"What if I fall?"
"Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?"
"I must say, this is not at all what I was expecting when I suggested an outing this morning."
It was, perhaps, the understatement of the century. Somnus had always prided himself on the ease in which his mind processed varying information. He was borderline genius, a brilliant tactician, and inanely perceptive. As one who always had to be in control, of himself or the situation, as well as one who loathed ambiguity in any form, the arrival to a place like this was positively maddening. It clawed at his mind, driving a stake of anxiety and self-doubts into his breast, but he couldn't ignore the dredges of curiosity pulling at him like temptation personified.
A maze. It was a maze. Of all of the nefarious, vile locations that he and Ulric could have stumbled upon, being met with gregarious shrubbery in twisting and turning pathways was not it. It was oddly alluring, in a thoughtful kind of way, and they had yet to actually take the beginning steps into the maze, for Somnus was quite content to simply stand outside of the threshold into mystery and simply analyze it for some time before making a final decision.
He had invited his old friend along for a stroll, simply to recollect the events in their lives since their separation from one another and slowly learn of the world that they now lived in. The Dawn Court was one thing, but the land around them was vast and grand, and Somnus was always one for learning more about his environment, his appetite for knowledge and seeking out the unknown voracious and insatiable. This day was no different. The sun was high in the sky, the heat blazing down upon their backs with little remorse, but there were plenty of shade-spots to find and seek solace in along their venture.
Verdant eyes narrowed from his erect station beside Ulric, gaze judgmental and cautionary, and finally the golden tactician looked away from the beckoning entrance to brush his muzzle against the blue roan's broad shoulder. Then, he spoke, the elegant lilt to his voice doing nothing to hide the vague uncertainty, and curiosity that he felt. "... Are you feeling up to an adventure, Ulric?"
When Somnus had invited me for a morning stroll, I had expected to stick to the rolling hills of Delumine and wander its ancient forests as well as its endless, blooming meadows, all the while taking the time to catch up with him and learn more of the things he’d been doing. In the beginning, I suppose we had done just that, allowing our feet to guide us as they pleased as our lips spoke in pleasant conversation, but sooner or later we found ourselves standing at the threshold of something rather… strange, and well, to put things simply, unexpected.
We stand there in mutual silence for some time, our prior conversation coming to an abrupt end and lost to memory as we take in the grandeur of what lies before us. It’s a maze, towering high above as though it is home to some gargantuan beast, but it fails to give off a distinct feeling of foreboding danger. Still, its existence and purpose proves to be baffling to say the least, and for curious minds and intrepid souls alike, the thought of what lies beyond the vegetative walls is too much to ignore. It begs to be explored, its mystery solved.
And if I had learned anything of Somnus during my year in Vhallen, it’s that he’ll go mad if he doesn’t at least check it out.
Tipping my nose towards him in a sidelong glance, bumping a velveteen, whiskered muzzle against Somnus’ own in a simple sign of comradery, dark lips quirk upwards in an ebullient grin. “Honestly, I would’ve been disappointed if you didn’t ask.”
Shifting the weight of useless wings upon my back, I continue forward not in front of nor behind my friend, but rather beside him, and surpass the wide berth of the maze’s entrance.
ooc;; I apologize in advance if I switch POV's at some point in the thread! Still trying to figure out what works best for him!
HISTORY HAS ITS EYES ON YOU ➳ allcontact is permitted and encouraged
Florentine had heard a great deal about this Maze. There were tales of terrible beasts lying around corners and of endless dead-ends – enough to drive one mad. Really, she shouldn’t be so excited to explore it and especially not since she had seen the terrible wounds that some survivors bore.
And yet, here she was, resplendent beneath the sun, walking on towards the maze as though its very heart contained some wonderful mystery that might put the world to rights.
The closer the slim girl got, the more the two figures at its entrance came into sight. They were boys, of that much the Dusk girl was sure. They smelled of dawn light and wild forests – definitely from Delumine.
Her amethyst eyes swept over them. First she watches the way the one nearest the maze eyed it with suspicion and a good deal of deliberation. Then beside him, reaching out to touch the other’s shoulder, the second boy was a stormy cloud in an otherwise sunny land. The first, Somnus she would come to know, was gilded gold, a long unicorn horn fixed upon his forehead. There was much there to remind Florentine of Bexley, and her lips tipped up into a cool smile. Yet, in manner, in every other way, he was not the impressive girl from Solterra.
