Broaden your horizons

"I'm sure he's fine," she assured the girl when she mentioned how she hoped her mate wasn't hurt, giving her a small grin. "He knows better than to get himself hurt too badly. He's already been in trouble with me once over it, he won't make that mistake again. But he can be quite reckless at times so I like to make sure." Alastor was a ball of fire that could barely be contained, especially right now while she was denying some of his needs in preparation for their honeymoon. He wasn't pleased with the decision, but she simply couldn't wait to see how all this patience would pay off once he was finally set free to have every sinful lust fulfilled. She smiled a bit wider when Ikigai agreed that she would like to meet her child once they came to be, giving the princess a small dip of her head. "It is decided then." She supposed at some point she might cross paths with the girl's parents as well - the Empress and Shogun of Ashen, they had been called. She kept the thought in the back of her mind, wondering if perhaps this new friendship with their daughter might come in handy in her future plans.

She gave Ikigai a curious tilt of her head when she began to muse about her envy over Manea's freedom in choosing her mate, explaining how her partner would be chosen from whoever would be the best political match. She hummed with thought at that, a small thoughtful frown pulling at her lips. She supposed she could understand the logic in that and she could appreciate the young girl's maturity to so readily accept such a fate, though she did wonder if it was the best option for such a rare gem of a young woman. Just to be wasted as some pawn in a political scheme... "Depending on who you ask in my family, they would say that we don't have a choice in who our mate is. Some think it is decided for us at birth," she told her conversationally, shifting a bit and recrossing her paws to lay more comfortably. "I tend to believe that is true - which is why I traveled so far and wide to find him. I refused to settle for less than the man that was promised to me by our Ancients. I just happened to be one of the lucky ones that found love in my other half as well, though not all do. And now that he has completed my soul I will be tied to him forever, in life and in death." It was a wide and sweeping concept to tell to a girl as young as her, but she had proven to be very wise for her age so it didn't feel strange to speak with her about it.

"I hope that whoever you are promised to is a worthy match for you," she added with a gentle smile. "I'm sure your parents will be careful with who they chose, but... All the same, I would hate for your brilliance to be squandered." Her ear flicked at the sound of the branch above her rustling as Ciemny came back to land beside Temno and she glanced up at the inky black raven curiously. "He's fine, madam. A bit of a tussle with a saber toothed cat, but he is unharmed." She hummed and her tail flicked dismissively as she nodded, bringing her gaze back to Ikigai once more. "It seems I've left him alone too long. He's started finding trouble," she said with a chuckle.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny