Oceane was much unchanged from Aquaria's memory of her. She returned the easy greeting, her own muzzle pressed along the pegasus' cheek for a moment before breaking away again. "It has," she agreed, regretful. When they had last met, their sons had been children. Now the nereid's children were off seeking their own fortunes, and she didn't doubt that Alcinder was doing the same. 

Her eyes rolled heavenward for a moment, exasperation filling her at her friend's innocent question. "You could say that." She said, mouth twisting wryly at the memory of her resounding failure in the Alliance. The blood red token was simply a reminder of her own hubris at this point. It was silly. It really was, but she'd wanted to do well. Wanted to prove she was strong. 

It hadn't gone that way, and she was struggling not to feel like it was just one more stone on the pile marking her ineptitudes. She exhaled heavily. Shook her head, as if she could physically rattle the thoughts from her mind. Ah, but she was being rude. With a wan smile, she shook her head again, softer than before. "Don't blame yourself. I should have made the trip to check on you long before now. I've become a bit of a homebody, I guess." 

Had it been that trip so long ago that had dampened her desire for adventure? An uneasy feeling in her belly seemed to think it was. Once she'd gotten her boys home safely, she'd felt little need to venture off island again. And after her own trials by Ivar, well, she hadn't left home since. Not until being sent home from the Alliance with her tail between her legs. 

Once a mare known for her daring and her defiance, Aquaria now spent her days at home. She told herself it was because she was busy. That the island needed her, her boys needed her. In reality though, she knew she was fooling no one but herself. The island did but need constant maintenance, and her son's were adept at fending for themselves. She stayed home because the rest of the world had become a risk she was unwilling to take. Not if it meant exposing her own many vulnerabilities like an oyster forced open.

Aquaria found herself fumbling. Friendship had come easy to her once. Every stranger was a new opportunity to learn about the world, about those who occupied it. Education came at a steep cost. Yes, there was good out there. Kindness, sweetness. The other edge of the sword was less forgiving by far. 

She blinked silently at the sea-toned mare. Oceane was one she'd long thought of as a good soul. Time and distance shouldn't change that. It shouldn't, but a leery "what if" hung in the back of her mind. It had been years since they'd last met. Years of radio silence. Why now? What had changed? 

The pearly nereid smiled thinly at her guest's comment. Fierce? Ridiculous, more like it. But it was kind of Oceane to say otherwise. She joined the mare in looking at her home, the water sprawling on one side, before the jungles swallowed up the scene on the other. "It's does that," she replied, watching the water lap at the shore for a moment. 

Then, something easier. Her tour guide smile hitched back into place, serene as the day. "Of course," she chimed, steering them towards the largest opening in the jungle wall. "There's plenty to see." Her purposeful steps came to a halt quickly at her companion's nd next question. 

Ivar. She'd very nearly forgotten Oceane had experienced the notorious stallion for herself once. A feeling like cold water draining from her head forced her to pause before finding her voice again. "No," she murmured, eyes fixed on the trees ahead. "No, he hasn't been a problem for a while now, thank the stars." Almost two years now. It had been almost two years since she'd last seen her daughter. 

Clearing get throat roughly, the mermare forced herself to breath. Oceane was not here to watch her break down. She could do this. She could give a tour, be a good hostess and get through this day like she had every one that had come before it. 

"Come on, then. I'll show you the waterfalls." She offered, moving again to show off the island. It was a walk she could complete in her sleep. If only.

They walk on, deeper into the heart of the island where the light turned green and filtered through lush foliage. Aquaria listened as Oceane took control of the conversion, offering appropriate comments and smiling when the pegasus spoke of her family's growth. 

Cormorant too had traveled to the frigid north, and seemed to have found contentment there. He didn't visit as often as she would like, but often enough to appreciate the robust stallion her son had matured into. She only hoped he was finding happiness wherever he was now. 

Racous parrots, noisy as ever, barely registered on the nereid's awareness anymore. They were the eternal soundtrack to the island, along with steady beating waves and rustling palm fronds. It made her smile then to realize that her friend was so intrigued by the jewel tone birds. 

They lived complicated lives up above. Raised chicks, found love, found rivals, fought and cared for one another like any horses. Surely they felt loss as well? When a beloved mate fell ill, or a sweet hatchling joined the food chain as a serpent's meal, or simply stumbled from the safety of the nest too soon. 

For a moment, both mares were transfixed by the avian lives playing out above them. She couldn't understand them in the way that Oceane could, but a sort of kinship touched her for a moment, a link she'd never felt began herself and the parrots. The tenuous connection was pushed aside as the lull broke, golden eyed Oceane's kind voice a balm on her. 

She brought her own gaze back level with the earth, all false brightness erased. "I'm tired, is all," she murmured, head shaking. Tired in a bone deep way, tired like she could never sleep long enough to ease. "Never seem to run out of things to overthink." She eased some of the tension from her shoulders, shocked as always at how tight muscles could get when you weren't paying attention. 

Tail swishing lightly, she nodded back to the trail they'd been traveling on. "We'll be to the falls soon. We'd be able to hear it without the birds." She said without regret. Sometimes she enjoyed that the waterfall seemed to come out of nowhere, cloaked in greenery and bird calls. It made it seem more secretive than it was.

Walking along, the island began to work it's usual magic on the seamare, and she felt the tension slowly loosening in her neck. It was never gone completely, but the beauty of the day was impossible to ignore. With an answering fragment of laughter, she shook her head at her friend's words. "Ah, I have nothing to complain about. There's an island under my charge. You faces an entire kingdom to keep floating. I can't even fathom it." She said, a touch of wonder in her voice. That much responsibility... Well, better Oceane than her, she decided. 

At the comment regarding the wildlife, her wine-dark eyes flicked upward. The canopies were alive with birds and reptiles and myriad droning insects. "We're fond of them," was her simple reply. She hadn't done much as far as they were concerned, truth be told. The Islanders knew not to disturb the parrots during mating season, the assorted other inhabitant all more or less kept to themselves. She smiled vaguely at the treetops, wondering what secrets her friend was gleaning from their chatter. 

Breaking into the open space where the waterfalls had carved out their home as always a breathtaking experience. Aquaria loved introducing new folk to the glory of it, the endless cascades that caught and danced in the light to the thunderous music of their own making. It was love at first sight, every time. 

She watched Oceane's reaction with pleasure. That she was able to give the mare this one thing, this pure memory of her home, was worth the time and distance that so often seemed to define their friendship. Wordless, she moved up to stand by the iridescent mare, to take in the moment with her. She let Oceane be the one to break the quiet, and she nodded at the woman's observation. 

"It's not really ideal for meetings," she said with a shrug. "Too loud. But for little things like this, yes. It's a wonderful place to meet." There was nothing quite like the backdrop of a thundering fall to set the mood for adventure. Or to make the end of an adventure worthwhile.