in my dreams i've kissed your lips a thousand times // Ilma/any diplomats/leaders

[Kagerus]

{ and in my dreams i've kissed your lips a thousand times }

In the bright moonlight, the leopard markings atop my coat shimmer beautifully, their black nearly liquid; I take a moment to admire them, as it is not often I am in such direct moonlight. Briefly, I close my eyes and say a prayer to the gods and to my grandmother, thanking her for all that she did in her lifetime, and for what she did the night she and I were allowed to share nearly six years ago. Lots has changed since then, but the fact that she was such an excellent leader never will; it is my mission every day when I awake to travel the path she trod, and to go further still.

Father says that I make her proud, but that does not lessen my ambitions, nor my great success in the matter.

Ilma mentions that we ought to wait out the night, and I dip my antlers in agreement. "It would be a shame to piss off the residents due to my inaccuracy. I hadn't meant to come at this hour." The confession comes a bit tight-lippedly, though not because I am ashamed of my natural tendency to err, as is equine, but because I fear I may have placed us in danger. But Ilma seems relatively at ease, and I feed off of my friend's strength, settling my head at a comfortable height and dozing gently as the minutes pass.

My nap, however, is cut short by the scent of another arriving. When my eyes lift (immediately bright and awake due to the dutiful nature of our visit), I catch sight of the small-set mare almost immediately, and am reminded of two things: first, that she looks a lot like Wolfbane whom I'd once battled over a problem caused by her, and second, that she caused a lot of problems for my kingdom by trying to play coy in a time when such acts were not tolerable.

Swallowing these past grievances with nary an indication that they occurred, I perk my ears attentively to listen to her speak. By the steadfast smile plastered across Lepis' lips, it is clear that she also is willing to put what happened behind her, or that she already has. As a matter of fact, I am willing to do the same; so much has changed since then. If her kingdom is anything like mine, we are both suffering the consequences of this damned contagion.

"Our thanks, Lepis," I reply with a heartfelt tone and a dip of my head. It is very courteous of her to receive us so late; luckily, Ilma covers our bases there, excusing us for our tardiness with excellently polite language. Although I expect no less of my ambassador, I still give her a smiling side-glance; after all, there'd been a time not so long ago that this pair hadn't been able to be so cordial.

Straightening, I am about to answer Lepis' former question when the sound of another arriving cuts me off. Craning my head some, I watch as the strawberry roan creature approaches, her wings glistening prettily in the silver moonlight. Whickering softly, I perk my ears to catch the mare's whisper-like words, intrigued by the arrival of someone who seemingly matches Lepis' rank of entitlement in this region.

No need to wait until morning. I smile a little at this, but wait for the roan to go on before voicing my own thoughts. She introduces herself as Noah, and goes on to describe both the nature of the Pampas (including her ownership over it) and its relation to the kingdom, Loess. So - that makes Sylva also a subkingdom. I chew on this realization quietly, then part my lips to speak when it is the appropriate time to do so.

"Noah, it is nice to meet you." I would say a pleasure, but the quiet, confident woman seems too endearingly simple for such a cliche phrase; I find myself being more raw with her as I go on. "I am Kagerus, one of the Caretakers of The Sanctuary, and this is Ilma, a most paragon council member." (Turns out that my 'raw' is still wordy as fuck, apparently). "Lepis, to answer your prior question - we come to deliver information, and to receive some, too, though Noah has mostly sated that need."

"Well, I suppose I shan't waste any time. Not long into the release of the contagion, the East settled peacefully; hence, The Sanctuary was established, though we have kept this news to ourselves while we waited for the remainder of Beqanna to organize, or at least, that was our intent in keeping our emissaries home. The Sanctuary is comprised of the kingdom of Silver Cove, where Solace and I yet lead, of the subkingdom Hyaline, where Caretakers Kensa and Litotes lead, and of the subkingdom Pangea, where Archon Yidhra leads. Each of the individuals I have named are also a part of The Sanctuary's council."

"The Sanctuary functions as its name suggests; we accept refugees mainly into the Cove, while allowing them the option of maintaining Hyaline beneath Kensa and Litotes should they choose to. Yidhra's Pangea functions as the scientific branch, whose aim is to learn more about the plague; while this may sound ominous, please be reassured that Yidhra has agreed to abide by all of The Sanctuary's terms."

Huffing a long breath, I look from Lepis to Noah with an apologetic smile; that ended up being a longer spiel than intended. Then, glancing to Ilma, I speak a final phrase into the moonlight.

"Did I miss anything?"

KAGERUS

Caretaker of The Sanctuary
Lover of Solace
Immortal, antlered Dreamweaver

@[Ilma]
@everyone heh, I obviously failed to effectively communicate that they arrived in the morning, hence Kagerus spending the first hours of the night with Solace instead of immediately teleporting (which takes a couple hours to accomplish, in my mind). I don't mind continuing the thread as is, hopefully the misinterpretation won't result in any diplomatic failures oof XP, so sorry for not communicating more clearly