CASIMIRA

dragon-shifting daughter of ashhal and ryatah

Despite the earthquake that had disrupted the land, Tephra had been quiet. The newly-formed island had mostly escaped any other kind of extreme changes, and for that Casimira was grateful. The landbridge—not exactly passer-friendly and more than a little treacherous—did not bring many visitors, but, neither did the skies. It was as if the entirety of Beqanna had settled into a hush, afraid that sudden movements might once again stir the land into shifting and reforming, and there was never any way to know what the outcome might be. 

She did not mind the lull, though. Her mind was a loud place, with far too many thoughts and worries that never seemed to fade. For her kingdom to at least be quiet was more than she could have hoped for. She was content to walk the coastlines, to slowly wind her way through jungle paths and along the lava-fields that her mother used to warn her to stay away from when she was a child. Her residents were quiet, too, made up of mostly smaller families that kept to themselves, such as Magnus and Isle, and Nightlock and Wonder, along with both their children. It was the kind of peace she had always hoped to find, the kind that had so often escaped her.

She wished that she could have accepted the peace for what it was instead of looking at it like a warning. Instead of wondering constantly when it was going to end, or what kind of turmoil would spring from the serenity. 

This afternoon she finds herself along the western shore, facing Ischia. Unlike the new, flooded coast that faced what had once been Loess, this shore remained largely unchanged. Staring out into the bright blue of the waves as they rolled almost lazily across the sand it was easy to pretend that nothing had changed; that Beqanna had not been rocked, that her mother had never died, that she had never run into her previously unknown father unexpectedly. 

In that hypnotic way that only the ocean can do she lets her mind be scrubbed clean, exhaling a soft sigh into the salty breeze.

CASIMIRA

dragon-shifting daughter of ashhal and ryatah

She is stirred from her thoughts by a voice,  the waves seeming to raise it up and carry it towards her rather than drowning it out. With an angling of her head she takes in the girl with a stare that is more piercing than she means it to be, the paleness of her blue eyes against such a stark white face seeming to lend an edge to her gaze. Despite being queen it was not often that others sought her out, especially not strangers, and she is both curious yet mildly suspicious, and it shows in the formal yet somewhat guarded smile that she offers the younger girl. “You’re not interrupting anything,” she says in a voice that is softer and kinder than her face—the sharp, clean angles seeming to hint to the draconic features hidden just beneath the surface—portrays her to be.

Casimira has never been cruel or unkind, but life has never been charitable to her in turn. Instead of all the injustices turning her hard it had turned her cautious, and she met everyone with the same reserved nature.

Kind enough to never appear rude, but careful enough to never be taken for a fool.

“Lillibet,” she repeats her name, having now turned to face her, and she dips her head in a cordial greeting. “My name is Casimira.” Her title is left off, still finding it awkward to introduce herself as queen in situations where it did not seem necessary. This did not have the air of a political meeting, though she supposes she could be mistaken. Instead she focuses on how Lillibet says she is from Sylva, and a frown forms in her brow. “I’m sorry,” she offers sympathetically, her glacial colored eyes seeming to soften as she remembers the same earthquake that had made Tephra an island had also made other lands apart of the ocean. “Are you looking for a place to stay?”

CASIMIRA

dragon-shifting daughter of ashhal and ryatah

They are lucky that the flood had stopped at Tephra; and why it had, she will never be sure. The earthquake that had rocked Beqanna from the core of the mountain had been powerful enough that it could have flooded it all, and she is equally surprised the volcano here in Tephra did not erupt. It could have been an event equivalent to the Catastrophe she had only heard stories of from her mother—of the storms and earthquakes that tore Beqanna asunder, with a chaos of magic that brought her mother back to life right in the middle of the upheaval. It had been just one of many events that had changed the very makeup of the land, altering kingdoms and destroying all the residents had previously known.

The fact that all that had been lost was one kingdom and her two lands was, in its own way, a miracle, but she knows it is likely not seen that way by all.

It would be difficult to see a miracle when it was your own home sitting at the bottom of the sea.

She nods her head in understanding to Lillibet’s response, but extends an official invitation regardless. “You’re welcome in Tephra any time,” though she thinks it would make sense for the girl to not want to live where she has to imagine her home resting beneath the new waves.

She asks of Oceane and Ledger, and while the last name is not familiar, she knows that the first belonged to a queen of Loess. Despite her history with the southern kingdom, Casimira did not harbor ill-feelings towards them — the tension that had once existed between the two kingdoms had seemed to dissipate over time as thrones switched hands, and now there were not many around to still remember when the two had tried to tear each other apart. “Oceane was queen of Loess, yes?” She says, just to ensure she is not misremembering, but she shakes her head apologetically. “I did not know her personally, I’m afraid. And I have not heard anything of her since…” she lets her voice trail off, her eyes shifting to glance in the direction of the flooded coast. She looks back to Lillibet, a tight smile finding her face, because while she is not sure of the girl’s relation to the two names she had spoken, she can only assume she cares for them in some way. “I’m sure she’s fine, though. The earthquake and the flood was disorienting, but I know there are many that escaped.”