As usual, he had no idea where exactly Rei had come from; she just appeared, magicked into existence right then and there and looking like it was no big deal at all. He was getting used to it, but she still had a way of wearing on his nerves and patience that was quite remarkable indeed - especially considering his normally so mellow temperament. This time around he was marginally less annoyed by her emergence from whatever wormhole she had been lurking in, even going so far as to offer her a smile when she played along with his -in hindsight rather lame - joke.
When she continued to rant on, and on, and on, however, the gray stallion found himself shifting back and forth with an intense desire to hush at her. Her sideways glance that seemed to expect praise and a thumbsup was met instead with a raised eyebrow and a mild shake of the head; nope, still prattling, always prattling. Breathe woman, damnit!, and when she even went as far as inquire about the damned chains Lace all but groaned where he stood.
"That is prying, Rei" he leaned over and murmured through gritted teeth, ears ticking backwards ever so slightly. "If you think it might be insensitive then don't ask, for the love of apples!" He glanced back at the large stallion to see how he would take it, worrying with some trepidation that he might take insult with the blabbering girl. To his immense relief he simply took to commenting their act with a straightness that was so direct that it made him feel somewhat silly for trying to livening things up. Suppressing an urge to roll his eyes at the down-to-earth way with which his jokes had been torn asunder and scattered to the wind, Lace took a breath and donned a smile he hoped would look less weary than he felt - no doubt it was Rei's fault that he felt like he had aged several years again, he wouldn't doubt her ability to give gray hairs to a newborn.
"A fellow traveler I see" he commented with genuine interest. "I hope you can forgive my friend here, she has a way of letting her tongue run away with her. To be perfectly honest, you just described Helovia quite well; we are currently experiencing that dazzling sunshine that comes after a thunderclap, so to speak, but who knows how long this peace will last. I can promise that things always get interesting around here; well worth sticking around for."
He paused and gave the other a measuring glance, trying to decide whether to leave him alone or extend offers of home and shelter. It was always a balancing act, and sometimes he had to consider whether someone would truly be welcome in a herd... But this equine, for all his suspicious nature and guarded demeanor didn't look like a bad person. Appearances could be deceiving, for sure, but Lace thought himself to be at least a decent judge of character. Thus, reaching at least some form of conclusion, he shifted slightly and tried the smile again, just for good measure.
"Well, it was nice meeting you" he said. "If you find yourself with a need for food or shelter, or just some company, I believe you're welcome in Dragon's Throat - just go as far south as you can come until you see desert, and you'll be there." He gave a glance to the leopard-spotted pegasus to make sure she would confirm this - since he technically didn't have a right to invite anyone at all - and then started to turn around with the intention to leave. "Come on Rei, we're bothering this person. Let's go find someone else for you to play with, shall we?" He shot a teasing smile in the direction of the young mare; secretly curious as to whether the nameless giant would take his bait.
@[Rei]
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