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Post by Dream-Lark on Jul 23, 2016 13:43:01 GMT -6
Rycaron || The Sage
It was just after lunch, and the bright chestnut stallion was just finished with a quick snack of fruit in his office. It was three days after that chaotic meeting and assassination attempts, and truly, light meals of fruit were about the only thing the stallion could easily eat and keep down. Rycaron had spent most of the last three days cooped up with Thaumas, either in his office set or the Sage's, barking orders and making plans, sifting through information that kept streaming in, dispatching their subordinates. Some of the time was spent in the War Room, the easiest place for the entire Council to meet and lay the plans for Torrine, as the settlement had been dubbed. It needed to be built, sympathizers and pesgasi locations needed to be ferreted out, and then guardians sent to round them up. It was time consuming, and the hippocampi had yet to have a day free of tension headaches. But today the stack of reports was smaller, courtesy of round the clock work the previous days. After all, what was sleep when so much needed to be done? Both the Sage and the Defender had only caught small naps when exhaustion swept over them, but this morning Rycaron had managed nearly five hours, and his mind was occupied by another matter--one that inspired a twinge of guilt. The Divine. He had not been able to check upon Eve and see how she was doing, though he knew no news was good news. But today...today they would make time. Surely he could be allowed an hour or two? Besides, he felt they dearly needed the pale mare's input on the plans. With a deep breath, Rycaron gathered himself together, checked a mirror to see that he looked mostly presentable (or as good as he could considering exhaustion and puffy eyes), and headed out with a determination to gather up his roan brother and set out for the Temple. --- "Thaumas?" the Sage called softly, as he opened the door to the Defender's tower. The guardian stationed outside in case of emergency had informed Rycaron that the burly stallion was indeed inside, but Ry most certainly did not want to startle the other. Thaumas had been running at full attention, and if he was sleeping and thought something had happened...the Sage might end up with a hoof in his face and being asked questions later. "Thaumas, I am going to check on Eve, to the depths with reports for a little while. You are coming, right?" Rycaron inquired, sounding confident he knew the answer and not really intending to take 'no'. He didn't need to though, and side by side the pair set off for the Temple, and the third part of their Trinity. WC//462 Tag: Queerly strixx-variaaNotes: Let me know if I need to edit anything! Tried to make it so either of ya could post after mine, hope it isn't too messy <3 |
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Post by Queerly on Jul 24, 2016 6:46:12 GMT -6
Eve was finding it hard to breathe.
The Temple was a place of worship, and behind her walls there flourished a gentle quietude, a tranquility that welcomed the faithful to partake of quiet contemplation and prayer. She was accustomed to the quiet, and over her many years and many lives, Eve had nurtured an ability to attune to the littler noises. There was a tune within the Temple, a melody of reverence that transcended the music of mere mortal vessels. She always listened for it: the hoofsteps of the faithful, the splash of sacred pools, the hushed prayers that spilled from pious lips. They were such small, precious noises, each one a song in her heart. The Temple is quiet, she had told someone, years or decades ago, perhaps even centuries, but it is never silent.
Except it was. There was a silence pervading the halls, a perverse miasma so unwelcome and so wrong that the Divine could scarcely breathe. It was choking her, the isolation congealing in her throat.
But she could not leave. She would not. She was the Divine, and the Divine belonged within the Temple. It was in her blood, in her heart, in her very essence, reincarnated time and time again.
She belonged here. The Wave Mother would have it no other way. Eve knew this, felt it resonate in her own soul.
Not all had agreed. Emperor Hawkeye had been a challenging obstacle. She couldn’t fault his stubbornness, for the great stallion only acted as he felt was best, his actions as divinely influenced as her own. She had insisted nonetheless. Several times she had begged him, dancing upon the edge of law, not quite questioning… and at last, the Emperor gave. Eve returned to the Temple with heavy guard, and there she remained.
Pacing. Praying. Trying to breathe.
And thus it was a blessing to hear the approach of others. Standing knee-deep in the inner sanctum's largest pool, Eve raised her chin from the water’s cool surface and listened. No fear permeated her heart; she had faith in the Guardians who guarded her, and greater faith in Cascade. “I’m here.” Eve called, and perhaps her voice rose an octave as she spoke, betraying how deeply she welcomed the intrusion.
