There was no immediate answer, just Jarek quietly working on binding her tail, and Phoebe bit her lip worriedly. He had offered, but was he now not ready to answer? Had she reacted incorrectly by asking to know this other piece of the story he'd hinted at? He seemed to her to stall for time, finishing his handiwork and allowing his telekinetic hold upon her tail to slip away, leaving the hair there plaited into a long, thick, deep purple whip. She tried to swish it, felt the new heft to it bound up together as it was, and smiled all the brighter upon realizing her new look was styled like that of a true warrior. Would any others who saw her like this recognize it too? Could there be no denying anymore her status as a soldier for as long as she kept her hair this way? Phoebe could only hope. She tried, in vain, to see her reflection in the pool, wanting to know the overall effect for herself, but the water's movements created too many ripples for a clear picture. Her incredibly distorted mirrored image stared back at her, or so she assumed, and as she watched her shape upon its surface she saw Jarek's turn to join her, coming to stand side by side with her reflection--with her. Phoebe turned her head then, tipping it back to stare up into his face and pouring her joy and gratitude into her beaming smile. "Thank you. Jarek." For accepting her as a peer. For pampering her with a bath and giving her a warrior's look. For trusting her with his story. For the rest of it she was soon to learn.
Her patience and silence was rewarded when he finally did pick the tale up again, introducing the devils of his home, the deceitful "gods" who had led him astray. Phoebe hung on his every word, trying to wrap her mind around the influence these devils had, how they had managed to send this strong stallion racing off at their whim, binding him to a stranger. She shouldn't have been, but a little part of her was jealous. To have such a beautiful stallion pursuing her with single-minded determination...was it wrong for her not to necessarily view it as a bad thing? He seemed to believe it was, a visible shame overcoming him as he admitted to following these devils without hesitation. They had been trusted, they were supposed to help him; as far as she was concerned, it wasn't him at fault but these "gods."
But he had defeated them, continued to defeat them, and was now pursuing a life of his own creation in the desert. Even if she didn't quite grasp the attachment to the desert--it was just so hot--she did recognize this as a large bit of progress toward reclaiming what was his. He, however, only appeared to be a bundle of nerves now, each movement and phrase taking on a nervous, self-conscious quality that Phoebe recognized rather quickly. She often acted the same when she'd said too much or said the wrong thing entirely. Not even the compliment seemed to settle them for the stallion. Trying to ease his nerves, she reached out and gently touched his broad, damp shoulder with her pale muzzle, a little nudge. "Sounds like Solis is a better choice. I don't know him--or even Vespera--very well, but it seems like they leave a lot of room for us to figure things out on our own." Which, she assumed, was exactly what Jarek needed now.
She fell quiet, momentarily uncertain what to say to lift the nervous stallion's mood. It was so odd seeing him, this big, burly brute, fidgeting and lacking the confidence he'd exuded so naturally when she'd first walked up. Deciding it best to perhaps trade a story for a story, she drew in a little breath and spoke. "My home didn't quite work out either. My parents were really nice and sweet, and the herd lived very comfortably, but..." Phoebe shook her head. "When I mentioned wanting to learn how to fight, that I wanted to join the soldiers, they all got very worried. They tried to talk me out of it, saying I would get hurt and I should leave that work to those who were bigger and stronger than I was. Instead, I ended up leaving." She went quiet again, a little of her own hurt resurfacing though she was careful to soothe it back down. "It's been so different here. Vespera might not love soldiers the way Solis does, but Dusk has been nothing but supportive." She couldn't begin to express how grateful she was to her court for their encouragement and validation.
Shifting a little where she stood, the sunset mare felt a little chill steel over her from the cold of the water but otherwise didn't move as she considered their individual predicaments. "Hm. Guess we both ended up where we needed to be, right?" Phoebe smiled, hoping, despite the shame and embarrassment from his past, that Jarek too could find some solace in his progress and look to a brighter future--whatever shape that took.
