"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
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Tephra, then, is decidedly the opposite of Hyaline. It is hot, the air is thick, and she misses the cleanliness of her home as opposed to the ash that she finds here now or then. It’s not that she couldn’t learn to love this place, she thinks. Just notices that her white coat and shining wings don’t fit in so well.
On the other hand, the two lands are roughly the same. A neutral place, for refugees. A sanctuary even, although Hyaline has perhaps worked to get it’s name known as one throughout the lands, a bit more. But Tephra is on a comeback perhaps, and she’s glad to have visited anyway.
But now she has nothing much to do, and she debates trying to find Kromium, going home, or asking another kingdom member about their reasons to stay. After all, home is a long trek still, and having just gotten here recently, she isn’t sure yet if she can convince her tired body to do it again already.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[peregrine jude] I posted to Magnus earlier and would assume this takes place after that talk, but I don’t think that they need to discuss anything that would happen in the magnus thread so here you are anyway
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
Tephra welcomed Jude with open arms. She has only been within the land for a couple of weeks, and already feels she knows it like the back of her eyelids. And yet, restlessness creeps into her system like some unwelcome to disease. The volcanic land truly puts her heart at ease, but Jude is an ambitious and energetic woman at heart - standing idly by as a citizen within a kingdom has never been her fate.
Today, she grumpily chews on salty grass. Something has not been right with her body, and it did not take long for her to figure out what came of her blissful tryst with Magnus: she is with child. Jude huffs into the green ground, gazing into each individual stalk without actually seeing it, wondering what on earth she is going to do with herself and an entire being she is supposed to care for.
The pegasus mare lifts her head and wanders aimlessly along, eyes glazing over in decided sadness. She feels alone, stuck with a child she does not want and no one to guide her (though she snorts to herself and vehemently thinks she does not need guidance). This is uncharted territory: motherhood. Roiling in darkest depths of her mind, Jude is terrified.
In her haphazard and thoughtful meandering, the pale mare nearly stumbles into another. She rears back, head high and proud, eyes slit in indignation. Her previously bowed head now expresses misplaced anger that quickly turns to blank resignation.
“Sorry, clearly I wasn’t payin’ much attention,” she begins, before picking up the mare’s scent. Jude peers at her suspiciously. “You’re not from around here.” More a statement than a question. “I’m Jude. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
Jude ends her rambling on the realization that she should be greeting and questioning strangers.
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
The white mare smiles warmly, kindly, like a mother greeting another one, or perhaps even her grown-up child. She has that age by now, she figures.
She is patient, waiting for the mare to settle, and then looks her up and down with slight amusement to her eyes. It’s not like Ilma is very threatening, at least she doesn’t think so. ”No need to panic. I’m Ilma, the ambassador of Hyaline. I wanted to find and talk to residents of the other neutral sanctuary kingdom, and I figure you’re just one of those.” She chuckles a bit, looking at the pink and lavender mare with a kind smile. ”How are you holding up?”
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[peregrine jude] If you want, this can be post-plague? We weren’t very far in, lol.
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
The angelic looking mare is friendly enough - how could Jude not assume she is friendly, simply based off of her bright wings and pale appearance. She truly looks like if an ethereal being were to be made mortal, so the pink pegasus finds herself relaxing.
Ilma introduces herself, soothing whatever confusion Jude had initially. At the mention of Hyaline, she perks up, knowing the land to be an ally of Tephra. A small smile dares to cross her maw: finally, she feels less like a walking pumpkin and more like the fearless girl she was. She responds well to Ilma’s demeanor, shifting to one side to ease the discomfort of carrying her second weight.
Jude is quick to respond: “I’m as fine as anyone can be when they’re about to damn pop.”
Irritation seeps from her words - though none of it is quite aimed at the ivory woman. The pegasus sighs and dips her head.
“Though I suppose you mean with the news of the plague. Tephra is kind to me; it always has been. I don’t know if you’ve heard the news but,” and here she pauses, wondering if she should tell an ambassador of the news before the King himself, “Magnus is the new leader. I believe all of Tephra will fair well with his guidance.”
She pauses, just a moment for a breathe, and then finishes, “I go by Jude, by the way. How is Hyaline doing?”
i've been blossoming alone over you
@[Ilma] post plague it is! i figured we could just make it post-krom as well, so hyaline can learn of tephra's new leadership
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
The young woman is irritated, mostly hormonal, it seems - but she receives a small chuckle from Ilma. "Now you don't go telling me that you have no love for the young one. Inconvenient as they may be, our children are the most precious things life can give us."
Having just recently spoken to Magnus, she nods to the lavender-and-pink mare. "I figured he would come out on top. He's Tephra's best choice at the moment, I should think. It works out just fine, too, having two sanctuary kingdoms so closely allied with one another, but in such different climates, to each their corner in the world." She spares the volcano in the distance a bit of a look, then looks back to the pinkish mare. "Hyaline is much of a broader concept these days, as some of us reside in, and defend, the Silver Cove as well. Solace and Kagerus would rather operate under the name Sanctuary, but perhaps Sanctuary of the East is more fitting, what with the leadership change over here." She smiles a bit, looking the mare over; her uncomfortable stance, the roundness of her. "Have you decided what to call your little one yet?" she asks, curious as to how the mare reacts to her dawning motherhood. She knows a thing or two about that, herself; even with the also-urgent matter of being an Ambassador and advisor, the thing that's more important to her, her little family even if her children have different fathers they're likely not going to see any time soon (how wrong could she be, with Tähti having met Ashhal so recently - good thing she never told her mother). There was always time to do both, even if it tired a woman. As long as both were done with the right dose of love for the matter.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[peregrine jude]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
Jude gets the feeling the mare before is older and wiser in her ways. She does not feel quite pleasant, but she relaxes just enough to really hear what the woman has to say. Her words do ring true: children are so precious and important (just a responsibility the pink mare does not want).