Flora’s pace does not slow, her long limbs eating the ground with such fluidity that the girl appears to drift upon a still sea. Her wings, golden and orange, are tucked close to her slight sides. The twilight girl draws level with them, and barely breaking her stride enters the maze. Casting her amethyst gaze back to them with a smile, she asks lightly, “Are you boys coming?” A wing flares out to run its orange tip along the wall of leaves and shrubs as she meanders a little more slowly now, waiting for them to join her.
“Probably best if we stick together!” She calls back to them, not even glimpsing now to see if they have begun to follow. Just as she is about to round the first corner she peeks back at the strangers, her amethyst eyes blazing from beneath her tangle of honeyed mane and wild, purple flowers. “I am Florentine by the way. You had better give me your names if we are going to be maze companions.” With that, the flower girl disappears around the corner, a trail of petals falling in her wake – for once, her falling petals came in handy.
“Better keep up!” Florentine calls to the Dawn Boys.
"What if I fall?"
"Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?"
Only moments upon their arrival and careful deliberation, a third joins them. Somnus scents her before he sees her, a gilded creature much in the same ways as himself. The lady smells of fresh grasslands and balmy evenings, a scent that is unfamiliar to the golden tactician's nose, but in looks, she is not so different. She is light and dainty, long and regal, with wild honeyed hair adorned with ripe, lavender flowers. She is sightly, but what truly snatches Somnus' attention is her tone of voice. It is light, airy, jovial and almost innocent.
This lady does not remain to introduce herself or make standard introductions, and that is when Somnus truly realizes that they are in the company of someone completely different. Instead, the gilded lady darts ahead, seemingly dancing in her stride, passionate and tenacious, eagerly facing whatever the overgrown maze held in store with a brazenness that would make hardened generals cower.
Somnus exchanges a glance with Ulric, flabbergasted emerald eyes seeking his dear friend's gold, before a mighty sigh escaped the hybrid's nostrils and he began to follow, kicking up in a brisk trot to make up lost ground. Gentleman though he was, he couldn't simply let the lady enter the maze unattended, even if he didn't doubt her abilities at handling herself. If Somnus had learnt anything in his short time in Novus, it was that the lands were tough, but the ladies even more so.
"Florentine!" He beckons in accented tones as he rounds the first corner of hedges, emerald eyes catching the drifting amethyst petals as they fell to the ground, "It may be unwise to venture ahead so boldly, good lady! We do not know what may be laying in wait!" Fear did not edge his voice, but wariness did. It was Somnus' job, or, well, had been his job, to inspect, to learn, to intimately map the environment and make the next plan or suggestion, the role of a King's chamberlain so deeply ingrained into who he was that he could not simply give it up. The tact would be with him until the day he died.
She was a stranger, this Florentine, of a land that was not of Dawn's own patronage, but Somnus was compelled to ensure her welfare all the same. It was only when he and Ulric lessened the distance between them and the Dusk lady that he went on, speaking to introduce himself, feeling somewhat harried and completely out of his element. This was too fast. They were moving far too fast through the unknown, and shouldn't they be taking this a bit more slow? Maybe hanging back, making a plan? Somnus was a creature of contingency plans, and this, diving headfirst into the unknown, was not his style.
"Somnus," he began, emerald eyes drifting to the gilded lady, mighty amber wings tucked close to pale flaxen sides, wings holding onto a considerable amount of tension, tight, tense against his body, and together they pass another corner, this one venturing towards the right, "That is my name. Since we will be traversing the unknown together. A pleasure."
A harried, hasty pleasure, but a pleasure all the same.
It isn't long at all until they are joined by another, barely given the time to deliberate on their next course of action. His neck bends as golden eyes shift to regard the caramel lady as she practically floats right past them, entering the maze with innocent haste. It's a peculiar change in their plans, not that one could truly plan anything going into a maze, but it's unforeseen nonetheless.
A broad grin snakes across his face, and thrusting himself forward into a lively, fluid trot, Ulric casts a cursory glance back to his worrisome friend who, amusingly so, looks downright petrified for their newest companion.
"C'mon, Twinkle Toes!" He calls amicably over his shoulder to Somnus, and with that the roan takes his first steps into the maze, keeping his wings pressed firmly against his sides as he rounds the very first corner in pursuit of the the lady Florentine.
Her eyes are smoldering from beneath the mess of her forelock when she looks back to them, and the normally unflinching Ulric finds himself to be briefly taken by them. "Ah... Ulric," he provides in answer, finally slowing his pace to an easy walk as they begin to traverse the hedged maze, going next to the right. Glancing down, he takes note of the lavender flowers that seem to fall endlessly from Florentine's lithe form, floating slowly to the ground where they serve as a path back to where they had begun.
When next they come to a decision in their path, they're met with two choices, to go either right or left. "Let's go left," he offers in suggestion, but he jumps quickly to the question that's been on his mind since he first laid eyes on the maze. "What do you suppose is even in here?"
