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    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    [open]  to things new and wonderful
    #1











    After parting ways with Leliana, Isilya wanted to explore this land a little further. See what lay hidden in the steam and the forests, see what wonders she could discover within. For the occasion, the vines along her spine sport thick, waxy leaves and lush golden flowers that cascade over her sides and brush gently against her skin as she moves. She looks, she thinks, probably a little ridiculous but also like she belonged here.

    She’s still wary about the lava streams so she avoids those and instead finds a trail through the lush forests and intends to lose herself in it. But, her nature being what it is, she doesn’t get very far in her wanderings.

    It’s been a long time since she’s been in a forest she doesn’t know, and this one is more tropical than many of the others she has spent time in. There is life everywhere and Isilya watches and studies it with a scholarly intensity.

    At the moment, what’s caught her attention is the largest leaf she has ever seen - so giant she thinks it’s about half the size of her body and it’s not alone. It’s a small little grove of whatever plant this is, making the most of the absence of trees and soaking up all the sunlight they can with those incredible leaves. As she looks at them, her vines shift a little bit and now they are decorated with miniature versions of this plant – the change cascading from the tip of her head down to the base of her tail.

    Tephra, she thinks, is beyond beautiful.


    soft and sweet

    art by azagus


    @[vulgaris]
    #2
    V u l g a r i S
    Vulgaris didn’t mind the way his wife’s flowers and plants were slowly taking over their home. Slowly, the vibrant green leaves cover another inch of volcanic ash and breathe new life into Tephra. Their reach gets a little farther every time he stops to look and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t fond of the red flowers. They match the blooms in Leliana’s hair and he feels at home each time he stops to admire them. A slow, dreamy sigh leaves his lips as he stands amongst the dahlias and the elephant ears. He doesn’t know the names for these, of course, but he recognizes them.

    He lifts his head to watch the plant woman as she approaches and he briefly wonders if this is some accident of Leli’s magic. Certainly, she had poured enough life into Tephra to sustain an entirely new being, but he hadn’t expected it. Vulgaris tilts his head and stares longer than he means to, ears pointed forward as he watches the leaves across her back changing to mimic the plants around them. Perhaps she’s only like his wife rather than some creation born by accident? Her magic is similar but it doesn’t carry the same feel to it, he thinks.

    The serpent king moves forward, careful to wade between the plants so as not to bend a stalk or break any of their thick stems. “You fit right in! Now if only I could do the same,” he says, a short laugh following his words until the sound fades into a pleasant smile on his face. He’s handsome without the scales and fangs, he thinks, but his wife would say he has always looked this nice. She sees the sun behind every dark cloud and he’s thankful to slowly learn just how to do the same.

    My name is Vulgaris. Are you new to the gardens?

    He calls the kingdom a garden as a joke but it becomes more of a truth every time he turns around. That isn’t to say he dislikes it, of course, but he’s pleased to see a kingdom born in fire suddenly engulfed with green and life. It feels like a giant metaphor for his life and his family and maybe that’s why he wants to keep it safe. Slowly, the members are becoming dear to his heart, and he’s pleased to find himself softening around the edges with each new addition.
    In this shook-up, twisted world, I'm gradually growing transparent and vanishing
    Don’t look for me; don't look at me
    @[Isilya]
    #3











    Isilya is already smiling a bright, laughter-laced grin when she turns to look at who is approaching her, who’s laughter chased the words that broke the (near) silence. She doesn’t recognize him but there aren’t many she knows in this land yet – and that’s exactly what she’s hoping to change. She wants to learn every inch and every leaf, but every face as well.

    There’s a moment where she wonders if she should use her magic to cover him with his own set of flowers, but she brushes off the instinct. She’s still remembering how to interact with her own kind again, and there’s something in the back of her mind that tells her even harmless little tricks aren’t kind to play without permission.

