B e l o w Z e r o
and tomorrow was too late
could you say 'goodbye' to yesterday?
would you live each moment like your last?
The mare was quiet, but attentive.
Perhaps it was the casual interactions, the relaxing atmosphere, the way defenses were falling. For the mare who gave Terrastella everything, it was always a moment of delight to begin forming connections with other members. To build those relationships. It made her feel less like an outsider, more like Dusk Court could really be her new pod, with members that were like family. It was helping to heal the scars on her own heart from her birthplace. She tilted her head, her smile almost sad, gaze watching the flow of the water, "Water is odd like that. Healing in one breath, and harmful in another." She commented softly, her eyes focused only on the water. "Where I come from, we're taught that from a young age. The water gives us life, but it can take it too." Tilting her head to the side, she glances at him finally.
The soft, sad smile is still present, but it warms slightly.
"But the ocean is forgiving. Renewing. But to those who forget the beauty of her caps can also be danger will be struck with ire. Beautiful, but powerful, and only by respecting the power, will you find yourself breathing the water, instead of drowning in it." She shakes her head briefly, the thoughts, the old words of her people that were ringing through her mind clearing slightly. "Of course, I imagine it's a lot more dangerous for those who can't actually breathe water. But the sentiment is still the same. Always beautiful, but caution is not so silly to maintain."
It was odd for her, realizing how far she'd come.
Her first steps on land had been halting, awkward as she came to grow her 'land legs' as she'd humored it, having to remember how to walk on terrain that wasn't ice and snow. But more than that, there was so much she could see, she could hear as she interacted. Coming from her people, with their own sayings and methodology, she was adapting well. While some 'fishy phrases' slipped out from time, and time again; she was finding it a lot more easy to communicate, to express herself in ways others could understand more. But, still kept her connected to her roots, and with her acknowledgment of the old ways; her connection to her roots, to where her people came from was even stronger now.
She wasn't just a creature of the sea.
She was meant to be a guardian of it . . . or rather the sea of another world. But there was a lot about those facts she kept locked away in her own head, she didn't want to share all the details with others unless that other was her sister . . . or Sol. She told Sol a lot . . . Which was another big reason she was at those cliffs, sorting out those thoughts, those worries. But they were secrets of hers to keep, and for that same reason, she didn't probe the stallion for a deeper understanding of his words, his thoughts. If he wanted to share, he would. Simple as that.
There was a movement.
She glanced his way again when he spoke, and where the male may have shifted so subtly from the ocean spray, the mare was almost basking in it, feeling the water, the salt lightly hydrates her skin and water-resistant fur, feeling that familiar spray that made her miss diving freely. The stallion's words had her thoughtful, and she frowned slightly, "I would imagine, had he fallen ill, wouldn't an attendant have alerted a medic? We would still have gotten a notice, an update." He'd have said something about missing their meetings, right? Her training was falling to the wayside. Her magic training was going well with her companion's assistance, but fighting on land was an obscure idea still.
The sudden offer was a surprise.
Instantly, both sets of eyes brightened considerably, frilled ears perking, and a delighted smile crossing her muzzle, briefly showing a flash of fang deeper in her muzzle, "Truly! You'd be willing to assist me!? I should warn you, I'm a bit of a fish out of water when it comes to fighting on land. I can handle myself well enough if the water, but a lot of those movements don't . . . translate well without that buoyancy." She warned with a laugh, before her expression shifted, more serious, more eager, "I would be delighted to accept your offer. Although, my bonded would warn you I'm rather headstrong and push myself even beyond my own limits when I should know to stop."
How many times, while practicing magic did she fall ill?
Especially in those earlier months, where she was struggling to push too much, too fast. Dizzy spells, sudden frosts, she still remembered when she accidentally tried boiling a small section of the swamp, or when she turned a patch of the ocean - only a foot or so in space - almost gelatinous. But progress had been progress, and it was what made her able to step into the new rule of Battlemage. Where she still struggled in fighting herself, her magic was more up to par. The conversation between the two was slowly building, and it was for that fact again, the mare was delighted. She was keen to make more friends, keen to make those connections, bonds, family. For someone who was forced to give it all up for what she believed was right, rather than follow her pod into the wrong . . .
