I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
The whispering of the trees welcomed him back into their embrace. The tree branch hanging down provided a welcome scratch to his growing horns. The flickering lights and the musty smell had not changed since his last visit. He had agreed to meet the others here, to learn some more about the world he was living in. Observing shelves of books, they remained as much a mystery as before. The symbols on the pages were mysterious and taunting. His herd; as far as he was aware, didn't use any written language. There were some cave paintings in the higher up tunnels, but he had never personally seen them. Lore foretold that these paintings preceded his herd, they were painted by the ancients themselves.
Aeon was excited to learn more about the lives of others. Torielle had mentioned that stories were recorded in the books. What hidden knowledge was there to gain? The questions that had buzzed his brain previously had not yet been answered. What was to stop someone altering the history they recorded? How much of it was true?
What kind of existence did someone lead that was interesting enough to write down anyway? Was there magic to learn in the books? He had wondered if anyone had ever been to visit his herd and written down their stories. The worlds seemed so far apart he doubted that he would find stories about it here. He felt like that maybe the trees themselves would have stories to tell, but they seemed to speak only in whispers of rubbing branches and welcomes to Aeon.
Finding almost the same exact position in the library he settled his aching body down. His wounds were healing but it took a long time to replace the vast majority of your flesh, frankly he was lucky to be alive. He gazed around again briefly wondering if there was anyone else here he hadn’t noticed. He intended to make the most of his situation, he was also looking forward to seeing Torielle again.
It had been almost a week since the mare had been in the library. She’d gone about the book stacks while the colt had slept and perused the volumes that she had thought might be useful to introducing him to the concept of the written word. Fairy tales, children’s tomes, short poems were most of the items that she had pulled aside. She’d also made sure to collect several sheaves of blank parchment as well as several quills and one particularly full inkwell. She had gone in search of a chalkboard or some other instrument to which she could display several things to Aeon at once, but surprisingly had found nothing. It hadn’t particularly mattered, as she was very hands on anyways, so extra paper would do the trick just fine.
She’d stored the curated supplies on a shelf near some particularly cozy pillows that were out of the way enough that she was reasonably certain that no one would shift things around. The mare was glad that she had put the forethought into doing so, as she had met a rather unexpected person upon her walk through the Viride that morning. While Torielle had taken to walking familiar paths when she was restless, today had held something entirely unique. It felt as if the universe had risen on a completely new life for her, and it had been invigorating.
As she moved through the trees of the library, the soft glow of the lanterns eased her mind. While she was still buzzing with excitement, there was a soothing effect to most any library, and the gem of Delumine was no exception. In fact, she’d wager that it was even more so, perhaps protected by some kind of magic to ensure that its occupants were as comfortable as possible to entice them into reading one more book.
She spotted the familiar shape of her young would-be student snuggled into some pillows at one side of the row she was currently traversing. The colt might have heard her before seeing her, the merry jingle of the bells in her antlers ringing as she put a little bounce to her step at the sight of him.
“Aeon,” she called, her tone bright. She didn’t necessarily want to yell in the library, but the mare wanted to catch his attention, and dang it- she was excited. “I brought someone with me today, who would like to learn, too.”
Torielle side-stepped, giving the third person in their company room to be seen and heard clearly. Today was going to be a very good day, indeed.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Veil was putting all her faith in Tori.
All she knew was she was being led somewhere, and when it was all set and done, she wouldn't be as alone. But more importantly than that, Torielle was her new friend and that meant something precious to the star, and it meant she'd trust Torielle to not lead her astray. It was unfortunately naive for a young mare who didn't know any better about the world. Was unaware of the depths of cruelty. But thankfully Torielle's heart was not cold. Following the chiming mare through the doors, the star looked around, startling when her hooves echoed across a surface she'd never stepped on before. She kicked up her hooves at the sound, jumping and briefly bumping into Torielle's side, even as she spun her head down towards the slick floor. She pounded another hoof, listening to the noise it made, checking both her appendage and the floor to see nothing had changed.
Shocking, but not dangerous then.
Settling her racing mind, she turned back to Torielle and offered a shy, but soft smile, motioning for her to lead the way, once more. Her gaze was fluttering towards every new item. The flickering warm lanterns, the shelves lined with colorful items. Then she noticed someone ahead of them, watching as Torielle seemed to brighten, turn more bouncy. Veil glanced from this young stranger, back to Torielle, before a name was spoken from the bright, cheerful woman, Aeon. She repeats the calling sound to herself, keeping silent for the moment, before glancing up towards Torielle when she made some more sounds, and then side-stepping, and the star realized she was introducing her.
Kind of, it was . . . . not the normal way?
