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The longer she stood in the company of Ruka (or the company of anyone, really), the more Illynx felt as if she was losing her grip on who she was. The thought itself was the head of a splinter that had dug its way deep into her, so deep that it had caused her to run away from home in order to escape the sensations that it created as it slipped deeper and deeper in. Her whole life, the golden trimmed minx had believed herself to be a superior creature to others, and thus she had always treated others as smaller beings; but lately, and she supposed with age, she had found that her heart was being tugged in more directions than she had ever wanted it to. First, there was the issue of her feelings of friendship towards Psyche, her longest friend but also her leader; it was strange to have such strong bonds tied in one location, and even stranger that Illynx found she enjoyed the presence of the sleek queen of the Basin, despite her decaying faith that connections of the emotional type made one weak and vulnerable.
"Indeed. Coming back to where those you care about and who care for you in return can make any journey worthwhile." The second issue was that Ruka, unintentionally, of course, kept pointing figurative truths in her direction, causing her to look deeper within herself the longer this conversation continued. It made for a conflicting view of the uniquely horned male, providing her with plenty of reasons to find him wise and insightful, but also numerous reasons to wish she'd never made the journey to the Threshold in the first place, or perhaps that she had come with violence in mind; why, oh why, had she decided to be friendly and sociable? The emotions that his simple statement had invoked made her wonder if everything she had ever told herself about herself was a lie - she had, after all, decided to return to Helovia after her wandering because it was home, but as Ruka stated, home had many meanings, not always blatantly stated in the word itself. It was a rather discomfiting thought that she was not as cold hearted and weakness free as she had always assumed herself to be.
Because she was so uncomfortable with the notions brought on by his words as well as quietly scheming behind her smile, she didn't give them any reply, merely grinned in an awkward way that gave hint to the storm of thoughts within her. She assumed, by a subtle change in his body language, that such a response was exactly what he had in mind, as well; she herself was not ready to talk about why she had come back after dashing away from her life here, and she could not expect Ruka to be willing to either. It wasn't until now that she also realized he had most subtly hinted that he had once lived here in Helovia, a fact he hadn't openly discussed - something she gently tucked away in her folds of memory, to be dredged up upon a later date could it be used to manipulate him later on, though at this point, she doubted Ruka was one to be easily used; it was also highly possible that he had refrained simply from having to paint ugly pictures of his past. While his character of "gentleman" had become shaded slightly by this little insight, she couldn't hold it against a fellow to not throw his cards all on the table. She herself had built almost her entire life upon half truths and manipulations.
"Your Basin sounds interesting, Corporal. Please, tell me more? I am unfamiliar with it, and would know what to prepare myself for." His bright smile broke the growing anxiety about herself into small pieces, her mind refocusing upon his question with a bright intensity that came only when she thought of things she felt proud of, pretty face blooming into a smile that spoke volumes of how she felt about her home. The Basin was, quite possibly, the love of her life, despite having been born in World's Edge and having put in fewer years in the snow peaks than she had with the Moon worshipers, and there was nothing she would adore doing more than sharing its small details with new arrivals, and the main reason that she had returned to Helovia. That he didn't know of the Basin meant that he had been gone before the rise of the Plague to their seat of power, a careful constructed veil of a herd-land to cover their true and dark intentions - and said also that he may not approve of the freezing cold home of the Frostheart and Dark Empress. "It is to the west of the snow covered mountains, Frostbreath Steppe," she said, ebonite muzzle pointing towards the peaks of the Steppe that could just barely be seen over the tops of the panchromatic leaves, "and is ruled by Mauja, the Frostheart, and the fierce Lady Psyche; mostly a collection of warriors, but we require all talents." She didn't think to mention the heritage requirements for the Basin, believing that Ruka was smart enough to figure it out on his own when he arrived and also so as not to give away any of the herd's true purpose through accidental slips of speech. "Like I said before, there is a hot spring, but also a lake, and there are many caves to explore. Sweet grass in the warm seasons, the mountains themselves feeding the fields, though now they wither." Her eyes sparkled lovingly as the picturesque scene filled her head, every detail as beautiful to her as it had been the first day she had stepped foot in the Basin, her golden gaze coming to rest upon the bright green of Ruka's, a dreamy smile unfaltering upon her lips, "I find it delightfully serene, despite the cool mountain air."
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