Blueblood

"Sounds good to me, love!" Kahz remarked, casually reveling in the atmosphere as he swung himself over the benches in his exit. The 'ling was already drunk on love, therefore the bar would be wise to limit his sake before his song. He didn't have to peruse the catalog for long; he knew the playlist already, and had an inkling in mind already as to the perfect number to dedicate to Yù. Having punched in the number, he swaggered on stage, even calling out the Long Kong intro phrase "An-nyŏng-ha-se-yo!" before the Piano bars kicked in, "Sometimes you gotta bleed to know That you're alive and have a soul But it takes someone to come around to show you how She's the tear in my heart, I'm alive She's the tear in my heart, I'm on fire She's the tear in my heart, take me higher Than I've ever been!" The lead singer in Kahz was fully out on stage, undisguised under a pony glamour, though a few in the audience may have recognized his voice. They were certainly applauding the show, but he had eyes for just one member of the audience, a certain Qilin who he hoped wouldn't mind the attention his attention would direct her way. Nor the somewhat cheesy compliments the lyrics held, but if she didn't mind all the one's he'd given before... "The songs on the radio are okay, But my taste in music is your face! And it takes a song to come around to show you how She's the tear in my heart, I'm alive She's the tear in my heart, I'm on fire She's the tear in my heart, take me higher Than I've ever been Than I've ever been Than I've ever been Than I've ever been!" The crescendo of the second chorus smoothed over into a calm percussive snapping, letting him settle back for the bridge, swaying sinuously side to side, "You fell asleep in my cart I pulled the whole time, But that's OK I'll just avoid the holes so you sleep fine. I'm cursing as I walk, it's all the Princess' fault For not using my taxes to fill holes with more asphalt. You fell asleep in my cart I pulled the whole time, But that's OK I'll just avoid the holes so you sleep fine. I'm cursing as I walk, it's all the Princess' fault For not using my taxes to fill holes with more asphalt!" The song kicked back into high gear, sending him to the front of the stage in the limelight. Not once had he glanced at the lyrics page, probably signaling to his date that this had been a planned little moment for her. "She's the tear in my heart, I'm alive She's the tear in my heart, I'm on fire She's the tear in my heart, take me higher Than I've ever been!" She'd see him kneel down after the last chorus, directing the outro straight to her as he looked into her eyes, the high tempo and volume cooling down over that last half minute, sending a heartfelt little message her way, "My heart is my armor She's the tear in my heart, she's a carver She's a butcher with a smile, cut me farther Than I've ever been Than I've ever been Than I've ever been Oh, than I've ever been My heart is my armor She's the tear in my heart, she's a carver She's a butcher with a smile, cut me farther Than I've ever been" The exoskeletons of changelings were a metaphor for their hearts; an outer shell that could repel blows, but nothing but softness inside for all who found, or made for themselves, a way in. It had not been mere starvation, but fear of vulnerability, that had kept his kind as parasitic outcasts for so long. Even though he'd been far from hostile himself, it was only after he met Yù that anypony had ever had from Kahz more than a friendly smile painted on his armor. But now... there was a door open for her, a home for her own heart, should she come in.

Whether it was automatically part of the process, or a special request fulfilled, Jizara was getting what she wanted. Perhaps, everything she ever wanted. Maybe that was too much to hope for, but she wasn't too old at heart to not feel it pound in her chest at the prospect. The magic rose, she felt it start to act on her... it was weird, since Twilight's magic was changing, in essence, the past, while leaving Spoiled's memories of it intact. Which, more or less amounted to a retroactive bifurcation of the universe, which at this very point in the timeline was combining and joining on her very overlapping person, who Spoiled Rich was contained only in the legacy of her daughter and the memories in Jizara's head, an existentially world-shaking series of events! It tingled. With a shudder, Jizara felt herself expand to fill the hall, the enormous cushion seeming to shrink beneath her as she shook out changing limbs that felt as if they were going to sleep on her. "Mwa, rar, raowl!" New feline flesh and nerves, along with a spurt of sudden youthful energy, caused her insticts to rile up, pouncing upon the pillow, claws out, working out her weird feelings in a spray of cloth, stuffing and feathers! It took a few minutes for her to get to full size, and get used to it, by which time Blueblood was cautiously emerging from cover, as he'd overturned his table to act as a makeshift shield. Jizara had regained a more regal pose, eyeing the Prince in the midst of the wreck, as if daring him to acknowledge it happened at all. Blueblood, however, was a married stallion, and knew better. "Well... you look... improved. Fitter, I mean. Er, not that you fat before..." OK, so the boy still needed some work...

Was that a fair assumption? Jizara frowned at the implication, but Blueblood had to quietly agree. During his brief tenure as Archancellor of the School of Friendship in Ponyville, he'd had a chance to see Diamond Tiara's interactions with her peers, as well as Spoiled Rich's tenure as mayor. Frankly, it was obvious to any who saw the two that they were on divergent life paths. Lineage, more than motherhood, had been Spoiled Rich's ambition, but only Jizara would fill it. But it was hard to blame the mare, at the end of the day. Blue knew full well that the soul and body could be mismatched in identity, and it was just as well that this could be reconciled. Maybe after the divorce, Filthy could find a true loving companion to serve as a stepmother, thus making five happy creatures total, rather than three miserable ones. One had to hope. Standing now on the threshold of this change, Jizara took a deep breath, looking aside at her reflection for the last time as a pony in the wall of crystal. That was a face that would never be seen again. "Well, if you could give me some of my youth back in the transformation, I'd appreciate it. Niilaavin appreciates my maturity, but I'd like to have a lither, more energetic body to enjoy that with. Not to mention some more years." A not unexpected final request, all things considered. With so many impossible things being done before dinner, what was one more?

Chuckling, Shining emerged from the bedroom carrying his daughter in an impromptu ponyback ride. "Mmm, that's good! Magic does burn a lot of calories at high level, so its good to have high-protein breakfasts." Training began even before you hit the practice field; that was one of the first things that Shining Armor had learned in the guard. You needed to develop the attitude beforehoof, and fuel yourself right at the table. Given Flurry's spirit of eagerness and curiosity, combined with Cadence's culinary support, he'd say she was set up for success! The two of them clattered into the kitchen, interruping Cadence's reverie with the noise. Shining made up for this by giving his wife a kiss on the cheek as he deposited their daughter at the table, helping to plate the eggs through the use of his magic. "Sleep well, dear? I hope we all didn't get you up too early." He felt a little bad, to be honest, that Cadence was getting kind of left out of this training. True, it was to be expected, given her pegasus heritage, but Shining had only met her after her alicornification, and hadn't seen her without a horn.

"Indeed it is easier to get these days... but for you, I would certainly splurge~" Jizara couldn't let Niil do too much spoiling of her without reciprocation, or else she'd re-arn her old name! And honestly, she'd back her own judgment of purchasing makeup over any male's, regardless of whether their culture thought it compatible with masculinity or not! Twilight seemed to think along these lines too, at least as far as giftings were concerned, as it was time to discuss the most precious thing they could give him right now. She had found her respect for the purple alicorn's wisdom and intelligence grow over the years, though Twilight would probably admit both qualities had themselves grown over the same period. "I suppose you learned it not too long after I was aware of it, perhaps before I was willing to admit it to myself. A better garden awaits, but it did take some uprooting to get ready for the transplant." It was fairly unusual for an earth pony of... a certain age, to pull up sticks and move; but perhaps Niilaavin was right when he said she was always a sphinx at heart. And now, it was time to wrap up the last of things attaching her to her old life. She couldn't say she'd miss Filthy now, though there was still a dull ache when it came to Diamond Tiara... "If you can transform me, here and now... I would like you to make the same offer to Diamond Tiara. I want to remember my old life, which will help me live my new one all the better. But if she wants to give me another chance to be raised by a better mother... at least tell her the offer is open." She smiled, a little sadly, "This might be a mother's pride, but I think she'd have the heart of a sphinx too." Blueblood found himself touched by this remark, nodding along as he conversed with Twilight in his mind, *Thank you so much... but until you have a little one of your own, you won't know what it means to have no break!* One of the advantages of having a herd is that little Pax had three parents on rotating duty, which meant that at least one of them should be able to sleep at night. Theoretically. Never seemed to work out like that. How did monogamous households do it? Aloud, he answered, "I do indeed, though I wouldn't want to speak for my wives quite yet. Nonetheless, pending spousal permission, I accept." It was one more in a long line of titles and duties he'd taken on, but likely not the last.... *It's just possible... I may be making a move of subject-citizenship myself. Hyatria may need me as more than an ambassador soon.*

