Follow with the tide. [Jag]

[♕BEFERA]

Nirvana liked to think that she had visited every land in this realm that was of any worth, but not once had she ever visited the sandy beaches of Lustrous Cove. The Empress's regal form moved out from the cover of a grove of trees to feast her eyes on the scene before her. The Western sea was lapping against the shore gently, and the sun was beginning its descent, the bright orb covered only by a few fair-weather clouds. The brindled witch's violet eyes looked out over the massive expanse of water, having not seen anything like this since she had seen the shoreline of Serpent's Sanctuary, a place that was always shrouded in fog. Nirvana's fiery frame moved out onto the sand, and she was perplexed by its softness. The air was hot and humid here, but a wind flowing steadily off the water kept the Empress cool.

It seemed as though she had never seen a true beach before, and this was sadly her reality. Nirvana had grown up in a high, mountainous terrain, and the closest she ever saw to a beach when she was young was the shallow pools of the wetlands at the base of the mountains with their dirty pools, full to the brim with mud and muck. The dark Eastern sea that marked the edge of Serpent's Sanctuary may as well had been invisible. Nirvana vaguely recalled the salty smell of the waves, but she never ventured too close, for the waves there were dangerously harsh against the rocky shore. Even in her travels to this realm, the now Imperium Queen had never approached a calm and gentle shoreline such as this. And she thought that she was getting too old for new experiences. Nirvana often pretended to know everything there was to know, but in reality, even at ten years of age, she still had much to learn.

The brindled hellion moved slowly toward the salty water, the scent of the ocean filling her lungs, calming her spirit. Things were tumultuous in her life now, and they had been since she took the throne. How many years had it been now? The Empress couldn't recall. Since then, she had made her first kill, taken over a kingdom nearly single-handedly, bore her first son and heir to the throne, lost two dear friends, fell in love with, bore twins with, and was betrayed by the one stallion she truly respected, and now she was recovering. She was bringing herself back from the brink, putting her pieces back together after all that had happened. She was strong, and though her dear friend Alexei had helped her greatly in remembering who she was, things were still hard.

Nirvana's hoof plunged into the ocean's waters, the sun warming her bodice as she stood in the afternoon sun. The faint calling of gulls rang in the air as she allowed herself to wade into the waters, cooling her warm skin. The Empress closed her violet visionaries and took a few deep, cleansing breaths. She thought of what her future would bring. Would Styx be ready for Kingship in just a few short seasons? That was her main concern. She didn't worry much about Gehenna, though she couldn't say where exactly the red filly was at this very moment. Nirvana assumed that she had made some friends in Obascus by now, but she wasn't sure. The orange Queen's thoughts trailed deeper into her relationships with the equines of this realm, and then she thought of her family that she left behind in her birth herd. The Queen stood silent in the ocean's waters, wondering if these conflicts in her mind would ever cease.

WORDS: 613
TAGGED: Jagannatha
MUSE: decent i guess

^{by ♛befera}

[alkyone]

Jagannatha was pleased to be free of the Celestial Forest. This morning had a cooler lilt to the air, perhaps thanks to the accompanying scent of salt hanging loose on the breeze. The temperature ran more moderate today and the sun felt less oppressive, and more like a golden blanket than anything else. The great brute lifted his head, black eyes searching the glittery horizon. He was familiar with the beach, having come here many a time before. The Lustrous Cove was a beautiful place, not that Jagannatha really cared about the beauty of inanimate objects. Or, really, any objects whatsoever. His horn dipped low as he dropped empty black orbs from the horizon downward to the hill he made his way down the sandy slope towards the ocean. Other horses might have trouble with moving over sand on uncertain heights, but Jagannatha's dish-shaped hooves had enough width to give him more stability. He neither sped up nor slowed down in order to reach the beach, and once there, he stopped to survey the surrounding area. Waves sloshed, as though mimicking the heavy rolling movements of the brute standing upon their beach. The sun was beginning to fall in the sky, signaling the coming of cooler air and the blackness of night. Jagannatha had an idea in his mind to spend his night here and wait until morning to make his way towards Imperium's home lands once more. It would be better to approach them well-rested, after all. The beast was certain of one thing about Imperium: he might belong here as one of their allegiance, but he had no idea how any of the herds would receive him. Many herd leads or leadesses had taken him as a threat before now. Jagannatha understood that. He was a strange monstrous brute wandering uninvited; it wasn't a hard leap to assume that he was a threat.

