resurrect the saint within the wretch
The East. The pegasus snorts softly, a general reaction, but finds himself inspecting the duo before him with a slightly keener eye than before. It is not lost on him what the East is capable of - he has seen the dragon fire before it had left its master’s mouth and burned the North into the brittle bone and weeping ash that it is still healing from. “Yadigar, Sepulcher.” Warden’s horned head dips subtly with each of their names on his pale lips, the deep obsidian of their color sparkling in the warm sun with the movement. The overo stallion’s gaze is both thoughtful and somewhat curious (though also mindful of his lingering) as the deep stormy blue of his eyes passes over them.
He has done well to hide his expression for most of his life - Warden’s face rarely breaks and it is a rare sight when it does. He offers smiles, of course, and the occasional chuckle will warm the depths of his chest, but the majority of his time is spent in the depths of his mind, moving from the future and back into the present - a fluid thing that leaves him drained and feeling heavy, laden with knowledge that nothing he can do will change. So when Yadigar mentions conquests, he is not aware of the rareness of watching the stoicism of Warden’s pale face crease with a gentle frown.
The Watcher shifts his weight slightly, flexing his wings reflexively.
“I see no reason to break an alliance that has protected Tephra, thankfully.” Warden’s eyes are sharp, wondering if they will sense the frigidity beneath. It is perhaps something he cannot hide from the dragon-borne, anyway. The Tephran does not approve of their conquests - or so it has been deemed - but, as he has learned from his premonitions, nothing can change the future. The East wants what the East wants and if he can keep his home and the surrounding territories of the West safe, there is no room for him to place honor above their safety. Not yet, anyway.
When Warden’s head raises slightly, the jewels of his neck and chest glitter brilliantly as the sun catches each fractile in its light. Ischia and Islandres are filled with many extended families, as well as being easily accessed by all in Tephra who can make the swim or take to the skies - whether they were worthy, Warden could not possibly know, but they are in his stead either way. “The Islands are an extension of Tephra; I would imagine the allegiance would extend there just as it has in the past. I will inform them that all of the East is to remain an ally.”
@[Yadigar]
