It was good to hear laughter. Especially when it wasn't his own. He'd heard it before of course, when eavesdropping on the other horses in the meadow. There was something light and happy about it in a world that had already been so cruel to him. He knit his brows in confusion when she stopped laughing and instead dropped into a gagging motion. He tilted his head slightly and took a timid step closer only to back away again when she shrieked. His eyes went wide and he backed up, almost straight back into the water but stopped when there was no more grass beneath his feet.
"Manners?" He questioned, dropping his gaze. "I don't know what that is." He was, at least, aware enough to realize she didn't enjoy being wet and settled for twitching his skin to rid it off the rivulets of water versus shaking again. For a moment he thought their conversation was over and he'd ruined whatever potential chance he'd had at making a friend. (Or rival. Or enemy. At this point just knowing someone was better than being alone.)
Vex came stomping back over to him, much to his surprise. He drew his head up and back, widening his pale eyes as he looked at her. He opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly closed his mouth, deciding whatever stupid thought he had in his head was better left unsaid. Her next words are softer and Kratos visibly softens as well, nodding.
"Well I live in a hole under a tree." It wasn't exactly true. He slept in the hollow dug out from the base but he was very much not below ground, despite whatever description he offered of his hoe. "And I wanted to see the falling water but I got turned around a couple times in the mud. It was a long walk." Would have been far shorter if he'd just walked in a straight line. He looked back toward the water and then back at Vex. If other horses bathed here and she was so clean, that had to mean she spent a lot of time here. She was so lucky if she got to spend all that time with the fish. "Do you live here? I like the little wiggly things in the water a lot."