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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


    i will not speak of your sin; eyas & gale
    #11
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    Tiercel follows their sister’s departure with an accusation that Gale does not expect. He’s not entirely sure how to respond, so he is quiet and keeps his attention on his sibling. He is glad he does, since Tiercel’s face tells a more complicated story than simply the ‘mess’ he refers too. Gale cannot imagine, but he is sure enough that he does shake his head at Tiercel’s interpretation. Gale would always be glad to see him. He’s family, and he features in many of the few memories that Gale has of childhood.

    He listens as his brother continues to speak, answering the question of where he has been with an answer that Gale had not expected. Loess? What could have persuaded his brother to return to their childhood home? Had it been Oceane, Gale wonders? The blue mare would be lucky to have him. Gale is wondering how to ask when Tiercel speaks up with a question of his own. The blue-eyed stallion follows his sibling’s gaze to the jungle, then up to the clear sky.

    “I’m the Chief,” he says, “But the island is not very populated, so I mostly do everything. Patrolling, greeting newcomers. I should probably figure out, like, political stuff soon but…” His words trail off with a shrug of his shoulders. For now, he is sure that he can keep Islandres safe on his own. He would like help, and so he often visits the Field, but the trivialities of things like alliances and treaties have never made much sense, so he’s mostly been ignoring them.

    He'd like to continue to do so, and so he adds: “Pteron lives over on Ischia, did you know? He’s got, like, twelve kids or something by now.” There’s quiet again, and it’s a bit uncomfortable, so he babbles on: “What about you – do you have any kids?”

    @[Tiercel]

    #12
    stifled the choice and the air in my lungs;
    better not to breathe than to breathe a lie
    Tiercel isn’t surprised to hear that his brindled brother is the Chief of the island. With parents who ruled more than once, it is more surprising that so few of them have carried that legacy… He had heard Pteron had ruled Taiga for a time and now he learns that Gale is charged with Islandres. For all the guilt and jealousy Tiercel has felt over the years, he feels none for this responsibility.

    In fact, it almost makes him laugh to think about this twist of events. Two brothers he had looked up to — literally, as they pinwheeled in the sky — find themselves grounded to a specific place in Beqanna while he is free to wander wherever he pleases. Perhaps the chains of leadership are something he left with his family those years ago. When you renounce the princely crown from atop your head, there is no reason to sit on the hard, stiff throne. At least, these are the ways that Tiercel sees leadership — a crown that drags its wearer down, chaining them to the people and things that call their island or redwoods home.

    It seems dreadful and lonely work, so Tiercel doesn’t laugh. His navy-tipped ears prick up at the mention of Pteron and the children he supposedly has. This does make Tiercel laugh, and it brightens the serious lines of his face as he turns his eyes back to Gale. “No, I don’t. I haven’t taken the time to stop anywhere long enough to find someone.” He’s met pretty girls in passing, but the visits had been too short, and he had left before anything serious developed. “I don’t want to be an absent father,” he says, thinking about how many mothers and children he has seen each spring who have been alone.

    Tiercel draws in a long breath, feeling the distance of years make the air uncomfortable around them. Although they’ve managed to keep the conversation going, it hasn’t been easy. “What about you? Chief of Islandres, handsome, survived a goddamn burning in Tephra’s volcano… Surely you have mares and stallions alike pining after you.”
    tiercel.


    @[Gale]
    #13
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    Gale had never given much thought to finding a someone of his own. He’s given even less to having children. He’s only ever met two children, those of Aedan and his wife Vita. They were nice enough, like small adults but less chatty. He hadn’t found them particularly interesting, and certainly not fascinating or enchanting enough that he felt the desire to have one of his own.

    Gale enjoys his freedom too much, and he would have laughed if he knew that Tiercel imagines him chained.

    At the mention of not being an absent father, Gale nods his agreement, even though he’s not before considered it. He does now, feeling quite comfortable in the same silence that weighs on Tiercel. Often lost in his own thoughts, Gale is unbothered by stilted conversation. When he hears Tiercel speak again, he emerges from the haze of thought to listen, not wanting his sibling to feel as though he is not heard simply because Gale’s blue gaze has gone a little glassy.

    Tiercel’s question feels well-intended, even if it does carry a solemn reminder, and Gale is smiling as he shakes his head. “I think I had a chance at something once,” he admits, thinking of the pastel Divest and her soft silver eyes. She’s retreated to the heart of the island, a green ghost that he imagines he sees among the trees from time to time. She most be content with the others there, and for Gale it is enough that she is happy.

    “But I’m not sure I’m cut out for romance.” It all seems very complicated now that he’s an adult. “And besides, courting would take time, and I don’t want to sacrifice any of my naps.” Laughing at his own joke, Gale smiles and shrugs his shoulders playfully. 

    @[Tiercel]

    #14
    stifled the choice and the air in my lungs;
    better not to breathe than to breathe a lie
    Tiercel’s face softens as Gale explains his romantic life. He can certainly agree with what his brother says, and he nods to show it. He has been too much of a wanderer to consider courtship or even love in the first place. Besides, what he remembers of love as a child has been skewed. Whether Wolfbane and Lepis had been terrible parents is a matter of opinion. But to Tiercel, his childhood was damaged, ruined by the unfortunate whims of genetics and the ugly hands of jealousy.

    Maybe one day he’ll get over it.

    For now, the dunskin can stomach his resentment in favor of his reunion with Gale. Aside from his brother’s ability to fly, Tiercel can’t say he ever had much anger toward the brindle. Gale had been the peacemaker among the triplets, and Tiercel can’t count the number of times his brother had stepped between him and Eyas before they ripped each other apart.

    Standing on the beach now, Tiercel admits that he wouldn’t mind getting to know Gale further. Does he want to make up for time lost? He considers that possibility, certain it might contribute to this sudden desire to reacquaint with his brother. Sucking in a slow breath, Tiercel says, “Well, I don’t want to keep you from your naps, but I wouldn’t mind seeing your island further. Do you mind showing me around?” He tips his nose toward the beach that lies beyond Gale’s shoulder with a faint, if not friendly, smile.
    tiercel.

    @[Gale]




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