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Argent snorted irritably, clearing drops of water from her nose. Would nothing stop this infernal weather? It wasn't that she didn't like getting wet, but she certainly preferred it on her own terms. And a rain like this... was irritating. Either it should pour, or it shouldn't rain at all; best to just get the weather out of the way, in her opinion. She tried thinking positively about it; as her dear mother had always said, there was much to be said for the power of positive thinking. But all she could muster up was that she was positive she wanted the rain to stop. She had to chuckle at herself; thinking, of course, wouldn't change the weather. The best thing to do in this situation was just to find some manner of shelter, and find it quickly. The skinny pines of the forest were only compounding the matter; their boughs held water, and punctuated the regular rain with random spatters that seemed even colder than the skywater. But after a bit of fruitless searching, something caught her eye. There was a big broad tree, and there was somebody under it. Perfect. She could have some company while she waited out this atmospheric noise. Smiling to herself, Argent started to jog towards the tree.

As she approached, she stopped for a moment to whinny a greeting. She didn't want to spook the stranger or seem hostile; all she wanted was to share that tree. It was big, broad, and, most importantly, conveniently located. Satisfied that she'd warned him, she continued her walk, observing the stallion as she came. He was large, much larger than she was, and she noticed that humans had been near him recently, recently enough to braid his mane and splash his flanks with paint. Though she was too far away to really get a good look at his face, his body wasn't saying he wanted her gone. Taking this as a cue to continue, Argent sidled up to the stallion under the tree. "Is there room enough under here for two?" she asked, attempting to look small and sweet. She didn't want to have to look for another tree!

Argent cocked her head at the taciturn stallion. The silent type, maybe? There was nothing wrong with that, after all, but she did need to know whether or not she could remain here. However, something in the stallion's eyes seemed distant, so she turned around to see what he was looking at. And just her luck! The rain seemed to be ceasing, the only trickles of water the ones dripping from the leaves, and a rainbow had come out. The mare gave a small smile. "You must be lucky," she said, poking her nose from beneath the tree to see if it truly had stopped raining. "You stopped the rain and there's a rainbow. My grand dam always said that rainbows were a sign of good fortune to come, and she was generally quite the wise mare." She resisted the urge to shake the water from her coat, not wanting to splash the stranger. "My name's Argent, daughter of Oro; what's yours?" Was she being too inquisitive? Perhaps. But right now, she didn't care. The large stallion had a friendly face, and it would be good to have a friendly contact in this territory; after all, when a mare leaves a herd, she usually leaves for another herd. Not Argent, though. No, she was striking it out on her own, an independent lady in the world.

At least for now.

Szad. It had a nice ring to it. Zippy, yet strong. His parents had chosen well. The shake in his voice was evident; poor thing, he must be chilled to the bone! "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Szad. How long have you been standing under this tree?" she asked softly. She didn't want to upset him, but if he'd been out in the cold for too long, he might catch chillblains, and illness was never good for anybody. "We should get you out in the sun, now that it's coming out, or at least somewhere warmer." She hoped she didn't sound too bossy; after all, perhaps this stallion didn't want a mare telling him what to do. But if he wasn't thinking about it, perhaps a reminder would do no harm. As he looked down, his long mane- she noted with a touch of envy that it had lovely braids in it- hiding his bright blue eyes, she looked up to catch his gaze. As she was nowhere near as tall as him, she rather appreciated him lowering his head; it was easier to look him in the eye. She liked that; she liked being able to see a conversational partner's eyes. They were the windows to the soul, after all, and though one could have a lying tongue, lying eyes were much harder to come by. He seemed... nervous? Withdrawn? Perhaps he was already feeling poorly from the dratted rain.

"Indeed; today really is a lovely day." Argent nodded as Szad spoke, turning her head to watch him. He seemed quite shy; he kept looking away. But it didn't seem like the kind of avoidance that spoke of irritation and annoyance; it seemed more a sort of defense. The little mare prided herself on her ability to read body language, and she wondered if he'd had a bad experience with a mare in the past. She knew how hurtful words could be from a sharp-tongued female, so she thought about what she could do to put his mind at ease. She was beginning to make up her mind to befriend the stallion; there was something intriguing about him, something noble and yet, at the same time, very sad. A small rumble from her stomach interrupted her thoughts, and her nose flushed; she hadn't realized how long it'd been since she'd last eaten. "Do you mind if I eat? I'm rather hungry, y'see." The grass looked quite good, all dewy and wet from the rain, and she watched him out of the corner of her eye as she bent her head slowly to the ground. She hoped that he might eat, too; a few mouthfuls of good grass might take the edge off of things for him.

Argent lifted her head from the damp grass and swallowed the bite in her mouth before speaking, knowing full well that the impoliteness of talking with your mouth full was no way to make a friend. “Where are we going?” she asked with an eager toss of her head, flicking her forelock away from her eyes. Something had been sparked in the stallion; something had excited him, and this, in her mind, was a very good thing. After all, it meant he must be warming up to her. The wheels in her head began turning- this stallion was kind, looked powerful, and knew the lay of the land. And he was quiet; not the domineering type at all. She, however, was a slightly-built lone mare. And this land was nice- much like its gentle giant of an inhabitant. Perhaps once they got to know each other a little better, he would consent to sharing it with her, or at least part of it. It would offer similar protection as living in a herd had, but without all the ridiculous politics behind every single other herd member’s motives. No worries about advancement or decorum, but the companionship. Mentally, the mare started to turn on the charm. She’d made up her mind; she had to make this stallion into a friend somehow.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Argent giggled at her pun before lowering her head to sample the plants. She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye as she delicately cropped the juicy blades, chewing quietly as she'd been taught. Manners when eating... yet another thing her parents had been so very strict on. And yet, she found herself being neat even now that she was out of their grasp. She was fairly sure that she'd made a good impression on the stallion; now she needed to make sure she didn't turn him away. She was coming to find herself enchanted by the idea of him; a strong, stoic male who'd be wonderful protection should danger cross their path. So much for being independent. But you know you like social interactions, and he's nice. He'll be a good friend. She swallowed her bite and raised her head. "This is amazing grass here, Szad. Thank you for sharing it with me."