She craved that sense of community again.
His words about his beloved were warming though. Her species, her people believed in such a strong bond between romantic partners, she herself had started to develop one when she was so much younger. The break of such a bond had been gut-wrenching, had taken years to heal, to mend the trauma it had caused when that bond had snapped, crumbled. It's what made the new situation with Sol so scary, so terrifying. A part of her heart was frozen, hesitating, afraid that just like Shard, Sol would find other duties, other things that he would choose over her. His role in Delumine. His devotion to Oriens. Being a new father . . . . any of it could have him turning his back, just like she failed bonded mate had done.
So it warmed her heart to hear someone speak so openly about their loved one.
"Sounds like he should be lucky he has you then. I think every grumpy sort needs their own reason to smile. And if the way you speak about him is anything to go by, I bet he loves you just as much." She stated with a laugh, a gentle shake of her head. Still, it caused a pang in her heart, remembering that desperate look in Sol's eyes as he proclaimed his love, the way he had waited so defeated for him to turn her down. She remembered that soft touch when she'd not done so. When she'd asked for a time when she wanted to think about it. That flare of hope in his gaze made her feel like fire running down her spine. Was that what she could have with Sol if she just gave in?
Why was she so scared to try?
Liam distracted her again, from her own thoughts, whether he knew it or not. A part of her was more grateful than she could express at the ability to sit back and not have to think about the decision she'd have to make. To just put it to the side for the moment, to instead have a comfortable conversation. At his gentle inquiry, she glanced his way, smiling faintly, "I suppose so. My people are nomadic, and I followed that same lifestyle for a while after leaving the pod. Going where the currents took me, seeing the tides, visiting different reefs. Not sure what had me decide to stay and make Novus home, but I don't regret that either. But I have definitely always been a bit of an explorer. I like seeing things I haven't seen before yet. New sites, forgotten secrets. That sort of thing. I've seen ruins and surprises deep in the ocean, hidden beneath the waters . . . Walking those long-lost streets beneath the waves was inspiring as a pup, er foal. And that was all it took. Now I'll drop anything for even the hint of ruins and forgotten sites." She admitted with a laugh.
When he spoke about the silence, she understood.
Her gaze turned back to the water, her gaze dropping to the ocean - but this time, in a particular distance, as if she could see all the way to the artic waters where the pod was likely shivering in tight confines. "My mother died when I was young, about two or so now I think, oh, it was so long ago . . . A shark attack from nowhere. Took my mother, and shredded my sister's fluke, who was only a few months old. When the Pod, when the stallion I was courting; made us abandon her on the ice . . . Broke my heart. I left the Pod two days later, but by the time I got back to where I had last seen my sister she was gone . . . I was utterly alone for almost two years before finding my way to Novus . . . Two years . . . ." Her voice had softened, as if not quite believing the time herself. She glanced up at Liam, her expression almost vulnerable, "I can't do the silence either. To be surrounded by others . . . . to be in a place meant to have so much going on, so much interaction, laughter, life . . . and for it to just be . . . . " Her gaze returned to the sea. "No, I agree with you completely."
His sudden start to the question had her turning back to him.
She couldn't help it, she snorted, a slight laugh, that warmed her features again, grinning wryly, "Both?" She offered, grinning a bit brighter, "My species aren't of this planet. We are called Vapor Treaders. Made to be the guardians of an oceanic world. Our creator, the Empress; wanted something that could protect the waters both above and below sea level. So we have forms that allow us to live in both. Legs, and fins; lungs and gills." She explained patiently, her gaze brightening in obvious pride. "I'd be happy to answer any questions, really, I know I'm not the norm around these parts." She laughed, she couldn't help it, "One thing I can promise, I'm not related to Kelpies or the likes. The only meat I eat is fish." She added, still grinning in obvious amusement at the question she got so often.
