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 Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:44 pm
She sighed, and angled her wings downwards, descending towards the sandy beach. Within a few moments she touched down and trotted forward a few paces before slowing to a halt, and she stood still for a few minutes. She glanced to her side, gazing at the reflected rays from the sun that danced across the waves of the ocean that had irritated her so while in flight. She smiled to herself, flicking the tips of her muscular tails, and stretched out both wings at once, then folded them to her sides. She turned her gaze ahead of her to inspect the beach there, but saw nothing save more sand and water. She laughed to herself, watching as the waves washed up on the beach and surrounded her hooves. She lifted a hoof up once or twice and brought it crashing down on the wave to send the water droplets flying. She smiled to herself, thinking way back to her past, but shook her head and began walking down the beach. It did no good to dwell on the past, she knew, but reminiscing about happy times was all right. With a toss of her curly white mane, the mare stepped lightly across the shifting sands. Maybe she'd find her here one day soon.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:35 am
Maurice grinned to himself and rearranged his wings in order to climb higher. His short trip away from the sea, and the subsequent meeting with a very disagreeable half-blood, had only increased his appreciation of it. He couldn't wait for the beginning of the hot summer months when he'd promised to go back to D'ob. The valley itself he could take or leave but seeing Nizhoni again was appealing. She had been a kind mare and with his new found confidence he was sure he could make a friend of her. The creamy mare would love this view, he was sure of it.
Speaking of view, not far ahead of him there was a pallid shape standing on the sand. Maurice frowned thoughtfully; it looked like a Reya mare... Cressida? He couldn't make out her gold sheening at this distance but it might well be her. Even if it wasn't there was no harm in taking a look.
The Ichsa stallion angled his wings down once more, bringing himself into land in the shallows a little way away from the creature that he could now clearly see was not his friend. Ah well, perhaps he could make a new one today.
"Hi there," he called to the snowy-coated being, wading out of the sea and moving a little closer to her as he spoke.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:48 pm
The mare's ears twitched as Maurice spoke, swiveling to face the direction the blue stallion was in. Her slender head followed suit, and her bright blue eyes made quick, darting glances over him as she studied this new nequus. She hadn't seen one in quite some time, so that it was always a pleasure to see a nequus once in a while. However, this one was an ichsa stallion. Any other breed or gender she would have no problems with, but the stallions of the slender breed brought bad memories of the past to the surface, causing a snort to escape the white reya mare. She hadn't seen many nequus since that time, and no ichsas since then either, but that did nothing to rid her of the distrust she held towards the males of the breed. However, she knew not all of them would prove their stereotype true, so after another moment of hesitation, she took a step or two towards the ichsa. "Greetings, sir," she began, the tone in her soft voice light and pleasing. She distrusted all nequus, but none more than the male ichsas, however she didn't allow her voice to betray the feeling. "I've not seen another nequus in quite some time, so it's quite a pleasure to meet one after so long. I am called Rhea, a name that is too short already for any sort of nickname." Her bright eyes never left the blue-coated stallion, even as she dipped her muzzle in a polite bow before raising it once more. Such a handsome color, she noted silently, and such a peculiar marking. Interesting pendant, too. No doubt he received it from the humans. All this happened in a matter of seconds before she resumed with a gentle smile. "Who, may I ask, do I have the pleasure of addressing, my dear sir?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 4:01 pm
Maurice frowned briefly to himself as she turned. Familiar. Somehow she looked... no. No he'd never met this mare before, he was imagining things. As she greeted him and dipped her head politely, the blue stallion grinned and bobbed his head in reply. She seemed quite nice already if a touch formal but perhaps she was either rusty from not having talked to others for a while or, due to the same, feared to insult him and lose the chance for a conversation.
"Nice t' meet y' Rhea, I'm Maurice an' I promise y' I ain't no sir." Feathers in her mane and tail along with silver jewellery. Really rather fetching, but then the whole of her form was rather fetching. "Are y' new t' the coast, Rhea?" the strange-eyed Nequus quizzed, glancing about at his surroundings. No matter how many times he looked the sight still awed him.
