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 Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:21 pm
However, it wasn't raining yet, and she appreciated how quiet the area remained. The calm before the storm, and at night, too. Almost. No one else was out or about, they were all awaiting the rain from the safety and dryness of their caves. She needed the quiet to think, to ponder. She was going to remain on the beach to use this time to herself, even if it killed her, she decided.
A sudden flash of lightning and a deafening roll of thunder had her swiftly changing her mind, as she turned and quickly trotted toward the cliffside, spotting several caves. She picked one, hoping inwardly that it was empty, and quickly pranced inside. She wasn't scared of storms, of course not, but the sudden discharge had caught her off-guard. She didn't like storms.
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:43 am
- and another Nequus entered the cave.
Swallowing nervously, the horned stallion backed up until his rump met the back wall of the cave. No way out of this encounter then. Well he could try to rush past her, for it was a mare of his own kind, but he didn't fancy braving the breaking storm any more than he fancied having to face another Nequus. As lighting flashed and thunder rolled once more, his mind was made up. He didn't want to stay here, but he couldn't go out into that weather.
She must have seen him by now. Shuffling his wings uncertainly, Taur looked down at the sandy floor of the cave and waited for her reaction. if he was very lucky, she might decided that going back outside was better than staying near him. Like that was going to happen; good luck never seemed to come his way these days.
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:45 pm
As her eyes easily adjusted to the lighting inside the cave - not like it was much different than out in the storm, anyway - she noticed the other nequus. Of course, the cave she picked just had to have someone in it. Oh well. At least it was another Aeri - a rather small one, but she wasn't really tall either so that was a bit reassuring. A stallion, perhaps? She'd had about enough of them and ohdeargodswhatwasthat?
As another bolt of lightening flashed, illuminating the cave, it shone quite clearly on the two pointy appendages on the sandy creature's head. Horns. He had horns. A cross, then? No, he couldn't be; they were unlike any other type of horn she'd ever seen. So, just... an Aeri, but with... horns. Strange horns. Not just one, either, but two.
Venus was never one that was good at reading people or situations that well, but one thing that was perfectly clear to her was body language, and his spoke for him - backing away from someone until they couldn't anymore usually meant they were attempting to avoid conflict, which was good for her. Despite her slightly taller stature, she did not want to fight anything with horns like those. It wasn't that she was afraid, no, it was just that she had enough common sense to know she'd be at a very obvious disadvantage, and she had no intention of being maimed at any point in time.
She forced herself to relax, despite the rolls of thunder that liked to startle her - it was the thunder, she decided; it was. It wasn't the horned Aeri before her, for if she thought it was she'd be unable to speak coherently - and even offered him a small smile. Hopefully he'd understand her body language too; that she was not interested in a fight. Or interested in leaving, either. Damn storms.. "Hello there," the purple-eyed mare offered politely, "I'm sorry I wandered in here without an invitation, but," she turned back to look outside, then back at him with a sheepish smile. "I didn't really want to get stuck out there in the storm, looking for an empty cave. They're hard to come by during storms." And they were; she'd get herself killed or severely sick at least if she ran around the beach looking for one without occupants. "My name is Venus. What's yours, if you don't mind my asking?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:54 pm
"Umm..." She was pretty. Delicate silver white markings on her midnight black pelt. Like stars in the sky they were. She didn't seem to hate him. She was a bit nervous, but maybe that was the storm not his... appearance. Maybe. Just maybe. But not. No his life didn't go like that. She was being polite because she couldn't escape him, and she feared his horns. They always did. He did come too that, when he saw himself in the water. What monster had horns like he had? None he'd ever heard of even in stories.
"I'm... My name's Taur. This isn't my cave or anything so umm... So you're welcome to be here. It's nasty outside... I... Umm... It's nice to meet you Venus." He was so horrible at this. Well maybe at least his stumbling for words would reassure her some little. Maybe if she didn't fear him anymore she'd hurt him. He wasn't strong or fast or agile or tough or... anything. He had horns though. If she tried to hurt him... he'd probably try to run. He'd never harmed anyone with the things growing out of his skull, and he didn't want to start now especially with a lovely mare who was actually being civil to him.