"Bel"
Yukime
@Liam
Notes:: <3 I love Liam
Perhaps it was the casual interactions, the relaxing atmosphere, the way defenses were falling. For the mare who gave Terrastella everything, it was always a moment of delight to begin forming connections with other members. To build those relationships. It made her feel less like an outsider, more like Dusk Court could really be her new pod, with members that were like family. It was helping to heal the scars on her own heart from her birthplace. She tilted her head, her smile almost sad, gaze watching the flow of the water, "Water is odd like that. Healing in one breath, and harmful in another." She commented softly, her eyes focused only on the water. "Where I come from, we're taught that from a young age. The water gives us life, but it can take it too." Tilting her head to the side, she glances at him finally.
The soft, sad smile is still present, but it warms slightly.
"But the ocean is forgiving. Renewing. But to those who forget the beauty of her caps can also be danger will be struck with ire. Beautiful, but powerful, and only by respecting the power, will you find yourself breathing the water, instead of drowning in it." She shakes her head briefly, the thoughts, the old words of her people that were ringing through her mind clearing slightly. "Of course, I imagine it's a lot more dangerous for those who can't actually breathe water. But the sentiment is still the same. Always beautiful, but caution is not so silly to maintain."
It was odd for her, realizing how far she'd come.
Her first steps on land had been halting, awkward as she came to grow her 'land legs' as she'd humored it, having to remember how to walk on terrain that wasn't ice and snow. But more than that, there was so much she could see, she could hear as she interacted. Coming from her people, with their own sayings and methodology, she was adapting well. While some 'fishy phrases' slipped out from time, and time again; she was finding it a lot more easy to communicate, to express herself in ways others could understand more. But, still kept her connected to her roots, and with her acknowledgment of the old ways; her connection to her roots, to where her people came from was even stronger now.
She wasn't just a creature of the sea.
She was meant to be a guardian of it . . . or rather the sea of another world. But there was a lot about those facts she kept locked away in her own head, she didn't want to share all the details with others unless that other was her sister . . . or Sol. She told Sol a lot . . . Which was another big reason she was at those cliffs, sorting out those thoughts, those worries. But they were secrets of hers to keep, and for that same reason, she didn't probe the stallion for a deeper understanding of his words, his thoughts. If he wanted to share, he would. Simple as that.
There was a movement.
She glanced his way again when he spoke, and where the male may have shifted so subtly from the ocean spray, the mare was almost basking in it, feeling the water, the salt lightly hydrates her skin and water-resistant fur, feeling that familiar spray that made her miss diving freely. The stallion's words had her thoughtful, and she frowned slightly, "I would imagine, had he fallen ill, wouldn't an attendant have alerted a medic? We would still have gotten a notice, an update." He'd have said something about missing their meetings, right? Her training was falling to the wayside. Her magic training was going well with her companion's assistance, but fighting on land was an obscure idea still.
The sudden offer was a surprise.
Instantly, both sets of eyes brightened considerably, frilled ears perking, and a delighted smile crossing her muzzle, briefly showing a flash of fang deeper in her muzzle, "Truly! You'd be willing to assist me!? I should warn you, I'm a bit of a fish out of water when it comes to fighting on land. I can handle myself well enough if the water, but a lot of those movements don't . . . translate well without that buoyancy." She warned with a laugh, before her expression shifted, more serious, more eager, "I would be delighted to accept your offer. Although, my bonded would warn you I'm rather headstrong and push myself even beyond my own limits when I should know to stop."
How many times, while practicing magic did she fall ill?
Especially in those earlier months, where she was struggling to push too much, too fast. Dizzy spells, sudden frosts, she still remembered when she accidentally tried boiling a small section of the swamp, or when she turned a patch of the ocean - only a foot or so in space - almost gelatinous. But progress had been progress, and it was what made her able to step into the new rule of Battlemage. Where she still struggled in fighting herself, her magic was more up to par. The conversation between the two was slowly building, and it was for that fact again, the mare was delighted. She was keen to make more friends, keen to make those connections, bonds, family. For someone who was forced to give it all up for what she believed was right, rather than follow her pod into the wrong . . .
