Old? Thistle had an utmost rare moment of looking offended and anything other than cheery (or frightened) at the use of such a word. "Hey!" Came the explanation and she reached over to "push" her sister. It was weak and soft like Thistle. "You're older than me." Maybe. Not like their mothers had exact dates on either of the adopted daughters birthdays. But they were certainly close and neither were old.

But all is quite soon forgiven at the promise of sneaky. She leans in much closer in to @Andraesa and holds a breath for the secret. Her imagination quite easily imagines a fight, this small Queen that is described standing the victor with a playful laugh. "I think she could be yes, who did she beat?" The other figure in her mind after all was still a blank.

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Andraesa allowed herself to be nudged, feigning hurt with a spectacularly overdone pout. Whatever would make you say that? If you are old, then I am ancient, which means I should simply crumple into bone and dust! Which works since - she covered the side of her mouth with a paw before continuing:

The challenger was a bone witch. The lioness whispered conspiratorially. I had met her prior, in the boneyard under the moonlight. She is huge black shadow with eyes the color of nightshade blossoms and she fights like a demon - all the while, the little Queen danced a circle around her, just hopping and dodging back and forth.

The dark goddess of death: Andraesa remembered something along those lines crossing her mind as she surveyed her the first time. It had been quite the surprise to see that the woman had lost so profoundly to the impish queen and her lazy smile. She had not seen the goddess since then... perhaps she was back at the boneyard, nursing her pride and smacked paws amongst their cracked ivory friends.

I do not think she meant any real harm. She seems the type to take defeat gracefully.

@Thistle

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A bone witch? Oooo. She shuddered with a mix of fear and anticipation of something greater even to come out of her sister's lips. She's leaning in closer, Thistle is wrapped up in this and Andraesa dangles more of the carrot at the end of the rod urging the horse and cart on. Thistle inhales and holds in her breath, a bone witch elicits the vision of dark skeleton and not a flesh and bone creature. And in the midst of it one spry woman running circles around the creature.

"Surely she has to feel something? Graceful in defeat was admirable, but Thistle tried to imagine something she wanted so bad that she was willing to go into a fight for it like that. Losing it would hurt, more than just a little sad. Of course Thistle also was not someone to be in a fight like that at all, it would be much much much more serious if she was.

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x

it's a femininomenon!

Probably. It would do me good to visit her, just to see... As far as she knew, Aphrodite was still back in the Oasis, no doubt licking her wounds and nursing her battered pride with her trademark dignity hanging by a thread.

I would offer that you come with me, but I will have to travel to the Andal Oasis and there are lions there that would take you prisoner for your pelt alone. Revenant beasts in the desert. Andraesa shook her head and stuck out her tongue as if she had accidentally swallowed a very bitter berry.

I doubt our mothers would like you slung across some pompous king's shoulders, now would they?

@Thistle

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The mission sounds dangerous and Thistle can feel something building in her chest- something that quickly escaped the second there's a pause. "Let me come with you." She says, out of breath and seemingly surprised by her own voice. Was that really her that said it? "Please?" She adds in while reaching for her sister's paw, to grab and hold in a pleading way.

She'd be no help being sneaky, but- "I'll stay close, I'll listen out and if you get into trouble you can call for me." Surely even little Thistle was better than nothing in the face of these frightening lions she spoke of? So desperate is she to be of use like Andraesa, strong like everyone else in the family.

/Exit with Andraesa

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She considers it for a moment. @Thistle was inexperienced... but how could she change that if she were never allowed, never encouraged to look outside the nest their mothers had made for her. If she were never pushed a little, were she ever to fly?

Andraesa stood and stretched, lazily, trying to seem unbothered by the very sudden thought of responsibility. Her adventures had always been unmoored, characterized by happenstance and the occasional excitement, never more than a whim, really. With her sister in tow, her impending side quest now felt uneasily like a mission.

Very well. She agreed after several languished moments. You must do every thing I say and be extremely careful but... we will go, and I will introduce you to the bone witch myself. Let us find something she might like, yes? That way she won't be persuaded to take our bones.

/ exit to andal border

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