sing a little song

There is a little pond before me, smooth and calm and cool. The skies above are stormy, but for now, the rain has halted. It has made the pool a perfect mirror, and I am using it as best I can to primp and preen. Earlier, while it rained, I submerged myself in the pond, carefully making sure that any lingering dust upon my pelt was gone. Now the dusty purple of my coat shines gently, even in the dim light afforded by the cloudy sky. My mane has dried into a silken sheet, and even my tail is cooperating. It is always a toss up, washing my tail. I keep it braided and tied up off the ground, and at times it seems that bathing only leaves it more tangled and dirty than before. Not so, today, though. Today, it is all but perfect.

The long, trailing feathers that sprout from my shoulders have dried to a glossy black sheen; it takes a mere shudder to coax them into place. I arch my neck carefully, fluttering my lashes at my reflection. What I see is satisfactory; plenty have fallen prey to me with my appearance much more disheveled than this. While I have magic to aid me in my games and help manipulate those weaker-willed than I, I don't like to rely on it. It's much more satisfying to coax someone into falling love with me with just my charms, such as they are.

I shrug into my scarf, it's double loops settling pleasantly around my neck. It takes a little extra doing, but the transparent trails finally fall into place around my rump, accenting my curves nicely. With a final flirtatious smile, I turn away from my reflection, my orange eyes glancing at my surroundings. Well, there are worse places to wait, I suppose. I chose these isles because it takes a certain level of strength to get here through the choppy, stormy waters of Drench. If I find someone to play with, I can be reasonably assured that they are worth my time. This clearing I chose because it has the pond, a lovely feature, and is surrounded by thick trees, creating a sense of privacy. Earlier, I cleaned the ground of twigs and stones, leaving only luscious grass revealed.

With me in its center, this clearing will no doubt call others like a siren's song. I settle in to wait, watching the shadows from beneath lowered lashes.


@Volterra
@Thranduil
Either or both welcome!

The Riptide Isles are a little piece of Helovia cast into the Rift, and Volterra embraces their familiarity. He remembers the first time he came here and helped slay one of the Rift Gods, before finding himself attacked by the massive bone-demon Gashad. On these Isles, he made his first kill. On this sacred sand, he took his first tentative step towards becoming the warlord that he now is. Returning here gives him a sense of nostalgia that he embraces, because it's yet another distraction to keep him from thinking about her. It's also another place for him to look for his red dragon, and with Vadir by his side he keeps a keen eye out for any glint of crimson scales. Getting to the Isles was far harder than it used to be. Volterra's massive limbs ache from the fight across the water, and his thick muscles thrum with fatigue as he finally collapses out of the sea and onto the rocky beach. Despite his great strength, it's rare for the Indomitable to swim - it's not one of his strongest assets, but he manages it courtesy of his formidable stamina and iron will to not be defeated. As he swam across, he looked at the black vortex and thought for a second about allowing it to suck him into it; perhaps it would be a portal back into Helovia, a link back home. Or, more likely, it would drown him and send him into oblivion, and Volterra is not ready to die yet. After gathering his breath and staggering to his feet, the warlord begins to maraud through the Isles. Vadir rides on his back, but her eyes are focused on the distance as she searches for anything to eat. She's wary about many types of prey here, fearing that they could be poisonous, so she chooses her meals with great care. Trees in the distance draw the black scion's attention and he heads towards them, thinking that they'd be the most likely place for a red dragon to head towards. In their midst lies a pond, and....a mare. Volterra has been far too busy being the pillar of strength for his family to think about anything sexual. Bodily pleasures and hedonism have taken a back seat to his desire to make the Rift his home and make it safe for his family, so he's quite surprised at the frisson of lust that oozes through him at the sight of the uncommonly beautiful, delicate mare. Entranced, he steps forwards, distracted only by Vadir's claws hooked into his flesh. The titan clears his throat and tries to harden his expression and demeanour; this woman looks like she could be a Rift native, and that means he must resist her charms. "Have you seen a red dragon here?" he asks her in his deep, slightly accented rumble of a voice, simply to give him something to make conversation about. IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE HEROES ALWAYS GET REMEMBERED BUT YOU KNOW LEGENDS NEVER DIE

image: chan <3

@Delia

Well, hello!

