Longer I run; Voudou, Any

[Jason]

After making his suggestion Jason watched with head cocked at Voudou’s stretching techniques. The bending and twisting of her back looked more painful than pleasurable. The blue stallion was not nearly as flexible- he thought to himself that if he had done the same move he might have needed to be carried out of the field.  Thankfully Voudou seemed perfectly fine when she rose; in fact she looked as ready as ever to make her way from their small conversation patch. Jason bobbed his head as she spoke, he agreed with her assessment. He too liked the quiet, but at times his thoughts felt too consuming and thus it was best for him to have friends to go to. For the last several years Jason had way too much time inside his head. He may have managed to sort through the boxes and rearrange the furniture, but it was clear to anyone inside his brain that he was a fervent hoarder. Jason was glad to hear that Voudou didn’t have an interest in drawing quarrels with the other Gates members. He was sure that might change especially since he had developed some significant issues with the royal family. Their desertion of his home was going without reprimand. Jason had once betrayed the Gates for the sake of its survival, and he promised he wouldn’t ever do it again. Though now he was beginning to feel the same desire as before bubbling inside him. ”Well you wouldn’t be much of a wanderer if you had a good sense of direction.” He joked, nudging his nose against her side. ”Follow me, my dear Voudou.” He stepped forward so that he was just a hair in front and then he broke out in a brisk run. It felt wonderful to stretch out his legs as they galloped across the flat terrain of the field. Every few feet he glanced back at Voudou (though he suspected she would be by his side most of the journey). Once the two had reached the outskirts of the Gates Jason skidded to a stop. His breaths had turned heavy with exasperation. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his forehead. ”Damn….” He said breathlessly. ”I am ooouutaa shape.” He took a deep breath in and exhaled quickly. ”So this is it.” He motioned toward the wooded forest before them. The Gates was a kingdom filled with towering trees, babbling brooks, and cool shaded spots. In the center sat the mother tree, the essence of the kingdom, it rose out of the ground and brought life to the light kingdom- nothing could destroy its aged legacy. ”So Voudou….you said you were too evil for this place, think lightening’s gonna strike your behind as soon as you cross its borders?” He grinned. jason

[Voudou]

{you remind me of the babe}

{{X}}Voudou was practically dancing waiting for him to get his ass in gear and move. Too much standing, too little running. Finally he stepped in front of her, and his powerful legs stretched out into a full run. Her black legs sped to stay near him.

{{X}}Just to feel the wind in her face felt spectacular, it pulled at her mane and tail and the brisk air stung the back of her throat as she took in sharp breaths. Charcoal pistons propelled her forward, sending firm hoof beats into the ground in a rhythmic song, synced with the pumping of her heart and the expansion and deflation of her lungs. The mare kept pace with the blue stallion, her nose aligned with his shoulder. Voudou couldn't help but notice how frequently he glanced back at her, once she even nipped at him when he did, she didn't need a babysitter, and she wasn't flattered by the extra attention. It wasn't a harsh bite, hell she hardly even touched him.

{{X}}Before they reached their destination, both equines were sweating. Voudou's dark coat was stained even darker in patches on her chest and behind her elbows, and small beads of sweat dripped down her neck. She wasn't quite prepared for him to stop, and as soon as he did she tossed her head as her hoofs skidded into a jolty, dust throwing halt. Her breaths were heavy, but not forced and tired, Jason, on the other hand, sounded as if he might pass out, which he confirmed with his statement. In between breaths the stallion nodded towards the towering forests in front of them, indicating they were here.

{{X}}Her brown eyes focused deeply on the picturesque scene, entranced by the surreal look of the high-rise trees that created dark, shadowy skeletons on the cool grass below, and the inviting albeit mysterious feel of the area in general. Her trance was broken very suddenly when he spoke again, and she almost jumped at his words. She turned 90 degrees, so that Jason was on her left side and the Gates on her right, and twisted her neck to look at him. "Well either that or I'll burst into flames, should we bet on it?"

tags Jason // Open, 371 words.
notes, _______.

