Falls

It is a testament to her hatred for the filly and for the fury that has so consumed her, that she does not notice the grullo stallion until he is nearly upon them and even then she startles at the sound of his admonition, her beautiful head popping up as her ears flatten. The snarl that forms on her charcoal lips is instinctual and she steps forward to place the filly behind her. As much as Vanya hated her existence, Vivienne was still hers and she would not give up the child without a good reason. She may still be debating if her dislike was a good enough reason, but she wouldn't be pushed into a decision sooner than she needed to be. With a sneer that twists her normally charming facade into something more vicious, Vanya barks back at him. "I don't recall asking your opinion."

When he falls quiet for a moment and keeps his place, she relents long enough to shift aside to tend to the foal, taking great pains to exaggerate how careful she was. Vivi, already confused by her mother's rough treatment and then decidedly opposite, stares in confusion but complies with her insistent demands and shuffles to her new place. When she is curled up and as protected as a newborn can be, Vanya turns back to the stranger with cold fire flickering in her eyes.

Who the hell did this man think he was?

It would have been safer to give birth in the Peak, but if truth were told, she couldn't stand the damn place. Mares were everywhere with their judging eyes, taking her measure without even bothering to give her the credit she deserved. At least in Paradise, they had been rightfully cautious of the fact that Rougaru held some measure of fondness for her and would react if she was treated badly.

Here, there was no such protection.

Vanya was just one among many, and not even a highly valued one. Her distaste for the Peak was clear, and the other mares were insightful enough to pick up on it easily, leading Vanya into a self-imposed sort of estrangement. It was enough to send a mare driven by praise and admiration to an early grave, and she was afraid if she spent too much longer in the barren land she would simply go insane.

For a long moment, she only stares at the stallion, noting for the first time that he is a handsome sort, even if his manners are abysmal. When he speaks, a single fluted ear pricks forward in attention only to flick back in uncertainty at the words he offers. She represses the predatory smile that threatens her lips, and offers only a subtle tilt of her head toward the stallion. Perhaps there was still a game to be played here. Wasp had taken the bait, perhaps this stallion would too.

"Why would you offer something like that to someone you don't know?" Her words have not truly softened, not yet, but the simple fact that she was not chasing him away was indication enough of her interest.

OOC: She has a thread in the Commons if he wants to pop in there too, or show up later in her new home <3