The grey mare teased him for his lack of eloquence, and Baldur could only shake his head and laugh. "Well, last time there wasn't a child involved. But I can't say I'm disappointed." He murmured his reply, shifting his attention to the grulla filly who was looking up at him. 'Or surprised,' he finished to himself as he lowered his head and looked into the blossoming peony of Ayleen's face, youthful and bright. The hue of her eyes was captivating and it was hard for the dappled stallion to believe he'd had a hand in creating this little creature that bubbled with excitement and wiggled her little tail at him like an eager wolf pop. It was truly endearing, and Baldur could instantly feel his heart being snatched up by the little sabino filly.
She asked a series of questions in quick succession, and Baldur's heart clenched at the first one - where have you been? He couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth - that he hadn't really thought to seek her out, having been distracted by other things - and so he made a point of skirting around it and hoping she wouldn't notice. "I've been traveling, too. Your mother is right, you know, it is smart to move around a lot." That was all he would say to her on that matter; she was too young to know about his familial struggles or the dangers of the world. There would be a time and place for her to learn about those yet, but for now he wanted to let her retain her youth and innocence as long as possible. It seemed crucial, somehow, as if he'd been given a mission he didn't even know he wanted until he had it.
"I haven't been to the pretty glen yet, no. Maybe one day soon you can show me. I could put flowers in your hair." He reached out to playfully ruffle Ayleen's already fuzzy forelock with his nose before looking back up at Gynievvere. A sheepish half-smile formed on his lips and Baldur had to force himself to not look away from her gaze.
"So," he began, feeling a little awkward. What was one supposed to say to the mare they hadn't seen in nearly a year who suddenly showed up out of the blue with their child? 'Hi, how are you?' seemed inappropriate and fell woefully short. "I suppose I owe you an apology for disappearing after... well, you know." The dappled stallion's cheeks grew hot under his ochre fur, eyes darting away from hers. "It's nice to see you again. Do you... have somewhere to be? Maybe you'd like to stay and chat with me... you know, family time and all that."
Now he was starting to get really nervous, tongue loosening and words flowing under the sudden and unexpected pressure. He was thankful for this chance encounter that'd somehow shifted his whole world onto its side (in a good way), but damn if he wasn't also freaking out a little on the inside. Baldur had spent a good part of his life listening to and watching the grand adventures of others, and this felt like a grand adventure of his very own.
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