she had little, if any, experience with males. she knew her enough about her parentage to realize that jabari wasn’t her father and while he hadn’t ever been unkind, neither had he been at all keen to have any sort of relationship with her. in general, stallions seemed strangely interested in gathering things they could not care for enough to keep safe. for as devout as her twin sisters insisted their father’s love was to petal, clearly it hadn’t been enough to keep her safe and sane. and then came the final abandonment… which perhaps petal deserved after her wanderings… but still, hellebore couldn’t understand why one would subject oneself to such petty affections when they could end so miserably. a voice draws her from her simple entertainment, her black tipped ears flicking back to catch the sound. she doesn’t immediately stop her activity, glancing over her shoulder at the stranger with dark eyes, before turning back to the crisp blanket of snow. she strikes out one last time, with a little more vigor than she had at first, to scatter the white crystals with her dark feathered hoof. when she is satisfied with her little bit of destruction she turns fully to size up the grey. her brow furrows as he steps closer and she in turn, takes a step away, ears flattening slightly. he seems young, perhaps a few years older than she, with a note of uncertainty in his tone, something she can’t quite place. she listens to his little speech, torn between wanting to interrupt and to hear him out for for curiosity’s sake. her grey lips pull taut, to keep her thoughts to herself for a moment, but when his expression breaks into a grin, very much the proud young gentleman, the little mare rolls her eyes. with something akin to a huff she regains the step she had taken back, unafraid to venture into his space. it is unknown territory, to flaunt both her body and attitude in such a way, but she cares little for propriety. ”ironclad eh? well i am hellebore. and it appears you assume wrong because i came here for nothing but my own entertainment….” she draws closer yet, just a few steps away now, and draws her dark flinty eyes up to meet his face. "and just what, exactly, is it that you think you’d enjoy about my company?” it isn’t a challenge, not yet, because she does wonder what has drawn him to her… but the hint of uncertainty she had seen earlier has her even more curious. what if she did throw the gauntlet down? |