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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


    [private]  The things we leave behind ((Aquaria))
    #1

    -Adria-

    If one listens hard enough news will travel fast enough, and the news of another Nereid mare washing onto Ischia’s shores quickly comes around to her leader. Currently the small group of islands were keeping a vacant, sleepy eye on who was and was not here, which suited those gathered just fine. But the horses who specifically lived an elementalist lifestyle were the ones that interested Adria the most. Two Kelpie could be accounted for, Eva’s son who was neither Kelpie nor Nereid but something else entirely, and Brennen (sly, scandalous dog; Adria’s affection for him grew the longer he crept around trying to be secretive) meant that this newcomer would make a third Nereid.

    That was if Adria could find her roaming around and convince her to stay, whoever she was.

    So she leaves the ragged humidity of the suffocating jungle and heads for the shore, toting her young protégée Sande along for the adventure. The pale palomino filly seemed just as interested to be tagging behind, furiously tromping down broad leaves with even paler legs that looked adorably too long. Not to be forgotten, her companion animal (a hefty little brown Fossa) skittered around the filly’s hooves and chattered away.

    Not for the first time, Adria rolled her eyes as they walked single-file down the sand dunes, hips dipping and trailing dark furrows in the sand behind them. She adored Sande to the point that she considered giving next season a rest, but the constant company of her chittering Fossa could sometimes drive Adria to the brink of insanity.

    It would be nice, she breathed to herself as the first ocean breakers slapped against her pink fetlocks, to enjoy the silence of the ocean floor for a while.

    So the mother mare dunked underneath with an almost audible sigh, and Sande trotted over the waves without falling through. Swimming out, Adria could still clearly see the dark points of splashing water where Sande stepped. To her, it appeared that the filly was suspended over a piece of clear glass, disturbing only a thin sheet of water at the surface. She could look up and see Sande’s belly, and Sande could look down and see the glimmering sparkles of light that were her mother’s scales.

    For about a mile or so the two inched further out. Soon enough the outer reefs of bright, neon coral began to sprout up from the ocean bed and Adria slowed down to linger among them. Her daughter stalled and peered below, then wheeled around to canter off nearby so she could talk to whatever other animal might be lurking.

    Looking through fans of yellow and green, past rough-looking tubes of bubbling water, Adria wondered if the neighboring fish of this island were getting just as exhausted with her chatterbox foal as she was.

    Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me



    @[Aquaria] yea it’s my turn now <3
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    #2
    She'd found this reef on her way to the island. It was a long crescent that partially ringed the main island of Ischia, bony coral growth alive with color and motion. It was almost as good as her garden at home, even if none of the familiar faces were there to greet her. 

    Even so, laying on the sandy sea bed felt very nice after the dry experience of the air up above. Her skin felt right again now covered in scales, and her dorsal and tail fins no longer itched. It was the perfect respite. 

    She'd been watching a pair of vibrant blue tang weave through the reef's formations, glinting jewel-bright when they passed through patches of sunlight, when a dark shadow passed overhead. The pale sea mare glanced upward cautiously. A variety of sharks frequented reefs like this one; and while she had several shark friends back home, it was probably not a good idea to intrude on a stranger's territory without introducing herself. 

    She had to look twice when she realized the shadow above her was not a shark, but in fact a young horse suspended on the surface of the shallow water. A pale belly and curious face loomed through the water's distortion, blinking at her. Aquaria blinked back, not sure what exactly was going on. 

    "Uh... Are you lost, sweetheart?" She asked, uncertainly. The words bubbled from her lips as she spoke, forgetting that the water walking child probably couldn't hear her from below. "Where's your mother?" The pearl mare asked, more to herself than the bewildering child. Her eyes cast uncertainly away, worried that if she lost sight of the kid, it'd fall through the water and she'd have to try and save it and that was just a lot to handle. She didn't know a whole lot about kids, but most of them couldn't breath under water. 

