The mood appeared to have shifted south, but Onni does not make any visible alterations to her appearance. The white-washed face is still serene, bright with golden light. The tone of the older voice is serious, causing the shaman to turn her attention back in his direction. The glint of his golden eyes clouds with a strange sense of tension, mirrored by the heavy sentiments of his words. This is something that the painted girl had no experience with. In Isilme, the powers of wind had been born into her. The power of her mother's calling, intermingled with the shape-shifting of her father now gone. In Helovia, the only gains that the mare had gotten were positives.
Sunlight in her blood, glimmering out from behind her soft eyes. The small songbird staring uneasily at the dragon as it circles above, uncertain if it is a predator or friend.

There is always shadow lingering behind the glow of light. Upon the heart once pure as the sun itself, dark stains had fallen. Ultimately, the tests which the Illuminant faced here in this land were not from the blood but from the world. Silently, she wondered what troubles Lace faced in these days. "Knowing yourself is strength," the mare offers. "The disappearance of the Gods did not rob you of anything, only borrowed them temporarily. Now, in the summer sun, can you truly say that you have conquered these new facets of yourself, or have you just been delighted by their absence?"

Looking at him with a sidelong glance, Onni attempts to gauge how this question sits. She did not expect it to go well. "When the night comes to an end, your blood has not changed. You still have to stand with it."

She had been so terribly desperate to see the sunlight. A piece of her soul had gone missing during the Endless Night, and even her magic born into her blood had fallen silent or broken at her hooves. With the sunlight came back the pieces torn asunder, filling the gaps in her heart. Finding peace where chaos reigned. Even if the return of the Sun meant heartache for others, Onni would never regret her prayers for his coming. A selfish streak finally found in the soul of the shaman.

At his explanation of a crafter, Onni sighs knowingly. The burden of responsibility sitting on your shoulders no matter the position is difficult. "The life of a healer can be just as lonely and perhaps a bit more sad," her voice light and airy, a breeze of summer. "My company is often sought after solely for the purpose of healing. Seeing body after broken body, mending and giving for others, but holding few friends," an unexpectedly happy smile finishing the sentence. "I have never once resented my gifts, but I do occasionally feel lonely. Lyhty has been a blessing."

The song of the dragon catches Lyhty's attention, and the songbird trills proudly at being noticed in the conversation. Using his confidence, the small finch leaps into the air on tiny wings, pushing himself upward toward the white figure of the small dragon. A song continues, much like the summer aria he had been whistling before. Onni smiles up at him, squinting to see past the bright sun.

The brows of the mare raise in surprise as Lace asks for her advice, turning attentive ears in his direction. A silent nod is offered, not wanting to break whatever thought process he had going with her own jumble of words. The problem seemed personal, delicate, and the painted girl did not quite know how to respond. There had been many times when Kri had caused Onni to question her authority. Still, without fail, Onni had remained loyal to the mare who praised herself on being honest and open. The Illuminant had never caught her mother in a lie. Even when marching to war, regardless if Onni agreed, her mother had been open with the herd. However, the shaman never really followed her to war, had she?

"You follow when they are right. You stand with them, support them," she says, looking at him with an earnest expression. "When they are wrong, you have a choice: part from their side, or part from yourself.
"In my experience, a betrayal of the self is the mark of a coward."