[AW] Like The Stars [relic contest]

[Reichenbach]

I LOVE YOU LIKE THE STARS ABOVE

There was no love that compared to the love of his city. He had not been born within Denocte, or Novus entirely, but it had become his home as surely as the ocean kissed the sand. It did not have everything he desired - far from it, but nevertheless it was the place he called home and one of the only places he found himself dedicated and loyal to. Had he stumbled upon the Day Court he might have had more heat to burn the shame from his skin, or a better regime to fold himself into... but he had fallen into the hands of midnight instead. Reichenbach did not regret it, and never dreamed of spending his days in any other court for this was the court that had been chosen for him. It was where he had met his adoptive father and brother, where he'd met.. Swallow.  To think her name even now made him retreat, shame and longing a painful lump in his weary chest. How had the years not dulled that fierce ache? How was it that he, one of the more successful warriors of Denocte, was still riddled with regret? Distance echoed in his silver eyes, vacant and never-ending as he stared sightlessly toward the large, ancient building that used to hold the Sovereign of the Night Court. It had been vacant for too long now - waiting. The decision would be left to the citizens of Denocte, it was the way of the Night Court for choice to be available to it's citizens. It was one of the things Reich loved most - the Night Court did not expect anyone to be anything other than what they truly wanted to be, there was no judgement, only acceptance. It was how he, a thin shouldered, fierce eyed gypsy boy had become who he was today. Even better, Denocte was mostly a mystery to outsiders - though lately without a sovereign there had been more and more traffic through their vast lands. Reich returned to himself with a slight shake of his ebony curls, noting the musical jingle of the coins in his hair and around his strong foreleg. He'd trained and trained to be where he was now, though the mischief had never left his smile, the cheek could still be found abundant within the depths of his long lashed eyes. Humour often laced his broad, open smile, and he had a bounty of friends through all of Novus - though he held none so close to his heart as his lost brother. The thought stirred him into motion, shifting his muscular neck to turn back and look at the bustling hive of activity that was the citizens of Denocte. They were the foundation of his life, they had given him food when he was hungry, blankets on cold nights and finally a family to believe in - they had given him the song that thrummed through his smouldering, ember-ridden veins. If he could do anything for their survival, for their happiness, he would do it. Including finding that gods-damned relic.

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@eros @lothaire

[Lothaire]

THIS BEAUTIFUL DECAY

Dusk nestled itself effortlessly into the corners of the keep, shadows lingering in stone washed by bloodied scarlet falling from the dying sky above. A figure, tall and winged, was caught also in this flood of glowing garnet; casting him into light against a backdrop of red-tipped peaks. The mountain range was home, to him, if there ever should be one and it was unusual for the great man to ever emerge from their glorious hostility. Yet, here he stood - dark singing eyes drinking in sights he beheld with a cool shade of dispassion. Not long had he lived in their midst; previously a traveller led by stars and the words of his grandfather, Lothaire was unused to such a culture. Perhaps, though, that was what had drawn him to Night Court: the unknown. A man of detachment and disloyalty he may have been but one entirely absent of curiosity he was not. He was an observant, a watcher on the wall but a man lacking in morals all the same. One character in particular caught Lothaire's blackened reptilian gaze: the man they called Reichenbach. A light that was both cold and brief flickered in those eyes; his interest caught like cloth on a nail. Aside from Rhen whom had welcomed him into Night Court's ranks, Lothaire was yet to trade words with a single member; a choice that was certainly deliberate on his part (solitude had always been his favourite song) but word of this warrior had reached him on the newborn air. His python-marked head lifted skywards almost involuntarily, signposting his simmering desire: what secrets did this sable man hide between his teeth? What had he seen? What horrors consumed his heart? Colours flashed behind Lothaire's eyes - the answers were but a crocodilian smile away.  ooc: Lo is currently just stood staring at Reich /cough creep alert

love, space

[Reichenbach]

I LOVE YOU LIKE THE STARS ABOVE

Dusk descended swiftly in Denocte, as if the very earth here sung for Calligo's shadow, her darkness. Reich himself adored the cloak of night, but even more so - the stars. It was what turned others away from the Court, that darkness, believing it to be unsavoury, hiding the worst of the worst and not a shred of a soul more. It served excellently as a defence - but it saddened him to think so many cast ugliness on The Night Court, unable to see the beauty that lay in shadow, curved around a star. Still, he had found a place within the Night Court, and he wasn't the only one.  His attention slid to the reptilian skinned man that stood on the boundary of civilisation, the people of Denocte bustling before him, a rare few casting curious glances his way though Reich noticed they looked away quite quickly. He cast his mind back to when the man had arrived - a time not so long ago, though if he recalled correctly it had been Rhen that brought the stranger in. And Rhen... well, his fate remained unknown. Veteris was a chaotic land, more corrupt than Novus and more violent. Reich himself had travelled through the old world and found that he much preferred the leniency of the Solar Courts. After a moment of intense thought, Reich realised he had been staring toward the man - Lothaire, was it? For all too long. He broke the stoic mask of his face and grinned at him, trotting toward him in a mess of bouncing curls and coins. "Lothaire, right?" he questioned pleasantly "It's been a while since I've seen you at the Court, what brings you?" The warrior paused a moment and then added "Just don't tell me it's for that gods-damned relic that has gotten everyone fussing" His silver eyes sparkled with humour, the ease of being friendly leaking from his pores - it was all too easy to fall into friendship with the big bay, his jovial grins addictive and his booming laugh even more so.