Blueblood sighed a bit in relief as the moment of tension passed. At this point, all that remained were the numbers, and he knew that Niilaavin was content to leave those to somepony else, as long as nothing on the map unduly diminished. And Jizara, as Spoiled, had always been sensible about this sort of thing. "Don't worry, you're in good hooves." He reassured the sphinx, while mentally preparing himself for a prolonged mental workout, followed by a post-maths headache to rival the worst of his hangovers. He envied the fortitude with which alicorns could face such debauches... "If I can deal with the minutiae of town budget to the eighth-bit, surely a kingdom of this size is within my competence." Jizara replied, declaring her intention to stay, even as she stole a last little snuggle beneath Niil's feathery embrace. "And perhaps, Cadence, you might give Niil a little pointer in color theory before the ceremony? Black, of course, is classic for eyeliner, but I think there may be a few subtle shades that would blend better with both our coat colors; obviously they have to match. Still, Princess Cadence, we would be... honored, if you could in some way facilitate the ceremony publicly? A Tyr's match, I think, deserves more than a private ceremony." She hoped Niil didn't mind the publicity so much, but if he was going to go for a royal position, he'd have to get used to pageantry!

Blueblood wished that the discussion would switch to total numbers rather than per-acre costs, as it was getting a little more difficult to do the math in his head to calculate the absolute number of bits that would be required by the new prices. Hence, his silent pause during a rather inopportune time, Niil's instincts running ahead of him with an outburst on the pricing. He winced at the hearing of it, offering a softer voiced, "Do consider, Cadence, that total increase does rather exceed the average government contract, especially considering there's no rebid." He hadn't actually finished doing the math, so he couldn't state that with confidence, but it was a more face-saving way to back down from the insistence. Jizara herself couldn't exactly say she was... pleased at her prospective new mate's outburst. "A high upfront investment on our part is not exactly objectionable, as long as we reap the whole of the dividends." She pointed out, in a tone of voice that was gently chiding, even as she was stroked. "That said, what we can do with the labor at our disposal is a discount upon our capital outlay. Now, if prospective subjects wish to bring in their own capital under, say, generous allowances for entrepreneurship, we shall open ourselves to them. At this time, we'll keep what remains after the land purchase in reserve for an open bid on any development project." Sighing a bit in relief, Blueblood flashed Jizara a smile in gratitude for smoothing over the troubled waters. "So be it; we'll leave local industry to local administration and the Tyr's adjudication. It's probably for the best that any potential friend and future comrade in arms be able to stand on their own paws, as it were?"