[Jason]

The nip on his rump during their trip to the Gates made Jason laugh to himself and speed up his pace. Voudou was a curious creature. All at once she seemed tender and kind as well as mischievous and rude. Jason knew that putting her in a box wouldn’t be worth his time. In fact Voudou was more likely to go against any definition given to her. He could tell that she would always keep changing and never settle into a single pattern. Jason’s heavy breaths showed more of his weakness then the dark mares did. He was not used to taking the footed journey to the Gates. When one had magic it was far easier to vaporize or fly or….well anything else rather than run. It had felt good, but now that his muscles were beginning to betray him with cramps he began to second-guess the worthiness of a sprint. While still attempting to catch what little air there was (or at least it felt like there wasn’t much) Voudou half turned her body and paralleled herself between Jason and the Gates. His grin held stiff when she spoke ”That wouldn’t be quite fair.” He said as a thick cloud began forming in the seemingly clear blue sky. The cloud was dark and amongst it shots of electricity sparked between puffs. The cackling could be heard clearly. One..two..three crackles and a shot of lightening split through a tree yards in front of them. Almost as quickly as the cloud had come it disappeared. Jason’s hooves sparked a bit- alluding to the source of the storm. ”Looks like you’ll have to take that risk. He trotted forward. ”Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He straightened his head all the while knowing quite certain that Voudou didn’t actually need him. jason

[Voudou]

{you remind me of the babe}

The stallions words were quickly followed by unexpected snaps in the air.  Voudou lifted her nose towards the sky, only to be greeted by the expanding, swirling darkness of a newly formed cloud.  It bubbled to life with the fluffiness of freshly made cotton candy, but rumbled and groaned with the ferocity of the waterfalls that fell hundreds of feet into pits of chaos.  Her eyes reflected the bolts of light that went back and forth between the folds of the cloud, and Voudou's ears were perked forward, trying to take in as much as she could.

As much as should could accept the storm, she was not prepared for the spindly bolt that escaped the sky and landed itself just yards from them.  She pulled her head away with a tiny squeal.  Then the cloud was gone, and up above everything returned to its 'cheery' blue color.  Frankly Voudou preferred the storm.  

A snort escaped her nose before she heard a small snapping coming from Jason's direction and she turned to face him.  The fact that he had been the one behind the storm didn't necessarily surprise her, it was just that the thought that his blue color was more than just a color had barely crossed her mind.  And wondering what else he could do?  Not her concern.  

He spoke once more before he moved forward into a trot.  She let him pass her, and watched him for a few moments before twisting around and loping to catch up to him.  "You know, you don't have to be such a show off," she spat at him in a surprisingly harsh tone, "Believe it or not nothing you can do means anything to me if you only do it to prove a point, even as a joke."  

Occasionally her moodiness even surprised her.  It wasn't as if Jason had meant anything by it, but it was still something that aggravated the young mare for no apparent reason.  She stayed next to him but didn't look at him, instead taking in her surroundings, the scents and the sights, scoping out areas she needed to come back and examine closer on her own time.  The shade felt nice, but also sent chills down her spine as the cool air hit the patches of now-drying sweat on her body.  It left ugly, gross crusty lines on her charcoal coat, and she knew she would have to take care of that later, perhaps with a nice long soak in a lake.  "Is there a lake nearby?" she blurted out without even thinking about it.  

tags Jason // Open, 432 words.
notes, _______.

   

[Jason]

Entering the Gates brought warmth to Jason’s spirit. He closed his eyes as soon as he had stepped between two trees clearly owned by the heavens. He did not look back this time to ensure Voudou was following him, but he heard her. Once she landed beside him and sniped at his previous trick Jason slowed his movements. Eventually he stopped in front of the black mare and bowed his head. ”You’re right.” He surrendered. ”Sorry for being a dick” He muttered before shrugging his shoulders. It wasn’t like Jason to use his magic so frivolously, and it had been a senseless prank. Turning back to face his original direction he began to walk and weave through the trees. He found himself breathing the sweet air in deeply and savoring the familiar scents. The kingdom was a quiet place, lacking in population. Jason was grateful that he was able to bring a little bit of life back with him. The journey to the field had proven to be fruitful. He hoped Voudou would find peace within the light kingdom. ”Lake?” He said without thinking in an attempt to register her question. ”Why yes…” There was a lake relatively close to them. Jason simply adjusted their course and within moments they arrived. The sun shimmered off the clear water. The lake appeared to have no end as it flowed to the horizon, and lined along its’ edges were towering pines. Flowers and tall grass littered the ground before them as well as woodland creatures scampering along the banks. Jason looked over to Voudou once he had finished skimming the lake. ”So what do you think?” jason

[Voudou]

{you remind me of the babe}

{{X}}She was barely listening to him, fully distracted by the surrounding terrain, even though he was answering her question. His answer only really registered with Voudou once the stag altered their direction of travel, and she barely had time to think before the scenic lake unfolded before them. The sun was brightly reflected across the surface, glistening with an almost blinding light. Voudou heard him say something, but it was too late, as she was already bolting forward towards the inviting oasis.

