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Post by foalish on Apr 22, 2018 22:02:19 GMT -6
 Crossing Currents
Kingston & LunaPost Chapter V Mid-Day Accidental meeting at the beach. |
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Post by foalish on Apr 22, 2018 22:19:07 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 283 - Post 1Since receiving his first blessing, Kingston had been like a fish out of water when he was on dry land. Despite being built for the sky at birth, his soul had always been drawn to the sea. Being able to breath under-water had been a true blessing. So many spare moments were spent in the water or around it - almost twice as much as before, which somehow almost seemed impossible with his already busy schedule.
There was so much to explore, stuff he could never have seen or imagined before hand - and to say he didn’t use his blessing was an understatement. He felt a bit more content with life, filled with a bit more acceptance with himself. His draw to the beach was more than just a draw, now.
Plus, Aster didn’t really mind the beach. Although a river otter, she didn’t seem too concerned if there was a bit of salt in the water. She happily clung to him and jumped into the water before he knew what happened. At first, he’d taken her out swimming for a bit of bonding between them, but now she simply accompanied him constantly because there was no way he’d say no with the joy it brought her.
Most of the time, she did her own thing, but she came when called, which was all he really cared about; she stuck close enough that he didn’t need to hover over, concerned.
He trailed after her footprints in the sand, letting her ghost lead the way. His hair clung to him, wet. He looked happy, as he trailed after his familiar’s footsteps, and where ever she was; his smile shone, as did his eyes.
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Post by fynli on Apr 23, 2018 0:07:16 GMT -6
= Luna =
1 | 368The freedom that came with fins was something that Luna would never take for granted. For once in her life she could be active without the fear of overexertion and needing to seek a cleric quickly. The fluidity and the gentle current of the water was soothing. Therapeutic. She’d been envious of hippocampi before, especially her late fiance. Oh how she’d wished for the ability to be so graceful in her Goddess’s image. Now she had it and she would always cherish it.
Now she was in the shallows, a splash of white among the rippling turquoise water. She would always stick out in the water but she never minded it, even if her light coat was considered quite ugly by the herd’s standards. She was relaxed against an outcrop of rocks, eyes closed in bliss as the waves gently lapped at her flank. The warmth of the sun was so soothing she was just about to drift off into a nap- when the chattering of an animal snapped open her eyes.
Luna let out a startled gasp as she came face to face with a brown creature, taking a moment to register it as a cute little otter. She sighed in relief, an amused chuckle leaving her lips soon after. “Well aren’t you the cutest little thing,” she mused, tipping her head to the side and grinning as the otter copied her. “Are you out here alone or do you belong to someone?” Lifting her head, she scanned the shoreline, freezing as she saw a familiar face. Kingston.
Ignoring the curious chirps of the otter, she slowly slid back into the water, hiding her frame behind the rock she was just resting on. She hadn’t spoken to him since their last encounter in his shop and that was just a fortnight ago. She’d thought this beach was private! It seemed like Cascade was intent on having them run into each other lately. It was embarrassing for him to recognize her fins on land but in water? This was supposed to be just private time to herself!
She prayed that this otter would just run back to the beach and he’d trot on by without seeing her though.
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Post by foalish on Apr 23, 2018 0:32:57 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 304 - Post 2Kingston wasn’t surprised when the tracks disappeared past the waves, into the water. He snorted to himself and shook his head over his familiar and her antics. Picking up his pace to follow where her footsteps had vanish, the water soon ate at his hooves. He was just about ready to follow in, deeper, when he was stopped in his tracks. It was Aster, first, who he heard, but it was the voice which had stopped him.
He didn’t look for her, but he knew that voice anywhere; Luna. It sucked his breath from his lungs and he perked his ears as he listened to what she was saying aloud - to, he figured, Aster. It wasn’t too easy to make up over the sound of the water, but he could make out a word or two.
