Castle of Glass [p, Glitteringgold]

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    As it usually did, the sickness in her mind would resurface during times of happiness and tranquility in her life only to remind her of what it was that she had done and who it was that she'd become. Self-defeating thoughts that would pop up at the most unexpected of moments and continue to drag her down for hours at a time. She'd spent a couple hours of the day already stuck in bed that morning with heavy thoughts and little motivation to do anything that was expected of her. She'd skipped her usual solo patrol around the boundaries, as well as her breakfast, simply to bask in the shadowy isolation of her quiet room. It wasn't until the female was nearing her third hour in darkness that the sudden and overwhelming feeling of escape began to pick at her mentally exhausted mind.


    Forcefully, the Legate dragged herself from under the covers of her bed over to her crafting supplies and began to rummage through her materials. Shoving them into her satchel, she made great haste in collecting everything that she needed so that she may flee from this depressing place and start in on an activity that she truly enjoyed. On her way out the door, she'd pick up the satchel and the brigandine armor that she had been working on some weeks ago and sling them over her backside. Afterwards, she'd promptly remove her presence from the castle and find a comfortable space along the waterside just outside to settle down in. Despite an experience of hers many years ago that provided her with an intense fear of the water, Darkskies continued to appreciate its overall beauty and the calming effect that it had on her to this day. As long as she wasn't in or floating atop any large body of water, her fears would remain dormant.


    Her sterling grey gaze lingered on the shimmering surface of the water for a few long moments, simply drinking in its gentle appearance. She drew in a deep breath and then proceeded to place both her satchel and the armor piece on the ground next to her. The sun overhead was warm but not unbearable, and Darkskies appreciated its soothing touch upon her fur. It was a much needed distraction that the feline was more than pleased to have been granted. She was tempted to sprawl out across the soft grass and abandon her initial objective entirely, but managed to resist in some measure. Instead, she put the activity on hold for the time being and plopped herself backwards into the grass, eyes closed contently as she stretched herself out. Despite everything she had previously felt and thought, the female appeared to be blissful and at peace as she bathed in the sunlight. It was almost as though she'd forgotten how her morning had originally the started out and had transitioned into a completely different state of mind.

    The mind was such a complex and mysterious wonder. Deception perhaps less so, for it was more controllable so long as the puppeteer was cautious and knowledgeable in creating a believable fabrication - whatever that may be. It was a skill that Glitteringgold had picked up early on in life and in the present often found himself utilizing it almost subconsciously, building a mental wall and a mask in defense to situations that warranted them. Granted there was no sinister ulterior motive to his happy and friendly exterior self, it was simply just that he, like Darkskies, was plagued with inescapable thoughts and in those times would have to force a smile to avoid arousing suspicions of this. It had worked so far.


    It was easier to hide away feelings than to express them and have to attempt to put together the words to explain them with the risk of not being understood or even worse ridiculed. As the second in command, the next in line to leadership, he did want to appear weak and incapable in front of his tribemates. He wanted to be strong for them so that they would have faith in him. He had been a counselor once, a part of him knew that he should just talk about his feelings, that keeping these intense emotions and worries locked away only exasperated his mental torment, and yet he refused to take his own advice and continued to hide away. That was often the reality of illness, it was blinding and manipulative.


    Glitteringgold found comfort in water, despite almost drowning a few months prior when he slipped from the top of the waterfall and was dragged unconscious and bleeding from the water by the now exiled Bakalaureat, the deputy before him. Water reminded him of home, of the place in which he was born and spent the first half of his life. RiverClan. The memories of those days he held fond in his heart, and he often reminisced upon them in times of despair. He was young, the Clan was bustling, many of his friends and family were still alive, Wavepool was at his side - he wished he could go back and experience it again, even just for a day. He was not unhappy where he was now, the Tribe felt like where he belonged and he thoroughly enjoyed it here, but it lacked a few components to make it an equal rival. Perhaps it was just the nostalgia.


