Common

For as often as Solomon has flirted and seduced the rarer sex, he has very rarely done so in the company of another male and finds himself hamstrung by Cain's placid presence. The man was far too good to be any real competition in the art of making the pretty red mare's heart flutter with yearning, but he had a way of appealing to her need for safety and security that Solomon did not know how to match in mixed company. It was… irritating at best, and Solomon could feel his own patience slipping away the longer this charade went on. As much as he did not need any other enemies, he could easily see how this friendly little charade could quickly turn to something far more violent if Cain's sullen reply about his choice of pockets was any indication.

Solomon's gaze rests on him for a moment, but he does not offer a further response to the petulant sass. Sure, to be a back pocket was fine, if you had no other choice. But would Solomon ever willingly choose to be a mare's second choice? Of course not.

Thankfully, Chelle directs both of their attention to where it belongs - on her beautiful figure - and Solomon's lips press once more into a grin, even though she is set on denying him. He can tell from her tone alone that she is no more closer to making a decision than she had been before that little farce, and he cannot help but doubt her motives. Was she simply stalling for time? His gaze flicked upward to the ocean beyond before deciding in nearly the same instant that it was unlikely. She had seemed genuinely afraid at the start of their conversation, which meant she really and truly (however frustrating it was for him) wanted to find herself the best home.

He watches in frustration as she curls around the Desert stallion, his jaw clenching and brow creasing. Solomon knew the game. She too, clearly knew the game, and therefore, he had to assume that she understood the effect this would have on them both. When it was his turn to brush against the dusky charcoal where her freckled blaze ended, he stepped forward to do so, fighting the urge to simply continue forward. He could cut Cain off from her, and orient her toward the Cove in one fell swoop.

Except it wouldn't be that easy. Forcing a mare to go anywhere with an attack puppy dog on the side was near impossible, much less when she had been fully assured by said puppy dog that she would be protected, no matter what her decision was. Her next statement, however, momentarily stops the gears in his mind. Our deeds describe us more than our words. Had he not heard that line and variations of it throughout his life? Had Judas not repeatedly used the same phrase to justify his broken promises and impulsive behavior? It was strange to hear it from her mouth and evoked a strong, poignant feeling of the past - of the power that came with living under a powerful family and of being a well-regarded son in said family, free to do whatever he wanted.

The ripple effect of that statement and of the challenge she posed next - to show her who they truly were, stilled his feet long enough for Cain to scrape an edge.

Solomon watches with disgust as Cain not only pre-apologizes for what is about to do, but almost looked like a wounded animal as he inches forward to place a tiny nip of claim on her shoulders. The change in the lean Cove king is near-instant - each muscle in his battleworn body tenses and his dark-rimmed ears pin beneath the auburn tangle of his mane. Even so, his gaze darts to Chelle, attempting to read her reaction and hopefully, be able to extrapolate her desires from it. Her reaction to Cain's 'force' would not change his own plans, but would allow, hopefully some room to adjust his manner to fit her mood.

Solomon chuckles darkly, and does not hesitate to wind his way sinuously against Chelle's other side, to begin sandwiching her between them. Staring down at Cain, Solomon's lips curl into a wicked grin as he begins to speak, the civil edge no longer softening the sharp edges of his words. "Come now, Cain. Do you really mean to tell me that if she says no to you," his lips skin across the rounded swell of her hip as he utters the next two words, "right now." Solomon's gaze breaks from the monochrome stallion to pin intensely on Chelle's face as he continues moving forward, aligning his shoulder with her ribcage so that he has the room to press his lips more firmly against her skin. Fall is not yet upon them, but the combination of competition and desire riles him nearly as effectively. Solomon lips at the pale strands of mane at the base of her neck, even as he continues on the same train of thought. "Right here," he pulls away from her long enough to offer her wolfish grin before finally breaking to look back at Cain. "You're going to force her to the Desert?"

A cheshire grin curls across his lips and he tips his head in doubt with a small chuckle. "And then what? Lock her in like a little prisoner? Spill your heart? Or will your ever so dark history repeat itself?" Solomon cannot know how or what darkness Cain had referred to, so he relies upon his own dark past to craft the next implications he hurls, hoping to unbalance both of them enough so that he can once more take back the balance of power. "Or maybe you'll abuse her in other ways. Maybe you want to see what kind of foals she makes, whether she wants to give them to you or not."

It hurts him to step away from her, but he does, shifting so that he can face down Cain with ears tucked back against his poll. "Now that you've made things easier by forcing your claim, there's really only two paths forward." A smile curls along his lips and a flick of his tail. "Either she tells you she wants to come with me, and you let her. Or we can fight it out before you even leave the Common."

His gaze lifts from Cain and settles once more on the painted mare with a confident grin. "Because, in answer to your request, beautiful, I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you, and I generally don't rest until I get the things that I want. And right now? That something is very much you." He lets his statement rest between the three of them, and then flicks his gaze between the two of them in turn. "So what will it be today?"

Solomon