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jul 24, 2016 9:41:05 GMT -6
The sound of their hooves on the temple's smooth tile floor reassured him. One set of sounds rang heavy and dull, and slightly slower than the other in their longer stride; the other set was sharp and catty, belying the quick-wittedness of their owner. These were a set of sounds with which Thaumas Anereus was entirely familiar, and they heralded the arrival of two beasts so close in nature that one could not help but take confidence in the other. But it took quite a great deal of the self-control he'd painstakingly crafted for the last forty years not to break stride just a hair, not to let his feet fall just a millisecond outside their normal rhythm, when the sound of her voice reached them, floating through the hall like an albatross rides the waves. There were bags under his eyes and weariness in his bones, and his eyes looked at his bones and thought, yes, we are weary, too, and betrayed him. He saw her fall again, saw the little feathered shaft in her throat again, and all he should have seen was the barest hint of her rising from the Pool. Over the last three days he'd been buried in books and scrolls, trying his best to read and comprehend each report which found its way into his shimmering aquamarine grip -- and there seemed no end to them. He was a man of action, built for the brawl and in love with it, too, and the madness of guerilla warfare with these terrorists had threatened to drown him in paper. You can imagine how relieved he was to find that, with only those two words from his beloved Divine and that little betrayal of his own eyes, Defender Anereus felt his resolve harden in his breast, as though his bloody, beating heart was now a diamond: impenetrable, ever-lasting, clear. He took a breath, and it woke him. "My Lady," said Thaumas softly by way of announcement, and it was the best he could manage at the time. His voice rolled low on the tile like a wave at the bottom of the sea. He made his bows to her, holding naught in reserve as he extended a foreleg and brought his head almost to the tiles. The Defender was a taciturn sort of fellow by nature, and especially so under recent circumstances. The Sage would do the pretty talking; that was and had always been his prerogative. words: 410 tags: Dream-Lark Queerly notes: AHMAHGAH i'm so pleased with this whole thread idea, and so happy to be playing with you both again! ♥ |
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Post by Dream-Lark on Jul 24, 2016 15:53:46 GMT -6
Ears sprung forward, focusing on the sound of the sound of a lilting voice as if drifted toward them, raising on the end in a display of emotion. Heart clenched within breast, guilt raising like a spring fed pool that they had not found time to come visit Eve earlier. They should have, oh, they should have.
Bright aqua gaze drank in the sight of the silvery mare where she stood in the pool, turning to face them as they entered the great vaulted room. Clenched heart spasmed and then released with the knowledge that she was truly okay. She looked worried, on edge about something, bothered, but yet quite physically fine, and it filled Rycaron with an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness.
He stood there, simply looking, as Thaumas stepped forward and expressed himself in the way the roan stallion did best, with the deepest, most reverent and love filled bow an equine could ever give, though the emotion wasn't displayed on features. It didn't need to be, Rycaron and Eve knew anyway.
Instead of following the lead of his larger brother as was proper, the chestnut hippocampus stepped forward into the pool with a small sigh of relief at the water's cool touch, and pressed his forehead to his silver sister's. He had been tempted to pull her into a hug, but no, that would be far past decorum's sake, and while no one else might be currently seeking peace within the great pool, the guardians were always watching. Still, he felt the need for physical reassurance that she was there and sound of body, not a vision or wisp of self that might collapse into the waters.
Rycaron stepped back after a few breaths of time, folding into a deep, proper bow, eyes warm as he righted himself once more. "My dear Divine, are you truly alright. I am sorry we did not come sooner to see you, or to seek the peace of the Temple," soft voice rang out, full of apology, but oddly lighthearted. Just being here, seeing Eve and overriding the previous image of her collapsed upon the floor with her standing in the Temple's waters in all her glory, did wonders for his soul and peace of mind, gave him rest that sleep could not achieve.
WC//384
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Post by Queerly on Jul 26, 2016 3:51:34 GMT -6
“Oh,” The Divine murmured, for the sight of them was to breathe again, to forget the crushing reality of everything she had known and what it had become. Because she loved them, of course, loved them in the way that only souls in perfect resonance could love one another. Of all her worldly affections, there were none she held as close to her heart as they. But beyond even that, to lay her eyes upon them was to witness hope in mortal flesh, for as long as Rycaron and Thaumas Anereus still stood, still breathed, the Talorian nation would not fall.