Whomever I might have imagined would stumble into my little clearing, it certainly was not this kind of stud. I have grown quite used to average men - average looks, average intelligence, average... well, I'm quite sure you understand my meaning. But what should stand before me than a behemoth of a stallion, dark, tall, and handsome? A shiver of delight runs down my spine as I twirl my bodice in his direction with mock surprise, a soft gasp dropping from my lips. I don't startle easily, but I've learned over time that it almost always makes men preen when they think they've bested you in some way. "Oh, you startled me!" I exclaim, inserting a stutter of fear into my voice with almost surgical precision, looking at him from beneath demurely lowered lashes.

I am disappointed when he skips past any sort of introduction, but I pretend concern all the same. Perhaps the stallion won't be as easy a target as I had originally thought. Still, I can appreciate a challenge. He is disgustingly plain, so perhaps he is one of those awful intruders; if so, I'm sure he has more than enough on his mind without tossing a bit of lust into the mix. Amusement taints my thoughts for a moment, imagining the strangers' attempts to learn this land without any guidance. Well, perhaps I can "help" him. That should be enough to lower his guard, and invite him to play right into my hooves.

With a plan firmly in place, I take a cautious, dainty step towards the steed. "A red dragon?" I repeat, cocking my head to the side as I pretend to search my memory. "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen one." It isn't even a lie. "Have you lost one?" My brows crease with concern, orange eyes softening as though pained at the thought of losing someone dear to me. Oh dear, there goes my honesty. The only creature it would hurt me to lose would be Kahli, and frankly, I'm much less concerned about her well-being at the moment than I am this brute's. Although, maybe 'concerned' isn't the right word. I should expand my vocabulary. "I can help you look, if you'd like. After all, two pairs of eyes are better than one."

@Volterra - I'm sorry for the wait, dear! I was off for my wedding, but I should be quicker to respond now. <3

It's as though she has been reading from the handbook of how to arouse a man - from that little gasp when she sees him to the heady perfume of her voice, she is perfectly tuned towards his gender. It takes a formidable amount of effort for him to resist her obvious charms, because he has never been the sort of man to ignore temptation. No, he normally gives into it freely and willingly, allowing his animal instincts to override any sense of common decency or good sense. What Volterra wants, Volterra normally gets. Now, though....now, he's wary. The Rift God wars and Kaos's decimation of Helovia means that he is unwilling to trust anything in this vile, corrupted place, and this mare can surely not be what she seems. If they were still in Helovia and he was still the naiive Sultan who did not truly know what loss and sorrow felt like, then he'd have probably had her writhing beneath him within minutes. It's perhaps a sign of personal growth that he's managing to resist, even if the telltale burning in his loins tells him not to. His path of resistance is made all the harder - literally - when she comes sashaying towards him, the physical embodiment of raw beauty and feminine charm. The warlord has never been good at hiding his emotions, and she'd be hardpressed to miss the telltale darkening of lust in his eyes, or the thin sheen of sweat that breaks out across his muscled neck and hindquarters. The concern in her voice sounds genuine enough to fool the stallion, but also helps jerk him back to the reason behind his approach. His dragon. "Yes, I have. He is...very important to me. I need to find him." "So important that the first whiff of a mare and you forget about him," croons Vadir in his mind, her ice-cold voice the embodiment of sarcasm. Volterra sets his jaw, angry at her for voicing such a thing because it's true. Finding his precious companion should take priority over anything else, including his base desires. "I thank you for the offer, but I am sure I will be able to find him myself." Accepting help seems weak, given that it's his fault Verzes is gone in the first place. It is up to him to find him, alone. Despite his wariness, he can't just leave the conversation dangling like that. "My name is Volterra. Who are you?" He makes a valiant attempt to keep any hint of flirtation out of his voice, but there's still the slightest undertone of lust hidden like punctuation between each word. IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE HEROES ALWAYS GET REMEMBERED BUT YOU KNOW LEGENDS NEVER DIE

