New Beginnings [Talia!]

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The sun glitters above vast fields ringed by verdant forests to the north, mountains to the south and east, and wide rivers to the west.

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Re: New Beginnings [Talia!]

Post by Tigress »

As far as Warriors went, Chaos Flame was a bit of an oddity. He seemed to more or less lack the bloodlust and aggression that one would associate with his kind, but that really just came from a lack of ego. His father had raised him to be as modest as possible, to never overestimate himself or underestimate others, and truthfully he'd never had much of a reason to be competitive. He meshed well with his siblings, and his only childhood rivalry turned into a teenage brotherhood that had followed him into adulthood. He was feisty and fiery in more of a playful sense, if the situation allowed for it. He was impish rather than rage-filled. If trouble found him, he'd settle it, but he never went looking for it. It seemed his poor brother had gotten his share of all that, as he more fully embodied what was expected of a Warrior. Chaos was simple, at this stage in life he just wanted peace and stability.

There was a stark contrast in mood between Chaos, Lark, and Silver. Lark and Chaos both seemed to have this mist of hurt feelings and uncertainty about them, but SilverRain was all sunshine, all the time. It was so unexpected that Chaos' face actually contorted into a look of confused suspicion for a moment. It took him a few moments to piece together his friend's reaction, and he had to fight the very childish urge to roll his eyes as far back into his head as possible. Silver wouldn't have been surprised, but he was still trying to look somewhat respectable in front of Lark. His mood turned a bit somber again when the other stallion mentioned breaking the news to Vision (who would then immediately break the news to Frostbite, who was probably with Vision knowing his luck). Chaos understood that if this became a new pattern of behavior, they needed to be in the know as the mare's parents and the ones who dictated how much freedom she was allowed and in what circumstances, he just hoped they wouldn't hold it against him too heavily. He'd tried, though he had been admittedly distracted, and hopefully Silver would skim over that part.

Chaos Flame smirked half-heartedly at the stallion as he made to depart, he still felt like a lot of things had been left unsaid but maybe he understood more than Chaos gave him credit for. His reasoning for Lark staying behind was very sound and logical, but his look gave everything away shamelessly, leaving the pair in a new atmosphere that he hadn't felt in a long time. The seconds seemed too long, the silence impossibly loud, and he was suddenly aware of exactly how close she was and every movement of her body and gaze. She had said it would be her pleasure, and SilverRain wasn't exactly being coy, so it seemed she at least wasn't bothered by the implications of leaving them alone together. Or had she taken it entirely as a joke? He forgot that he knew Silver a lot more than most and could read him a lot more easily. The only one who might have been able to compete with him in that was Tinsel, because to be honest Silver probably saw her more often than anyone in their herd did since the two became an item years ago.

Lark was regarding him now, and he took a moment to casually survey their surroundings, feigning obliviousness until she either looked away or broke the silence. His head whipped around at the sound of her voice, not expecting the first words she uttered and blinking in surprise. He listened passively while she spoke, nodding almost to himself as he confirmed her suspicions directly at last. It seemed she was giving him the opportunity he'd denied himself earlier, so he tried to fluidly collect his thoughts and respond as carefully as possible.

"Whatever you were, or were not, doesn't concern me. It doesn't concern SilverRain, either. I didn't think things through enough, but you being able to eavesdrop on the conversation wasn't unintentional..." He smiled softly then. "It wasn't about you." He couldn't think of a less direct way to put it without getting his point across, so he decided to just be blunt.

As she moved closer, he brushed her mane out of her eyes to see her more clearly. A gesture that was far too familiar for how long they'd known each other. It had been reactive, and he startled slightly at himself. He'd just wanted to comfort her in some way, and contact had been the first thing that had come to mind. He could still feel the silken strands of gold caress the velvety top of his nose. It had been... nice. Ever since the loss of childhood innocence, so many interactions had suddenly become "out of bounds", and he missed simple contact.

"You really don't owe me any apologies, I think you reacted pretty naturally considering everything that's going on." He sucked in a breath then and looked away briefly as she spoke about Spire, mulling words over in his mouth before he released them. He looked at her very carefully, watching her eyes for any sign of offense.

