[ P ] I See With Crystal Visions

S

mall paws stepped lightly over the cobblestone pathway that led to the king’s less-than humble abode. The night was dressed in darkness, but the flickering of flames cast light upon the evening. On either side of the path, torches burned brightly as a beacon of warmth and hospitality. Amethyst sights adeptly avoided making contact with the curious gaze of others, and the strangers soon looked away from the wolfess who entered in solitude, as there were far more interesting objects and faces to examine than the unassuming fae.


She could not say what had possessed her to attend such an event, but here she was, regardless. She wore upon her facade a mask crafted of crows’ feathers, blacker than the night itself, giving Rhiannon a corvid-like appearance. The beak of the mask curved over her snout. She was rather proud of her creation, and she enjoyed the utter sense of anonymity it provided as she entered the ball. The enigmatic woman had managed, despite the odds, to find what would open these otherwise untouchable doors: a piece of blue cloth meant to symbolize good fortune, opulence, and merriment.


Rhiannon was at once intrigued and dismayed -- in her short life, she had never seen so many wolves in one place. Or, rather, she had never seen so many happy wolves in one place, as the creatures who had gathered here seemed so carefree, the festivities of the occasion overcompensating for whatever misery they lived in their daily, average, dull lives. For a single radiant evening, the ones who had been successful in securing a way into the king’s celebration had gathered.


Rhiannon was not sure what they were celebrating, nor did she care much. She moved close to a wall to take in the unusual sight, ears folding backward as she adjusted to the cavernous echoes of many voices and laughs within the castle. Despite her interest, it was all a bit overwhelming to the silvery wolfess.


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he familiar sparkle of amethyst jewels immediately drew her in. It was most certainly her. Rhiannon. Even beneath the ornate crows' feathers and hooked beak of the mask that the silvered fae had masterfully arranged to give herself the appearance of the ebony corvid itself, Nimue found her recognition of the wolfess was not limited to sight alone. With the current distance between them, she could still feel the intensity of the mystic's energy as though they were standing right next to each other.

Nimue swept across the room, the slightly dampened fur of her tail flowing behind her elegantly. She made her approach on light paws, attempting stealth as she sauntered confidently to Rhiannon's side. Pressing against the other female's side, she let her muzzle just barely grazing the rim of her ear as she spoke in a lowered voice only meant for her, "You're too stunning to play the role of a wallflower, dear Rhiannon..." Moving so that she could stand face to face with her, lightning flickered behind the storms of her eyes as she moved her gaze along the slender form of the other female with a growing smile. "Truly, you are...a vision this evening."

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he arrival of her friend brought an easy smile to her muzzle, and she watched the elegant movements of the lady of the lake as she came to stand before the daughter of the wind. There was flattery on Nimue’s tongue and intention barely veiled in her dark pools of ocean blue as they explored Rhiannon’s silver-hued physique. ”Why, thank you, beautiful stranger of the storm.” After all, it was a masquerade -- why not play the part, quite literally?


With a low bow, Rhiannon’s eyes swept brazenly over the illuminated figure of the she-wolf before her. Why should Nimue be the only one? Naturally, Rhiannon had not minded the other’s wandering gaze, nor was she entirely surprised. There was no need to draw attention to what both she-wolves could see, could feel for themselves. ”My lady,” she spoke in a low octave with a twinkle of mischief in her vivid eyes as Rhiannon intentionally mimicked the snobby accent and affect of the so-called upper echelons of modern society, a world Rhiannon did not understand, nor did she desire to.


All that mattered was this life, the days mortals were given and the ways they chose to spend time. It was seldom that the two were truly alone together, and though they were certainly not alone here, the smokey fae looked into the eyes of her companion as if they were the only two wolves in the room, or even in the entire world. Her smile was insuppressible, a rarity, just visible beneath her corvid mask. "Shall we dance?"


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

R

hiannon earned herself a genuine smile from Nimue as she bestowed her another nickname upon her. Her eyes sparked with intrigue when she she realized the other girl was wishing to play the game of the masquerade…strangers hidden behind masks until they were revealed. Ah, she should have known that…perhaps she seemed to eager then in her greeting.

