#elsewhere

Nessa will be relieved to know she feels no attraction towards the horses, not in THAT way. No more than a human might be attracted to a monkey

Oh, there's a stirring there, but it's in her heart, not her loins! What girl... or really, anyone, isn't moved by the sight of wild horses, untamed and free.

She whispers to Irene, "Want to see if we can get a little closer?"

"Yes!"

Nessa watches for a moment, then carefully approaches the edge of the herd. Not making any jerky or quick motions, but also not slinking or sneaking. She mimics their own casual steps, as if moving from one tender clump of grass to another.

"I wonder if horses see you as a horse?"

"I'm not certain.... maybe? Do they see riders as horses? It would be interesting to ask one, someday. I could maybe learn the whisper magic, once I'm no longer a fledge." She doesn't know how horses think, but she considers what she thinks and feels, and moves accordingly, not crowding, but not shying away from them either.

Nessa doesn't try to push too close, but she scans the herd, looking to see if there may be any foals!

"Sometimes fledges remember magic."

"Usually when you're in trouble, though. Makes the best stories."

There's one foal.. who has a big SPOT on his head

the herd stallion turns and looks at them... ready on guard but holding

The foal however, wobbles forward

"Hello!"

Nessa gasps at the sight of the wobbly foal. "Oh, goodness... Irene, there's your pony, after all!"

Nearby a mother is looking tired and proud. Was this foal born this MORNING?

"Oh, I bet that spot could be, like, the bud for a horn."

"You know unicorns are real, right? I haven't met one, but they are."

"Of course they must be. What sort of world would have magic pixie girls and elf angels, blue giants and mining gnomes, but NOT have a Unicorn? It would be absurd." A grin.

"Exactly!"

Behind them "You should try for the unicorn on Beltaine, brah"

Nessa blinks. "Bix?" Turning to look.

Nope. Bix is staringg but it's not him talking

It's a horse, purely chimerical, tan, with a kind of skater cut of a golden mane dangling over his left eye. Apparently HE can talk "Sorry, didn't mean to hash your ze. I kind of look after the mugglestangs. :

"

Eyebrows lift and she looks.

"Hi! I'm Irene!"

"Hey, Irene. I'm Skid!" he says "You like Unicorns?"

"I do! Have you ever met any?" The piskie rolls with the talking horse easily enough.

"Oh! Hello, um. Skid. I'm Nessa, and this is Irene. We just came to see the horses..."

"Yeah it's coo," Skid tells Nessa "I noticed . Little one seems to like you and her mom's not freakin so..we're all chill here." Skid gives a goofy grin to Irene "I have.. they're .. like, our royalty? I hear some are snobs, but hte one I saw? Oh wow, very cool, very zen... and so hot. Look, your best chance to see a unicorn is beltaine. Keep your eyes open. They peek around"

"Wow! Thank you!" Dancing eyes, imagining it now.

Bix blinks "You just.. hang around regular horses?"

Skid says "Not juuust, no. But also? yeah," he says "I maybe Chimera but that doesn't mean I don't want wild horses to thrive. I'm like their.. fairy god hoofer?"

"It makes sense." Nessa grins to Bix. "Why should humans be the only ones that can be watched over? I bet horses dream, too. Of fine mares and lush pastures, sunny days and rolling in the grass."

Bix scratches his chin "guess this is why I'm more into cars and trucks"

"I mean, I like sunny days and rolling in the grass."

Skid looks at Irene "Me too!"

She giggles. "Wanna? There's grass AND sunshine today."

"Sure.. but first.. " Skid peeks over at Nessa, then whispers to Irene "Is that really a centaur or am I seeing things?"

Nessa muffles a giggle and pretends she did not hear.

"Well, no. You are seeing a Nessa. She isn't a thing, she's a centaur!"

"Cooolll.." he says "half and half like the sttories.. and all her... life's AWESOME, isn't it?" Skids says, sounding a lot like a Surfer or skater dude but not obnoxious

"Do you think it's safe for Irene to dismount and see the foal?" She asks Skid.

"It is awesome, yes! Dude!"

"Oh sure, I'll talk to the mom about it.." And Skid moves over to the mother and somehow ..talks in nickers and such. She whikers back, and he turns "She says it's cool, but her kid is like still a bit wobby so not too rough on play, and don't feed him anything or try to, that kid is on pure milk right now"

"Okay!"

"Cool... " And skid trots to a patch of grass and rolls in the sun shamelessly while they check out the foal

the foal looks shy and curious and shy again

Irene slides off Nessa's back and bounces over to the foal.

Nessa lowers a bit so that Irene can slide off, and then she moves to look at some of the other horses - still keeping an eye on Irene. Checking for anything like burrs that they cannot reach, signs of mites or hoof disease. She has been doing some reading... there are of course no books on centaur health, but plenty about horses.