HISTORY HAS ITS EYES ON YOU ➳ allcontact is permitted and encouraged
From around the corner Florentine’s head appears to peer back at the boys. She settles amethyst eyes upon Ulric as he trots towards her, before dropping them to Somnus’ feet. “I did think they were very fetching feet.” She nods, complimenting playfully before she disappears again in a flurry of honey hair and floating petals.
She hears the boys round the corner behind her, a flurry of feet and protestations for her to slow.
We do not know what may be lying in wait!
the flowergirl spins suddenly, tail swirling as petals scatter in surprised disarray. “But is that not part of the fun?” She asks Somnus as she walks backwards, her eyes blazing with the high of the unknown and the thrill of this adventure. Florentine drinks in the caramel of his skin, the perfect dawn hue to compliment her own setting sun.
With a laugh she spins back to walk forward again, her head tilting one way as one boy joins her left, and then the other as the second takes to her right. “A pleasure good sirs!” She quips, wings flaring to nudge their sides as she dips into a curtsey. “
Together they walk along the corridor of leaves and bark, a clear sky of sundrenched light acting as their ceiling and their guide. Together arrive at a crossing, their eyes appearing to peer right and left in tandem. “Left you say?” the twilight girl breathes to Ulric, as she peers around Somnus’ chest to eye the left passage, weighing its appeal over the right. “I think you may be right, it looks to be fun enough.” Without breaking her stride, the girl guides them left. Her side nudges into Somnus, encouraging, pushing, not giving the golden boy a moment to slow, lest he worry himself any more.
“Oh,” Florentine considers Ulric’s last question, her eyes dancing over his stormy blue skin. She pause is only short lived, before she finishes, disconcertingly brightly with, “monsters apparently.”
Without missing a beat, the Flora continues, eyes the boys from beneath her fringe of petals and gold, “Now tell me, what adventures are there to be had in Delumine?” She asks the boys as they all walk, side by side by side, deeper and deeper into the wild magic maze.
Somnus has the fleeting opportunity to cast Ulric an unimpressed look, fierce verdant eyes full of mock-derision, before Florentine is once more popping her head around the corner of the shrubbery, wild flaxen hairs in disarray and petals of amethyst flowers cascading to the ground, to admire his very hooves. Her comment mortifies him to the core, but Somnus does not have a moment to wallow in his unfathomable embarrassment inspired by his one true friend as they round the bend and finally fall into step beside the Dusk maiden.
Her comment throws him off, an innocent bleat of 'But is that not part of the fun?', and it takes everything in the tactician's power to remark that, no, it is not part of the fun to charge into the unknown unprepared. What if a beast awaits them at the end of this terrible maze? What if it is all a trap? Somnus has not had the time to think of a good plan, a sound and safe alternative if everything suddenly went, and pardon his language, to a bloody, forsaken shit-show, and that alone leaves him with enough anxiety that he prays he will not develop ulcers.
The golden tactician is on her left, Ulric on her right, as they wade further into the unknown. They come to a brief halt before a fork that leads either left or right, and Ulric, good, capable, far too comfortable with this Ulric, comes to the decision that they should venture left. Left. Very well, then. Somnus' sharp verdant eyes trail upon the path to the left, then twists his head to look past Florentine and Ulric to regard the path to the right with a look one might give a rather formidable foe. They look the same; simple, innocent, and unassuming, but Somnus is no fool. Either one has the potential to cast them all to their deaths, but... If they were to go, at least they would go together.
What a very optimistic thought...
The decision to go left is unanimous, and Somnus is steered to the left with a gentle bump of urging from Florentine. He flexes a wing and it grazes against her side, a silent acknowledgement of very well, if we must, but he falls into step with them once more. The vegetation about them looks very much the same as it did everywhere that they had already traversed, and the dunalino stallion took a moment to hope that they would remember the way out before dispelling the worrisome thought from his mind. In all due time.
Then, of course, Florentine says something about monsters in an all too chipper tone, and Somnus lets out a long-suffering sigh. "Bloody hell..." But then, the wild-haired maiden is asking of Delumine, and the golden tactician began to speak, grateful for the distraction from his own frantic inner thoughts.
"If we are being honest, my knowledge of Delumine is quite incomplete, I fear. I have not called the Dawn Court my home for too long yet, and am still learning the workings of the land." It was a very professional, courtly answer, and for a moment Somnus ruminated on his words, hoping to find something at least a little more exciting for someone with as much spunk and spirit as Florentine seemed to possess.
