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  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "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


    You can't hide from who you are; Magnus, any
    #1

    She's got the devil's eyes

    The volcanic kingdom has been among the quieter kingdoms of late. Though she makes it a habit to keep an eye on what is happening in the various kingdoms, she has been less concerned about her closest neighbor than she had about any of the other kingdoms. Still, even if it has been peaceful, she is quite certain it warrants a closer look. And, given the changes spreading across Beqanna lately, a discussion with the leader of the Western region is certainly in order.

    Winter has begun to fade, traces of spring upon the breeze, hinting at the warmth to come. In Nerine, spring is welcomed readily. The Northern kingdom is far from immune to ice and snow, and the winters could be… bracing, to say the least. She has grown accustomed to it, but it stands in marked contrast the the humid warmth of the Tephran clime. Different even than the dry heat of the desert kingdom she’d been born in.

    It has been some time since she visited here. Tephra had been one of the few spared the cataclysmic events of recent years, and in the wake of the plague, she had watched the kingdom become a safe haven for many. No doubt they wish to remain peaceful. Which, as far as she is concerned, would be the ideal situation.

    As she nears the borders, she reaches out, gently tweaking invisible threads until she becomes more visible (more noticeable) to those who might be interested in a visitor. More specifically, the leader of the volcanic kingdom. She settles on the threshold then, prepared to patiently await whoever might attend.

    and they'll cut you like a weapon

    Heartfire


    @[magnus]
    #2

    Once upon a time, Magnus may have been concerned about a kingdom that was quiet and peaceful—and, perhaps, in some ways he still is. But the threat of the plague does not loom as loud as it had once been and he has been working hard on loosening his grip on his own self-doubt, his martyrdom. So he doesn’t spend his nights worrying over the kingdom. There are, after all, places more quiet than his own, and he does not doubt in their ability to protect themselves. He doesn’t doubt in his ability to shield them.

    Still, his contentment does not turn into laziness, and he maintains his same patterns.

    He goes to the field when he can and he patrols the borders often, enjoying the mild winter of his home as he walks the familiar paths, the ground beaten down beneath his unshod hooves. So he is not far behind the blue mare when she reaches the borders and watches as she begins to settle more easily into view.

    It is a peculiar entrance, even for the lands so saturated with their own brand of magic, and he angles his head slightly, a corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. He angles himself toward her, the dreadlocks of his wild mane falling down the muscular slope of his neck, the mud of Tephra clinging to his legs.

    When he is close enough that his voice will carry with ease, he gives a soft nicker before dropping his head into a more formal greeting. “Hello!” He comes to a stop, watching her with kind, neutral eyes, his shortened, sun-bleached tail flicking mildly at his haunches. “My name is Magnus.” There is a calmness to his stance, a friendly openness, but he observes every move. “What brings you to Tephra today?”

    MAGNUS | I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name



    @[Heartfire]
    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #3

    She's got the devil's eyes

    She watches his approach with idle curiosity, recognizing the man immediately though they have never met. She may be a stranger to him, but he is less so to her. Especially since the time he had taken the throne, ascending onto a much more visible stage. As a monarch though, he could not be oblivious to the visibility of his position. Would likely not be surprised.

    Her own expression, while carefully guarded, is amenable enough. Passive beneath the sharpness of her blue stare, easily masking whatever thoughts and emotions might fuel the heart that beats beneath. She returns his greeting with a faint tilt of her own head, acknowledging the friendly advancement.

    “Hello Magnus,” she replies easily, her voice smooth, with only a slight inflection of neutral friendliness. Nerine had long had a steady relationship with the volcanic kingdom, and so she approaches it as such (as much as she is able to display such things). “I am Heartfire.”

    She stands easily before him, as comfortable in this setting as she is in nearly any other. The Tephran heat warms her skin beneath the thick growth of her blue-white coat, but she pays it little mind. There are far worse discomforts in this world than mild humidity and a warm sun. She remains quiet and still as Magnus questions her purpose here, peering at him with an intensity that is difficult to match, but one honestly come by.

