Cool eyes turned to regard Nivra. "What good is finding our lost allies if there is no where to return them to? The reserve is a joke. We are not scarelings. We are not Students. We are so much more than that, and we deserve more than a patch of land behind a school." She had always hoped it would be a temporary solution. That they would move on, claim a greater place for themselves and rebuild, but they had not, and now it looked as if that may never come to pass if they followed Charon's so peaceful example.
Frowning, the priestess brought her arms up to fold them across her chest, head turning to look out over the gathered masses. A dark figure caught her eye, the only one darker than herself. "Bastion." Her voice rose so he could ear her, and she took a step towards him, uncurling her arms to reach either hand out to her cousin.
Which why would he side? She could admit she was not sure. Bas was loyal, the most loyal soul she had ever known, but his heart was too big, and he cared a great deal to those that perhaps he should not.
miliardo kason
nio love
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:01 pm
Nkosazana frowned at seeing so many of her fellows standing with Medea and not Charon, the representative of Death himself. It seemed strange that they would prioritize a priestess over the words of Death, considering he was higher than any of them...
But then, perhaps she should not have been so surprised by the idea that they would prefer Medea over Charon. Medea spoke of revenge, and she knew where many of her fellows' minds sat. She felt some of it herself: anger at the Hunters, upset at their situation, depression at so much loss, bitterness over what they were dealt in Halloween. But at the same time, it could have been so much worse. By Death, those of Halloween could have not taken them in at all, forcing them to wander aimlessly in the realms of Insanity they still have not reclaimed.
Might not ever reclaim.
But it hadn't been a terribly long time, and Nkosazana knew that. Many of their lives had been long, much longer than the few years they had found themselves in this situation. Perhaps they had always known a life of privilege, but it could come back in time. They needed time to repair, time to rebuild, and the patience to formulate their own ways of getting back to the top of the world as they had been before.
There was nothing that could have made Nkosazana change her mind from the choice she had made. To follow Death's messenger, Charon, would always be the right choice. It was definitely the more logical choice at the moment. Medea was not being logical. She was being rash. She was being impatient. This was not the way of the priestesses, and she was ashamed that even other priestesses seemed to agree. Had they all lost their way?
Had she lost her --
No.
Nkosazana turned her attention away from the crowd of horsemen gathered with Medea, choosing to move herself closer to Charon. She did not move significantly, though, leaving herself open to conversation from anyone.
Seiana_ZI
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Miliardo Kason
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:15 pm
The gaze washed over Nirva, and it was clear in the look alone what would be said next, she didn't take offense to it, nor did she buckle under the gaze. "The good is bringing them back, it's more of us to fight off the Insanity Titans, to try and restore our lands." She shrugged again, "We do both tasks we benefit all of our people. Is that not the best choice?"
A rustle of wings, a rattle of metal she lifted her helm slipping it over her head, "Come and find me when you're ready, we can bring Medea what she needs first, I suspect the fighting will do us both good."
Turning away the Horsemen cut her way through the crowd to start bringing sacrifices for their leader, hoping for all their sakes she was right.
exit!
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:39 pm
Lurks made a face, not sure who he'd be siding with, as neither was the Mother, and she wasn't there to offer up her opinion.
There were many destined for greatness, and Pavlushka had accepted long ago that he was not one of them. That was not disheartening, nor did it encourage him to strive towards greatness to alter his own destiny - he simply accepted the role, and followed where others led. He did what he was supposed to with the best of his ability, even though it was not a very impressive ability in the slightest.
It was understandably a problem when two leaders arose, especially when they were both such admirable figures of importance. Both of them had achieved their greatness a long, long time ago, and Lushka faintly smiled when he thought of their respective journeys. Two great figures, each from his clan, each requesting for them to take drastically opposing actions. Following was not an option any longer, as there was only one of him.
So he listened in silence, as he always had, and it was in silence that he thought over their words. To see his Clan divided was not something that he desired, especially as they had all been scattered over time, paths splitting in so many branching directions. Now they would be divided once more, halved between two very different choices.
