The eerie quiet felt like a relief for some reason. Broken only by the sucking noise of the mud reluctantly releasing her hooves, Persephone had to admire the stillness of this humid place. She could feel that this place thrived with life, silent though it may be. Even the summer sun at its peak couldn't pierce through the gloom of the environment around her. Fog clung to her pelt, condensing into water drops that slid right off the opal streaks embedded in her coat like veins of precious minerals in stone. Persephone had to pause and shake the water off, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how soaked she felt just by walking on the soft ground. She might as well be swimming at this point.
The mare paused, sinking slightly into the muck as she watched a huge bird stalk past, it's long spindly legs navigating the waters easily. It was gray and so tall, unlike any bird she'd seen before (that she could remember, at least). While she watched, entranced, the heron snapped a small fish out of the water and gulped it down. She almost felt bad for the fish in front of this keen predator, but that was just how things worked. The bird paid her no mind, ignoring her as it waded farther away from her, interested only in hunting. Persephone wondered if she should feel so envious about how this bird seemed to know its own purpose so well. She was no hunter, after all.
At some point she realized she was sinking uncomfortably low into the mud and forced herself on. It took effort to get herself free, the horrible squelching noise making her cringe. She hopped awkwardly onto a more stable section of ground and finally walked forward, ignoring the sludge now covering her bright orange hooves. Maybe she should be more careful here--it was her first time to be in a swamp, after all. Who knew what predators lurked about, both above and below the water... Well, best not to think too much on it.
The Tinea Swamp. It was as humid as he remembered it being. Truthfully, he should give it more respect and appreciate it more than he does. It reminded him of the swamp from Caeleste, though he had foggy memories of even that. The muck and mire sucking at his legs would bring down anyone and anything if they weren't careful enough. As it was, there were times that the stallion found himself struggling with the footing of the swamp. The sun was at its peak in the sky, shining down heavily on the swamp and the air around the stallion was heavy with humidity. It felt like he couldn't breathe properly, but still he pressed on. There was sweat covering his copper coat, and he could feel his lungs working harder than they had in quite some time. In retrospect, perhaps it had been a horrible idea to go to the swamp at midday in the midst of the summer.
Autumn, or better yet winter, was probably a finer time to come here.
As quietly as he could, the great stallion continued to move, only hesitating when he spotted an alligator cross the path a few feet in front of him. The bull gator was an impressive size, more than ten feet long and weighing approximately 200 pounds, and it was a predator with whom even the great stallion didn't want to lock horns. With an agitated snort, the copper-coated stallion tossed his head in the air, his muscles rippling as he pranced quickly past the alligator, heaving a large sigh of relief when the reptile didn't lunge after him. It wouldn't have been a good afternoon if he'd been attacked by the old reptile. With a wary glance behind him, Liam moved on quickly, the mud still squelching and sucking at his hooves and legs.
As he paused in his walking, he heard what sounded like another walking through the mud and muck, and his interest was piqued. Pricking his ears, he moved on, approaching the sound as quickly as he could. Flaring his nostrils, he nearly stumbled as he moved from the mud onto a more stable piece of ground, clearly not used to it just yet. Snorting in annoyance at the change in ground topography, Liam flicked his ears backward before he moved on, sides still heaving with the exertion it took to remove himself from the mud and onto firmer ground.
So distracted was the stallion that he wasn't paying attention, and nearly ran smack into another equine. With a startled noise -- one that he would adamantly disagree that he made -- he scrambled backward a few feet and sheepishly flicked his ears backward again, his eyes apologetic. "Goodness, pardon me. I'm so sorry about that," he quickly apologizes, hoping the equine in front of him could ignore his blunder.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; I love him XD
Tag;; @Persephone
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 473
She thought she heard the noise of someone else but she attributed it to the movement of some large animal. It made her pause, ears pricked forward, her body tense. Persephone could barely breathe as she strained to listen, trying to figure out who or what was nearby. Perhaps she was being paranoid but honestly, this was a new place and she knew precious little about what or who could be around. Her wariness, therefore, seemed justified.
Even with her senses piqued she was still caught by surprise when another equine almost tumbled into her. Persephone spooked to the side, jumping over a few feet and slipping into deep mud. Her eyes were wide, nostrils flared, the typical picture of scared and surprised. The other equine jumped back as well, luckily not into mud like she had, and apologized. The mare glanced him over several times, looking for any signs of malice, then she let out a shaky sigh and, with some effort, managed to hop onto the dry ground once more. Still, she kept a more-than-necessary distance between them.
