"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
Pregnancy had been, in short, absolute torture for her. She finally learned to fly and then she became too heavy for her wings to keep her in the air for more than just gliding. Still, she had lain awake some nights and marveled at the way her unborn son kicked and wiggled against her sides. Jenova had never considered what giving birth might be like, though, and it came as a rude awakening in the dead of night.
After hours of feeling like her hips were going to split apart, she had a little colt blinking up at her and flapping his infant wings. She marveled the little golden lines down his cheeks and the halo around his neck. After she licked him clean and kissed his forehead, he rolled onto his back and laughed at his own antics. Jen fell in love with the golden eyes lining the underside of his wings, with the squeaky sound of his voice asking a hundred questions a minute.
But now it’s time for him to meet his father, she thinks as she crests the hill with the child at her side. Ophanim tumbles into a heap of legs before stumbling up onto his little hooves. Jenova leans her head down and fusses with the strands of his mane, tugging the pale blue and golden locks into place. He huffs in annoyance and ducks away from her touch.
“You’re ruining it! I had it the way I like it!” he says as he shakes his head. But she only laughs and tucks her wing around him, pulling him close as he leans against her with a pout. Together, they descend the hill of the sandbar and finally cross into the borders of Ischia. Ophie occasionally pauses to shake the sand off his hooves but his mother doesn’t seem to mind the way the grains stick to her.
“Come on, little one. Today is an important day,” she says with a smile gracing her face. The bay and white boy hurries to catch up to her as they continue their search for Leilan.
JENOVA
And in my dreams you're alive and you're crying,
As your mouth moves in mine, soft and sweet.
a dragon who couldn't be hurt on the outside could have so many ragged holes inside
She is in-sane-ly lucky that he's still around here, or at least on some days. A day like to day, as it happens. A day in which he roams around the island, looking to see if there are brothers around which he would need to talk to; and so he finds her on the beach, as he roams around the kingdom.
He stops in his tracks as the blue and white mare with what is so obviously their shared child - a bay roan, with lots of golden markings - wait, are they glowing? Where'd that come from? - and blue in his mane and tail. Frankly, the boy has blue where he himself has white, and aside from the glowing gold markings - tattoos? - that's their only difference. Well, count age, too. And scales and eyes. He sighs. Poor Jenova, what would she think of his threatening looks?
But he greets her as usual, stepping over this fact quickly. Pretend it's not there, then maybe she'll see through it. "Hiya Jenny-fairy." In fact, he's more than glad to see her and the foal - means that the fairy had been right, and that the other kid he now has, is of a mare who doesn't seem to care that he's not actually in love with her. And she seems cheerful as always. As a matter of fact, so is the kid.
Good - they're good. So he's good with it, too.
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@[Jenova] well okay, seems like he's actually happy with the surprise.
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
She lifts her head at the sound of his approach and Ophanim takes the opportunity to sidestep out of her reach where she can’t fuss with his mane. Despite his scales and the world-weary look to his eyes, she thinks he’s still rather handsome and her smile says as much. He seems to tuck away all his woes for the time being and focus instead on their reunion, cheerful as always to be around one another. They might not share any sort of love as other parents do but there is a quiet friendship thriving between them.
“Hello again Leilan,” she says as she glances at their son. He remains silent and evidently nervous, judging by the way his small wings spread slightly and he keeps his chin just a little too high. Jenova stifles her laughter and looks back to her friend. “This is Ophanim. He’s been dying to meet you.”
She steps closer to the colt and nudges his shoulder lightly until he steps forward. The glowing golden lines running down his cheeks are glimmering so beautifully in the sun and the pride washes over Jenova immediately. She knows he’s going to be handsome when he grows older, but for now, she relishes in the awkward points of his shoulders and hips, the knobby shape of his knees. His short tail flicks in agitation but he steps closer all the same.
Words do not find his lips but he continues his bluff of being confident with his bird-chest puffed up. He reaches out to sniff at the dragon scaled stranger and edges closer nervously. Some children never meet their fathers, Jenova had explained before. She told him that to have one is a blessing these days. With this in mind, Ophie takes yet another step and spreads his wings as if to put himself on display.
“Where are your wings?” he asks as he tilts his small head. It never occurred to him that his father might not also be a pegasus. His nose finds the rough scales along Leilan’s skin and he snorts at the feeling of them against his sensitive muzzle. Clearly, they haven’t quite gotten to the manners portion of his lessons, but Jenova can only sigh and smile dreamily as she watches them.
