the Rift
Halyven Petrichor - Printable Version

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Petrichor - Rixen - 12-21-2017





R I X E N



I woke up to the drumming of rain and the slow drip, drip, drip of water onto my hide. I grumbled and snorted, shaking my head, as I rode the cusp of sleep's final waves onto the shore of consciousness. My emerald eyes gradually adjusted to the change in lighting, pupils shrinking and dilating, until, after a few moments, I could bear to lift my head and allow my vision to focus on the crumbled walls. I was alone, again. Since I had arrived in this place, I had encountered but a few of my kind. The day was cloudy, and past that I couldn't tell the time if I tried. Like the heaps of stones that surrounded me, the skies were charcoal gray, an obscured sun resting somewhere in the center; somehow, someway, faint hues of light streamed down upon me, fighting feebly against the deluge. I missed the warmth of the sun. Thunder grumbled in the distance, and I wanted to tuck myself back into the protection of the walls. But I was on a mission, one that could not be put off any longer.

Pushing the chill that haunted my bones aside, I emerged from the ruin. Though unsure which direction I should go, I was certain that when I started moving the air whispering through my thin coat and tickling the whiskers on my muzzle would subside. After all, I had been dealing with the rain and floods in the colder months, and surviving, wandering this desolate earth on my own for far longer. When I busied myself the coldness and the dampness wouldn't plague my mind as much. And so I proceeded to complete my usual wake-up "routine" of stretching and then shaking my entire body in an attempt to remove some of the excess water from my hair. I relished in the familiar cracks and pops my cramped, cold-locked bones made as I twisted every way possible. I released a low, deep exhale at the feeling of refreshment and invigoration that came over me. Then I proceeded, my hooves following the ivory-covered wall, prepared to see what this new day would bring.


"Talk."



you can put a quote here!
and finish it here.



image credits || coding credits


OOC: I'm back from hiatus, and I just wanted to throw Rixen back out there.. soo.. have at him!


RE: Petrichor - Otem - 12-21-2017

 

Although Otem assumed that it wasn't true, the Rift seemed less scary with the glowing orb by her side. It didn't actually do anything, other than emit a soft glow (nothing she had seen anyways), and yet it made both the literal and metaphorical darkness of this place feel a touch less oppressive. And that was a start.

It also gave the autumn-touched girl a sense of purpose. Any easy justification for almost any scenerio. Why are you here? Oh you know, just looking to do some orb splitting..! It allowed the filly a simple way to hide her social anxiety, as if the task Kisamoa had given them all was actually a shield she could use to defend herself with.

But then again, she was parent-less and just a child, so what did she really know.

Ahead, there seemed to be a pale figure with its (his?) head stuck in a tree. But .. there weren't any trees directly around, and yet it seemed as though one was springing directly from his skull. >>Maybe it is<< Pandora hummed into her mind, the Owl's mental speech coloured with amusement. I ... guess? Otem replied, not fully convinced, but knowing that the owl was probably correct.

Moving forward as casually as she could, Otem plastered a false but fairly convincing smile upon her features. She steeled herself as she took a breath. "Hey - you haven't got an orb, do you?" She called, then nodded her ram-horned skull towards the floating sphere of light that came to a gracefully bobbing stop next to her.


otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits




waahhh Otem is awkward sorry!


RE: Petrichor - Rixen - 12-21-2017





R I X E N


A voice made me jump. I had been so caught up in my own mind that I hadn't noticed the figure approaching me. She was strange looking, unlike any creature I had seen before. Peeking out from her thick locks were curved horns, first down and then they twisted back up to the sky again. Following the shape of her sandy head, my vision swept over what looked to be two different colored eyes gleaming back at me, one gold and the other burgundy. And like a bird, she had wings. Before I said anything in return, I examined her carefully. I tried to be subtle, albeit I wasn't really sure how subtle I actually was. But I wanted to make sure there were no surprises. The first thing I always did upon encountering someone new was to see what information I could infer based on what I saw. Sometimes appearances, rather than words, could tell me so much more. 

Deciding that there was nothing dangerous-looking about the mare, I gave her my answer. I had to raise my voice a little because there was still some distance between us, and then the wind had picked up. I also didn't want to look like an idiot repeating myself, so I shouted, "What, may I ask, is an orb?" My voice brimmed with genuine curiosity. I was still new to this land, and I was not afraid to admit that I did not know anything about it. The word "orb" rolled off my tongue nicely as I repeated it carefully to myself. It sounded like something mysterious, perhaps even magical, but more importantly something of value. I wondered why she would ask me, a stranger, for an orb. Aside from the golden mask I received as a gift long ago, I had no personal belongings, and definitely not one of these so-called orbs. Nevertheless, her mention of it intrigued me and I awaited her answer with my silver-tipped ears perked forward. 


