Essetia

Look at the wake from the stardust pouring from your eyes

The last time she had laid eyes upon such derision had been when she’d been captured by the Basin at the hands of Ulrik the Engineer. Of course, it wasn’t his derision she’d been coaxing, but instead her own. Again, she felt mirthful when her serpent’s tongue was set to wag… for the spy was nothing if not playful and a bit cruel. Time and circumstance had gorged on her kindness and Essetia had learned that having a gentle heart didn’t always account for one’s actions. She had learned that much from her father and his many negligible escapades. Essetia had grown up an orphan for such reasons and felt as though she was not obligated to appease anyone outside of common duty. Perhaps that’s why she so often struck bones upon which she felt she could shatter. However, petty insults wouldn’t always keep her adrift… that was something she was becoming sure of.

However, there were some creature more than deserving of her wily games, even if those brutes were to be considered “family” by name alone. In a land made up of warriors crafted to win battles with physical prowess, Essetia was one of the few who was expected to be sound of mind and logic. Was the spy willing to lay down her armor in order to engage a bumbling fool such as he- he who was clearly most comfortable poking beneath another’s taut skin? Perhaps it was just a foolish notion that had once inspired her to act, but now felt wrong in such context.

But oh, how he pushed upon her nerves.

He was clever, a trait that Essetia had not been expecting, and obviously vain (at least in her opinion). Perhaps it was only that Essetia wanted to see the ugly in him and find good reason to dub him soulless or wrong. Yet, she would be condemning someone who would offer their life to protect her own… She would be damning a man that would ultimately provide the pathway to a better future after the invasion of the Falls.

But it didn’t stop her from hating him for his eagerness and confidence. Men of his caliber were quite often swayed by very few things, but among them Essetia believed him to be compelled by blood, honor, and naturally females. There wasn’t much substance behind her opinions, but the spy was more than happy to think so freely… for what was freewill without free thought? “At least you’re more intelligent than you look. I guess the Throat is full of surprises,” she answered in kind, her expression impassive despite the slight curling of her lips.

Still she remained at a comfortable distance with Romul lingering close to her side. It didn’t escape her notice when those crimson eyes failed to meet her own, but instead sought the angry, golden stare of her wolf. It didn’t seem to faze the great titan, but then again, both she and Romul knew how to work well as cohesive team. They weren’t cut from the battle cloth like he, but they worked well in the shadows and were equipped for more strategic maneuvers. “Don’t worry, I think it’s frowned upon to draw the blood of our brothers, unless you intend to take their position… and trust me, I don’t want yours.”

Essetia recalled her first night in the Dragon’s Throat after seeking refuge from the ruins of the Hidden Falls. She hadn’t waited long to challenge the idiotic Bucephalus and had won, because the fool couldn’t’ manage to finish the fight. She’d taken his throne for a time… and regretted it later upon disappearing into the lands beyond Helovia. Grief was just as powerful as death… and it was too heavy a burden to carry alone when surrounded by those who promised to help you carry it. Essetia couldn’t remember a time when such words had proven true and so sought the healing remedies of isolation, whereupon her thoughts were her own and she was nothing more than a nameless face amongst the lonely masses.

Like a whip to the flesh, the titan’s words broke easily along her skin, and Essetia was forced back into her conscious like a bird with broken wings. He was severe and defiant, a combination of traits that she abhorred in most, but admired in some. “Then what God do you carry with you? Or what is it that you possess that entices them so?” she questioned almost absently, her thoughts further drawn from conversation. His next remark was of lesser interest as well, though the spy couldn’t refrain from catching the bait and feeding it back to him. “Well, I take it your interests are more swayed by the masculine type then?” Essetia smiled at this and turned a bemused gaze toward Romul who avoided peeling his golden stare from the beast before them. Perhaps his companion was the only one entertained by her own childish antics. "To each their own I suppose."