answered that tiger smile
Castalla wonders about the other woman’s life before Novus (perhaps she had been born here though?). Antiope took the money without hesitation, maybe silent respect for whatever values Castalla held- a clear understanding of the myriad of values that shaped each culture and each land. She carried herself with assuredly and the weapon by her side sung of battle and bloodshed. Yet the striped mare spoke of peace with such ease. Perhaps she had not lost what Castalla had lost. Perhaps peace was a shelter not a cage. Or perhaps she had. The Wolf carried her own pain silently, hiding it beneath sharp smiles and mischievous eyes. Only when all eyes were closed, when her only company were the shadows of the night, did the scarred femme allow the cracks to show. She was not the only one with such high walls, such solid shields.
Genuinely she is pleased for peace these people had found, the Court deserved. She would not wish war, hunger and terror on anyone. Yet there is a twinge in her gut, one she cannot pin point, or ignore.
“I was born over a century ago into a world torn by chaos; in all my life I have never known peace. I wonder how long it will take me to get used to it.” In truth, peace was all Castalla ever wanted for her people; some semblance of safety, where their children could be raised knowing only happiness and acceptance. But in trying to achieve that peace, the Wolf had sacrificed any chance she had at finding her own amity. Could she ever get used to it? To living a mundane life knowing that she could never have what everyone else had. Only time would tell.
But peace is never immortal. In time all things fall and strife always had a way of worming its way through the cracks. There would surely be a time when the Wolf’s skill set would be necessary. When her blood could once more thrum with the thrill of a fight. Until then she would just have to find something else to. No society was perfect, she’d surely be able to find herself something fun to do in the meantime.
“I think I will stay.” And her wolf grin answered that tiger smile, a promise that should it ever be required, she would be ready. Her soul was tarnished, stained from decades of battle and bloodshed. She’d been a champion, a soldier, a rebel and an assassin and she could do it again if it meant keeping good people safe.
“Have you always lived in Novus?” A perfectly harmless question, one that could allow difficult issues to be dodged, but Castalla was curious to know more and possibly desperate to find kinship with someone in this new land.
@Antiope
