[open] you were a vision in the morning when the light came through

[Chryseis]

you were a vision in the morning
when the light came through,
i know i've only felt religion
when i've lied with you
and i'm still waking every morning
but it's not with you

.

These last several days without Rhaegor had been harder than she had expected. Her side suddenly felt cold and empty without him there to warm her, and her nights drug on in an endless cycle of sleep being interrupted by the startling feeling of just nothing. She hadn’t meant to grow so dependent and attached, but it had been beyond her control. Love was funny like that. But, he would be back. He had promised, and she believed him. She just had to be patient, and wait.

She was decidedly terrible at both of those things.

Tephra wasn’t enough of a distraction on its own. No matter how many times she ran the length of the beach, or scaled the steep hills near the volcano, no matter how much she made her muscles ache and her lungs burn, it did little to settle the unrest that boiled in her veins. She almost didn’t notice when one night, she fled beyond the Tephran border. Past the eternal autumn of Sylva, across the rocky terrain of Loess, and winding her way through the thick trees of the Forest. For once, she did not speak to anyone on her journey, and she doesn’t remember if she slept. She knows the sun rose and fell more than once, but she can’t recall ever drifting off. She just wanted to run until something made her stop.

It is nightfall again when she finally comes to the rivers edge, and for some reason, this is where she ends her flight. Her coat is rough from where sweat had glistened and then dried, but even though her muscles quivered with fatigue, there was something in her dark brown eyes that was bright, simmering, alive. The silver beams of the moon spilled across the rushing rapids of the river, and her metallic, golden blaze glinted in the pale light. There was still something recklessly lovely about her, and she was beginning to realize that without channeling her energy, she was destined to implode.

chryseis

[Aldric]

you look like yourself
but you're somebody else.

Back here on the river again Aldric roams the boundaries of the forest. He does not belong in those dark recesses of trees and trouble, but he is drawn to the lifeline of clear water that flashes silver in the evening light, feeding the greenery on either side. From field, to meadow, to forest, the sabino stallion has remained an unwilling nomad.

He’s had offers to settle in one of the kingdoms but nothing has felt right. Politics are just too much smoke-and-mirror for him, there’s always just too much you don’t know about everyone involved. He needed to feel something before picking a place to belong, so far the only thing in this whole place that he’s found himself attached to is this damn river. Not because he is especially fond of bodies of water, but it’s a habit to return here when the lights turn low.

And the lights are low once again. Aldric weaves along the ragged banks of the river with an innately lively gait. It’s been a day so thoroughly ordinary that he might forget all about it after a sleep or two. Truly his life up until this point has been thoroughly ordinary, unremarkable in it’s goodness and simplicity, a cruise control straight line existence. When he sees the blue ticked mare for the first time it’s from the opposite side of the moonlit river, and as he mindlessly pushes himself into a trot to get a better look at her the golden path over the plane of her face surprises him, a feature he had expected even less than he had expected her.

The badger faced stallion makes a low sound of greeting as he reaches the section of the shore opposite her. He is a man, of course he appreciates the sight of a beautiful woman in the low light but there is an intensity about the girl that arrests him. Even as she just stands there, he can feel her from across the cold dark water.  He should say something, but he’s never been clever with his words.

show me your bewbs

only it aint on the surface

Aldric

@[Chryseis]

[Aodhan]

Aodhán

little fire

All that is gold does not glitter; not all who wander are lost

I’m strolling today, not sure where to go. Mamma would probably say I got my father's wanderlust; heck, he'd probably agree. I know they noticed my blue shells too, but they didn't seem willing to talk too much about it. I guess maybe they're just glad I made it back in one piece.

What I don't know is how my sister went before me, and maybe they had gotten used to it somewhat. Or maybe my little brother Ilan takes up too much of their time (I didn't know back then he was in there, but the pregnancy might have distracted my mom). Thinking of my little brother makes me happy. He's cute, with all the dots on him. Eurwen looked a bit like that too, before. She has the gold in her mane, or at least the metallic shine these days. Used to be my kind of gold, you know, on the spots; but ever since she went all-pink with her dots something is different about her. Not that I mind, she will forever be my very best big sister; I don't have much to compare her with, since Oisín isn't exactly the babysitter type.

I've heard about other siblings too, but I've never met them. I was quite a happy young boy growing up if I'm honest. Papa always says I will be better than him, but I don't know about that yet. He seems pretty okay to me, now. Or perhaps I don't really think about what happened before I came to life.

As I wander, the night falls, but I don't feel like going back yet. Somehow there's something pulling me here. I don't know why, not what I'm looking for... until a shimmer of gold catches my eye up ahead. Ooooh how exciting is this. Someone with gold on them, surely I should investigate. I thread closer, but when I do, I notice some other stallion (much older than me) standing up ahead. It doesn't appear like he saw me, but is more or less captivated by the golden shimmer, much like me.

My throat itches. No, don't. I can say hello first. I suppress the cough with a snort, then walk up to the stallion. "What are we staring at?" I ask curiously, wondering why he seems so captivated (I haven't actually experienced anything close to love or even attraction with my 1,5 years old). Still, when I follow his gaze, I grin widely. "Hiya!" I greet the blue roan mare loudly - unfortunately for this fellow, I am not the silent type.

@[Chryseis] @[Aldric] Sorry I'm late to the party and crashing it <3

[Chryseis]

you were a vision in the morning
when the light came through,
i know i've only felt religion
when i've lied with you
and i'm still waking every morning
but it's not with you

.

It has been a long while since she last spoke to anyone in her family, which was strange, since as a child she had been close to all of them. She still saw her mother sporadically, but she hated feeling like she was intruding on the life she and Ether were creating together. It was a foolish and inaccurate feeling to have, she already knew this; they were as much her family as anyone, but much like with her father and Breckin, she couldn’t shake the feeling of just being the step child, and the half-sister.

She was an adult now, however, and not nearly as reliant on her family as she had been when she was younger. She has been too distracted as of late by the whirlwind of her and Rhaegor, and now his absence, as he tended to whatever it was that had called him away. She missed him wholeheartedly, but she has never been one to simply wither away in the midst of sorrow. The coollness of the night, and the roar of the rapids, was exactly what she had needed to begin to clear her ever racing mind.

But beneath the pale beams of the moon, she sees a flash of gold. Immediately, she swings her own gold-blazed face in the colt’s direction, and the similarities between him and others in her family is glaringly obvious. It causes her heart to somersault in her chest, and before he even greets her, she can feel a smile spreading the length of her dark lips. She easily closes the distance between them, and upon closer inspection she is almost certain her previous suspicions have been confirmed. “You look a lot like my little sisters,” she says, looking at the golden spots that adorn his youthful body. “My name is Chryseis,” she adds, watching him carefully, before she cannot help but to cave to her curiosity and she asks, “Your gold, on your spots. Where does it come from?”

chryseis

[Aodhan]

Aodhán

little fire

All that is gold does not glitter; not all who wander are lost

She quickly notices me; perhaps even before I greeted her, but the greeting is always the first thing I'll give anyone. Or, well, most of the time. I do like watching pretty things, but then, I also think it's incredibly rude of me not to let someone know I've found them, and in my youthfulness I want to be the good guy, always. I doubt that this will change in the future, but hey, you never know what the future holds.

Focus. The roan mare with the gold marking comes closer, and I turn my head to give in to my cough. It's not too bad, what with meeting the bear-mare not too long ago. But it never really goes away, I suspect. I wish I could do more about it - I know I'm not the only one with symptoms.

She's funny though. She doesn't start with a greeting, but with a comparison. I tilt my head slightly, looking at her with my grandmother's emerald-coloured orbs. I don't really know what to do with the comment, but she gives up her name and so that's what I latch on to. "I'm Aodhan," I say gleefully. On the topic of family, I add, "Papa says I'm named after my aunt. But I don't really know her because, uhm, she died long ago." Oops, bad subject. I shake my head. "I mean, uhm, what are your sisters like?" I look her over curiously, and though there is familiarity in her face, I can't quite pinpoint if she would be family or not. I guess she is though. If her sisters look like me.

