She nodded and then reached out, stopped short of touching him for a moment. Sweat beaded on her forehead and nausea washed over her for a long moment. Her shaking hand finally settled upon his and squeezed, it had taken her quite a bit of effort to get passed that irrational fear. "I understand," she said hoarsely, feeling connected to him in that moment.

Pony gave a small smile but it looked like a mask and didn't reach his usual cheerful eyes. His hand turned up to hers though he didn't take it. He just allowed her hand to rest against his own. "You will move on too.. in time."

Her hand didn't curl around his either, not at first... but then they gently closed around his and gave another squeeze, and then she tentatively moved closer and settled her head on his shoulder. "Thank you." It was as close to an embrace she would give, and only brief since she knew there would be eyes upon her. She put a little distance back between them and said, "For being a friend." (Insert for the reader: "Travel down the road and back again! You're heart is true, you're a pal, you're a confidant!")

Pony smiled and when she rested her head, he rested his on hers for a moment. A second later, he pulled away when she did. He winked. "Any time."

She smiled at him, even if it wasn't the smile that reached her eyes. Those eyes peered into his, not filled with sadness even if she felt sorrow for her experience... At that moment, she was... noticing him, even if he didn't notice her the way she noticed him. The smile died and she straightened herself up, looking down with red creeping into her face. Should she have just leaned upon him that way? Suddenly she felt quite unsure of lots of things. He was simply a friend, right? Right.

She looked up into the sky to calm her thoughts for a moment, and then cleared her throat, "Perhaps I could talk to my father about meeting you if you'd like... With him being a merchant, I am sure he could give you some good insight on things and perhaps tell you how to be more profitable. He's very good with numbers, you know? He works very hard for what we have. I admire him very much for that."

Pony saw her become more shy and knew not to show anything, let her do what she wanted if something bothered her, she had to feel free to make any choice to help her gain control. He just glanced over curiously when she started to speak. He slowly looked more like his normal self as his smile seemed more genuine. "Don't worry. I like doing things my way and my own pace. If I went more ... official. Guys like that want a factory and shipping things in boxes. I prefer to do it myself so I can see all the grateful faces." He knew the truth was her father might be smart and question the ingredients and their ability. At best, he will recognize most as being in generic medicines and be fine with it, at worst he will call him out and Pony will be ruined in town early. "Thank you very kindly for the offer though. Perhaps one day I shall meet your father, though I'd prefer not for business."

"Oh no, it is not like that at all. He doesn't involve himself in factory things. He imports from all sorts of places, things that are more unique than mass produced things. He thinks that factory made things can sometimes be flimsy and unpredictable." Then she paused and realized she was touching his arm, then decided not to pull her hand back. "But I understand your choice. It's quote alright."

Pony waved his hand and smiled. "Thank you but I will continue as it is. I am very grateful but I like having things under control. I am glad you understand." He lightly patted her hand.

She felt stupid for bringing it up. She looked down at the blanket for a moment and then said, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to come off sounding the way that I just did. I suppose I was only trying to find something nicer to speak about than... the other thing... and... well... I like you."

Pony shook his head and reached for her chin to lift it, but stopped before he made contact. "You never need apologize to me. You're a sweet girl and I love being in your company. No words needed to fill the space, your presence is very uplifting. Why don't you tell me what you like to do. I'm sure you haven't... recently. But you might again. Do you paint? Flower arranging? Maybe you like to look at exotic birds in books."