SAIL [open]

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=#d7af9c] It was a quiet, overcast day, just like the day she met him. The clouds insulated the world below and swallowed the waves through the air, both sun and sound. There was a light breeze, a calm before the storm, and rain threatened to tear from its captor in the sky and return to its mother Earth. Soon, the world would be a hazy blur from the droplets of water, catching reflections of the world as they fell. The sky was not bruised its angry shade of violet; only a light, refreshing rain would rejuvenate life again. It was just like that day; the eerie silence, that time before the storms came, the breeze. Only the scenery had changed. Daffodils and blades of grass swaying in the breeze had been replaced by solid rock and grains of sand, trees by coastal bluffs. The air tasted of salt; she was a long way from the refreshing mountain air she knew so well. And, most importantly, he was nowhere to be found. His dogs would not hunt her, he would not profess his affection for her. He would stay in that forest, where he had left her. He couldn't follow her anymore. And, as she stood at the mouth of the great wide ocean, dyed several shades of gray, she felt powerful for the first time. They could no longer influence her destiny; her path, no matter how winding and mislead, would be hers to travel. Her mother could not part the rivers for her to pass, and certainly he would not cut paths through the trees in an effort to find her. As comfortable as she was with the paths that others decided for her, she expected to feel unnerved in light of these recent events. Anxiety should have crept into every fold of her mind, but instead, all she could find was relief. Like the withered plants being rejuvenated by the rain, her life would begin anew with each falling drop. A statue by the edge of the sea, Persephone inhaled the briny air, content with this change of scene. The sea was so far from her previous home that she had rarely traveled there as a youth. Occasionally there would be some need to make such a pilgrimage, but rarely did this occur. She scanned the ocean's surface, searching for signs of life in the ocean. Peaking out of the water at regular intervals were the fins of dolphins, dolphins that would protect against vicious sharks. On her previous excursion to the beach, she learned that dolphins would attack sharks if they were nearby, and so the presence of dolphins meant the absence of sharks. To either side of her were the lifeless corpses of jellyfish who had come too close to the edge of their domain and ended life stranded on a sandy shore, powerless to return home. Their presence signaled that a storm was brewing on the ocean; the winds would sweep these pests closer to shore. The air carried the muffled sound of waves crashing and of gulls screeching. Life was all around on the ocean. To one side, Persephone spotted a horseshoe crab wandering back into the ocean, attempting to propel itself across the thick, wet sand. She lazily crept over to it, watching it as it left. This occupied much of her time, but she was just passing the time. She had no specific meeting planned here, but she planned on meeting someone here. The specifics were not clear, but the beach had to be somewhat populated. Another would come along to investigate the lonely gray on the beach. Her coat blended with the colors of the sky and the ocean, but with any luck, someone would see her regardless. After she left them all behind, she had traveled for several days, completely alone. Despite the sounds of the ocean, the silence in her own mind was deafening, and she needed companionship to fill that void. word count: [662] thoughts... Speech. Other: This was written yesterday, when the weather was light rain, hence the weather is different from today! Open to any.

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the sky was an almost completely solid mass of grey, though a darker monochromatic shade indicated fat clouds with storms in their bellies. and their promise of rain was about to be fulfilled, if luther was any judge of the weather. the dual-coloured stud raised his pale crown and stared at the clouded sky, wondering what had possessed this sudden fit of unfair weather when, just mere days ago, the sun had been shining and he had been begging for a breeze to cool him off. it appeared that he was finally getting that wish, though it was just a little too late. the brute swished his thick, ivory tail over his hocks and lowered his head, allowing his pale blue orbs to ravage the landscape that lay before him. aside from the mass of solid grey sky, the beach was quite easy on the eyes. the waves rolled over the pale sand with a dull roar that was maybe a little more vigorous than usual. either way, it blended naturally with the shrieking of the seagulls that littered the beach in droves, taking flight in a frenzy when luther came within more than two feet of them. uninterested in their antics, the czar inhaled deeply and then released the breath, grimacing.

the strong smell of salt permeated the air, thick and sour, reminding luther of the days that it had taken for his father’s herd to make the crossing to toren. it had been a long and dangerous journey. and for some, it had been fatal. he had only been a yearling then, too young to fully comprehend exactly why the herd was undertaking such an arduous journey, but too old to forget the horrors that the fatal trip forced upon him. if he had only been a little younger! perhaps his mind would have been able to spare him from the nightmarish memories. but no. unfortunately for luther, all it took was the briny scent of the ocean to bring every memory of those three horrible days, and the aftermath that followed, flooding back to him. it took a moment for the black and white czar to realize that he had stopped walking and was standing mere feet from the edge of the water, as still and stoic as a statue. the stag blinked his icy blue eyes and turned away from the ocean, seeking a distraction from the stench of brine in his nostrils. and there she was, just like that.

