Unlike the Tollaire youngster, @Alaric would give Basira a little to take back home with her. A marshland pride; it sounded dank and dim, and certainly not her scene at all. It was just as well that talk of a husband had dissuaded Alaric, lest he throw her over his shoulder and take her back to the swamps as a wife. That was not to be her destiny. "I see. And are you its King?" She tilted her head; she could not imagine this hulk of a man being anything but a monarch. An esteemed Lord, perhaps, but nothing lesser than that. "Where would we find it, if we wished to visit?" She wondered if the questioning would wear thin, and whether or not it would wear thin soon, but if the coast seemed clear.... why would she stop?

Alaric grew quickly bored of idle conversation, struggling to give her his full attention now that the thrill of chase was gone. This was the burden of leadership that he was not accustomed to, and a part of her wanted to fight her just to make things more interesting.

"I am," he touted without much bravado, an even tone that made the response as simple as if he had commented on the weather. "If you travel far to the east and then south you will find it." There was no reason to hide this information, it could be easily enough gleaned by day to day living.

"Where are you from?" Perhaps she would give a little in this discussion, for had he not been so very accommodating?

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus

Her suspicions had been confirmed; he was a leader. Basira tilted her head downward in a respectful acknowledgement - it only seemed appropriate, seeing as she was in the presence of a King. Not her King - she would only ever have one - but still. The directions to this swampland kingdom would be committed to memory; something to feed back to Sahir and Kismet when she next linked up with them. "Thank you." Then, upon having the question turned back on her the red-pelted wraith would smile subtly; she saw no reason to deny him a little background. Especially as if would be their parting words. "My kin and I hail from the far South, where the land is hot and arid. I miss it, in some ways, but admittedly it is nice to have easier access to water and a good meal." The desert was familiar and comfortable to her, but when the droughts came and the herds died it was hard.

Basira was not designed for a hard life; never would be.

With a parting dip of the head the woman would see this opportunity to wrap things up with the wheaten-pelted monarch. "I will not keep you any further, King Alaric. It has been a pleasure." She turned on her heel, seeking to head back down the path that she came. "Until next time." Because, more than likely, there would be a next time.

EXIT

ironically they seemed to come from similar places, even if not the same direction. alaric's homeland had resembled the desert, too, and it was why he had initially settled in the oasis. would her and hers find their way there, too?

why did he feel a pang of jealousy at the thought? not for the desert, no, but for the company...

he shoves this notion to the back of his mind and gives his attention back to the woman, just in time to have her bid him farewell. surprised by unbothered he gave her a nod in return. "Until next time, Basira," he agreed, because Amaryllis seemed to have a way of bringing them all together again, and it was only a matter of time. Turning back towards home, he occupied himself with tracking the stale scent path all the way back.

-exit-

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus