Wheeling Gull Isle i've got wide, staring eyes
Ghost
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#1
All Welcome 
AW but maybe a @Reed ?

One Melonii indigo, one orange.

Maegi stared into the pool of clear mountain spring water, staring at her reflection. She had never taken the time, since her injury, to look at it before. Her mouth took her aback, but it was her eyes she was focused on, blinking gently back at herself.

If the indigo represented family, duty, tradition. . .what of the orange? The right eye ensured her mother could never deny her, for which other wolves in these lands had that twilight gaze? But orange came from Cicero, and orange occupied the damaged side of her face. If indigo was stability, orange was chaos.

Orange was Peryite.

She knew why Potema had named her that. Pestilence. . .she was a plague. A plague in the womb, a plague on the ground, a walking reminder of the horror that had befallen the priestess. The moniker held no love for the mother, and sometimes, Maegi was ashamed of it. Other moments, she felt a twisted kind of pride. Peryite. . .bringer of death and destruction. But not through blood and war. It was a silent sickness that swept through the lands, infecting all in its path.

Peryite, the lord of the damned, the diseased. Potema might have intended to doom her, with the name. But now Maegi realized that it was a blessing in disguise, cloaked in filthy rags.

"Peryite, lord of the plague, bringer of death
Receive my prayer. . ."


Her whisper rippled the surface of the pool, stirred the air around her. A feverish look entered her gaze--and while the Melonii side of her face stayed cool and impassive, the ravaged cheek was forever set in a wicked smile.
I'M A FLASH IN A CLASS OF MY OWN
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Ooc — remus
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#2

thankfully whatever maegi'd done to poison herself -- and reed hasn't asked because it doesn't matter, she doesn't need to know -- did not do more damage. and reed hasn't asked because she doesn't need to know but that doesn't mean she isn't curious, and a bit disapproving of the whole affair. maegi should be smarter than that -- how hard is it to avoid being poisoned? (that maegi may have done it intentionally does not escape her, but she so hopes that isn't the case that for now she would rather pretend it isn't an option at all.)

she's looking for the scarred-up girl with a mouthful of some of the same mint she'd taken to seelie's babies, an offering to soothe the fact she has every intention of scolding her as she hasn't gotten to do yet. 

yet before she can speak she hears maegi's whispering and slows her steps, eyes pinched at the corners as she tries to decipher the snippers she's caught: a prayer of some sort. reed has not been raised with any talk of religion but the energy around her friend is.. strange in a way she cannot parse. laying the small mint leaves at her own feet the fearghal clears her throat, calling  "maegi," intent on breaking the strange spell over the scene.
READ THE FUTURE IN MY PALMS THEN WASHED MY HANDS
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#3

"Cast a plague upon my enemies
And your love upon the scorned--"


An all-too familiar, earthly voice calling her name interrupted her new prayer, and Maegi looked up, meeting Reed's eyes. Coolly, she straightened herself back up, coming to a sitting position and curling her tail around her forepaws. "Reed," she murmured, blinking slowly. She nodded at the bundle of herbs next to her friend. "What are those?"

Hopefully something fun, she thought wryly. Hemlock had been plying her with various plants to help her heal; Maegi was in no need of healing, only peace. And peace did not involve trying to fix what was broken inside her. She looked with some scrutiny at Reed's offering, now, wondering if she came of her own volition or if Hemlock had put her up to this. Reed was strong-willed, but still very much under the sway of her mother.

Luckily, Maegi didn't have that problem.
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#4


maegi acknowledges her but it doesn't feel as if she's pierced the heavy veil of faith on them. this is some deep hidden power in the other girl that reed did not know about before. if she's being honest it scares her a little -- the power she wields comes from the earth and from knowing her place amongst the earth, things above the material world elude her and maegi seems so, so far away from her now.

rather than let it show, the fearghal girl straightens, her terracotta head lifting up with a lordly touch that she deign bestow a gift upon her friend so benevolently. "mint leaves," reed answers, nosing the bundle toward her, "i brought some for the babies but thought you could use the extra. they taste nice." the lines of her body are unrolled into overly-confident relaxation -- take it or leave it, her shoulders say, no matter to me. (of course underneath that -- if you don't take this nice gift i brought for you with proper appreciation, i will be quite upset.)
READ THE FUTURE IN MY PALMS THEN WASHED MY HANDS
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#5
Great. An herb for babies. Quite the reflection on how Reed--and, by extension, Hemlock, too--thought of her, now. Trying to keep the disdain for her eyes, Maegi nodded, blinking in feigned gratitude at her friend. Her tongue, small and pink, extended from her lips the barest inch, taste-testing the leaves like a swimmer dipping their toe, ever-so-gingerly, in the water, to test for temperature.