    The Presbyter had temporarily dismissed himself from his duties and left the castle, head swirling with anxious thoughts, in search of somewhere peaceful to relax. It just so happened to be that, swayed by the aforementioned comfort, the destination he sought out was the same body of water that Darkskies was resting alongside. Dainty white paws carried his slender frame forth, golden oculars fixated on what was ahead, unaware that another had taken a similar path only a few moments prior. That was until he arrived at the waterside and a sweep of his surroundings revealed a dark figure laying in the grass a short distance away, eyes closed and seemingly bliss, a satchel and armor next to her. He quickly identified the figure to be that of Darkskies. For a short moment he was tempted to leave to avoid disturbing the she-cat, but something prevented him from doing so.


    "A nice day, isn't it?" the words would eventually leave his mouth in a mildly sheepish manner, volume hushed so as not to startle her.

    Since returning to activity some weeks ago after a long and hard battle with adjusting to new surroundings, Darkskies' depression had actually progressed fairly well despite her occasional beliefs otherwise. She had gone from living day in and day out without any presence of happiness, armed with self-defeating thoughts and chaotic memories of the past, to living a life which was far less intense and more peaceful. It was similar to how she had felt during her time in Stormclan and the thought of such came to her as such a surprise. In a time not long ago, Darkskies had genuinely believed that there would never be a day in her life where she would feel that way again. It astounded her that she had been wrong after having believed it for so long. How the illness manipulates the mind into believing such negative thoughts was truly alarming and yet quite interesting. It had more power over her thoughts than she did sometimes, and pulling herself out of such a state each time proved to be very challenging. Before her arrival to the Tribe of Unbounded Sky, she was often unsuccessful.


    Nowadays, her illness could be characterized mainly by the terms "high-high's" and "low-low's". She still had her bad days that were torturous upon the mind, but there was a mixture of good days in there as well. This was something that she was beginning to grow used to. Some days would be so bad that she couldn't leave her bed, let alone her room. Other days had her feeling ever so energetic and bubbly, ready to learn and work and make friends. The female was slowly beginning to taste the luxury of happiness once again. She was working on herself slowly but effectively - learning how to forgive herself for the past, how to cope with living with her illness, how to love herself again and how to find peace. It was pure luck that she would be gifted such wonderful tribemates to help guide her out of the darkness, even though their effect on her was likely unbeknownst to them.


    Glitteringgold was one of the members here that has had a profound impact on her mental health. His very presence affected her in such a way that it was difficult to feel anything other than happiness around him. It puzzled her how someone could so strongly influence the way that she was feeling and so effortlessly at that. She found him more intriguing every time that they interacted, and felt a strong desire to learn more about the gentleman.


    When it was his voice that stirred her from her moment of relaxation, she was a little surprised but pleasantly so. Her one functional eye opened to greet the male then closed once more while she stretched out her legs. Afterwards, she'd pull herself up into a sitting position and blink contently toward him. "Indeed, it is." Her voice, soft as ever, agreed. In fact, the sun felt so lovely on her dark fur that the female had nearly fallen asleep in it's embrace. Had it not been for him, she'd have likely woken a few hours later with great regret for the sun burn she would have as a result. "How are you today, Glitteringgold? Would you care to join me?"

    Admittedly, Glitteringgold thought the same of Darkskies as she did of him. They were opposites when it came to the colours that they wore upon their pelt, he was as white as snow and she as dark as the night sky, and yet they shared many similarities that made them compatible. Perhaps that explained the reason why he felt so allured by her presence, that he recognised things in her that he could within himself, and that was also why he felt so at ease in her company even though they knew very little of each other. Perhaps it was not that complex at all, and it was nothing more than his loneliness that was to blame. He had not felt close to anyone, platonically or romantically, in years - not since Wavepool. They kind of love they shared, it was the type that many sought and few could achieve, so pure and so true. It was something that he doubted he would ever find for a second time.


