Force-claiming is not allowed here. This is a peaceful, neutral area meant for socialising.
the sweet far thing
The moments after she calls to him, there in the moonlit clearing, stretch on for what feels like hours. Kore waits with bated breath, trembling - whether from the cold that bites at her smooth skin, or dread, or something else entirely, she’s not sure. She struggles to see between the trees, ears flicking to and fro… but when a voice - his voice - cuts smoothly through the darkness towards her, she cannot help but to feel somewhat at ease, even as her heart flutters like a bird against her chest. She doesn’t know Aidoneus, no more than anyone can know someone after only a few moments of fleeting, clandestine interaction, but he is no stranger to her. A stranger would have refused her, there, on the beach; They would have looked at her askance, of this she is sure, and ratted her out to Maslakhat. Who, after all, would believe a wild-eyed, frenzied village girl over the cool, collected stallion seemingly coming to her rescue? Who would take her seriously, heeding her words without telling her to just calm down and behave?
Only one, the one who comes now through the trees like a shadow made real, his eyes glowing fire-bright against the inky void of his coat. Her breath leaves her as she takes him in: The slow, fluid motions of his steps, the silvery scars criss-crossing over him that glint in the half-light, the snowflakes that fall down upon his massive form and twinkle like a million tiny stars as they melt away to nothing. She wants to step closer, to drown herself in the sharp, clean scent of him and forget everything, but she keeps her hooves planted firmly on the ground, stretching out her muzzle for a polite exchange of breaths. It would be improper, she knows, to go back to Salem covered in another stallion’s scent, and anyway, she tells herself, it’s not like she’s doing anything untoward by just being here. Maslakhat might not like her associating with Aidoneus, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right? The Clydesdale’s appearance on the shores of the Dunes had raised so many questions in her mind, questions she needed the answer to. She had made the swim to the Crossing to find him - just to talk. There wasn’t anything wrong with just talking, right?
He speaks again. Kore pauses, unsure of how to answer. She couldn’t tell him the real reason she’d come, that thoughts of him had occupied nearly every second of her waking hours since their fateful meeting, that he’d opened her eyes to options she’d never even considered, shone a light on new paths she didn’t know existed. Surely someone like him wouldn’t have thought nearly as much of their meeting. Surely he has other things to take up his time, other mares, other places to be.
Kore scuffs a small front hoof against the ground, lost in her own shame. A shiver seizes her right as he asks after her comfort, crawling down her spine in powerful tremors, and she shifts a bit from side to side, trying to keep warm.