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Meleager frowned at the Aeri spoke, nodding absentmindedly at the border scout as he left, intrigued by his words. He stepped forward in readiness to get a closer look at this stranger. He sounded strange indeed... but, at first glance, he appeared no more than an unfortunate wanderer, skinny and unkempt. Maybe that was a sign that he was mad; maybe it was just a sign that he'd been through some trouble - he could be in shock. Meleager supposed that wasn't so far from madness. As he was about to greet the muddy-gold stallion, the Jala stepped forward and made him pause.

He walked like he was a figure of authority, and that surprised the dappled Hellene. The the way he tossed his head, eyes rolling - that did look mad. Meleager frowned as the stallion greeted him, for he spoke with pride, too. "Welcome to the Hellene territories, siry-Diego. I am indeed the herdleader here. Might I inquire what you were doing in my lands?"

The words and tone were polite, but with an undercurrent of possible threat. And curiosity, Meleager would be the first to admit that.

Casa Tiner? Well that just made him even more strange. That and the fact that he had addressed Meleager as siry - that showed either ignorance, which couldn't be the case, a lack of respect, or a belief that they were on the same level. The herdleader preferred the last one - the gold coated Jala acted, if not for the twitching and eye-rolling, like he had power. All the more shame that he had come to this, Meleager decided, wondering what exacly was wrong with him.

He let the honorific slip without comment, and shook his head. "No, no problems to me - the border patrol may not agree, but I suppose you were as unusual a sight to them as you are to me. Certainly different from the business I usually get..." He trailed off, wary of offending the strange Nequus by comparison. "If you could not refer to the border patrol as 'ruffians' again, I'm sure they will be much more kind when they escort you away from here and set you back on your way. But I'd like to speak with you a little more, if you don't mind. Why were you going to Casa Tiner? There aren't many Nequus who would go there on a whim..."

Unless it was the whim of a madman. Meleager took a step or two closer to the other stallion, searching for some outward cause for his madness, but all he saw were symptoms, no obvious injuries. Maybe he was juat insane - that would be a shame, his conversation was rather civilised when he wasn't muttering.

"Loud?" Meleager was puzzled. It was certainly not loud here; the guards and the few Nequus who liked to hang around and observe his meetings were all quiet, watching the strange gold stallion. "I don't think it's that loud... There are many Hellenes, but our territory is plenty big enough for them - there's no reason for it to be crowded."

And what had he said? He was going to Casa Tiner sightseeing? Meleager had indeed been there a couple of times, but he hadn't stayed long. There was nothing he liked about the place: it was cold, the mountains too steep to climb easily, and the forests too tangled to permit easy travel. He supposed there might have been some spectacular views, had there not been quite so much mist to obscure them. And it was so dark - dark all the time, he was amazed that anything could live there. Shaking his head, he looked up at Diego in puzzlement. "I have been, but I would not recommend it. The forest is dark, dull, and maze-like. Even in summer, I doubt any light touches the ground there. Further up I hear it gets so cold that snow stays on the mountaintops all year round. I myself did not care to continue my journey that far."

It had been both dull and disconcerting; he had been looking over his shoulder constantly while he was there. And yet he hadn't seen any other creature. "...Peace, though, peace you will find in plenty there, if no sights to see," the heardeader added half-heartedly. Casa Tiner would be a fine place for the Jala, if he was mad as he seemed. You would have to be mad to want to stay there for long.

The herdleader was taken aback by that; on the one hand the outburst was both strange and rude, on the other the strange stallion seemed calmer than he had previously. "No, I did not say you were mad, although I must admit I think you've been acting rather oddly. Neither is anybody shouting - at you or anyone. And I..."

Meleager frowned. "I'm not surprised you accused me of saying you were mad, but... what do you mean, looking over my shoulder? I didn't say anything about that..." Say it, no, but he had thought it. Just like he'd thought the stallion was mad... Well, maybe he was less mad than he looked. Maybe he was mad but also very clever, and very good at reading people. Maybe... The dappled Reya stomped one forehoof in frustration, exchanging glances with the guards on either side of Diego, warning them to be ready just in case he tried anything. What he might try, Meleager was not sure, but it was better to be safe than sorry when dealing with such an unpredictable possibly-mad stranger.

Meleager leaned in closer to hear Diego, and his eyes widened at the suggestion the golden Jala made. "You think you're-!" he started, breaking off halfway through the sentence. Wait. Diego was speaking quietly; so should he. This - true or not - was not something for the guards to hear, not something to become a rumour around the herd. The herdleader beckoned Diego forward with a gesture of one wing, and finished his sentence in a softer voice, "- a Seer?"

It sounded just as mad as everything he'd been saying up 'til now, but Meleager had to admit that it might make a little more sense if considered properly. "It," he started uncertainly, "seems you may... seems you have some knowledge of what you shouldn't know, but whether that is hearing thoughts - I don't know." The dappled stallion shook his head. "I suppose you could test it. Can you tell me what I'm thinking of now?" he asked, his thoughts immediately jumping - of their own accord - to Castor.

Damn! He'd been intending to think of fruit, but, well, Castor was a nice thing to think of. And this Diego probably couldn't tell what he was thinking anyway, so what did it matter if he thought of his lover? No one would believe Diego if he said anything anyway - they all thought he was mad.

Meleager swallowed. "Quieter, please." Although he didn't think anyone had heard, he couldn't be too careful now... drek! So this stranger really could hear his thoughts. He supposed he'd have to be more careful about what he was thinking. "And I'd thank you if you kept that information to yourself," he added in an awkward murmur.

He hadn't really thought Diego would be able to do it, but he had. He could read others' thoughts. That power frightened Meleager slightly, but he pushed it away. Yes, it was the thing of legends, yes it was undeniably a great gift, but it didn't seem like Diego had a good grasp on it just yet. He doubted the golden Jala would be able to use it to any great advantage... not yet, anyway. In the future, however... he could be a fine ally to have.

With that in mind, Meleager smiled at the other stallion. He was thinking that he had a definite physical advantage over Diego, that if the other tried to say anything he shouldn't he would regret it, and he hoped the golden Jala picked that up as a background to his words. "It seems you can tell my thoughts... if this is real, it is a great gift, and I would offer you any hospitality the Hellenes can give, and help along your way. I know nothing of your background, but many would be grateful to have the Hellenes as allies, and we would be pleased to count you amongst ours."

That sounded reasonable; a small herd was unlikely to be a target for any enemy that the Hellenes couldn't easily deal with. If they ever did come into some trouble, it would provide a welcome chance for some of the newer soldiers to get some practical experience. At the same time, he couldn't think of a time where he might be in need of a mind reader, but for the time being he would much rather be on the same side as Diego that against him. That settled in his mind, the herdleader nodded slowly. "Agreed. That sounds most satisfactory."

He chose to ignore the comment about Castor, but let a little of his relief out in the smile he turned on the gold coated stallion. "I can have one of the guards or scouts direct you to the forest border, if you wish, and you will be left alone there as long as you desire. The usual scouting parties will pass every so often, of course," - because I'm still going to want to keep an eye on you - "but I imagine that won't be a problem. You'll need some company to practice on, yes?"

He hoped the Jala wouldn't get any ideas about disappearing as soon as he was left alone. Hopefully he was telling the truth about his herd, and the promise of an alliance would be enough to keep him on the sensible path. Meleager made a mental note to find out more about Diego's origins, and to investigate them if possible.