Blushing and girlishly nipping back at Zubari when he touches her cheek, Maude is not sure why the gesture flusters her so. Perhaps, she thinks, it is because Katua’s brother has usually been quite rude to her, but over the course of his sister’s disappearance, especially, he seems to have warmed up quite a lot. Now that she thinks about, that gentle brush against her cheek had been the first time he’d touched her that hadn’t been a shove, or a gesture of roughness, and mock battle between the three children.

"You too, Zubi," she giggles, as her nose tucks down towards her chest, and her citrine eyes crinkle mirthfully.

Adding his massive bulk to the gathering, the King’s arrival earns a curtsy from the filly almost as soon as his presence is noted, her lips grinning all the broader that she could be here for the family’s reunion. Still breathless from her erratic greeting to her dearest Tutti, so much happens at once that Maude is actually speechless, simply watching each speaker, and then the next. Despite the tensions building in the air, because no one seems to like the painted mare very much (except, of course, the ginger babe, who held ill regard towards very, very few, especially those she had just met), the child is too happy to let her smiles be stifled.

Thereby, Zubari’s outburst momentarily earns a surprised stare from Maude, who looks between him and the strange are quite nervously, glad that Tembovu had arrived just moments before. She didn’t know about what Tutti and Zubi’s parents had taught them about strangers, but hers had always told her that some weren’t very nice at all. The cherub had then, of course, determined that it was probably best to just be kind to everyone she met. She certainly had a difficult time trying to be grumpy with someone who was trying so hard to be good!

"Oh, Zubi!" she exclaims, quite horrified for the both of them, looking fretfully over towards the stranger, "I’m sure you have feelings, and you are certainly not a beast. Zubari is a warrior in his heart, and sometimes his words are sharp. What he means to say, I’m sure, is that the dead surely will not mind that we have happiness in our life?"

She closes with a question, because, well, maybe that’s not what Zubari meant, and now he’ll be very, very upset with her. Regardless, Maude supposes she would rather have the spotted colt be frustrated with her words and actions, than to have a fight break out between King Tembovu and whoever this only slightly malevolent, concerned citizen was.

So, the darling is happy when the conversation again moves to the baby animals, and her friend chooses a name for his vicious new friend. Kuuma, he names his ngawa, asking Tutti what she’s going to call her… uh, kimono?

"Oh, what are you gonna call it?" she cheerfully questions, eagerly smiling at her best friend in all of Helovia in anticipation for what, surely, will be the coolest name ever contrived.


MaudeHow should we like it if the stars were to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
let the more loving one be me.