[AW] The Pain Will Prove You're Mortal

[Atreus]

I've gone a million miles With the same crooked smile Home – he has not seen it in over four years. She looks just the same as he remembers, and yet curiously different all at once. The fetid stench of the swamp still burns his nose in the most abhorrent way, the humidity still clings to his skin like a virus he can’t shake, especially with summer’s unreasonably high temperatures. His hooves threaten to sink into the soupy mud beneath him if he stands for too long, and so he presses on through the densely wooded area, the fog of the early morning making way for the crimson figure. Eerie eyes of gold and black shift as they search, straining through the veil of fog for the things he remembers, for the things he knows must still be there; the symbols etched scrupulously into the bark of an old tree, painted crudely across the rocks, even the old trails he remembers using during his adolescence. Tinea Swamp was a place he had frequented during his time spent here many moons ago, for it had boasted many of the ingredients required for his teachings at the hospital as well as his personal research. He’d passed those old Ilati symbols countless times before, had witnessed some of their creation, so why can’t he find them now? They’re there, he’s sure, even though he struggles to find them now – perhaps the poison had tainted more than just his appearance. Briefly, he stops at the water’s edge. Despite the intense fumes constantly rising up and wafting into his face, Atreus looks down into the depths which are far clearer than one might expect from a swampy bog. Where one’s eyes might narrow at the sight of his reflection, his is unchanging, taking in the differences both subtle and obvious between now and then. Much has happened in the span of his nearly five year absence, and idly he wonders if he’ll recognize anyone, if anyone that continued to reside in Terrastella will recognize him. Truly, the half-blood doesn’t care either way – he’s merely curious – and after another moment of silent pondering, he abandons the musty pool behind him and heads south with the citadel on his mind. ooc - Come and say hello to the Ilati poison master!! :D First posts with new characters are the literal worst - bear with me! <3 And I always give you all you need But I can see that you're dancing with the devil

[Fiona]

Fiona moved carefully through the swamp, attempting to keep to the drier portions of land covered by moss and other greenery. She never strayed very far in, never one too interested in exploration or getting lost in the darkness deep within the trees where it was rumored that creatures lived to tempt the unsuspecting to their deaths. Although she wasn’t sure she quite believed it, she supposed anything was possible.

The reason the lilac girl was in the Tinea in the first place was for flowers, of course. It was a pastime she enjoyed, cataloguing and pressing flowers. So, as Fiona walked her bright eyes weaved back and forth across the ground searching for a particular flower, vibrant and violet in color. She’d only seen it once, on a trip with her father a few weeks before he passed, but she longed to find it again ever since. Perhaps this summer would be her chance.

It was humid and there was a buzzing in the air, but other than that it was relatively silent. Many might find Tinea unsettling, but Fiona happened to think it was peaceful. She enjoyed the quiet, the time to herself, and her search for flowers in the wilds of Terrastella gave her a chance to escape the rush of the court.

Perhaps not ironically at all, she spied movement in the distance and realized she was not alone. From this distance Fiona couldn’t tell if it was someone she knew already or perhaps even a newcomer to dusk. Curiosity getting the best of her, the lavender girl made her way toward the stranger wearing a smile, her thick braids swaying slightly with her movement. A little company never hurt anyone, did it?

@Atreus have a silent hello in the form of a smile

[Atreus]

I've gone a million miles With the same crooked smile He wouldn’t make it far before a noise from behind halted him in his tracks. The way he turns to face whoever, or whatever it was is borderline lazy, as though the roan harbors not an ounce of fear for these swamps. His expression, however, comes to life from the moment his unearthly gaze reaches his newfound company. No specter of the wilds is she, no kelpie nor even a bog titan, as unfortunate the fact is – he had been hoping for a warm welcome home, after all. Rather, she is a lady of pale lavender and ivory splashes with eyes that glow gently with mirth. It’s nearly comical, just how out of place she seems against the backdrop of the swamp, a gleaming light against the horrors of the night. She isn’t familiar to him, and he would assume her heritage doesn’t extend to the Ilati by her looks as well as her approach alone. Perhaps she is simply a woman of Terrastella, joining her ranks during his absence? A charming smile curls the corners of his dark lips upwards and light up his features, a stark contrast to its appearance just moments prior. “What a pleasant surprise,” he said in way of greeting, the words falling from a well-practiced, urbane tone. At his sides, wings of carmine and alabaster rise ever so slightly in a fashion similar to a man tipping his hat. “I was beginning to think this cesspool of leeches and murky water was lacking of any beauty whatsoever – but it occurs to me that I may have been incorrect in my thinking.” Atreus pauses then, regarding the woman with a nearly eager look as he awaits her reply. Would he be correct in his earlier assumptions, or would he find himself once again wrong? And I always give you all you need But I can see that you're dancing with the devil

