He waited patiently as the black mare hesitantly stepped closer, a mask of calm relaxation concealing the steely readiness he maintained in case this was some kind of trick. The Dark Empress wasn't known for her predictability, neither for any great amount of kindness - no one could blame the Edge stallion for his caution as he allowed her to approach, gilded eyes resting firmly upon her dark frame.

It surprised him a bit to find that despite her tired and confused look, Psyche actually appeared quite pleasing to the eye. Of the same height as himself, she was fit and slender, a well-sculpted mare with equal parts strength and femininity. He could see old scars cut through the ebony coat, but they didn't mar her appearance as much as lend her an air of seriousness and respect. Lace had to admit that she must know what she was doing on a battlefield; there was no other way she could have survived to mature in such a way, to the point where he felt a reluctant acknowledgment churn the gut.

Her words, as she finally spoke with eyes hesitantly lowered towards the ground, made the silvery grullo flinch. A startled blink interrupted a shocked stare that couldn't hide the astonishment he felt, and for a long moment he remained frozen in place while processing the situation. Eventually he flicked his tail against the hocks and shifted the stance slowly, eyes narrowing around the intense look he gave her.

"I'm relieved" he said, an ear turning to the side atop the poll, "as I'm not much for killing if I can avoid it." The masked head tilted slightly as the surprise settled, once more giving place to the curiosity that always seemed to drag him into strange situations.

"Why... " he began, then cut himself off hesitantly. Did he want to know why this mare wished to end her life? Did it have anything to do with him? She was an enemy, her reign had come with numerous attempts, successful and otherwise, at disrupting the peace in Helovia. Trouble with the Throat, trouble with the Foothills, the kidnapping of countless Edge members... and they had retaliated in kind, unable and unwilling to tolerate the disrespect. Indeed, for the longest time Lace had viewed Psyche as the epitome of evil, overshadowed only by the Reaper that served beneath her - and that was only because he had faced Deimos in combat and experienced his deadly magic first hand.

But as gladly as Lace would see this mare pay for her crimes, it lent a bad taste to the mouth to see her like this. The only other time he had seen her was when she had come to the Edge to negotiate with Mirage, and that time she had been tall, proud, snarky and deceptive, commanding and condescending. This... felt like a completely different mare.

Realizing that he had been holding his breath for a long while the stallion let out a sigh and removed his gaze from the lady, uncomfortable with the entire situation. Should he leave, should he stay, what could he say to make her feel better - did he even want her to feel better? An insecure Psyche was surely a weak Psyche, and this was something he should be making use of. Should... But the thought of forcing the mare along back to the Edge didn't sit well with him, even though it was what he ought to be doing.

"What happened to you, for the Lady of the Basin to be so far away from home?" The yellow eyes that returned to her well-honed frame seemed almost kind as they questioned her presence. Some of the wariness faded from Lace's voice, and after a quick glance towards the sky he decided that he had time to spare on this meeting; not much, but hopefully enough.

Dim vales- and shadowy floods-
And cloudy-looking woods,
Whose forms we can't discover
For the tears that drip all over!
Huge moons there wax and wane-
Again- again- again-