    She certainly wouldn’t know how to be anything else.

    “I thought I might introduce myself,” she finally offers by way of explanation. A great deal has changed, after all, and this visit is perhaps long overdue. She knows Nerine’s relations with their fellow kingdoms had grown somewhat stale and untended these last years. “You may or may not have heard, but Breckin no longer rules Nerine.”

    and they'll cut you like a weapon

    Heartfire
    #4

    Once upon a time, Magnus had gladly forged the alliance between Tephra and Nerine. He had a soft spot in his heart for the descendent of the Amazons, for the sisterhood, and he had struck an easy friendship with Nayl. They had understood one another, perhaps recognized the call of the jungle in the other, and he had gladly clasped arms with them, glad to have found an alliance with the Amazons of new.

    But the Nerine of today is different. It does not recognize him, nor him they, and his last visit to the kingdom had been tense. Perhaps such the nature of that had been simply due to an overbearing, distrustful father, but it had left a sour taste in his mouth—something that had only been partially salvaged by the lucky appearance of Scorch and all of the Amazonian sensibility she brought with her.

    Still, he has worked over the years on not holding his distaste of one against an entire kingdom—and vice versa, a distaste of a kingdom against each individual—and he lets such thoughts slip away as he watches her with his mild expression. “I had not heard,” he says lightly, his handsome face unfazed by the news. “I never did get a chance to meet the Nerinian Khaleesi,” his lip quirks lightly. “That is what the title is nowadays, is it not?” His mother had never borne the title, but his daughter had.

    Regardless, it rolled off his tongue somewhat awkwardly.

    “I am to assume you now wear the crown then, Heartfire?” He studies her quietly, finding that she looks like a mare his mother would have respected. Leilan may not have reminded him of the men of the Amazons, and he never did get a chance to meet Breckin, but Heartfire has a similar taste.

    “Congratulations are in order then.”

    A twitch of scarred lips.

    “And condolences for many sleepless nights to come.”

    MAGNUS | I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name



    @[Heartfire]
    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #5

    She's got the devil's eyes

    Though she hadn’t been physically present for his last visit to the northern kingdom, she is well aware of what had occurred during that meeting. It is, in part, why she had chosen to come here sooner rather than later. Regrettably that rather unfortunate encounter had left some… questions.  She hopes their discussion today might help assuage any lingering doubts as to Nerine’s intentions and capabilities.

    “I understand your last visit was somewhat… uncomfortable,” she replies easily, her manner forthright as ever. But she wouldn’t let him believe she hadn’t the ability to wrangle her own kingdom. Even if it did happen to involve her more unruly uncle. “It’s unfortunate she wasn’t able to be there that day.” She regards him openly, suspecting he understands the situation quite well. “Khaleesi, yes,” she affirms before adding, “though I have begun to make changes and… simplifying things. Including the retirement that particular title.”

    The faintest hint of amusement flashes across her lips as he offers his wry condolences, one brow arching briefly. He could hardly know her nights are rarely filled with sleep as it is however. “I appreciate the warning,” she replies with dry humor before shifting so that she might address him more directly, pressing into the true purpose of her visit today. “I know Nerine has an involved history with Tephra, but I thought we might use today to look towards the future.”

    After all, the past cannot be changed, but the future can. And that is where her concern lies.

    and they'll cut you like a weapon

    Heartfire
    #6

    She is what he had expected to find the first time he had travelled to Nerine.

    She has the same guarded presence of the Amazons of his memories—that same way of walking the fine line between diplomatic and threatening—and in his own way, he finds it somewhat comforting. Enough that his smile remains easy, a single hip cocked, tail flicking lazily at his scarred haunches. At her reply, he grins and laughs, a low rumble in the base of his throat. “I assure you, I wasn’t uncomfortable.”

