He hated to think about it.
A breath, short but heavy, rushed out of his lungs in an audible sigh as the mare stumbled through her words, nosing into his business while also offering help--something that admittedly did surprise him--followed by an afterthought of an introduction. The look upon her pale face appeared expectant, anticipatory, waiting for whatever response he would give to anything she had said. Instead, Ogden remained silent and stared directly at her, boring into her with his furrowed frown and silently testing her mettle. He expected at any moment for her to shy away from the scrutiny or even go so far as to leave his company--something he also expected to happen anyway. It was too much the norm for him at this point; it would have been foolish for him to expect anything different.
But he wasn't as cold and callous as he presented, no matter how much he wished others would believe he was. The poor thing had made an effort to speak to him, and even though she looked ready for the earth to swallow her up and take her away from the interaction Ogden felt an actual, legitimate response could be...warranted. "Hmph." The sound rolled from his muzzle in a succinct hum, his tone still maintaining its gruff quality as he turned to face her fully and went on, "Ogden. A medic. I was looking for medicines." He didn't have a fancy title or place to attach to his name, but his short response worked to mimic the mare's introduction, though with his usual blunt spin. "Actually plants to turn into medicines." No sense in getting the girl confused if she wasn't yet aware of how medicines actually worked. The last thing he wanted was some poor soul thinking medicines could be found in ready order naturally in the wilds and to ingest something without it being vetted by a professional. Please, don't be a fool, girl.
Her words replayed over in his head, and belatedly they seemed to register. Swahili...of Solterra. "Solterra, you say." Hadn't he heard that name before? Or was it something similar he'd heard instead? It was difficult for him to determine when he lacked any deep care for the answer. "Where is that, exactly?" Ogden assumed he knew, or at least that he could find the location without any outside assistance if he really put his mind to it. But when he was actively trying to avoid others, it felt pertinent to take every handout he could to achieve his solitary goal.
