There’s a lot of strange coming off this mare. Rhadra’s eyes widen, just a bit, at the girl’s voice. She does a surreptitious double check to confirm that yes, this mare is indeed fully physically mature, but that voice. The cadence and selection of words make her sound like a child, one expecting to be chastised or perhaps even punished— for having the audacity to be seen? Rhadra can’t rationalize that, but she’s willing to roll with it. Something’s off, and though she’s not quite sure what, she’s also not perturbed enough to depart. Her own safety doesn’t feel threatened and she’s curious enough to see what else she can learn about her unexpected company.
She makes a show of looking around the clearing. “I don’t see anyone here,” she says, “and I’m certainly a nobody. So. Nobody has seen you, just as it should be,” she winks at the girl. For girl she must be, though her body would lead one to believe her a full-grown adult. Her mannerisms and the consistent referral to... whatever parental figure a “mamapapa” is puts Rhadra in mind of a foal still young enough to be tormented by nighttime terrors.
“Eat,” she gestures at the grass. “I’ll keep my eyes on the creek. Just in case,” she says with a conspiratorial smile. And then, casually, her demeanor still relaxed, Rhadra asks, “What are you hiding from?” |