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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


    [open]  your waves are pulling me under; any
    #1
    your waves are pulling me under
    i'm caught in your riptide
    Winter was merely a fantasy of a child’s imagination for those that have never seen it. A wonder of tiny snowflake angels that fell from the heavens, gently embracing some of Beqanna with their ice-kissed lips. Eva has only ever speculated what a winter heaven might be like. She only knows of others describing to her what it might be like covered in a pure white paradise and the touch of a bitter cold on your skin. It seems magical and horrible all at once, perhaps someday she might see it for herself she thinks.
     
    For now, she counts her blessings to enjoy a home that offers her warmth and comfort all year around. Ischia was perfect in every possible way, offering a glimpse into what heaven might resemble. A place of sanctuary that offered a helping hand to all that needed one.
     
    Facing towards the open sea, where the deep ocean meets together with the horizon, the purple nereid finds herself in quiet reflection. The lull of the last months, perhaps even a year now for she cannot even fathom how the time has passed so quickly. It was only recently she had welcomed two beautiful children to the world and a heart-warming welcome addition to her family.
     
    This passing season, surprisingly, she has found herself without child. There is a sense of freedom, a chance she finds herself able to catch her breath again. Eva cherished every part of raising her children, but for a moment she has forgotten what it was like to simply just be her and only her. Her identity for sometime had felt locked into caring for her children, pouring love and care into each of them equally, that she almost had forgotten about who she was as an individual.
     
    Being a mother is part of her identity, she would never forsake her children and being a mother but turning to reflect the last passing years she wonders what more there will be for her in the coming years. Shaking her head of such thoughts, the slender mare makes her way knee-deep into the waves that crashed at her golden hooves only moments ago. A smile instantly curls on her lips, Eva had almost forgotten what it was like to feel the water, the unexplainable connection she had with being part of it.
     
    Perhaps this was the season of her life she was going to rediscover who she was.
    Eva
    the dame of ischia
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    #2
    Aodhán

    Had he known how glad she was with not having a child this season, with her current train of thought about freedom, well, maybe he would have waited another day to visit. Maybe? No, certainly - he doesn’t want to intrude at all. Still, he does think that maybe they should have a chat, some time, because if they don’t… well. It’s mostly his problem probably, but some light on the subject would be nice.

    Besides, truly he just wishes to see her - look at her, watch her, whatever you want to call it. They had an odd relationship at best, if it was to be called one, but staying away was never an option.

    He arrives through the waves, a smaller sea-serpent form which defines him as himself to her, as much as he can imagine - white and gold, his usual coloring, different from Aeolus’ but still clearly of the same makeup. It’s odd, to the male, sometimes, to think about the fact that he is a father already - and that his son reaches the age at which he was created. If he’s not careful he might become a grandfather before mentally passing his youth.

    Or, well - he supposes he is mature now. The fact that he doesn’t know what he’s doing most of the time, is no longer scary but normal, and relatable. Others have the same problem too - is that the only difference between youth and maturity, he wonders briefly.

    The sight of the purple nereid moving towards the water wakes him from his mind wandering, though she seems lost in thought as well. As he surfaces a few horse lengths away, he takes his horse form, though he retains oddly long mane and tail. Since they’re dripping with water, he doesn’t bother with changing that, thinking it may even be better in channelling the excess water away.

    As he turns to greet the nereid, he is at a loss of what to say, however.

    from the ashes a fire shall be woken



    @[Eva]
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    #3
    your waves are pulling me under
    i'm caught in your riptide
    Without a thought, she pulls gently at the surface of the water below her, bending and uplifting a small flow at her will. It was a natural process to simply control the water. She moves it gently in front of her, twisting it and turning it, gracefully. Her gaze focuses on the fluid flow of the water in front of her, a soft smile curling on her lips now.

    In the distance, as Aodhan breaks through the surface of the water from serpent to horse form, her concentration breaks at the sound of him emerging through the surface. The stream of water, turning and twisting only moments ago, breaks at the same time her concentration does. Her bright golden gaze looks up, purple ears flickering forward, finding the familiar white and gold spotted stallion.

    Her smile instantly curls wider on her amethyst stained lips when their gaze meets. Without a second thought, she swims closer to him, moving with fluid and graceful strides to close the distance between them. The silence remains between them, not a word spoken, but nothing had to ever be said between them. Their connection was enticing, a magnetic force pulling them together.

    Eva had never questioned their strange relationship from the beginning. There had never been a reason to question it in the first place. Somehow, they had a silent understanding, a personal need that each one of them could satisfy the other. In some strange way it had the perfect outcome—she had a wonderful companion and two beautiful children. And even still she finds herself deeply attracted to him, unable to resist his presence and touch.

    The purple nereid, naturally alluring and captivating, cannot take her eyes off him. Her golden gaze gleams with playful mischief as she closes the distance between them—perhaps too close, but she does not give it a second thought.

    “Aodhan,” she greets warmly and sweetly, “It’s good to see you again.” Truthfully, she always felt a small part of her leave with Aodhan when he left the quiet paradise, she called home. Aodhan reminded her of simple times, the very first part of her discovering something wonderful. He filled her with unspeakable bliss that changed everything for her—the ending of her youth, but entering into something grand.
    Eva
    the dame of ischia

    @[Aodhan]
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    #4
    Aodhán

    The spotted shifter still doesn’t move; why move and break a perfect sight, of perfect movement, in a perfect moment?

    Of course perfect moments don’t last forever, and she breaks the silence - he won’t complain about the next moments though. Her voice is lovely at ever, and he does delight in the way she says his name. It sounds like she truly cares for him, the warmth genuine and true (though, the wonderful thing about her is that she is always genuinely caring).

    ”Hi Eva.” He doesn’t have much to say, lost a little in drinking her in. It’s as if no time had passed since their first meeting, but then, it had, and he’s several seasons wiser (and has honestly, fathered some more children). Still he was drawn to her in a way he could not quite explain - more even than Carwyn, although the roan mare also had a place in his heart, she was more of a friend than Eva - Eva was… well, perhaps it had no word.

    Say something. ”How have you been?” He finds that he really wants to know - had it been right of him not to get involved with her personal life besides their two children? Was it a good thing that he stayed in the Pampas? Truly he wasn’t so sure any more, if that was what he wanted.

    from the ashes a fire shall be woken



    @[Eva]
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    #5
    your waves are pulling me under
    i'm caught in your riptide
    In every moment with Aodhan, she feels herself going back to simpler times. She leaves behind the worries and duties of being a leader. Even for a moment, when she is with him, she forgets about being a mother (although she would never wish that entirely). Aodhan brings a younger version back to existence, when she felt more wild and free.

    He reminds her of what she once was. What she still can be. She is not entirely lost. Becoming a leader and a mother has not changed her identity completely. Eva certainly is still the same wild and free young mare she had been all those years ago. She carries more on her shoulders now—looking after her own family and the well-being of Ischia and its residents. Wearing these new titles, badges even, were an honor. It made her more than just the wild and free young mare she used to be.

    She was everything, but more now.

    When Aodhan speaks her name, her smile curls up even more. The gleam in her golden eyes softens too. Even when saying her name she instantly melted in front of him, but she does not say anything, doesn’t pull away from the feeling that he fills her with.

    “I have been well,” she tells him honestly. For the first time, Eva was beginning to feel more sure about everything. In her quite reflections of late she was starting to accept where she was in life. There was more to it than she truly realized. “I was just thinking how quickly time has passed by,” Eva says softly, though it is more casually spoken then how she thought of it in her mind earlier. “Our children are almost fully grown.” A motherly smile appears on her purple features. She was very proud of both of her children, and even happy that Aodhan had been part of both of Aeolus and Loire’s lives so far.

    Focusing back onto the gold spotted stallion, her motherly expression remains on her lips. “How are you doing?” She asks and then falls silent, curiously waiting to hear how he was doing.
    Eva
    the dame of ischia

    @[Aodhan]
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    #6
    Aodhán

    Had he been a mind reader, or had she spoken aloud or even murmured bits of her thoughts and wishes into his ears (and oh, at the memory; how he wishes for them to do that again, to be young and oblivious) - had he known, he’d tell her she had already been everything and more; alas, some thoughts are best kept to oneself.

    She says she had been well, and he smiles a little. In insecurity, he wonders if that is because she had found something, someone, else to make her happy - or if perhaps the children are enough - and yet as she inquires about him he knows she cares about him at least in the same way she cares about everyone else, and he casts his eyes on her golden ones with a near-unmatched warmth, as always almost forgetting why he is here. ”There have been others,” he states almost matter-of-factly at first, hoping his voice doesn’t reveal how much he questions if she’d hate it, ”but I keep wondering what would have happened if I’d moved here instead.” he confesses directly after. There had been some of them he’d been with more or less as friends, one night to pass time together - Let, Caelestra the bear (that was the only time he’d taken a bear form), and Carwyn whom he actually cares for, though he can’t say it’s the same as with Eva. There’s no sparking fire, at least from his side, but there is a child on the way, and he figured it might be best that Eva knows that he hadn’t been sitting still in hopes of seeing her once or twice a year -

    but still.

