"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
This time, he'd kept walking. Away from the ocean. It was the first time in his life he had never been near the water. It rumbled, and groaned. It called to him like a lover, but he was determined, as he made his way south from Nerine, that he would see more of this land that he found himself a part of. He had grown up virtually alone, insulated on the tiny island of Ischia, in a cave that kept him away from all the drama that was there. He had entirely missed the takeover...the mutiny, and the crazy purple family that had once inhabited the island.
But, when the time came, the land was clear, and he had walked away from his world entirely unscathed by kingdom politics. It should have made him a wide-eyed, innocent child with a care for nothing. Instead it made him jaded and wanting—because he knew there was power out there to be possessed, and by God he was going to get a piece of it. His own mother had not shown him the power of her blood, and indeed, he had no idea who he truly was. That had made him restless and angry, and he had a penchant for the sea that nothing else would satisfy.
And so he traveled. He grappled the world and made it his own. And he always ended back on the shores of his homeland.
And this time, when he had turned inward for a new adventure, he did not know what would become of him, but the land got more craggy and mountainous. Grimdark's step was steadfast. He was strong and centered from his experiences swimming the tumultous waves. It took many days to reach his destination—but he did not really have an end point in mind. He just figured he'd know when he get there.
A hard look set his features as he pulled upon the crest of the mountains of what he would eventually learn was the Border to Hyaline. A crystal clear lake sat in the valley, and the scars of previous encounters—what looked to be a fire—were off to one side, and he sighed. Was this what he had expected to see this high up in the mountains?
He was not sure. But there was something missing.
His restlessness never abated.
GRIMDARK
deimos x ea, dragon vision, twilight manipulation, twin to allure
12-10-2017, 04:50 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2017, 08:38 PM by Solace.)
S O L A C E
Pale and blemishless, she is soft curves where he is hard angles.
He is her antonym, and she feels his touch on her land the moment he enters Hyaline.
The mountain wind pulls her tri-colored mane back and away in a banner behind her, carrying his brimy, masculine scent across her skin, whispering to her of his arrival before she sees him. The gold and cream mare turns to look down from her perch in the summit of a northern mountain, and there the dark stallion stands.
As soon as she spots him four white legs spring into action, carrying her over the stones and steep cliff-faces with practiced ease.
She forsakes her customary greeting, (Welcome! I'm Solace, the Caretaker, what is your name?) because something is different about this stallion. He does not make her feel at ease, yet his matted mane and hard-set feature are not off-putting.
"Solace." She offers as she halts in front of him - she would never fully abandon formality. "Are you from Nerine? You smell of the sea."
But the scent he carries is wider than that, his sun-bleached pelt is weather worn like that of a traveler, and grey eyes remind her of a tempest. He does not wear the gracious smile of a diplomat. He is dark and unknown and she presses her muzzle to his regardless, because she is a Queen.
She has nothing to fear.
(Or so she tells herself)
He did not have to wait long. Indeed, he was not really looking for anyone. Or anything. He was just on a journey--wherever that would take him. He moved then--almost itchy--and noted that all the others like him he seemed to run into were females. And they all commented that he smelled like the sea. His silver eyes hardened, but then he smiled, relaxing. Solace, she said her name was. He liked the way she dispensed with the formality in her greeting, and said only the words that were most necessary to say. She had an air of authority around her, and when she pushes out her muzzle to touch his, it is not without a shudder that such a touch is felt.
He has never been touched before.
His silver eyes flashed, and Grim knew without any further speech that this was her domain. And the way she spoke so matter of factly--she mentioned Nerine, too...just like the siren, whatever her name was--he opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Was there anything he could say to her that would not get him into trouble?
And so he chooses his words wisely, looking around his company at the water below them both with longing eyes. "Grimdark, and yes, I have just come from Nerine. But I am not from there."
He is no King, and certainly no Queen. He is a wanderer, a sea-man. Humble, perhaps--because oh, how he does not know from what greatness he comes--but there is an innate prowess he carries all his own. His face is hard and angled. He is not a man to be cowed by a pretty face.