{{X}}Within seconds Voudou was chest deep in the cooling water, her tail floating in spindly twists across the ripples of the liquid. Fine drops of water clung to the rest of her body, making her pelt glisten nearly as much as the lake itself. Her strong legs propelled her through the water, swimming in a small circle to face Jason. "I'm sorry what was that you said? I couldn't resist a good bath," she said, her voice once more returning to its sweet silkiness. She moved a bit closer towards him, crawling into slightly shallower water so she could stand without having to sacrifice her bath.

{{X}}Voudou dipped her nose into the water, drawing in audible gulps of water. Until she had jumped in the mare had scarcely noticed just how thirsty she was. The smooth liquid ran down her throat and she didn't finish drinking until she could feel the sloshy weight in her stomach.

{{X}}So far she hadn't noticed the presence of any other equines. Pretty barren for a supposedly inhabited land, but Voudou was ok with that. In this world she felt like she didn't really need anyone else by her side, and Jason.. well she was more intrigued by him than anything. Voudou was going to stick with him until she figured him out, and after that she would probably quickly become bored with him. What was there in another horse anything if there was nothing more to discover? He would have to become a miracle worker if Voudou was to stay interested forever. Especially, especially if he sought to discover too much about her. Voudou wasn't one for the deep conversations and general problem solving that came with most friendships. To her, it was much easier to keep to herself, and universally ignore the feelings of others. It was much more fun to spread gossip amongst the mares and tease the stallions into submission.

tags Jason // Open, 400 words.
notes, someone should totes join in before I run out of things to type XD.

[Jason]

Jason had barely a chance to finish his question when he heard a great splash and felt sprinkles of water land on his nose. Jason snorted. His eyes were drawn toward the tinted deep blue freckles on his face that had formed after Voudou’s graceless dive. If there was something that Jason hated it was getting wet. He didn’t mind a good bath but the after effects of dripping and drying were just a bit too much. Jason eased himself back from the bank and watched Voudou as she danced among the waves. She seemed pleased and entertained by the lake, and that was enough for Jason for now. ”What did I say?” He choked. ”Oh nothing…forget it” His eyes looked to the ground, avoiding direct contact with Voudou’s for a moment. The mare moved forward, and the sloshing of water drew Jason’s attention back to her. She was utterly drenched ”How on earth can you like that?” He questioned. The water was spraying off of her like she was a fountain- a waterfall. The stallion may have been exaggerating this all in his mind, but he did hate the entire idea. ”Aren’t you cold?”, Miserable? Wishing to be dry? It was baffling. There was no questioning the differences between the two, but thankfully Jason was clueless when it came to what Voudou could do to him. While questioning the dark mare in the water his expression had fallen more to shock than pleasantries, but as he awaited an answer a small smile crept back in. It was in the pause, waiting for her answer, that he noted how particularly amazing the complex mare was even when she resembled more of a rain-soaked mess than her usually self. jason

[Voudou]

{you remind me of the babe}

{{X}}Now Voudou wasn't about to force him (mostly because she felt rather lazy at the moment), but she was perplexed by the fact that he hadn't at least dipped his nose in the water to drink.  In fact he had backed up a tad bit.  But why?  The water certainly wasn't hiding a creature that would come out and bite him if he wasn't wary.  She had also noticed the lack of eye contact after she spoke.  Had her ignoring him speak really hit him that hard?  Voudou knew she could be a bitch but if something like that really bothered him they weren't about to stick together very long.

{{X}}He didn't give her much of an opportunity to ponder before he spoke again.  How could she like it? How couldn't she like it?  The water drew out the heat that was trapped beneath the black hairs of her pelt, it erased the crusty sweat lines she had been so worried about.  And floating through the waves was about as close as Voudou would ever be able to come to flying, to feeling weightless inside and out.  But the cold? Yes she was cold.  Of course she was cold, she felt as if she had just jumped from the hot tub into a pool of ice.  She was cold enough that it almost hurt.  Then again if Voudou always thought about the consequences of her actions before actually partaking in them she would likely be a boring prude like her parents.  