Her calling sound wasn't used, rather a showcasing? Rather than an introduction then. Either way, the star stepped forward, her limbs caring her up towards the side of the antlered woman she followed so willingly. Galaxy pink eyes take in the sooty, little pegasus, and her muzzle twists slightly into a concerned look at the state of his appearance, it did not look normal, after all. She'd met only a few sorts so far on this planet, but the star knew missing parts of your skin wasn't right. She fluttered her wings, shedding stardust as she lowers her head, gaze searching his briefly as if judging him at that moment.
His soul is being weighed against the universe.
Then her muzzle splits into a beautiful, but soft smile, her pink eyes swirling with the mini stars captured in their depths, Hello, She greets softly, her voice older, wiser than her appearance would suggest, I am The Veil Nebula. She introduces herself before turning her attention back to Torielle, smiling warmly to her, Torielle's friend. She adds as if it's the most important part.
For the star, it was.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle @Aeon Notes:: <3
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
The sound of jingling bells was soon met by the familiar sound of Torielle’s voice. Torielle would teach him the lessons he needed to learn to function in this bizarre world. She had bought someone else to teach as well! Aeon’s ears swiveled listening, paying close attention. He pushed himself to his feet eager to politely meet and learn who this other student would be. He bubbled with excitement and energy. Aeon nodded to Torielle, “Good morning!”
He had never seen a mare that looked anything like this one. The deep rich purples screamed of otherworldly properties. She reminded him of the rich appearance of stars on a clear night. Is that where she came from? Deep red eyes met her pink eyes, he already had so many questions. It was an exciting concept that he wasn’t the only one who lacked these skills. It would be good to have someone else to learn with.
The fluttering stardust caught his attention. He reached his muzzle towards where it was falling attempting to catch it. Why were parts of this mare floating off? Did she also meet some kind of unfortunate encounter, he too was shedding parts of skin regularly as he healed.
“It’s nice to meet you, The Veil Nebula. I hope we can learn alot together. Torielle is my friend too” He said mustering his best mature voice, pronouncing her name to make an effort to remember it. His young mind was dizzy with questions and excitement. “Why are you so sparkly?” he asked softly, almost embarrassed that he couldn’t control his curiosity. He felt enchanted by the floating flakes of sparkles and the colour of her shimmering coat. It seemed as though it changed each time he focused his eyes back onto the colours. Some colours Aeon had never seen before were melded in her side. It felt almost forbidden to gaze upon the colours, like well stowed secrets.
Maybe there would be more lessons to learn in this class room than simply reading the symbols of this land. Maybe, she had some of the deeper secrets his soul yearned to understand. “I am from the Dusk court, but I fell from the sky above their lands. There is alot I have yet to learn about this world.” He explained softly, feeling the need to justify his ignorance on so many topics.
Torielle beamed from ear to ear, content for the moment to just watch the encounter. It didn’t once occur to her how strange it might have been to be introducing the two equines; after all, many others would consider only one meeting to be acquaintanceship, foundations for friends at best- the mare believed no such thing herself, however. Her soul had called out to both Aeon and Veil Nebula, and in her mind, that had been enough. To hear both of them confirm their bond out loud, friends, it delighted her.
Veil seemed concerned for the colt’s appearance, and the woman couldn’t exactly blame her. While it hadn’t registered much with Torielle once she realized that he didn’t seem bothered by it, she supposed not everyone would be so accepting of the state of his coat as she might have been. The star mare didn’t comment, though if this was from lack of words, politeness, or an understanding that he, too, was in a stage of growth, it was unclear.
Aeon didn’t miss a beat, immediately fascinated with the way the new woman’s coat shed starlight like a mist from her body. Torielle had to admit she had been admiring it through most of their walk to the library, catching glimpses of the glittering dust as it brushed against her pelt before falling to some point just above the earth and disappearing.
The mare’s audits pricked as he spoke. When she had met the colt in the library the week before he had not spoken of his origins, though she hadn’t exactly asked him either. This was news to her, heart racing with excitement.
“That’s alright, Aeon,” she spoke to him, tone gentle. “Veil is from the sky, too.” She looked to the star woman again, half looking for approval that sharing this information so readily was okay, and as an invitation for her to speak.
What were the odds that the antlered mare would come across two cosmic beings within days of each other, and that both of them would trust her to help steady themselves within the world? If she was honest with herself, the sudden weight of that responsibility left her a bit lightheaded, though she tried not to show it. Something in her heart told her that this was her calling. Perhaps Gaia was still working here in Novus, just in more discreet ways than the mare was used to. Perhaps it was some other force she had not yet met. Regardless of where the nudge had come from, the universe was very clearly telling her that this was the path she was meant to take. She would accept the roll with open arms.
She smiled. “Perhaps you two will find you have some more special things in common, then.”
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Veil was trying to be brave.