He had to suck in his breath before he could manage to look out, try and find the speaker. By the time he had, she was hiding, unknown to him.
With no luck, his pace changed immediately, a careful gaze and a more careful step. In a beat, he assumed she’d probably disappeared under the water’s surface. He tried not to over think it as he continued to tread a bit deeper into the water, deep enough so that his chest was submerged in the water. Then he stopped, gaze looking towards where he’d seen his familiar last.
He called out her name softly, only to hear a chirp from her reply and for the otter poke out to look back over at him. He didn’t move, still careful and oddly on edge.
He only took a single step closer to her, a soft, almost teasing tone, he asked Aster, “who was that you’re talking to?”
His gaze scanned around, just in case he could see her.
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Post by fynli on Apr 23, 2018 1:03:19 GMT -6
= Luna =
2 | 228The current situation reminded her just how exposed she was, trying her best to stay silent. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him it was just… She didn’t want him to gawk again.
She held her breath as his voice drew near, cursing silently as her cover grew limited. She couldn’t escape to deeper water without drawing attention to herself nor could she make a mad dash for the beach. All she could do was stay put… Maybe. A desperate look was cast out to the inviting blue of the deep as she pondered her escape route, fins twitching at the thought.
Luna was unable to make a move though as the otter, Aster was her name, popped back over and chattered at her. She was trapped now, cornered by this cute little demon that demanded the attention of her owner. The mare sank further down into the water, allowing only the top of her head to peer out. Digging her hooves into the sand, she willed the current to keep her still, knowing that if she moved she would be spotted. Her tail was a dead giveaway anyways.
An accusatory glare was sent towards Aster as the otter kept talking to King, urging him to investigate the hidden hippocampus. If only she could speak to her, maybe tell her off. Don't pay attention to me.
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Post by foalish on Apr 23, 2018 1:22:38 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 287 - Post 3He sighed lightly to himself as the question was left unanswered. Clearly, Aster wasn’t going to be able to speak to him, but the small hope he’d had over Luna speaking up died very quickly. His gaze lingered for a second, trying to spot anything from the angle he was at, without moving. And nothing changed, not from where he was standing.
Giving up hope, convincing himself that she must have disappeared under water and left (not that he blamed her, for many reasons), he called over to Aster, deflated voice, “come’on.” With a gesture with his head, he expected her to follow after him as he turned around and started to continue to walk deeper into the water.
He took a few more steps, up to his neck, only to notice how Aster had yet to move. He frowned at that - she was rather well mannered when he asked. He even whistled, but nothing.
Giving a soft groan to himself, Kingston submerged under the water and started to move back towards the otter. It was then, with the shifting angle, where he saw the fins for the first time. Right away, he broke from under the water, almost coughing, breathing heavily as surprise fully set in.
He was quick to close the distance, back towards where Aster still remained. He was hesitant, but far from slow as he got to the rock. He blinked in surprise a second time as his suspicions were indeed correct. Luna. Hiding….behind a rock?
He pressed his ears against his skull as he ignored everything his mind tried to tell him in an attempt to explain the bizarre explanation.
"Hello, Luna?" Instead, he ask, in a gentle tone, “everything alright?”
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Post by fynli on Apr 23, 2018 1:41:09 GMT -6
= Luna =
3 | 276Something about the dejected tone in his voice made her throat tighten. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings by not showing herself but the anxiety of making herself public was more daunting. From where she was, she could see him wade deeper, hoping he wouldn’t turn around.
With a flick of her tail, she moved further behind the rock, peeking out at him. A little voice in the back of her mind nagged her for being so hypocritical about staring but she easily pushed it away. This was different, she wasn’t ogling him. The damned otter wouldn’t leave her alone either, following her as she shifted position. She was tempted to try and push Aster into the water, hoping she’d take the hint and swim back to King. Luna would hate herself even more if she accidentally hurt the poor creature though.
“Luna?”
