Being scrutinized was nothing new for the King, and all he did was shift his weight slightly to settle more comfortably. If he imagined it, he could nearly feel her deep blue gaze rove across his body, drinking in the build of his muscles and the irregular pattern of his spots. To his male ego, it was pleasing to have a mare look you all over. It meant that you weren't so ugly they had to turn away immediately. Beside him, Faelene gave him a quick briefing of the situation before falling silent. Together they waited for this stranger to state her piece, and as with all newcomers, he wondered where she came from - who she was, who she'd been, why she was here. Happy stories didn't lead to one forsaking one's home. And so, she launched into her story and his ears flitted forward, listening eagerly but not moving from his perch beside the shorter black mare. Tillas was her name, and a dreamy smile flashed across his face at the mention of worship - if only they had such a pleasant culture here... Alas, being racist had you hammered into the ground, and the simple fact that his herd consisted only of the horned seemed enough to irk others. Wasn't it his choice, who wished to spend his days with?

She used the word unicorn a lot, and he wondered what it meant, coming from her like this - coupled with the fact that she was used to being worshiped, it sounded like she might have her heart down the right road in life, but he was not one to trust the word of random strangers. She smelled of no herdland here, so the story about traveling was true, but who knew? He gave the slightest of nods, mulling over her words and what to tell her. "Welcome, Tillas, to the World's Edge. I am Mauja. Only unicorns reside in this forest, though there is a wolf who is willingly guarding our borders." He inhaled deeply again, letting it out in a thoughtful sigh. "Things are a bit different here, I'm afraid. The majority of Helovia's inhabitants are of the opinion that we're all one and the same, and those who think otherwise are treated with open hostility." He didn't know what Faelene thought of all this - if she was a racist, or just one of the residents here. He didn't know most of his herd as well as he liked to, but he didn't even know where Aurelius' heart lay. "So, even if you believe yourself above others, broadcasting it is a bad idea." So far he had not given away too much of his own opinion. Mauja always trod carefully, and he glanced at Faelene, trying to gauge her reaction to all of this. He liked the odd mare, and hoped that she would be welcoming to these ideals around which Tillas and Mauja skirted.