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No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure.
There was something almost perverse in the pleasure he gained from tailing the slender mare. After making a beeline for the Forest and the Gray, he had tired of seeing the same faces, the same old routine and that meant it was time to pick up the pieces of something vastly more interesting. A conversation unfinished, topics yet to be addressed, and oh, so much fun to gain. All it took was to catch Ophelia at the right time, and they could continue their game of mental cat-and-mouse, where no one knew who was cat and who was mouse. Or perhaps the mouse in fact was a weasel, perfectly capable of turning the tables?

It was the uncertainty that made it so exciting, and excitement was what made it worth waking up in the morning. Simple, really.
He actually enjoyed the mere task of following the tracks and scent of the bloody lady, preferring to keep quite a distance between them so that the angry frog-bat of hers wouldn't pick up on his presence. Perhaps it was too much to ask for; he didn't know a lot about dragons aside from what he'd learned as a kid, but he imagined their senses must be pretty sharp. With the head held low and senses alert, it was a simple thing to shadow her, child's play. The sturdy legs kept him at an even pace, tail held high and eyes playing to catch every sign of her passing as not to rely solely of a fickle trail of scent. There, a hoof-print in the snow. A silken strand of hair, tipped in bloody crimson. More subtle traces were the breaking of branches and signs of bark being rubbed off the trunk of a tree. To a tracker like him it could as well have been a highway with signs pointing in her direction.

When she moved out onto the meadow however, things became more difficult. How, after all, do you stalk someone secretly when the target in question could see you coming from a mile away?

You don't. So he didn't.

Instead the demon-eyed unicorn gave up and picked up the pace, following the telltale tracks of elegant hooves across the snowy plane at a steady canter. Djinn made sure to enjoy himself thoroughly as he went; Ophelia had been right when guessing he never had to be told to have fun. It came anyway, from situations where you could tease and taunt, the quiet enjoyment of a shared meal or like now, the thrilling anticipation that came with wondering how the mercenary princess would react to seeing him again. Would she be annoyed, thrilled. Secretly happy, but hiding it behind a facade of disinterest? He grinned, and picked up the pace.

When he caught up, the situation he found the lady in was a bit different from what he had expected. Instead of her being alone with the snappy little dragon she was racing at full speed towards a large, ragged looking.. thing, wolf or horse, it was impossible to tell for sure. She appeared to be tossing herself towards a large, slithering creature, a snake? that also was heading for the wolf...
Djinn didn't stop to think about it. Snow scattered around the hooves as he threw himself forward, intent on catching up with his leader and protect her if it became necessary. Hadn't he said he'd watch her back? So he would, because DemonEye Djinn never went back on his word.

'Twas a shame that his services wasn't necessary. When he caught up and skidded into a halt next to Ophelia she was already standing still, side by side with the wolf creature and apparently prepared to face off with the giant reptile (it was a snake!) should it be necessary.
The large stallion frowned, trying to take in the situation. The stranger on her other side was apparently someone she knew, otherwise she wouldn't seem so comfortable next to him. He was large, even bigger than the horned boy who had more or less reached his final height, and had a rugged appearance and hard eyes that immediately entered him on the merc's list of people to be wary of.

"You have some rather interesting acquaintances" he said jokingly while trying to catch his breath, worried expression fading away into perfect calm; he slipped in by her side, curiously regarding the black reptile before you. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not fight this one. Unless there's payment to have, of course."

Nor is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain.

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