers over the windows and into the room , and Leviathan stretches himself awake , legs buckling in effort as he struggles a moment before steadying , the pain lancing down rear limbs before he gets himself steady . The wound on his spine runs deep , and he supposes he's lucky that he's immortal , or maybe he's unlucky . He isn't sure which one it is right now . Either way , he feels like shit . The beak and teeth had gotten deep into his flesh and torn his muscles wide , and no amount of aloe vera from any healers had done any good to help him , and he had done nothing but push past them as it was to make his way back to his kingdom . To find solace in the loneliness of the Court and the silence on the winds .
Well , the quiet of the people . There aren't many here , and what few there are , their chatter is soft even on the desert winds now , nothing loud .
Heavy feathered limbs shift along the stone flooring , and he makes his way toward the window , peering out against the morning light and blinking the solitary glowing eye . He grouses under his breath , even more so as he feels the skitter of claws up his front leg and the weight of the Indoraptor on his shoulderblades as Enyo settles , stretching herself and yawning , awake . She blinks intelligent yellow eyes at him , tilting her head and licking her lips , before he snorts a little and draws back from the window to make his way a little gingerly out of the room and down the hall .
It's no surprise there's already an advisor hot on his heels , coming up to his side and talking his ear off about their work . He knows he needs to help , needs to join in the work himself . But can he risk pushing himself right now ? A glance back at his own spine as best he can is given , before he turns back toward the advisor and snorts softly .
" I know I need to help . But I can't . Not today . " The stallion pauses a moment , brows wrinkling , before there's a nod . " There's a team of soldiers in the town , they're eager to help . Gather them . " He needs this day to himself , as best as he can get , and he shuffles himself out of the Court and into the heat of the morning . It burns over the wound , and he hisses through his teeth . Even now , blood flakes from his flanks where it had already dried , and his ears fall back . Every movement only makes more blood well up and fall . He'll need to see a healer eventually , for certain , but he'd been battered and beaten down to a point where he had only wanted to return home after the hunt . He didn't much need help from anyone anymore .
Immortal meant he wasn't gonna die from it . Just be in a lot of pain , and sometimes he just needed that pain to remind himself he's alive at times , and not drowning in his own woes at his failures at the head of a dying court .
His lips purse , and he heads for the outskirts of the court , seeking shade , and the comfort of the familiar . Right now , he doesn't need the weight of the crown and politics . He needs an out . A way to breathe . As if his fractured ribs and nearly shattered spine can allow that .
The staleness that had tinged the aura of the desert had sent Galileo into hibernation. Quietly he had lingered, wandering in and out the canyons, lost in a contemplative daze. Like a rabbit, he had hidden himself away, fearing that the people of the kingdom were on the edge of revolt against the missing sun-kissed king, Adonai.
The last time Galileo had laid eyes on the stallion was during the Solonius, when he had proven himself a worthy warden of the lands. He had been excited to take up a new position, one that would have given him direction and self-assurance. Instead, he had been left with the empty feeling that, as ever, nothing good lasted.
And now there was talk of a new king, no longer graceful, calculating, nor sun-kissed, like Adonai had been, but a storm of a stallion brushed with the easterly winds and tempered by cerulean ice. With no idea of the new king's name, Galileo had taken to calling him stormborn. It seemed the new king would be the polar opposite of Adonai.
There was no doubt he would pledge himself to the new king in due course, but first, he had to regain his footing and understanding of the lands. Adonai had been a boy, a child in the eyes of Galileo that needed protecting. From what he had heard on the whispers of the desert breeze, his replacement would not need Galileo's protection, and it left him wondering what his place in Solterra -- or even the world -- was to become.
His hooves had taken him back to the city walls, and he stood uneasy outside it's gates, needing a reason to step inside as his heart was not in it. Twisting around to leave again, he considered returning to the safety of his crimson canyon walls.
Voodoo had been quiet lately, his head down and doing his job as a guard for the house. Even so, the striped and splashed stallion needed a day away from it all. He was dedicated, loving that he had a job and a reason to get out of bed each morning… but there was something boring about the same tedious days. Without thought, the stallion found himself back in his homeland. Solterra. The land that he had cherished before gaining the position. His mother had been proud of him, yet there was a part of him that longed for the desert.
Dancing through the sands on white legs, the stallion approached the oasis. There was a freedom that he associated with the desert, a peace. And that was what the big stallion craved more than anything at that moment. All eighteen and a half hands of muscle were alive with the heat and sun.
Reaching the oasis, he drank deep of the water. The taste was familiar to him, a taste that he had often seemed when he was training. Lifting his head, he gazed about him with cool eyes. No one familiar was near, the place silent as a tomb as he stood there. Was it to be his tomb? A part of him liked the idea of being buried in the desert, his bones drying beneath the sands. Not that he was ready to die yet. He was still young and had much to do. But planning was never bad. Shaking his head, he dipped his muzzle for another drink. Thirst sated, the stallion waded into the pool and enjoyed the play of heat and cool across his body.
The bull was away from the sea, taking in the world around him again. He had stumbled upon the lake with a grin, diving in to see what was in the depths of the fresh water. It was one of the nice things about not being solely salt water adapted. He could travel in any water, though he did prefer the salty sea. After thoroughly exploring the lake, he resurfaced, swimming lazily to the shore. The sunshine was pleasant, warming his back as he reached the shallows.
