[PRP] Not So Solitary (Eoin & Coraline)

[xo maho]

This is a private roleplay between Eoin (Mahogany Sunset) and Coraline (Nuclearity).
Please do not post without permission.

 

[xo maho]

Pulling a long strand of shells behind him, Eoin pushed off from rock to rock along the shore to spare his fins any more strain - there was only so much his small body could handle, and the strong tide made the struggle even more harrying. Nonetheless, he used his hooves to pull himself over one rock after another, his dorsal fins breaking the surface every once in a while. Occasionally, he'd peek up over the surface to catch a glimpse of the beach, but it was empty; traders and visitors seldom appeared on non-Trading Days. But that didn't really matter, because he wasn't looking for traders. He was looking for his father's stash.

It has to be around here somewhere. George had described a tumble of rocks near a cave, but there were plenty of tumbles of rocks and not many visible caves, and his father was known for swimming for miles against tide and storm both to get to his treasure... And Eoin was beginning to feel desperate. He wasn't looking to steal from it, of course. That would get him exiled. No, his father had sent him on an errand to fetch one of the necklaces from the cache for the next Trading Day. Stolen from a mer, the item had been hiding out for years beneath the rock that protected it from the outside world, waiting until it was safe to be traded with the Grail - it wouldn't do to have an unsuspecting customer attacked by a random angry mer whose necklace it had once been. And so, now that it was safe (well, safer than it had been a few years ago) the necklace was ready to reenter the trade. At least, that was what George claimed. Somehow, he'd managed to compel his son to go get it, and not the one with four legs.

Oh well, Eoin thought. I'd rather be out here getting chewed up by the current than out there getting chewed up by an angry kelpi. Just then, he saw it: a dark spot along the coast as he surfaced for a moment, rock jutting out into the ocean. Here we go. The tumble of rocks was just ahead, almost six feet tall beneath the surface, black and covered with white splotches of barnacles. At the bottom, under the smallest rock, his father had said, and he saw the stone there, no bigger than one of the white plates that they found on ships, which Ronnie had told him humans ate off of. Glittering gold and silver peeked out from beneath the corners. But what if there was somebody around? He couldn't risk his father's stash... Better scope out the cave.

He floated carefully over to the entrance, using his tail as a rudder to balance out his direction. The tide was gentle, at least, and he wasn't in danger of being dashed here in the little bay - he couldn't imagine what would happen if it was coming in. He'd probably be thrashed to pieces. Peering into the darkness, he called a soft, "Hello?"

Nuclearity

 

[Nuclearity]

Flowers.

Flowers everywhere. There were oh, so many, they illuminated the meadow! And the variety was astonishing, as if the Angeni of Flowers herself had personally blessed and arranged the celebration. Coraline let out a whinny of a giggle, envisioning the graceful Angeni as a modest florist, and the flock of mares surrounding her mirrored her laughter absentmindedly. The mares were a collective of her closest friends, and there was no one she'd rather be with right now than... Him. Cory's heart fluttered with anticipation as the sea of Soquili spread and created a crescent-like formation around her, as if reading her mind, leaving her face-to-face with the stallion of her dreams; A towering Arabian male with a coat as white as the foam of the sea, muscles chiseled into his physique, obviously of royal descent. And he was all hers. When he smiled, it left her breathless.

Wait a second...

'I can't breathe!!!'

She whipped her head around frantically, seeking help in the eyes of everyone that was attending her wedding. Couldn't they see something was wrong?! Why wasn't anyone doing anything?! Why wasn't anyone... Here?

Crystal blue eyes fluttered open, and Cory hopped to attention in one swift motion accompanied by a gasp for air. Her heart felt as if it'd flutter right out of her chest! A chill traced her spine, and she shook rather violently, the pearls 'round her neck loosening and coming to a rest in their rightful position.

Then, there was nothing. Nothing but relief and a tinge of disappointment. Rather than a glorious, colorful meadow, she was in the very cave she had dozed off in: Drab, damp, and dreary. It was still beautiful to Coraline, however. She stood for a moment and listened to the musical composition of water droplets dripping from the stalactites into the puddles below. Just as she was about to hum along and begin her ascent from the cavern, she heard something quite unusual, far outside of the stalactites' singing range: a near-mute "hello."

"Hello!!! Who is it? Please don't be afraid!!" At no point in her thought process did Coraline think to be afraid herself. It simply wasn't her, to question the morals of those that had done her no preliminary harm.

