The black stranger shifted his weight as if to leave and then was frozen mid-step by Vodnik's bold words. His shock and bewilderment read clear on his face. Vodnik must suppress a laugh, and another wave of smug satisfaction rises in his chest. Though he is making a kind and merciful gesture, there is still pleasure in whatever discomfort Vodnik can cause this irritating, yet potentially useful intruder.

As the stranger takes a moment to recollect, they fall into the silence of the night. During their clash, the shadows of the evening forest, gave way to a darkness more complete. Only soft tendrils of moonlight snake through the dense canopy above. Vodnik's well-adjusted eyes can discern the clear shape of Anonymous before him, but details of his expression are lost to blackness. He cannot see the sorrow and self-doubt pass behind the stranger's eyes.

Vodnik doesn't share quite the same painful memories. He was never outright abused, verbally or physically, as a colt. He was, however, ignored. His father saw him merely as competition, and his mother was unhappy. Rusalka loved her son dearly, but her depression left her standing in sad silence for days on end. Vodnik feels his sister contributed more to his upbringing than his mother did, but even Morena left him. Vodnik was only a yearling when Morena had her first heat and ran off with an attractive suitor. It was then that Vodik joined the bachelor band. The atmosphere of such was not conducive to forming meaningful relationships, or offering any sort of stability. To this day, Vodnik doesn't know what it's like to love or be loved. He doesn't know what it's like to have a family that sticks together. It is this, that makes him feel so empty inside. It's a void he keeps trying to fill with rage, and power, and sex, and he can't understand why the void is never filled. He's missing a piece of the puzzle that he doesn't even know he's missing.

"I aid you." Those are the only words Vodnik gets in response, and he can't tell if they're questioning, contemplating, or agreeing. "Yes, aid me.", Vodnik states, mater-of-factly. "Are you in or are you out?"​​