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  • Beqanna

    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


    Aeolus:
    #1
    An old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind


    There is danger, she hears, but it doesn’t stop the wanderlust that propels her legs forward. A sense of adventure actually fuels her and gives her hooves wings as she freely runs across Loess. The brisk morning air whips her locks in innocent delight until the water forces her to take pause.

    The alcove is quiet. Only the hush of the slow tide reaches her ears, coupled with the gentle slap of waves against the sand and rocks. For a moment, Cyprin falls into a lull with nature as her music, a dreamy smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. A slow step places her gingerly into the bay’s grasp. The cool water kisses her skin, awakening her and shooting electricity through her veins. Her eyes brighten as she looks down, drinking in the sight and savoring the touch before reaching tendrils of her magic into the surrounding space.

    A creature of water and earth, rock and lumber, piece together as a large enough creature that she can step onto. It sinks down and begins a long, relaxing swim toward Ischia.

    The sun is high in the sky by the time the network of islands are within reach. At some point, she lied down, the wood having been like a platform as the indescribable creature underneath toted her. Water occasionally splashes up, but she merely smiles. Out here, it’s almost freeing. There are no mountains or forests confining her. The air is salty as it clings to her, coating her as her creature slowly dissipates to leave her alone with her legs submerged. ”Hello?” Her voice is sweet, like honey on the tongue as she climbs from the ocean’s grasp to stand on the dry, white sand. She sees the trees ahead, the tropical palms and ferns. Overhead, a parrot flies and squawks.

    She though much of Beqanna was similar, but this – this here – is so very different. Fascination and wonder reach her eyes as they ripple an array of mesmerizing colors during her wait before someone breaks the peaceful quiet.



    Cyprin
    lior and nayl

    picture by Jiamin Zhu on pinterest



    @[Aeolus]
    Reply
    #2
    we've been running away from space and time
    if we don't fit in the grand design
    The news of danger is rarely ever spoken here. If it is then it is only done in quiet whispers, shielding it from the younger ears and not to disturb the paradise that surrounds them all. With recent events though, Aeolus has experienced the dangers of the outside world. It was minimal compared to the current dangers of politics between kingdoms; however, it seemed enough to cause an uproar from his own mother and residents of Ischia.

    But such things pass quickly.

    It is easy to forget about the news of danger that comes knocking when you are surrounded by a beautiful paradise like Ischia has to offer. There are only simple things here. The beauty of nature reminds all of them to count their blessings, especially in a world the rages with chaos outside of it.

    Aeolus founds himself exactly doing that. He forgets about the troubling news. Perhaps only because the uproar had turned out to be a positive outcome. It seemed all the Island had been happy after everything. Even his own mother returned to her normal habits, though taking on more responsibilities as the new leader of the island.

    He enjoys the simplicity of the day. The warm afternoon sun hung high in the sky, crashing of soft waves against the seashore, and the familiar sounds of the island. Aeolus moves freely between where the jungle becomes thick with tropical plants and trees. Through the tropical foliage he can see the beach and where it disappears into the open body of water.

    A modest smile covers his purple splashed lips as the feeling of content fills him today. He considers taking a swim in the northernmost lake today, but the sound of a honey-like voice catches his attention. The yearling’s ears flicker in the direction towards the beach at the sound of the greeting. Aeolus quickly turns towards the beach, pushing past the tropical foliage that stands in his way.

    A curious and questionable expression gently changes across the finer features of his noble shaped head as he peers through the verdure. He quickly spots the black and blue gunmetal colored mare. Aeolus doesn’t hesitate to move towards the mare, especially an unfamiliar face that has come to their island today. With ease, he moves gracefully across the soft sand beneath him. The sun naturally shines on him and brightens his sunset colored coat.

    “Hello!” Aeolus greets with warmth and excitement. He takes a deep inhale in as he nears the black and blue mare. There is a crisp scent lingering on her, a scent of a season he has yet to ever experience before considering much of the weather stays the same all year around. “Decided to get away from the cold already?” He adds as a boyish grin curls quickly across his lips.
    then no one can ever confine us, and no one can ever define us
    we're just trying to live where the wild things are
    Aeolus

    @[Cyprin]
    Reply
    #3
    An old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind


    There isn’t at all a long wait until the trees rustle ahead and a face pokes out from the dense vegetation. Cyprin’s neck cranes curiously and her eyes greedily drink in the sight of him as he slips out and moves smoothly across the sand, unfazed by the divots and awkward shifts. It fascinates her. Curious herself, she takes a few awkward steps forward, her gait hitching when underneath her sinks. The sand hisses as it cups her hooves no matter where she places them. Loess’ earth is rocky and ever firm. This? It’s almost how she would imagine a cloud – folding and contorting beneath her weight – though of course a cloud would be softer like a lover’s kiss.

