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Post by Willow on Oct 17, 2011 18:49:04 GMT -6
8.Oh yeah, by the way... Asina, Ciel, Danalli, Ryell, and Zanen Location: Tekania She was pacing again for perhaps the third time in less than an hour. Back and forth, over and over again in front of the full-length mirror tucked away in the corner of her bedchamber. She’d pace, then stop, stare, and scowl before starting to pace again.
“Impossible,” she grumbled to herself again, and it was probably the hundredth time she’d done so since she’d begun pacing.
She’d been having a late-morning nap –and that alone should have told her something was up– when a particular goddess had decided to pop her shiny little head in for a chat. ‘Girl talk’ she’d called it, some ‘mother-daughter’ bonding she’d said. Pah! No, Saeliir just felt like toying with her favorite little priestess, that was it. The silver goddess was bored and felt like playing ‘let’s freak out the Demon Queen’, something she happened to be rather good at. Or maybe Baelli was being snippy with her and she wanted to take it out on someone. Or maybe she’d lost a bet with the sun goddess… maybe she was trying to win one? There had to be any other explanation. Maybe the goddess was just plain wrong? Heh. Right.
A deep sigh breezed out of the petite queen as she stopped in front of the mirror again. She turned to the side, then the other side before letting out a rather vicious snarl and went back to pacing.
~…Let him take care of you for a while, not only your life depends on it…~
Asina stopped dead in her tracks. “You knew. You little…” she decided not to finish that sentence and instead just grit her teeth and glared in the direction of her ritual room, where she went to commune with the gods. In extreme circumstances, the gods break the wall and physically appeared in the realm, but usually when she wanted to ask guidance or when Saeliir deemed it necessary that they have one of these delightful ‘chats’ she would have to do so vial a bunch of spells, circles, and rituals. Sae would just knock on the inside of her head when she wanted to be summoned and Asina couldn’t exactly say no so… With a shake of her head Asina ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep, centering breath. Alright, so maybe there was a possibility that the goddess was right. Perhaps… perhaps it was true. It was supposed to be impossible, but perhaps it was true. If Saeliir had known ahead of time, then maybe she’d given things a little…push.
The thought made her cover her mouth and press her eyes shut. Saeliir had…
There was only one way to know for certain, and Asina did not possess that particular skill. Nor did she want to go to just anyone. Which would mean she needed to go out to see Nakiera, the only person she trusted with a matter as delicate as this, who she trusted with the secrecy that must surround it. Now, any other time, this would be something easy to accomplish. Asina was the Demon Queen, the High Priestess of the Dark, the SoulEater. No one bossed her around and told her what to do. And certainly no one prevented her from doing whatever it was that she wanted to do. However… Four months ago she’d come as closer to dying as she’d had in a very long time. So close that she’d actually stopped breathing for a little bit. Her heart had stalled. Ciel had thought her dead, and in a very zephyr-male fashion had hung around very closely during her recovery to make sure that it didn’t happen again. That had been months ago, and she’d really healed up fine in a few weeks (which for here was an extraordinarily long healing process), but for the past month or so she’d been a little bit… off. Not enough that most people would notice, but Ciel was her Parallel… there was little that he didn’t pick up on. Even worse, about a week ago he’d said that she smelled different, and that had put up red flags to the both of them. She didn’t think he had any clue as to what it actually was –if it was, indeed, that– but he knew something was up.
Her only chance was to get out now, before he got back. Ciel had taken over training the elites this morning when she’d nearly tripped over herself because of a sudden dizzy spell. He’d sent her off to rest, they’d tussled. To anyone watching, it would have looked as though she’d won, then got snarly and decided that it wasn’t worth her time anymore and stalked off to kill something. In actuality, she’d gotten him pinned, then became winded and agreed to go rest for a little bit in exchange for the appearance of triumph. As much as she hated it, she knew it was best to pick your battles. And if the goddess was right, she wouldn’t be battling for a while.
Grumbling herself, Asina grabbed her knives, hooked them to her belt, and headed out of the palace. She moved quickly and silently, taking the long way to avoid the courtyard where the elites’ training session was going on. Once she was free and clear, she headed down into the market square. It wasn’t too long until she reached the edge of the marketplace itself and more into a small, quaint town. It had been designed like one of the old villages. There was even a small forest around the northeastern crest. It was hardly big enough to create the illusion proper, but it was something, and it reminded her of Home. Which had been the purpose of the design. One of the first demons to follow her here and helped build up this city was a man names Keran. He was a brilliant architect and landscaper. Thanks to him, this little village was almost a mirror of what the old ones looked like when their civilization thrived in clearing and between the trees of the Certann Forest.
Asina made her way to the very last little house, pushed right into the embrace of the tiny shadowed wood. Two raps on the door brought a pretty and gentle-looking avian woman to the door. Nakiera was anything but gentle. She was a very dangerous woman, not for her combat skills, though she was quite fair with a knife, but because of her long-studied mastery of the ancient art of Truth and Word. It was a very scary, very powerful gift, and only a handful of people had every mastered it to the level that she had. Although she would never admit it, Asina was very glad to have Iera on her side. Iera was a sweet of face and fair of skin, her hair an astonishing snowy white with feathers to match, falling to the middle of her back and held in place with a clip. Clinging to her leg was a little boy of maybe seven or eight, though since he was mixed race he could probably be anywhere from five to twelve.
“Asina,” the snowy-owl woman said with a smile, “a pleasure to have you. Please, come in.” “Thank you,” Asina responded with a grin. “How is Sleye doing? Is this your son?” she asked, leaning down to look at the little boy with the dusty white hair as he hid behind his mother’s skirt. Iera chuckled. “Yes, this is Samuel. Sam, say hello to the queen.” The little boy’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, he squeaked out something that might have been a ‘hi’, then dashed off, Asina assumed to tell his father that he’d just met the big bad demon queen. Asina laughed out loud. “Oh Iera, that was just mean!” “Well, I figured you showing up all jittery, you would want a little privacy.” Iera fixed her with a knowing stare.
Asina rolled her eyes and followed Iera into the kitchen. It always smelled like something sweet in there. She ran a bakery in the marketplace. Asina remembered, back before she’d met and married Sleye, when Iera lived in that bakery, the owner and only employee. She’d also run a sort of underground railroad for her out of it, helping people escape Lilani’s madness during one of her crazed genocides.
“So tell me, dear, what has brought you to me today?” Iera asked as she placed a cup of tea and a plate of pastries in front of Asina. “Well… let’s just say that I could probably devour that whole plate of whatever that is right now.” For a moment, Iera looked confused. “Hm? That’s strange, you aren’t really one for sweets. One or two, maybe, but never a whole…” She cut off abruptly, her eyes grew wide, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. “No. Asina, no!” When her hands fell away, she was grinning so broadly Asina was sure she was going to start molting.
“Hey! I don’t know for sure. That’s why I came to you…” her voice grew quiet. “You’re the only one I can trust with this… and if it’s true… you can’t tell anyone.”
Iera nodded solemnly, then came around the counter to stand on the same side as Asina. She paused a moment and collected her breath, then she reached out and gently placed a hand on Asina’s flat stomach. The warrior priestess could immediately feel the gentle, probing warmth of the avian’s power. It lasted for maybe a few seconds, but to Asina it felt like an eternity. She didn’t breath, couldn’t bear to think. Her heart probably didn’t even beat for those few tumultuous minutes for fear that any little movement could set something off, give her a wrong reading. After what happened last time… No. She wouldn’t think of it. This was different. If it was true, then this would be completely different than the last time. Ciel… Ciel would be there for her. He would work with her. He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t destroy something so precious, he couldn’t. Sure, it was a weird time with him falling into a sort of routine around Tekania, but he would embrace this… wouldn’t he?