    Mom, mom, mom, where is your mom? So far, no maternal shaped figures had appeared in her line of sight. Well. Maybe that wasn't strictly true, surely some of the fish had offspring, but no horse mothers. Aquaria let the water pick her up a few feet, until she could see over the ridges of coral. Bingo. 

    A vivid red branch of the reef broke away from the scene, revealing itself to be a vermilion and golden horse instead. "Lady! Is this baby yours?" She called out. Baby walking on water, mare under the water. Yeah, it could add up. She jumped as a strange chittering cackle echoed down from the foal bounding on the surface. Her peaceful morning had gone suddenly sideways. 

    @[Adria] Yay! She's going to be a terrible babysitter, apparently
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    #3

    -Adria-

    Neither Adria nor Sande heard what Aquaria had said at first, but the moment her mouth popped open and bubbles floated out, Adria knew that she and her daughter weren’t alone anymore. The little carbon-filled sphere's journey up to the surface left a tension that Adria could feel in the soft currents underwater, since she’d been spending her time learning the distinct patterns of this particular ocean with her magic. Her vermillion head turned sharply, aimed at the source rising from the seabed a few meters away. The culprit, a pearlescent gray mare, hovered in Adria’s line of sight before asking The Dame a question.

    “That baby,” Adria replied dryly, kicking off from the ocean floor without disturbing any sand, “is named Sande and yes, fanmi mwen, she’s mine.” The elder Nereid informed Aquaria, floating eerily. Her bright yellow eyes could hardly be seen from between her narrowed lids, and the undulating curtain of her hair was spread out behind Adria in all directions.

    For a moment she looked mythically dark; entirely capable of summoning the wrath of a hundred thousand oceans…

    …and then her stormy expression burst apart into a wide, mischievous smile.

    “And don’t call me ‘lady’, Aquaria. Ou son tankou manman, so rough when you speak!” Her elder sister dissolved into a cascade of her own bubbling laughter. Sande was hovering above them, a dark little shadow curiously making out the two horses swimming under her. “You may have gotten older but I would know those fins and that attitude anywhere.” Adria sighed, tilting her head, Byenveni lakay, little sibling.”

    Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me



    @[Aquaria]
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    #4
    The milky sea mare regretted her tone pretty much immediately. Being confronted by a glowering entity of the deep will do that. The speckled frill of Aquaria's mane flared defensively, her own current of water rippling protectively around her. Rule number one of survival: never get in between a mother and her baby. Her ears fell flat against her skull as the stormy mare approached, some recognition nagging at the back of her mind. 

    It took the oncoming mare's sudden break in advance for her to realize what had been digging into her subconscious. Her crest laid flat against her neck in surprise. "Adria?" It couldn't be. Her sister wasn't red. Was she? Let alone having a baby. But no, that was her sister's voice, and her face, even if it was painted differently. And their own mama had walked on water as a child. 

    "Kisa ki te pase? You have a baby? And you're red! And," she paused to laugh, "You rule here! You've been busy." Midnight eyes sparkling, the scaled girl swam to get sister's side, doing a full circle around the older nereid before settling beside her. "Mamman is going to kill you when she finds out you had a baby and didn't tell her." A wicked grin flicked over her lips as she nodded upward. 

    The grin fell into a more thoughtful look. "You'd let me stay, then? I'll help out wherever I can." She smiled again, more gently. She'd missed her sibling terribly over the years. It wa a shame their family had gotten so dispersed. Still, the bonds remained.

    @[Adria]
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    #5

    -Adria-

    Each mare Adria happened across on Ischia had been captivatingly alluring, beautifully unqiue and lovely specimens that washed up on her shore and sat like jewels in her island coven. But Aquaria, her youngest sibling, was perhaps the most lovely of the Nereid she’d ever seen. Both her skin and scales glinted like pearls, their rainbows of light dancing over her sister’s flared tail and fins. Aquaria was built to live underwater and she did that with every bit of liquid grace her powers could afford.

