[AW] welcome to a new age

[Rhone]

He stands in the sea, the waves crashing against his chest. It makes him feel alive and there is a sort of calling that he cannot deny from the water. Something calls to him, it beckons him to step further into the sea so the current might take him out to sea. If he were having depressive thoughts, he might have headed the calling of the sea. But Rhone does not wish to die today. He wishes for life and purpose. He wants to learn more about this new place – Novus. It’s a strange and interesting place, one that he wishes he could understand. It would take time, he supposed.

There’s a sound that echos behind him and Rhone flicks his ears to capture the sound. Perhaps it is just the echo of the sea against the wall of rocks to his back. Perhaps, even it’s the sound of another coming to make sure that he is quite alright. Or just maybe, it is someone who wishes to die…someone that he is here to save.

Slowly his body turns towards the shore, his eyes searching for the source of the noise. He doesn’t find anyone lurking there, starting at him or watching him from afar. Instead, he is greeted by a seagull who sits on a rock, the bird’s eyes watching him as if he’s trying to predict where the stallion will go next.

Rhone offers the bird a smile as the bird takes flight and flies away. He remembers Ariannah and her affinity for the air. He remembers watching her fly above him in the Northern Kingdom of Hoof Prince. He remembers he love he had for her…and the pain he felt when she left.

But Rhone does not let these thoughts dampen his mood. Instead he takes a step forward, closing the distance between himself and the shore until the water rest just above his hocks. Tail flicks at the sea water, the spray entering his eyes and making them burn. He blinks once or twice, his breath exhaled in a sigh. Still no one awaits him on the shore.

[Erd]

ERD

They had yet to truly return to Terrastella since the floods and the resulting evacuations. Honestly, they hadn’t been certain if they wanted to. The days’ outing to the sea and the corresponding shoreline was as close as they had come to returning to the Dusk Court, and Erd knew that they both were feeling anxious.

Denocte had become some mockery of a home for them, a reluctant place to rest their heads in seclusion. He and Ard had remained ostracized among the court full of stars and moonlight, preferring the company of one another over continuing to attempt to get to know the other members of the Night Court. Every other attempt had ended in failure, and Erd knew that while he wanted to continue to try and get to know the creatures that called Denocte home, Ard had had enough.

’Let’s just leave,’ his brother had whispered to him, huddled close through the long winter, then a grueling spring, repeated again even beyond summer as autumns’ cold kiss began to grace the breezy mornings, ’It can be just the two of us, Erd. We don’t need them.’ He hadn’t said it out loud, but Erd had understood what his twin brother meant; they did not need anyone, and they did not need a Court. They had survived with only one another so far, hadn’t they?

Despite their uncertainties and warring hearts, Erd somehow convinced his brother to take a day trip to the ocean for some fresh air. Maybe being so close to Terrastella would stir the desire to return. Maybe they would encounter someone that they knew. Regardless of what could be, the silvered warlocks donned their black cloaks and cowls, took to the skies, and arrived upon the soft sands of the Terminus Sea in good time.

Salt and brine carried on the breeze and caught his nose as he traipsed through the sand at a leisurely walk, hood and cowl down to rest warmly against his chest, Ard at his other side facing inland. Taupe and silver hair danced with the ocean wind, turquoise eyes peering through to spot a single figure heaving himself from the churning waves and back towards land. The figure was a darkly colored bay fellow that Erd could not recognize, his scent foreign as it mingled upon salt and sunlight. Knowing that it would be no time at all for the stranger to spot them, if he hadn’t already, the petite warlock grinned ruefully from his spot beside his twin and called out a placid greeting, his voice carrying easily.

“A good day for a swim, huh?”

[Ard]

ARD

Ard did not want to go to the beach, but he also didn’t want to stay in Denocte. He just wanted to leave, but Erd, his terrible, stubborn, beautiful brother would not let him. Some would say that their level of codependency was unhealthy. Ard would tell them to ‘fuck off’, if not for the fact that he loathed talking to anyone that wasn’t his brother.