 

[xo maho]

Eoin was already turning away from the cave, not expecting an answer, when he heard a scuffling followed by an echoing call - a female voice. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid? Well, with such a greeting, he couldn't imagine whoever was in there would be fright-worthy. Curious, he swam further, closer to the rocky shore. Something was moving in there, but he wasn't sure what; even though it was daytime, the shadows overtook the sunlight, and his poor out-of-water eyesight did nothing to help him.

"My name's Eoin! Will you come out where I can see you?" Holding himself steady with two hooves hooked over a rock, Eoin tried to figure out what he could about the owner of the voice before she appeared... For it was a she, he thought, by the way she spoke and the melody of her voice. The waves whooshed around him, washing over his fins and keeping him from drying out too quickly. By the flicker of movement, he thought that she was tall... Taller than his siblings, at least, who were the tallest people he knew. Could she be a Kelpi? The thought made him a little wary - Kelpi were known for having a preference for meat - but he tried to shoo it away; she sounded nice enough, eager to see who was at her doorstep. Shhhh, shhhh, he told himself. She'll reveal herself soon enough.

Nuclearity

 

[Nuclearity]

A childish grin spread across Coraline's face; 'A friend!!!' It was quickly followed by the echoing click-clack of alternating white and pink hooves on the rock surface of the cavern's floor. She progressed until she stood, sparkling, in the light projected through the sizable blowhole that tore through the ceiling. She looked almost exactly like a beautiful formation of coral then, her coat also glistening due to the high level of moisture in the cave. If she stood still, it'd have been the perfect camouflage.

The whimsical smile fell right off, however, when Cory looked about and saw no one. Yet, the visitor had given her a name! Certainly, she wasn't just imagining it! "Where are you, Eoin? I cannot spot you, either!" She cooed, never thinking to look down at the water, softly rocking to and fro.

Oh, how she hoped the stallion she'd heard was not a figment of her imagination.. But she could imagine him now: A tall, dark and handsome explorer, roughened by his travels, which must have brought him to this very cave. He also seemed a tad soft-spoken, or perhaps even cautious! As one should be, venturing into a dark and mysterious hollow.

 

[xo maho]

The clopping of hooves on stone confirmed his suspicions: she was tall, very tall, probably eight times taller than he. And then suddenly she came into the light that shone down from the ceiling, and he wasn't sure whether to be terrified or dazzled, for she looked like she belonged in the sea. Coral jutted from her sides, her head... And her coloration would have made her blend in perfectly. But as he looked at her, he saw no fins - nothing that would speak to her ability to live, to thrive in the ocean as he and his family did. So she belongs to the sea, but can't be with it. The thought gave him a pang of heartbreak. Was this why she lived in such a dank cave?

As she casted about for him, however, he realized that she was searching for someone at eye level with herself, and that made him chuckle lightly. "Down here, love," he said, crossing his hooves a little on the rock he clung to. "I'm not quite the average height, I'm afraid."

Well, this was certainly a nice distraction from his father's errand. If he returned late, it wouldn't matter; the Trading Day wasn't for another few days. Perhaps that would be enough time to tell his siblings about her... If she was all alone out here, maybe she would be their first stop on their way to shore.

Nuclearity

 

[Nuclearity]

'Huh?!' Coraline surveyed the shadier area that separated ground from sea. 'That's a rock.... That's another rock....'

"Oh!" There he was! The little Seathi was hard to distinguish at first, against the dark slab of rock he was resting his hooves on, save for his colorful markings. Cory blushed and inclined her head slightly into herself, shying of the assumptions she'd made. He was definitely dark, and apparently an explorer, but he had no height to him. 'What a tiny, adorable thing!'

She then noticed that she was simply standing there, staring him down with her baby blues. Clearing her throat, she began to speak, "I apologize," 'boy, does my mouth feel dry,' "I should have thought to look in the water, silly me!" Her voice broke halfway through 'water', which only deepened the rosiness of her cheeks. "I guess I was looking for something that wasn't here, and couldn't possibly be here...." 'Oh, no, did I say that out loud?!' Damn it, she was screwing up big time! The Seathi must surely think she's crazy awkward by now. 'Quick, a cover!' "See, I had just woken up, and I was dreaming about talking palm trees growing in my cave, so I was actually looking to meet one of them! I guess I'm a little groggy, see." Wow. 'Way to go. Now he's going to think you're a complete nutcase. Talking palm trees?! Really?!' She laughed, as if to acknowledge her own ridiculousness, and peered at Eoin meekly, awaiting scrutiny.

Her internal conflict was making her sweat, and her heart was beating at like, a billion beats a second! Truthfully, Coraline hadn't had a friend in a long while, and she so hoped he wouldn't up and swim away this very moment, although she couldn't exactly blame him if he did.