The tobiano mare's expression is inscrutable, despite her other similarities to his glass-faced girl. It reinforces in his mind that she is someone else; someone who has no reason to trust or tolerate his presence in her home, despite the well-meaning intention of his visit. Thankfully, she still stretches forward to favor him with an exchange of breath, and he quells the urge to brush skin against skin, as he might a mare he was courting, rather than one he needed to beg favors of.

Solomon makes no effort to hide his intense observation of her reaction. If she were to think less of him for his worry, then it would probably be for the best if she didn't check-in on Feray and the children. The last thing he needed was to add another uncompassionate soul interfering in her well-being.

If the tobiano mare has any doubts or misgivings about Roheryn, she keeps them to herself and listens quietly as Solomon explains. In truth, his rivalry with the Badlands King had begun before Solomon had even known of his existence, and had spiraled from there. Daciana had abandoned the pale stallion and the family she had for reasons Solomon still did not fully understand, but her departure had not been instigated by Solomon. The spotted mare had met him on the beach of the Cove and he had been helpless to resist the mystical aura she carried around herself. They'd conceived Gavriel that very night, and she had gone on to serve as his queen for years until the Lagoon had stolen her away.

On the surface, if one were to consider the transgressions by each stallion against the other, it was likely that the balance would weigh negatively in Solomon's favor. He was, by nature, not the type of stallion to back down, and each time that Roheryn made it personal and petty, he had a hard time not returning the favor.

In the grand scheme of things, it made sense for Roheryn to ban Solomon. Parting the Cove King from the mare and children he loved was a surefire way to wound him in the most detrimental way while also preventing him from retaliating. While Roheryn held even a single piece of Feray's heart, he held all of the cards.

As Evren clues Solomon into her existing plans, relief releases some of the tension in his shoulders and his stiff posture relaxes. Even as the mare goes on to probe further, attempting to dig into what he did or did not know, Solomon's posture remains at ease. He knows some of Aysu's backstory, but Feray had not wanted to share everything and he was not in the business of prying. If it was pertinent for him to know, then he would have assumed that Feray would have told him. As it was, he was simply happy to have another daughter to love and see grow.

"Feray only said that her mother could not care for her," He says gently, although he had read the subtext in Feray's careful wording at the time. Having been through something similar with Wren's unwanted daughter, he understood that it was not his place nor purpose to pry. As it was, even though he did not know how to say it without sounding over-confident of his chances with Feray, if the spotted Badlands mare ever did bring her family to the Cove, Evren would always be welcome to visit. "I understand now why she choose to stay in the Forest for so long; clearly, it wasn't just for the pretty scenery."

He attempts to lighten the mood, judging from the clearing of her throat that the topic they had just discussed was an emotional one for her. Solomon couldn't imagine how he would feel if Ziva had been forced into a child she did not want, or if Halcyon allowed her infatuation with Fritjof to land her with a child she was not ready for. He would take care of the child of course. To abandon it was not something that he could bring himself to do. Rehoming Finch had been hard enough, and she had been the daughter of a stallion that Solomon very much hated.

"I did," he began, his mind casting back to the moment he'd finally found them and had a chance to meet his daughters. Aysu may not be his blood child, and in truth, may not even consider him to be her father, but he was more than willing to adopt her into the family. Just as he was Feray's older children, if they were so inclined. The interaction in the Badlands had not given him much hope, but then again, it was hardly a scenario that would paint him in a good light. "The girls are certainly a handful together, but Feray seems to have it handled." His face tightens as he considers how to respond to her final question. "As well as they could be. They landed alright, but I can't say that their reception was… warm."

Leaving them behind had taken most of his self-control, although now that he had assurance that someone else would at least check in on them, the sharpest edge of his anxiety had abated somewhat. He has not forgotten that he another favor to ask, but he follows Evren's lead and stays on the topic of their children. "Aysu must be your first grandchild then?" The tobiano mare looked about his age, and if he were honest, Solomon would be lucky to escape this season without ending up with a grandchild of his own. Even with stern discussions with his eldest sons, Solomon was certain that they would end up bringing home some oops of their own soon. His thoughts cast back to the careful way she had phrased Aysu's mother's situation and he chooses his words carefully now, wanting to offer support if Evren needed it without making it sound as though the Forest matriarchs were incapable. Again, his green gaze rises to her own, hoping that it can convey his intention far more clearly than his clumsy word choice can. "Is… your daughter alright? Is there anything I can do to help?"

After all, it would only be fair to return favor for favor.

Her calm appraisal of the situation and the no-nonsense way she seemed to accept the information he provided made him curious as to what type of mare she was when not dealing with her sister's lover. What would she have been like if he had met her separately from his interaction with Feray? Would she, like his beloved Cicek, be amenable to sharing lovers? Or was she more like Rivaini, content with only mares for companionship? Either way, his second request was only to give him the space and time to rest before he headed home, which could just as easily be accomplished with conversation.

Solomon