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 Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:42 pm
Feeling somewhat satisfied with her week, the mare pranced along the muggy ground, and grinned as she spotted a large clearing in front of her. It looked like the perfect clearing to just gallop across, and Tina just loved running when she could! Snow seemed to be melting these days, so she was lucky to not be covered at this point. She was starting to get sick of the snow, and the sun was deceiving on warmer days. Sometimes she hoped that spring would develop out of nowhere, but when she would wake up the next day, it would be snowing again.
So basically, Tina was bent on thinking that she had terrible weather luck.. or maybe, just terrible luck.
Despite that realization, the mare was still trotting forward, while forgetting that an open clearing had potential for someone else to be trotting as well! She was in the mood to be chatty, so if anything, she was rather hopeful that she could run into somebody. It had been a few days since she had had social contact anyhow, so with a kick backwards, she increased her speed and raced forward, while expecting a great blotch of land to just race on.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:56 pm
Dull. Dull, dull, dull, everywhere he looked; Alouette was surrounded by nothing but ordinary, dull, uninteresting gray dullness. The trees were gray, the snow was gray, the mud was gray, the sky was gray...even HE was gray, though for a slightly different reason.
He'd never had an issue with gray, of course; his mother was gray, his maternal half-siblings were gray, and he himself was gray; but gray pretty much summed up everything that was non-descript and unremarkable in life. You never talked about how gray it was and meant it in a positive way, after all!
And, he reflected, it was a pretty good summation of what today had to offer: grayness.
In other words, he was bored. Wildly, woefully, wonderfully bored, but not bored in the restless manner that motivated action. No, instead he was simply reveling in his own lethargy and contemplating just how bored a stallion could be. Fun times, fun times...
Though whether he'd consider his sister a preferable alternative to boredom...well, he was unknowingly about to find out, wasn't he? After all, he himself was walking towards that same clearing Betina had her sights on, though with much less optimism.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:11 pm
Betina was still in a fast paced trot when she made her way into the clearing, and her legs, although tired, slowed themselves a bit while she was staring off into the wide distance. Hmm.. wasn't anyone around? The mare started to get a bit worried, so she continued to walk forward in a swift manner, while shaking her head back and forth at the emptiness. At the moment, she was alone. It felt sort of chilling, since the landmass was so large!
Finally stopping herself in what felt like the middle of the clearing, Tina lowered her eyes to her hooves, and quickly brought a smile back onto her tired face. There was no reason to be down, if she needed to keep moving to find someone around, she would do so!
But at the moment, the mare decided to stand and catch her breath, since she couldn't keep running if she couldn't breathe in general! It was annoying enough that no fresh grass was around to graze on, so instead she just stood idly, while brining her eyes on whatever was around her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:21 pm
His thoughts firmly ensconced in thoughts of grayness and his eyes tilted downwards at the gray earth, Louie was hardly a striking example of proper observational skills in action. However, even when one isn't actually LOOKING for oddities, those oddities tend to catch one's attention by the sheer virtue of being different.
And pink was different.
Catching a glimpse of the mare out of the corner of his eye, Louie first continued on as he was, then paused and lifted his head to take a better look. Well...what was Tina doing out here on a day so utterly gray and uninteresting? Knowing his sister, he'd have thought she'd be off...
Well, to be honest he didn't know what he would have expected her to do; neither of his sisters had ever been good at rational behavior or instilling any sort of expectations in their brother. They had always been so whimsical as foals, he'd long since given up trying to figure them out.
So maybe it made sense for her to be out here, he really had no idea!
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:02 pm
It took Tina a few moments to finally notice her brother, since he was able to blend in perfectly to the surrounding greyness! She on the other hand, stood out almost too easily, so she assumed she had been already spotted. She wasn't sure how she felt about seeing her brother, since her internal thought was that she was excited, but something else halted her for a moment. She and Louie were... awkward. At least, that's how she assumed it be.
She had Rosa had a great relationship, and Tina felt as if she could rely on her for anything. But Louie.. she didn't even KNOW her brother! She knew nothing besides the small bickering's that would resume between her brother and sister, so the mare had a hard time figuring out her general thoughts and emotions.
"Hey there, Louie!" she then said, with a usual happy attitude. Although she was conflicted with his appearance, she knew it was probably better to try and.. work things out. Or even, learn more about her brother! "What brings you to this area?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 3:43 pm
Unlike Betina, Louie felt no awkwardness at this meeting. Having never been exceptionally 'close' to his sisters, he accepted the way things were with relatively calm acceptance. They were different than him, always had been, and likely always would be; after all, there was no real way for him to figure them out when they were determined to act so bizarre!
So it was with his usual philosophical approach to his sisters that he returned Betina's bright greeting with a nod. "Hi to you as well, Betina; no real reason here, just out wandering. There's not really anything going on today, so I figured I'd see if there was anything worth seeing 'out in the world,' as it were."