Asina took in a deep breath, forcing those thoughts out of her mind. She could worry about that if—
“Asina?” “Hm?” She snapped to attention. “What? Is something wrong. I was wrong, wasn’t I. I was delusional or something. That damn goddess was playing a horrible trick on me.” She shook her head and turned away from the avian. “Dammit. I knew it, I never should have let myself think that—“ “Asina!” “What!?” “Shut up!” Iera was smiling at her, laughing even. There were tears gleaming in those crystal blue eyes of hers, the smile soft and tender. “Asina, your goddess mother” –because who else would she have been chatting with about this– “did not lie to you. She did not mislead you.”
Her jaw went slack. “You mean to say…” One hand rested subconsciously on her flat belly.
Iera nodded. “Yes. Now go, go smack your mate around and tell him.”
Asina felt like she was in some kind of a stupid. “Uh… right…” Still dazed, she allowed herself to be lead to the door, and she was halfway back to the palace before she began to come back to reality and began to freak out just a little bit. What would happen? Ciel… would he… No. No, Ciel was her true mate. He was her Parallel. He wouldn’t do something like that, never. She knew him. He would never. But how would he take it? Would he be happy? Scared? Damn him. Damn him to the eight gate of hell…. This was his fault.
By the time she reached the palace, she still had no idea what she was going to say. All she knew was that she had to tell him something. It wasn’t like she could hold off and when she started to show just be like ‘Oh yeah, by the way darling, I forgot to tell you something….” Yeah, that wasn’t going to fly. [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 5, 2011 0:30:45 GMT -6
It was so early in the morning and she had been protectively encased in arms and soft blankets. Little tiny sparks of molten power soaked into her as his grip tightened. An amused breath had danced from her lips
There was a soft, precious warmth that skittered across her skin before a hand drifted across her face, brushing her tangled hair away. Hm.. She’d have to thank him later for that, but now… She felt movement inside of her. A tiny jolt, a shudder of another tapping on the inside of her stomach. A kick.
Zane was stirring and the sun was rising…
Her warm brown eyes blinked, hazily, up to him, Zanen… A soft purr vibrated through her as she had laced her fingers with his, kissing them lightly. His other hand had rested on her once flat stomach. Once… Now it had a smooth roundness to it, just barely protruding. “Your son loves to wake me up early,” she said in a loving tone, extended her lips to find his. He brushed hers barely, speaking before he gave her a chaste kiss. “No… /my son/ loves his mother and is only reminding her of the affections he desires.” There was no missing his joy, his utter ecstasy, when he referred to what exactly was inside of her swollen midsection.
Danalli gave him a sleepy grin before they rose to watch the sun rise…
She hadn’t followed Zanen to the shower, nor to her dresser, filled with much different garb than it had a few months before. No, her precious youngling decided to deprive her of all morning activity and energy. Danalli could barely stand at sunrise she was so exhausted, but even Zanen couldn’t forbid her from watching a morning ascendance. He could try as he had… But she’d snarled so… uncharacteristically at him, almost startling him. Then of course… her lip quivered and she apologized, not knowing what had gotten into her, before she simply requested it, stating she would sleep after.
These damn mood swings were much too stressful.
So after wards, Danalli would simply find her way back to her smooth sheets, and extra pillows she’d suddenly become so fond of as they dulled the aches in her back, and burrow herself into another slumber for a few more hours. She could always ‘sense’ his bemused smirk as her beloved mate began his day. -
The high morning sun rejuvenated her as she stepped out of her bath, drying her hair, into the main chamber. There were aches on her aches in places she’d never known before. Ever since she awoke there was tiny taps, little jolts at her abdomen and it gave her a soft smile, and energy that lit her up even moreso. There was a shadow that had draped itself near from the light in room, its depth and liveliness almost doused her in a protective, encasment. Danalli rose a few fingers to its soft almost invisible shuddering. “Precious,” she had cooed to it, “I think he kicks when he misses you…” She laughed softly before she turned to her dresser and vanity.
Her cropped corsets and tight waisted harem pants had been folded up in an unused bottom drawer as she slipped into a loose shirt that held her bust snugly, only to cascade with body and ease over her slightly rounded skin. She had commissioned beautifully ornate knee-high boots to tuck her fitted pants into. They glistened with golds and creams, just like a pair she owned so many centuries before. Perhaps its was the swing of her mood or just the way they looked exactly like the ones she’d lost, but she felt tears well in her eyes when she draped her hand across them. She had paid him handsomely.
As she sat at her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror a hand slid down her chest and rested on her stomach, before she inspected herself more closely. She heard a phrase that implied pregnant women ‘glowing.’ Only it wasn’t a rumor when it came to Danalli… There was a soft rouge tint that had highlighted her features along with a soft roundness that filled in her high cheekbones.
Sometimes in the months before, she would forget until she looked in this mirror and saw the way she was changing. The way she was growing. Her hair had grown so fast she had to cut some of the length off, or she’d trip over it! But her tresses had grown in with soft delicate curls. Her hair… Her deep brown eyes fell on a red strand that was now a natural part of her hair. Ghatreg… Baelli.
She had hand dreaded into one thick strand, laying it in front of her ear as she pulled the rest of her hair too fall in front of her other shoulder. She twirled it around a finger, running her hand against the smooth surface of the small fiery beads interlaced within it. She had spiraled it with a lock of her silver white hair. White and red, Saeliir and Baelli, Sun and Moon, Shadow and Light. Perhaps it was one meaning or all of them. She simply needed to highlight it somehow, bold it for her to see, for all to notice. It was a meaning of sacrifice and blessing in her eyes. She could never forget it.
Danalli took in a deep breath and closed her eyes like she did every morning. Though she knew he would not hear it and Baelli would dismiss it entirely, Danalli sent it anyway. A thought of love, gratitude, and praise for her father’s sacrifice. This morning was no different.
’I will never forget. I will never stop loving you, my father, my greatest ally, my fire…
Upon re-opening them, she looked into bright chocolate orbs and stood. Fresh air sounded nice. Nice and refreshing.
The door of her chambers shut softly behind her as the aeon entered the hallway. Though they did not look into her eyes or regard her directly, Danalli acknowledged these guards with a soft smile and light greetings. After dying, after being removed from this dimension entirely… Zanen’s protective stance had jumped exponentially. The fury and ferocity he would zap at any unwelcome party was enough to send them packing without so much as a vicious glance in their direction. For someone to approach her in a threatening or assumed threatening gesture was enough for a death sentence.
Zanen would not allow her revival to be taken away from him. Her life was his to protect, her life and Zane’s, something Zanen would not allow to be taken away /ever/ again. Never.
As they pushed the main doors of the palace open for her the warmth of the sun soaked into her as she descended the outdoor staircase into the courtyard. She nodded to a few acquaintances as she danced lightly in her steps to the stables and her companions.
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Post by Willow on Nov 5, 2011 12:04:20 GMT -6
The sun assaulted her eyes and she scowled up at it for a moment, wishing she could blame Ms. Bright-As-Fuck for her current dilemma just so that she could be mad about it. Because she wanted to be. She wanted to be an unholy ball of rage about this. Her world was about to be rocked, she was about to be thrown into a long period of vulnerability, and she would soon have to face her mate and tell him about it. It wasn’t that she was afraid…
Maybe just a little.
It was just apprehension, anxiety. What if something went wrong again? She didn’t know what, but what if? She couldn’t handle losing this chance for a second time, and after that there really would be no chance of this miracle ever happening ever again. By the grace of her goddess mother, the impossible had happened, but not even Saeliir could fix her up enough a third time to give her this chance again if something horrible was to happen again. This was it. This was her last chance. Asina wasn’t one to believe in ‘last chance’s but… this was different. This was personal.
