[AW] the grasp of the sea

[Jezanna]

"The setting sun through open windows, the honoring of every shadow,
A gratitude for all that follows, it's a glimpse of light in a mine of gold."

The waves of the ocean crashed against the sand unendingly, mercilessly—a rhythmic soundtrack, a steady heartbeat, of all the world. The sun shone brightly from its position high in the sky, sparkling off the arcs of the waves and the individual grains of sand. It was a dazzling image to look upon, and nearly blinding at that. Jezanna welcomed the sun on her back however, reveling in the warmth that soaked into her coat and seeped  into her bones. It reinvigorated her, the simpleness of standing beneath the sunshine and allowing it to wash over her as she watched the ebb and flow of the sea before her.

Although the young moon had always been quite adventurous, she now had a very good excuse to go wandering, not knowing the places of this world. She was pleased to know the nearness of the water, and was content to stand there and look out over it to the place where it touched the sky in the distance. Here it was harder to picture the world she had been forced to leave behind for though there had been a sea, she had only seen it from her perch in the sky. To stand here was to forget, for the moment, that she was unfamiliar. She knew so few and so little, and yet she yearned to learn more. Perhaps there was a place she could go, or someone she could seek out that would be able to teach her.

Jezanna stepped further onto the sands, allowing her tail to drag across its surface and the wind to whip her mane. When she reached the packed beach where the waves broke across it she stopped, letting the water wash up and over her hooves. The stretch here was not so large, but she could see further down more areas of sand in between the growth of trees. Though she did not know the names of these places she knew that they were beautiful regardless of whether or not they were what she was used to. It was her instinct to say they were not hers, but the truth is that they were now. Whatever happened, this was her home now. Perhaps it was better if she accepted it now.

She could not help but wonder, however, if she could ever come to love these lands like she had loved her own. Only time would tell, she supposed. With a deep breath Jezanna shook off thoughts of her world and took a few more steps forward, wanting to feel the waves against her legs. Every push and pull of the ocean dragged sand out from under her hooves, sinking her, slowly, further down. A smile played on her lips, the first since she had woken here, and her silver eyes danced in the light. This was a new sensation, and she intended to enjoy it, and to immerse herself in this beautiful early spring day. Her only wish was that she did not need to experience it alone, to share this simple joy with another.

@Israfel

[Israfel]

Israfel

Israfel understood much about life. About living. She had lived, died, and lived again. She had roamed the world of mortals, created from the loins of a burning, passionate God and birthed from the body of a doting, loving mother. She had grown taller, older in the land of shadows and mists, nestled and protected along the cliffs and forests, learning how to control her wild, unpredictable magic. Born with the gift of elemancy, the ability to control the most dangerous of elements, Israfel had thought herself one with fire. She was, after all, born from the God of the Sun, born from the origins of fire itself, crafted in the most revered of forges, the rarest of kilns. Fire was hers to control. The sun was her Star… But just as she was born, she had died. Eaten. Swallowed. Consumed by her very element.

She would always remember the pain, the smoke. Smoke. The name of her mother. How very ironic… It had choked her, stolen away her breath and filled her lungs, clogging her airway and nose and showing no reprieve, drowning her amidst soot and ash. Skin and hair had burned within a pillar of flames, a sacrifice to her own elements, her screams deaf to her own ears. Israfel would always remember. She would never forget. She had been born, but then she had died.

But then she had lived. Again.

The first breath of air to her lungs, the first breath of the reborn, had been as sweet as sugar. The tinge of smoke lingered on her tongue, soot coating her teeth. Rain. It had been raining. The water had doused the flames of her revival, of her rebirth, leaving her alone and weak as a newborn in a world that she knew nothing of. This was not her home, the land of her birth… But it was quickly becoming a home. A place that she could love.

So, yes. Israfel understood a thing or two about life, about living. She understood. Dying tended to put everything into perspective. It tended to change someone, irrevocably, inevitably. And yet more so than ever, the Daughter of the Sun knew what she wanted.

Life. Love. Happiness.

Yes.

If she had not died, she would not know. It had all come full circle.

