The woods had whispered with glad tidings. Snippets of information here, a hastily spread rumor there, and all had brought the ebony queen northward. If the tales could be believed, Amenti was ruled under a new name, and one Raisa counted as familiar. Perhaps once she would envy the woman, or begrudge her good luck, but today she could not find it within her now. They had met only once before, a chance encounter on a warm afternoon, but the impression had lingered yet. Raisa found herself fascinated by the one wolf she had met thus far in her travels that she had been able to consider her equal. It was not like her to hold on to such things, but once she'd caught wind that Virgil had achieved their shared dream, she could not help but venture forth and seek her out. She had left Koros behind with Fugue and Kaliska, knowing that her steward would be safer among the kindling of her own pack, with the promise that she would not be more than a fortnight away. Raisa stood now on a rise overlooking a beach of obsidian sand. Iron waves crashed against the coastline and the sky above was obscured from view. The sun, if instinct proved correct, should be nigh on set. Raisa took a deep breath, enjoying the way the salt air played across her palette. With the exhale, she tilted her head up and let loose a relatively quiet howl, announcing her presence. Could it be that she felt a bit self conscious seeking out a wolf she barely knew? Perhaps. They had not agreed on any binding terms of friendship, not even close. Perhaps Virgil would take it amiss to find her here? For a split second, the queen doubted her intentions, but steeled herself soon after. If Virgil didn't want her here, well... Well then too bad! She could deal with it! If the heir and Queen of the Ebony throne wanted to stop in, gods be damned if she wouldn't. With a steelish set to her face (and, despite her pep talk, indecisiveness in her stomach,) she awaited a response. "Talk" "You" Think

It is a familiar call the greats her darkened ears, and the Empress rises to the occasion. Slender limbs carry the beauty towards the source, mildly excited to know who is calling upon her. Ebony lips curl up into a smile as the ruler glances upon the exiled Queen, pausing a few feet away from her with clear amusement on her face. Raisa has not invaded her lands, and Virgil is not certain she would mind if the other woman did. The goddess dips her head in a brief greeting, silent at first, but not leaving it as such for long. ?My dear Queen, what has brought you to these frigid lands?? she questions, curious indeed why Raisa has come to call upon her. Then again, perhaps the other knows already, and has come to confirm an alliance, or bend the knee, or simply wishes to come into contact again. Virgil does not deny that she has missed the other woman, despite their brief encounter. Raisa is a soul she finds herself compatible with, an occurrence that is most rare outside of her family. She can only hope that Raisa will not leave her as Syrinx has. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

The empress did not keep Raisa waiting long. She appeared quickly over the rise, emerging from the surrounding landscape as if she had been a part of it. Raisa envied her the familiarity, but not for more than a moment. It was unexpectedly pleasing to see the woman again, and Raisa felt herself relax to a degree. She eyed the lighter woman for a moment, both reflecting in silence. She looked much the same as the last time they had crossed paths, but she had the rare gift of being as grand in person as in memory. Raisa supposed it was her royal blood, and found herself wondering if she too shared this trait. Virgil's eyes gave nothing on this matter away. Her voice, when it finally broke the silence, was smooth and even on the ebon queen's ears. "What brings you to these frigid lands?" Her question was one not easily answered, and while it brought anxiety back into the dark woman's chest, she masked it. "What else but good conversation and better company? It's lovely to see you again, Your Grace." Raisa spared the woman a small smile and a raised brow. She felt like a spring time colt, giddy to have found her equal once more. Perhaps she might even call the woman a friend? It was hard to tell, and she had never been overly adept at reading social cues anyways. She supposed that if Virgil chased her away she would have overstepped her bounds, and perhaps she'd just leave it at that. "That and a rumor of course. It's said you call this fair land your own now." It was, indeed, strikingly beautiful. The northern regions had always filled Raisa with a keen sense of exotic wonder, and this obsidian beach was no different. Her gaze drifted over the powerful surf, darkened to coal now in the fading light. It seemed almost to glow, and Raisa let out a happy sigh. "I believe congratulations are in order." She dipped then into a deep bow, rising with a warm smile playing across her maw, tinted perhaps with a warm sort of approval. "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa looks well enough, Virgil notes fondly. It is good to see the woman has upheld her wellbeing, even with a rogue life, but then again she supposes the former Queen may have become more of a present figure than a past one. Perhaps she has a pack of her own now. She mentions her company being good, and Virgil cannot help but feel flattered. ?Ah, it compares not to your company. I could use a welcome site in this place. I plan to move the fuck away,? she sighs. The North is much too crowded, much too cold. The West will suit her better, and it will provide her with warmth, and isolation. No other packs exist there, and it will be her domain. She reclines onto her haunches, showing her comfort level with the situation. She offers congratulations, and Virgil smiles. ?I will be sure to return the favor,? she tells her. ?Where would you intend to set up your pack?? she asks Raisa, hoping that it will not be all that far from the West. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

The woman's crass language brought a smile to Raisa's face and a wind chime laugh bubbling up form within. If Raisa had ever used that language in the presence of another royal and her mother had heard, she probably wouldn't have lived to see this day. Yet here Virgil sat, an impressive force in the land, proud and regal, and defying the norm. Raisa found it invigorating. The compliment thrilled her as well, of course, and Raisa could not help but lean into the interaction. It seemed to flow so easily! Sure, her and Fugue had their understandings and got on quite well, but this sort of combustive flow existed only between the two faes. Fugue could not hope to understand. Raisa's eyes were bright and danced with mirth. "Not just away, but moving the fuck away, I see." She let the profanity slide off her tongue like a morsel sweetly relinquished. "Though I'm afraid congratulations aren't in order just yet, we are but a band now. I'd thought to settle in the east, however, when the time comes." The boulder fields and moors reminded her of the rearing grounds in her homeland, not to mention provided an abundance of lookout points and cover. With time they would expand, surely, but until that moment came she had resigned herself to taking it slow. She turned her laughing gaze back to the woman at hand, allowing it to run over her figure. "Where then might I expect to find you next? My little jaunts would be much harder without knowing." She restrained a wink. Perhaps their visits would become regular, in time. The thought was odd, but pleasing nonetheless. "Talk" "You" Think

She has never minded using profanity. She is a god, who will dare to judge her for it? Perhaps her mother and father would be displeased, but they were not here, and thus the Empress felt no need to spare their ears from her wicked tongue. Raisa comments on it, and Virgil chuckles. ?A girl does what she needs to do to keep warm,? she says, double entendre fully intended. Of course, she was not such a blatant harlot. She kept her virtue for her soul mate, whoever the Oracles deemed that to be. No matter how lonely she felt in the wait, no matter how much she yearned to run heated flesh against heated flesh, she clung to tradition. She hates to deny it, but perhaps the only reason she hasn?t caved yet has been the lack of a desirable offer. Raisa describes her pack, which Virgil does not doubt will be soon to form. She announces she will be in the East, which the golden she-wolf feels mildly disappointed about. She will be the sunset, and Raisa will be the sunrise, and between them will be a long night. ?A woman of the sunrise, huh?? she mentions. The question comes to her own future residence, and Virgil has no reason to hide. ?I will reside in the Dancefloor of the Gods, and Emerald Valley. Both territories are in the West. Althoug?with your tracking skills, my friend, I believe you can find me anywhere if you know where it is or not,? she teases. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Virgil's play on words was not lost on the dark woman, and it sent a shiver of sorts down her spine. The woman's words seemed to fall strangely on her ears, and her mind ran over them again and again, finding mystery and interest woven within. Her voice held hint of her private musings as she looked over the golden fae once more. "Hmm, and a girl's life can be so hard sometimes." And wasn't that the truth. Raisa could hardly tell up from down when it came to this captivating deity, which was made all the more difficult by the obscurity of why exactly that was. Luckily, the ebon queen had always been fond of mysteries, and she would make the golden goddess unravel even if it was the death of her. Her musings were, unfortunately, interrupted by a sharp pang of emotion. A woman of the sunrise... Distance would preside foremost between them, and every evening as the fiery god sank in the sky, Raisa would know it set in lands beyond her grasp. To be called a keen tracker, of course, lightened her mood a fraction. The compliment, and the source it had come from, brought about a wan grin. "I'd be remiss to say you were wrong," she said with a sarcastic, lofty air, accompanied by the wink that had been itching to escape all this while. "And your aura is indeed distinctive." Her tone put it forth as a joke, a mocking jest between companions, but Raisa thought secretly it was true. She would know the woman's trace anywhere now that they had met not once, but twice. Certainly the space between them would make correspondence difficult, but not impossible. "The question then, of course, is if you're my equal in tracking as well. I mean, you can't expect me to do all the leg work, can you? Next time it will be your turn to find me." She laughed again, a sweet and jovial sound. Her bi-colored eyes glimmered at the thought. "Talk" "You" Think

