WHAT AM I TO YOU?

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // this is exciting!

The summer heat is merciless. It burns across the sweet grass, boils energy into lethargy, and covers every coat in a sheen of sweat. Raskogr is not immune to this. His black-gray coat is glowing under the hot sun, and each breath he takes feels like inhaling the very sun from where it hangs in the sky.
He is moving northeast toward Bear’s Den. His family he has left behind in Jade Valley, but not by choice. ”Me?” he whispers to himself as he casts his eyes toward the blue summer sky. ”What could Nerissa want with me?” He stares at a bird as it flits across the sky, and then he chuckles to himself. ”Must want me for my body.”

Raskogr is indeed a handsome young thing, with Friesian and Anglo Arabian blood burning hot through his veins. At only two he already has a broad chest, long legs, and a fine, chiseled head. But he is young and naïve. Not only is this his first time away from home, but also his first taste of politics, and as of yet, he loves it.

He knows when he has reached the Den. It smells strongly of an abundance of different horses, and already Raskogr knows that this herd is much larger than the small one he was raised in. The thought of it makes his heart race. He could meet his first lover here, or perhaps a lifelong rival. He smiles to himself.

The shade is a cool stream washing away the sun’s heat. He steps into the dark and wonders how he ever could have disliked the cold of winter. After this summer, he’ll never complain of the cold again.

”Nerissa!” he calls, letting his voice ring out, expand, and fade through the evergreens around him. ”I’ve arrived.” He paws through the soft dirt and tosses his head in anticipation. He is soon to meet his queen.

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[RED&BLACK !]

  

nerissa

TOUGH GIRL, I'M IN PAIN, IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP; BLACKOUTS AND AIRPLANES, I'D STILL POUR YOU A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, TOUGH GIRL WHOSE SOUL ACHES

Nerissa is brimming with excitement. Buzzing with it. She feels like a child again, adrenaline racing through her nerves, a warm surge of pride building from deep within her chest. She is immensely satisfied. With Cicero off guard from their meeting at the falls, getting into his valley and whisking Raskogr off was almost child's play, but still - it is something to be proud of. Her first strike out as a leader, and everything went to plan.

Nessa grins to herself, looking down at her reflection on the surface of the lake, fascinated and inspired by the wolfish flash of her teeth. The water ripples and distorts her expression, but there is no mistaking the violent excitement in her eyes. She recognizes it as the same look her father carried when he brought home a new conquest, or came home after battle, grinning gore and glory. (The thought of that sends a sad and almost fearful shudder up her spine.) That was Halloween at both his happiest and his most dangerous - swathed in fresh crimson from every battle he ever won. Subconsciously, Nessa's lips curl, somewhere between a grin and a grimace.

Impatiently, the sable queen stomps a hoof into the dirt. It cuts a deep crescent into the forest floor and sends a childish urge to run to her brain; she kicks out her back legs in a release of energy, curls flying, but stays in place. Head high, Nerissa draws in a deep breath, her nostrils flaring and lungs heaving. Beyond the herd scent and the smell of the pines and the grass sweating green - someone new. Finally! Nessa steels herself - steadies her breath, unwinds her muscles, and starts forward slowly. Her strides are relaxed, hips swaying, an aura of power rippling from her form. The leaves hiss and whisper around her quietly, but she ignores them, ears pricked toward the princes voice.

No. No, she reminds herself, he is not a prince in here. As the queen draws forward her eyes harden and her will strengthens, and a smirk plays across her lips, scathing and faint. But do you know what you're doing here?

SHIN OF GS + ADOX

WICKED♪ ♫ excited!!! And sorry if anything looks funky, I'm on my phone

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // ^^

A sweet summer scent curls through his pink nostrils and the young stallion curls back his upper lip. It smells of foliage and fresh grass and of the sweet body of a woman. He flicks his ears forward and braces himself. She’s here, in the trees, somewhere. Of course she is – she is the Queen after all. Raskogr should have known she would be nearby, probably awaiting his arrival. The thought of this makes him beam pridefully. A Queen waiting on him, the slave prince from the South. What a funny situation.

She steps out from the dark emerald greenery and Raskogr tips his head to her. He may not be royalty here, but he was raised up right, with manners and class. He knows how to treat a lady.

”I have my theories,” he says, his smoky lips pulling back into a smirk. ”But your female companion may have my head if I dared voice them.” He lets the smirk spread further across his muzzle, and his summer sky eyes are alight and sparkling

How alive he feels! Away from his family for the first time, standing here in the shade with the Eastern Queen. Psh, how could his elder brother let life get so boring back in the Valley? When he is the one leading the herd, everything will change.

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[RED&BLACK !]