So, instead of putting up much of an argument, he had agreed to come to the beach if only for a few hours. Anything to see Erd’s face light up in joy. Lately, they’d had very little to be joyful about, what with leaving their home behind and essentially living as a refugee in a Court that was not their own. As the seasons had changed, however, and loneliness once more became their constant ally in Denocte, Ard had begun to think that maybe court-life did not suit them at all. Terrastella, Denocte… It did not matter.

Maybe they would do better on their own? Court-life required leadership, required everyone to pull their own weight, and Ard did not enjoy pulling the weight of others, Halcyon unit or not. He was the selfish one, focused only on he and his brother above all else, and if it were not for the very real fact of ‘safety in numbers’, Ard would have taken Erd away from the Courts to live their own lives elsewhere. The thought was tempting, and definitely not one that would leave him be any time soon.

Casting all thoughts of going rogue aside for the time being, the young warlock accompanied his identical twin brother towards the Terminus Sea. They landed gracefully in the sand, kicking up granules as white wings were pulled in close to their sides. Ard’s turquoise eyes scanned their surroundings, admiring the churning blues of the ocean, the peaceful tranquility of the skies, and the fresh scent of salt on the breeze. It was quiet save for the sound of the crashing waves and the occasional avian chirping overhead, and ever so slowly the tension in his petite frame began to loosen.

Nothing here would harm them. Not today at least.

Exchanging a look with his brother and allowing his own hood and cowl to drop down to rest upon his chest and around his neck, Ard fell into step with his twin. He focused on breathing, absorbing the sensation of the sand beneath his weight shift and give way. It was relaxing, and occasionally he would reach over and bump his muzzle against his brother’s shoulder, his troubled heart growing peaceful every time that Erd would turn his head and give him that dazzling smile.

This was what he wanted. Just them against the world… If only he could make Erd understand.

The peace did not last for long, unfortunately. Erd stopped, and as though pulled by an invisible cord linked only between the two of them, Ard did as well, hooves digging into the sand. His eyes followed his brother’s gaze, narrowing as pierced ears tipped backwards in displeasure. Wonderful. A dark bay stallion was currently drawing himself from the churning waves, seeming unperturbed by the buffeting force of the ocean. Already knowing that his brother would call out a greeting, Ard held his tongue, slunk closer to his twin’s side so that they were pressed flush together, and sulked.

Wonderful.

@Rhone - Forgive me for the rough quality, I need to get back into posting them.

[Rhone]

The water was cool and soothing. It cooled the heat he felt from Novus, the summer cool and breezy and yet, Rhone almost felt suffocated. He wasn’t sure why he felt the way he did, but he couldn’t help it. Perhaps it was just the anxiety from being in a new home away from those he knew and loved. Perhaps that was what was making him so on edge. He really just needed to settle into some sort of routine and then perhaps he might feel better.

As he’s pulling himself to shore, his eyes once again scan the beach. It’s desolate, except for the two stallions that have joined him. He says nothing at first, preferring to at least get himself out of the water in case these two were not friendly. Rhone had his fair share of welcome aggression (not necessarily here, but he’d experienced it enough to be on guard) and he was not about to enter a fight in water. He would lose.

The first calls out and Rhone can feel the way his lungs heave a steady sigh of relief. It doesn’t appear that these two are here to start a fight, so Rhone offers them both a soft smile as he continues to step out of the crashing waves. "The water feels nice…cold." The cooler temperature of the water had done wonders to make him feel more alive. It had been nice while it lasted, but it was time Rhone came back to reality.

He draws himself forward, towards the two that had graced him with their presence. As he draws nearer to them, he can see that the two are identical to one another – he can only assume the two are twins. Their bond with one another is obvious, the way they stay together, touching each other as if something might tear them apart. For once, Rhone wishes he had such a bond with another.

He pauses several paces from them, wanting to give them both some space. While they did not appear aggressive, one of the twins did seem a little more standoffish than the other. He did not want to ruffle any feathers or make this encounter more stressful that it might already be. "Greetings. My name is Rhone." He offers the two of them a soft smile, his head dipping into a soft nod.

