Though I am sure that I heard his approach (and then promptly filed it away somewhere to be shredded later as useless, a trait I’m sure is going to get me killed one of these days) it was his vocals that drew my attention away from the cardinal and back to this earth. While I knew that there were few denizens who chose to roam the Viride, I had not particularly thought of what I might do if I were to encounter one of them. A shiver ran through me as I recalled my first encounter with the subjects of Novus, and the detail that it had occurred perhaps not too far from where I was now standing did not escape my recollection. I had at first thought that the guardian might have been a god, but as I have had the opportunity to learn the small area I now knew as Delumine, I can say with certainty that he was not a deity. In fact, as much as those around me may appear powerful and fantastic and otherworldly in a way that perhaps I could not explain, they were all fairly mortal. Flesh and blood and breathing living creatures that like me, would some day die. I found some comfort in that knowledge, that there were still a few certainties within my ever changing world.
The dark antlers branching out from the stallion’s skull adorned with trinkets not unlike my own struck a particular heartstring, and I realized it was a stiff barb of homesickness. My Tribe would have adored the jewels and their craftsmanship. Equally so the bag that hugged his body, a rich hue that reminded me of a particularly large and creamy cup of hot chocolate. He spoke as I indulged in his appearance as much as he did mine, and I found the soft green of his eyes to be the most appealing. There was something hidden behind them that I couldn’t quite pin down, but I found it somehow very exciting. At the very least, the way that he carried himself and the way he spoke warmed me, though perhaps that was just the charisma. And perhaps also the loneliness- His was the first openly warm and inviting face that I had yet come across, and there was a part of me (the still scared and sick child part) that clung to that smile like a drowning man to a life preserve.
“I will admit,” I spoke in a tone that I hope came across as light and only a bit bashful as I tilted my head and turned my gaze to the foliage, “I am quite new to this area, Septimus.” I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool morning air and with it the confidence of the forest finding new growth in a ravaged earth. I met his gaze and held it steady, a smile crossing my lips. “You may call me Torielle. Well met.”
I shifted my weight between my pistons, as the pause in walking had caused me to sink into the still soft earth. In a few weeks it would be fully carpeted with lush ferns and grasses and the various lives of the creatures who called this forest home. I ached to see it and momentarily wished that I could hibernate like a bear to make the time pass by more quickly. I allowed it to pass through me without lingering on it for too long. It would do me no good to dwell on things that would cause me heartache. I heard the stubborn voices of the Sages, memories that I wished to forget more and more as time passed, warning me to not run towards warmth in a desire to rid myself of cold, lest I plunge myself into a blazing fire and be consumed whole.
I took a few steps forward, fixing my tiara at a curious angle, and asked “What has drawn you to the forest this morning, Septimus? I had assumed it would be just a bit too chilly for there to be many others out this way, and running into you like this has piqued my curiosity.” I paused, rapidly blinking as I realized what I had said may be seen as too forward or perhaps even rude. I bowed my head, my veil falling forward and obscuring my vision while I sought for a moment to collect myself.
“I apologize, that must have seemed a bit prodding. I didn’t mean it so.” I lifted my eyes again and I was surprised to find that they had just the faintest fog to their picture. The tears in them teased at the corners of my blue orbs before finally settling. My strength of my own emotion took me by surprise. “I’m just so delighted to see a genuinely friendly face, I had forgotten myself and my manners for a moment. My arrival here has been… rocky at best.” I shuffled my hooves and moved my gaze to watch them, feeling an awkwardness that I had not since I was but a young girl trying to explain her first crush. Perhaps the travel and the silence from my goddess had taken more of a toll on me than I had initially thought. Now this poor stallion, who seemed a good sort and a gentle soul, was going to get the brunt of my emotional outburst.
I thought briefly about finding an excuse to run, anything to distance myself from this situation. But I found that I couldn’t. I wanted too much to have a genuinely warm encounter. No magic, no sorcery or tricks or manipulation or unnecessary weakness or shows of strength. Just a gentleman who would provide some conversation and pleasant company. The desire for something to be perfectly normal, average and predictable outweighed the feelings of embarrassment and childish excitement. Those too would come to pass, I knew. In the end, finding a lovely friend would benefit me much more than hiding away with myself.
Seeking in the corners of the earth
My companions I have never known
My companions I have never known
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