Like a Thorn to the Holy Ones [Topsail]

[Nymphetamine]

Summer had taken over the lush landscape. The vibrant grasses that were once bold slowly dimmed and yellowed as the sun already worked to burn the ground under its rays.  With it's rays the it also lightened the deep mahogany of the blood bay's coat. He wanted nothing else but to hide in the shade and wait for the cool evening air to float in and bring him sulstace.  But he couldn't, he had a job to do and it wasn't one he was too fond of. He set out in the heat and trecked through the mountainous paths that would carry him to Vally. While he was glad to be a diplomat for Chamber he did n't like working under false pretenses. After the whole Gates/Chamber double agent thing, he had been glad to hang the spy hat up. Now this was a different type of spy game, but it was deceit just the same. 

Sweat dripped from him as he moved through the land, the sun was particularly unforgiving and he cursed it silenty as he went. Eventually he made it to Valley's border and pulled to a hault. He allowed the rythmn of his heart to slow and the sweat to cool in the shade of the valley. It wasn't a long wait, and he was sure his welcome party was already on the way.  The bay called out for Topsail, the  new ruler who had been sent to teach the valley dwellers compassion.  He hoped he would gather the information he seeked, and that this would be a quick and efficient visit, for he didn't want to over stay his welcome.
 

Nymphetamine

cold was my soul, untold was the pain I faced when you left me: a rose in the rain

ooc: feel free to keep it short and sweet. ( @[Topsail] )

[Topsail]

Slowly but surely, visitors from the other kingdoms made their way to the Valley’s borders. Each ones searching for mainly the same thing, but Topsail didn’t grow bored of the repetition. If anything, it was an opportunity for her to extend her reach beyond that of the Valley and the Gates. It always paid to have friends and acquaintances in more than one place. One could never have too many.

A lazy sunshine haze hung over the trees, so much so that even the fog had dissipated. It was odd, viewing the trees without their usual blanket. Topsail found the heat uncomfortable, and a light sheen of sweat shimmered against her mousy colored neck. The beast beneath her flesh though was more comfortable, and for a moment Topsail almost gave herself over to her other form, just to get some relief from the overbearing heat. However, before she could do more than think about it, a new voice rang over the landscape. Male again, which seemed to be some type of trend here as of late. All of their recent visitors had been of the opposite sex. Not looking forward to pushing through the heat she sighed, but it was perfunctory as she was already headed in the visitors direction. She did not exert herself though, and as such it took her slightly longer than it normally would. Dipping her pretty head she smiled at the blood bay, glancing at his mind momentarily. Rude, perhaps, but her party trick often saved lots of unneeded conversations. “Hello, Nymphetamine of the Chamber. I’m Topsail. What can the Valley do for you?” she said pleasantly, her words pushing down the barriers of his mind and claiming it for their own. Continuing to smile she waited on not only his answer, but the shock that almost always accompanied her style of speaking.

topsail

even an army of sheep should be feared, if they are being led by the lion

[Nymphetamine]

The bay didn't have to wait long before a sandy brown mare answered his call. She moved out from the shadowy distance into the orangy light and moved towards the red stallion. In the brief time, he had waited he had noticed yet again how different other kingdoms were from Chamber. The Valley was obviously a different slope than Chamber and vegetation was different. Unlike Falls, Vally wasn't as "pretty" or feminine; there was some roughness to its landscape and Nymphetamine like the masculinity.

The conjurer held his space, he was proud but held no threat to Valley or the mare. He needed to complete his task and return so he hoped this would be a quick and mostly eventless visit. She stopped in front of him, eyes curious and impish. Then it was there, in his mind, her voice. It was unlike Violence, who tore and prodded into his thoughts, his secrets. Her voice was soft and his privacy of his mind was his own. At first, his ears pinned, flat dark brown pressed firmly to his skull, as the last time any presence but his own had been in his mind it was not welcomed. However, this was different and he immediately relaxed.

Once he had relaxed he realized her mouth never moved, and that he had never encountered another like her. Beqanna never stopped throwing new things at him. He dipped his head, and began working his angle, it wasn't anything bad. Nymphetamine had two purposes, one to introduce himself, as the highest ranking diplomat under Killdare he felt the need to Keep positive relations with the other kingdoms on a more personal note, that way if he needed to call on them it wasn't as awkward. Secondly, the bay needed to check on how Eight was doing and if everything was going to plan. A few leading questions should give him the knowledge he needed without being blunt. Oh, that was surprising! Topsail, I didn't mean to be sour at you. My last encounter with another in my mind was less than pleasant. I wished to introduce myself, as the ranking diplomat for Chamber, I felt it is my duty to make connections where I can." His voice was deep a full tenor that held the air nicely. He hoped she would accept his apology.

He paused long enough to allow her to speak. before finishing with his few questions. Valley is quite the site this time of year, do you find it to your liking? Maybe I could bother you for a tour? He glanced curiously to the lands deeper within the kingdom. He wished not to be rude, but he did not wish to linger awkwardly in the border making even more meaningless small talk.

Nymphetamine

cold was my soul, untold was the pain I faced when you left me: a rose in the rain

[Topsail]

Coming from the Gates to the Valley had been a complete turn around. Gone were the dewy meadows of plentiful grass, to be replaced with rocky outcrops and occasionally sparse vegetation. The sunlight wasn’t often welcomed here; the dense fog made sure of that, along with the towering mountains that surrounded them. Even in the middle of summer there was a perpetual chill to the air. Not like the chill the Tundra experienced, of course, but a chill made from something more sinister. This land had known bloodshed and at times even begged for it. The recent war had been enough to satiate its appetite for the time being, but soon it would call for another sacrifice. It was a land that much preferred a full belly as opposed to a hungry, aching one. Hungry wolves were the most dangerous.

She watched his ears flatten to his skull but she didn’t react. It was a common reaction to her manner of speaking, and she had more than gotten used to it by now. It wasn’t as if she could warn them ahead of time what she was going to do. That would require a conventional voice, and a conventional voice she did not have. She only had this one and she would use it when needed. Instead, she offered him that knowing smile, a smile that said she sympathized with his discomfort but not to the point that she was going to stop. She would wait for him to grow used to her and then would carry on as if nothing had happened. “No need to apologize. You’re not the first and certainly won’t be the last to react in that way. You’ll find that unless I absolutely need to, I prefer to allow one to keep their secrets, theirs. But make no mistake…I have no qualms about digging, should I need to.” she said, a mischievous glimmer to her eyes and a smirk on her lips. He continued on and she listened, tilting her pretty head in a quizzical sort of way. “A tour you say? Come, lets walk.” Before he even answered she was striding across her kingdom, sending a mental message to the wolves to hold their ground. The Valley really was striking this time of year. “Connections are good to have, especially the right ones. The ties that bind and all that jazz. I assume, since I’ve heard nothing to the contrary, that Killdare wishes to continue our alliance. I think he’ll find it interesting that we’ve also garnered the support of the Tundra.” she said, though her gaze remained on the horizon. She was remembering the war, and Killdare’s efforts to save her. Which obviously he had succeeded, since she was still standing here today. In a way, he was even responsible for her rise to the Valley throne.

topsail

I was in the darkness, so the darkness I became