[AW] hazy shades of winter [ milena ]

[Solstice]

S O L S T I C E

and at last i see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted

Winter had come to Novus, and with it, a curiosity had risen in Solstice.  She had been here a short while now, and had marveled when summer turned to fall.  The leaves had turned to gold and red, and with them, her heart had become even more free and unburdened.  Gone was the doe-eyed nervousness which always made it seem like the girl was prepared to flee, and in its place there is a quietly blossoming confidence as she begins to know herself, her desires, and her thoughts (now that she was able to have thoughts of her own).

A soft smile teases at her lips as she reaches with wonder toward the silver snowflakes that dusted Delumine’s meadow.  It was so different, she marveled, this world once covered with wildflowers now cloaked in white.  There was a beauty to the winter, Solstice decided, even if it brought a shiver of cold.  She stretches her wings to capture as much sunlight as possible, pastel hued feathers ruffling in the winter’s breeze as they longed to fly – but the mare stayed grounded as she always had, too afraid to leave the earth, wondering all the while if they would be scouring the skies to find her.

She stays for a bit in the wide expanse of meadow, before turning toward the tree line and tracing the path toward the library.  It was a place she went often, and as she ducked beneath the arched boughs, Solstice purrs with contentment, as awestruck now as she had been the first time she’d laid eyes on it.  Books were tucked in the nooks of trees, filling small alcoves and large rooms carved into trees alike.  Solstice weaves in and out of the maze of hidden rooms, gathering her favorite books to read them for what seemed like the thousandth time, humming as she went.

As she bustles from place to place, her stack grows taller and her mind begins to wander to the stories within their pages.  So lost in her thoughts is the girl, that her surroundings seemed to fall away.  She turns, nearly into another patron as a gasp escapes her lips and her stack of books jostles and weaves.  “Omph, sorry!” Solstice offers a sheepish smile with her apology as she blinks at the stranger.  “I really need to watch where I’m going…”

― @Milena

[Milena]

Now close the windows and hush all the fields:
If the trees must, let them silently toss;
No bird is singing now, and if there is,
Be it my loss.

She wanders. It is a new dawn, a new day, and the opportunities stretching before her feel boundless. Though she has been here but a short time, her past already feels so very far away. She wonders, at times, if perhaps this newfound peace and security are too good to be true, if she has dropped her guard too soon, if she will be found and entangled once more in the web of shadow and deceit from whence she came—

But then another day comes, just as it has each morning before, ushering her forward into this new life. She is not without doubts, without fears; after all, she has yet to really find her place in this new land. She has joined the Dawn Court, and she has no reason to regret the decision, but it is all so new. She has a chance to build a new life here, a new self. Who will she be when the curtains fall and the dust settles?

She finds herself, today, in the Library. It is not her first such trip, as she has found that the tomes within feed her battered soul, breathing life back into her weary body. She spends most of her time perusing the history of this land, learning of all that came before in her new home. So, too, does she explore its fables and legends; after all, she is a performer, and what is she without tales to tell?

A gasp interrupts her as she browses for a particular scroll, and as she turns towards its source she notices a stack of items weaving dangerously in the air. Without thinking, she reaches out with a wing, attempting to help their carrier stabilize the precarious pile. “Careful!” she exclaims with a charming laugh, “These will be much better use to you if they aren’t scattered on the floor, won’t they, darling?” She offers a smile, peering around the stack to take in the newcomer. It occurs to her that this is the second equine to literally run into her since her arrival in Novus, and she wonders if perhaps it is a peculiar social greeting in this strange land.

Either way, she is in a fine mood, and it seems a waste to spend the afternoon alone. She gestures towards a nearby pile of blankets and pillows, large enough to accommodate multiple equines comfortably. “If you’d like, you can leave those over there with mine while you look for more. I’d welcome the company.”

Mask Image -- IgnisFatuusII
Poem Excerpt -- Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
@Solstice

[Solstice]

S O L S T I C E

and at last i see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted

If she could blush, Solstice would have turned all the colors of the rosy sunrise, but instead she simply offers the stranger a sheepish smile. It was strange, the way the girl opened up now to strangers, where just months before she would have hidden away from prying eyes. Her tawny gaze roams quickly over Milena, sizing her up with a careful demeanor before determining that she was friendly. It was simply a habit of the once imprisoned mare to gauge her audience, one which had been hard to break even in the safety of Delumine. As they said, you could take a creature from their past environments, but pieces of that life would still linger.

Still, she grew stronger every day, lavishing in the independence that freedom brought. Here, Solstice could come and go at her leisure, could explore the gardens, the library, or even the woods without an escort. It was a strange and wonderful thing, knowing that you could go missing for hours or even days, and only a few would wonder where you’d gone. She loved being anonymous here, left to her own desires, which included pouring over the books in the library, never satisfied with just a few.

She turns toward the gesture of the second mare, grateful for the company as she settles onto a comfortable cushion and begins to leaf through a fairytale. “Thanks!” Her smile is quick and easy, as she blows away a tendril of mane which drapes into her eyes. With wings folded tight, she shifts over slightly to allow the second mare a seat, before questioning her further. “It’s been quiet in the library for some time… are you new to Delumine?”

It seemed a strange question to ask, for not long ago, Solstice could have easily been counted the newest to arrive here. But now, she was beginning to feel like she belonged in this wild place, with its verdant green and lavish gardens. While she didn’t have a purpose here yet, she had begun to make friends and know her way around. “I’m Solstice,” She gives the name easily now, it sounding less like a burden and more like a choice these days. “Tell me, what sorts of books are you reading today?” Her curiosity never wanes as she watches Milena, eager to learn more of the stranger and her past, and eager still to keep the conversation light and away from her own colored past.

― @Milena

OOC: sorry for the delay, been really sick the last few weeks and haven't had much time to do much outside of sleeping