Mauja the FrostHeart
ice cold man watches earth die, eternal winter takes its reign

Though Mauja was a suspicious creature by nature, he wasn't prone to jumping to conclusions or interrupting someone before they had made their case (unless they were saying something far too idiotic, that is). In this case, he was glad he hadn't. With grace did the mare accepting her new position, and the pale King gave a pleased smile. Hopefully she would feel the weight of duty on her shoulders now, a mantle she would carry with grace and pride, he hoped. As the only Nurse, with only d'Artagnan as Doctor, they were to be a pair. She would assist him in any way he required while being tutored in both the art of true healing, and that of more .. sinister .. intents. It would be good. Perhaps with an eager assistant would their work get started, with or without the aid of a Crux. He had hoped to assign that role to someone who got the job done so he could focus on running his herd and all the other countless tasks that came with it, but perhaps he was destined to do everything himself if he wanted it done. Not a pleasant prospect.

He would've been quite upset if she had shown no interest in all in meeting the Doctor, so it was with a firm nod that Mauja acknowledged her desire. He raised his black-spotted head into the night air and let loose his deep cry, summoning d'Artagnan. Truth to be told, Mauja was quite fond of the stallion, and hoped that the future would bring them even closer. He needed stallions and mares he could trust (though he doubted he would never trust someone completely - that was just to beg for being stabbed in the back). But if you never trusted anyone... Suspicion would drive him mad, and the sense of never being truly appreciated would drive others to revolt. No, sometimes you had to gamble and at least pretend to rely on others. He knew that his life could easily become a solitary burden, a pulse that was never calm, always looking over his shoulder. Despite knowing that there was a lot of wisdom in wandering down that path, he wasn't inclined to do it. He believed he had a strong enough mind to not get broken by it, but despite everything that he was, Mauja wasn't that cold of heart. To have a true friend to lean on and plot with... Perhaps it was just a foolish dream, but it was there, deep in his cold heart. He just didn't want to entrust that singular, shadowed hope to the wrong creature. But maybe, just maybe, some small part of him wished that d'Artagnan, Kou, Psyche, or even Lotus could be that one for him. Only time would tell.

Mauja was silent while they waited, sampling the wind and listening. d'Artagnan's heavy steps came closer, and soon enough the tall red bay came within view. The Doctor had a keen mind, and the King appreciated it; his own head dipped to return the greeting, but he was watching the stallion's mismatched eyes. They were drinking Kou in, fluttering between the pair, asking a question. "Indeed I did, Doctor," he responded, making the meeting slightly formal as well as revealing in what manner he needed d'Art. "This is Kou, an acquaintance of mine. Until just now, she was with the Scourge, but she is eager for more. She is to be your Nurse, need I say more?" He tilted his head and thus tilted his smile. d'Artagnan's mission was to heal some, cripple or kill some. Kou's mission was to help him and learn from him. Now that they were a pair, a team, what was to stop them from going out in the world and doing their duty?

Nothing.
Though...

"There's only a small alteration to your mission right now," he said quietly, tail whispering behind him in the darkness. "Target as many Sun followers as you can. Find it out with, you know, religious small talk, who do they think will protect them as they heal from their injuries? The weaker his followers are, the sooner we'll get this shitstorm over. I can't wait for Frostfall..." He gave his head a small shake. It was no secret that Mauja hated Tallsun.