{{X}}Bored with Jason's lack of involvement in her activities, Voudou lurched herself out of the water and onto the dry bank once more, hardly glancing at the stallion on her right.  Initially she wasn't going to shake off the water, but once onto dry land it went against every instinct in her body to remain soaking wet, so she shook.  Her noisy shake sent bullets of water and stray hairs in every direction.  Finally she was free of all those pesky blue flecks that had been parasitically clinging to her coat.

{{X}}Now that she shook Voudou looked strangely fluffier than before, and her pelt still glistened with drops of water as if she had taken a bath in a kindergarteners glitter glue instead of water.  Only now did she turn to respond to his earlier exclamation, "If I spend my whole life afraid of things, whether it be the cold or the judgement of others, I am no more than a slave to the norms of society.  I refuse to fall into slavery."  She walked over to him, leaving a trail of drips in her wake, before nudging his neck with her nose (miraculously the driest part of her body at the moment).  Voudou looked into his eyes, deep and wonderful, before continuing, "But now that you mention it I am a bit cold, you could always come a little closer and help warm me up."

{{X}}For some reason Voudou had always found herself reverting back to flirting the instant she became bored with a conversation, or needed a way to change the topic before the conversation became to serious.  Probably just her way of keeping the topic off her emotions, she would much rather soak in the attention she got for her body.  When people found out too much about you they tended to treat you differently; and most times this wasn't a good thing, especially for her.  The attention she got for her soul was always full of pity and concern, they always wanted to take care of her.  If they only focused on her body, on the other hand, nobody was focused on her personality, or the distant look her eyes sometimes held.  

tags Jason // Open, 616 words.
notes, _______.

[Fiasko]

fiasko

In the midst of the silence, there’s a small kernel of life. It’s been growing for the past few months, and it brings Fiasko hope. After the wildfires had ravaged the kingdom, she had thought it might be the end - the kingdom had been all but dead. But now, life returns.

She seeks it out, in spite of herself. Normally she would hang back, but she knows that she cannot continue to live like that. Especially when the kingdom is in such dire need.

The scent of a new horse reaches her nose, and she tracks it down, following the wind back to its source. She finds it within minutes, and is pleased to find, not one, but two horses at the Gates’ lake.

She recognizes one of them - the stallion. He’s relatively new to the Gates, and she’s seen him out and about more than once. She wonders if the newcomer - the black mare - is a recruit of his. If so, that is a promising start to the Jason’s life here in the Gates.

“Hello there!” She smiles her characteristic crooked smile. As always, she worries about what the mare’s response will be to her mutilated face, but she tries to push down the fear. Strangely she is having more success than usual. Maybe it is because she knows Jason has already seen it. “Welcome to the Gates! I’m Fiasko.”

i'm still waiting for the world to end

A terrible post, but hey, more things to type about! xD

[Jason]

The heat of the day bore down on the stallion like flecks of fire singing the edge of his coat. He shifted, uncomfortable. The water glistened. It was deceptive in its invite, Jason thought. He knew from experience that a moment of weakness would lead to minutes of hellish dampness. Voudou had succumbed to it although she seemed perfectly content with the outcome. Eventually and without word the mare carried herself out of the water. She ignored Jason when doing so, and she even managed to send flecks of his own wet hair his way. Sprinkles of water sprayed his pelt, sending needle like shots down his chest and back. Jason huffed. Voudou looked back in his direction. He caught her glance as she spoke. She spoke of slavery- a word that the stallion had not often heard. He wondered if the black mare held dark memories or if she simply was a bit dramatic when it came to inexcusable practices. Jason didn’t have much time to think over the statement for Voudou had approached him. His eyes danced as she walked to him. He stood, glued to the ground. He watched and waited. A part of him knew what she was going to do, but a large part of him hoped he’d be wrong. The mare nudged him, and he instinctively sighed. His weight was evenly distributed, but when she spoke seductively he leaned away from her. ”Stop.” He said brashly. His heart was beginning to race and he could feel his body grow feverish in both annoyance and blatant concern. He didn’t want Voudou to leave (he greatly enjoyed her company), but her advances were growing tiresome. He wouldn’t oblige her- in fact he didn’t know if he ever would…now. Jason breathed heavily. ”Voudou…I…” He began before being interrupted by another voice. His head lurched around to face a familiar mare, Fiasko. A part of him was relieved, another part not so much. Either way he would press the conversation with Voudou later if given the chance. ”Hello Fiasko!” He said with a smile, relinquishing what he could of the tension. jason