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That was certainly not an answer that Elizabeth had been expecting.

Ambroise's expression was the first indicator that the answer was going to be unexpected, but the very thought of dirt being an expected and important element of the moss-eating experience was enough to take her a few more steps aback. Her response to that statement was a blank stare, followed by a long pause and more blank staring, directed first at Ambroise, and then at the moss. It was probably quite comical, the mare's reaction to the latest reminder that she wasn't in the lowlands any more, but at the moment Liz's thoughts were far from being ridiculous.

She was supposed to eat the dirt? Pulling up the moss by the roots was one thing, but eating dirt seemed a bit of a stretch, even for her profound eagerness to fit in with the ways of her new home. She stared for a few more minutes, then squared her shoulders. She wasn't going to be beaten by moss. Leaning over, she took a dainty but determined bite of the moss, tearing out a decent-sized mouthful. Bits of dirt hung from the roots, and it was a testament to her determination that she almost considered eating them. Considered it until she realized that there were some things she'd just have to ease into.

With that, she shook her head violently, causing the larger clumps of dirt to break off of the roots and go flying every which way. After she was satisfied she'd cleared enough, she bravely chewed, gulped, and swallowed. "...Unique texture."

If nothing else, Elizabeth was proving to be a source of amusement for her new mate. In retrospect, her actions had been a bit overly dramatic for the circumstances; her mane probably looked a fright, she had showered Ambroise with dirt, and she hadn't really gotten a great deal out of the experience except for the realization that moss was not going to be one of her favorite foods. At least she was learning about available food sources...and how not to eat them.

She could appreciate the restraint that Ambroise was displaying; his somewhat bizarre facial ticks hadn't escaped her notice, and she was both chagrined and amused as she realized that he was trying not to laugh at her. He certainly was a gentleman, and she could appreciate the effort, if not the effect. She'd just have to get used to existing in a permanent state of flush until she got things figured out!

Smiling a bit bashfully, she looked up at her mate. "Very tactful, Ambroise; I think that perhaps the other foods might be more to my taste than your moss, but we'll have to find out through trial and error. And please don't worry too much about laughing at me; right now, I'm sure that I appear quite ridiculous." Her tone was accepting, but her expression was lively to almost the point of impishness. Odd as it might seem, so far she was enjoying herself immensely!

As long as no one else was watching, that is. It was one thing for the stallion she'd be sharing her life with to see her looking a bit odd, it was another for random strangers or, worse, her new in-laws, to see her looking anything less than her best. But for Ambroise himself, she could afford to be lenient. Hopefully the fact that he was laughing at her was a good sign...

If there was one thing that Elizabeth was extremely good at, it was being composed; indeed, it was highly probable that she could be standing in the middle of a tornado and still look unruffled. Not exactly the most practical of talents, given her new life, but hardly a bad skill to have. Even now, with her hair sadly out of array and no way to currently address that situation, she managed to keep herself mostly composed...much to her mate's apparent amusement.

It hadn't been Elizabeth's idea originally to provide this much humor to Ambroise, but she considered herself fortunate that he so far hadn't found her too ridiculous. It was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that he would end up finding her unsuitable for some reason and change his mind about their lifemating, one that she kept trying to banish (after all, he was a gentleman and a Soquili of his word, there was no way that he would so cavalierly abandon a mare he had asked to be his mate, right?). Still, he had seen so little of her in her day to day life that it was entirely possible he might start to learn things about her that he didn't like.

It might have been a consolation to know what Ambroise was currently thinking; well, aside from being 'weird and wonderful'. 'Weird' was hardly the sort of adjective that Elizabeth would like to consider herself, even if it was true! That, and potentially 'stark raving mad!'

...Actually, it was probably for the best that she didn't know what he was thinking.

She acknowledged his politeness with a nod of her own, accepting the inappropriateness of laughter; after all, she wouldn't dream of truly laughing at him, and as they were alike in that respect it was only logical that he wouldn't laugh at her. "True enough, in the circumstances...and I was somewhat afraid of that," she commented with a slightly apologetic look at his nutritional information. "Still, it is only reasonable to assume that I will have to adjust to life up here; I'm sure that I will get used to it in time. I did manage to adjust to life in the Kawani camp, after all, and while that might not seem like an adjustment, I can assure you that it was." Elizabeth smiled at that as she followed Ambroise, remembering the clothed and overly finicky mare that she had been; compared to that adjustment, this would be nothing!

Ah, sweet romance: it was the dream of every filly to one day find the stallion of her dreams that would find her to be 'more than suitable'.

