Faolain was mildly surprised, not unpleasantly so, to see that Solomon had regained his warmth from the beginning of their first meeting. She noticed as well the tension between the tobiano stallion and their mutual golden friend, but both of them remained composed as she approached, her dark amber gaze meeting Solomon’s green eye as he greeted her. The voice with which he addressed her was respectful, and though it was not cold, she could feel the difference between this interaction and the one between Solomon and Çiçek. Faolain was no stranger to being treated differently, but this time her response did not carry shame as it once might have. She did not get the sense that Solomon was trying to ostracize her; rather, it felt closer to a compliment than anything else. Faolain saw nothing wrong with the flirtatious game the lean stallion appeared to be playing with Çiçek, and it was not hard to see that the golden mare appreciated it as well, but Faolain was realizing such games with a stallion were not to her own taste. Even if Iscariot had tried to flirt in such a way, Faolain doubted she could take him seriously, though he was the only stallion she would enjoy flirting with at all. The thought almost made her giggle; Iscariot was far too sweet, and would certainly blush bright enough to be seen from atop the cliffs.

I thought turning back would only make you laugh at me, Solomon said, and Faolain chuckled, warming up to him just a bit. ”Likely correct,” she said, leaning into Çiçek’s casual, but warm embrace. ”Unfortunately I think we are prone to laughing at you either way. You have a talent for making girls giggle, Solomon.” For a moment, it felt as though they had never left the Meadow, making each other blush amongst the flowers. She thought maybe the game of flirting wasn’t so bad after all, in small doses, but the mood shifted back to sober only a moment later and the three of them were pulled back onto the white sand of the Ridge. She did not mind; Çiçek’s delicate neck over her withers kept her buzzing pleasantly, even as the conversation turned serious.

Faolain’s eyebrows raised at the news of Björn, but her expression had slipped back to calm waters and there it stayed. ”I hadn’t realized he left, though I suppose I wasn’t expecting him to come and tell me his plans,” she said thoughtfully. ”Whether he comes back to Atlantis or not, I appreciate the warning. Thank you.” She dipped her head once again in sincerity, but her attention was pulled to the edge of the jungle as it split open to let Rivaini to join them on the beach.

Faolain greeted her copper friend with a happy whinny, but before she could do much else Rivaini had slipped into the narrow space between the two mares and Solomon. Faolain watched, curiosity at the silver bay’s actions causing her to cock her head slightly. It was as though she had not even seen the painted stallion, a thought that almost caused Faolain to laugh aloud. She caught a whiff of the flower as Rivaini placed it in Çiçek’s forelock, and it was sweet enough to draw her in. In the next second or so before Rivaini recognized Solomon, Faolain’s muzzle brushed over Çiçek’s ears, enjoying the mixed scents of her, Rivaini, and the sweet flower. It was almost enough to feel lightheaded, but she sobered up a second time at the shock in Rivaini’s voice. Her dark head twisted back toward the silver bay in alarm, but it soon became evident that the familiarity between them was positive.

Her eyes shifted between the three of them with amusement. ”The islands are apparently smaller than we thought,” she said with a smirk.