She calls him out for chatting a bit much, and Valefar chuckles. What can I say? I’m an open book. He doesn’t know her well enough to be confident in that twinkle of humor he hears in her voice, but he errs on the side of it anyway; he usually does. Valefar is never fully dressed without a smile.
She moves through the darkness in response to the near-black stallion’s shift in position, but not enough that he can see her yet. Only the barest silhouette and gleam of eyes give away her presence to him visually, but Valefar relies on the sounds of her breathing and the short snippets of her voice to give essence to her in his mind.
What is your business in the Bay? she asks.
Ahh, to the point, he acknowledges, and then acquiesces with a tilt of his silky dark head. My business is exploration. I did not come in the cover of darkness for the purpose of being missed in the Bay, but rather to not be missed back home. I am very new to these islands, and accustomed to skirting oppression my entire life, up until this point. Old habits, you could say. He shrugs, willing to allow this to be slightly misinterpreted. While Valefar had never been above the law in his original home, he had been at the top of the food chain, and enforced far more oppression than he had ever avoided himself. That part, he thinks, doesn’t need to be specified. In any case, it’s not like he enjoyed that part of his life. He does not intend to continue the cycle of abuse here, so there’s no point in bringing it up and souring this mare’s first impression of him.
Anyway, he continues, stretching his front legs out in a very feline manner, before beginning to walk a lazy circle around the young mare. It’s not a gesture intended to pen her in or assert any kind of power over her; he can’t even see her. Rather, his attention strays outward, back into the depths of the Bay, and his circle is only for the purpose of allowing her to keep tabs on him. As he speaks, his face tilts away from her as his eyes and nose probe the forest, while one ear remains fixed on his witness. She can hear, if not see, that he is not interested in taking advantage of her here in the dark. I come from a land of open skies and savage sun and dust. Tinuvel is the absolute opposite, and I had never stepped foot outside of my home until a few months ago. I was devilishly curious.
Valefar halts, having come full circle. He stands in the sliver of moonlight once again, and peers into the horse-shaped patch of darkness where he had last pinpointed the Bay mare. Have you ever left your home? Have you ever wondered what else is out there? His heart thrums with vicarious excitement, as though he can feel her curiosity growing even though she hasn’t answered yet.