His silver markings glowed softly in the night, eyes bright as he moved away from where he had been sleeping near the oasis and out toward the coast. Despite everything, he still felt calmer during the night - finding it easier to fall asleep but also more enjoyable to be awake. He did not stand out quite so much in the night, even with the the glow of his markings. He was not his mother nor did he ever wish to be, but he was still a child of the night. And nighttime in the Orangemoon of the Throat was a truly beautiful place to be awake. It was hard to believe that just a short time ago, the sun scorched everything in sight, but now a chilled breeze rolled in from across the ocean.

Her laughter was what drew his attention, the moment he recognized the sound a smile flooded across his features - brightening already bright eyes as he looked for Ampere. The charms in his mane jingled as his head moved, the little stones there glinting in the faint light.

There she was, standing just ahead on the beach. What was she doing, standing on her own by the ocean and laughing? Had the water told her a funny joke? Or was there something, or someone, he could not see? He moved forward anyway, coming up to her on her right side.

By way of greeting, Mesec’s nose reached for her neck, longing for a small taste of the affection of the embrace they had shared one stormy day on the beach. But he hesitated at the last second and drew back before contact could be made. The sudden grip of uncertainty, of fear, made him just move to stand beside her instead, eyes trained carefully on the ocean for a moment while he tried to figure out something to say. A rush of embarrassment over his embarrassment hit him as well, wondering why he was suddenly so thoroughly unsure around her. Unless he knew but was unwilling to admit it - but these were not thoughts he wanted to waste time worrying over right now. Despite his hardly-smooth start, he’d not waste any opportunity to be in the company of one of his dearest friends.

He could only hope that she had not noticed his indecision.

Finally, a fumble of words came - looking back at her with a renewed grin and easing out of the awkward uncertainty he had brought on himself. “Congratulations. You know, on becoming Chancellor.”