(open) I have traveled 'cross this country wide
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#1
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
It’s a long shot, considering that she can’t speak to animals, but unicorns aren’t dumb. There might be some ability to communicate. Then there’s the fact that she doesn’t know where they’ve been hanging out. There are hoofprints and signs of their movement in the Outskirts, but no signs that they’ve made any one place ‘home.’

Wessex sighs as she heads out during the day, completely unsure about what she’s doing but doing it anyway because that’s just what she does. There’s a bag full of treats at her side and she hopes to use the various apples, carrots and handfuls of hay as a lure. The Queen finds a set of tracks that seem fairly new (who knows, really) and does her best to follow them, trekking deeper into the woods by following tufts of hair, fur, and broken branches.

She finally comes to a place where the trail seems to end, looks around, and then decides to sit and lay her offerings out in front of her. The demigod is content to wait for a couple of hours or more and she settles in, cross-legged, listening for the ruste of approaching unicorns - or anything else that might cross her path.
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#2
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
Wessex is not the only one looking for unicorns.

The task given by Frey is one she would have relished under other circumstances, but now as Amalia stands in the Outskirts she feels only heavy anxiety and mourning as a weight upon her chest. She hadn't intended to come back here so soon, this place she called home for so much of her life. It's a part of her she's had to shed, just like so many other things lately, and as with all the changes she's undergone the Shield isn't sure she really understands what it will mean for her, yet.

For now, the girl has a task. She's brought sugar cubes and apples and Jyoti for support, the small whale humming low notes that should be discordant, but from her are music. Amalia hums as well, the pair of them creating a patternless melody as the Shield reaches out with her mind, searching for sign of the unicorns.

It isn't the unicorns she finds first. It's an all-too-familiar figure, one she would recognize at any distance, who she once knew as well as her own family. Freezing in her approach, Amalia stares a second at the back of Wessex's head, torn between stepping closer and running far away. It is Jyoti who makes the decision for her, the small whale flying forward, a note of greeting accompanied by starlight as she regards the woman for whom her bonded has such complicated feelings.

Clearing her throat uncomfortably, the barefoot baker lets her eyes drop to the ground before returning to the Wraith. "Wessex. Are you well?" Of course she is - if the Voice were to cure anyone, it would be her favored child - but Amalia can think of nothing else to say, her voice suddenly dry.
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#3
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“As well as can be,” comes the noncommittal reply, standoffish for a moment before the elder Natural turns her head towards Amalia with the smallest of smiles. She feels like a statue awakening, deliberately moving and stretching from marble-etched stillness - her offerings as yet uneaten, except perhaps by the boldest of squirrels.

She doesn’t understand what makes Amalia so hesitant and uncomfortable - she never really has - but there is an easier, bigger smile for Jyoti. “Have you grown, Jyoti?” she asks the companion with unabashed enthusiasm while holding a hand to offer pats.

“I’m surprised to see you back so soon.” As she says it, the Queen realizes there’s a kernel of bitterness in her chest about Amalia’s departure. Aside from whatever history they have as pseudo mother/daughter, she also represents the last of the Naturals from within the barrier. Sam hardly counts, Evie is gone, Rory is… gone. Yes, she has to acknowledge that Rory is well and truly gone. Wessex tries to keep the undesired emotion hidden, tries to bundle it into something else, but if a bit escapes, well… could anyone blame her?

Wessex is starting to accept that while she would do many things for Amalia still, the same could not be said of the reverse.
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#4
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
She anticipated coldness, anger, the welling distance that seems to constantly grow between them each time they come into each other's reach. She does not anticipate the small smile, nor the warmth with which Wessex greets the whale calf, and damn if that reminder of what they had been doesn't hurt worse than any measure of rage. Warmth fills Amalia's face and dances down her spine, causing her heart to constrict in her chest as her stomach flip-flops uncomfortably.

Jyoti coos her response to Wessex, which Amalia translates softly as the whale accepts any scratches or pats. "She thinks she has. I'm less convinced." She makes no move to approach the Wraith, nor does she draw away. Blinking at the comment on her presence, the Shield can only shrug, eyes shifting to the woods. "I came to... finish some things," she explains softly, shifting in the grass. "I made some promises I intend to keep. I hope that you don't mind."
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#5
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“Loki is much the same. Though I don’t know the lifespan of dragons…” She shrugs and gently scratches for as long as Jyoti will stay there, letting the calf drift away whenever she wants to.

