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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]  A certain darkness is needed to see the stars [Gale]
    #1

    Ciri

    “Maybe you could come back sometime.” It’s been sometime since she had seen Gale, enough time for autumn to be consumed by winter but his words linger in her head. She is still set on exploring the other kingdoms and lands, of trying to find her place again in this world. Yet she is still drawn to Hyaline if only for the closure she so desperately needs and never got. Besides she wouldn’t mind seeing Lightning Man again and checking in with how he was doing. It wouldn’t do to neglect her new companion so earlier in their friendship.

    Her hooves leave soft prints in the early dusting of snow as a watery sun tries its best to warm her dark backside. The stars that cling to her mane and hover along her spine still linger, barely glinting in the early morning light. They wait patiently for dusk to fall where they can shine brightly again. Still she can feel their presence and it soothes her as she anxiously makes her way to Hyaline’s border. She doesn’t cross into the lands, remembering how she had ended up here last time. Recalling how it was not the home she had once known. A sharp whistle escapes her lips as she calls to the navy stallion, hoping he was around and she wasn’t intruding.


    all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was



    @[Gale] Figured I would start off something new <3
    #2
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    He often thinks of Ciri when he looks up at the stars. They are so distant, pinpricks in the black sky. So unlike the galaxies that orbited the black mare, but marvelous all the same. His invitation to her - to come visit Hyaline - is not as fond a memory, and as the autumn has cooled to winter he’s even begun to wonder if she’d forgotten about it. That might be for the best, Gale had told himself, and other things have taken his attention since.

    He is thinking of those things on this cold winter morning, of the children that grow within Mazikeen’s belly and the future that awaits them. The sound of his name startles him, and he raises his head from where it was tucked against his side.

    Gale is perched on a limb near the top of a dead lodgepole pine. The warrior wears the shape of a pine marten, but he retains his blue brindle coloring. His small, sharp eyes peer down toward the earth, and his high vantage point and use of his vision magics make quick work of finding Ciri.

    The Curse has learned how to use his Sight, Gale knows, so there’s no longer any risk in using it himself. Gale pointedly is not thinking about this as he scampers down the tree, and accidentally thinks of nothing at all and so arrives in front of the star-strewn mare as a small weasel. His blazed head and twitching pink nose hardly reaching the height of her belly even though he stands on his hind legs.

    The marten is undeniably Gale, from the brindle markings to the streak of white fur down the length of his spine, and the eyes that peer up at Ciri are the same clear lightning blue. A pair of shadowy wings appear on his back, and Gale lifts his gaze to see Erne hovering overhead, his black osprey companion’s shadow giving the appearance of wings on his small back.

    The two of them converse silently for a while, and Gale momentarily forgets that he’s standing in front of @[Ciri].



    ooc: perfect! enjoy weird gale :D
    #3

    Ciri

    It only takes a few moments of lingering on the border for her to start doubting her decision to come here. Would seeing her old home in the light of day really bring her any of the closure that had always been just out of reach? Her call seems to go unanswered and she worries even more that this has been a mistake. Perhaps Gale wasn’t here or more than likely he was entangled in the embrace of his lover. Biting her lower lip, she immediately feels embarrassed that she might be possibly interrupting them. Her indecision starts to lean in the definite direction of turning tail back to the meadow when something dark darting through the snow catches her swirling eye.

    A small weasel stands before her acting uncharacteristically. There’s no fear in the small creature as it stands on hind legs and regards her quietly. It takes her a moment for it all to click. The navy fur and brindle markings that mark him as Lighting Boy but it’s the electric blue of his eyes that make it snap in place. Oh yes, this was a land of shifters now. Of course he would be one also. An osprey flies overhead and her gaze lifts with his as she watches the bird that seems to hang around their heads. Another shifter perhaps? She shifts slightly with discomfort, wondering if she was being assessed in some way.

    Looking back down to the slender furry Gale she notices how he is still focused on the osprey and seems to have forgotten about her entirely. A nervous grin finds her lips as she arches her neck and lowers her head, the eye with the slashed scar coming level to the smaller creature as her muzzle hovers near him, exhaling warm air on his blue fur with a soft flare of her nostrils. “Gale?”

    all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was



    @[Gale] Good thing I love weird Gale ;p
    #4
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    The huff of warm air distracts him from the argument he’s been having with Erne, and Gale looks up at the black mare. He’s frowning because Erne is insisting that Gale had been ignoring him for days, when Gale knows that isn’t possible. He’d never ignore Erne, and for days? That’s ridiculous, and he’d been telling Erne just when Ciri had called his name.

    “Hi. Sorry.” He says, shifting distractedly (meaning it takes the span of a heartbeat) back into a horse. “Erne was just being...” His voice trails off as he looks back up at the bird, who spins a tight circle and then soars away. “Difficult. ”

    The last word is pensive, and Gale is still frowning as he turns his blue gaze back to Ciri. She looks different than when he had seen her the first time, and Gale looks her over carefully as he struggles to determine why that is. Having not moved from where he stood as a pine marten, the brindle stallion has to take a step back to take her all in.

    He’s quiet for a moment, and then with a delighted smile, exclaims: “It’s the daylight! You look different in the sun, with the stars not so bright!” His smile is bright and infectious, and he feels only a little silly it had taken him so long. He’d been distracted by Erne, he consoles himself, otherwise he’d have been much quicker.

    “Welcome to Hyaline,” he adds, and then with a shake of his head corrects himself: “Welcome back.”

    @[Ciri]

    #5

    Ciri

    “That’s ok.” She releases him from any wrongdoing immediately although her starlight gaze looks back up at the retreating figure of the large hawk that grows smaller and smaller until it’s just a black dot in the expansive sky. “Erne is your.. friend?” She asks curiously before turning back to Gale, marking the frown and thoughtfulness of his expression. She wonders how a bird could behave in such a way to be difficult, wonders what it would be like to be friends with a bird to begin with.

    Before she can ask, he’s taken a step backwards from her and she hesitates, wondering if she has done something wrong. However her worries are dismissed as he breaks into a smile. She can’t help but laugh, taken in by his infectious delight. “I hope that’s a good thing?” She asks with a raised brow, feeling just a bit self-conscious. She really preferred night to day, when her scars weren’t so visible and she could hide amongst the starlight and stardust that she pulled from the sky. In the daylight she felt much more exposed, more vulnerable.

    Thinking of the stars she gives a small sound of exclamation, remembering what she had wanted to share with him. “I almost forgot to tell you, I met another star! She’s like me but older and powerful I think…” She looks at him eagerly, hoping he would be as excited by the news as she thought he would be. And then he welcomes her back and her grin dims only a little, the unease creeping back although she accepts his words with a slight nod of her head. “It is ok that I came right?” She asks uncertainly. It was strange how she could face down monsters and predators without blinking an eye but simply coming here made her pulse quicken with unease at the memories that lurked in every corner of Hyaline.

    all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was



    @[Gale]
    #6
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    Gale watches Erne with her, and looks down to meet Ciri’s swirling gaze and nod in reply to her question. “My companion,” he confirms, telling her briefly of the black osprey’s origins in Islandres and the bond that the two of them share.

    His realization amuses her, and Gale nods again. He is not sure why she asks, but he does not wonder about it for long, because she tells him of another star, and the blue-eyed stallion listens with fascination. An older star? Brighter, perhaps? How might she be like Ciri? Are all stars female?

    There are a thousand questions in his mind, and Ciri’s sudden question of if she is welcome seems almost comical when he is so pleased to see her. He recalls her earlier trepidation, and the brief memory of a chestnut stallion. Though Gale has openly shared much of his past with Ciri, the black mare that he considers a friend after their single conversation has not told him anything about the copper man. He does not expect her to, but he recognizes the importance of reassuring her.

    “Of course it’s okay!” He says brightly, as if there’s no reason she might need to be apprehensive of Hyaline. His previous concern, that the Curse might hurt anyone near, is far from his mind, drawn in by a long black tentacle that causes him to forget it entirely. There’s no concern at all, and only laughter in his eyes as he says playfully: “Mazikeen changed the rules about only shifters being allowed, so I won’t even have to eat you for trespassing.”

    @[Ciri]

    #7

    Ciri

    It must be nice to have an animal companion, she thinks. Someone that watches over you and that you can always talk to even in the most isolated of places. She almost snorts with laughter then, amused by her own stupidity. As if she didn’t have that already with the millions of stars that covered the night sky, as if the ones that glowed dimly over her back weren’t sent for that exact reason. Why, even the Sun was a giant star. A fact that even she forgets sometimes. Even in the daylight, they watch over her. She’s never truly alone.

    She does snort at the look on his face as she tells him about meeting Islas. Grinning as she watches the cogs turn in his mind, already seeing the questions that form behind his electric eyes. It was the exact reaction she had hoped for and she’s pleased that she’s figured out this small thing about Gale, his enthusiasm for exploring mysteries.

    Her earlier trepidation fades as she slowly relaxes under his reassurance. Her step past the border is still slightly hesitant but she finds comfort in Gale’s presence as she comes to stand closer beside him, of not doing this alone. Of course she assumes he has no idea of her reluctance when it comes to Hyaline, why would he? He speaks of the changes Mazikeen has made and this also helps ease some edges of her mind. At the thought of him trying to eat her she can’t help but bark with laughter. “I’d love to see you try.” She responds with a teasing toss of her head, how ridiculous the thought of a tiny martin coming to attack her. It makes her pause for a second and then she raises a brow at him as a thought blooms. “You can shift into anything can’t you?”

