This close up, Mateo notices the mare's morbid beauty. It seems, to him, an unfortunate time to be wandering the forest alone with such... ghoulish looking facial markings. He wonders what her story is, and hopes he can at least get this out of her before they reach her destination. He is not particularly thrilled to be walking deeper into the forest, in fact it seems like a horrible idea, but he is not quite sure how to say this without sounding like a coward.
"A murderer, you say?... what has been done about them?"
"Well," he begins to (graciously) tell her the tale as he understood it, most likely (definitely) with more aplomb than how the facts had been presented to him, when a tall mare quickly barges in. She shares some astute observations. "What If she doesn’t need your help? She looks like she can hold her own."
He is taken aback by the mare's abrupt entrance and her evident eavesdropping. His gaze jumps to one mare, then another. Then back to the pied intruder. "Wait a minute, where did you come from anyway? What are you doing out here alone? You know we're not supposed to wander in groups less than three." He had seen her at the court meeting, he wouldn't easily forget the dark red dapples that clung to her like kisses. In the early morning light that barely penetrates the forest, he can hardly make out her red markings, but he knows they're there and it makes him feel strangely satisfied, like he knows a secret.
She's a little rough around the edges, the pied mare, and the vagabond is hard to read. He has no idea how best to balance the two of them. Mateo was never good at group dynamics. One-on-one it was easy to find what made someone happy and then satisfy that desire. It becomes exponentially more difficult with each new personality involved, especially when he is not familiar with the personalities in question.
Sloane is quick to share the morbid details with the mare with the morbid markings. He doesn't listen to the details as much as he watches Huntington's reaction and deliberates what course of action to take next.
"Yes, and the unidentified beast ripped apart two experienced pages who had been traveling together. Which is why I offered to escort you." He speaks to Huntington but looks pointedly at Sloane, having finally answered her question. It is hard to not feel defensive when simple courtesy is being questioned.
"Look, there's three of us here now and there's safety in numbers. I think we should all go back to the court. And, miss," he bobs his head respectfully toward Huntington, "dawn court is a lovely place to stay, assuming you don't have any obligations elsewhere. Once the murders have been solved, you can leave as escorted or non-escorted as you please." His voice takes on a somewhat shrill tone that is not at all flattering, and he is pointedly aware that he is, for the millionth time in his life, the shortest person in the group.
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@Huntington @
