Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
There was a growing since of familiarity.
It was something she once shared with fellow stars. The ability to recognize a certain shade of yellow, or the certain brightness in the distance. The way they would twinkle at each other in silent laughter, a communication that went deeper than a spoken language. A shared thought, a shared mind, a community that knew each other. She could feel that same camaraderie growing now as she shared time, shared space, shared emotions with this mare, this mare who had given her time, and friendship, and comfort and sympathy and empathy and so much more. It wasn't a gentle placate as she was shoved forward into another cultural event she had no awareness too, no previous knowledge on - no clear understanding of what to expect.
This was different, this was care.
This was a sense of belonging that Veil had been missing since her descent from the skies. She had been noticed, alone and afraid, and instead of walking past, she'd been brought out, she'd been offered comfort, offered kindness, and in return, the star was growing to shine for her new friend. Her heart filling with gratitude and a growing affection as she followed the other as she allowed herself to feel comfortable to lean on another, to trust. It wasn't something she gave easily - but in such a short time, this creature of earth and gold was proving herself worhty.
The star was grateful, truly.
She didn't understand there choice to move though - not aware of the way tides moved, or that the green stuff she was introduced to - why it was important. Why it needed noting. What was it's purpose, what was it's point? Those thoughts died however when she was gifted with the most wonderous thing instead, and in that wonderous gift, the first planes of understanding were planted, a silent awareness of what that first sound followed by the one that trinkled like jewelry from the other's muzzle, her sound, the sound that was as she was. It wasn't a greeting noise as she had thought . . . it was an introduction noise.
But then, how could she replicate.
There was a moment, a hesitation, as the star struggled to figure out how to explain herself, but this time, she pointed to herself, and then to the sky, her gaze on the stars that twinkled down to her, and for that brief moment she felt homesick again - missing being up there, another star in the sky. The other's noises reminded her to pay attention, sensing more empathy, more compassion, and she smiled softly - sadly as her gaze lifted up once more, briefly, before the other spoke again, understanding, and a sense of something . . . something that cooled Veil's heart, and she stepped towards the other.
She hesitated for a moment before she offered a smile.
Galactic dust kicked up briefly around them once more, as her hair was tugged on by the wind. She ignored it, to touch her muzzle down on the other's shoulder, reassuring and solid - a support should the other need it, just as she had been to her so far. The star then stepped closer, breast to breast, as she wrapped her head, her neck around the other in a tight hug, expression that since of friendship in am embrace before stepping back in surprise.
The other's chest thumped.
Veil tilted her head briefly, looking at Jane curiously before seeming to search for permission before touching her chest, the thumping, beating of the heart alive beneath her muzzle. Veil jumped back again, startled before instantly her muzzle was over her chest, the silent stillness of a pulsating star that pulsed on a different wavelength, an energy wave, rather than a physical contraction. The other's heart pumped blood, hers had reactions that fed her energy. The star looked back at the creature curiously, before motioning to her chest in curiosity, wanting to know why she beat, her hoof tapping the heart beat, before touching her own chest and stilling the noise, explaining the difference, wanting to know why, wanting to know what was in her friend's chest. And then her eyes went wide with worry, almost afraid her friend might be hurt because she was making noise with her body too.
Was her new friend okay?
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Jane Notes:: She is having some connections being made now :D
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
Jane had never been good at getting close to people. Even as a child, her mother’s gaze had been empty and cool. The foal version of herself had been the fifth wheel, the hanger on with no purpose in the group. They wouldn’t have even noticed if she disappeared, and she was sure that none of them gave a damn that she had gone.
But this person cared. Jane leaned her body towards the other, constantly sharing her emotions and her care, her sympathy. There was a brightness to the celestial being that seemed to grow from Jane’s affection, and she loved to see it.
There was a hesitation as they left the water’s edge, and Jane didn’t know if that was a desire to remain, or simply a lack of understanding of the danger. Of course, Jane didn’t wholly know if the water was dangerous for the speckled creature. The hesitation lasted but a moment, and was soon swept away by the excitement of Jane revealing her name. What must it mean, for it to be so profound? Surely the creature had a name, even if unpronounceable. But the mare faltered, fell into a silence deeper than that which already lingered, and something akin to shame crossed her face.
But empathy went a long way, and the other offered a smile. Offered, yes, like a gift. Jane accepted it, smiling back, before the other stepped close and touched Jane’s shoulder. The other’s breath was soft and warm, nearly healing. Jane returned a touch to the mare’s withers, before being enveloped in a hug. The height difference made it difficult, but for a moment she felt the deep embrace of the other’s body against her own. It was enough for Jane to notice the stillness of the other’s chest, confirming something she didn’t even know she had suspected. This wasn’t quite a horse. It was in the shape of a horse, but it was something else.
