The winter was coming to an end. Slowly but surely the stars turned in the sky, allowing the reign of cold and dark to shorten. For each morning the sun rose earlier, the night came later, and the bite of frost in the air lessened. It was a fickle time of year, between radiant days basking in sunlight and violent snowstorms, as if nature couldn't quite decide whether it really wanted to change.

The path he walked was slippery, slick with half-melted snow upon newborn land. If it hadn't been for the luminescent veins surrounding the trail he would surely have gone astray in the storm, blinded as he were by the whipping wind and stinging shards of ice within it.
He never expected the trip to the Veins to be easy. It would be presumptuous to assume that the Gods were easily reached, that it was allowed to simply come waltzing in on their shrines without purpose. It was because of that reasoning he chose to save his visits for times when he really knew what to say, what to ask or thank for.

And he had much to thank for this time.

With the warmth of the white dragon pressed against his back, the cold-draped silver knight approached the shrines of Helovia's protectors, bowed respectfully to all three and closed his eyes, relaxed and in a good mood despite the storm that howled around him.

"I greet you, honorable lords and lady. I stand before you once again, to offer my thank you. Surely I must have been blessed, because so many good things have come my way as of late. No longer do I need to wander from land to land, lost and despairing. I've been accepted, taken in as a friend and confidante of someone, given a home and a family. It certainly feels a bit strange, but for every day that passes I grow more and more fond of my new comrades."

A smile tugged at his lips, the lids parting to regard the holy shrines through the haze - seeing, but mind turned inwards to the faces of Qian and friends from other places.

"The only cloud on the horizon is the constant threat of the former inhabitants of the World's Edge. A group of outcast unicorns remain hostile to us, but I think of it as a price we must pay for the crime of bringing war and strife to this land. I have no doubt that the matter will be resolved in due time, one way or another; by the ousting of the Qian or the scattering of the outcasts. I wish it wasn't necessary. I wish this small measure of peace could last, but no matter where I've gone in this world there has always been conflicts, open or brewing beneath a surface of prosperity. Is it really all our races can accomplish, to battle and squabble over unimportant things?"

A faint sigh slipped from the inky maw at the thought, lithe in face of the howling winds but caused by heavy thoughts. Lace shifted, feeling the claws of the dragon as she held on to his back.

"It seems not only mortals struggle to agree with one another, however" he continued, somewhat daunted over revealing his thoughts on this particular matter - but hey, he was here to pray, right? Might as well speak his mind on all matters that concerned him.
"The winter has been cold. I think I speak for all of us when I say I long for spring to come. I also hope that the lord of Sun will return to his shrine soon, and that he may be forgiven for his actions in the past. I know only little of the events that transpired, even though I myself have been marked by them - the aftermath, no doubt..." Here the equine trailed off, voice consumed by deep thoughts of matters that may or may not be of his concern. He would remains as such for a while, quiet and thoughtful, a mortal standing tall and enduring as the rage of winter whipped the landscape.

Should no answer come, no sign of the Gods appear to pick up the threads of conversation, he would speak for a while longer of small events within the herd before eventually leaving. Content, for he had no desire for power, fortune or companionship. He already had that, more than he had ever hoped for, and the only thing he could offer was the touch of a mortal to perform eventual tasks a divine one didn't have time for.

If required, he would do so willingly, no matter who asked.

[Lace just wants to pray and perhaps receive a quest, if he can be of use somehow]

The appearance of the God was quiet and unremarkable, and that in itself surprised the stallion more than the very fact that his words had been payed attention to. Last time he visited this place his plea had gone unnoticed, and while he didn't mind it the timing made him rather curious. What kind of gods ignored a plea for help but showed up when no desires tugged at his heard?

He bowed respectfully once more when faced with the Father of Earth, golden eyes curiously studying the Immortal under the cover of pale lashes. It was the second time he saw the shape of the impressive stallion, but he felt the same awe as he had done the first, the same sensation of shrinking in both size and importance in the world. The green eyes were kind enough but seemed a bit distant, like the deep rumbling voice and offered words were distant and almost guarded.

They puzzled him. What he sought? As far as he knew the stallion didn't seek anything. The things that were left to do within the Edge were matters he was quite capable of handling, together with Mirage and the rest of the Qian. It was nothing to trouble the gods with, and if so the Lady Luna would have to be consulted seeing as she was the protector of that particular area.
A cobwebbed head tilted slightly in thought as the equine searched within, but turned to look to the dragon on his back as she sat up and warbled softly, filling his mind with suggestion. Here they were, faced with a God that didn't seem entirely averse to granting a request, and he was about to throw it all away?

But I do not wish for anything, Fajira. If it's like that, why don't you make a request yourself?

The dragon snorted, pinched his skin with a claw in a bout of temperament and then slipped down from the back and onto the ground, using the wings to slow the fall. Her tiny frame almost disappeared beside the large God, barely visible against the white blizzard. Despite that her confidence remained secure, her eyes comfortable in her own worth and strength as she gazed up onto the Deity, mental voice enhanced with chirps and warbles. Surely a God would understand the draconian tongue.

"Colors are everywhere in the world" she trilled, utterly serious in her intention of making use of the situation. "The force that resides in the soul of some also have color, but ones unseen to eyes like ours. If there exists a means to view those, could You tell us where to find it?"

Lace listened with a raised brow at the question, not even aware that his bonded wished for such a thing. For all that their minds were linked, she sometimes surprised him immensely by holding desires and dreams to herself. He shrugged, returning the attention to Father Earth.

"What she said. If there's anything we can do for you in return of such information, we'll be happy to assist" he said, ignoring Fajira's silent protest. Of course they couldn't expect to receive anything without giving something in return - and the quest of one was the quest of the other. Such was the nature of the bond; everything was shared.

[She wants an item that can detect magical presence within a character. ]