Spoiled took hold of the documents as if they were always meant for her. They might well have been; it would be a while before she could contribute materially to a hunt, but the mare of business and local politics was in her native habitat here. "Dynastic family business? Well, you could say that I have a bit of experience in dealith with that sort." Growing apples, mining crystals, same difference at the end of the day. Ten to one they were mostly earth ponies getting their hooves dirty in production, as was common, but likely not insensitive to visions of grandeur. Some overtures of everything that could be if they were willing to support it would do the trick, she fancied. "That shouldn't be a problem at all." The other side of the equation was being handled by Blueblood. He couldn't say that the counter-offer was unfair, though knowing that every bit that went into purchasing the land was a bit that couldn't be used to develop it weighed on him. "Well, as long as Twilight is willing to authorize the funds, I think that's a fair offer. What is the state of the infrastructure? If we're going to use the existing settlements as seedbeds, are they all connected by any kind of road or rail? That will likely have to be funded by outside investment, at the very least." That left open the question of where Niil planned to put his eventual capital, though Blueblood suspected that he'd conduct a peripatetic court for the first decade or two. A peripatetic den, however, was a trickier proposition. Try telling a pregnant or nursing mare to go nomadic, and see where that gets you!

Sometimes the epitome of diplomacy is knowing when to let other people talk. Cadence's requests were best answered by Niilaavin, and the offer seemed fair enough from his perspective. Probably to be better received than his own idea, which was to supplement the purchase money with a regular stipend from Equestria's Evironmental Restoration Fund for Endangered Species; that might be considered a little demeaning. Surprisingly, even Jizara had something to add to the table once Niil finished talking about allowing overseers: "Also, local labor gets first bidding rights and preference, regardless of oversight status. Early wealth that stays local will have an exponential impact going forward... I don't suppose there's any guilds or unions currently chartered there? We will respect all current charters, the last thing we need is a strike, lockout, or any class strife at this critical juncture." To what extent institutional structures imported from Equestria would be able to fit in to the den heirarchy outlined by Niil was as yet an unknown factor, but these developments and compromises were things that would have to be hashed out by those who actually had to live with the results. Blueblood wasn't yet in a position to opine on domestic arrangements, but he could offer a word or two on foreign relations. "Put the western border as a dotted line for now; Aquellia's claim may be tenuous, but there's always a faction willing to push thin claims to break political logjams in the Republic, and they've been stuck in a large one for a while. You have no one lobbying on your behalf in Talonopolis at the moment, and until you have either a robust diplomatic corps or local fighting force, preferably both, tactful silence on the subject would be adviseable. As for the tribes..." He ruffled through his papers, before his very efficient secretary presented him with the needed document, "Ah, yes, we do actually have some information you may find relevant. As you may know, there are different kinds of tribes, with varying levels of centralization and settlement. The Tenochtitlan Basin, which you border, really ought to be considered civilized, in my opinion; there are cities in there, and many of the Leota tribes pay tribute to them currently. Which means they're likely to take a more active interest in a potential power rival early... or partner. I would recommend opening talks with... oh dear I hope pronounce this right... Cemmoyāhua? She's the closest I've found to a diplomatic counterpart there; and most amenable to opening up talks and trade."

"Why thank you! I know you're Equestria's champion foalsitter, though I should hardly like to impose." While outside flight training wasn't strickly necessary, given that he already had two Pegasi in his household, Cadence did have other skills to bring to bear in such a matter. He took a bite out of a small sandwhich to give himself a little time to think before answering Twilight's question. " "Well, as you've no doubt deduced from the herald, no small amount of my house's future is invested in this project." If sufficiently successful, the Prince was considering going all-in, but now was not the time to tip his hoof in that respect. Not just because of the diplomatic degrees of freedom he'd sacrifice; he also had to secure permission from both his wives for that part of the plan. Not the easiest of tasks. He was, in fact, surprised that Spoiled Rich- rather, Jizara had agreed so readily. Niilaavin just had that much charm, he supposed... or else she must have been much more unhappy than she'd been letting on. The mare herself had just given a smiling, "Thank you." To the sphinx, as she took her tray of little delights, daintily taking a bite from a macaron. Her inputs didn't seem called for at this point in the proceedings, but she had accompanied Niilaavin during his initial land surveys, and so could act as a witness to any discussion of the land if necessary. Blueblood, meanwhile, was passing more formal survey maps and calculations of acreage over towards the two princesses, while his secretary brought out some calculation tables from a manila folder. Once Niil finished the land summary, Blueblood cleared his throat. "Ahem... Given that the land is still classed as frontier, it is difficult to give a market value estimation. The standard homestead calculation is 50% bare land value of the settled margin, but given the high latitude, weather patterns, and security risks of border incursions and caribou raids, the hazard discount would, frankly, make the per-acre compensation minimal." Something like 5/8 a bit per, if Cadence would do a quick check of the math. "Cash on the nail, though; it will be some time before a functional tax base is built, and even then the economy is likely to be barter and in-kind exchange, at least locally." It was a lowball opening offer, Blueblood knew, but what exactly they would need to concede for the Crystal Empire to keep face at the negotiation table wasn't something he knew for sure. Cady's counter-offer would be likely to tell him.

