Pilar listened carefully to Ikari, her brown eyes alight with interest. She felt lucky to have found him here; to hear his advice gathered from years of life well lived. He was a relic in the most majestic sense, and she could only imagine what his eyes had seen before they were clouded with age. She silently wondered if it was possible that she might live that long—to be able to persist throughout generations, watch children and grandchildren grow into great leaders or pitiful ne’er-do-wells. Imagine the pride and shame! Pilar found it impossible to be around Ikari without thinking of the future and the endless possibilities it held.
She smiles warmly at his token, pleased at herself for already understanding this concept to some degree. Pilar agreed that being direct was a good choice in many cases.
“I couldn’t agree more!” Pilar let her excitement show. “I haven’t had to deal with much conflict in my life though. I suppose I am lucky for that, but I’m sure the time will come.”
Pilar thought for a moment of Kasabian and whether she might find herself in trouble the next time she returned to the Ridge. She was not afraid, merely curious at the outcome of the situation and how the choices she had made might affect others. She was hardly wishing for drama, but she knew that realistically it would find her as it found mostly everyone. It was fascinating how such circumstances evolved; how one decision led to another, and how often they snowballed, creating a cumulative reality that was sometimes impossible to stop. Maybe, just maybe, if Pilar learned to anticipate—if she learned how to connect the dots between such events—she could see the snowball tumbling down the mountain. And if nothing else, she could save herself. Perhaps then she would indeed live as long as Ikari, and in seventeen years she might be standing in this very spot dispensing advice to another young colt or filly. Everything moved in a circle, it seemed.
"I guess we shall see…"
Her attention then returned to Magnus as he introduced himself. She offered him a bright smile as well, glad to hear that he would have no qualms with them travelling together. Exploring was always better with a companion, and in her gut she felt a tinge of adventure knowing that her journey would be with him. To her, Magnus had the potential to be as significant as the winds—with short term memory but capable of moving mountains given there was time. And Ikari, with his infinite wisdom, would be their road map. Pilar listened carefully once more as he spoke, pointing them in the proper direction.
In this moment, Pilar felt something like invincibility in her heart, and she hoped that this feeling would stay and last.
- BLACK HEART MACHINE -
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