She glides through the undergrowth at a long, lilted gait, gray mane with its odd rusty streaks bouncing about on the curvature of her neck. While she's not too far from Hyaline, that's where her thoughts lie. Is she making the right decision? Will she truly be a valuable member of a herd? She thought she wanted to go somewhere to think, but deep in her bones she feels as though she already knows where home is, or at least where she wants it to be. Why would she want to be anywhere else but in the land where the solemn mountains tower above her, where the rivers serve as her guide? The truth is, she doesn't want to be anywhere else. 

Her mind snaps back to the present, just in time for her to see a short tree stump directly in her path - but not in time to maneuver around it. She sort of bolts to the side at the last second, but the tip of her right hoof doesn't clear the object, and she falls halfway forward, halfway to the right, landing with a dull thud, her rear legs folded to the left and her front legs in a kneeling position. Thalassa shakes herself and slowly gets up, straightening one foreleg at a time, and lurching the rest of the way up from her hindquarters. She bends her right leg slowly; no serious damage has been done, just bruising on her right knee. 

As she walks slowly, slightly favoring her right foreleg, her ears swivel towards the sound of rushing water. She follows it to the river. She's never been here before, but of course, she has to explore. Thal reaches the water's edge and tentatively places her foot in, up to the pastern, testing the temperature. Seeing as it's summer, the water is cool but not overly frigid, a perfect way to ease some tension from her bruised knee, and cool off in the summer heat. She wades in, being careful of the footing; the last thing she needs is to lose traction and get caught in the current. The water is a bit above her knees now, and she nickers softly at the relaxation yielded by the river. Savoring the feel of the summer sunshine on her steel gray coat, she closes her eyes, content. 
@Leilan

Thalassa

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, I ALWAYS GET UP AFTER I FALL

Thal is grateful for the cool environment near the river, providing some solace from pesky flies and gnats. She paces in small circles in the water, thick mane and tail floating along behind her. She curls her slender neck, dipping her muzzle into the water, and takes a long drink. Before she pulls her head back up, she blows into the water, sending an army of bubbles up from the water. She giggles at herself, feeling like a filly again, but she just had to do it once. She may be 'too old' for it, but it was fun, nonetheless. 

Thal's nostrils flare as she inhales the scent of a newcomer, turning her head towards the smell, and spotting movement at the treeline she watches as a bay roan stallion emerges from the leafy canopy. She doesn't stare, as he approaches the bank opposite of the one she is closest to, but she turns her head to get a better look at him when he speaks. He is handsome, flashy gold streaks in his mane and tail, striking roan markings, similar to hers. He nickers softly as he enters the water. But of course, he had to open his mouth. She snorts. "Where'd you get your pick up lines? If I were you, I'd return them." But the smile that graced her lips and her gleaming eyes gave away the fact that she was amused. She swims towards him until they are only a few feet apart. Thal's smile widens at his expressed concern. "You saw that? Lovely." Sarcasm tinges her voice. "I'm fine. It's just a bruise." She shivers a bit as a breeze chills her dampened coat. "I'm Thalassa, by the way. Most call me Thal."
@Leilan

Thalassa

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, I ALWAYS GET UP AFTER I FALL

Now that she is closer to him, she can't help but notice his towering figure. She is short, slender and dainty, a tribute to her pureblooded Arabian heritage. While he isn't necessarily massive, he is big, muscular and tall. His athletic build and quick-witted tongue are attractive, and she must concede that she's enjoying their playful banter. 

She replies to his deep chuckle with a bouncy, musical giggle of her own as he winks; she thinks he looks stupid doing it, but perhaps that is the point, and he's fishing for laughter. He continues his flattery, before making a remark about how she crashed through the forest on her way to the river. "Nope, just a stump." She smirks. She feels a bit self-consious as he peers at her injuries, but her features do not change. 

Thal raises her head and her espresso-hued eyes find his, as he offers help with her leg. "And exactly how would you do that?" Her expression is inquisitive. 

He gives his name, along with another cheesy nickname for her. She lets out a singular, scoffing chuckle. "Well, Leilan, I think I like 'angel' better." Her countenance sparkles with mirth. 

She wonders where the bay roan stallion comes from, where he calls home, and if he's a member in a herd. She doesn't think he's from Hyaline, or she would have seen him there...he isn't the type of equine she'd forget. Perhaps he was herdless, or from a different herd. Thal didn't know how many herds or territories there even were. 

She turned her attention back to Leilan as she waited for his response; since lack of paying attention is what got her injured in the first place. She was simply a dreamer by nature. 
@Leilan

Thalassa

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, I ALWAYS GET UP AFTER I FALL

Thalassa feigns a frown at his words. "Well, I guess I'll allow 'partly right'. I wouldn't want to inflate your ego any more than its already massive size," she retorts playfully. She notices his eyes on her petite frame, so she returns the attention, shamelessly staring at him, his rippling muscles, thick mane and most of all, the golden hues throughout his hair, as though he'd been kissed by the sun. Her ears perk towards him as he refers to his 'neat little trick'. 

She snorts with surprise as icy air radiates from his body. Her features contort with wonderment, as she's never felt anything like it before. "Interesting. I didn't know there was magic here." Her words come out light and breathy, barely heard over the summer birdsong and the river's chatter. Well, he can certainly put a spell on me, in more ways than one, she thinks wryly. 

When he asks her about her home, she thinks of Hyaline. She isn't exactly a member yet, but she knows what she wants, and she won't allow anything to stand in the way of that. "Hyaline is my home, or at least I plan for it to be. I visited it with one of the leaders, and I guess it was just love at first sight, as corny as that may be." A genuine, bright smile creased her muzzle. "Oh, I wouldn't call it an affair exactly. It's more of an abusive relationship," she retorts with mock seriousness. 
"Alright, lover boy, what do you do for fun around here? Besides shamelessly flirting." She realizes, somewhat surprised, that she's flirting back. Whatever, she's not above hypocrisy. 
@Leilan

Thalassa

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, I ALWAYS GET UP AFTER I FALL

Her long eyelashes flutter in surprise when rather than flashing her a wink and one of his usual quick-witted remarks, that muscular neck reaches towards her face and he snorts, a short burst of air flicking her wispy forelocks into her eyes, his breath nuzzling her ear. 

For just a second, she is still, breathless, fighting a shiver that threatens to betray her. For just a second, she fails and lets her guard down. Fortunately, it is re-erected just as quickly as it left; caution usually cloaks her like a caterpillar's cocoon. Perhaps not with Leilan, though, not all the time. Maybe it's because he's the first stallion she's met in Beqanna. Maybe it's because she hasn't had someone to flirt with in a long time. Or maybe, keeping the iron shield up simply becomes too draining. 

She smiles at him before her stunned silence can become deafening. "Not many at all. Only one before you, and she was very kind, but not nearly as charming." She studies him, his expression. Behind the carefree winsomeness, there is hidden damage. "You know, Leilan, I think you're not just a pretty face with a flirtatious grin. There's more to you than that, and I want to find out what." Her expression displays her trademark lopsided smirk, but her chocolate eyes are quietly determined. She needed a new challenge, maybe 'loverboy' was it. 

Thal scoffs at his response. "Wow, and I thought you had more game than a hormone-riddled adolescent." She nudges his shoulder with hers playfully. 
@Leilan

Thalassa

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, I ALWAYS GET UP AFTER I FALL