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Post by tarriedsea on Sept 19, 2018 8:01:00 GMT -6
As You Wake Up
Evokar & Fox
"I can see you don't believe what I say
But I can tell you now I see it everyday."
early summer, 1701
evening
Skeldr Town's outskirts |
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Post by tarriedsea on Sept 19, 2018 8:22:17 GMT -6
 She stared at herself in one of the Fortress's windows. It was dingy and faded but just refracted enough to glimpse her reflection. With a brush of teke she smoothed down her mane for the hundredth time that day, reminding herself to trim it when she got home. It was getting too long for her liking.
The hallways were growing dark. She took a deep breath, nerves suddenly bubbling up in her belly. Most inhabitants of the great stone castle had retired to their quarters by now; the hallways were empty except for a few Shields on patrol. Shaking her head, she stepped gingerly out into the main corridor. Her hooves clacked softly on the stone floor- the only noise echoing against the stone walls. She nodded at the Shield at the gate, who dipped his head in return and let her pass.
The warm evening air enveloped her. Spring was dying and summer was newborn. The low croaks of frogs and cicadas hummed in the grasses and bushes, an early summer song that reminded her of her childhood. The day had been beautiful- the kind of warm weather the Forged longed for all winter, clear and clean, breezy and bright.
Leaning against a large dogwood outside the Fortress, she took another breath and waited. She had asked him to meet her outside after his evening duties were finished. Not knowing the exact nature of his daily job, it may be another hour or so before he graced her presence. Normally she'd have no patience for living on someone else's schedule.
But tonight she would wait. Hours, if she needed.
Her shadow was growing long, gold-tipped in dusk. The dogwood had blossomed with white flowers that spring. They littered the ground at her feet. A small breeze tousled a few more from the branches, landing in her mane and tickling her back. She shook them off.
Breathe. |
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Post by FaunaFawn on Sept 19, 2018 17:48:36 GMT -6
 Evokar of the Stone CircleYou know that he will give them everything
until there is nothing left of himSteady, he told himself for the hundredth time for day. The steady beat of his heart would quicken endlessly when he thought about the words from Fox. She wanted to meet with him, perhaps a walk? A simple talk? Still she offered to wait for him, something for a moment flabbergasted him. Evokar shook his head, how many times had he met with Hira or others and he worried not with them. Yet with her, oh gods everything was so different with her.
A warm smile grew on his lips as he dipped his quill into the ink once more, writing out so fluidly as he copied the words with ease. Just finish this page and for once he could call it an early night. Surely he deserved it? Had Kaia not told him of this before? When gifted a blessing he was unsure he even deserved? He never told others of his new blessing, no keep it locked awya until he understood it better, knew more of it. Once he did, he knew she would be the first to see. The idea made him laugh, how eager he was to share his news with her, to see the world through her eyes, she saw everything so differently to him, it was... it was unworldly and struck him each time he listened to her. Her world so much different then his own, yet they lived but a town away.
Here we go, he thought to himself as he let the page open to allow the ink to dry, he packed his stuff away, knowing he'd back back early before the others to work once more. He blew out the candle and left. Each step that brought him closer to her, made him so very aware of his heart beating far to rapidly, his nervousness rolling into him in waves. Gods grant him steady words for once. As he traveled onward, he spotted her there waiting and his smile grew all the more, he had grown close to her, so very fond, a close friend in this place. "I hope I did not keep you waiting long." he remarked as he drew closer to her. His eyes filled with delight, he would enjoy these rare moments between the two. Before the war or jobs take them far away from home, from them. Perhaps it was selfish nature to try in all his might to take stolen moments from her, she had a new job a new life, Evokar tried to reassure himself he would still be there something old among all the new.
"Still some light, if you want to walk a bit, its been a while?" he asked her a bit softly. Just a few more moments he prayed, a few more moments when it was just them and the world blurred out, was it so selfish? To want just a few more of these?
