Jay has never hated knowledge more in his life than he did right now.

His jaw ached still. Occasionally he'd work it gently, trying not to clench his teeth in response to the pain. With a scowl, he wished he could've gotten his teeth on the damned thing before it fluttered away.

Resting his head back against the wall he was leaning on, he stared up at the ceiling with furrowed brows. How embarrassing this was. On the list of enemies that have defeated him, he could now put enchanted books right under the top contender. Jay's expression soured even more at the thought.

Refusing to entertain that thought spiral, he lowered his head back down with a quiet groan as pain flared up by the movement. He scanned the room where his fellow party members had escaped to after the assault, surveying each and every one of them. His eyes briefly skipped over Rosery and Andrej, taking note that they were looking after themselves, before landing on Reina.

Her long dark locks were now tinged silver, framing her (quite lovely) face. It seemed to be the only physical thing about her that took damage, though Jay quietly thought it was an improvement of appearance.

The courser smiled to himself, only to wince once more at the strain in his jaw.

He recalled her immediate initiative to enchantment once the books had started flying, interested in picking her brain. "What do you know of magic, princess?" He offered a conversation to Reina, speaking low to keep just between them.
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She was exhausted, her vigor beaten out of her by the ancient tomes that she desperately wanted to learn from. Irony in its most painful jest.

Reina shook her head, not only to clear her mind of racing thoughts, but to steady herself. Her legs wobbled as she shook, betraying the true depths of her fatigue.

The cavern was quiet in the aftermath of chaos, the only evidence of its enchantments escaping in a flutter of wingbeats. Sheepstealer preened himself on a rock ledge nearby, his eyes steady in watching the mare with quiet reassurance. At least he was safe, though she pondered if he thought of the books as predator or prey.

This first quest with the group was a failure, that was evident. They gained no knowledge, they barely worked with each other, and her one addendum to the situation did nothing to stay the end result of their delve.
She needed to learn how to better defend herself, as her scholarly knowledge was moot against foes that intended to best her with physical might. Maybe she could ask the red brute to teach her how to wield a sword, he seemed the type.

Before she could take the initiative to ask, soft hootbeats alerted her to Jay's approach. Reina met his eyes as he did so, politely listening.

Her eyes narrowed at the pet name. "Nothing more than you, I presume... unless you are secretly some scholar of the mystic arts. Though based on your words and composure during that skirmish, I am not inclined to believe that to be truth." She looked over the relatively unimpressive stallion, eyes lingering on his peculiar facial marking.

"Why do you ask, sir? I am aware that my words earlier were of no use... I don't presume you to be making a mockery of them?" she questioned, pointedly.
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There was a glint in Jay's eyes as the mare barked back, a little sparkle that showed he was enjoying her attitude just a little too much. Oh if only she knew.

Settling into a comfortable position with one hoof cocked back, Jay's smile turned surprisingly polite for once. "No, my dear, I fear I don't have enough material knowledge to make a mockery of you." His words were smooth, teetering that line of questioning if he was actually sincere or not. "Simply curious."

He watched her expression with that same smile still plastered to his muzzle. He was studying her, taking in her body language and the way she glared back. Reina tensed every time he called her "princess", he picked that up quite quickly. Even now, the curve of her ears angled backwards in clear displeasure. She was annoyed by him, unimpressed, and thoroughly not having a good time. Poor thing.

"Not every courser seeks it out," he commented softly, finally pulling his gaze away from her. "Nor do they know specifics." Coal-colored eyes rose back to meet hers for just a split second, his brows raising to make a point. "You must have an impressive library of your own back home, wherever that is."

Silence passed between the two for a moment uncomfortably longer than needed. The only sound that remained was the distant drip of water falling to the stony ground.

Drip.

Drip.

Jay suddenly laughed, ducking his head and taking a step back to alleviate the tense space. "You must be someone pretty special, princess. Maybe one of those books will come back flying at ya begging to be read."
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Reina was assaulted with perplexity as Jay laughed, plastering that presumptuous grin across his bruised face. This stallion is a shining pillar of wasted potential.

"This dungeon and the further world beneath is my home." she replied, more benign this time. "Besides that, every newborn babe knows of the magic that proliferates these halls. Those flying tomes were a chance to understand where it originated, how it effects the animate and inanimate alike.""

She turned to her side, following Jay's backstep with a sigh. As her forelock fell over her eyes within the motions of that sigh, the exiled Raymere princess finally noticed her own transformation.

"What is this?!" she cried out, eyes burning with confusion and anger. Reina half-reared, backing nervously into the wall behind them. "What has happened?! I... why... me?!" she whispered to herself, tinged with malice. Her hooves clacked nervously on the cobblestone floor, the trills of their impact reverberating through the library. Small flames seemingly erupted from the tips of her now-silver mane as it flared, whether it was a trick of the light or some sort of magic manifesting... it couldn't be said.

She eventually quieted herself, recapturing her own composure. "I'm not special... and I am no...princess." She tossed her forelock out of her eyes. "This is some effect of the mage, some cruel curse to those who enter this library. Nothing more."

The quiet settled in before she eventually returned to Jay. "If magic and the truth of it does not drive you beneath, then what does?"
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Her reaction was warranted. If Jay himself had woken with silver hair, he'd have cursed whatever cruel gods existed out there. But no gods existed in his world. So he stood quietly, allowing the mare to have her moment of astonishment and rage. Light caught his eye and he swore he could see a flicker of fire from the tips of her mane.

Huh.

Her question about his journeys below almost catches him off guard. Almost.

The smile that graces his face shadows itself with an emotion rarely expressed by him. For a brief moment it turns sad, almost regretful, eyes cast low to the ground. There's a darkness that haunts the man, a pain he will most likely take to his grave. Perhaps Reina would earn the trust of knowing his secrets one day... but for today, he'd keep them to himself.

The shadow lifts and he meets her gaze once more.

"I'm afraid my purpose below the surface remains dreadfully boring," Jay quipped, giving the mare a quick wink. "As for us, I am much more intrigued for the dungeons' fate with you." His eyes dragged over her mane again, the edges of his lips curling up once more. "For what it's worth, it's a good look for ya."

And with that, he left her to stew on his words and her brand new look.