It was home, regardless of how she felt about it. Don’t get her wrong, other than the blistering sun, the Throat wasn’t a bad place. She’d fallen into the trap of it easily enough, lingering on the border with the sea lapping at her feet, avoiding leaving. One, what was she going to do anyway? She will recruit, but she’s basically terrible at it, so it’s not something she does often. There are much more outgoing horses in the Throat better suited to representing the herd than her. And two, she does not like flying. It is really freaking weird, her feet just sort of useless in the sky and she lands kind of like a brick still. Maybe she should practice that part, but hell if her feet are going to leave the ground and the sea any more than they must.

Thea, on the other hand, very much enjoys their home. She better, because it was her idea to come here. They have both grown used to functioning like vampires, sleeping away the day in the oasis or in what little shade they can find. Coming out as the sun sets and playing in the ocean for a while, before sleeping some more. She’s gotten lazy, truthfully, complacent in this place and the quiet life she’s establish for herself and Thea. On occasion, Thea drags them both into social situations, but even Thea seems largely content with their quiet life.

Today is a usual day for them. The sun is beginning to set, and the evening is turning pleasant, a slight breeze in the air. It’s almost chilly, for the Throat, anyway. Thea, content in her hydra form for now, slithers along their usual path toward the water, Syrena trailing in her wake. Her companion is a pile of energy, always ten steps ahead, or just moving circles around Syrena. The reach the water, and Thea dives in, creating a ruckus like she always does. Syrena wades in quietly, letting the warm water lap at her legs, turning her red and orange and yellow where the water touches.

Like usual, she assumes her evening will pass like this. Thea playing, Syrena doing nothing useful at all. She just doesn’t know where to begin, though she’s trying. Giving away keys, waiting for orders from her monarchs. She’ll work, when given the work, but what else do you do? When life just takes and takes everything from you, why work for it again?

She is vaguely aware of another nearby. It’s rare that she runs into anyone at this hour of the evening just hanging out in the water. Everyone gets up when it’s cool enough to move and does something useful their time. Syrena, however, cannot figure out what she might even consider doing. Her two friends lived in the Edge, and she could not live there with them. The water was too far, located down a cliff that would mean certain doom for the wingless siren. Living without easily accessible water was just not something she ever wanted to do, and so, she had come here. The Basin had a lake, but her seal-gray skin didn’t really grow hair as a normal horse’s did, instead remaining slick like it was perpetually wet all year round. The cold Basin was not something she thought she could tolerate. Though she wasn’t a fan of the Throat’s heat, but she was far better suited to it.

Her awareness of the other horse doesn’t draw her that way, but it does alert Thea. Thea is desperate for friends and therefore, desperate to force Syrena to make friends. The hydra starts moving toward the other horse as he starts moving toward them. With less resignation than she expected to feel, Syrena followed, though soon enough Sunjata is already near them, and she doesn’t have to go far. Thea splashes in the water happily in hello, all five heads bobbing in greeting. There’s something slightly terrifying about those five heads and those ten purple eyes, but Thea’s antics are so ridiculous that anything fearful about her appearance is quickly washed away.

She remembers the blue bird-like horse, having given him a key not too long ago. He’d been kind and not overly intrusive, and if she was going to have company this evening, there is definitely worse company to have. “It is,” she says, when he confirms her name. “Sunjata, right? It is a nice evening, though I enjoy the water regardless of the weather.” She almost laughs at that, because it must be obvious. She had gills behind her ears, fins instead of feathers, and scales along her legs and belly. If he is half bird, than she is half fish. What an interesting pair they make, dripping with water in the dying sun. It would be a borderline romantic scene if it didn’t include the emotionless siren. Though no, she is not quite emotionless, just sad. She is too sad to feel much of anything else.

Thea prods at Syrena through their bond, a strange mental poke, trying to get her bonded to actually make small talk, or try to keep the conversation going. To do anything, really, to actually attempt to make a friend or do something but wallow in the water. “How have you been?” she manages, thinking this is the way conversation progresses, not entirely sure she’s got it right.

Thea is pleased with the hello she receives from Sunjata, even if it comes in the form of a laugh and a nod. It’s more than enough for her, and she settles down slightly, trailing around near the stallion enough to be very present and not forgotten, but not so much as to be completely annoying. Or so Thea thinks, anyway, though Syrena isn’t entirely sure that her overzealous companion won’t overstep one day. Sunjata, at least, seems like a kind enough soul, so Syrena leaves Thea be with just a slight warning through their bond. Thea slinks back to Syrena for slightly longer, before drifting in between the two of them and staying put.

“Jata,” she says with a nod, committing the name to her memory. She’d gotten better about names as of late, making it a point to do her best to remember them. When she’d first come, she’d dismissed most everyone she’d met, still unaware that her powers had been lost and that these horses would become her constant companions. At the time, she’d only planned to stay for a little while before setting off to the next land, and their names, as the names of all those before them, had not been worth her time. Now though….ah, well now, things were very different.

Thea makes a strange, screeching sound when he splashes her. Syrena is pretty sure it’s supposed to be a laugh, but hydra sounds are not her most knowledgeable subject. However, the happiness that courses through her bonded makes her think she’s probably right. Thea uses the long, purple-finned tail to try and splash Jata back, creating a rather impressive little wave with the large tail. Her aim, however, might not be as impressive. Some of the water hits Syrena, not that she minds, her skin changing color where the water splashes against her.

He confesses he also likes the water, and she likes him slightly more for that. Those that can sink into the water, wings and all, do get slightly higher regard in her book. “I do not often see others out here,” she says, trying to be polite, saying without saying that she appreciates others than enjoy the sea. Yes, there was a large and pleasant lake in the oasis, but it wasn’t the same. Perhaps the sea is dangerous here, but so close to the shore, she doesn’t worry or simply can’t bring herself to care. She will always prefer the sea.

He goes on to answer her question, and it takes her a moment to remember what his job here is. They’d been promoted at the same time, if she remembers correctly, and eventually it comes back to her. Or maybe it just clicks, given his tasks, but either way she nods. “They are keeping you busier than me, then.” Not that she doesn’t have anything to do, but finding two missing horses seemed like a larger task than collecting metal. “Though I am well, and busy enough. There is talk of refortifying our borders, so I suppose that will be quite time consuming when it happens. For now, I tasked with outfitting our army, collecting metals, and the usual tasks.” She was busier than she might otherwise have been if there was another crafter, but it seemed unlikely that Zero would be showing up to help her anytime soon.

“I do hope you find your sister though,” she adds after a moment of silence. Thea continues to drift between them, one head spitting water toward Sunjata, another toward Syrena, the other three looking around for trouble. The hydra was entirely unaware of the somewhat serious turn of the conversation, for Syrena finds she does actually mean this. His sister was not quite like her sisters, but still, the bond was a similar thing. She rarely found her sisters, though she always knew where to look. They simply didn’t often show themselves, though that is likely why most think them simply creatures of myth and legend. Still, despite the differences, she can understand in some small way what he might be going through. Even if she didn’t quite know how to sympathize well.