Essetia’s mildly icy greeting didn’t seem to affect her counterpart, but instead entreat her to smiles and welcome. To the spy, her appearance was misleading in comparison to her disposition… she was incredibly kind, perhaps even fantastical. That was the reason, if not the cause, of Essetia’s sudden silence and slight surprise. The crimson and the black that colored the spy’s opinion fell short of the life thriving within the sheer blue eyes that stared back at her, uninhibited. The three obsidian horns that were situated evenly down the sharp planes of her face were threatening and also a prime feature that Basin recruiters would immediately fixate on… Essetia did not care for attributes that would set one another apart, but instead bring everyone close together. She longed for the familial ties she’d shared in the Falls and would not let momentary setbacks cloud her judgement. Clearly she’d been mistaken about the masked female… She seemed sensible enough.

Romul responded to their exchange with a low, wolfish grunt- a welcoming sound to his companion’s ear. He wasn’t often one to fancy the creatures Essetia received abreast, so it came as another surprise that the wolf appeared semi-accepting.   “It is good to meet you too. Helovia is certainly a kingdom of sorts, but more so a home to those who reside here,” she answered more freely. Speaking of Helovia was like slipping into a glove that always fit; it was the second skin that warmed her bones when the chills of doubt set in. “There are herd lands within Helovia as well, four in fact. I hail from the South in the Dragon’s Throat. However, to the North lies the Aurora Basin, to the west is the World’s Edge, and not too far from here is the Hidden Falls.” Essetia stuttered over the last bit- the name still bringing old hurts to surface where the memories haunted her like an old wound.

However, she was not in a position to explain herself or share her secrets and her past. She spoke of those ghosts to no one and instead kept them hidden beneath her heart like a crutch to be called upon when the nights grew too long. “Of course, depending on who you come across you’ll get some very interesting views on each, given that you’ve just arrived. I won’t deny my own bias for the Throat and the heat of its summer sands. We’re a warrior nation, well-equipped for every circumstance—but I’m boasting,” she smiled sheepishly. Reminders of the past kept her truths full and all-encompassing when it came to portraits she painted of her home. Yet, she could see the pictures she drew against the waves of blue as Istu reimagined them. They seemed to be more beautiful in her reflection than in Essetia’s own portrayal.

But, that wasn’t what caught the spy off guard for the second time since meeting the red-masked mare, no. It was her compliments and her adoration of Essetia that threw the girl and her wolf again into the winds of pure shock. “Thank—you,” she managed without concealing her imminent surprise. What had she encountered there in the woods of the Threshold? What strange happenstance had guided her hand into the company of such… aloofness?