Then the other jolted backwards, apparently startled. Jane was a little stunned by the quick movement and change in mood, but worry soon showed itself on the mare’s face. A gesture to the chest, followed by the tap of the mare’s hooves, and Jane felt herself softening, calming.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Time had a way of passing.
It was always teaching you, sculpting you, molding you as if you were but a clay puppet to be redesigned at time's fancy. It helped you grow and refocused you on the path you were destined for. Each event had a corresponding reaction with in your very design, your very shape. Veil's time hadn't spent around others, however, and so while she had grown patient, growing peaceful, grow lasting - she hadn't grown into a being who knew what to expect with others. She hadn't learned fear, she hadn't learned caution, she hadn't learned that some would want to hurt her, some may want to control her.
It was here that luck favored the star.
Of anyone she could have met, she met a mare who was just as lonely and lost. Who had no desire to hurt the other, to use the innocence and naivety to her favor. She wouldn't exploit Veil's lack of knowledge, and even seemed to hope to teach her more, to ready her for the world. A friend eager to look out for the gentler one. Veil didn't know her story to know this female of earth and gold wouldn't harm her. She could see it in the behaviors, the compassion, the understanding. The gentle sounds and protective gaze - like an older sister watching out for a young foal. Perhaps a fitting association for the young mare. She might be an adult in appearance, but her knowledge was lacking like a foal, a proto-star just gaining it's shine.
She may be wise and aged beyond her years, but not for Novus.
And so this care and compassion she felt, she returned whole heartedly. Unable to express better, no use for words, no knowledge of making sounds in the way of communication - the mare instead shared those emotions on her face, she used her body language to make her point, to show her thoughts, even if words failed. A cruder, more ancient form of communication, yes, but still more than capable based on how well this was going. There were certainly moment of confusion still, but Veil was growing to trust the either . . . and for the star, that meant everything.
It wouldn't be until introductions that she would hesitate again.
It was another reminder of how hard communicating was, how hard not knowing this method of making noises and understanding them were. How was she to tell her calling? This mare had given hers, her sound, the sound that repeated through her mind on a loop. Jane. Jane. Jane. Jane. Jane. Jane. Jane. Like some sort of divine blessing from what ever creature ruled the universe. Every repetition had the sound clearier, more distinct. Jay-nuh. Jay-nuh. Jay-nuh. Juh-ay-nuh. It would be the first steps, that treasured word, to let the mare begin to pick apart sounds, to hear the similar way, to start to learn to repeat, and eventually understand.
Eventually, not today, not tomorrow, but one day.
It didn't help her with her name. But the understanding helped, and as she allowed herself to hug the other, the height difference awkward, but Veil was determined, as she hugged the other, feeling contact with another for the first time, and relishing in it, until she realized the differences, the proof they were similar but not the same, jolting back and worrying about the other. THe odd thumping, the tap to her chest, her expression wide. The other seemed to relax, seemed soft, her sounds were reassuring The first noise was familiar again, the one before her sound had been given. And in that brief moment, it cleared the worry, a new realization struck.
It was an identified.
It's why she had heard it with greetings, with other moments, and in introductions. That sound was an identifier for self. For her, the mare, for the one who spoke. I'm. I'm. Ie-muh. Instead of focusing for longer, she returned to the others talking, of explaining it, something that didn't make sense to the star. So she touched the other's chest, her expression quizzical, stomping her foot a few times and then nodding - before looking towards the other to see if she was correct - that it wan't a problem. She paused then, before she touched her chest, and this time, her muzzle pointed up, directly towards the brightest star, pointing it out, and then once more touching her chest.
Her hoof didn't move.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Jane Notes:: She's picking apart the sounds. I repeat, she's picking apart the sounds. I have a sneaking suspicion Jane will be her first word >.<
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
It was plain to see that the mare was just as naive as Jane, if not more. In many ways she reminded Jane of a foal, although the physical body seemed no more than a year younger. In many ways she actually seemed older, in the air that swept around her and the energy flowed from her body to Jane’s, but there was a complete newness to her that gave her an aspect of immortality. Existing outside of time, or having once done so.
But Jane knew how vulnerable she was. Especially without a common language, or perhaps any language at all, it made it impossible to ask for her needs, to ask for space. Given leave, the world would trample over this mare. Jane thought for a moment of herself; for whom safety had been leverage. At the moment that they deemed her unworthy, they doomed her to a life of nothing.
Protectiveness leaned over Jane and she knew that the safety of this mare was important. It was furthered by the seeming importance and gravity of the situation, but that wasn’t all. It was the recognition, the basal love that fed on Jane’s insides. Even as a child, her mother had never given her much intimacy. There were drips here and there from the queen, but that was an employer’s relationship, viewing her as nothing but a fickle child. They weren’t exactly wrong, all things considered.
There was no thought of pity as Jane watched the other struggle to communicate. If anything, it was fascinating. Communication through a language barrier, imperfect and yet functional. It would be fabulous, Jane thought, to think of how wonderfully this girl learnt. Trust grew in Jane’s chest like a foreign country all on its own.
The anxiety of Jane’s beating heart, even, made Jane pause and smile at the creature. Not simple at all, new connections spilled easily in her mind, suggesting to Jane that it was not a lack of ability that made her unable to speak; but a lack of time. Every minute brought the neurons that fired in the mare’s eyes, a giddy excitement that made Jane feel like she was truly privileged.
There was a realisation in the mare’s eyes, before leaning forward and bumping Jane’s chest. Thump, thump, thump went the beat of her heart, and Jane thought the mare drew a line from her silent chest to great wide space. Hoof unmoving. At that, a few connections assembled themselves in Jane’s mind. Standing in the ocean and gazing at the sky, the longing in her face and the reluctance to leave the beach. The very appearance of cosmic dust that floated along the mare’s body, the element of something so- so not horselike.
Jane swallowed, trying to think of how to explain her realisation. “You’re a star,” she whispered, her voice full with emotion. “A star on earth.”
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Childlike wonder, over every new thing.
It was the best way to describe the joy the young mare felt when face to face with a new discovery, a new surprise. She was older than many things in this galaxy, but to this world, to this body, she was new, she was learning, she was discovering so much. A mare forced to catch up, and holding the drive to do so quickly - a star who wouldn't let her light wane just because she was somewhere new and had challenges at each and every moment of her life. She had been alone for so long, floating through space, a star on the move - shooting across the endless vacuum until gravity had caught her and flung her down to this planet it a cascade of colors, and heat, and PAIN.
It wasn't something she liked to remember.
But it gave her new challenges in life, new things to aspire to, to struggle to learn, to grasp, to attempt to make things out - connect the dots to the puzzle all around her. And the dots were connecting. It was slow at times, struggling to understand when a new thought, a new word was gifted - but others, she could just make out the meaning, just start to grasp what they were trying to say. These moments stuck to her mind, playing them on repeat. Jane twisted her neck a little, so her muzzle bumped her own side. “Jane.” The scene was a constant repeat, Jane twisted her neck a little, so her muzzle bumped her own side. “Jane.”, one that echoed in her mind. "Jane", "I'm Jane", "Grass" Fragile words that with their accompanied clarification, the gentleness of pointing out, the made sense, they connected, they became lodged.
Jane . . . But this word was not a memory.
The first sound echoing through her head, an unfamiliar tone, an unfamiliar noise she hadn't heard yet, but repeating her friends name. Jane. No, not a memory. This was . . this was similar to the sound of her happy sound, of her scared sound. Jane. Yes, this was her sound, her, Veil. Her sound, echoing that word, even as new light came, in the mare realizing her friend had something in the chest that thump, thump, thumped, before gesturing to the sky, to the star, watching her friend as her own mind seemed to connect. The star tilted her head to the side, forelock half obscuring one pink orb, even as the galatic dust floated aimlessly off the threads. Her friend spoke again, and this time, that word RESONATED.
Star. It struck like a cord to her being.
A sound that seemed to immulate everything she knew, the way her friend spoke it, it was what she was. What she was now, not before. In that moment, like a flash from the heavens, three other words appeared, connected to that, a voice, a grand design that had whispered the words even when she'd been in pain, the promise of even in a different shape, she'd remain who she was, Veil Nebula, the Veil Nebula - words gifted to her, in this language the others used, and with a hesitation, Veil reached towards Jane, touching her friend lightly as she had done to herself before, J-jay-ne. The word was halting, but ghosted from her lips - a voice both aged and yet youthful, soft spoken with a lilting, dream-like quality. A voice of wisdom, and peace. Her muzzle dropped to her chest, and then up to the stars, her gaze softening, her expression light as if she was back among the expanse, I . . . s-s-st-tar. This word was more difficult, less practiced in her head. Then those previous words came back. This time her voice didn't falter as the words breathed life into her, a soft touch, a reminder from a creator who had molded her into the new shape, imprinting the words so she'd remember them when she needed them. Everything she was now, everything she had been before, whispered and reassured even when she'd been afraid and lost in that transmutation, that compression, celestial dust turning into bone, muscle and skin, pain, so much pain, those words hard repeated that she would still be her, still be who she was, coaxing it through her head, her voice when those parts had been made - repeating the words to help her through the worst of the pain, having her repeat it back so when the time came, she would know what to say, she would know who she was, she would always remember where she came from, and where she would always belong.
