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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:52 am
 The appearance of a little pink and yellow foal among the herd had roused suspicion and rumors right off the bat. Yellow was the symbol of Lughnasadh's line; pink, or rather, that violent shade of magenta, was the symbol of Moloch's line via his mate Avantasia. The rumors all agreed--little Aine must be the result of an ill-advised rendezvous between one of Lugh's descendants and one of Moloch's, almost certainly his last remaining descendant Blodeuwedd. The colors matched, anyway. After a few days and the rumors were reaching fever pitch, Sepaia had tired of the whispers and simply stated the facts as she knew them. They...pretty much confirmed the least scandalous of the rumors. With the added note that the naive Lugh-get was Solveig.
Well, that was...somewhat unexpected. If Nereocystis recalled correctly, Solveig was a rather girly mare who had expressed interest in joining Beautiful Sun or becoming a bard (or both). You'd think the girl would have had more sense. But, then again, Nereocystis would have expected Kaede to have more sense, and that sure as heck hadn't happened. The Shadow were just too wily for anyone's expectations.
Anyway, all of that was background detail. It had occurred to Neri--and by Neri, we of course mean that it occurred to Lami and she'd passed the information down to her sister--that Solveig was probably very upset and in need of some comforting. Neri knew that Lami was intending to visit the arion mare later this afternoon for some counseling, but she was busy with Kaede at the moment. Neri was no people person, being, most of the time, uninterested in the dramatic lives of other stars, but for once, Neri knew that Solveig needed some comfort a little sooner. And thus, she was in the heart of Sunflare land making a bee-line for Solveig. "Lady Solveig? Are you alright?" There was a gruffness to her voice, but it was also much, much softer than her normal tone. This couldn't be easy for the palomino. It never was.
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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 1:32 pm
 Solveig had heard the whispers. Seeing the little filly in the care of the rest of her family hadn't really helped. It was pretty clear that not a few in the Royal Sun and Burning Sun Clans knew. She had been seduced by Blodeuwedd, had children, and Blodeuwedd had disappeared with one of the children. Yup. Solveig had proven that stupid.
Her bells jangled mockingly. The idiot, the fool who'd been betrayed and couldn't even take responsibility for her folly. Solveig had quietly joined the Burning Sun, started picking up on some self-defense, but mostly kept her head down, trying to avoid getting questioned by anyone with more curiosity than manners. Flicking her golden ears as her rosy Arion wings fluttered, she heard someone approach. Lifting her pale head, Solveig watched...Nereocystis?...approach her. Sister of Laminira, mate of Kaede, Blodeuwedd's mother. Awkward. Kaede would know everything, have told Lami, and probably from there told Neri. Extra awkward. Unfortunately, this conversation looked unavoidable.
Solveig nodded. "I'm doing well enough, I suppose," she replied, shrugging. Well, honestly, no, not really, she wasn't really all right. Heart ripped out and shredded by Blod, couldn't bear to look at their daughter, clearly the local idiot and target of gossip. But the sea-toned Arcturus was presumably aware of this. And probably didn't want to hear Solveig's complaints. No matter how nice she was. At least Neri didn't seem to be sugar-coating her attitude for the poor, pathetic princess just to avoid cheesing off someone higher-ranked in the family/herd.
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:27 pm
Neri was surprised to find Solveig a little closer to the Burning Sun's small encampment than she'd expected. She hadn't thought Solveig would be the type to be interested in the herd's fighting forces--unless there was someone here she was attracted to...?
Mentally, Neri shook her head. If the girl had any sense, after what she'd been through she wouldn't be interested in that sort of thing at all. Whether it was shame or, worse, a feeling of violation, Neri expected that she would have no interest in muscle-bound mares at the moment. "I'm glad you're doing well," Neri said. She looked over the mare again. Did she look more toned than Neri remembered? Maybe. Maybe not. Neri didn't know most of the royal family very well (except for those few members of her clan that were descended from the Ard-Righ). Eh. Either way, an idea was coming to Nereocystis. She wanted to find out how Solveig was doing, right? And she wanted to do it in a way that did not remind Solveig of her unfortunate mistake. And with her proximity to the Burning Sun Clan and the way she looked, Neri could see an opening.
