XOLANI

Oblivious still to the colors dancing on her coat, Xolani watched Ampere carefully for any sort of reaction.  The pale mare had accepted that Ilios liked her, for some unfathomable reason, and that he was perfectly content to be around her, as strange as that was.  She did not, however, know Ampere, and the blue-streaked mare had no reason to like or accept her into the desert herd.  Having relied on body language for years as her primary means of communication, the little Arabian mare was particularly attuned to the subtle shifts of facial features that accompanied the thoughts of most individuals.  Ampere seemed pleased to see Ilios, offering him a genuine smile before turning her inquisitive look to the ivory fae.

As Ilios explained Xolani's predicament, Ampere's smile began to falter, turning into a slight frown.  Xolani immediately began to shift uncomfortably, panic beginning to rise in her gut.  She knew that Ilios had been too good to be true, that not everyone in Helovia would be as kind and accepting as he - but she had hoped nonetheless.  Teal humiliation mingled with the green terror on her hide, interspersed with dull purple swirls of rejection.  The colors were growing brighter now, but the mare remained unaware.  A dark red with the slightest hint of pink betrayed her anger at herself - why had she thought things would be any different here than they had been at home?  If it wasn't her plain coloration, it would be a problem that she was mute - there would always be some way in which she was lacking, in which she could not live up to the expectations of --

ELLO!

The voice made her jump, a brilliant green streaking across her pelt with surprise.  A small bird circled overhead, screaming a greeting.  Xolani watched with apprehension evident on her features, never having seen a talking bird before.  Ampere quickly scolded it, claiming it and inviting it gruffly to her withers.  The pale mare watched nervously from behind Ilios, leaning to the side to peer curiously at this strange interaction.  The yellow-orange that accompanied the feeling on her coat was short-lived, giving way to the constant swirl of greens and blues that were particularly strong given her current situation.

The two pegasi began to ask her about colors, and the mare looked from Ilios to Ampere with confusion obvious on her face.  She hadn't the slightest clue what they referred to and, fearing that they were playing a trick on the plain, mute newcomer, she glanced suspiciously to the side, expecting to see nothing of interest on her coat.  Imagine her surprise when she found a myriad of color blossoming where there had been naught but a few stray bits of sand only moments before!  The greens grew in number and intensity, reflecting her bewilderment as she shied away, realizing too late that she was headed directly for Ilios's flank.