Meadow

The indication that he'd hit a nerve was small and easily missed - no more obvious than a tightening of her throatlatch as she clenched her jaw - but he took note of it for later. Solomon had long ago learned that body language was more important than the words that were spoken, and in not saying anything Eden had conveyed plenty. It helped him to paint a clearer picture of the taciturn little mare who seemed determined to rebuff his every advance, and gave him a very clear hint that they were not going to reach common ground on the topic of safety. Rather than lure her with the prospect of extra eyes to watch over her and a place to call home, he would need to find something else to entice her to his side.

With the casual jest about prisoners, it seemed like he had finally begun to make headway in piercing her armor, if the wry smile and slight softening of her eye were any indication. It was by no means a glowing reception, but he was happy to see progress at all. Solomon knew it was… selfish of him to pour so much effort into getting this stranger to open up to him. There were things that he could provide for her of course, but his interest in approaching her hadn't been selfless in the slightest.

She was pretty, and he had wanted a conversation with her. More than that, really, if he could manage it. Fate had tempered some of his expectations when it came to the size and growth of his herd, but some of his father's and grandfather's teaching were ingrained so deeply that no amount of civilizing could shake them loose. To them, and consequently, to Solomon, a large herd equaled power in the sense that with more eyes watching and more children being born, the likelihood of success increased dramatically. Of course, to Herod and Judas, mares and children were seen as currency to be traded in exchange for alliances and agreement.

In this, at least, Solomon had deviated from his family for the most part. The only child he had traded for an alliance was Halcyon, and that arrangement had not been of his own making.

Her response gives him pause and he takes a moment to think about his answer before he gives it. His entire livelihood was based on the relationships that he built with everyone around him. His herd did not grove if he didn't spend time with his mares, and his children did not become upstanding citizens without some guidance. Further, his alliances were only ever as firm as his relationships, as he had learned first hand with Rougaru.

At the base of any relationship was trust. It had taken the tobiano years to understand this, and even now he sometimes struggled to remember it. Of course, being pedantic and responding simply with the word trust as if to imply he deserved Eden's trust already wasn't going to win him any favors either.

"Years go, I would have said a large herd without any hesitation… and I don't necessarily disagree now." He chuckled and paused for a moment, to gather his thoughts while a lopsided smile curled on his lips. "But I've learned that a herd is really only as strong as the relationships within it and that numbers don't mean nearly as much as I was raised to believe." His thoughts drifted to his unintentional absence a few months back; he hadn't wanted to leave his herd, and had been entirely certain that they would all be gone when he returned. Instead, the time and effort he'd invested into his family had paid off. The majority of his family had stayed behind in the hope that he would return, for which he would be forever grateful.

"And ultimately, relationships are nothing without trust." His voice drops slightly at the latter bit, his mind dancing to the betrayals of Rougaru and of Valka. They were vastly different from each other, but both of them had wounded him deeply and he was slow to forgive. He flicked the dark strands of his tail against his haunches before refocusing on the pretty mare before him with a slow smile. "It pays to pick your friends carefully."

He lets a pause span between them for just a moment before speaking up again, eyes bright. "What about you Eden? What's something you live your life by? Any advice for me?"

Solomon