As the meeting between healer and sovereign had seemingly disintegrated, the two envoys had quickly murmured their excuses and taken their leave -- whatever history that Atreus and Somnus had, it wasn’t any of her business, and their duty had been completed when they had handed off their saddlebags of supplies to Somnus’ trusted people. Their hooves clicked companionably upon the gleaming cobblestones of the Dawn Court, and if one ignored the lingering smell of smoke on the winds, it could almost be considered perfect.
“Care for a coffee?” She asked her companion, tilting her head towards a nearby cafe with a hand-lettered sign, the paint bright and cheerful and beckoning. The two pegasi take up a table on the patio, the sunshine at their backs, and the service is impeccable -- before long, the hostess has two steaming cups before them, flavored to individual taste. It’s easy enough to each out her teke and float the cup closer to her, taking a careful sip and offering @Israfel a friendly smile.
“Asterion had recommended that I seek the position of Champion of Battle,” She starts, cutting to the point efficiently with her attention focused on the Warden. “He suggested I should talk to you about what requirements you might have for the position.”
In the wake of all of the recent bullshit spreading across Novus like the dumbest plague, Israfel was grateful to just sit back and relax. Somehow, she and Theodosia hadn’t spent a lot of time together despite both being military-minded individuals and serving the same Court, and what a shame that was. The fierce cadet was a force to be reckoned with, and Israfel had admired her tenacity, her bravery, and her bottomless determination even in the face of danger and illness alike. Few creatures had remained steadfast in the colossal ’screw you’ that had been the mess in Terrastella involving the floods, the landslides, and Vespera, but Theodosia had. It was commendable, and she had noticed.
Now? They were both hundreds of miles away from their home, and Warden or not, Israfel had no intentions on heading back anytime soon. It was nice to just relax and let the world pass them by, the scent of smoke upon the breeze akin to a gentle perfume. That, and she didn’t exactly want to leave quite yet, having been enjoying getting to tease and distract a certain blue roan Warden of Delumine…
Following along at Theodosia’s side, cloven gold hooves guiding the Sun Daughter along in a confident sashay, the Warden rose a pale brow at the cadet’s offer. Coffee? In Delumine? Why the heck not. “Sure,” she agreed, sending the pale lady a warm grin, “That sounds like just what I need right now.” It took no time at all for them to get settled on the stone patio, the sun warm and welcome upon her spine as they were given their drinks and left to their own devices. Solaris remained roosting upon Israfel’s croup, the lavender of her eyes watching the court around them, always vigilant for some kind of threat.
Using the gift of her telekinesis, which was still strange to her, by the way, Israfel sipped at her cup of coffee and let the flavor rest upon her tongue. It was hot, but not scalding, the taste rich and dark and earthy. It was refreshing, and just the thing she needed to collect herself and her thoughts. Vermilion eyes then focused on Theodosia as the cadet went about speaking, wasting no time in voicing what was on her mind. A pale brow arched as a quizzical expression overtook Israfel’s face, and she hummed, letting the cup rest before her once more.
“There’s probably some formal bullshit about it all, but honestly? I don’t know, and I don’t really care about formality.” She paused, casting Theodosia that flippant grin once more. “The only ‘requirement’ I can think of is that we just have to beat the crap out of each other and call it good, just so I can test your mettle in battle. I’ve already seen your prowess and your dedication, Theodosia. It’s been hard to miss with all of the madness that happened in Terrastella.”
In the bright sunlight filtering across Delumine, she can almost believe they are just two friends paying a distant coffee shop a visit, can almost pretend like there isn't an undercurrent of tension beneath their time in the foreign court, her mind constantly turning towards Atreus and Somnus' reactions to each other. There's a good chance they'd just left behind some sort of diplomatic mess, but honestly -- their job had been to deliver Atreus and the supplies safely, nothing more, nothing less.
Atreus was a smart man -- he could fend for himself.
She breathes in the scent of the coffee before her and the pastries in the cafe, all of it tinged with the slightest of smoke on the breeze, and while she doesn't quite relax -- still expecting another one of Vespera's bullshit emergencies, honestly, with the benefit of time she still can't figure out what Vespera's plan was -- she loses some of the tension between her wings, lets them settle against her side instead of being ready to take off at a moment's notice.
