Jealousy. That was a new feeling, and not one that the red girl had taken kindly to. Her mother had gone galavanting off on some trumped up excuse and returned with a new set of twins following close at her heels. What about Libertad? What about me? Weren’t we good enough for her? these thoughts and others ran through her mind time and again no matter how many times she told herself they were illogical and useless.. They repeated, bringing back those twinges of hurt she had experienced again and again until the bitterness began to build calluses on her heart. The sad truth was, however, that as much as d’Arcy had begun to resent her mother’s actions, it was the fact that anyone was allowed to have so much sway over her emotions that really grated. It scared the girl, that weakness, then sentimentality. She had found in herself a path that let others in and something in her young mind was already starting to block it off and seek out a sort of emotional independence even as time marched her relentlessly on the path to adulthood. She didn’t need her mother, she didn’t wand to need anyone. Well, always excepting Libertad. She didn’t seem to have any choice on that score.

In the time since her mother’s return d’Arcy had eschewed seeking out company of any kind. The edge was a misty and mysterious place and as one of its denizens she knew enough hidey-holes and secluded spots to avoid being seen or seeing anyone. This was quickly becoming a habit when confronted with feelings beyond her usual scope; in company she automatically spent all her time analyzing the reactions of others so that introspection required solitude.

What she hadn’t counted on was boredom. The red had never been called sociable, but she usually spent her time around others; observing, eavesdropping, learning. After a few days of sulking she had realized the only real solution to her growing despondency was putting her energies into something other than licking her wounds. Birdsong was fast approaching and soon Iona would call the sleuths again, and d’Arcy among them. Even though it was not an official title given her adolescence, the little shadow was eager to take he place among that cadre. She had trained with Raeden some, and worked daily at improving her own skills. So, seeking solace in productivity she set out to find some nugget of knowledge to take back to the Spectre.

She set out with no particular destination, intending to try a little tailing on the first person she came across and focusing carefully on the way she walked. Creamy hooves moved over the ground with achingly deliberate placement as the little shadow tried to make as little noise as possible in the audible minefield of underbrush. It was sound not made by her, however, that soon had the girl coming to a standstill in her path. Voices drifted from not to far ahead, familiar ones, and d'Arcy;s ears pricked forward to listen carefully. It was Raeden, though the girl had never heard quite such a tone coming from the angelic sleuth before. Carefully, she picked up her pace again, slowly moving forward until the path revealed before her a drama already in motion. Readen was looking about ready to attack a young stallion and it appeared as though the elephantine King of the Edge had just happened upon them as well. If d'Arcy had sought a cure for boredom she had definitely found it.

For half a breath she studied the scene, the stallion, as he began to stammer out his excuses. Young, perhaps not too much older than d'Arcy was herself and entirely out of place. His excuse were plausible, perhaps but somehow d'Arcy though he might be flying off the seat of his pants and was instantly intrigued. The red girl had seen enough of blood to know that seeing the intruder skewered by the Sleuth and the King would be both distasteful and a waste of an opportunity to satisfy her own curiosity.

She moved into action, stepping onto the scene with an air of mildly annoyed nonchalance that was as carefully constructed as the steps that had brought her here. It was a bold sashay, one that took advantage of the form that was firmly leaving foalhood behind her. I'm an adult. Fucking take me serioiusly. "Calor!" It was a a scolding interjection, loud enough to hopefully startle the adults of their potentially murderous bent. "There you are! I thought we were supposed to meet at the wall." She didn't wait for a reaction but smoothly slid past the others to come alongside the young stallion. Not missing a beat, she turned to face Raeden and Tembovu while leaning into his side to shove him decidedly out of range of the mare's points. At the rough touch her magic reached out to try and push at his mind as well 'This is fine.' it wanted to whisper, 'Don't fight it..."

"I am so sorry." she offered to the others, cobalt eyes finding Raeden and Tin's familiar gazes before sending the same pleas of practiced sincerity at Tembovu. "We were going to meet up so he could show me the Rotunda, but Lib held me up." She turned to the stranger, using indicators of familiarity that she had studied in others, few of which ever came natural to her: a shove of the shoulder into his, a pleasant, if annoyed, smile "You really should have waited, you know. And don't you dare start on with that "d'Arcy the Latecomer" drivel again." The flash of severity in her eyes was deliberate, the name drop was deliberate, and she all but willed the young man to have the presence of mind to play along. Don't you fuck this up.

Ain't no mercy in my smiling

Only fangs and sweet beguiling