@Erd @Ard

[Erd]

ERD

Watching the stranger halt momentarily at the sound of his voice echoing across the beach then proceed to pull himself the remainder of the way from the churning waves and onto the sandy shoreline, Erd continued to smile boyishly, outwardly appearing completely unbothered by all of this. Oh, he felt Ard shift and press closer to his offside, the down of their wings intermingling, but he refrained from casting a glance towards his twin just yet. For now, the young warlock kept his gaze rooted on the stranger and allowed his grin to grow larger at the much larger man’s words.

“I’ll take your word for it, friend,” he remarked jovially enough, a little pep in his step as he dared venture closer by one single step, ears forward and expression shifting into one of open curiosity, “So long as a big ol’ kraken monster doesn’t come scoop you up.” Did Novus even have monstrous water creatures like krakens and giant octopus here? For a moment, Erd’s expression shifted as he seriously mulled it over, seeming to completely forget that he was in the company of a stranger. Did Novus have krakens? Why had he never seen one? Maybe they were just really good at hiding? Maybe they didn’t eat horses here? Well, okay. In his defense, it wasn’t like they lived in Terrastella for long, but still… Huh. Maybe he’d ask Marisol or Theodosia, the next time they ran into the other members of the Halcyon unit.

The man, with his dark colors stained a deeper, richer earthen variation due to the water still clinging to his skin, seemed to know better than to get too close to the warlocks, and that was probably for the best. Any closer and Erd really didn’t know how Ard might react. Still, it was nice that the unknown fellow seemed keen enough to know to respect their personal space, and that alone was a plus in his opinion. The stranger then introduced himself, saying that his name was ’Rhone’, and Erd gave a polite little nod of his head. Meeting Rhone’s rich brown eyes, the silver warlock’s smile softened. There was something about this man’s eyes, so deep and profound and honest, that instantly put him at ease.

“Good to meet you, Rhone. I’m Erd.” The petite warlock’s grin grew and he tilted his head, motioning with his muzzle towards Ard’s glowering, somewhat standoffish form. “That’s Ard. He doesn’t talk.” It was always better to just be upfront about it, just on the off chance that someone got their ears in a twist, took offense, and copped an attitude in regards to his brother’s selective silence. Rhone didn’t seem like the type to really care about that though, but, well… You could never be completely sure.

“Sorry if we interrupted you or something, Rhone. We were just out for a stroll… Are you, um. Do you live around here? And, I was just kidding. About the kraken, I mean. I don’t think Novus has krakens or other weird tentacle-water monsters. At least I haven’t seen any…”

[Ard]

ARD

Ard watched the stranger approach with a frozen, openly judgmental stare. Turquoise eyes nearly glowed in scorn but he didn’t even attempt to hide the uncouth expression from his face. He wasn’t like his brother. He didn’t enjoy the company of others, friend or otherwise. So far there were only a miniscule, select few individuals within Novus that he could stand to be around for more than five seconds. Marisol, who practically had the same vocabulary as he did, Theodosia, and Erd.

Introductions were made and Ard did not even attempt to speak. He knew that Erd would make introductions for him, and with a grateful sort of silence did he lower his head and press the grey velveteen of his muzzle against his brother’s shoulder. Rhone was the name of the deep bay fellow that they had happened upon, and lifting his head once more, Ard judged him, picking apart every aspect of him that he could find to filter away to use to his advantage later. Rhone was taller than they were, no fucking surprise, and built in a broad, powerful sort of way. He carried himself a little heavy on the front end, and Ard found that he couldn’t differentiate if that was due to an injury, or if it was just how Rhone moved. Regardless, he took note of it, as well as the strange shine of honesty and warmth that seemed to radiate in the bay’s soulful brown eyes. Weird.

Letting up on his examination for the time being, Erd stood idly by as his brother began to go on. Gradually the topic steered from good natured introductions to talk of krakens and tentacle monsters, and with a roll of vivid turquoise eyes, Ard leaned over and shoulder checked his twin with an exasperated expression. Really? Really?

