[PRP/AIM Log] Feathered Friends (Arcadia & Vermillion)

[xo maho]

This is a private roleplay & AIM log between Arcadia Sinclair (Mahogany Sunset) and Vermillion (Kyrieko).

 

[xo maho]

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Arcadia stared down at the stones, trying to decide which to take and which to leave. There were only so many that she could take and not disturb the creatures who needed them, so she had carefully planned what she needed beforehand: ten black stones of the same size, four white ones, a smaller white rock, and an even smaller black one. They all needed to be round and flat, and river rocks were the best for that, so that was where she found herself - standing beside a slow, glassy river. The only indication that it even moved at all was the crashing of rapids further downriver.

Picking her way along the shore, Arcadia carefully selected one rock at a time and brought them back to her work place. Unlike her mother and the rest of her family, Arcadia couldn't use a burlap bag to carry her supplies; the pressure of it against her skin lit her nerves on fire. Instead, she had to carefully pull her lips back and carry each stone in her teeth - after she washed the mud off, of course. When she was done with that, she stood over her stones, proud of herself. She'd made a lot of progress, even if it had taken her the course of an hour. Deciding to take a break for a bit, she trotted back to the river and waded into it up to her knees, happy to feel the coolness of it flowing over her skin. She had all her supplies - now she just had to move them to where she wanted them and make her design.

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It was becoming a habit, as of late, for the young filly to wander away from her parents and brother - unless she dragged her brother with her. But they never seemed too upset. Worried the first dozen times, yes. But mama seemed to understand and daddy thought her adventure stories were awesome! So Vermillion was, once again, taking an extended stroll through the lands with a certain familiar always keeping a watchful eye on her from the sky. Today she wanted to find something new. Something that would really make for a good story to tell daddy. But so far, she had not found anything.

A sound caught her attention when she was a good hour into her explorations. It was soft, but it sounded distinctly familiar. Headwings flapping as her curiosity spiked, Milli crept around the trees and towards the soft trickling sound. It was a river! A calm river... or at least it was until Milli splashed right into it, laughing and batting her wings along the waters surface. She made sure to get herself good and soaked before jumping onto the other side and shaking herself. And then pausing as a strange formation of rocks came into focus. She'd never seen rocks arranged like that! Trotting over, Milli peered at them with a small frown. How had they gotten like-

The kalona hybrid froze, staring back at the water. And at the other foal. There... was another foal! She whinned in glee, headwings flapping as she folded her own leathery wings against her back. "HI!" She called out with a grin.

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Arcadia had heard the other foal the moment she jumped in on the other side of the river, one eyebrow raised as the dark red filly worked to cross it. She had leathery wings like the one her father's family was supposed to have, and tiny ones attached next to her ears that were near-twins of the ones on her back. Just in case, Arcadia held stalk still as she watched the filly cross, unsure of whether or not she would want to alert her to her presence. A new friend would be nice - but she would also be another person that she wouldn't be able to touch and would have to tell her that she wasn't allowed to touch her.

The other filly made her way up the bank and found Arcadia's rocks before she noticed Arcadia herself, and the triwinged filly winced at the loudness of her voice. "Hi there," she replied, turning back to look at her. "Who are you?" she asked, giving the filly a smile that was half-pained, still deciding if she wanted to be friends or not.

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It was clear by the way the red filly's body practically vibrated with excitement that she was happy to have found someone her size! Milli couldn't stop grinning and barely managed to not stare too much. Though this other filly was a curious sight. She had many wings that were similar to the ones her mother and brother had. But she'd never seen anyone with a tri-set! "I'm Vermillion! You're wings are so cool. Mama's are similar but you have so many!" She giggled, tilting her head at the other. "Who are you? I've not seen you before! Do you live around here? Are these funny rocks yours?" She used a wing to indicate the rock formation she'd found.

For a brief moment, Milli took a breath, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she studied this filly. She really wanted to know why she had so many wings! Was it a mutated trait? Could mama have had wings like that? It made her wonder if anyone in her family had wings similar to her.