One look at his rather disinterested countenance was likely all the story Betina needed to see to know how THAT had worked out, though; so far, he hadn't encountered anything even REMOTELY worth seeing. "You?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:06 pm
"I am sorry if things seem a bit dull for you." she then added, rather sympathetically. "It seems the weather tends to add on to the dreariness, and I have found that many others hide in this kind of atmosphere. That's probably why there aren't many out today." Giving a light shrug, she realized she hadn't even answered her brother's question, so that must have been kinda wierd! "But I am not really up to anything either, I was also just looking for anything interesting. But I am glad to see you here!" Tina still felt a strange sensation in her stomach, and there was a discomfort that followed her whenever she was around her brother. Why couldn't their relationship be as strong as she and Rosa's? Was Tina that dull as well?
"Its been awhile since I've seen you." Tina then said, while lowering her eyes to the ground. "Have you been busy at least?" What could she possibly say? She knew absolutely NOTHING about her brother, and that bothered her! She didn't know what his favorite season was, or what his favorite game was.
Some older sister she was..
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:24 pm
"Yeah, well, sometimes there's nothing much we can do but persevere. If there was really some issue with the dullness, I'd probably see about coming up with something else to do...then again, if I wasn't willing to try and find something new to entertain myself, it'd be my own fault if I was bored. Today's just...yeah. Lethargic sort of dull...gray dull."
Finishing his comments with a shrug, Louie found himself looking down at his own self at the 'gray'; not that he'd ever found himself to be dull, it was just a good metaphor. Or did she think that he couldn't tell she wasn't really into their conversations? Not that he ever blamed her, the two of them had never been 'thick'. But then, thick had all sorts of negative connotations, so maybe that wasn't a bad thing....
But ANYWAY. It really had been a while, hadn't it? "Depends on what you'd call busy, I guess. I live my life, but that's really it. See the others from time to time, see what I can see of the world....there's not really much to say." After a bit of an awkward pause, he shuffled his wings slightly as a way of filling the silence, then asked, "What about you? Seen Rosa recently?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 4:44 pm
Nodding quietly to Louie's first set of words, Tina felt the need to adjust her feet for the stale discomfort she felt down her spine. As Louie spoke about the lethargic atmosphere, Tina could feel herself lose some of her own energy, since she hadn't realized how exhausting it was to actually take in the sceneary around her. Was that what Louie always did? Maybe it shaped the way that he was.."Heh, its pretty terrible, isn't it?"
Either way, although she still felt discomforted by his presence, she was working hard to make the situation better for the both of them! "I like to travel myself, I do miss father and mother dearly. But I actually have seen Rosa quite a bit, she helps me when I am in need, and is just there to help me laugh." Tina wondered if it was possible to make Louie laugh, and if she could ever accomplish such a thing.
Finally straightening her shoulders out, Tina realized that she couldn't hide herself anymore. It was bad enough that she was hiding her internal thoughts from her own brother! "Louie.. why is everything so weird between us?" Well, maybe he didn't think so, but the mare continued on, as diligently as she could! "I don't know anything about you, and I want to. I want to be able to say that I know my brother perfectly, and know that I could help him when needed be. I feel as if there is this gap between us, and I can't take it anymore. I need to break it."
Finally, she was being HERSELF. With a light head stretch, Betina already felt better from her blunt accomplishment. Even if it was completely confusing for her brother to take in, she knew it needed to be said, so that now they could focus on what needed to be changed, and not the terrible weather! "And I am sure Rosa feels the same way!" Though, she couldn't really speak for her, could she?
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 5:16 pm
"Yeah, well, it would be weird if we were all in one place. I mean, we were never all in one place even when we were kids, so..." Perhaps it was a strange thing to hear, but Louie had never had that much of an issue with separation. He liked his space, and he knew his parents liked their's; that didn't mean he disliked spending time with either, just that he was comfortable with separation. And they always saw each other again in the end, and that was the important part.
Though he had wings, and that had to make things easier than just walking. Maybe that was why she and Rosa were more anxious about that sort of thing?
But musings of the winged versus non-winged were vanished completely from his mind at Betina's sudden (to him) 'confession.' For the duration of Betina's speech, short as it was, he listened quietly, face half-obscured by his loose mane. But by the end, the look of calm contemplation was replaced by a new look, one of quiet confusion.
"Weird? Tina, you're asking the wrong guy why anything is like anything. Besides, this, whatever 'this' is, is normal. I mean, it's not like we've ever had anything else." And that was the honest truth. If Betina was talking about a rift or a gap or whatever, he had to admit it was news to him. There had never been anything else to compare 'this' too, after all...
Finally, he just decided it was best to come clean. "Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. You've known me forever, Tina, so I gotta say I don't know how it can be that you DON'T know me." So weird.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:29 am
"If this is normal, then I hate it." she then admitted, while keeping her eyes on Louie's hooves. "I don't want to hate it, so that is why I had to bring it up you know. I feel a strange distance from you, and it is impossible to get close. All I ever wanted was for our family to be happy, but I know Rosa feels as conflicted as I on many occasions." Was Louie just a distant character? She couldn't force him to be any other way if he was... "Are you seriously content with the way things are? Is this all you want from us?"