"Just beat each other up, hm?" Her answering grin is just as flippant, briefly hidden behind her cup as she takes a sip of her sweetened coffee, pale eyes closing both to enjoy the flavor and take a moment to control the blush that threatened to show beneath her pale fur at the compliments the Warden gave. When her eyes open again, she's mostly managed to collect herself, and her grin this time is mischievous.
"Think it'd cause an Incident if we just beat each other up here?" It's only partially a joke, eyes already scanning over the mostly-deserted Courtyard.
There was something about the rueful way that Theodosia asked her inquiry, acerbic and playful, that caused Israfel’s rose-kissed lips to twist upwards in a shrewd smirk. Vermilion eyes, sharp and knowing, glanced about the courtyard around them. Aside from the two of them sipping their fancy little coffees in the cafe, the citizens of Delumine seemed to have business elsewhere. Still, it wouldn’t take much to gather a crowd. She could only imagine the scandalous, incredulous expressions that would be sent their way if they suddenly decided to throw down in the middle of the courtyard…
“Tempting,” Israfel commented with a breathy chuckle, letting her cup of coffee sit untouched for the time being. Fiery eyes flashed, averting from the peaceful citadel of the Dawn Court to focus once more instead on her companion, a pale ear tipping forward in genuine intrigue. “We shouldn’t. Although I wouldn’t mind seeing the look on Ulric’s face if he came to see what the hell was going on.”
That, and they were technically here on a diplomatic mission of sorts. To suddenly start throttling each other in the capitol of Delumine probably wasn’t what Asterion intended when he sent them all to answer Somnus’ plea for assistance. Not that they could offer much by way of said assistance, given that the Warden nor cadet were medics of any kind. Regardless, that wasn’t their focus. Right now Israfel was quite content to just sit, drink some pretty delicious coffee, and converse with a like-minded friend. It had been far too long since she had just sat down and relaxed.
“Have you met him, yet? Ulric, I mean. He is the Warden here.” Leaning forward, Israfel dipped her head closer to Theodosia, eyes flashing with mischievous intent as her voiced dropped to almost a conspiratorial level. “A bit stiff and a stubborn son of a bitch, but damn good looking. I like him.” The said blue roan was proving to be a good companion, or even a friend of sorts. They hardly knew one another and yet Israfel found herself looking forward to the amicable companionship he provided.
Still, back to the matter at hand… “I know a place just outside of town that we can go to have a bit of a spar, if you’d like. After we finish our drinks?” Arching a brow, the Sun Daughter paused and waited for an answer, although she was certain that she knew what Theodosia would already say.
Upon her croup, Solaris shifted her great wings, the keen lavender of the mystic avian’s eyes focusing on the two conversing mares. ’We will be fighting her, my chosen?’ The question came suddenly, almost taking the Daughter of the Sun by surprise if not for the prior feeling of curiosity that drifted through the internal link between equine and bonded. Israfel’s grin only grew, eyes closing for only a moment as she mentally answered. Indeed we will. Be ready.
There’s a certain intrigue to the possibility of causing harmless trouble in a foreign land, a sort of delight in the idea of showing off her own strength and the strength of her nation, especially after the recent disasters. Against her pale fur, the war-paint of the Halcyon gleams crimson -- the bold stripes on her wings that denote her rank and settle down around her shoulder in knife-like swirls, the setting sun on her hip, all of it meant to impress upon the foreign nation who she was and what she stood for.
Israfel and Atreus were emissaries of the Court as a whole, but she had been sent as the representative of the Halcyon itself, and she had no desire to let either Marisol or Asterion down.
“I haven’t met him -- I don’t believe I’ve met anyone from Dawn before today,” She’d spent much of her time in Novus within Terrastella, training with the other Halcyon cadets and then reacting to the disasters that had swept across her home -- there had been no time to venture to the other Courts, or even to mingle with the few who came to visit Terrastella. She leaned in with perked ears, however, her grin just as conspiratorial as the other mare. “Sounds like a bit of a fun time. You’ll have to let me know how it goes later.”
Her attention returns momentarily to her drink, the last dregs overly-sweetened by the sugar that had settled in the bottom before she sets the cup carefully back onto the table. The momentary respite is peaceful, yes -- but thereis still much work to be done, both here and in Terrastella, and she knows as well as anyone else there is no time yet for rest.
Even if technically, she’s still within her two week limit for light duty, well --
Asterion didn’t have to know she wasn’t obeying the healers.