However, Jagannatha was only a threat to those who would attack him first. The great brute had no interest in taking over any lands or stealing any mares. His singular concern was finding someone worthy of his service. Marauding, raping, and stealing were not on his list of things to do. Jagannatha was always up for a good brawl, but not while he was on a mission. Given his one-track mind, this meant Jagannatha would find fighting more frustrating and limiting than anything else right now. He didn't like to fight without a decent cause. The stallion huffed out a breath, forcing carbon dioxide over his obsidian daggers, watching with idle boredom the sand shift beneath the force of his exhalation. Inhaling deeply as he lifted his cranium, black orbs open and watchful, he pricked his harks with curiosity, having caught sight of a shape in the ocean. There was a long moment as he eyed the figurine, taking the creature to be a mare and considering his plan of action. He had no intention of approaching her, but Jagannatha wanted to take his night's peace here, and knowing whether or not she was going to get in the way of that particular plan of action was important. On the other hand, Jagannatha instinctively wanted to believe that he could simply find himself a shadowy hollow and not be bothered. Deciding this was the better course of action, and more suited to him, Jagannatha was turning to take his leave when the falling sunlight flashed and Jagannatha caught a glimpse of brilliant purple, causing him to stop and tilt his massive cranium curiously.

He had heard tales of a bay mare with black brindle stripes like those, a tall mare with vivid purple eyes. That would have to be Nirvana, empress of Obascus and the whole of Imperium. She was exactly who he was looking for. That changed his entire plan for the night. Jagannatha swerved and took off at a slow loping walk towards her. His pace was slow, because he didn't want to put the Empress on the defensive by rushing towards her, and also so that he could evaluate her from a distance, calculating black orbs searching for any sign of injury or fault. From where he stood, Jagannatha saw none, though the way the sun was falling, the light was caught shining between him and her and it was hard to distill any distinct features now beyond her purple eyes. Jagannatha had no doubt that many other horses in this land had eyes of a similar tint, but he ran on gut instinct, and his gut told him he was thinking in the right direction. She stood far away to his left and so he made his way over a long stretch of sand to come within speaking distance of her. His front two pistons sank into the water, sand sifting away, and sending miniature waves of his own, even though Jagannatha had no doubt that if she was worth her title, she would have noticed his approach by now. It was here he halted, with more than enough room between them. Jagannatha had no desire to come any closer and invite a fight that he had no time for. "Empress Nirvana, greetings," were Jagannatha's choice of words, inquisition voiced with his typical low, emotion-empty monotone. Another equine might have worried about this lady being the wrong creature, but Jagannatha was neither uncertain nor certain. He simply awaited an affirmation or rejection. If he had the wrong female, he would take his leave.


tagged ;; befera with nirvana
words ;; 870
notes ;; pretty fly for an emotionally and socially stunted guy

[♕BEFERA]

The soft push and pull of the waves was calming, and Nirvana had let her guard down. She was alone, and it was a foolish choice to retract her awareness from her surroundings. The brindled Empress had always kept on high alert for anyone who might be sneaking up on her, but now, she didn't seem to care. Ranjit and his betrayal was still fresh in her mind, though she knew that she didn't need him, and never did. His one true love was what he needed, and though Nirvana hadn't found hers, it was okay. Maybe she didn't need one. Maybe all she needed was to see her brilliant, confident son standing tall and proud before all of Imperium, leading them into a prosperous new age. He wasn't confident, though, not yet. The Queen wanted to drag him through crash course after crash course on how to be a leader, but even then, he would need to come to his own decisions, and lead his own life. It was so frustrating, and the Empress silently acknowledged this just before she heard the sudden crash of two heavy hooves into the shallow water that lapped against the shore.

