lepis, comtesse of taiga
RUN AND TELL ALL OF THE ANGELS; THIS COULD TAKE ALL NIGHT
i think i need a devil to help me get things right
A gentle shake of her head meets Lilliana’s protests, a wordless affirmation that she’d meant what she said, that there is no need to delve into whatever it is that has agitated the copper mare. Lepis has her own set of triggers, scars that have left no mark, and she is well aware others have them too. The thought of her own sends a shiver down her spine, one that ends with a flick of her long navy tail. Most of them are healed over, time and contemplation soothing the once raw wounds, learning through trial and error how best to handle the unexpected. Yet there are some that she knows will never heal; there are some nights she still wakes in a sweat, terrified she has been captured.
The white-ombred ends of her tail brush across her ribs, carried by the same fresh breeze that accompanies Lilli’s shift toward brightness, and Lepis is eager to put the discomfort behind them.
“Truly,” Lepis answers, grinning at her companion’s antics. “If I’d known you’d be so keen on the idea, I’d have proposed it sooner,” Lepis adds. Politics is the first line of defense, and it is Lepis’ favorite. Her skill in battle is negligible, but she places high value on physical strength. It is the power behind politics, after all, a looming presence when words might fail.
Hers is absent now, the iridescent half of the power that had taken Taiga in the first place. There is a hole where he had been, a hole she keeps empty, as sure that it will not remain so forever as she is sure that she has two wings.
Another warrior would be good then, at least while he is gone. The training of warriors has always been Wolfbane’s job, but Lepis – knowing that Lilliana is aware of his absence – cannot bring herself to mention it again. She does not think she could bear to see pity in Lilliana’s gaze, or hear it in her voice.
“Pteron has been promising to teach Celina,” she says instead, suddenly grateful for her youngest daughter’s insistence. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind another pupil”
@[lilliana]
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