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Vermillion. Arcadia's smile widened, growing by the second. The filly's excitement was just so infectious - it was like she couldn't help it. "Thanks, my dad has them too," she replied. "I'm Arcadia Sinclair, my family kind of travels a little but we're here for now." Glancing back at her rocks, her brow furrowed a little. "They're not funny! They're mine, yes. They're for an art project." If Vermillion thought they were funny now, while they were just sitting there in their little groups, she wouldn't believe what would happen later. "And your name is really pretty, by the way." Splashing out of the water, careful not to run into any rocks, Arcadia went to stand next to her rocks. They were all piled on top of each other in groups, the big black stones piled high, the four white ones just leaning against each other, and the smaller black and white ones by themselves. "I'm going to make a design with them."

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Seeing the other filly begin to smile like she was made Milli feel even more cheerful. She loved making other people smile too! "Ooooh, really?! That's so cool! My daddy has wings like mine." Said wings were spread a little to show off before being tucked back along her sides. Mention of her family traveling had the red filly nodding in understanding. "My family stays in one spot, but I like to travel around and see other things. Mama used to do the same too, or so she says." Being told that the rocks weren't funny made Milli blink in surprise, glancing back at them, before looking at Arcadia with a confused look. Arcadia Sinclair. That was an interesting name! A pretty too. "You're name is really pretty too, and thank you!"

Vermillion moved aside a little, as Arcadia came back onto the shore, looking between her and the rocks, before finally blurting out her question. "Arcadia... what is an art project? And how do you make designs with rocks?"

 

[xo maho]

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"Well, he must have pretty wings, then," Arcadia said, studying Vermillion's wings for the brief moment they were unfurled. Purple and red, an odd combination, but perfect on her. She nodded at Vermillion's mention of her traveling - she was just the opposite, traveling all over with her family and sticking as close as she possibly could to them. Today was an exception - Mom was doing an art project, too, and her other siblings were helping, but Arcadia liked to do her own. There was just something about the way they did theirs that bothered her, but they were always beautiful when done, regardless of the method. Hers were more stark and bleak... But also beautiful, in their own way. "Thanks!" she replied to Vermillion's compliment, but then tilted her head when Vermillion asked what an art project was. "It's like... Well... It's hard to explain. But it's like making something from other things, something that's nice to look at. And here, I'll show you," she said, gingerly picking up on of the rocks in her mouth. Arcadia already knew the design she would make, so all she had to do was pick a spot and get to it.

Looking around the big green meadow just beyond the river bank, Arcadia decided to go right for the middle - anywhere else would just be weird, since she would only be making one design.

The first thing she did was walk all the way across the meadow, counting her steps. When she got to twenty-eight and the other side, she started walking back and dropped her stone at fourteen. That would be the base, the most important piece. Going back to where Vermillion stood, she said, "That's the first part, the middle of the design. It might look like just a rock, but that's the most important one." Picking up another rock, she put it a couple inches south of the other one, and then went back for another rock.

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Milli gave Arcadia a big grin. "He does! Or at least I think he does." Her father's weren't quite as colorful, but they were a pretty light shade of red, she thought. Mention of traveling and being away from her family - which turned out to be the complete opposite of Arcadia - had Milli glancing up towards the skies. But she didn't see Ritual up there. Which meant the raven was probably somewhere in the trees. "I've also got a familiar that follows me around." Milli thought to add before getting distracted by the conversation at hoof.

Okay. Okay so an 'art project' was... creating a thing? That was what she was getting out of it. She watched in fascination as Arcadia picked up one of the stones, then walked towards the meadow, only to retrace her steps a little and set the stone down. Mill didn't get it. Not yet at least. "Do all art projects start like that?" She asked, watching as the other filly picked up the next rock and did something similar. She had inched closer to the rocks, looking at them to see if they might poor their wisdom into her. But they didn't. So she'd just have to wait. And watch.

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"My parents have snakes that follow us around when they're not watching us. Well, actually, most of the time they make us sit in one place because they'd rather not chase us all over exploring or playing or whatever," she said, and then laughed once at Vermillion's question. "I guess they do." Picking up another rock, Arcadia took it out to the center and placed it a few inches east of the base rock, so they seemed to form a triangle.

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The thought of having to sit there with a snake watching you had Milli laughing. Oh she was so glad she had Ritual! He at least could fly and follow her. Or if he didn't, he had his 'gift' that helped him always seem to find her. "I guess I can't complain too much since Riti can fly." She grinned, trotting along with Arcadia this time to see where she put the rock before coming back to grab another one. "Does all your family do these art projects?" She asked after a minute, wondering if she could teach her mama how to do this. Or enlist Dark Heart to help her try one for herself!

