Evaline arrives first, though she is the one who appears to have been furthest away. Her coat has a wet shimmer, hair slicked to her neck and clinging to her legs as she walks to the bank of the oasis and lowers her nose to the water. Gabbar studies her as she drinks. It is possible all she did was exercise in the ocean —a wise choice for someone who wishes to stretch their legs but is still unused to the Dunes’s climate— but he doubts Evaline would go for a swim and choose to stay near Salem’s shore when it is obvious she has been unhappy here. It is likely she has friends elsewhere, and of course he knows she has family. The only reason he has to worry about her is the threats from her son. Gabbar knows Evaline is a capable mare, has known this since she confronted him in the dark; he only wishes her son could see her so objectively, and understand that if trouble were to befall her it would have to be significant indeed to threaten someone so steadfast.

He knows a moment of acute discomfort as the thought occurs to him that perhaps Shamwari does know this about his mother, and Gabbar scrambles to reassess what he knows of the palomino mare and what threats these islands could possibly present to her as they are joined by Avangeline. Distracted as he is by his own thoughts, he misses the look the Akhal-Teke gives to Evaline, but is recalled quickly to the present by her pleasant greeting. "Günaydın," he replies. Before his deep voice has faded Valve strolls up on his left to join the group and introduces herself to the other two mares.

This is an interaction he has anticipated since rediscovering the black mare in the sands— and, truthfully, since Avangeline surprised him at the oasis and increased the number of horses in the herd from two to three. He looks at each mare with interest but holds his silence. It isn’t difficult to be an observer. Gabbar has been on the sidelines of mare’s conversations since he was born. At least for this he doesn’t have to stand straight and flex just in case any of their eyes are drawn to him. It feels good to be able to relax. The bay stallion takes advantage of this opportunity by cocking one hind hoof and settling all his weight on his right side as he glances from one mare to the next and listens.