JENOVA
And in my dreams you're alive and you're crying,
As your mouth moves in mine, soft and sweet.
a dragon who couldn't be hurt on the outside could have so many ragged holes inside
The kid is prancing in place not unlike he himself can, though usually Leilan only gets nervous when he has nothing much to do and his mind takes him places he'd rather not go. Like if Jenova would be angry with him, but she seems to be okay. That's at least one load off his shoulders.
At the introduction, including 'dying to meet you', he cocks his head a little as he looks around the blue mare to the bay roan colt. Clearly he's nervous, and he chuckles. "Is that so?" Or was it Jenova who was dying to introduce the two of them? Nevertheless, he's glad she did, of course. As he examines the colt's looks, the young boy seems to do the same. There's gold on him, some of those lines glowing, though his mane are 'just' the same metallic gold as his own. He's wondering about that - none of his or Jenova's markings are glowing - just as the colt asks about where his wings are.
He snorts. "You got those from your mother." he explains, and looks down on the colt intruding his personal space just like his mother would. He doesn't really mind - the kid's just that, a little kid, and even younger than Chryseis was when he met her. Oh, that's an idea. He looks up at Jenova. "Do you two need a place to live?"
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@[Jenova]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
Ophanim is too young to have any dark recesses of his mind to fear. Instead he has only childish fears, like how his dad might reject him entirely or he might trip over his own clumsy legs. But little by little, Jenova is teaching him how to be confident. She smiles proudly when their son detaches himself from her side and actually approaches Leilan. She wasn’t sure if he would without her pushing him along the whole way, to be quite honest.
A soft laugh escapes her and the sound is gentle and sweet. Ophanim doesn’t quite comprehend the way inheritance works, clearly, but he’s amusing. She steps closer and kisses her lips to the boy’s forelock while Leilan answers him. The girl bumps her nose to his cheek in greeting when she lifts her head again but she refrains from anything further. The colt snorts at the intrusion but says nothing as he steps aside to allow her room. Instead, he returns his attention to his father.
“I don’t think I could tie myself to one place. I like to wander too much,” she explains with a shrug. Ophie spreads his wings a little to regain their attention when he notices they’re trying to have more adult conversations though.
“Do you have other kids?” he asks abruptly. The other children he’d met had mentioned having siblings and it made him feel a little jealous, knowing that Jenova had no offspring other than him. They essentially had friends from birth while he only had his overbearing mother to hang around 24/7. Perhaps if Leilan has more sons and daughters then Ophanim can join in on the antics children often get into.
JENOVA
And in my dreams you're alive and you're crying,
As your mouth moves in mine, soft and sweet.
10-06-2018, 03:08 AM (This post was last modified: 10-06-2018, 03:11 AM by Leilan.)
Leilan
a dragon who couldn't be hurt on the outside could have so many ragged holes inside
The scaled stallion moves his head towards the blue mare in greeting, considering her answer. A wanderer; he knew that much. ”I want you to know I’m moving to Nerine. You’d be welcome for an extended visit hntil he’s weaned, or if you just want to get rid of this piece of annoyance for a few days.” He playfully tugs the boy’s mane as he says so, grinning at him. It’s astonishing how much he looks like himself, save for the wings and glowing markings. He still has to get used to that idea. While Chryseis is undoubtably his baby girl, and Thorgal is his despite a lack or roaning or gold (but he has the stunning silvery white mane that linger between Leilan’s golden ones still), Ophanim is nearly a clone copy, colour-wise.
Incredibly handsome, of course.
And not shy of talking. But he supposes between himself and Jenova it could never be any other way. ”I do. Chryseis lives in Hyaline, she is a year older. You also have a little brother, his name is Thorgal. But his mother is a bit angry with me so I don’t know if she’ll let me introduce the two of you.” He’s clearly saddened by that fact, but there’s nothing much he can do about it right now. Although... his eyes glance mischievously and their colour changes into an emerald green. ”But surely nobody would stop you from seeking them out yourself. You should be able to find him in Nerine, or perhaps in the playground sometime.” he nudges the young boy’s head, already knowing that this suggestion would be followed up. And perhaps Roseen will see that he can be a good father. Maybe. Or maybe he’s just hoping that she will like Ophie enough to let him into Thorgal’s life, maybe if she doesn’t like him, at least she can like his children.
Worth the shot, at any rate.
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@[Jenova] @[Ophanim]
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
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