Force-claiming is not allowed here. This is a peaceful, neutral area meant for socialising.
| When Solomon moves, Eden startles ever so slightly. She recovers quickly, but her heart rate had picked up. He’s being kind. With gentle green eyes, Eden casts an appreciative gaze to the man. Anxiety, in this situation, isn’t his fault. Maybe her suspicion of the man has been unfair, but she wouldn’t say that aloud.
With Solomon’s new proximity, she lowers her voice. She thinks for a moment of his question-- omission. The champagne mare is quiet, contemplative. Eden is nothing without her authenticity. Nothing without being her entire self, cards on the table. Strategy, politicism, calculation… it’s all lost on her. None of those things would serve her. Eden is her mother’s daughter. Her bloodline had softened with every generation, distancing from the hardships of her grandmother and great grandfather, but their hearts all beat the same. In a battle of nature versus nurture, sometimes genetics would win out. “There’s more nuance than a simple yes or no,” she answers, after a few passing moments. “What’s the intent behind leaving something out?” Eden watches his face. The mare would do her best to read his expression. She’s open about the way she studies him, not bothering an attempt to conceal it. What was he hiding? There were a million things that she didn’t know, of course, but what had he left out since he’d approached her? Friends. Eden hadn’t made a friend since arriving. She hadn’t had many friends on the mainland, either. There was really no one else out there that had… that had put the time or effort in. Making friends, letting someone be close to you, all of it required so much. Effort and investment were key to relationships. Investment was hard to garner when you drove everyone away, and that was a rub. Eden drove everyone away, drove them all out as a defense mechanism. You can’t make friends when you don’t let anyone in. No one can hurt you if you don’t let anyone in. Hard questions seem to be the theme of the day, and Eden’s gaze drifts to the horizon. She decides that the quiet that falls between them is comfortable, relaxed. Beside the flashy stallion, Eden feels no need to speak while he thinks, and for that she’s grateful. When Solomon does speak, she considers his words for a long moment. “Power waxes and wanes as the moon,” the words are soft, the comment coming a bit offhand as it drifts through her thoughts. As Solomon speaks, Eden considers his words. There’s a smile from him. Most of the hard lines have faded from the champagne mare’s face now. At least she’s relaxed, even if it’s to a small degree. “When someone has two faces, eventually they’ll screw up and show both.” Her voice was still soft, though with more conviction than her previous comment. They play on the breeze as it kicks up once more, the bitter chill cutting through her fine coat. Yes, in the home from which she departed it would be coming up on autumn now. Eden is grateful for the windbreak that Solomon provides. Solomon’s question makes Eden’s heart squeeze. Another reminder of just how lonely she was now on the islands, the mare supposed. “I don’t have any friends on the islands.” Her gaze flickers from the man to the horizon. “I haven’t been here long.” Eden realizes that divulging this information could be unsafe. At least she knows she can always flee to the Peak, if she needed to. There would always be safe haven on the mountain. Maybe Solomon would be her first friend here, but she didn’t want to get too ahead of herself. |