Mephisto speaks of her homeland, then Aoife speaks of hers. Anandi listens carefully, and though she does not say anything immediately she takes note of where each mare is from so that she may ask each of them about it later, in private. “So the three of us are all immigrants!” She says finally, with a smile. “I’ve only been here a year or so.”
Talk turns to the Tinea, which Mephisto speaks of with quiet, graceful pride. Anandi smiles obligingly. “Oh surely, there are some amazing things to be found in the swamps. I heard there’s a plant there that only blooms every ten years or so-- a single, massive flower, taller than a horse!” She glances from woman to woman, delicately gauging each mare’s reaction. “The strange and extraordinary thing about this flower is that it smells like a rotting corpse. The scent is so potent and so disgusting, it’s hard to get close enough to see the magnificent bloom.” She speaks with the hushed excitement of a girl telling a scary story around the campfire, disgusted by the tale but, even moreso, enthralled.
Still, she did not have any real interest in splashing through the swamp. It was too far from the ocean, too foreign. In a way, although she would die before admitting it, the swamps scared her. There was something eerie about them that did not sit right with her.
Aoife speaks of where she might be of service and the emissary leans in close. “A fighter?” Anandi laughs, but it is not unkind. “I daresay your size could actually be a mighty advantage, wielded the right way. And even if you were not a soldier, there are many ways to put your experience to use in the army.” The emissary could be cold, even sometimes cruel, but she did believe in earnest that everyone deserved to have a place. She truly wanted to help Aoife find that place within Dusk Court, and her words are alive with eagerness. “We are currently without a single tactician, the rank specializing in military strategy.” She chews her lip absent-mindedly as she thinks about it. The tactician rank was typically reserved for soldiers who had served in the army and proven themselves, but Andi was sure she could put in a good word with Marisol, if Aoife wanted…
“Ah, well, I’m sure we’ll find a place for you.” She moves on from the topic cheerfully. “Is there any part of the court you’d like to see or learn more about?” Her glance shifts to Mephisto. “Same goes to you, Mephisto. Or if there’s anything you’d like to show Aoife, by all means, take the lead!” Without instruction, Anandi steers them towards the gardens. They were usually her first destination when playing the tour guide, but she was always open for suggestions or questions-- they made the whole spiel much more interesting.
@Mephisto @
some say the loving and the devouring are all the same thing
☾