a picturesque figure stood just down the shore, the only thing separating the damsel from the dual-toned brute was a short stretch of pale sand, dampened by the lapping waves. luther raised his ivory dial and whinnied at the lithe figure, his long legs already in motion, carrying his well-muscled body towards her. not once did his pale blue orbs pull their gaze from her dappled pelt as he erased the short distance between them. he drank in every detail of her finely crafted frame, from the sliver of ivory on her hind legs to her expressive, caramel eyes. the brute felt as though he might be able to read every line of her inner dialog through those captivating eyes, and that was never a good thing. however, she appeared to be the distraction that the czar was looking for. luther halted his strides over the sand, leaving a fair gap between himself and the maiden so that he wouldn’t seem as though he wanted to invade her personal space. his pale crown was lowered in a polite greeting, a way of showing respect and saying, "i don’t want to be rude and i don’t mean you any harm", and he lifted it proudly once again before vocally introducing himself.

"i hope i’m not intruding," the two-toned brute began, flicking his tail. "but if you desire company, my name is luther."


words: 645
tagged: tira
comments: i'm sorry this took so long >:

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=#d7af9c] ...I'm sure he'd try to crack your shell, but not me. I'd take care of you; I'd feed you and make sure you made it to the breaking waves at night. I'd try to figure out your name, but I'd probably just call you Charlie when I gave up.... Her amber eyes peered down at the small creature, the horseshoe crab, full of interest. Following her gaze, her crania reached down to inhale the seaworthy scent of the small creature. She cringed. But you're a pretty crappy friend, Charlie. We were never meant to bridge the species gap, you and I. The small crustacean began to crawl slowly back to his watery home, a place a place where Seph would not follow. She emitted a great sigh upon his departure, dismayed that her guest was leaving, but she could not have asked for worse company. He could neither speak nor understand; she was effectually talking to herself. It felt nice to see another living creature, regardless of how little interaction there could have been between them. But as he shoved off into the great blue (gray today, she guessed), her audits perked forward in attention. The cool breeze brought the scent of a change. There was a new visitor approaching, perhaps a new companion of more flesh and bone than Charlie. But this visitor was far from here. Perhaps it wouldn't come at all. From nearby, the panicked calls of gulls shrieked across the beach, followed by the frantic fluttering of confused wings. They were obviously escaping some terror, but what could be closing on them? It had to be massive enough to force them from their vacationing on the shore. Gulls did not move for puny creatures, and they hardly moved for their own kind, preferring to squabble instead. There was something larger, hopefully more communicative, coming in her direction. The passed directly overhead, a swarm of elegant chaos. She turned her attention to the direction from which they came, and standing by the shore was a figure she had not noticed before. Dressed in a coat of grayscales, the creature was drawing closer to her. Its coloration indicated that it was an equine, hopefully one without any illnesses. Worry painted her features for a split second, then was washed away by the call of this new guest. It was better to risk contracting that dreadful ailment than to remain solitary for a moment longer. As he drew forward, her curious orbs examined his features, but there were so many to explore in the short stretch of sand he was traversing. His unusual coloration struck her first; the intricate splashes of dark against light drew in her attention most. Her senses traced out the shape of an S on his side, then came to his cranial features. Even from such a distance, his azure orbs stuck through the dim gray pervading the air. It was there her own eyes rested. Although the icy coloration made them harder to read, Seph could not determine any ill intent from them. Her weight shifted on her hocks slightly as he began to pull to a stop and dip his head. When he began to speak, she relaxed; a faint smile came to her features. "The only thing you're intruding on is this overwhelming silence I've encountered since I came here. And for that, I am quite grateful." She dipped her head in response to his greeting. "Luther? It's a pleasure. I'm Persephone. What brings you to these shores on such a lovely day as this?" Her tones were smooth yet laced with a playful sarcasm. She meant no harm to him; it was her natural way of interacting. Had she been more accustomed to equine interaction in the past few months, she would have adopted a more polite stance towards the brute. But on first glance, he didn't seem the type to mind. word count: [651] thoughts... Speech. Other: it's fine! sorry mine took so long, too. it's been a crazy weekend ._.