But really!? The timing? They were working every single day, sometimes through the night, to try to find a way to free the other zephyrs and aeons still trapped within the Valley of Lost Souls. Ryell had given them every detail that she could, but it still wasn’t much to go by. All they really had was that the Forest of Lost Souls was the prison of her people. It wasn’t like no one had ever tried to get in before. Lilani was notorious for attempting to take it over ever couple hundred years or so with some new spell or ritual. She seemed to think that there was a great power hidden there, one put there for safe keeping by the Mother Goddess when she created everything, something that would bring her back if there was ever a dire need. Then she’d broken herself apart and had become the omnipresent power of World, the very power that the raves were able to tap into directly. Asina wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but wasn’t so willing to find out. She hadn’t been able to find out how to send a scout in to explore, so she wasn’t about to try and shatter whatever shielding it had around it. There was no way of knowing what it would unleash on them all.
“Your Grace?” A hand touched her shoulder lightly and Asina snarled fiercely, one clawed hand wrapping around the offender’s throat and the other poised for a strike that would completely disembowel the fool that dared touch her. When the red haze of instant fury faded to the edges, she saw that the ‘attacker’ who had approached her was poor Della, the avian tavern keeper and one of her good friends. Asina immediately let her go. “Della!” She took a step back. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t in my own head…” The poor avian looked petrified, as if her favorite kitten had suddenly turned into a tiger and was about to tear her head off… which wasn’t a poor analogy for the situation. Luckily, she had a quick recovery. She still looked on edge, but she managed to smooth out most of the anxiety slashed across her face and quell almost all of her shaking. What remained could be blamed on the slight chill in the air of early spring. She took a deep breath and even managed a little smile. “It’s alright, my lady. You just looked a bit strange standing in the middle of the way like that, I thought I’d come and offer you a drink.”
She’d been just standing in the middle of the way? Fuck.
“Ah.. yes, I was a little bit out of it. One of those days I suppose…” Right.
Della didn’t seem very convinced. “Do you want to come in for a drink, Asina?” she asked a bit more seriously now. Della was usually very proper, and that she’d lapsed into using Asina’s name was a sign that she was becoming rather worried. She cast a quick look around, hoping to spot the zephyr that was the queen’s mate. Ciel had this strange ability to pull Asina out of herself and back into the here and now. He was the only one with such ability, and Della had long since become comfortable with him. She now had no trouble calling out to him when the queen was having one of her moments or just when she saw him on the street. As much as he was a savage monster, he was actually rather a pleasant man when he liked you well enough not to consider you food or fodder.
But Ciel wasn’t around.
Asina opened her mouth to agree to the drink, then stopped and suddenly shook her head. “Ah, no. I need to be getting back. Thank you Della…” she spared the avian a smile and touched her arm gently. “I’ll… come talk to you later okay?” This both puzzled and intrigued the avian. So she just nodded and watched as the petite zephyr queen headed off back toward the palace.
Asina didn’t really know where to go. Ciel was still in the middle of some kind of training session. He’d have taken over the whole morning when she didn’t show up an hour later after a brief rest. Of course, that also meant that he would come looking for her straight away when he was done as well. There was little that could pull her away from the morning training sessions voluntarily. It wasn’t uncommon for people to get seriously injured or even die when they pulled her away from her warriors for some stupid meeting or other such nonsense.
As she was approaching the palace steps, she saw Danalli, heading toward the stables. Asina shifted the angle of her path to take her toward the aeon. When she was close enough she broke into a light jog and called out to her.
“Danalli! Hey, wait up!” As she drew closer she couldn’t help but break into a wide grin at the sight of her friend’s growing belly. “How are you two?” [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 5, 2011 15:14:31 GMT -6
The warmth of the day brought a lovely smile to her lips. It was soft and tickled her skin in soft bursts. Oh it felt so nice to be out of the palace. Out in the open air. God forbid dust in the stables causes her to sneeze. Danalli stood still and sighed sadly for a moment, considering if she should enter the wooden structure.
One sneeze and her ShadowSpawn would come running. Her lips pursed slightly as she smoothed the loose soft fabric over her stomach, fidgeting. He would lead her away if he were here… “Oh…” She mumbled, annoyed, digging her boot into the dirt path.
Danalli was the only aeon not imprisoned by the Forest of Lost Souls, which made her, according to local thought, the only aeon in existence. The public had yet to find out about the true sentence of the draconic laced demons and their kin. Being that she was the ‘only one left’ at least until further notice, there was not much written on the characteristics of aeon pregnancies, just that they were usually pleasant, if the aeon woman decided to never leave a controlled atmosphere…
The immune system of a pregnant aeon is lowered slightly, making them susceptible to sicknesses they’re usually immune to. A trait long forgotten in the world of pure blood immortals. But then…
She had started to sneeze a few months ago, which began a little personal hell her little heir decided to initiate. Her symptoms only became drastically worse, sickness was not well received by youthful aeons and zephyrs. Oh Zanen… the stress that had blemished his face when she began to cough and sniffle.
Danalli reminded him through a few sneezes that it was a normal cold. However, the words normal cold and pureblood aeon were words never spoken in the same sentence. She /had/ been poisoned before… could she have been poisoned again?
Zanen to say in the least was not convinced and told her to remain within the palace, in their chambers if she could manage it. Which, Danalli mostly did… Sleep was easy to fall into while she was sick and she was not one to deny it when her body and little one craved it. She also did it, because inwardly she felt his frustration and his tiny amount of dread. Though the fire in her wanted to play outside, dance around, and kick up dirt… His heart, her light, was tender to his wishes, loving to his requests. So she remained within the walls of the palace, away from her sunlight and its warmth. She had even been kind enough to whisper him tiny loving somethings, updates on how she was feeling. And as the days progressed, she saw improvement. Soon the sneezes were gone, her nose was clear and few days after that her coughs had silenced. It had lasted about a week.
Danalli claimed the miracle was owed to Della and her sweetbreads, one of Zane’s favorite cravings as of late…
She took another deep sigh. “Oh,” she repeated, more animated this time, “I am going in there and that is just final.” She hadn’t seen her equines in days and to be away from them was almost as bad as having this munchkin kick her around without luxurious pillows to sleep on.
She readjusted her garb and began to walk towards the warm wooden structure. But then something stopped her. A familiar voice not to far away.
”Danalli! Hey, wait up!” Asina…
A warm excitement sparked within her as she turned to see her sister like sovereign run towards her. Her little fang filled grin made Danalli’s smile brighten as she noted Asina’s glance at her stomach. Everyone had been glancing, noting it with loving gazes. But to see Asina light up like this… It was a joy that touch her a little more personal. “Asina! Hello!”
”How are you two?” Danalli laid a hand on her warm skin, looking down at it with a soft look. “We are just fine. He made sure I was up early to catch the sunrise… then, of course, back to sleep I went.” She finished off with a light airy laugh, it felt nice, easy. “Good news is that cold hasn’t had any lasting effects. Its so nice to be outside,” she turned her face up to the sun, “It’s lovely out today, don’t you think? I was on my way to the stables. Hey… shouldn’t you be training your elites? Where are you headed?”
Danalli regarded her with a mischievous gleam.
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Post by Willow on Nov 6, 2011 14:41:10 GMT -6
Ever since Danalli had come back into her aeon heritage she’d fostered the ‘aeon glow’, but in these past few months as her pregnancy became more and more evident she had taken on a different kind of warmth. It was one that touched the brightest parts of Asina’s dark soul to see, and the demon inside of her to buzz with both apprehension and excitement. While she was not a zephyr male, she was still a zephyr, and a possessive one. She tended to be protective of her friends, especially when they were in states of vulnerability. When Nakiera was pregnant with Sam, Asina had made her stay at the palace, not trusting that Sleye would be competent enough to protect her. The former soldier and bodyguard hadn’t appreciated that too much, but he eventually relented.
It was different with Danalli for a few reasons, the main one being that unlike Iera’s husband, who was human, Zanen was a full-blood zephyr demon and an extraordinarily powerful one at that. He was doing a well enough job protecting her. Along with that, she wasn’t about to encroach on another demon’s territory. Danalli was Zanen’s to worry about and fuss over. Also, Asina had been there before. She knew what it was like to be mated to an extremely territorial and protective demon male while being made vulnerable due to such a condition. It had been tense enough with a kindle demon/shapeshifter halfbreed as the other party, she could only imagine what the level of fierce over-protectiveness would be with a full-blood zephyr male.
