Spending so much time in the Northern areas of Helovia, the dwindling cold of Tallsun on the Basin's climate was more than bearable for the strawberry femme outside the borders. All that accompanied her was the howling of the wind down the winding path she'd come from, a solemn backing to the song she'd weaved for whomever deigned her worthy of their time for acceptance. It could be anyone who came to receive her, though she knew regardless she'd search out Deodat. She wasn't going to conceal his child from him. They hadn't sworn anything to one another, and Hotaru wasn't one to cherish or desire that sort of loyalty anyways. They were far better as...dare she even call herself a friend of his? They were rather similar, and enjoyed the company of the other, but friendship was perhaps a stretch between the two of them. Whether Deodat wanted to take part in raising his foal, Hotaru would raise it with all the love and strength she could impart on them.

Irony, or perhaps fate, was on her side that evening. A familiar form came bounding towards her, canine and pale as the snowy tundra surrounding her. Familiar barking was erupting from the tiny form, and Hotaru greeted her with the same laughter as their first meeting. The pup was pawing at her legs continuously, hopping up to meet her, and Hotaru amused her by dropping her head and blowing softly to warm her face with her breath. "Well hello, beautiful," she laughed, glad to find that Odette was just as energetic and endearing as she remembered. It had been a while since they had last met, after all. She had grown.

And if Odette was present that meant her bonded was not far behind. Sure enough as Hotaru lifted her gaze, sparkling with mirth and delight at a familiar face- canine though it may be- a bloody form was advancing on the horizon. She was not nearly as dashing in comparison with her swollen belly, but she was glowing with health and joy, and she would never be cursed with physical lackings in appearance. He seemed pleasantly surprised and sincerely happy to see her, and Hotaru greeted it with a warm smile. It was nice, to be received so kindly, and by one she knew. "It was definitely just as hard as I recall," she laughed, remembering the winding path and the well-hidden entrance that had made her travels more treacherous than she'd anticipated. d'Artagnan's directions had not failed her in the end, however, and so she stood in one piece before the Nightshade's cousin.

His flirtatiousness was well-received, a sultry smile curling pale lips. "Is that so? Lucky you that I arrived, then," she crooned, winking back. They both seemed to be aware that she was there to stay, permanently. It had been discussed last time they'd met, the invitation extended by the stallion before her, and she fully intended to take him up on it. "And I can probably keep it away, if you intend to keep me as you said," she chuckled softly. It was in no way an indication of any relationship, merely a restatement of previous conversation, and her face hopefully conveyed that well.

A strange but familiar smell meets her nostrils as she lifts her head from the ball of feathers rolling about in the grass at her hooves, her son’s laughter bright on the air as she turns her golden eyes to the entrance of the vale. Pausing long enough to look back at him playing along the lakeside and the lower her nose for Kyst to scramble up her neck and onto her shoulders, wincing ever so slightly at the pressure of her talons and cat claws gripping into her, she calls back to the boy that she will be back; not too long ago she quick taking him on her mundane tasks, figuring he had more to learn from the world at this point than from talking to endless faces about nothing in particular as she did on a daily basis. It would be up to him to forge his own path in life, and there was little she could do to guide him where she wanted him with making him loathe the very idea – and so she left him be. He calls a cheerful farewell as her hindquarters move off towards the entrance with Kyst bobbing on her swaying hips.

She arrives to find a pink mare she has seen somewhere before and the Corporal, golden eyes running quickly across the more foreign figure of the mare to find that she is both pregnant and quite smitten with the tri-hued warrior who courts her. That she can see this so plainly on both of them almost makes her gag, she herself more reserved with her chosen male and relatively sure that most only knew of their union for the obvious proof of the child that had been born; love is not something she handles well, even if it is only attraction bleeding its sickly sweetness into the air around the pair and not the true deep emotion she seeks to avoid.

Her nostrils taste the mountain air and smell the dragons of the Edge on the stranger, her mind searching deeply in itself for where she knows her face from. Suddenly, it strikes her – the Moon Goddess, she thinks as a smile slinks onto her features. She has seen this one at least twice before but does not know her name.

It is odd, the way time brings them all together. She will have to give him thanks later, for this blessed year; she had survived the darkness, brought into the world both a genuine child and spared another, seen her companion hatch from an egg gifted to her by a harpy, and now this – another child worthy of their mountain and what she hoped was more than just a cordial visit between lovers.

