[open] somewhere between dust and the stars; open

[Aela]

Aela always feels it.

That itch underneath her golden skin. A sense of restlessness that never seems to settle. Even when she has achieved what she set out to do, Aela's mind is always pushing her to do more.

She doesn't notice the scars along his legs (not at first). But they aren't so different from her own. While there are none on her forelegs, a deep wound scars one of her hinds ones. It bothers Aela. She had managed to hide what Gale had done by wading into the healing waters of Tephra. There will most likely be another journey but finding Skandar can be tricky; he can be whatever he wants and sometimes what he wants to be is not at Aela's immediate whim.

But the desire for more is singing to Aela like a siren song; she can hear it humming and emanating from someone else and luring her.

Following it - the barest traces of it that still linger on this trail - it fuels Aela to keep moving forward. She - like Rapt - is scarred and still tired. But there will be plenty of time to rest in the winter; there will be time later to be idle.

It takes some time to find him, but she does. Aela, when determined, always succeeds. There is nothing about him that suggests he might be powerful, like Carnage. There is nothing about him that makes her think of Eight or Straia or Beyza. But still, there is something and the gilded mare decides to investigate.

When she finds the champagne, Aela doesn't know that their scars are tied; that they have fought the same monsters and tried to appease the same goddess.

There is only the sense that he is searching for something and it makes her curious.

Feeling the flames sparking beneath her hooves, the palomino steps forward: "What are you looking for?"

@rapt