There is nothing pleasant in Stillwater’s expression. Djinni returns his hard-eyed stare with one of her own, waiting as he processes her instruction.
When he denies her, there is no surprise on her larger black face, no scowl of frustration.
Djinni hadn’t thought he’d follow orders blindly; it was part of what made him so appealing. It’s not as though she is queen of Nerine, with the ability to banish him from his seaside cave. He’s sworn no oath to her – but then, she’s sworn no oaths herself, she does this for her own purposes, whatever they may be.
“Yes.” She replies to his firm denial, and though she wants to laugh, she does manage to keep a – mostly – straight expression. Djinni has not missed the snarl, and while she does find delight in keeping him off balance, she is not so foolish as to prod haphazardly.
“You’ll stay here. You’ll keep this place safe.” She repeats her demands, knowing that they are no small burden. They are a burden she does not want, after all; why not foist them off on another?
“If you try to return, I’ll just send you back.” That would be simple enough, but she also wouldn’t put it past him to enjoy keeping her busy returning him every time he wandered away. “Hmm,” she muses aloud, tilting her back head and resettling her salmon mane. “Best make sure you stay, actually.”
She steps closer, Raene’s figuring disappearing as she does so, leaving her a smaller and easier to maneuver. She stops when she is face to face with him, just close enough to reach out and touch his muzzle with hers. And she does reach out, but only to tap the end of one small hoof against his right foreleg. The soft jingle of her golden anklets is not unusual, but the thud of a heavier chain settling into place around Stillwater’s fetlock is entirely novel.
“There.” Says the grullo mare, taking a quick step back to admire her handiwork. “That will keep you here.”
natural build, smoky grullo tobiano