Carys will never know how reassuring her sympathetic looks are to the Arcana. It's clear the gold and white mare is making an effort to comfort Arcana through the softness of her look, and her welcoming stance. Her warm words draw the cold from Arcana's apprehensive heart. The young mare is able to greet their new lead with a measure more enthusiasm and a measure less regret.

As Carys finds the top of this dune it is Arcana's turn to sympathize. This is not an easy place to live. The shifting sands will test their strength; great distances between borders that bear nothing but dry earth will test their stamina. The oasises may be lush at present but Arcana worries if more horses arrive, and the seasons turn, that watering holes might run dry and grazing become limited. She had similar concerns living in the badlands, but she always held the advantage with her close familiarity with the land and its resources. Here in the desert, Arcana is as clueless as any to where water might linger during a dry spell and what rare patch of green remains in the withering heat of summer.

Arcana descends the far side of the slope, keeping pace at Orhan's right flank. The flank is alarmingly hollowed. Arcana's dark eyes evaluate Orhan's tired appearance with a little bit of concern, and a little bit of confusion. What drove him to this? Her short relationship with this colt is proving to be nothing more than a series of questions. Arcana says nothing about her observations. Maybe someday, her questions will be answered, but now is not the time.

Despite Orhan's bedraggled appearance, his prominent hip bones and his weary eyes, Arcana can't avoid feeling a little embarrassed by the sweat that has already soaked her sun-bleached coat and the dust of both Badlands and Desert clinging to every hair. Her mane sticks to her neck in humiliating, sweaty clumps, and her nostrils flare a shameful pink due to both nerves and exertion.

Together, they reach the oasis and come to gather amongst its rich plant-life and alongside a clear, blue pool, reflecting the cloudless skies above. Arcana feels the buckskin's eyes upon her and she returns his steady gaze. She meets his outstretched snout with her own. Her already pounding heart picks up the tempo. "Good to see you too.", she replies, unable to think of anything better to say. As the colt's attention strays to Carys, Arcana takes this opportunity to lower her head and graze.