    Fortunately, the dappled stallion introduces himself and the conversation shifts. There’s something youthful in the way Isilya brightens at the conversation, a restless sort of energy you normally see in foals and her responses burst out of her with excitement. She recognizes his name from the piece of history her friend had shared with her and she’s beyond thrilled at this little thread connecting her to this land. “Vulgaris! You’re Leliana’s husband, aren’t you? I’m Isilya, a friend of hers. We have… similar gifts,” A flick of a vine-wrapped tail to gesture to the flowers blossoming down her spine, just a touch of the magic that has been sparkling in her veins since birth. But enough, she thinks, to get the point across. “And she recently invited me to help her rejuvenate the gardens.” Her green-and-gold eyes shift then to look around them, at the lush jungle and her eyes shine with admiration as her voice softens with the same emotion, the same love for that new friend of hers.

    “Though she’s been doing a beautiful job all on her own.”



    soft and sweet

    art by azagus


    @[vulgaris]
    #4
    V u l g a r i S
    He has never cared for magic of any degree and so it took him quite some time to become accustomed to Leliana’s flowers. Now, he still finds himself flinching internally but he manages to remain stoic on the outside, at least. Slowly, at the same pace the ocean devours a mountain, he is growing to love the flowers that bloom so suddenly as he passes by. Isilya’s vines and petals remind him of Linnea and he finds himself softening at the edges despite the way she seems to brim with energy and vigor. His muscles relax and his shoulders lose their tense posture as he reminds himself not to be so tense all the time, Leliana’s teasing echoing in his mind.

    His ears perk forward and he watches her burst with some small, simple joy as she repeats his name. They have been together for years now but he still feels his heart bashfully flutter at being called Leliana’s husband. He offers a nod and a small smile, laughing with his quiet embarrassment as he turns to stare off at nothing for a moment before regathering his composure. It used to be so unlike him to become nervous and yet he finds himself entirely vulnerable these days. He likes it.

    She excels at anything she attempts – being a queen, a mother, or a gardener,” he agrees with a proud smile. “But she pushes herself too hard. She sleeps like the dead after a particularly long day.

    It comes out as a joke but the smile that follows is shallow and weak, framed with his concern. This jungle is nursed by his wife’s magic but there is no one to nurse her when she grows exhausted. He can only kiss her brow and encourage her to rest for at least a short while. He’s never cared for magic but he would learn to craft the vines and leaves on his own if he could, if it only meant she could take a break.

    I’m very glad you’re here to help her with her work, Isilya. I hope we’ll become good friends.

    The corners of his lips find a way to curl upward once more and the warmth comes pouring from his lips as easily as breathing. He has never had many friends, in truth, and even the ones he has now are so busy and far away. It would be nice to have someone to talk to while Leliana is busy or away.
    In this shook-up, twisted world, I'm gradually growing transparent and vanishing
    Don’t look for me; don't look at me
    @[Isilya]
    #5











    It’s a wonderful thing, Isilya discovers, to watch someone talk about the one they love. She find that she cannot help but watch Vulgaris carefully, so beautiful is his devotion to Leliana and the proud smile he wears when he compliments her makes Isilya’s heart warm. She wonders if she’s capable of finding a love like that, or if the flowers and trees that she makes friends with will be her only family now that her parents and siblings have moved on.

    She is not jealous – it is not a colour she knows how to wear – just so perfectly filled with joy to be able to witness such a love.

    His concern over Leliana is touching as well, and Isilya’s smile softens. “I hope we will become good friends too, Vulgaris.” As far as she was concerned, their mutual connection to Leliana already cemented that fact within her own heart. “And I am glad I can help her, hopefully she will be able to take some well-earned time to relax.” Although Isilya has had her magic for longer than Leliana, she feels awed by how much the younger mare has done with her powers since being gifted them – and she knows that she could certainly learn as much from the beautiful mare as Isilya could hope to teach in return.

    Now that her and Vulgaris were friends, an idea comes to the gold-pointed mare and she brightens a little – thinking that it would be a marvellous way for her to get to know this stallion better and Tephra as well. “When I arrived, Leliana showed me her favourite spot in Tephra - I wonder if you’d be so kind to show me yours?” She hopes it is not too personal of a request, though she certainly would not be offended if he said no.


    soft and sweet

    art by azagus


    @[vulgaris]




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