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:29 pm
The black-coated Aeri relaxed more without forcing herself to, and she offered him an actual, real smile. He didn't seem to want to fight from his words, either - in fact, it sounded like he was a little afraid of her. Fancy that, a stallion with dual-horns was scared of a mare with none. She wasn't even that much taller than him, either. Why would he be scared of -- oh. Ohh. Maybe he'd heard the rumors too? The rumors of the black-coated nequus who went around destroying fruits? How anyone could think she was one of those, if they even existed, pissed her off. But he probably hadn't; with how he was acting, it seemed like he didn't talk to many others at all. He certainly seemed to be bad with the conversation so far, and they'd just started.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Taur." Keeping her smile, she offered him a nod of her head. "Yes, it is rather nasty outside, and thank you very much for allowing me to stay. I know some nequus in Quirne don't want others in their caves, and would chase them out." That had happened to her on one or two occasions. Greedy piles of drek. With the knowledge that he had no intention of attacking her firmly set in mind, she allowed her purple eyes to study his curious pointed appendages. The tips were a different color, and they were curved, but not in the way that a Reya's was. Hum.. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but why do you have horns? Did you always have them? I don't mean to seem nosy, but I've never seen anyone with horns like those before, and two to boot. They look very interesting." How did he get them? Was it a genetic thing? Did his parents have them? She'd have to ask, but not right away. She didn't want to overwhelm the poor fellow.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:34 am
Oh... This was different. She was... she was interested? People were usually scared or disgusted, not interested. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this. Surely it was good that she didn't fear or dislike him for them. Well, yes it was, of course it was. He couldn't get over being nervous though. She might change her mind, decide she hated him after all and even if she didn't... Well, she was pretty, and that was intimidating in itself. He'd never talked to a pretty mare before, well not since he'd grown up in any case.
"No, no I've not always had them," Taur said with a shake of his head. "They grew during my adolescence... I left my herd, because I didn't like the stallion who took charge after the old leader died. I was the only one who did leave, and everyone said a bad fate awaited me if I went through with it." Why tell her all this? She was a stranger, she didn't want to know his life story... but she had asked, so he might as well give her the whole tale. "I didn't listen to them. I laughed and told them they were all stupid, clinging onto each other and the herd, not going out and looking for their own lives. So I went out and looked for mine. I went exploring, entered the dark forest at the base of Casa Tiner. I saw... things while I was in there, I got lost and wandered for days but eventually I got out again and then... And then my head started to itch, and these things grew."
"So... So I suppose I don't really know why I have them. They just... grew." He did know. He should have listened to his parents, his friends; everyone. He shouldn't have left just because he didn't quite get on with the new herdleader. What a stupid colt he'd been. His bad fate had found him, he was paying for his brashness, his foolishness with these things growing out of his skull. What had he been thinking, going into that forest? Stupid worthless fool.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:43 am
So they just... grew? Well, he had gone into Casa Tiner's forest, that explained it. As far as she knew, no one alive knew more than the mysteries of the place. "Huh," she tossed her mane to the other side of her slender neck, "sounds like they grew because of... something in the forest. I don't know what's in there, but I've heard a nequus can go mad from the things they see in there, so you're lucky you didn't." Maybe he had, and he was just hiding it? ...no, no; he'd act quite differently if he was crazy, she knew. Or thought, anyway. She'd never met a crazy nequus before.
She took a step or two closer to better study the dual-horns. "So, they grew just like that? Did it hurt?" So many questions! But she didn't want to scare him - which she was probably doing now by being closer, so she took a step back and bobbed her head politely. "But, I would've done the same thing. I don't pretend to get along or be nice to people if I don't like them. I would've left too, but I've never been in a herd before." What was it like to be in one? She might've been in one when she was a foal, but she couldn't remember much from that age, so she wasn't quite sure really. Oh well.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:54 am
Taur shifted uncertainly as she moved closer, but thankfully she retreated a moment later. It did seem she wasn't going to harm him but... but that didn't mean he felt comfortable with her being close to him. It had been so long since he'd been near other Nequus, it seemed he'd forgotten how it was supposed to go. It wasn't supposed to go at all between people like him and people like her come to that.
"Well it... It hurt a little at first," he said eventually with a half shrug of his wings. "When the tips first grew through, and while they were getting thicker at the base it hurt. After that it just sort of... itches whenever they start to grow longer again... They seem to do that in the warm seasons mostly. I have to rub them on rocks to stop them getting too big." He'd tried to rub them away completely a few times, but past a certain point it became too painful to continue. No. He was stuck with these things.