His anxious gaze took interest in the chains that he fidgeted with, as he feebly attempted to delay the choice for a second longer. Each second would build on the second before it, right? And the seconds could turn into minutes, hours, days, and then he could remain in a Clan undivided, couldn't he?
The sound of a familiar name being spoken nearby drew his attention towards it, and a strangled noise of discomfort rose in his throat. With a deep breath, he tightly drew his cloak around him and shuffled in the direction of his friend.
"...with Medea..." A friendly greeting to both Bastion and Nergui, as well as one and a half sentences, had all been lost to a whisper that was too restrained to be actually audible.
Nio Love
Beejoux
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 11:34 pm
Qarah came from dark to bright quite suddenly, unexpected. This was enough to put it into a Mood. It held no particular preference for either state, the cool dark of the lair or the heavy bright weight of the sun, but what it did not like was change that came upon it without warning. Medea was Elder, elder of elders, and so Qarah did not bare needle teeth at her, listened with deferent respect, but its bony shoulders hunched underneath its shawls with irritation.
Charon's interruption was welcome enough. Medea called for invasion, for war, and her appeal to pride nearly convinced Qarah's prickly sense of propriety. Had there been no counterpoint, it would have bowed to age and experience, allowed itself to be convinced. Bu it disliked being told that it must choose, and it must choose now, and anyway even if it did like to play with humans it did not want responsibility for more than one or two at a time. A whole world of them was excessive. Moderation, all things in moderation. Too much change and too much excess and it did not like being told to choose, and thus, with authority of equal weight to listen to, it decided that it did not have to listen to Medea, contrary, irritable.
It bared its teeth at her, now that it had decided it could, and went away to look for creatures or for things.
Unable to mask her smile, the brunette loosed a small chuckle at his words. "No doubt. Perhaps later we can settle this." For now, they had more important things to think of. Feigning a pout, her head tilted slightly to glance at Elric as he spoke. "Spoil sport." Even if they had to keep their prey breathing, it didn't mean they didn't get to at least maim them a little first. After all, just barely breathing was still breathing.
"Hmm, aside from the obvious that most of our kin are debating which sides to choose, I didn't really pay much attention. Obviously we're siding with the priestess, yes?" After all, she didn't come all the way here just to watch everyone else have all the fun.
"So? Whats the plan?"
Lilwolfpard
Sorry! ;;
sammpai
I only just got a chance to post ;;
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:37 am
Bastion heard Nergui's voice as clear as a bell, and his arms were around her waist instantly. "Hello, Noni!" The familiar face, and comforting voice of his cousin and dearest, had him at ease at once. He let her go, and gave her a half-hearted grin. "I cannot say I'm surprised to see you here, of course, but it brings me comfort." He didn't think he needed to ask - he just assumed that his cousin stood with Medea, as he did.
A voice that did surprise him seemed to whisper close by, and he turned, eyes widening. Lushka himself wasn't the surprise, so much as his presence at this affair. If Bastion knew him well enough, he would have expected the other horseman to be as far away from the throng as possible - but he should have expected the same for himself.
"With Medea." He repeated the only part of Lushka's words that he'd heard, and the only part of them that mattered. He saluted solemnly, his fist pressing up against his heart, but once done, he dropped the facade and gave his old friend a hearty, one armed hug.
"Noni, you remember Lushka, don't you? Another brother in Death has survived to be with us today."
Kiwi shifted his attention to the desert around them. He had spent a long time wrestling with such a decision. To say that his own past didn’t still haunt him would be a lie. But there was a power in owning one’s past. It was a bit like the Insanity. Voices ever present, always murmuring things he could never quite catch. Were they mocking him?? Laughing?? Crying?? Pleading for help?? He would never know unless he delved deeper.
He felt the same path unfurling before him now. Medea always said that all paths led to the same end. So did it really matter which side he chose?? ...
No, he decided. In whatever crumbling past or possible future Medea saw for them, he would do everything within his power to ensure the clan survived. If he had to commit himself to one over the other, then so be it. He had been ‘lost’ long enough.