Well, she wouldn’t have to wonder for long…
”Hey… shouldn’t you be training your elites?”
Asina gave a light cough. “Eh… Yes, Ciel took over training for me this morning.” She shrugged and hooked her thumbs in her belt before flashing a grin and moving to change the subject as quick as possible. “I’m glad you were able to get outside. I’m sure the shadow-daddy has you on a pretty tight leash with your sniffle episodes.” She couldn’t help but snicker. Poor Zanen had come to her in a frantic the first time Danalli came down with a little cold. After all, she was an aeon, she should be impervious to mortal illnesses. Which was when Asina had to sit him down and walk him through what a pregnancy, especially one as potent as one with him as the father, does to a woman’s body and energy. When that did little to help him, she’d had to take him through the specifics of what she knew about aeon pregnancies. It wasn’t much, as she’d had limited contact with aeons even before they disappeared. The aeons had always been loyal to Lilani. When her darling sister had decided to go all psychopathic on them, they’d become split. Some wanted nothing to do with the conflict and went recluse. A lot stayed with Lilani, serving their queen until the moment they all vanished. There were a few factions, however, that joined with the ‘dark side’, working with the zephyrs and the demons and the other creatures that go bump in the night to preserve the balance. Though even on the battlefield, those who had chosen to side with Lilani would usually avoid striking down the zephyrs. There was something that interconnected the aeons and the zephyrs. Something that linked them together in a fundamental way.
But during those days the aeons that she’d dealt with had all been warriors joining her cause. There had been one woman she remembered, the wife of one of her aeon commanders, who had born a child. It hadn’t been her priority at the time, so she hadn’t really paid attention to how the pregnancy differed from those she was familiar with.
Needless to say, Zanen was in a fuss and there was nothing any of them could do about it.
“Don’t worry, Danalli, I’m sure he’ll calm down in this middle period. He’ll undoubtedly get more and more frantic as you get closer to when you are due, but for a short while he should be okay.” Asina winked. “I would take advantage of it while you can. You know how he can be. Males…” She shook her head. “When I was bedridden for three weeks after that whole debacle, Ciel would snarl if even thought about leaving.” She wrinkled her nose. “Silly males.” Right. Silly, funny males. How would Ciel react to the news she was going to deliver to him? What if he rejected it… It was a silly thought, and she knew it on some level. He was her Parallel, she knew him as well as she knew herself if not better. But… there was always that chance. It hadn’t exactly gone well for him the last time. Would he fear something similar? The few people who knew of what had happened the last time to her were all under the reasonable assumption that Asina was now completely barren. On one occasion long before he’d accidentally witnessed that horrific scene she’d even told him as much. It had been one of those tender moments, the special, private ones that bound them closer to each other. He had pulled her close as she whispered to him that she would never be able to give him children, never be able to produce any kind of offspring.
What would happen now? Her hand subconsciously slid over to rest on her flat stomach, curling into a loose fist as she was once again sucked into her thoughts.
It took a moment, but she managed to pull herself out of it. “Ah. Anyway, you heading to visit your ponies?” she asked with an air of playfulness that didn’t really reach her eyes, which were still a little bit distant, a little preoccupied. [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 6, 2011 17:35:22 GMT -6
Danalli gave the petite woman a precious smile. “Shadow daddy can’t have me on a leash… I’m a free spirit!” Then she laughed lightly again as his daddy spread a joyous warmth through her. The rumors of demons being vicious creatures were indeed true… but their fierce loyalty and their compassion for those they kept close was a rumor that needed to be spread thicker than most. Compassion… A soft laugh fell from her lips. Monsters were not capable of compassion, nor affection. All that monsters required was territory and feed, perhaps obsessions as well. No these creatures, her creatures were not monsters. They were something more to her than that. They were more than just demonic kindred as well. To Danalli they were blood, family.
Though aeons were not as territorial as zephyrs, their bonds with their beloved creatures grew deeper than a need to protect and snarl darkly at offenders. Aeons were often found in tussles and challenges. An advance on their territory was not an annoying threat… in her culture, in her heritage, it was an immediate challenge. And no matter what condition, it was an aeon’s duty to accept, to make a show of their power.
But Danalli was raised by a demon father, only mentored by an aeon elder within her clan here and there. She knew demon heritage almost better than she knew her own and once she became more knowledgeable about her blood bonds and lineage, Danalli found the path drenched in split blood and beserker control aligned much better with her views and beliefs than a path lavished with encrusted light and focus, ending at the feet of a delusional woman, bent on destruction. Aeon she was in soul and in power, but the demon traits bred into her… held her much more tightly in action.
She glanced down at her hand for a moment, her eyes fingering her goddess given marks as they trailed down her forearm and the weapon that lay beneath it. Zane would change so much in her life. He would rework her very foundation and he would also fall under her territory. Aeons and their offspring were often found inseparable. It was common to find a son or a daughter pledging to become a bodyguard of his parents, one or both. Family was everything to an aeon. If any advance would be taken on him, young or old, it would only serve to invoke her fury as well. Goddesses save any soul who threatened him as an infant. Because it was be a demon backed aeon that would tear into anything that meant him harm.
And after Zane was born that would be exactly what Danalli would work to become… again. She was a soul of light and peace, but even peace had to find justice, had to fight for it. She missed the blades in her hands, but it would be awhile before she held them again. Another precious laugh. She had plenty of swords, and for once, in her 'lifetime', she was backing down and allowing Zanen's blades to fully protect them both. Because it was what he was bred to do, what he craved to do, what he was meant to do. And if it was, who was she to tell him otherwise?
“It’s alright, Asina,” Danalli answered her with an understanding smile, “Zanen has his reasons. I was never flustered about them. Frustrated about my condition, but it’s strange. Your thought process alters in this... state.” She giggled preciously, a soft rouge tinted her cheeks from the excitement. “If you body requires sleep because of this tiny thing inside you, you have to give it, you have to sleep, or eat what ever it wants. You /want/ to give it everything it needs.”
She fought for her tiny things, but she never feigned sleep or forgot to eat. She wanted her sunrises and her horses, whether they made her sneeze or not. And she had them, with a little ferocious flavored mood swing for help. She was weakened and vulnerable, but she wasn’t defenseless. No that would be stupid to imagine. After coming back into her power, traits and skills returned also. Not swinging a blade, not threading a bow… not that felt unnatural. But if she picked up a weapon and trained now, she wouldn’t get too far and could become much to exhausted. Oh dear if she fainted… She’d never hear the end of his tyrant, maybe even a few comments from her sovereign and best friend as well…
She sighed with an eyeroll, hearing Asina’s snicker. “I couldn’t help it you know, ‘Sina! It was dust damnit! Dust!” She held up one finger in her friend’s face, then threw her hands up dramatically, “One sneeze. One and I’m ‘poisoned for sure.’ Silly males… I do think you’re pretty silly yourself. So… Don’t you mean silly protective zephyrs?” Danalli’s eyes glinted again with a mysterious mischief. “Take advantage of him, eh? Oh the scenario I could whip up… I certainly hope he’s not listening in… that would just ruin my fun.”
He always did like to keep tabs on her… “You can’t blame Ciel, you know. That would be similar to me suiting up in armor and heading off for war at this very moment. It’s ridiculous. Three weeks was fast if anything. I’m so happy to see you better and though you may not want to admit it… You’re probably going to heal up better than you would if you had simply lied down for one week…”
Danalli raised a brow as she noticed Asina’s distant face and her hand trailing down to rest on her stomach. Was she sick? That couldn’t be a good sign. She didn’t like the way she sounded or the way her tone was threaded, as if she was coving something… Danalli ignored her sovereign’s question, before asking lowly, taking a step closer. “Asina,” it was a precious concerned tone, “Are you alright?”