In all honesty, she herself was more than satisfied with the arrangement thus far herself, and her own sentiments and thoughts would hardly bear up better than his to close scrutiny. He was polite, he was kind, he was practical, and he was respectful; if he lacked dynamic energy, overt charisma, or charm, he was in almost every respect a compatible life partner for herself, a mare who had no real beauty, effervescence, youth, or charm on her own side. It might be far from the youthful ideal, but it made sense and on her part would be embraced with enthusiasm and happiness. She had every belief that the two of them would get along comfortably, her own eccentricities aside, and would hopefully be very happy life partners.

She just had to get past this awkward transitional period without scaring him away, that was all!

Following after him towards the trees, she had to smile at his comment. Were it not Ambroise, she would guess that he was making a deliberate attempt to set her at ease; as it WAS Ambroise, she would have to assume that he was being truthful. "That consoles me a great deal; while I shall still strive to get used to foodstuffs in these parts as soon as possible, the knowledge that the native Soquili themselves have trouble with some of the food is reassuring."

Her composure was somewhat shaken by the following statement, though, and she was heartily glad to be following him where he couldn't see the crimson flush that engulfed her at his casual mention of the regional breeding preferences. While she was aware of the procreative process, she was still very much and innocent and felt the most awkward and nervous about that particular element of mated life. She heartily wished for children and meant to be a good mate in all sense to Ambroise, but it would be some time before she could think of such a thing without blushing! She doubted that Ambroise suspected such a thing and doubted it was anything more than a casual remark on his side, but it had managed to stir up a whole slew of concerns on her part.

Fortunately, she had her prized composure to fall back on, and without any discernible pause she was able to continue the conversation in the same level tone as before (if she was still a bit red!). "Your consideration and accommodation continues to be appreciated, Ambroise; if there is anything that I do find too troubling, I shall certainly tell you about it. But at the same time, I would appreciate the same courtesy from you; this is a change to your lifestyle as well as mine, and I'd like it if you would let me know if you have any concerns, as well. This is a partnership, after all."

Composure was a useful thing to have, but when it came to coloration or complexion, it was decidedly lacking. Elizabeth could adopt an expression and tone of unruffled mildness, but as long as her complexion remained fair she would forever be in danger of showing off her embarrassment with every flush. Fortunately for her dignity, flushing could be attributed to many causes beyond embarrassment; and though Ambroise likely had no idea what a blessing his misattribution of her color change was, she still silently blessed him for allowing her such a convenient 'out'.

"Thank you for your consideration; I assure you that I am fine, I believe I'm just feeling the sun a bit more than usual. It is of no consequence; were such the case, I would certainly tell you, as we did just make an agreement on that score." A slight smile accompanied that comment, as she acknowledged their previous arrangement that she would let him know, if she were to become uncomfortable. It would bode ill for their future indeed if she couldn't make it a quarter of an hour without keeping to their terms! "I will be completely fine continuing on, stopping at the next place will be soon enough for me."

Hopefully he would accept that answer and that would be that; still, she silently willed her face to return to its normal pale coloration. There would be enough time to think about uncomfortable topics later, like when they were actually relevant!

Instead, she would take this opportunity to both change the subject, AND get to know a little bit more about her mate. "And which school of food preferences do you fall into, Ambroise? I know that you aren't a fan of the Lowlands in general, but does that also extend to the sweeter grasses and fruits?" She rather thought that he seemed the sort to enjoy the mountain foods, but too many assumptions could be unhealthy!

Elizabeth could trump Ambroise when it came to the difficulties of trees; getting one's long hair caught on a branch was nothing to catching one's horn on either overhead branches or a wayward vine. In the time before she had come to the mountains, she had often made the journey through the southern edge of the forest on her way to visit Zaphiro, and after the first few trips she had learned the importance of taking special caution around low hanging branches. Depending on the angle, it could be anywhere from annoying to painful, and once she had nearly gotten stuck when she had walked straight into a tree while watching her hooves to make sure she didn't stumble! Yes, trees were something to be wary of indeed, and it was with a care that bordered on overdone that she followed after her mate, neatly swerving and ducking around any branch that even threatened to snag.

Her own attention to not getting hung up meant that she was able to fall comfortably into the silence of this part of the trip, any desire to chitchat removed by the desire to not have to have Ambroise pluck her out of a tree.

It was with a sigh of relief that she emerged alongside the river (for river it still was, as she was used to lakes, not rivers, and found it to be more than adequately sized to be a river). It was a calm scene; unlike the waterfall and hot springs region she had seen before, there was no rapid flowing water here, nor any sheer drops. It was the sort of river that looked to be a pleasant place to bathe or cool down in the hot months...or to graze! For after casting about, she had seen the water plants, some of them quite familiar to her from her previous home. While she was unable to avoid looking pleased at the sight, she did at least manage to keep from looking too delighted!

