"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
In the hours following his conversation with Lucrezia and Magnus, Dahmer had enjoyed some solitude to consider the options placed before him. He wanted to remain within Tephra long-term, that much was certain, but the black beast found issue in placing himself solely upon the side of peace, or the side of war. His reign in the Subway had required both, and a certain amount of skill to decide which side of the bed to wake up on each day. Magnus had, of course, also implied that it was not obligatory for Dahmer to take any sort of action on behalf of Tephra, but the blue-eyed beast would not simply sit around and do nothing.
It's dusk now, when Dahmer finds his King again.
They are both illuminated by the lava streams that criss-cross their home, Dahmer's dark coat and Magnus's tawny one. He lowers his head in greeting and takes a silent moment to appreciate the unique lighting the lava offered them. When his gaze returns to Magnus, Dahmer's expression is contemplative. "Magnus," his voice rumbles pleasantly, "I've considered the choices that you presented to me earlier today. I've found that I nearly always sit on the fence between war and peace," a grin, "not to say that I am scared of war, but it is not always necessary, as you know..."
His voice trails off for a moment as he considers his next statement, "It is my intention to help you, and help Tephra, in every way that I can. I hope that you will eventually have me as an esteemed member of your Council." Dahmer had always been forward, thanks to his mother. 'You cannot get what you want if you do not ask, boy,' her voice rings in his head, but he pushes it away and instead resumes his conversation with Magnus.
"Lucrezia has been with you since the beginning of your reign?"
Magnus had taken a quick liking to Dahmer. The black stallion didn’t take himself too seriously but seemed to have a good head on his shoulders; some of Magnus’ all time favorite people throughout the years were those with a solid mixture of fun and pragmatic and Dahmer seemed to balance the two nicely. When he had broken from the trio, he had left for the Field, as he was prone to do, and then returned to Tephra at dusk, making his rounds around the land. He particularly liked the way that it looked when it was washed in the twilight sky as it was now. It made the always beautiful land even more so.
He was not surprised when Dahmer found him again, and he simply rose his head to acknowledge him, his gold-flecked eyes warm with welcome. As he began to speak, he listened attentively, politely staying quiet, his ink-dipped ears flicked forward and his golden eyes remaining neutral. When he finally does speak, his voice is warm and open. “There is no need to pick between the two if you have an inclination to both. Tephra is designed with one caste—activities in both war and peace earn you rankings equally.”
Magnus knew all too well that the divide between diplomacy and army was too stark when most had strengths in both. It was not common that someone was strictly soldier or strictly diplomat; the world that they lived in had too many varying shades of gray. “As for the Council,” his voice trailed off slightly, his smile growing roguish, “I would very much like to see you serve Tephra in such a way someday.” And he would. He would need to see Dahmer serve the land for a little longer, get an understanding of his loyalty and strengths, plus there were so few Council seats to give away, but he was not against the idea.
For now, he would leave it open ended.
Instead, he turned toward the next question, his eye sparking. He had seen the way the two had interacted and while Magnus was protective of Lucrezia, he also recognized her for being strong and independent enough to look after her own. If a romance was to bloom between the two of them, she could take care of herself without Magnus intervening. “I would not necessarily call it a reign,” he shrugged. “But she has been here for almost as long as I have been. I ran into her in the meadow shortly after Tephra was given to us and convinced her to come home with us. She has been an incredible asset to the land.”
out of the blue out into the loneliest place that you'll ever know I carried the world just as far as I could but the damage had taken its toll
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
Dahmer sees similarities between Magnus and his own father, Executioner, and a familiar warmth swells in his chest. Had it been a resemblance with his mother, though...
Dahmer is silent as the buckskin stallion considers he previous statements, his expression neutral and friendly to avoid rushing Magnus' response. His blue eyes move away for the moment to appreciate the volcano that looms in the background. The air is dense but not uncomfortable. Dahmer finally begins to relax.
Magnus' response is what Dahmer had hoped it would be, and he gives the King a kind smile. He could not have expected more from the leader of Tephra, and now with his intent stated, the black beast doesn't elaborate his point. Instead, their conversation drifts in the direction of the peafowl mare they'd spoken with earlier.
Dahmer nods to agree on the point that Lucrezia was a great asset to Tephra, because it had been so clear to see in his initial meeting with her that there was no point in denying it. Diligent and loyal workers could be hard to come by, and Dahmer remembered that well from his time in the Subway.
"She reminds me of my father's advisor. She will always be a great asset to you, I think." Oceane had been dutiful and warm. When he thought of home, he thought of her and his parents. Nostalgia floods him and the black beast turns his gaze back to Magnus, though moves the topic from Lucrezia. "Do you have time to tell me about our neighbors? Do we have enemies?"
