jane
Jane would have to go home soon. The thought filled her with a bit of grief, but she reminded herself not yet. Of course, the word ‘home’ was used lightly. Solterra was merely a base; its walls a prison. There were no dungeons in Angora, and even if there were they could never have locked her up. It was not a sin to flirt. At least not a legal one. But it could ruin your life, and this was something Jane had learned.
There was beauty in Novus. And there was beauty in isolation. This too, Jane was learning as she wandered the lands of this kingdom. Every few hours brought some new vista, some new strangle of beauty that nearly overwhelmed her. So great was this emotion that Jane found herself embarrassed despite her lack of audience. Instead she tried to tuck her mind inwards, focus on walking. It was better than the boredom of that house in Solterra, sitting for hours, going to coffee shops, wandering sandy streets that had no idea who she was. The Angoran, the new Vogelstein. Never anything more than an epithet.
The field before Jane stretched out like a sky of green. There were no flowers that had outlasted Spring, but the sun was warm with the dying gasps of Summer and warmed her dark skin. Not black, but the brown of memory. The air was warm and uncomplicated, the final sounds of insects occasionally zipping past her ears.
She bent her head and grazed from the grass, sweet with the sugars of dew that had yet to evaporate. A few hours passed. She would have to be home by tomorrow, but at least for now she could relish in a sun that felt like it loved her.
After these hours, Jane suddenly realised that she was not alone. She lifted her head and in the distance saw a figure of a horse that seemed black in the sunlight. From here she could see gold on his hide, and indeed he didn’t look too different from herself. Curious, Jane stepped in the direction. Her sense of smell told her that it was a stallion.
“Hello there!” Jane called out and fought the flush of embarrassment in her stomach. You have to learn to talk to people, hissed her mother’s voice, and she descended the slope to where she could see him more easily. He was taller than her, an admirable feat. “It’s a beautiful day.”
@[Sol Bestiam] / speaks / hello there!