"Talk."



you can put a quote here!
and finish it here.



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@Otem


RE: Petrichor - Otem - 12-21-2017

 

Otem, too much of a child to jump to the conclusion that the stallion was checking her out, and not schooled enough by her warlord Father to conclude that he was assessing her as a potential threat, Otem merely stood beneath the weight of his verdant gaze, feeling uncomfortable. She didn't particularly like to be looked at. Her mother, the philosophical sociopath that she was, held no particular regard for physical beauty, and her father, confident in his appearances, rarely mentioned it around her. And so Otem had grown up with a poor sense of self-worth and identity, and the weight of the stranger's gaze simply reminded her of that.

Awkwardly she shuffled her wings around her shoulders, relieved when his eyes rose to meet hers and he spoke.

"That." She answered simply, nodding towards the sphere of light that dutifully hung near her shoulder. It bobbed gently up and down, as if held up by an invisible ocean that was pulsing with some unseen tidal pull. "Kisamoa gave it to me. He said it would help heal these lands, but that everyone needed to have one." Otem tried to sound as if she knew what she was talking about, her tone much more confident than she in fact was. Her words were the totality of her knowledge on the subject. What would come next was a mystery, as this stallion was the first she'd encountered who hadn't been at the meeting, or whatever it had been. 

Expectantly Otem turned her bi-coloured gaze towards the orb, waiting for something to happen. 
"Do you know about the sickness?" She asked suddenly, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that nothing seemed to be happening with the orb.

otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits



RE: Petrichor - Rixen - 12-21-2017





R I X E N



My gaze followed the direction of the mare's gesture until it rested upon the glowing sphere. I watched it in motion, slowly rising and then falling back down. The motion was easy to miss if you weren't looking carefully enough. Indeed, it looked as mysterious and magical as the word sounded. Although the orb did nothing more than bob delicately in the breeze, my fascination remained.

I was surprised when she told me it would heal these lands. It had never occurred to me that they were in need of mending, but now that I thought about it, perhaps that was the reason why the weather had been so temperamental. Not to mention the eery feeling that I picked up on from my surroundings wherever I went. The world around me did seem uneasy, but somehow I had never questioned it. Because I had been wallowing in my own loneliness for so long, grasping for ways to wrap my mind around the idea that this was my home now whether I liked it or not, because my mentality had been so dejected in itself, I had never considered the shadowy place to be anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was not truly what I had come to accept. I could spend hours wondering about this if I wanted, seeing as I rarely ran into anyone else to talk to aside from myself. But now that this stranger stood before me, I was not ready to let go of the companionship just yet, so I tried my best to continue the conversation. 

"I have never heard of this sickness that you speak of. Not until now, at least. Is it bad?" I replied honestly, pausing to think of what I should say next. "As you can probably tell by the looks of me, I am new here." Speaking to someone else felt foreign to my lips. It had been so long. But the change, however awkward it was at the moment, felt nice. I had missed it. I mustered a slight smile in an attempt to make myself more approachable, but I wasn't sure whether it came off as friendly or just plain creepy. I hoped her impression of me was the former.


"Talk."



you can put a quote here!
and finish it here.



image credits || coding credits



RE: Petrichor - Otem - 12-21-2017

 

By looks of him Otem thought he definitely wasn't new here. He looks like none of the Helovian's that she knew of, and she was the grandchild of an earthen god: if anyone should have branches growing out of them, it was her. But in this place, she actually wasn't much of anything. Other than Kisamoa and the guardian gods she knew of, she wasn't actually sure whether or not this place had overarching deities like Helovia did.

"I think so, yes." Otem answered, keeping up the pretense of being far more knowledgeable than she was. She didn't elaborate, partially because she didn't actually know much more, but mostly to add a flair of mystery. Not that the Rift needed it. It was certainly mysterious enough. "I suppose I'm rather new too. I've been here a few months, but I came through the portal from Helovia. Lots of us did but ... I'm not really sure where everyone went." Deflating slightly, the autumn-coloured girl offered a small smile in return. It was hard to continually act as though all that life had thrown at her wasn't eating her up inside, but deep down, it really was.