"There's a strange atmosphere between you two for sure, it's easy for anyone to pick up on. I chalk this up to whatever memories he has that you don't... but of the memories you did retain... does he have any reason to be so obsessed with you? Part of the reason he makes Silver and I so uncomfortable is that we just can't get a read on his motives. But we also have limited information about him and... his past." It was more uncomfortable to ask about than he'd thought. He was trying really hard not to sound like a jealous would-be suitor, since he knew that by now she was easily cluing into his interest in her. Silver had opened the door, and in spectacular fashion, he'd practically barged through it with his physical advances.

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Mistveil didn't know what to make of Spire's reaction to her admissions. It had seemed to have caught him off guard, though he fielded it as smoothly as he could. It was unusual, and she knew it. She hadn't been a filly for... longer than she had been one, and yet still she was treated like she'd just entered the world yesterday. She knew enough to keep herself out of most trouble, and everything else would come with experience- she just needed to have the opportunity to have experiences that would lead to that kind of personal growth. She already felt completely different from who she had been just this morning, and it was thrilling and empowering.

"To be honest, your kind has been the source of all kinds of gossip since you began to appear. To think, you've been out there all this time, and though we know of every Altar that our kind comes from, yours was hidden for so many years." She was musing aloud to herself, clearly an equal mix of curious and perplexed. "That's hardly any reason to treat you or your kind like a threat, though, and I do feel obligated to apologize on their behalf." She smirked ruefully then. "Humans have been long regarded as the ones who shun that which they don't understand, but clearly we're no more infallible in that sense than they are, sometimes." She sighed, the sound almost defeated in nature. It was clear that a complicated mind swam just beneath the innocent surface of this one, a mind that had many time been underestimated and more or less ignored. What would she know, anyway?

Her frustrated thoughts came to a halt as she noted Spire's expression. He seemed instantly more at ease as they stepped into the shaded clearing, and he verbally confirmed as much just a few moments later. She beamed delightedly in response at him before turning to look over her little haven.

"Any reason is a legitimate reason to me, if it's how you feel. I'm glad we feel similarly." There was a strange... almost bubbling sensation in her chest. Buzzing, bubbling, brimming with a sensation that was new and intoxicating. She found herself eager for what he would say next, nervous that she would step over her words or misrepresent herself, and also sad at the realization that this might be the only time she'd get to share with him like this. When she went home to face the music, she knew she'd likely be forbidden from doing anything like this again. There was a part of her then that began to wonder how difficult it would be to sneak out unnoticed, maybe late at night or early in the morning... she was getting away with herself.

"Not much, to be honest. It seems it was mostly intentionally cleaned out before being abandoned. Some blankets, some buckets... it makes for a nice hideout if you're caught in the rain, though. I've waited out a storm in there before by myself." She wasn't supposed to have been left alone in the fields that day, either, and had already received an earful for even that much.

"I thought it might be best to talk someplace where we could easily hide, in case we were followed." Was he uncomfortable with all this? They already treated him coldly enough, they were probably all standing around blaming him for everything right as she was thinking about it. She didn't know how to ask, but she hoped that he would refuse if he didn't want to get dragged into the storm this would surely cause.
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Re: New Beginnings [Talia!]

Post by Talia »

Lark listened calmly to Chaos' explanation; she had a feeling that she may have misunderstood the situation, but she couldn't help but feel that slight stab of initial hurt and regret. Her Altar had been the topic of conversation since they first appeared, and very little of the conversation had been positive in nature. She was legitimately trying hard to make up for some of her companions behaviours and "quirks", most notably Spire's. She supposed she was still a bit too sensitive to it all, since it was all still so fresh and new to her. But Chaos' easy acceptance of her, his disregard for her past, made her feel a distinct sense of relief.

She smiled softly at him in response, but the expression quickly turned to that of surprise when he casually brushed her mane from her eyes. She startled in response; it was a subtle movement, a gentle tremor, but noticeable none the less. She blinked at him in confusion again however when she noticed that he seemed equally as surprised by his own actions. A small, yet warm, smile spread across her features, and she could feel a flush creep into her face, despite herself. Little did he know that she too missed the simple comforts of basic contact. There had always been an undercurrent of possession with her other attachments. It wasn't a warm memory, not like that feeling of being protected and cherished, at least not that she could recall.

