[private] grey mist on the sea’s face & a grey dawn breaking

[Oceane]

for the call of the running tide

"I'm sure you will have your reasons if I do," she says with a playful grin at his aspiration: let's hope you never see me quite so angry, "though hopefully that reason will not be me." She dips her gaze away from the painted stallion to dote over opaline feathers as her lilting voice falls quiet, allowing him to speak candidly about trust and betrayal.

Nau-Aib's king had often spoken about loyalty and trust. He had spoken more frequently on the subject of betrayal in the presence of Oceane; she had grown used to the conversation, though she had no choice, for her own existence was a betrayal to the king. Here, in Beqanna, she hopes to never fall victim to that same script again.

So as she pledges her loyalty to Castile, her desire to build trust between them voiced aloud with nothing less than pure authenticity, she forms a self-promise simultaneously: to learn, to grow, to adapt, and to serve for the sole benefit of Loess and Castile. The years she'd spent as an exiled nomad had finally led to this.

Oceane wonders if the heat between them is a figment of her imagination, a combination of the tension she feels and her desire to touch the painted King, or if their bodies are truly generating heat based on their chemistry. If only, if only...

She is glued in place, muscles taut with anticipation, as she breathes in Castile's musk. Oceane follows his movements with molten amber in her eyes.

And then he steps back, relieving some of the heat but none of the chemistry. He clears his throat gruffly, forcing Oceane to turn her head away to hide the small grin twisting at the edges of her lips. It's replaced with incredulity when Castile speaks again, her eyes flicking back to meet his with a near-slack jawed expression. "That's a generous offer, Castile," she says coarsely as her surprise gives way to appreciation, "If it comes to that, you have my word and my allegiance. Any territory I might potentially lead would be loyal to you."

Oceane laughs warmly, nodding her head as she says, "Here's to your good instincts." She, too, has been increasingly pleased with her residence in Loess. And it's all thanks to Castile's unscheduled visit to the Field, a place that the opaline woman has not seen him venture since the day he'd brought her home.

She'd been intrigued by the adventure and knowledge he'd promised her, but also by that lopsided grin. The same one he wears now.

His drawl asks her for her third wish, a plethora of options fighting for the forefront in her mind but none just right for what is to be her final wish. Maintaining intense eye contact with Castile's mismatched irises as her tongue brushes the back of her blunted teeth in thought, Oceane finally comes to a decision and offers the Loessian King a mischievous smirk:

"I wish... that you will be there to protect me when I need it, and that you will forgive my lack of battlefield prowess whenever I need to invoke this wish. And in return, I promise not to seek out trouble that would force your hand into helping me." Her smirk has turned sheepish, and could she blush, she would.

"And maybe, in time, you can teach me to fight. But that is more of a request than a wish, in case you're still counting." Oceane laughs warmly before tossing her glimmering forelock from her amber eyes.

---

@[Castile] | speech

[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

It has always been Sochi, always will be Sochi, and yet there’s a spur of intrigue thrumming in his veins when he looks at Oceane. 

And for a fleeting moment, he cannot help to ask himself, will he hurt her one day, too?

There are a few scarred by him, both physical and emotional. Sochi has thus far been spared with her mirrored ferocity and passion. Although bearing scars of her past, Castile sees her as a clean slate, unmarred by his loss of control.

But can he maintain that for Oceane?

”Let’s hope it never comes to that,” he murmurs with a lopsided, boyish grin and a smoldering stare. Yet, there is a small piece of him curious to see her reaction when blood dribbles down her untouched skin.

No, no. Stop.

She glances away, hiding the expression on her face from his view until his offer lures her attention back onto him. The temptation is a succulent fruit dangling in front of her, a reward offered with a promise, just as he offered to Ruinam (though the answers he wanted were far less important than the ownership of a land). Tit for tat, bargaining with the dragon king. ”You would make a fine leader,” would she climb to a Lady, or perhaps even a Queen should he give her an entire kingdom? The generic title preserves her fate, letting the cards decide what she will become instead of swearing himself to a specific promise.

She will be something, no doubt, but he isn’t entirely sure what.

There’s an incessant pull inside him to keep her happy and entertained. He wants to keep her at his side, possessing her like a rare treasure. Oceane wants more and Castile years to satisfy her in every way possible which leads seamlessly into her third wish from him.

Their body heat continues to intermingle, the fire in his stomach dancing excitedly when their eyes lock. Everything inside him screams yes to her, to agree to these terms. The words nearly escape him without consideration, flirting with the edge of his tongue as his neck arches toward her. A drag of air pools into his lungs. Her scent dominates, but there’s also Loess, Sochi, and his children. There’s Lepis and Ophanim and Starsin. Will they be affected too? His tongue thoughtfully slips across his lips but his impulsive nature sees nothing wrong with the proposition. ”Consider it done,” fight for her, defend her, protect her. It’s all in his nature anyways, but his heart wrenches at the idea of his oath conflicting with Sochi. What if… No, he stops himself before the thought can even fester. Nodding his head, he offers a final agreement. ”I will teach you to fight, then maybe one day you can take part in the Alliance.” A goal, a dream.  

castile

@[Oceane]