Moving towards the closest plants, she took a careful step out into the water, squeaking a bit at the unexpected briskness but managing to take a mouthful of plant nonetheless. It was very pleasant, crisp, and reminiscent of home! No, she corrected herself, it was reminiscent of her former home, for this was home now. Here, with Ambroise.

Turning towards him, she gave a smile of gratitude. "Very tasty, thank you. Would you care to have some as well?"

Indeed, if Elizabeth had anything to say about it she would never be sharing that particular episode with her lifemate; it would hardly protect her dignity to either have to be fished out of a tree or even have Ambroise imagine her as such! Gentleman he might be, but she'd still rather not test him with too much ridiculousness. So it had been a relief when they had gotten safely through the trees and she'd been able to get to the important business at hand: foraging. To be sure, she wouldn't have called it such herself; the word 'foraging' had always implied to her that there was an element of hunting involved, and there was no hunting here!

Though she had to admit that it was nice to know what she was doing for a change. The morning had been pleasant, but it had been a bit bewildering to realize just how little she knew about existing on the slopes. Were it not for Ambroise, she could very easily have found herself starving or trying to force down bitter grass until she was ill! No, she mentally corrected herself, she would have made her way lower until she figured out what she COULD eat, but would have felt insecure and guilty the whole time that she was straying close to the border, trespassing on someone else, or otherwise behaving in an inconvenient manner. One of the first goals on her personal acclimation check list was learning what defined the herd land borders, and who all guarded them!

Well, that was a first goal after the business at hand, at any rate. Accepting Ambroise's word that he was no longer hungry, she set about briskly grazing herself, wading about with relative comfort in the cold water. Temperature aside, this was a familiar routine for her, and having a naturally light appetite, it didn't take long for her to be satisfied and wade back out again. "I thank you very much!" Though at first in reference to his comment about the meal, when he followed it up with a statement about the possibility of settling in this area, Elizabeth was even more pleased. The ground was a bit leveler and much less rocky in this part of the slopes, and she couldn't deny that being closer to the lowlands would be preferable to her. But at the same time, this was a partnership, and she was consequently very diplomatic when she replied. "I myself would be very pleased with such an arrangement, Ambroise, but would living this low be convenient for you with regards to your duties and family obligations? I may not look it, but I am adaptable, and as you are the one with true commitments here I would rather not you inconvenience yourself on my account."

It was an amusing speech; highly deferential as always, but in a nod to their pledge of honesty she had made sure to state her own opinion. It might not be exactly what Ambroise had meant, but it would take far more than a day to break Elizabeth of her highly deferential habit!

They had had that conversation three times already, and would likely have that conversation many times more as they learned to adapt to each others' habits, ways, and even their presence! In Ambroise's case, he'd have to get used to having one of the least opinionated, most humble, most gentle, most accommodating mares in all the Lowlands as his life partner; for all his desire to be flexible and attentive to her wishes, he had to first overcome the fact that her wishes were whatever his wishes were. It was a vicious circle of passivity that would no doubt be grating on less decided minds.

For her part, Elizabeth was very uncomfortable at the obvious irritation betrayed by Ambroise's words and tone. Wry was something that she wasn't familiar with, and what she heard was a reprimand, one accentuated by an expression dominated by exasperation. Elizabeth had always been sensitive to shifts in mood and tone, and what she was seeing and hearing, overwhelmingly colored with her own still-strong feelings of insecurity and lack of worth, made her color once again and look down at the ground.

Half a day together, and she was already managing to get on his nerves. Even her strongest attempts to compromise and be decisive were grating on him, provoking his temper. Obviously he thought that he had taken up with a creature incapable of having an independent thought or opinion, and obviously he was thinking her as little better than a child. Well, in some respects he was right; she wanted to be lead, just like a child would.

Still looking down, she missed the change of his expression from even mildly exasperated to bemused, instead focusing on the grass and his words before responding in a very soft, very apologetic manner. "No, I apologize for continuing to be unhelpful, Ambroise; it's just that I honestly have no real insight into these hills and what is available. I could live here quite comfortably, but I could also make do in other locations. I was not always a Kawani Soquili, as you may or may not know, and making that transition was harder than anything I've done before or since. I promise you, I would be able to make do in many circumstances, and I do not mean to put all of this on you to determine..."

She trailed off there, realizing that she was not helping her case any by continued apology. Better to be silent than to keep digging THAT hole!