ALL OF NERINE

[Scorch]

WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

The change came quickly - overnight, in fact - and its brutality left no one unscathed. Although the plague loomed ever now as a threat to all who passed in the unsafe lands, this had never been the deterrent for Scorch. No; what lead her lips to tug downward and her for the love in her heart to sour was the impulsive, brazen attitudes of the Nerinian youths. They acted as barbaric as the next ruffian, rendering themselves inextricable from the mass of creatures who squabbled over useless land and who threatened each other with murder. While she could never attempt to make a claim to level-headedness, and while the word 'brazen' had indeed been ascribed to her character since the day of her birth, she still though the present time to be an example of things being taken a step too far.

In the olden days, there would be cohesion. There would be discussion, there would be respect, and there would be obedience to the khaleesi, who in turn would respect that voices of her subjects. Scorch thought back on those days grimly, remembering her own kingdom meetings with a vehement sort of nostalgia. The only kingdom that could perhaps even come close to claiming that same type of reverent activity and obedience was Hyaline - and though she longed strongly for the past, she knew that she could not desert.

Even without the tattoos, even without the red X to mark a traitor, even though her blood oath had been sworn to a kingdom which no longer existed, even though she had no true Sisters left: she could not abandon the Amazons. Or the Leviathans.

Yet.

Each day plucked at her patience; she wondered how long she would go on. For now, the only thread tethering her yet to this land was her daughter Sarkis, a girl whose devotion to their once-home had yet to dwindle in light of her time-locked stage. She hadn't spent decades without the Amazons, as Scorch had... But still, her attitude kept Scorch loyal.

When the call comes, she nodded to herself, automatically adjusting her course to approach the voice of her Queen. Breckin; a gorgeous, level-headed mare whom she had brought in what seemed like centuries ago. Although the reckoning presented a change of a magnitude almost never before seen in Beqannan history, the contagion represented a change too: and Scorch knew that she could trust her recruit to see through the craze, even if her subjects couldn't.

Without the oath of fealty, it is difficult to weed out the fuckers who would see the world burn instead of clinging to an ideology which has kept the Zons afloat since before any present could hope to remember.

She arrived to the edge of the shoreline, spotting Breckin as she stood regally next to a driftwood log. "Sister," came the age-old greeting as Scorch took station next to the queen. She met the other's eyes for the briefest of moments, though she exchanged many thoughts in the glance; the tension over Klaudius' murder had not yet dissipated in the Dosh, and she knew for a fact that further instances of fuckery were afoot in this new Beqanna. Still, she stood by her queen; Breckin deserved her title, and performed her duties excellently. It wasn't her fault that Nerine was full of ruffians.

Her speech went on for some time, though Scorch held no qualm with lengthy words - Breckin imparted significant information with each syllable, not squandering even a breath as she relayed the news of Brennen's bowing and of Ischia's assimilation into Nerine. The revelation did not come as a surprise to Scorch, who had maintained something of a connection with the magician since the birth of their child, Blue, who had not been with her this morning before the meeting. Scorch eyed the crowd, knowing she would find Brennen somewhere within it; and when she did, she thought: I love you. You did the right thing.

Whether he heard it or not, she does not wait to find out, passing her eyes back to the rest of the crowd before taking her turn in addressing it.

"I fully support these decisions, as made by the King and Queen of our nations. Nerine, the Leviathans, represents more than a place to live and a place for ranks to be earned. I have said it before and I will say it again: our strength is in the people, it is in the unity we choose to build between one another. The bonds we form here and the dedication we choose to bestow upon one another is not by chance, nor is it by fate nor by luck." Her eyes, magmatic and all-seeing, met with each of the gathered's gaze.

"Even in the face of the plague, we must present a united front, one which gathers under a single title: the Leviathans. If your loyalties lie elsewhere, then either present your side in such a way that your ideas may be considered by us all, or get out. With the chaos of the contagion spreading, now is not the time to lose yourselves to the hysteria for temporary gratification. Within the group, we must find cohesion - that is our goal."

Here, she paused, a pool of shadow brewing around her hooves. It flicked and writhed but ultimately did nothing of consequence. "As Dosh, I too am available to meet any of your needs or to answer any of your questions. Do not hesitate to find me out."

Scorch

Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle