this old world has brought me pain
               but there's hope for me again

The little kitsune wriggles merrily on the ground, her paws flailing madly in the air as an unknown stallion blows air onto her belly.  When he lifts his nose away, the pup's bonded speaks sharply in her mind and apologizes for the childish behavior displayed by the many-tailed fox.  With a reproachful glare and a sigh, Alecto slinks to Persephone's hooves, flopping into the dirt to look mournfully at the playful man.  Her displeasure leaks through the bond, and the sunset mare finds herself feeling suddenly guilty.  Alecto hadn't done anything wrong; she had merely wanted to have some fun.  Helovian politics are not like those in her homeland, where such a silly blunder would have sent her down several social rungs.  She should not have reacted so harshly, and she sends an apology to her companion accordingly.

Persephone hasn't the time to respond to the young stallion before the meeting gets underway, and she almost forgets about the encounter in the moments that follow.  Her appointment to Earth Medic is a surprise and a delight, and she accepts without a moment's thought.  She is giddy with excitement, thrilled to finally have a chance to prove her worth to those who have taken her in.  Plans begin to build in her mind, memories of a half-forgotten herb garden in the forefront of her mind.  She would do well to learn the plants of this foreign land and replenish their stores.  Perhaps one of the other medics will be able to help her...

There is more talk, discussion of a temple to the Earth God, of which the sunset mare heartily approves.  The gods of Helovia are still an oddity to the mare, who fell through the Rift when the veil between worlds had been torn open by those many referred to as false gods.  Well, they had seemed plenty true to Persephone.  After all, they had been strong enough to bring her here, powerful enough that the Helovian gods had required mortal assistance to beat them.  If they were false, then what did that make Helovia's deities?  Real or not, she has never imagined any immortal being to take such an interest in those left on the earth, and so she has a healthy curiosity for everything involving the gods here.

So caught up in her thoughts and plans is she that the mare barely notices when the meeting ends and the group disbands.  It is not until she feels the tug of Alecto's excitement that she realizes that her mischievous fox has followed the playful stallion - Zero, yes, that was his name - and has been spending the past few minutes leaping and dancing about his legs, pouncing before him with her tails in the air and her front legs splayed comically before her, grinning and inviting him to play with her.  Alecto! Persephone screeches as she sets off at a quick trot, arriving within moments to witness her kitsune playfully batting at one of the stallion's front hooves.

"Oh, Gods!" the mare exclaims, a gasp falling from her lips.  "I am so very sorry, Sir Zero.  Alecto!"  Her usually calm demeanor is lost in favor of a confused look that doesn't seem know whether to be amused or disapproving.  "Alecto, leave the poor stallion alone!"  The kitsune bounds to her bonded then, leaving behind the stallion's hooves in favor of Persephone's.  The mare sighs.  "You have my sincere apologies, Sir.  As I said before, Alecto hasn't quite learned her manners.  My name is Cora, by the way.  I didn't get a chance to say before the meeting began."  The use of her alias, while normal for the mare, causes Alecto to glance up and tilt her head to the side in confusion.  Cora isn't her name.  Why does the sunset mare give a name that is not real?  I'll explain it to you later, agapi mou, Persephone promises, feeling the kitsune's question without needing words.

Persephone