As for Amalia’s explanation, Wessex glances over her shoulder at the girl, slightly surprised. “Why would I? I didn’t ask you to leave, you did it of your own free will.” With Deimos taking himself to Halo and Amalia… not in Halo, as far as she knows, the Queen can imagine that there’s some sort of problem going on. Which doesn’t exclude any problem the Shield might have with the Wraith, just adds another element to her departure.

“This is your home as much as it is mine.” Their families are buried here, they’ve bled here and cried here and loved here, hell they’ve died here. Wessex won’t make any promises out loud but for now, she has no intention of keeping Amalia from the Ground. She can come and go as she pleases.
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#6
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
"I doubt I would have much of a welcome role in the Grounds you want to build," Amalia points out softly to explain her decision to leave, a sad half-smile pulling at her lip. The expression fades swiftly, replaced by tired resignation, the understanding that things are different now and there's no avoiding that fact. "Besides, I think I'll be doing some travelling soon. But... it's good to know I can come home."

Turning back to Wessex and Jyoti, the Shield wonders if she ought to leave the Wraith in peace. But moments like this are so rare between them, and she's loathe to let them go; so with an expression of asking permission Amalia slides to the ground, taking a seat upon the grass near the older woman.

Immediately she reaches to pluck a blade of grass, adding two and starting to braid, desperate to occupy her hands. "Leafchange will come soon." Staring pointedly at the grass, she clears her throat, swallowing the tightness that's suddenly within. "I'm... I'm going to make a lantern for Kiada."
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#7
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
“Oh?” Wessex laughs, a little amused. “And what kind of Grounds do I want to build?” she prods gently, trying to break down assumptions here and now. It was, after all, a fair vote. Everyone had their say, and it’s no fault of hers if the demographic of the Grounds suddenly shifted. If Amalia has insight into what the twice-Queen wants, then please, share it with her!

“I do know I’d like to get these unicorns back to their home and see what’s beyond the storms.” The admittance costs her little and is indeed, why she’s sitting here with an untouched spread before her. She gives Amalia a knowing look at the mention of travel because it has become one of the Wraith’s obsessions (a noble endeavor, as she sees it), not just to place portals, but to become more knowledgeable in general. “Traveling is good. Lets people find themselves. Or parts of themselves… something like that.”

Nodding sagely (or so she thinks), Wessex sighs and ticks off names on her hand. “Kiada, Rex, Clem, Magrethe, Mom…” She sighs. “I worry about Hotaru and Dante and Rory, that we’ll never know if they’re still alive or not.” How can they be remembered, if they don't know if they're dead or not?
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#8
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
Amalia does not hesitate in answering the question, her shoulders rolling in a shrug. "One that idolizes Voice, rather than the Old Gods." There isn't bitterness in her voice, only resignation, a simple acceptance of the fact that her home is bound to change. Pretending they do not stand on opposite sides is a waste of time and energy, when it has already been thoroughly disproved.

The unicorns are a safer topic, and travel as well. "I'd like to find myself," Amalia agrees, adding a flower to the braid, the beginning of a crown. "I don't think I've had a good sense of who that is since nani died." Wessex is one of the few people who still remembers Amalia's grandmother, a pious, kind woman who always had a smile and a story and a treat for those in the Grounds. She is one of the few who knows first hand how hard the loss hit the Shield, too, just as Amalia has an inkling to how difficult it was for the Wraith to lose Magrethe.

The list of names of those they mourn grows longer every year. "Aoife, Peter, Adam," the girl contributes softly, almost like a prayer. Though the last three have her looking up, a wry expression on her face. "Rory and Jigano left together. Also to travel. So I'm sure they're galivanting somewhere." Any bitterness in her voice can be excused, she things, given the way the pair of them abandoned their duties and their friends.
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#9
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Here, now, a tinge of exasperation slides into Wessex’s tone as she finds herself misjudged once again. She fights against it, struggles to put the biting words into something more constructive and useful, because it’s clear that there is still only one adult here. “Why do you always think in such extremes? Idolizing? Amalia -” shaking her head, Wessex turns to look at her with frank bewilderment. “I want equality. Mutual respect. A Grounds shaped by its people, where everyone has a say and votes.”

And therein lies the caveat, doesn’t it? By the people who live there. If you don’t live here, you can’t shape it - and Amalia’s leaving, isn’t she?

