The sound of waves colliding with the rocks resonated along the southern coast. It was like a reflection of time, and the turbulent way that it progressed forward. Every crash echoed in the hollows of her ears as she watched the waves consume each rock carved into the landscape. The damp atmosphere begged a shiver from her defined frame, absent was the humid air of the sea. The stench of salt was steal abundant, one of the few things winter could not steal from the sea. Winter could steal the comfort of the sea's warm breath, but not her nature, not her presence, and not her scent. Noctiilucent found herself contemplating these traits, and though they were personifications she could not be sure that was all they were. Given that the deities of her homeland had proven their existence to her, she grew wary of the world itself. It was not honest, and once prior she had been a liar as well. The volatile tempest stirred another barrage upon the jagged rocks once more, and with her attack a sigh escaped the pink dusted lips of the mare on the shore.
The heavens were drenched in a brilliant starscape, dusted by galaxies and glittering stars. The moon made its cold presence known, and aside from the symphony spun by the tempest, the night was still. Not another sound could be heard, but the song of the tempest was hard to contest. It put her soul at ease as she stood in admiration beside the sea. Her breath disappearing into the vastness of the heavens in puffs of vapor. The crystal upon her pendant glinted in the moonlight, flickering like the stars overhead. Ice crawled up the length of her horns, and made the edges of her tresses brittle. The golden and alabaster minx began to move, hoping that someone would come and pull her from this melancholy she felt. It was so deep that she didn't believe even the sea herself could hold it in the deepest abyss. It had been so long since she'd been in the company of someone, and she desired it. The warmth of comfort, and the compassion of her kin. Noctii was bitterly homesick, but she had decided upon creating a new life here. She could not bare the thought of being placed under the whim of the gods, and walking upon seashells to appease them.
"If only the tempest herself could adopt me to fend off this chill of winter, and bitter misery that has seeped into my bones..." She murmured aloud to herself, hoping her words would lift the weight from her bodice. It was to no avail, but she did not fret if anyone would hear it, it was not often others ventured to the sea in the dead of night in winter.
"Speech"
Notes: First post with Noctii!
Tags: Open | @Vale
Words: 471
A trip to the ocean was long overdue, and what better time to visit than in the abyss of night, deep in the depths of winter?
Humor, humor. The solemn girl was learning of jest from the raucous Denoctians and their nightly war of words. In all honesty, she used to think herself a rather sardonic creature—that is, before she had spent countless evenings lingering in the shadows of Denocte’s pubs and markets. She had been limited in the usage of such language in her years with Mother, learning to hold her tongue before she’d ever reached the age of adolescent rebellion. Her mouth dripped honey and mead instead of the poison that leaked so superfluously from the lips of the sharp-tongued Denoctians—Messalina hoped she could learn their art quickly.
In truth, the ivory girl had developed a bit of an odd habit of visiting strange places well past their acceptable hours. (Case in point—her pre-dawn meeting with the Regent deep in the citadel of Delumine.) It had been a drab day, the sudden snowstorm keeping even the rowdy citizens of the Night Court off the streets, preferring to stay cozy and warm in their stone-cobbled homes. Yet dreary and uneventful days tended to lead to insomnia at night for Messalina, her dancer’s bones aching for her to do something, even if it was utterly idiotic and against her better judgement. So when the snow settled, a pristine white blanket encasing Denocte in an uncharacteristic hush of solemnity, Messalina bundled herself up neat and tidy, plaited her hair, and set off into the ominous night.
She heard the restless ocean miles before her cerulean eyes finally drank in its inky depths. Even an entity as vast and eternal as the sea could not avoid winter’s frosty touch—for a thick layer of snow lay undisturbed across what would be a golden bed of sand. Smelling the briny air, observing the white froth of the crashing waves, barely visible under a weakly glowing moon—Messalina was suddenly reminded of how she had entered the land of Novus, many months ago. Strange—it had felt a lifetime ago.
Panic and fear were the strongest memories. A night that seemed to last eons, in which she ran and ran and ran. Until she had lost all bearings and coherence, and boarded the rickety ferry that took her from the land of her birthplace, of Mother, of betrayal, to a strange and beautiful new kingdom across the tumultuous sea. An ache throbbed strong and steady in her chest. Messalina doubted she would ever come to understand Mother—the Enchantress—at all. No matter how many scrolls she scoured, she had found only a few that had mentioned Algernon, and only in brief passages that revealed nothing she didn’t already know. It’s better this way, she sighed. For deep in her heart, the girl was terrified of the truth.
