[private] we were the first that ever burst into that silent sea

[Lepis]

again you’re gone, off on a different path than mine i'm left behind wondering if i should follow Lepis’ navy ears flick forward, and she returns the smile from the other mare. She has missed being around children these last few years. Lepis had been excited about the arrival of Adarra, but she’d barely had time to meet the girl before she had left for Loess. In the nine months since, Lepis has not left the borders of the kingdom, though she soon will. The dun mare tells herself she is relearning the role of a Cleric, and with her mind on kingdom responsibilities, her interest is piqued by the Oceane’s mention of the father and his responsibilities. The purple mare does not call him by name. That alone is not suspicious; Oceane knows that Lepis won’t know everyone in Beqanna by name.  Her head tilts to the side for just a moment as she meets Oceane’s gaze, considering. The look fades quickly, but her focus does not, and so when the pregnant mare reacts to the jest that Lepis shares with something other than amusement, Lepis catches it. She does not jump to conclusions, knowing that the Loessian Tigress is a hunter in her own right, but her eyes almost dart over to the mare’s wing-covered sides. Castile surely isn’t carrying on with his kingdom’s newest and prettiest diplomat directly under his wife’s nose. Lepis is just projecting her own experiences. That’s what it is. “You know…big, scaley, leave those terrible furrows in the ground when they land and take-off? Lepis responds to Oceane’s question of dragons as though nothing else has passed between them. Her tone is teasing but her eyes are gentle. “They came here after they lost Nerine,” the dun mare adds, knowing that Oceane is still fairly new to Beqanna and has clearly not been told of the Dragons and their place in Loess. “Empress Nayl and her dragon-husband Lior live in the mountains.” She gestures toward the distant ridges with her muzzle. “Their children are all dragon-kind, I think. And Castile’s children are too. That I’ve seen anyway.” Lepis hasn’t met them all, to be fair, but her daughter-law-is certainly draconic. “At least you know you won’t have to deal with fire-breathing and sharp teeth biting on everything.” She finishes, hoping that a positive note will turn around this odd silence from her newest potential friend. LEPIS i’m the one who sees you home-- but now i’m lost in the woods and i don’t know what path you are on

@[Oceane]