a ghost in your presence. )) [Open]

[twi]

Seraph took a deep breath. What did she want?
Looking around, she could see the trees beginning to bud and the snow beginning to thin. Spring was coming. And with it, she was losing her chance for a foal. She would have to wait another year unless she chose to take some potion.
She felt like crying. What should she do? If she chose not to enter the war, there was no guarantee of a future foal. None at all.
She did not realize she was speaking until the words were already flowing from her lips. “No, I will not intentionally throw myself into the war. Something is telling me that it will come to us, whether we chose to flee from it or not. I have time, for I am still young enough that I believe the war will draw to a close before I am too old to be of any help. Until then, I will not compromise what I have, what I have with you. No, I will stay. Just don’t deceive yourself that we will avoid the war entirely.”
She was crying now, liquid tears splashing down her face. She did not even know why she was crying, but could not seem to make herself stop.

[tou]

Her words spoke a chilling truth, one that bothered him slightly. There really was no way to avoid such tragedy, no matter how hard one tried. Articulation of hers was firm upon his honars, the very meaning within the words crawling across his hide. While he still had a twinge of guilt deep within, he decided he'd accept her current decision. It was more rational than her previous one, and certainly much safer to execute. Not only this, but her spoken syllables touched his heart when she spoke of being within him. It pressed a placid smile upon his lips, which soon vanished the moment he noted the liquid trickling along her fine features. Velveteen maw pressed at the droplets softly, trying to keep them from dripping down her face. It's alright, it's alright. he tried to ease, though honestly wasn't entirely sure how to calm her. How could he tell her everything would be okay if there was a war to be waged, quite possibly on the very lands they stood upon. Here, come m'dear. Let's continue to the neutral lands, yes? Maybe you'll be more at ease there. At least ... more than here. He said, gaze glancing backwards, noting how there was a certain point where the forest was simply too dark for one's eyes to pierce past. The baron was slightly unsure of what he should be thinking at that moment. Was it more important to worry about their future? Or the war? Sure, they coincided with one another, but which was a better focal point? Such thus lead to whether he should be worrying for Seraph' safety - and at this point, sanity - or whichever topic prevailed over the other. While he obviously knew the answer to that one, it still troubled him, the thought of a war so close.

[twi]

Seraph nodded tearfully in response to his soothing words. Of course everything would be alright. No one would dare attack the neutral lands.
As soon as she had her composure back, she said, “Yes, let us go. But how about we leave once all the snow has melted and the travel will be easier?”
Looking around at all the slush that populated the forest ground, she recoiled at the idea of traveling through it all. She did not like the thought of wading through dirty, half-melted snow for miles upon miles. Better to wait until the sun was shining and it was truly spring, before attempting such a venture.
Already, her mind was working carefully to plot out their course. Last time she had visited the neutral lands, she had been but a filly. She still remember that it was accessible from the east by only one route, a small pass through mountains of slate, dark and perilous. Thankfully they would not have to travel through any war-zones to reach it, a fact that she was grateful for. Still, the sooner the snow melted and the left, the better, for Nebulosus Argo was Ramaskith’s home territory. She sensed that he had moved on, to conquer other lands, but the fact that they currently traversed the very home of the monster gave her chills.