"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
She set herself on a quest, and she cannot, will not, stop with the easy visits… but she won’t go to Castile as it is right now. She’d tried to talk with him countless times, and every time he kept on starting about how she wouldn’t agree with him anyway - about things he never bothered to talk to her about before actually doing them - until she indeed started to disagree with his methods.
After all, that is not how one treats a friend.
She knows the Comtesse isn’t on good foot with the actual queen of her territory, as well. Ilma doesn’t have to hear or see things the way others do; she sees glimpses of futures, of Lepis deciding on something that was proposed to her a while ago - something the white mare can calculate back on, what the question would have been.
She’s not all-knowing, but she knows things. And she also knows how to move with the waves - a skill she had not always mastered, and once too many instead.
Taiga and Loess might be the most dangerous territories for her personal quest (one that the fairies had never needed to ask of her, unlike many others); though she knew the true dangers to be elsewhere.
Perhaps that is why she comes. Subtly and quietly, like a ray of sunlight through the trees’ canopy; but warming one spot at the time anyway, until a trail is visibly dry on the forest floor.
Slowly, and steadily. Warmly.
As such, there are things she can’t avoid( like making up with the mare who once tried to convince her she wasn’t out for war, but peace.
And so peace is what surrounds the white mare when she lands near the border, and calls for the land’s leader.
Hurry, the sun is waking Darling, don't leave me waiting
@[Lepis]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
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
With snow piled atop the branches of the trees overhead, sunlight is scare in a Taigan winter. It’s not common even in the summer, but with the cold Lepis is even more determined to soak up all of it that she can. She does no now, during one of her brief periods of rest. With her golden wings tucked tightly against her sides, the dun mare could be a painted statue if not for the dancing of her navy mane and tail in the winter breeze. The meadow around her is still and quiet, as are most of the borderlands. She is grateful for that today, and even when she hears the sound of hooves is able to smile before she even sees the other horse.
It takes the pegasus a moment to place her. There have been changes in the last six years, subtle alterations that, paired with the imperfection of memory, take her a few steps forward to but a name to the ethereal face.
“Ilma,” she says, and recalls the last time she had seen the white mare. She’d been with Kagerus, visiting the Pampas both to spread news and learn what they could about the Plague. An otherwise unmemorable interaction, and Lepis has given little thought to the whereabouts of either of the mares in the time since. She knows that the antlered mare and her wife had disappeared, and shortly after their idea of a sanctuary that Ilma had so proudly represented. Where the now-angelic mare had been in the time since, Lepis is unsure. She’s heard tell that the woman and her Uncle are friends, but has never bothered to confirm it with him. Dragons have a strange taste in friends, she has learned, and a fickle taste as well.
“What brings you to Taiga?” The question is standard for visitors, and the way Lepis stands, one leg half-bent, is indicative of relaxation. The faint smile that had appeared on her face earlier remains, and she looks for all the world as though she has not a single care.
Lepis has become good at pretending - so good, that it is hard for anyone to distinguish what is true and what isn’t. But the white mare knows to look at her eyes - truly the navy and dun mare had a little trouble remembering Ilma’s name, and she doesn’t seem to mind any differences they may have had in the past.
Her question is casual, nearly distant, the way diplomats have mastered it but not quite - a little bit too ingrained is how it sounds, but this is very likely only so because it is Ilma who stands before her.
You is the answer that she once gave Castile; but that conversation somehow had steered in the wrong direction. He’d taken it as an accusation, where she merely stated the truth as to that she was visiting him. Lepis might understand as a diplomat rather than a warrior, but the sunlight-winged mare won’t take the risk with such a direct answer; she knows Lepis far less than she knows the dragon-horse. ”I’m making a round through Beqanna,” she starts, because that answer is also true. ”Forging friendships, I hope. I wouldn’t want to miss out on you.”
She knows it sounds a little weird. Heck, she couldn’t quite tell why she wanted to do it. To prove that lands could peacefully unite and fall apart? She wasn’t nearly there at all. She might never even make it, but sitting still and watching the world pass by wasn’t an option either. She needed to participate.
She also thinks Lepis isn’t as calm as she seems to be; having a good idea about what was going on in the near future, she must be in turmoil.
But some things are better left unsaid in a first meeting.
