[PRP]A Brilliant Idea (Raikinti & Toxic Sludge)

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

With a quick glance around the glade from the protection of the trees, the coppery-coated stallion slunk out into the open. One would think the way he eyed the clouds that he expected it to rain Soquili at any moment... But then, having a Wind for a best friend meant he had every right to be wary. Still... There was no sign of Delrialto diving out of the clouds with a war-shriek or a whistle, which meant that -most likely- the stormy stallion had gotten side-tracked.
So instead of wariness, Raikinti eyed the clouds and tsked at the lack of his friend, shaking his head. There was resignation and a mild annoyance, but he could do nothing about it at the moment. Delri was Delri, always had been. 'Probably with that shadow of is... No telling when he'll arrive, or where he'll turn up...'
Which meant that, for the moment, he was his own self and had no plans at all. With a chuckle, Raikinti threw himself down in the hock-deep grass of the meadow, rolling in the fragrant grass and wild-flowers with a single-minded delight. The thin stems and narrow blades of grass broke and crunched under his twisting form, his striped legs flailing in the air and black cloven hooves slicing at the sky. The sweet-smell of torn blossoms and grass filled the air, and when he ceased rolling he sat upright and drank it in with flared nostrils.
Dropping his black muzzle to snuffle at the nearest cluster of un-touched flowers, Raikinti slowly gathered his legs beneath himself in preparation to stand. He refused to let Delrialto's absence bother him, content to doze and wander the day away until the Wind remembered they were supposed to go exploring. Maybe he would go by himself?
"Why not?" He muttered, snatching a mouthful of sweet-grass and chewing thoughtfully. "What could go wrong?"
Only... well. Everything. But he didn't want to think about that.

 

[.Tortured. .Pumpkin.]

The summer sun's warmth was welcomed by the mare, who appeared to have been left in a cave for the past months. Her hair ran ragged and her eyes looked wild. She twitched at most noises, as if she were about to be hit by something. Toxi sighed and closed her eyes to feel the sun before enveloping some of the long grass with her lips. It was sweet and fragrant, and she ate as if she hadn't in quite some time.
The mare's ears twitched at the sound of something in the long grass and she squinted, unsure of its source. When she noticed the stallion, all she could see was cloven hooves and stripes, and her eyes widened. Was this being all right? Was it being taken down by some predator? She squinted, trying to get a better look without being intrusive or putting herself in danger.
A small jump arose from the mare when the stallion sat up, and she gasped before letting out a puff of air in relief. Thank goodness he wasn't being mauled to death! Not that she would have tried to save him, but still! Her heart raced as she tried to calm herself, but she couldn't help but overhear his words.
"Why not what?" she chimed in. Her curiosity overtook her sensibility for a moment, and she quickly tried to rectify it. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your speaking. Go on, I'm not listening." With this, she went back to eating, swiveling her ears in his direction in an attempt to hear anything else he may say.  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Well really, why not? Raikinti pinned his ears and grumbled to himself as he mused, still cropping grass idly. Why not go exploring, even if Delrialto seems to have forgotten? It's his loss if he misses out! So, why not?

Because you're a chicken or could get eaten like one? That's a pretty good 'why not' isn't it?

Sassy inner voices. Raikinti sighed and flicked his tail, shaking some of the grass and flowers free as he considered his options. On the one hoof, yay exploring. He would get a chance to see more of this new, strange land.. Potentially without the distraction of Delrialto falling out of the sky to startle him at odd moments. On the other, while exploring alone he was a clear target... And a potential main course for a Kalona, Skinwalker, or any other "big bad" wandering nearby. This was of course, a very big "negative" aspect.

Abruptly jerked out of his musings Raik craned his neck around to glance in the direction of his new "company" heart bolting half-way up his throat... Or so it felt. He probably flailed a little too, finding his way to his hoofs with a bashful cough.

"What? Sorry, what? Oh, ummm... No, my fault. I was practically hiding in the high grass, that probably seems weird. Not that it was intended to be! I was just having a good roll, and then talking to myself.. Ummm..."

He watched her go back to minding her own business, then shook himself from nose to tail. This whole thing was awkward. "This is odd. Can we start over? I'm not good at this, but I know that was odd... I'm Raikinti. I'm not from, around here... So, sorry about that earlier bit.."