That time, he did scoff, but the sound was rough and could easily be mistaken as a cough. For as smart as Erd could be, with that big, beautiful brain, he could also be unfathomably stupid. Somehow, Ard loved him anyway.

@Rhone

[Rhone]

Rhone was trying his best to be friendly, to show the others of Novus that he was a kind soul and he was not here to start any sort of trouble. Over all, Rhone was a kind soul, one who tries his best to befriend others and help those in need. Being new was always hard and making the very first friend was always the most difficult. Once that first friend is made, the others that follow seemed far easier. Perhaps it was because with one confirmed friend, the other citizens seemed to not ask so many questions and question his motives. After that first friend, it seemed the others appeared more trusting.

The two of them banter about the waves and Rhone cannot help but chuckle as the other male warns him about a Kraken. Rhone has never heard of such a beast, and honestly has no idea what the other is talking about, but he brushes off the uncertainty with a smile. "I have seen no such beast this morning." He offers the other a trusting glance as he looks back to the waves as they crash against the surface of the ocean. Nope. No krakens seen this morning.

As he came to halt in front of the two stallions, his eyes shifted from one and then to the other as he introduced himself. The more outgoing, friendlier (at least in his opinion) of the two then introduces himself as Erd. It was a strange name, a name he had never heard before. But ever the polite fellow, he simply smiles at the other and nods his head with a gentle nod. "It’s a pleasure to you’re your acquaintance, Erd…" He pauses as Erd introduces who he can only assume is the male’s brother. Their appearance is identical and he has a hard time believing that these two are not brothers. "…and Ard." When he hears that the other doesn’t talk, his gaze shifts to him. There’s something about him that tells Rhone that it wasn’t so much that the other didn’t talk, but that he chose not to. That was alright in his book. He wouldn’t pressure him to talk anyway.

But his attention was pulled back to Erd as he begins to speak again. Soft brown eyes are entrapping and they stay focused on the speaking brother. "You’ve not interrupted me. I was just exploring." Exploring, trying to reconnect with his god, something of that sort. Whatever he was doing, it was no problem that he had company. "I recently came to live here, in a place called Terrastella. I must admit I don’t know many others just yet." he had only been here the better part of a day. He’d met these two and he’d met Euryale, but other than that most of those living here were strangers to him.

@Erd @Ard

[Erd]

ERD

With his lips parted and wide, vibrant eyes regarding the stranger, or, Rhone, Erd took a quick glance towards the churning waves of the ocean with a cautionary, somewhat mistrustful stare. If Rhone had seen no tentacle monsters, perhaps his hunch had been right… Maybe Novus didn’t have any krakens or like-species. Then why were they so frequently written about in the books and tomes he had read? Maybe just for the thrill of things.

“Huh. Well, that’s good, then!” The look of concern was quickly replaced by a far more jovial grin, and Erd’s snowy wings fluttered in contentment, the feathers themselves seeming to shiver for a moment before settling down at his side once more. For now he would leave the topic of mythical creatures be, for they had much more important matters to tend to.

There was something about Rhone that Erd found he liked. The deep bay fellow had the size and bulk to be imposing, but the longer they stood upon the beach there in front of him the more Erd found himself believing that Rhone simply wasn’t the type. His expression was open, curious, and earnest, the depths of his eyes warm and genuine. Mistreated as they were in the past, the older warlock liked to believe that he was a pretty good judge of character, and at the moment Rhone was passing with flying colors. At least in his eyes. One glance at Ard told him that his twin was not so convinced, but that was typical of him.

Pale ears flicked forward as he listened, nodding his head when it felt appropriate, and his grin only grew. “Well, now you know two more. Ard and I live in Terrastella, too.” For now, at least. They were still entertaining the idea of leaving the Dusk Court behind in favor of elsewhere, but that wasn’t something they had really talked about quite yet. Later, in privacy, Erd was sure that he and Ard would talk about it in more detail.