Jizara, formerly going by the name of Spoiled Rich, had been mostly quiet in the long train ride up to the Crystal Empire. Partly because she was not comfortable in the open Northern air, and thus could not be with Niilaavin to converse upon the trip. But in the main she was in a meditative mood, enough to shun the company of Prince Blueblood and even to be somewhat lighter than usual on the demands placed upon her servants. Well, technically speaking House Platinum's servants, they weren't under her personal employ. She hadn't learned until recently that the sphinx was officially adopted into the ancient Equestrian House, but it was oddly comforting, in a way. New as her life and lifestyle would become, her old and almost forgotten ambitions of upward mobility in Equestrian High Society were reaching an unexpected fulfillment. It was on those coming changes that she was meditating. Up until now, nothing she had done was in any sense irreversible; her relationship with Niil could have been kept to a mere affair, a pleasant diversion from her life as a provincial official and local bigwig, still officially married with progeny. Now, however... the lines she was crossing would be closed behind her. She had a course she was committed to now, and there would be no going back afterward. For the first time since leaving her family's dairy farm, the light-headed excitement and gut-wrenching fear associated with the word adventure suffused the mare. And yet, once she'd boarded this train, a sense of calm and relief had overlain them both. Having made the irreversible commitment, the great trial of her soul was completed. What blessing or curses would follow required nothing from her, she would sit regal before the world, haughtily receiving its judgment. It was in this attitude that mare strode into the Royal Hall of the Crystal Empire, giving the herald no further acknowledgement than of a mare of royal rank receiving her due. Her aura of dignity was only briefly interrupted by the clamber up to the cushion for a creature much larger than her. She could only be grateful that Niilaavin respected her enough not to carry her like a kitten to her seat, which she took with an almost feline attitude of recline; showing the soul of a sphinx in the body of an older mare. As for Blueblood? He came into the chamber as he had come on the train, surrounded by maps and papers suspended magically around him and carted by his secretary, dumping them in serendipitious order upon the table they all sat on, immediately filling a small plate with various sweetmeats. "Ah, it's been a while, hasn't it Cadence? I don't believe I've seen you since my wedding! Shining and Flurry doing alright? Pax took his first steps and flaps last month, you should really come to visit some time!" He prattled in a facade of fatuousness second-nature to an experienced diplomat, aiming to put Cadence specifically at ease, as he had identified her as the most reluctant to agree to Niilaavin's demands. Better butter her up, and no better way to do that than family!

Like most momentous things in life, Blueblood found that the iniation of his admittedly long-shot goal of re-establishing sphinxes as a living race and kingdom were suddenly advancing after so long at knocking away gradually at them. The lone survivor of their kind that he had recovered, Niilaavin, had slowly become accustomed to living among ponies, reconciling ancient ways of feline kind to a new era. This had been a process of years, always with the thought in mind that they would need to find a suitable mate to repopulate the species, and territory for their pride's kingdom. This had seemed the harder task, and yet it seemed to be coming to a head in mere months! Niil's study of geography had identified a stretch of Northern Territory where there were light, if any, fronteir settlements, an idea place to hold in exchange for offering border security. More remarkable still, the sphinx had found a mate! Sort of. Blueblood had to admit he couldn't quite tell why the heart had selected in the manner in which it had, save that Spoiled Rich had an absolutely feline ego. There was also the little problem that she was a pony, but magic could do a lot things these days. To resolve this matter of love and land would take the Princesses of Love and Friendship to act in concert, and thankfully Blueblood found both amenable to doing this little favor for his feline friend. Therefore, he wrote letters, made appointments, and arranged travel, wishing Cadence well in hosting Niilaavin and Spoiled Rich... or what she was deciding to call herself now. She had taken the name Jizara in anticipation of her new life....