GRIMDARK
deimos x ea, dragon vision, twilight manipulation, twin to allure
She doesn't know of other women, she only considered herself one of that group in theory. Not enough time had passed, nor enough experiences, for her careful soul to fully embrace the magic of her sex. The influences of the season are wasted on her, the fact that he is a man, not a colt, does not change her perspective. Yet still, she finds him interesting - enough that her cerulean gaze never leaves his face.
Silver eyes harden and flash, like veins of iron ore in dark stone - a glimmer of something dangerous even as his own lips curled into a half-charmed smile. The conflicting signals momentarily perplex her, but the young Queen tries to relax and not overcomplicate where she shouldn't. Solace had always overthought her situations, she had a twin she had to do the thinking for.
This stranger, he is all unanswered questions standing at her border and telling her where he isn't from.
Regardless, a hesitant smile plays at the corners of her lips. Maybe this dark stallion is another wanderer, like her brother, like her mother. Tangerine always spoke in a round-about way, even when she had nothing to hide, and Solace does her best to dismisses her reservations.
"Well, Grimdark. Is there anything I can help you with, or are you just here to explore the fabled mountain lake?" There is no challenge in her voice, it is only an honest question. "Because I would be happy to show you around if you would like."
Solace is short, to the point, and he finds he is comforted by that fact. So much has happened to him in recent days - more than has happened to him in years - that Grim finally settles into his skin, and the copper and steel man doesn't have to pretend to be someone he is not with this one. "Curiosity has brought me here. I have been to so few places, and the mountains south of Nerine looked like the next great challenge. Short of that, I find that I am comforted by the water. It is good to see a bit of coastline again, even if it is landlocked."
He smiles then, an easy, awkward smile. "I expect nothing of you, Solace. I do not come representing Kingdoms. I am just a man on a journey." He rather suspects that he is like the brother she does not speak of. He belongs nowhere, and lands nowhere except where he happens to be at the time. "Hyaline is a beauty all its own."
Grimdark automatically begins his descent down the mountains, the breeze caught in a wind tunnel that draws his matted mane off his head, blowing behind him. Such an action gives him such a great visage of the area that he finds his eyes are widened as he takes in a grander view of it. "Indeed, a great beauty."
Grim has clung so deeply to the coast, that he has not set foot on something that was not Ocean. And he is finding, as he makes his way slowly across this great land, that he has been missing a great deal. "What is your favorite thing about this place then? Come, show me."
GRIMDARK
deimos x ea, dragon vision, twilight manipulation, twin to allure
She smiles a soft, knowing smile which is almost out of place on one so young for. The seer's daughter understands the sentiment shared by so many around her, even if she can not personally relate to the wanderlust which drives them. The way he speaks with determination about his self-appointed mission endears her to him, slightly, and the young Queen is glad to see her first impression of his was off the mark.In situations like this, Solace never minded being wrong.
"Good, I didn't feel like talking about politics anyway." His reserve melts away and with it, she feels her reactive skepticism a silly thing of the past. She had never been good at turning down easy, awkward smiles - especially when they were found on dark, handsome faces - and she happily picks up a trot to match his as he shows himself in.
"My favorite spot?" she muses as they clip along inland, her gaze floating over the craggy summits on the far side of the lake. "You just want to go straight for the best part," she asks with suppressed mischief and a hight step suggestive of her mothers Morgan heritage.
"Sometimes I find a little anticipation makes the best part even better."
Was that innuendo?
She isn't sure. So much for the straightforward answers they both so much appreciated.
Lengthening her stride, the pony mare takes the lead, lazily flicking her white and blue tail against Grimdark's barrel as she passes. "Come, first let's go for a swim and wash the salt off you. No one visits Hyaline without going for a swim in the lake."
caretaker of hyaline
@[Grimdark]
Feel free to play around with some of his fun traits!
