[Private] Catching up over drinks.

Ivory smiled to the Moth.

"I am glad you let me in," she offered, "Thank you."

Ivory suspected that affording others some view of vulnerability likely caused Riley some distress. What they were doing wasn't always easy and Ivory recognized that. She was thrilled at the trust.

A small laugh chirped from the Fairest's throat as she afforded the Darkling a wink.

"Your sister sounds like a wise woman. Perhaps one day we will be able to form some acquaintance," Ivory said. Much of this depended on Riley. Ivory understood the desire to keep those close to oneself separate from court affairs, "And you can blame Anthony... or perhaps Penny."

The final words were said in a softer light as the Pale Dragon stared elsewhere, the small smile upon her lips a signal for her recall of pleasant memories, even if her visage was tinged with grief.

"If we had meant shortly after my return my... view on many things would have been different," she admitted, "The responsibility as a guardian to another life has a way of tempering one's view on things, even if it should happen quite unexpectedly."

At the question the dragon merely shrugged.

"Not much, if I'm honest," she said, "With some new tangible goals, I have some things I would like to do, but I have yet to act on them."

Ivory smiled at Riley's gratitude, granting the Darkling a nod as they moved along. 

"Yet I wonder if she says the same," Ivory retorted as Riley espoused their belief that Clare was their better.

There was a gentle chuckle at Riley's compliment.

"Compared to his father? I..." she began, pausing as she considered her words, "I will be adequate. I lack Penny's foresight and experience, but I know enough."

Clearly, compared to their late partner, the Dragon did not feel she was the superior guardian.

"I will have to find my own way with ensuring his protection. And I am, in a fashion," Ivory expanded, "but it's not enough to me for others to merely know I am watching over him. I need them to understand what they stand to lose if something happens."

If someone harmed her charge...

I will burn this city to the ground.

"But that will come in time, for the moment I need to deal with my own crossroads," she admits, "Even if I know the path I am going to take."

At the question of her son, Ivory pondered a moment before answering.

"Anthony is nineteen, Riley," she said, "He is a freshman at UNLV and, for the sake of honesty, he is dating one of us."

Ivory offered a small smile as Riley reiterated Pendragon's faith in her. The Moth was right without truly knowing. There was a reason Anthony was entrusted to her care without a nanny.

"Thank you," she offered, "That is very kind."

The mention of the difficulty of teenagers earned a chuckle.

"It can be, but our close age make the relationship more... casual. He knows I don't have all the answers, but... he's patient. Mostly," she said, "He isn't on campus any more. He goes there for classes, but lives at home again. After my little incident, he wouldn't take no for an answer."

There was a pause as Ivory considered what to relay next.

"He assumed it had happened at a party. Naturally, I couldn't tell him the truth," she said, "Part of him blames Evelyn I think... but that's neither here nor there. In either case, it revealed some glaring flaws in how we deal with one another. They will be dealt with in time and I expect it will foster some understanding."

There was a brief gesture of a hand as the Pale Dragon dismisses the concern over Anthony's choice in partner.

"If all goes according to plan, it shouldn't matter," Ivory offered.

So it was that the cordial smile returned as the pair skirted along difficult topics.

"I will manage... And adapt, as necessary," she offered as the Darkling espoused that they seemed to have things under control.

The mention of parents causes an almost acidic chuckle to sound from the Fairest's chuckle, her gilded gaze shifting elsewhere as she recalls some bitter memory.

"Parents can be... imperfect. I only hope that their flaws were at least forthright," she offered, "I'd describe mine as a mirage. A strong facade that remains until the right moment causes it to break... Although in my case it was only one of them that wore such a veil."

As the statement progressed, the Pale Dragon's words dripped with hate. However, the look softened as the conversation turned to love, the Fairest latching on to the topic as she cleared her throat and relaxed.

"The nature of our existence requires some caution," she offered as the Moth spoke of the obstacles to communication,  "To put it simply: Whether one of us or our less-altered compatriots, it doesn't matter. Certainly, I encourage you to be honest at a point should you possess a... plain lover. It is better for them to understand things and will make your life substantially easier when you can keep fewer secrets. The issue becomes one of security should your bond diminish, but it would take a particularly jilted lover to try and expose the truth, I think. What's more is few would believe them, unless certain groups seem to be listening. In which case, they are signing their fate beyond your control."

It was a simple truth. Ex-lovers that played stupid games got stupid prizes. Namely death if they attempted to become a breach and proved too effective as a threat. That did not mean Ivory was flippant with whom she exposed herself to, the only mortal in her immediate circle that knew what she was was Evelyn, and she was a unique case. However, sometimes it helped to know that exes that attempted to expose things would be facing a amount of support against such acts in the Freehold... although many a careless Lost could end up in the same crosshairs if it was determined that they were not cautious enough in their choice of partners. 

"One of us would be easier in many respects, Riley," she said, "but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen if your heart is pulling you to another. Just bear in mind there will need to be certain... concessions."

Ivory nodded at the mention of Riley's contempt for her parents. Even if part of her doubted Riley had suffered the same betrayal, it was good to know that Riley at least understood the hatred. Even so, Ivory was all too eager to abandon that portion of the discussion, welcoming Riley's thoughts on relationships as a means of distraction.

However, when they spoke of freedom, Ivory looked impressed.

"I envy you. I cannot pretend in the same manner, if I'm honest," she said, "My other side is too interwoven in my nature, I'm afraid. I will never be the young girl I once was, but... that is for the best, given the new lives we lead. She would not have survived."

It may have been blunt and to the point, but sometimes that could be needed. Even should she lie and socialize heavily among mortals, the reality remained that Ivory's spirit was honest with itself. Ivory was not a shapeshifter nor did she heavily experiment with her sense of self. Ivory was what she was and it was, at once, beautiful and terrifying as the situation demanded.

"The concept of cost, though, is dependent on your interpretation and ability more than anything, I think," she pondered, "There are ways to secure one's partners."

As the Moth began to ponder some inherent problems with the pairings between to Lost, Ivory looked almost confused, but then that had not been her experience. At the question the Pale Dragon merely shrugged.

"I cannot empathize, I'm afraid. The chief relationship I've had with one of us was my late husband," she explained, "He... tempered the flame. Without him, I do not believe you and I would be speaking. When a fire burns too hot it seldom lasts long."

In other words? I'd be dead.

"Perhaps our relationship wasn't typical," she admitted, "but we were complementary more often than not. We endured. As for the others? We were quite discerning. Welcoming someone new into a family is best done with an abundance of caution."

There was a shrug.

"It evolves as it must," Ivory said, "I know only what I can never be again, what I will become remains a mystery, but I know it to be far different to who I was Before."

The thought on ignorance and dealing with mundanes is met with a somber nod. The truth reigned the moment the Lost looked in a mirror. They had become something... else.

"Bargains, favors, and the like," Ivory answered as the Darkling pondered over security, "Not to mention more mundane things. On this side, many threats can be deterred by presence of mundane security. Locks lock, fences remain tall, and bullets still hurt. And that's to say nothing for the... communal safety here. There is a reason I chose to come to Las Vegas... I recognize not all boast the capabilities I do with my resources, but the fact remains things can be done to offer security to those we choose to show the truth."

A sad smile lay upon the Pale Dragon's lips as Riley spoke of Pendragon.

"He was," she offered, "There are still times I wake and look to his side of the bed half-expecting him to be there, but he is gone. It's been about 2 1/2 years, but the heart still yearns. Perhaps, when the end comes, we will see each other again, but for now I must live. He would want that."