She may bleed, and her open wounds may weep, but she would never fall.
“Oh.” Eve repeated, softer, her heart surging as she took tentative, water-weighted steps. She met the Sage with her head bowed, eager for the rarity and reassurance of equine touch. “I have missed you both so much.” She whispered, trusting the Wave Mother to carry her words across the glittering, clear pool to where the Defender awaited, dutiful and grand.
Her sigh was fluttering as she pulled back, and carelessly slipped into a chuckle. “There is nothing to apologize for, my Sage, my Defender. Aquore has greater need of her Shields than I. I can only imagine, with great sympathy, what has kept you preoccupied.” Eve looked at them as she spoke, her gaze catching the nuances of fatigue. Neither stallion was willing to show their exhaustion, but one couldn’t hide the bags beneath their eyes, or the slight irregularity of breath. It was a sound that the Divine caught easily; a soft, little noise. It did not settle on her heart as favorably as most.
“I am fine.” She assured at length, and stepped from the pool with her neck outstretched, pressing her head to Thaumas' in the same brief, treasured ritual she’d shared with the Sage.
"But what of yourselves?"
WC// 319
AHHHH <3 I love these three.
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Post by strixx-variaa on Jul 31, 2016 10:25:47 GMT -6
His diamond heart caught the light off the moon and let it shine bright within his breast, and didn't it always, here? Because while it's true that in the beginning, when he was young and she was even younger, Thaumas Anereus had been almost frightened of his Divine. Or rather, not frightened of her, but frightened of claiming equal rank with her as one of the Trinity. She was so much closer to God... But within these sacred walls she brought the light of the moon and the pull of the tides, and over time he'd come to find solace in her presence. After some twenty years, she would find herself hard-pressed to bring him anything but comfort and a robust, determined heartbeat. He pressed his head to hers as if she were the Water, releasing himself unto the Presence of God and the love of Her Instrument. And, silently, his prayer, because even when his mouth would not say it his mind could not intercept the pious reflex. I have brought my love for you.
I have brought my life for you.He looked to Rycaron and thought about the mound of bloody paper in his study. It was at times like these he envied his friend, and wished to be more like him -- but Thaumas Anereus would have his day soon, and the thugs would have theirs, too, and it would be a Day for the history books if ever there was one. It was the promise of this reckoning which kept the older stallion working late into the small hours of each blessed night. That, and the hope that one of his candles might accidentally burn the reports into cinder, because then at least he might get to do something. And aloud, feeling the blood in his veins pulse hard with each beat of his heart, the Defender looked Eve in her bluest-blue eyes and with resolute technique replied: "Unbowed." It was in reference to an old verse, and the word on its own could stand against hordes. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed.words: 352 tags: Dream-Lark Queerly notes: i'm so sorry for making y'all wait on this reply! thank you both for being so patient with me ♥ |
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Post by Dream-Lark on Aug 14, 2016 9:53:38 GMT -6
Gaze was soft and misty as the early morning sea, as he watched the Defender and Divine share the same greeting, his heart continuing to beat freely, a happy warmth suffusing chest. Yes, this had been most needed, he thought as he saw the peace and fortitude return to his stalwart brother. Ears flickered forward as he caught the word 'unbowed' echoing gently about them, Thaumas' simple but deep answer.
"Yet bored and I am sure wishing to light every piece of paper in our offices on fire. Or to scatter them to the winds and sea," the chestnut hippocampus remarked, tone amused, if tired, lips quirking upward ever so slightly. "Not that I can blame him. The reports are endless, and sifting through them to find anything useful is like trying to find a baby pearl buried along the beach," Rycaron shook his head with feeling, and it ended with a roll of his shoulders.
"Simply, we needed to get our of that office and to see you, so that we might rejuvenate ourselves to continue swimming on." The compliment was utterly sincere, expression beginning to hold something akin to light hearted amusement. All in all, he simply looked and felt more alive after coming here.
WC//207
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