She craved that sense of community again.
His words about his beloved were warming though. Her species, her people believed in such a strong bond between romantic partners, she herself had started to develop one when she was so much younger. The break of such a bond had been gut-wrenching, had taken years to heal, to mend the trauma it had caused when that bond had snapped, crumbled. It's what made the new situation with Sol so scary, so terrifying. A part of her heart was frozen, hesitating, afraid that just like Shard, Sol would find other duties, other things that he would choose over her. His role in Delumine. His devotion to Oriens. Being a new father . . . . any of it could have him turning his back, just like she failed bonded mate had done.
So it warmed her heart to hear someone speak so openly about their loved one.
"Sounds like he should be lucky he has you then. I think every grumpy sort needs their own reason to smile. And if the way you speak about him is anything to go by, I bet he loves you just as much." She stated with a laugh, a gentle shake of her head. Still, it caused a pang in her heart, remembering that desperate look in Sol's eyes as he proclaimed his love, the way he had waited so defeated for him to turn her down. She remembered that soft touch when she'd not done so. When she'd asked for a time when she wanted to think about it. That flare of hope in his gaze made her feel like fire running down her spine. Was that what she could have with Sol if she just gave in?
Why was she so scared to try?
Liam distracted her again, from her own thoughts, whether he knew it or not. A part of her was more grateful than she could express at the ability to sit back and not have to think about the decision she'd have to make. To just put it to the side for the moment, to instead have a comfortable conversation. At his gentle inquiry, she glanced his way, smiling faintly, "I suppose so. My people are nomadic, and I followed that same lifestyle for a while after leaving the pod. Going where the currents took me, seeing the tides, visiting different reefs. Not sure what had me decide to stay and make Novus home, but I don't regret that either. But I have definitely always been a bit of an explorer. I like seeing things I haven't seen before yet. New sites, forgotten secrets. That sort of thing. I've seen ruins and surprises deep in the ocean, hidden beneath the waters . . . Walking those long-lost streets beneath the waves was inspiring as a pup, er foal. And that was all it took. Now I'll drop anything for even the hint of ruins and forgotten sites." She admitted with a laugh.
When he spoke about the silence, she understood.
Her gaze turned back to the water, her gaze dropping to the ocean - but this time, in a particular distance, as if she could see all the way to the artic waters where the pod was likely shivering in tight confines. "My mother died when I was young, about two or so now I think, oh, it was so long ago . . . A shark attack from nowhere. Took my mother, and shredded my sister's fluke, who was only a few months old. When the Pod, when the stallion I was courting; made us abandon her on the ice . . . Broke my heart. I left the Pod two days later, but by the time I got back to where I had last seen my sister she was gone . . . I was utterly alone for almost two years before finding my way to Novus . . . Two years . . . ." Her voice had softened, as if not quite believing the time herself. She glanced up at Liam, her expression almost vulnerable, "I can't do the silence either. To be surrounded by others . . . . to be in a place meant to have so much going on, so much interaction, laughter, life . . . and for it to just be . . . . " Her gaze returned to the sea. "No, I agree with you completely."
His sudden start to the question had her turning back to him.
She couldn't help it, she snorted, a slight laugh, that warmed her features again, grinning wryly, "Both?" She offered, grinning a bit brighter, "My species aren't of this planet. We are called Vapor Treaders. Made to be the guardians of an oceanic world. Our creator, the Empress; wanted something that could protect the waters both above and below sea level. So we have forms that allow us to live in both. Legs, and fins; lungs and gills." She explained patiently, her gaze brightening in obvious pride. "I'd be happy to answer any questions, really, I know I'm not the norm around these parts." She laughed, she couldn't help it, "One thing I can promise, I'm not related to Kelpies or the likes. The only meat I eat is fish." She added, still grinning in obvious amusement at the question she got so often.
"Bel"
Yukime
@Liam
Notes:: <3 I love Liam
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