Dahmer was a quick study and had he been against Tephra, Magnus had no doubts he would eventually become quite the headache. Thankfully, the black stallion was for the land and part of it, and Magnus was grateful to have his intelligence and brawn on their side. While they rested comfortably in their peace now, he knew better than most that such peace did not often last for long. It was short-lived and tenuous; those who resided in Beqanna often paid lip service to their love of calm, but all too often, their actions contradicted it. He had no doubt that trouble would ride upon the wind sooner than he would hope.
Thankfully, that was neither here nor there at the moment.
He merely nodded at Dahmer’s response regarding Lucrezia. The mare’s assets, and her contributions to Tephra, were not to be underestimated—least of all by Magnus. He knew just how important it was to be surrounded by those smarter than yourself. He did not take her work or her intelligence for granted.
As Dahmer requested more information, Magnus’ expression grew slightly more somber. He lifted his head to look toward the border, one corner of his mouth pulling into a lopsided frown. “We are still getting a feel for our neighbors. Taiga was a pleasant visit for Aranea, Longear, and myself. They are more like a family than anything else, but families such as theirs are strong.” He glanced back to Dahmer. “We have also entertained the Queen of Nerine, Nayl, which was a pleasant visit. She mentioned wanting to work together in the future. And recently Ashley of Ischia came to visit. Everything was friendly.”
All of the diplomats he had exchanged with had been the same way. Curious about what was beyond their own land, friendly, and open to relationships—but cautious. “That leaves two lands I have not yet exchanged with: Sylva and Pangea. I plan to journey toward them soon to see for myself how they fare.”
He had not yet seen Pollock of Pangea but he had heard enough of how the land was formed to know that that would be a slightly different exchange. “If you are up for it, I would appreciate your company on the trips. Sylva, I imagine, will be pleasant enough, but I do not know what to expect from Pangea. I do not anticipate bloodshed, and I certainly am not going to illicit it, but I would prefer that we are front-footed with them. If they recognize we are not a weak land to be trifled with, then all the better for us.”
out of the blue out into the loneliest place that you'll ever know I carried the world just as far as I could but the damage had taken its toll
take my head & kick it in break some bread for all my sins
Dahmer hadn't realized the size of Beqanna until Magnus began to list him the names of their neighbor territories. It would give him much to do, between visiting the herds and learning the reputations they have earned themselves, but it's a task that the black beast has always enjoyed. He had gotten himself (and the Subway) in trouble a time or two while out roaming the territories of Azza.
It'd been all in good fun, of course...
His blue eyes linger on Magnus' half-frown for a few moments as he imagines the stress the King must be feeling to protect their sizable congregation. "I assume the lands are trying to take a peaceful breather, after the Reckoning?" Dahmer hadn't yet left Azza before Beqanna had been punished by the Fairies. He had seen nothing of the old Beqanna, though its long-term residents had been happy to fill him in on the event.
He muses over Magnus' concerns about Pangea before nodding his head, a tangled forelock falling into his face, "Of course, I will join you," he says with a confidence and a swiftness to imply that there had never been any alternative, "it will be good for me to see more of Beqanna, and for us to establish our numbers. When do you plan on visiting?"
(UGH I'm so sorry for this, I don't know where my brain is.)
“One would think the lands would wish for peace,” he said, still frowning, his gold-flecked gaze washing over the rest of Tephra. “But that is not always the case. Too many hunger for chaos.” He knew that kind of hunger personally, although he did not divulge so. He had once lived for the thrill of bloodshed, he had sought it out, the ache of bruises and lacerated flesh enough to make his blood zip. But that was before he had been given the weight of the crown, the responsibilities of a leader that he bore now. Too often, it felt like a physical weight pressing down upon his shoulders, a hand around his heart, lead in his lungs.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he refocused his gaze upon Dahmer.
“I appreciate that, Dahmer.” He did not anticipate that they would run into trouble, but the truth was he had no idea what they were going to face. Magnus did not mind facing such dangers on his own, but it would be ill-advised. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what lay outside the border, but he was pragmatic enough to know two were better than one. If he was trying to set a precedent that Tephra was not to be trifled with, it would be better to show up on Hell’s doorstep with an impressive display. And as much as he appreciated Longear and Aranea’s company on the previous trip, he wouldn’t expose them to this.
Giving the man a formal nod, he turned his attention toward the inner heart of Tephra. “I will set off soon. I have a few things to see to. When I am ready, I will find you.” He looked back to the stallion and gave a quick, roguish smile before turning and walking the long, lazy path toward the border of the land.
out of the blue out into the loneliest place that you'll ever know I carried the world just as far as I could but the damage had taken its toll
![[Image: gqYjsHr.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/KjqNDKxc/gqYjsHr.png)
