She has only ever spoken to Scorch, Scorch’s daughter, and Hestia; so it is with some caution that she follows the others to the meeting, setting amongst them with her own daughter tucked against her side, her eyes wary while the yearling’s are wide silver moons with awe. Sochi has never seen this many horses gathered - even in the common lands, they gather in smaller groups. Sloene is used to large groups, or she was a long time ago, but now after so long on her own they make her...itchy. But she settles in to listen.
The first topic is one of the man at the Quren’s side, but she is not interested besides filing away the knowledge for later. She is no fighter, and will likely encounter Walter rarely in that capacity. But the next is of alliances of the young, and Sloene knows that her bold offspring with volunteer before Hestia is even done speaking - and she does just that, though Sloene is thankful her daughter at least waits until the black mare is done speaking before she steps forward, eyes alight with the chance for adventure. “I may be barely a foal now at a year,” she says to the group, “but I would be willing to go to Hyaline.” and that’s that, and the end of her time raising a child. She hopes she didn’t fuck it up that badly.
Hestia turns to the idea of Ischia, and it is not as universally received by all. Sloene listens to the support of the two mares she has met and trusts her, and then dissent from those she doesn’t know and has never even met. One is the Djinni that the Queen says is a mage, the other a former Queen. And why former? If she was so great, why is she not Queen still? Djinni makes some sense, wanting him to prove his strength to them, and without hostility, but she is uncomfortable with the anger behind Nayl’s words, and she has learned to go with her gut. Sloene frowns at them, and can’t help but add her own thoughts. “It seems unfair to slander him when he is not here to defend himself. Have you ever asked him why he left Nerine? It seems to me someone trusted by Scorch and Hestia would have a good reason to do so. And you as Queen should have been strong enough to hold Hyaline by some other way than depending on him.” Her eyes flick back to those who have pledged support and she nods to hem, “I am not much of a fighter but I shall add my support to the Queen’s in whatever capacity is needed and I am able to give.”
Hestia speaks of names and history and heirs, and Sloene has nothing to offer here, holding her peace until she speaks of this group of elite spies, and then she shifts, recalling her own earlier conversation with the Queen. She waits for there to be a pause in volunteers and then speaks again, and now there is passion behind the musical tones. “I would like to volunteer for this group of spies. I was trained for just such a task since birth, and learned many ways to be unnoticeable and forgettable and learn things even when I had no traits. I have a passion and skill for the work.” she looks at the other volunteers as they eagerly blurt out their qualifications and shakes her head, “but I would rather my newfound magics to support me in my work stay a secret between myself, my Queen, the spymaster and perhaps the future heir. The fewer to keep such secrets, the better.” Good spies, trained ones, would not want everyone in a Kingdom to know their secrets. Perhaps the other volunteers have potential, but she wonders if they really understand the lonely life of a good spy.
The synopsis:
-I wrote this on my phone so I apologize for any weirdness roll with it
-Sochi volunteers to go to Hyaline; she’s a yearling
-Sloene supports Hestia/Scorch/Brennen
-Sloene wants to be a spy but doesn’t want to tell everyone her traits; I’m pretending we’ve already gotten to the point in the Sloene/Hestia thread where she tells her and she’ll be happy to tell the spymaster
-Sloene and Sochi are ‘here’; Sochi too young to pick a caste and Sloene will be in the Peace is she needs a cover for being a secret spy