 i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take
Ciri agrees to show them around Hyaline and Ivar steps forward, ready to follow her lead. Her answer to his question is met with a nod – so she’d been here a little less time than he’d been in Loess. Ciri is not a child, and Ivar wonders if the rumors he had heard of the separation of Nerine and Hyaline are true. This doesn’t seem to be a haven for children anymore, he muses, though the idyllic image of safety had been shattered as soon as word of the fire spread. They are doing well in spite of it, Ivar also notes; providing for those in need. Their journey deeper into Hyaline barely has time to begin before they are met by a familiar metallic stallion. The gentle touch of Amet’s muzzle to Ciri’s side confirms Ivar’s suspicions. The scaled tobiano smiles at the gestures of affection between the two, but turns his attention solely to Amet as the bronze King begins to speak. Zhenga gives the pair of horse from Hyaline a more detailed explanation of their reason for travel, and Ivar is content to wait his turn in the conversation. He turns to watch her speak, clearly trusting of these horses she had just met. It reminds him a little of Heda, and Amet mentions Loess just as the thought crosses his mind. “I’ve been in Loess for a little more than a year now,” Ivar replies, “Though I’ve not gotten out much. This trip with Zhenga is a nice change of pace, and seemed a good opportunity to check up on our ally.” Hyaline is Loess’ only ally, after all, and Ivar knows that Heda would appreciate reassurance that Loess does not stand entirely alone. The buckskin queen does not care for the minutiae of kingdom life, Ivar knows. Recruiting, stealing, challenging – those are not her forte. It is diplomacy, the scaled stallion reminds himself, and surely she has reasons for not sending out envoys to them in almost two years. “It seems you’re doing well,” he adds with a gesture at the kingdom spread below them. The destruction from the fire is all but gone; the crystal clear lake looks like he remembers from his youth. |
@[Amet]