It had been a day.
Well, a night and a day, if she was being honest with herself, which she wasn't very sure she wanted to be at this moment. A night of anonymous pleasure in the arms of a handsome stranger. No. Not stranger. Warbird. Her gut twinged guilty at the thought of the winged stallion, of his baffled face as she'd vanished into the river. Not very nice, but it had seemed like a reasonable option at the time.
And then! That dratted kelpie. In her home. Her heart still thudded anxiously at the memory of wicked teeth and hungry eyes. What would come of it, she still wasn't sure. Still, she'd tried to continue with her day like normal. To fall into the comforting rhythm of her life. For a while it worked. She went about the routine of circling the island, of checking on residents and managing her youngest child's antics. For all that Hal wore the coat of a tiger most days, it was Cormorant who kept her running.
She felt distracted and tense, but the day must go on. It was a relief though, to run into Eva on her way. The gentle soul of her vivid friend was a much needed balm, and she greeted her warmly as the purple mare approached. Eva seemed a bit distracted herself though. "I'm alright," she replied to the courteous question, and as lost in thought as she'd been, it was true. She opened her mouth to ask Eva the same question, but was beaten to it.
Her milky white lips pursed as her fellow nereid continued on what proved to be the thoughts swimming in her mind.
"Oh," it was all she could say at first. "Oh. Eva, are you sure?" Her tail rippled in a gentle swoosh as she searched the other sea mare's face for signs of doubt, of hesitation. There was none. In fact, Eva looked almost relieved having said her piece, easy in her decision. Slowly, the pearl mare nodded her head. Her friend had done well. She had been a leader in peaceful times, and Aquaria couldn't blame her for wanting to shift focus. As much as she'd felt comfortable serving as her friend's advisor and second, she knew that her love of the island wouldn't allow her to deny the request.
"Thank you for believing in me," her own smile was softer than the one on the violet woman's lips. The shifting weight of responsibility settled on her back. "I will do my best to live up to that faith." It was their own Ischia she was being asked to mind, after all. Not one of the vast kingdoms to the east, with their constantly morphing politics and policies. She could do this. She could. It was not much more than she had been asked to do already. The choice to return to her homeland suddenly solidified in her chest as the only choice. No more regret or hesitation, no more looking back.
@[Eva]