I . . the Veil Nebula.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Jane Notes:: Okay Jane can melt now. And reasonable excuse for Veil having her own name imprinted in her mind GIVEN. Cause you know. Gods are gods, what better excuse.
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
To watch her discover the world was something unto itself. Each new object was something magical to her, things that Jane had long ago stopped considering. Grass was grass, a foodstuff that one ate to survive. Not the tastiest thing in the world. The stars were beautiful but just stars. The water… carried feeling within it, but at the end of the day a puddle on the ground meant only that it had rained recently.
But for this person, newly arrived, the grass on the earth was foreign. Her hooves seemed nearly to push against the earth, expecting for it to release her. Jane found herself wanting to take her home, to show her all the magnificent things that the world had to offer. Jane’s very name was a revelation for the filly, whose eyes seemed to possess depths of emotion that Jane couldn’t conceive of.
When Jane spoke of the stars, the mare seemed almost shocked. Something awoke within her of which Jane was orchestrator. Not sure whether to feel guilty or impressed, Jane watched the knowledge awake inside the mare. Then a sound, stuttering, fighting sound that seemed nearly to claw its way out of the creature’s body. J-jane. It took a moment for Jane to register that it was her name. Then a smile spread across her face so she was beaming. “Yes! That’s me!"
I… the Veil Nebula.
Against the true groundbreaking nature of it all, Jane was simply aware of the gratitude of being given another’s name. “Hello, Veil. It’s nice to meet you.” She nodded her head in greeting.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Each moment spent was a moment of learning.
New connections between sounds and meaning. New awareness for this very world. New everything in all aspects of the word. Small things others over looked, Veil saw for the first time, even if she still didn'tt understand the use of any of it just yet. THe grass was grass now, the sound melodic in her head, elongated like a whisper in the wind. But it didn't tell her the greenery was for eating, a foreign concept to one who had never had to eat before.
Everything was foreign, and most of it she had nothing to compare it to.
The very aspect of being on the rock she had crashed on was new, having spent her time previously from one point in space to the next, traveling as a shooting star, borrowing a gravity pull from a gravity pull to carry her further and further still. Seeing different constellations up close, learning to songs of the stars, having a place in their rudimentary lives. She was a star, even now, having fallen and held trapped by another's gravity field, she was still a star, and as such, she was still learning.
And she was embracing every moment of it too.
The very title of this other creature, the creature of soil and gold, who had taken the time to befriend her was the most important connection she could make, and that name was repeated, until finally she struggled, but she said it, and watching the smile stretch across her new friend's face was enlightening - to know she had done it right. But the steps couldn't stop, not with that second name, that had been repeated over the hundred of thousands of years that she was painfully crafted. The sentence structure may have been halting . . but who she was, who she had been, it was not. She heard part of it parroted back, with a greeting sound first, and she blinked at the shortened version before smiling at the other. She ignored the nod, her emotions to great.
Instead she pressed her cheek against Jane's in unspoken gratitude.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Jane Notes:: I love this T.T
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
Jane beamed, watching the knowledge seep into Veil like a sponge. Wonder and majesty intermixed with her celestial form. The two of them were so different in their forms, earth and space combined on this one surface overlooking the ocean. Halfway between land and sky and sea, in the distance Jane could hear the rumours of the waves and the lives within them. Perhaps Bel was somewhere in those waters, yet another piece in the puzzle that was this continuum of elements.
But one thing united them, and that was that they were both alone. Both lost. Jane had nothing to go home to, and Veil couldn’t go home even if she wished it. And she did wish it, clearly. That was obvious.
The wind picked up a little, and with it came the waves, crashing against rocks and sand. The tide had hit as she expected. If she were to peer over the edge, not so far away, the strand would have been swallowed. The ocean would be violent. Jane tipped her head, looking at Veil and all her solitude. “Come home with me,” Jane said over the wind, “Let me show you the city. You can stay with me til you find your feet.” Her aunt and uncle may not be pleased; indeed, they might even be antagonistic. But in her heart she felt the pull to give Veil safety and shelter, even just some food. Did she even know what it was to eat, to drink?
Knowing that there was a strong chance of misunderstanding, she turned and gestured for Veil to follow her, finishing by stretching her snout long into the distance; implying that it was far away. Hopefully Veil would take this to mean a direction. Maybe, hopefully, their solitude could have a respite. Then she looked back to Veil and touched her own side, showing that she meant to keep Veil close to her; close to the warmth and the love and all these things that had before been in such short supply.
@[Veil Nebula] / speaks / if we're winding up to the end of our thread i'd happily do another with you, but also feel free to have some space- but perhaps Jane could introduce Veil to Solterra?