Such a pretty thing would look splendid among her kin, a rose that thrives in the snow. She smiles sweetly and with all the grace of a poised cat as she arrives, nodding greeting to Deodat without the slightest of inquiries flashing through her eyes; it is apparent to her, at least, that the need to be a man runs strong in the bloodlines of her kin, and that most men gauge their worthiness by the number of brats they can conceive. She wonders, as she turns her gleaming mask to the rose and frost damsel, if this one knows of the other child already here that is not hers but is the Corporal’s.

She has never been pressed to know what she would feel if Ulrik did such a thing to her – but she does not imagine it would be pretty. While she does not love the Engineer, she does consider him in many ways to be hers, and she has never been the sort to share well or even manage to play nice with others. "Salutations, Deodat and his lovely guest," she opens with, not really sure how to approach such a softly smiling woman who glows most radiantly in her venerable condition, soft and perhaps not knowing of the sharpness in these stone walls, "welcome to our home. I am the Lady Illynx, leader of this place alongside his Lordship Deimos."

Whatever cold lingered on her coat seemed to become numb and ignored in the face of the bright sunshine joy of the pup's reaction to her presence. As the Corporal spoke, she glanced between the two of them, unwilling to withdraw her attention from the clearly excited companion attempting to somehow scramble up her forelegs. "Certainly a wonderful tactic," she agreed lightly, glad she'd managed the treacherous path with her swollen belly and aching body. And while she was certainly swollen, it didn't dissuade her from taking part in his flirtatious games. He was merely a good friend who she'd had a good roll in the hay with, why shouldn't she flirt with him again? Though it seemed he was relieved by her reception, and she internally snorted at the realization that other mares perhaps would not have been so accommodating, demanding he take responsibility or some nonsense for the foal she'd willingly- and happily, I mean, Deodat was a stud!- participated in making.

Whatever happy glow surrounded them was smoothly transitioned into a subject she knew must be eating at his mind, considering she was standing nearly ready to pop right in front of his eyes. "Yes, it's yours. But no worries, handsome, I'm no traditionalist. I'm afraid you may bore me if I tried to force you to settle down," she teased, eyes glinting with a light of seriousness. "Though you are more than welcome to help in their raising." She would neither bar nor force his involvement with the life inside of her.

Audits perk and face smooths into granite as another approaches, an air of royalty surrounding her. Spine straightens and tiara rises, blatantly surveying the lass, sizing her up for a potential match even if she'd never fight pregnant. Call it habit, or instinct. Hotaru liked knowing exactly who she had to face and what her qualifications were in the arena should any showdown happen. Only when she announced her title did Hotaru bow shallowly, heterochromatic eyes fixed on the damsel with the dappled gold hide. "A pleasure, Lady of the Basin. Excuse my seemingly loose behavior, it's unbefitting a potential body beneath your rule. I hope my companionship with your fine Corporal has not illuminated me in a wrongly fashioned light." Each word is airy and elegant, refined in a way her mother had drilled into her head since she'd left the womb. She is poised, a princess in the making with silver daggers tucked in every fold of her evening gown.

"As Deodat mentioned, my name is Hotaru, daughter of Tolio. I came here originally in search of my godsire and goddam, Mauja and Faelene. However upon meeting d'Artagnan, who extended an invitation to me personally before the wraiths descended, I have come on my own terms...to be with my own kind, so to speak." A dangerous sparkle shines in her eyes, but her smile is sugar sweet as her tiara tilts innocently. If Illynx is half as intelligent as Hotaru suspects, she will catch on rather quickly. If not, then Hotaru will definitely be disappointed.

"Of course, I'm rather burdened right now, but I seek to be a warrior beneath your ranks. I have experience, and I am more than willing to fight for a title. I ask of you your acceptance into the home that should have been my birthland." A frown temporarily sours her beautiful face, displaying a sliver of the darkness that hid behind the convenient mask of her assumed simplistic aesthetically pleasing caricature. It was one she used to deceive others, but she suspected Illynx knew her game well, and was unafraid to let herself be found out.

"Though I must say, all formalities aside, if you have such handsome stallions in the Basin, I might find living here quite joyful." She hated switching in such a bipolar fashion from flirtatious to poised, but a quick wink to Deodat and finalized words far less formal than their predecessors, it was easy to assume that she was more than capable of being both controlled and empowered as well as informal and relaxed. To Hotaru, that was a valuable asset, and nobody's opinions could sway hers because they simply did not matter in her mind.