"If y' are y've picked a good time t' come," he went on with a smile, "we've been havin' some really impressive storms these last few days." Hopefully this pure white mare would be one of the ones that also appreciated such displays rather than one of the ones that thought he was more than a bit nuts for prancing around in the thunder, the winds and the driving rain.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:01 am
Raised with manners and being formal, the white mare didn't drop the formalities unless she had befriended another and could talk and joke with them in a more casual - and comfortable - manner. However, she hadn't felt comfortable around anyone, especially ichsa stallions, for a long time. However, this one, for now, didn't seem to be all that bad. He had a rather endearing accent, to be sure.
"Whether you are a sir or not is no consequence to me, for I was born and raised with manners, so saying 'sir' and 'miss' are second nature to me," she said with another gentle smile. She hadn't meant to insult him, surely, if he would care to take it that way. It was merely an attempt to explain her formal manner, even if it could have been worded better. His question of whether she was new there or not brought another, more dreamy smile to her face as she paused before speaking. "You could say that. I've not been here in quite some time. I used to come here, although not this same stretch of the beach, all the time, years ago."
She couldn't help but chuckle at his comment about storms. "I'll take your word for it, Maurice. I'm not one for prancing around in driving rain, but I'll take shelter somewhere to watch them from somewhere less damp and windy." Another faraway look appeared on her face as she turned it to stare out at the sea. "It is such a calming sight, the sea, especially when one's nerves are frayed and hope is nearing its ending point. Perhaps it will give me the strength to continue on my way. The sea always seems to invigorate people, I think. It's all of the little things in the air the seawater shoots up with the waves, I think. Gets into your system and makes you feel like a foal again." All this she spoke as she gazed at the sea, talking more to herself or to the sea than to Maurice.
She blinked suddenly, then turned her gaze back to the stallion as reality hit her once more. "Oh, excuse me, I was daydreaming again. I apologize for rambling on, too," she said with an apologetic smile. The sea did indeed have a calming effect on her. Had she been anywhere else, she thought, she might have been less polite to this stallion. However, the sea had calmed her nerves and manner, and his accent and good manners had disarmed her further. Perhaps he would rid her of her preconceived distrust of ichsa stallions?
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:25 am
The blue-coated stallion waited until she had finished speaking. Hope? Hope for what? Something was troubling her? What was this thing she was trying to so? Should he ask? In order to buy time to ponder these questions the silver-marked stallion set about replying to the Reya's other words.
"It's a'right, I don' mind what people call me that much, jus' sayin' that it in' needed or deserved or nothin'." How many years ago had she come to this area, the stallion wondered. She didn't look all that old at all but her manner certainly wasn't that of a filly. "Well, 'm sure the ocean remembers y'.” Oops. He hadn’t really meant to say that bit aloud. “Sorry,” the Ichsa said with an apologetic grin, “that was kind of an odd thing t' say. I guess I think of the sea as more... more alive than most people." The vast body of water certainly seemed alive to him. Sentient even. Like some higher power that smiled at you, that cared about you right now and didn't care what you had been or what you might be tomorrow.
"An' the ramblin's fine too," Maurice went on, pulling himself from his thoughts. "Erm..." Well if she did get angry with him he could always run away. "Could I ask what it is y' tryin' to do Rhea? I don' mean t' seem nosey but... well I am bein' kinda nosey I guess. Er. Per'aps a better question is; can I do anythin' to 'elp?" And once again, his way with words shone through. Whoopie.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:45 am
The blue stallion's way with words brought a smile to the snow-colored mare's face. He certainly seemed to be nice and was very polite. She turned her head and gazed out at the sea another moment, then returned her blue eyes to Maurice with a soft smile. "Yes, the ocean does seem alive, the way it moves constantly and the way it affects certain nequus. And, if it is like a sentient being, I would certainly hope it remembers me. If only it could speak, it may be able to help," she said as she gazed out at the ocean once more.
"But you," she said, her bright blue eyes turning to watch the blue-coated stallion, "may be able to help." After all, he'd asked what was the matter, and had offered his services. "Oh, psh, you're not being nosey, Maurice. At least, I don't think so. I don't mind the question either, and your offer is very princely. In all honesty, I've been searching for someone very close to me for quite some time. She was separated from me a long time ago by a stallion of your kind, but he got what he deserved," she said with an innocent smile. "She is my sole surviving daughter, but after searching for so long I'm beginning to doubt that I shall see her again." Her soft tone seemed to get a tad softer as she spoke the last statement, her ears flicking backwards slightly. Forging on, however, she watched Maurice closely. "She's white and gold in color, and though still young, she isn't a filly anymore. Her name," she added with a smile, ignoring the painful thought that she wouldn't see her daughter again, "is Cressida."