It was the best question that Tina could pull out of her self, and although she worried about what Louie's answer COULD be, she knew it was best to ask. Might as well get the truth over with, no matter how terrible it could be at times. "Please be careful in your answer." she also added, while raising her eyes finally. She didn't want him to totally burn her or something, because then she would feel worse..
It was hard enough for her to get the courage to confront him so easily, but it felt like the right time to do such. Maybe Tina was confronting him for the mere sake of getting attention from him, since that was so unlikely as a foal? The mare could hardly tell at this point, and she shook her shoulders at a chilly breeze before presuming her worried thoughts.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:47 pm
Even in the face of obvious discontent, Louie couldn't figure out exactly what it was that Betina wanted. A confession that he hated things being the only way he'd ever known? Undoubtably that was what she WANTED to hear; he only had to look at her to figure that out. Why, he wasn't sure, but that had to be it.
The issue at hand, though, was whether or not that was something he could honestly say. Maybe his sisters had an issue with distance; to him, it didn't really matter one way or another. And he had to be honest with her, no matter what; maybe some Soquili were fine with lying to make others like them, or to 'smooth things over', but he wasn't one of them.
So he squared his shoulders, then gave Betina a shrug. "Is this all I WANT from you, Tina? Suddenly we're mercenary, only doing what we do for the sake of personal gain? I don't want anything from anyone, and I don't expect anything beyond what I've got. If things work out differently, it's an adjustment, either good or bad, but all I expect is..."
What DID he expect? "I guess I don't really expect anything. Que sera sera." However, his side was only half the story, wasn't it? "What is it you want from ME, Tina?" There had to be some provokation for that question, after all.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:18 pm
She paused after his words, feeling somewhat shameful, but also confused. Her confusion was basically with herself, and she could feel her stomach churn as she desperately fought for an answer. Did she even know the answer? Or was she just causing a ruckus because she wanted her brother to notice her existence? Throwing her head forward in a dramatic sigh, Tina then bounced back up, before curling her lip in complete thought.
"You know, maybe I am just an idealistic, but I want us all to be happy, and all the time. Haven't you watched some of our other siblings? I can't tell if they even LIKE each other!" Tina then frowned, before grinning an a playful manner. She wanted to be positive, despite her nervousness while talking to her brother. There was no reason for Tina NOT to be her cheery self, so she was glad for her sudden mood adjustment.
"Does that sound appealing to you? I dunno, I know I am all dorky like, and I just want to whole happy family thing. But I want us to stick up for each other, and help each other..." with a last sigh, she turned her head away from his, while contemplating what she truly wanted. "I don't want it to be fake, you know?" She didn't want it to be just because they were family...
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 2:22 pm
"Well, it's not like we've really seen that much of our other siblings, or at least I haven't; maybe that's why it's hard to tell how well they get along. I mean, I've only seen what...four siblings before? Requiem only for a short time, Serenade for slightly longer, Amary for a breif visit and Antony ONCE in passing. {Perhaps that's why they seem so distant to you, because they ARE distant." The voice of reason was very strong in Louie, and he had always felt compelled to point out 'logical' reasons for things being what they were; his own way of offsetting the dramatics and exaggeration of his sisters, he supposed.
Though he did have to concede at least part of Betina's point. "Well, if Dad is to be any authority, we can be sure for a fact that some of our older siblings don't like each other, but even if they don't it's not something to get bent out of shape about. I mean, we're not lemmings, forced to do something because our siblings did it first, right?"
As he spoke, something rather like a smile pulled at the corner of Louie's mouth, the corner tilting in what could almost be called a smirk. Then again, he DID find there to be a certain humorous quality in the idea that sibling spite was genetic. But that smile was short-lived, becoming once again a straight line as he mused, "I don't see why we're not a happy family now. Please tell me you aren't referring to that cliche of mated parents and laughing children who's dearest ambitions are to find someone just like their parents and settle down one clearning over." If so, then just shoot him now.
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:14 am
"Well I've seen enough to know that the relationships are uncomfortable." Still frowning a bit, she wondered if her point was a lost cause, but alas, she still decided to try and prove her words! "They are clearly distant to each other, Louie. There is a difference between having a siblings back or whatever, and actually liking them. I know we are all in this together, but I don't think there is enough sincerity in the family." With a quick swish of her head, she moved the hair out of her eyes, and raised her head in a comfortable manner.
"I am glad to see that you don't want to follow that sort of trend either, that's why I brought this up you know." If anything, she was impressed at her brother. Even if he thought of 'lemmings', it was still enough to know that he didn't want to follow along the same path as their other family members.
At Louie's last bit of words, Tina sort of shrugged, not knowing if it was entirely true or not. "I don't want that sort of fakeness either. If fake was what I sought, then I would probably be hiding my feelings about this right now, and just smiling at you and still talking about the weather." With a followed up smile, she giggled at her words with a known humor. "When you put it that way, maybe we are a happy family. Maybe its not entirely the happiness I seek.. maybe there is a closeness that I sometimes hope to find." Since.. Louie seemed to be the opposite. "You are allowed to open up to Rosa and I you know, that's all I am saying."
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