Orhan had not expected Vesti to open up so honestly to him, to give him private details about her life that he imagined must have been somewhat painful for her to divulge. He listened to her intently, occasionally letting his gaze drop to the water to watch a couple lonesome raindrops cause ripples across its surface, and once twisting his black-tipped ears backwards in response to a rumble of thunder. His desire not to be rained on was forgotten, however, invested as he was in hearing the mare out. Yet he felt somewhat awkward standing there, uncertain how to react to all this information. The new knowledge that she had two sons spun in his mind, eclipsed quickly by the thought that she was old enough to be his mother – despite the fact they did not seem to be so different in age – and then there was the realization that there was a loose theme to her story, something which permeated the backbone of her monologue: the sea.

She must associate it with these bad memories, he reflected, which made him wonder if that was the reason she had spent so long traversing Salem back and forth, and if that was why she had never left it. Or is she lingering with the faint hope that her sons will return?

Despite all the information she had dumped on him, however, her speech was relatively short. Soon enough Orhan’s mind was racing, searching for the appropriate words to offer her. He exhaled, letting his nostrils flutter, and twitched the skin across his hindquarters when two more cold raindrops landed on his rump. Lightning flashed in the distance, catching his eye for a moment and reminding him that they were most likely about to get very wet. “If your sons do return, they will be welcome here: you have my word. And... I know you said that you would move on as soon as you had rested, but... just know that you are under no obligation to do so. You are welcome here too, for as long as you wish. I should have made that more clear before.” He hesitated before ploughing on, ignoring the flux of anxiety that made his cheeks hot. “And I do hope you will stay, for a little longer at least. It has been nice, having another to share our company.”

Then he side-stepped, angling his body toward the sheltering rock that beckoned to him from behind Vesti. Raindrops were beginning to fall more frequently now, dappling his back a darker shade of gold. “Join me?” His dark eyes regarded her hopefully.