"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
After her conversation with Lewana, the rose gold genie lounges on the beach for some time. The warm afternoon sun feel glorious on her sides, and the spotted female throws herself on the grey sun and turns herself over, her paws held to the sky.
Djinni lingers in feline for a few hours longer, but as the sun slips behind the cliffs overhead, the mage returns to her normal form. A small mare, still rose-gold but no longer wearing the shape of a cheetah. It had been a brief wish, and she finds herself happier in this form anyway.
Standing up, Djinni shakes the sand from her sides, and recalls her earlier conversation. Who is next? It takes a moment to remember, and then she arrives beside the appaloosa mare.
"Porcia." She says, hesitating only a moment for the confirmation of identity she knows is coming. "Do you still think your spying skills would be of use to Nerine?"
Porcia lurks Nerine, it was rare to find her out and about with Rome. She figured she should go off to the meadow or perhaps the forest and try to find new members to recruit. She had been neglectful to her duties as a diplomat, that she can admit. Although she had been so busy with Rome, and now....pregnant, she barely had time to carry out her diplomatic duties properly.
She was guilty, and she felt ashamed to hold a position in the kingdom but lacking the motivation to help. She decided that today she would change that, although as she made her way to the exit of the kingdom she heard her name. As she turned to find the source she was startled to see a smaller rose gold mare, well she was quiet... she thought to herself.
She vaguely recalls the mare from the kingdom meeting, and before she could speak the pink mare beat her to it. Do you still think your spying skills would be of use to Nerine? Her eyes bulged with excitement and she perked up. Really! They mentioned the need for a spy but she has not heard anything since the kingdom meeting. She thought that she was passed up for another dedicated member. I would love to give it a shot! A grin ear to ear she looks to Djinni I am dedicated to Nerine and will do what is needed of me. She said in an attempt to sound less naive.
For the most part, she can string together what she hears on the wind, making the actual effort of gathering intelligence only a matter of devoting enough time to the matter. Her free time is in danger of being eliminated entirely in the coming months, and that is part of what has driven her sudden need for efficacy.
Porcia replies to her appearance and questions with minimal concern, and Djinni tilts her rose gold head and surveys her quietly for a moment. There are a number of tasks at hand, and minimal hands to take them. The easy grin and the effort to minimize her naivety confirm that Djinni has chosen the task most suited for the spy craft novice.
"I need you to practice." She says, and despite the words she uses there is no condemnation in her husky voice. It is only a statement of fact; Porcia's lack of skill at the current time does not mean she is incapable of learning.
"Go to the Meadow. On your way, come up with an identity. A secret identity." She pauses here, debating on adding something more. "But do not lie about your association with Nerine. You smell too strongly of our lovely sea to fool anyone." There are tricks for that as well, but there will be time for those later.
"Find someone in the common lands from Sylva or Loess. I want to know more of what has happened there, and what they are planning." That is her final instruction, and Djinni takes a step back, her green eyes curious to see how the spotted mare will react.
The pink mare tilts her head and scans over Porcia, was she staring at her stomach? Or was she gazing at how young she was compared to some more seasoned equines who offered there service to be a spy. I need you to practice Djinni notes and Porcia nods her head. She agrees, she has never been a spy, in fact she has never even thought about it but she figured she could be good. She had a warming personality, she was easy to get along with and found friends quickly. If she was easy to trust, would she be easy to have secrets shared with?
She listens as Djinni notes she must go to the meadow, she must create an identity and that threw Porcia off. An identity? She didn't think she would have to, but it made sense, she held a higher position in the kingdom now and soon enough her name would be known around beqanna. She would need to create an alias, one to introduce herself as. She nods her head once again, her next question answered. She would confirm she was from Nerine but with a different name she could act as if she was new to the kingdom. Yes, I will, how does Keona sound? she runs the idea past the seasoned mare.
Keona
An alias she created on the spot, he name had no similarity to Porcia. She was still young, she could easily play an equine new to Nerine. Djinni tasks Porcia to go to a common land and seek out someone from Sylva or Loess, she wants to know information about the kingdoms. She nods her head, she has heard the rumors of the trouble stirring around Sylva and Loess. She understands why Nerine would want more information Can I not go into there kingdom? she asks...it was a daring move, but perhaps she should not wait in the common land and hope to run into one of there members. It could be easier to travel into there lands herself.
Tell Me Your Fate
@[Djinni] sorry for the wait, had to build up some muse for her.
Authority is a strange thing. Djinni is not yet sure how she feels about it; it seems simultaneously an anchor as well as a weapon. She had told Porcia what she wanted, and without hesitation the young appaloosa had agreed to it. There should be some thrill there, the rose gold creature suspects, something to enjoy.
It is absent.
She finds herself nodding at the name that Porcia suggests; it is not a difficult one to remember. It will do, so long as the younger mare remembers to respond to it when she must. Djinni’s nod slow as the woman asks about simply traveling to Sylva or Loess, and it still entirely as she pins the mare with an emerald stare.
”No.” She says simply. That alone is enough of a reason, but Djinni wonders if the dismissal might be softened by an explanation. She can’t expect them to be perfect, after all. Only she can be. Porcia is young still; she hasn’t learned everything the world has to offer. And what it can take away.
”Hestia already plans on visiting the kingdoms herself. Two visits from Nerine would be suspect, and if you were to go there it might compromise your neutrality. You’d be visiting their kingdom to learn more, and not simply stumbling across someone in the common lands and asking harmless questions.”