 

[.Tortured. .Pumpkin.]

A slight giggle escaped from the mare's lips, and she buried her face further into the grass in a weak attempt to hide the smile on her face. What a peculiar character! He seemed to remind her of somebody she knew once, but she couldn't quite put a name or a face to them. After a few moments, Toxi tried to switch her face from an amused one to a friendly smile. She slowly looked up at the stallion, green eyes glimmering in the sun.
"Well I don't really see a reason to start over. I mean, what's life without a few bumps, right?" Her voice was soft and comforting, yet almost child-like. "Besides, I see nothing wrong with being odd. Oddities are actually quite normal. Which I suppose doesn't make them odd at all. But then again, if odd is normal, what exactly is odd? Hmm..." She mused for a long while, her face deep in thought. As she stood thinking, the mare began eating again.
After several more moments, a smug look took over her face. "Well if odd is normal, that makes normal abnormal, which means normality is, contrary to what everyone seems to think, simply a false sense of being!" She smiled broadly, obviously happy with her nonsensical conclusion. "My name is Toxic Sludge. You can call me Toxi, though. It's easier and sounds less... Gross."  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Wow that was smooth. Raikinti muttered to himself with a sigh. At least she was laughing? Or it seemed like she was laughing, but in an amused way and not "oh what a crazy stallion" sort of way. Raikinti shook himself again and braced his forelegs, slowly making his way to his feet. He seemed to be more or less free of grass from his roll, so that was something.

Sounding and looking like a crazy forest-dweller didn't rate high on "how to make a good impression".

"You have a point." He admitted with a chuckle. "It's very kind of you to say, regardless. Still, I just mean I didn't want to alarm you, it wasn't my intention. And the way all of that sounded, it seemed a little off..."

He shrugged at the rational behind her words, then grinned. "The world is a better place if we accept each other's differences.. That's for sure. Toxi, hmm? I like it... Most of my friends call me Raik or Kinti, if you want something shorter?"

 

[.Tortured. .Pumpkin.]

Toxi smiled broadly at the meeting of this new friend. It wasn't often that she met others, and when she did they were usually afraid of her or annoyed with her, so she tended to avoid strangers. But sometimes, she would stray out of her comfort zone and see what happens. Her smile refused to dim as she spoke to the stallion. "Oh, you didn't alarm me at all! If anything I should be apologizing for alarming you, especially since I butted in so rudely like that. I don't usually, but sometimes it's so hard to be quiet all the time, you know?"

She nodded at the stallion. "That is very true! And very different are we all!" For a moment, she took some grass into her mouth as she thought. Once finished with it, she grinned. "I think I like Kinti better. Or maybe just Rai. I kinda think Rai's even better!" She nodded confidently. "But is that okay with you? If I call you Rai instead of Raik or Kinti? I wouldn't want to upset someone I've just barely met." And oh, what a wonderful meeting it was! The mare's spirits were extraordinarily high, and her current demeanor and presentation equally said as much.

"So what are you doing out here on your own anyway? I mean, obviously, you're talking to me. And before that you seemed to be enjoying the weather. But isn't doing that better when someone's with you? You said you have friends right? I think they should be here." She, herself, did not have friends, and she could only imagine how much better a day such as this would be with them.  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Raikinti grinned and wagged his short tail, joy making his furry ears perk forward to better catch the sound of the mare's voice. She seemed to be just as pleased as he was to make a friendly acquaintance, which was grand considering how his first impression had been extraordinarily foolish. Thank goodness his best friend wasn't about, Delri would have laughed himself breathless for days.

"Not alarmed, a bit surprised, but that's what I get for acting so foolish instead of a beautiful lady." He offered gallantly. "However, as she is so gracious to forgive me I consider myself fortunate indeed."

He chuffed in amusement. "That I do understand. I beg you not to give me the silent treatment, I think our conversation is going rather well."

And he did. He'd made her laugh and smile a bit, and he was enjoying himself. Raikinti flicked his tail again, a pleased little wag of movement that let him convey his excitement without bouncing around like a lunatic. "We are, and I like to think it makes life splendid. As for Rai, I like it very well indeed."

He didn't mind if she liked the shortened nickname. Raik was never his favorite, though he was rather fond of Kinti. But Rai was nice enough. "Making a new friend is exciting, a new nickname is just as wonderful."

