#earthrunes

"Yeah. It's a good year. Got my friends, y'know?"

"Well. No. But I'm glad you do!"

"well, no, you don't know my friends. But you have friends, so, like - y'know?"

His smile turns a little sad. "Perhaps."

"You don't have friends?"

"I do."

"Of course you do."

He nods, glances at his book (a finger holds his place) and then back to her. "Do you... enjoy reading?"

She considers. "More than I used to. I don't like a lot of the stuff at school, but there's books I like."

"What kind?" Interested.

'Um.. well, don't laugh?"

"No." Seriously, studiously.

"...Horse books. Black Beauty, or Misty, or King of the Wind..."

"I like Alanna a lot, too. And comic books."

"Oh, those first ones are classics!" Approving.

"They are. I got to introduce my mom to them."

"Wonderful!"

"Did she enjoy them?"

"I think so. She read them, at least."

"Good." Approving. "What else have you read?"

A faintly sheepish look. "Most of my horse books have been about equestrianism."

"Have you read King of the Wind? You might like it."

"Um. Adventure books, I guess. I like ones with heroes, where the good guys win. It's silly, I know."

The Baron laughs softly. "I like those too, but I need to learn more about horse care. The Baroness... my wife.... is an equestrian."

"Makes sense. But I think it's important to know who horses are, too - like, not just the technical stuff, but their personalities. Horses are smart, y'know. Good sense of people, too. Like dogs."

"I have read that animals are often smarter about people than people are."

She considers, then nods.

"Figure, they have to be - people aren't safe."

A faint frown. "No?"

"Well, some people are. But a lot of people aren't."

"So animals.. they gotta be good at recognizing threats. And it is safer to be cautious."

"They don't have years of being told to ignore their gut, or being forced to make nice even when they know somebody is dangerous."

A slow nod, thinking. "You... are not wrong."

"I always trust animals to be honest."

A tilt of his head. "You are Gwydion?"

"I am, yeah."

"You trust animals to tell the truth.... because you can tell." Politely "They never ring....untrue?"

"So people lie allll the time. Animals might not be safe - but you know if they're aggressive, or scared, or dangerous."

"They don't. I mean, pooka ping, but, well, they can't help that."

The Baron falls into contemplation.

"Some lies aren't meant to hurt."

"True."

"I ... find myself wondering, and without intent to insult, if perhaps the reason you trust animals is -because- they are so easy to read?"

"For you?"

"I trusted them before I was Gwydion..."

A gentle smile." But you were always Gwydion? Or did you join after your Saining?"

Siv returns muttering "Dad's gonna kill me"

"Oh, no.. but, I mean... I didn't know I was a Gwydion, and I didn't ping anybody before I was sained.."

"Siv?"

August nods and then stops and turns.