Ilma speaks of Hyaline soon after, describing what Jude would now consider Sanctuary of the East. From what she has heard of the land, it is a fitting title. She wonders if she will ever make the trek out there, having flown over Hyaline once. The curiosity that took Jude by the horns when she first arrived in Beqanna has not disappeared: the consuming need to know the ins and outs of Beqanna in its entirety. She wanders into that thought - the deep valleys, tall mountains, and cool lake she has never seen but hears plenty of.
The question posed causes her to think for a moment, pondering what she truly wants to name her child. Yet another responsibility she did not ask for.
“Cosmos, I think - for a boy or a girl,” the name falls out of her mouth and solidifies the child’s realness. Jude sits quietly, frowning at the storm brewing in her mind. She is not ready for this, not ready or willing (but in actuality, quite scared).
After a few seconds or brewing, she murmurs, “Can I be honest with you about something?” Jude is not quite sure why she wants to confess to this complete stranger, she just knows that there is a warmth and knowledge about the women she admires immediately. The pink pegasus mare sighs flicks her tail irritably against her hocks.
“I never wanted this, but I suppose I got caught up when I clicked so well with Magnus. I have aspirations, but the thought of being tied down . . . I - well - sometimes I think I can’t handle it. Magnus is good, but I am not,” she confesses, her voice soft and made sweet by her deep southern accent.
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
The naming does exactly what she hopes it does, although Ilma is careful not to show too much of it. A small smile creeps up her lips anyway. In other circumstances it might have been a more sly one, but she thinks Jude won't be handling that all too well.
Naming something, makes it real. Just like naming a pet means you know you want to keep it, naming a child also means you know you'll be their mother (or father, but mother in this case). The sunlight-winged mare waits for the frown on the pink mare to dissipate, but when it does it comes with a question. She nods silently, willing her to continue.
She tilts her head at the mare's anxiety, and smiles reassuringly. "Tied down is not the phrase I'd use. Sure, you'll need a month to recover and give the child time to feed and sleep, but they'll be up and running through the world before you know it. Being a mother simply means giving them a home and some love, but give them too much time and soon they'll think you smothering anyway. And they'll spend some time with their father, too." She chuckles. "I've had two of my own, and I was alone to raise my first. But I'm still the ambassador of Hyaline - I was by the time my eldest was not yet six months old, and I still am now. You can take them with you on any trip outside your kingdom if you want to. You'll just travel a little slower, but it's worth it to see the world through their eyes."
She shakes her head, waiting for the words to sink in. Nobody expects a mare to sit down, hands tied, when they have a foal. "I'll tell you what. I think we mares do way better than men because we are able to combine these things. They only seem to do one thing at a time. They can learn a few things from us yet." she grins. Perhaps that'll make her feel slightly better.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[peregrine jude]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
11-29-2018, 12:54 AM (This post was last modified: 11-29-2018, 12:55 AM by peregrine jude.)
peregrine jude
i glow pink in the night in my room
Jude listens to Ilma speak, allowing a genuine and kind smile to shape her entire face. The Ambassadors wisdom is true and lovely - exactly what Jude needs to hear when her guard is down. Admittedly, it is hard for her to relax into the moment. Relationships have never come easy to her, though she so desperately desires the true guidance of another.
When the pegasus dares to not be stimulated, she realizes how little she knows - how much healing she must undergo before she can truly accomplish anything (before she can be at peace).
Ilma’s words resonate, so the pink pegasus chews on them for a few seconds. She does not know quite what to say, so much being on her mind: how to be a mother, how to be a diplomat, how to function within a herd . . . Already she is wondering about the person she is supposed to become. How bizarre, how a complete stranger could bestow random bits of wisdom, and she actually feel something.
Finally, Jude cocks her head and meets Ilma’s gaze with an earnesty she has not felt since she was a child. She gulps, then stutters out, “Thank you for your wisdom. I feel so old, yet so restrained by my youth. There is so little I know.” The pink mare frowns now, shuffling her hooves uncomfortably.
“There is so much I want to know,” she pauses on the last word again, hesitating to ask: “May I visit you in Silver Cove sometime? I would like to familiarize myself with more lands.”
She doesn’t say what hangs between them (still too young and proud): that she may be able to learn from Ilma.
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Her words take some time to sink in, but if Jude had answered her right away Ilma would surely have thought something was amiss. It is an emotional switch this mare needs to make, she thinks. Another might have said 'stop whining and start acting like an adult', but that's too simple. Where Ilma has been comfortable in her role as a mother since she was two years old - caring for younger siblings and actually enjoying it - she had needed to learn how to be a good diplomat for her kingdom on the go. It was a role not unsimilar to being a mother figure, she had found, but frankly, everyone aspiring to be a mother or a diplomat, would have to discover this for themselves.
The pink and lavender pegasus says she knows so little, and Ilma nods. "You'll find that the more you know, the more you'll realize there is so much more to learn about. Take some time to enjoy your baby before you visit - they grow up way too fast, you see." The white Andalusian smiles at her newfound... friend, trainee - which ever, to Ilma is fine. "You'd be welcome any time. Perhaps you can bring Cosmos then, too if you like. There's a lot of youngsters in our sanctuary." she offers. A day off when someone else is babysitting, surely would be appreciated she thinks; very much so by the time the baby would be old enough for such a long trip.
Jude doesn't need to say more; Ilma smiles and dips her head in a greeting for departure. "I'll see to my own kingdom now. I hope to see you again soon." she offers. Then, she collects the sunlight to carry her across the country, heading east once more.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[peregrine jude] you can start a new thread in the cove if you like! sorry this took me so long
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
