[private] Time cast a spell on you but you won't forget me [Oceane]

[Oceane]

a little white light in a
sea gone black

≋

Oceane laughs, loud and genuine, at the stranger's quick rebuttal. It's been a long time since she'd felt the urge to toss her opaline head skyward and succumb to the sound of merriment, and to hear it erupt from herself again feels alien and uncomfortable. From the recesses of her mind come quick flashes of the last few times she'd found herself caught in the throes of laughter - watching Altum's first steps, sharing a private joke with Soran, lingering beside a recently-stripped prickly pear bush in the company of Lepis.

Each memory, uniquely bittersweet, causes a small pang of discomfort within her that she works adamantly to suppress.

“On the contrary,” she jests as warmly as she can in return, “You mentioned recruitment - I just wanted to know if you had a home.” Oceane's briefly unbridled joy is swiftly reined in and in its place remains a demure grin as she settles herself into the conversation and offers the flaxen man her name.

The one-eyed man repeats it back to her, low and gruff and more alluring than she would have ever expected it to be. Involuntarily, Oceane's breath catches for a singular beat before she forces herself to exhale slowly with the silent hope that she can disguise it as a meaningless sigh. Reasserting control over her own expression just as the grinning man - still nameless, she realizes - invites her to try her hand at recruiting him into her kingdom's ranks.

“I'm sorry to say that I don't have a spiel prepared to share with you,” she offers him a faux frown as she pauses briefly to watch the way the corners of his eye crinkle in amusement. Fleetingly, she considers telling him that he should feel honored enough to join her, simply by the fact that he is being recruited by the Queen of his future home - but the mystery of this meeting is too enjoyable to spoil with irrelevant facts regarding her status. “Though I do think Loess could speak for itself. If you're not too busy to come view it yourself, stranger,” her mock sadness has made way for a playful grin and a coy side-eye once more as she reminds the man, though she's quite certain he's already aware, that he's yet to reciprocate her introduction.

—
@[Ledger]
“”

n | r