Any other horse might’ve felt a hard twinge of rejection at Luster’s bitter response. At face value, the words sounded clipped and unwelcome - as cold as the chips of ice that washed ashore on Taiga’s rocky beach during the winter. They were quiet but not lacking that edge of warning to them, and even though Yanhua is but a boy he’s a young colt raised in manners and decorum. He’s wise enough in his youth to understand when not to speak while being spoken to, but to listen and reflect on what was being said. He found that oftentimes what was unspoken granted him a deeper insight than if the space between breaths was just filled with empty words.
What goes unsaid by Luster is something deeper and much more riveting than anything she could’ve spoken aloud. It’s true: Yanhua is young and fresh-faced, hardly out of foalhood and nowhere near an expert with his powers, but he is probably one of the few in Beqanna who could truly, earnestly empathize with the blue roan mare. He nodded his head gently, understanding her comment about one’s personal ghosts, and tried his best to accept what she was telling him without getting caught up in the emotion of it - but for someone so unpracticed, a thing like restraint was hard on him.
Harder still when she drifted closer, and even more hard to ignore because of the strength in her feelings.
“Of course not.” He assured her, dropping his head with acute agony. It pained him to cause her unrest, but her unrest also began to cause him pain. The sensation of just being near her… it made him breathless, truly. He felt hollow and dead, and what had once been a dull headache now felt like a stabbing migraine. The sheer intensity of her depression! It was, to him, flashes of Lilliana leaving Taiga and being forced to break their family apart by necessity. It was glimpses of Nashua racing off without him, flaring his brilliant wings and taking to the skies where Yanhua couldn’t follow. It was everything sad and horrible he’d been trying to forget recently, but intensified until he thought it might completely overwhelm him, body and soul.
“I can hardly stand to brush away flies.” He managed to smile, squinting as he looked up into her mesmerizing white-and-silver face. How could he, when he knew their pain like it was his own? “I’m about as threatening as-” The young chestnut bit his tongue and clenched his eyes shut.
He hated to offend her in any way, but he couldn’t stand it any longer. Yanhua bit back the flood of hot tears threatening to break loose and drug his cracked, worn hooves backwards a few paces. The effect wasn’t exactly ideal but it would do for now. He could at least catch his breath and open his eyes again, glancing at Luster with an expression of innocent humiliation.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry.” Came the rushed apology. “It’s not you, it’s me. My... powers.” The emotionally distraught colt did his best to explain. “Sometimes I need my space.” Yanhua shrugged and regretted the movement immediately for the discomfort it gave him. “That’s what I’m doing out here all alone.”
ooc: again I skip all other replies to give attention to this beautiful thread <3 #worthit
@[luster]
What goes unsaid by Luster is something deeper and much more riveting than anything she could’ve spoken aloud. It’s true: Yanhua is young and fresh-faced, hardly out of foalhood and nowhere near an expert with his powers, but he is probably one of the few in Beqanna who could truly, earnestly empathize with the blue roan mare. He nodded his head gently, understanding her comment about one’s personal ghosts, and tried his best to accept what she was telling him without getting caught up in the emotion of it - but for someone so unpracticed, a thing like restraint was hard on him.
Harder still when she drifted closer, and even more hard to ignore because of the strength in her feelings.
“Of course not.” He assured her, dropping his head with acute agony. It pained him to cause her unrest, but her unrest also began to cause him pain. The sensation of just being near her… it made him breathless, truly. He felt hollow and dead, and what had once been a dull headache now felt like a stabbing migraine. The sheer intensity of her depression! It was, to him, flashes of Lilliana leaving Taiga and being forced to break their family apart by necessity. It was glimpses of Nashua racing off without him, flaring his brilliant wings and taking to the skies where Yanhua couldn’t follow. It was everything sad and horrible he’d been trying to forget recently, but intensified until he thought it might completely overwhelm him, body and soul.
“I can hardly stand to brush away flies.” He managed to smile, squinting as he looked up into her mesmerizing white-and-silver face. How could he, when he knew their pain like it was his own? “I’m about as threatening as-” The young chestnut bit his tongue and clenched his eyes shut.
He hated to offend her in any way, but he couldn’t stand it any longer. Yanhua bit back the flood of hot tears threatening to break loose and drug his cracked, worn hooves backwards a few paces. The effect wasn’t exactly ideal but it would do for now. He could at least catch his breath and open his eyes again, glancing at Luster with an expression of innocent humiliation.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry.” Came the rushed apology. “It’s not you, it’s me. My... powers.” The emotionally distraught colt did his best to explain. “Sometimes I need my space.” Yanhua shrugged and regretted the movement immediately for the discomfort it gave him. “That’s what I’m doing out here all alone.”
ooc: again I skip all other replies to give attention to this beautiful thread <3 #worthit
@[luster]