[private] I'll cross that line

[Gale]

Gale this is going to break me clean in two -- this is going to bring me close to you Rising quickly to his feet, the brindle stallion shakes off the black sand that has settled on his legs and belly as he rested. He’d fallen asleep in this position – on his side, legs curled up close, one a pillow for his tucked head – but it had felt far more comfortable in that shape than it does in this equine one. A bit of sand remains in his left eye, and as he attempts to blink it out, he also focuses on what had roused him. He sees nothing out of the ordinary (Mazikeen has plunged beneath the surface of the sea) but knows better than to trust sight alone. Gale stretches out his magic, searching for nearby eyes that have seen places other than the black sands and rainbow fauna of Islandres. He finds them in the water, taking her sight for moments no longer than a blink. It’s unobtrusive enough that most horses don’t even notice. Yet as Gale finds an image of himself in those eyes, he wonders if @[Mazikeen] is familiar enough with his ability to recognize it. Back on the beach, his heart beats loudly in his striped chest. Why is she here? His thoughts are a chaotic jumble, and he flips through the reasons she might have for being here. None of them make sense, especially not with the way she’d chosen to manifest in Islandres. She wants to be found. But why, when he had made so clear his desire to remain separate at their last meeting? Gale scowls at the distant figure. She is as clear to his altered vision as though the sun were unobstructed, and there are scars he had not seen before across her pale hide. Gale does his best to ignore the twinge of empathy at the sight of them.  Mazikeen turns toward him, and even though Gale knows he is far enough away that she cannot see him, he still takes a step back. He considers disappearing entirely, shifting to something small and vanishing into the knee-high purple grass that covers the dunes behind him. That possibility is dwarfed by the need to know why she is here. He had failed the first time in imparting the seriousness of the Curse, and by rebuffing her had hoped to make sure she’d avoid him entirely. It seems his efforts are in vain, for she continues to move closer to him, keeping close to the surf. She’ll see him eventually, and when she does Gale’s stoic expression does not change. He means to stop her with words when she is close enough to hear him, but underestimates his proximity to the waves. By the time he speaks, she’s closer than he’d wanted and he pointedly fixes his eyes at a point just over her shoulder. “I’d hoped our last meeting would prevent another.” He says quietly, and there is regret in the words. Regret that he’d not been successful? That she has put herself in possible danger despite his warnings? He’s not quite sure, and he dislikes the uncertainty, so Gale asks: “Why are you here?”