The ocean mare sinks quickly into the familiarity of her father’s vast presence. With half-lidded eyes she is lulled into a haze of comfort, rocked gently by the foamy fingers of her father’s rhythm, and time seems to cease to exist. Somewhere in the not-too-far distance, she is aware of her companion’s presence, bobbing in and out of the water as the Leviathan explores her cousin’s natural home with a sense of blissful enthusiasm. While usually quite aware of her surroundings, Tiamat might have gone hours without knowing of the other pair not far away.

It is the dragon’s sound that ultimately rouses the blue maiden from her reverie. It is unfamiliar to her ears, and after blinking against the brightness of the sun, she turns her head, searching for the source of the trilling sound. With her eyes open, the pair is not easy to overlook. If the glittering bronze dragon isn’t enough to draw focus, then the sheer size of his bonded is (a massive beauty, Tiamat observes admiringly).

As it turns out, the painted mare and her dragon have already noticed the Mender. She dips her head, bashful for a moment, before moving to close the distance between them. “I am!” Tiamat agrees, discovering that the larger mare has already begun an impressive project. Turning her eye to her newfound company, the ocean mare studies her briefly, her expression laced with curiosity while memories dance at the edges of her mind. “You seem familiar—” Though her musings are cut short when a youthful voice calls out to them.

It is a leggy colt standing among the pearly sands, obviously eager to lend a hand. Tiamat finds herself chuckling breathlessly at his young antics, a smile warming across her lips. “Of course you may, little one!” She leans a step towards him, gesturing for him to come closer. There is something familiar about this particular boy, but unable to place it, Tiamat attributes it to the general enthusiasm of children. She can’t help but be delighted by his compliment (and subsequent shyness). “Why thank you. You are very much a gentleman yourself, young sir,” smiling to herself, the sea maiden bows her head low to the colt.

“I am Tiamat, and that—” she motions to the young Leviathan, who is now eyeing them while still skipping between the waves, “—is Nimue. A pleasure to meet you, Byron.” Falling silent, she looks briefly to the taller mare, expecting for her to introduce herself now. Being a sociable character, Tiamat has a tendency to (unintentionally) monopolize a conversation, and the last thing she wants to do is jeopardize her chance for new friends.

Shifting her focus then to the area of bones, Tiamat observes the barrier the other mare had built. Although it blocks a majority of the waves, she notices that the sand is still very wet—she knows from experience that this won’t make digging easy. “Perhaps I can help with the rest of the water…” closing her eyes, Tiamat extends herself towards the sand with her magic. Feeling the water that soaks the shore into slimy mush, she gathers the moisture with her magic, pulling it to the surface and collecting it into a floating, churning orb. She does this until the ground is soft and damp, but no longer mush. Magically holding the pocket of water, she looks between the mare and colt. “This should make digging easier, I think,” she comments with laughter in her voice.


“Speech.”