The crude response she received made the goddess?s lips part in a soft chuckle. ?I think men have it harder,? she jests. She enjoys Raisa?s company very much; there feels to be some sort of electric chemistry between them, and the golden she-wolf feels herself drawn to her dark companion. She is guarded, nonetheless; Virgil knows very little about letting strangers near her heart. Raisa is hardly a stranger anymore, but she is not family. For so long the Olympian?s only companions had been her kin, and she had been taught to look down on others. She cannot find it in herself to look down on the former Queen, however. She grins at Raisa?s response, pleased to know that the woman has an easy time locating her. Alas, when she mentions the golden goddess tracking her down, Virgil can only find it in herself to pay mild attention. Fiery eyes lock upon a smudge on the Queen?s cheek, and the woman can hardly resist herself when she moves. She offers no explanation as she closes the distance, tongue rasping against the woman?s flesh, clearing it of the stain. Alas, she pauses after, a thrill rushing through her system at the contact. ?I will always find you,? she tells her after, perhaps sounding more serious and heated than Virgil intended, or maybe it was right on target. She knows not what this brewing fondness is, doesn?t know what to make of their situation. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Virgil's continuation of the banter thrilled the ebon royal. It was somewhat scandalous of course, but this was hardly new for the woman. Why, then, did it make her stomach lurch and flip in the most pleasurable ways? Oh, there was something devious here, of that she could be certain. But what exactly was it? "Mmm, very true," she hummed, voice raspy and evident of her thoughts. A twinge in Virgil's muscles was the only warning Raisa had before the golden fae advanced. The queen's heart leapt to her throat, stuttering all the way, and her eyes glued themselves to the deity's lithe form. What the hell was she- Oh. Raisa's mouth turned to cotton, and quite suddenly the canvas of her thoughts was swept clean. The woman's scent filled her nostrils and muddled her mind. The queen found she could concentrate on little more than the proximity of her 'friend.' What on earth is happening to me... She leaned into the touch. Virgil's voice did little to break Raisa away, and it took the queen several moments to process the promise. Her mouth formed words without her common sense's consent. "I hope you do..." "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa does not move away from her approach, and it pleases Virgil. The proximity makes the goddess shudder, and she yearns to further their contact, but there is a fear in her. She fears the unknown, fears that what she is doing is wrong. She is not supposed to take a man to her bed unless the Oracles approve, but Raisa is certainly no man, as her fiery gaze appreciates. This is a possibility she has not considered before, but the ebony queen has clamped fondness around Virgil?s heart, and she wonders if this is a sin or not. If it is a sin, then I would like to be the happiest sinner alive she thinks to herself. The woman voices that she hopes Virgil will find her, and the golden-threaded beauty dips her head. ?As you wish,? she tells her. What is this electric feeling? She doesn?t move away (she is a god, and gods do not cower), but she feels uncertain. ?What is this?? she mutters quietly to herself, unaware that Raisa can hear her soft inquiries. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Raisa trembled. A heat kindled in the pit of her stomach and seemed to blossom and bloom from there. It filled her limbs and chest cavity, filled her mind with a sort of distant high. Her heartbeat thrummed in her ears, roaring with something she was just starting to grasp. Desire, a voice whispered to her. Lust... Virgil's voice, murmured, was kerosene to the flames of the Queen's uncertainty. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, and allowed her eyes to drift closed. Her senses were on fire, and if she let herself feast on the fae's figure for a moment longer, she would certainly loose control. She would do something foolish... This is the farthest thing from folly, her mind's voice argued. Oh, how she yearned for the touch of the golden goddess. Her equal. Her friend. I want more, she realized. It was Virgil's murmur, sensual in it's near inaudibility, and intimate, that sent her tumbling over the edge of sanity. The fae lingered yet, close to Raisa's body, though the Queen could not see her. She felt the warmth drifting off of her body, basked in her scent, it was all exquisite. Raisa needed more, something, anything. With a quiet gasp, the royal's eyes flew open, and she pushed her head forward, closing the gap. The ebony fae pressed her cheek flush against the other Virgil's neck and trembled in a torturous sort of relief. It was practically nothing, and absolutely everything, all at once. "Talk" "You" Think

