From the moment she had seen him, Heartfire had had Offspring pegged. It’s too easy, sometimes. His history intrigues her, the lifetimes he has seen, but she knows they could never be friends. He might choose to believe they are far too different for such things, but she knows better. No, they are far too similar for such things. Perhaps he does not manipulate things to his advantage on purpose, but anyone with eyes could see that, even unknowingly, he does. She is simply far more honest with herself. And if he wished to believe it ego, she certainly couldn’t stop him. She is used to being underestimated, and frankly, she prefers it that way.
It’s so very convenient sometimes.
Indeed, the world seems to forget so easily, but she had been queen once too. For a lifetime, in a distant land. She knows the weight those titles carry, the joy and heartbreak, the hard, unforgiving responsibility. The crown had shaped her into what she is today, made her into this creature. She had been so young when first it had been placed upon her head, and though a lifetime passed, it is almost as though no time at all truly had. Not for this body, at least. In this body, she is young, carrying the weight only a lifetime of memories can give. Dichotomous and unusual. It is no wonder she had turned into the woman that now stands before them. She had had little choice in the matter.
Not that they would know that. Nor does she have any intention of telling them. It is a story for another time, another place.
Still, the words Offspring spits, just as dismissive, sardonic, and scathing as he would like to believe her, bring a faint smile to her lips. It seems she had touched a nerve. After all, it does rather sound like sour grapes to her. But she lets it pass without comment. Tantalize is her own woman, and Heartfire does not doubt the spotted woman would easily see through the both of them. Her own words had not been especially cryptic after all. Indeed, she would say they are rather straightforward and honest. For a woman like Tantalize, she cannot see that traditional flattery would get her terribly far. And based upon the nod of acknowledgement, her words had hit the mark. Perhaps not traditional, but a flattery she had understood nonetheless.
As Tantalize responds to both of their offers, Heartfire returns the acknowledgement with a dip of her own head. She could fully understand needing to see for herself. After all, she had done the same, once upon a time, when she had been at the opposite end of this conversation (ironic then, that she too had been offered the same choice: Tephra or Nerine. It is clear which she had eventually chosen). “Certainly,” she responds easily, a faint quirk to her lips. “I’d be glad to show you what the new sisterhood has wrought, especially if it will give me the opportunity to further pick your brain.” A hint of humor glints in her blue eye at the last before she turns to lead the way to her home. With a glance over her shoulder and a tipped brow at Offspring, she bids him farewell. “It was… interesting meeting you, Offspring.”
