’Solis help me, I’m lost’, she prayed silently, dark eyes scanning the endless sea of sand for anything. A rock, a bit of brush, the trail left by a lizard in the scorching landscape… Anything to give her context as she trudged exhaustedly across the rolling dunes. When she had first left out from her home, not a few days prior, the world had seemed wide and open- an adventure waiting to be had. Quill had never thought that the adventure would be so terrifying. She had anticipated some time on her own, her herd lived so separately from other groups that she knew it would be quite a while before she saw another face, but this… the sand that stretched to the horizon with no end in sight was something she had not anticipated. Even as each step away from her clan had seen the fauna grow sparser, she had not considered the implications, and she had stepped boldly onwards until she found herself here.
“Mighty… Mighty Solis...” she intoned lowly, her dehydrated mind struggling to recall the prayer she had recited daily since the day she could talk. Her voice sputtered out and she tried again, focusing as hard as she could. “Mighty Solis, high in the sky, revered be your light. May my hooves always follow your rays upon the path of righteousness. Forgive me for my sins should I ever step towards darkness and let your warmth guide me home. I am your child, shepherd me into the sun, and I will sing your glories for time eternal.” The gospel gave her some small amount of comfort as she continued to trudge onwards. It held no real physical power, but it was a strong reminder of the unity of her religious sect. After all, she was not the first to leave her clan. Each horse in the herd had passed the coming of age trial and returned stronger and wiser; surely some of them had passed through this very desert, felt this same blinding heat, and lived to tell the tale.
With a renewed sense of purpose and belonging, Quill lifted her head and looked into the distance. Somewhere on the horizon, there was a glimmer. A mirage? She squinted her eyes. Perhaps… but she was not so certain. And, even if it was, what other point of reference did she have? The sands still continued endlessly on every side, ripples in the dunes mimicking the variegated surface of lake water on a windy day. Water… Mighty Solis she missed water. Mirage or not, she had to try. Lifting her head, she forced her body to speed up, her head bobbing gently as she gaited through the sands. If the shimmering wasn’t water, perhaps it would be something else that could guide her. While Quill knew that only she was the guardian of her own actions, she had to trust that Solis would give her the opportunity to do well. He would not have led her to the desert if there was no escape, she only had to find it.
It wasn’t very often that Roshan found himself out among the perpetually changing dunes of the Mors Desert. He tended to stay within the Day Court proper, knowing that his skills were put to much better use on the dusty streets that he had grown up on and so intimately knew. Out here, in this barren wasteland? There was nothing. Occasionally there were troupes of wandering traders, or the occasional lost vagabond, but hardly was it worth his time. If he did snag something precious from them, where the hell would he go to escape? There was nowhere around to hide.
So, the thief kept himself within the Solterra capitol, knowing that no coin could be made out here. It raised the good question as to why, exactly, he was there now? Roshan had no answer.
Despite it being autumn, the Mors Desert rarely changed. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. When all of Novus had been wracked with turmoil and divine destruction, the desert had been a vast tundra in subzero temperatures, stricken by snow and ice. It was back to its happy, burn-your-ass-off heat, which suited him just fine. Roshan much preferred the heat than the cold anyway.
Letting his wings carry him along the hot air, the young stallion scanned the passing sand racing by meters below. Mahogany eyes darted to and fro searching for anything of interest, anything that might be worth something back in the black markets, but so far his search had come up empty. The canteen of water bounced and smacked against his chest with every shift or sweeping motion that his wings made, the strap tight yet secure around his neck and shoulders. Bandit glided along at Roshan’s side, the ferret-dragon flying along without a care in the world, happy to be out and about. At least, until he spotted something that Roshan so carelessly missed.
Look! Look there! The ferret-dragon cried, spinning about to try and guide Roshan on towards whatever he had found. There, in the sand!
“What the…?” Down below and in front of him, perhaps half a mile or so, was an equine. They seemed to be trudging through the sands, pulling themselves along the dunes at a pace befitting a creature of pure exhaustion. It was a motion of travel that he had seen quite often when individuals tended to cross the desert without experience. His ears swiveled forward, one brown and one white, as he watched the unknown equine for a few moments, before letting out a rough breath. Glancing to Bandit, Roshan rolled his eyes, not missing the eager, near-pleading way that the ferret-dragon had been watching him. “Fuck. Fine, Bandit. Fine.”