"But I have seen quite the interesting forms of wildlife in Delumine. At the Rapax River, I witnessed a positively odd specimen leap from the waves. A pink river dolphin, I believe it was, if the texts in the court library are to be believed." And, quite honestly, Somnus didn't understand why they couldn't.
Ulric is, to put things simply, taken aback by the flower maiden’s innocuous remark. The roan looks briefly dumbfounded and even spares a glance towards his friend’s cream-colored hooves with a boyish chuckle. Oh, he is far too old and much too disciplined to be behaving in such a way, but… What was life without throwing caution to the wind and simply enjoying oneself every now and then, in the company of friends and strangers alike?
After all, it was quickly becoming apparent just how much fun it was to pick on the poor, flustered sage walking at Florentine’s left, who seems all too delighted to shake him up even more.
As the trio turns down the left corridor, sprightly, gilded eyes shift to the mare as she voices her question. Somnus is the first to answer, punctilious as ever with the explanation he provides. While the Dawn Sage has been here a length longer than him he concludes to know very little of his newfound home, and when it comes to the roan warrior himself, he’ll be the first to admit he knows even less – including the name of whoever it is that commands their Court.
“A pink dolphin?” He repeats incredulously with a snort, brows furrowing as he lifts his head higher to shoot a disbelieving look towards Somnus. “You think maybe you weren’t checking out some of the flora while you were at it, too?” His statement is spoken in jest, of course, but it doesn’t make it any less entertaining to think about.
When it comes time for him to answer, Ulric shifts his attention back on to the honey-skinned lady as he hums thoughtfully beneath his breath. “I’ve only been there for a matter of days now, so your guess is about as good as mine, I’m afraid.” From what little he had seen, there were miles upon miles of flatlands fit for grazing, racing, and sparring, with several rocky outcroppings and hills that provided a grand view of Delumine. Despite his lack of time spent in the northwestern half of Novus, it was atop those hills and rocks that he normally found himself, keeping a circumspect eye out on their surroundings and standing ever ready. ”I do look forward to finding out for myself, however.”
Here, he pauses and casts an inquisitive look to their newfound companion. “And you, Florentine? Where is it that you call home?”
His inquiry barely makes it past his lips before a rustling sound can be heard from somewhere in the hedges ahead of them. Ulric snaps his head to attention at once, dark ears swiveling forward as he strains to pick up any other sounds. No voices accompany the foreign, misplaced noise, least not that he can hear, and rather than turn tail and get hell out of there, the roan steps boldly forward, not about to let the mystery go unsolved. He expects little of whatever it could be, yet still he walks with caution and braces himself for the throes of battle if it proves necessary.
HISTORY HAS ITS EYES ON YOU ➳ allcontact is permitted and encouraged
Florentine sees the look of mortification upon Somnus’ face at her compliment. Her head tilts, curiosity rippling through her for why exactly he was so mortified. The flower girl decided that truly, she found it quite endearing and so, with a curl of her lips, she chimes quite sweetly, “It’s okay Somnus, at least I did not compliment your fabulous derriere nor your handsome jawline.” And then she was truly gone, around the shrubbery and off deeper into the maze.
She feels Somnus’ unwillingness, his anxiety that seeps from his skin. Florentine is almost sure that should she put an ear to his chest she would hear the wild flutter of his unimpressed heart.
Her smile turns mischievous, humorous, at his sighed curse, “Shh, Somnus, your displeasure may attract unwanted attention.” The Dusk girl coos, casting him a sly look from beneath her wild forelock.
In turn they all turn left, weaving their way along the new path. The maze is quiet and tall, monsters lurking in its depths. At her request Somnus explains his view of Dawn Court life so far and the Dusk Emissary listens dutifully to his every word, her eyes upon the walls ahead. “Huh,” is her rather thoughtful but inelegant response when he reaches the end. “Have you met Charlemagne, he lives there, you sound a bit like him.” She adds, her gaze trickling back to set upon the gilded stallion and his handsome jawline.
Then, oh then, he begins upon more interesting subjects, for what else could woo a girl like Florentine but talk of wildlife? “Oh,” the Dusk girl breathes. “Pink you say?” She was about to continue when Ulric’s interruption pulls a snicker from her lips. She nudges the storm boy with the edge of an orange tipped wing and continues quite sweetly to Somnus, “I have never seen a pink dolphin, blue and grey yes, but never pink. I should like you to show me one day if you may?”
Only then does the flower girl casts a sly glance back to Ulric, “And we can explore the vegetation, yes?”
Conversation drifts on, amicable and enjoyable until they ask of her. It is easy when Florentine says, “The Dusk Court, I am the Emissary there.” But less so when her heart begins to ache with its want of another court, and love of its starlight ruler.
