[ P ] Fae have Feelings Too

Ara Snow
dainty are the faerie wings, her hair silver spun

She stood upon a river-weathered stone. The cool rock pressed against her pale, pink pads and a gentle mist rained down upon the small prophet and her congregation. To call them a congregation, however, was to mischaracterize these poor souls that were quickly bustling by. A young mother scuttled by with her children, now nine months old or so, as they oo'd and aw'd at the speaker. An older couple sat nearby and seemed to listen and nod (though whether they were asleep was undecided).

Ara was passionate nonetheless. "We battle over crowns!" She gasped, colorless eyes searching the faces of those that had gathered (if that was what this ragtag group of passerby could be called). "We fight over marriages and annulments and sons and rights... and yet we ignore the true stewards of this land!" Ara would have brought her books and offered a couple passage readings but the college gopher had forecasted rain and had been right (as it usually was).

She had memorized a couple stanzas for this moment, however, and her heart hammered in her chest. Ara was not often such a vocal advocate but she had been growing in her political zealousness with time. "This land belongs to the Fae, who are we to squabble over their bounty?"

What few Jacobite and Voxi ears had turned toward her quickly flicked away as the girl pivoted toward a passionate speech about the realness of the Fae. While some of the elderly Lowlanders listened, it wasn't as if they truly cared. Highlanders were a better audience for this talk but even they would dislike speaking so openly about the wily creatures.

"Why else do we enjoy such bounty? Or such tragedy? If you consider the stars and their alignments--" Ara prattled on and found herself searching for familiar faces. She had told several of her classmates about the rally...

But few were looking at her at all.

@Monarch @Satchel @Colburn @Arthur

code by claerie

*MOBILE POST, APOLOGIES

As per usual, he woke up an utter mess. Shaking of the remains of the remains of the mist that clung to his dirt of a coat, a bleary look at the world before him. How he ended up here was a good a guess as any. His demons slowly becoming the only family he had left. A low grumble from deep with in, as he decided to take a trek towards things unknown. Damn, was the struggle real. He noticed her from a distance, a ghost as pale as himself. Curiosity was always his greatest downfall. There was a slight crowd gathered, but he was never one for shyness. So like the asshole he was, he staggered in and let out a very abrupt snort. Keeping just enough distance so not to crowd her, after all he had some manners. A dismissal glance at everything, his sunshine eyes peircing through it all. At the mention of tragedy, he almost laughed. "Well aren't you cute." a slow and subtle relaxation, he felt no fear now nor would he ever. "I suppose everyone loves to watch a good Trainwreck." and with that he licked his lips and sat down, as if there was anything better to do this morning anyway. At least he was getting to know the natives, right? TABLE CODE © RASTA 2020

in

A day off and with it a day of wandering. Monarch wanted to know more about this place, if only to find out where not to go, and he had to explore to do that. He’d headed north without a real destination, but knowing that the north was where some of the weird ones were. Like that Ara he’d met by the tavern, going on about faeries? Something that he’d never heard of and never seen but were apparently all around? It sounded crazy, but apparently, she wasn’t the only one.

He was following water, the cool freshness of it in the air filling his lungs. Thus far it had been quiet, but up ahead he could see a few wolves close to the water, seemingly a gathering of some sort. Monarch paused as he got closer, debating turning around and heading elsewhere. A moment before he was ready to move away however, his eyes alighted on a pale form atop a rock, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Icy blue eyes narrowed and he cursed. ”You got to be kidding me,” he said under his breath, a huff of air leaving his lungs in a half-laugh.

His paws found themselves wandering closer however, curiousity getting the better of him. Why was she standing on a rock and what was she saying? A few others were watching but more were ignoring her as well. He could begin to hear her finally, even as he remained further on the outskirts, away from the others, his face bemused and eyebrows raised. She spoke of things to do with the country he wasn’t particularly familiar with, and as he expected, faeries came up again. He frowned a little at their mention, and he shook his head in disbelief, but he didn’t leave. She was so… passionate? Was that the word? She seemed almost breathless with her intensity. He couldn’t think of a reason or a time he was ever passionate like that, it was almost admirable, in a way. Despite the obvious disdain of those around her, she continued.

But he was distracted from the watching when another stranger wandered in, with swagger or a hang-over, Monarch wasn’t entirely sure. He sat down right in the centre, staring right up at her, and called her cute, his words laced with a kind of veiled venom. A trainwreck? Monarch’s brows creased again, as he looked back up at Ara. She wasn’t exactly a trainwreck… sure others weren’t really listening but she seemed to know what she was talking about. Even if it wasn’t real, as far as he could tell. Monarch took a step closer but kept behind them all still, keep his gaze between the two, wondering what, exactly, Ara would do.