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Post by Willow on Nov 6, 2011 18:45:21 GMT -6
“Hm?” Asina blinked up at the other woman. “What? I’m fine…” Probably the worst lie she’d ever told, and it was a measly two words. Ryell would be massively disappointed. As if she realized how she sounded the moment she said it, she cringed. “Sorry, I’ve just been… preoccupied this morning. There’s been something that has rather come up and…” She shook her head. “My mind has been somewhere else, I guess, and seeing you just set it off again.” Her hand pressed subconsciously against her stomach again, and she didn’t even realize that she was doing it. Her mind was still racing with a hundred-thousand different thoughts. There was worry intermingled with joy, fear and ecstasy, excitement and the singe of utter and complete terror. For someone who had lived so long, had done so much, these were treacherous waters leading to an uncharted ocean. The last time she had been in this place it had not gone remotely well. She couldn’t stop thinking that – even though she knew, she knew, that Ciel was not the same. This was a different chapter in a different novel. No matter the case, she knew that Ciel would not do what Merik did. He was a different man, a better man. And a better demon. He was her true mate. Her Parallel, and she knew better than to not give him the credit he deserved.
But that didn’t stop the anxiety. There was just so much of it, and even in the few hours that she’d held this knowledge, it was beginning to overwhelm her.
Her lower lip trembled and for a moment her face looked pained, her eyes glistened. Then it was gone as if she realized what she was doing. Shit. This ‘state’ as Danalli so effectively put it was going to kill her. The fatigue, the emotional mood-swings. She knew it was only a few weeks in, but this time around it was already more potent. Everything was stronger at this stage than it had been the last time this had happened.
This was all Ciel’s fault.
That thought seemed to appease her for a moment, enough that she gave a snarl that those who knew her well would classify as ‘affectionate’, if that were even possible.
“And, for the record, I can blame Ciel for anything I damn well please, especially when it’s all his fault. All of it. His fault.” There was a satisfied kind of growl in the undercurrent of her voice, and it was more than a little obvious that she wasn’t talking about the same thing Danalli had been referring to.
Then she got a hold of herself again and ran her fingers through her messy crop of hair. It was beginning to grow long again, long enough at this point that it nearly touched her shoulders – longer than she’d had it for centuries. “I’m sorry ‘Nalli,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been having an off day. Scratch that, let’s call it an off few weeks.” Yeah. No kidding. And she was going to be having a ‘long several months’ ahead of her, too. Not just because of her own condition and how it affected her personally, either. No, there were also the added factors of Ciel, and Danalli and Zanen. And pretty much everyone else in the palace, in the city, in the surrounding little towns, in all of Ameghda. Word would travel fast, and it wasn’t like she could keep it a secret for long. Ciel would undoubtedly put himself in charge of her personal safety, which was something a lot more inclusive than what it had been in the past, especially because word would travel fast. There would be enemies wanting to take advantage of her vulnerability. It would be even worse than it was right now with Danalli.
Oh yes, the sweet aeon was most likely oblivious to it (because Zanen preferred to keep her that way) but assassination attempts were being thwarted at least twice a week. She may be the ‘last surviving aeon’, something a lot of factions sought to protect, but a greater number were more concerned with taking out the Oracle’s mate. The attempts had started to slow in the past month or so, though. Zanen had taken to seeing to each would-be assassin personally. Then he would send visions to their relatives of what he’d done to them. It was quickly becoming a less-popular agenda.
Of course, and then there were all the other factors of if something else would go wrong. Of how Ciel would handle it. He had a sticky past experience with this as well. Noir had been his daughter.
“So I guess to answer your question… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m alright or not. I have a lot of things I need to answer first.” Well, maybe just one. She needed to talk to Ciel.
A part of her didn’t want to though. A part of her didn’t want to face the possibility that it would all go… wrong.
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Post by libellule on Nov 11, 2011 0:50:12 GMT -6
It was apparent in her blank eyes and her suppressed confusion that only came off as frustration. Something was occupying her sovereign’s mind with a spiteful grip. Something that wasn’t going to go anyway any time soon… There it went again. Danalli suppressed the want to cock an eyebrow at Asina, as she laid her hand on her stomach again. She almost asked if she was feeling alright, if she was sick, or if she needed to rest, but also reframed. She didn’t want to enhance Asina’s /obvious/ foul mood. Offering something meek to such a stubborn woman was sure to get her quite a high amount of sass. She knew the feeling…
So many emotions, so much undercurrent simmering just under the heat of her skin. Danalli could smell it, its uneasiness scathed her own form lightly. The source and the reason were beyond her, and attempting to pry it open was both impossible and an intuition to not handle it as a petty issue. The aeon pursed her lips. It couldn’t have been anything war or politically related. Had it of been, Asina would be laughing in the face of those who sought to destroy her lands or people. No nothing like that could put her in this state, nor anyone close to her, like Zanen or Ciel, they would only serve to annoy her. But Asina wasn’t annoyed or blubbering after taking her frustration out on a few pitchers, like normal… She wouldn’t be acting so… spooked.
Danalli bit the inside of her cheek a few times, holding her tongue and not calling her sovereign’s blatant bluff. Instead she gave a soft sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, resting them on her belly. She wanted to so badly. She wanted to demand to know what was tearing at the edges of her dear friend’s mind. Danalli wasn’t a docile delavis any more. She wasn’t a pacifist, wasn’t a defenseless lover any longer. So as much as Asina’s zephyr blood craved to protect her treasured friends and kin, Danalli’s aeon blood needed the same satisfaction, holding back her thoughts was like rolling in a field full of itchy cumbersome fibers, it even triggered a shudder across her shoulder. She finally opened her mouth to finally ask but something held her back at she caught an unmistakable glisten in Asina’s coal black eyes.
Something was not right.
But instead of fretting, fussing, as a protective zephyr would partake in, at least slightly, the aeon did what she knew best, at least the last time she had been... There was a cool, soft, calming air suddenly. It almost sought to relax the tension and chase away dread and confusion. It wove itself into the breeze and buzzed with a light warmth in her ears, a sure sign of her lively power. She picked up her little soothing enchantment from an elder centuries ago. It was enough to relax the stricken and the terrified without altering states of mind, or alarming those within range of trickery. It was blatant and purely created without any intention of deception. It often reminded her of an embrace within the softest of blankets. She inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of the crisp spring air A soft ghost blue barely rimmed the edges of her deep colored eyes as she regarded Asina, sweetly.
“Oh come on now, you can’t go blaming him unless he knows what he did wrong,” she smirked and laughed, “And from knowing him so well, that demon has /no/ idea what he’s done to you. But… after you tell him, he’s free game to punish. Give him something to think about while you pummel him.” She nodded victoriously, clamping a hand on the small woman’s shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze.
“You’re really a terrible liar, ‘Sina,” she cooed with a playful giggle, trying to soften her companions stone features, “I can watch almost every emotion dance swiftly across your face… They’re dancing mighty fast too. And trust me lady sovereign, if you’d like to fool /others/ might I suggest you wear that face of yours a little more snugly.” It was quite clear which ‘others’ Danalli was referring to.
She loved the relationship she had with her queen, her dear friend, Asina. The feisty traits that would rub off on her, showing often in her quirky remarks and bold moves. Asina gave her a prominence in being out of character, shocking. Just because she was a ‘golden’ child never meant she’d ever conform to being pliable and laced in pampered frills. Oh the sheer thought made her snicker as if red could actually gleam in her lightened eyes.
Seeing her sunken form made a plan play out in her mind. “You know… I’m having an off day as well. I don’t that’s necessarily a bad thing, however. I have this urge to do something… sporadic.” Danalli patted her friend’s shoulder as she let go and turned to take a step toward the stables. Maybe Souzan was already tacked up like she requested her stable hand to do, out of earshot of Zanen of course… He’d keep her off that stallion if he could help it. Hm… not today.