He approached Medea's side with a silent determination.
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:39 pm
[ entering ]
The airy jangle of bracelets and trinkets filled the air, bringing a smile to the soldier's lips. All around him, the soft sounds of a joyous gathering enveloped him, and he felt warm and secure in a way that he hadn't since the isles had been destroyed. He imagined all of his relations and acquaintances together as they had been then, and he found himself reluctant to open his eyes and find that what he hoped to see was not there at all.
When he finally did give in, Mmur was surprised to see a man, a table, and a menu, of all things. He wasn't afraid to admit that he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Am I...
- - -
"...dreaming?"
The world changed. It stayed the same.
Instead of an expensive tablecloth, now there was a broken-legged wreck in its place. He was no longer sitting, in fact his knees were locked and still, and the stiffness he felt when he bent them suggested they had been like that for quite a while. A disembodied voice urged him to take an object. Red or black? Which one was he meant to choose? With a shrug, he reached for both. The world changed for the second time.
- - -
Once again his surroundings felt a bit like home—minus the pillars and what looked like an awkward spill of obsidian—enough so that Mmur stood staring at the strange landscape until he was addressed. He turned then, and when he saw that the one who had spoken was Medea, he couldn't help glancing back over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't talking to someone more important just behind him. When Charon followed suit, Mmur lowered his head.
"Ah, yes. A dream." Death's representative would never have anything to say to him directly.
Now that his state of consciousness had been determined, Mmur stood attentively, hands clasped loosely and feet slightly parted as if he was receiving orders... which it seemed he might have been. A side. He was to pick one. Wait. What were his choices again?
Medea. She had been a fine leader in her time and he had followed her without question, as had been his way, but this talk of old gods and being remembered seemed premature. Hadn't they just arrived in Halloween? Didn't they have all the time in the world to rise again? No, if he was being forced to make a choice, he would have to side with Death... or Charon, he supposed. He didn't really want to choose at all. Couldn't he just serve whoever came out on top? Or himself?
He turned, surveying the others of his kind who had been gathered here. Salbei. Now there was someone he had been trying to work up the courage to approach for quite some time. He thought of doing so now, but halfway there he lost his nerve. The soldier stopped in front of an unfamiliar priestess instead, appreciative of the fact that she had placed herself almost squarely between the two packs of horsemen.
"I like your impartiality," he said approvingly. Both sides sounded too similar for Mmur to be throwing down support for either at the moment. Now or later. What did it matter for beings as long-lived as they were? Nothing the head priestess or Death had done lately had seemed to help or hinder their ultimate cause at all anyway. He had been in the Haunted House. He had seen how weak he was. He didn't think they were going to get anywhere right now, no matter how hard they threw themselves into it.
Ying grabbed her brothers hand, very certain that she was going to keep him close this time. No separating or forgetting who they were! No sir!
Ah- there was Kiwi! "Kiwi! Kiwi!!" Her frantic waving turned to a disappointed frown of confusion as Kiwi edged closer to Medea. Kiwi? Dear sweet Kiwi? He was not meant for that kind of bloodshed. No!
She looked to the others and said, "Please excuse me for a moment." She then slid to where Kiwi was, grabbing her friend's hands and tugging him away from Medea to a more private area to talk.
"Kiwi, my very dear friend, why are you doing this?" Her frown painted her confusion on her face. "I-I do not understand."
xoxomenai
OnO
bloodlust dante
chirigami
enoh love
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:21 pm
Nkosazana was leaving herself open to conversation, and was therefore unsurprised when a shorter horseman did approach her. Famine, it looked like. Interesting eyes...
It was a relief that he did not ask her why she was not so readily joining with Medea. Good. At least some of her fellows had some sanity remaining.
"Ah, thank you." Nkosazana offered a smile to him, before looking ahead, out at the crowd that had bunched around the rash Medea and the relatively little that had joined up with Charon. It was almost frightening how impatient they were. Considering how long they had lived, they had only been lost for a blink of the eye. It was not a state that would last.