King’s voice startled her out of the glaring contest she was holding with Aster and she squeaked, staring at him with comically round eyes as her head went back into the water. Ears pinned back, she smiled sheepishly, letting out a few embarrassed bubbles from her nose before lifting her chin to speak. “Hi,” she chirped quietly, quickly shifting her back legs into existence again so she could properly stand. “Is this your otter?” She avoided his question smoothly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as Aster chattered cheekily at her. “She’s really cute.”
Clearing her throat, she looked back at King, obviously trying to ignore the fact that she was hiding just a moment ago. “So what are you doing out here? Usually this beach is… deserted.” Except for now.
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Post by foalish on Apr 23, 2018 1:58:11 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 336 - Post 4It just occurred to him that Aster was busy staring at Luna. He swallowed as he also realized that was exactly why she had not came back - as if she wanted him to pry away from the water and come check out the interesting horse she’d found. The interesting horse. He wanted to laugh at that, part of him, but of course he didn’t. He just remained still, blinking a bit too slow as he waited for Luna to say anything in return. She came up, out of the water, which was at least something. Then she spoke.
He had to swallow hard, while keeping his gaze on her face in order not to stare at her fins, again. It took all his will power not to let his gaze drift. Her words, as always, kept him mind distracted enough to not do that.
A small smile appeared on his lips as he saw how surprised she looked, but he wiped it off, trying not to look amused by her shock - or whatever she was feeling.
“Yeah,” he breathed softly, holding his breath at the end of his sentence. “Sorry about that, normally she listens, apparently you’re too interesting for her to leave.” He swallowed hard and looked away, trying not to let his own emotions soak into the words, even though they already had. “Be careful, call her cute too many times and she’ll have you wrapped around her tail,” he joked, his gaze drifting for a second, before he managed to correct it back to her face.
His smile wavered for a second and he laughed a bit, be it awkwardly. “I was out swimming - she ran away so I went to go follow her. Now I’m here.” The end sounded a bit awkward. “I normally like it here, since it’s quiet,” there weren’t many prying eyes to stare; he cleared his throat and looked at her, his ears perked. “I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to intrude on your space.”
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Post by fynli on Apr 23, 2018 2:16:49 GMT -6
= Luna =
4 | 228Luna chuffed in amusement at his comment about Aster, taking her teke and scratching her under her chin. She seemed sweet enough, albeit too curious for her own good. Perhaps she was just as attached to King as William was to Luna. Familiars.
She was half listening as King explained himself, focused on the adorable sounds like came from the pleased otter. Tuning into his last sentence, Luna looked towards him with a small frown on her face. She liked this corner of the beach because it was perfectly quiet too but… perhaps too quiet? At his apology, she found herself quick to defend.
“No no, it’s alright. I’m just not… used to other horses coming down here,” she smiled shyly, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. “Perhaps it would be nice it have some company. Besides, if you drowned, who would come save you?” The joke left her before she registered just how dark it sounded and she blushed, biting her tongue. Maaaaybe that was the wrong thing to say. Attempting to shake it off, Luna waded past him, ignoring the burning that his gaze left on her skin. She stepped out until her hooves could barely touch the sand anymore, feeling too self-conscious to shift yet.
Looking back, she tossed her head invitingly, a bright grin appearing on her face. “C’mon! We've got the whole ocean to ourselves.”
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Post by foalish on Apr 23, 2018 2:38:18 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 361 - Post 5Kingston’s smile widened the littlest bit as Luna seemed fond of Aster too. He gave the lightest snort and sigh - of course his familiar would manage to run away, find Luna and get Luna to fall in love with her too. Typical. He was busy laughing internally at it for a second, before he tuned back into listening to Luna talk. It wasn’t hard to her to catch his attention in a second.
