The immeasurable height of the cloud ceiling lent a great depth to the sky as it stretched over the distant mountains and shaded the sun. Despite it, Roland still felt caged, especially with the calculating stares of the Basin Unicorns resting upon his golden face. He shifted his feet across the ground, grimacing as the frozen tips of his mane brushed against the damp skin of his neck. Beside them the hot springs had returned to its normal temperature and steam wafted around them in ghostly tendrils of vapor. Roland fixed his attention to the shifting condensation as he waited for their verdict, relaxing now that the tension had melted from the brisk air.

His ears perked as Lena spoke, though the question wasn’t directed at him, absorbing her words with guarded curiousity. Phantom. The term had an appealing ring to it despite sounding sinister, and he had never been menacing at heart though he was capable of acting it. There were times when he’d had to be cruel to get his way, though generally he preferred to employ different tactics. Normally he didn’t feel guilt over his fraudulent behavior, abusing the faith others held in him, but when he had to become a demon, a twisted burnt out shell of his former self, it took every ounce of his being to find himself again after the endeavor. But he could do it, and if they required it of him, he would do it. They would have every ounce of his devotion; yet his heart warned of the dangers of sentimentality unbound by reason, and it was an impulse he could not ignore. He would be loyal to them, but he would not allow himself to grow close to the inhabitants of the Basin, for affection was a perilous thing.

The slightest frown creased Roland’s forehead in response to Mauja’s question, and the stallion tipped his chin down to study the rocky, uneven ground in silent contemplation. It seemed a difficult occupation to sum up, and for a moment words escaped him. “It is the term for someone who manipulates the confidence of others for their own gain… Or in some cases, to the advantage of their herd. ” He fixed Mauja with a patient gaze, exuding calmness as he wondered at the thoughts going on in the white stallion’s mind. Would he think poorly of Roland now that he’d divulged himself as a charlatan? It wouldn’t be surprising; one would have difficulty figuring out if he was being earnest unless he slipped up, but he hoped the level gaze he fixed the trio with would show that the words he spoke were true and honest, not a single lie falling from his lips. “In the past I have worked as a spy, but I can also fight if need be. ”

(Sorry, this didn't turn out the way I wanted it to!)

walk walk walk
"talk talk talk"