Lost in her recollections, Messalina failed to notice the presence of another until a faint whisper upon the ocean wind trailed past her ears. She stiffened in alarm—for who was mad enough to be here of all places this late in the night? Exempting herself, of course. Sharp eyes scanned swiftly across the pitch-black horizon, until she detected an anomaly in the starless void. It was… another girl? Considering the circumstances, the stranger was either hopelessly lost, or a newcomer whose legs still wobbled from the abrupt shift from sea to land. Messalina heaved a sigh of reluctance as her legs slowly moved closer towards the delicate, painted figure. She had received kindness from the natives upon her own arrival; it was time for her to repay her debt.
"Good evening. Are you perhaps… a newcomer?” she asked, tone clipped and distant, yet polite nonetheless. "It is such a bitterly cold night—please, I bid you to follow me further inland before you freeze in this ocean wind.”
eyes so blue, I drown.
@Noctiilucent
messa's thoughts are all over the place ^^;
She was alone for mere moments before someone approached her. The still world roared back to life in just a short amount of time. Noctii had been so absorbed by the hypnotic movements of the ocean she had not noticed the vicious chill in the air. A voice drifted above the sound of the crashing waves, urging Noctii to stir from her trance. She turned her horned crown toward the speaker, their small ghostly frame sliding into her view. Noctii studied them, catching the tail end of some of their movements. They too drifted like a ghost, as though they did not just wear the robes of an apparition. They asked her if she was perhaps a newcomer here. Without leaving much room for a response, they additionally encouraged Noctii to follow them out of the cold. "To these lands I am new, yes. Noctii added such useless information to her words at times. Too frequently for her liking. There was no reason for her extra information, a simple yes could have sufficed.
The golden dappled maiden studied the smaller femora for a few more minutes. "How strange, usually the ocean brings thoughts of warmth. Though this one only brings thoughts of violence, anger, and the fierce bite fo winter. I would also like to add that it is usually unwise to follow a stranger in unknown lands. How can I be sure I can trust you without even knowing your name? The road of the damned is often forged by those with good intentions." Noctiilucent warned the mare, her wary nature was very clear in both her words and the way she held herself. At least how she currently held herself. Thre was no real reason or proof for her to doubt the sincerity of this stranger's words, but the same argument could be placed for the opposite. The wind from the sea blew harshly as they stood there, her long tresses blew around her nape and frame. As though she were a pillar and her hair the vines that grew uselessly on their sides.
Her blue gaze was fixated on the delicate looking alabaster minx. There was nothing inherently threatening about her. In fact, she seemed quite approachable, but it was hard for Noctii to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Given her trials in life, she would not be surprised if this was another trick of the gods or ill intentions of a fellow mortal. "I am known as Noctiilucent. Or by my title, Ashes of the Sun." She spoke, and addressing her by the title her family gave her may have seemed strange, it was true. Noctii despised dishonesty, though she herself had been one of them once in her life.
"Speech"
Notes: <3!
Tags: Open | @Messalina
Words: 456
Cerulean eyes blinked once, twice, as the dappled girl’s blunt words lay cold and foreign against her skin. It perplexed her, this suspicion, and Messalina felt the familiar, smothering dread that crept through the pits of her stomach whenever she had disappointed Mother in some way—which had been very, very often. But precisely because of that, neutrality remained firmly rooted across her pale visage; her fierce pride would not allow an inkling of struggle, of weakness, to mar an otherwise cool, even gaze.
Yet, to herself she would be honest—and the girl grudgingly admitted that hostility still ate at her much more than she would’ve liked it to.
After a swift moment of silent deliberation, Messalina reached the conjecture that though she had originally set off to seek excitement, she did not wish to find it in petty antagonism.
"I suppose you raise a fair point. Forgive me for my poor manners; your appearance gave me quite the shock.” A pleasant smile tipped her lips upwards, yet her gaze remained steely with the effort of holding back equally cold words as she sank low into a bow.
"I am Messalina, and I arrived very much like you to this land some months ago. Considering that we have made the proper introductions, may I now consider you an acquaintance?” A chilling wind gushed over them then, and strands of Messalina’s carefully woven braid whipped across her eyes as it unraveled. She brushed it back, irritated. It had taken her ages to do her hair.