But even so she kept closer to Torielle. The younger male was definitely surprised by her appearance, not that she could blame him. Veil knew she wasn't normal, a beast crafted from the stars, all that was left of a once lovely Nebula. His muzzle reaches towards the dust, and she couldn't help but be amused by the action, even as she gently shook her head, least the stardust had negative reactions. After all she functioned through nuclear reactions in her chest. Who knew if the stardust could be harmful!
The star would feel terrible if she unintentionally hurt another.
The young male then began to speak, using her full title. Though his second sentence was lost to her lack of understanding. She knew the third sentence, and those pink galactic eyes turned back to the chiming mare at her side, a faint smile for Torielle for organizing all of this. The male's voice turns her head again, but she blinks in confusion at the word she didn't know. Her gaze immediately jumps back to Torielle, ears pinning nervously from the sounds she didn't know. Only knowing it was related to her due to the 'you' he had used.
Tori kept smiling however, relaxing Veil's nervousness.
The young male then spoke again, and she knew the sound must be his home, like she lived with Jane in Day. She was surprised when he mentioned falling. Her own memories of the hot pain of when she entered the atmosphere. The free fall, sense of dread, the pain of colliding with the side of the mountain.
Tori's soft voice pulls her out of the memory.
Veil smiled gently in reassurance at the information given, From the stars." She corrects gently, feeling her star warm in her chest in response to her proud admission, But fell." She agreed before glancing at Tori when she spoke again, the sounds unfamiliar, her eyes blinking even as her magic flared to fill in the gaps. Understanding and warmth. The sense of friendship and family she got from Jane. And so Veil nods, smiles, and hopes Tori is right. That friendship could be made, and somewhere along the way she could grow to understand the sounds these individuals made.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle @Aeon Notes:: <3
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
It was reassuring and comforting to have Torielle present while meeting the new equine. He had met many others, and none thus far had been cruel. But again he had never seen a mare that looked like she had been assembled from the night sky itself. At her evident discomfort and disapproval he pulled his muzzle away from Veil. It didn’t satisfy his curiosity, but he wouldn’t push her boundaries.
When she told him that she had fallen from the stars he felt the need to further explain his own origin story. But from her response it had appeared that she struggled with spoken language as much as Aeon struggled with written language.
He took some steps back, his adolescent brain whizzing and whirring trying to find a solution to their communication problem. “I fell from Volcano.”He took his hoof and formed shapes on the ground, making a triangle like the volcano he fell down. He then did his best eruption noise imitation, which admittedly wasn’t very good. Motioning at the top of his imagined triangle, something flying out - trying to simulate the flow of lava. He then pretended in a falling motion, coughing imitating his own struggles. Several of his damaged feathers fell out and landed on the floor. Laying himself on the ground and pointing his legs upwards in the air in the position he had fallen in. Looking up at Torielle and Veil while upside down on his back. “Hurt, but less now.” he said softly.
Realizing that laying this way made it easy to scratch his back he wiggled slightly satisfying the itch before rolling and pulling himself to his feet. “Is the sky cold?” he asked curiously, focusing on Veil. “Are the gods there?” he asked again, his imagination taking hold of him. “Can you do magic?” It was going to be a long day for both the mares.
Torielle was doing her best to mediate, but without knowing the full extent of what Veil understood and what she didn’t, it was proving a little difficult. With Aeon’s bubbling fountain of questions, it made that doubly so. The curiosity that he held burned a warmth bright in her chest, and she wanted to continue encouraging that knowledge-seeking. They would just need to find a happy medium between all of them. She reminded herself that this was just the beginning, and once they got started, it would likely smooth over and bridge the gap between them, at least as far as the written and spoken word were concerned.
Thankfully, Veil didn’t seem too overwhelmed. Confused, yes, but it appeared that she found comfort in the other mare, and that was a good thing. Tori would be sure to try to accommodate both of these bright minds, her friends, so that they would not only enjoy themselves, but so that they did it as comfortably as she could manage.
Aeon, the bright colt he was, picked up on Veil’s struggles and adjusted his communication accordingly. It was rather amusing and very charming to watch. Torielle giggled, watching his pantomime- it was very good. She eyed Veil, waiting to see her response. If her comprehension of this show and tell style proved to be more beneficial, that was how she would choose to conduct her lessons, at least until Veil became more comfortable with the different words that the equines of Novus used.
As the young colt began to bombard the stardust mare with more questions, Torille stepped in. She gave him a bright smile, her tone gentle. “Those are a lot of very good questions, Aeon,” she commended him with a chuckle, “And I’m sure Veil would like to answer them, too.” She looked to the mare at her side before returning her attention back to the pegasus.
“Maybe we can do questions one at a time while we walk to where I have everything ready for our lesson today?” She tilted her head, bells tingling.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Veil imagined this must be a challenge.
