Certainly managing expectations and contingencies went a long way in helping that.
Toro seemed to take mild offense to the direction their conversation turned. The red stallion might have felt guilty about it, were it not for the lingering looks at his blade and his body the way an eager jock might get the measure of the new guy before deciding whether to heckle him in the parking lot after class. One doesn't normally spend too long staring at the big iron on a ranger's hip unless one is concerned about the big iron being pointed at them.
He laughed, the insistence of his good mood in stark contrast with the barbs bristling from the white stallion's words. Perhaps that was answer enough for Toro's rhetorical, nearly-accusatory question. Did he look like he needed it? Well, a red horse in a yellow field full of big brown bovines had managed to catch him unawares, which was not exactly the greatest showcase of his mettle. But then maybe that was a fluke, the one chance in a thousand that such a surprise could be had.
But, now that a good fight was on the table, Raymond was just cheeky enough not to want to deescalate the situation.
"I'm all for it, if you are. I'd hate to dissapoint. Although..." he wrinkled his nose in the direction of the bison grazing nearby, "we might want to take the party elsewhere, for their sake."
Raymond.
and at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
when the man comes around
and at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
when the man comes around
@El Toro
aut viam inveniam aut faciam