image: chan <3


@Delia No worries :D

That look - I recognize that look. The stallion might be playing hard to get, but he's certainly interested. Excellent. A light coat of sweat has appeared upon his muscular shoulders, which I am careful to admire as I subtly look him over. Let him think me nothing more than a woman who likes what she sees - it makes no difference. He will soon join the long list of prey that I have stalked... and beaten. Truth be told, were I a normal mare, I would probably be quite content to flirt with this one. He is rather handsome, after all. Strong, too. If I wanted someone to take care of me, his might be the type I'd be looking for. But, then again... black and white is so very blasé. If he had even a single pop of color, he'd be entirely more handsome. In any case, I do tend to be quite jealous. If it took so little to bring lust to his eyes, I'd end up killing him for looking at someone else, eventually.

The stallion denies my offer of assistance, and I delicately step back. I assume that he recognizes by my appearance that I am native to this land. If he has, then he has probably also guessed that I may not be a friend to him and his ilk. He's smarter than I gave him credit for, used to men of his... stature being rather more brawn than brain. No matter. It's just going to make my little game all the more fun. And, despite his brusque denial, he hasn't left yet. I smile.

"I am called Delia," I purr, dipping my head slightly in greeting. "It is quite a pleasure to meet you, Volterra." Mine is a flirt's air, all batting lashes and mischievous smiles. I am loathe to use my magic on him to lure him in after what happened with Kahli, but with any luck, I won't need it. If he wants to leave, perhaps I'll text my poison on him, instead. I haven't been able to figure out if that ability is broken, too. "Well," I add after a moment's pause, "I won't keep you from your search, but - forgive me, I do hope that this isn't too forward, but - well, I can't help but think that you aren't from here." It is a guess, but really - he's so horribly plain. He can't possibly be from the Rift, can he?

"If you would like a guide, it would be my pleasure -" I linger on the word, dropping a light hint his way, "- to assist."

@Volterra

It rapidly becomes apparent that this woman knows exactly how to work a man - each movement is so calculated, and dammit, it's working. Volterra might be a different stallion nowadays, hardened by loss and grief, but he is still a stallion and it's almost impossible for him to resist the allure of a beautiful mare. He tries his best, though; the Indomitable is stubborn if nothing else, and since his mind has decided that Delia is a Bad Idea, he's determined to smack his body into submission as well. That's easier said than done, but he gives it a valiant attempt. "The pleasure is all mine, Delia." He does his best to keep any flirtation out of his thick rumble of a voice, but again, it's only natural for the lust to shine through. The warlord is distracted from his salacious train of thought by the mare's casual question, though; you are not from here. She is an astute one to have noticed that, and it ramps the beast's suspicious up a few notches as it confirms that she is as intelligent as she is beautiful. "You are correct." He glances up to Vadir, as though hoping the golden queen will be able to offer advice on how to approach this situation. Volterra cannot lie, but nor does he want to give away everything about his entrance to the Rift, for fear this woman will use it against him. "I come from a land so far away from here...." A land of beauty, a land of life, a land where he was a king, a father, a lover. A land that he misses so damn much everyday that it aches, because he didn't just lose Isopia and Verzes and Ampere and Argen the day he was dragged through the Portal - he lost Helovia too, the only home he's ever known. He shakes his great head, trying to rid himself of his morose expression. Her offer - spoken in that delectable voice that makes him hunger to accept - falls on greedy, eager ears, but again he tries to fight it. "You are a native of the Rift, then?" he questions, choosing instead to ignore it entirely. IF IT FEELS GOOD, TASTES GOOD, IT MUST BE MINE HEROES ALWAYS GET REMEMBERED BUT YOU KNOW LEGENDS NEVER DIE

image: chan <3

@Delia