For a moment, he was oblivious; blissfully unaware of the sudden distress he had caused the woman across from him, the world narrowing down to a focal point encompassing a brief patch of sand and the creature that struggled across it. His nostrils flared in and out slowly, the red lining vivid against his dark muzzle, taking in the scent of the sand and sea and distinguishing it from the tiny crab. It seemed to hasten its maneuvers, alarmed at the addition of the second equine. Ipomoea tracked it with his eyes, his nose, his head swinging slightly alongside it at a snail-like pace, maintaining his proximity to it. He was lost to the hermit crab, much to the creature’s seeming displeasure.
It was the clattering of rocks that brought him back to reality, breaking his concentration with a start. His gaze crept forward, starting at a pair of mismatched hooves, a bit of silver wrapped around one ankle. It was this leg that he followed upwards, peering up finally at the mare’s alarmed green eyes and registering her confusion for the first time.
“Oh… sorry,” he offered, a bit sheepishly, pulling his crown away from the sand as a shy smile played along the corners of his lips. He followed her sight sideways, taking in the second mare with a concentration almost as intense as he had shown the crab a moment earlier: from her red-dipped muzzle, golden eyes and, of course, to the wavering blue tentacles. He took a step towards her, whickering an excited "Hello!", as if to more evenly place himself between both mares and make them appear as if they were meant to be a group, to be included together. It was now that the steller's jay--previously fluttering anxiously overtop--chose to settle upon his crest, huddling between his ears and observing the three equines interact silently. Used to this behavior, Po seemed to pay no mind to the bird.
The other mare was talking now, stammering out a “No?” Uncertain as to what either a relic or “whatever” referred to, he went with the safest response. He struggled to grasp what she was asking about, raking his brain for an explanation as to her uncertain demeanor until it clicked—or so he thought. “Oh, did you lose something? I’m not sure what a relic looks like but I can help you look for it if you want? Where did you last see it?” The questions poured somewhat excitedly and haphazardly from his mouth, pausing to turn on one hind leg to cast a quick glance across the rest of the beach. ”I’m Po,” he told his new friends, not stopping to consider whether they also thought of him as one or not. As ever, his attention was being quickly shifted, bouncing from the crab to the women to various places amongst the beach.
@Inara @Akhlys
forgive me while i slowly remember how to write ;u;
!!!