    She hadn’t met many shifters in her life but there had been one that had made an impact. Castile had been a dragon shifter although it wasn’t something he had ever shown her. Ciri had always been drawn to dragon types. Amet, Castile… Perhaps it had something to do with her ties to the stars, to an ancientness that they all could relate to. She wonders if Gale can also turn into a mighty beast of scales and fire and then secretly hopes he cannot. Glancing around them she finally asks, “I didn’t get much of a chance to see the lake in the dark. I’m curious how much has changed.”

    all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was



    @[Gale]
    #8
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you



    I’d love to see you try, she tells him, and when Gale smiles back it is with a mouthful of long sharp teeth. Not a threat, not with the way he laughs afterward, but an effective display of his capabilities. One need not be a shifter to live in Hyaline anymore, but Gale is undoubtedly one.

    Her question about the limits of his shifting causes Gale to pause for just a moment, as though he is thinking about his answer before he gives it. The Curse is reminded that this body has limits, and its irritation manifests in a sharp pain in Gale’s chest. Gale frowns, and shakes his head. “No. Only animals.”

    Only animals for now, the Curse reminds itself, the promise that Mazikeen had made a bright spot in its future plans. Soon it will have a new body, one that has no limits. It will be able to be a dragon like those that Ciri is seeing in her mind’s eye.

    After Ciri looks around, she says that she wants to see the lake, and Gale smiles. He likes the lake, and the Curse is no longer digging its claws into his heart. Its taken the memory of that pain as well, and Gale’s smile as he says: “Let’s go see it!” is bright and enthusiastic.


    @[Ciri]

    #9

    Ciri

    The mouthful of sharp teeth makes her shiver involuntarily, feeling the vulnerability that comes with standing in the sunlight that bars her way to her shield. She has no reason not to trust Gale, knows nothing of his Curse or how dangerous it can be. So she thinks that she is lucky that Lightning Boy is one of the “good ones.” Lucky that they are friends and the mere thought of him hurting her is laughable.

    A dragon was an animal wasn’t it? She’s not sure if that counts. She’s also not sure where the boundaries blurred when it came to shifting but being able to turn into any animal already seems like a long list to choose from. The thought is almost overwhelming and she wonders why he frowns, if he wasn’t happy with having any limitations at all. Ah well, Gale was an inquisitive creature. It’s easy to chalk up his momentary dismay as one of being particularly stumped by a new mystery. Besides he’s instantly light and cheery again as he leads her to the lake and she falls beside her guide with an answering brightness.

    Her smile falters when the land opens up before her.
    It hurts, when she sees it in the daylight.

    The flutter in her heart is unexpected, the visceral reaction as the lake comes into view and she can recreate so many memories in a handful of seconds. Gale could easily sift through these mind visions, so unaware she is of his talents. There she is, broken and battered on the mud of the lake when she had been too ill to stand. The golden scaled stallion helps her into the water, places herbs along her many wounds. Nurses her back to life with Jah’s medication and his infectious kindness. She can see the day she met Castile, when the trio had all instantly felt the sudden change as teenage feelings flared and questioned.

    It’s the wisteria tree that nearly breaks her. Its branches lay bare from the season but she remembers it in full bloom, the little space Amet had created beneath its arches. Where they had loved each other best.

    The swirling of her silver eyes becomes sluggish, caught up in the complexity of her emotions. A star was never meant to feel this much, she thinks. Remembering Islas’s cool detachment, perhaps a better way to live in such vibrant world as this. “Nothing has changed..” She murmurs to herself, a tightness in her voice. Almost forgetting for a moment that he was even here.

    all of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was



    @[Gale]
    #10
    Gale
    this is going to break me clean in two --
    this is going to bring me close to you




    Her reaction to his teeth is not what he had expected (Mazikeen is always amused at his displays of bravado), and when Gale closes his mouth it contains herbivorous enamel only. Ciri doesn’t seem fearful, only surprised, but Gale reminds himself to be more cautious going forward. Though he knows that he is not the most socially adept creature, that has not been much of a concern lately.

    Why is that?

    He can’t seem to remember, so he brushes it away with a friendly smile as they move down toward the lake.

    The sun is still rising over the eastern peaks, turning the still surface of the lake into canvas of palest pink and blue. Gale smiles, taking it in, and turns to Ciri to ask her something. Only instead he looks past her eyes and into the visions (does she know she holds them so openly, dangling them in the open air where anyone with Sight might so easily touch them?).

    He thinks of the story she’s told him, of the Underneath, but these visions are another story entirely, but one that seems no less painful. Her voice is as tight as her posture, and Gale forgets that he should be more cautious.

    The brindle stallion leans toward her, bumping his shoulder against her as if to shake her from her own memories.

    “Pretty sure I wasn’t here last time,” he says mildly, raising his brows and looking out with obviously false nonchalance at the rising sun. Gale always forgets that not everyone looks so casually at the sun.

    “Maybe you should make new memories,” he suggests. “Mazikeen says there’s a sea monster in the lake these days. She likes shiny things.” A glance at Ciri’s whole self clearly indicates that she is a shiny thing herself, and so of course the fish in the lake will appreciate meeting her.

    Mazikeen had suggested Gale bring something shiny when meeting Sabal, and a star seems a good choice.

    @[Ciri]





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