WC:485 | Post #1 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Sept 21, 2018 13:35:52 GMT -6
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his figure emerge. Dusk hit the side of his face so dramatically, shadowing half in obscurity and brightening the other in gold. Her heart leapt and pounded even more, and she swallowed hard.
It was annoying, how self-aware of her feelings she'd become. She'd heard fairytales of princesses and damsels who "just could not understand these sensations," which she called bullshit. No one was that unaware of their own proclivities. It was foolishness to claim ignorance. And these feelings weren't new to her. The errant flings of her youth suddenly passed over her mind- the same tinglings and nerves, the same racing heart, the same lightheaded airiness.
She knew what it was, more powerful than ever this time.
Tonight his eyes were bright, his smile wide- she had worked to earn that look. Evokar had always been a delicate mystery. She had to dig to get into his mind- something she could not understand, rattling off her own thoughts without discernment. His inner world seemed so much bigger than he revealed. It was a shame he hid it. Sometimes he'd say things so wise and profound, she just wanted to scream it from the rooftops.
"Not long at all," she smiled back. She would have waited years. "Yes, let's... walk."
Her nervous energy sprung from her throat to her legs and she turned away from the Fortress, along the tree-lined access road that would take them toward the woods. A brief stint through the forest and they'd eventually end up on a small hilltop overlooking Skeldr's entirety. Hopefully no other couples were on the same road.
Couples.
"How was your day?" she asked, not looking at him and not totally sure how to begin. A cooler evening breeze tousled their manes, and their shadows walked like stilts beside them. The world smelled like campfire smoke and thick pine, and it soothed her. |
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Post by FaunaFawn on Sept 22, 2018 18:10:12 GMT -6
Evokar of the Stone CircleYou know that he will give them everything
until there is nothing left of him She remarked how she had not waited long at all, and he let his breath go ever so softly, A bit of a shock to him as he had not recalled holding it waiting for her answer. For him ready to apologize for keeping her waiting for him. "I am glad to hear it, I'd have to make it up to you, if I had kept you waiting for too long." he chuckled, though he felt the nervous jittery of it all being near her.
Oh gods she was a beacon of light, how everything seems to glow and sparkle around her. Could she see it? See it like he did? How warmth and strength radiates off her, and he prayed some would hit him, give him the strength to do what was needed. To say words and not try to hold it all back.
Soon they were off at a nice steady pace, something causal and easy for both of them. Perhaps it was foolish to even now steal glances at her as she seemed to not look his way. It was better this way, for her not to see him as he looks at her, afraid his eyes would tell what his heart yearned too. But he refused to allow his emotions to take free, to wreck something as good as this. Evokar was so thankful for her, a friend and companion and so much more. Yet the poetic side of him always took hold. A hopeless romantic that would sometimes think of them as something more.
But he kept this all to himself, the hopes the few dreams scattered here and there. The way his heart seemed to come alive at the sight of her, and gods don't get him started on her laugh. Such a joyous sound, he could listen to it daily and laugh along too. Wait she asked him a question. he glanced at her and looked forward. "It was alright I suppose, more of writing old books into ones. Keeping the past, present." Evokar chuckled a bit. "What about you? How has the day treated you?" he remarked curiously. Oh the joys of small talk he thought, he used to crave being able to tell wondrous stories, something to keep everyone on their hooves as if his life was some grand adventure. But no, he spoke earnestly and perhaps a comfort in knowing some days nothing exciting happened, it was just a good day to still be alive. Other may find it truly boring this sort of small talk, but there was a sense in comfort of knowing some days were just days and there was so much more to everything then just a normal day.
WC:453 | Post #2 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Sept 24, 2018 14:18:50 GMT -6
Evokar seemed lost in his own thoughts when Fox posed the question, and it took him a second to answer. Either that, or he was deeply contemplating the answer to a fairly mundane question. Which wasn't unlike him.