The fiery aeon half turned to her demonic kin, playful tomfoolery just filling her brightening eyes slowly. “What say you,” she asked brightly, “He’s not as fast, but I sure we could keep up. And with the day being so bright, I simply can’t sit still. Let’s go for a ride and chase this… ‘fussiness’ away.”
The aeon’s features became slightly more serious. “Just know, Asina, that if I can help you in any way… I would drop anything to do it.”
Then she picked up another energetic smile and nudged her head towards the stable several times.
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Post by Willow on Nov 12, 2011 17:51:28 GMT -6
Asina could feel the calming air the moment that Danalli conjured the magic. She recognized the affects and scowled visibly, though not at Danalli. Rather, she was irked with herself for being so blatant about how unsettled she was, even if she wasn’t about to come forward and say so. The scowl turned into a snarl, though, and was directed at Danalli for certain this time when the other woman so flippantly told her that she wasn’t fooling anyone. “For your information, I have no intention of running into Zanen today, and actually have every notion of speaking to Ciel about what plagues my mind.” If she didn’t at least at some point in the near future… there would be problems.
“I stopped you thinking that maybe, just /maybe/, spending a little time with another woman who – well, with another woman, would help clear my head a little bit before I tackled that particular feat.” She was feeling grumbly, and not only was she feeling off and vulnerable, and fucking /scared/, but now she was severely irritated.
But she could also feel the calming push of the aeon’s little spell. Oh, if she wanted to she could throw up a little shield against it or even ignore it, soak up the irritation and let it turn into anger. Perhaps she could go kill something, that usually made her feel better. Though in this case, she didn’t think it would. What she needed now was calm, so she let the spell help her. A little bit of random slaughter wasn’t going to be enough to sooth the unease that was continuously building up in the pit of her stomach. No, it would take a lot more than that, and she knew that she wouldn’t feel completely better until she spoke to Ciel. She just… she needed to calm herself first. She needed to quiet her anxieties enough that she could stand steady when she spoke to her mate.
”You know… I’m having an off day as well…”
A ride actually sounded like a good idea. Seeing Nightmare would help. The great demonic stallion would undoubtedly know what was wrong with her the moment he scented her, and he would understand. Nightmare had been her companion ever since they were both incredibly young. He was nothing but a young colt, and she a mere child when they met and from that moment on they had been inseparable.
So Asina gave a small nod. “A ride sounds good,” she said as she moved toward the stables with Danalli. Even as she stepped into the pleasant musk of the stables, she could feed Nightmare closing in. He’d been keeping close these past few months, and a demonic stallion can almost instantly be near his rider whenever he so desires. The petite warrior walked through the stables and out the back while Danalli readied herself with her own mount. Sure enough, there he was. A monstrous black stallion with garnet eyes that seemed to dance with their own fire. At her approach, he bowed his head deeply, but it shot up the moment she drew close enough for him to catch her scent. His eyes were wide and he pawed at the ground, tossing his head insistently.
Asina gave a little snarl. “I know! I know, alright.” Her arms crossed under her chest and she sighed even as Nightmare moved toward her and bent his head down again, craning it to nuzzle her cheek, then lower to nuzzle at her flat belly. Asina actually gave a little laugh. “Stop it, you,” she grumbled affectionately. But the great stallion did not stop. In fact, he whinnied like a filly and pranced around her a few times in pure joy before nuzzling her all over again. Asina truly began to laugh now, a rich and womanly sound, pure and happy. “Well I’m glad to see one male in my life is happy about this,” she said to him as he nuzzled at her abdomen again and she hugged him. “It remains to be seen if the trend continues…”
Nightmare snorted and made a mental comment to her along the lines of what he would do to whoever dared NOT be happy about ‘it’. [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 12, 2011 22:51:13 GMT -6
“Well it was /simply/ a warning for your information…” Danalli scoffed, annoyed, stalking into the stables. Apparently it was not kitten day for Asina. Her mood was much worse than she thought. It seemed at she wasn’t going to get through to her, not even when she was simply trying to offer help. Nope… she gets snarled at and snapped at even moreso. Danalli didn’t give two rips if Asina ran into a dragon, at least she would know that she was easy to read. Demon queens and their /stupid/ pride… The aeon sneered lightly and uncharacteristically.
She felt her fists tighten as her jaw locked. Ferocity was starting to spike in her as her sensitive emotions etched a static electric sound in the depths of mind. Her chocolate eyes flashed as she walked stiffly towards Souzan’s stall. Her blue rimmed optics fell on an empty stall near her current mount’s and she felt her mood sour a little more.
Necromancer was gone… “Oh Necro,” she purred quietly, standoffishly, “Your beautiful face would have been nice to see…” She missed her companion. Her mate’s bonded demi-demon stallion, who’d decided to regard her with softness. She hadn’t seen much of him in the past few months and a part of her ached to lean on his strong flanks. His heavy breath always calmed her, made her feel safe and secured. Of course, Zanen would always make her feel safe and secure too, more then anything. But Necro was her first acquaintance here. Her first friend… Even though he tried to run her over… Pesky thing. She had shared a bond with him; a bond she felt was fraying.
She sighed deeply, leaning on the frame of his rather large stall, a place she never saw him fill often, save for the few times she’d asked if she could read a book with him nearby, keep him company while Zanen was away from both of them. She assumed with the relaxed toss of his head and a deep pleasured bay, the ancient demon enjoyed her presence, enjoyed her deep relaxed breaths as much as she did his.
But she had not seen him in weeks, had not brushed him or scratched that spot behind his furry ears in months. The way his eyes would go have lidded from the ‘oh-so-good’ feeling made her giggle out loud. He was most likely out causing ruckus and mayhem; he did have that side to him… All of her beloved did. He was no different.
The spiked energy laced in her once clenched fists was soothed from her memories and she took another deep breath, slumped on the frame a little more before she puffed out her cheeks and exhaled dramatically. There was no reason to be annoyed, nor would she sap the negativity out of her friend’s sourpuss attitude and latch onto it, only to throw on someone else’s back. Oh no! This ‘fussiness’ was ending here and NOW. If she couldn’t cheer Asina up, then fine. The twit could haul herself over to Ciel and he could deal with her snarkiness himself.
At least she /friggin’/ tried.
“Hmph,” the aeon huffed, pushing herself off of the frame with a little more force than normally would be needed. Her little one seemed to be shifting, throwing off her center balance, causing her to stumble lightly. “Oh you trickster,” she cooed, a hand skimming up the side of her stomach and the other cradle underneath in a tender embrace. She chuckled as a soft jab answered her. He loved to move it appeared. “You will love to dance then I can only assume,” she whispered tenderly to her unborn child. There were a few more kicks.
It was strange sometimes for her to realize that her son was growing inside of her… That he would be /here/ in less than five months. He would be born, that she would give him life. A gift given to her and all mothers from high above. Hm. The surrealism that hung in that very thought made a warmth skitter over her skin as a slender shiver quaked through her. They had created life… through passion and love, her and Zanen. It was so hard for her to imagine in the first few weeks, but now… A precious kick had awoken her from her dreamlike state. He was real, he would be real and he would grow in front of her very eyes.
“Zane,” she stated quietly, in the shade of the stables as she looked out to the brightly lit greenery outside. She would name him Zane, she’d known it from the first few minutes of knowing she was pregnant that she would name him after a great man, a demon. Her mate. His father. A demon’s heritage was mostly built on pride, Zane’s would be no different. A precious smile dotted her features as an anxious whinny broke her train of thought.
A burnt chestnut stallion had begun to kick at his stall door, noting her entrance a few minutes before. He was also so full of spirit and fire. She had trained him so well, he was so driven. Proud. Where had she seen that before... Perhaps there was a trace of demon in him, perhaps it was small and just barely a droplet of dark brooding blood. Or perhaps he was different and powerful without a demonic heritage. He had been cited for a newly transferred commander, one that had both earned the ranking personally by the general and had fallen to his demise by her mate. Unfortunately for said commander, both men happened to be the same person. Pity. So the steed was left without a rider. Enter Danalli.
