NEFERTARI
We've Become Disillusioned
So We Run Towards Anything Glimmering
Nefertari watched the woman carefully, golden pools sparkling with mirth. She decided she liked this mare, Luvena. It had been a long while since she had felt any real companionship, and she thought that there was a chance that perhaps she might be able to find it here, if only for the time she might be spending in Denocte. That time was looking quickly to be the entirety of the winter season, but the thought bothered her less than she initially anticipated. Caligo worked in mysterious ways after all. First the tea shop, and now this lovely woman. Small things always added to big things, and they were best not to be ignored.
She filed that feeling away for later, chuckling and shaking her head. “Goodness, where are my manners?” The mare parted her sooty maw into a smile. “My name is Nefertari,” she paused, seeming to debate for a moment before continuing. “Of House Vogelstein.” The words felt nearly foreign to her tongue. How long had it been since she had spoken of her lineage? More years than she cared to count and more than she wanted to admit hurt her. It felt almost like a relief to speak it out loud, to no longer have to dance around her name and hide. Why now she felt comfortable enough to claim it she could not say. Perhaps it was Luvena’s kind eyes and quick wit, and the mare’s desperate gnawing need to have someone and a place to once again call home and believe in.
“If you carry a crown equal to your Sovereign, I must say that I am humbled then, that you would share your company with me, Luvena.” Nefertari dipped her vision for a moment as a sign of respect before once again catching the woman’s eye. “I do hope that your future travels will treat you kindly.”
The mare shifted slightly in her seat, and then drew attention to a small silk satchel. “This may seem a bit forward, and forgive me if it seems strange, but I have this urge to read for you.” She carefully opened the bag and pulled from it a well loved deck inlaid with gold leaf. She shuffled them gently, pausing only briefly to look at Luvena once more. “Would you be interested in knowing a little something of your future?” A peculiar light twinkled in her gaze, as if she knew something already, a secret she was just too eager to tell.
art by pacificdash character by scapeh table by sunny