In a subtle movement, as though feeling his twin’s tension, Erd stretched his wing out to press the downy feathers of the ventral side of the appendage against Ard’s side. There was a lot he wanted to say, but given their proximity for Rhone, conversation between them could wait. If only there was a way they could speak to one another without actually needing to talk… The tinkerer part of his mind began ruminating on that particular thought, but for now, he offered Rhone an open look and went on.

“It’s a nice place, the Dusk Court… Asterion is a nice King. You’ll like him, I think. Although things are kind of rough right now, so don’t judge it too much on its looks, please? There was some bad flooding a few seasons back and we’re still trying to rebuild.” Apparently there was also some drama with their patron goddess, Vespera, but Erd knew very little about that other than the few muttered words from Theodosia.

@Rhone

[Ard]

ARD

Ard had no problem just hanging back and letting Erd take charge of the conversation. It was what his bother did best, after all, and it wasn’t like he could offer anything of his own in return.

Instead he just watched Rhone with a cautious eye, jaw clenched and muscles tense. Yes, the stallion seemed nice. He seemed innocent enough, warm and genuine in his own way, and Erd seemed to believe his story, but Ard wasn’t so sure. Back in Luminous, he had encountered a lot of people who had seemed friendly at first, but after time had all revealed their true colors, proving to have been greedy, selfish creatures, manipulating others for their own wealth or gain. Who was to say that Rhone would be no different?

So as Erd happily listened and enthusiastically responded to the larger man’s innocent conversations, Ard watched and waited for everything to go south. A touch of his brother’s downy wings against his side, however, proved to soothe the younger warlock’s tension for the time being. Slowly did coiled muscles begin to relax, his frame shifting, and with a flick of his tail did Ard let out a long, measured breath, visibly seeming to unwind. Erd knew him so well.

Turquoise eyes roamed over Rhone’s features, taking important note for a later time. Taller than they were, as everyone on Novus was, he found that he couldn’t place the bay’s breeding. Some kind of stock-type, given his strong build. Not too tall. Mixed, perhaps? The scent he carried was a wild, but calm one, lacking the wild unpredictability some people carried with them. And his voice… His voice was that of a learned fellow, articulate and forward-thinking. Studious, almost. Ard wondered, if only for a moment, what role Rhone would play within Terrastella. Only time would tell.

Who knew if they would be around long enough to see it.

[Rhone]

Rhone enjoyed the company of the two white stallions. They were pleasant and good for conversation (even if Ard wasn’t much of a talker). When Erd mentioned that they were also living in Terrastella, Rhone couldn’t help the way his face lit up with happiness. "I’m pleased to hear!" For so long he had worried that he would not find any friends or that he would end up in a kingdom that was filled with angry or mean individuals. Rhone had his fair share of leading those same sorts of people and quite frankly, he was ready for a change. He just wanted to live out the rest of his days, worry free. At least now he knew he would have a friend. And if the twins chose to leave, Rhone would be sincerely sad.

He was about to ask if they could shed some light on the Dusk Court - about the people there, the king, their values, and other things of the like. But Rhone was pleasantly surprised that he didn’t have to ask those questions, Erd was very eager to answer them without being prompted.

He listened to Erd speak of Asterion, a nice king. Perhaps he would have to meet the king and make his own opinions on the other. But for right now, he had no reason not to trust Erd or Ard, so he would take their word for it. But when they spoke of some bad flooding that had destroyed much of the land’s beauty, Rhone genuinely was saddened by the news. He looked to both twins. "My magic is weak here, but I can make plants grow. Perhaps I can help make Terrastella beautiful again." He would have to do a little at a time, but it could be done.

His eyes shifted to Ard, feeling the way the other studied him. He felt himself stand a little taller, not to try and intimidate the other, but merely to try to make sure that the other’s perceptions of him were good ones. "I promise, I mean no one harm." His words were directed at Ard, knowing that he would not receive a reply. "I’m hoping to live out the rest of my days peacefully. My prime has long past and my mistakes weight heavily upon my shoulders. Novus is a new start for me." A fresh beginning was just what Rhone needed. He was not here to start drama, only to try to leave out his days peacefully.

@Erd @Ard