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The Dark Empress was not who she had been. It had been a difficult time, of course, there was no denying that: she had been exiled by those she had led, all because she lost a single portion of a larger war. All because she had lost her crown in the battle that they had all failed in. And yet, despite the various failures and mistakes, she had been the one to blame. She had been the one deposed, ousted from her place in the mountains. She had been bitter, yes, and weak. She had been saddened by their treatment of her, and it was this knowledge which forced her to reevaluate herself. The old Psyche would never have allowed such emotion to take over, would never have given in to the temptations of love and lust and friendship that she had found in their northern home. She would have ruled with an iron hoof, taking what she needed, doing what she wanted, lording over them all and using fear as her weapon of choice. But that mare was long gone (though it had taken long enough for her to realize as much) and in her place was a new creature, one that the shade had yet to understand. And so she had wandered, mostly thinking, sometimes talking to a sad soul who took away the pain of being alone for a little while. She had come to enjoy the company of the little wisp of light in her banner, a lost soul all her own. Perhaps that day with Paladin on the beach had not been a battle against an unknown creature - perhaps it was a battle against herself, and how she had her own wandering ghost to wear on her sleeve for the world to see. She had learned much about herself. She had come to see that fear was not always the best venue. She had come to see that conversation with a lesser was just as scintillating as conversation with one of her own. She had begun to find that her hatred was not directed at anyone in particular as much as it was directed at her past. She had started to understand that there was nothing for her in leadership, nothing for her in the North, nothing for her in the racism that had led her through life. She had come to the realization, finally, that she was different now than she was before, that those that had enjoyed her company then would find her revolting now, that she couldn't go back even if she wanted to. She did not want the life she had led. In truth, she wasn't sure she wanted any life at all, but she certainly did not wish the old turmoil upon her soul. She had aged, in a way, and the burden that her lifestyle had left her with was a difficult one to bear. She walked on. It was late morning, or perhaps early afternoon, and she thought she heard her name. The woods around her were peaceful, if a bit bare, and sound carried easily through the trees. Something pulled her in the direction of the call, though she could not say what that something was. A part of her desired companionship, as she so often did, these days; another part of her felt that this encounter would not be one that she would enjoy. Still, the voice was familiar, and one that she felt some manner of affection for, and so when she found herself face-to-face once again with a rather battered Illynx, she found herself momentarily speechless. "Illynx." It was a simple greeting, and a sort of stunned, uncomfortable one at that. "You... look rather awful, darling. Has Deimos given you trouble?" There as a lilt in her voice, though not as pronounced as it had once been, and perhaps present more out of habit than actual menace. There was concern, too, an emotion that was not normally in her repertoire. Illynx would know that something was off about her Empress, and somewhere deep within the shade's heart, sadness bloomed at the knowledge that she was about to disappoint her oldest friend. She could not be the Dark Empress anymore, and the freedom that this realization had brought her - the freedom to feel, to express emotion, to show caring - meant a great deal more than she had ever thought it would. Not only could she not go back; she would not go back. And that concept was truly stunning. @[Illynx] "Talk talk talk." |
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![[Image: psycheicon.png]](http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy285/schwartze_asylum/psycheicon.png)
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Use of force and/or magic (with the exception of death) is allowed at all times.
