Whatever his flaws, and he has many, inability to listen is not one of them. Once his question is asked, he settles into listen to whatever the boy’s response may be. Inky black wings are carefully folded against his sides, his body shifting to one side as he lifts one hoof and settles into the sand. The sun shines brightly off of the boy today, giving him a sheen that Brennen hadn’t noticed in the Field; it reminds him of Yael the Deserts Queen and of the son that had left the Deserts for the Falls to be with one of the many young people he had watched over there – the girl had been Natilyn, but his name is escaping the bay for a moment (it started with an M?) – but he supposes there must be many somewhere outside of Beqanna who look like them.

Brennen is at first simply glad to hear that the boy has found a place to stay, if somewhat disappointed that it isn’t Nerine. He knows of the new places that have cropped up, has flown over them, but is slowly becoming attached to Nerine and hadn’t bothered to explore. Still, he can picture the verdant and blue lay of the land to which he is sure Amet is referring, and it is beautiful. It reminded him in a way of the Falls, but he had smiled down and kept flying, never giving it a second thought.

Now, though, his gaze sharpens with interest, though he does not allow his body to stiffen or show any tension at all while he listens to the proposition. For a long moment he simply looks back at Amet, clearly turning the words over in his head, and wondering. Is it a remnant of the other filly from the field’s paranoia that leads him to seek to turn a new land specifically into a place for the young, a safe place, or is there something in the boy’s past that prompts him to state his question like so? Something in the way that Amet has interacted with him so far hints at the latter, but Brennen decides against asking. Some ghosts and secrets are not for the sharing, and some are certainly not for the earliest stages of a friendship. Still, he takes another beat of silence to make sure that his absolute fury at the idea that someone would harm a child is tucked away, because it wouldn’t do to frighten the kid now, especially since it’s not Amet he’s angry with.

“It does sound like a project I would be interested in,” he says at long last, letting another smile flicker across his face. “A cause close to my own heart, as well, because everyone deserves to grow up safe and learn to be whatever they want to be.” He hesitates only for another moment, and tilts his head, wondering what the boy knows of Kingdoms and owing allegiance, whether he has experienced them or grew up like most of out-Beqanna, in a herd. “I will have to consult with Nayl, the Queen here in Nerine. I owe her my allegiance, and I think that it would be best if I stay an official resident here. The best way to ensure that the Lake stays the sanctuary you want it to be, I would think, would be to make it so that there are no adults allowed as permanent residents. So while I would be happy to offer guidance and protection, I shouldn’t live there full-time. And if I am to remain here as well, the Queen will have to approve.”

Brennen pauses, waits to see if he objects immediately before he goes on a little. “I think Nayl will approve, though perhaps will want you to be associated with Nerine in some way, even if you are mostly self-governing. A subkingdom, perhaps. She is recently become a mother herself, and seems fond of my own children and grandchildren, and I think she will support an endeavor to provide a safe space and training ground for the young.”