It is a blessing then, when the maze ahead begins to rustle, when her heart begins to gallop, not over love of a boy, but fear of the impending unknown. Boldly Ulric steps forward and with wide eyes Flora watches him go. Suddenly eager, suddenly curious and too guilt-ridden to let him tackle a potential monster alone, especially when she had dragged the boys in after her, Florentine skitters to catch up with him. Her slender body tucks close to his, her wings tighter still and her eyes, brilliant and vibrant fix upon the potential danger.
The leaves rustle again, loud and ominous and the twilight girl startles. Wide eyes peer back to Somnus, maybe he was right to want to take it a little more steadily… especially when the low, low snarl rumbles its way through the hedge wall.
“Well, “ Florentine breathes, softly, whisperingly, “Whose idea was it to go left?”
Somnus, in all his brilliant intelligence and quick-wit, was beginning to notice a trend between his two positively devilish traveling companions. Where one would poke, the other would prod. One would tease, the other would tempt. They were working in thoughtless tandem, finding a jokester's rhythm, and should they ever find themselves in battle against a singular foe, Somnus pitied the individual who might have both Florentine and Ulric pitted against them. If they could harry a steadfast target such as himself with their impish tongues alone, he feared their capabilities with hooves and teeth when added to the fray.
Of course, in his defense, Somnus had no idea of the lady Florentine's battle prowess. He was intimately familiar with Ulric's own mettle and dexterity when it came to the art of war, but knew nothing of the Dusk maiden in their company. Outwardly, she did not appear as a warrior, but looks, as he knew, could be terribly deceiving.
So, sucking in a deep breath to fortify his patience and rally his self-restraint, the golden tactician's keen emerald eyes offer Florentine a look at her choice of words regarding his fabulous derriere and his handsome jawline. Of all of the compliments to have ever been sent his way, which his pride would not outwardly admit to being a pathetically dismal few, those were by far the strangest he had heard.
"Ah," Somnus began, a fond little smile upturning the corners of dark lips as he recalled the chestnut fellow who had greeted him upon his arrival at the Dawn Court, "Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting Charlemagne. He's a good, studious fellow." The tactician quite enjoyed their brief deliberation, and fully hoped to share even more intellectual debates in the future.
Then, at Ulric's rather haughty remark, Somnus' verdant eyes shot across the sparse space between them, regarding the roan warrior and long-time friend from over the top of Florentine's wild flaxen hairs. "I can assure you that I was doing no such thing," he remarked with a flick of his tail, as though affronted, even though he knew that Ulric was only making fun, as he was known to do. As if Somnus would ever let his brilliant mind be swayed and altered by questionable edibles. "But yes, there was a pink dolphin. Smaller than it's ocean dwelling cousins, but if you should wish to see one someday, Florentine, I would be honored to accompany you to the Rapax River to try and spot one."
Florentine went on, then, divulging a bit about her life in the Dusk Court. She held the role of Emissary, a rank that Somnus himself had fleetingly cast his eyes on within their own homestead. He nodded, respectful, acknowledging her achievement of being so much more.
The progression, however, was halted by the action that the dunalino stallion had been dreading since their first steps into this massive hedge maze. The thick green brush began to shake and quake ahead of them, and as Ulric, and in turn Florentine ventured forward, Somnus did so as well, cautious, ears perked forward and at attention, nostrils flaring, eyes narrowing to peer through the thick vegetation and try to make out just what was rustling about, as well as what could have made such a formidable sound.
A part of him wants to back off, but Somnus was no coward, and would stand with Ulric and Florentine against any foe they may encounter.
The brush rustled, then grew still, the leaves shaking before halting movement all together. It lasted only a few seconds, as though whatever had been lurking inside simply vanished, but before the muscles in his spine could even hope to relax, a small beast burst forth from the hedges, except... It wasn't a beast at all. A petite, multi-colored creature, of browns, whites, and tans, leaped from the bushes, languid and graceful. It was a cat, sleek and calico, that had been napping rather peacefully when the arrival of the three winged creatures had ruined it's afternoon slumber, and when they drew close, it had growled before throwing itself from the bushes. The feline stared at the three of them through judgmental green eyes, expression quite miffed and affronted, before trotting off with a tail crooked, all with the presence that it was quite done with their tomfoolery.
Somnus found himself staring, watching the cat as it trotted off down the maze and around a right corner of hedges, then spoke, amusement coating his accent now that the anxieties had drifted away. "... A bloody cat." By Oriens, a cat had riled them up? Perhaps he was fretting for nothing. "A cat."