[Fiona]

Fiona recognized the moment he noticed that she was there, not that it would be difficult for she knew that she stood out greatly among the dark greens and browns of the swamp. As she neared closer to him she could see that indeed he was unfamiliar to her. A newcomer? That she could not guess from simply looking at him, for the girl was not that well versed in all the members of the court, all those who called Terrastella home.

He smiled, and her own brightened as though given life by the cheerful expression, the charming words. The man’s compliments brought a rush of warmth to Fiona’s cheeks and could she laugh no doubt a self conscious giggle would have escaped her. As it were, she merely averted her gaze, her expression modest. She was not uncomfortable with the praise but unused to it. Knowing he would expect some response, she rustled through a small bag slung over her back for her notepad and pen, drawing it out before her as she began to write.

You’re too kind. The script was fine and while not expressly curling or fanciful, had a certain delicate quality to it. My name is Fiona, I was born mute. She got the explanation out of the way quickly, knowing it usually made the conversation easier. More yes or no questions, less things requiring lengthy responses on her end. Though she enjoyed getting to know others, overcoming her speechlessness was certainly a hurdle at times. It had been especially hard in the beginning, but had grown easier over time.

It is a pleasure to meet you. Fiona offered him another smile, allowing the pad to hover between them where he could read it. Oh she would love to ask him many questions, but thought perhaps it was best to let him get an idea of what a conversation with her was like. She tried to be very considerate of how those who were not accustomed to her way of communicating might react. It was a thing of irony that she would be so forgiving when so many had shunned her in her youth for the fact that she could not speak. She had never known how to hold a grudge.

@Atreus c:

[Atreus]

I've gone a million miles With the same crooked smile She looks borderline bashful in the wake of his words. The man’s own grin lengthened and as anyone might, he expects an immediate response to them – however, it doesn’t come. His brows furrow and dark lips draw back questioningly, taut with mild confusion as the silence lingers. Already his expeditious mind has set to prepare a response of his own, when suddenly the girl produces a notebook from a small satchel hanging from her side. Curious, indeed, but Atreus waited patiently as she penned the words that, unbeknownst to him, she could not speak. ’My name is Fiona,’ came the beginning of her written response when it was presented, ’I was born mute.’ His eyes, rotten black and purest gold, flash with realization as he reads on. ’It is a pleasure to meet you.’ Despite his innumerable ventures, Atreus failed to recall a time when he had come across somebody who was mute. He couldn’t imagine a life like that – his own voice was a favorite thing of his, after all – but it was no matter. ”Oh, but the pleasure is all mine, Lady Fiona.” The words are insistent, sumptuous in the way they roll off his silvered tongue, ”You are a light within this dismal place, certainly.” In the back of his corrupted mind, a part of him is disappointed; these swamps that had once welcomed him so warmly now seem void of the alluring group he’d once loosely considered family, and it had been one of them he’d hoped to be greeted by, and he greatly doubts the lavender mare to be affiliated with them in any manner. Still, as lovely as Fiona’s darling smile is, even if she cannot speak from it, perhaps she can help shed some light as to what has happened in the span of the past four years in time. Then, his eyes settle on the flowers in the equally colorful girl’s possession. With an experienced eye he looks them over – rose pogonias, narrowleaf sunflowers, and what appears to be blue flag irises – and he hums with genuine curiosity beneath his breath. ”That’s quite the collection you have there. Picking them for a friend?” He pauses momentarily, allowing her the opportunity to respond either by action or another written message before continuing, begging the real question. ”Or, perhaps you might be one of the grand healers hailing from fair Terrastella?” And I always give you all you need But I can see that you're dancing with the devil

@Fiona c:

[Fiona]

She admired his patience with her, as he read the words she had written down. His voice was smooth and lavish in its resonance, and she again found a blush rising too her cheeks at his compliments. If she could have hidden beneath her hair, she would have, but it was tied back and away from her face in braids, exposing her bashful, gentle emotions to the world. She blinked and dipped her head, a silent, wordless thank you.