The sand was soft beneath golden hooves, cushioning every step that the Warden of Terrastella took. Her pace was slow and leisurely, for she was in no rush. The waves crashed against the shoreline, creating a soothing song in which to appreciate, to admire. Israfel could not help but smile. She felt at peace in a way that she hadn’t in a very long time. The sun shone warm and welcoming along her spine, a gentle caress from a distant father. The sun was her Star. The Sun Daughter sashayed across the sands, her wings unfurled, gilded appendages glinting in the sunlight. A woman, feminine yet strong, moving with the elegance of the otherworldly, with the steps of a fighter. Nothing could bring her down. Not now. Not today. Fierce vermilion eyes gave a glance upwards, a smile for her father up above, before giving a cursory look around…

And her world stopped.

Halted.

She froze.

“… Mesec?”

A dark specter loomed upon the horizon, standing within the waves of the ocean. The water lapped at their legs, and the song of the ocean changed, conceding to the figure standing within its undulating berth. A dark shadow, the Moon Prince, the ebony of his body interrupted by the glowing of silver. For a moment he was there before her, proud and regal as the night he embodied, silver eyes turning her way, a smile uplifting his lips, his broad, handsome face igniting with recognition. The son of the Moon. Her counterpart in every way. Mesec.

For a split second he stood there, only meters away. Her heart sang. She grew breathless, overjoyed, elated, throwing her head high as ivory tresses caught the breeze. Rose-kissed lips opened and she called out his name, stronger, more powerful, her heart singing upon her very words.

“Mesec!”

Israfel gave a mighty lope forward, sand spraying beneath golden hooves. The ivory shield-maiden lessened the distance between she and the Night Prince in great leaps, her heart racing, ears forward, vermilion eyes locked on the figure standing amidst the lapping waves… But in the next second, the blink of an eye, the visage departed, leaving the truth behind.

It was not Mesec.

A figure of ebony and silver, yes, but not Mesec. Not her Night Prince. This figure had no wings. This figure, this stranger, was not her beloved brother. Haunches tucked and Israfel slid to a halt within the sand, her elation giving way to agony, her breath hitching as she stared, betrayed. An illusion? Had it been an illusion? Was this moon-mistress a witch?

“Oh,” she breathed, surely having garnered the moon woman’s attention by now, surely having looked a righteous fool, “Oh. I’m sorry, I… I thought you were someone else.”

And Israfel, who knew a thing or two about living, also knew a thing or two about heartache and grief. Her peace had been shattered and shaken, and now that grief had returned, bitter and cloying as the smoke that she still swore that she could taste.

x - x

@Jezanna - … I did not intend for this to happen. Have a novel, I guess? xD

[Jezanna]

"The setting sun through open windows, the honoring of every shadow,
A gratitude for all that follows, it's a glimpse of light in a mine of gold."

“Mesec!”

The shout of another drew Jezanna’s attention as her head swung around. The sight of the alabaster and golden woman all but rushing toward her painted concern across her face. Her eyes widened, her body stiffening for some sort of attack or impact. However, the young moon could see the moment realization dawned on the stranger’s face, coming to a sudden, skidding stop on the beach before her. She could see the hurt flashing in fiery eyes.

“I’m sorry that I’ve disappointed you,” she said, knowing that whoever this was, whoever the winged woman thought she had been, Jezanna did not know either of them. What she did know, what she did understand, was the pain she saw. The pain of missing someone you have lost. The urge to ask who Mesec was, what he meant to her, rested on the tip of the girl’s tongue and yet she did not pry. She knew what it was to keep secrets close to you, to hold tightly to those things or people who mattered most. To not reveal too much. Jezanna had no room to speak of letting down walls.

You look like my father, she wanted to say. Desperately wishing to confide, feeling that the other woman would understand, but afraid to all the same. She settled, instead, with a simple introduction. “My name is Jezanna,” and the midnight girl offered a gentle smile as though perhaps it could heal whatever in her new companion had been hurt by the truth of who hadn't been standing in her place. She averted her silver eyes, looking once more out over the ocean before them as though it might reveal some secret, some answer to the longing within her.

A sudden streak of contempt ran through her as she thought of the reason she was here. Brought to mind was his golden eyes and deep violet color before she banished it to a place to be dealt with at another time. Jezanna supposed she could not avoid him forever but she'd be damned if she wouldn't try. Her face turned toward the other woman again. “What is this place called?” It was a stupid question she knew, and one that would certainly give her away as a stranger, but oh how she wished to discover.

@Israfel this is so late please forgive me