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Mouth empty of a stone for a moment, Arcadia shook her head. "Dad doesn't. Just Mom. My brother Gabriel likes to collect stuff for her and Mom enlists my other brother and sisters to help her with hers." Picking up a fourth stone, Arcadia took it out and set it a couple inches north of the base stone - now they had a triangle with a really wide base, pointing east. Grabbing one more stone, Arcadia set it down west of the base stone and made the outline of a diamond. "Almost done with the first layer, just gotta fill in the gaps," she said, going back to grab another black stone. This is a lot of walking, she thought.

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She trotted along and nodded her head some more. "I think it looks like fun! Maybe I'll try making something myself. Or... have you help me!" Milli giggled, wondering what her family would think of it. She glanced between all the stones, starting to see the diamond shape now. And she was really curious to see what the whole thing would look like once all the stones were placed! "How many layes of rocks do ya gotta make?" Milli questioned, nosing at one of the white rocks still sitting in its pile. "Will you use all these rocks too, then?" This was really interesting!

 

[xo maho]

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Arcadia laughed again. "I don't think I would be much help. I can't carry a whole lot. My mom and brother have burlap sacks that they can carry, but I can't do that." Something in her emptied of the cheerfulness that Vermillion had brought with her, reminded of her situation. Let the filly come to her own conclusions about why she couldn't use a burlap bag; if she asked, then Arcadia would answer. "Just two or three more layers," Arcadia said, counting her rocks. There were five black rocks left, the four white ones, and the two smaller rocks. She picked out another black one and put it in the gap between the south and east rocks. "I'm filling in the gaps now, so when I'm done with this part, it'll look like a diamond with a rock in the middle." She went back to grab one to put between the north and east rocks.

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Milli tilted her head thoughtfully. "That's a pretty good idea. I don't know where you would get such sacks, though." It really didn't dawn on here that Arcadia couldn't carry the bag so much as she just didn't want to. Or she figured the filly hadn't found her own sack yet either. Whatever the case, Milli didn't seem to pay it much attention as she tried to picture whatever it was that Arcadia was seeing in her own mind. "Two or three? You gonna set them all up like this? Or is each layer different?" She watched as the new rock was set in place. She still didn't see the whole picture yet, but clearly, Vermillion was very much interested in what the final piece would look like!

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"I don't know where they get them, either," said Arcadia as she put down the next rock. "She's had them since before I was born. My parents met when my dad took off with one." Theirs was a unique love story, that was certain. Her brother had been born of a wish that her mother could find her father again so she could give him the what-for for stealing her bag and the rocks in it. Just the thought made her giggle. She went to pick out the second-to-last rock for this layer, setting it between the north and west rocks. "No, each will be different. The white rocks are for the next layer, one last big black rock for the one after that, and the little ones for the two layers after that." Going back, she grabbed the last black rock for the layer, leaving behind one for the third layer. Setting down that one between the south and west rocks, she surveyed the diamond. "Woo, one layer done."

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That was too bad, she thought. Her mama would probably have enjoyed one. Or daddy. That seemed like something that would really make her father smile! "Oh well, I'm sure there are ways to find them if you really want one!" She said cheerfully. And then gave Arcadia a wide-eyed look. "Really?! Just 'cause he stole her bag?" That was so interesting to hear! Definitely way different then her own parents meeting. Theirs had been a chance encounter when her mother came to the area. And just... never really left after meeting her father. Though she did explore a bit, like Milli was prone to doing. Milli walked around the rocks, looking at the shape and definitely seeing the diamond now. "So... white will go on next. And then another big black rock. And after that, little ones?" She grinned, happy to be following the idea! And a little cheer was made for the first layer being done!

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Arcadia shook her head. "I don't want one. I can't use them like my mother and brother can. But yeah! That's how they met. Funny, huh?" Her parents were an odd pair. Looking down at her rocks, Arcadia nodded. "Yep, exactly!" Going back to the line of rocks, the pile of black rocks now reduced to a singular one, Arcadia picked up a round, flat white rock. They were her favorite - they were the same color as her hair, and she loved her hair. Maybe that was a little vain, but it was true. Gently setting it down so it was supported in one corner of the diamond, she said, "Now you can kind of imagine where the other three will go."