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the brute tipped his head slightly to the side, the expression upon his kissers remaining impassive and maybe even hovering on the edge of disinterest. however, he could hardly keep his pale blue orbs off of her light grey bodice and you could practically see the cogs in his ivory cranium churn as his eyes continued to subtly roam over her dappled pelt. there was absolutely no denying that she was a pretty little thing with her finely chiselled features and that cloudy canvas stretched over delicate bones. there was a certain frailty about her, though whether or not it was simply due to her gender or because of something much deeper, luther didn't bother to discern. he merely allowed her to be as she was - pretty and frail, without any personality or history to put weight on her frame. but the key word here was "yet" because at some point in their conversation, the damsel would say something that would add to her personality, deepen the czar's knowledge of her being, and then he would begin to develop emotions regarding her. whether or not these emotions would be positive or not was completely up in the air until such a time, but, judging from experience, luther would be more than willing to make allowances for her just because she was physically attractive. oh, the things he would do for a pretty face!

"it's my pleasure," the stag responded, his features softening ever so slightly. the corners of his lips turned upwards in the whisper of a smile, barely noticeable if you were looking for it, but changing his entire visage at the same time. "persephone... i'm pleased to make your acquaintance." luther responded, always playing the gentleman. there was no need for anything except casual, polite charm at this point, and the two-toned brute had to resist the urge to turn up the glamour when persephone's playful lyrics infiltrated his auds. his ears tipped towards her, eager for more of her song, then flickered back once again when he realized that it was his turn to respond. the czar had to take a brief second to focus and clear the fog that had muddled his brain. if the essa wanted to play, then he would oblige her. the shadow of a smile that played on his lips grew to a more noticeable expression, but the stud kept it slightly toned down so that it would seem he was only amused by her humour. if it was a game that she wanted to play, luther couldn't appear too eager, he had to let her warm up to him first.

"do i hear a hint of sarcasm?" the brute bantered, "is it not a beautiful day to visit the beach? and if the day isn't as nice as we wished, then surely our meeting brightens it slightly?" luther's smile lingered as he spoke, sugaring his words maybe too much.

words: 489
tagged: persephone
comments: i wrote the first paragraph while drinking so i'm sorry if it's mostly gibberish o__o;

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=#d7af9c] His features were painted in disinterest. His eyes roved about, uninterested in anything but her body, and his other features showed that he was paying little attention to her. Although she understood that he knew nothing of her personality, it still displeased her to have his eyes rove over her in this way, capturing only the physical beauty she possessed. So far, being the pretty face in the crowd had done little to further her in life. It was the reason for her capture originally, and now she was here, before a brute that was eyeing her in much the same way. His gaze was less interested and not calculating, so she did not find him much of a threat. But she could see those thoughts behind that disinterested facade. All gentlemen seemed to have these ideas, whether they were formally expressed or not. When orbits and audits linger about features for too long, the mind becomes a breeding ground for images of an ideal future. A lithe smile lit her features as she pushed her distrust in him from her mind. She'd hardly given him a chance to prove himself; it wasn't fair to assume the worst about him. Not yet; he would have to work to earn her distrust. His silky song infiltrated her audits and eased her mind. His voice was soothing, enough to make her trust him more. He played the part of the perfect gentlemen quite well; he obviously had practiced for his role quite well. Perhaps he was always this way, but her sarcastic words would test the waters to see if there was more to him. Which, by the change in his features and the few moments pause he took to respond, those words had caught him much by surprise. Persephone was not one to conceal inner thoughts or personality traits, and if they were going to be friends, he'd find that sarcasm sooner or later. Better that it was not directed at him for now. But her words seemed to have reached him, and he was suddenly more interested in what she was saying. A smile now lit his features, and she wished it would stay or grow in proportions. It suited him much better than that slightly vacant look he wore earlier. She could tell that this was his natural way of being, turning up the charm to entice her. Seph smirked as he began to speak, grateful that he caught the sarcasm and was responding well to it. She didn't want to insult him or make him feel uncomfortable, so she was pleased when she found that he was not flummoxed by her humor. But his final few words made a coy smirk light her features and a small laugh escape her. Oh, oh you're good. "Surely it does. I'm sure you could charm the sun from behind the clouds if you tried hard enough." She was becoming restless by standing and conversing, and she wished to walk and talk. She turned down the length of the beach and turned her crania back to him. "Walk?" If he said no, she would turn to stand with him once again, but she hoped he would come. word count: 535] thoughts... Speech. Other: Hahaha! It was actually pretty good!

