my heart never stops beating for you; ivar

[Ivar]

I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take Reminders of his childhood have been plentiful of late, and this conversation is no exception. While Ivar’s memories of his meeting with Luster are not his strongest or most cherished, there is still something intriguing about the sense of intimacy that being around her provides. It is not (entirely) sexual, but rather closer to something like protectiveness. Like family, like Kylin. The kelpie has long since abandoned any effort to sort out the meaning behind his instincts; he is simply along for the ride. Augusta is sad, and he wants to reach out and comfort her. He halves the space between them, an offer of an embrace that she can either accept or deny. There is more in his touch than a simple hug though, there is a gentle hypnotic command for happiness. He had done the same thing to Kylin when he had first been discovering his tactile hypnosis. The lavender and white mare had reacted poorly when she had discovered the deception, and since then the kelpie has refined his technique. Thana’s discovery of his gift had assisted in the fine-tuning of it, and now it is nothing more than a progressive feeling of warmth and general contentment. Augusta wouldn’t know what she was accepting if she did, but Ivar has never put much stock in consent. He doesn’t have to, not when prey throws itself at him on a daily basis. He doesn’t do it maliciously (that would require more emotional capacity than Ivar is truly capable of), and he is listening with genuine interest as she answers his inquiry into where she is living now. She speaks lightly of Loess, and the feeling of protectiveness is unfamiliar but not unexpected. “Sylva’s not like it was when we were children,” he tells hers, the lightness of the conversation dimming for a moment. “The crowd’s a bit less savory these days.” Ivar doesn’t elaborate, and in fact is grateful when she asks what Loess is like. “Beautiful, especially in the spring,” he replies, turning his gaze toward the treeline between the river and the hills. “Like a rainbow come to earth with all the flowers. It puts the red and gold of Sylva to shame, I think.” There is fondness in his voice as he speaks of the kingdom, and a small thoughtless smile on his face as he speaks. kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis minimal grullo tobiano king of loess