a heart's a heavy burden

This was Mercy's first time seeing the lake.

She was new to Denocte, and hadn't really traveled it much yet -- but everywhere she went she heard the lake's name in casual conversation. Ever since she heard of it, Mercy knew she had to paint there. It was supposed to be beautiful, so still and perfect that it was practically a mirror to it's surroundings. But words couldn't do it justice.

The lake was so expansive it seemed nearly endless, but there was a coastline of trees dotting the far edge. What would be lush flowers and grasses in the spring swarmed the edges of the water, and a cool breeze was sifting lightly through the air that caused the surface of the water to ripple just barely. Mercy didn't know how she could possibly render the lake's beauty on mere canvas, but she was willing to try. If she came up with anything halfway decent, maybe she could stop by the Night Markets and see if they would sell.

Mercy was laid down in the grassed, her paints assorted in front of her as she fiddled with a paintbrush in her mouth. She was deep in thought while looking out at the landscape, wondering just how to form the composition of her next piece of artwork. The sun peeked through the clouds long enough to warm her back despite the winter's coolness, and if she weren't so focused she could have easily fallen asleep.

"It's beautiful," she mumbled to herself through the handle of the paintbrush. "I bet you're even prettier when the flowers can bloom."

Mercy sighed wistfully, daydreaming of springtime and meadows and trees filled with leaves. But there was something to be said about the beauty of winter, too. Barren, maybe, but also sophisticated in a weird way only nature could be.

Was she going to ponder all day, or was she going to paint?

Finally, with some form of resolve, Mercy decided she would just go with whatever seemed to flow out of her paintbrush. If she didn't like it, she would just scrap it and start all over. She had all the time in the world, after all.

Her paints and paintbrush floated around in the magic that all beings on Novus had. Eventually she had a palette ready, and a small white canvas before her. Mercy shifted a little in her spot as she dipped the brush into the paint and firmly sat it on the canvas. It was times like these that she was grateful for her stocky body and long hoof feathers, otherwise she would probably be shivering so much she wouldn't be able to paint at all. But with her body, seemingly built with colder weather in mind, she could comfortable sit here in the cold dead grasses for hours and feel perfectly content.


"speaking"

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She heard the hoof steps in the snow long before she heard the filly's voice, but for whatever reason the sudden excitement ringing in the air did cause Mercy to jump. She wasn't truly alarmed though, more just a little shocked at how loud the girl's voice carried in the calm winter breezes. Her paintbrush never wavered. After living with her loud (and usually quite angry) mother her entire life, Mercy had gotten used to jumping while painting and learned to hold the brush steady at all times.


"Hello there!" she said, almost mimicking the energy of the filly. She was actually quite happy to have a new companion, even if it wasn't planned. However after looking the child over she suddenly changed gears. The girl wasn't wearing any form of protection from the elements! While Mercy herself could handle the cold quite well for many days, surely this girl must be freezing?


"Goodness! Don't you think it's too chilly to be out here without a coat?" Mercy's words weren't scolding like a harsh mother's, but rather confused and a little concerned. She might have had a blanket big enough to cover the poor filly's shoulders, but that wasn't much....


Speaking of mothers, where were the girl's parents? Mercy looked around for a moment and felt more confusion arise. It was hard for her to believe that any mother would let her filly wander off so far in the snow. As far as she knew, all mothers were just as overly protective (er, posessive?) as her own. But then again, perhaps this filly didn't have parents to keep her locked in a room somewhere.


"Shouldn't you be with a guardian of some sort?" Now Mercy sounded a bit more adult, albeit a little reluctantly. Honestly the more she thought about it, the more she understood the filly travelling alone. She probably just wanted to explore, and Mercy wasn't going to reproach her for it. If she had had the opportunity when she was young, she would have done the same.



There were a few moments before Mercy realized she had totally ignored the young filly's question. Well, she had done enough interrogation for now, so she might as well answer the girl's questions, it was only fair. "Yes, I am painting. I thought the scenery was beautiful, and I thought it would be fitting for a painting. I try to paint as much beautiful scenery as possible. It helps me remember it more clearly." At this point the painting had been long forgotten, but Mercy's brush was still poised perfectly still in midair.


When the filly rushedly introduced herself and followed up with a new question, Mercy couldn't help but smile. Innocence was brimming from this one, but in a way that made Mercy feel renewed with childish energy rather than how some adults would feel annoyed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maeve. My name is Mercy, and I am new to the Night Court in some ways. I'm not a member of your land, but I hope I am able to visit it more often. This is my first time travelling here and I can already tell that your homeland is just as remarkable as they say!" Truthfully Mercy hadn't been away from home long enough to have heard any rumors about the Night Court. Honestly with her upbringing she was lucky enough to know it even existed, but that wasn't the kind of information Maeve needed to know about.

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rambled a little oops - @maeve - 582 words

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