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Today I woke up and tried to meet with someone the trees were whispering to me about...it didn't work out. Maybe another time. I wandered a while until I noticed Aleit dancing with a sweet little fawn, Floresta. I greeted them and moved to join them in their little dance, the fawn's movement shaking little bits of pollen off of the poppies she wore. She made a muse enough for me for a quick poem. Then we all sat and basked in the warm sunlight for a while. Then Aleit heard, in the way that deer often do, of the death of a dear friend of his, Motzart. I never knew him, but loss is always sad. I wish I could have stayed longer and given Aleit warmer comfort.
When I work, I heard Walter dancing with 21 and many others. That hadn't happened in a long time. What, a year? more?
I don't know what to feel about him sometimes. By "him," I of course mean Walter. By "sometimes" I mean "constantly." I've almost entirely written him off before tonight. Sometimes I think there must be two parts to him: a monster and a stag. The stag isn't a perfect stag; he's easily riled and he's jealous and overprotective. He's grim and he's cranky and he's strange. But he can laugh, and dance with friends. He can be warm, and walk slowly in the rain, trusting on the guidance of his friends. The demon is nothing like that, so unlike it I almost cannot reconcile the two as being the same person. I'm not sure I fully understand it, or if he does. I've seen too much of the demon, too little of the stag. And what he's done is horrible. I cannot bear to think of the pain he's caused, and that my dear friend is behind it.
...But tonight he and 21 and Aleit and Quad and Zerg and Oisin and so many deer, many of whom haven't know the better side of him, all danced together. It was a very fun time. It seems like he, at least for the moment, wants to put the darkest of his darkness behind him. I want to believe that, anyway.
Beware the Nightmare's that creep up in the darkness. Because these Nightmare's... no matter how kind or gentle they can be. Will always turn into a monster in the end.
Nightmare Icon was done by my lovely Ookami <3
21. I met a multitude of deer here in the past two years. None of you will probably remember me, I was more of a casual on-off player. Nevertheless, it doesn't change my feelings about this place.
Since day one, being that little fawn I loathed being, to the present, there was always a group of helpful adult deer. I don't know if it's because of 21's easy to remember name and pictograph, or her standard set, that make her recognizable. But I was really surprised to see her again, wearing the same as I remember her, and behaving just as helpful as always. Every time that happens, this runs through my mind. Doesn't he/she ever get tired of doing this? How do they stay on with such patience? Yet, players such as 21 act uniformly and do not get tired of it. Including spell recharges, such as the transformation, or handing out a couple of masks and antlers to a group of fawns who won't be able to enjoy it for long. I get an eerie sense of gratitude from them. I know that I am not as charitable.
This outing was pleasant; although it was late at night in my corner of the world, there was a big enough group to play with. I chuckle as we start another round of dancing, and wonder once again what the count is on the number of times 21 has partook in one of these.