"I don't suppose you have plans to join us in the Burning Sun?" Neri said. "We could always do with more champions and scouts." She flicked her tail. She was one of the four longest-serving members of the Clan by now. She was considered to be a senior member by Sepaia, and of the highest trust. She was confident she could take some command here... "If you'd like, I can give you some advice, help you out with some techniques. If you need help, you can ask me." She snorted. "That's an offer I don't normally make, by the way. I'm not nice like my sister."
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 10:46 am
It was almost a relief to talk about something like changing clans. Even if it could provide an opening to talk about her sins. "I joined a few weeks ago," Solveig said quietly, almost forcing the casual smile onto her face. An expression that didn't seem to belong there anymore. "I'm still in training."
Training. Yes. Something easier to talk about. No focusing on Blod or the foals. This seemed an excellent topic of conversation.
"I would most certainly like some advice with techniques," she replied graciously. Under the circumstances, especially if Nereocystis didn't make this offer lightly, it was a good idea to be as polite as possible. Plus, if the Arcturus mare's advice could help her rise in the Burning Sun, maybe, just maybe, this would all succeed in expunging the pain and the folly of having once fallen for her great-grandfather's foe.
Solveig offered a rueful smile, with a hint of genuine relief. Someone who wouldn't sugarcoat it, and wouldn't linger on that horrible fling. Maybe, just maybe, she could become friends and comrades with Nereocystis, and find a new future for herself.
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Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 2:51 pm
To Neri's--well, to be frank, to her surprise--Solveig responded well to her inquiry. She hadn't thought that would work--she was prying after all, even if she was doing it subtly. Didn't know I could do subtle. I guess I learn something new about myself every day. "I guess that's what I get for being on patrol so much," she said. The fact that Solveig had already joined was...well, it was a good sign, even if Neri didn't know why it was a good sign, or even what it was a sign for. Maybe it was a good sign for Solveig's mind, that she had found something to do--and something that might make her feel less powerless. Yes. That sounded right. "I'm glad to hear you've joined, Solveig. I can't speak for most of the clan, but I can speak for my sister, and I know Mintos and the Rhia well enough to say that we're all glad you've joined, too."
She shook out her mane and looked over Solveig speculatively. "Is there anything in particular you might need help with? Or do you maybe want to go for a run instead?" Neri loved running--it got her mind free and lifted worries from her head. She hoped Solveig liked them, too.
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Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 9:16 pm
Solveig smiled at the joke. If it was a joke. It wasn't even the best she'd ever heard, being a bard. But it was good to hear some levity. Bonus for the levity not being leveled at her. Somewhere inside, she tensed slightly less, and she felt her muscles relax ever so slightly. No need to panic right this second. Maybe not with this mare in general.
And it felt good to hear that the Burning Sun accepted her. Not something Solveig absolutely trusted or believed, but something she dearly wanted to at this time.
Solveig blinked, thinking things through. "Well, everything, really, but a run would be nice, I think." Not only would it be good exercise, but the exercise would allow her mind to stop focusing on the tight knots and spirals that the depressive funk had wound through her being. "Anyplace in particular, or any direction you have in mind?" The running would also feel good through her mane, her tail, her delicate Arion wings, and her little golden bells. She could use this run.
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Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:13 am
Neri smiled back at her. She had sort of meant it as a joke, but also as a light-hearted truth. She had been on patrol (she spent a lot of time on patrol), and she didn't always pay attention to the latest news. If there was something new going on, she might not know what it was. The important stuff she knew--she knew when there was a battle, when there was a problem, when there was an intruder, when Ciaradh had gotten himself into more trouble than he could get himself out of (again), but new people joining...
Actually, someone new joining she should have heard about. If nothing else, Llew and Gar should have said something about it. Those two were always chatting with each other, and as bards they'd be the first to know if there was a new bard. They were high enough ranked to know about this sort of thing, too, and with both of them Solveig's cousins... Eh, there was time to figure out how she missed something big like this later. At the moment, she had company, and those gossiping boys weren't exactly here for her to chew out at the moment, so there was no reason to complain about that sort of thing right now.
"Eh, sometimes the where is less important than the running itself," Neri said. "I just want to stretch my legs, get the wind in my mane. Going somewhere specific isn't really what I have in mind..." She shrugged. "Of course, I could show you around the borders, special places we knew about on the edges, if you'd like. Up to you, of course." That would nicely incorporate training with a bit of therapeutic exercise. Yes. The more she thought about it, the better an idea it sounded.
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