'And here I was assuming you might enjoy the feel of my teeth against your skin. … disappointing.' Nyimara croons, the saccharine tone of her words sending a tremor down his spine. Mattheo huffs out a breathy laugh, tilting his head up and fixing his lidded gaze upon the delicate lines of her face. "Don't be mistaken, I enjoy a good lovebite or two," he replied, "but I don't consider myself a masochist by any means. Sorry to disappoint, cherie."

His mention of his sister seems to spark something dark within Nyimara, her chocolate eyes melting under the heat of her anger. In the meager blink of an eye she has stepped forward, the space between them all but vanishing. Mattheo's skin tingles beneath the fire of her gaze, the warmth he can feel emanating from her body where it stands oh so close to his own, his heart rate ticking up a notch at her proximity. For all his excitement, he clings to a cool facade of neutrality, peering down at her with an inquisitive gleam in his sapphire eyes.

When Marceline's name falls from her velveteen lips Mattheo can hardly believe his luck, a wicked smile winding its way across his own maw. "Of course not. I figured she was being dishonest, but Marceline has always been an excellent liar, and it can be hard to tell her truths from her falseties." Who knew how complex her web of lies truly was. She had spent her whole life concocting stories, spinning tales, playing the perfect victim. It would take an age to unravel each and every thread of deceit.

"Her redemption?" A dry laugh peels its way from between his lips. "Far from it. No, I would rather seek her downfall."

And what of Nyimara? Did she, too, desire to see Marceline brought to her knees, neutered of any power she might hold, however meager it might be? The thought is exciting - that he might have an ally to aid in his vendetta against the spotted woman.

'She never did mention a brother, though…. So do tell me who exactly you are and what business you have here?'

"Of course not. Knowing Marceline, she would have wanted to keep her past concealed to the best of her ability. She caused quite a bit of trouble for my family, you see, and if anyone knew of her sordid history they would surely see her in a less than flattering light." He paused, humming thoughtfully as he peered at the silver-haired woman. He had never openly shared his family's fraught history with an outsider before, but it seemed to him that their goals might be aligned. Perhaps it would be beneficial, to open up to her, to spill every secret he has kept in the hopes they might unite to use this knowledge to their mutual advantage.

"My name is Mattheo, and as you've said, Marceline is my sister. She and I were born in a kingdom quite far from here. Our family had always been part of the upper echelons of its society, but when she was promised to the King, we rose through the ranks quite quickly. She became his Queen as soon as she came of age, and we gained many things from this union - the most fertile land, the strongest guards, high ranking seats on the king's council. Life was easy, and we were respected."

He paused once again, staring off into the shimmering horizon as the familiar bitterness began to roil in his gut, curdling his tone when he continued: "But Marceline was apparently quite unhappy with this union, and within a year of becoming Queen, she ruined it all. It came to light that she had been having an illicit affair with one of the King's advisors." His gaze slid back towards Nyimara, gauging her reaction to learning all of her rival's sordid secrets. Was she lapping them up, eager to have any fodder she could against her rival? "Rumor had it that she even plotted the King's death with her lover, so she could be free of him and seize power for herself. Whatever her plans might have been, they were foiled when she was found out - by her own son, no less."

A wry chuckle falls from his lips, his dark tail flicking idly against his hindquarters. The revelations about Marceline's… activities… had caused chaos through the kingdom. Chaos that had continued to plague their family even after all these years. He had never truly been able to shake the speculation about himself and his family that followed them. His family had never been able to truly gain the King's trust when they told him they hadn't any idea of her plans. She had ruined everything for them, and for that he was determined to make her pay.

Maybe, just maybe, Nyimara was the key to accomplishing that.

"Needless to say she was exiled immediately, and our family fell under heavy scrutiny. We were close to losing everything, but we were lucky that we were able to mend our relationship with our King. Yet suspicion still followed us everywhere. Our King died recently, and though I was next in line to take over thanks to my relationship with the Princess, that never came to fruition. Some of his family were still distrustful of us, and staged a coup." A heavy sigh fell past Mattheo's lips, his head shaking as he considers all that has been stolen from him, all the opportunities that had been squandered due to Marceline's recklessness, all the chances his children would never have now that they were nothing but commoners.

"So I'm sure you can imagine the amount of animosity I hold towards sister dearest, and why I would want to see her pay for her transgressions against me and our family." Mattheo paused, tilting his head down at Nyimara. "I take it she has also done something to earn your ire?" In a way, Nyimara reminded him of Marceline: though their interactions in the past had been limited, he had come to learn that Nyimara had a strong personality, an unyielding sense of authority that she carried with her everywhere. She could be snarky yet flirtatious, and seemed to know what she wanted. If anything, Mattheo would have thought a mare like Nyimara would become Marceline's best friend. So he was quite curious to know how Marceline had found herself on the receiving end of Nyimara's wrath.