Before Otem could indulge in any more details, the orb next to her began to pulse slowly. It vibrated up and down, before the middle began to narrow and the sides to widen. It almost appeared as though it was expanding, but also shrinking at the same time. Then it became clear that the orb was in fact separating into two orbs, just as Kisamoa hinted that it might. Eyes wide, Otem took a small step back, but the orb(s) moved with her. Halting, she watched the process continue until there were in fact two distinct hovering balls of light where before there had only been one. Miraculously though. both orbs were the same size as the original one had been.

How was that possible?

The other orb floated towards Rixen, and both Otem and Pandora watched with rapt amazement. "I guess that one is yours now. Kisamoa said to bring the light to everyone ... Kisamoa, do you know who that is?" She asked suddenly, skeptical as to how much Rixen actually did know about this place.

otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits



I think you post in the updates section now to get the orb added to your profile?


RE: Petrichor - Rixen - 12-22-2017





R I X E N



I was glad that I could find no hint of discomfort in the mare's features. As in, my slight smile had been interpreted as friendly. Reassured, I exhaled softly. As more words escaped her lips, I realized how unfamiliar many of them were. Who, I wondered, was Kisamoa? What was Helovia? It must be another place, perhaps not too far off from the one that I hailed from. I wanted to ask her, but just as I was about to part my jaw to speak, the glowing sphere at Otem's shoulder began to move to a rhythm, almost like a heartbeat. My green eyes transfixed on the orb, I watched as it grew larger and smaller and then larger and smaller, until at last it began to separate. There were two orbs now, but curiously enough, they were equal in size. It was like some kind of otherworldly cytokinesis. 

One of the new orbs floated toward me, and I watched it. My body was alert, my ears forward, my muscles tight as my emerald gaze continued to follow the daughter orb as it drew closer. As it came to rest beside my shoulder, I slowly craned my neck to get a better look. My pink nostrils flared as I sniffed it. The orb pulsed brighter in response, then it dimmed again, bobbing up and down slightly. Learning more about my newfound orb and its magic would occupy my mind and give some sort of a purpose. And whatever the aforementioned sickness was, I could now rest assured that I could be safe from its deadly grasp.

Turning back toward the mahogany-coated mare, I spoke with a gracious tip of my antlers, "Thank you." The conversation flowed out of me naturally now, before I could think too much on what I should say next, "I haven't seen many others around either. Since I arrived here, I've been wandering on my own." I remembered my interest in the name she had mentioned earlier. I hoped that she would elaborate further if I mentioned that I did not know what he or she or it was. I worried that asking too many questions right away would annoy her, so instead I tried my best to convey my desire to know more using my tone. "I have never heard of this Kisamoa that you speak of."

Unsure how much of myself I wanted to share with the ram-horned pegasus, I closed my jaw before any more could slip out. Though I tried my best to be friendly to all I encountered, I had never been too open about myself. But that did not mean I had no manners. At the very least, if we were to become acquaintances, she ought to have a name to call me by. I added quickly, "My name is Rixen by the way. What's yours?"


"Talk."



you can put a quote here!
and finish it here.



image credits || coding credits



RE: Petrichor - Otem - 12-22-2017

 

As Otem watched the stallion's reaction to the sudden splitting of the orb, she decided she approved. He had been wary, but hadn't acted out, hadn't yelled or demanded more information than she could give him. His reaction hadn't forced any additional strain or stress on her part, and for that she was grateful.

As he asked about Kisamoa, Otem's lips turned into an S shape as she tried to think of where to begin. The question seemed to loom over her, crowding her thoughts. In times like this Otem's youth truly showed, for in the face of something overwhelming, the girl didn't know where to begin. And what do you do when you don't know what to do?

Ask your mother of course.

Awkwardly, Otem used a wing to lift an oak-leaf charm from around her neck. She'd never actually needed its help before, it always sort of ... spoke up. In truth, she didn't know what the result would be, or if it would even answer at all. Can you describe Kisamoa to Rixen?" She asked the necklace, sounding both polite and slightly timid.

For a moment nothing happened, and then a voice, crass and obnoxious filled the air. "Why? Can't you? What are you even good for!" The snide comment exploded into a peel of laughter, which left Otem gaping with embarrassment. Before Otem could excuse the necklace, or apologize for the interruption, it began speaking again. Although the voice was completely different: now it spoke with the calm, neutral academic tone of Otem's deceased mother. "There is much to the story of Kisamoa, though without more context I am not sure what parts are relevant. Let us start here: he once was some sort of God of this place, the Rift. He ventured into Helovia - our old homeland - and tried to insert himself there. He was not successful. He created a portal which forced presumably all of us through. It brought us here. Since then he seems to have recanted whatever megalomania overtook him and now desires to heal this place."

