"Forgive? What is there to forgive, I remember not having been slighted." He tilted his crowned head slightly and blinked towards the mare in mild consternation. The one who ought to apologize should surely be himself, considering his lack of social graces... the art of keeping up a conversation was one he had never truly mastered. Arrakk never knew why some insisted on filling a perfectly comfortable silence with pointless banter - though, in this case it had to be said that it was a good thing, or the two of them might have been left standing there, staring at one another until the ending of the world. This chatty mare did a splendid job of moving the conversation onwards. The pallid unicorn obediently turned his attention to the owl that accompanied Alysanne and gazed at it with quiet interest, fidgeting somewhat under the critical gaze.

What did the bird see with those large, intense eyes? Surely nothing to write home about, probably nothing worth even remembering. He was rather unassuming, height and sheer lack of beauty aside. Some would perhaps mourn their own ugliness, but it had been many years since Arrakk set aside envy and jealousy to accept his own shortcomings. So what if he wasn't much to look at? It simply enabled him to enjoy the beauty around him all the more. Perhaps, with a bit of time and patience the scrutinizing glare might see past the ungainly shell and come to appreciate the quiet, gentle soul within.

"A pleasure" he said, bobbing the neck agreeably - he still didn't know why the owl permitted itself to be kept as a pet, but accepted the oddity of it in good stride. "Indeed, you are quite right, miss. Lost heard of mine, see, and I had to move slowly because of this leg. I told them to go on ahead, I'd catch up, but... doesn't look like I will find them again now."

His eyes trailed down to the murmuring waters of the creek, over large ears slumping morosely on the poll. Gray skies reflected in the ever changing waters, passing rays of sunlight occasionally causing the surface to sparkle and gleam. It was pretty, almost as much as the lady before him. Arrakk probably ought to be more distressed by the loss of the only family he had ever known, but in all honesty he didn't miss them all that much. Since his blood relatives left his only ties to the roving heard had been history, a feeble bond based on mutual need and habit.

No, far more interesting was this foreign bird, this fallen angel disguised in mortal cloak with kind eyes and kinder voice. A clumsy smile spread across the stallions mouth as he looked up again, actually daring a question of his own.

"Do you live here, in this... Helovia?"


@[Alysanne] Sorry for the wait! :3