    Somehow he can’t continue without some sort of approval, or defiance, from her. She’s at the back of his mind so often, that she might as well have cast a spell on him. And maybe he never found a cure because he didn’t want to.

    ”I eh…” looking away, his ears fall back and come back forth toward her, giving away it’s hard to say what he needs to. ”I don’t want to intrude in your life, so if you tell me to stay in the Pampas, I will.” Tail moving awkwardly then sitting perfectly still, the stallion looks to the rest of the island. Aquaria might or might not like him, he’s never completely sure about that mare’s feelings. Then there was the problem of Carwyn’s family looking for her and not finding her, and her need to return home at some point - and her apparent husband as she called him, not finding out about the new child.

    And through all that, all he really wanted was to be close to Eva. Did she know?

    from the ashes a fire shall be woken



    @[Eva]
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    #7
    your waves are pulling me under
    i'm caught in your riptide
    Eva doesn’t miss the mirror image of his warm smile. It is identical to her own. Deep inside, she naturally felt drawn to ensure Aodhan was happy. She wanted him to always feel welcomed here, to always come back. If she had it her way, years ago, she would have made him stay here in Ischia with her.

    He belongs to another world though. Maybe a different life too. She only knows he comes around a couple times of year. What he does outside of Ischia she simply doesn’t truly know. She has never asked him beyond what he does in Brilliant Pampas.

    When Aodhan speaks about how he is doing, Eva listens carefully. Her warm expression softens, slowly fading away from her finely carved purple features. The sea woman is surprised to hear his confession. Was it a confession at all? She has never expected Aodhan to only be faithful to her. It had never come up for them to only be with each other. Neither has she always been faithful to solely him too. She had others as well.

    His second statement brings a gleam of uncertainty in her golden eyes. Eva had entertained such thoughts before. She had imagined what it would have been like to have Aodhan entirely at her side, but she had never question him, never asked him to stay. Should she have?

    Would he have stayed?

    Eva knows, despite, his long absence from the island, he is a good father. It was all she could have hoped for considering their circumstances these past years. She knew without a doubt it was better than what most other mothers might get. Her children with Aodhan were happy, and that’s all she could ask for from him truthfully.

    Meeting his gaze once again, her uncertainty fades into something more reassuring. “I didn’t expect you to always be with me, Aodhan.” Her voice is soft and considerate as she speaks her thoughts aloud. “But I have also been with another too.” If he was going to tell her the truth, she might as well tell it all to him too. “I used to think about that. When we first had Aeolus, I always dreamed you would be here with me.” Back then it had been wishful thinking, a dream she would have a family of her own someday. Now she was blessed with four beautiful children from two others she adored very much.

    She then falls silent, watching him carefully again, wondering what he will say next. Aodhan surprises her next with his words. Her wish, so long ago, was coming true. It was in her hands though. Her choice she had to make. Eva cannot help but think about Velkan—their family and intimate moments shared together.

    “Why now?” She asks softly.
    Eva
    the dame of ischia

    @[Aodhan]
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    #8
    Aodhán

    Her answer is reasonable and yet it surprises him; perhaps in his dreamt-up version of her and the world, he never imagined her changing after the last time they’d met, and he immediately realizes how insane that must have been. Of course when she hadn’t heard much from him, of course when he only visited, she would choose another. If he could, she could too. Why not? She’s a nereid and a leader of a mostly-female herd, she can choose whoever she wants.

    It was something however, that in the near presence of her he somehow forgot about quickly. So he nods, as to not have to look her in the eyes directly and see his naivety break. And she’d never expected it of him either, though he supposes that in the light of things, his own declaration might have been a bit of a shock as well.

    So that’s what they were, and this is what they are now. But what will they become?

    She tells him she used to think about that - if he might stay. He’d been too reckless and wild at the time, he supposes. So when she asks why now, he gives her a smile. ”I was forced to reflect, when Carwyn came to me for shelter.” He shakes his head - ah well, she’d known by now (however shortly) that he’d been with others. She might as well get a name. And Carwyn was with a certain other male - usually. The foals she’d conceived with Aodhán, in her eyes, weren’t safe if she returned to her home and her family with them. Perhaps, the shifter had thought, I could protect them while being there - and so he realized that being on Ischia ultimately meant he’d want to be with Eva again: that’s how quickly she popped up in his mind.

    He lets his mane and tail shrink a bit, the water drawn out of it, letting the hair dry on the beachy wind. Looking to Eva’s golden orbs, he can’t help but feel himself slipping again, and so he interjects with words. ”But for me, Ischia is nothing without you.”

