[private] kali;

[Castile]

and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left
a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was

Castile didn’t appease Kali’s wishes and retaliate in the way she wanted. Something stirred within him when he saw her shifted as a dragon, but it wasn’t anger. Truthfully, it should have been because she was opposing him – the new monarchy – but fascination overshadowed his agitation. Rather than face her, a mere child in comparison, he reassured her that nothing would change in the herd dynamic and resumed his congratulatory moments with Sochi.
 
With enough time having passed since then, however, Castile abandoned his company to address the hot-headed girl. His expression is stoic as he weaves placidly among the palms. His acute senses, sharpened by years of hunting prey, guide him seamlessly to her. Admittedly, he doesn’t expect this to be a smooth collaboration, but it’s at least necessary given their first impression – he a bloodthirsty brute and she a bratty child. Castile doesn’t allow his expectations to hinder the meeting or poison his intentions. Rather, he tries to compose himself neutrally with his body remaining as entirely horse, his voice level when the distance between them closes to a formal distance.
 
”You have fire in your soul,” he begins as a lopsided grin lifts a single corner of his mouth, his mismatched eyes scrutinizing the soft edges of her youthful face, ”I like it.” He would be lying if he said otherwise. True, it could be troublesome, but life would be boring without the high-spirited ones. ”I have a feeling Tiphon didn’t have a hierarchy in place. I’m trying to think what would be suitable for an island that has been built as a refuge, and is filled with multiple families – versus singular, ambitious folk.” He isn’t perfect, that implies. Castile didn’t take over as a dictator; he wanted his own home just as his childhood friends have had. For the first time, he made a definitive move rather than coasting again from one place to another.
 
He shuffles his wings and he glances away to observe the swaying palms. In the distance, he can hear tropical birds and the ocean waves lapping at the shore. A deep breath of salty air soaks into his lungs before looking again at the girl. ”I have a place for you,” because she has made it quite clear that she is not to be forgotten, or that she is a face lost in a crowd. ”What’s your name? I’m Castile.”

castile