Truth be told, she wasn't sure what he did apart from Stone Circle adjournings. Writing old books into new manuscripts seemed like the perfect job for him- something intellectually stimulating yet peaceful, and something she could never find interesting. If it bored Fox, Evokar probably found it intriguing.
Not that the stallion was dull. On the contrary, Fox just felt like a dunce around him.
"I spent the afternoon researching Serora- it's wild, the way their culture is set up." Fox smoothed her voice, anxiousness melting away as she spoke. She tried to bump up the scholarly nature of her activities to match Evokar's prowess. In truth, she had struggled to keep her eyes open most of the afternoon.
"We have very few resources on them- they're so distant and not many of them are literate- and they revere Alya, of course, but they live as a family structure. I don't know the term for it, but they don't use currency. Everything is shared. Isn't that insane?" She laughed, throwing her head back. "Tell the Forged to forgo currency and you'd be robbed immediately. No one here has the patience for that."
Her voice drifted off. They were climbing the hills now, Skeldr growing more and more distant through the thick pines. Orange sunlight dappled the ground. One of the moons hung immediately over Onea's landscape; the other remained obscured behind the mountains.
She hadn't considered the dangerous gravity of her position until after she appealed for her rank change. Being sent into post-war Sedo could be a minefield; there was no way of knowing how the Forged would be received. But she knew Serorans were not violent traitors. Had an existing alliance with Aodh not existed, Fox could see the desert-dwellers as an ally. Both herds spearheaded Hireath. Both lived in outstanding conditions. Both struggled economically. That was what motivated her appeal- the chance to speak peace between them. Of course, that wouldn't matter if Aodh destroyed the Seroran culture where it stood.
A cool nightbreeze tickled their faces.
"Do you think we'll win this war?"
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Post by FaunaFawn on Sept 27, 2018 17:10:21 GMT -6
Evokar of the Stone CircleYou know that he will give them everything
until there is nothing left of him Words oh how expressive they could be, He watched as she spoke of Serora and delighted in the fact she found them interesting to say the least, and he did hope she would learn so much more form him. He chuckled along with her at her quick remarks. "It is an interesting thought. How close they must all be to be able to have no currency to trust them as if they were blood family. To know they had each others back. You will have to tell me more of what you find out about them." He liked the idea of it. It warmed him in this cold tundra of a home. A part of him yearned for that, knowing he himself was not what the usual stallion would be in War Forged.
Still he mused gently. "Oh yes I can easily see Hira canceling currency and everyone loosing it." he chuckled a bit. Yet the silence seemed to circle them for a bit. While someone would try to fill it, he appreciated it in a sense. To know one was comfortable with it, with another was a great treasure. The silence did not stare down them, but walked along like a companion.
It was beautiful here, the lush green that could easily be covered in snow. It was ever changing, something that brought him comfort. Though still he stole glances at her, amazed by how much she has changed since he had first met her, he never assumed she would want to be an ambassador, and yet another shock. She always found a way to keep him on his hooves, it was always a new experience with her.
Yet as she spoke of the war, Evokar stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. This question has plagued him for days, weeks and he had no answer for it. "I am not sure there is ever a winning side in war." he remarked sadly. They may win, but what is a win to the thousand of lives that will be gone. To the destruction of lands, Evokar shook his head. "I just pray the loss of lives is not too great." There was a cost for everything and war asked for a heavy price, winning a war, well that price could be the cost of ones soul. Eyes searched for her, wondering what she thought, "And you?" he asked her.
WC:402 | Post #3 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Oct 2, 2018 11:39:30 GMT -6
"I am not sure there is ever a winning side in war."
She chuckled lightly. That was so in-character for him to say. Evokar seemed to transcend situations for wiser leanings. He seemed not to view the world in black-and-white, but various shades of gray. Nothing wholly good, nothing wholly tragic. In her own mind she struggled to be partial- most often, conflicts seemed clear. Virtuous and shameful. Good and bad. Beneficial and useless.
She blamed her upbringing.
