Welcome to Gaia! ::

He was sprawled out in the grass, priorly having been dozing but quickly put on alert by approaching footsteps. Though he wasn't in his natural form, his prey instinct never ceased to kick in. He stared as the other student approached, not completely sure what to make of him but deciding that he probably wasn't here to eat him. Probably. Efflo sat up with a sigh, gaze shifting from the intruder to the little escapee inching its way towards him.

"Where have you been?" he inquired, scooping the glowworm up and depositing it on his shoulder. He stroked it for a moment with his finger; he really should have been scolding it but in truth, he was just glad to have it home. He glanced over at the other boil, attempting a polite smile.

"Uh, yes, it's mine. I er... They wander off a lot and there's so many of them, it's hard to keep track of where they are sometimes. I do hope he wasn't bugging you."

"You were probably expecting something more... Slimy? Maybe more gruesome... Ah, but sometimes I wish I was a little less gruesome," he said, gesturing at his open wounds. Thankfully the glowworms kept them pretty neat and tidy; he avoided the foul stench that plagued most of the undead. Mostly he smelt earthy, mixed in with the scent of straw and oats.

"But ah, that is good, I'm glad he wasn't being a pest. I'm Efflo and this is, well," he paused, thinking, "I don't really give them names, but I assure you we are both pleased to meet you." He remained seated, but returned the bow best he could, the little worm on his shoulder mimicking his keeper.

He knew that he probably should have stood, some part of him always aimed to please and be respectful but at the moment, he couldn't will himself enough to care. It was surprising enough that he was even conversing... But it'd been so long since he'd talked with anyone, and being a herd creature by nature, he couldn't deny that the student before him was a nice break in the monotony that had become his student life. Maybe it was okay to set aside the grumpiness for now. Maybe. He still eyed the white-haired boy a bit warily, despite his pleasant greeting.

He lowered his eyes as the other stared, his skull-hat tipping over his brow, though his ears stayed at full attention as Frost spoke. His words were not unkind but Efflo couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed over his shabbiness. He wasn't sure exactly why he was embarrassed about his injuries because, after all, Frost was quite right.

"A r-reconstructionist?" he asked, looking up suddenly. He hadn't thought of that... Though, as he thought about it, maybe things were fine the way they were. He definitely didn't want to make himself more attractive to other monsters. No, staying dead and decaying was probably the best way to go. He bit back the sigh which that thought brought around, choosing instead to be polite and return the boil's smile.

As Frost sat down, Efflo pushed back the skull so he could see him properly. He wasn't sure what to make of him, no one really ever sought out his company, let alone stuck around for proper conversation. But then again, the undead had tried his best to make sure he wasn't readily available for such things. As the other student continued to smile at him, however, he couldn't help but smile again himself.

"I, er, I'm a horse! Well, an undead horse to be exact," he replied. "This isn't my natural form but I don't mind being on two-legs so much anymore so usually it's just easier to stay this way."

He studied the boil beside him for a moment, sniffing softly to see if he could smell what Frost described. "A white wolfos? I apologize, but I am afraid I am not familiar with your species... But you smell really nice!" Of course, being a horse, Efflo had a particular affinity for mint.

“But of course,” he laughed. “And agreed! I understand the purpose but this form just isn’t the same at all. And walking around on two legs is still weird, no matter how much I get used to it. But,” he added with a grin, “It is quite nice to have a fully functional face.”

He followed the Wolfos’ survey of the lake, before returning his gaze back to the boil. Bright green eyes watched Frost curiously as he explained, slightly in awe at what he described. Being able to hunt and scare in treacherous snowstorms, it was nothing short of cool, both literally and figuratively! He stared as the other student’s tail began to wag, presuming it was a happy gesture. Thinking, Efflo decided that at the moment, he was happy too. Or maybe happy was too strong of a word; he didn’t want to tarnish his sour reputation. Content? Content was alright but… Okay, fine, whatever, he was happy. He attempted to mimic the motion with his own tail and though it was more of a swish than a wag, the sentiment was the same.

“Mint is divine! And rosemary is pleasant enough as well, though I think I’d rather be eating than smelling it. A brother... That must mean you have a family! And a home... What's it like?” he asked earnestly, eyes lighting up. He blinked then, staring blankly at Frost and his question. “Uh, well, I don’t really know,” he answered, smiling sheepishly. “I’ve had them for as long as I can remember, in any case. They keep everything in working order as best they can; I owe them a lot, the little pests. Without them, I’d completely fall apart and probably smell absolutely terrible."

"I guess it's a little strange, to be akin to a zombie yet the smell of rotting flesh makes my nose turn," he mused, settling down into the grass, his face turned skyward. He didn't look at Frost but the boil grinned playfully. "I much prefer mint."

Efflo graciously accepted Frost’s offering, again copying the other boil by placing a leaf behind his ear. The rest remained in his palm as he stared at them pensively, before shooting a hopeful glance at the wolfos.

“Is- Is it okay if I eat them?” he asked shyly.

Efflo gasped happily, “Thank-you!” before blushing red and lowering his voice. “Er, thank-you very much,” he repeated, nodding his head with a sheepish smile.

His face was pure delight as he chewed, he was right; mint was simply divine, much better than plain old grass. His human form seemed lacking to his original in all aspects but one, and that was taste. His empty skull had no way of (and no reason to) ingest and taste foods so having a sense be so miraculously restored was well, a miracle to him. It tasted so good… He immediately decided Frost was a pretty okay boil. After all, anyone who offers a horse such a splendid treat was pretty much guaranteed friendship. Guar-an-teed.

Food-induced bliss aside, Efflo listened intently while Frost spoke. Lying on his side, he propped himself up onto his elbow, looking at the white-haired student. He smiled at the mention of the mountainside, chuckling a little. “It does sound pretty wonderful, especially in the spring. Though I guess it’s sort of funny saying that, considering usually my species would be the prey,” he grinned. “But lucky for me, I’m only of interest to those who prefer carrion.”

He watched as Frost joined him on the ground, breathing in the smell of sweet mint. “Ah, no, I much prefer green to pink, you need not worry about that. But… Alpha of your pack, that means you will be the leader of all of them? That’s… pretty intense!” And so cooooool! But Efflo wasn’t about to gush like that. Nope. Bottle it all away, undead horse boy, you’re already embarrassing enough.

“Wow, that’s great! …And it’s good to know I’m not on the menu,” he replied, laughing softly. Frost’s question signaled the return of the frown, however, as he turned back onto his backside, staring upwards once more as he thought about his reply. He sighed; this question was always the worst. Everyone else seemed destined to great things but Efflo, he didn’t have a clue about what he would do. Not really anyway, and the things he thought he could do, certainly didn’t measure up to alpha of the pack. Trying to force himself to not fall back into that melancholy slump, he tilted his head to glance at the other boil.

“Er, well, I’m not really sure what I will do… I don’t really have any grand plans or anything. I would like to travel though! There is so much I don’t know, and haven’t seen… Maybe I could find some answers out there.” He couldn’t keep the hint of sadness from his voice, it seemed his gloomy mood had dug in its claws. He didn’t dare meet Frost’s eyes; the undead horse was sure all he would see would be disgust. He was merely a peasant, not fit to play with the king. Or at least, who would want to hang around with someone with no direction? He didn’t really think that the wolfos was like that, the other student had been nothing but wonderful and kind but he couldn’t help overthinking things. And besides, if you didn’t bring anything worthwhile to the table, you’d eventually be fazed out right? What was the point? But no, he shouldn’t think like that, maybe Frost would be different! There was always hope… But better to steel his self for the worst, just in case. He sighed; he really did hate his mind sometimes.