Common

She seems to straighten beneath my gaze, to take heart from the playfulness of my words. Some of the shyness I so adored ebbed from her and she found her voice, forcing me to listen with a flick of my curly tail.

"I see," I murmured in response, not entirely certain what I was supposed to say to that. It was certainly not the sort of answer I expected, nor really what I had been seeking, but she seemed satisfied by it. Almost as if vocalizing it had given her a sense of understanding about herself which was good for her, I supposed. Self-awareness was good in the sort of objective sense; it was not something I specifically pursued, given that it was often cancelled out by the self-confidence I made myself wear as a cape. As far as I understood things, I could not be both aware of my faults and still confident.

Silence followed her answer, and my brow cocked upward as I waited for a follow-up question. When none came and the awkwardness lay heavily on me again, my curly tail lashed at my hind quarters and I lifted my head, resolving myself to do the asking. I didn't have a second question lined up for her, but I cast my mind around for something else to ask, finally landing on something blase. I hated the words as they left my mouth, but I delivered them with a smile I was proud of.

"And your home then, what is it like?" I guess it wouldn't hurt me to be a little cliche. I was in the Commons after all and I really did want this mare to continue to blush.