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Milli gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Well with all them wings, I really can't say I blame you!" She laughed, her own wings (including head ones) fluttering. "That is pretty funny, though! A bag, of all things. My mama just happened to be in the area that dad calls home. And then she just never left." She summarized for Arcadia. "Me and my brother are their first foals!" This made her smile brightly. Her parents were always so excited whenever they saw the two foals together. Giving her head a small shake, Milli nodded, a big grin on her face. "I do! One is gonna go there, right?" She indicated the same spot on top of the black rocks that were diagonal from the white one Arcadia had just placed.

 

[xo maho]

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Listening to Vermillion's story as she walked back to get another white rock, Arcadia smiled. Maybe Vermillion's parents were more normal - she knew that even her dad didn't really understand the "art" thing, but it was something she just had a need to do, and something her mother had passed down to her. Placing the rock where Vermillion indicated, Arcadia nodded. "Yep." Pointing with a hoof, she said, "And the other two will go here and here." She went back to pick up the third rock, and set it down where she'd pointed first, and then the fourth and set it down in the last spot. "Second layer done!" she exclaimed happily. It looked like a slightly off-center diamond set on top of another diamond, but Arcadia liked that it wasn't completely perfect; the stones had their own character, and that needed to be in the art, too.

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Okay so maybe this art project thing wasn't too difficult after all! She was beginning to see that Arcadia was indeed building something. And with each new layer added on, it changed and became even better. "What gave you the idea for this?" She asked curiously, as the filly indicated she was correct and showed where the last two white rocks would go. "I've been bored before, and stared at this funny tree wondering what I could add on to it before. Is that similar to what made you to decide to do this?" Maybe she could make some sort of art project useing her brother too. Wouldn't that be hilarious!

 

[xo maho]

Arcadia shook her head a little, talking as she went to pick up the last large black rock. "Not really. I haven't been inspired to add on to anything before, it's usually always this urge to make something new, to create something." Picking up the rock, she brought it back to the pile and oh-so-carefully set it on top of the space left in the middle of the white rocks, where they could support it. "This was kind of inspired by a flower I saw. Mom said it was called a rose? It was really pretty and had different layers of petals, each one smaller than the next. It was also really colorful, but... I don't know. It's hard to find natural materials that are colorful, you know? My mom uses paints to color her rocks - that's what she was doing when her and Dad met, painting rocks - but it doesn't seem like it's very good for the plants and stuff it ends up on... And besides, I like the way black and white looks together. It's just sort of my style." She gave Vermillion a smile and went back to pick up the white-gray river rock, smaller than its brethren but smooth and round just the same. Putting it gently on top of the black rock, she cringed a little as she nudged it into place and burning tingles shot up her nose where it touched her skin. The pressure of it outweighed the coolness that otherwise might have soothed her. "One layer left," she said, glancing back at the last little black pebble.

Kyrieko

 

[Kyrieko]

Milli tilted her head thoughtfully, trying to recall if she had ever felt an urge like that. Nothing was coming to mind. Honestly, she really couldn't remember feeling anything of this nature until Arcadia introduced it to her today! Although there had been a time or two she'd wanted to decorate something. She wasn't sure that was the same as this, though. "Huh... wonder why I've never felt that urge?" Maybe she was just weird? That thought made her giggle softly to herself. "A flower?" Milli parroted, focusing on the black rock Arcadia was putting in place so very carefully. "Must've been a pretty flower!" A rose? She'd heard of those! Mama had showed her one before... and then something Arcadia was saying suddenly had her interest. The kalona hybrid bounced around. "Ooooh, you're mom paints?! I've heard of that! I want to paint sometime! It sounds fun."