"I'm... I'm glad you would've done the same," Taur went on after a few moments of silence. He wasn't quite sure why he'd said that, but he'd felt like it. The fact that someone would have behaved as he had behaved was comforting somehow. It made him feel... sort of accepted.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:57 am
Venus blinked. "They're.. they just keep growing?" Well, he'd said during the warmer months they did, but still. Did the other nequus with horns have to rub theirs so they wouldn't get too big? Did theirs grow, too? She didn't have one, so she wasn't sure, but.. but she'd never heard of anyone else's growing, except from foal to adult, so did that mean his were the only ones?
She tilted her head a bit, studying the horns a bit more, but remained where she was. "Huh, that's odd." Well, so were the fact he had not one, but two horns, but horns that grew? She wouldn't believe it if she wasn't seeing it for herself.
Shuffling her wings a bit, she leaned her weight on a hindleg and pondered. This certainly was a strange individual. A scaredy-rit with growing horns. Very interesting-looking horns, mostly because she was certain he wouldn't try to run her through with them. He wasn't bad looking either, she noted, looking past the sharp appendages. No, he looked like... like the beach, she couldn't help but notice. Like the beach on a cloudy day. At his last statement, she smiled again and bobbed her head. She didn't quite know what to say to it, besides something dumb like 'I'm glad that it makes you glad,' or something daft like that. A topic change sounded good. "I'm sorry if I've asked you so many questions, Taur; but it can be your turn if you like, you can ask me whatever you want. I'm afraid I don't have anything cool or interesting like you," why couldn't she have gotten horns? It would have been a lot easier dealing with some of her problems. Maybe some of them wouldn't have even started. "But you can still ask anything you'd like to know." There, maybe that would make him feel a bit better. Or more nervous, if he felt obligated to ask something but couldn't think of anything. Oh dear, she wasn't very good at this sort of thing.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:02 pm
Yes. It was odd. Weird. Freakish. She didn't seem to mind though. She tolerated him despite it. Despite them. The things. Why hate fate chosen him? Had leaving his herd really been so wrong that he deserved this? Perhaps it wasn't that. He must have done something else. Well he hadn't always been considerate of others' feelings he supposed. An apt punishment then, giving him these things that made most people treat him badly. But not Venus. She was nice. He couldn't think of anything to ask her though.
"Well... Umm... I..." He was no good at this at all. He was a fool. "Where... So where do you come from? Have you been to Quirne before?" Well, that was something. Not very imaginative maybe but still. Interesting though. She'd said odd before, but now interesting. Cool. She actually... she actually liked his horns? It was a crazy idea but it seemed that way. Maybe... Maybe they could be friends. She was so kind and so pretty. He hoped he could be her friend, at least in passing. It wasn't often people were nice to him after all. Taur shuffled his wings uncomfortably and tried to think of a way to suggest being friends into the conversation. It sounded stupid. Like something a foal would say. Let's be best friends forever. Not likely. Not likely at all.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:21 pm
Maybe he did feel obligated to ask? Oh dear. But he'd at least thought of something, that was good. Maybe she could help him out a little? It didn't seem as if the storm would lighten up anytime soon, so they needed to pass the time somehow, and she hoped it wouldn't be in awkward silence. "Well," she started, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth as she thought. "Like I said before, I don't think I've ever been in a herd. If I was, it would've been when I was too young to be able to remember. I used to live in the valley, but um.. I don't like to go there anymore, really," she said and scuffed a dark hoof on the sandy cave floor. "So I mostly just wander around now. I've been to Quirne before, I love it, it's so pretty. The water, the smell, the beach.. You look like the beach, you know," she added, studying his pelt again. Yes, the beach on a cloudy day. From his manner, it seemed like he was always having a cloudy day, poor fellow. He was rather handsome, though, and his horns made him stand out quite a bit. He didn't seem to like it, though. "So, do you live here then, or do you wander about too?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:31 pm
Oh. Maybe he shouldn't have asked that. He certainly wouldn't ask why she didn't like the valley, he didn't want to upset her... And she thought he looked like the beach? The beach, with clouds. That was probably the nicest thing anyone had said about him in a long time. If had had to be awake during the day, he liked it better cloudy. The beach on a cloudy day. He would have to try to remember that one. It was nice to have nice things to think about yourself.