Stepping out of the water, he shook the excess from his body and gazed about him with wide golden eyes. There were few clouds and the day was beautiful. "Maker, what a beautiful day. I think this was just what I needed. A day away from the sea to see the world of land." He murmured as he started to wander the shoreline.
"Speaking"
@Veil Nebula Notes: crappy starter, but here he is XD
Pol had woke that morning with thoughts rolling through her head. She was so happy for her mentor, was still reeling over meeting Lu's son. She had been working near constantly and learning more healing as she went. The young mare seemed to be on the go all day every day lately. But Lu had told her to take the day off. To rest. What was rest even?
Slipping from her covers, Pol stretched and shook away the last bits of drowsiness. A quick cup of coffee jolted her fully awake and she frowned at the room around her. She had never put down real roots, renting a room and spending more time in the clinic than anywhere. Maybe that was why she was uneasy. Things were changing. Would she still have a place at the clinic once things were said and done? The idea of losing her mentor and her clinic, the learning and friendship that seemed to be more like that of a mother and daughter. That idea alone made her blood run cold.
The mare escaped her room, moving quickly into a gallop to try to run away from the thoughts that were plaguing her. She wasnt sure where she was going, just needed a day away from the Night court. Away from her fears. Alternating trotting and galloping, the mare made good time as she headed to where she had heard that her sister was staying. She needed her sister, her family. Her pod, for what it was worth.
Dancing into the swamp, she stopped and took a bit to catch her breath and compose herself. The run had helped, but the fears and thoughts were still whispering in her mind. Heading deeper, she began to seek out Bel. "Bella?" She called as she moved, aware and listening for danger as well as a response from the older treader.
Small dragons that flit from place to place , baring fangs and wings as they weave between stalls , and so many bodies that bustle here in the markets that she finds it rather hard to step around without finding a way to actually get bumped into . It's an astonishingly hard feat , considering how much she glows , but she's also terribly small compared to most of the populace , and she skitters to one side , crystalline hooves skimming over cobblestones before her long ears swivel back and she frowns to herself .
Maybe this had been a bad idea .
Faye isn't used to the hustle and bustle of so many bodies in one place . Growing up , it had been the cave and her sisters and the deities , and then it had been her adoptive mother . Now here , it's a land of strangers and too many unknowns . She feels a bit like a fish out of water , and despite the current satchel of gems at her side that she had been determined to sell , she now feels maybe she should come back some other time . Or find another market , one a little less busy than this one .
She ducks between two stalls , hooves clattering a little as she wiggles between them and then pops out in a less crowded area , only to shake herself from head to hoof and finally take a deep breath . With less bodies , she can breathe a little better , and find more comfort in her own skin .
It gives her the time to think and ponder . Maybe she can definitely take the gems elsewhere and sell them , or come back later in the day , when there are less horses around and she has a chance to not be trampled over . Surviving here would be a bit of a good idea , wouldn't it ?
Asterios had known of his time in his place of residence was coming to an end, he had only time to say a few simple goodbyes and some reminders to keep smiling before he too felt his body becoming lightweight, prompting him to lay down and close his eyes in the now barren abode.
Opening his grey eyes once more, Asterios let out a soft sigh – more weary than anything else. The sight around him hadn’t been as jarring as he had previously thought, only the feeling of a hot summer coming to an end where previously the cold had been in his bones. He had been walking around for the better part of a week now, exploring his surroundings and finding trees where he could find shelter and a place to rest for a while. The thing he had to get used to the most was not having his magic, finding out quickly that this world handled magic just different enough for him to not have control any more. Luckily, by way of enchantment he had been able to suppress it until he got used to the feeling again and how to navigate it once more.
Throughout the day, Aster walked around and eventually found himself resting at a little creek – smiling softly at the lovey-dovey couples talking a walk around before finding a spot for himself to take a break and take a well-needed sip of water and some food.
Posted by: Grimwyck - 09-27-2021, 10:35 AM - Forum: Archives
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I HAVE LOVED THE STARS
too fondly to be fearful of the night
The swamp had provided a rich soil for his herbs and garden , and while he had toiled and worked hard to set up his home , he was not attached to the muddy waters of Terrastella . It had been a choice to pack up his plants and bags , and carefully peel himself away from the Dusk Court , to find himself among the Vagabonds once more , and not one that was lightly made . Wandering , perhaps , could do him some good for the future , and there could be a potential of his return , but for the moment , he had no reason to remain in the Court when things were so unsteady for him .
As it is , he's found a new place to temporarily settle in the lands of Ruris , along the outskirts of all the Courts . It isn't as nutrient dense as the swamp had been but it still sustains his plants , and that's all he truly needs . So Grimwyck had settled once more , this time with no loyalty , and a wandering in his bones still as he carefully picks weeds from the many plants that are still in fresh soil . He takes care to make sure that they're not damaged , that each one is unharmed , and settles in to moving the rocks back along the ring of the garden before he nods to himself once the weeds are cleared out , ears flicking back slightly.
Out here , he very much doubts there will be anyone to bother him , but if there is someone that comes by , perhaps he can offer them a cup of tea or a bit of help if they need it . At the moment , it's quiet , and he finds comfort in that compared to the hustle and bustle that's begun to pick up in every which way in every kingdom and Court so far . He's social , of course he is , but as of late , he hasn't felt all too secured on where he can be settled .
A witch is a witch , no matter where he is , and his past seems to haunt his every step . So he finds himself wandering for the sake of safety for himself at the moment . Much harder to pin down someone that is constantly on the move every so often and doesn't have a herd to identify him .
