Ricochet wondered if there were more horses like him, with that out-of-town haircut. Maybe there was a whole breed of them racing around with their long manes that traveled down their spines. It was difficult not to stare- he had seen a couple of unicorns wear such décor, but never an equine. But for all the stallion’s scars, there was not one on his skull to suggest the removal of an alicorn or any of the like. Must be equine then.

And the stallion had this lazy drawl, not too different from the Incendiary’s own father’s, except for a thick accent rich as honey.
He had found a strange one.

“No, not too many pets around these parts. Plenty of companions though, if you’re interested in that sort of bond. Where I came from, horses could bond to dragons. One of them gave me this burn on the side of my face.” A wry smile wreathed his charcoal lips, with his eyes half-shut in a lazy wince, but he wore this casualness far more comfortably than his plastic grins. “Made me lose my appetite for a dragon soul bound to my heart and head.” And it was true, sure enough, true as the sky was blue.

Maybe if he were a girl, he would compliment the grullo on his name- Desperado. A cowboy’s name, almost like Gunslinger… but Ricochet was not a girl. So he bobbed his head half-heartedly and listened to the birdsong filling up the silence between them. It was an easy quiet, relaxed and soft, and he liked it just fine. Clearly he had been reading too much into the other stallion.

The stallion- Desperado- spoke up again in his confident drawl, about the Edge. Ricochet’s brow furrowed thoughtfully; he hadn’t heard before of them building a Wall. After letting it sink in for a moment, the Incendiary spoke, careful of what he said. It seemed Desperado might be the helping sort, but that didn’t mean he could be trusted with a lifetime of secrets.

“Well, I hadn’t heard about a wall before. You’re into crafting then? But, I mean, yeah. Most stick to themselves around here- loyal folks, some can be kind of snobbish.” Ricochet said casually, a faint grin toying about his mouth. “Some might say it’s best to find a herd. Safety in numbers, all that regular bullshit. Don’t have a herd of my own- but I’m hoping to make one someday. Find a good solid group of equines- just equines. Had some troubles with unicorns and pegasi in the past-” He left out, of course, that he had been the one to start the trouble- “thought others might have to. Could be nice to get a band going, offer some protection to young ones and those too elderly to be out on their own. Of course, able-bodied minds and bodies are always in need too.”