Tucking his wings, Roshan dipped down to begin the descent. Together both he and Bandit dropped from the air, gradually going to make a landing only a few paces in front of the weary figure. As they grew closer, he could better make out their appearance. While soaked with sweat and covered with dust, sand, and grime, the equine seemed dark in coloration, and with a squint of the eyes he wondered if their coat was plain, or held some kind of accent to it. Dapples, maybe? It was hard to tell. Their hair was a mess from the elements, but the fatigue that they carried was the most obvious thing.
“Excuse me?” He called out just before landing, letting his hooves dig into the sand and kick up fine granules all over the place, trotting to a halt as his wings folded back and pressed against his sides. “Uh. Are you lost? Do you need help?”
In thinking of her sect, in reminding herself that she had to be smart enough to see the path that Solis laid out for her, it was not lost on Quill that not all of the young had returned from their coming of age trial. Most- almost all of them- had, but a few had never come home. The speakers and the elders had explained the few losses with practiced, tempered sorrow. It was simple- those who did not return had displeased Solis. They had not been strong enough in their faith, they had not seen the gifts the mighty god had gifted them, or they had simply strayed too far from his path. For a few minutes Quill also had to wonder, had she already missed his gift? Was she going to be one of the ones destined to never return? For only a second, she believed it was true. Then, he arrived.
He alarmed her at first. She had expected Solis’ salvation to be something more subtle, something she would have to be clever to find. Her eyes widened, brow lifting, and she halted suddenly. The little dust she kicked up really couldn't have made her much grimier anyways. If she had any doubt that he was her sign from Solis, she had only to look at his shoulder. The sun stamped there, gold against his mottled brown hide, was so obvious… “Praise be to Solis, you are my savior,” she murmured in first response to the stallion's words.
Taking a moment then to really clear her head of distractions, Quill looked the pegasus over. Wings… she had seen them once or twice in her day. Not often, mostly traders. They were not thought of as particularly sinful, the genetics simply didn't run in her herd. They were rather flashy, though. As for the ferret-dragon… that was something that was entirely new to her. Many of her herd mates had been gifted with companions, but all of them ordinary creatures. Like magic, mythical creatures were considered to be a gateway to greed and power-lust. Was this a test, then? Was there something here she was missing?
“I'm very lost, I'm afraid. You couldn't have found me at a more opportune moment.” Her voice was soft from exhaustion, but there was still plenty of kindness in her words. “Would you be able to guide me to water? It's only been hours but I feel like I haven't had a drink for days.” Almost as an afterthought, she decided to comment on his marking. She still wasn't sure what to make of his companion and so on that point she remained silent. “Solis has blessed you,” she said with a nod towards his shoulder. “I hope someday I can be so lucky. May I ask…?” She trailed off, addled brain struggling to decide if she was being too intrusive, the finest traces of a smile lifting at the corners of her mouth.
The reception that he received from the wandering female was not what he had been expecting, not really. Yeah, he supposed that it kind of sucked to be wandering around the Mors Desert and not know which way was the right way to go, but he definitely didn’t anticipate her to thank Solis for his sudden arrival. That was definitely a new one. Arching a brow, the paint stud tilted his head and regarded her with a curious mahogany stare.
“Uh. Sure.” What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Roshan had never been a particularly religious fellow. Of course he knew that the gods existed. He had seen Solis with his very own eyes charging through Solterra and rounding up the citizens to hunting for magic snow-elk, he knew the god existed… But that didn’t mean he had to worship them. Still, the young thief held his tongue, letting the woman take her time, catch her breath, and form her own speculations.
Eventually the words came, a meager explanation in what he was certain was a much larger picture. She was lost, just as he had presumed. At the mention of water, Roshan shrugged a shoulder, letting the straps of the canteen rub against his skin as the bottle itself bounced a little against his chest. It was only her following choice of words that stopped him from offering it to her then and there.
’Solis has blessed you.’ A single nod from the sweat-streaked, dust-coated woman. ’I hope someday to be so lucky. May I ask…?’
