[PRP] In Stitches (Pinzin Kneadles & Autymn F'Alls)

[divena]

When Pinzin stepped aside, Autymn skipped forward to see what it was he was leading her toward. Without any knowledge of why he had slowed or stopped, she was completely unprepared for the water that suddenly surrounded her hooves. She squealed in surprise at the sudden splash of cold then giggled, thinking she had walked into a puddle. It took another second for her to process what her other senses were telling her, the sound of waves and the sight of water stretching out ahead of her. This was not a really, really large puddle, though she did consider making that comparison. Some instinct told her that the stallion wouldn’t appreciate her sense of humor. Few did. She giggled again as another thought occurred to her. “Is this your revenge for me splashing you?” she asked, teasingly. “Trying to get me to take a dunk?” As she waited for an answer, she stepped forward cautiously. Puddles were one thing, but she knew better than to go rushing into an unfamiliar lake or pond. There was never any way of knowing where the pitfalls were until one had dropped into them.  

[divena]

Pinzin winced at the question. Belatedly, he realized it was a legitimate question. She didn’t know he’d been heading here all along, or that he hadn’t expected her to follow him. And really, it wasn’t too unreasonable for him to want to get a little payback. At least, it wouldn’t be unreasonable from someone who had an eye for an eye mentality. He shook his head quickly.  

[divena]

She glanced up in time to see him shake his head and smiled reassuringly at him. The poor thing seemed so distressed! Did he really think she was actually mad at him? “You’re not the type for revenge, then?” she asked, keeping her tone light in hopes of putting him more at ease. “That’s great. I am. Petty revenge, though, nothing harmful. Why were you coming here, then?”  

[divena]

Why did this mare keep asking questions? Hadn’t she figured out, yet, that he couldn’t answer? He sighed and tried to think of a way to explain without having to use words. Despite living with this curse for as long as he had, he hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to practice. After all, most people didn’t stick around long enough. He stared at the water for a second, considering. Then, because he was coming up blank with any other options, he sucked it up and stepped into the water. He swirled his hooves around, washing away the mud and dirty puddle water, then glanced up at the mare to see if she was understanding what he was trying to say. All the while, he tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling of water soaking into his skin, and the thought of how long it was going to take him to get dry again.  

[divena]

Autymn watched him blankly for a moment before understanding hit her like a boulder. “Ooh!” she said, bouncing a bit in excitement. “You’re washing away the mud, right?” she asked. It was the fact that she could see the dirt sullying the clear water around his hooves that clued her in. What she had originally thought was just his natural coloring was actually mud from the ground. Or possibly from the puddle water she had accidently splashed him with. She considered apologizing again for that, but quickly squashed that idea. He seemed to be feeling rather helpful and patient with her right now. Reminding him that he had a very good reason to be upset with her wasn’t exactly the best way to continue endearing herself to him. Maybe if he became less willing to answer her questions, she would whip out another apology, but not right now.  

[divena]

Pinzin nodded quickly, relieved that she had gotten it so quickly. Any animosity he had felt for the mare was quickly being washed away with the mud on his hooves. In fact, he was growing increasingly convinced that his first impression of her was completely flawed. It was rare the stranger who was willing to play the frustrating game of charades that was necessary to his way of communicating. And even more than that, she seemed to be rather good at it. He wished he could ask her if she had any experience dealing with the mute in the past. Maybe she could introduce him to someone else like himself, though that would be a very difficult conversation. Maybe he could learn something.  

[divena]

At the nod, Autymn smiled, pleased with herself. She was right! And more than that, he seemed to be rather happy with her. She wasn’t sure what she had done right, but it was always nice when she made someone else happy. It gave her a warm feeling. “You’re not big on talking are you?” she asked, cheerfully. “Not that I can blame you, I mean, a lot of people don’t like to talk. Or maybe they just don’t talk as much as I do. I met this one guy once who never said a word. Not even a peep! ‘Course, it could have been because I was telling a story and I don’t usually remember to pause for stories.”  

[divena]

Pinzin listened as she rambled on. He rinsed off all the mud that he could find, doing his best not to get himself wetter than he had to. He was a bit worried at first that she would consider him rude if he washed up while she talked, but then he decided that if she hadn’t thought his silence was rude then why would she be annoyed with his practicality?  

[divena]

When he didn’t immediately jump in to interrupt her the moment she paused for a breath, she took that as a sign that he wasn’t too irritated with her rambling. That was reassuring, at least. There was also the fact that he actually seemed to be listening to her as he washed the dirt off of his legs. “Y’know, usually at this point when I’m talking to someone, the eyes will start to glaze over and they’ll start inching away,” she mused, the words tumbling as fast as ever from her lips. “But not you. You’re really sweet, aren’t you? Even after everything. I really am sorry about that. Ooh… I probably shouldn’t have said anything, huh? I mean you prolly just forgot about all that, and here I am, reminding you.” She sighed heavily and shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll bet you’d like me to just scram, huh? I’ve been told I can only be handled in small doses. I don’t mind, if that’s the case.” And she really didn’t, she realized. She was happy that she was able to smooth things over with him, after that unfortunate first meeting, and her curiosity over where he was going and what he was doing. She was quite satisfied, now.  

[divena]

Pinzin froze at that question. Did he want her to go away? If she had asked that even an hour ago, the answer would have been a resounding Yes. But now? He wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t as frustrating as he had originally thought, and more than that she didn’t run in horror from him. That was a very nice change from what he was accustomed to experiencing. But on the other hand, she was right. He could see how spending more time with her could be very exhausting. He was already feeling worn out. It was nice that she wasn’t expecting him to participate in the conversation, but he could see how, after time, that would get frustrating. He did miss having actual conversations, where he had a say as much as the other person. But he doubted he would get annoyed with the one sided conversations any time soon. It had been far too long since he had someone willing to stick around. After another long moment of thought, he shrugged, deciding that he really didn’t mind one way or the other.  

[divena]

Autymn beamed at the stallion, whom she was starting to think of as a friend. He didn’t want her to go. Of course, he also didn’t want her to stay, so maybe she wasn’t exactly welcomed. But the point was that he wasn’t sick or annoyed at her. Autymn knew when to get out while she was ahead. She liked this fellow, and she didn’t want to wear out her welcome. “Well, then, I’ll be on my way before you decide you DO want me to vamoose,” she told him, lightly and with a smile. “It was nice meeting you, mystery boy. I hope our paths cross again.” With another smile, she turned and bounced off, letting her pace pick up until she could feel the wind in her mane again.  

[divena]

Pinzin watched the mare go, feeling the stitches on his lips pull slightly as he tried to smile. He stored the past hour or so away as a good memory and dragged himself out of the water to resume his hunt for a sunny place to try and finish drying off.

Fin.