He nods acknowledgement of her thanks and then finds himself in another predicament ─ engage in personal conversation, to which the topic would undoubtedly turn to Solace? Or remain acquaintances only by way of herd politics and assignments? He opts for the latter, both because he'd rather not allow his mind to linger on his childhood love and because it feels good to involve himself in something that doesn't involve searching desperately for his missing parents. His bright eyes watch the painted woman and he balks for a second after he comments on how he would like to provide for Hyaline, curious if the expression that crossed her face so swiftly had been some kind of... disappointment?
He chews the inside of his mouth as he ponders this, as if the idea of them being close on their own terms was not something that had ever occurred to him as a possibility (admittedly, it hadn't). Nevertheless, Kagerus allows the conversation to go in the direction he had prompted it, leaving the bone-armored stallion feeling a bit more relaxed in her presence.
This is a feeling that lasts approximately as long as it takes for her to ask So... how did you know Solace, before? He expels a quiet snort as his eyes shoot back towards the mare, trying to discern her intentions with this conversation from the way she holds herself. But he finds no mal-intent, at least not anything blatant, and he forces his lips to press upward in a tiny smile. "We grew up together, in Tephra," he adds at the end unintentionally and he finds himself wondering if it had sounded like a jab, as if he thought she didn't know where Solace had grown up. "Lace, Svedka, and I. We were inseparable." Until he had left to search for his parents, but that is not a topic he'd like to share with the bay overo mare.
He thinks of the first time Solace had shown him her abilities. The light that ebbed from her had brightened the sky and it had brightened her, as if it had been the first time she had really believed in her own strength. He can still remember the breathlessness etched across her face as she'd turned around to face him, wide-eyed and proud. Smoak is truly smiling now, though when he notices it, he reels it back to a more polite, conservative expression.
Smoak clears his throat, not yet willing to share more than is necessary with Kagerus, but that leaves him feeling awkward again, and how else to fix that than by ─ "What about you? When did you meet?" ─ making things even more awkward?
here's a handshake, soldier, 'cause we both lost the war
@[Kagerus]