    After all, he’s faced plenty of things more frightening than an overbearing father.

    Still, he rolls a shoulder, letting the distaste in his mouth fade away. He jerks his chin a little, taking a step back and angling toward the center of his home. “Come on in further, Heartfire. There’s no reason for us to continue these conversations on the border.” And then he falls quiet, listening to her as they move toward the more lush parts of the volcanic isle, the ocean breeze carrying the sulphur away.

    When they come to a resting point, he relaxes, gold-flecked gaze washing over the scene before him. It doesn’t matter how long he has lived within Tephra, he has never gotten over just how beautiful he finds it. “Beqanna has been quiet lately,” a muscle jumps in his jaw. “But I like to be prepared for when it won’t be anymore.” He angles his head toward her. “I would very much like to have Nerine at our side if and when something like that is to happen.” Then a smile as he pauses, watching her carefully.

    MAGNUS | I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name



    @[Heartfire]
    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]
    #7

    She's got the devil's eyes

    It’s rather refreshing to have someone who does not seem to mind her lack of true diplomacy. She has never been one to dance around a point or to cloak her desires in a web of placating niceties. And someone who not only understands that but returns the favor is someone she would very much enjoy having in her corner.

    Her lips twitch slightly as he quickly dispels the idea that his last trip to Nerine might have made him uncomfortable. She has no doubt he has seen far worse than the rather tame squabble that had greeted him at his last visit. Of course, she also has no doubt he had not left with the impression of Nerine that they might have wished him to leave with.

    That, naturally, is the far greater concern to her. She certainly does not wish that to be his deciding impression of her kingdom.

    “Good,” she replies simply, blue gaze fixed thoughtfully on him for several long moments before accepting his invitation to join him. She settles into step beside him comfortably, her eyes shifting to take in the landscape as they pass. It’s lovely, of course. There are few places in Beqanna that are not lovely in their own way, but she can see why he was so drawn to this kingdom.

    Still, she rather enjoys the stark simplicity and endless music of crashing waves unique to Nerine.

    When they settle once more, she meets his gaze, blue eyes bold in their intensity. A faint smile touches her lips at his acknowledgement, and she finds herself appreciating his directness. “Then we are of the same mind,” she replies, accepting the overture for what it is. Affirming their matching conclusions and common goals. “We have long considered Tephra an ally and I would be loathe to see that change.”

    and they'll cut you like a weapon

    Heartfire
    #8

    Magnus has long since enjoyed diplomatic visits that do not try to hide behind the shadows and the intrigue. It is refreshing to be direct, to be honest, to be genuine, and although he has no doubt that were she to play the game, Heartfire would win easily, he is glad to know he doesn’t need to try with her. She simply meets his gaze and his instinct is clear that she is someone that he can trust in this moment. It is an entirely different feeling than the one that he had when he faced Sinner, watching his grandson with secrets behind his hellhound eyes; instead, it is the feeling of knowing exactly where you stand.

    So he accepts it and gives her an easy smile, gold-flecked eyes sparking with pleasure. “It will not be changing underneath my reign,” he says easily, flicking a tail against his war-scarred hide. “Not without good reason, at least.” He winks a little, but only because they both know that there are no guarantees in the world of Beqanna and Magnus would never sign a deal in blood that he cannot uphold forever.

    Would he remain allied if they were to betray Tephra?

    Would he remain allied if they were to go against his values?

    The answer is no, and he knows that Heartfire is of the same mind. But he doesn’t go into such details, letting them remain unsaid and instead turning his gaze back toward the quiet volcanic island that unfolds around them. It is peaceful, and those who live here enjoy the haven as such. He doesn’t fret over the lack of activity and instead does his best to steward those who do choose to rest their head in his home.

    “Is there anything else you wish to discuss or see during your visit, Heartfire?”

    MAGNUS | I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name



    @[Heartfire]
    [Image: gqYjsHr.png]




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