"I... I don't know what to think." Staring at the way her hooves pressed the ground with every step, she considered Abram. A man who had once walked this same acre as an ambassador to his own herd, now considered an enemy by those who didn't know him. It was troubling.
"We've been raised here to take pride in our land and our people. Conflict is inevitable. Means justify the ends every time. And yet the thought of being the victors here puts a pit in my stomach."
She refrained from confessing her largest suspicion- that Serora had no chance against Aodh and the Forged combined. Stating it made the prospect too real.
"Does it make me a shameful Onean to despise conflict? We shed blood more readily than pelts. We put so much stock in our physicality- being the biggest, the strongest, the most resilient- but I'm starting to think that doesn't matter as much as we like to believe. You... among others... have taught me that."
She glanced at him quickly and her heart leapt to her throat. How to even begin.
The trail slowly opened to a flat rock face flanked by dense pines on every side. Through a small window between the branches, Skeldr Town glowed dimly from various lanterns and hearths. Beyond, dark hills sprawled to the horizon. Past those were the forests. Past those were other towns. Past those somewhere, their people fought a meaningless war.
It was nearly dark now. Evokar's features were getting harder to make out, just silvery edges in the moonlight. She should have brought a lantern.
She stopped square on the rocktop, looking straight out at the landscape and avoiding his gaze altogether. A symphony of frogs sang in the forest's underbelly. A warm breeze fingered the tips of her mane.
"Evokar, I would like to tell you something." |
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Post by FaunaFawn on Nov 28, 2018 15:46:23 GMT -6
Evokar of the Stone CircleYou know that he will give them everything
until there is nothing left of him Ahh here we are, he thought to himself. The sudden inner struggle of what has been beaten down on them all. The way of the herd, the strong survive and the weak will be trampled. He could see it in her, the conflict, the unsure idea of it all. How many times had he walked that road alone, knew his thoughts and ideas were laughable at best. Peace among the snow trodden equine? Ha, a laughable thought. But here he watched another weigh with heavy conscious of what it all meant.
He let her talk, to let these words and thoughts flow from her heavy and dreadful like the waves of the sea on a storm. He listened and waited until she looked to him and asked for his words, his thoughts. Something to redeem her from the views that were suddenly not so much like the others. Evokar paused, his mind heavy with thought, but yet he was quick to offer her a smile.
"It's not shameful at all, actually its a bit of relief. Its not wrong to go along with the ideas of this herd, but there is nothing wrong with questioning it as well. How do we not learn if we do not question anything we see or know? Like the raiders, they question can I make it over the mountain, am I strong enough? The go act and see. Like you questioning if strength is enough, is it what we are all of made of. Its time to seek your answers. To see is there more then what we are taught here in War Forged. But like most if you go a different way, stand away from the crowd it won't be easy. They will pick and tease, take your curious nature and trample it. Just..." He paused knowing he was rambling a bit. "Just know you have those who will listen and pass no judgement. For you are one of the few brave enough to say the words allowed."
Evokar smiled to her a bit sadly, ah this path was never easy. It destroyed him time and time again, but he never gave up and he prayed to Kaia she would bless Fox with the same will power. Yet looking to her now, with her questions and concerns, she never looked so brave as she did now. Head looked elsewhere, a moment distraction as he took in the view before him, yet suddenly her voice was calling out to him once more.
I would like to tell you something, she said. Eyes took in the sight of her, as his heart raced. What was it? He tried to be calm, yet he swore his heart could be heard from the few steps that was kept between them. "You know you can tell me anything." Was all he could say. Please Gods, be gentle.
WC:479 | Post #4 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Nov 29, 2018 15:04:29 GMT -6
Now or never.
"I, um." She desperately tried to remember the structure of this confession that she'd practiced. Don't barge through, try to give context, try to ease in... you've made it this far with him, don't ruin it now.
"I've really enjoyed getting to know you over the past year or so. Admittedly when you became my superior- when I was still a scout- I found you hard to get to know. But I'm so glad I tried."
