With no news of Sunder, he found himself at a loose end. In an effort to stave off his own feelings of failure and genuine fear of returning home, Aria had considered reconnecting with old acquaintances. And while it had been fun, he could not deny the tug of the promises he had made. He dreaded the thought of delivering his message, and returning empty-handed. Even if the answer was unclear, they owed it to their friend Pyrrha to find out what had happened to her mother.

The weight of fatigue on Aria’s body dissipated as the intoxicating scent of the ocean rolled over them. The sharp taste of sea salt flooded his lungs, and he froze — did he dare hope that @Pyrrha ♔ now ruled these shores? The beat of the distant waves mirrored his heartbeat as he trotted closer, confirming his suspicion. His ears flicked back and forth at the scent of a male and Tollaire. Had Kvarre returned, perhaps?

They sighed at the familiar sensation of sand between their toes, and welcomed the nostalgia. Aria had returned home like a bird to its nest.

look at the fire and think of me

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This one, she knows. Flashes of memory and the familiarity of their scent quickly dispels the dredge of making acquaintances. Thaïs need not be forced to prove herself to a creature that has already witnessed her birthright and her objectionable claim to these lands and any and all that live within them. Still, returning after some time away deserves reward and recognition, and Thaïs finds herself mighty pleased it was one whose company she found tolerable.

You're just as slight as I remember you, she purrs as she appears from behind Aria. Whether they noticed her well beforehand or not, she seeks to brush alongside their flank with a feline grace.

Back when she was a girl, Aria was no different from the other lions in the pride. Now, their frame is too slim and not enough leonine, and beneath the familiarity in their scent is an underlying difference. Not wrong but not alike. A nuance she understands, now.

She slips in front of the cheetah, turning toward them with owlish eyes that betray any sense of mischief lurking beneath.

What was it again? Ariana? Anara? Oh— she smiles, —Aria.

---

@Aria

A soft, feminine voice in his ear is followed by a warm brush against Aria’s side. He turns to follow the lioness as she stands before him. She is a beauty, and they find the curl of her tail against her back and her one turned down ear adorable. He blinks as he slowly recognises her, and the pieces fall into place. She is a daughter of Sunder and Kvarre; memories of a headstrong girl come flooding back.

“Dear girl, you wound me!” Aria said, placing a paw on his chest in mock-dramatic fashion. Aria was encouraged to play along by the playful gleam in her eyes. The cheetah sat down, then raised both forepaws in a wide embrace. "Thaïs! What a pleasant surprise! How are you?"

@Thaïs

look at the fire and think of me

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Dear girl, you wound me!

Something of a genuine smile flits to her mouth. She has indeed always had a soft spot for the cheetah, it seems, even as a gangly and snarling youth. Now, she has very much grown into her large, plumy tail and her single floppy ear. Aria, for their part, is ever the ray of sunshine she remembers them as—handsome, honest, blindingly bright.

Suddenly, a flurry of paws pull her into a tight embrace.

Thaïs! What a pleasant surprise! How are you?

Better, now that you're here, she purrs in reply, politely plucking herself from the cheetah's embrace.

Thaïs rather enjoys being touched, feeling skin upon skin and reveling in shared heartbeats. Stolen glances, tangling breaths. Embraces of relief and familiarity are far more...suffocating. Sickeningly sweet.

You smell like the wilds, darling, she continues, pressing a single chaste kiss to their cheek. Let us bathe. You can tell me all about your escapades since you were last in Caladan.

---

@Aria

Despite Thaïs' smiles and courteous words, she quickly puts distance between herself and him. Aria didn't miss the way she pulled away from his touch, and frowned. Was hugging a faux pas now? "Don't tell me you're too grown up to hug an old family friend?" They teased, pulling their tongue out. To rub a little sea salt into the wound, @Thaïs exclaimed that he reminded her of the wild. She seemed to think a little kiss would sweeten the sourness of the moment, and he decided to let the matter slip for now. They had been estranged for so long that it was possible he simply had no ideas how things stood between them.

Aria nodded at her suggestion of a bath, smiling at the idea of washing away the stresses and strains of the journey. Questions came to the forefront of their mind, and despite the dark woman’s invitation, they didn’t move. “The idea is certainly tempting, Thais, and I mean no disrespect - but please tell me who rules here?” The bard was familiar enough with the cove by now to know their way around, but the idea of strolling in without speaking to whoever was in charge didn't sit well with them.

