Oceane lingers near the heart of Loess, lost in thought and half-submerged in one of the territory’s shallower hot springs. Steam rises around her, obscuring the vast majority of the foothills from her sight. Its haze hides the remaining ugly scars from the previous year’s fire, pressing the uncomfortable reminder away from the Loessian Queen’s mind, if only for a short time. She had asked Noah to come assist in the regrowth of the Southern helm, but not until later in the spring when the ground was soft and supple and ready to receive new foliage.
She feels hopeful at the prospect of this year’s spring ─ Loess had suffered far too much, far more than it had deserved to suffer, since the catalyst of Castile’s downfall. But the Dragon King had been gone for some time, years now, and any wrongdoings of his had been paid for with Lepis’ life ─ some directly, some indirectly.
Now that she has returned from the Mountain, there is only one direction for Oceane to move Loess now, and that is forward. With the help of her allies and those residents who have remained within the foothills despite the turmoil, she feels optimistic. For the first time in countless days, she finds the hint of a smile on her lavender lips and a sense of relief like a warm stone in her chest.
Though that's not to say it will be simple to fix what needs fixing ─ especially now that the fairies have taken away her tangibility and made her invisible. She thinks of Fiorina and the sight they had taken from her, and she holds out hope that both women will regain what has been taken.
A shadow crosses over the springs, prompting the balefire woman to turn her gaze skyward. A pink champagne pegasus glides through the quiet airspace above the foothills, gliding on thermals leisurely and, Oceane can only assume, assessing the ground for the most optimal landing location.
The Loessian Queen is moving from the warm springs before the unfamiliar woman lands and finds her just in time to hear the small bubble of laughter that slips just after her landing. Ears pricked forward with interest, Oceane smiles politely at the blue-eyed mare before remembering that she cannot be seen. She clears her throat audibly, scrapes a hoof against the ground so that the dirt can lit from the ground in a small cloud for the visitor to see.
Oceane allows herself the opportunity to enjoy the new company that has presented itself once she is certain no hints of Pangea cling to her hide.
“Welcome to Loess,” she turns her head to the side, amber eyes inspecting the way the woman's blush pink contrasts the Loessian foothills.
“I'm sorry ─ I'm not usually invisible. It was the fairies," she offers with an apologetic tone, hoping that the more she speaks the more likely the woman will be able to ascertain the general vicinity in which she stands.
"My name is Oceane. What brings you here today?”Oceane is invisible until she completes her current quest.
@[Beulah]
“”