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@lothaire

[Lothaire]

THIS BEAUTIFUL DECAY

Reichenbach's confident but swift approach almost caught Lothaire off-guard, almost. He matched the ochre man's simmering grin with a slow reptilian blink, concealing his intrigue entirely. It was his prerogative, no? To guard the secrets festering like flies under his skin? Too much he had seen, too little he had told. The warrior was jovial, assertive, unbound (it seemed to Lothaire) by the restraints of anxiety. But sensed that was not all. Reading strangers was a game he played all too often, one he certainly enjoyed. He regarded people as books in a vast, unending library; tokens of literature, some open some closed, but all with their own story just waiting to be seen. What was Reichenbach's tale? Black met silver, their eyes locking in an unspoken dance. The syllables drizzled from Lo's tongue like liquid hydrogen - "I'd be lying if I said the relic had not caught my attention, but perhaps my intentions do not mirror those who seek it so vehemently." Greed glittered in the eyes of most he had seen hunting Tempus' lost jewel, and it fascinated him; lust was all but absent in Lothaire's heart, and like all foreign things it charmed him. Intentionally he had brushed aside his acquaintance's initial question, reluctant to reveal all the inner workings of his mind. "We share something, you and I." He drawled, instead. A bizarre statement, perhaps, but then Lothaire never had learnt the universal etiquette of conversation.  ooc: this is ick and a bit rushed, sorry wanted to get something up!

love, space @reichenbach

[Rostislav]

The Ark started movin', it drifted with the tide,
Them Unicorns looked up from the rock and they cried,
And the waters came down and sorta floated them away,
That's why you'll never see a Unicorn, to this very day.

At last I've reached the final court of Novus. The Night Court of Denocte. I shake my head, willing the weariness to fade from my mind, from my eyes, from my senses as a whole. Night was falling, and soon the citizens of the land would be at their happiest, for daylight would be gone entirely. I'm trotting along, but then slow to a quiet, slow walk as I near the fortress. I sense that I might not be welcome here, despite no obvious neon lights telling me to fuckin' get lost. I keep my head low, observing rather than participating. I enter the fortress, its lights catching my form and illuminating me despite my attempts to avoid notice. There's only so much I can do, I suppose. I stand there for a moment before the word 'relic' catches my attention, and both my ears twitch and flicker in that direction. I turn my gaze toward two stallions. One seems familiar, but where I saw him in my Novus past I can't quite place. The other stallion looks quite comfortable in his surroundings but I certainly have no idea who he is. Unsurprising, I don't know who a lot of people are these days. I'm makin' it up as I go, aren't I? I let my legs carry me toward the pair and try to unassumingly join their conversation.

"Good evening, Comrades." Husky voice coughs out the greeting. Why is my voice always husky? I don't smoke.. I don't have a smoker's cough.. wtf? "I heard mention of this damn relic we all seem to be searching for.." Yes.. everyone. Pretty damn sure.

WC: 313
Tag: @Reichenbach Comment: Hope you don't mind me joining!!

Rostislav

more than a drunken fool

x - x

[Reichenbach]

I LOVE YOU LIKE THE STARS ABOVE

Satisfaction glimmered in the Night Court Warrior's silver gaze as Lothaire spoke, his voice like secrets, like smoke. Perhaps it was pride or vanity, but Reich could not help but to assume that Lothaire's own reasons for seeking the relic were as noble as his own - he believed wholeheartedly that the citizens of his court stood above bickering and competing for power. His smile turned wry as he returned Lothaire's auspicious gaze, silver gaze seeking to uncover the truths so artfully hidden behind his black eyes. Lothaire was a mystery to him - and Reich liked to know his fellow brothers of Denocte, so having such little knowledge of the man piqued his curiosity.  "Is that right?" He harmonised, a slow grin building and settling in the corners of his black mouth. There was a brief pause between them - during which Reich reluctantly parted his gaze from the depths of Lothaire's eyes, sweeping the crowds as he was prone to do. As he did so, the glimpse of... difference stood out to him from the crowd. Having spent his life within Denocte, growing, stealing, laughing, fighting, he was attuned to the appearance of strangers within the Court. His eyes lingered on the hint of gold through the crowd, sniffing delicately at the faint desert scent that only grew stronger as a vast figure began to seperate the crowd. Reichenbach cast his gaze back to Lothaire, raising his brows as a muscular Solterran man approached.  Reich turned to face the man with a wary openness - at all times he was pleased to make new acquaintances, but with the courts balancing so delicately and with no sovereign to keep things in order... he cast the thought aside. Instead, a broad smile grasped his rough, handsome face and he welcomed the man. "Mmm" he began, the music of his voice merging with the huskiness of the Solterran "I just hope that it stays lost - or else is found by someone with no agenda." Reich paused, warmth seeping from him - though he didn't expect as much from his companion. Despite how little Reich knew about Lothaire, in the very least he knew he did not warm up well to strangers. So, instead of waiting for the reptiles cool response, he introduced them:  "I'm Reichenbach, a Warrior of Denocte and the Night Court - and this is Lothaire, a member of our Court." the friendly bay paused, glancing subtly at Lothaire before asking the newcomer "Is it the relic that has brought you to Denocte, Solterran?"

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 @lothaire @Rostilav no, no! the more the merrier!!