Kahlua could not have picked better company for such a walk from Threshold to home and by the time they made it to the borders of the Edge, Kahlua had found herself liking Nasreen just as much. Even without the stranger speaking much, Kahlua took comfort in her easy demeanor and likeable laugh. If Kahlua was a philosopher, she would have lived the mantra “you can tell a lot about a person by their laugh.” Alas, the girl was anything but a scholar, giving her trust easily enough to any who would take it. Still, she managed. And besides, she liked what she liked. What else was there to know? In any event, the two made quite a pair, Kahlua's dancing soprano mingling with Nasreen's voice to form a girlish duet that rang through the trees.

I haven't seen something this beautiful since leaving Th'orqui,” the girl offered and Kahlua smiled approvingly. Some day she might grow tired of hearing about how fantastic the wall was, how glorious a creation, how remarkable that she should have made it. But that day was not today and that time was not now. She nickered approvingly, bobbing her head to respond to the first question easily enough. “It's made of glass, I am Glazier of this herd, meaning the Moon Goddess grants me magic to make the mists turn solid.” Her blues eyes danced. Less than a year ago she had not even heard of magic, nor unicorns nor pegasi, and here she was creating something out of nothing, accepting that horses could have wings and fly or horns that glint in the sunlight. So much had changed in such a short time, but the girl regretted none of it.

As for the second question, Kahlua was no secret keeper. Her face fell, lips twisting into some sort of disapproving look not meant for Nasreen. “There are racist unicorns in the north that tried to attack us. It is a defense, to keep them out.” The scar she had shown Nasreen in the Threshold was actually a product of the attack, a horn dug well into her flesh, meant to kill if it had been able. She sighed softly and then shook her head, trying to let the memories go. She didn't want to think about the unicorns. Not when she had been having so much fun.

And then the girl was crying, history pouring forth from her mouth, tales of an attack of her own, escape, a friend and caretaker. All at once, Kahlua's heart broke for the girl and even her eyes misted up a little. It was a story that was all too familiar to the overo- family spread across the far reaches of a world never to be seen again. She let Nasreen's face fall into her mane, turning her head to nuzzle the girl in support. Honestly, though, she didn't know what to say. What could she say? Nothing made pasts like that go away, except for time (or in Kahlua's case, an addled brain that quickly buried such tragedies).

For a moment longer, the black overo let the silence settle between them, blue eyes finally finding the gray ones of her partner and Kahlua's smile returning in an effort to bring a similar look back to her friend. She wished she knew where Resplendence was, or Brisa or Alysanne. They always knew how to make a broken heart better in a way Kahlua could not manage. Hadn't they fixed Kahlua after her friend Antheia had jumped from the ledge? “I'm so sorry,” she offered finally, once again reaching out to nuzzle the girl. “You're brave to have made it so far.” And so, at loss for what to say, Kahlua motioned the pegasus to one of the fires that burned around the Edge to offer her a warm place to rest. “Would talking more about it help?” Since she didn't know what to do, she decided to let the pegasus take control. This was her adventure, after all.

.KAHLUA