For herself to understand, for Torielle to mediate, for Aeon to get across. Especially when the mare couldn't understand herself very well. She sees his reaction as she shakes off his attempt to touch her, and smiles at the younger male, apologetic, Stars . . . hot. For you, I protect. she struggles to explain her decision to not let him touch, glancing towards Torielle to see if she had the words she could not explain, touching her chest once, No heart. Star. She motions to the particles wafting off of her, Star. She adds, in an attempt to help clarify for the both just what she is made of, and the potential dangers she may hold that kept her cautious. Had she known that by the time the star dust shed from her, her body had robbed it of the radioactive elements she need to survive, that the dust was safe for exposure, she'd have let him touch, but she didn't know that. And so she was being cautious - for both of them.
It was a struggle for her to express herself, however.
She lacked the words, but that didn't mean she lacked the understanding. Her head tilted quizzically, confused when the young stallion began to act out his words. While there was much she didn't understand, her magic cleared it up. The special ability filling in the gaps for her. This time it was largely not needed due to his elaborate show, and the star couldn't help to release her own twinkling sound, the laughter easing the air, Happy better. But, sad? Your pain." The vocabulary wasn't there to help her fully but she tried to get across she was sympathetic to his plight, as she offered an amused glance to Tori.
She did want to elaborate on one thing though.
Words, sounds. Hard. No sound. No need. But. Understand. Star, sky. But bigger. Helps." How does one explain. The stars don't need to communicate out loud, and that the universe provides her context clues. Soon the man was rambling again, wild and excited questions that had Tori asking him to slow down. But Veil was already picking them apart. The first was easy enough to answer, cold. Black, cold, empty. Lots open, stars far. Alone." She explains in fractured sentences before nodding with a vibrant smile, her gaze sparkling, yes! Put me back. Alive. Not be, but am. Helped. Felt like Tempus." a powerful being, why monk now! She adds with pride at being able to declare what she was. Then came the last question, and her smile is playful, warm and friendly, yes. was her soft reply, helps me speak. Hear and know sounds. Gives images. Helps meaning. But. More. Know things. Know many things. Of future. Of past. her gaze jumps to Tori at the mention of them going to a place of learning, these words meaning more and she nods eagerly, yes! Lets!
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle @Aeon Notes:: I've realized I need to update her list of words known xD
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
I'm ready to bleed to make amends And sleep in this dirt we call our bed So tell me your secrets And join me in pieces
To fall and rewrite the bitter end
Aeon listened carefully to what Torielle had to say. That she thought his questions were interesting, but that he was going too fast. One question at a time. His young brain struggled with focusing on one topic at a time but he would try. He simply was used to moving from one thought to another, but with this thinking he never truly explored any topic deeply. Perhaps this would be more productive in the long run. Feeling it easier to suppress his questions if he kept them internally, he nodded to Torielle and followed her. He was so thankful for the lessons about this world that he would be receiving today.
The mysteries just seemed to deepen with each moment around the cosmic mare. Her heart was a star? How did that work? Was her blood stardust then? Torielle’s words echoed in his mind again and caught him in his spiral of questions and he forced himself to focus. Living with the burden of being deprived of touch due to concern your actual heart would wound someone, must be challenging. The statement from her made him feel an ache within his own chest. A kind of grief, that she had been given such difficult circumstances to navigate the world.
“The Veil Nebula, Friend, I protect. Not Alone, Together” he said slowly and simply, pointing his muzzle in her direction. If he could, he would make sure that she would not feel alone. He felt that protecting her from further harm would be a worthwhile venture. They seemed to have many things in common and a lot to learn!
His eyes widdened slightly at perhaps now grasping that the issue wasn't with understanding, but with actual speech? That something filled the gaps inbetween. It didn't surprise Aeon, he had come to learn that anything was possible within this land. Nothing was much of a surprise anymore! If someone had told him the sky was actually green and not blue he'd have to look up to check.
"I don't want you to feel alone, I don't want you to hurt. I am your friend, and I will protect you." he rephrased his speaking, and hoped that she would understand. He felt emotionally overwhelmed at the information she had been able to provide. So the gods were real huh. “Do you know anything about Vespera?" He asked wondering if she knew anything about the god of the dusk court. He was a member of the court, but he was really still very much in the dark about their god.
"Lets learn together!” he added softly, unsure if she knew these words. But maybe with context they would eventually make sense. He did wonder what methods Tori had of teaching them. He felt slightly anxious that even with teaching he may be incapable of understanding the symbols, that maybe he was just incapable in general. His mind choosing this moment to remind him that he also had to try and learn the magic that these lands operated on. It felt very overwhelming, and he was glad he wasn't doing it alone.