@[Illynx]

The stag who accompanies the stranger is one that Illynx, quite thankfully, finds she can usually predict as if he is the changing faces of the Moon herself, steady and always the same. It is not to say that Deodat is not a dynamic being with multiple facets to his person, but he is still less complex than wild eyed Zikar-Sin or her moody and brooding Engineer. She takes in the sound of Hotaru’s name from his dark rimmed lips and nods her greeting to the pretty mare as she observes the reaction that rises from her – to find it ill suited. There is arrogance in the way her head rises and her chest gathers, normally something Illynx disregards in her herd mates once she has come to see their value beyond the size of their egos, she herself among the more egotistical creatures to walk the Basin and thus harboring little ill will to others who saw the value in their own being. But this woman was new, baring the child of one of her corporals (she could only assume, of course, from the love struck looks on their faces and the desire within herself for this to be a positive meeting, not one in which Deodat accepts a bastard to be his when the woman is merely a tramp who had been with every man from here to the Marsh, as some women could be) and unknown to Illynx but for her interest in the arcane might that could be found in this land and an obvious affection for the stalwart and hardened cousin of the Doctor.

That she is new makes her display off putting, Illynx having found even the most audacious of unicorns to wander up the mountain capable of restraining their pride for at least the first conversation with their superiors. Still, she does give the mare some marks for bravery and a hardened spirit, and as the words flow past the lips of the woman she takes them in and smiles. At least she explains away the width of her guts and the affection plastered to either of their faces, and Illynx settles her worries that this isn’t Deodat’s child and progresses into the conversation knowing that, while she may decide any number of things of Hotaru, she is welcome here for as long as she suckles the Corporal’s babe and bringing into the world another strong unicorn.

So strong are her desires to see her crowned haven that she does not truly care from whose twat the children fall out of, so long as they are born capable and wearing horns with no blemishes such as wings or other deviant parts. It is with this regard that she continues to hear the sweet, lacy words that rise from the young woman’s lips, all the learning of the Edge heard in each refined note and phrase that extends from her throat, and those words draw a smile to the lips of the Lady as Hotaru mentions that she is the child of Tolio.

That may be some of the arrogance bleeding from her, thinks the golden bitch, for she truly belongs here and was merely lost until now. Her following words deepen this resolve within her, and the predatory gleam that is known to capture Illynx at such discoveries haunts her lips and makes her golden eyes flash deviously in their black rimmed holds. The initial distrust of the roan that had flooded her is just as quickly washed away, the Lady now listening to the easy flow of the learned mare’s words as she requests a rank with all the tact that could be expected of the daughter of charming Tolio. She wonders, as she looks at her, who her dam was to throw such a splendid pink hue – Tolio is the color of snow and copper, definitely handsome but not so mouth-wateringly beautiful as this one.
It is a dangerous combination, to be beautiful and wise, and Illynx feels her heart beat faster at the potential risk and benefits that accompanies the power of wielding yet another splendid and undeniable woman among her fold. As Hotaru’s words close, a silvery stream of laughter breaks into the air, the Lady herself feeling quite the same about many of the delectable choices that linger in the snow.

No finer men in all of Helovia – not that men were all that fine.

With minute sorrow etched artistically into her features, she begins her words to counter those of Hotaru, beginning with the things that were sad to finish with more pleasant thoughts. "Faelene is gone, to where we do not know," she says softly, remembering the tender figure of Sielu in the Threshold and feeling that dark worry strike at her again for the safety of the former Thief, "the Frostheart and I found her youngest daughter in the Threshold, alone and dying – though we did manage to spare her the cold finality of death, though perhaps the Doctor or Deodat told you as much of our missing numbers. Roland is now the Thief in her place, while we anxiously watch for her return." She sighs, weary of fretting over those she had not seen since the season of death and weary of having to explain their absences to others. It was too indicative of failures on her behalf to protect them, and it sours her heart to dwell on it. "Your sire is still among our secret keepers, however, and any daughter of such a fine gentleman as Tolio is always welcome among the snow," she adds with a smile, letting the conversation lighten along with the vibrancy of her voice, "the man beside you now can help you begin your work for the soldiers, or you may find Belial or Torleik to be more of your liking. All, of course, are delightfully handsome, so I fear there will be no easy selection in so far as finding the most attractive." She says the last with a playful wink and another bout of tinkling laughter, flashing like so much powdered metal in the air and just as cold and sharp if one listens to the undertones rippling beneath the gleaming sound of her elation; she herself held a sharp interest in both the Corporal who was here and the General, both handsome and clever in their own right.

What held her in check was the bond she shared with the Engineer, having observed his behavior since their union to discover that he was a faithful (or perhaps simply droll) man who kept to himself and watched their son with the protective instincts she had so longed for in the father of her children. Distant, perhaps even cold in nature was her darling Engineer, but she herself was no better and so she could expect little more of anyone else in her life. Perhaps that was what held her in place, a woman with few ties and even fewer she would be loathe to sever – she would only ruin the others, where Ulrik was seemingly incapable of collecting rust and tarnish from close contact with such a wretched creature as herself.

