I would honestly love you now,
But I would lovingly let you down.
The spotted mare greets him with a scowl, which was to be expected. Jabari keeps his demeanor as neutral as possible, watching her with curious, round blue eyes and with two copper ears flicked forward at attention. The young stallion feels a flush or relief to see her ease up a little, once their shared connection is briefly revealed. Jabari is poised to ask her more, like which herd she came from - Rille's or Persephone's? Did she know his father? How long had she been here in Paradise? He even considered telling her about her plans, if she seemed amicable enough. If he got out of here, he would find her tribe. He would pass along a message.
But before any of that could get underway, a rustle in the foliage pulls their attention away. A slender, dished mare delicately steps through the palms and branches. Instinctively Jabari stiffens. He watches the painted mare cautiously. Her words are harmless enough. But there's something about her sultry delivery, about the way her eyes comb over each of them that sends a shiver down his spine. She reminds him of Celestria. Rougaru certainly has a type.
She quips about not remembering him, and Jabari could say the same for her. He'd been here before, held captive, just before the war and this mare certainly wasn't living under the silver bay stallion then. Whatever she thought she knew, her history here was clearly quite short. "Oh, you'd be surprised." He offers in quick retort. But explaining the fact that had been a slave of Rougaru's not once, but twice, seemed too complicated and too embarrassing to even know where to begin. As such, Jabari kept his pink lips tightly shut after that. He'd learned the hard way with Celestria how dangerous it could be engaging with mares like this... especially when they belonged to an enemy like Rougaru. Perhaps the same could be said for Calypso, but the kind, quiet dunskin overo mare was so different. What they shared couldn't compare to what had transpired with Celestria.
Finally the spotted mare speaks, and Jabari's gaze flicks to her. She hints at her pregnancy, and the stallion swallows hard in an effort to quell his nerves. "Jabari, son of Shamwari of the Prairie." He speaks curtly with the flick of his red tail. His heart sinks for Titania. Jabari didn't know Rille well, but he knew his father thought highly of his new neighbor. "Rille is a good man." He adds, offering Titania a sympathetic look.
He wishes to divulge more, but the mood shifts now with Vanya in their company. Despite how she described her place in Paradise, Vanya wasn't Rougaru's prisoner. She belonged to Rougaru, which in some regards was maybe worse. But whether she liked it or not, this was her home. Titania on the other hand, like him, already had a home and a family waiting for them. He gives Titania another stern look. "I'm sure he'll be coming for you soon enough."
Stallion | Brienne x Shamwari | Chesnut Overo | 15.2 h| Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
|
|