Common

In truth, Solomon isn't sure how Cain will react to this interruption. The desert tobiano was well within his rights to react with hostility, considering both the nature of their relationship and the fact that he had approached first. Granted, Cain had not laid any sort of claiming nip on the terrified mare, but it was rare for multiple band stallions to approach solitary mares without there being some sort of conflict. The last time Solomon had faced down another band stallion in the commons had been for Marzanna's hand, and that had devolved into chaos after the opportunistic Lagoon stallion had arrived.

Thankfully, it does not seem as though there will be any fighting today, and Solomon allows some of the tension in his rigid posture to soften as the threat passes. Perhaps later he might even seek out the Desert stallion, if only to ask him to keep an eye out for his missing flower girl. The freckle-faced girl seemed to shy away from them, as though she were standing in front of two villains hellbent on stealing away her virtue. The pose is so submissive that he can't help but think violently of his old life, something that he does so rarely now that the feeling is jarring. That version of himself felt very far away from who he was now.

The longer he looked at her, the more certain he was that she was of his past somehow. It was by far the easiest way to explain the mottling on her lips and the bold white patches that crisscrossed her body. Even so, that was hardly a way to narrow it down. Solomon had more aunts and half-siblings than he cared to name, but those most immediate to him he was certain that he would recognize. Still, the terrified way she responded to himself and to Cain rang bells of familiarity in his mind and he lapsed into a thoughtful silence as she spoke up.

Solomon shook his head to deny her claim of interrupting them but fell quiet as Cain voiced those same thoughts. Still, he found it odd that Cain didn't bother to warn her of the danger she was in. As much as the Common was a place to socialize and find a home, it was just as much a place to be forced into one. And even with two battle-worn stallions standing opposite, the freckle-faced girl would not be safe from an opportunistic band stallion with a penchant for forcing girls anywhere. Still, apart from a glance, Solomon does not add this in either. At the end of the day, the girl will choose to go home with one of them and that stallion will be responsible for protecting her for society's ills.

"You aren't in trouble," he says warmly, even though a part of him simply wants to grill her for any further similarities that might explain why he felt connected to her. "Generally, most mares use this place as a way to interview potential stallions before choosing which herd to live in."

A half-truth perhaps. The meadow and the falls were certainly better suited to long-winded interviews, but the Commons could do just as well if you got lucky. Even so, the temptation to simply reach over and lay teeth into her withers does cross his mind. He has never been a fan of these silly games of give and take. It was much easier to bring them home and get to know them there, when he didn't have to waste energy posturing for another stallion or risking interference from the Lagoon or the Peak.

"Why don't you start with your name?" Solomon offers gently, some of his old charm leaking back in. "There's only so many times we can call you pretty girl or miss, after all."

It had been so long since he had used his wiles to convince a mare back to the Cove that he had almost been afraid that he didn't remember how to flirt. The first year or two of living on the Lost Isles had been so chock full of mare gathering and wooing that charming a mare had almost become second nature. The past year, however, had been full of more trauma and heartbreak than he cared to admit. The opportunity presented by the freckle-faced girl to feel like him old self again was something that he knew he would relish for days to come, even if she did choose Cain.

Solomon