 Tristan grinned. "Well, that's nice and all," he teased, "but I'm pretty sure you could draw in your own coat." Her cheeks had flushed a pretty-pink but the rest of her face seemed paler than usual. It set her bright eyes more prominently in her face and the prince found himself unable to look away. He imagined that if he were to reach out and touch her cheek it would have the gentle chill of snow. "It's hard to move your arms around when there's a great furry thing sitting on you. Trust me, I learned that one the hard way." Celidon, thankfully, had learned quickly that his sheer size meant that perching on his fairy wasn't really an option anymore. Tristan's ribs however still ached with the memory of the last time he'd attempted it.
He glanced at Hero who was staring intently at Midnight. The black stallion was ignoring the grey and continued grazing without the slightest change of stance. Tristan laughed and reached back to stroke Hero's cheek.
"I don't think you're impressing him, boy" he commiserated before turning back to Thea. "Judging by what they're both thinking right now, a race could be damn interesting." Hero snorted again.
"But not today, this one's done enough for today. He left Alex's mare in the dust." Tristan took a few steps forwards and sat down on the damp ground, one leg stretched out before him, the other bent so his knee pointed skywards.
Hero took the opportunity to wander over to Thea and nuzzled gently at her hair. They made a pretty pair, the prince thought with a ghost of a smile, the dapple-grey stallion and the pale beauty in white. They looked like they'd stepped out of an illustration from an old romance.
"I was wondering," Tristan began casually, "if you had any plans for the Halloween faire?" He paused to study her face for a reaction and seemed reassured enough to press on. "I thought maybe we could go together? It's been ages since we did something just the two of us..." He grinned mischievously, "something that didn't involve you yelling at me, anyway."
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