"U-uhm, that's alright," she stammered, her tail flicking and spraying small bits of mud off to the side. Her legs felt a bit slimy from the swamp now, but she wasn't too put off with it. This stranger, though...well she wasn't so sure of him. He was a bit taller than her, but his appearance was far less jarring than hers. He blended in with the background and she was almost envious for that. Persephone lowered her head, antlers pointing at the ground. "It's partially my fault--I wasn't paying enough attention."
As he nearly ran into the mare, she spooked to the side, jumping a few feet and slipping into the deep mud. Grimacing, Liam had the decency to look apologetic and like he wanted to crawl into a hole. The mare in front of him let out a shaky sigh, and Liam nickered softly, his gaze worried as he watched her hop onto the dry ground once more. His ears flicked forward, though there was a disappointed look on his face as she kept a more-than-necessary distance between them. He wasn't sure why that was, but he wasn't about to force her into doing something that was going to make her uncomfortable.
The mare stammered that it was alright, and the copper-burnished stallion again had the decency to grimace and look guilty and apologetic. "It's not; however, thank you for accepting my apology," he responded tenderly, looking her over to make sure that nothing had happened to her when she did slip into the mud again. Her tail flicked and every time it did, more mud splattered everywhere. Lowering his head demurely, he nickered again, pricking his ears forward as she lowered her head, her antlers pointing at the ground. Her appearance was intriguing, and Liam never got tired of seeing the differences in the appearance of the equines who inhabited Novus.
"I wasn't paying enough attention either, miss. It's entirely my fault; I was trained to be wary of all my surroundings, but it looks like I forgot my training for the moment," he tried to joke, lips curling softly at the corners. "I must say, your markings and colors are remarkable; stunning, even. I think you are one of the most -- if not the most -- remarkable looking person I've come across in my travels," he comments carefully, sweetly as he backs up a few feet to further give the mare the space she seemed to be craving.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; He's very sorry, Pers.
Tag;; @Persephone
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 319
Persephone continued to be on alert but was relieved to see that the stallion wasn't trying to get closer to her for now. At least he respected her space-- that was a big positive sign. She could always appreciate it when someone was willing to respect her boundaries and she would always do her best to extend the same courtesy to others. After all, they were strangers, so it was important to establish good feelings as opposed to anything malicious. She was always ready to run-- but others could be ready to chase and fight.
His own guilt and embarrassment was enough to rival her own. It at least made her a little less suspicious of him. She wasn't sure if her words were really 'accepting' of his apology but she just nodded. Perhaps it was just...both their fault this time around. His sincerity made her feel guilty--usually she was the one stumbling through apologies towards others. "I suppose we can both take the blame this time," she offered, glancing away and then back at him. She didn't quite understand the joke, however she did try to offer him a small, polite smile in response. It felt painfully awkward. She wished she was better at socializing with strangers like Bel was.
It was his compliment that truly took her aback. If she were capable of blushing, she would, but as it were her eyes widened and her head jerked upright from her small bow. "Oh! Um, well, I--thank you," she stammered, looking anywhere but the stallion's eyes. He backed up, offering her more space, and she was relieved he was so considerate. "I-I admit, I was envious of your looks at first. I don't like standing out so much." It felt silly to admit and she felt like she was potentially insulting him but she hoped he didn't take it as such. She really had been hoping to be someone who could blend in a little better but her looks were not something that hid well in nature.
The mare offered a nod, and that signaled to the copper-burnished stallion that she understood where he was coming from, even if it was confusing. She offered that they both take the blame, and Liam canted his head to the side slightly, as if he were trying to ascertain things about the mare in front of him. Truly, he was, but there were things about her that he didn't completely understand. That was okay, though, because everyone was a mystery that would eventually and slowly unravel. It was up to him -- sometimes -- to find out what that mystery was and to help it unravel. He liked finding out what others were like; it was a great way to start out a friendship with everyone.
This conversation, though, seemed to be awkward, and it wasn't exactly what Liam had had in mind when he'd ventured into the swamp this afternoon.
The polite smile had him grimacing internally, and he wondered what was going through her mind. Did she think it was as awkward as he thought it was? Surely she did. Swallowing harshly, he gazed upon the swamp around them, curious to know exactly what laid beneath the still, thick water. Alligators, fish, sharks? Maybe not sharks, but definitely the alligators and fish. "I've been somewhere like this before. Not here, but in another world," he commented lamely, allowing his face to contort into a grimace this time. "Sorry, that was-- that was lame. I'm not much of a conversationalist, even though my boyfriend claims that I'm the extrovert in the relationship," he tries to joke, lips curled into an awkward smile.