She sidled up next to him, close enough to let him know that she didn't begrudge the contact, but not too close so as to make him uncomfortable with the sudden familiarity. She had always been able to hold her own, but lately she was so out of her element that his solid presence gave her comfort. He was so attentive to her that it confused her. She had never been treated this way before, had never had a perfect stranger care so much about what she thought of them, or how their words might impact her. That level of sensitivity was oddly refreshing.

When he watched her, she met his gaze and smiled a bit more broadly. His concern was endearing, but it would take much more than that to offend her, now that she had come to realize that he seemed to have the best of intentions.

She kept her eyes pinned on his when she answered. While some of the past that she could remember was painful, she wasn't embarrassed by it, and she wouldn't shy away from him like some frightened little filly. She had asked Orchid to take the worst of her memories because she hadn't wanted to relive those painful moments of her life. Those were the memories that she regretted the most. But ultimately she knew that even the worst of her memories had shaped her into who she was now. He was asking honestly for some truths, and she wouldn't withhold that from him.

"I can't remember everything about Spire and myself, nor do I want to. But I do know that we were involved," she stated bluntly. "I do know that he loved me, but as far as I'm concerned, that is done, and has been done, for quite some time. There are large gaps in my past involving him. I know that he shared in a lot of the memories that I considered the most painful moments of my life. I don't recall being happy then. I'm sure that Spire legitimately cared for me, loved me, in his own way. But to me, that couldn't have possibly been love. If it was love, why would I want to forget it?"

She stopped suddenly, realizing that somehow, during her diatribe, she had leaned against him, as if unconsciously searching for that steady solidness that his presence provided. For a moment she felt as if she were pinned in place, but she summoned enough willpower to move away again smoothly with only the slightest brush of her wing and flank against his. She chuckled wryly and shook her head again, and her golden mane tumbled back across her features once more.

"I'm sorry. That was likely more than you bargained for," she replied with genuine embarrassment.

------------------

Spire couldn't help but feel amused by the fact that everyone's supposedly preconceived notions about his kind might be closer to the truth than they all thought. He wouldn't fully let on to that fact, but many of his kind had a darker past. Himself, Lotus, even Lark (though she no longer remembered it) all had darker beginnings. Their "gifts" came with a certain skill set that many of them had fully taken advantage of. But he put on his most winning smile and shook his head in response.

"None of my kind are without fault, but the same could be said for any Serian really. It's natural to gossip about the things that we don't understand, and not all of us from the Silent Song are as warm as our other Serian counterparts, I'll grant them that. So I suppose, in our own right, we've left ourselves open to speculation and mistrust, having remained hidden for all these years." He casually drew closer to her while maintaining eye contact. His gaze was intense, but not dangerous or demanding, just searching. "You clearly don't find me threatening, which is something that I can appreciate."

Her sudden elation at his responses threw him for a moment, but then he grinned back at her, despite himself. There was something about her that he found bewitching, to the point where he was beginning to unconsciously erect all sorts of barriers around himself to ward her off. Did he miss affection that much that he felt the need to throw himself heedlessly at the first mare that came along? He didn't need a complication, he needed something simple, a diversion perhaps. And yet, he could see some of himself in Mistveil, despite their distinctly different personalities and upbringings. She had been denied so much for one so young, and he felt that he could empathize, having been denied so much in the most recent years of his life. It was a gross injustice, and he was willing to help remedy it, if for nothing more than a bit of excitement himself. But there was a stirring in his gut that made him second guess his motivations, and it was both irritating and perplexing. He knew that the instant she knew more about him, and his past, he would be just another monster to her. At least, for now, they could carry on with this little charade, and he would be content knowing that, for the moment, she didn't see him as just another Serian to be protected from.

He boldly lipped at her mane, his expression all gentle teasing as he flashed her a devil-may-care smile.

"If you're concerned about being followed, perhaps we could continue our conversation in the little building in the distance. I would love to spend more time with you, but if you would rather head home, say the word and I'll escort you back," he said with a chuckle.

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