restraint & release [relic quest]

[Reichenbach]

R E I C H E N B A C H E R W I N R O M M E L " there's no way tonight as far as I know that heaven will take me so I'm staggering home " There was a change in the atmosphere as he arrived - the stars shone brighter, gleaming in competition for his far reaching gaze, glittering like diamonds on the satin surface of the obsidian lake and clambering at the corners of his vision. The earth stilled at his step, only the slightest ruffle of breeze through his ebony curls proving that he was indeed present, not some wraith-like imitation. Reichenbach stood amongst the silence, or at least the kind of silence you could only get when the world was passing you by, accentuated with the occasional whisper of wind or crunch of gravel, the pipe of a night heron lashing whip-like through the darkness. A heart-sore sigh crept from his vast lungs, draining his hurt like a pin-prick, leaking that agony into the soft embrace of the evening.  Darkness wrapped him like a cloak, shadows lingering in the delicate infrastructure of his rough hewn face, hooking themselves underneath his chin and at the corners of his abyssal eyes. The quiet of the lake was a pleasant change to the inconstant noise of the city, an abrupt difference that instantly relaxed him. He had lit a small campfire a ways back from the lake, but had left the small campsite to wander the lakes edge, to ease the distress of his aching mind and renew the vitality that thrummed within his veins. It had been years since they had left - years, now. Rhaegar would be a true man, would he have children by now? Reich felt his heart cramp suddenly at the vision of two silver haired childer, a boy and girl with Rhaegar's handsome, weather worn smile and Swallow's kind eyes. Not his. Not his children.  He looked down, examining the stony shore beneath his neat, hard hooves. The harsh chord of discontentedness clanged through his sable mind, though behind it lay the perpetual song of his life. It was a haunting melody, one that he had tried many times to write down, to play, to sing - but it was true to him, and never came out right save for when it flowed through his mind. He had always had music playing within him, like a river of sound and song, a constant companion to his lonely nights and most cherished memories. It thrummed now, low and bittersweet, both soothing and enraging the tumultuous waves of his emotion, battling within his deep chest for triumph. Reich did his best to ignore his inner confusion, focusing his long lashed eyes upon the moon reflected in the surface of the lake, knowing that all too soon he would be amongst the clash and clamour of the city, of The Night Court. He had heard the rumours of the relic that had been blessed by Tempus himself and despite his haunting condescension toward any rumour, Reichenbach could not help but to gaze over the lakes vast surface and wonder. He hummed softly to himself, a beautiful, sweet melody that he usually reserved for the orphans under his patronage. The tune echoed hauntingly over the lake, travelling far, searching for an ear to curl around, a heart to summon. ooc; open!