She refused to look at him. She didn't want to see his face if he reacted with disappointment or revulsion.
"You're a dear friend. You and I- we're not alike, but I feel like it's easy with you. Easy to talk to you. And over time that's blossomed into.... into....."
Words failed her.
"It may be foolish," she quickly scrambled. "You may reject my friendship here full stop. I wouldn't blame you. But we're at war, the Flanks are about, I don't know what's going to happen, and if I keep this in my chest for one more day I feel I might explode. I need you to know."
Just say it!
"I feel a certain way about you. I don't want to go another day without you knowing it. I...uh..."
Spit it out!
She'd never felt so vulnerable.
"....I believe I've fallen for you."
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Post by FaunaFawn on Apr 3, 2019 10:37:34 GMT -6
Evokar of the Stone CircleYou know that he will give them everything
until there is nothing left of him In this moment, he knew poetry when he saw it. She was walking proof there was art, there was beauty in the most rawest of moments. He watched her taking it all in, the way she dared not to look his way. Her light trepidation with each word she spoke. Oh by the gods, he saw a work of art in her, so raw and powerful, the wilds sprain forth from her like a geyser.
It was a wonder he could catch all the words, getting lost in this rare moment, this rare moment he too could not deny what his heart had tried to tell him for so long. Tried so earnestly to make him see what was right before him. He watched as courage seemed to bloom from her and suddenly said the words he never knew he needed so terribly to hear. It was then the brush stroke of an artist held, the moment of silence, before the finishing touch. In this rare moment, Evokar felt it all and for once he let it all go. To hell with the the traditions of a strong male stallion with no emotions, hell to that and war craving fools it made them into.
Evokar smiled tenderly and sweet as he took a step forward. "Never in my wildest dreams I thought I would hear those words, word I never knew I needed so deeply to be spoken by you." His teke reached out so gently, touching her face as he wanted her to see, see how earnest he was with his words to her. Please know I feel so deeply for you his eyes and heart seemed to beg. "I care for you so deeply, beyond perhaps what a friendship could be, I never allowed myself the courage to be true to my own hearts wishes. To give this a try, to speak the words you bravely did. I admire so much of you Fox, your strength and courage, the way you seem to put all of you into something." he chuckled lightly she was strong and carefree like the wilds, ever changing and no one thing could reign it in.
"I've fallen for you so earnestly Fox, I do hope we can try to see where this takes it even if we maybe worlds apart." Perhaps this moment was what he needed, raw and messy neither great with spilling out words that flowed from the heart, but this would be a moment, a memory he would carry until his death.
WC:422 | Post #5 |
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Post by tarriedsea on Jul 31, 2019 20:49:53 GMT -6
Her ears rang the entire time he spoke. They grew hot, and eventually the heat reached her cheeks and throat as well. All sound reverberated as if she was in a bubble. A warm shiver ran down her spine. It was happening.
She didn't know what she was suppressing until that moment, but when he touched her face, tears suddenly glimmered in her eyes and she laughed at the absurdity of it all. She had hoped and prayed for his reciprocation, but part of her always feared she was too much- too strong, too emotional, too bold, too trusting. It wouldn't be the first time anyone had shied away from her presence, and she had prepared herself for his rejection of her feelings.
He spoke in gentle poetry, and she suddenly knew anything that came out of her mouth would pale in comparison. Drivel wouldn't serve well here.
She looked into his eyes, moonlight beginning to dance in them, and smiled. She stepped forward and buried her face in his neck. Finally, it felt like. Finally she could embrace him, touch him, revel in the electricity that wavered under her skin. The world faded away. She breathed in deep. He smelled like old books and pine.
Even if they were worlds apart. Even if the Flanks made themselves known again. Even if Serora claimed her as their own. Even if the political tension in Onea drove a stake into their stability, and their lives shattered completely. He was here.
A deep sigh left her body. |
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