ZARIAH
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
Ah yes, old habits certainly do die hard, don't they? Zariah chuckled a bit, shaking her head slightly. "I shall let you in on a little secret about the Launceleyns. All we hold dear is magic. It is the epitome, above all else. Had it been possible for a shapechanger to use magic in Northwind or Northaven, and such an individual were as talented as yourself, we would not care about such petty technicalities as shapechanger or not. Your magical abilities trump all other possible defects." she said smoothly. Truly, such a revelation might be enough to shake the young man, given how hierarchical their nation had been. That a family of such status would overlook that in pursuit of something else was indeed a rarity.
But alas, it seemed his heart had him deadset on something else.
"Aoife is an interesting little girl, but unless she presents magic, she is hardly of interest to me." Zariah said with a shrug. His step away and refusal was no surprise, and she took it in stride. "I see. Well, should you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." she said with a smirk.
His conclusions had certain implications, ones Zariah needed to snuff out before they grew out of control. "Well, I suppose that does make killing Arduinna a non-issue. A boon for me - I do hate the idea of having to destroy a woman of such power. There are so very few of us in this world after all." Though she had never met this Arudinna, she actually held a great respect for her. Really, any woman of such power would receive that from Zariah. It was much more difficult to rise to such greatness as a woman than as a man, and finding such determination was worthy of respect. "But of course, you do still have people you need to protect, don't you? Ronin has quite the track record of being a rebel-rousing troublemaker...and it would indeed be such a shame were his antics to land him on the bad side of my court. And my guards have a tendency to be overzealous when searching for evidence...which of course might lead to accidental trauma for such a young child as Aoife." she said, examining her nails. Were these direct threats against Aoife and Ronin? In a roundabout way, perhaps.
"And of course there is that young friend of yours, the midwife. Such a sweet, defenseless little thing. A shame she is associated with a young man with clearly rebellious intentions against my court. And of course there is also the natural girl - Amalia I believe her name was? She clearly has very strong feelings about me based on reports I have received and I do think you two are also close." she said, glancing at him with a smirk. "So many friends of yours putting themselves in such danger. It seems you've plenty of other reasons to continue to serve me so I might grant them favor...doesn't it?"
But alas, it seemed his heart had him deadset on something else.
"Aoife is an interesting little girl, but unless she presents magic, she is hardly of interest to me." Zariah said with a shrug. His step away and refusal was no surprise, and she took it in stride. "I see. Well, should you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." she said with a smirk.
His conclusions had certain implications, ones Zariah needed to snuff out before they grew out of control. "Well, I suppose that does make killing Arduinna a non-issue. A boon for me - I do hate the idea of having to destroy a woman of such power. There are so very few of us in this world after all." Though she had never met this Arudinna, she actually held a great respect for her. Really, any woman of such power would receive that from Zariah. It was much more difficult to rise to such greatness as a woman than as a man, and finding such determination was worthy of respect. "But of course, you do still have people you need to protect, don't you? Ronin has quite the track record of being a rebel-rousing troublemaker...and it would indeed be such a shame were his antics to land him on the bad side of my court. And my guards have a tendency to be overzealous when searching for evidence...which of course might lead to accidental trauma for such a young child as Aoife." she said, examining her nails. Were these direct threats against Aoife and Ronin? In a roundabout way, perhaps.
"And of course there is that young friend of yours, the midwife. Such a sweet, defenseless little thing. A shame she is associated with a young man with clearly rebellious intentions against my court. And of course there is also the natural girl - Amalia I believe her name was? She clearly has very strong feelings about me based on reports I have received and I do think you two are also close." she said, glancing at him with a smirk. "So many friends of yours putting themselves in such danger. It seems you've plenty of other reasons to continue to serve me so I might grant them favor...doesn't it?"
