Solace
Solace finds her where she said she would be - the dark and light of her painted form spiraling together in the starlight, still and collected. Kagerus had always been a creature of high contrasts.
Her approach is silent.
As the days dragged on and the drunken haze faded she grew ashamed of the things she said when the fever was on her, uncomfortable when she remembers the words she has panted into the ear of her lover - the things they had done together.
Still, she wishes that Kagerus would take her back - tell her that it wasn't a mistake.
That she wasn't different now.
But Solace says none of this. The others will be here soon, she can already hear the rustling of their bodies drawing closer, and the things she has to say to Kagerus will have to keep.
Soon, they are a council of four. Solace gives Ilma a dip of her head in greeting and presses her side to that of her twin's. She hopes that he remains there for whatever Kagerus has to tell them. He had always been her anchor, even if it didn't make sense for anyone to be steadied by a whirlwind.
demons and dream worlds, suicide and birth
Solace had come here to get answers, but with word that Kagerus speaks leaves her with more questions. Solace watches the other mare carefully, never allowing her gaze to dip away from the expressive eyes which had held her not too many nights ago. She watches as Kagerus dips and danced between confessions and suggestions, her own heart flipping with conflicting emotions with every change of topic.
"And what about us?" she wants to ask, (but she does not) as Kagers tells them that she had brought a demon into the world; as if the terrifying truth spilling out of her is just a footnote to the real conversation which should be taking place here. But Solace has been suppressing her feelings for the sake of Hyaline her entire adult life, and she wasn't planning on changing the pattern now.
This was the real world after all.
There is so much the young queen does not know about her closest friend, a fact that is made even more obvious with every word which leaves her lips. So much had happened that she had never known, in her own kingdom, and it unsettles the young queen.
'Solace, if you'll have me..."
The dark mare speaks her name all her efforts at Queenly Detachment fail her. There is a flash of heat in her belly as her blue eyes find the burning amber intensity of her lovers, (they are the same eyes, the same hungry, searching pools of golden light as in that other world - the dreamscape where they had been so close that nothing could have separated them) and the deeper confusion she feels creeps across her face. If she were in her human form her cheeks would be blushing, but here the dappled moonlight and thin bone-white hairs of her equine form obscure her flush. Hopefully, Ilma will just assume the look is caused by the mass of unsettling information flying around, she doesn't hope to think that Svedka will be fooled.
"I would like to take up the role of general."
Kagerus continued to lay out her idea and Solace gives a short nod, regaining her composer in stride. Under ideal circumstances, she would have days to process the amount of information Kagerus has laid out for them, but there is no time for that - she has more to add. Her gaze never leaves that of her ambassador-turned-general as she draws a breath to speak. "There is more." Her voice is level and low, despite the storm of emotions in her chest, and her gaze now drifts to meet the eyes of those gathered. "A man name Arthas came to me proclaiming he was the King of Loess. He wanted to make a new alliance - but something did not sit right with me when he spoke." Questions of Castile had filled her thoughts after that meeting, would he have abandoned Loess? Did Arthas have such great power that he could dethrone the dragon without a scratch?
Her roaming gaze halts on Svedka (who she had previously revealed the details of her relationship with the dragon-shifter to) before she continues. "I have not been able to find Castile, the former regent of Loess, and I don't think Castile would have given up Lepis' throne without telling me." There is a pause as she draws a breath "For now, I simply agreed that there would be no challenges or steals between our kingdoms for the next year, even though he pushed for a military alliance. "
"And then there was what Lavendel said..." She realizes that this is something that Kagerus may not have heard about yet and she explains, "a mare has come to us seeking refuge from Sabra's Kingdom, Sylva. She said that a dark force has moved into that land and there is a new king."
"As for Ilma taking on the role of ambassador, I believe that would be for the best. You have truly proven yourself, Ilma," and her voice seems to soften for the first time that night. " I would be honored if you would accept this position to represent Hyaline and her interest to the other kingdoms." But there is a shadow crossing her usually clear eyes, because the other things Kagerus has told them are still spinning wildly in her mind. Only days ago she had asked the white mare to allower her daughter to travel to Nerine as Hyaline's half of a Blood Alliance. But if what Kagerus says is true - if a monster of the old world is loose in that country - how could she carry through with her agreement to Hiesta?
"If that is your decision Kagerus then you may assume the role of Protector. It seems that there is plenty of dirty work to be done. We need to know more about the changes that are happening on our doorstep. We need to know if these troubling events require our action... and we need to be able to act if action is required. You have your work cut out for you Kagerus."
"As for this demon." There's a sentence she never thought she would say. "Is it under Heista's control? Does it do her bidding or is it an entity of its own?"
caretaker of hyaline
i also tried and failed to be concise