“Souzan,” she said with a loving tender voice. The kicks stopped instantly as the stallion’s burnished gold eyes regarded her adoringly. “I see you’ve been tacked up and waiting. Sorry to keep you pawing at the sawdust, darling.” The stallion had even been gnawing at the latch. She frowned at him and earned herself a snort. She’d have to show him how to unlatch it later. He would have a problem getting it closed however. Her and Souzan shared a bond as well. She had been a delavis when they’d met, he’d come to know her quite well. Even though her equine sense had been severed, the aeon still had a tiny amount of its ability. Of course she couldn’t speak horse, but Souzan could still understand her and she could still sense his emotions just a well.
She unlatched the stall door and he came trotting out with excitement. Danalli hated putting him in there, she could see in his eyes he was a free spirit. A free defenseless spirit. She knew that path all too well. So she had to keep him safe. The way a fire lighted through his expression when he saw the oats in her hands. They were gone in seconds.
“I even wore those boots I told you about,” she whispered behind her hand, “They were secretly fashioned after my old riding boots. Ha! People just thought they were fashion forward.” The stallion shook his mane, it was obvious he was only excited about being taken out, not silly fashionable boots. The aeon sighed and walked him out into the sun. Souzan was a perfact name for him, fire. His burnt coat lit up like an ember and once in the sunlight there was even a prance in his steps.
Danalli hadn’t been able to simply hoist herself up by a stirrup anymore. To herself she was nervous of falling back from her twacked out center of gravity. But it was more to be responsible and not put too much strain on her body. So she had a few steps nearby she’d simply walk up before placing a boot in a stirrup and lightly throwing a leg over her somewhat wide mount. No strains, no damage.
“Ha!” She called out proudly, puffing out her chest to no one in particular, defeating the system as she called it. She felt a twitch vibrate through Souzan at the feel of a massive energy rubbing against them. “Show no fear and he will not think anything of you,” she said with an even tone. Nightmare was near by, Asina had summoned him rather quickly, Danalli had noted it in the stable. The very horse Zanen had told her to stay away from those few months before would be as nearby as he had never wanted.
The aeon sighed again. Oh well this was her ‘off-day’, so long as she didn’t sneeze… the aeon muttered a jinx, she’d be fine. She adjusted her weight and her stirrup, along with a loving scratch on her precious stallion’s ears. She was ready.
“Ready when you are, sugar,” she spoke in a normal friendly voice. She was excited and they were being ‘sporadic.’ There was no need to yell, no need for attention... of any kind.
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Post by Willow on Nov 12, 2011 23:29:18 GMT -6
A few minutes in the presence of her bonded stallion and she was already in a magnanimously brighter mood. There was even hope purring inside of her, hope and joy. For the first time she was genuinely happy and excited about this particular situation. It was as if all she needed was some kind of positive acknowledgement from one of her males. Sure, Nakiera had been happy for her, and not to discount that, but Iera was a woman and an avian, not a demon male. They also weren’t bonded together on such a fundamental level, like the bond she held with Nightmare… and Ciel. But the massive demonic stallion had no reservations. He was not afraid or concerned, nor was he upset in any way. He was just purely ecstatic. Excited. It soothed her.
So she laughed with the monstrous stallion and allowed him to nuzzle her and coddle her even. He knelt down so that she could mount him instead of her just swinging herself up bareback like she normally did. She was still perfectly capable of swinging herself up of her own power, but it didn’t bother her. He was happy, and he wanted to pamper her, wanted to coddle her and fuss over her, as any demon male was wont to do over a prominent female in his life under certain circumstances. Asina could understand. It was the way of his kind. Of her kind. Just as it was the way of things for her to accept it. Eventually, she knew it would grow tiring, and she would be annoyed by it, but that would be caused by stress and mood swings. Demon women were literally wired to ‘be okay’ with this kind of behavior from the males when they were… in a particular condition. She would put restrictions on it, of course, because another prominent aspect of demon male behavior was that they liked to push and test their boundaries.
Nightmare rose up to stand and she found herself towering over the world at his great height. The smile was still on her face, and he was visibly much more relaxed. When Danalli came out of the stables and into the sun on Souzan, Asina actually rose a hand and gave a little wave, that smile still on her face. It was a near glowing expression, and for the moment she had forgotten her worries and her fears. It wouldn’t be too long before she remembered, surely, but for now she was happy.
Nightmare moved forward to meet them without her having to nudge him. He stopped just short and looked over the aeon’s mount with a very calculating eye. He snorted, head held high and proud as he watched the other stallion, waiting for him to acknowledge the hierarchy and give him the wary respect he deserved as a powerful demonic stallion of royal rank. Meanwhile, Asina lightly stroked his neck while she turned her attention to Danalli. “Zanen would go absolutely crazy if he knew you were going to be riding beside my beautiful monster,” she said with a grin, deep affection painting her voice as she spoke of Nightmare. “They’ve never really gotten along.” Nightmare snorted as if in agreement. “But! The wonderful thing about it is that he can’t do anything about it!” Her voice was damn near sing-song. “Are you ready to go? If you’re feeling particularly malicious later, you can always mention who you went out riding with today.”
Asina looked out across the land and gave a deep sigh, for a moment her expression sobering as her gaze fell on the dark silhouette of Certann Forest in the distance. She wouldn’t be able to raise her child among the loving shadows of that forest…
Asina shook her head, physically ridding the thought from her mind. There was no way to change it at it was. Perhaps her child would not be raised in that dark and tender embrace, but there was a chance with what they now knew that he might grow up knowing those of his own kind. If she could find a way to free the zephyrs and the aeons from the Forest of Lost Souls… her hand curled around her abdomen and her eyes drifted to Danalli’s swollen belly… then both of their children would grow up knowing their kin, grow up with a large extended family to raise and care for them, to share their wisdom.
Deep ebony eyes drifted up and she nodded off in a random direction. “Shall we?” [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 12, 2011 23:58:32 GMT -6
Nightmare was a beautiful creature. Wild, malicious, and wicked. He was as monstrous as he was powerful and beneath she could taste his wisdom. She never got a good look at him that day, four months ago. Things were falling much too quickly for her to eye just how magnificent he truly was. He was proud, strong, and dark. Like the stallions of his heritages were meant to be, born to become. There was a soft sweet sound that feel from her smirking lips as she nodded, dipping her chin to her neck. A feat that only surmised a form of curtsy.
Souzan, however, stamped a hoof into the ground, shaking off the last of his apprehension and perhaps, gathering his own pride and courage. He was around demon mounts often and they’d all grown to find him worthy of their presence. True he was not of demon descent, but his fight and his spirit was well worthy of one. Of all the mortal horses she’d come across, his drive was the most potent and strong. Perhaps that was why she rode him, because he was so much like her. Winning the hearts of pureblood immortals, and standing amongst them, just as strong, just as tall, and just as worthy.
With a sweeping gesture, the weaker stallion tossed his neck. His nose did not touch the ground, but it was low enough to alert the other of his well-known place amongst a purebred of his caliber. The stallion was there to enjoy the run, the chase, and the thrill. There was nothing that noted a challenge, nor a displacement of rank. Souzan was here for his lady and to run and those alone. A soft snort fell from him as he nodded, bouncing his neck up and down, a hoof scraping against the dirt every now and then… anxious.
There was a scratch at the back of Danalli’s mind. A piece of her that remembered how fast she could run on four legs, how the dirt smelled and the trees were uprooted when she streaked across the land. It was a shame she could no longer feel that freedom, the run, the unleashing of her ‘invincible’ and unattainable speed. She would have to live through in feeling and the rush of his speed as his muscles flexed beneath her.