She has so long prided herself on being a goddess, and yet Virgil cannot help the weakness that seeps into her. Raisa?s voice comes in, clear and confident, explaining just what this is. Virgil can feel it; she knows what it is, but it frightens her. She does not think the ebony woman realizes what power this gives her; the golden goddess wants to fall to her knees, to beg the other woman to end this agony, but she does not. Virgil does not know how to let her walls crumble; her ears flick back for a moment, before they go forwards. She cannot drop her confidence now, even when uncertainty creeps into her bones; she is matriarch, Empress, goddess, and none of these things leave room for uncertainty. But oh how she wants it, oh how she yearns to step forth and fall into Raisa?s embrace. The woman proclaims that she wants more, and oh how Virgil understands it. She wants it too; she feels her heart pounding, and when Raisa?s flesh comes into contact with her own, she stiffens, her legs locking up and breath hitching. Oh she yearns to let go, but how can she? ?Raisa?? she says softly, a prayer of sorts. What sort of dark magic is this? What sort of song has this woman sung into her ears to make her feel so weak? For a moment her own head buries into the side of Raisa?s neck, comfortable there, inhaling her scent and memorizing it. Virgil is afraid. Oh, she trusts Raisa enough, but the last time her heart felt this fondness it was abandoned. It is not fair, she knows, to compare Syrinx to this Queen. It is not, but she cannot help it, not when the wound is still so fresh that the shrapnel is still embedded. ?I?I don?t know if I can do this now. I?? she takes a step back, but she does not run. It is a compromise, and it scares her that her initial instinct is to run. She is a warrior; she has faced down grown men when she was not more than nine months old and not flinched, and yet this makes her feel like a mortal. All are folly in love, even the gods. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Virgil surrendered into the ebony fae's embrace. With a mighty crash Raisa's emotions fell together, jumbling and mashing together until one could not be distinguished from another. The burn in her stomach seemed to be forming a pit of need and longing, to be closer, but no. Raisa wanted to twine her body around Virgil's every limb, to feel that sweet contact, to leave her scent on the woman's frame. But no. Raisa was a creature of impulse and great desire, but this was not the time for such haste. For now, she simply memorized the feel the Virgil's cheek pressed into the queen's form. Raisa pressed back, deepening the contact. Her restraint proved the wisest course, for Virgil pulled back with a look akin to panic playing across her maw, illuminating her golden eyes. Like a stone cast on brittle ice, Raisa felt something within her crack. What have I done? she thought, aghast, suddenly horrified. "I?I don?t know if I can do this now. I?," her goddess forced out, as she took a step back. Raisa put a paw forward, just one, unable to relinquish the woman so quickly. "Virgil," she murmured, "Please, just..." Just what? She had no idea what to say. What was she doing? Raisa's mouth snapped shut, and her ears flicked backwards of their own accord. Shame filled the queen, flushing out the buoyant euphoria and filling her limbs with lead. She took a step backwards, and then another. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-I-," she could not speak, she could not run, the shame of it all weighed her down. Raisa felt the telltale ache in her chest for the very first time. "Talk" "You" Think

She hates this, hates feeling fear seeping into her bones. It is not even a logical fear; death cannot come from this encounter, and she knows it. What then, if she will not face an ultimate sleep, does she find herself afraid of? Alas, her fiery gaze settles upon her dark Queen, and it breaks her to see the other woman so upset. Her features relax, walls coming down ever so slightly. Virgil the goddess is on momentary break; her mortal heart has emerged for perhaps the very first time. Raisa steps backwards, and she sighs, stepping forth and desiring to press her forehead to the ebony beauty?s. ?You have done nothing wrong, καρδιά μου (my heart), it is all me,? she tells her. For good measure she seeks to pull her head back and press a gentle kiss to Raisa?s nose, a promise. ?I am newly abandoned by someone I thought I had begun to care for. It is hard for me to form attachments so quickly. I am not quite ready,? she tells her, honest and true. There is no denying the affection in her eyes, no denying the meaning behind her actions, but Virgil is a goddess with a mortal heart. It is her Achilles? heel, and it is not something she can get rid of easily. She fears that Raisa will run off now; fears that the Queen will regret their closeness, and leave her just as Syrinx had. Although, something about this would sting even more. Syrinx had never been anything but the wind through her hair; Raisa was at the very least sand, something that she felt slipping from her grasp, but perhaps still tangible. Maybe, if Virgil was lucky, the woman would turn to clay. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

