i know you, that gleam in your
eyes is so familiar a gleam
Lucinda walks with grace as she heads to Denocte with Abraxia flying overhead. The dragon has shrunk in size compared to her form back home, but she still towers over the mare by a couple feet. Being reunited with her bonded has finally filled part of the hole in her heart. She feels like an unstoppable force now and anyone would be foolish to try and cross her.
The night is quiet aside from the last crickets of the season chirping in the grass and the flapping of her dragon's wings. Some may find it calming, but Lu could use something. Maybe a little chaos to stir things up a bit. Lately she felt bored and she could use Abraxia's return to her advantage.
That's why when she overheard the Night Court were holding a festival, her lips curved into a smirk. Fall and Halloween were a perfect setting to cause a scare or just any scene really. What better way to do so with a seven foot dragon who could breathe fire?
What she hadn't expected from the festival was the corn maze. All of a sudden in the vast prairie, tall corn stalks appeared with a half-assed sign saying "maze entrance". But this is certainly something they could work with. Mazes were typically not easy to navigate and one would likely not expect a menacing dragon lurking around the corner.
"Find a nice hiding place, my dear. We're going to have a little fun," she tells Abraxia through their telepathy. After smiling up at the beast, the dragon flies further ahead to look for the best corner or dead end to settle into. Lucinda does not speed up her pace, but instead takes her time to make it to the entrance.
At first, she is torn between finding a hiding spot herself or to linger a little longer and join whoever dares enter the maze next. She settles on the latter and waits. Perhaps the two can corner them and steal any goods they gathered from the night's festivities. Or maybe they'll luck out and scare a child to death. The night is full of possibilities and Lu hopes they come upon a good victim.
esnyi could not be kept from a festival, particular not on in Denocte. They had the best, and most frequent, celebrations, and she would make it to every one if she could. This one was an autumn celebration, and it was with a light heart that she danced through the festivities, shops, and performers; many were friendly but none were Benevolent. (She tried not to be disappointed, though - this had happened before, many times, and it would likely happen many more times.) Homesickness had yet to strike, but the search for companionship was everlasting.
Finally Mesnyi had made her way to the prairie, which had disappeared under the guise of a corn maze. The last maze had been a real Benevolent treat. This one was all Isra’s doing, as far as she knew.
As the lavender mare made her way to the entrance, she noticed - how could she not - an imposing black mare standing before it. ”Heading in?” She asked, trying to push aside the apprehension that filled her heart at the sight.
"You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while."
tracker plotter
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i know you, that gleam in your
eyes is so familiar a gleam
It's become too late to find herself a hiding spot as she is joined by a lavender mare. She is no one Lucinda has met before, but then again, she doesn't usually go out of her way to meet just anyone.
"Yes, I was just about to. Care to join me?" she offers, faking a kind smile and tone. The very act of doing so makes her sick, but she will continue on with it for a short while. Better to play the part and get the right results in the end.
As they enter the maze, the corn stalks loom above them in an almost menacing way. Lu isn't scared, but she somewhat understands how others could be. "Are you from around here? I've never seen anything quite like this," she asks as they walk along the path. It is certainly a unique attraction, she'll give Denocte that.
Through her link, she can sense Abraxia is nearby but of course cannot see her yet. This is fine, she thinks, since it would be too early for the dragon to make her full appearance. There is a low growl in the distance, but she does not say anything. She'll wait to see if the other woman might notice and gauge her reaction.
h, certainly.” Mesnyi offered a smile back, but something about the mare didn’t sit quite right with her. Perhaps it was the imposing scar across her face - though Bexley had one quite like it - or the way her toothy grin looked more like a snarl. She made a point of trusting her intuition, but thought perhaps it was just the autumn evening. There was always a certain feeling about this time of the year, the veil between worlds thin. It was easiest for the Benevolent to travel around now, too, but it didn’t seem like her brethren would be coming for a while yet. The caravan she’d come with would plan to leave her alone, and any others would be few and far between. The journey required them to be quite large, after all.
”Are you from around here? I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
Mesnyi looked up at the corn above them. ”I’m not from here, no. But the caravan I came with helped with the summer festival last year.” The stranger seemed to melt into the shadows, save for her green eyes. Mesnyi’s stomach twisted. ”And yourself?” Something rumbled in the bushes, but the lavender mare attributes it to the wind and nerves. Certainly no maze has ever made her feel so tense, but perhaps something truly is off…
"You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while."
tracker plotter
please tag the proper character for replies
i know you, that gleam in your
eyes is so familiar a gleam
The stranger is not from here either, so it could work out in Lu's favor. She also speaks of a summer festival, but Lu knows nothing of that. Apparently the Night Court were quite the party-goers.
"A caravan, you say?" she says with curiosity. She's also not familiar with a traveling caravan that goes to the Courts. Then again, really most of the Courts customs and groups are foreign to her.
"Neither am I, but I heard of this festival and figured I'd check things out. I have to say, I've been quite unimpressed so far," she adds, her expression clearly showing her unamusement. The food in the markets had been okay, but in general the festivities were lackluster compared to the kingdom she grew up in.
Lucinda hears Abraxia growling from another section of the maze again, this time louder and seeming closer. She looks to the stranger and acts confused.
"Did you hear that?" she asks, looking through the tall stalks of corn, but seeing nothing. The wind shifts and the corn stalks sway with it. There is another growl and this time, it seems the corn stalks shake in a different way than just the wind.
caravan, you say?” Mesnyi nodded, always proud of her origins, though vague on details when asked. ”Yes, I was raised in such a caravan.” She smiled, relaxing again as the stranger kept talking. ”I feel the same way. My people know how to throw a party.” They walked on a little bit, through the twists and turns of the maze.
There it was: that growl again. Mesnyi’s ears flickered around to try and catch where it was coming from, but all she could hear afterwards was the whispering of the cornstalks.
”Did you hear that?” Mesnyi swallowed.
”Maybe it’s part of the maze,” she said, hopefully. Though perhaps- she hears another growl, and the corn shakes strangely. ”Or maybe we shouldn’t…” Mesnyi was seldom one to put herself in harm’s way - she was simply too valuable, and the fear of death sat firmly in her. She had a lot to live for, even if it was all superficial. The lavender mare backed up a few steps, trying to keep an eye on the shaking corn.
"You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while."
tracker plotter
please tag the proper character for replies
i know you, that gleam in your
eyes is so familiar a gleam
Being raised in a caravan is certainly not how Lu would wish anyone to grow up. Despite the thrill in the chaos now, she feels like some of her habits are because of the structure she had. She is still a dignified woman, despite no longer having the titles of royalty. Yet it seems all this mare knows is partying. What a waste of potential.
Abraxia's growl carries over the corn stalks waving in the breeze. By the lavender mare's body language, she's heard the sound too and seems a bit nervous. She suggests it's part of the maze. While it certainly fits the aesthetic, Lu doesn't think the Night Court would ever be clever enough to actually incorporate something like it in their festival.
"I don't think so…" Lucinda replies, her voice trailing off as she looks around. Even though she can sense her companion's presence very close now, she still acts suspicious. She even narrows her eyes as she looks around to appear focused. Lu takes a few steps forward as the other woman is taking steps backwards. That is when the growling stops.
Abraxia hasn't moved, but is merely drawing suspense.
"Huh, that's str-" she starts to say, but before she can finish off the word "strange", the dragon appears. She jumps out from her hiding spot behind the corn stalks to face the two. Her coloring is a dark black-purple and, although she's just seven feet tall, her talons look razor sharp. Abraxia opens her mouth to reveal just as sharp teeth before breathing out a giant fireball in Mesnyi's direction. Only the fire is not the natural orange color, but bright green to match her glowing green eyes.
Lu braces herself, but does not move just yet. Instead, she looks over to see what the other woman might do or where she might go.
”I don’t think so…” The stranger’s reply does little to calm Mesnyi’s nerves - though perhaps nothing would have, by now. Mesnyi shivers, her limbs starting to tremble as Lucinda looks around suspiciously. Maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s nothing-
Lucinda starts to speak when - gods! - a dragon leaps from the bushes, black and huge with enormous talons and fangs. Mesnyi screams, turning tail as a sickly green fireball is borne from the creature’s maw. The lavender mare runs and runs, crashing into hedges and patrons and dead ends and turning back and around until she finds the exit. A costumed stallion stands at the opening to greet her. “Congratulations, you’ve-“ Mesnyi shoves past him and keeps running until she can no longer run, cramps clenching at her side as she heaves, stumbling to a walk. She looks back every so often, listening over the sound of her thudding heart for the beast. Quiet, save the distant sound of music and laughter.
Mesnyi shakes her head, collapsing beneath a tree once her heart slows, sweat going sticky on her skin. ”Never in my life…”
"You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while."
tracker plotter
please tag the proper character for replies
i know you, that gleam in your
eyes is so familiar a gleam
It doesn't take long before the lilac mare is off with a flash, barreling through the edges of the maze in a desperate escape. Lucinda laughs and only stops once her stomach starts to ache. Abraxia is by her side looking just as amused. Lu pets her companion's head softly for a job well done. How she missed all the clever pranks they pulled back at her kingdom. At least she's able to find some entertainment here, especially with how many more are afraid of her dragon.
The pair make it through the end of the maze with ease and she walks gracefully past the costumed stallion stationed at the exit. He says some sort of congratulations, but they ignore him. They've served their purpose here and now Denocte no longer has anything good to offer.
With a flick of her tail, they are off to the direction of the Solterran sands once again.
![[Image: 26y3cfu.png]](https://i.imgur.com/26y3cfu.png)
