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The trip into town had been uneventful and dull, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Not when the last time she'd been out shopping Bastion had accidentally dissipated an altogether unpleasant and pushy sales imp. Needless to say, she'd avoided that store in the maul, and instead went straight to the camera store, purchased herself something that produced instant pictures along with a bunch of extra film, then hurried back to the reserve. She stopped at her home only long enough to drop the film off, then was back out the door again, walking the familiar path to Soren's hut.

Just for the hell of it she paused outside, aimed the camera and snapped a picture. Seconds later a little square slid out the front, and she pulled it free, staring down at the blackness. It was black. "How..?"

She was still staring down at the photograph when she entered the hut, features on the verge or disappointment. She'd been so excited about simply owning a camera that she hadn't been paying as much attention to the sales ghoul as she should have been. Specifically around the time she'd been explaining that the pictures all came out black at first and would develop in the matter of a minute or two. She'd been far too busy examining every square inch of the device.

The priestess blinked, caught off guard by the shortening of her name. It was seldom he addressed her by name, so this was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It left the dark mare smiling, momentarily distracted from the photo still held gingerly between thumb and forefinger. As he moved towards her she transferred the dark image to the hand that held the camera, leaving fingers free to raise up to rest lightly on his collarbone. "Soren."

She'd noticed the angry scrubbing when she'd come in, and it made her wonder as to what could have caused the sour mood. "Is everything alright?" As far as she was aware the stallion got along fairly well with everyone in the Lost clans. Except perhaps his mother. Unless Bastion had taken it upon himself to seek the taller stallion out for some reason.

Raising on top toes brought her up high enough to lay her lips in a soft kiss against his throat, but if he wanted a proper greeting he was going to have to come down to her level.

The camera in her hand was unimportant right that moment. She was more concerned with making sure the guardian was alright, as well as cheering him up if she could.

His assurance that he was alright should have been comforting, but instead the preistess frowned, head tipping back so she could look up at him. Searching his expression for the truth in that one word. He still sounded upset, but she didn't want to pry. As honest as they were with each other, everything they'd shared had been given willingly. There was no demand between them, and that was part of the attraction.

She wanted to press him though, and her lips pursed with the effort not to. Thankfully he amended himself, elaborating, and Nergui ended at the mention of his mother, nodding. He needn't say anything more, that was explanation enough.

She gave him a sympathetic pat on his side, but she was already smiling again, bringing the camera up between them so she could allow it off. "I bought it," she offered excitedly, though her smile faltered a little as she remembered the picture she'd taken. It had been black, and she had assumed she'd done something wrong, or wrost, had purchased a camera that didn't work.

When she looked at it again however she was shocked and delighted to find Soren's hut staring back at her. "Oh good, it does work. Look." She held it up for him. It wasn't a fabulous picture by any means, but the neat little hut was more or less in the center of the frame and it was in focus. "It came out black at first. I guess it takes a couple minutes for the image to show up." Mismatched eyes dropped down to the camera in her hand. "It's like magic."

"Isn't it?" The priestess was leaning heavily against his side, one dark hand smoothing along his hip as she admired the picture she'd taken. She was smiling, though it slipped as he pointed out that he could have gotten it for her. It was soft, but she'd heard all the same, and it made her turn enough to wrap dainty arms around his waist, silver and gold searching that handsome face. Honestly she'd been so excited she hadn't thought to ask if he'd like to accompany her. She felt an apology was in order, though not precisesly why. It had her drawing her lower lip between her teeth, chewing gently.

Whatever sullenness had come over him at not being able to purchase the camera for her didn't last long. Of that she was thankful. Stern and serious were quite attractice on the tall guardian, but she wasn't fond of the sulking. Though that may have more to do with her having been the cause, then the emotion itself.

His question had her smiling again, an impish little curl of lips. "I would love to." And to prove it she brought the camera up to focus upon that heartstoppingly handsome face, stepping back for a better angle. "Smile my guardian." More often then not these days that 'my' accompanied his title. A subconsious claim.

