Sinopa's words fell on momentarily deaf ears once the name of the stallion who had washed up on his beach some days before fell from her lips and left him numb. Fear twitched at the base of his spine, and after a long pause to process what he had heard, addressed her with eyes that conveyed all of his concern still glued to the blue beyond. "She's not with him." His statement was plain, his breathing exaggerated and slow. "He's here, I've met him." The man felt resentment wash over him - how could he have been so petty and selfish as to worry about whether there was somebody waiting in the wings for Tolinka (and Sinopa, even - he was growing very fond of her as he saw her facade began to drop) when he should have been focusing on his original worries - where was she? "Even if he were more to her, to you - " he continued, eyes peering directly into hers, "I'd have no right to stand in the way. Even if you should choose to stay with me longer," and how he hoped they did, "you would always be free to go your own way." Unlike the mares that Array coveted and coddled. Unlike his mother, whom had walked out and defied him and been left with an unwanted child that she detested due to the constant reminder of the cove-man that lay in the slate markings atop his head.

"Once fearless?" he repeated as her muzzle's caress drew him back to her, ears flicking in confusion as he flares his nostrils and quietly moves to comfort her with hushed coos of affection and gentle, airy kisses along her cherry shaded flesh. "You are the bravest person I know." And it was true - of the horses he had met, many were cowards, crooks, liars and thieves. Not only could Asche see Sinopa's bravery shining through as she began to speak more plainly, she saw it in the way she walked, the way her eyes claimed everything she did was full of purpose, and the ferocious love she had for Tolinka - Tolinka. In the moment he touched her, he forgot about the darker sister and allowed himself to become fully involved in the current moment. Anxiety, for once, flooded out of his mind and receded to the darkest corners of his conscious. He was at peace, and hoped, for now, that Sinopa was too. They would find her - or she would find them, as she had phrased it. They would always find one another.

The gentle hissing of the waves stroking the shore set the rhythm for his heart, and he moved his muzzle from her side to rest just away from her ears. "I won't move away from you again, I promise." He kept his promises - he always tried. "And I suppose now would be the time for my question?" he smiled, words tipped with glee as he recognised that she spoke of staying here, staying with him.

"What can I do for you?"