    It was thrilling to see her sister grown; Adria thrilled even more when her name passed through the water like a warbling echo. “Of course you may stay! You’re not getting away from me so easily now that I’ve found your hiding place, Akwaryòm.” The Dame threatened with a playful current of rolling water. The years between their last meeting fell away; it seemed appropriate to tease her little sister with the horrible nickname of their youth.

    Okipe anpil! She sighed, twirling through the water to turn and look at the other Nereid. What basic common tongue she knew filtered out, replaced by the steady, rolling sound of their shared language. Adria reasoned it easier to have a fast-flowing conversation when her tongue wasn’t tripping over pronunciation. “Mother? Have you seen her recently? Because I haven’t.” The islander mare told her sister. Above them Sande stomped impatiently on the surface water.

    “I’ve turned this loud shade of pink, had three foals thank you very much, and built a proper home all without seeing Nyxa or Hod once.” Adria huffed, looking up and summoning a bit of power. The ocean surged and rose over Sande, crashing into itself to form a neat dome before the leader of Ischia plucked her daughter down to the depths inside a sturdy little bubble. “That’s why I’m so freaked out to see you!”

    Through her curved window of clear water, Sande peeped at her dam and the floating fin-mare, perking her ears. A few cichlid fish and one skate from the surface sank down, hovering in neat circles above the water-cage to keep an eye on their chatty little friend.

    “I thought you’d all disappeared and left me behind… ”

    Oh my love, don't forsake me; Take what the water gave me



    @[Aquaria]
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    #6
    It had been a surprise to run into her elder sister, here of all places. They had not been especially close as children, still, Aquaria had always looked up to the elegant sea mare. Adria had always been gifted with subtle dignity, something the more exuberant sister had often struggled with. The painted mare was right, she did sound like their mother, more interested in speaking her mind than on being tactful. Even in their flowing mother tongue, her words could still sound sardonic when the mood took her.

    Her bouyant smile flashed into a huff of exasperation at her sister's teasing. The glittering skin of her nose wrinkled at the old nickname, while she shifted her weight to compensate for the rolling water. "Does Sande know her mother is such a sea urchin?" She asked without bite, sending back her own playful wave of brine. 

    As the conversation shifted to their family, Aquaria nodded lightly, scuffing the sand with one hoof. "Mhmm. I visit from time to time. They miss you, and Tyr. But you know them. They get so wrapped up in each other, they forget the rest of the world exists. It's a little miracle we haven't any new siblings." Her eyes rolled at this. "Dad has no interest in the politics of the world, he feels safer in their home waters." She added, remembering the last conversation she'd had with the gruff stallion. Age had made him reclusive, possibly a side effect of his lacking sight as much as his world view. Either way, he was reluctant to visit any populated land. 

    Her face reflected sympathy for her sister as she realized just how much they'd all missed in each other's lives. "You should come visit with me sometime. Bring your little ones, I'm sure Mom and Dad would love to spoil them rotten." She assured, watching as her sister swept the little golden child down from the surface. She was a pretty cute little thing, all fluff and vibrant life. 

    The finned mare let herself drift closer, grinning at the bubble encased foal. "Hello Sande. I'm your aunt Aquaria! It's very nice to meet you." She focused on the little fish circling the bubble, before sending them shooting through Sande's air pocket in their own shivering bubbles. The confused fish cruised through the air, only to spin back out into open water when they reached the other side. 

    But at her sister's next comment, her lighthearted expression fell away. "Oh 'Ria..." She sighed on a froth of air, swimming back to the red and golden woman's side. She nuzzled against her sister's shoulder like she had as a baby. "I'm sorry I haven't visited more. I will be here whenever you need me from now on." She promised, kissing Adria's cheek. "I haven't been a terribly good sister, but I'd like to fix that." She regretted it, but hoped they'd have a chance to fortify their relationship now that they'd found each other again.  

    @[Adria]
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