It hardly mattered as they stood in one another’s presence. The way Rhiannon’s eyes traveled her, left her abuzz with electricity and she wondered if she might have the same effect on the other. She took a few steps backwards when a dance was proposed to lower herself into a exaggerated bow. When she rode, she moved in close again and touched the side of her muzzle against Rhiannon’s.

“It would be my honor, Amethyst.” She drew herself away slowly, remaining faced towards her partner as she stepped backwards out and into a central area, never taking her eyes off of the woman she was fortunate enough to gain favor with.

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

L

ife was so short, far too brief to spend in worry and turmoil. The girl dressed in hues of ash and silver was like the wind: she moved as she pleased and lived the life she desired from sun rise to the darkest hours of the night. How many of the uptight wolves gathered in their midst today could say the same? How many had taken oaths, had sworn their loyalty to a wolf not much different from themselves, a simple man that others, somehow, had deemed more worthy than the rest of them? He controlled them all like puppets, the aristocracy and the noble. But Rhiannon and Nimue were not like them. They were free.


The crowd here would look down upon frivolity and upon wolves like Rhiannon and Nimue -- but enjoyment was in the eye of the beholder. These who called themselves the aristocracy found this to be the peak of entertainment: swaying around a decaying castle, speaking to one another without ever saying anything at all. Why shouldn’t the pair of outsiders have their own lighthearted night, courtesy of the ruler of the fools and misguided?


Rhiannon had no fear as she led Nimue to the middle of the room, two females whose scents alone may have hinted to those observing them that they were certainly not of their own creed and caliber. The amethyst-eyed fae gave the rest of them no mind, not sparing so much as a glance at them. It did not matter if they were staring. It made no difference if others disapproved.


And so, they danced, with Rhiannon naturally taking the lead. Though the enigmatic femme had never actually danced before, she had noticed the basics while watching the party-goers. ”Dear, Sapphire, if I may be so bold…” She leaned her pale muzzle closer to the other’s speckled features, as if she were going to whisper something else. Instead, Rhiannon rest her cheek against Nimuea’s for a moment, long enough to indulge in her pleasant scent. She nuzzled the other in silence, eyes drifting shut as she forgot to sway to the music.


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

F

ortunately for Nimue, her companion preferred to take the lead and she allowed her to do so freely. She’d not danced much since she’d been a child and then it was more skipping and hopping, the form far less proper than what was expected here in this Ballroom of the King.

But she trusted Rhiannon, and that was all it took to keep even swaying motions fluid and relaxed. Those sparkling purple eyes kept her captivated and she wished to know what secrets lay behind them. A faint smile present along her maw as she imagined the girl’s thoughts in the moment to be only of her.

The enchantress moved in, Nimue’s ears perked to know of Rhiannon’s thoughts, yet the far trailed off and instead rested their cheeks against one another. Nimue found solace in the sound of Rhiannon’s gentle inhale and she’d stilled herself no longer dancing.

Nim closed her own eyes, until they’d swayed themselves to a halt. Eyes fluttering open, she remained where she was but she tilted her muzzle slightly so that she could whisper lowly to her dance partner, “I haven’t put you to sleep, have I, dearest Raven?”


@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

o be this close to another wolfess was not precisely uncommon for Rhiannon. It was an equation she had sought often. Still did. She had been taught to feel shame in her earliest life, but she had rebelled against those expectations with ferocity to be standing there today, shameless and content. This ball -- it was enjoyable, just not in the way the royals had intended. Beneath her ashen pelt, the disciple of the ever-changing winds felt feverishly warm. Her breaths came in steady rhythm, and her heart beat in double time. There was a storm between them, electric and powerful.


Rhiannon remained intentionally ignorant to whether or not others were looking. She had taught herself, had reconditioned her mind to be different from what was modeled to her. She would not hide herself away when there was something that she wanted. In the end, their worth did not add up to much that really mattered.


Let the rest of them have their luxuries and vacant stares and that which they called privilege. Tonight, she had Nimue.


“I haven’t put you to sleep, have I, dearest Raven?” A mischievous expression appeared on the normally stoic facade of the femme. For a moment, only long enough for her to utter a single sentence, so that she could see the other’s eyes again. ”On the contrary, lovely Lady of the Lake, I would say just the opposite is true.” She smiled coyly as she made a soft *hm* sound, her soft cheek finding its place beside the other's once more. "I thought you would have sensed it was so."


