V e i l N e b u l a

Veil's instinct was to soothe as if he were a frightened child.

So as her muzzle alighted upon his skin, it wasn't truly hesitating. It was a natural desire to comfort and reassure from a being who had yet to comprehend the physical distances and bubbles most creatures held dear to them. Just as she did with Torielle (though certainly not on the same level of that need to touch) she didn't hesitate to offer comfort in physical expression. It was likely, her own past of loneliness aided in this unspoken, unhesitating reassurance. Growing up in the vast vacuum of space, with the other stars happy to chatter with her, but otherwise alone, no one beside her for so, so long. Now that she was among other equines, she too craved that knowledge that she was not alone.

She craved that knowledge she wouldn't have to be alone again.

And in turn, she had no need to learn of boundaries as she grew after her unorthodox creation. She simply did not hesitate to want to help him see it could be better. For his own future that was shrouded in doubt, like a cloud of ochre that hung over an otherwise beautiful picture, starting to already tinge the upcoming years with dust, and war. That was not a future she wanted Torielle to be any part of either, and the stars whispered warnings to her about that attraction and possession he carried like a desperate man holding onto the last morsel of food around a clan of hungry nomads trapped in the mountains without provisions. Soon, he'd lose his grip, and he too would spiral into madness with them. The madness of hunger, of carnal desires, and of false prophets inking despair and desire into his heart and claiming they were equal to the blessings of Tempus.

His path was not one he would wish to be on if he knew what she saw.

What the heavens whispered to her when she divined. What the oracles hinted at when she prophesized when she asked of what was to come. She steps back, her words never ceasing; always provoking, prodding, encouraging even as they cautioned. Opening up his mind, his eyes, his understanding was her intentions, and the star was determined to see him come to that stark realization of where he was sending himself. And it wasn't into the grace of Torielle. Torielle was not a possession he could just take claim to, she refused to let that happen. Not just because Torielle was the dearest person in her interstellar life, but also because Torielle should never loose the ability to choose.

If a stallion like this is what Torielle wanted, she would support her.

If Torielle wished to lean upon her . . . . well, Veil wouldn't oppose. Not if the way her star burned brighter was any indication - Torielle's touching lighting the nuclear fission processes within her being and making her feel like she could implode into a cataclysmic event. She couldn't express words the lightness she felt in Torielle's presence, as if Torielle controlled the gravity around her, and her touch threatened to send Veil back into hyperspace as the entire world disappeared until it was just she and her . . . and oh how she would love to show Torielle the beauty of the stars from the very world she came from. She would pluck the very stardust from her own skin to wreath Torielle in their glow. The brightest star in Veil's sky was the very spirit of Torielle's existence.

She was still naive enough to not realize what these emotions alluded to, however.

Still new enough to civilization: many such precious emotions were unnamed, unexplained. The swell of heat she felt in her gut as she watched the stallion present a white veil to Torielle had rocked her almost to her knees, hot and sizzling, but without the knowledge that it was called jealousy. Talking to him now, and seeing the confused child deep inside, who craved the reassurances of another, that needed the guidance of a counsel soothed that firey being that wanted to rip into him for daring to try to possess her Torielle. Instead, she focused on educating where he had lost his way.

And so, the star smiles in gentle understanding.

I fell, you know. THe words seem out of place, but her gaze had trailed to the sky. Was a shooting star past this planet, and flew too close to the gravitational pull. It was terrifying, I remember the pain so vividly. There is a crater upon the mountain from where I impacted with it at full speed. But in the truest manner, I'm more meteorite than a star at times. But it meant that everything I had known was suddenly different. In the expanse of space, there is no sound, no smells, or tastes. Just a vacuum. Sure, I heard the voices of the stars within my very being; but . . . when I first woke up to this world it was a sensation overload. The sun was warm to my skin, the scent of pine was so stark, the sounds of nature so loud. It was unknown to me.

She smiled in reassurance, explaining the process of such unknowns.

Everything I had ever known was suddenly vastly different. It is scary to lose that foundation, to find yourself with a sudden lack of knowledge, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. You learn you grow, and in time, you know new things. You learn cultures, and about people. You see things from the eyes of an insider, rather than the reluctance of an outsider. You simply need to be brave enough to take the first step. She tilts her head when he suddenly speaks of the fear of being punished by the gods of Novus, and she laughs, her gaze warm and reassuring, Why would they punish you? Beyond being led astray by those you have put trust into, who wear the mask of gods; you have yet to do anything truly dark yourself, right? Her wings lift, touching either side of his face, guiding his eyes back to hers, and she smiles warmly, The funny thing about gods, is they have our best interests at heart, and they can be merciless, but also forgiving. Especially when you present yourself prone before them asking for their help. But do not be so selfish as to only ask, and never give of them. To turn to them, you must do so wholey. With offering in hand, and the desire to get to know them, you may celebrate their glory - not just in times where they provide for you, but in the times when they do not.

She grinned, slightly cheeky, But that is a slow build process.

Do not expect instant gratification from them; nor expect yourself to instantly invest in their might. I believe they would be understanding the place you came from, and know that the progression forward will not be instantaneous. There is much for you to learn, to change, to grow, and become stronger for. It is not an easy process to turn one's self around. But, even stars change their colors with time, and I believe, you too can change as well. He wasn't a failure, he wasn't a waste, or unsaveable, he was a boy still confused and lost without the proper teachings to guide him into the man he could have been. A boy denied so much, he grew into a stallion who could only crave and demand. Slowly he was opening his eyes to that.

We always search for divine in our daily lives.

