<span style="color: #BF0000">"Very good, thank you much m'lady. You lead and I shall follow...though haven't I always followed you?"</span>He grinned at her and squeezed her hand as she gripped it. Memories of holding hands like this in another place and time traipsed through his mind. Sunlight filtering through green foliage of tree leaves, two children walking through the forest as though they owned it.<br/><br/>Blinking away the memory he looked up at the stables.<span style="font-style: italic">nice enough on the outside</span>Xander thought to himself as Aria opened the doors.<span style="font-style: italic">inside too</span>He mused while his eyes scanned over the stalls, searching out his two beauties. They weren't hard to find in this stable. There was something about them that set them apart from the other horses. Whether it was their muscular structure or their attitude towards said other horses. From where he and Aria stood they could see Reaper rear, hooves striking the wood of his stall gate.<span style="color: #BF0000">"seems pretty obvious which ones, no?"</span>He chuckled to himself,<span style="color: #BF0000">"I apologize for any damage he does beforehand. Reaper isn't the most sociable animal... and Nerezza is only minutely better."</span><br/><br/>Twining his fingers through Arias he led her over to his two horses, side by side thankfully, and held out a hand to the irritated black horse.<span style="color: #BF0000">"hush hush Reaper, you great beast."</span>The horse touched its nose to Xander's hand and he pet Reaper softly,<span style="color: #BF0000">"dont tear up this stall."</span>Glancing over at Aria he pointed to Reaper,<span style="color: #BF0000">"the black devil is Reaper,"</span>then Nerezza,<span style="color: #BF0000">"and the russet delight is Nerezza. I would advise not touching Reaper unless he comes to you...or you have a ton of apples... but Nerezza is okay."</span>Alexander clucked softly, holding his hand out to the russet horse as she stuck her head out to snort and whicker softly.<span style="color: #BF0000">"here here, my sweet, this is Aria. make friends. I intend for her to ride you some time."</span>The horse shook out her chestnut mane and swung her head to peer at Aria, as if evaluating her before even thinking about being touched by her.