"Noctiilucent, Ashes of the Sun. We can either further acquaint ourselves here, where we’ll freeze to death before either of us can finish retelling our histories, or we can head towards a cove I know of nearby.” Her tone was light, devoid of venom (or much of anything, really) as she found she wielded venom rather poorly. But exasperation managed to leak into her words, as she was chilled to her bones and if only this stubborn girl would listen. How could she suspect her so, when Messalina had not done a thing to warrant that suspicion?
With an inward sigh, weary eyes trailed to the crashing waves that thundered across the relentless sea. It would be high tide soon. If Noctiilucent did not make up her mind quickly, Messalina would not take it upon her conscience to leave her on the shores and turn back the way she came.
eyes so blue, I drown.
@Noctiilucent
yeesh this post is pretty short, sorry D:
The delicately painted minx seemed unsatisfied with the conversation that transpired. Noctiilucent was only looking out for her own safety. She could sense a sort of unease in her companion but decided against calling awareness to this fact. The alabaster femme spoke once more, uttering a sort of apology for her manners. Noctiilucent shivered as the wind whipped around them again, her mane flying forward with the gust. Nocti's mane was nearly long enough to reach her companion, this did not surprise her. The porcelain dame finally identified herself as one known as Messalina. The blue-eyed mare nodded reluctantly to her question of acquaintances.
Messalina urged her once more to move to a cove out of the frigid, biting wind of winter. She seemed worried they'd freeze to death if they remained out here. Noctiilucent found this idea amusing, but perhaps she was being unrealistic. This was not Reth, and she could not count on the gods to save her outside of their domain. "Acquaintances at most. I will accept your invitation to this cove. Be warned should you have ulterior motives... I will not go quietly. I still have yet to know you, as you do for me. Please do not take my caution as a slight against you personally. My caution is not a slight."
Noctiilucent moved a few steps closer to the alabaster minx, waiting for her to begin leading the way. "Had we met in my homeland, freezing beside the sea would not be a problem. My kin is known as the Children of the Sun for no reason. Although you are new, you still have months of knowledge I have yet to acquire. What is this place? What domains exist here, and what do you value?" Noctiilucent questioned her, moving just enough so they stood side by side. Nocti stood as a barrier between the wind that howled over the sea and Messalina. She hoped this action would be received as an act of good faith from the golden minx. Noctiilucent truthfully did wish for company, but her upbringing prevented her from thrusting trust upon just anyone. Especially after she had been the frequent interest of her Gods.
Only two Gods did she not fear, Solomnus, and Cydyphy. Both had been a great source of comfort and redemption for her. Xamis lacked the compassion of his children, and lead to her fear of him. A fear she could not abandon with Reth. Noctii was so suspicious of strangers out of fear that it would be another test or method of punishment. The golden minx let out a sigh as another gale of frigid air blasted her left side. Her mane this time reached out to Messalina due to it's sheer length. Noctii hoped that the alabaster femme would not mind.
"Speech"
Notes: Oh no, it wasn't too short! Sorry for the wait <3
Tags: @Messalina
Words: 465
“Be warned should you have ulterior motives... I will not go quietly.”
Perhaps if she were not so cold and miserable, shivering like a quaking leaf as the winter sea threw pinpricks of spray that pierced like needles against her skin, Messalina would have scoffed at the gilded girl’s barbed words.
Even if I did, I dare say I would succeed, she huffed to herself, noting with disdain how much she had to angle her eyes upwards to meet the guarded gaze of the tall, slender-boned Noctiilucent.
Messalina was not built for battle, for unleashing fury with nimble hooves and tearing through muscle with gnashing teeth. No, no–she preferred tamer pastimes entirely, and the day she took up arms with her too-fragile dancer’s limbs would surely be the day all hell had broken loose. Never would the girl touch the handle of a knife, the vial of a corrosive poison; violence was barbaric, and to draw the blood of another so carelessly… she shuddered to think of it.
As Noctiilucent reluctantly agreed to follow her, Messalina merely nodded, cerulean eyes sliding from golden cheekbones to stare resolutely ahead as she made for the cove. With a grudging murmur of thanks, did the ivory dancer acknowledge the Sun-borne girl’s attempt at taking the brunt of the howling wind’s anger.