He visibly relaxed when Luna ushered him quickly, saying it was fine and he wasn’t intruding. His smile softened at the sentence and he sighed a bit in relief. Simple, yet reassuring and one less thing to worry about. The last thing he really wanted to be was some weird horse who surprised horses, made them uncomfortable and stuck around when he knew he was doing that. It would probably ruin his reputation worse than having feathers would.
He smiled a bit at her remark, about drowning. It occurred to him that she for sure had no idea that he had a blessing - which was natural. They’d only actually talked for brief periods, short interactions each. Which, he was glad to be constantly running into her again, however odd it was. “Oh I know the feeling - didn’t expect to see you, of all horses,” he smiled, adding to his friendly tone. He smiled at the last part, “true,” was all he said. His smile widened a bit, knowingly.
He stared for a second, almost not believing what Luna was inviting him with her; it took a second for him to shake the surprise and follow. He followed after a second later, a pace quick enough to make up for the time he’d paused. He looked over to see her standing at about the max height she could and still be touching the bottom; he still had a bit before he’d be head-level. He gave her a soft smile, “you’re right, let’s go,” he returned with some wit. A second later, he pushed off, falling back under the water. He kept his gaze on her as he moved a bit out, while sinking to the bottom.
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Post by fynli on Apr 23, 2018 3:03:58 GMT -6
= Luna =
5 | 279Luna watched as he followed, her eyes alight with a rare show of playfulness. She snorted at his ability to still touch the ground, letting him take the lead as he swam ahead. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to relax and enjoy herself. It was rare that she had company, especially when she was out in her own element.
Allowing herself to laugh, she kicked off from the shallows, her hindquarters shifting as she dove under. With a strong flick of her tail, she propelled herself ahead of him easily. In the deeper waters, she twisted on her back, opening her mouth to speak to him before realizing he couldn’t breathe underwater like she could. Surfacing quickly, Luna swam in place, not minding her mane falling over her face as she grinned at him. “There’s a coral reef nearby that’s absolutely beautiful. Think you can hold your breath long enough?” Her voice betrayed the thinly veiled worry she held for the pegasus since his lungs weren’t (assuming) blessed by the Wave Mother.
Now that she was a hippocampus, there was a whole new world down below that she had yet to fully discover. She’d seen parts of it on her own but it wasn’t the same as sharing it with someone else. Where was all the fun in seeing something by yourself?
It wouldn’t be until later that she realized just how much she was opening herself to him.
Without waiting for his answer, Luna dove back down, her white scales a beacon of light among the darker blues of the water. He was a strong swimmer, she presumed- if he wasn’t, she could help guide him.
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Post by foalish on Apr 23, 2018 3:22:42 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 305 - Post 6His eyes adjusted quickly to the light below the water; the normal underwater sights were able to leave him stunned by their beauty. His smile grew wider as he saw Luna shift, her fins taking over. He stoped for a second, watching her move; he’d never actually seen a hippocampus in their own element, shifting and swimming. He’d never actually been out when they were around and he never paid attention to them if they were around, out of respect. But being - almost invited to stare, he couldn’t help but do so, at least for a second.
He kicked himself into gear right away, moving on from the sight, trying not to gawk. She looked so at home under water; a different spirit. He took a second to relax, to think about how she’d shifted personalities so quickly - she looked comfortable, so he let himself do the same. There was no better way to get to know someone then at the beach, right?
A second later, she surfaced and he followed her after, seeing what brought her to the top, just catching her words. He blinked as he realized he actually hadn’t mentioned his blessing and that she was concerned for his safety. The last part filled him with a weird sense of joy.
Kingston’s smile widened at the question, he sunk just beneath the water, so that his mouth was submerged, but his eyes weren’t. “I think we should worry about Aster over me,” he laughed through bubbles. He pulled his head mouth out of the water, before his smile widening. He almost felt cheeky - it showed in his smile. “I was blessed with Nymphism.”
She didn’t really seem to wait, which was ok with him, he was quick to follow, following her lead, while totally not staring every few seconds.
