At first, the stallion doesn’t react much when she approaches him. He doesn’t answer her introduction, he doesn’t acknowledge her with a grunt or other greeting of his own; had she not made brief eye contact with the winged man, Tiamat might have thought that he had overlooked her altogether. As the seconds tick by, it becomes more and more obvious that he’s fascinated by something—not by the blue maiden, but by the creature who hovers at her flank. Following the trail of his gaze, the Mender smiles to her companion. She remembers when she had first seen a Leviathan—the floating dolphin is still clear in her memory—and so she understands the amazement (or speechlessness) that seeing such an incredible creature can cause.

When he manages to come around, Tiamat smiles softly, accepting his apologies with a shake of her head and a twinkle in her eye. “That’s okay, you aren’t the first one,” she reassures him, chuckling gently to herself before she continues. “My name is Tiamat—and Nimue is a Leviathan, a cousin to the larger whales in the sea. She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” A doting glance is cast over her shoulder towards the little whale. Nimue, very much feeling the pressure of attention, would be blushing if she could. Instead she emits a high, short squeak before she wiggles herself closer against her bonded’s flank.

Grinning to herself, the sea maiden returns her attention to the stallion when he continues. He seems kind, she notes to herself, observing the bashfulness in his expression and the adorable nervousness of his posture. For someone who has just stumbled into an entirely new world, she can hardly blame him for being so anxious.

“It’s quite alright,” she laughs gently when he says something about being a ‘newbie’, her neck arching as she searches to meet his gaze. Soon after, when he questions her about Helovia, her expression brightens with enthusiasm. “Of course, I’d love to!” Her head rises and her tail curves cheerfully behind her, tulip-shaped ears standing erect as she contemplates where to begin. Ultimately deciding that it is best to stay simple and go with the broad semantics, she beings. “Well, this is Helovia. There are four—” she stops for a moment, catching herself as memories flood into her mind of that day, that day that had changed all of their lives…

…but it isn’t a discussion for someone so new to Helovia, so she continues quickly, “—forgive me, there are three herd lands: the World’s Edge, the Dragon’s Throat, and the Aurora Basin. I haven’t properly been to the other herd lands, but I know the Edge is a coastal territory towards the west, and the Throat is a desert island, in the south. The Basin is up north, nestled in the mountains; it’s a beautiful valley, with hot springs, caves, and a lake that never freezes. It is truly a wonderful home,” she sighs wistfully, forever fond of the land that has adopted her. She couldn’t imagine ever having to live anywhere else!

Clearing her throat, the blue maiden continues. “Within each herd there are different ranks that you can choose from: the seers, the crafters, the sneaks, the warriors, and the healers. I’m a healer myself!” She beams proudly, her white eyes shining brilliantly beneath the shafts of sunlight. “And, of course, there are the leaders,” the tone of her voice sombers every so slightly, remembering recent events and the death of her beloved Lord—but, she reminds herself that time goes on, and they must heal from his loss (however hard it might be).

“I’m sorry for the load of information, it’s a lot of words to process. Do you have any questions?” There is laughter mingled with her words as she looks to to the darkly-colored stallion. With as much knowledge that she has dumped on him all at once, she’d be surprised if he didn’t have any questions. Either way, she is happy to be here to help him adjust to the life he has found here.

“Speech.”