Hurry, the sun is waking Darling, don't leave me waiting
@[Lepis]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
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
As she lifts her hooves with each step forward, the bittersweet scent of pine rises, released from the blanket of snow. It is a scent she knows well, one that lies thickly on the residents of this wood. She had once thought that it smelled of home, and perhaps it had. Once, for a time, but not for too much longer. The tobiano Comtesse has made no final decision – will not until she has spoken to several others – but there is little doubt in her mind which she will choose. The sharp scent comes now with a bite of poignancy, and without true conscious thought the dun mare shields herself from any thoughts but those relevant to this conversation.
“You would like to be friends?” Lepis asks. It is the timing that surprises her, not the idea idea. After all, if ever there were a creature determined to forge friendships, it would be Ilma. The snow white mare had worked herself (worked them both, truly) to frustration at their first meeting, utterly determined to hammer out an understanding. Lepis has grown since her captivity in Hyaline, grown more stubborn, but more patient too. More willing to play the long game, and more able to see the game played by others. It never becomes any easier to see their goals, of course, but the willingness to wait out the discovery has been a long-cultivated art.
She’d repeated Ilma’s statement, making it a question, though they each know her query was rhetorical. She does not question what Ilma had said, but rather the intent behind it. Lepis is uninterested in being hammered at a second time, not by a blacksmith so blinded by a final goal that he does not look to see what material he crafts with or how they have been worked over before him.
“Why now?” The Comtesse adds. She has not heard Ilma’s named tied to any land in years, and it is only at this pinnacle of change that she arrives. Her expression is simple curiosity, matched by that in her voice. There are other emotions, but they swirl and eddy behind that internal wall she has set, in no danger of breaking through. Two weeks of nothing has prepared Lepis for that, after all, even if not in the way she had hoped.
It would be a surprise, she knew - well, not that it isn’t in the line of Ilma’s previous behaviour, but perhaps the Comtesse could find a few reasons for them to rather be neutral than allies or friends. But Ilma lives for alliances and friendship - when Castile had once asked her what she wanted, truly needed, she’d known she wanted a family. A big one, inclusive of all Beqanna residents. And still, siblings fought and not all family members might agree with one another. But they would know they were tied, and that hurting one family members would deeply hurt the others too.
That’s the kind of ideal world Ilma envisioned when asked what she wanted. Of course, she knows that this can’t ever work for all of Beqanna. Sometimes, only a formal agreement or even agreeing to disagree was the most peace anyone could muster.
Ilma would at least try, and she could not skip Lepis no matter what she thought of her in years prior. She was a diplomat, and that meant being able to talk to everyone, even if they disagreed.
Why now is a more appropriate question, but she knows why. ”Several reasons. The most important one is that I’ve received a gift with which I see glimpses of the future. In the past, that meant I saw a war coming with nothing to do to stop it.” Lepis knows exactly which war: she knows it very well, so Ilma does not give her details of what she saw and what could have happened - how several timelines still ended with the same result: powerless watching.
That’s why no-one heard from her in that time, and only a handful of horses now knew why.
”Presently, I see important decisions coming. The outcomes become more predictable, the closer someone is to deciding.” Ilma looks at Lepis now. ”Which is why I believe that you might want to talk to an outsider rather than the people whose answers you can already predict.” She won’t need precognition to know their answers; sometimes it is best to ramble your own thoughts to a stranger to come to your own conclusion.
She doesn’t mention how a friendship with a seer could be useful in the position of queen; the white mare knows that the pegasus before her will see that for herself. But Ilma is not offering herself to be allied with Lepis or any kingdom. The simple fact is that she doesn’t offer it as exclusive, as she had already told Lepis upon arriving: as such, there are no ulterior motives to be found, and perhaps that makes accepting the offered friendship easier.
Hurry, the sun is waking Darling, don't leave me waiting
@[Lepis]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
the rain that falls upon your skin it's closer than my hands have been
Lepis shifts her weight, crushing some of the fallen pine debris as she does, and sending a fresh waft of the sharp sap scent into the air. It’s a calming smell, one that reminds her of Celina and Elio and happy memories, and the dun mare takes a deep breath that she is slow to exhale. Why now, she had asked, and Ilma answers ‘several reasons’. The one that she mentions - the only one - is enough. The magic of Beqanna is a fickle thing; it twists and shapes itself into a myriad of gifts both visible and hidden. That precognition is one of these manifestations does not truly surprise her, nor does the fact that it is possessed by someone who would use it to stop wars. Fitting, given the Balance that the fairies seem to want in their world, but the realization of what exactly Ilma might have seen does give the winged mare pause.
