[PRP] The Last Muse (Odette + Chimalsi)

[Lady_Ourania]

Sitting with his armored legs tucked beneath him, Chimalsi permitted the sun to beat down in dry, parchment-colored bands that painted him lighter than usual, outlining every piece of natural mail with depth of shadow. His sides heaved where his body would have preferred to pace, but his brain was doing it for him, busily marching in a way that should have sent it careening out of his still skull. There was something new that moved through his head, leaving hoofprints that smoldered and turned the malleable sands of his thoughts into bright, fragile glass. It had been doing the same thing for days now, the operation clopping steadily along, changing the inconsistent nature of his focus into something that could not be covered by a new dune of ideas. This one was stuck more stubbornly than any of its predecessors, attaching to the concept of love he held so dear and suckling like a vampire from the only source of permanence.

It was such a simple thing, such an obvious conclusion. Living things: pretty, real, less still. The purple-eyed mare that had originally proposed it was all but forgotten, only her contribution to his process remaining while he was so deeply entrenched inside himself. Control was the problem, his own and theirs. How could he allow another to touch his beloved? There were rules, after all, and he had no intention of overstepping them. He could touch, certainly, and he sometimes suffered through letting the occasional blank-eyed lizard or stinging beetle scuttle about, lost in the maze of her curves. She enjoyed it from time to time, and he knew because he'd heard her giggle over them, the sound carried by the screech of precious stone against metal while they tickled her. But they had all been small, vulnerable, the kind of creatures that wouldn't have possessed the sense to be awed. And he'd had to pick out little carcasses more than once, crushed by the fall of a heavy gem, little legs or wings caught between a pillar of gold and a stamped leather trapping, his jealousy instantly abated. So it was a very thin line he walked, one that swerved drunkenly up ahead where things weren't clearly marked. If she was pleased with the occasional caress of something beyond him, then he would need to select very carefully, his envious heart giving way to a sense of obedience.

But what? Who? He was trying to shake the glass imprints loose, to shatter them and see if maybe the fragments collected into a distinct image. He would not take just anyone. It would need to be something he could restrain, a being that would listen to him without fail. He thought back to the Usdia he'd met, the one who had been so easily persuaded to lend aid. They were small, simple, but he could never guarantee that they would not betray him as a gift.  

[Lady_Ourania]

Whatever trance he'd been in was thick enough to obscure the muted cries of distress, only a peripheral twinge from distant noise making it through the veil. But a voice like his own carried weight enough to create a rift, bringing his star-scattered attention back to the surrounding area like a budding nova. Streaked ears stood up from where they'd been lying against his skull, shaking out his copper mane as though the sudden glint of it would dispel the fatigue that had crept up on his motionless frame. It took a moment to convince his legs to work, the strong rods of his skeleton encased in pressure-numbed flesh, making him approach a stand with caution. With that arduous task complete, he gave himself a few minutes to mentally check how the rest of him fared, feeling dirt grating between his scales that a deep breath and a quick shudder dislodged. His shoulder ached a little, but that was easily overlooked as he listened, catching the small, peeping sounds that he had missed before. A bird?

Another few whispery words reached the kirin, and he stepped over roots to find the source, discovering that both noises emanated from the same location. When his horn pierced the private bubble of a small glade, his eyes flickered instantly toward an anomaly, tracing lightly over the pale, four-fold winged creature that lay curled amidst the needle-strewn ground. Feet barely brushing the earth, he ventured closer, wondering at her posture while a strange, otherworldly fragrance met his nose.

"Lady?" His voice was soft, unused to extending the first word, but something about the subtle curve that ran from the nape of her neck to the connecting wing stem argued that he at least try. It was then that he caught sight of feathery fluff that moved, unattached to her, little more than a ball of pneumatized bone and weak voice. A nestling, probably still new to the world outside of its shell, though that was roughly the extent of his knowledge on the matter. It must have fallen, or even been shaken loose from its home atop a branch somewhere, and he paid a quick glance upward to confirm it, trying to make out the twig and grass construction. Satisfied with a quick search, the golden stare leveled out again, returning to more accommodating sights.

But the idea of young beings had latched on to his previous line of thought, twin amoebae starting to form a spore. He let it fester on its own for a second while he waited to see what her response might be, his armored tail twitching absently. If he had to guess, he wouldn't take her to be the tiny, beaked creature's mother. Then again, he hadn't met many with wings like hers. Maybe ugly little birdy offspring acted as an equalizer of sorts, a trade-off for her charming appearance.  

[Lady_Ourania]

Her startled breath made him take a half-step back, spine curving unhappily while his back hooves remained planted, barely held by the expression in her blue-hued gaze. A moment of mutual staring and the tension eased, letting him regain at least the ground he'd lost while she spoke to her pseudo-offspring, concern palpable in her voice. Her reassurances also answered his unspoken thoughts on relationship, a parent still off orbiting the earth somewhere, looking for meals and whatever else birds prized above keeping their children safe. She must have been drawn in for other reasons, perhaps mere passing interest and maternal instinct. Again, he felt the gradual gathering of something in the back of his skull, an idea charging through the fire hoops of indecision, trying to make it to the forefront where it would be most evident. If he had been alone, it would have come easily, but creamy coats and toothless raptor croaks were making it hard to concentrate.

The kirin was almost certain that her attention had been lost when she turned suddenly back, her musical voice spinning out a quiet word meant for his ears alone. It felt like a gift of sorts, and he leaned on it, pilfering what small conclusions he could from the greeting. Chimalsi played with speaking back when her inhalation beat him to it, waiting to see what she would do with the excess.

The question made his mouth twist in bewilderment, metallic eyes batting owlishly while he considered. The chick was injured, that much was evident from its constant cries, but he had never been asked to perform such a duty before. Even when he had been part of a more social circle, his only duty had been pathfinding, locating the lost. But it was somehow difficult to tell her as much, even his unschooled sight catching the hope that lit up her shyly gilded features. Hesitantly clearing his throat, he gave the only honest answer he could think of, at a loss as to how it might be made lighter for the winged one's ears. "No." He drew nearer to peer at the weakly squawking mess beneath her feathered overhang, shaking his head slightly. "I am... sorry."