Her demeanor changed drastically then, violet voids narrowing, brow furrowing, auds pressed firm against her poll, ready to strike at the beast that had snuck up on her. She twisted her entire bodice around as quickly as she could in the water, sending a spraying rain all about her. It was then that she laid eyes on the brute. Monster. That was the word that came to mind. He was a towering, dark beast, his fore-frame adorned with reptilian scales, a massive horn protruding from his crania. Nirvana's auds rose and her facade changed to more of an amazed, even baffled expression, marveling at the sheer size of this hessian. The Imperium Empress, in all her days, had not seen a creature of this stature. It was then that she finally processed his greeting. He had prior knowledge of her, it seemed. How did he know what she looked like? Was she really that popular? Nirvana took a short moment to flatter herself, patting herself on the back in a way for defeating the Lights. Stories had more than likely spread across the lands, to newcomers and newborns alike, of her triumph over the dumb beasts.

Nirvana decided it was best strategically to get out of the water at this point, so she started toward the shore, eyeing the demon that was looking her over with onyx visionaries. She decided to speak, keeping her eyes attuned to every little movement the creature made. If he was a violent beast, and if he chose to attack, the Queen wasn't sure if she would be able to survive him. He was protected well in most of his vital areas by those scales, and his tusk-like growth looked as though it could penetrate most anything right through the gut in a second. He was intimidating, to say the least. "Greetings to you as well." Her voice was strong, deliberate, biting. She would take no chances with this stag. Finally, the sloshing of water around her ceased as the orange-bay hellion stepped up upon the shore, water dripping from her pelt and tresses. She turned to face the beast fully then, her whipcord tossing nervously at her hind legs.

"I've never seen you around before. I'm surprised you recognized me, much less know who I am." She glared him down, looking for weak spots now. He didn't look particularly menacing as far as his stance. He seemed calm, collected, almost bored. Nirvana narrowed her gaze. "What is your name, stallion?" She wanted to know if he had seen her here just by some odd coincidence, or if he had been following her for fuck knows how long. If he had been following her, wouldn't she have noticed? The Empress's heart was beating fast as she tried to keep up a regal appearance, head high, standing tall.

WORDS: 667
TAGGED: Jagannatha
MUSE: pretty good

^{by ♛befera}

[alkyone]

As his mighty daggers sank into the water, salt soaking his pelt and turning it even darker, the lady before him whipped around, sending up a wave of water that fell just short of his broad front pistons. Jagannatha's massive cranium jerked upwards reflexively, black orbs watching her carefully. If this lady was the beast who overcame the Light forces, in news he'd heard ages ago during his stint with the bachelor band, she was a force to be reckoned with. He had no worries about protecting the underside of his neck, unlike most horses. It was the sides of his neck and his legs that required protection. However, he read the femme's body language as cautious and reactionary, instead of proactive, which was all he needed to keep his own cranium lowered at his chest's height and harks pricked to catch what she might say. She did not speak at first, moving towards the shore. The brute did not take any steps to follow her, except with his front end, turning in place to keep up with her movements. These steps of hers meant, in Jagannatha's mind, that she did not intend to attack him quite yet and so he lifted his heavy cranium somewhat, losing none of his blocky posture but tilting his gaze, curiosity reigning and not quite shining through those empty orbs. They reflected the light of the sun and the flash of infamous violet, but not a sign of anything sentient, despite the words that had just fallen from his inky lips. And despite the emptiness there, he dipped his cranium in response to the woman's words, less politeness and more acceptance of her affirmation. He had been correct. Here he stood, before the queen of Imperium. What good fortune. "Greetings to you as well."  Nirvana sounded no less queenly than Jagannatha would expect. Strong, fierce, unafraid, despite Jagannatha's reading her movements as defensive. Jagannatha could not find fault with this. He was a brute of enormous size and deformities. His horn alone could spear her with deadly affect. Her wariness was wise; her strong response required by her title. Jagannatha watched her and waited.