"A cupid in pony form?" Sky's eyes brightened, as the introverted and somewhat day-dreamy stallion came to a rare state of full and sharp attention. "I'm sure you must have seen quite a few sweet stories in your time. Be happy to swap sappy love stories, if you're interested; it's one of the subjects I love writing songs about!" Not to mention, he always loved to tell the story about how he and Windy met, though he couldn't remember if it was his turn or her turn to buttonhole perfect strangers with their love story. "A local tour would be great, too." He nodded in agreement with Windy, beginning to clean off his plate and drain his cup of tea. "I actually know a thing or two about crystals, at least the kind they use for sound synthesis and resonance. It's gotten a lot easier for me to build my instruments since the crystal trade opened up between the Empire and Equestria. It's everything else about your hometown that you'll have to point out."

It was indeed a rare day that Shining Armor was the last to wake up of his family; oftentimes habit alone had him up at reville, sometimes he even did a personal troop inspection at turnout if he was up early enough to dress for it. But, last night had been a bit tiring with paperwork and other matters, and just by coincidence that happened to be the day that Flurry was so excited to wake up. The stallion stirred amidst the sheets, at first groggily concerned about the empty bed, though smells of varying degrees of appetizingness from the kitchen was enough to clue him in of what was likely going on. The burnt toast left by the bedside, too. *So my little Fluffalump is starting her lessons today with cooking?* Rather incautiously, he took a bite of the charcoaled bread; in Shiny's defense, he hadn't had his coffee yet. *Ech... probably best used as grill fuel for later.* He was a good enough dad, though, to refrain from commenting once he heard the returning footsteps of his daughter. Sitting up, he smiled at Flurry Heart as he slipped out of bed, running a hoof through his mane to smooth it down. "Ah, good morning Flurry! Excited for today?"

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Kahz chuckled at the reaction provoked, stealing another kiss on Yù's cheek. "Same, I have to say~ But just like that, it wouldn't do to push you if its really too far out of your comfort zone. I just think both are things everyone should be able to enjoy, you know?" Allusions to the parallel would finish out the meal to the check and breathmints, though an evening of sake and song was Kahz' idea of a good time; if Yù wanted to join him on stage. "The Karaoke bar's in the back; we can do a duet if you're not comfortable alone... otherwise, got any requests for me?"

Was it possible to escape one's past? Many ponies throughout history seemed to think so, though the ones that made it into the history books self-evidently failed to truly do so. You'd have to go fast, stay hidden, and not live long enough for it to catch. Spoiled Rich didn't count any of those three things among her future ambitions, so perhaps Niilaavin had a point there. At least, though, she could leave her name behind, perhaps her species as well. That begged the idea of what it was like to actually be a sphinx. And given that she had a wealth of knowledge that she was literally resting upon... "I'd like to know more of your ways. As a sphinx, how do you see the world differently than most ponies? And, if I may ask, what was it about me that reminded me so much of your own kind?" She chuckled at that, "No doubt that last would be a mere recitation of my best features, but I can tell you right now, young cat, there is no female of any species that will not enjoy that!"