The goddess seemed to soften. Raisa did not know what to believe, her heart or mind or instincts or any of it. She was a queen, she'd never been in this situation before! She'd always assumed her parents would arrange some form of loveless marriage for her, that she'd sire a brood of brats and die in some horrible, unnatural way (Poison was a traditional favorite,) but since now everything had been turned on it's head. Affection was a unknown realm, desire for anything other than status and power completely foreign, and fear that she had infringed upon another's feelings? Unheard of. So why then did she feel like a pup again, on the verge of collapsing and bawling until her throat was raw. This isn't me! she she pleaded with the voice in her mind, but nothing else made sense. Who are you Virgil, she asked herself, as the golden woman advanced and pressed their foreheads together, that you could do this to me? And yet, despite her skepticism, the sooty queen nearly melted when that first ever-so-soft kiss was planted upon the tip of her nose. The golden beauty's words barely registered, but Raisa understood their general meaning. Virgil was recently abandoned, and that thought disturbed the queen greatly. How could anyone, in any state of mind, leave such an astonishing creature behind? Her bi-colored eyes opened and looked deep into the golden orbs before her. Slowly, Raisa nodded. "I understand," she murmured, voice nigh inaudible. "I may not like it, and I sure as hell don't know what this is or what this means, or any of it, but..." Raisa mustered her courage and took a ginger step forward, returning Virgil's gentle kiss. "I'll wait for you." "Talk" "You" Think

She has never thought passion would be part of her life, and yet here it is. She knew that arranged relations did not have to be miserable; her Aunt Natalya is proof of that. And yet, she never know how refreshing it would be to be able to choose where to place her own heart. Raisa seems to be the perfect fit for her somehow; she feels drawn to her like a moth towards flame, and she wishes she could bind the woman to her side, to keep her from her own kingdom, but she knows that would not be fair. She fears that Raisa will be insulted, that she will not understand that Virgil?s heart needs to breathe before she can truly endeavor further into?whatever this is. Alas, the ebony woman?s words provide relief. A smile quirks onto the golden woman?s features when a kiss is returned to her, heart thudding passionately within its mortal cage. ?I?ll make your wait worth it, I promise,? she tells her, offering another sweet kiss to Raisa?s nose, a gesture which seems to be becoming a pattern for the golden goddess. ?I?ll come find you in Ebony. I don?t doubt its founding will be soon,? she says, smiling softly at the thought of it. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Raisa took Virgil's promise to heart. She forced herself to trust the woman, to ignore her heart's fear of rejection, and accept her words. Raisa was not one to blindly believe the words of another, and never had been, but what other course to take? Neither woman could deny this feeling. It had sprung up in their first meeting, and that kindling had burned on ever since. Things were changing, and doing so rapidly. Raisa could not fault the woman for needing time and space. Hell, Raisa should be seeking the same! She had a pack to organize, followers to hunt down, a land to seek. Did she truly have time for love? Perhaps not now, she allowed, But don't think for a second I'll be forgetting about you, Virgil Olympus. Raisa drew in a deep, contemplative breath, and expelled it slowly. Finally she nodded, and stepped backwards. The fear and apprehension was gone from her body, replaced by a tentative sort of acceptance. Raisa nodded and forced herself to crack a grin. "If I don't see you by the next full moon I will hunt you down and drag you there. Honestly, it'd be poor manners to have me come all this way, only for you not to return the favor!" Her voice oozed sarcasm, and she hoped her attempt to lighten the mood would succeed. Her eyes shone with mirth, and her ears flicked. She could ask no more of the woman, and knew that if the need ever arose, she would come to her side. When she spoke again, her voice was more serious by only a measure. "I'll let my followers know you are to be accepted without hindrance. My borders will always be open to you." Raisa could only hope that the golden woman would e a frequent feature in her lands, wherever they may be. "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa accepts it, and Virgil feels the burst of fondness growing within her chest. The goddess can only find it in herself to appreciate the ebony woman?s patience. She knows that they are beasts; wolves whose base instincts demand possession and hunger, both of which are hard to ignore. Lips quirk up at the woman?s threat, imagining such a thing occurring. ?Would you make me your maiden fair, and lock me away in a tower?? she teases, although they both know she is nothing close to such a thing. She states that her borders will always be open, and how can Virgil deny a mutual agreement? ?Same,? she tells her. ?Would you like to stay the night, dear Queen? I understand if your pack needs you, but it is a long walk,? she says, genuinely wishing for Raisa?s comfort and safety. She has no doubts that the woman can defend herself against other wolves, but the night holds all sorts of dangers. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only