The fae queen was inside her den, seeking shelter from the rain. Though the domes of willow branches kept most of the pour at bay, it wasn't completely water-proof and she was sick of getting soaked. Her once beautiful lush pelt cling to her like a babe to its mother, her distinctive markings now more like sweeps of ink instead of regal decorations. The only thing that hadn't changed because of the sudden, summer downpour was her gaze of wildflowers, looking to her forest with admiration and pride.

Ashen ears swiveled atop her head at the sound of a call, not recognizing the voice. Perhaps it was a fae like Rafferty, hoping to join - or a messenger from the mermaids, the empire or the stream bearing good news. She even considered the possibility of it being one of Donovan's wolves, if only because of the woman he had brought with him on the day he came to offer them "peace". Well, there was only one way to find out, and so she whistled to Loinnir, the albino screech owl, to come join her. He reluctantly agreed, landing roughly on her back with a grumpy expression, not looking forward to getting his white feathers wet.

The pair approached the border - the rain revealed how truly tiny the queen was, though she was a healthy weight. Even more apparent became it when the purple-eyed woman - with her long, svelte legs - was met with a smile and curtsy. Greetings. Lumiya said sweetly. How may I help you?

She'd gotten used to the stares - she'd had to face the fact that, yes, she was beautiful. What some failed to see however, was that there was so much more to her. She'd not gotten this far in life by having a pretty face; she'd worked hard, and worked harder every day to make sure her success did not slip away. She thought she'd lost it all when the Saints arrived, but they were surprisingly quiet and hadn't caused trouble in a while... perhaps Donovan had listened to her, though she doubted it.

The girl's eyes reminded the little queen of her family - it struck fear in her heart for a moment, thinking it was a Melonii on her doorstep, not that they were all bad... She didn't trust her own kind, much like how they'd distrusted her as a wee babe with no power, just a want for affection and understanding. She'd found it at last, but not thanks to them.

But no, this was Izumi Fujiwara - the name sounded foreign, so did her accent. She spoke in broken English, much like the leader of the mermaids did, as well as Caw and Teya. The fae wasn't bothered; she had a quick mind and would easily puzzle their sentences together. Her eyes glinted as it was revealed the other wished to join them - their numbers had been slightly lacking, so this came as nothing but good news. There is. She answered rather whimsically.

Every peaceful soul is welcome here - I am Lumiya, queen of the faeries that live here. She added, making sure Izumi knew this was no ordinary pack - it was a court, built in the shadows of Elysium and now flourishing with the willow's magic.

She wasn't expecting that the other know of their kind - the only one she knew with prior knowledge of the ancient tales of faeries was Caw, and it was most likely because of his heritage. Her tail waved from side to side, always happy to teach others something knew. She couldn't say she was a great teacher, her thoughts usually slightly disorganized and coming out in the same way, but she had the passion and the drive for it.

Faeries — We're a peaceful court of them, in balance with nature and the magic that's all around us. She told, pride in her eyes. We belong to the earth and the elements, and will return to them when our time is up. It probably sounds a bit vague, but don't worry - we don't force some kind of religion on our members. We just... are. She explained.

The young queen believed there was no difference between magic and nature - this forest had changed her mind on her views. It had sounded a bit silly when the old queen had told her the ins and outs of faerie life, but it had grown on her and she could honestly say she enjoyed life more thinking about it as a faerie.

That's all we ask for. She commented sweetly. If you want, I could show you around? Perhaps this very forest will change your mind about what is and isn't magic. She added with a small chuckle, making clear she wasn't very serious. Magic in the sense of powers didn't exist, Lumiya thought, but it didn't need to exist in that form to believe it was real.

Though her bloodline had placed males at the top and most women as breeding fodder, it wasn't unheard of to have a female leader in the Melonii/Blackfeather family. Her mother had been one for a while, but only because her father had been unable to for a short while. Now he was very much the head of the pack, if you could call the cult she left behind that.

she awaited Izumi's reaction, then slowly led them to the right path to take to make sure they enjoy the scenic route. you don't need my explicit permission to partake in the tour. she chuckled softly. Shall we? when agreed to, she'd take Izumi to every wondrous place in their forest, spinning tales of their histories and answering questions when asked.