Silken Ruse had taken to Rein as quickly as Rein had taken to his new family, although it took little to attract the adolescent mare’s attention as of late. None the less, Gem felt decidedly excluded, a sentiment that she neither resented nor appreciated. She had been in emotional limbo for weeks, bordering on months; a singular state of numbness. And although she wasn’t entirely sure what she felt most days, she could still identify with what some would consider to be normal thought processes.

She grazed at a distance, unenthusiastically plucking at stray strands of grass as Ruse leaped at Rein, the stallion’s bells tinkling merrily in the clear air. Ruse's laugh mimicked the sound, her voice a sweet chime with a resounding uplift at the very end- decisively feminine, yet with enough of a devious undertone that it made you second guess her very nature with every breath she took. Her eyes twinkled with some sort of hidden delight, something that only she was privy to. Since her birth, the filly’s legs had elongated, giving her a leggy appearance. And yet, despite the awkward juvenile stage that she had entered into, she made her new frame look elegant, and purposeful. She was comfortable in her own skin, and everyone had been made aware of it.

Rein laughed as she chased him, the sound clearly indicative of his youth and genial nature. The elemental paused in front of the filly and grinned at her as he briefly made the tiny bells on his harness twinkle like Christmas lights, causing the young mare to utter a peal of laughter. She was endlessly amused by his elemental abilities- the two Rogues in their family rarely relied on their magical talents, but Rein wholeheartedly embraced his, consistently using them to the benefit of others. He was a sweetheart that way- he lived for others’ smiles, and all but exuded happiness, which was, for the most part, quite contagious.

His happiness made Gem a tad bitter, despite the fact that she was usually utterly devoid of emotion of any kind. She knew the reason behind it, although she tried desperately not to dwell on it. Regardless, the mare was developing a bit of a soft spot for the beautiful palomino, and welcomed his company over others as of late.

Rein paused in his antics as Ruse trotted off for a moment to lip up some water. He hated seeing Gem in such a state, but he hadn’t known the mare long enough to comment on it. None the less, he figured that he’d intrude on her solitude for a moment while the filly was conveniently distracted.

"Hello Bella," he said brightly, using his new pet name for the mare. She tried not to cringe- he meant it in the best of terms, and she knew that she usually would have found it endearing. With a grin, Rein lipped her turquoise forelock out of her eyes, beaming all the wider as she dared a tentative smile in return. "She’s quite the bit of entertainment, isn’t she?" he added with a nod in the general direction of the filly.

Gem mustered up the ability to converse, and managed an apathetic response.

"She’s grown," she replied with what could best be described as a Serian-like shrug. "She has always been a handful, full of energy."

Rein nodded in agreement, understanding that she was not entirely in the mood for friendly bantering. Slight concern colored his ruby optics- Gem had been like this for months, and according to the others it was quite uncharacteristic of her. He had heard rumor that her mate had all but disappeared, and she had completely given up on ever trusting another. She had lost her spark, and that worried him.

His thoughts were interrupted as Ruse trotted back into view, her head quirked in a questioning expression. Although she usually had little interest in all this adult emotional nonsense, Gem and Vision were the closest things that she had to adoptive parents, and it did bother her to see Gem so morose. She figured she was the least knowledgeable with such things though, so she decided to leave them be. Surely Rein would be able to dispel Gem’s gloomy mood- he was good at that. She was no fun when she was like this, and Ruse missed her old playmate.

As the adults were decidedly occupied, Ruse scanned the horizon, searching for something interesting to grab her attention. She didn’t have to search for long. Her eyes spied some trailing lightning flashes, lightning that was most definitely out of place in the afternoon’s sunny skies. She pawed at the earth underneath her hooves, excited and eager to investigate.

"Rein! Gem! Come quick! I see lightning!"

Rein nudged Gem encouragingly, silently supporting her and willing her to join them. The two cantered up to Ruse's side and joined her as they watched a peculiar scene unfold below. It seemed that two elementals were having a battle of wills... at least, one would suppose it was two elementals, as the earth underneath the younger looking one seemed to have a mind of its own, and the mysterious lightning was emanating from an odd looking stallion.

Ruse glanced up at Rein and Gem and batted her eyes sweetly. No doubt her two “protectors” would be unwilling to let her investigate if the two Serians below were tussling, but this was too interesting for her to pass up...

"Geeemmm...." she wheedled with false innocence. "Can we please go and meet them? I’m sure they’re quite... friendly..."

Rein frowned a bit at Gem, unsure. The stallion looked fierce, that was for sure, but it was clear that both of the elementals had a good grasp on their magical abilities. The accompanying mare looked more passive however, and seemed to shy away from the action for a bit. And look! There was another approaching group! He visibly brightened, cheered at the thought of meeting some new Serians.

Gem sighed and shrugged again, indifferently. Rein no longer seemed concerned, and she had yet to really meet a Serian that was dangerous. Far be it from her to stop the filly from introducing herself.

"Go nuts kiddo," she said with a fleeting smile, trying to summon some gusto into her voice. Ruse grinned at her and raced down the hill, her fiery windblown mane streaming out behind her like a beacon. Rein turned towards her, a question in his eyes.

"And you Bella? Will you join us?" Rein asked. He was determined to get her to go. He would persuade her if he had to, but he was hoping that she would come on her own accord...

Gem sighed and indicated that she would come along with a shake of her head.

"Here, there, what’s the difference?" she muttered darkly.

With that, the two followed the young filly, overtaking her in mere moments.