B e l o w Z e r o
the cold never bothered me anyway
Bel laughed with a shake of her head, "Oh, too much for water to handle, perhaps you're warning me away from your friendship? I'd hate to evaporate away into nothing beneath your flames! Woe is me, who must pick such an obnoxiously, hot-headed best friend. She teased with bright laughter, eyes twinkling in ever present mirth, even as she playfully snapped at his tail.
Bel grinned faintly, "Yukime described to me once what they looked like, very peculiar creatures it sounds like, but I suppose I'll let you have your awkward and boring grass. Such an unfortunate life you must have." She teased, nudging his neck with a playful giggle, tugging on a strand of his dark mane. His jump and Yuki's splash had the mare breaking out in free-flowing laughter, uncontained and full of delight, "She's a doll, I adore her. She's a little peculiar at times. Doesn't like being in sunlight or on land for very long, but she's settling in fairly well to my semi-aquatic lifestyle. "
She smiled at his praise, shifting a little awkwardly from it, "It's been a stark change coming from the ocean, and then getting settled into this sort of life. But yes, having Pol back has . . . it's been wonderful. We're still getting used to it all, and we have a long way to go before we're back to normal. But I love her, I love having her back in my life. We have so much time to make up, but . . . can't imagine letting her go any time soon." She stated with a bright smile. His next words had her smile softly, "You have a lot to overcome yourself. You've carried the guilt for so long on what you did, that you don't want to give others the chance to hurt you too. But you've pushed others back so far, you've not given them a chance to show you that not everyone will attack you for what you did in your youth. I'll always be by your side though, no matter how scary life might get, no matter how much it might terrify you, or how much you might want to push others back, I will always be there to help shove you the few steps forward to help you grow more. I'll always be there to support you." She promised, before grinning wickedly, "Even if it means I need to push you into the scary situations. I'll take great fun in pushing you towards random mares, actually! How do you feel about blind dates? Do you like palis or prefer bays? Wings or No wings? Horns or no horns? What's your preference, hmm?" She asked, her grin borderline innocently dark as she stared him down.
Bel knew he deserved the world, a mare who could give him that, it would just take time for him to get there, time she would give him, even if she gave gentle pushes here or there to help in along the way. She knew she couldn't be the mare for him, she knew it was painful for him to see that too, but there was someone out there that would be the brightest flame in his life, help pull him out of the darkness he's lived shrouded in because of his past. Someone who would light up his world and make him see things in technicolor - a new world with her at the center. And the day that happened would be her happiest day - because he deserved that. He deserved that at the very least, he deserved to find someone who would see the stallion he became, not the colt that had made his past so difficult. It might come to her having to step back, to respect that new relationship, let that new mare be his biggest fan, let her be the mare he could put all of his trust on, and be the most important person in his life, but she'd always be there in the background to help support him, even if it was in the far difference if it meant making that new mare more comfortable. She wouldn't let her close friendship with him ruin his chance for happiness either.
She knew what it was like to swim away from your future. To see that promise of a happy mate-hood disappear with each flip of your fins, with each dive, with each league covered. To hear the begging Treader song calling after her for her to come back. She'd made the mistake during the first few calls to look back. She'd seen him there, glowing dimly red, begging her to come back. It had just been them. Him staring at her, not coming any closer, begging her to come back. But he'd chased after her, and he didn't chase her like he used to when they were younger. He hadn't chased after in a long time, not since he'd been handed the trident from his father, taken over the pod. He hadn't been her Shard in such a long time at that point. He'd been Ice Shard, the Triton of the Pod, and she'd gone from being his Belle of the Sea to Below Zero. He'd scoffed when she'd suggested they go play through a school of fish. He'd dismissed her offer of hunting together for needing to keep an eye on the pod. He hadn't been there for her like before. But in that moment, staring back at him as she left, his dim red starting to glow up in the start of night, so close yet so far away.
He'd followed her out this far, had called for her to come back. She'd seen the pain on his face, twisted as he fought that training to leave the pod further, to cover the distance between them. Her skin had heated under that pleading gaze, her movement had stopped, begging silently for him to chase that last distance, to break that tether fully that held him to his father's side, to the council's whims. Desperately hoping her Shard would come furth, tackle her in am embrace, beg her to stay with him, his hide against hers, his cheek pressed to hers. To hear that favored nickname from him once more, to hear anything except the same-old-same-old that he'd come into after his father started stressing with him his duties, before he'd started listening to his father about how unfit she was.
He didn't close that difference. She ignored that cry as she turned away with a heavier heart, carried herself away with a flip of her fin, her heart tearing it two, jagged and rough and aching with each flip of her fins. Tears had streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision to the point she'd closed her eyes to swim away. She'd pinned her ears to try and cut out the pleading song he sang for her to come back. But that song never got closer, he never chased that distance, he never broke that tether - the pod had become more important than she was, and it further proved that he'd have done the same thing to any child they had as he had done to her sister. It had proven that her heart was too soft for him to consider living with. He wanted the cold life of the Pod, she wanted something where you didn't have to rip apart families because an injury couldn't heal faster.
That pain still set heavy in her heart, buried deep in the bottom with a whirling hurricane so the emotions couldn't ever take her over, carry her into darkness. She refused to let those memories affect her daily life, her personal happiness. But she knew what it felt like to be forced to separate, to see your future unwind, a red thread connected but growing further and further away from what you had hoped would be your future. When it came down to Sol having the ability to form that connect, to have that happiness she and Shard shared when they were younger, she wouldn't dare stand in the way. Even if it meant giving her best friend over to this new individual, she wouldn't get in the way - she would give him up, so he would never have to feel what she felt, so he would never have to wonder about what ifs, so he would never have to remember the what was, and compare it to what never could be.
She'd do anything to make him happy, even if it meant giving him up - because he deserved that happiness, he deserved it more than anything. And she just wanted her best friend happy. Happy and settled. She was jolted back from the darker thoughts at his snort, and her smile came easily, her laughter as bright as ever, her memories and pain of Shard buried so far down, so untouched it wouldn't affect her daily life, it wouldn't show that she laughed off romance because of a heart that wasn't given the chance to heal. "I'm a ferocious thing! RAWR! Scary as a shark, a total warrior beyond what magic could give me!" She declared with a grin, even when he called her delicate next to him. She snorted, before playfully lunging at him, to playfully move in order to close her muzzle around his shoulder - a bite that wouldn't have teeth, a playful action, "Fear me, I'm a scary predator. Rawr." And she had to be stronger than she looked to keep playing like every day was fine, and that half of her heart hadn't been left in the arctic circle.
"Bel"
Yukime
@Sol Bestiam
Notes:: So, yeah . . . . she's clearly got a lot to think about when it comes to the idea of him being happy - even if it means she has to give him up. Gives a bit more background on why she can't just hate Shard either - why it's still painful. How close he came to actually giving up the pod in the end, but couldn't make that final flip of the fins.
Bel grinned faintly, "Yukime described to me once what they looked like, very peculiar creatures it sounds like, but I suppose I'll let you have your awkward and boring grass. Such an unfortunate life you must have." She teased, nudging his neck with a playful giggle, tugging on a strand of his dark mane. His jump and Yuki's splash had the mare breaking out in free-flowing laughter, uncontained and full of delight, "She's a doll, I adore her. She's a little peculiar at times. Doesn't like being in sunlight or on land for very long, but she's settling in fairly well to my semi-aquatic lifestyle. "
She smiled at his praise, shifting a little awkwardly from it, "It's been a stark change coming from the ocean, and then getting settled into this sort of life. But yes, having Pol back has . . . it's been wonderful. We're still getting used to it all, and we have a long way to go before we're back to normal. But I love her, I love having her back in my life. We have so much time to make up, but . . . can't imagine letting her go any time soon." She stated with a bright smile. His next words had her smile softly, "You have a lot to overcome yourself. You've carried the guilt for so long on what you did, that you don't want to give others the chance to hurt you too. But you've pushed others back so far, you've not given them a chance to show you that not everyone will attack you for what you did in your youth. I'll always be by your side though, no matter how scary life might get, no matter how much it might terrify you, or how much you might want to push others back, I will always be there to help shove you the few steps forward to help you grow more. I'll always be there to support you." She promised, before grinning wickedly, "Even if it means I need to push you into the scary situations. I'll take great fun in pushing you towards random mares, actually! How do you feel about blind dates? Do you like palis or prefer bays? Wings or No wings? Horns or no horns? What's your preference, hmm?" She asked, her grin borderline innocently dark as she stared him down.