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

S

he chuckled lightly with an endearing roll of her eyes. “And I thought you would’ve sensed my sarcasm…sounds like we need to spend some more time together.” Nimue winked, then glanced about, meeting the eyes of anyone caught staring until they averted their eyes. She took a breath in and sighed, turning back to Rhiannon, drawing up a small smile.

“It was a pleasure to dance with you.” Nimue mimicked another overzealous bow until her forehead nearly touched the Earth. Once risen again she maneuvered herself so that they were side by side as she gestured away from the dance floor. “Take a walk with me? That is…if you’ve not grown tired of me yet…I’m curious to know what you’ve been up to as of late.”

@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

”A

nd I thought you would’ve sensed my sarcasm…sounds like we need to spend some more time together.” At this, the silvery priestess merely grinned for a second or two. Though they belonged to the same coven, and, indeed, it had been Rhiannon to bring her into the fray, there was still so much the two did not yet know of each other. The notion of spending more time with the mysterious fae standing close enough to touch was inviting. Finally, she murmured a simple response: ”Please.”


Next came an invitation to walk and move away from the crowd. ”Certainly, my lady.” She continued to speak with the feigned posh mannerisms that she had observed that night. A single dark brow arched questioningly at the woman’s final comment. ”Tired of your company? Perish the thought, stormy enchantress.” This time, Rhiannon would wait for the other femme to show the way she intended to go, moving through the crowd of clueless party-goes. With a thoughtful sound, the wolfess dressed in hues of smoke and cinders considered her response. ”As of late…”


There were so many ways she could answer this inquiry -- the company she had discovered and kept and then given up, the places she had gone, the prayers she had uttered. ”The darkness of winter has always been an intrigue to me. So many fear the season, but the night embraces her children.” Her smile remained as she peered over to her companion. ”I often travel when the days are at their most brief and the night endures.”


Had it really been so long since she had last seen her Sisters? It was still unusual, a novelty really to consider so many, when for so long it had been just Rhiannon, and then, just Rhiannon and Juni. But their circle had grown, and, Rhiannon recognized, so did her responsibilities to them all. She regarded Nimue once more ”And you, dear heart, what pastimes have occupied your imagination these wintry weeks?”


@Nimue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

H

er lips parted to reveal an attractive set of pearly fangs that glinted in the moonlight. Rhiannon's jest managed to draw it out of her, the smile reserved only for her. With her agreement, Nimue moved with ease as though she were scale and fin slicing through the sea of bodies that had collected around them.

Beckoning the other girl further, they soon surfaced beyond the congregation and Nimue turned her head this way and that, eyeing areas that were the likeness of lengthened corridors. Once they were alone, she continued to lead Rhiannon away and listened to her all the while speak on what occupied her time since they'd last seen one another.

The storm-pelted fae slowed her steps lightly, turning towards her lovely friend after glancing in the direction they were headed with a determined glint in her eyes. The ever mysterious Rhiannon described her travel by night, yet nothing more. Her eyebrows raised as a smirk played on her maw. "Always on the move, are we, Amethyst?" She teased lightly, and peering into those swirling purple hues as she suspected there was certainly more that she was not being told.

"Myself? Well, you could say I've begun to...venture out." Lifting her head she again looked towards her intended destination, ears swiveling as she listened for signs of any other presence nearby. Her eyes narrowed slowly and then she shook her head before returning her gaze upon Rhiannon. Taking a couple of steps towards her, she caressed the tip of her nose along the soft down of the feathers tracing her mask. Nim then leaned the side of her muzzle against the other woman's, releasing a sigh and allowing their breaths to mingle before she sought the vibrance of her eyes once more.

"As much as I long to spend the evening with you, Sorceress of Shadow, I’ve got somewhere to be on important business…you may join me as you wish. The Voice calls us to the King’s Garden..." Oh yes, Rhiannon would find that Nimue could be vague as well. Withdrawing, she approached a wall of underbrush, pulling some of them back to reveal a clearing that was enveloped by roses, slipping inside an alternate entrance into the garden and out of sight.

[Exit Nimue]


@Rhiannon

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck