TORIELLE
It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams
Veil Nebula seemed concerned for her, and that brought a sort of pain to Torielle’s chest. She hadn’t wanted to startle or upset this being with her woes. Clearly this mare could feel things unfettered, if such simple conversation could pull at her heart-strings in this way. Or perhaps Torielle had been less careful than she had thought in keeping her emotions in check. Her family had always told her that she wore her heart on her sleeves, and that was one of the many things that the Sages had tried to reprimand and study out of her. The depth of her emotion had been something that she had begun to think of as the reason why she was no longer in contact with her goddess, yet she couldn’t help but feel things. Deeply, fully, in great magnitude. That was the reason for living, was it not? To experience things to the ends of the earth and back, in every way possible, the good and the bad? For what was the light without the dark so that one would know what it was when they found it?
Even as the mare had this swirling thought, worried that her emotional outburst would prevent this beautiful creature from wanting to accompany her, Veil moved forward. Though the air around them carried frost on it’s breath, the warmth that radiated quietly from the woman was enticing. True, any living being would hold heat around themselves in stark contrast to the cold, but Torielle had yet to meet another creature that seemed to generate such warmth. She instinctively moved just a bit closer, though she tried to keep in mind her manners and not close the gap too much. It would be rude to invade the woman’s space, even as they walked together in companionship.
Torielle walked slowly, her bells swaying softly between her antlers as they moved in step, making their way through the Viride on the same path that had become so familiar to her. Veil seemed to struggle some with her words, and she realized now that perhaps the concern from before was less to do with an overwhelming amount of emotion, but more to do with a lack of comprehension. She supposed that would be quite troubling, if one were put in a situation they were unsure of and had no way to communicate that they didn’t quite understand. It also explained the newness in her eyes, the freshness there. It had reminded her so much of the young buck she had met recently in the library, but it took her these few words to make the connection. Veil was new to this world, perhaps in more ways than most others, and while she held this beautiful curiosity, she was struggling to find ways to communicate with others. Clearly she had made an effort, as Torielle was able to understand what the woman was trying to tell her.
The mare understood her feelings. She understood being disconnected from everything she once knew. As Veil looked skyward, her words came more easily, more assured than before. She was from the stars, and she was lost.
The thought broke the mare’s heart. While Torielle had felt robbed of her goddess, of the life she had come to know, she could not possibly comprehend what it must be like for the woman in front of her. To be a celestial form compressed into an earthly body, and no way to clearly speak with others about her experience, to grow understanding and empathy and companionship. There was a deep ache in her chest as the realization grew, and the resolve that bloomed there, too. Even if it took everything she had, she would find a way to help Veil come into her own voice here within Novus. She would make sure that she had the words to express herself, and that people would listen.
“Perhaps, then,” the mare’s voice was thick as she tried to swallow her grief for the woman beside her. “Perhaps we can find our way together.”
She walked in silence for a few steps before venturing further. She’d already set time aside for Aeon, to help him learn to read and write. Perhaps this was the greater forces of the universe aligning. What were the odds that in this instance, after having walked this path hundreds of times since her arrival in this land, she would encounter this being of the stars? That she would have already resolved herself to teaching and lesson planning for another bright new mind when she met yet another that thirsted for knowledge? Torielle had never been one to believe in pure coincidence. For the first time since coming to Novus, things seemed to be falling into place.
“I am teaching a young colt to read and write,” she spoke suddenly, excitement bubbling up to replace the aching grief in her chest. “Maybe I can help you to read and write, too. Words are one of the wonders of the gods. To share stories and experiences with others. Perhaps sharing your story, and learning the stories of others, may help you to feel less alone.” She blushed heavily, averting her gaze from the woman at her side, feeling a bit foolish with her swinging emotional outbursts. She must have been giving the woman whiplash, with first her tears, the hollow ache, and then joy and anticipation. Suddenly panic and shame as words continued to tumble from her mouth.
“Not that I want to imply that you can’t read and write, maybe you can, just not in a way that others can readily understand. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude or inadvertently speak ill of you. I just…” She paused in her movements, using the moment to ground herself before looking back to the celestial being at her side, seeing the same homesickness reflected in her eyes. “I would like to see you smile, Veil Nebula, and I would love to help you feel less lost in this world.”
art by the-day-of-shadow character by scapeh table by sunny
