[private] the ghosts that we knew

[Tarian]

These small bursts of soul are welcomed by Tarian. Even if her quick retorts are jabs at him, the gray will accept that over her becoming unconscious. If one of those ... things come creeping and if she is as helpless as a newborn foal, their odds of surviving would be slim. Tarian would do his best to not die - and while he won't admit it to @[Altissima], he'd attempt his best to keep her alive as well (only because he'd half-expect her to become a ghost that would taunt haunt him for the rest of his days).

"Once?" he sparks back at her and the pegasus gives her another boyish grin, so out of place on his tired face. "Milady, I think you are going to become sorely disappointed." He's tempted to add something else, because if he dares her to stand or implies she can't, maybe the white mare would get up. It's an idea that he turns and over but in the end, decides to hold onto it; asking her to rise too soon might deplete what strength she has and when she does get up, Tarian wants it to be long enough for her to return to whatever refuge she had come from.

His silver brow rises as she looks into the darkness and his gaze follows, just to make sure that what she is looking at isn't something that will tear out both of their throats.

Tarian enjoys the nonchalance of her words - that his ego would keep out any potential residents or perhaps had chased off the current ones - and his dark lips twitch. She might not be getting up anytime soon but she was perfectly capable of insulting him. A promising start. "That could explain why our population is so small," he tells her. The tone of the silver pegasus changes as hers had but instead of becoming indifferent, there is a polish that smooths his words. A soldier's bronze traded for a courtier's gild. His blue eyes flick down to hers, "Why don't you tell me where a wilding such as yourself comes from?" Tarian fights his smile (and appearing as if he thinks himself very clever, if she spies his expression through the shadows), "since it was obviously not a kingdom."