[private] take a look in the mirror

[Tarian]

Tarian - Champion of Loess, Veteran of the Alliance, and former Commander of the Liridon Guard - moves to touch her skin so lightly that she might doubt it happened. That if she wanted to continue to peer into the heavens and pretend that it never happened, she could. The gray knows to be less circumspect of this, he should be staring up into the night sky as well. That by the way he has angled his body towards hers, the that his wing is reaching for her are all visible signs that he wants her close.

But then his mind keeps coming back to this: what then?

@Altissima is not the beloved of one of his fallen comrades. She is not looking to lose or find herself (or so he thinks; the white woman beside has always seemed so sure of herself to Tarian). Those have always been affairs that lasted a night or perhaps two but there was always the understanding that it would end. After a particularly brutal fight, Tarian sometimes found himself wrapped up in the warmth of a woman just to remember how it felt to be alive.

What he feels right now with her is a new emotion entirely for Tarian.

One that is terrifying and thrilling; one that leaves the battle-hardened stallion on an unfamiliar edge. But she doesn't shy from his touch and though Tarian's mind is alight with so many thoughts - warning him dangerously that this is something more than he has ever encountered - he decides that even if this is only for tonight, that if she doesn't shy from him then he won't shy from her. She looks up but he sees the barest trace of a smile and his quirks in his reply.

After a long moment of deliberation (and a brief scowl when the movement isn't as fluid as he'd like), he matches her small sidestep. He turns to look at her and his normally stoic face turns almost rueful, making him the almost mirror-image of his father as his blue eyes go searching for hers again.

And then, a firefly lands on the silver mane of the already dazzling Altissima and Tarian's muzzle reaches gently out to the little creature. It's blue-green light contrasts with the others surrounding her and he wonders if she notices where it rests on the lovely curve of her neck. "Never in a million years," he murmurs in agreement into the summer night.