▶ Lourdes did not expect a third face to erupt from the shadows – though truth be told she hadn’t really expected the first two either. This one was all white and speckly. Lourdes figured he was pretty, though in the end it didn’t matter one way or another how he looked. He was straightforward and concise and the young witch appreciated it. The talk of gardens and misty forests tugged at her heart just a bit – it all sounded very much like home. Still, she waited before she replied, eerily pale eyes sweeping the trees with a challenging glare. Did the forest (the Threshold?) plan on coughing anyone else up to try and sell their home to her?

▶ After a while the Pegasus rolled her shoulders and relaxed back, setting her sights on the new stallion (Mauja, if she remembered right). She offered him a thoughtful nod. “I’m well-acquainted with gardening.” Lourdes wasn’t really sure why he needed to know that. Maybe she just felt strange not saying anything at all. She’d been travelling for a few weeks without any interaction and now suddenly she was facing a firing squad shooting sales pitches as ammo. She scowled again, eyes travelling to Ovidius when the spiny little mare pitched in.

▶ Her answer was frilly and Lourdes wasn’t sure if she liked frills but she did find the petite mare intriguing nonetheless. Still, the past few years the white-faced witch had been living without borders and she wasn’t sure just how long she wanted to keep it up. Before she could think on that too long, the fish-mare spoke up. Her answer was honest and blunt and not unlike one that Lourdes herself might give if the roles were reversed. She appreciated the frankness, considering the options that had been proposed. Natural inclination told Lourdes that she wanted to answer to no one, but she couldn’t just leave – she had nowhere to go and Helovia was as good a place as any to set up shop for a while.

▶ “I like having my freedom.” After all, freedom was all she’d known ever since she’d left the old witch. “You all make good offers and I understand that wherever I go I’ll be answering to someone.” In some way, shape, or form. She heaved a sigh, pulling her wings in tight to her body as the last rays of evening sun fell long and slender across the underbrush. This was all a lot – a lot of talking, a lot of listening, a lot of company, a lot of information. Lourdes was tired and overwhelmed. “I am weary from my travels and would like to rest sooner rather than later.” She tilted her head to the side, white eyes traveling across the trio gathered before her. “I need to know what will be expected of me should I follow each of you home.” It was more a command than a question – with fatigue settling in, Lourdes’s limited pleasantries were burning out.

a note | this is very bad and i am very sorry.