Sochi has a hard time imagining Straia being at the service of anyone, of any thing. She is sure that there have been those that the other mare served, but she can only think that it was to serve her own end purpose. There must not have been much to bring the painted mare to her knees. She can respect that—in many ways, can understand it as something in her own life as well—and she settles into the easy conversation. There’s something of her that’s always on edge, as if just waiting for that moment of the attack, but she relaxes as best she can, only one ear tilted, listening for anything that may feel off.
“Don’t worry, I will absolutely let you know if and when I need your help.” A shadow of a smile plays around the edges of her mouth, the only true hint of warmth that Sochi ever gave. “The tree is helpful though.” For others, at least. Sochi herself had not yet taken a visit to it to take any gifts from it. Perhaps strange considering that she was the one who had initially won it, but she was not so thirsty for additional power just yet. She was quite content with just her ability to shift and her other more natural gifts.
Her attention draws back to the mare though, watching as the magical strings fall off of her.
“I cannot imagine you would do well with strings of any kind,” she muses, watching as they dance in the air, broken and cut clean. “I would say that I am at your service, should you choose to risk the strings, but I find that I do not serve well anymore.” She tilts her head to the side, that same shadow of a smile tilting her lips, knowing that Straia did not serve well either. “What was the Chamber like? I fought a panther from there once.” She had only learned of Atrox after the Tephran war, when he nearly ripped her chest in half. She glances down, knowing it was only her gift of healing that left her without mark.
she said a war ain't a war before both sides bleed