[Just as quickly as he was snapping at Hendrik's hair, Obsidian averts his attention to Jasper and his carrot. There is some rather emphatic crunching on that dirt-covered carrot, but Hendrik is able to sigh in relief and step away.]

Obsidian has been rather demanding since I returned. It is as if he knows I was traveling about all around without him.

[There's more emphatic crunching. This isn't a particularly dumb horse.]

I suppose I do not know how to ... balance my time.

[These times of relative peace and remaining near the castle have been quite a change from frequently being on the road.]