They said we'd burn so bright.
We burn this city and go.
A chill shot down the length of the spotted stallion's spine upon seeing the smile spread across Maziel's lips. He literally could not reach her side fast enough, and his heart beat furiously in his chest as he neared her. Paradiso bobbed his head respectfully to Mariel as she welcomed him into their fold alongside the gentle surf. He had little time to interact with Maziel in this moment, though he wasn't sure he was brazen enough to do so under Mariel's scrutinizing eye, before the Queen of the Bay got down to business. Still, Paradiso stood mostly relaxed in their company, cocking one hind hoof to bend and rest at the ankle. His swaying tail occasionally caught the side of Maziel's rump as they stood in such close proximity. Feeling the warmth of her body radiate onto his own was energizing enough.
His icy blue eyes were wide and at attention when Mariel first addressed him. She was quick to get the point, and the stallion felt a heavy pitting feeling in his gut as she explained what she found, or did not find rather, in the neighboring Inlet. Paradiso's nostrils flare as he remains quiet for a long moment and lets this information sink in. "Oh." He finally manages to squeak out, his gaze falling to the dark pebbles at their ankles before returning to Mariel. "Should we be worried?" He asked her honestly, concern laced in his voice and across his features. Inside, his gut churned in tight knots imaging where Vita Nova could be, all alone, aside from a small foal at her side. "Shamwari will be." He confirms shortly after.
Paradiso was having trouble processing everything Mariel was saying. She bounced from one topic to the next so matter-of-factly, whereas Paradiso was slow to try to analyze his feelings on each topic. Her offer was two-fold and presented equal conundrums. The spotted stallion's relationship with his brother, Shamwari, was strained to say the least. To have to return home to share bad news would be awkward, no doubt. While Paradiso welcomed the opportunity to see his mother again on Salem, he was unsure of his abilities to strike a deal with someone as menacing as Valve, whom he'd watched easily manipulate many horses over the years. But perhaps his mother could be helpful in that endeavor. Evaline, too, would want to know about Vita Nova's disappearance. But she was less able-bodied than Shamwari to do something about it.
If it was possible to shrug his shoulders, perhaps Paradiso would have done so in this moment. Instead, his unsure gaze fell onto Maziel, whose stoic and kind expression immediately made him feel better. His heart leapt into his throat when she offered to come with him. It calmed him that no matter which choice he made, he knew he'd have Maziel at his side during it. "Shamwari will want to know about Vita Nova right away. That seems more pressing." Paradiso decides, speaking directly to Mariel. "So perhaps we should head to Luthien." The stallion stares seriously at Mariel now, trying to craft his next words carefully. "You should know that Valve of the Dunes is quite cunning. She would be a great ally, but is known to be manipulative." That's got to be why his mother liked her so much, he mused.
Stallion | Evaline x Valentine | Smokey black pintaloosa | 15 hh | Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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