[TAKEOVER] kingdom meeting

[Lepis]

staring at the ceiling in the dark same old empty feeling in your heart The dark woman that arrives next receives a smile as well, though not the familial embrace with which Lepis had greeted Alcinder. What the dun mare owes to the grey is different than loyalty, but it is no less tangible in the hollow places of her heart. Were it not for Starsin, some secrets might have remained in the dark. Lepis does not like the dark. It has been some time since she has seen the other woman, but Lepis knows that she had served as Castile’s advisor in the past. How long in the past, she wonders to herself, though the question remains unspoken. While there is certainly an amount of leniency granted to a dragon and a king when it comes to their whims, Starsin’s pointed remark about a downward spiral indicate that Lepis is not the only one who has realized exactly how far the descent has led them. Lepis’ smile of greeting, which had faded, twists up again for just a moment before she speaks, “Something better than that,” the dun mare answers. “How to reverse it.” If others have gathered, she addresses them too, her blue-grey eyes turning from one to the other to gauge reaction even as she speaks. It would be simpler to project an aura of trust to them, to ensure they feel deep loyalty, devotion and even patriotism. Instead, she allows them their own reactions, confident that they’ll feel those things even without force. “In Castile’s absence, I will be taking over command of Loess.” A announcement, one that she does not hesitate after making. “Two mares have been murdered, Lady Oceane has been stolen, and I’ve not been able to find the pink Loessian who keeps taunting the Pangeans.” Lepis does not know Rebelle’s name, but she is more than familiar with the scent of the red-eyed beast that had tried to steal her and who had successfully taken Oceane. “Has anyone seen her? Or have any insight into other things that need remediation?” Lepis would rather have a long list of things to improve than an incomplete one, despite the daunting tasks that she already faces. LEPIS staring at the bottom of your glass-- hoping one day you’ll make a dream last but dreams come slow and they go so fast