Faolain saw the glimmer of suspicion in Björn’s eye, one of the few emotions she could recognize in others rather easily. As she continued, however, her gaze never left his, and she saw the suspicion slowly disappear again, though perhaps he was just hiding it; she would not be able to tell. Faolain fell silent, her turn to listen as Björn addressed her with what she could only interpret as cautious respect. It shows honor and courage, he said, and Faolain humbly ducked her head, not expecting what she considered to be a very high compliment.

”I did what I felt was right,” she said. The shivers were working their way out of her system now; her coat was drying, and the breeze had quieted. The land was quiet save for the sighing of the ocean and the occasional call of birds. Surely the Inlet was making plenty of noise, but after the cacophony of the jungle, Faolain’s ears rang in the comparative quiet.

As Björn spoke again, Faolain lifted her gaze back to him. Ducking down had been an uncharacteristically shy gesture for her, but Björn’s next words brought her back to her usual reserved self, save for a pang of guilt. ”You alone can determine your worth,” she said, taking a tentative step toward him. Most stallions towered over Faolain’s small frame, even many mares, but Björn was taller than her by only a small amount. It was nice to be able to look a stallion in the eyes without craning her neck, but it did nothing to soften the feelings of intimidation. She wasn’t afraid of him, but she knew exactly how out of her element she was here - and, now that Björn was firmly in his own element, he had a drastic advantage should he decide to use it against her. Faolain could sense power in him, and that made her cautious.

Still, she thought that if Björn wanted to lash out at her, he would have by now. The Icelandic stallion spoke of honor; Faolain knew that trickery was generally considered dishonorable. He would not be speaking to her in this manner if he intended to strike. She remained carefully close, not quite close enough to touch, quiet as she watched his icy gaze wander over his tundra home. When he returned his attention to her and asked about Siobhan, she allowed him a sympathetic smile.

”Yes, and her girls, and Ailill. We have… Not gotten along so well just yet, but that is understandable.” She wanted to tell the former Ridge king that his red companion missed him, but she could not speak on Sio’s behalf no matter how sure she was of this fact. ”They are safe, and free to come and go as they please.” At this, she paused, seeing an opportunity to provide Siobhan with some closure, but also recognizing that such an act might harm more than help. She was silent for a few moments before giving a sigh and meeting Björn’s gaze once again. ”This may be inappropriate, or perhaps a downright terrible idea, but you are of course welcome in the Ridge, should you like to visit. I hope that saying this does not offend you… I would understand if it did. But I know that it was dishonorable of me to separate you from your family, and it would be silly of me to believe they do not miss you.” She fell silent then, and stood in the quiet hum of the Inlet, waiting to see what would come of her impulsive choice of words.