As he complimented her, Liam saw how her eyes widened in shock and her head jerked upright out of the small bow. "You're very welcome, miss. Got a name that matches your style?" He inquired gently, ears pricking high atop his head. He looked interested, and he was. When she admitted that she was jealous of his looks, he took a moment to be amazed, his jaw dropping open a little in surprised shock. "Well, thank you for the compliment, miss, but I'm very bland and boring. I would like to look a little different. You're doing spectacularly," he complimented, lips curling into a gentle smile. "Besides, they say those that have a less than normal appearance are more prone to being friendly," he finishes, making sure to put unseen air quotes around the word 'normal'. Who was truly normal, and what did that even mean? No one was normal!
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; He's very sorry, Pers.
Tag;; @Persephone
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 421
With her thoughts twisting this way and that, Persephone's mind wandered away from the present even though she was supposed to be alert in front of this stranger. It seemed to happen often--her anxiety would take over her rationality. It wasn't until Liam said something interesting about a different world that she snapped back to the conversation at hand. She flinched subtly, eyes widening as she looked at the stallion. Another world? Did that mean...he was like her? Oh!
"Another world?" she asked, tossing aside her uneasiness in lieu of her overwhelming curiosity. "Do you remember how you got here? Do...do you remember the other world? Did you forget it when you first got here?" She knew from Bel that there was more than one world that other Novus residents could come from but somehow she felt like she would one day meet someone who may have a common origin story as her. It would certainly feel a little...less lonely that way.
He mentioned a boyfriend, a term she wasn't very familiar with. They were someone special, no doubt. Bel had a similar person in her life, didn't she? "I think you're a great conversationalist!" she said suddenly, now feeling like it was her fault the air was so awkward between them. After all, she didn't have much experience with strangers as of yet. This was a new learning experience for her.
When he asked for her name she realized that neither of them had properly introduced themselves yet. "Oh! Right, forgive me. My name is Persephone. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, offering a small and polite bow of her head. His reaction to her compliment caught her off guard-- why would he say something like that? She frowned, head tilting slightly to the side. "Who says that? That's silly-- why would someone be friendly or not based on how they look?" she asked. Perhaps she just wasn't understanding him correctly. "I think you're plenty friendly! Besides, don't abnormal colors and features usually signify danger in other animals?"
There was a subtle flinch from the mare almost immediately after he mentioned Agnosia, the other world, but Liam didn't think he was supposed to see it. To a soldier who was trained to see everything, there wasn't much that was missed. Some days, he hated it, and others he didn't mind the strengths he picked up and obtained from his time in the Agnosian army. Flicking his ears forward, the great stallion nodded gently.
"Another world," he confirmed softly, his eyes gentle as he watched the mare in front of him. She seemed to be absolutely brimming with curiosity, and he had to offer a gentle smile. "It's been a while since I've been here. At least a couple of years. I think I arrived in a portal?" Liam answered, brow furrowing slightly as he tried to remember exactly how he arrived in Novus. "I remember Agnosia fairly well. It was where I was born, where I grew up, where I fell in love. It was where I served in the military, where I was even reported as having died in action," he replied, though he knew that that hadn't been the case. Not really. "I remember everything from Agnosia. Did you want to know more about it?"
Offering Persephone a tender smile at the compliment, he ducked his head a little and felt warmth crawling along his cheeks. "Sometimes I feel like a regular fish out of water. I struggle with conversations most times, so I'm very thankful that you think I'm a great conversationalist. You're pretty easy to talk to; did you want to know more about me? More about the past world I came from? You seemed pretty interested in that, and I don't mean that in a judgemental sort of way."
Grinning gently as Persephone finally provided him her name, he dipped his head in a polite bow, mimicking her own movements. "It's been lovely to meet you as well, Persephone. My name is Liam," he murmurs, humming softly as he thought about the best way to answer her inquiry. After a few moments, he speaks, a gentle sigh escaping him, though it wasn't directed at her. "You see, no matter where you go, there will always be someone who judges you for your looks. Whether you're too plain-looking, or you're extravagantly marked, there's always something said about you, or someone is judging you. I find it's from jealousy more often than not; envy and jealousy are ugly things," Liam responds gently, shrugging his shoulders. But when she compliments him once more, he beams, and laughs, nodding his head. "Typically! Especially the poison dart frogs. If I can recall correctly from something I read many years ago, the more vivid something is marked or their coloration is, the more venomous they are. Are you venomous, Persephone?" The copper-burnished stallion teases, his nose wrinkling in amusement as his face conveys that it's entirely meant to be taken as a joke, and he's not serious.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; Not me over here like "oh but what if pers IS venomous?!"
Tag;; @Persephone
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
Words;; 494
