everything we are, it just went away
with a slide of the tongue and a sour taste
A voice interrupts their conversation before Lie is able to respond to her accusations, and Dawn turns her head as the grey woman slides into their midst, dripping with barely suppressed venom. She is silent as the mare berates her, though her bear rumbles under her skin. She suppresses the urge to shift – doing so in enemy territory would end disastrously for her, she knows, and do nothing to help her cause – out of sheer frustration, but she longs to dig her claws into the Loessian soil beneath their hooves. She is irritated, it is obvious, but there is a sadness welling within her as well.
She knows it wasn’t tactful, barging in here and demanding he spill his secrets, but worry for her home and her family takes precedence over everything. Lie, of all people, should understand that – he has Kensa back in Hyaline, and his daughter wherever she has decided to land. He has Isilme and Austra back in the Cove, who he seemed absolutely infatuated with when she had introduced them. Family is everything to the young woman, and half of her family is here in Loess.
It is obvious that Starsin wants her to lash out, to take things to a dirty level that will only sully the kingdom’s relationship, and so instead of responding she remains silent. Her dark eyes study the celestial woman but she refuses to rise to the bait, instead turning her gaze to Litotes as he speaks once more. Her anger fades as he speaks, and the hurt in his gaze nearly makes her want to cry. This is Lie, the father of her children and one of her greatest friends, and she feels their relationship burning to shreds between their pained gazes.
“Lie,” she starts, then swallows hard. The words are broken and clipped, but she needs to let them out. She needs him to understand how she feels, why she feels threatened. She wants him to understand.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. She spares a glance at Starsin, but she still cannot find the words to speak to the grey mare, so she remains silent on that front. Waves of sadness and confusion well within her, and her lips tremble as she speaks again. “I know the East was not there for you like we should have been. You have been a dear friend to me since day one, comforting me and teaching me, and I have tried to keep our relationship a good one. When you decided to remain in Loess instead of returning to the East, who was I to convince you to come back? I have visited you as often as I could, and I know that one person alone cannot mend the wrongs that Kagerus has done to you.
“And I don’t see you as an enemy. Neither does Ilma. As a matter of fact, one of our first priorities when Kagerus and Solace stepped down was restoring life to Pangea. Ilma made a trip down there with no response. We had already spoken at great lengths about possibly instating you as Lord of Pangea, if you would have had it, but you challenged for it before we could come to you.” None of this is a lie – they had indeed spoken about it, and any privy to her private thoughts would be able to see that, as clear as day.
She takes a step towards Litotes, blinking back her emotions long enough to smile sadly. “I came here to attempt to mend the relationship between Loess and the Cove. I know that I have done a poor job of doing so; as a matter of fact, I guarantee that I have made things worse than they were before. Most of my family lives here, and I do not want strife between our kingdoms.”
A sigh escapes her lips as she begins to back up, placing her solidly behind the Loessian border. “I do not want you as an enemy, Lie,” she tells him. “I know you will make a fine ruler for Pangea. I am sorry again, that I mucked things up so badly.” She nods politely at the other mare before glancing behind her, back towards her home and her girls. “I will leave, if that is what you wish. I have no personal quarrel with you, or her, or Loess. I just want to make that clear... I am only protective of my home and our daughters.”
Dawn
oh, it's gonna be a long night
@[Starsin] @[litotes] SHE WANTED TO SASS STARSIN SO BAD but i resisted