@Ara @Satchel

Sure, Ara had told him about a rally she wanted to hold -- but somehow, he'd missed exactly what the rally would be about. In hindsight, he should have figured. But he always assumed others to be more like him than not, and so he never thought she would so openly tout the Fae. Arthur believed (mostly) every word she said -- he too believed in the Fae's existence -- but he would never admit it so openly. As he padded into the group of wolves, his honey eyes lingered on her with a mix of admiration and embarrassment. This was the wrong way to go about this -- the man's eyes left her to sweep the circle. Some seemed moderately interested, most were ignoring her. A pale man let out a scoff, called her a 'trainwreck' -- to which Arthur sent him a pointed glare. Sure, this isn't how he would go about uniting the lands -- but her passion and zeal should be admired, not admonished. Even still... Arthur's cheeks burned lightly as he looked back up to her. He was not outspoken enough to give her a holler of encouragement, though he wished he was. He wished he could be as unapologetic as she was about his faith in the Fae. But he was uncomfortable with his own beliefs, and he wasn't willing to admit readily to them without the proper, scientific proof to back himself up. He felt others would feel the same. But there he went again, assuming others were more like him than they probably were. He let his gaze linger on her, and if her eyes should fall upon him he'd offer her a small, encouraging smile and a twitch of his deer-like tail. “my sin, my soul.”

ART ➤ art by snow-body

Ara Snow
dainty are the faerie wings, her hair silver spun

One man paused at the edge of the crowd, scanned the elderly and peasants with a honeyed gaze that seemed two parts sweet and sour, before sauntering into the center. His air was one of complete confidence as though he was the lion entering his pride, high on the power that came from being completely in control. A thin smile curved on his lips and Ara naively hoped for encouragement.

"Well aren't you cute."

Snowy ears perked, her brow shot up, and her hackles ruffled as the insult shot through her body like an arrow. Cute. It was the easiest way to dismiss her, to take her words and chalk them up to the sweet babblings of a bairn.

Before she could conjure up a retort, he made himself comfortable so that he could enjoy the "train wreck".

Ara swallowed, her mouth feeling dry as she glanced from the heckler to the other wolves in the throng. She could not see Monarch but Arthur was in the crowd. He offered a thin smile but no words of encouragement. No support.

Her lip wobbled slightly and she bit into it, forcing it into obedience. She wouldn't cry, not up here, not in front of them.

"I am the fool on the stage," Ara admitted. "But at least I know that my words are worth saying." Embarrassment made her cheeks hot but she stared the man down as best she could. "Why waste your breath on an insult? Do you not have anything more valuable to contribute?"

She disliked that the conversation had veered away from the Fae, but more seemed to be paying attention now. They were drawn in by the "train wreck" as well.

@Monarch @Satchel @Colburn @Arthur

code by claerie

*double post please delete*

This was entirely unfamiliar territory.

To deny that such things offered exhilaration, well. A slow inhale as he watched, ears tucked flat. A few men approached, both of them so grayscale he almost was dizzy An apprective glance, but he was tied down. That oh so familiar R name tugging at his heart. Believe it or not, he was indeed listening. She spoke with such wonderful conviction. It was rare to catch such things, and so...

Heaven was nowhere around.

He moved with swift decision after this. At first The scholar stood full and foreboding. A slight inhale, and he went straight for the Target. Careful not to damage her, however he might actually tripped up. A quick apologize as he untangled himself. The man he was thinking of would have scolded him, told him to slow down. However he wasn't here, and there was nothing between him and these, oh so strange faces.

The most dominant one of all seem to be, a rugged brute with Azure laced eyes. Fronting at first, he did a bizarre sort of Play bow as dance easily around the both. A rather taunting grin, here with nothing.Then he noticed the man with yellow to his name.

Almost as an after thought, allowing himself to linger just long enough to lift his leg. And let the rest do the talking. A small grin of unequivocal Joy he could not remember the last time he dared to have him this much fun.

"Speech."

"Speech."

Monarch’s body was tense now, and his blue eyes watchful as he kept them trained on the stranger who had spoken to Ara. There was something about him that made Monarch feel wary, a kind of carelessness that he knew could bring about danger. His eyes flicked to Ara, who seemed to be upset by the man’s words, though it was hard to see on her face and he could tell she was trying to hold it in, not appear like she was upset. But still, she spoke, her voice clear even as he could see the embarrassment on her face, and her stare intense on the intruder.

But her words seemed to have no effect as the pale man suddenly moved to leap forward into her space, and Monarch was moving in the same moment, his body already primed for action when the strange said those first words. He wasn’t fast enough, he was too far away, but luckily the male did not seem to attack Ara, even as he got into her space. Monarch’s growl was deep and low as he also leapt onto the platform, barreling his body between Ara and the stranger, legs locked and his core sturdy like a rock, to attempt to shove the other off and away from her. He barely knew Ara, and for all her intensity it seemed like she could handle herself, but Monarch didn’t like the way this male had acted, and he didn’t want to allow it to continue.

Monarch swung his head to stare at the male, his blue eyes like ice, as the other danced and skittered around, giving him some kind of mocking bow. ”Back off,” he snarled, his ears flat against his skull, hair bristling and his body crouched, ready to leap again if he needed to. Unbelievably, he wandered over to another wolf and lifted his leg as if to pee on him. Monarch growled again before leaping down and getting in the beast’s face, hopefully to distract, before any liquid left. Some kind of strange feral grin was on the stranger’s face, and Monarch thought maybe he was crazy. ”You are no longer welcome here. Get out,” a low snarl, teeth bared, blue eyes staring into the orange, stance spread and steady and braced for an attack. Bring all the attention to himself, to keep it off the others. Monarch didn’t like to fight for no reason but this seemed plenty of reason, if he needed to.

@Ara @Satchel @Arthur