    Returning the warmth that he provides, she mirrors his charming smile once his fluid strides come to a smooth and deliberate halt. ”Hello,”she sweetly responds as the wind lifts her forelock from her eyes. It’s windier here, she realizes as her head turns into the tropical gale, whipping her tail like a flag behind her. What’s different is that it is warmer, and it cradles her adoringly. ”Oh, yes,” she confesses when she looks away from the distant, oceanic horizon to search his eyes. ”No one in my family is a huge fan of the cold,” a sweet laughter rolls like morning mist, coiling delicately into the open space between them. In truth, she did not know what to expect coming here, what the island natives are like in comparison.

    Admittedly, she isn’t disappointed.

    ”I’m Cyprin,” almost forgetting an introduction, she sheepishly smiles and shakes her head. ”How silly of me to forget that,” but it didn’t cross her mind immediately when he glazed over introductions as well, smoothing the awkward first meeting with humor. It melts the ice and adds warmth to the light-hearted conversation already unraveling. ”You’re like the sunset,” her observation of his coat has hardly wavered, drawn to him and how he so easily matches the many mornings she has woken up to. ”I love it.” It reminds her of peace and serenity, even of beauty, but she does not elaborate all of this to him; she keeps the intricate thoughts to herself as she shifts her body weight again, feeling the sand shy away.   



    Cyprin
    lior and nayl

    picture by Jiamin Zhu on pinterest



    @[Aeolus]
    Reply
    #4
    we've been running away from space and time
    if we don't fit in the grand design
    Sometimes he forgets how unnatural it must be for others to experience walking on the soft, silky beach of his home. When his mother had first taken him to the larger areas of the beach it had taken him a couple of times to get used to walking on it. Now it was simply a breeze walking or running across the island’s beach just as swimming was for him.

    The corner of his smile lifts up to a smirk as he watches Cyprin try herself before closing the distance between them. He musters a soft chuckle at her attempt, but he at least is happy to see her try it for herself. Most of the visitors that come to their island tend to stick to the wetter parts of the beach that are more stable and firm underneath them.

    His ears flicker forward as her gentle voice fills his ears. It was sweet and soft, almost like honey or the taste of tropical fruits that are found everywhere on the island. Aeolus feels his lips widen at the mention of her family disliking the cold. “I don’t think anyone is,” The young boy comments although he has no idea what it is like to feel the cold touch of winter’s hands. He might some day when he decides to venture off to the island to the mainland.

    “Don’t worry, it’s easy to forget your thoughts when you come to a place like this.” He offers with a tilt of his own purple head. Naturally, he is filled with witty words and humor. Aeolus has always been easy going and prefers to make others smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Cyprin.” His mother certainly didn’t forget to teach him his manners. “I’m Aeolus,” he adds.

    A warm feeling instantly fills his dark violet cheeks at Cyprin’s comment. “Thank you,” he says shyly. It wasn’t often he was complimented. Well, at least someone who wasn’t his mother. “Maybe if you stay long enough you can decide if the sunsets here are better than my sunset coloring.” A soft laugh escapes through his lips after his words. He wonders then what kind of place Cyprin is from. “Where do you live?” Certainly, it would have to be nearby, but maybe Cyprin was on her own adventure to see all Beqanna. Aeolus knew he would like to see more of Beqanna one day.
    then no one can ever confine us, and no one can ever define us
    we're just trying to live where the wild things are
    Aeolus

    @[Cyprin]
    Reply
    #5
    An old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind


       ”There’s a big difference between rocky hills and sand,” a lighthearted chuckle rises as she takes a final step toward him, drawn like a moth to a flame. The rhythm of her heartbeat nearly matches the tango as he meets her with a soft – although amused – grin. Obviously, he noted her awkwardness on the sand with the occasional stumble and hitch in her step. ”Maybe one day I can be at least somewhat decent at walking on this,” but that would imply her return, a frequent visit to the islands. Spoken out of place, she tells herself beneath the veil of her thoughts. An embarrassed smile reaches the corners of her eyes for a glimmering moment before she considers what frigid cold lies beyond these tropical waves. Far to the north, beyond her endeavors, there is a world of ice that she has heard of in her brother’s tales.

    Her eyes follow the stream of her thoughts briefly, but with a languid blink, she is looking back at Aeolus. ”To think, there are some crazy horses living on Icicle Isle. As much as I want to explore, I’m not sure if I would be able to handle going that far north,” her body shivers, anticipating frost nipping at her heels and coating her skin after having to swim across the channel. ”I’m sure there has to be some allure to living there. You just have to look past the ice.” If it was so awful, they wouldn’t be there. Their legs aren’t shackled to the island, their souls not bound to the land. It could be an easy abandonment, and yet they choose to remain.

    It’s easy to shrug away the thought, however, as her eyes meet his. A shy smile creases his mouth, wrinkling the corners as her compliment settles like a blanket across him. The vibrancy of his coat holds her attention, capturing her and nearly pulling her far too deep into her thoughts to realize his offer. It dwells for only a couple seconds, unanswered, before she returns a delicate smile. ”I would love to,” but he didn’t entirely say ‘with him.’ Swallowing past the sudden fear in her gut, she makes a feeble attempt to rectify herself. ”Do you ever tire of the sunsets here?” She tries to picture the scenery, how the scarlet and violet clouds reflect off the coastline and how the palm trees would sway in the soft breeze. The vastness of her imagination pieces it together, and Cyprin’s eyes nearly drift shut to savor it before he asks where she is from. Dreamily, she regards him.

    Reputations extend far and wide. It creates pause in her, wondering what ideation Aeolus has of her home. Alas, she cannot – will not – lie to him or stretch the truth. ”Loess,” she confesses gently as she shifts her weight, ”but a little in the Brilliant Pampas, too.” It was a recent agreement that she would be a companion for Noah, an additional face to deter challengers even when the herdland gets quiet. The territory is beautiful with its wild flowers and rolling hills, but the rocky ledges of Loess has always been her comfort.

    Beneath her forelock, Cyprin eyes shift away from Aeolus – albeit reluctantly – to quietly enjoy the sound of waves lapping the shore. 



    Cyprin
    lior and nayl

    picture by Jiamin Zhu on pinterest



    @[Aeolus]
    Reply
    #6
    we've been running away from space and time
    if we don't fit in the grand design
    “I’m sure one day you will be a master at it,” he adds with a boyish grin and the conversation turns to that of something much colder. A land of ice that some called home. He has never been there before, and he certainly cannot imagine living there like Cyprin states. She even shivers t the idea of living there too. “I couldn’t agree more to that.” Certainly, there must be something inciting that kept them from every leaving an endless winter. Aeolus glances from the gunmetal mare to the scenery of his home. perhaps there was something beautiful about the place just like the tropical island was to many of the residents here.

    Turning his golden gaze back to Cyprin, their eyes meet. A smile of shyness curls on her lips, he wonders what she might be thinking about. As his own thoughts wander into several directions, a gentle smile curls his lips faintly. Hearing her words, instantly his faint smile turns up and grows wider. “I was hoping you would!” He exclaims loudly, perhaps a bit too loud in fact.

    Aeolus shakes his head at her sudden question, but he doesn’t say anything when he watches her close her eyes. It is similar to the look he has seen Loire do before. Loire was always using her imagination when she looked at the world. He could never get himself to imagine the things she did.

    When Cyprin regards him in a dreamlike state he then answers her. “I could never tire of the sunsets here. Once you see for yourself, you’ll know exactly what I mean.” Aeolus would argue with anyone that Ischia had the best sunsets in all of Beqanna. Anyone was welcomed to come see the sunsets for themselves. He didn’t think anyone afterwards could argue with him then.

    His ear flickers at the mention of her home. Loess is a place he knows by name and stories, but personally his interest picks up more when Cyprin mentions living in Brilliant Pampas too. “Oh, Brilliant Pampas is such a beautiful place.” Aeolus says as he instantly recalls the memory of going there with his mother. It had been such a long time ago, but he could never forget the colorful meadow of wildflowers and rolling hills. “I went there so long ago as a young boy to meet my father, Aodhan. Perhaps you know him? I’m sure he frequents there sometimes.” Aeolus wasn’t quite sure since his father came and went from Ischia recently.
    then no one can ever confine us, and no one can ever define us
    we're just trying to live where the wild things are
    Aeolus

    @[Cyprin]
    Reply
    #7
    An old soul with young eyes, a vintage heart, and a beautiful mind



    Aeolus hints at so many things, enough to keep her gaze steadily on him and unwilling to stray. His kindness, his warmth, pulsates in the air between them and gives life to a blossoming smile. ”Practice makes perfect,” and she intends to return, whether it be for him or for the island’s natural beauty. He gifts her a sense of freedom and joy, her thoughts and heart soaring high with the clouds. No one has ever been like this to her, so welcoming and amiable. Rarely did she wander from the confines of the Loessian caves, but when she did, the conversations were facetious and quick to fade. This, however, is different. A sense of excitement surges through her entire body, fed by his own joy that she will stay to watch the afternoon fade into dusk, then nightfall. ”It will be my first island sunset,” she adds with a broad smile reaching her eyes, ”I’m sure I’m about to see something truly magnificent.” Although she has witnessed many from Loess and the distant, oceanic horizon, she pictures something much more magical here tonight.

