11-19-2017, 09:15 AM
 i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Ivar pauses for a moment, his head cocked slightly to the left as he meets Nyka’s gaze. It is rare that he drops the charming façade, the effortless charisma that he wears like a cloak. This is one such time, and he does not shield his scrutiny of the mare in front of him. Years have passed since they last laid eyes on each other. Ivar has grown since then, and it is clear that the same is true for Nyka. No longer a leggy young thing, she has matured into a woman, with pale hair against her dark face and a blaze like a streak of Sylvan gold down her face. The same familiarity that makes Kylin so appealing is present with Nyka; she is one of the few other horses in Beqanna that had known him the entirety of his life. She is not-prey in the way that few are. “Heda, the former queen of Loess. She’s now my lead mare.” The information is nothing secret; Ivar’s herd within a kingdom is probably no longer news. “Thank you for the compliment,” he says, and his dark eyes turn back to the view. In the distance, a herd of grey kangaroo browses near orchids from the rainforest and a copse of alpine snowbell. To his left, a palm tree shades a sapling acacia and kudzu drips from their branches into the pristine waters of a miniature freshwater spring. The kingdom is undeniably lovely in spring, he knows. “Did you come just to visit, or could I convince you to stay?” asks the piebald stallion, turning back to Nyka with a small smile. “We could use a woman of your talents, assuming you’ve kept up with your practice, of course.” His eyes light up in a teasing smile at the last; Ivar is quite certain that Nyka hasn’t forgotten the training of a warrior. minimal grullo tobiano king of loess |