  

nerissa

TOUGH GIRL, I'M IN PAIN, IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP; BLACKOUTS AND AIRPLANES, I'D STILL POUR YOU A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, TOUGH GIRL WHOSE SOUL ACHES

Nessa studies him carefully - not in the way that some might, not with lust or jealousy, but with the cold, bitchy stare that is reminiscent of an executioner - the predator assessing her prey. Nerissa is a princess of sugar and ice, and it is not surprising, considering her lineage. Her blood runs cold with violence and the makings of a legend, after all. Right now it is bubbling deep under her skin, rushing to her head as her thoughts whirl. She has not quite decided to do with him, what her tactic will be. There are many different sides she could take, after all. Raskogr knows nothing of her except her name and her homeland, and she has already broken political expectations stealing from Cicero. Silky black nares flare thoughtfully, and the sable queen tilts her head, curls  tumbling to and fro across her neck.

When the boy speaks, Nerissa is surprised, to say the least. The smirk playing across his lips is arrogant to the bone, and his words make her ears tilt back in suspicion. Companion, she snorts, icy blue eyes rolling exasperatedly. Is that what they're calling it now? Her tone is tinged with humour, but hopefully not enough to make Raskogr feel too comfortable. The choice of words around this place is indeed frustrating, but of course not everyone is as open-minded as her family. Turning her mind back to the task at home, Nessa blinks, lashes sweeping pensively across her cheek.

There is a moment of silence in which she gazes at him, curious and condescending, and mulls over her next words.

Raskogr, she says finally, her tone viscous and sweet, you're here because I wanted you. Nothing beyond that. Don't feel flattered, Nessa adds, eyes narrowing with a fake sympathy. but, you know, if no one takes care of you now, then something could go wrong.

She steps forward, tail flickering out behind her. I know you've got plans, Raskogr. But you're not in charge, not yet. I've heard things about the state your herd is in, and everybody knows it's going downhill. You're here so I can keep an eye on you, and make sure you don't mess up everyone else's lives. This is the big leagues, cutie.  She shrugs as if it is a fact of life,unconcerned by the weight of her words, and eyes sparkling with vehemence. And you don't get it yet.

SHIN OF GS + ADOX

WICKED♪ ♫ hahahahaaha she's a butthole.  and this post
is hella wordy, my apologies. is it alright with you if
nessa manipulates him a little? i was thinking if you
are okay with something longterm, she could get on
his nerves about how he should be  leading and "teach"
him about it, but turn on him later. if not, no worries!

          

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // YES! I am absolutely alright with that. He needs someone to push him and challenge him a little.

He doesn’t expect her to respond so coolly. A flick of the ears, an inclination of the head. And then she is aloof, unconcerned. Snorting, an eye roll. And Raskogr is shrugging. ”I’ve no idea what they’re calling it.” He knows little of the outside world, only what he has been told or has seen for himself. For two years he stayed cooped up in Jade Valley, venturing out only when Castro decided to go for a walk or when Cicero was in a docile enough mood to allow him to tag along. (Which was rare.)

The Queen sweeps her lashes across her cheek, then catches him in her spider-web gaze. He remains caught in those eyes, a thin silence like fractals of ice between them. Then it is his name on her lips, but he is not smiling. He listens closely, relishing these words. Cicero never speaks to him like this, never tells him of the other herd lands or the plans that are folding out across the political borders. But now here is Nerissa, and she wanted him. She stole him. And now she speaks to him of this world he knows so little about.

But he is narrowing his eyes at the mention of his herd. He doesn’t want to admit anything to her. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he resents what Cicero is doing with the herd. It is sitting in fragile peace. No one coming or going, everyone getting grass bellies on the abundance of greenery. Cicero rarely even steps outside the borders. What a boring elder brother.

”Mess up lives? Now I’m flattered.” His arrogant smile has returned. Nerissa shrugs, her eyes alight, and Raskogr glances away from her. His tongue is heavy with words he wants to say. But he is naïve – he knows not what should be said and what should remain in one’s own mind. So he takes a chance. ”Of course I don’t get it yet. I’ve lived in the Valley my entire damn life. You taking me away is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me.” He narrows his eyes and pretends to stare off at some distant bush, as if it was somehow intriguing. Then he takes a deep breath, fills his broad chest, and turns swiftly to trap her in his gaze. ”Someday I’ll be playing in the big leagues too, just like you, cutie.”

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[RED&BLACK !]

