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.
@[Oceane]