Bel knew he deserved the world, a mare who could give him that, it would just take time for him to get there, time she would give him, even if she gave gentle pushes here or there to help in along the way. She knew she couldn't be the mare for him, she knew it was painful for him to see that too, but there was someone out there that would be the brightest flame in his life, help pull him out of the darkness he's lived shrouded in because of his past. Someone who would light up his world and make him see things in technicolor - a new world with her at the center. And the day that happened would be her happiest day - because he deserved that. He deserved that at the very least, he deserved to find someone who would see the stallion he became, not the colt that had made his past so difficult. It might come to her having to step back, to respect that new relationship, let that new mare be his biggest fan, let her be the mare he could put all of his trust on, and be the most important person in his life, but she'd always be there in the background to help support him, even if it was in the far difference if it meant making that new mare more comfortable. She wouldn't let her close friendship with him ruin his chance for happiness either.
She knew what it was like to swim away from your future. To see that promise of a happy mate-hood disappear with each flip of your fins, with each dive, with each league covered. To hear the begging Treader song calling after her for her to come back. She'd made the mistake during the first few calls to look back. She'd seen him there, glowing dimly red, begging her to come back. It had just been them. Him staring at her, not coming any closer, begging her to come back. But he'd chased after her, and he didn't chase her like he used to when they were younger. He hadn't chased after in a long time, not since he'd been handed the trident from his father, taken over the pod. He hadn't been her Shard in such a long time at that point. He'd been Ice Shard, the Triton of the Pod, and she'd gone from being his Belle of the Sea to Below Zero. He'd scoffed when she'd suggested they go play through a school of fish. He'd dismissed her offer of hunting together for needing to keep an eye on the pod. He hadn't been there for her like before. But in that moment, staring back at him as she left, his dim red starting to glow up in the start of night, so close yet so far away.
He'd followed her out this far, had called for her to come back. She'd seen the pain on his face, twisted as he fought that training to leave the pod further, to cover the distance between them. Her skin had heated under that pleading gaze, her movement had stopped, begging silently for him to chase that last distance, to break that tether fully that held him to his father's side, to the council's whims. Desperately hoping her Shard would come furth, tackle her in am embrace, beg her to stay with him, his hide against hers, his cheek pressed to hers. To hear that favored nickname from him once more, to hear anything except the same-old-same-old that he'd come into after his father started stressing with him his duties, before he'd started listening to his father about how unfit she was.
He didn't close that difference. She ignored that cry as she turned away with a heavier heart, carried herself away with a flip of her fin, her heart tearing it two, jagged and rough and aching with each flip of her fins. Tears had streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision to the point she'd closed her eyes to swim away. She'd pinned her ears to try and cut out the pleading song he sang for her to come back. But that song never got closer, he never chased that distance, he never broke that tether - the pod had become more important than she was, and it further proved that he'd have done the same thing to any child they had as he had done to her sister. It had proven that her heart was too soft for him to consider living with. He wanted the cold life of the Pod, she wanted something where you didn't have to rip apart families because an injury couldn't heal faster.
That pain still set heavy in her heart, buried deep in the bottom with a whirling hurricane so the emotions couldn't ever take her over, carry her into darkness. She refused to let those memories affect her daily life, her personal happiness. But she knew what it felt like to be forced to separate, to see your future unwind, a red thread connected but growing further and further away from what you had hoped would be your future. When it came down to Sol having the ability to form that connect, to have that happiness she and Shard shared when they were younger, she wouldn't dare stand in the way. Even if it meant giving her best friend over to this new individual, she wouldn't get in the way - she would give him up, so he would never have to feel what she felt, so he would never have to wonder about what ifs, so he would never have to remember the what was, and compare it to what never could be.
She'd do anything to make him happy, even if it meant giving him up - because he deserved that happiness, he deserved it more than anything. And she just wanted her best friend happy. Happy and settled. She was jolted back from the darker thoughts at his snort, and her smile came easily, her laughter as bright as ever, her memories and pain of Shard buried so far down, so untouched it wouldn't affect her daily life, it wouldn't show that she laughed off romance because of a heart that wasn't given the chance to heal. "I'm a ferocious thing! RAWR! Scary as a shark, a total warrior beyond what magic could give me!" She declared with a grin, even when he called her delicate next to him. She snorted, before playfully lunging at him, to playfully move in order to close her muzzle around his shoulder - a bite that wouldn't have teeth, a playful action, "Fear me, I'm a scary predator. Rawr." And she had to be stronger than she looked to keep playing like every day was fine, and that half of her heart hadn't been left in the arctic circle.
"Bel"
Yukime
@Sol Bestiam
Notes:: So, yeah . . . . she's clearly got a lot to think about when it comes to the idea of him being happy - even if it means she has to give him up. Gives a bit more background on why she can't just hate Shard either - why it's still painful. How close he came to actually giving up the pod in the end, but couldn't make that final flip of the fins.
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
