Truthfully, Roland liked being the center of attention. Even if he was being subject to Chernobyl’s judgement and her studious gaze, he was all rapt diligence and intentness. He had a habit of changing his character depending on whose company he entertained, and so every opinion formed of him was different and yet equally engrossing. His eyes widened slightly when she finally questioned him, but he laughed despite his initial shock. It was not an uncommon thought to cross the minds of those who knew him for what he truly was, and so he was prepared to answer without hesitation. “You have nothing to worry about from me. Not yet, anyway,” he responded with a wink, words carrying no purpose except to tease.

Chernobyl shifted beside him and Roland looked down at the snow swept ice beneath their feet, absorbing her speech with a curious glance towards her. He was strangely touched by her comment, for he had not been spoken to with much care for a very long time, and to see someone have hopes for him when they had just met mere minutes ago it seemed, made him smile. He didn’t want to sour the moment by explaining to her that it would not be the first time he had been cast from a family’s favour as a result of his work, so he merely nodded and fixed her with a grateful look. “And I enjoy yours.” He considered himself lucky to have made a friend despite the ill circumstances, for being chased from the open air by a roaring storm while thoughts of war, past and future, clouded his mind hadn’t exactly led him to believe that it would be a good day.

There was the intonation of an oncoming inquiry in Chernobyl’s voice when she next spoke, and Roland returned her smile while absorbed in anticipation. In the end he was not disappointed, though her request made him feel slightly nervous. She didn’t seem as suggestive of mind as many of the others he had manipulated, and perhaps his attempts would not live up to her expectations. All the same, there was a keen glint in his eyes as he accepted her challenge with a minute nod of his head, stepping forwards so he might give himself room to work. The movement was a good distraction from his brief silence, though it took mere moments for him to derive a plan.

He decided on something she probably wouldn’t expect, which was honesty. By making his explanation believable, it would only make it all the more easy for the victim, if you will, to buy his story. His hooves clacked across the ground as he turned back to face her, now calm and collected. There was no playful smile dancing across his lips, no tension in the way that he stood. He was confident as he met her gaze, voice smooth as silk yet smoky at the same time.

“From the beginning I could have been playing you and you would have been none the wiser. It is something that I often do, fake friendships to benefit myself, so why would this situation, us being forced to endure each other’s company until the storm subsides, be any different?” He questioned, stepping closer to her. “When I first joined the Basin I had assumed I was making a good choice. I was tying myself to a purpose, working for a cause, but I quickly found out that this herd is not what it seemed to me at first. In Tallsun, not long after Mauja had recruited me, I heard screaming from the cliffs and approached to find two of our herdsmates attacking another, simply because she had helped a Pegasus.”

“Realizing that I had joined a herd where racists make up the majority of the population, I began to doubt my choice. I had been raised to accept all creatures regardless of their appearance, and the fact that some of my own kind discriminates simply because others do not have horns disgusts me. Now I approach new faces with caution and the slightest amount of dislike.” He finally began to entwine honesty with falsity as he continued, aware that he was no doubt spinning her a very unappealing representation of himself. “How am I to know that you aren’t racist? That you haven’t judged me because I once fought alongside Pegasi and grew close enough to consider them kin? You’re lucky that I even trusted you with that story,” his tone grew bitter, gaze hardening as he looked away from her for a moment, breathing deeply before he returned to his scrutiny.

“So really, you were just inviting me to tell the truth. Ever since I entered this cave I have been willing for the storm to cease so I might spend my time with those whom I already trust.” His tail swished against his hocks, face expressionless as he continued to watch her, anticipating her reaction. He would not let the guise fall until she had spoken, else he would break the illusion he had formed and she would have reason to doubt him, if she had not seen through his harsh words and pointed looks already.

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"talk talk talk"