Turning her face out to the woods, her mind drifts to Rory and Jigano, to the time spent in Rory’s farmhouse - to LongNights past and the beginning of their schism. “Sometimes I think I could do the impossible - get rid of all the Monsters or find a cure for the wasting sickness - and you would still find fault with it.” At least one of those is on the to-do list, but the other does seem truly impossible in a world where that is slowly changing that definition.

The Wraith clears her throat, trying to salvage her emotions and perhaps, this meeting. “So. These unicorns. I’d like to ask them about the storms and how to get them home.” They are in her land, after all.
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#10
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
A frown slashes through Amalia's mild expression, but she makes no retort to Wessex' chastising. Instead she turns her face toward the conspicuously silent woods, teeth worrying on her lips as the tentatively positive interaction she'd hoped for turns decidedly sour. The frown deepens to a scowl as the Queen sharpens her words, an uncalled for venom lashing out to further wound the Shield. Her fingers clutch the grass braid tighter, bruising the leaves as she clenches her fist.

Then Wessex tries to change the subject, and it's the final blow for the Shield. "Good luck," she replies blandly, trying to ignore the ache in her chest, the mourning for something that will never be again. Abruptly Amalia stands again, extending her hand for Jyoti to join as she prepares to walk away.

"You know, Wessex... I always admired your conviction. And your honesty, and your willingness to stand by your decisions and what you believed in." Onyx eyes flash with anger as she looks down at the Wraith, anger honed by clarity, the ache of a child seeing her heroes for the flawed mortals that they are. "You don't want equality. You want superiority. You want your so-called goddess and your race to rise above all others, undoing the work of the Old Gods, and you want to be at her right hand when she does it. And even though I'll never agree with you, I respected your conviction. Your honesty."

Turning back towards the way she came, Amalia inhales a sharp breath. "Keep saying you want equality if you want, Wessex. The only person you're fooling is yourself."
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#11
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Wessex was quiet during her accusations, looking down at her nails and picking a bit of dirt out from beneath them. “Such a big reaction to a question about extremes.” It’s almost as if the girl has proved her point; Amalia can dish it out, but she can’t take it when it’s returned.

She shrugs as Amalia rises and makes to leave. “If I wanted superiority over equality, I’d have done a lot more by now.” Snorting, Wessex finds it almost funny that she thinks the Wraith would have hid her true goals. What’s the point in that? So many folks hate her already, why not just sink into that role and go full throttle? “I expressed dismay at a word choice and offered my take, and you call me a liar, but you haven’t had a real conversation with me in two years. You talk about me, but not to me. How could you possibly know what I do or do not want?”  

Turning to look at the woman’s back, Wessex shakes her head. “The fact is that you run away every single time, Amalia.” She ran away from the difficult and different, ran away from her marriage, ran away from a homeland instead of stepping up. “You spit out emotions, blame, run away, and dismiss anything your world view doesn’t agree with. And here you are, doing it again, instead of asking questions and listening.” There is nothing but disappointment in the Wraith’s gaze, thinking that they’d done their best to raise someone better than that.

Her nani, devout as she was, would at least have had a conversation with Wessex.
WESSEX
Amalia Chandrakant
the Archangel
Baker

Age: 29 | Height: 5'6 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 52 - Luck: 49 - Int:
JYOTI - Mythical - Starwhale (Humpback)
Played by: shark Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,098 | Total: 4,577
MP: 2580
#12
even when i was a child
i’ve always known there was something to be frightened of
She cannot help it: she scoffs, closing her eyes and shaking her head, weary of this game. To have her views twisted and subverted, to be needled into breaking and then accused of being the one in the wrong- Amalia cannot win at this, and she does not want to try. "And you make yourself the suffering martyr every time, Wessex," she girl replies softly, still not turning back to the Wraith. "It must be exhausting, always having to be right. Reminds me of Jigano. No wonder he ran away."

There's more anger bubbling at the tip of her tongue, but she bites it back, knowing it won't be productive. The barb is a cruel one, and she knows it will sting, but in this moment the Wraith more closely resembles the Sage than the woman Amalia grew up with.

Abruptly the Shield expands her wings, Jyoti returning to her side. It feels like running, but Wessex has already accused her of that; why not play the part? "I'll see you around," the girl says curtly before launching into the sky, trying to keep her tears of rage contained until she reaches the portal back to Torchline.

{fin}


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


RPG-D