”O’er the Arma, She searched for her love,
Blessed by the Seer in the Stars above,”

She sang in dulcet tones, sweet and mesmerizing to the audience around her even though she did not sing for them. Runaveig waltzed through the streets like a dancer, nimble, quick, and graceful, weaving her way and letting the clip of her hooves upon the ground set the tempo for the song she sung. It was a song she had grown up with, a melody forever ingrained within her head; a tale of love, loss, and finding that same love once more. How very romantic.

”And He, with a veil of Night,
And She, with the gift so Bright
Met beneath the dark of Night”

The markets weren’t particularly busy, at least not on this night. It wasn’t enough to cause Runa any discomfort to be singing so openly, so brazenly, letting the words escape her lips without self-doubt. Above her, Umbra continued his leisurely glide, the pygmy dragon keeping a watchful eye out upon the other denizens of the court as they meandered through the market stalls and various vendors. Surely they would not hurt their own, despite Runaveig’s relatively new status among them.

Runaveig would never grow tired of Denocte. It was beautiful. She glanced upwards to the stars glittering above, marveling at the vast galaxies that existed above their very own heads. Did everyone here understand how very grand and marvelous it was? Then her eyes focused on the path ahead, pausing in her song long enough to smile prettily towards a few passing strangers before picking up the notes once more.

”A rekindled Love, had upon the Shore,
Night and Day were united once More.”

A quick, happy ending for lyrics speaking of a profound love, heartache, and a rekindling romance. The twilight maiden wondered just what that must feel like. Pausing by a vendor selling tasty oat cakes, Runa slipped the kindly gentleman a few signos before taking one and enjoying the savory treat along her evening stroll.

“Would you care for some, Umbra?” She inquired, golden eyes flicking upwards towards the black dragon gliding lazily above her. He seemed to grin, sharp white teeth glistening in the moonlight, and shook his head.

’No. Those things are rather unpalatable. Enjoy it for me, if you would?’ Pale lips turned up in a genuine smile, warm and adoring, and Runaveig did just that. Finishing her treat, she continued gracefully along the streets, content to browse the wares and hum softly beneath her breath.

"Speaking."

Runaveig understood that her singing could warrant attention. Despite her generalized anxiety, she loved giving a good performance. Despite the fact that this song she had sung had been for her, the lyrics leaving her lips with the intention of simple enjoyment, they could still earn a reaction from the general populace around her. Perhaps that was why, even as she enjoyed the last bits of her sweet oat cake, that a grullo woman set their attentions on her.

A dainty ear flicked towards the overo’s direction at the sound of the other woman’s voice, elegant brows lifting in curiosity. Oh?

“I walked,” Runa stated quite obviously, innocently unaware that the grullo’s statement had been inquired with some semblance of sarcasm, “To sing, I mean. Running in such crowded streets would be terribly unwise.”

Someone could trip. Someone could be knocked into or pushed over and subsequently they could get hurt. That wouldn’t be very nice, would it? A terrible way to end the evening, for sure. Still, the twilight maiden’s pink lips curled into a gentle smile, golden eyes glittering in the moonlight as she stared at the stranger beneath the crystals of her mantle. There was a feral masculinity about this grullo woman, a wildness to her that Runaveig could never hope to replicate. Not that she wanted to, as the entertainer was quite content as she was, but… It must be empowering to be so sure of oneself.

Above her, Umbra inevitably shifted in his glide to instead turn and land upon Runaveig’s lean back, crawling his way up her spine. The pygmy dragon’s piercing, keen yellow-green eyes regarded the grullo mare with a look of scrutinizing curiosity, and she could feel his concern. ’I believe that this one was being sarcastic, dear heart,’ Umbra supplied, which caused Runa’s lips to part in a surprised ‘oh’. Umbra chuckled, the sound a deep, resonating rumble that carried through the market air.

Shifting her hooves upon the earth to try and hide her embarrassment and mounting anxiety, the young entertainer cleared her throat and went on. “I suppose something special did happen, yes. I woke with the dawn. Isn’t that in itself what you might classify as ‘special’ when we couldn’t have woken at all?” Maybe it wasn’t to everyone, but to someone with a fear of death as high as hers, waking to another day was always a precious gift.

"Speaking."

Oblivious to the other woman’s ire and general displeasure, as well as her profound sense of sarcasm, Runaveig stood there quite happily with her head tilted just so towards one side. Her smile was open, honest, and earnest, the gems of her golden eyes glittering in the torch and lantern light cast upon the market streets. A breeze sent the cascade of ivory hairs about her pretty face in a wave, but still she did not take her eyes off of the grullo mare.

Around them, the bustle of the Night Markets remained as steady as ever. Citizens of all manner of lifestyle stepped around them, some giving them curious glances before deciding not to get involved and continuing on whatever path lay ahead of them. The murmur of conversation was soft, not too loud to be jarring, but even as they conversed, Umbra kept an eye on things just in case his bond-mate was a little too preoccupied to do it herself.