"I've never seen you around before. I'm surprised you recognized me, much less know who I am." Jagannatha met her gaze unflinchingly. He would be a pathetic soldier if he couldn't meet another equine's stare without flinching. He read her gaze as a challenge. Perhaps she was looking for weakness. Jagannatha would show her none. He held her eyes calmly, blankly, expression unchanging. He had no desire to challenge her in response, but merely remain as a rock. He was nothing if not relentless in his stoicism. "I'm new to Imperium," he replied, voice as low as it had rang before, only a touch or two softer, because of their proximity now. There was no need to raise his voice. He also had no need to announce his words with pride. While it was always good to evaluate before making a decision, Jagannatha figured his singular fault in situations that were not fights would be taking too long to make a decision. He had taken a significant amount of time to simply wander and acquaint himself with these lands before entering Imperium itself. Perhaps he should have made his move before now. Either way, Jagannatha wasn't going to worry himself about something in the past. He had stumbled upon a good chance here with the Empress of Imperium herself. This was an opportunity to take with authority. "But your reputation precedes you." It was the truth. The bachelor herd had talked often of equines in power and Nirvana's name had risen to prominence among those conversations. The inability to act on words had been a part of the many reasons Jagannatha had taken his leave of that band, but talking of reputations was something they'd accomplished plenty. "What is your name, stallion?" Jagannatha twitched his long flag, paying little attention to the tickle of the long hairs, instead hoping to displace the heat falling on the backs of his hind pistons, thanks to the flare of the setting sun. He felt a similar flare in the heat of Nirvana's gaze and considered his next words, few as they were, with care. "I am Jagannatha and I'm looking for a queen, or king, to serve."


tagged ;; befera with nirvana
words ;; 725
notes ;; this is going great :D

[♕BEFERA]

Nirvana continued to watch the towering hessian, noting how he shifted his bodice to face her as she walked up upon the shore. He met her gaze, and the orange Empress did not falter, keeping her gaze locked on the stallion. He seemed calm and collected, but this could be an act. His fearsome appearance was enough to make the Queen's guard stay up and stay strong. She would have to be absolutely certain that this stag was no immediate threat to her before she would allow the distance between the two to shrink. The brute spoke once more, and Nirvana's auds pricked. He was new to the lands, it seemed. This was good. It meant he wasn't working for anyone, he wasn't plotting with anyone against her, and he most likely wasn't a hired gun. There was a pause, and more words rang forth from the monster's mouth. Nirvana oftentimes forgot that her vanquishing of the Lights had made waves over every corner of the collective lands, and word traveled faster and faster nowadays. The brindled witch seemed to have gotten more famous than she had ever thought she would.

The scaled stallion answered her question, and finally she knew his name. Jagannatha. It was an interesting calling, one that seemed appropriate for a stallion not of these lands originally. Nirvana's stance changed drastically and immediately as soon as the word serve was emitted from the brute's maw. So that's what he was all about. Nirvana did feel a sort of hired gun vibe from him, and it seemed as though she was right. "Well then, Jagannatha," The Empress started, her tone much more relaxed, "Am I a Queen you might wish to serve?" The Empress let a smirk twist across her maw. She did need a new guard for Obascus's borders, and it couldn't hurt to have a bodyguard of this stag's stature and build at her side. Plus, he seemed like he had the propensity to be loyal. The violet-eyed Queen breathed easier knowing that this brute wasn't a threat to her, and waited calmly for his response.

WORDS: 350
TAGGED: Jagannatha
MUSE: absolute shit but we'll survive lol

^{by ♛befera}