“Yes I do think he would be mighty scowly if he saw me now so close to your beautiful monster,” the aeon said it just as affectionately with closed eyes and a soft smile, “I remember wanting to meet this very demon some months ago… Oh he did not like that. Ironic I think, I did it anyway!” She laughed, happy that the mood had lightened. “No he can’t do a thing at all. I did say I was having an off day… Dare I say I’m feeling quite… sadistic,” there was a devious smirk that had blossomed of her docile-like features. Yes she was feeling… different, unchained.
She noted Asina’s glance and called happily to her. “I’ve decided on a name did I tell you, Sina?” Souzan was shifting to and fro, taking step forward and back every now and then.
The aeon nodded brightly. “Lead the way.”
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Post by Willow on Nov 13, 2011 0:28:28 GMT -6
Nightmare flicked his ears at Danalli’s acknowledgement, about at much attention as she would get at the moment until he finished taking measure of the other equine. He tossed his head and snorted, pawing at the ground before giving what looked like a small nod. Then he turned away and began taking them on a safe but scenic little path that would take them to and along a clear river. The young colt (in Nightmare’s mind that was where Souzan stood, which was understandable when taking into consideration how old the massive demon stallion was) was one of the more wise of the tamer, cousin kind. He seemed to understand who held the authority here and respected it, but wasn’t being an annoying little twit about it either. To a demon who could smell the finest tremors of fear, it got near intolerable when that was all that saturated his senses when in the presence of mortal horses. Which was more than irritating.
Asina snickered. “Please do torture him for me dear, he deserves it every once in a while just because of who and what he is. Also, it keeps him on his toes, which you always want to make sure you do to your males.” She gave a very pointed nod of her head. “That, and it’s incredibly amusing.” She gave a sigh and shook her head. “Ah, the fun of males. As infuriating as they can be, they make up for it in other areas.”
Another affectionate smile, this one tinged with some deeper emotion. “It’s good we have them, no?” She winked over at the other woman. “Plus! Any day you’re feeling off, particularly because of your pregnancy, you can always just blame him. When it comes down to it, it’s always his fault, remember that darling.”
They were just reaching the river, the water casting off shoots of light that danced across the surface like tiny ballerinas. The area was sparsely forested, but when you looked through the trees it was possible to see where they got denser in the distance. Nightmare kept their pace at a brisk walk, which for a stallion like himself was enough speed to make Asina’s hair flutter behind her slightly in the wind.
“Oh?” she said, turning her attention fully to Danalli now. “Tell!”
Funny, she already had one picked out as well. It was a name she’d had picked out since the last time, one she’d always known she would use for the same of her first son. The last time, when that despicable tragedy had occurred, she had thought that she would never be able to bestow that name upon her child. She had thought it would be impossible.
But Saeliir had given her another chance.
‘The soul of your son never left you, my child. And now he lives within you once again, this time with a father worthy of such a blessing.’
“Have you told Zanen yet?” A wide grin was worn on her face. She hoped not, because then it would give her something to poke at Zanen with if she needed to. Oh, what fun! [/center]
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Post by libellule on Nov 13, 2011 0:55:08 GMT -6
Souzan was buzzing with a pride. Danalli held her lively smirk. He knew he’d been accepted in the presence of a very powerful creature and was grateful for it. It was a presence not many found themselves in. Danalli too was thoroughly enjoying her company. Never tame, no, but pleasant, at least for the moment.
Souzan had made sure to keep up with the monstrous demon. He did not walk side by side, but more head by shoulder so the soothing croon of his rider continued seamlessly with the other speech pattern coming from the other woman. It wasn’t a difficult pace to keep, just required his concentration
It appeared that the four of them were at a decent, relaxed mood, thriving off of one another’s positive energy. Asina’s scowls had lifted into chirps and her classic smirks. No doubt Nightname had everything to do with it. But Danalli did not take it personally, even though she wished she could have done more.
Asina and Nightmare had known each other for millennium, she could not expect a bond like that in the year she had grown close to Asina. It was one year compared to a millennium. But now… The aeon looked down at her protruding belly once again, resting a hand on top of it and feeling her cheeks twinge with a small amount of hurt from all of the smiling. Now maybe she would get to know Asina for that many a year, her and Zane… Zane…
’Have you told Zanen yet?’
Asina wore a lovely grin, Danalli found herself giggling like a child and blushing. “Well,“ the aeon began, “In that whole miraculous wonder when I was… brought back, there was this space before it. And…” She paused as if trying to remember a dream. It was so fuzzy now as if the real occurrence had simply been a pain-induced coma. But she knew she had died.
“Baelli came to me and told me I’d have a son,” the immortal continued with a proud face, “And I just knew ‘Sina.” She blushed, paused and looked down to her stomach again, her hand still resting there. “That I was going to name him after Zanen. I knew it within minutes of Deidre telling me I was with child that if I had a son… I would name him Zane.”
She nodded happily to his sovereign before excitedly asking. “So no he doesn’t know… What do you think, being his sister and all…? Do you think he’ll approve?!”
The aeon was literally bouncing in her saddle with joy and excitement. “Please be honest,” then a look of dread crossed her face instantly, “And please say you won’t tell him! I’d very much like to tell him something sweetly… Never really did get to tell him I was pregnant in a very… normal way.”
She sighed. All of her plans had always run into snags. Well not this time! She’d sit him down somewhere bright and lively with her enormous pregnant belly and tell him that his son would be named after a great warrior… a legend. Himself.
She wiggled, holding in a squee as Souzan snorted with a toss of his mane.
Women…. Or better yet…
Pregnant women.
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Post by Willow on Nov 13, 2011 1:17:19 GMT -6
“Mhm…” she murmured. “Goddesses do have a habit of doing that, don’t they?” She gave a sigh and looked up at the sky, knowing that somewhere beyond the Veil, her goddess mother was snickering at her. Beneath her, Nightmare snorted and she cleared her throat. “You know I was pregnant once before,” she said with a nod, as if in explanation of her previous statement. “Saeliir told me then that I was to have a son. I knew in the very instant that it was confirmed that he would be named Silus, after my father.” She gave a soft, sad smile, but for reasons unshared it wasn’t nearly as bitter or melancholic as it would have otherwise been. This was in fact the first time that she had ever brought the whole instance up to Danalli, though she knew that the other woman was more than aware of her past in that regard. After all, she had been there some five months ago when Zanen had played that memory out for everyone to see in order to distract her so that she wouldn’t rip Danalli limb from limb in the middle of her berserker.
”…I would name him Zane…”
Asina grinned broadly at the other woman. Oh that was wonderful! Asina couldn’t help but laugh, but it was an amiable, affectionate sound. Zane, after his father. And to think she’d thought that Zanen’s ego couldn’t possibly get any bigger… to have a son named after him would make him absolutely impossible. But, it was something she would be able to deal with. After all, she’d had centuries, millennia, to learn how to slap down his pride when it grew to take up so much space that there wasn’t enough space for the air that they all needed to breathe. Which Zanen most definitely had the potential for.
That was alright though, between her and Danalli, the father-to-be would most definitely be kept in check. After he got to bask in it for a short –short– while. He deserved that much.
“Trust me, ‘Nalli, nothing would make him more… giddy… than having a son named after him.” Of that she knew for certain. She could just imagine him, nearly bouncing around, his bright violet eyes shades lighter with pure exuberance. Then he’d prance around like a peacock with his feathers in full bloom until she and Danalli got annoyed with him and slapped him down a little bit. Even then, though, she knew he would keep repeating it to himself over and over again until his son was born, and probably then after that.
The demon queen wrinkled her nose. “Aww, you ruin all of my fun, ‘Nalli. Fine, fine, I won’t tell him. No promises that I won’t hint to him that I know something he doesn’t though. Or that after you tell him I’ll poke at him that I knew first.” That broad, mischievous grin again. “It’s my job as little sister to annoy the shit out of him and aggravate him at every chance I get.” That much was most definitely true. It always perked up her day to irritate him.
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