[AW] [EXP] henbane

[Salome]

☽

On the look-out for any herbs in particular, the moon shone down on her shadowed form regardless of her progress. Though she knew of some aquatic plants that grew here, Salome was more interested in the basic yet useful moss. Regardless of what happened between her and Gareth, having come upon him a few nights prior, the Court never slept. She required more coin. Time to gather and sell her wares.

And for that, she needed wares. Salome had not partaken in gathering for some time. She had been away from Novus, and Denocte. Autumn was barely felt, the shivers that caused some folks to stop only drove her forward. She was... always going to be cold. It did not matter, her personal comfort. She soon found some moss on a fallen log, slipping haphazardly into the water. The woman moved toward it, expertly preening the moss.

While it would be useful to bare her fangs and 'claw' at the plant, she would instead defer to her hooves. Thin strips of moss were gathered and placed to the side. Salome was too focused on her task to really react to the other being, but she could hear their heart beating... Closer. Closer. Until they were almost upon her.

"Speaking."

[Fang]

It is not difficult to notice the red stallion. He is leggy but large, and his footfalls are heavier than most, with eyes that glow like embers in the darkness. And he isn’t trying to hide—while he has wandered from the bustling streets of Denocte’s capitol in favor of the open wilds, it is not solitude that Fang is trying to find. He couldn’t say what it is he is searching for, if anything, only that there is something about the lake that draws him to it. Familiarity, perhaps. It is where he had first woken up in this strange world, where he had found Requiem again, and where it was that his life began to (slowly) piece itself together again from the ashes.

Ashes and bones and ruin—that is all that his life and world had become. Shadows infested with monsters, and bloodcurdling cries that continue to haunt his dreams. Night has come, the moon rays cast the lakeshore in glittering shades of silver, and still Fang searches for the Terrors in the dark. They’re gone, he reminds himself, slowly breathing in the night air, and willing the habit of survival to free him of its steely grasp.

He turns, shifting his leathery wings closer against his sides when he catches sight of her.

The moonlight falls to halo her dainty figure, silhouetting her frame against the glassy surface of the water. She is already set in his path, so he moves forward before he has time to decide otherwise, his sweeping strides carrying him through the cool grass as he observes her actions. “What are you doing?” Fang calls out, the timbre of his voice quieter than usual, weathered by grief and weighted with pain. Even so, he is curious. He draws slowly to a halt when he is nearly at her side, his fiery eyes flicking over the fallen log with interest before they settle on the star-spotted woman.


tag; @Salome  
“…”

fang

run away with me

x | x

[Salome]

☽

He smelt of night.

The hooded woman glanced briefly at him, recalling the scent of Denocte on him as familiar upon a time. Her pale eyes did not stray for long, and before either of them knew it, she was looking back at the moss. "Collecting" Salome says to the man, her voice drifting to him quietly. A slender leg lifts to part the moss from the log, effectively gathering it in thin strips that curl at the end "herbs."

Moss was not considered a 'herb' sometimes, but it worked wonderfully in the medical field. It had a variety of uses. Collecting and holding water, was one big one. "Have you been in this realm long?" Salome also would ask him a question, curiosity burning in her dead chest. She had not seen him before growing in Novus. He must be foreign, which did not matter to her in particular. Many came and called Novus home without growing here.

"Speaking." @Fang

[Fang]

The dainty mare barely reacts to his approach. He catches a glimpse of her silvery gaze, hooded in shadow and glittering like the moon, before she returns her attention to the task at hand. His eyes follow, lowering to observe as she peels a damp strip of moss from the fallen log. “I see,” Fang murmurs, hesitating a moment before he lifts a large hoof to carefully mimic her movements, the worn edges scraping against the wood as he removes a piece of the lichen. Placing it with the others she’s already collected, he glances at her again, hoping she doesn’t mind the company.

Brushing his nose against the moss (out of habit, perhaps, from a time when he would be able to speak to it, hear it, and manipulate it) Fang is stripping another piece when the woman voices her question. He shakes his head. “Not long at all. Is it that obvious?” Dark lips twist into a wry grin, a fragile gesture that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I only just arrived in Novus…about half a season ago now. I haven’t even explored outside of Denocte yet. Trying to settle in first, I guess,” his shoulders roll in a casual shrug, trying to disguise the way his heart clenches in his chest.

Shifting his weight, the red stallion steps into the glassy water to reach farther along the length of driftwood. Peeling off a long portion that breaks off in the water, he offers it to the starry woman for her to add to her pile. “My name is Fang,” he says with a small smile. The pointed tips of his namesake catch the moonlight, highlighting their length in a way that would be frightening if he was anyone who sought intimidation or fear. As it is, he is content to help her with her task. “What about you? Have you been here long?” Ember eyes glance to her from beneath the curls of his forelock.


tag; @Salome  
“…”

fang

run away with me

x | x