    Albeit troubled, Glitteringgold could see that Darkskies possessed gentle soul, one that treated those around her with a genuine warmth that many lacked. She was composed, logical and well-spoken; all that would be expected of someone in her position and more. In almost every situation she seemed to know the right course of action to take and the right words to say, from the perspective of another at least. The consistent amount of effort she had put into the Tribe of Unbounded Sky was unparalleled, and it was for that reason that a part of him believed that she deserved the Deputy position more than he did, especially now that he was preoccupied with leading the Dark Dynasty. Glitteringgold felt a deep sense of admiration for her. The more he observed her, the stronger that became.


    A smile would extend across his lips as she spoke. A keen eye would note that it was more subtle than usual, lacking exaggeration, yet it still conveyed a complexity of sincere emotions. He was actually rather relieved that his approach had not bothered her, and that she seemed to be comfortable enough to remain in a vulnerable position in his presence. "I'm well. Or as well as I can be, I suppose," the answer was vague, somewhat scripted. Words and feelings was not a combination that was his forte. It was much less hassle to say that he was well and leave it at that. At her offer to join him, he would nod. "I would love to." And with that, his pale body collapsed effortlessly onto the grass at her side. The distance between them was carefully calculated, to be close yet not close enough that either of them would feel that their personal space was invaded. He closed his eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun, and for a moment it would seem that all his worries were non-existent. It was temporary, but nice all the same.


    Soon though, more worries developed to replace those he had left behind. On a one-to-one basis Glitteringgold was rather useless at making conversation. He was afraid that the silence would turn awkward if he did not say anything, but he had no idea what to say. His invisible brow would furrow as he attempted to string words together in his mind. Eyelids peeling back to reveal golden oculars to the world once again, he would find his gaze drifting over to the satchel on the grass nearby. "I notice that you came here with other plans. What are you working on at the moment?"


    𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓈𝓀𝒾𝑒𝓈

    𝘿𝙊 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙃𝙊𝙇𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏, 𝙊𝙍 𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝘿𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙉𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙃?


    Darkskies took note of the manner in which the Presbyter answered her initial question, recognizing it to be quite similar to how the female would respond to others on occasion. As consuming as some aspects of her life were, it was sometimes easier for her to simply dismiss them as nothing when interacting with others to spare herself a long and tedious explanation. This, along with the fact that explaining things in some detail could be quite difficult to do. In respect for Glitteringgold, the dark cat would not pry any further. Instead, she would offer a nod of understanding and smile pleasantly while he settled down near her.


    As he closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly soaking in the warmth that the sun delivered, the Legate would tilt her head ever so slightly in his direction. Without yet realizing it, her sterling grey gaze began to trace the edges of her companion's face with delicacy, admiring the elegant and enchanting features that he possessed. She wondered briefly if he had any idea as to how prepossessing the sight of him truly was to others. It seemed almost unfair that one could be this way and remain unaware of the extent of their own beauty.


    Though not entirely lost in her own thoughts, the female's reaction toward Glitteringgold's eyes fluttering open once more was indeed a delayed one. Hoping that he had not noticed her pro-longed stare, Darkskies made quick effort to direct her gaze elsewhere before finding her way back toward the mentioned brown leather satchel that she had brought along with her that day. "Oh, uh - yes." She replied, smiling sheepishly in response. The concept of traveling out here to take up some crafting had surprisingly almost eluded her entirely. "I'm actually still working on that brigandine armor you'd seen me working on some time ago. It had been put on hold for a while. I... have a habit of switching between multiple projects when I'm crafting." Sometimes she'd gain a little extra inspiration for one project and end up pushing another to the side to be worked on at a later date.


    Reaching forward, Dark would carefully slide the satchel closer to her so that she may begin unpacking a few items. "You know," She'd start, deciding to test the water a bit. "If you're ever interested in learning more about the craft, I'd be more than happy to help you out a bit. It's actually fairly easy when you get the hang of it."