They flowed together well, even after all this time. Old habits bubbled to the surface as they reacted to one another like well-oiled cogs of a machine. There were subtle differences: the owl perched precariously on his shoulders, for one. For another, the air between them was dead, as though left in the wake of a bolt of lightning. Whatever tension, whatever attraction, that had once been present had long since left - no, been forced from them. He would blame her, and she him, and on the layer under that, they would each blame themselves. Regardless of who shouldered the blame for the problems between them, it would never be forgotten, perhaps never forgiven.

Such was the way of the world.

And yet they would not speak of it. This she knew, as she knew that he knew. It was done, it was over, and neither of them was the sort to linger in the past. At least, not vocally. In her mind, the shadow-mare replayed her actions over and over, searching for mistakes. She wondered in vain if she would do things differently, should she have the opportunity to do it all over. The most time was dedicated to a search for weakness as she tried to decide if it was her feelings or the fact that she had run from them that should shame her more.

She would not run this time, she would never run again. She had spent her life running, first from her crazed father after her mother's death, then from her king after their daughter's birth. What a great example she had been for Sno, who now felt that she could simply wander around without so much as a by-your-leave. She had planned to raise her daughter better than that, to teach her more respect than that. She should never have allowed her to get so out of hand. But that was the story of her life: things getting out of hand.

But all this thinking was getting nothing done. "It takes more than an army of mutts to break me, sweetheart." Ah, the inferiors, those which had brought them together in the first place. That was a safe topic, and one she would embark on quite readily. "Those mutts threw you out of your home," she reminded him sweetly. "We ought to do something about it." She knew that it was a low thing to say, particularly at this moment in time, so soon after his defeat. But she may as well cut to the chase. She was fairly sure that the FrostHeart would not want to stand around chatting with the likes of her.

[W/C | 443]

Walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk."
Think think think.