She wants to be friends because she can see the future. Has she seen them becoming friends, then? Lepis wonders, and the idea is not so far-fetched, but it seems an odd sort of way to start such a claim. No, she thinks, Ilma would not have mentioned the war, the war in which Lepis took no part save her birthing of the only child who perished in it. Lepis’ involvement in the war had been limited to her futile efforts to free a screaming Tiercel from the thorny wall, and frantic pacing when neither she nor Starsin had been able to free their sons. The Comtesse crushes the pine again, and breathes deeply, the polite smile on her face never wavering as the white mare continues to speak.
Yet when Ilma speaks of important decisions to be made, Lepis frowns. It is a small thing, just enough that Ilma will notice. A sign that Lepis cannot hide her emotions, or so it must seem. The Comtesse, having lain down this one metaphorical card, holds the others tightly as Ilma meets her eye. There are a great many decisions to be made in the coming days, and until the unexpected arrival of this visitor, the dun mare had been under the impression that they were hers to make. She is not dissuaded of that belief by Ilma’s offer – she assumes that it is an offer – but she does not reach for it with open arms.
“And as a friend you would…what?” She asks, answering her own question with no real pause for Ilma to do so. “Advise me on these decisions?” The frown on her face has been smoothed away, but there remains just enough doubt her tone that she sounds as if she is unsure.
The value of precognition is readily apparent, there is no denying that. Knowing what she does of Ilma, Lepis doubts that the other mare would outright lie to her about what she sees (or doesn’t see), and yet she also knows enough, and has enough history of their own, that she suspects the white mare might be selective in what she shares, and in doing so attempt to lead to the future she thinks best. There is a reason that Lepis does not share her innermost thoughts with outsiders, after all, an that is because they often refuse to see things the right way: her way.
@[Ilma]
lepis, comtesse of taiga queen of loess | queen of sylva | queen of the south lover of wolfbane | mother of pteron, marni, tiercal, eyas, gale, celina, and elio
The dun mare doesn’t fully trust her - how could she? Their past is made up of differing opinions, and rivalry perhaps between their kingdoms; or just a general dislike. But Ilma has weirder friends. One betrayed her trust during a rule all already knew would be brief, and for that she is not yet ready to forgive - when she will (she knows in time she will), she still won’t forget. Heartfire said to never forgive - to not fall back into the charm, something like that. But a difficult relationship with Castile does not mean she’s given up on him, on the man behind the dragon. He hasn’t condemned himself fully in her eyes.
And even if he has, there is always room for hope.
As such it is with Lepis too - nothing unforgivable. Besides, Ilma hadn’t been on her best behaviour either. ”I know better than to try and teach you when it doesn’t suit you.” She starts, referring to her mistakes back then. ”As friend I could listen while you set your thoughts straight, and let you come to your own conclusions. And, if you want to know, I could tell you what glimpses I can see, should you decide this or that.” The offer is genuine - and as she gives it, there is one other thing. ”Regardless of if you want to trust me with your decision-making progress, I only ask that you allow me to help prevent another war, if we can. I do not wish to see my friends hurt, nor hurt one another.”
After all, Lepis is not her only friend. Ilma’s relationships with both Castile and Nerine as a land, are strong and old. Heartfire is a relatively new player, but Ilma does not think Breckin would have appointed her if she did not trust what she did would be in Nerine’s best interests.
She finds herself in the middle ground with Lepis - a dangerous place for one alone, but better if shared with someone you can trust.
Hurry, the sun is waking Darling, don't leave me waiting
@[Lepis]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
the rain that falls upon your skin it's closer than my hands have been
When the white mare speaks of the futility of teaching Lepis, the pegasus laughs. Or rather, she would were she not so very still, and so instead the laughter is the faintest tick at the edge of her navy-lined eyes, one hidden by the long forelock that has fallen across her face. She tosses it aside, thinking that a more accurate statement might be that she is reluctant to learn things that are untrue, but Lepis recognizes a not-quite apology when she hears one. She’s the mistress of them, after all, when she acknowledges mistakes at all.
There is no denying that the offer Ilma presents is an exceptionally useful one. Lepis is sure that the white mare knows that, just as she knows that Lepis is likely to be extremely dubious of the goodwill behind it.
