They both turn to him with suspicion and that does not surprise him; he is, after all, a stranger they do not know. Normally he would not have made such a hasty offer, but there was something about the spotted mare that had made it seem worth the risk. Said mare was not easily won over by his words, and it earned a nod of respect from the chimera. Loyalty was important, and though he was not certain Helios deserved it, he also could not say that he did not. Asmodeus' dislike of the Arabian was personal, centered on matters that would likely not even have been brought to his herd's attention.

She cites that he will likely intercede quickly and the painted stallion nods, offering a placid agreement. "I'm sure he will," though he does not go on to point out that such intercession was not entirely necessary. Asmo had no intention of taking anyone against their will - only of offering an opportunity. He was not opposed to holding prisoners if he needed to, but playing babysitter was never a role he found particularly enthralling.

"That would depend on what it is-" he begins to answer her question as to what he would do when the arrival of said stallion brings further interruption. Irritation flickers in Asmodeus' eyes but he offers a curt nod to the posturing stallion anyway, his gaze resting on the man as he makes a point to touch each mare in turn like a jealous, possessive lover. It reeks of desperation, but given what little contest the chimera has gleaned from what the mares had said, perhaps not entirely unwarranted. Perhaps they needed a little reminding that he cared.

His commentary about what he would do when they were "in his clutches," however, earns the equivalent of a brow raise and a soft chuff of amusement. The snarky rebuttal rose to his lips but remained caged there, caught between tongue and teeth without being uttered: at least my herd does not gather to complain about my inaction.

"Strange to see your opinion of me has fallen so low when just weeks ago you gave your agreement to bend the knee for me." He says instead, his tone mild but position stalwart. "Or was that just so you could kiss my queen's hooves in the process?" It is a pointless jab and the tobiano knows it even as he utters it, but the sting having to resort to Nyimara's intervention in the first place still remains. How much better their relationship might be if their first conversation had gone differently. "You and Evrain both want power so badly yourselves you'll do… nothing… for it."

The bland smile and the hardness of his eyes shifts, however, as he hadn't exactly come here to have a pissing contest with Helios. The consequences of his impulsivity were already looming and he almost regretted butting in. Not enough to take it back or apologize, but enough to recognize that the last thing the spotted mare was going to do in the face of the stallion who lavished affection on her was to defect.

"No need to worry Helios. I won't take from you what isn't willing to come on their own." A not so subtle indication to either mare that should their affections for Helios no longer outweigh their dissatisfaction that they had another choice. "But it does sound like they want an explanation… and since I'm not likely to get one, you might as well explain to them what you plan to do about your current problem."

He paused then, brow raised expectantly, hooves still settled in the sand. He could claim Asmodeus planned to do nothing for the mares if they made it to the Shore, and perhaps, given that Asmodeus had only a faint clue what the problem was, he might be right. Not moving despite Helios' arrival had initially started out as pure stubbornness, as an outreach of the earlier pissing contest, but the chimera did feel a faint flicker of interest. Octavius had warned him of a threat in the Dunes.. Was that what was plaguing Helios?

"Perhaps I can help." And perhaps not. That would, as he'd told Mazikeen, depend entirely on what the true problem was.

Adult Stallion 16.0HClassic Champagne ChimeraSolomon x Xiomara