It was clear she was hesitant, and I know I am probably the one to blame for that. I don't exactly carve out time to spend with the majority of my trinkets, although I guess I don't know why I don't. It's interesting getting to know them a little better, to understand the doubts that swim behind their wide, uneasy eyes. Hiyori was truly the only one I could claim to know, and that was purely because I'd named her my companion immediately, without really thinking through the ramifications of such a hasty decision. The spot didn't truly mean much, at least for me, at least for now. Perhaps if I ever managed to find a mare that wanted to live this life with me that would change.

I could imagine it now - the two of us dashing across the islands: she, luring in a new target with her beauty and me, showing up to seal the deal and push the target back home.

But that was not Vogue any more than it was Hiyori or Lavender. Garmr was, perhaps, the closest to finding someone like that, but even he had a hard time with mares. Which always made me feel better about my own troubles.

The painted mare eventually acquiesces and moves closer to me and I offer an easy grin, my tail flicking across my hinds as she considers her next words carefully. It's not surprising that she avoids my gaze or that her tone is more filled with doubt than trust. I had dragged my hooves, after all, and still had nothing to show for it.

"I have," I answered. Ish. "It's not exactly easy to find someone when you barely know what they look like." He huffed a small, wry laugh as he made his excuses. "And it's not as if anyone welcomes a Lagoonie asking about a young mare." But even as I said it, there is a fissure of guilt that comes from knowing I hadn't really tried all that hard to find her. Each time I went to the Peak, or the Crossing, or anywhere, really, I found new things to occupy my time.

Khar'pern. My brothers. Khar'pern. Other mares. Khar'pern. The annoying blue Peak mare. Khar'pern. I only had so many brain cells to spare and I tended to spend them on needling the gray mother of my other children.

"So tell me more about her. She clearly meant a lot to you. Maybe you've got some clues I haven't considered yet," I offer, still trying - for reasons I don't want to acknowledge - to bridge the gap.

Stallion - Young Adult - 15.2 - Brown Overo