Surprise gleams briefly, honestly in Caneo's gaze as Ampere so easily accepts his request. He had expected... more. But now warmth blooms in the air between them, as if family might be so simple as a word. He tucks away confusion quickly, but it lingers under the pleasant emptiness of his expression, whirling out questions to be answered later. Of all the things Caneo knows, all the stories he has heard and made... Still, he knows too little of this. Trust remains an island like the Dragon's Throat itself, glimpsed briefly in his travels but forever unattainable.

        He listens in polite silence to the description of Ghost. Ears cup forward, genuine interest prickling up at the sound of her name. Ghost. He envisions a white mare. Essetia's voice draws his attention toward her, briefly, and he is glad to hear her voice again. Failing to realize how quiet she is, Caneo thinks she must have better talent at the job than him. She has faded, like a watcher without a body, so long as she found no reason to speak. Now he blinks at her in mute question, wondering if she sees any aptitude in him, and what it means if she does not. "Thank you," Caneo says to them both. "I will find her, then." Eventually. Too many new things present themselves at once, and he finds himself receding, observing, struggling to tuck it all away.

        His confusion renders him quiet still, a background note to the mares as Ampere's attention centers on the other spy. Wariness draws taut in Caneo's body at the sight of the floating... thing. Key? It strikes against his brain like danger, strange and unnatural, but the most he allows himself is a single, wary step back. Maybe it can be mistaken as deference, giving the two of them space for this... ritual, whatever it means. His eyes sweep, narrow again, over Ampere as she turns away and cocks her wings. She is strange, a question in his mind, a whole bundle of questions, and he thinks he will see her again. Has to.

        But now she goes.

        "My own," Caneo parrots numbly, though the words betray no hint of his discomfort. Some piece of this puzzle remains lost, and he waits to see it fit into place before asking the obvious questions. Instead, he nods once to Ampere, unable to completely wipe the slight frown off his features. "Goodbye!" Caneo calls more loudly when she departs, his voice a light silver sound against the sky.

        Now he stands alone with Essetia again. The moment of decision fades away, and he is aware of passing the first test. Excitement wars with overstimulation in his chest, but the brighter emotion wins out, and with a step toward the edge, Caneo peers down into the water. His ears twitch. Though he doesn't notice it, he brightens a bit in the pegasus' absence. Something genuine shows in his manner as he turns back to his friend, a childish wonder in his eyes. "I am ready," Caneo announces. His body is tense, near trembling, but not from fear.

        "Let's go." He offers a questioning smile.