Iona had yet to return to this place since coming through Threshold herself. She had made the journey from the Threshold to the Edge on foot, and had made a note to make a return trip from above.  The painted Pegasus had an almost compulsive need to know every single inch of this place, so today she found herself in the air - retracing her steps.  It was a habit, perhaps, but a habit that served her well.  Iona wasn’t one to be caught unaware.  Certainly not now – not after her experience.
 
The pegasi, too, had a rough appearance from the outside.  Unlike Lithium, Iona’s battle-scars had left their mark.  She had ugly scars down the right side of her right neck and around both of her wing joints from when they had been broken.  The scars didn’t bother her and she did very little to hide them, but she imagined they could be intimidating to those who didn’t know the story behind them - a story that she rarely shared with those outside a very small personal circle. 
 
As she grew nearer to the Threshold, Iona shifted course and descended, figuring that she may as well peruse the individuals lingering in the forest before she made her way back home.  She wasn’t one hell-bent on recruiting, but she was determined to be helpful.  She found a break in the trees and angled herself carefully shifting between branches and gracefully making her way to the ground, landing quietly and quickly folding her great wings tightly against her sides.
 
Her green eyes flicked quickly between gatherings of equines of all shapes and sizes, not lingering on any one group for very long.  It seemed like each herd had a well-rehearsed sales pitch for each newcomer.  Iona was lucky in the sense she entered the Threshold with a narrow-minded goal of simply finding her twin sister and had avoided that particular aspect of this place.
 
However one did catch her eye – a solitary stallion, standing about her height -  before she decided to call it a day and head back home to Aly and Naerys, she decided to see what he was about. The mare let her vivid green eyes linger over the younger stallion, taking in the cuts and bruises that littered his frame. If she had an eyebrow, she would have raised one.  “Did someone chase you here?” she asked, with a wry smile.  She didn’t mean to be rude.  That was just…Iona.  How typical she’d use something that could potentially be insulting as an icebreaker.  There wasn’t much in the way of a filter when it came to the black and white mare.  She’d seen too much in her time to be polite all the time.  However, by the looks of him, he could handle it - or at least that's what she hoped.  “I’m Iona – of the Edge.  Welcome to Helovia.  What’s your name?”

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“Good to meet you, Lithium,” Iona managed, using her manners (for once) and politely dipping her head in greeting to the young, silver stallion.  However, all measure of formality broke at his next words and mischief flickered in her bright green eyes.
 
She let out a dry, raspy laugh – a strange sound for the pegasus as she didn’t laugh often.  “I was dragged here, in a manner of speaking, by my twin sister.  She’s in the Edge too – she’s a healer.  I’m, well…” she paused, trying to find the right words, “I’m not a healer.”  She shifted her wings, unconsciously, as she spoke.  Of course, Aly hadn’t been the one who had caused the scarring.  Not directly at least.  Protecting Aly had caused such horiffic injuries.  Vengance had caused some of the others. And it was Alysanne that drew Iona to Helovia after years of looking for revenge that did nothing to soothe a wary soul.  So the boy was right on a level far beyond cuts and bruises.  Shaking the thoughts from her clouded mind, Iona redirected to the here and now.
 
“Are you looking for something in particular in Helovia?” she asked, genuinely curious as to what brought a young stallion to Helovia.  Iona had been so single-minded in her journey to Helovia it made her curious about what draw this place had to other individuals.  “If you’re looking for a place to call home, you’d be welcome in the Edge.  The herd is always growing – and there’s a place for everyone. Healers and not healers,” she added, with another mischevious smile. Though she didn’t know much of anything about the young stallion, she suspected that he was more oriented toward her own sensibilities than her sister’s.  “It’s a smaller herd but our patron Goddess is basically the baddest bitch around, so it’s not a bad place to be,” the painted mare added, with a wink.
 
“Plus I haven’t even mentioned the view…” there was a distinctly teasing note to her tone, but it was wistful too.  The sea-cliffs had become one of Iona’s favorite features of the World’s Edge.  She could spend hours listening to the sea crash against the sheer rocks while letting the salty air pour over her.  It was her happy place, of sorts.  The mare smiled again, but this time allowed the newcomer the opportunity to weigh in on the offer.   Of course if he mentioned he was searching for something else, Iona would do her best to facilitate – she wouldn’t abandon the poor kid in the threshold.  She was many things, but cruel certainly wasn’t one of them.

I O N A

“There are plenty of opportunities for advancement in the Edge, work isn’t without reward.”  She knew that to many this was an important concept – it had been her driving force as her youth.  That’s how she had risen so high in the ranks of the Resistance – the desire for power and prestige.  She still wanted many of those things, but her priorities had shifted somewhat.  The once vengeful mare was now focused in protecting her family – and by extension her herd – from behind the scenes.  This is what had led her to pursue the espionage ranks upon relocating to Helovia.  She now chose to fight from the shadows instead of the front lines, and surprisingly found she had little difficulty in making the transition.
 
However, the Edge could use spark like that that Lithium brought.  She suspected that he would be a good addition to her ranks, and she was pleased that she had decided to accompany her home.  “The Edge is the western herd – on the cliffs by the sea.  It will take the better part of the day to get there, but I promise it’s worth the trip.  And  I can fill in all the details about the Goddess – or find someone who knows more details than I have – as soon as we arrive.”
 
The painted mare was thankful that she’d already made the trip by foot.  Her niece, Naerys, had known all of the narrow paths through the threshold and the neighboring forests and Iona had thankfully had the foresight to commit them to memory.  They’d need those trails today. She wasn’t one to dawdle and Lithium didn’t seem like one who wanted a guided tour of Helovia on his way to the Edge.
 
“Follow me,” she said, as she turned, picking out the westward paths that would lead home, “We can go now.  No time like the present and all that jazz,” she added, another smirk present on her face.  She kept her wings tucked against her sides, more than content to walk for the time being. It was a nice change for the normally sky-bound pegasus who knew she needed to spend more time on the ground. Her sister lectured her about it enough. Iona, thankfully, found it wasn't difficult to pick out the trails Naerys had used so she hoped the remainder of the journey would not be difficult, but the pegasus found she was eager to return back to her home next to the sea, with company in tow.

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