"Our main cause at the moment are the heathens who tortured Arah and her children and stole away our General in the darkness, known as the Regime and believed to be located not far from World’s Edge," her smile grows dark and visceral, her golden eyes glittering deviously in her face, "if you can bring me any of their heads, the rewards are boundless."

Whatever came from the joining of the two hardened warriors would be a prince or princess regardless of blood or rank, and Hotaru would raise them as one regardless of Deodat's presence. She appreciated his words, and found him shining in a far more handsomely light at the fact he did not promise anything he could not keep, and did not swear undying love or loyalty. She knew there was a reason she liked the lug. "You're a good stag, Deodat. Thank you." There is a playfulness to her lyrics that turn the serious words into the same banter they were accustomed to. Hotaru likely would never seek a relationship with him, but friendship, camaraderie? Definitely. He was the sort she would love to acquaint herself with, if only because his soul echoed hers so well. No, the she-wolf would not find love for many seasons more.

The world shifts with the entrance of Illynx, and though wisdom deigns she lower her crown she does not; part of her desires to, an instinct unforgotten, but she fights between the line of submission and arrogance in how she desires to be seen. But whatever tension unseen between the two women is shaken and dissolved, and soon they are conversing in glinting eyes and curling lips like smoke over burning fields. Oh yes, they are of the same breed, both insidious and silver-tongued with the prettiest of falsely crafted smiles and the sharpest of blood-drenched daggers perched in fingers meant to be kissed adoringly. This is a woman Hotaru would seek tutelage from, would emulate and guard with her life. This was a woman she could follow.

Their male companion seems to disappear, and for the first moment since discovering the life growing inside of her, Hotaru regrets appearing pregnant before the powerful woman. Hotaru was graceful, deadly, a rosened panther with well-trained claws, but such poise could not be transferred visibly with the swell of her child rendering her so useless on the battlefield. Even without the full capability of her body showing, everything is there for Illynx to behold in her pale roaned face, though it is a game for Hotaru. She will reveal all Illynx desires, so long as the woman works for it to a degree. And oh the secrets she holds.

To know her goddam is vanished strikes a chord of sorrow into her heart. Her own father had not attended her birthing, yet Faelene had been present to see her gulp her first breaths, in a time when she was pure and just as full of worth as her twin who would usurp her with good looks and charming words in their mother's eyes. Further tragedy was revealed in the near-death of Faelene's child, and the budding mother inside her clenched until it was assured that the foal had made it. From there the news gleamed brighter and brighter, for the title of her godsire was as second nature to her as his given name. The FrostHeart still lived, the proud stallion her father served so faithfully. No longer did he rule the cliffs and snowy hills, but Hotaru did not serve dying ghosts. No, she would find bigger and better things, and gazing upon the gilded goddess opposite her eyes she felt her lips curl; or maybe she already had.

"I'm afraid looking will be my only pleasure," she assured, tone light but with a seeping darkness curling like acrid smoke beneath a silver lining. Men. The Corporal at her side was one of the few who could escape her wrath on that battlefield. All her life men had ripped and ruined, wreaked havoc and shattered any gleaming future she could have grasped. Her father was a deserter whom she'd never met but in glimpses from her mother's flanks. Tingal as well, only to return with disgust in his eyes and childishly insultive words upon his tongue, desiring the blood of a child unborn that did not come from his loins. Hotaru hated men. "I'm a little hard to impress at times," she ended lightly, even as her eyes crackled with electricity to come when not in the vicinity of the often easily insulted pridefulness of men. She would raise her foal to own everyone and everything, to never bow head nor hoof to any mare or stallion who sought to control or own them. Deodat was perhaps the first stallion she had not desired to gut with her horn. Was that a Basin trait? If so then she could certainly be swayed.

Instead she is given a mission, one that she doubts she can achieve with her foal in her belly, but a sick grin full of promise spreads on her pale lips. "Consider them yours, my Lady," she swore, tone light and pleasant as if conversing over the beauty of the hilltop instead of compacting an oath to bring the heads of the Regime to the golden hooves of the Basin ruler. "I suppose this is...welcome home?" Crown tilts slow and innocent to the side, smile turning sugared even as eyes conveyed the gratitude at having been not only accepted but taken seriously. Illynx had won many points in Hotaru's little black book of secrets and grudges, allies and foes. She had a feeling they would get along splendidly.