Stavanger Bay they caught the katy, and left me a mule to ride

arcturus caught the roll of the woman's eye, the hardness of her tone -- and it was then he transformed from standoffish to downright unwelcome. the tip of his tail jerked instinctively, and his gums curled as he offered an icy response. she assumed much about him, but his question had come from from more than just a male's persective: if there were to be ostregas in the world, they were moonspearian by birthright.

"i would not have left her." and it was true -- but that was not how reality worked, and was not the story that happened. he lifted his chin, finding the lithe creature's internal judgment of him scathing.

he had no patience for it anymore. no patience for ying or her troubles, for rekindling the lingering hurt that was his departure of moonspear. of reawakening the vivid image of hydra he had struggled to bury deep.

he rose.

"what we deserve is what we get." ying, hua, hydra, arcturus, revui, and otherwise.

with that, arcturus turned his razored back to the sylph, and pressed on.