Common

In the way of children realizing a situation far too late, the colt winds himself along the stallion’s side, pressed in close and safe. It isn’t necessary; Arsinoe has no desire to hurt the colt - just to force the stallion back to the Badlands.

As if simply speaking of the mother of the wayward colt, she appears - a striking mare with a coat nothing like Arsinoe has ever seen before. She glides out of the woods and stands between them, eyes wary on Arsinoe as she weighs up the scene in front of her.

She speaks, and it is with the bearing of someone used to getting her way. Arsinoe wonders who exactly this mare is - where did she lead? Because the cool dismissal, the polite head bob and neutral gaze, all of it is a carefully crafted image of power, of confidence. Also, the stallion defers to her - he does not step forward, put his body between his family and the perceived threat. He clearly trusts that the mother of his child can handle it – and that is a trait that she covets.

Arsinoe can respect the attempted dismissal. She won’t bow to it, of course – in this place, she has all of the power afforded her as co-lead in the Badlands. Whatever this mare once was, she’s powerless here and now in the Commons. Hell, if they don’t follow quickly enough any other territory lead could snap her up and yank this happy little family to different corners of the earth. Arsinoe is done fighting for the lovers of her herd – at least for a while. Vadim has left a vicious, gaping wound in her and it’s already bad enough that the first stallion she goes out to collect after her abandonment comes with his own little harem. Not that she necessarily expected this stranger to be some great love of her life - but at least he would have been something to call hers, where she now shares everything else.

“You and your son are welcome to go,” Arsinoe agrees mildly, after the silence has stretched uncomfortably long. “But it will be without him,” and here she gestures to the stallion. “He’s in the Commons, and I find myself short a lieutenant.” She flicks her cool green gaze over the little trio and says, “I’m not without reason; the two of you are welcome to follow. There is plenty of space in the Badlands, and you’d be safe under my protection.”