09-25-2020, 04:16 PM
Leilan
Maybe his automatic assumptions that magicians invade the minds of those they meet (the few he's met, did so anyway) had him miscalculate Straia. Or maybe she'd just missed out on the little joke he made on himself; regardless, he outs a short, humourless laugh. "They never have." He confirms. Not even Scorch had been able to change that. Perhaps the briefest of moments, his eyes flash a little of the pent-up hurt that had caused this from such a young age, but his gaze is steely, icy as usual, when she continues to mull over the Amazons. Stood for something. "Apart from exclusivity, you mean?" he interjects roughly. Nerine had been led by powerful women - his niece one of the latest - but they hadn't shunned their husbands and sons, at least. Where had it brought them, though? Here - it had brought them here, targeted for burning. That he should be the legacy of the Amazons is a joke. More likely, they'd claim it had ended with Heartfire and they had good enough reason.
He mulls over her question about the kingdoms for a time, unable to answer before she follows up with her theories. To some degree, he can follow, to another, he does not agree. "I've yet to see the first Pangean spending their life tending gardens or healing any that are not their own. I've yet to see a Northerner bow to the first threat made at them." He looks sideways with the last example, wondering how it is that she has concluded they never stood for anything. They were very different ideals than the ones before, of course - but no horse was ever truly "good" or "bad", or whatever one wanted to call that. Perhaps she had been a little old-fashioned in her assessing of the lands, is all. The changes had been gradual, but if you spent decades in the Afterlife, well - it could still be a culture shock. It had been different for him too, but he had already seen what it was like Beyond by that point. Better for him at the time, he dares think.
"The concept of territories, though... many lands are too quiet." he nods. Take Loess - none of it's Territories had ever made a name for themselves, be that because they didn’t want to or weren’t capable he doesn’t know. Neither had the Resort, or Hyaline once it had stopped being a kingdom. Ischia did stand for something, but wasn't allowed kingdom status because it was part of Tephra. To Leilan’s assessment, the concept of territories didn't quite work the way they were intended to. "I must say that I personally appreciate the change of scenery Taiga provides me with, though." He nods vaguely to the ashen forest in the west, should she need the why (he doesn't really think she does). He likes Taiga, and Nerine in some ways. Lands with one climate, well, he begs to differ - but on the other hoof, if all of them always provided for everything, then there were most certainly far too many. Yet on the concept of borders... well, if some were combined into a slightly larger, more diverse kingdom, the world wouldn't be any lesser for it. In fact, that's not too different from what Leilan, Neverwhere, Lilliana en Izora had recently started; their borders only existed to mark a different landscape, not to mark a different sort of rule.
Her question though - her real question - is a dangerous one to answer on his own. "Perhaps," he starts light-toned as they reach the heart-shaped lake (a blue flame lighting up a tree in the distance, the light dancing on the mirror-still lake's surface), "you shouldn't ask that to an ice dragon when he's surrounded by his element, lest he wishes for a world of snow and cold, with the occasional prey to hunt." He grins at her, his teeth not exactly all horse-teeth in the moment, before his eyes dart away towards the reflective lake. What he wants personally is something he already has. What he wants instead, is for others. He told Lilli before, even if right now she might not believe he had her best interests at heart sometimes. "In all seriousness though; the North isn't made for changes, especially not if they're introduced by outsiders," he starts, frowning once towards the distant tree and then looks back to her. ”But I do think the ability to adapt and change is a useful one, if not necessary at times. Tell me, why should we limit capabilities to one kingdom? Wouldn’t you rather change all of Beqanna at once?” he wonders aloud. Perhaps be misunderstood her intentions, but why not make use of the opportunity? Not all of what was, was better than it is now; every design has it’s flaws. But any new designs should not be half-done, at the very least. If everyone has ideas to share and they could in fact reinvent, well - why not do it all?
Or would that be too much for even her growing group of magicians, he muses. Would they have to appeal to the fae? He can’t say he has the best relationship with them - has taunted them as much as he pleased them, he reckons.
It’s a long shot at any rate - they’d best dream bigger.
He mulls over her question about the kingdoms for a time, unable to answer before she follows up with her theories. To some degree, he can follow, to another, he does not agree. "I've yet to see the first Pangean spending their life tending gardens or healing any that are not their own. I've yet to see a Northerner bow to the first threat made at them." He looks sideways with the last example, wondering how it is that she has concluded they never stood for anything. They were very different ideals than the ones before, of course - but no horse was ever truly "good" or "bad", or whatever one wanted to call that. Perhaps she had been a little old-fashioned in her assessing of the lands, is all. The changes had been gradual, but if you spent decades in the Afterlife, well - it could still be a culture shock. It had been different for him too, but he had already seen what it was like Beyond by that point. Better for him at the time, he dares think.
"The concept of territories, though... many lands are too quiet." he nods. Take Loess - none of it's Territories had ever made a name for themselves, be that because they didn’t want to or weren’t capable he doesn’t know. Neither had the Resort, or Hyaline once it had stopped being a kingdom. Ischia did stand for something, but wasn't allowed kingdom status because it was part of Tephra. To Leilan’s assessment, the concept of territories didn't quite work the way they were intended to. "I must say that I personally appreciate the change of scenery Taiga provides me with, though." He nods vaguely to the ashen forest in the west, should she need the why (he doesn't really think she does). He likes Taiga, and Nerine in some ways. Lands with one climate, well, he begs to differ - but on the other hoof, if all of them always provided for everything, then there were most certainly far too many. Yet on the concept of borders... well, if some were combined into a slightly larger, more diverse kingdom, the world wouldn't be any lesser for it. In fact, that's not too different from what Leilan, Neverwhere, Lilliana en Izora had recently started; their borders only existed to mark a different landscape, not to mark a different sort of rule.
Her question though - her real question - is a dangerous one to answer on his own. "Perhaps," he starts light-toned as they reach the heart-shaped lake (a blue flame lighting up a tree in the distance, the light dancing on the mirror-still lake's surface), "you shouldn't ask that to an ice dragon when he's surrounded by his element, lest he wishes for a world of snow and cold, with the occasional prey to hunt." He grins at her, his teeth not exactly all horse-teeth in the moment, before his eyes dart away towards the reflective lake. What he wants personally is something he already has. What he wants instead, is for others. He told Lilli before, even if right now she might not believe he had her best interests at heart sometimes. "In all seriousness though; the North isn't made for changes, especially not if they're introduced by outsiders," he starts, frowning once towards the distant tree and then looks back to her. ”But I do think the ability to adapt and change is a useful one, if not necessary at times. Tell me, why should we limit capabilities to one kingdom? Wouldn’t you rather change all of Beqanna at once?” he wonders aloud. Perhaps be misunderstood her intentions, but why not make use of the opportunity? Not all of what was, was better than it is now; every design has it’s flaws. But any new designs should not be half-done, at the very least. If everyone has ideas to share and they could in fact reinvent, well - why not do it all?
Or would that be too much for even her growing group of magicians, he muses. Would they have to appeal to the fae? He can’t say he has the best relationship with them - has taunted them as much as he pleased them, he reckons.
It’s a long shot at any rate - they’d best dream bigger.
I am the dragon
and you call me insane
and you call me insane
Image commissioned by Vanilla, made by AshesDrawn on DA
@[Straia] I may have started rambling, feel free to pick and choose or ignore some of it lol
Basically he is wondering why they need so many kingdoms/borders at all. (What are laws and lines and rules good for anyway, yolo - but that’s just him disliking strict rules and hierarchy and stuff I suppose)
Two things I know I can make: pretty kids, and people mad.
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