Fiona watched the way his eyes took in the flowers she had gathered, and at his inquiry she flipped through a few more pages of her journal, toward the end, and showed it to him. There was a page there, with flowers, brittle and dried, pressed between the pages. The bloom was accompanied by sketches, scribbles of thoughts: where she could find it, what they were good for. As a caretaker, she not only enjoyed searching and collecting flowers, but knowing their uses was important, second nature even, to her.

His next question caught her off guard, and the flower girl’s lavender eyes flickered back and forth as she thought. Then, a word came to mind. A day in this very swamp, with Florentine at the head of a meeting where she spoke of a group who many believed myth, a hospital. She flipped back to an empty page in her journal, and penned the words in delicate script: Ilati.

The girl glanced back up at the man, who she still did not know, and she waited for some reaction, some affirmative that this is what he meant. Florentine, our queen, spoke of them. Of a hospital she wishes to build, believing in the magic of healing the swamp has. I know nothing more, however. She was sorry she could not be of more help. She did not know if the mystical healers still wandered among the swamp and shadows. She could never know that the man in front of her was one, returned home to find his people. Perhaps then, there were others still out here.

@Atreus 

[Atreus]

I've gone a million miles With the same crooked smile While he could only make his best assumption of the things Fiona was trying to convey, the crimson male felt his guess was as good as any when she turned to a page near the end of her booklet and exposed its contents. Flowers, pressed expertly into the pages with various bits of information written beside each petal. It was impressive, really, and Atreus wondered briefly if she might have any connection to the infamous hospital. Did she contribute to the vitally important literature held within its walls? Provide research for students to study? Before much thought could be given to it, however, she reclaimed the notebook and took to writing once more. To be of Ilati blood was not necessarily a good thing. The people of Novus and the lands surrounding had always whispered of them, many spinning tales that may or may not be true, often in the attempt to scare their children into listening or spook their friends in the dark of night. The Ilati weren’t a group that was particularly well understood and definitely not respected by the masses, at least not in Atreus’ experiences. And so, when the lavender girl flipped her notepad around with the name of his family scrawled neatly across one page, Atreus was stupefied. Fiona certainly didn’t look like the typical Ilati type, then yet again, neither did he. He didn’t know of this Florentine, but immediately he found himself intrigued and yearning to change that. ”Most interesting,” he remarked with a hum that was borderline amused, his lips pursed in a thoughtful expression before his eyes of black and gold came to rest entirely on Fiona once more. Then, with his nose he gestured to the south, where he remembered the capitol of Terrastella to be. ”I don’t mean to inconvenience you, dear Fiona, but would you care to escort me back to the capitol? Perhaps you could show me to this Florentine, or regale me with who these Ilati are on our way.” There was so much he had missed, as was bound to happen when he had been absent for just over four years. Perhaps this would be the best way to get a grip on everything he had missed. And I always give you all you need But I can see that you're dancing with the devil

@Fiona I think this is a good stopping point for this thread? :3 Gaah I love miss Fiona so much!

[Fiona]

She could not help but wonder what he thought of her musings and sketches as her notes rested open between them. It was a very dear to her part of her life, and not exactly something she kept a secret but certainly something that brought her happiness and peace, regardless of how she was feeling or what was happening in the world around her. She hadn’t always planned to be a healer as a young girl. In fact, she hadn’t had much of a plan for herself at all, until her father passed. That’s when she decided that she could put her knowledge of flowers, plants and herbs to good use. Everything she had learned, thanks to him. She thought he would be proud.

When she turned the pages back around to scrawl in them once more, the girl’s lavender eyes took in the expression on the man’s face as he read over the words in her book. She did not miss the thoughtfulness in this eyes, the low hum that escaped him as he spoke. Fiona wondered why he had so much interest in these people, the Ilati. She did not know who he was, had never seen him before, and yet he seemed curious. Perhaps, she thought, he had heard rumors? Having never left Terrastella, she had no idea if such rumors even existed.

He met her eyes and gestured in the direction of the court, asking her to accompany him and Fiona could not help but glance back at the flowers she had gathered. The one flower she had come to Tinea to find was still out of her reach. She could have spent another hour out here, searching, hoping to find it. And yet she did not want to disappoint her companion by turning his request down. It would not be kind of her to do so. There were always other days she could return and continue her search and so she looked back and nodded an agreement to go with him. Fiona offered him a smile as she turned and headed out of the swamp, glancing back just to make sure he was indeed coming.

@Atreus works for me! Fiona out <3