This feels remarkably like reaching for a honeycomb, weighing a few stings against a most wonderful prize. Lepis pauses, considering, just as Ilma asks to help prevent a war. At that she draws back, and the frown returns. Ilma speaks of a war, Aten fears a looming danger – is there truly something coming that she remains so blind to? Asking as much would be foolish, and Lepis glances back at the honeycomb.
Perhaps she might prod the hive a bit, see exactly how many bees stand guard, see how large the comb really is.
“I do have a puzzle,” she tells Ilma, a thinning of her lips at this admission weighed by the fading frown on her dun face. Not a large puzzle her expression says, and most likely not one she truly needs help deciding on.
“I want Taiga to be free of Nerine. I have asked for our freedom, and been denied it.” That’s quite a vast simplification of the issue, and most certainly tainted by Lepis’ own perception, but she does not purposefully lie when she tells it. “I mean to ask again, even though the last time I was threatened with destruction. Will that be the spark that starts the war you wish to prevent?”
@[Ilma]
lepis, comtesse of taiga queen of loess | queen of sylva | queen of the south lover of wolfbane | mother of pteron, marni, tiercal, eyas, gale, celina, and elio
The dun mare before her can be an annoyance sometimes - probably on purpose, though Ilma isn’t always quite sure why she chooses said tactic. If it is to be released in some manner, it appears to Ilma that it usually has an opposite effect (though she thinks Lepis would say that it worked with Ilma at the time). Nevertheless, it doesn’t surprise her that the likes of Heartfire would not let go of a territory so easily as Ilma had been willing to release a stealee on the same conditions she’d had in mind for her.
The ethereal-looking mare swishes her tail a bit when Lepis talks about ‘freedom’. ”It’s your phrasing. Nobody likes to think of themselves as the oppressor.”Not unlike you didn’t, when you took over, she doesn’t add. Heartfire would argue that Taiga had been free until Wolfbane and Lepis wanted to change it into an actual kingdom, she sees.
It occurs to Ilma that her friendship with Lepis may for a long time still be tedious, but at least she is content with having made the move. Nevertheless she needs to tell the mare all details about her own offer. ”My predictions can’t be wholly accurate. There’s conflicting vision, the more people are involved. But no, I don’t think it's likely that this would be similar to Tephra.” An ear twitch, thoughtful look. ”Have you considered choosing neither Heartfire nor Castile? I would by far prefer that my friends won’t hurt my other friends,” Ilma then wonders. There were of course risks in denying either, but either could make up for that, she feels. Denying both would be a bolder move, but wouldn’t Taiga benefit more from being relatively neutral? The land had always been a bit of the ‘land of the free’ vibe. It was central enough to do so, after all.
”Perhaps you should leave this choice to Pteron,” she concludes. That’s what she did when she had decided to leave her own throne and kingdom behind. Not because she could not, but for the heir. Some might consider it trying to rule through a puppet. She’d made that mistake. Amber eyes fall on the dun and navy mare with the certainty of this knowledge. Of course, things could be undone, but it would take him so much time - and would anyone still trust either Lepis or Pteron?
Hurry, the sun is waking Darling, don't leave me waiting
@[Lepis] eck, so late
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
again you’re gone, off on a different path than mine i'm left behind wondering if i should follow
The answer she gets is not an answer at all – or at least, not one that she could not have sussed out using her own intuition. Of course, Heartfire doesn’t like being reminded that she is an oppressor, but dislike of the facts do not make them any less true. When Ilma confirms that Heartfire is also a friend, that is all that Lepis needs.
Perhaps the angelic mare truly does mean to build bridges with her offer of friendship. Lepis, however, has no interest in taking the route that is being constructed – or even in crossing at all.
So she shrugs and leaves it at that, even at the mention of her eldest son.
“Perhaps you should continue to spread your message of friendship.” Lepis says, and though there is still a pleasant expression on her dun face, there is a subtle shift in her body language, one that she knows that Ilma will understand. Spread it somewhere else, the way she adjusts her wings says, Spread it to someone else.
Lepis has things to do, after all, and though this has certainly been their least confrontational meeting, the pegasus is rather certain that it will not be their last.
LEPIS i’m the one who sees you home-- but now i’m lost in the woods and i don’t know what path you are on
@[Ilma]
juuust wrapping things up to make sense with the timeline, but feel free to reply if there’s more ilma wants to say!