    A ripple of happiness branches across her, too great of a feeling to even falter when Aeolus reminisces briefly of his time in the Pampas. ”It is,” she agrees with a nod, ”very peaceful. It’s so strange how quiet it is in comparison to Loess.” But Noah is kind and enough to anchor Cyprin to the herdland for now. Whether that will change, she isn’t entirely sure. Life often twists and turns throughout the years, and faces come and go. Of which, there is Aodhan. ”I’ve met him!” She surprises herself by the energy radiating from the statement, her eyes bright in recognition. ”He first approached me as a lizard which threw me off a bit,” the laughter rising from her is a sweet song. Fortunately, she is unafraid of reptiles considering her family; nonetheless, to see him grow before her eyes and speak did, admittedly, startle her at first. ”I would have never thought he was your dad,” she doesn’t mention her own, because their names are from an older Beqanna decades ago. Mother’s feats have long since fallen off the edge, lost by newer and greater tales. ”What’s your mother’s name?” She asks curiously, wanting to know more about him and about this tropical world he lives in.

    Cyprin is attentive to Aeolus, clutching onto his every word until her gaze strays toward the nearby palms, and then the extensive shoreline. ”Show me more before it’s sunset,” a playful hop forward punctuates the softly-spoken wish. Behind her, the sun begins its descent, but Cyprin is far from ready to end this day and adventure. Seizing the opportunity, she glances over her shoulder, back toward him, and washes her face with the sunlight as it stares back. ”I want to see your favorite place, or maybe your favorite thing to do here.”

    It’s almost like being a child again, without responsibilities and without an agenda. Here, she escapes from the world and can harness what fun truly is, and simultaneously soak in what exists outside of Loess and the Pampas.


    Cyprin
    lior and nayl

    picture by Jiamin Zhu on pinterest



    @[Aeolus]
    Reply
    #8
    we've been running away from space and time
    if we don't fit in the grand design
    The flow of the conversation comes naturally. It is effortless and smooth. He is comfortable easily in her presence now. She was a stranger only moments ago, but Aeolus finds himself entirely fascinated by her. He is curious and determined to find and understand who she is and what her life is like—her world and everything that makes her who she is. For a moment, he considers asking her to stay for more than a day. It was too silly, too soon in fact. “You definitely will see something truly amazing,” he says. It was all he could say regarding the sunsets in his home. No words can describe the amazing colors and beauty of their island sunsets.

    Aeolus continues to hold a boyish grin on his lips as Cyprin talks about her own experience in Pampas. The wildflower land surely had its own allure, but perhaps that is the way with all the lands. He truly has yet to explore the mainland of Beqanna. Perhaps Cyprin could take me, he thinks instantly. The idea sounds good enough and spending more time with the gun-metal mare warms him further. When Cyprin mentions meeting his father and their encounter, a hearty laugh follows soon after her own sweet song of laughter. “Oh, that is definitely him!” Aeolus says as his laughing subsides, a warm and cheerful expression remains on his purple tinted features. “You will never know what kind of creature he will be.” His father’s love for learning and transforming into other creatures fascinated him. A part of him wished he could do the same himself. “Me either! Somehow we are related,” he adds whimsically.

    Cyprin asks further about his life and family. He doesn’t question her curiosity, not when he is naturally an open book to her already. “My mother is Eva. She the Dame of Ischia, or leader as you might say on the mainland.” Perhaps it was a name Cyprin might know, but he isn’t sure how often such information travels from the islands to the mainland. Everything seemed to come to them months later unless it was something quite urgent.

    There is a hint of something, he isn’t sure what it is, when she looks towards inland where the island shifts from sand to jungle. Cyprin, with surprise, hops forward, moving closer to the brilliant green colored jungle of Ischia.  When she mentions seeing more of the island before the sunset comes, his boyish grin appears again, spreading wide. “I know the perfect place!” He says instantly. There was no hesitation in where he wanted to take Cyprin on the island. It was another beautiful place—a place she knew she would love.

    Aeolus prances to Cyprin, he then moves past her suddenly towards the line of palm trees. “I’ll race you to the jungle!” He says with a quick glance to her and a loud chuckle before turning back to focus on the jungle ahead of them.
    then no one can ever confine us, and no one can ever define us
    we're just trying to live where the wild things are
    Aeolus

    @[Cyprin]
    Reply




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