"I think Medea is acting too rashly." There was a small frown on her face, deepened by the idea that she was going against her own Head Priestess. It seemed to be an unwise move, considering the other Priestesses were not remaining neutral or with Charon, and instead going with their Head Priestess. It was a risk she was willing to take. Priestesses were supposed to be patient. And they were supposed to be an ear for others. They were not supposed to throw themselves into rash actions. "I understand the anger against the Hunters and the upset at being relegated to a reservation, but it has only been a few years. This is nothing."
She glanced to Charon. "Charon's got a better idea of it," and it was an idea she agreed with, "we do need to let ourselves rebuild and heal. But that will take time."
Nkosazana rung her hands. "Mm, I'm Nkosazana, by the way. Of Death, though I presume that obvious... You are?"
Ying. The sudden grasp of delicate hands caught the Famine colt off-guard as he was pulled aside.
"Doing what?? ..." He asked. He had been so caught in his thoughts, it was a moment before the realization struck him. And when it did, the concern on her face settled an uneasiness on his chest. "Ahh, Ying, I ..." He paused a moment, choosing his words carefully. Battle was in his blood, and the thought of no longer being a lost clan, but a clan who struck FEAR into the hearts of humans was an enticing one. It felt to him like the natural order of things. What they were as true horsemen in all their power and strength. Besides, he felt he owed at least that much to Medea. She had helped him regain himself when he felt like nothing could. "I believe in the clan. I want us to grow strong as a people, strong and prosperous like we once were. And battle ... well, it's the only thing I'm really very good at." He cracked a weak smile and gently squeezed one of her hands in his.
But Ying, how did she see things?? ... Her expression alone told him it was a different view, which made him curious. "And you, Ying?? ... How do you feel, my friend??"
chimarii
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:14 pm
Ying couldn't believe the words coming out of her sweet friend's lips. It seemed so unlike her dear Kiwi- the one who picked flowers and danced at a prom with her.
"I feel as though Medea has said something to sway you ... but dear Kiwi, you must not listen to her words! She is a snake among the grasses, not truly seeing the whole field." She gave Kiwi's hands a squeeze, wanting him to really hear her. "I too want to rebuild our clan, but that begins with our people, not the slaughter of the innocent. Kiwi you are truly a strong warrior, I know this, but Medea does not lead you to a path I would have pride in."
She glanced around, wondering if anyone could hear them, especially Medea or Charon. Her voice fell to a hushed whisper, words only meant for Kiwi. "Please do not tell my brother this, but Medea ... Medea forced me to kill someone to save my brother. She held my own free will ransom." Ying's eyes were misty, nearly in tears. "Please ... please my handsome friend, do not do this. There are other ways."
xoxomenai
chiickadee
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Beejoux
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:33 pm
Dark palms came up to hold ashen streaked cheeks as Bastion wrapped familiar arms around her waist. An instant smile over came the somber expression she had been wearing, and she rose up on tip toe as she tugged him down so she could lay a kiss against his cheek. Then her arms looped around his neck and she returned that tight hug. She didn't say she was surprised to him, only expressed how happy it made her to have him standing with her.
A startled blink followed the whisper, and she released her cousin, stepping back to give the pale haired soldier a surprised smile. A ghost from their past, one she'd honestly assumed was lost, but certainly she was happy to see him. Maybe she didn't share a particularly close bond with him, but Bastion had, and Nergui had always appreciated his loyalty to her cousin.
"I do remember Lushka." A delicate hand was extended, reaching to give his arm a gentle, but fond pat. "I am truly happy to see you." Here, as well as in general.
Letting her hand fall back, the mare looked over her shoulder towards the imposing, tall figure of her guardian. Should anything happen, she wanted to know where he was. Her attention lingered on him until she could catch his eye, then she would smile.
There were other familiar faces among them now. Nergui spotted Kiwi and Mmur, two young stallions she had not seen in some time, and it was a relief see them here now.