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Don't tell me you're too grown up to hug an old family friend?

Thaïs offers a tight-lipped smile, but betrays nothing of the war beneath. She'd never been a cuddly girl, but growing up amongst strangers and receiving nothing from her father but the cold shoulder he did not offer his sons had left her with a skewed perspective of affection. There is weakness in vulnerability, especially if it is genuine. Thaïs will slide up to the side of any handsome man or woman and employ her charms and her touch, but the idea of hugging for hugging's sake is one foreign to her now.

Damn Aria and their lovely, gentle heart.

Mercifully, she does not have to conjure up some excuse to spare a potentially broken heart.

The idea is certainly tempting, Thais, and I mean no disrespect, they continue, and she quirks a brow in mild surprise, but please tell me who rules here?

Ah, yes, the ever-so-important crown of Caladan, a two-headed dragon reigning over sun and sea. And here she is, cast in their long shadow. As she is, as she always would be.

Drauhir leads us now, she says, with an edge in her tone she lets slip only for Aria, And Pyrrha.

She wonders if she'd have been happier if Father was still the king. Something in her knows that she wouldn't.

One of them should be along soon. Thaïs wears a small smile, now, any lingering resentment snuffed out, as if it were never there. Or perhaps our darling Gentry. Such a delight she is—you'll adore her.

---

@Aria

As if summoned by @Thaïs the gentry did in fact come strolling along the beach right about that time, headed into the territory rather than away from it as she was returning home. A smile crossed her face as she noticed the dark colored lioness and a cheetah of all creatures. She wasn't close enough to catch their exchange, but she hurried her pawsteps and fixed her gaze on them in a manner that left no question that she intended to approach the pair. Once enough distance had been closed she called out to them both, Hello friends! Miss Thaïs, who is your cheetah friend here? She inquired, tilting her head to the side as she examined @Aria questioningly.

art

This is Aria- Pyrrha's voice emerges to join the welcoming party that has arrived on the boarders before the lithe cat. And for a moment as she approaches fully, her eyes falling across that familiar shape, there is a true spark of warm happiness in Pyrrha's gaze. To see her friend, one of the most supportive souls during the time Caladan was lost and then again after she failed to reclaim it. In her face is the look of reunion and family. She exhales a heavy breath and the last few steps are taken in quick succession until she can get to Aria and hopefully pull them into a hug against her chest.

_{BG — ART BY RABBIT — CODE}

Aria caught the hint of disdain in @Thaïs' tone, his eyebrows raised with bewilderment. The name didn’t immediately register as anyone he knew, though he smiled at the news that Pyrrha also ruled here. “She did it!” they exclaimed, unable to contain their excitement.

The cheetah fell into step with the dark lioness, their ears tuned to follow her conversation. He strives to remember who their gentry were in the past, and surely things had changed since then. Members came and went with the of the tide, especially under the leadership of Miaran, Aria assumed. His interest is piqued by Thaïs' insistence that he would like the other pride mate. Who might that be, Aria wonders.

It wasn’t long before a pale beauty with an inviting voice appeared over the sands. Thais had been correct in her assumption; the cheerful lady was a welcome addition. Before he could introduce himself, there is a familiar voice carried on the breeze. @Pyrrha ♔, the one he had missed most in his absence. The terrible burden of carrying his news was swiftly forgotten as she enveloped Aria in a hug. Drawn this close together, both of they could feel Pyrrha's heart close to their own. It was heavenly. They nuzzled against the woman's head as they purred. "Well done Pyrrha. I am so proud of you."

@Rose

look at the fire and think of me

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As if she's spoken it into existence, Rose arrives with her usual bubbly countenance. Thaïs follows the line of Aria's gaze as it falls on the rosy gentry, and she swears she sees just the spark she is looking for. Camaraderie is easily spread among the kinder-hearted, like two drifting stars catching one another's orbit.

And even Pyrrha does what Thaïs is incapable.

She steps back as the queen floods their longtime friend with affection even Thaïs has not received (and she is a sister, of all things, though she doubts she would actually appreciate a hug). With questions answered for her and two capable recruiters present, she hardly feels the need to stay.

But she lingers regardless.

If only to answer her own pressing inquiry.

You are staying, aren't you, dear?

She levels a seriousness rare for her, a single slender brow quirking upward; anticipating, expectant.

---

@Aria @Rose @Pyrrha ♔