a new world hangs outside the window
beautiful and strange
it must be I've fallen awake
I must be

The stout, dark mare snagged at wild vines and juicy chutes along the lush, jungle path as she traveled. The plentiful, green foliage of Paradise was not lost on her. She would always take advantage of it while she was here. But her ears flicked forward at the sound of another coming along the trail. Her amber gaze eventually settled on the form of the silver bay stallion looming in the distance. She returns Rougaru's smirk with a playful one of her own and bobs her head gleefully as he approaches.

"It's good to see you." She says softly in response to his kind greeting. The mare then extends her muzzle and flares her nostrils in cordial exchange of breath. She watches as the stallion's expression quickly turns glum and she can feel her heartbeat quickening in her chest. How did he know? Perhaps he knew her too well, and could sense the subtle anxiousness bubbling under the surface. Wasp flicks her tail quickly over her haunches and shifts her weight. Her jaws clench before she sighs, and her gaze returns to Rougaru.

"We're all fine in Peak." She says, hoping to stem his worry. "Well, most of us." She corrects herself.

"We're preparing for this war we keep hearing about." She offers, eyeing him curiously now. "What do you know of it? How concerned should we be?" She asks directly, feeling confident enough in her relationship with the brute to talk bluntly with him about such serious matters.

Wasp knew enough to gather that Rougaru was likely not on the same side as the Peak in this upcoming squabble. She knew of Warsaw, from what insight Macabre had shared from her time on Luthien with Persephone. And she obviously knew where Cullen's allegiances lied. "I hope you and your family are ready." She says honestly. Despite their differences, Wasp certainly would never wish for harm to ever come to the stallion. He was as close of a friend as any to the young Peak mare. And in many ways, he was the closest thing she'd ever had to a father, even if it was strange for her to think about it in that way.

"I'm here on business, unfortunately." She finally reveals, her voice trailing off as she searched his eyes for a reaction. The mare breathes another heavy sigh as she collects her thoughts. "I understand Cullen has sent two of our captured sisters to your herd. Merete and Drika." She says, her features hardening some as she weighs just how Rougaru may react. "I was grateful, in some ways, to learn they came to you. I trust you to keep them safe. But I'm here today to see if we can strike a deal. I'm bound to protect my sisters, Rougaru. And I want to bring them home where I can protect them myself before this dreaded war gets underway."

She snorts then, and tosses her head once more, in an attempt to rid a few pesky strands of forelock from her view. "I hope you can understand where I'm coming from." She offers next, cocking her head to one side. "What can I offer you in a possible exchange to bring them home?"

W A S P