He smiled, a gentle up-tilt of full lips that made the mare's pulse speed as she clicked the shutter on the camera. Light flashed, and the device in her hands whirred and hummed as the picture slid out the slot in the front, and Nergui took it gingerly between thumb and forefinger before a strong arm encircled her. "It'll show up in a minute," she assured him, or perhaps herself. The picture certainly meant more to her then it would to him, a point proven as he asked about the possibilities of capturing the both of them on film.

Leaning into him, she looked down at the camera in her hands. "I think so. The mechanics are simple enough, just point and click." It would be a matter of aim, and holding the camera at such an angle that the both of them remained in frame without either being able to look through the little view finding window. "It might take a little trial and error to get it right."

Her head turned, and she lay the fullness of her lips against the guardian's arm before holding the camera up to him. "The latter is easy enough to accomplish though." Her free hand moved to grab his, and she wrapped it around the camera, placing his fingers in their proper positions. "See, you push this button to take the picture. Whatever you see through that tiny window will be what's in the shot." Dark fingers slipped away, trailing down his arms.

Delicate hands fell away as he lifted the camera to peek through the window, and she smiled for him, a curve of full lips that could melt the heart of any stallion at fifty paces, but was reserved just for him. As he'd watched her, she too watched him. Mismatched eyes trailing from the three slashed scars that marked one tanned cheek, down along his jaw and throat. Even flawless, muscled inch until finally coming to linger on the chiseled plains of his stomach. He was a feast for the eye, and the mare drew in the lower bud of her lip, biting at the dark fullness. Utterly distracted as Soren continued to maneuver back for an idle shot.

That was the image he'd catch of her. Heat in her eyes and darker flush over ashen cheeks. Silver bangs sweeping over the side of her face. It was the flash that pulled her attention, and Nergui blinked away the after image of starburts as the camera lowered away from her stallion's face.

If she was in anyway embarrassed with having been caught staring it didn't show.

A dainty finger crooked to beckon him close again, and when he was within arm length she'd pluck the picture from the camera's slot and set it down beside the one she'd moments before taken of him. It wasn't black anymore. Lovely red eyes looked up at her from the table. "Now we've got a nice couple of keepsakes." It would be nice to get a picture with the pair of them, and she eyed the camera in the guardian's hand, chin tilting gently to one side as a thoughtful smile decorated dark features. Then she was reaching out cup his hand and the camera in her own, moving him about until his arm was extended and the shutter faced him. A quick peek through the view finder showed Soren center frame. "Alright now, don't move." A flash of a grin, then she was nuzzling up to the guardian once again. Leaning against his body with palms flat to his chest and her chin touching her shoulder as she looked over it towards the camera. They'd handled point. "Now just click."

The smile she gave the camera was nothing shy of salacious.

That picture too would join the previous two on the table, and Nergui blinked down at the image of herself that was now clearly visible. Dark fingertips touched the print, then picked it up by the corner to bring it up for the stallion. "Is this what you see when you look at me?" Certainly mirrors existed within their reserve, but the face that looked back when Nergui leaned in to fuse with her hair or paint her lips was not the same as the beauty staring out of photograph. There was a light in those mismatched eyes that the priestess had never seen in herself, one she suspected only shined when she looked at her the guardian.

The picture was handed over so either hand was free, and she took the camera to set it gently on the table before leaning into him once again. Her nails were a feather brush against his sides, sliding up and around until fingertips and palms smoothed over his back and shoulders. "Do I always look so besotted when you catch my eye?" A kiss was pressed to the hollow of his throat, his collarbone, wherever she could reach before she leaned back enough to look up at him.

Nergui's breath caught in her throat, heart pounding and stomach fluttering. Not entirely unfamiliar, he'd garnered reactions of that nature from her in the past, but in that moment, with his voice a rough softness, lips brushing against her brow, she knew just how very much she meant to him, how much he meant to her.

There was a word dancing about on the mare's tongue. A simple little word, so short and sweet, but so hard to give voice to.

But she was tempted as he pulled her closer.

Of course she would stay. For the night, for as long as she could. In his arms, and in his life.