Instead of speaking, she listened, rapt and with attention. Even though Runa had been born within Denocte, she knew very little of the individuals that lived within the Night Court proper. Growing up with a wandering troupe of wayward gypsies tended to do that, and even then, they had stuck to their mountain passes over the beautiful peaks of the Arma. Runa’s expression changed, her golden eyes darkening but for a moment as her smile gave way to a consternated sort of frown, thoughtful and confused.

“... I suppose I could understand how that would be terribly unpleasant, yes,” the young entertainer murmured softly in acquiescence, “Not to mention confusing. You fell asleep and then ended up here, in Novus?” Runaveig’s tilted her head once more, this time to the left, her pale brows furrowed as she tried to piece the mystery together. “That’s… Very strange. I’ve heard of many things, but never of someone falling asleep and then waking somewhere else.” Abruptly, an idea came to her, and the sunset maiden’s face lit up. Unaware in her desire to help Morrighan understand whatever predicament had befallen her, Runaveig took a dainty step forward. “Oh! Perhaps you sleep walked?”

Umbra let out a little sigh from the woman’s gradient back, knowing that ‘sleep walking’ was certainly not what had brought the other mare to Novus. There was a magic about this place; mysterious and greedy, and sometimes it could do unnatural things simply because it felt like it. Yet he could not extrapolate that to the grullo spotted mare, and so simply stayed quiet to allow his bond-mate to engage her in further conversation.

Runa’s exuberant smile seemed to falter. “Um. I’m sorry. I didn’t even introduce myself, did I? I’m Runaveig, and this is Umbra. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

"Speaking."

Politely as she could manage, Runaveig minded her tongue and held her growing plethora of questions as Morrighan dove into the tale of her life before her mysterious arrival into Novus. A pale ear flicked forward as she listened intently, nodding every now and again. A great war of her homeland caused a flicker of something to press into the deepest recesses of Runaveig’s memories, but just as quickly as she was aware of the feeling, it was gone. None the wiser as to their similar origins, the dusk colored maiden simply smiled, although it was noticeably more uneasy now knowing the severity of Morrighan’s situation.

“That sounds dreadful,” she agreed, bottom lip jutting out in a momentary troubled look that stole across her pretty face, before it was gone as well, “And very peculiar. Suddenly waking into a strange land must be very disorienting. I’m sorry.” There was no reason for her to apologize, of course. Runa was very aware that this wasn’t her fault, but she had always been the sympathetic sort. Not pity, of course, because as clueless as she could sometimes be, she was very aware that Morrighan did not seem the sort to want or need any form of pity.

The topic was swift to move on, and the young entertainer allowed it to happen. She didn’t wish to dwell, not really, not when the topic of war and loss could be so touchy. No, now was a good time to focus on the present, the now, as opposed to the then.

“Hello, Morrighan.” Learning the grullo mare’s name was just another step to becoming friends, and that was truly what Runa desired over all else. Her heart felt lonely, as though something wasn’t quite right, a piece of the puzzle missing and void, and she had assumed that by meeting others and taking bits of them into her heart, it might feel more full. More happy. Content, almost. ”I’m so very happy to meet you.”

The young woman’s smile turned somewhat bashful at Morrighan’s inquiry and she shrugged a very slender shoulder. “Oh, um. I’ve actually lived in Denocte my entire life! I grew up in the Arma Mountains, with the Farren gypsies. Although I’m a recent addition to the Court, I’ve wandered these lands since the day I was born.” It really wasn’t that impressive. Runaveig had lived a rather normal, mundane life, but she was striving to achieve some kind of greatness, no matter how meager or unassuming it might be.

Casting her golden eyes onto the crowds around them, finally listening back to the din of the general conversations and evening life, the dusk maiden’s smile grew far more tender. This was home. These streets felt familiar to her in a way that she simply couldn’t explain, not with words. Perhaps that was why she so often turned to song when trying to convey how she was feeling.

“I suppose I can understand, but these streets aren’t so bad. I find myself quite enjoying the nightlife, and the performers are unlike any I have seen before. One day, well…” A faint blush colored Runa’s cheeks and she turned her face away, as though truly embarrassed. “... I would love to be a famous bard throughout all of Novus. Is that terribly foolish? I fear that it might be.” It was definitely what her inner demons told her, spitting scathing insults at her when her self-esteem was at its lowest. Was it healthy? Goodness, no, but she was doing her best to overcome it.

Shuffling her hooves from side to side, Runaveig once more focused on Morrighan and smiled from beneath the floral-gemstone veil she wore. A nearby snack tray had caught her attention, and the young entertainer was a sucker for a sweet treat. “Miss Morrighan? Would you care to share a sweet cake with me? Maybe after we could walk the streets. I know some very interesting vendors.”

"Speaking."