He sighed a little as she remarked on his solitude, ducking his head to hide under his forelock for a moment. So then, she'd noticed he was sadly alone. Ah well. "I have a few friends in this land, though I admit I've not been here long... I've trekked here from elsewhere, cast out by my home herd. I don't remember much of them, so it is not so great a loss."

He shrugged. "As for my friends within the land, they're spending time with their families or wandering on their own.. But we visit every few days, more or less. It would be nice to have them here, but if they were, I may not have met you."

Rai tilted his head and grinned, offering a playful wink. "At any rate, I'm spending time with a friend now, aren't I Toxi?"

 

[.Tortured. .Pumpkin.]

The mare beamed at the stallion's kind words, unused to the friendly compliments. She had always seen herself to be an average mare, certainly unworthy of such kind words. She gently blushed beneath her dark coat, relieved that he would be unable to see it. "Oh, don't be so silly! There was nothing to be forgiven!"

Toxi giggled a little bit at the stallion's plea. "Oh, I'm not sure I could stay silent now if I tried! I have certainly missed interaction with others as of late. I have a little mouse who often travels with me, but it simply isn't the same."

She began mimicking his physical excitement, her long tail flicking back and forth. "I'm glad Rai doesn't upset you. I wouldn't want to make you mad so soon." She stomped at the ground nervously. It seemed as if she were always very good at upsetting new friends.

"Oh, that's okay. I've been here for quite some time and I don't really have a lot of friends." She frowned a little bit. "Well, really, I don't think I have any friends." Her frown deepened at the stallion's history. "Well that wasn't very nice of them at all. Family's supposed to stick together!"

Toxi nodded. "Yeah, I don't really like to be where there are lots of others around. I get kinda shy sometimes. But I think you're pretty okay so far, so I don't want to be shy."

Her face returned to a cheerful smile at the stallion's question. "Well, I suppose you are!" She liked the idea of having a new friend very much, but she wondered if she would have to meet his other friends, which made her nervous.  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Raikinti grinned at her, tilting his head in with playful curiosity as he watched the smile dawn on her expression. She seemed quite overjoyed by his simple words, which pleased him and embarrassed him all at once. They were nothing special, but if they lifted her heart he considered them well used. He very sincerely hoped they would be friends, and it seemed as though they were off to a good start.

"If you are sure." He murmured hesitantly, giving her playfully doubting look. "I am sure my behavior was most foolish. But if you will forgive it all, merciful Toxi, I would forever be in your debt!"

He grinned at her soft laugh, ears swiveling to catch the sound. "You are lucky to have your little companion, but I agree it is probably not the same thing. While I do cross paths with my best friend now and again, I confess I have no constant companion. Perhaps I shall have to speak to some of the friendlier animals, and see if one will agree to accompany me in my wanderings."

Raikinti honestly hadn't thought of it before... But now that Toxi had mentioned it, even in passing, the idea would tumble around in his brain for a bit. It seemed very simple, once he had considered it, to seek out an animal companion. Perhaps a bird that would be prone to exploring?

"Doesn't upset me at all." He promised earnestly, offering another smile. "I'm quite pleased you've given me a nickname so soon.. If you're the only one that uses it, surely I'll have to visit often, right?"

He frowned when she did, drifting close enough to bump her shoulder companionably before shifting away again. Hopefully she would take the gesture as one of companionable solidarity. "Well, now you've got one and so have I... I think that makes us both quite lucky, hmm?"

He didn't much want to think of his family, or what little he remembered of the old herd life. Nothing but unpleasantness back there, and the present and future were much more fun. "No, it wasn't... And I think so too, but what is done. Besides, someone wise once told me friends are the family we pick for ourselves... And I rather like the idea of that."

He chuckled and danced a bit in place. "I am glad you think I'm ok... I think you're great! And yes, shyness seems silly at this point. I'd rather just enjoy an afternoon with my new friend, and leave it at that.. Especially since the others are off spending time with their family today, and otherwise I would be somewhat sadly alone."

The stallion stilled and gave her a suddenly sly smile. "Why, you have saved me from a fate worse than death! My hero! So then, as you have saved me, that means you get to pick what we should do! I think that's fair, right? What would you like to do today?"