The blue Lady wanders along the inner borders of the Aurora Basin. There are many things on her mind—she searches through the wooded shrubbery for any herbs to collect for the greenhouse (old habits die hard, after all), while also inspecting her beloved home for any sign that something might be amiss. She is not used to the act of patrolling, but like a mother watching over her children, protecting her precious mountain valley is something that comes naturally. Breathing in the crisp air, she sighs breathlessly, raising her head to gaze out across all that is familiar and dear to her heart.

It is while her eyes admire the shimmering surface of the lake that the booming crack! of the bullwhip explodes through the air. Tiamat is startled at first, unsurprisingly, though a crooked smile soon twists across her lips. She only knows of one individual who brandishes such a weapon—and so with a bounce in her step, the sea maiden ambles towards the Sentinels, where her friend surely waits beyond.

‘Danger!’

The childlike warning suddenly echoes throughout every corner of Tiamat’s mind, ringing with a soprano fear that is potent enough to tingle through her bones. Snapping her head high, the mare stops at the line of trees and glances to her right, where she sees her companion threading swiftly through the trunks. Nimue’s eyes are wide and scared—the Leviathan, having only met the gilded man in the Threshold, does not recognize the harsh sound of the whip like her bondmate does. Tiamat reaches out to pull the young whale into the crook of her neck, hugging her close, and crooning that everything is alright.

Once Nimue is soothed, the oceanic pair continues, stepping beneath the Sentinels’ empty gazes and to the tundra beyond. There are already two figures that have approached Toulouse by the time the Lady reaches them. “Hello!” She calls out happily, though it is not difficult to gather that the trio’s conversation hasn’t been exactly cheerful thus far. Their expressions are snarls and scowls and the echo of their tones had been heated. Puckering her lips into a frown, Tiamat thinks for a moment before she smiles again. Calling upon her new rank magic, she reaches out to ease their ornery minds, hopefully enough to diffuse the tension by the time she settles among them.

Pressing her muzzle to the shoulders of her herd mates in gentle greeting, the Ocean’s Light turns her bright eyes to the gelding. “Toulouse! What a lovely surprise it is to see you this far north,” she smiles warmly, reaching out to exchange breaths in friendship and familiarity. “This is Toulouse, he’s a friend of mine from the Edge,” the blue maiden explains to Nox and Oizys, glancing to both of them before she looks back to their visitor. “What brings you here?” She questions with quiet excitement.

“Speech.”

we run like a river runs to the sea