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Post by fynli on May 13, 2018 20:30:56 GMT -6
= Luna =
6 | 316Nymphism. Luna caught his words before the water turned his voice to bubbles. So he was blessed by Cascade too? Perhaps She saw something redeemable in him after all. It excited her in all honesty, knowing that their Goddess was allowing him to be closer to the water, closer to being a hippocampus without the fins. Was it a way to make up for his feathers?
She dove down under arches of rock, half riding the current half propelling herself through. Swimming didn’t always come naturally for equines without fins and even though she now bore them, it was still a struggle to get used to them for the first few times. Now she swam almost flawlessly, gliding underwater like it wasn’t anything. Luna wasn’t the type of mare to show off but a rush of pure glee shot through her veins, expressing itself in a corkscrew spin as she swam through a small tunnel. Occasionally she’d toss a glance behind her to see if the buckskin was on her tail, giving a pleased flick of her fins upon seeing that he was.
Her speed began to taper as she approached the beginning of the reef, slowing to hover in the water while King paddled up to her side. She cast an almost sly smile to him as they tread in place, looking proud of her little treasure grove.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” She murmured, although her words were slightly warbled by the water. Schools of fish swam and collected around the coral reef, dancing and playing among the sunlight streaming down. Bright colors of red and pink burst out against the turquoise of the surf. The sun cast rays of yellow through the sea, highlighting families of sea anemone and the creatures that lived there. A truly mesmerizing site. It was so peaceful, it was almost like a war had never taken place on this land.
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Post by foalish on May 13, 2018 22:53:40 GMT -6
⋆ Kingston ⋆
WC: 504 - Post 7Kingston let his eyes wander just a bit more under water, when she was distracted. While her gaze was away, he took a second or two at a time to stare at her, to watch her look at home. Luna looked like she’d embraced the water wholly. He knew she wasn’t born with fins, but if he hadn’t seen her without them before, he’d be surprised to learn that. Maybe it was just his heart yearning to silently praise her, but she looked graceful. Beautiful.
Cascade, he had a bit of a problem.
He couldn’t move as fast as her, with the fins and whole, but he his blessing made him more at home in the water, along with being able to breath. He was quick enough to keep up and, just maybe not as gracefully. But he wouldn’t try to compete with her; he wasn’t worthy.
His heart swelled a bit by the way Luna seemed so at ease and happy to be in the water. Comfortable around him, even, dare he say. Well, at least not dampened by his company, despite the mirroring doubts he’d had at first based on the meeting’s introduction. And the way she kept checking up on him to make sure she wasn’t leaving him in the waves made him grin a bit too much; his cheeks were starting to hurt. When his gaze was able to leave Luna for a second or two, it didn’t take long to make sure Aster was sticking close, which was enough comfort to almost forget about his familiar in the happenings.
No doubt, Kingston kept watch, doing his best to keep a matching pace with his counterpart. When she started to slow down, he followed. He could only assume it was for reason, and aside from the shiver that ran down his spine at her sly smile thrown over her shoulder at him, he took in the sight of the reef they’d traveled to see.
The word beautiful struck him before Luna even used the term. A breathless smile made it’s way onto his lips. Although, he’d seen many reefs at this point, this one instinctively felt different than all the ones he saw. Perhaps it was the colours it presented, the light hitting it through the water in the perfect way to make it sparkle, or simply because Luna was showing it off to him, it felt special. “Yeah,” his laugh broke his silence, “it is,” he breathed sharply in. His gaze caught her out of the corner of his eye, smile widening an inch before he looked away. He then moved forward, taking a second to move around, look at everything from a different angle, investigate and study everything in front of him. There was an instance or two where he stared as a fish flashed by, his eyes trailing after it. And after a minute, he seemed satisfied with whatever he was doing, turning back to face Luna; his smile exaggerated. “How’d you find a place like this?” |
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