[private] this thing was a shot in the dark, isogold

[evalin]

The girl isn’t sure how she feels about the fall of her kingdom.

The land amongst the clouds has always been home to her, and though most Stratosians tend to strike out on their own at a young age, she is still close to her family. At least she had been; she hasn’t seen them since the change in the world, as Beqanna herself reclaims her land. Have they been scattered to the winds, or separated by the veil?

All she knows is that the loneliness is all-encompassing, and she misses them daily. Her elder sister had been her closest friend; her parents were her most trusted confidants. Her younger brother, barely old enough to leave their home cloud, had started to become her bravest adventuring buddy. He had encouraged her to set off on new adventures, day after day, no matter how tired she was from the previous day’s journeys.

Maybe that’s all this is.
A brand new undertaking.

It is that thought that has her circling Stratos that morning, her lavender eyes scanning the skies. Perhaps there are others like her, who have lost their entire families to whatever magicks Beqanna has brought upon them. She lands quietly on one of the larger, more residential clouds when she finally catches the eye of another, offering her a smile as she approaches. “Hi,” she says, suddenly shy as she tucks her wings in close. “What happened to everything, do you know?”

Perhaps she should recognize one of Stratos’s former council members, but Eva had never been huge on politics - even those of her own home. Her father would’ve been stammering and admonishing her, telling her to be more polite, more formal, but Father…

Father’s gone.

You’re on your own, kid.


@Isogold

[Isogold]

She does not know what to do anymore. Hadn’t Iso wanted this, an end to war? Yes, she had, at least in theory, but certainly not like this. There was an end to their war, yes, but there was also an end to their entire home. Though Stratos still existed, it was not a kingdom anymore. It was just a place in the sky that felt vaguely more habitable than the rest of the sky, a place where the clouds were a little more solid. And yet it still felt like home, even if it wasn’t, not exactly.

Besides that, Iso had been raised to rule. Stratos may have been made up of a Council, but she was always destined to inherit her mother’s place on the Council. Without a place to lead, without a war to fight, she doesn’t truly know who she is. Perhaps this was just all one big adventure, but it certainly wasn’t one she’d hoped for. Everything that had happened felt like the stuff of nightmares rather than her dreams.

With no idea what’s next for her, Isogold stays in Stratos. At least it is here, and perhaps there are others looking for purpose and direction and maybe, even if she doesn’t have it herself, she can point others to the new life before them. Life on the ground, life with Baltians in their mix. Life without pain and bloodshed and constant fear. That ought to be a good thing, but Iso still finds herself looking over her shoulder for the next attack, the next war, the next catastrophe. That is not a habit that will die easily.

She has no idea how much time passes before another mare finds her - younger than Iso, though perhaps not by much. ”I don’t know, not exactly,” she says, not necessarily sad but certainly without much joy. ”I know that the war is over, and for that, I am grateful. No more loss. At least, not because of that, anyway. As for the rest…” she shrugs, gesturing around. ”Stratos is here, but it was never really meant to be in this place, this Beqanna. And so it is not exactly Stratos anymore. I hear their lands are beautiful though.” She’s hardly taken the time to explore them, so she can’t really say for herself. ”I’m Isogold,” she offers, her voice kind and her eyes warm. She can understand what this girl must be feeling, after all.

@evalin