Common

Kirova turned her attention back to Vasilisa as she spoke of her home. Her request to join her in the Thicket made Kirova pause to consider. She had not intended to stay here, but upon finding out that there were multiple different islands and not just the one, her search was going to take longer than she had anticipated. It would be smart to have a safe place to stay and rest between explorations. And if she did not find her missing herd, well - this was the last place they could be. She had nowhere else to look, and no home to return to.

"I will accompany you," she said definitively. "In the spirit of transparency, however, I must warn you that I am on the islands for a purpose and I will be in and out of the territory for a while. I hope that is acceptable." She offered no further explanation, though she bobbed her head gratefully at the mare’s offer of a home. Her words were often short and to the point, but she did appreciate the opportunity she had been presented.

Kirova turned her attention then to Lukasz. He still seemed so nervous, though she dared not ask him out loud what was bothering him; she knew that would make it worse. Instead she focused on her breathing for a moment, slowing it down, hoping he might catch onto her calm energy. He spoke of his home briefly, stating that the islands were close to each other, and that information was valuable to Kirova. She liked the stallion, and hoped this would not be their only time meeting. Perhaps he could help her search, though that was a heavy favor to ask of a stranger. Either way, the longer she thought about it, the more it looked like her stay on the Isles was to be a long one, if not permanent. Even if she did find her family, there was not much point in leaving. It would be a miracle to find that they had survived the swim; she didn’t want to push her luck and see if they survived it a second time. They were not strong like Kirova was.

"What is the Badlands like?" she asked the handsome stallion, still hoping to put him somewhat at ease, but also enjoying his shyness to some extent. She thought it was rather cute, but she would never say so out loud, knowing the anxious discomfort to which such a statement could subject the recipient. "Perhaps you could show me sometime. And when I am familiar with the Thicket, I can show you."