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“Hmm, de dummmm, de dumm.” Laureat hummed to himself as he bounced along the riverbank, a woven reed basket firmly fastened between his shoulder blades. It was a lovely day, and the stream was glimmering in the sun as though it was made of diamond. It wasn’t the most direct route to the orchard, but it was certainly the most scenic. For Laureat, it was worth any amount of physical exertion to be able to bask in the presence of beauty. Following this stream, he got to enjoy the sunlight; another mile or so downstream, there was a beaver dam and pond, which was filled with pond lilies and cattails.

Flowers were Laureat’s passion; he lovingly tended a garden that furnished the roses he and many of his relatives wore as ornaments. But natural beauty of any kind, whether flower, stream, or Soquili, would always merit his admiration.

Oh, and there was one other thing that would always deserve admiration: food. Thinking about the wild apples he hoped to collect at the end of his trek, Laureat couldn’t help but beam; there was nothing like the wholesomeness of fresh, self-picked food!

Like many members of his family, Laureat was an unabashed social butterfly. Although he lived out in the woods in a semi-isolated region, he loved meeting new Soquili and having the chance to interact. Regardless of the situation, he would be open and welcoming, happy for the company and more than ready to chat. So when the previously unseen mare called out to him, he was quick to stop his capering and give her his widest, brightest grin. “Is it? Well, thank you, I’m feeling rather cheerful myself, so it makes sense my tune is cheerful as well. Though honestly, isn’t today just the most beautiful day you’ve seen in weeks? Important as the rain might be, there’s just nothing like a sunny summer day to raise or buoy the spirits.” He paused, realizing the humor in suggesting his naturally high spirits needed raising, and allowed himself a chuckle before asking, “Have you been having a nice rest?”

Ah, sweet flattery; how nice it was to hear such complimentary words! Grinning, Laureat swept the mare a low bow, commenting as he did so, "Well, those are very kind words, particularly coming from such a stylish and graceful mare as yourself. I'm glad you've been able to enjoy the day as much as I, and it seems obvious that the rest has done you good. Even though I have nothing to compare you to." Smiling, he rose and resettled himself, smoothing his unruly mane and settling back his wings.

At her interest in his necklace, his grin broadened. It was true he wore a fresh rose in the chain at his neck, but that wasn't the only rose decorating his person. The dark glossiness of his mane and tail hid several additional roses, which he had to point out to the mare. "Yes, it's a black rose; I'm rather partial to them, and grow these myself. You may have this one, if you like; I have several others close at hand." Smiling, he used a wing to sweep the rose out of his necklace and offered it to Calliopi. "For your smelling, ornamenting, or eating pleasure."

Did he learn such manners from his parents, indeed...it would have taken a lot more effort than Laureat possessed to prevent a grin from spreading across his face, so he didn't even try; the grin flower deep and wide, baring his bright white teeth as he replied, "Yes, I think it would be fair to say my parents were my greatest role models." In flattery, in flirting, in other things... "But then, isn't that often the case with parents? But rest assured; they may have taught me the manners, but the sentiments and the thoughts are purely mine."

He chuckled, allowing her to take the rose and accepting the praise of the rose with a slight bob of his head. "Thank you, in turn; since I grew this rose, I will accept all praises given to it as praises for myself," he teased with a wink. "And I agree, it will look glorious against the pink of your mane. Perhaps later, when the initial bloom has worn off, you might even rethink your decision not to eat it. If I may?" He asked, nodding to her necklace. "I might be better at tucking it in then you, at that angle."

Grinning in a somewhat roguish fashion, Laureat deftly and neatly tucked the roses into her mane at her ear, using the tips of his win feathers to secure it and twist a few strands of her black and pink mane up and around the stem. Given the amount of time Laureat had spent with both flowers and hair in his time, the gesture was easy and effortless; in mere moments, the whole thing was arranged to his satisfaction and he was stepping back to admire the results. "Beautiful; it truly suits you, Miss; you ought to try ornamental flowers more often, for snacks as well as food."

He was amused at the value she was placing on the rose; amused, and pleased at the same time. After all, flowers were his life; while he didn't expect the world to love them as he did, it was nice whenever he met someone who viewed them as more than mere greenery. "Perhaps you won't want to eat this rose, but I hope you consider them the next time you pass a rose bush...minding the thorns, of course," he added with a laugh. All it would take would be one thorn to turn her off flowers forever! "I would guess that a mare who detests rudeness would also detest roughness."

At the mare’s sweetly charming declaration, Laureat couldn’t help but beam; even if it wasn’t true, even if it proved to be the kind of flowery, cavalier language that flirtatious Soquili threw around on a regular basis, he didn’t mind. She was lovely, she was charming, she was making all of the right motions…what more could a stallion want? She was even willing to make the first move when it came to introductions, a fact which he found no small thing. “Well, on behalf of roses everywhere, I thank you; I can only hope that my image will do the beauty of the species a credit,” He said with his wide smile. “And you’re right; we seem to have gotten ahead of ourselves, what with enjoying the conversation before we even know each other’s name. Though perhaps that’s for the best? That way, if the conversation had started out on the wrong foot we’d have no social requirement to continue. Now that you’ve introduced yourself, though, I’m afraid you’re stuck for the time being,” Laureat added with a teasing grin.

“Though it would be rude of me to leave you committed while capering about myself, so in the spirit of fairness, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Calliopi. I’m Laureat, and it’s a pleasure,” he finished with a little bob of his head. Then, social niceties out of the way, he dove right back into the important part of the conversation: about the flowers! “That does seem like a practical way to eat in safety, but do you ever feel it takes away the sporting factor?” Laureat tried to ask this with a serious expression, but his twinkling eyes belied the teasing element of the question. Sporting, indeed!

Laureat couldn't help but grin at Calliopi's assessment of his name; he always rather thought his name had a nice ring to it, himself; especially when paired with that of his twin sister Lauriel. And her further commentary on his manner only served to underscore a feeling he'd already had: that he really rather liked this mare! "You're very complimentary, Calliopi; I feel like if I need to be careful how much time I spend in your company, otherwise I might get an inflated opinion of myself. But feel free to go on!"

And her description of after effects of eating a rose brought an additional chuckle to his face. Poor thing; obviously a thorn had snuck past her, or she hadn't realized she had to watch for them to begin with. That was an advantage of growing up around roses; he was very familiar with their dangers as well as their pleasantries. "Well, I can see not wanting to run that risk again. Rose thorns might not be very large, but they sure can do a lot of damage!" Reaching up to his mane, he plucked a new rose to replace the one in his necklace, the short stem fortunately thorn-free. "Incentive for other things to leave them alone, I suppose."

It didn't take him long to be satisfied with the result; he had a lot of practice when it came to flower arrangement, whether on the shrub or on his person. Once that was taken care of, he gave Calliopi a curious look. "So, what brings you to the riverbank today, anyway? You looked very relaxed, lying here; it makes me wonder if I was interrupting anything, or the promise of anything, "he added with a grin.