Otem lost herself in the words and cadence of her mother. Isopia always had been pragmatic and wise, and in this situation her lack of sugar coating provided a good explanation. Or so she thought.

"Does that make sense?" She asked almost nervously, as if Rixen's understanding was somehow a commentary on Otem's dead mother.

"Oh, and I'm Otem. And this is Pandora." Otem nudged her ram-horned skull towards the melanistic owl that sat on her withers.

otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits



RE: Petrichor - Rixen - 12-22-2017





R I X E N


Her lips pursed at my question but no words came out, like she had so much to say and nothing at the same time. I concluded that whoever or whatever Kisamoa was, he must be a vastly complex and important character. I didn't mind if she took a moment to formulate her answer, so I waited patiently for her response. 

Instead of answering, Otem craned her neck and tugged back a chunk of mane to reveal a delicate, leaf-shaped charm that had been hanging around her neck. I hadn't taken notice to it before. She lifted the trinket to her lips with her wing. Then she started speaking to it. She asked it to describe Kisamoa to me as I looked on in wonder. A voice boomed around us that sent chills of awe and surprise running down my spine. Rather than the gentle, sweet voice one might expect, if a reply from a charm hanging around the neck were to be expected, the words were harsh, chiding. But no sooner had an expression of humiliation crossed Otem's features than the tone of the surrounding voice lost all elements of its anger. 

I listened intently as my question was answered, absorbing what the charm told me with childlike fascination. I silently agreed that from what I had seen thus far, from the shadowy, sunless forests down to each pallid flower, this place could use some healing. I was pleased that the voice provided me with a better understanding and I very much appreciated the straightforwardness that came to follow a biting introduction. There was likely far more detail to the story, but I decided the understanding I had would suffice for now. The rest would come with time.

I chose not to comment on the charm's change in temperament because I did not want to add to the mahogany woman's discomfort. Instead, I reassured her that I understood what had been said. "It does." I spoke thoughtfully, pausing to look up at the sky beyond the walls. By now the clouds had curled back to reveal the sun, and the rain was reduced to a gentle, rhythmic dripping. The orb glowed with a whitish light at my shoulder, moving in small circles now as if it too were glad that the cold wind had died down. In addition to Otem's company, I suspected that the little bit of sunshine contributed to my cheerier mood. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." I made sure to acknowledge the owl in my response, pivoting to look directly at the bird atop Otem's shoulders, "And yours, too." My response was genuine. 

"If there is any way that I can help this land to heal, I'd like to offer my abilities. I have no purpose elsewhere." Perhaps I possessed some skill that might be useful. If I was going to live in the Rift, I felt it was my duty to contribute to its repair. I was not nearly as talented as I hoped to be, but then again, it was better than nothing, and I could certainly learn.

"Talk."



they heard me singing and they told me to stop
quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock



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RE: Petrichor - Otem - 12-23-2017

 


"I think you're just meant to allow that orb to follow you around ... and when you find someone without an orb, it does what it just did: it splits, and then they have one too. Maybe with enough light, we can burn out whatever infection has taken over." Otem shrugged, still attempting to sound wiser and more knowledgeable than she was. Although with her growing fondness for Rixen, she felt less and less inclined to keep that pretense up.  If Otem had heard the term pyramid scheme or multi-level marketing, she might have likened Kisamoa's task to that. They needed to seek out others to spread this hope, and through dissemination plausibly it shouldn't take very long at all.

But only time would tell if things were going to work out that way. 

Despite Otem's appreciation for how Rixen had thus far handled their conversation, Otem's uncomfortablness in social situations had not gone away entirely. And now, finding that all of their mutual questions had been answered, the autumn-touched child found herself at an uncomfortable loss as to what to do next.

So, like the child of Isopia she was, she made up and excuse to leave.

"Well, we were just in the middle of finding Pandora something to eat-" Mentally Otem sent a pulse of don't you dare argue towards her companion as soon as she felt the owl  begin to stir in protest. "And she can be cranky when she hasn't eaten. But I'm sure I'll see you again?" A soft and genuinely hopeful smile spread across Otem's dirt-coloured lips as she took a few steps backwards and allowed her wings to unfurl from her sides.

"It really was nice to meet you."

otem

I'm a cold day in august, I'm a stream too shallow.
I'm a heart-shaped box with no letter inside.
Image Credits




Awkward Otem out!

<333