    Because ultimately, even if he’d only do it for the twins Carwyn had borne him, that is what it came down to: he’d always be thinking of a certain purple nereid, and that would be a torture he could not bear.

    from the ashes a fire shall be woken



    @[Eva]
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    #9
    your waves are pulling me under
    i'm caught in your riptide
    Her thoughts drift back to a time she left long ago. A place where she knew herself should never return to. So many times, she had told herself it would never come true, it was never possible. Aodhan would never stay. He was never meant to be anchored down and tethered to her only. It was his wild and free spirit that she loved, and filled her with childish fantasies, but it was not the world she could live in.

    She had to forget about her foolish dreams when her son had been born. Aeolus needed a mother. A mother who would care and love him in the present, not be trapped in a fantasy world and foolish desires. Even so, she knew she could not hold onto that any longer when she became the Dame of Ischia. The tropical island needed a leader that did not live with her head in the clouds, but with all four hooves firmly planted on the ground.

    It had to be put all behind her in the end.

    But now, one of her greatest desires, stands before her.

    He has stood near her so many times before. Wrapped together and embracing one another. Eva knew without a second thought a fire burned so hot and her heart ached for him so deeply. After everything, she feels uncomfortable. The purple nereid feels estranged from her own body and where she is standing now. She doesn’t feel like she is in Ischia, surrounded by the familiar pieces of her tropical home. Her world is so far away right now.

    The purple nereid remains with her gaze on Aodhan, glued to his white and gold spotted figure. She feels her heart in her throat, her mouth is going dry, and she cannot feel the air in her lungs anymore. Everything is beginning to feel heavy, but she doesn’t say anything. She only listens to him when he speaks and wondering why the hell she cannot get herself together.

    When she hears the name Carwyn roll off his tongue, she ingrains it deeply into her mind. It was a name she was familiar with—someone that lived on Ischia, but she had never spoken to the mare before. Carwyn had come to Aodhan for protection and along with a family of their own on the way. Ischia is where they would be, and now Aodhan wanted to come here—to come where she was.

    Eva glances away from Aodhan for a moment. Her golden eyes trail along the seashore and then to the outline of the green jungle. She imagines what it might be like to have him here, see him every day, hold him every sunrise and sunset, and be only his. But would it only be her?

    A few moments after his last words, she turns back to him. Eva meets his gaze, staring into the bright emerald eyes she fell so easily for the first time. Her expression is blank, but it does not distort the beauty of her purple colored features, as she considers her next words carefully.

    “You are always welcomed here, Aodhan. To see our kids or raise another family.” She says first and then falling silent. Velkan pops in the back of her mind, lingering like a dark memory. The purple nereid fumbles with her words now, lost and confused on what to even do or say now. It was unlike her to feel this way, to feel undecided was nothing she had felt before, but she needed to say something. Needed to say it now. Blinking once, and then twice, Eva licks her lips before continuing to speak.

    “But for us, what does that mean?”

    She pauses.

    “What do you want exactly for us?”
    Eva
    the dame of ischia

    @[Aodhan]
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    #10
    Aodhán

    His reviewing had made him come with a lot of conclusions - but the most important one had been the thing he just told Eva. He can’t really be happy without her; and perhaps it’s time he told her the rest, then, too.

    If only he knew where to start. Or how she would react, for that matter - but that’s a paradox and he knows it, and so he sighs. Eva… well, he wants her to be happy, and if that is with the other guy then she should definitely be with him… but then she says that he is welcome here, and he’s not so sure what makes her happy. Where would it leave them, indeed?

    ”I used to… dream, I think, or hope, to have a herd of my own.” he smiles a bit. ”That was before I realized that I could never ask any mare to tie themselves down to me if I wasn't gonna be one hundred percent faithful to them, in return.” Once, he would have chosen a herd life but ideally, Eva would have been at his side, as perhaps his favourite or second or lead mare or whatever. Frankly he could not ask this of her; she was her own free spirit, and perhaps that had attracted him to her so much. ”I would have all my families together in one, and maybe you’d like them too, but… how could I ask you, how could I ask anyone to look at my other children and like them as much as their own?” To have all he brought home get along like sisters? He shakes his head, the problem is clear to him. ”Even if I could,” because hell, she might say exactly that, ”I don’t think that I should, or want to.”

    He shrugs, a wry smile on his features, no different than before. ”I don’t know where that leaves us. I wish we could start over and then I could stay here with you. I care more for you than for anyone else, but I don’t want to tie you down. I just want you to be happy. I just wish I knew how to do that.” There is no easy solution regardless, he thinks. She couldn’t and shouldn’t split herself between the two families she had just to be a part of his, while he was also distracted with others - and still lead the island. It was too much to ask, for sure.

    from the ashes a fire shall be woken



    @[Eva]
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