Mahogany eyes stared, his earnest expression growing far more closed off. Oh, his mark had nothing to do with the patron deity of Solterra. Honestly, he didn’t know what it was or what it meant, but the young street rat had carried the brand of the sun on his breast since the day he was born. “You can ask, but I think you’ll be disappointed by the answer. I haven’t been blessed by Solis. I was born with his mark. I couldn’t tell you what it means.” If it meant anything at all. Still… His mother’s dying words rang momentarily in his ears, reminding him to always cover the sun upon his chest. No one could see it.
Oopsies.
Hoping to move the conversation from something potentially unsettling, he made a vague motion towards the canteen he still held. “Here. You can have this. No offense, miss, but you look like you need it.” A bath probably wouldn’t hurt, either, but one step at a time. Twisting his neck enough to grasp the strap in his teeth, he pulled the canteen over his head and opened up the stopper with the assistance of his limited telekinesis. Stepping through the sun-bright sand, Roshan shifted closer and offered out the canteen with his telekinetic ability.
Normally he wasn’t so giving, but he had a soft spot for strays and people who were down on their luck. This woman was no exception to that, even if she was a bit nosy. Ah, well. Maybe she didn’t know any better. Waiting for her to take it, Roshan went on.
“I’m Roshan. This here is Bandit.” He paused and motioned towards the curious ferret-dragon with a flick of a wing. “He found you. So, ah... Where are you heading?”
Quill never knew her tongue could feel so dry and swollen. She was young, she had always been cared for, she had always had food to eat and water to drink. She had not yet experienced the gnawing hunger that came when food was scarce, or way your cheeks stick to your teeth when everything in your mouth is dry and tacky from dehydration. Or at least, she had not until today. It seemed this stepping out journey was not just a mental test, but also a physical one, and as the stallion shifted his shoulder (was that the gentle sloshing of water she heard from within the canteen?) she could not help but let her eyes wander...
She did not allow herself to be distracted for long, though, he was speaking again. Her eyes drifted lazily back up to his and she noticed that he looked different now, more distant perhaps… had she done something? His words explained. Some of the other members of her herd might have responded with something profound- Many blessings come in disguise, or Solis does not have to be flashy to be present, or something similar. She had a different style, though, and pushing this stallion didn’t seem to be the right response. She simply nodded understanding. Time and patience were so often better teachers than force, and for now she had plenty of the first two.
Then the sloshing water caught her attention again, the paint indicating that the canteen was decidedly the source of the sound. His offer was kinder than she could have hoped for and she stepped forward a step as he reached down to grab the bottle. Except she stopped short, and suddenly, ears pricking forward and her head lifting. Magic. She was suddenly stuck in an impossible situation, a paradox between her spiritual and physical needs, staring at the canteen as the stopper was removed and the container hovered gently in the air.
“I… I…” she stuttered stupidly, her mind trying to process too many thoughts all at once. She was dehydrated, she needed water, but every atom her in her body told her to stay away from magic. One use, one moment of letting her guard down, would lead to others. I’ll use it just this once, never again. Right. And then, what… the next time she was a little thirsty it was ok, and the next time she just wanted a drink it was no big deal, and pretty soon she would be walking around willy-nilly, using magic for every little mundane task, greedy for the power it gave her, lusting after attention from others who were impressed with her abilities?
No, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t… could she? Her dry tongue itched for the water hanging there, sliding around inside of her mouth, begging for the relief it would bring, raging inside her mouth that she would die without it. Well, probably not die, not yet anyways… she would suffer, but she would get better. This was a test. This was Solis showing her the evils of the world, giving her a choice- stay true to herself and her morals, or give in so readily to the temptations of the world. She had to stay strong. Her elders, her parents, her herd… there would be days or weeks of silence if she gave in now and reported it, and she certainly would have to report it…
His next words drew her frozen mind back from its processing. “Quill,” she responded softly, brow furrowed in confusion. “I go by Quill. It’s a pleasure to meet you Roshan and Bandit.” Her eyes drifted back to the canteen just briefly before returning to Roshan’s face. “I couldn’t take your water, I’m not that bad off, and besides, I really need a good cleaning,” she said with a gentle laugh, the sound a little strained, her body still yearning for that sweet, sweet liquid. “I was trying to find some sort of watering hole anyways, perhaps you could take me to one, I could get a drink without wasting your supplies…” The excuse was a weak one at best, if she drank his water they could simply refill it at the watering hole she was requesting, but… she was finding that she wasn’t all that quick on her toes right now.
