’..I didn’t think you had anything here WORTH taking..’ The punctuation in his voice is meant as a jab. A match to his own backhanded comment on the uninvited appearance of the painted bachelor. The sterling dragga knows that any other stallion (probably none more so than the old wolf himself) would have found offense. Annubis? Hell, it was almost comical. A sharp response that would have left his own lips were the roles reversed.
A glimmer of amusement tugs at the corners of his ashen labrums as the male lets a low chuckle rumble deep within the confines of his broad chest. Golden ooids dance with the retort that remains silent on his lips. ’Touche’. Annubis does not let his gaze leave the unfamiliar pair, even when the familiar musky scent of the black beast draws near. A single, raven-tipped lobe tilts towards the graveled sound of Lucifer’s voice as the beast addresses the stallion by name. Khyber. Nope, not familiar within his short list of contacts.
The obsidian stallion’s dark shadow washes across his sun-warmed frame as the red-eyed stallion limps stiffly nearer. The relationship between Annubis and his second is not exactly one of shared interests or besties from childhood now grown and here to watch each other’s backs. Lucifer is as much a stranger to him as this painted Khyber is. The big black bastard is not exactly an open book; honestly, the bindings seem too worn and stiff for the sterling wolf even to try to decipher it properly. He kept to the northern boundaries of Paradise and Annubis handled the rest. Simple as that. What becomes clear to him about his dark companion is that these two have crossed paths at some point in the not-so-distant past.
A single fluted lobe tilts towards Lucifer at his comment towards the young mare. Once more, multifaceted eyes of golden hues shift from the red and white stallion to rake greedily over the sunshine girl, tracing the patterns of white with his gaze. Young definitely, but a child? Not in his eyes nor any other stallion with half a brain cell. A peek into the relationship between the two stallions? Perhaps.
’....I thought I’d come to offer her to an ex-brother…’ Those words draw the sterling stallion’s eyes back to the red and white stallion. A single brow arching. So, she was meant for Lucifer? There is no denying the flash of jealousy that dances across his vision. Ash-dusted labrums pressed tightly together to prevent his notoriously sharp tongue from creating a rift in the already shaky bridge that brought him and Lucifer on even ground. He does not dare risk a glance at the dark beast, sure now more than ever that what civility he managed to maintain would indeed crumble. Instead, paper-thin nostrils flare, and then exhales a slow and measured breath, stiff legs shift beneath him as he attempts to straighten and calm the rising storm of emotions before this little meeting goes completely downhill.
’....I’ll let Izumi pick.’ the last of the Lagoon stallion’s words are spit in a nonchalant tone as if he hadn’t just pitted one herd stallion against another. This time, Annubis allowed his fierce gaze to shift to the obsidian beast that stood astride him. A single brow arches, curious to see what reactions might curve across his battle-scarred features or flash in those startling crimson eyes. So far, Lucifer has done his best to appear like the stoic, emotionless wraith of death. To say he is curious to see an emotion in the beast is an understatement.
A coy smile curves across his handsome features as the sterling beast tilts his head to stifle a scoffing noise in his throat. ”Awww come now Khyber, that doesn’t seem like quite the fair game to play. This beautiful face against that ugly mug??” he says, jutting his muzzle towards his companion, golden eyes glimmering as his gaze returns to Izumi. ”Least I can offer something pretty to look at and a glorious sense of humor to boot.” he finishes, tossing his head to rid his vision field of his long, dark forelock. "Name is Annubis by the way... in case you missed it before." he adds, shifting his gaze momentarily towards Khyber before flitting back to the gold and white beauty. No sense in not at least getting his name out there, even if it didn't end up being in the best of light. Honest? Brutally. Funny? Probably only to a select few. Yet that does not stop him from searching her gaze to see if she was one of them…