life's what you make it; Oceane

[Isilya]

Spring has arrived in Beqanna, the season Isilya most loves. New life is everywhere and she is flying high on the joy of it all. Though she has no desire to be a mother herself just yet, she adores seeing the long legged foals and fluffy little creatures crawling out of dens and exploring the new world for the first time, among a backdrop of brightly coloured flowers and soft green grasses. It is heaven! With spring comes the desire to explore. There is much of this Beqanna that Isilya does not yet know - she’s been to Tephra and then Pangea, of course, but she knows there is more out there and she desires the chance to learn. Perhaps even make a few new friends while she’s at it! So she drifts east, drawn by the rising sun, and finds herself in the foothills of the mountains. She senses the edge of a kingdom, though she’s not sure whether this is Nerine or Loess. Isilya frowns when she pauses, trying to remember what Leliana had told her of them, but she cannot recall. Nor is she willing to slip into the mind of anyone nearby to check - that idea does not even occur to this gold-pointed mare who shimmers in the sunlight. Instead, she’ll just have to wait to see if someone comes to say hello! Which, beneath the pink sky of a new day, is not a terrible way to spend time at all. While she waits, her frown fades into her usual smile and she shifts the flowers on her back to match the purple and blue wildflowers she can see growing amongst the spring grasses. Although she is partial to the tropical flowers of Tephra, she cannot deny the beauty of this place.

image by Reitro

@[Oceane] no rush on replying!! Just thought I'd toss up a starter after we talked about them meeting <33

[Oceane]

O C E A N E

She is full. Bursting at the seams. Uncomfortable. Sweaty. Sore.

There is no way that their child ─ their son, as revealed by the diplomat Ilma, though she hasn't told Castile ─ will not be born without wings. He roils inside of her, stretching into her ribs and threatening to kick straight through her underbelly when he feels the most feisty. Oceane is ready to be done with it; she is ready to expel this child from the previously-buxom frame she had taken for granted before becoming the fleshy abode of an unborn pegasi.

It's the boy's kicking that awakens her just as the sun has decided to lift itself into the pastel sky, drawing a curse from her lips that's followed swiftly after by a gentle caress of her soft muzzle against her side. Despite (more, perhaps, fueled by) the discomfort, the Loessian woman is excited to meet her son, to cradle him, to nourish him, to make mistakes while parenting him ─ to give him all that his two deceased older brothers never had the opportunity to experience.

She sighs gently against the swell of her belly before turning to face forward again as the opalescent feathers of her wings fold once more. Her amber eyes follow the cotton candy clouds that obscure the sun for a few minutes, losing herself in the scenery of her home, before deciding that she might as well stretch her legs if Alcinder ─ she hadn't stopped deliberating over names since Ilma had let slip her womb's secret ─ was going to keep her awake anyway.

She navigates away from the canyon that Lepis had been kind enough to show her and heads toward the border of her home where she has dutifully meandered the same path these last few weeks, painfully aware of how imprudent it would be for her to venture far from home this close to childbirth. She is not lost to her thoughts today, though ─ a golden shimmering upon the hills draws her molten eye and soon her gaze is following the porcelain frame of a stranger.

She isn't swift enough in this state to catch up to the flora-ensconced mare, so Oceane calls a polite whinny to her and comes to a halt next to the bank of Loess' river, a warm smile planted across her face.

"Welcome. What brings you to Loess?"


@[Isilya]
" "

n | t

[Isilya]

Someone else calls to her and Isilya has no trouble spotting the (temporary) stranger. Ever polite, the flower-strewn girl closes the gap between her and the most gorgeous mare she has ever seen with no effort. Those colours! She has to stop herself from shifting her flowers again to capture the beautiful shades that play across the other (reminding herself that it may not be considered a compliment to copy someone else in such away). She can see, and sense, the life growing within this stranger and it makes a little extra warmth light up her expression. New life is always something that should be celebrated but - of course - she's not about to say anything. Isilya is still adjusting to social interactions and it mostly involves a check list of how to not accidentally come across as rude. If anyone could ever think she was rude! The Loess-inspired flowers bounce a little on her back and neck as she comes to a stop nearby, encouraged by the warm expression on the winged mare's face. “Hello! Curiosity, mostly. I’ve been spending so much time in Tephra I never quite got around to seeing the other kingdoms. Aside from Pangea.” And her trip to that canyon kingdom had been so wonderful, it was hard to imagine that this would go any different! Hesitation creeps into her mind, though, and causes that bright smile to falter a little bit. “Is that okay? I don’t want to intrude of course!” Isilya would be sad to be turned away, but she would understand completely too. “I’m Isilya.” She offers finally, that friendly smile returning with ease, warm as the sun.

image by Reitro

@[Oceane]

[Oceane]

O C E A N E

It's impossible not to return the stranger's infectious smile; she radiates cheer and despite Oceane's earlier frustrations, the opalescent woman feels instantly more amiable. The visitor closes the gap between them quickly, readily offering an explanation for her arrival here and Oceane laughs warmly at her. "That's absolutely fine," she pauses with a small tilt of her blue and lavender head, "That's usually why I'm out exploring, too."

She is, above all else, a curious creature ─ to meet someone who isn't just visiting Loess to act the part of diplomat brings the gleaming mare more joy than she would have expected. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Isilya. My name is Oceane," She takes note of the mare's mention of Pangea, though it does not hold much weight; Oceane has yet to visit the sandstone canyon, but she thinks she may enjoy exploring it in the future.

"Well, how about I give you a tour so you don't have to worry about being stopped again ─" her beloved Loess is, after all, chock full of the diplomatic, the inquisitive, the adventurous, "─ and you could tell me a bit about Tephra?" Lepis had mentioned the cliff-side Kingdom to her just a few days ago, where the Dragons had originated, and since then her interest in the northern peninsula has been piqued.


@[Isilya]
" "

n | t

[Isilya]

Not being turned away is a welcome response and things only get even more wonderful when Oceane introduces herself and offers a tour! This is Isilya’s lucky day! She imagines the absolute perfect way to see a new land for the first time is with the guide of someone who lives there. So, of course, the offer is happily accepted. “That sounds like a beautiful way to spend a day.”  She replies, completely and utterly genuine (as always). She already liked Oceane (not that it took much to win the flower-adorned queen over) and she was delighted at the prospect of spending some more time together and, hopefully, forging a fresh friendship. “Please lead the way.” After all, she had come here to explore - and with the native flowers of Loess decorating her vines she's quite appropriately dressed! She will fall into step beside the beautiful dusk coloured mare, and while her green and gold eyes are already eager to take in the sights of Loess, her voice speaks of her own kingdom. “Do you have any particular questions about Tephra? I’m afraid I could talk about it for the whole day and only cover my favourite trees.” The small joke at herself is punctuated with a warm, shiny laugh. She is exaggerating, but only slightly - it would be all too easy for her to describe the rich foliage and dazzling flowers and lose herself in that subject alone.

image by Reitro

@[Oceane] I SWEAR the next reply won't take me nearly a month <33