Pausing, she looked at the rock formation. "I like the colors you chose too. Besides, you're colorful! So that adds color in!" She grinned. "When you're done, do you want to play a game? Take a break from your art project?" She asked with a new excitement.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

"I don't think everybody has an artistic urge," Arcadia said as she went back to pick up the last rock, a small black pebble the size of a blackberry. Pausing before she picked it up, she decided to answer all the questions Vermillion had asked before she had it in her mouth and the project was over - because that last question... Well, it had a special answer, and she did not want to have to explain it while Vermillion was looking expectantly at her, hoping for a game. "I don't think my brother has that urge, for example. He collects things for Mom to use. And yeah, it was a pretty flower - a really pretty flower!" She could not help the grin that spread over her face again. Even in her imagination, it was lovely, a huge bloom with rows of soft yellow and pink flowers that changed color from the center. She had not wanted to touch it, of course... If it had made her skin burn, like everything else, she would be put off of them for life. And the flower had been too beautiful for her to risk that, no matter how velvety soft the petals had looked. And even better than the way it looked had been the way it smelled, a scent all its own... It was a shame that her rock flower could not emulate the smell of the rose, as well as the shape.

Her grin shrank to a wan smile as she took a deep breath. Time to explain myself. The whole reason she could never carry a burlap bag like her mother or her brothers or her sisters, the reason she used her unfeeling teeth to carry everything... All of it would be explained now. She just hoped that Vermillion would not give her an odd look, or worse, felt pity for her. Pity just frustrated Arcadia. All she had to do was learn to deal with her affliction. Pity did not help with that. "I don't know if it would be a good idea for me to play a game..." she began, nudging the pebble with her hoof. It clacked and spun at the contact. "It would depend on the kind of game. It couldn't be one like tag or anything where I get touched or have to hide, because that would mean I'd have to go into a small place..." Shaking her head, she decided to just say it. Trying to explain the kinds of game she could play was like trying to find just the right river rock - there were so many, but there were only a few that would work. "Any kind of pressure or touch on my skin... It burns. It hurts. So it's hard for me to play games that involve touch or running or anything. And... and I also don't like small spaces. Too little room for me to move means something usually brushes up against me, and then I get stuck and it's just kind of awful..." Looking down at the ground, she lifted her shoulders in a little sheepish shrug. "So I have to play with my brothers and sisters, because they know how to play with me, but even then, it's hard."

Leaning down to pick up the pebble, she held it between her teeth, flinching away from the blades of grass that brushed against her lips. Arcadia trotted over to the little formation and deposited the rock on top, trying to avoid looking at Vermillion's expression. She didn't want to see pity there, because she wanted to be friends, and it would be hard to be friends with somebody who pitied her. All it was was just something that made life a little more difficult for her, but she could deal. She had dealt with it since she had emerged from her basket.

Kyrieko

 

[Kyrieko]

Vermillion tilted her head, trying to understand. So she didn't have an artistic urge either? Or did she? Maybe it was one of those funny feelings she hadn't been able to decipher yet. But Arcadia was saying her brother didn't feel that way. Maybe Dark Heart didn't either? She'd have to question her own brother when she got home!

Shaking her head and glancing from the other filly to the rock pile, she tried to imagine the pretty flower. In her mind, she could only see the flowers that grew around the trees where she lived with mama and daddy. But as she squinted more, the pebbles seemed to slowly take shape and make a strange yet unique flower. "Wooooow... " She breathed walking around it in a circle before stopping beside Arcadia. "I think I see it, now!" She giggled, tail swishing from side to side and little headwings fluttering.

But just as fast her headwings drooped with her ears as Arcadia said 'no'. Or, well, not quite that exactly. That was just all Vermillion heard at first. "No... ?" A little pout formed. Which was replaced by a strange look because... what was she saying? The words weren't registering completely and Vermillion was quiet as she worked out what she'd just learned. Touch hurt? Like the nuzzles that mama gave her? So there couldn't be any tag, cause when she and Dark Heart played they butted heads against each other and nipped on occasion. But Arcadia couldn't touch anything?! "Wow. That royally sucks." So playing wasn't an option... except Arcadia said she played with her siblings.

Vermillion watched the filly place the rock carefully by picking it up in her teeth. "But you can walk on the ground and it doesn't hurt?" She asked, head tilted. "So... you can run? We could race! Or... or... " Now her thinking cap was on. "Go exploring - without small spaces or I can squeeze through them and look - or we could... umm... " Her ears and headwings were back up and there was no pity or objection to learning how to play with Arcadia in her features. In fact Vermillion found this to be an exciting challenge! And maybe Arcadia could teach her to do art projects too!

Mahogany Sunset

Look, another tag! o/