The woman is lost in contemplation as Heartfire settles alongside her, a distinct air of melancholy about her spotted features. It’s not unexpected, given the changes that had so rapidly overtaken their home. Given the tragedies the even now begin to play out, that would continue to do so as this plague worsened. For someone unused to witnessing such things first hand, she can well understand how disheartening it might feel.
Perhaps it does not feel that way now, but this would pass eventually. Would be forgotten in the distant halls of history until it became more legend than truth. Heartfire has seen it enough times to know the inevitability of it. Even the lands shaped and remade by the whims of their gods is nothing terribly unusual, when it comes down to it.
It is easier to overcome such grief with the knowledge that it would not last. A bit callous perhaps, but then, Heartfire has always been a pragmatic individual. The events of the last few months had been an anomaly for her, not the norm. Given their still relatively untried acquaintance, she hardly expects Breckin to know these things about her.
Heartfire might see far more than she should, but she is well aware most do not. A fact she has always used to her advantage. Better (safer) to be underestimated than the opposite.
Her lips twitch faintly at Breckin’s rather banal question. It is a polite thing to ask, expected of a queen. But an utterly useless question too. It begs dishonesty from to start, because only a cretin would not answer with something bland and socially acceptable. And something quite probably untrue.
“Well enough, all things considered,” she replies. Bland and socially acceptable. She does not bother to return the question. She could see for herself how well Breckin is doing without having to wade through half-truths. Instead she sweeps the small talk aside in favor of more substantial topics.
“The isle is quiet.” Too quiet, but she does not say as much. Her companion must know. “Tell me your opinion of Set.” It’s a probing request, fueled by genuine curiosity. The magician is something of an anomaly to her, one of the few beings who has the power to encumber her. She would not be so foolish as to underestimate such a man, especially given the circumstances. Breckin, however, has a shrewd mind and instincts, one she could trust to be relatively accurate. She is well aware how precarious their position is. And she would need every scrap of information she could get if she were going take this particular bull by the horns.
i see your sins
and i want to set them free
