Tarian smiles roguishly at her coy remark. It wouldn't take much of anything from Altissima to keep him by her side all winter, and longer, if she allowed. He relaxes his touch and his dark mouth moves in small circles, attempting to ease any tension or tightness along her spine. He thinks again that it wouldn't be hard at all to spend the frigid season shielded behind their wall of steam, from the warmth emanating from the ground below and between them.
It would be no sacrifice at all for Tarian.
But as much that he'd like to forget that he has a patrol planned later in the day, he can't. Neither Oceane nor Cheri probably need Tarian to check in with them but he has always done so. The gray pegasus and his unfailing loyalty to the Southern Kingdom are as much a part of Loess as the spyres and sagebrush. And as much as he'd like not to think about, the warmer months will come again and Altissima will no longer need this realm's warmth. Just as she knows that eventually, Tarian will have to assume his responsibilities to Loess, he understands that eventually, her wanderlust will call to her like a siren song.
There is a quiet sort of wonder on his face as he watches Altissima wield light. It's no longer a shock that she can do this but there is a grace in the way she uses it. Parts of his silver skin glow (for once, he won't complain about it) and Tarian spreads his wings so that she might see her craftwork better. The edges of his pale feathers shine and the Loessian stallion smiles again, turning his head back to her. He moves slowly towards the bank and begins to stretch out, preparing himself for flight. There are so many places that he wants to show her - the little nook he showed to Cheri, the ledge where Oceane keeps watch, a whirlpool in one of the inlets - but decides on a place that he found on his own.
A cave that only emerged at low tide. It was the home of several types of gemstones - some that glistened from the ceiling, that came up jagged from the sandy ground. There was little light but as the last of Altissima's gift fades from his skin, he wonders what kind of beauty she might bring to such a dim and dank place. He looks back at her one last time and his smile tugs towards one side; a response to the kind of gravity that Wildling possessed. A moment later and the pegasus canters forward before leaving the ground.
"Keep up!" he calls out to her over the wind, "We're headed towards the ocean."
TARIAN
@Altissima