Somehow, she had expected more.

When the once-Grey associate Tor had trespassed on her lands, the Lady of the Basin had arrived to find her surrounded by four of her own. It was impressive, in retrospect, that so many would jump to the defense of their lands, and she had experienced a large amount of pride in her herd that day. And here she was, trespassing on the lands of a mercenary band who was not necessarily known for kindness, and she was met by a lone unicorn mare and her pet bear (if the shade noticed the Pegasus mare lurking in the shadows, she did not acknowledge her presence). What a lovely reception. And so very welcoming, with her blunt, unemotional question.

Well, she was a mercenary, clearly so. Strongly built with shrewd eyes. She was very clearly comfortable here in her home land, and held herself as though she was fairly important. More interestingly, she was the spitting image of Paladin. The dark pelt, the high white socks, the pale banner, the spiral horn. If not for the fae's speech, the Empress might have mistaken her for the traitor. But no - there were differences, too. The tip of her horn was marked in red, and her mane and tail lacked the telltale bloody tips of the family. On her shoulder was a rather odd gold marking, a bear. And the half-cub, half-bear beside her was decidedly not Paladin's, something that she was thankful for, having battled him in the invasion. She would not like her odds against even a small bear, not one that belonged to a fighter.

She was about to reply when Ophelia appeared, an ivory spectre in the dark woods. The silver dragon that followed Ophelia confirmed the knowledge of their family ties. The mare's touch drew the jackal's attention to the pegasus in the shadows; however, she was quickly dismissed as irrelevant. Their group, it would seem, was growing, and she was now satisfied with their protection of their land, her respect for the group growing. Ophelia's words were more diplomatic than the Paladin look-alike's - did she call her 'sister'? Well, she shouldn't be surprised, what with their looks. They were unique, very different from one another, but each of them held distinct qualities of her bloodlines. It was odd, to approach Paladin's children in peace, but many things had become odd lately.

"Ophelia, darling," she greeted her niece with a too-sweet smile. There was no malice in it, but it was the mask she wore nonetheless. To both, she continued: "I simply must admit that I am on a trip of curiosity." There was no point in dancing around the subject, so she cut straight to the point. "My phantoms have been bringing me very interesting news. It would seem that you and your mercenaries have been on a thieving spree." There was something amused and almost teasing in her voice. "And, well, I thought to myself, they simply must have a reason behind it... not that I'm here to discuss your reasoning; quite frankly, that is none of my business. I do, however, have a proposition for you." Her weight shifted as she rested a hind leg, looking for all the world as though she were comfortably welcome and in amiable company. Such a good actress, the Dark Empress.

"Talk talk talk."