[ORP] The Waters of Imperius

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Foxeon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:29 am

[ORP] The Waters of Imperius

Post by Foxeon »

Rendered murky by impending nightfall, the narrow lane was not empty. Striding with a confidence bound to blood and bone, a man and a horse made their way to Imperius. Though the horse had neither bit nor bridle it walked by the man's side without straying. Fall's chill had not yet gripped the world, but the evening held a hint of its briskness as the pair sighted the lights of the town through the trees. "We part ways here for tonight."

Tossing its head, the horse seemed to nod in agreement. Its nostrils flared as it flicked its head towards the foliage on one side of the lane. With an eagerness which spoke of hunger, it departed from the man's side and began to trot.

"Don't eat too many of my new neighbors, would you?" The horse made no reply other than to dismissively flick its tail as it melded into the darkness.

Without his companion, the man continued into Imprius. After negotiating the questionable directions of the drunkards of the hour, he arrived at an inn. For a moment he frowned at the sign, but the building wasn't falling down or on fire, so he went inside. He secured himself a room from the innkeep, but declined a meal before being seen to his room. It was tiny and what lived in the bedding was not to be thought of, but the man stifled his qualms and fell into it, soon to be ambushed by the heavy sleep of a weary traveler.
Last edited by Foxeon on Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Foxeon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:29 am

Re: [ORP] The Waters of Imperius

Post by Foxeon »

Morning made a braid of light and water in the stream's rapids rushing past either side of a rock. Foxeon sat on the rock, his boots abandoned on the nearby bank of the stream. Though rolled up, his pant legs were damp and splashed with the mud churned up from his wading out to the rock. Resting her head on his shoulder, a woman cloaked in black hair more sleek than a moonlit ocean whispered into his ear.

"No. We will stay here at least until Spring."

The woman lifted her head, saying a phrase that was the sound of a breeze rustling through fall leaves tempered by a babbling brook, and rose to her feet. Foxeon began to reach for her hand, their fingers brushing, but he let his hand fall away without halting her. With the lightness of a deer she stepped into the water. Though the stream was no deeper than a foot she sank into the water past her knees, past her shoulders until her hair drifted in the water, drawn out by the flow. With a last scornful meeting of eyes, she became a horse. Become one with the flow of water, the horse slipped away.

"As you wish." Alone, he sat on the rock, communing with the water well past the time where his pants went from damp to dry and the chill of the rock had seeped into him. He was not waiting for her to return for streams flow one way.
Seeker of things... including cheesecakes?
Foxeon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:29 am

Re: [ORP] The Waters of Imperius

Post by Foxeon »

In artful falls and playful splashes, a fountain trickled endlessly, its sound near drowned by the vociferous bustle of the marketplace which surrounded it. Captivated by the motion, Foxeon studied the flow, oblivious to the stream of housewives collecting water from it and children playing in it. Large, lazy clouds floated past the sun, dappling the city, but the changing light did not distract him either. He stood there so long that the crowd parted about him with minimal jostling.

Near dusk when the market was winding down and he was the last one at the fountain, a man approached with a voice which sheared through his commune. "Blackwood, stop acting a village idiot who's never seen a fountain before."

Foxeon looked at him with eyes the washed out blue of crushed robin's eggs under a stormy sky. "Sasko. You caught up. It's only been two weeks."

"You had Nieme obfuscate your tracks."

With a subtle frown which barely curved his lips, Foxeon said, "If she did, it was by her own will. Admit you lost this round."

"Feckless b--" Sasko stopped speaking as Foxeon lunged at him. He struggled to swallow at the hand constricting his throat, eyes wide with shock and the beginnings of panic.

"Insult her and we'll do worse than this to you. You lost this round."

"..." Sasko grabbed Foxeon's arm, their eyes meeting in silent combat before Foxeon released him and took a step back. After he gasped in a breath, refusing soothe his throat, he tightened his jaw. "...I did."

"It is agreed." His dispassionate tone mocked their mutual disattisfaction. "Noon. Tomorrow." Dismissing his rival, Foxeon looked at the fountain one last time before joining the stragglers leaving the market.

Sasko spat on the ground next to the fountain as Foxeon turned away. Stoking his anger, he followed.
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