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"Hrm...what to do?"

Saiena surveyed the landscape before her with a cocked head and pursed lips, one of which was being vigorously chewed on by the mare without her even realizing it. Her gaze flicked quickly over the partially snow-covered landscape, taking in the trees, the wide meadowland, and mountains in the distance before coming back to rest on her own hooves. It was a beautiful vista, and one she was very familiar with; since she had reached the age of independence, she had been on the move, trying to see as much of the world as she could.

It had been a beneficial lifestyle; she had loved the thrill of discovery, of meeting new Soquilis, of getting outside the little bubble of her childhood. Not that she didn't love her Papa to bits, it was just all so very...same back home. What she had always craved variety; her deepest regret in life had been that she wasn't born with wings, which would have made traveling so much easier! Still, she wasn't one to regret the unchangeable, and she had made the most of her legs. They had brought her travel, and had helped her to find the love of her life, Aramis.

Today was a rare occasion for Saiena in that she was on her own. She and Aramis had been travel companions for ages now, and lovers for nearly as long. Today, he had gone off on his own, and she was left to figure out what to do with herself. There had been a time that she had loved solitude; now, it felt awkward.

But perhaps she wouldn't have to deal with it for long. Lifting her gaze, she had spied another mare! What great, great luck! Instantly a wide smile covered her face, and she started towards the blue mare, calling out, "Hello!"

It only took a few moments of staring before Saiena realized that she had caught the other mare in mid-chew, and the spotted mare was instantly contrite. No matter how social or chatty one was, there were just a few things that one liked to be able to focus on and NOT be observed doing. Chewing, with its awkward motions, had to be near the top of that particular list, though Sai would be the first to say it wasn't the worst.

At least the other mare seemed friendly enough, if the smile was any indication. Emboldened by that action, she smiled back, offering her best toothy grin to the other mare before jumping right in. "Hi! Sorry, I really didn't realize that you were eating when I saw you, otherwise I would have left you alone. I mean, I don't know about you, but I really don't think it's great for anyone to be watched when they're eating. Chewing is such a weird motion, you know? But I saw you, and you looked alone, and since I'm alone I thought maybe we could walk and talk together or something...but I'm rambling, and you were still trying to eat. I'm soooooo sorry, I can leave you alone, really!"

It would be an understatement to say that Saiena was chatty. Ever since she was a foal, she had been a bit of a motormouth, having so much to say and so little time to say it that she was determined to make up for lost time as quickly as possible. Other Soquilis would smile and shake their heads at her; her father would tease her and give her a noogie. Aramis would merely smile in that oh so charming way of his, reminding her that she was running off at the mouth again.

The blue mare said nothing, which was yet another way of reminding Saiena that she was talking too much. Breaking off, Sai blinked for a moment, then burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm talking too much. Don't mind me."

If Aduial was concerned at how her silence would be taken, Saiena was quick to give her no reason to be so. Having shut up herself and given the other mare a chance to speak with no reply, Saiena quickly came to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, the other mare wasn't speaking. But her body language was animated enough that Sai felt comfortable staying, going so far as to grin at the 'dance' of socialization. She was no expert herself, but it sure seemed welcoming to her! "Thanks, but you go ahead. I'm not hungry, but I'll stick around, if that's ok with you."

Being a polite sort of mare, Saiena remained silent after turning down the offer of food. As a filly, her father had taught her the all-important lesson of not talking when one's mouth was full, and even though the other mare wouldn't be actually talking, it was still affected by the same principal. If she was hungry, then she obviously wanted to eat, and it would be awkward to be talking to someone that was in the middle of eating. Saiena could be patient; she didn't often have to be patient, but she WAS able to be, when the situation merited it.

So she courteously stepped a little bit to the side of the other mare's breakfast, offering a smile and merely saying, "You go on ahead and eat your meal, I'll just be lurking over here. It's a lovely day to look around, after all! So you just give me a poke when you're done, and we'll be good."

If Sai had known that the other mare was agonizing on her behalf, she would have been the first to reassure her that there was no need. Why should the winged mare apologize for having an appetite and needing to eat when it was Saiena that had basically came upon her unawares? It was completely ridiculous to be apologetic for being disturbed, and Sai would have been the first to say so. As it was, she was pleased to have the chance to meet someone new, and more than willing to wait. Not being hungry and being at home herself, there was nothing for her to do but wait and be patient.

And her patience was rewarded by the quick reappearance of the other mare. If the wait seemed long, it was only because of her desire for conversation, not any lagging on the part of the other mare.

But she was quick to beam back at the other mare when she came skipping up, flashing a grin of her own. "Done? I hope that you had a good meal, this time of year those are hard to come by. I should know, seeing as how I live out here!" At that, she laughed, albeit in a self-deprecating way. "And on the note of me, my name's Saiena, but my daddy and most others I know call me Sai. You can call me whatever, or call me nothing. Your choice!"

So it was to be a one-sided conversation, that was ok. Saiena could talk the hind leg off of an Usdia, given the opportunity, so she was perfectly content to carry the brunt of this conversation as long as necessary. After all, the other mare seemed pleasant enough; she had a ready smile and, if her bouncing was any indication, a great deal of enthusiasm. Sai may have been used to being alone in the past, but since taking up with Aramis she had come to realize just how fond she was of company, nearly any company, and this blue mare would be a diversion the sort of which she had never seen before! As long as the blue mare didn't get bored with Sai and wander off, of course.

"Ok, so nothing it is. Is there anything I should call you, in particular? If you have no preferences, I'll give you fair warning that I'll probably give you some odd nickname and start calling you by that name. Not because you can't have a name, but it's just easier if you have something to refer to the person you're talking to by." Pausing, she considered what she was saying for a moment before breaking off with a laugh. "Unless I were to be silent, too, but I have to tell you that that's pretty unlikely. But if I get to talking too much for your taste, just poke me with one of those lovely wings of yours!"

That comment was punctuated by a light sigh as Saiena regarded Aduial's wings; her greatest regret in her life was that she had been born without wings. Wanderlust was well and good when one was fleet of foot, but her winged father and winged brother had had so much ease of movement and could go so much faster than she, even when she was running full-speed; it was the only thing that she could ever honestly admit she had been bitter about. Age and the passing of time had killed that bitterness, but the wistfulness was still there.

Saiena observed the maneuver with great interest, both the graceful upsweep of the wing and the resulting wiggle. In doing so, she had a chance to see the small fleck of starts across the mare's flank, bright yellow against the darker blue of her silent friend's hide...and she grinned. Obviously this was meant to be some sort of hint. Well, two could play at that game! "Alright, formerly Silent Friend; I will henceforth know you by the name of 'Wiggles'. We'll work on acclimating to that name as we go, I think, because I'd hardly expect you to respond right away. Still, it's a starting point, wouldn't you say, Wiggles?"

She doubted that 'Wiggles' had been remotely like whatever her friend had actually been trying to indicate, but being of a mischievous nature herself Saiena had found the opportunity to good to pass up. Her friend seemed like a good-natured enough sort of creature to take such teasing, and if she wasn't, she was sure to let Saiena know by biting her or something! Body language could be quite demonstrative when the situation called for it.

As evidenced by the mare's actions regarding Sai's hair. "So you'd rather have this hair, huh? Well, you can't fly with hair, so I'm going to have to say it's not QUITE on par with being able to fly, but I guess the upshot is that everyone probably has something that they'd rather have so we ought to just accept the way we are? Very profound, Wiggles, very profound!"