Spoiled listen to Niil's lament for lost times with more attention and sympathy than most would have thought her capable of. It must really be love between them, and she trusted that Cadence herself would assent. "I won't lie, there's a part of me that wants to say that there's a bright side in being able to make a clean break... but I'm not yet sitting on the opposite end of an unbridgeable gulf between myself and my past." She may well be about to leap across it, though, if the fortune-teller's words and previews meant anything. The thought was less pleasant than the sound of her new name and title in her mouth. "RaSha Jizara... I won't lie, it sounds even better than Mayor Rich. A much more prestigious position. It may be a while before I'm able to convince other people to use it for me, though. Perhaps, if that alchemist ever figures out that transformation..." She left off, not wanting to cruelly raise an unfulfillable hope.

Hello, just as a note, for moderated RP zones, such as World of Equestria or A New Generation, we don't allow more than the canon alicorns in character apps. That includes backstory NPC's.

Okay... now Tarot's behavior was really starting to get on Spoiled's nerves. Unreasonable overcharges, tasteless laughing, and as for this little 'on the house show'... The mayor watched through the whole thing with a flat expression, giving the the fortune-teller mare a look that would have pickled a ripe watermelon. "I don't know what that was all about; it had the air of something our resident princess would contrive to persuade a pony to change their ways, though I'm hanged if I can tell what that was supposed to show me, except that perhaps I'm making the right decision." It seemed that she wasn't in the mood to be rebuked from her current course of action right now, and this whole experience was just the sort of thing that would motivate some retaliatory red tape in giving the license Tarot had just signed for. Petty, perhaps, but mares in this town had to realize just what consquences upcharging city officials just because you thought they could afford it would being! Nevertheless, she did not lose her temper, just becoming frostily polite as she took her leave. Which, as Tarot might be able to tell, meant that nerves had been struck for Spoiled. "In any case, it was so delightful to welcome you back to town once again, madame. I trust that your future enterprise here will meet with the success that it deserves."

Spoiled ears were by no means so sensitive as a sphinx's, but Niil had put enough emphasis on the difference in tone and pronunciation for her to know that Rasha and RaSha were not the same thing. The latter, closer, and more intimate, seemed to warm her even against the cooler air of higher altitudes and latitudes. "I don't know if what I hear or feel is your heart, or the pounding of my own. It's been so long since anyone made me feel like this." She smiled back, unafraid of his crescent eyes and sharpened teeth. This sphinx, this large loving cat... was presenting himself as hers, in a way, giving himself in such a way that she couldn't help but reciprocate, regardless of what bounds or bonds it broke. She snorted a bit at the first suggestion of a name. "Niilrasha is the sort of thing the tabloids call couples. Not that I expect we'll be able to prevent that..." If she did end up moving out with him to the frontier, though, it was unlikely the paparazzi would follow them. Though she suspected the big cat had his own ways of discouraging hangers-on! "Jizara..." She rolled the name on her tongue like a rich floral tea. It was certainly a regal sounding name, and she was touched by the act of affection it represented. "You are... a long way from your birth family, aren't you?" She'd known about him being encased in stone for millennia, but the full weight of what that would actually mean was only now starting to be made clear to her. "It's a lovely name, and I would be proud to bear it." Not the only thing she would be proud to bear, if she was being honest, but that would have to wait to see if she could receive a new body to go with her sphinx name.

It was true enough, perhaps, that Spoiled's decision was pre-made. And really, what was the talk about hardships supposed to do? What did Tarot think her life had now, if not the hardships of scarcely existent family? Perhaps this source of discontent is why the mirror may not have left the intended impression upon Mayor Rich's mind. What she saw there was a magnificent beast, a matriarch of many, any of which could and one of which would grow up to be the queen that Diamond Tiara didn't seem to want to be. The attempted lesson only made her sigh wistfully, and reinforce her convictions. "Having more is one of the reasons I desire this change. Filthy certainly won't give me any more foals..." Sweeping the curtain back down with her hooves, she stared the fortune teller dead in those glowing green eyes. And they were glowing, of that she was certain now! "Extortion," She said, cooly, "As well as price discrimination, are valid reasons to revoke a business license."