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 Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 7:59 pm
 The woods around Phonyland were nice this time of year, Oddish decided. Nice in that they weren't crowded when it was cold, and it was fairly easy to spot plants many would consider to be weeds when the flowers were all snug underground waiting for spring. The hardy plants--those were the ones Oddish was interested in.
She strolled along at her own leisure, with a little infinity scarf on to keep her warm. In the distance, she spotted a figure, mostly black-and-white and teal all over, doing...something else. Whoever they were, they had a killer mane, totally fluffy and curly and just super, super awesome. She kept quiet, admiring the hair, trying not to disturb a fellow hiker's peace and equilibrium, until she noticed something.
Wherever they were rooting, they were about to step smack-dab into some stinging, itching, red-welt spreading poison oak.
"Oi!" Oddish called, speeding up. She didn't have a name to cry out, so she just said: "Killa curls!"
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:19 pm
All year 'round was when Lovely Corpse would scavenge the woods regularly, but in the cold winter months were when things were preserved just a tad better -- at least, they lasted longer without immediate attention than in sweltering heat. Extreme temperatures, one way or another, never seemed to bother the phony as she trudged forward, nudging at various foliage to see what was underneath.
The teal mare hadn't even noticed that she had company.
Just a step away from the poison oak, one hoof hovering, the young filly called out for Lovely Corpse with a nickname she had never heard before. At first, she didn't identify it as one for herself since she didn't know there were other phonies around in general, but the mare did look in the direction that the call had come from. Her ever grinning maw locked in place as her dark eyes met Oddish's, Lovely Corpse stared with interest at the approaching young phony.
Without a word, she stared blankly -- hoof still hovering -- at the newcomer.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:32 pm
What? The weird makeshift name had worked? Oddish was impressed despite herself--she wouldn't have turned around, but, hey, she didn't have a head of hair like that, either.
But Killa Curls was still in danger of stepping, and--whoa, dang! Her hair wasn't the only thing about her that was killer. She had nifty black eyes and some serious chompers in her grin.
Not that Oddish didn't know what it was like to be judged on things you couldn't control. She herself had terrible RBF, which she heard more than once made her seem mean to others.
But Killa's traits were damn cool. And for the third time in so many minutes (a record), Oddish was seriously impressed.
"Hey! Heyo!" called Oddish, slowing down as she approached. "You're, uh--you're about to step in a serious hoof-itching amount of poison oak there." She indicated the plants with her hoof.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:40 pm
If Lovely Corpse had been probably any other phony and Oddish had spoken her compliments aloud, the mare would have been beyond flattered that the young blue filly thought so highly of her appearance -- however, since it was Lovely Corpse, they wouldn't have phased her. While she never had negative thoughts about herself, the teal phony was never swayed with good words and flattery.
Once Oddish was close enough to offer her warning, only then did Corpse take a step back and look at the guilty plant. She knew little about plant life or anything unrelated to taxidermy or preservation (to be honest), so the mare didn't know one way or another. Having stepped in poisonous plants before, despite the irritation afterward she never really considered why it had happened. Peeling her eyes from the oak to Oddish, her smile grew just a tad.
"Thank," she said plainly, not even turning her body to look at Oddish; her head being the only part of her to face the filly. If her appearance wasn't (awesomely) unsettling enough, her behaviors would definitely do the trick.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:44 pm
Now that the warning had been given and received, in whatever... uh, interesting way that it had been, normalcy had been reset. The mare not turning fully toward her was probably as much of a cue as any other that Oddish should probably continue on with her hike.
But, like LC wasn't like other mares, Oddish wasn't much like them either. She was curious. And this mare was a curiosity.
"Welcome," she replied, just as briefly. She relaxed back onto her back hooves, indicating herself. "Uh, I'm Oddish. Usually the only one out hiking here. You been here much before? This your first time?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:19 pm
Lovely Corpse's posture wasn't meant as a signal for Oddish to leave, it was just the mare's strange mannerisms at work. However, she did lower her head to be more at eye level with the filly and her creepy grin never moved.
"Oddish," Lovely Corpse repeated like a parrot, taking just a second to plop her behind down onto the ground without moving her tail out of the way. "Us'ally jus' in th' woods. Come h're a lot." Without much thought, the mare had forgotten to offer her own name in return, not realizing that it was rude. She did continue staring, however... just as equally rude.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:25 am
For a long moment, Oddish stared back at LC. The mare's eyes were cool, but the longer she stared, the more the 'cool' was starting to mix in with 'creepy'. The silence stretched on between them for longer than Oddish might otherwise have allowed it to go on. Then, with a shrug, she said:
"Gotcha," she said with a grin. "Well. See plants like that? Don't step in 'em. Should I just call you Killa Curls if I see you out here again? 'Cause I come out here a lot, too."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:24 pm
The mare passed a glance back toward the poison oak at Oddish's prodding -- whether she was just staring or trying to study it, only Lovely Corpse knew. Her gaze remained on the foliage as the filly posed her next question, but with a moment's pause it returned to her new friend in curiosity.
"Mm," she murmured, finally turning her whole body to Oddish with the short lifting of her rear to plop back down. "Lov'ly Corpse." It was simple, much like the mare herself. Her head remained down to stay eye level with Oddish, and again her creepy gaze pierced the other phony.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:30 pm
Oddish could not have explained why, exactly, she didn't just wave a hoof and continue with her hike at that point. For some reason, maybe because having a conversation with Lovely Corpse was really similar to having a conversation with a fish or a wall--and thus a very interesting and engaging Zen question--she didn't want to just yet. And LC didn't seem like she was shooing her off yet, either.
"Lovely Corpse. Nice to meet you." She grinned, nodding. "Mind if I ask what you're out here for in the winter? I just like finding plants, but that doesn't really seem to be your jam."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:40 pm
Lovely Corpse wasn't one to turn away company regardless of it being welcomed or not -- it just wasn't something she ever considered doing. Plus, she remembered her days as a filly and while she wasn't much of a conversationalist, she did enjoy their company. The mare hadn't met many others, but when she would, she would take the opportunity to hang out.
Nodding at Oddish's sentiments, Lovely Corpse slowly nodded to the unnoticed satchel hanging from her flank.The cold air had kept the scent of dead animals from spreading, but a former raccoon's tail hung lifelessly out of the satchel's side. "Look'n f'r anim'ls," she admitted, though there was no shame on her permanent expression. "Tax'dermy."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:48 pm
Oddish didn't quite understand what LC was talking about for a moment, until her eyes alighted on the hitherto unnoticed satchel. She squinted at it, poking her nose forward, until she realized that what she was looking at was an ex-raccoon's tail. Her head jerked back in surprise, but her expression was amazed.
"Wha--WHOAAAAA," she exclaimed, her jaw dropping. Her eyes widened and then she remembered herself, lowering her head respectfully to the dead raccoon.
"Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death," she quoted respectfully to the animal, then nodded her head. She looked up at LC and smiled again. "That's really cool. Do you have a shop or something?"
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