"I...Thank you," Taur said eventually with a shy smile. "I suppose I do... You look like midnight with a clear sky." Starlight and moonlight and wonder. She was so lovely, and so kind. Perhaps life was going his way for once. He was glad of the storm that had brought her here. He hoped she didn't mind being stuck here though.
"I don't like the valley much either," Taur went on with a shake of his head. "Too crowded, and too open. I... I suppose I do travel, yes. I travel between here and Yisi depending on what a feel like, and the season. I don't have set homes in either place though." If he had nothing, then nothing could be taken away from him. It was a pathetic thing to think, but he couldn't help it. Besides, he liked being on the move, not having a set place he felt obligated to return to or remain in. So long as he had a secure place to sleep every day, it didn't really matter to him where it was.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:43 pm
Venus couldn't help but smile brightly. Oh, she loved compliments. It wasn't that she was vain, no; she just never really received compliments. Not real ones, anyway, just when people felt like being polite. She liked it when someone actually meant it. She hoped he did. "Thank you, Taur." Midnight with a clear sky. She'd have to remember that, it sounded so nice, and sweet. Normally the only thing people had to say about her pelt was in relation to the black bae, so it wasn't ever anything nice like what he'd said. She was glad she'd picked this cave to wander into instead of any others.
She dipped her muzzle in agreement, very glad he didn't ask her why she didn't like it. She wasn't sure if she'd tell him if he did ask, it was.. it was still too soon to talk about, and it would only upset her. She'd probably end up leaving to go beat the crap out of a rock or log or something. "It's always so crowded, even at night. And I like Yisi as well, it's so nice and quiet there. I.." Come to think of it, she didn't have a set home anywhere, either. Not anymore, at least. Hu. "I don't have a set home anywhere, either. I'd like to have one though, it'd be nice." But.. but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be tied down to one specific place somewhere, at least not yet. Not yet.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:52 pm
Well he could see the advantages to having a home he supposed. A place to belong, and if you had people to share it with, you'd be less likely to have it taken away. A family, a home. He certainly wanted the first, but he wasn't sure one way or the other on the second. Maybe he'd leave it up to his mate. It wasn't as if any of it would ever happen, so that possible solution was just fine. It didn't need to work in practice, just in his fantasy world.
"I like the trees," Taur went on awkwardly, wishing he was better at conversation. "And... and all the water is nice," though he didn't like seeing himself in it, "and all the fruit you find growing there. And the shade. It's... err... it's nice and shady." Oh no. He really was making a fool of himself. Just perfect. Shade was shady. Why had he gone and said that? Stupid. So very stupid.
"So... so you travel alone too then?" Maybe that hadn't been such a good thing to ask. Well maybe it was fine. Maybe it was something else she'd be sensitive about. Oh dear. He hoped he hadn't upset her. Taur shuffled his wings uncomfortably and hoped that he hadn't. He wanted her to keep liking him.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:06 pm
She'd had the second, almost had the first. She'd been so close, but.. but she supposed she was sort of.. sort of glad she hadn't. She wouldn't want to be with someone so fickle anyway. But she'd reacted the same. Did that make her fickle, too? Oh dear. She certainly hoped not. No, no; she didn't think so, she was willing to work things out, but he wasn't. She'd tried. Not too hard, though, especially after all those awful things he'd said.
His awkward conversation brought her back to reality though, and she couldn't help but smile at his attempts. She bobbed her head again. "Yes, I like the trees and fruit and everything, too. Especially the fruit, it tastes so delicious, especially the purple ones." Mmm.. Drat, now she had a craving for some. Oh well, she'd just have to go find them at some point soon. In a few suns or so, certainly not right now. It wasn't like she could in this storm anyway, but she was actually enjoying herself. She refrained from commenting on his 'shade is shady' bit, however. He really wasn't good at conversation, was he? No matter. "Yes, I do," she said with another dip of her muzzle. Not like her fleeting mate had ever really wanted to travel, anyway; she'd traveled alone before, hadn't traveled at all while she was with him, and now she was traveling alone again. At least that part wasn't as upsetting as others. "I always have, I don't mind it. I like to, because then I can travel wherever and whenever I want to, and I only have to worry about myself and where I want to go, and when I want to stop and rest. But I like to travel with others too," she added quickly; she didn't want to sound callous or anything. "It's a lot more fun with others, but I never have anyone to wander with." She hardly ever had, but whenever she did, it was usually more fun than being alone. It seemed no one really liked to go near anyone with a black pelt now, though. Oh well.
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