  

nerissa

TOUGH GIRL, I'M IN PAIN, IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP; BLACKOUTS AND AIRPLANES, I'D STILL POUR YOU A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, TOUGH GIRL WHOSE SOUL ACHES

Raskogr has been sheltered, she finally realizes. Sheltered from everything outside that sad green valley in the south, hidden from the politics, the murders, the endless cycle of power shifting and fading as it passes from hand to hand. So sheltered that he has become blind to what the outside world means. He has been coddled and preserved for his whole life and this is why Nessa resents him suddenly, why she can feel loathing blooming, flower-like, deep in the pit of her stomach. She could have been Raskogr, if her parents had been more careful, more overbearing, even the littlest bit afraid to let her experience the world on her own. But of course, they were not. Not her family. Now bitterness seeps across her tongue and into her thoughts as she flashes back to her earliest memories - everything good and shiny and gold dipped in blood. The look in Nerissa's eyes shifts, narrow as calculations whirl in her head. So he knows nothing. So he will be easy to mold. Her jaw grinds absently, a habit of her deep thought, and then the sting of pressure brings her back to focus.

She bites down hard on her lip, the coppery flavor of blood omnipresent, but does not draw any of the sanguine liquid from her smoky skin. When he speaks, Nerissa grins. It is a wolfish smile that comes fast enough to race a bolt of lightning and lingers there, predatory, beautiful, the flash of her teeth stark white against ebony skin. Don't be, she repeats, her eyes cutting low, I'm not here to flatter you. Anyone can fuck you over if they don't know what they're doing.

Her eyes sparkle with humour as his sentence trails off, and that impervious smirk crosses her lips again, though it is a little fonder this time. Perhaps he will be more useful than he looks. Ha! she enunciates, barking out a laugh from the pit of her chest. Not without some training, you won't. Being a decent leader is harder than it looks. Then Nerissa pauses, staring at him intently: the smile fades from her lips and her look deepens, becoming suddenly serious. I can help you. But I have rules, you know. No matter what you choose.

SHIN OF GS + ADOX
WICKED♪ ♫ Awesome!

          

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // ^^

He can feel the shift that comes over her just as one can feel a coming storm in the air. A crackle of sparks in her eyes, electricity coursing across her sooty skin. When she smiles it is predatory, and he momentarily pins his ears at what she has to say. This Queen is sharp tongued, rough in all the places where Cicero has always been soft. Raskogr turns his eyes away, his elder brother floating in his mind’s eye. Why must he be so quiet, so withdrawn, so…so…weak? Now it has made Raskogr weak. He knows nothing of Nerissa’s world, and if only Cicero had taught him, that wouldn’t be the case. He would be knowledgeable about the world and politics and history of these lands. Instead he is naïve, only a child, and it infuriates him.

He expects the ashen Queen to rattle off some more insults. Perhaps about his father this time. Maybe about his timid mother. He’d not be docile about that. As angry as Raskogr is for being brought up blind, he’s nothing if not loyal. But Nerissa surprises him, so much so that his head bounces up and his ears flick forward.

”Help me?” he echoes. She’s offering her help now, to this arrogant Prince from the South? ”I don’t understand. What’s in it for you?” He narrows his summer eyes at the pretty Queen, unsure of her intentions. But he knows enough to be weary, for political leaders rarely give without taking their fair share as well.

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[RED&BLACK !]

  

nerissa

TOUGH GIRL, I'M IN PAIN, IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP; BLACKOUTS AND AIRPLANES, I'D STILL POUR YOU A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, TOUGH GIRL WHOSE SOUL ACHES

Nessa sees his glance widen in surprise and grins self-satisfiedly. She feels good about this situation, better than she did coming into it. Her offer has obviously interested the slave prince, and he knows enough not to test her; everything is going as she expected it, as her father had instructed over and over. Confidence, she repeats in her head, struggling to keep her gaze even and cool. Don't let them know what you're thinking. She hopes her eyes are deep enough, shielded enough, that Raskogr cannot see into her thoughts. Don't let them disrespect you. He has not pushed his boundaries yet. Tested them a little with that comment about Sansa and his pet name, but nothing dangerous. Excitement twitches along the curve of Nessa's sable lips, but she pushes it down quickly, eyes still trained on Raskogr turning his gaze away from her.

She is biting back the urge to beat him down. It would be so easy. If Nerissa does not mold him right he is dangerous, and there is so many things to pick at, so many flaws she can find within these few moments - how his family is holed up in the valley, his ambition going to waste, his lineage's legacy fading. But she holds it back. Her viciousness is growing as the years pass, but she is not an animal, not yet. Carefully, Nessa draws in a deep breath, pausing to hold it in her lungs before exhaling a measured sigh. Patience. It is hard, of course, but she remains quiet until Raskogr makes up his mind.

When he speaks, Nerissa has her speech written out, tattooed already on her tongue.

