A long, slow breath slowly relaxed the muscles of the body, with difficulty as he had been much tenser than he'd thought, for a longer time than what was healthy. Her welcoming smile made his own thaw some, caused the stallion to feel more at ease as he settled by her side. Hips cocked to the side as a black hoof rested lightly against the reborn earth, silken tail catching in the breeze; Fajira extended a cheerful cry as she passed over the lavender mare, before she continued out over the edge of the cliff to sail on the ocean wind.

Quietly admiring the sight of the beautiful unicorn by his side, Lace listened with a saddened smile to her reply. Did she know how good it felt to hear the voice of another answer him, instead of empty silence and the echo of a voice that should have been there but never came?
"It is. I may not look like it, but I prefer when those around me are at ease and well. I suppose that is why I appear tired." He sighed faintly, the smile fading as he turned to gaze out across the sea. How long had it been since he last appreciated the scenery? Even now it was with thoughts of other things clouding the mind, stealing away from what could have been a serene moment.

"There have been so many things going on lately. Maybe you're not aware of it, new arrival as you are, but the Qian has only been living here at the Edge for a short time. Before we came, there were others living here; a band of unicorns, who hold strong dislike for those of other races. We fought them for the right to live within these Moon blessed borders, and at the beginning of winter we won the battle. The Qian moved in, and even though they were offered to stay, the unicorns chose to embrace their racist views and fled to the iced plains of the north. "

"For the most part of the winter they remained passive, but recently they have begun retaliating against us. Several times they have crossed the borders, and because of our lacking numbers they've managed to kidnap several of our family members. Even Mirage..." He clenched the teeth hard at the thought, voice pained as he uttered the name of their queen. He had failed her then, been unable to detect the presence of the intruder before it was too late. And now she was gone, and nothing he could think of would bring her back with their numbers only.

It was a part of what plagued him, but far from all of it. So many other things had happened to rattle him. It was the fall into the Heart and the meeting with fire gremlins and a boggart, that had left traces in form of a magic flame in the chest and terrible nightmares each time he tried to sleep. It was the eclipse, that had silenced the voice of his beloved dragon; and the movements of the gods, that shouldn't be any of his business but still managed to concern him. The Sun was back in his rightful place, but who was the newcomer, the fourth God?

The exhale was sharp, almost forceful as the gold-dusted stallion shook the head and pushed the thoughts aside, for who knows how many times. What was the point in dwelling over things he couldn't affect?
He forced the smile back onto the face; the lips twisted easily, but it never reached the honeyed eyes.

"Lets not talk about that though; we'll manage all of it, somehow. How are you liking it here, have you settled in well? Perhaps you've noticed, but there's plenty of things to do for everyone who calls the Edge their home. Did you find anything of interest to fill your days with?" A faint glimmer of curiosity brightened the handsome features as he turned back to the lady. Had she chosen anything yet?