She shifted uneasily on her toes and began to walk past him, hoping he would turn and follow, not question her. Her faith was strong in her own head, but out loud… Out loud she was afraid that she was fall prey to her baser desires. Solis forgive me, I am weak, she sighed to herself. A truly strong individual would be able to say aloud that magic was not to be touched, something that existed but that only served the desires of humans and not the gods. She was not that horse, not yet… “My herd sends their young on a coming of age trial. This is mine. I have no physical destination, I am simply to go into the world and see what is out here, and return when I feel I have learned l enough to help me better serve the group. I think I have a lot to learn…”
@Roshan - No worries at all, take all the time you need, you just happened to catch me on a couple of free days last week. Sorry for the wordiness, first time I get to explore Quill meeting magic, I had a lot to think about, haha. Definitely don’t feel obligated to match.
03-03-2019, 12:49 PM
Played by
Sparrow [PM] Posts: 15 — Threads: 2 Signos: 10
Roshan really wasn’t expecting her to turn down his offer. Who in their right mind would turn down a canteen of fresh, clean, cool water when they had been wandering lost amidst the desert? It was nigh unbearable, he knew. Well, he didn’t really know, never having experienced such a thing before, but the young thief had heard many tales of wanderers and vagabonds who had gotten lost in the maze that was the Mors desert. Some were found, delirious from thirst, dehydration, and heat stroke. Most were unable to be saved… But not all.
It was foolish to head off into the Mors without some sense of direction, but Roshan wouldn’t be too rude and tell Quill that. Quill. That was her name. He accepted her introduction of her name with a nod of his head, quirking an ear in her direction. It was with a profound sense of confusion and surprise that he watched Quill turn, her sweat-slick body glistening beneath the bright, relentless rays of the sun, and begin to walk off in another direction.
She was… Out here, for some kind of spiritual and physical journey? The confusion was blatant on his face, Roshan knew, his jaw slack and lips parted, watching with wide mahogany eyes and pinched brows. He took a step after her, still holding the canteen and not yet bothering to wrap it back around her head.
“Wait,” he called, kicking up sand as he trotted after her to cross the short strides already lost within his shocked stupor, “Quill, right? You said your name was Quill?” What was he doing? What did he care if she wanted to just walk off back into the desert and get lost once more? Maybe various scouting parties would find her days from now, a dehydrated husk picked clean by the vultures of the area. Did she want that? It wasn’t his job to pick up stragglers… And yet something in his chest, in his heart, tugged him after her.
Falling into step just behind her, Roshan called out. “Listen, Quill. If you won’t take this water, at least let me guide you to the oasis. It’s relatively close. You can get water to drink and then get all dolled up, or… Whatever it is that women do.” He, honestly, had no idea. His only experience with the other sex had been with Vendetta, and she was definitely something else.
Bandit fluttered after them, curiously gliding through the air and turning his head to get a good look at Quill. The ferret-dragon was just as confused as his bond-mate, but far more curious. Then again, his mixed species were made up of two vastly inquisitive creatures, so this behavior was only natural. With a snap of his wings, Bandit’s small body lifted up and into the air once more only to spiral down and land with outstretched legs upon Roshan’s brow, his fore-limbs dangling in front of his bond-mate’s face.
Letting out a breath, the painted thief frowned. His hooves guided him through the sands, widening his strides to try and stay in-step with Quill. It wasn’t too hard, given her certainly exhausted state and the sun that beat down mercilessly upon them both. To Roshan, however, he hardly spared it a second glance. It didn’t take long to get accustomed to this kind of heat. Curiosity got the best of him at last and he was helpless not to ask. “... So. Your herd sends their young out into the middle of the desert to potentially die? Isn’t that, I don’t know… Disconcerting?”
Then, just because he was oddly compelled to act, the young stallion outstretched one of his wings and did his best to hold it aloft over Quill’s sweat-soaked, dappled body, hoping to provide her with at least a little bit of shade. He did not even try and meet her gaze as he did so, instead focusing on the path ahead and looking for the tell tale landmarks that would lead them towards the Oasis.
