welcome to my dark side. [open]

[magnus]

I wanna give you wild love, the kind that never slows down
I wanna take you high up let our hearts be the only sound

He remains quiet throughout the exchange, more quiet than normal. He has a feeling that she has rarely been afforded her own space to think and he tries to give it to her now, gold-flecked eyes smoldering with interest but his face carefully neutral as he watches her. He can’t shake the feeling that she has bombs underneath her skin that are just a hair’s breadth away from detonating, and he doesn’t want to provide any more pressure than she’s already been under. So, instead, he remains calm and quiet and steady.

At her quick joke, humor curls the edges of his inky lips into a crooked grin, warmth seeping through his features. “You could say that,” he tilts his head, eyes narrowing as he considers her. “Although I do not see any damsels who require saving.” She didn’t strike him as someone who required another and while he would be here for whatever she needed, he certainly doesn’t believe that she needed him in any way.

He considers commenting on his demons, speaking to that which drives him forth from his volcanic isle so late at night, but he decides for another day, another time. There is enough gravity to this situation already without him needing to add his own. She’s experienced enough, he thinks, without him needing to unpack his own demons here and now—the sharp edges of them more than he can handle right now.

As Ilma speaks, his ears perk toward her, listening with interest. At her observation, he just shrugs a little, rolling his war-scarred shoulders. “I sleep enough,” is all he comments. Sleep eluded him often, but he made sure to get enough to stay sharp. It did no one in his home any good if he was constantly exhausted. Still, his gaze is captured quickly by the mare in question once more and he trains it on her. It’s been a long time since he’s met someone so unfamiliar with the ways in Beqanna and he’s fascinated by it.

“I do,” he answers, whiskey voice steady. “You’re in the field, where most souls come to speak to representatives of different lands. It’s a chance to talk to residents and learn more about their individual homes. Each land is wholly unique and offers something a little different. Coming here is as much a chance for recruiters to find good additions for their home as it is for you to find a good fit for yourself.”

Coming here was not a responsibility that Magnus took lightly. It was not uncommon for Magnus to point someone in a different direction other than Tephra if it was clear they’d be better suited somewhere else. While he was hungry to help grow his home, he wasn’t interested in tricking people into following him; he truly was interested in helping them find a place where they could belong. “I’m from a place called Tephra. I’m sure that both Ilma and I would be more than happy to tell you more about our homes, as well as the different homes around here. You’re more than welcome to visit each of them if you’d like.”

He pauses, considering her once more.

“I’d also be happy to show you to them, if that’s what you’d prefer.”

He was in too deep now to simply leave without making sure she was settled somewhere and safe.

I wanna go where the lights burn low and you're only mine