Aelin

His current state doesn't appear healthy. Having taken advantage of the fact that he'd turned his gaze away to mull over her words, Aelin again found herself inspecting the beast that had appeared before her. Her eyes gazed at how he seemed almost hollow between his ribs and the protrusion of his hip bones. It was clear that he needed a good feed, maybe he didn't have a home that provided him with enough to eat. Maybe, if their meeting went well, she'd invite him back to the Throat for a decent feast. It was hard to look away from his apparently hungry body. Aelin puffed her cheeks then released their air slowly, wondering what it must be like to go hungry. As a privileged member of the Throat she'd never gone hungry, she stomach had always been filled. Not only is his body seeming to wither away but his appearance is dim in contrast to her own bright and glistening dun coat. The sandy princess eyes the auburn curtain of his beard, knotted in places, the hair dry and stiff where, she thought at least, a healthy shine should shimmer. The girl looking to her own body, daily well groomed aside from the odd grain of sand that still lurked upon her body, her hair was healthy, falling thickly and vibrantly over her neck. She normally never minded about her appearance, most of the time it was slightly disheveled but healthy. Yet now she found herself comparing them, wondering if it was her privilege that allowed her to feel comfortable appearing bedraggled.

Was the beast always so flat and empty? His voice, his eyes his body...what about his heart and soul? Was he born into a repressive society or had she been speaking about love to someone who had experienced the pain? Like the fool that she was. Pondering her words she thought about her own dreams and the dreams of others, the way she loved to brighten them up. Painting the dreams as vivid, bright, and (she hoped) aspiring. The sandy princess had always had complete control over the lands of dreams and truthfully no, she'd never experienced nightmares before. That was what had been gifted to her, the ability to always experience the good in life. Yes, perhaps that why she'd thought of his so dark...murky. She'd been wrong, blinded by the brightness in her own vision. Felling his gaze upon her dreamcatcher she turns her head slightly, proud of the item that had been with her almost since birth. A symbol of her abilities since birth, always intwined with her dreamland. It was through dreams that she learned about others, saw into their souls and had a shot at understanding the other. Yes she was young, still with a lot of time to learn about this world. Additionally she also (clearly) still had a lot to learn about this world. The invitation causes her head to tilt to the side, studying the strange beast before her. Out of all the people she would have thought would have let her into their dreams...well he would have been the last one that she'd ever guess.

She grins as his chin juts out in challenge, motioning toward the dreamcatcher. Still listening to his words she summons the magic from within her, sending it out towards the beast, feeling and searching. Oh, she'd prove herself to fair better than other, the familiar burn works it's way across her chest. As the stag looks away she can feel what remained unsaid between them. They had all suffered and faced struggles of the heart, the way love made you tender towards the soul of your affections and fearful that you would one day loose them. Had the lady in the moon or her lover feared loosing each other? They must have. "Yer laz disse qafat atthirarido kifindirgi." A sigh curled from her lips, long and drawn out and she looked to the moon. "But you'll never get an answer." Her magic crept towards the beast, but it could not see into his dreams yet. "The funny thing about dreams...most of the time you have to be asleep for them to appear." Looking back towards the beast she widened her eyes, innocent and kind. "I'll accept your challenge but you have to trust me enough to sleep." The girl said it doubtfully, as if she knew the stag would not like the idea of leaving himself so vulnerable with only a small girl watching over his sleeping form. She wouldn't be insulted if her laughed at her. In fact a coy smile curved her own lips. Damn. What an ass she'd been tonight. "Walking among dreams I'm free, I suffer living in the land of the living." She grinned at the stallion, "here I think i know more than i actually do."