Common

Take a hint, she all but snarled at him and though he bobbed his head agreeably, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to hide the chuckle. He had taken the hint, examined it, and decided to disregard it for now. They managed only a few more steps before she whirled to face him, lobbying words at him as he paced to a halt with her, dark ears tipped forward in her direction.

"This is the wrong place to be if you were hoping to avoid attracting something." He mused, eyeing her quietly. "Autumn is just a few days away and men get desperate around these parts." Even as he said the words he was aware of the irony of the fact that he probably appeared just the same to her. He, however, had witnessed the frenetic, almost mad sort of energy the Commons exuded during the Fall and was in no hurry to descend into that chaos if he could help it.

His smirk spread as she pointedly targeted her words at him, reminding him once again that he was intruding. He nodded agreeably as she asked if he understood and remained silent as she continued speaking. He found his grin widening as she finished, though he took care to relax his stance as if to underscore that forcing and teeth were not necessarily on his agenda. "Don't get me wrong - I'll never turn down a good scuffle in the name of self-improvement," he responded conversationally, his tone neutral. "But I didn't come here to force anyone back to the Shore. I only play jailor with very good provocation, and a mare that I don't know is hardly good provocation."

He had been the "bad" guy before and knowing how the islands worked, would likely end up playing that role again someday, but he did not currently hold anyone against their will. Unless, of course, you counted Antoinette, but her rebellion had far more to do with her mother's decision to remove her from the Peak than it did with Asmodeus' role in her life.

"As for what I'm looking for, that's a little more complicated." He added, blowing out a quiet breath and studying her as if seeing she was worth an offer to his home. "The Shore needs new members, but I'm not looking for the sort of mare that wants to simper after a stallion and beg for his attention. I want members who want to build on their own strengths - whatever they are. Members that want to see a change on the islands, not members I need to babysit and coddle."

He let that sit for a moment before speaking again. "Are you that sort of mare? Or have I wasted both of our time?" A little hasty on his part perhaps. But he had seen enough in her spirited little display to assume that she was not the sort to lie down and disappear the way half of his father's herd did. He didn't know if this nameless mare would someday grow to the same notoriety as mares like Marceline, and Nyimara, and Xiomara, and Daciana all enjoyed… but he could see the potential.

And if he was wrong? Well, a wasted afternoon was still only one wasted afternoon and there was still a whole world of potential out there.

Adult Stallion 16.0HClassic Champagne ChimeraSolomon x Xiomara