Welcome to Gaia! ::

She stared right back at him for several breaths, ears flicking ever the slightest, looking neither happy nor sad at his declaration. Olathe had wanted him to say that to her some day, but not under these circumstances.

"..why would I pity you, Helaku," she queried, her voice the most level it had been the entire conversation. "Would I pity you because you might be weak? Which you aren't. Pity you because you make mistakes? Which everyone does?"

"I see," she said, angling her head away a moment to collect her thoughts, the anger finally resolving into an unsettled disappointment. She felt more guilty as well; surely her temperment didn't help his delicate hold on whatever courage he had left at the moment. Olathe felt like she needed to apologize.

"Helaku, I only got angry because I care what happens to you and felt like maybe you didn't care what I was feeling...or maybe because I thought I might have been reading into 'us' a little more than I should have been." She touched noses with him briefly, the tears that had traced down her muzzle long-gone. "I love you, you big dolt and I wouldn't say yes if I didn't mean it." The latter was delivered with a slight lilt of amusement to it so dolt came more out as affectionate than an insult.

"I'm not going to go anywhere unless you want me to," she said firmly as she lowered her own head, tapping the underside of his chin with the top of her muzzle so he'd look up. "I don't know what other mares have done to you for you to be so worried, but they don't matter anymore, okay? Live in the present, not the past."

She nuzzled his cheek, dropping the whole skinwalker issue to the back of her mind to think about later. She had said what was necessary already.

"I will be your mate because I want to be, not for any other reason, so don't worry about that."

She chuckled and permitted herself to lean lightly into the caress. "I don't know...and don't wish to find out," she said in a slightly more impish tone. "I prefer happy Helaku over worried Helaku any day."

"I see," she answered, peering up at him thoughtfully. "Well, as long as measures are being taken to keep everyone safe, then I can't fault her for that." Olathe just hoped she'd never run into this 'Lightning' stallion. The mere thought made the fur on the back of her neck prickle unpleasantly.

"Opinionated, is she then? Or just a bearer of an countenance that can seem imposing to most soquili?" She rested her on the slight arch of his shoulder, though he was considerably taller than she.