As they walked, Messalina answered the girl’s probing questions in between gusts of salt and sand. It was not the most pleasant way to hold a conversation, but she did not wish for any more hostility between the two of them to resist. Her usual soft, melodic voice strained to be heard over the gales as the storm refused to settle.
“This place is called Novus, and you’ve just so happened to arrive in Ruris, the lands unclaimed by any of the four courts. I am from the kingdom of Dawn, north of here. Of the courts themselves, there is the Day court to the East; the Night court is right below it, and to the Southwest is the court of Dusk.”
Taking a breath, she shook her head to sweep away the curls that had escaped from her utterly destroyed braids. I wonder why I had thought it such a wonderful idea to trade my warm bed for a fate like this.
Heaving a soft sigh at her recklessness (up till then, she had not known it to exist), Messalina turned to gaze solemnly into Noctiilucent’s eyes of flickering sapphire blue. “As to what we value… I am still figuring that out, myself. It is up to you, I suppose, from the court you choose to settle in, to the gods you choose to worship.” The distance between the warmongering Solterran populace and the scroll-loving Delumine sages had never been so glaring.
“And now, I have a question of my own. I am curious of your homeland that you seem so fond of.”
Perhaps spending hours in Dawn’s vast library nightly had fanned the flames of her curiosity; perhaps she had always been a curious creature, but never had the chance to act upon it.
“Your title, Ashes of the Sun–are you descended from the gods of your land, then?”
The tension between them didn't seem to shift much. If anything the porcelain femme was begrudging of Noctii's attempts at consideration. It hadn't left a wonderful taste in her mouth, but then again she got what she deserved. Messalina answered her questions over the biting wind, the wind that she refused to show any reaction to. Noctii was bitterly cold, but she would not show what her kin had deemed weakness. Noctiilucent hated to admit that their customs were ingrained in her, even if she was the rebellious daughter of Reth. Four courts resided in what she now knew as Denocte. Dawn, Dusk, Day, Night. Noctiilucent felt she should have been compelled towards the courts of Dawn or Day, but she found herself rebelling further from her roots, and opted to check out the court of Night first. Messalina's next answer was less satisfactory to Nocti. She was figuring out what she valued. It was a foreign concept to the gilded minx who came from such a proud place. It made her think if she truly despised what she ran from. She was not happy to learn that others still worshiped gods here. Who was to say that her own kin's gods were not the same? Was it possible to exist in the same world, separated only by distance and time?
Noctiilucent was perturbed and remained quiet to ponder this a few minutes as they entered the cove. The howl of the wind over the hollow opening in the rocks was eerie, but it provided a welcomed reprieve from the chill. Her flesh was numb along the side opposite of Messalina. It was only slightly quieter here than beside the sea of Ruris. "I didn't have much choice in what I valued. No matter how I desire to change and rebel, learned values are much harder to change... The gods I couldn't care less for. They thrive on the hopes, dreams, pain, and suffering of their worshippers. They frequently expect far too much, or not enough of their followers. Not to mention their followers lose autonomy, and the ability to hold themselves accountable for their actions, all this if it is done in the name of their god." Noctiilucent spat, the venom in her lyrics was not directed at Messalina. It was more about her personal views of the matter of worship, and deities in general. To make a long list of feelings short, she would describe her self as bitter.
Messalina turned her own curiosity on Noctiilucent. She wondered openly of the homeland which Noctii seemed 'fond' of. She also inquired as to if the title she carried meant she descended from the gods of Reth themselves. "I believe you mistake 'fondness' for my pride. The children of the sun are a proud group. Their reputation is said to span distance effortlessly. Reth, as many kingdoms know, it is a violent and proud domain. They conquer and destroy without fear. They worship the god of the sun Xamis and his children. I know their existence is true.. I have met some. My title comes from falling in the shadow of Xamis, and my name from the clouds that form during the festival for Solomnus. Night clouds. We have a connection to our gods, but it is uncertain if we really are descended from them. There are many gods of Reth. But many pertain to the sun, the night, and many are the children of Xamis... I sense you might be a curious type? What about your homeland? Are you from Novus?"
"Speech"
Notes: Okay! Sorry for the wait, I hope this is alright.
Tags: @Messalina
Words: 610
