She is a fool, the mare. Every word Lakota speaks, she tries to help her. It is not in the best of ways that may be true, but it is like the youth completely tunes her out when she is giving her advice that can damn well save her life. It is completely frustrating, and she wants to show her that she’s not all that. That nobody cares if she’s pretty, they care if she has a big mouth. Beauty gets you nowhere. In fact, Lakota has never met a more despicable, shallow, ugly creature before. First and foremost she has no brains, relying on her beauty and petty attitude to get her by. She will learn quite soon that others do not take so kindly to her actions and words. Aesthetically pleasing as she may be, Lakota thinks she is foul. The older mare is only trying to help the stupid girl! And yet she does not listen at all to her warnings. The words she flings out are childish, and Lakota is very, very close to biting her head off. Perhaps literally, if she can manage it. Doubtful with the teeth of an equine, but it’d be satisfying nonetheless. Magic surges in her veins and she is dying to use it, to show Azura what real pain is like. What touching death is like. But no, she’s not worth the energy needed. Not even worth flicking an ear, that’s how little she’s worth to Lakota.

Before she can reply to her, more words follow. ”First off Lakota do not speak down to me for as you said, we both lost our crown.” Lakota sneers, unimpressed. They may have both lost their crowns but she’ll soon learn that magic and integrity, morals…those are what give you real power. And Lakota, in that manner, is far above the childish little girl. Her apologies are not wanted, for she can feel that they are fake and hollow. Azura does not really care, and Lakota has not managed to make her understand. She has failed to show Azura the importance of her story, for she did not want pity out of telling it to her. She wanted to teach her morals, to show her that life is not a pretty land to prance in. ”How could one so hard and cold on the outside be so loving and take punishments when they could easily let others take it?” At first she flinches back, truly hurt by what Azura has said. The idea of her letting Hana take those beatings…the image of her beautiful sister flashes in her mind and suddenly she is enraged. She is more than enraged. Mist clouds up around her ankles, a poisonous fog that should not appear naturally, and magic is humming in the air. It always has that energetic presence that any mortal recognizes, and Lakota is displaying her power almost without thought. She doesn’t remember summoning it, and yet it is clouding up around her in agitation. Should it reach Azura, she will inhale it and it will cripple and burn her lungs until she is dead. Yet, since Lakota is not even aware she is summoning her magic in her anger, she does not use it. ”Because she is my sister you bitch! I may be heartless to you, but that’s because you don’t fucking know me! I have a heart thank you, and I am capable of using it! I would never, never have let them hurt her, because I love her. She was, and is, innocent. They would have been killed by these very hooves had they dared to touch her,” Lakota hissed. The booming fury of her words in the beginning of her sentences fading off to a cold, icy anger. Blinking down in shock at the magic swirling around her, quickly cancelling it out.

Lakota staggered backwards, alarmed by how angry she had been. It hurts, to know that everyone is so easily fooled by her façade. Do they all believe her to be a heartless bitch? It is true, she acts like it, but that is not who she is. Does she play the part so well that they fall for it? Has she become that person? No, no she couldn’t have. Her heart still beat, still ached for Ithrim. She was still capable of love. Azura was wrong, and yet her words were daggers that Lakota could not avoid. This raw, emotional pain almost kept her from missing the approach of a massive ebony stallion. Almost. Mercenary instincts kicked in and she eyed him with a wild, broken gaze. Everything in her felt broken, tainted. Azura thinking she was so…so two-dimensional made her realize that nobody was seeing past her barriers. That nobody saw how kind she could really be. It was a rare, somewhat gruff kind of love, but that was because she’d never had anybody to take care of her before. It had always been Lakota looking out for others. The stallion is speaking and vivid violet irises turn to him almost desperately, though she hides it well. She thinks. Crown dips in respectful greeting, and Lakota curtly returned the motion. Her composure is shattered and she’s desperately picking up the pieces while he talks, but is unable to put them back together. His sincerity gives her pause, and her eyes slowly turn to him once more from where they had turned unbidden to the ground. Lakota is well and truly shocked by the emotion behind his voice, for it had been non-existent in Azura’s. ”T-Thank you…” is all she can manage, a surprised, almost guarded tone, for she has never really had that sort of thing said to her in regards to her past. He calls her admirable, and she feels herself become uncomfortably warm, flustered. Not in the ‘this cute thing just complimented me!’ kind of way, but in a way that made her feel very awkward and…almost shy for how he thought her to be strong for enduring it. Lakota never, ever received compliments. What was there to like about her, after all? These depressing thoughts are spilling out all at once, due to her sudden lack of guard. Her composure lay in shambles, and suddenly every thought, every shred of self-hatred and depression is flowing freely. It’s shocking to see how emotional she can really be, and it frightens her. Where is the numb vapid nature she is used to? It is her security blanket, and she finds herself looking at Thayne almost as if she is falling and he is her last chance at survival.

Catching herself, she glanced away. No, she needs to get a grip. Faltering stance straightened and she took a deep, shaky breath. Trying and only somewhat succeeding in getting her thoughts to retreat. He smiles at them, a dark twist of lips that is still kind. Lakota wishes she could smile so easily, but snorts internally at the idea. There is nothing left of her to save, why does she keep wishing for it to happen? ”I’m Lakota, it is a pleasure, Thayne,” she said softly, the frigid nature of her tone wavering into emotions such as unsure and shocked. Like why the fuck would she ever say it was a pleasure? That’s not like her. She’s slowly but surely rebuilding her wall, and knows it’s obvious to the two around her. It’s like with every mental brick a bit of emotion fades, a bit of her slouch straightens. But it’s taking far too long, and Lakota feels vulnerable. Hollow.

I guess you really are made of ice…