To her surprise, it was a pleasing taste, after all, and she lapped one or two small pieces up, looking more genuine as she faced Reed again. "Thank you," she said, a small smile coming to her maw. "That is. . .nice. Really." She scooped the herbs closer to her with a paw, intending to save them for later, to eat them when she wasn't being stared down by the resident healer-in-training.

Maegi tilted her head, looking with interest at Reed. "What's up?" she asked casually, as if nothing at all of consequence had happened recently. "How are the babies?" She had been glad to see the little bundles of joy at her Mitexi, as she hadn't gone herself to visit them, still too scared of the consequences. Maybe she would go, soon. Would Coelacanth let her, after the poppy incident?
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#6


she does not question the authenticity of maegi's expression -- it's maybe a bit unfair to call her naive, but sheltered, certainly; what reason would maegi have to lie to her? among the fearghal's myriad qualities forward-facing comes to mind, not even a lack of talent for deceit so much as a scoffing at the very premise. in this one, key way her and her friend are as strikingly different as alike. 

the gratitude pleases her, making her swell, but she waves it off with a paw nonetheless. "i'm just checking in on you," reed informs her. there does not seem to be any lingering effects from maegi's unfortunate night as far as the healer can see. good. maegi carries with her enough physical traumas (not to speak of the mental -- out of her area of speciality) and does not need more. expert opinions from dr. reed, jot that down. at the mention of the babies a smile warms her face, surprisingly genuine in its affections. "i think i prefer them to adults," she admits, "they're easy, they have no expectations beyond food and shelter. and they seem to be doing well." unaware of maegi's thoughts she adds, "have you been to see them?"
READ THE FUTURE IN MY PALMS THEN WASHED MY HANDS
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#7
She smiled at Reed's admission. Maegi felt much the same way. Children were innocent, untouched by the horrors of life. They were kind, if sometimes brutally honest, and they wore their hearts on the outside. Mur and Fern were two of her favorite wolves on the island, and, if she took the time to get to know Coelacanth's and Stockholm's children better, they might worm their way into Maegi's heart as well.

"I haven't seen them since my Mitexi," Maegi answered, shaking her head. She shrugged. "I don't know what's keeping me from them. Just. . .don't know." She was at a loss, looking away. Perhaps Reed thought her uncaring, that she didn't take the time out of her day to visit the new guppies.

Her eyes met the young healer's again, after a moment of silence. "I'm fine, though," she continued, her voice a little wooden. "You don't need to worry about me." Well, on the contrary--but Maegi would never admit that. Much too proud for that.
I'M A FLASH IN A CLASS OF MY OWN
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#8


hmm -- the fearghal certainly has several opinions to share on that but as maegi continues to speak she snaps her jaw shut, the slant of her gaze turning thoughtful-critical in that way it does for her. too sharp to be truly empathetic, but not quite judgemental in its observations, either. (or: judgemental, but not like, judgemental, you know?)

"bah," is what she says, tossing her head importantly. "i don't worry, i merely observe. you'll have plenty of time to see them when you're ready." unlike most reed does not find herself waxing poetic on how quickly the little ones grow -- maybe she's too young to feel the passage of time in that way, but as far as she's concerned they'll still be wonderful little delights in a few months or even years from now, who cares if you miss them at this particular junction. the dull quality to her friends voice is much more important now -- a shield, a barrier, one probably deserved but nonetheless. she wants to press"you seem fine," she agrees, "at least physically. i can't comment on anything else." wink wink nudge nudge. "though i'm certainly willing to listen."
READ THE FUTURE IN MY PALMS THEN WASHED MY HANDS
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Reed was showy. She had been from the moment Maegi had met her. The way she tossed her head, strutted around--she reminded her, in a way, of Yew. They both put on an act, though Reed's was for the better, and Yew. . . If Maegi believed in hell, she would hope that Yew was burning there. Nevertheless, it rubbed her the wrong way, and she was always pleased when Reed dropped the veil and was finally genuine.

Maegi snorted at her observation, waggling her paw in rueful illustration. "Physically, I'm a mess," she responded, trying to make a dark joke out of it. She sighed, closing her eyes for a long moment. Tongue pressed hard against her teeth, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say next--and if she wanted to say it, at all.

"Can I tell you something I haven't told anyone else here?" she asked, tilting her head. Without waiting for an answer, she forged on gingerly, as if walking on hot coals. "My parents were brother and sister. My mother didn't want me or my brothers. She wanted us dead."

There. It was out in the open. She stood stock-still, giving Reed a gimlet stare, as if challenging her to react poorly.