She seems determined to find out; her question is prompted after another careful inspection, and it makes me a little uneasy. "I didn't steal it or anything." I retort defensively, but then I know how ridiculous that sounds and I chuckle. "I'm guessing from my Papa. My sisters have it too. Well not on the spots. In their mane. Or, no, Eurwen's changed." I frown deeply, then shake my head to look back at her. "She's more pink now."

@[Chryseis] Oops sorry about that! I hope it works out this way though.

[Chryseis]

you were a vision in the morning
when the light came through,
i know i've only felt religion
when i've lied with you
and i'm still waking every morning
but it's not with you

.

Something about her had always stayed somewhat childish, and whenever in the presence of actual children, it seemed to only bring that side of her to the surface. She has always adored meeting her half-siblings (although she didn’t really refer to them as that – they were all just brothers and sisters to her). Even before he confirmed it, Chryseis was amused by the younger boy’s facial expressions. She knew she could be a bit too boisterous for some, and that she lacked the finesse that most did during conversation. She was not terribly witty or poised, but instead easily excitable and with a tendency to let her thoughts stream too quickly off her tongue. She was just always impressed with herself when she remembered to introduce herself at all, much less in her second sentence.

“Nice to meet you, Aodhan,” comes her own bright reply, the beams of the moon reflecting off the metallic of her blaze. “That’s neat! I don’t think I’m named after anyone.” Perhaps her own mother, since their names were similar, but truthfully she’s never put much thought into it.

Her slender ears flick to catch his words and the sound of his laughter, her eyes still lingering over his bits of gold. When he mentions his father, her heart begins to beat a little quicker, anticipation flooding her veins and causing her muscles to grow taut beneath her skin. Once he says Eurwen’s name her eyes widen with surprise – although she doesn’t know why, since all he had done was confirm what she already thought. “I know your parents,” and here, her voice softens just slightly, and something like pain – mingled with nostalgia – etches just subtly into the lines of her face. “Leilan is my dad, too.” Whatever melancholy had flashed just briefly in her eyes she immediately banashes away, before adding with excitement once more working its way into her tone, “So that means you’re my little brother.” She hesitates, before daring to ask, “How are they? Um...Breckin, and dad, I mean.”

chryseis

[Aodhan]

Aodhán

little fire

All that is gold does not glitter; not all who wander are lost

I adore my sister before I even know she is one. Strange as that may sound, she reminds me more of Eurwen than Oisín, even though on the surface one would say the latter is more akin to her. But Oisín is more distant, having her own adventures. Eurwen shares them - despite not having many - and this roan mare also gives off that vibe: she cares about things, on a deeper level than most.

If I had enough self reflection skills I’d say maybe of all my siblings she is the most similar to me.

But I am focused on the present now; her name has no meaning she says? Or no. She says she is not named after anyone. He shrugs. ”It’s still a pretty name.” It reminds me of flowers and butterflies, but maybe I’m confusing chrysalis and chrysanthemum with it - then I grin, remembering the origin of the latter flower’s name - in it’s original tongue. ”Don’t you know what it means? I bet you’re named after yourself!” Golden, that’s what she is, after all.

I’m about as easily excitable as she - in my youth perhaps even more. I jump up a little when she says she knows my parents, forget that she says it with a tad bit more nostalgia than she should, had it been purely happy memories; but I don’t really notice, and can you blame me? I have another sister! ”Awesome! You should visit more often! I have a little brother, too!” Bumping my nose against hers before she can stop me, I gleefully gleam at her dark eyes and golden blaze.

It takes a second for the careful tone of her question to actually reach my senses, but when they do I’m equally timid. ”Oh. Well. We haven’t really seen much of mother after Ilan was born. I thought maybe she’s sick - dad’s worried too. He does a lot of worrying these days. He doesn’t talk or play a lot any mor.” I bite my lip and look at her. With any other parent, not talking much or not engaging in play might be considered normal, but I remember my first half year of life and it was much more exciting. Maybe Chryseis could help them, I wonder? But no - she probably has her own life, and I shake my head. Did I tell her what I can do, yet?

”Did I tell you yet? Look!” I make a really determined face in an effort to distract us both, and then I start glowing and radiating heat. When if works, I grin widely at her. ”Tadaa!” Impressive, no? My other siblings don’t have it as far as I know.

@[Chryseis]