You have ambition, she says plainly, her brows raised in asking, a silent question with an answer already written out. And your line was a legend once, but no longer. You might be worth something. And that's a bet that I'm wealthy enough to take. The smirk creeps over her lips again slowly. I mean, there's a price. But there's a price on everything in this world.

SHIN OF GS + ADOX
WICKED♪ ♫ <333 luv them

          

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // ^^

This woman sees him in a way that his family never did. After only this limited time in one another’s company she sees it – his drive, his ambition. How could it be that his family never saw this? Perhaps that is unfair of him to think. He has good, loving parents. A mother with a soft smile and a father with a proud gleam in his eye. But it is that elder brother of his who holds him back, keeps him flattened beneath an ebony hoof. Cicero, eldest son of Castro, but with no passion for power. If only Raskogr were a year older – he could take the Valley and turn it into something great. But first he need learn how, and here is the sooty Queen offering her wisdom.

He looks at her carefully, almost expecting a forked tongue to slip through her ashen lips. She is clever, quicker witted than he initially thought. Her tongue drips sugar-sweet poison, and he is kneeling at her feet, wondering whether or not he should resist the urge to lap it up.

”In what currency do you deal?” What has he to offer? His soul? His loyalty? Thinking this casts a bitter taste over his tongue. He does not respect his brother, but he would never raise hoof nor voice against his mother or father. It is for them that he desires power. He wants to get the Hollow back, the place Castro talks about in his dreams. To see his family there, protected and living in peace, it would bring him great joy.

Summer eyes meet those of his captor. Perhaps she is the path he must take. Cicero’s path has only been taking Raskogr round and round in circles, but Nerissa’s climbs straight up the mountain to glory. ”I will pay what I can.”

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[RED&BLACK !]

  

nerissa

TOUGH GIRL, I'M IN PAIN, IT'S LONELY AT THE TOP; BLACKOUTS AND AIRPLANES, I'D STILL POUR YOU A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE, TOUGH GIRL WHOSE SOUL ACHES

She can see him milling over his options and grins, pushing down a warm bubbling of excitement. Nerissa feels a shameless pride race through her nerves. Her father taught her well and she has picked at exactly the right places, struck the perfect chords, to resonate with Raskogr and bend him carefully to her will. She can see the consideration in his gaze and watches it blossom slowly, and says nothing, swallowing the urge to push him into a decision.

If he says yes, Nerissa will have a protege. If not, she will have a slave. And both will work in her favor.

Finally, he speaks. Not what she wanted him to ask, but what she should have expected. Nerissa exhales slowly, measuring the length of her sigh and the angle of her broad chest rising, then falling; she considers her options and then looks down and tilts her head, locking eyes with the southern prince. But then he says something else. And she smirks almost with relief, tossing a strand of sable hair from her face. 

Of course you will, the ebony queen reassures both him and herself, eyes flashing cryptically. She has not decided quite yet what his responsibilities will be, but it will be something good, exhausting, which will ensure his loyalty to her forever and always. Whether or not she returns the favor. With a small shrug she shakes off her doubts and offers Raskogr a grin, teeth flashing in a confident smirk. Well, I can figure out what you'll do for me later. I've already got a hitman, she adds offhandedly, musing to herself - but I'm sure I can find something.

Her eyes flash upward, filled with a morally gray humor, and burn a deep blue as she ponders once more. Anyway. Nessa turns her head, looks deep into the forest she knows so well. What now? Explore or meet the herd?

SHIN OF GS + ADOX
WICKED♪ ♫ <3333

          

[WICKED♪ ♫]

----- WHAT AM I? -----

RED&BLACK ! // RASKOGR // end it here? ^^

The evergreens surrounding this secluded nook ruffle and sway as a sweet-scented summer breeze brushes its way through the greenery. Raskogr inclines his head and lets the cool air brush across his still damp hide, a shiver running across his shoulders as it passes by. Something about this place feels so different, so alive. The trees and the grass and the heartbeats he can nearly feel thrumming through the earth. This place is a beloved home, a kingdom, while the place where he was raised is only a stomping ground. If only Cicero was more driven, perhaps the Valley would be a kingdom to stand against one as powerful as the Den. But it is going to take a soldier to do that – it is going to take a king.

The southern prince gives his new queen a light smile. She is already so sure of him? He doesn’t think she trusts him. On the contrary, he wonders if she knows that he will obey due not to his unwavering loyalty to her, but due to his passion and ambition. If she will teach, he will obey. Master and apprentice. He bows his head to her. ”I’ll do what I must.”

When his summer eyes rise to hers, they are sparkling. Her question has lightened the mood, and now he is glancing in the same direction as she, heart thrumming beneath his broad ribcage. ”Meet the herd,” he says, with childlike glee pulling his lips back into a broad smile. ”Definitely.”

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