my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor B L A C K M O R E shall be lifted - nevermore! It is probably good, for Blackmore's sanity and confidence building, that he is far too focused keeping himself above water to really noticed that Svetlana had tensed beneath the water upon his light nudge at her. Eventually, Blackmore will have to realize that his mere touch might send someone in a rage for a reason that is personal to that individual, but today is not the right day for that lesson. The black stallion needs to figure out a way to hold his own confidence together, instead of relying on others to help keep his wall built up against the outside that loves to destroy any walls of confidence that they can find. So, when Svetlana tenses he does not notice and when she relaxes back he does not seem to notice as he continues to focus heavily upon keeping his legs moving enough to keep him afloat. It isn't until she responds that his ears flick towards the buckskin lady, a smile playing across his lips at her words before his eyes watch as she heads back towards the shore. It doesn't take long for him to follow behind, desperately wanting to feel the stability of sand beneath his hooves, a stability he feels safe in as he's careful not to ram into the back of her, swimming to the side of her a bit to make sure that doesn't happen. Due to his height, Blackmore stops first as Svetlana still has to swim a few strides between she reaches stable enough sand to set herself down upon. It isn't until then that Blackmore really takes note of just how large he is as his legs touch the ground before Svetlana's, and also how his withers peak out from the water long before the mare's withers are visible through the water. This is strange for the stallion to comprehend as he looks down into the water, staring back at his own reflection as he tries to see down to his hooves, realizing that he can't with the sand constantly distorting the image beneath the glassy-like surface. His ears slant back slightly, finding that he does not like being so tall against the water, wishing he was a shorter stature, something closer to Svetlana or Adelaide, even Rosaline. Even if he was just two inches shorter, he'd be so much happier. The sound of Svetlana's voice breaks through the silence, causing his eyes to look towards her, pulling away from his thoughts as a smile reforms upon his lips at her words. It's clear that he would be blushing if he actually could manage it as an equine, "I've been doing that a lot lately..." He admits slightly as his head dips down a bit, careful to hover just above the water and a hoof scrapes at the sand below, his version of rubbing his foot at the dirt with that blush invisible across his facial features. However, his head snaps up quickly as the sound of water grows louder as the splashes become more distinguished as the mare suddenly takes off, heading straight for the sands of the shoreline. Blackmore just watches her, wandering what makes her so lively as she reaches the shore. Slowly the stallion begins to make his way out of the water, and he makes it only a few steps before he watches the mare roll in the sand, a soft laugh surprising him as it slips from his mouth without him realizing it had happened. Her laugh is beautiful across the air as the sand is flung about the air. "I'm glad you found something there that could make you happy..." His voice is soft, sincere as he continues towards the Shore, a few strides away from Svetlana, not wanting to get too close to her roll. westphalianxholstein | stallion | homozygous black | seventeen point two hands | the ridge | salem |