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so the damsel had a silver tongue, too, even if she wasn't aware of it. the czar, however, didn't think that was the case here. the lass, persephone, knew exactly what she was doing and she was enjoying herself. or, at least he was hoping that part was the truth. luther was certainly enjoying himself, or he was beginning to. nothing like playful banter to get a conversation rolling. there was wasn't the usual buzz of tension in the air, nor any hint of an uncomfortable silence. if he and his new acquaintance were to stop talking for a moment, the brute was sure that he would feel quite at ease in the dappled fae's presence. but, as it was, luther was enjoying their conversation more and more as it progressed. he tilted his pale crown up towards the sky so that his icy blue orbs were fixated upon the unattractive grey murk that was supposed to be the sky, trying to discern where the sun might possibly be hiding. however, the clouds were so thick that the entire expanse of sky was an almost identical shade of grey. this didn't dampen the stag's spirit, though, and he proceeded to call out, "oh sun, where are you hiding? the mortals that walk this earth would have you grace us with your presence. bathe us in your golden light, for without you our lives are naught but darkness." and, after a second, when the clouds did not part and the sun did not appear, luther lowered his dial again, smiling more broadly at persephone.

"if seems you're mistaken, the sun doesn't take kindly to the charms of stallions of such as myself." the czar told her, lightly shaking his head while still eyeing her figure. the damsel’s stance shifted, then her entire frail body moved, her muscles rippling beneath her coat, and before he knew it, she was facing away from him. luther shifted his own stance, putting his weight on his hind legs and pivoting slightly so that he, too, was facing the same direction as Persephone, but he still stood slightly behind her. for a brief second the brute was confused. did she want to leave? was their discussion at an end? he couldn’t fathom why she would possibly want to abandon him now, without so much as giving him a believable reason as to why. but then she turned, her blackened lips parting to invite him to continue their exchange , and a well-hidden wave of relief washed over the stag.

"walk?"

"sure," luther granted her request and his slender legs quickly ate up the sandy ground beneath their hooves, bringing his torso up to par with hers. "where to?" he inquired, wondering if she actually had a destination in mind or if she just wanted to continue exploring the beach like she had been before he interrupted her. the dual-toned stud didn’t mind either way. he had been enjoying his stroll before he had stumbled across this his new acquaintance, but this was definitely an improvement to being solitary, and she didn’t seem to mind the interruption, either.

words: 522
tagged: persephone
comments: clearly i wasn't intoxicated here X3
feathers received: no

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][bg=#d7af9c] Already she was enjoying the presence of Luther much more than the bronc that once claimed her affections. Hades was nearly as charming as a toad, but she had found his company comforting after acclimating herself to his attitude. For despite his poor personal skills, he was genuine, perhaps to a fault. At first she doubted Luther’s sincerity; there was no way one so charismatic could be at all sincere. She also felt that she could estimate his underlying personality already; the time she had taken to adjust to Hades’ unruly personality had not occurred with Luther. She did not fear him in the least, and she was beginning to enjoy his almost sickeningly charismatic demeanor. At this point, what she thought was a charade had been put up for so long that she had little reason to doubt his sincerity. She had rarely encountered a genuinely charming brute before; there was usually an ulterior motive for such charisma. So far, she had found no reason other than to have company, which was a noble enough cause for her. As Luther scanned the sky, Perseph peered up at the masses of gray, black , and white that had been a strikingly beautiful shade of azure just the day before. The weather was rarely stable around here; it changed so quickly that the femme hardly knew whether to take shelter from day to day. Seph giggled quietly at Luther’s attempts to coax the sun from behind the shadows, but his valiant efforts appeared to make it recede ever further. The stag did not seem dismayed by the results of this attempt; in fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself. Seph gave a warm smile in approval. ”Well the sun’s a fool for it. That was such a gracious plea.“ Usually I just shout things or curse at the weather when I don’t approve of it. Then, as she turned to leave, she could see the worry in Luther’s features. His body language screamed that he didn’t want her to leave. Although she didn’t wish to worry him by turning to go, she felt important when he wanted to keep her around. She smiled warmly as the relief pushed through the worry. He responded to her question in the affirmative, so she began to walk down the length of the shore. Where to? She thought a moment, and her chocolate orbs showed her concentration. She honestly couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. She had hardly wandered these lands for more than a week, and in that time, she had seen relatively few places she would want to go with company. ”Valid question. I really don’t know. I can’t say I’m from around here, so I’m not sure where any good places are. “ Her words stopped as a gentle rain made its way to the earth below, just barley dampening the gray femme. Her audits turned back to avoid raindrops. This was not a typical summer storm. This rain was gentler than in those flash-flood rainfalls. While those storms soaked through to the bone, this rain was merely a minor nuisance. Fortunately, her company was interesting enough to walk with through the rain. ”But if you don’t have any ideas on where to go, I’m not opposed to just walking. The rain’s not so bad.” word count: 555 thoughts... Speech. Other: Hahaha! It was actually pretty good!