don't let the daylight rob your dreams

He does not interrupt the tumble of words that fall from her mouth, nor does he react to the glisten of tears in her eyes as she turns away from him. Silence stretches on awkwardly between them, and Svenja wishes - not for the first time - that things were different. That the stallion standing at the edge of her vision could say something, if only to put her out of this tense misery she finds herself in.

At last he breaks the ghost-like stillness that he adopted since first arriving on the vast stretch of beach. Svenja regards him warily as he snakes his head out towards her. Her first reaction is to flinch, her body swaying away from his just so as he half-turns, back towards the heart of the Bay. But he makes no other moves, and after a moment Svenja understands: he's inviting her to follow him, or to stay put and wallow in her isolation.

Dark eyes glance longingly towards the Cove for a split second before resignation draws like a curtain across her face, shuttering her expression into something more neutral. Svenja concedes silently, turning towards him and dipping her head in an unspoken agreement - 'I will follow you.'

She trails behind him cautiously as he makes his way down the beach. Side-by-side they walk, drawing further away from the edge of the Cove. They've not walked more than a few paces down the curve of the beach when movement in the distance catches her attention. At first Svenja does not recognize the figure, but soon the hitch in their step becomes unmistakable. Recollection flashes instantly across her face, followed swiftly by confusion. She stops short just as Nuka does, his name a bewildered whisper on her lips. "Nuka?"

'What is he doing here?' she wonders, frantically, eyes darting towards Fell to gauge his reaction. But inevitably, her attention is drawn back to the sable stallion standing but a dozen yards away. He looks much the same as all the previous times they'd run into one another. The limp in his leg - the one he'd tried so hard to conceal the first time they'd met on the Ruins so long ago - had not gotten better, and her heart aches for him. She finds herself staring, dumb-struck, into the stormy grey-blue of his eyes, drawn into them like a ship caught in a squall.

As she looks him over, she wonders what he sees in her now. If he's disappointed in what he sees: a young mare, twice pregnant with a child that isn't his, in over her head thanks to her own naivete? Once again shame twists her gut but she can't bring herself to look away from him. She takes a tentative half-step and though the space between them shrinks, it still feels like there is a chasm separating them and devouring any warmth the two might share were Fell not here.

"You were looking for me?" It's not what she really wants to say. What she really wants to say is, 'I missed you, did you miss me? did you worry? are you happy?' But she keeps the words dammed behind the dark line of her lips. Besides, she thinks she already knows the answer to the last question, if the despondent look on his face is anything to go by.

Her eyes flick towards the black stallion at her side, trying to gauge his reaction to the situation. As always he remains silent and watching, but she fears that he will snap at any given moment, displeased at having another stallion in his territory. Moreover, she wonders if he will see the little something that still flickers between them. Will he react to it with fury and try to direct the sharp blade of his anger at Nuka in an attempt to drive him off? Or will he continue to shepherd her along, driving her out of Nuka's reach? Perhaps, a twisted part of her brain supplies, he will find the longing and desperation in her eyes amusing.

"Yeah... I just meant to visit, but...." her voice trails off and she does not meet Nuka's gaze. It's obvious to see the reason she didn't leave, and she knows there's no way to explain the truth to him, not with him standing right there.

As if sensing the tension, Nuka quietly dismisses himself and turns to leave, stumbling a little as he does. "Wait-" Svenja steps towards him. No sooner does she move forward than the blue-eyed stallion whirls his head around and bares his teeth at her in a snarl. The twisted expression on his face startles her and she stops short, ears disappearing into her mane and eyes flashing. She is well aware that they are quickly running out of time, that she may very well be testing Fell's patience, but she cannot stop herself from asking, "Where will you go?"