theres an old man sitting on a throne thats saying...
He was quite a spectacle to behold with his wings and his calm, stoic demeanor. His relaxed indifference to her aggressive and blunt greeting (if one could even call it that) relaxed her and made her more nervous at the same time; what kind of stallion let a filly disrespect him without retaliating? She didn’t know, and she didn't trust what didn't know.
His serene mask never wavers, and neither does Iset’s guarded one of mistrust as the stranger correctly identifies her, and tells her that he is here to speak with her and Amet. During their brief yet tense interaction, Iset continues to keep her lips closed tightly, pressing them so hard that the edges were fading from their warm chestnut to white.
Her brother quickly seeks the pair out and closes the distance between them, settling not far from her side. In their previous confrontations with Him in the Dunes, Iset had never searched for comfort in Amet, only Sakir. But Sakir wasn’t here, and the siblings were slowly learning to adjust and compensate, and between the two of them had begun unconsciously dividing up the roles he had played. Protector, sense of security, peacekeeper. Amet was turning into all of these things for Iset, and it was this that made her draw unknowingly closer to him, pressing her lean shoulder to his.
His nervous energy seeps from his skin to hers, and the filly’s frantic heartbeat speeds up along with his. According to the colt beside her (though she won’t be able to call him that for long, as he’s nearly three), this was Brennen. The Brennen. Though her ears remained flat against her head, Iset’s copper-brown eyes widened in curiosity and wonder at his information about the Nayl and Nerine. Her short tail swishes uncertainly and her eyes traveled between her brother and Brennen before narrowing, “And what, exactly, do you anticipate our needing protection from?” The filly questions before drawing herself up on long legs. “We’re quite capable of taking care of ourselves.”
The idea of relying on another stallion, especially so soon after their escape from the Dunes, to protect and dictate anything for them scared her more than anything.
...I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut
ooc: technically Iset is still in the field with Sakir and hasn't come back to the Lake yet, I just wanted to keep this thread rolling