She muses quietly, before moving to lean into him, to offer the touch of comfort, the heat of her star a gentle but reassuring warmth, But, sometimes, dreams are just that . . . . dreams, wishes our hearts make. Perhaps it wasn't meant to tell you that you were connected to her. You just wished for that connection to be real? You want that deep connection to another being. The one who could light your soul like a spark, and make you soar higher than any bird in the sky. But, for such connections to be established, it must be a two-way street. You cannot force another to feel for you in the way you want them to. The glory of intelligent design is our ability to choose, and to reason. Would you deny a woman you would claim to love; those very abilities? She asked without judgment.

She wasn't there to judge, even if she disapproved of his choices thus far.

But she knew everyone had a point, a breaking point. The trick was maneuvering it to do the most good, while limiting the most damage, and she appeared to be succeeding when he acknowledged owing Torielle an apology, I would think that is a very wise place to start. She stated, nodding her head approvingly, before smiling when he admitted to being open for some tea, but being afraid, Fear isn't something to chastise yourself for. It means you're aware enough to know things are out of your control, and being alarmed is a completely natural response. She smiled again, motioning for him to follow her to a vendor, her wings held slightly aloft, one guiding him to follow until he would begin walking, and then retracting again. As if he were a foal rather than a grown man, But to live behind that fear, and never grow; that is what one should truly fear. She tossed back her loose curls, bells, and crystals chiming with in the dark mauve of her mane, reflecting light like small sparks of a rainbow in those locks, refracting the glow of the bonfire as if she were the goddess Torielle teased her of being.

She motioned to a random vendor, her smile inviting.

I have come to learn that a hot drink can settle nerves far more smoothly - and quickly than anything else. Please, pick whatever strikes your fancy. She stated, as the seller already pushed a cup of something flowery and sweet towards the star dusted women that spoke of familiarity with the shop. Once both had their orders, she led him to a spot beneath one of the trees, lights coiled in the branches to provide extra illumination in the late hour. Settling herself down among the pillows, she motioned for him to join her, her gaze calm, but welcoming. Reassuring, like a goddess reassuring her pupil, a mother nurturing her child, a woman helping someone in need, and asking nothing in return. Talk it out with me then, Jarek. Tell me; what it is about Torielle that made you so certain she was a prize presented to you. Perhaps, if we can figure out where this all started, we can see things have led you astray, and we can return you to the proper path of growth and moving forward.

And ideally, help him realize Torielle was not a gift he could unwrap and control.

Unwrapping Torielle was to be her job.

FROM THE MOUTH
INSIDE THE MIND
@Jarek
Notes::

       

Jarek

Jarek felt like he was standing on top of a tightrope performing a delicate balancing act. He was a very hefty stallion, and this would be a difficult feat at any moment. Emotionally he felt like he could fall at any moment and be consumed by the shadows beneath him. The stark reality that was making its presence known in his mind was that no one would miss him if he fell. He was as alone in the world as he had ever been. Except there was a dazzling light guiding him along the tightrope, helping him balancing and providing him comfort. 


What truly was the motivation of the mare to aid him? He pushed these feelings of paranoia deeper down within him, and attempted to focus on the moment.  Not all beings sought to take advantage of one another. But this was the environment he had been raised in, and the only experience he had known. In turn this was the experience he was pushing onto others without being entirely aware of his own actions. 


Was he driven here actually for the purpose of salvation? Or was this just another thought of self grandeur and assigning meaning where there was none. The all consuming shadows of relative meaninglessness.  Even the stars above would be unable to guide him in the darkness, it was now a grounded star that was guiding him to a different fate all together. 


He listened carefully again to the words she continued to speak. She had literally fallen from the sky itself.  She had been up in the sky standing with the gods themselves. Thoughts of doubt of her motivation were stripped from his mind. Even if she had an ulterior motive to guide him; she seemed to understand. His mind once more reminded him that Torielle trusted Veil, and that he too should. She was the first spark of sense that had glimmered in his life in a long time. 


“My birth resulted in the death of my mother, my life was started on a path of suffering from an early age. My father was a brute. It’s hardly an excuse for how ignorant I have been.” his own mind once more lashing itself with rising hatred. How disgusted he had become with himself now the blinkers had been removed. How his perception had shifted with the influence of Veil. How patient she continued to be to lead him along his tightrope and out of the darkness. He flickered between raw awareness of the situation unfolding, and numbness. It took effort and focus to keep his mind focused.


The warm weight of her body pressed to his was reassuring and firm. He had hardly realized how starved of touch and affection he had been. “I would let her choose.” he cut himself off from speaking further, realizing any other words would be nothing more but excuses. As she motioned for him to follow her for tea, the slipping of the warmth of her side from his was notable.  Her bells ringing and reminding him once more of the reality he had found himself firmly lodged in. A lifetime worth of suffering shattering around him, perception warping and changing. 


“It wasn’t that she was a prize. She was not a reward. It was something greater. They had whispered to me of a mare that would complete me. That our souls were stitched in time to be fated for one another to be complete. They had whispered to me that without me, she would never be truly complete. That Torielle needed me as much as plants need the sun to flourish. It felt dire and urgent.  It is now clear to me that it was false promises of the life Torielle and I could have led together.” He had not spoken so clearly, and frankly so honestly in his lifetime. 
It was only once he had managed to say this that he felt like he could rightly sip on the tea. The warmth of its lemon taste soothing to his very soul. It reminded him of how he felt when Veil touched him. It made him feel very much less alone. It only made him wonder further, if it had been the gods plan for him to fall all along.