A strange sense of déjà vu set upon the mare; she had mockingly described herself as fragile before, to a different crowd. Memories of a dance performed whilst drunk on hormones cascading through both Akaith and herself paraded before her, and with a shiver Mirage had to wonder what the outcome would be the next time her golden queen rose to mate with a flock of wild dragons - what would happen next time her own season came to pass? However, she was getting off track - back then she had been assuring her comrades and faithful friends that the siblings whom had found their way to Helovia were merely as harmless as herself. It was as much a warning as a promise. Even without her ability to show her other self to the world, the little shadow mare was more than capable of defending, protecting and fighting for what she believed in. Another ripple of a shudder shook her spine as she remembered what had occurred not long after that night, when her skills as a fighter were put to the test - the death stare of that unknown stallion would haunt her forever, even if he wasn't the first, and was unlikely to be the last, soul she killed on the earth. It was not something that she saw herself ever willingly repeating, and yet.. She knew it would happen again. Once a murderer, always a murderer.

His response earned a wry smile to curve her lips, the mare shifting weight as the little white added her own mass to the mix. Akaith chattered happily and even went so far as to groom Fajira in a manner one would expect to see in felines, playfully and carefully treating the smaller creature with patient but firm attentions. Mirage wuffled lowly as Lace's lips reached out for her, but she did not move, whether she detected his feint or not would remain a secret. Amusement, and general happiness still twinkled behind those deep pools, despite the rain, the storm, even the million questions Lace would throw at her to test her morals, she was content.

A little surprise showed on her face when he mentioned no close ties to family - then she pondered, perhaps that was why he could not see just how strong the ties were between the members of the Qian? She was silently miffed that he could only 'guess' as the strength of the bonds, and she longed to speak how the bond of dragon and equine was similar to the bond between her and her kin - but then, she held her tongue, for she knew she would have been telling a lie. Similar, perhaps, but not as powerful. They were a family, yes, a functioning unit that would find success wherever its passions directed it, but the magic between a dragon and equine was unique, reserved for the winged lizards and equines alone. But she longed for some way to show him, prove to him beyond a doubt, that the Qian were stronger than what little credit he awarded them. With a small breath of air forcibly exhaled, she tried to disregard his lack of sight into the matter, though she quietly plotted to prove to him the strength of the Qian in other ways, in the future.

"You obviously hold some confidence in the Qian's strength besides mere 'guessing', if you truly do assume we will obtain this land we long for." She murmured quietly, once again her thoughts thrown in a different direction by the stallion's words. That wry smile from before flickered back onto her façade, gently, subtly. She took some time to chew the words over in her own cranium, bouncing them back and forth, before deciding on a way that would express everything she wished to, in order to answer the question honestly, wholly.

"I believe the world is made up of a balance, a dynamic equilibrium, Lace. In different areas of the world, different forces act upon this balance, shifting it, altering it, favouring different things at different times. I believe in maintaining this balance. In Helovia, where Gods rule, and freely wander the lands which they created on their own whims, I long to help them keep this balance. My choice to begin a war is one where I have considered the consequences most deeply, and seriously. I know that my actions will cause an imbalance, and whether we succeed or not, my goal will always be to restore that balance, by whatever means necessary.

"The Tuuli were the first band of outcasts to overthrow a herdland - we helped them, Lace, unawares of the effects it would have upon the lands." A small glance was given to the just-healed forelegs of the mare, who hosted burns still from their brief interaction with the fiery Sun Lord within the very herd she longed to inhabit. "I have sought counsel with the sovereign ruler of the land that attracts me, and she called my intentions honourable. She also called me a dragon." Another smile was given here, as the arc in her nape extenuated the metallic marking etched into her pelt, the underlying meaning also hinted at; it was the Moon Goddess who had gifted Mirage with her ability to discover her other form, who had opened her eyes to the world of Dark magic. A small sigh was loosed.

"We will endure, Lace. And we will prove to all of Helovia just how strong we are."