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:16 am
Before she'd even got to describing the one she sought Maurice had frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. Separated by and Ichsa who'd got what he had coming. Daughter. Yes, yes of course it was. Then the white mare began to describe the object of her search. Then she spoke the name and the blue-coated stallion laughed aloud and pranced about a bit.
"Cressie! Y're Cressie's mother? No way!" Well wasn't the world full of nice coincidences after all? "I met 'er not more'n a few weeks back!" the stallion went on, stilling himself again and shaking his head with a smile as he realised why he'd recognised the white mare. The daughter and the mother certainly did share similarities and they were even easier to see now that he knew the connection.
What a surprise the golden mare would get when she next visited! If of course Rhea stayed rather than going off in the hopes of finding her daughter rather than waiting for her to return to the sea. Still, one way or another it was almost a dead certainty that his friend would be reunited with the white mother that stood before him now. This chance meeting and the things that would tem from it would be enough to restore even the biggest cynic's faith in causality as a whole. As he wasn't an especially cynical Nequus, Maurice felt more than a little elated and, at that moment, might have been ready to believe that any good thing he could imagine might just happen one day.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:34 am
She watched as he stood, frozen, as she spoke, and simply assumed it was because she'd said that she was separated from her daughter and the consequence. However, when he began to laugh and prance about like a young colt, it became fairly confusing to the white mare. Before she could speak to him and ask him what in the world he was doing, however, he used her daughter's nickname, and she couldn't help but smile and laugh along with him, her spirits elated farther than they had been in years. Her heart seemed to be fluttering in her chest as she spoke. "You've seen her? You know where she is?" If he called her by her nickname and was so happy about their meeting, certainly Cressida had approved of him, and that was good enough for her.
"Where is she now? Do you know?" She asked quickly, hardly able to keep herself still. Her long search was nearly over, for she had met a friend of Cressida's that could reunite them after so long. "How is she doing? Is she all right? Was she searching for me, too?" The last question was added after a pause, and the snow-colored mare wondered if Cressida had missed her as much as she missed her daughter. With a toss of her curly-maned head, Rhea could stand it no longer, and she began to prance about and laugh herself. "Finally! Oh, I've been searching for so long!"
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:45 am
Maurice blinked as he tried to order all the questions that had just been fired at him. "Yea, I seen 'er an' she seemed t' be doin' fine t' me. She was 'appy enough, 'ealthy; damn fast she is, I would'n've been able t' keep up with 'er when we went runnin' if she hadn' slowed down f' me." He couldn't remember what order the white mare's exited queries had come in now so general information would have to suffice.
"She's pretty tall; looks a bit like you actually and she's got all braids in 'er mane. She was, is, lookin' f' you too; that must'a been where she went to do after I last saw 'er." Ah, a bit of slightly less good news now but not all that bad considering. Still; he didn’t want to give it. Oh well; no help for it. "I… I dunno exactly where she is right now," the pupiless-eyed stallion said with a slightly awkward scuff of one fore hoof at having to disappoint the Reya mare. "She'll be back though," he added hurriedly. "Not sure when exactly but I don' think it'll be all that long."
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:02 am
Her jubilant behavior wasn't about to stop, even though Maurice had thought he'd had some bad news. Nothing could dampen her spirits at this point. She danced around in a circle before managing to regain control of herself, and she smiled over at the blue-coated stallion. "Yes, she always has been fleet of foot. The braids are new to me, that's perfectly fine. And yes, yes, of course she'll be back. We used to take trips to the ocean many times when she was just a filly, and it's only natural for her to return to something we shared together back then." Still, she couldn't help but be so joyful over this. She did manage to keep herself calm, though, and didn't break into another prancing, dancing fit.
"It's perfectly fine that you don't know where she is right now. What matters is she's alive and well and I shall see her within the next few weeks, in all probability, and it's all thanks to you." Yet again, unable to contain herself, she pranced around a bit more, a grin on her features and her bright blue eyes shining. With an enthusiasm matching that of a young filly, she pranced around Maurice in a circle. "Thank you so much, Maurice! You've no idea how utterly and completely happy this makes me. I'm overjoyed, and I can hardly wait to see dear Cressida again."
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:17 am
The blue stallion smiled softly at the white Nequus' exuberance, glad that the fact that he didn't know exactly where Cressida was hadn't put a damper on her happiness. "S' my pleasure," the Ichsa said as he watched the white mare dance about him. "I was jus' in the right place at the right time, yea? Right place right time twice come t' that."
The stallion's vivid blue eyes turned back to the sea again and he smiled at it. "Good stuff 'appens by the ocean, don' it?" he asked rhetorically. It had been so for him, making friends and regaining a little of his confidence, and now it was happening for a friend. Two friends maybe; Rhea certainly seemed to have warmed to him and he felt that he had to her as well. Her honesty, uninhibited joy at the thought of seeing her daughter again was evidence enough for him of her good character.
"So, y' gonna stay 'ere an' wait f' 'er or go out lookin'?" Maurice asked the blue-eyed mare, hoping she would do the former. Company would be good and, seen as Cressida's location was unknown, it was probably the swiftest way for the two mares to meet up in any case, unless there was another Nequus nearby that had met the golden Reya and had a better idea of where she might have gone.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:30 pm
She managed to regain her composure and she halted beside him, but the smile on her face she was unable to control. She smiled at the blue-coated Ichsa stallion, who disproved all her preconceived notions of the breed. "Yes, wonderful things happen at the ocean. I think that is because the ocean itself is a wonderful place," she said, gazing out at the rippling waters that reflected the beams of light from the sun.
She turned her bright blue eyes back to her companion, still smiling. "Yes, I'll stay here to wait. Although I can hardly stand to wait, it would be foolish to run off in search of her again in such a large world as this. She will return her one day soon, and I shall see her then. In the meantime, it looks like you will have yourself a new neighbor, if that is all right with you, Maurice," she said with a smile. With his attitude and manner, she assumed he wouldn't object to her staying there to wait with him, but it was still in her nature to be polite and ask permission. He made his home by the ocean, and as she'd be intruding if she were to live so close to him suddenly, she felt the need to ask. Whether she needed to ask or not mattered little.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:44 pm
Maurice smiled at the Reya mare and bobbed his head. "That sounds sensible t' me an' y' most welcome t' live near by me. None of this land is 'mine' if y' understand me. Not that I think it could ever really be anyone's but... yea, y' welcome t' be here. Some company'd be nice."
She had a point, too. An interesting one. The goodness of the ocean rubbing off on those who came to see it. Whilst it wasn't a very sensible notion he still liked it. As he'd said, the sea seemed alive to him. Why shouldn't it have control of the area around it? The silver-marked Ichsa turned his gaze out over the brilliant waters. What would it be like to be able to fly for long enough that everything around you was just sea and sky? The land just a memory behind you. No Nequus would be able to survive in such a state but the notion still appealed. Sea and sky and a horizon stretching forever. Well, he could dream such a things. Wasn't that what they were for? For living the days and the things that you couldn't when tied to needs like thirst, weariness and hunger?
"Err." The stallion blinked, coming back to himself as a gust of wind rushed by. "Sorry," he said with a smile to his companion. "Was miles away for a moment there. Yea. A new neighbour'd be lovely, especially if it were you."
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 3:12 pm
"Thank you, Maurice," she said with a smile, bobbing her head. "I understand that this land belongs to no one in particular, but I was raised with manners and civility, and old habits are hard to break. I'm sure you can understand that," she said with a smile and another nod.
She gazed out at the ocean as he did, but looked back at him after a few moments. A small smile alighted her face as she saw the distant look in his eyes. She couldn't help but laugh a little when he came back to reality. "It's quite all right. I'm guilty of being far away myself on occasion," she said with another airy laugh.
A soft blush crept into her cheeks at his last statement, and she couldn't help but smile at him. "Why do you say that, Maurice? Why would I be better as a neighbor than any other nequus?"
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