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"I think it would be more accurate to say... I fear what I can do to it." Itzal was no telepath; he could not protect the scene in his mind to the mare questioning him. Even if he was, he doubt he would've showed her the gruesome scenarios his mind was compiling. He still had that much common sense left.

Haides nodded slowly, first to her comments about the family and again to her question. "His emotions... have been almost completely shut out in an attempt to mitigate the flow of fear and anger in his body. But more than that..." A slight frown adorned Haides's face. "Itzal... did not have a Beta at his side." His twin was utterly alone, surrounded by the savages who murdered their mother. "His fear has grown to the point... that he fears social interaction to a certain degree. With his apathy, it's possible for him to overcome it enough to communicate. However... the sheer amount of emotion that's built up since we were separated..." He worried about what would happen if Itzal did try to open up. The last thing he wanted was his twin to self-destruct. "Too scared to move forward, too stubborn to go back." Stuck between safety and Haides.

Itzal closed his eyes again. Stirring. His emotions were stirring. He took a deep breath, willing them to still once more. Opening his eyes, he fixed his apathetic gaze on Jaromila. "He would be much more hurt if I lost control and I killed you." His gaze shifted to his twin. "I have witnessed what those of our family can do when protecting the family can do. I have no desire to witness what happens when one decides to avenge it."

"... I never hated you for it. I was uncomfortable in the unfamiliar situation, but I never hated any of you for it." Haides watched his brother carefully. "... Even this simple conversation is straining him."

"That's no fun." Beta had trotted up, lightly resting her head across Haides's back. "You're no fun, Dee. You didn't introduce me to your brother."

Haides rolled his eyes. "You were with your foals, and he's even more uncomfortable around crowds than I am." Glancing down, he added, "I see you haven't lost your duckling."

Beta giggled. "Cairbre's watching them for me, but Delta kept whining until I let him come." Delta Ekundayo didn't make any noise; he just shuffled over to his mother's leg and stayed there. He let out a happy squeak when he earned himself a nuzzle from Beta, nuzzling her back.

"Which is why I will prevent myself from creating a situation where he would suffer in such a way."

Delta squeaked again and nuzzled his grandmother before returning to his still state at his mother's feet. Beta grinned sheepishly. "Do I? Hn... but I wanted to... Eku?" Delta Ekundayo had removed himself from his mother, shuffling forward with such speed that he ended up tripping and tumbling into Itzal.

Surprised, Itzal's body instinctively moved to strike--and remove--the attacker. However, his hoof froze when he saw who it was; a tiny foal tangled in his striped, whitish-green blanket. He leaned down and nudged it so its little, unsteady legs weren't sticking into the air, gently tugging the blanket to untangle the foal. When he lifted his head, his nose touched that of the mother's, who had joined her son. His eyes suddenly went wide and was only able to take a few steps backwards before his collapsed, unconscious.

Beta smiled, gently nuzzling her body. "Good boy, Del..."

Haides smiled. "I'm not surprised. But then, I've grown used to Beta's... unpredictability." His gaze went to the blanket at his adopted sister's feet. "But I think Delta's a little different."

Beta glanced over at Mila, shrugging and smiling at her best friend. "His emotions were weird," she replied, as if that explained everything.

Haides smiled too. "Probably not... but as long as he doesn't wake up raging, I think I can live with that."

"They were weird. I don't know how else to describe it." Beta tilted her head. "Hm... I guess the best comparison would be eating stale bread."

Haides nodded, his gaze falling to his unconscious brother. "I suppose so."

Beta smiled. "Nope! Just his emotions." They were stale.

Haides nodded. "I doubt he will change his mind, but I would be surprised if Beta's... intervention could at least make him more stable."

Beta shook her head. "Dee's emotions weren't anything like this. Well, I guess they were kinda crusty at the beginning, but they were fluid for the most part..." Glancing down at the unconscious Itzal, she continued. "His turned stale and rocky and just took up more and more space as time went on. So I cleaned out all the icky stuff." She rolled her eyes. "No wonder he was worried about losing control. He was a walking barn of emotion." Turning back to Jaromila, she continued. "Dee didn't express himself all that much, but he didn't try to pack up his emotions and store them."

Haides smiled in amusement as he overheard Beta's explanation. "She's the only one I know who can describe emotional buildup like that. ... And the only one I know who could've identified it as such." One didn't usually correlated apathy and having too much emotion; apparently Beta had instinctively.