|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:54 am
Muzzle still dripping but clean, he regarded her thoughtfully as she explained about herself. It seemed she had a passion for tending hurt creatures, which to his mind was a noble cause. As she explained about the humans, which he was curious about since he didn't really know any himself, a thought occured to him. "So rather than being a Healer, as a unicorn would be, you are a Medicine Mare." It was a statement rather than an inquiry. He did know about the humans, he just wasn't familiar with any of them personally. "You've learned the ways to care for otehrs without means of a horn."
He then broke into a grin. "It's good knowledge to have, even if you can't administer it in delicate places." And he again flushed hot beneath his purple hide, but he still smiled genuinely. A little teasing couldn't be a bad thing, right? It wasn't pretending, like the other time. It wasn't playacting. Perhaps... perhaps there were other ways to go about achieving his dreams than just dreaming them?
"It must be nice to have a purpose in life," he continued, sobering a bit. "I'm not sure I have such a drive. I just... am." He shrugged a bit resignedly. "But you have known what you liked to do since you were a foal. All I've done is daydream." His tone clearly communicated that this, to his mind, was a clear fault. He was definitely coming to regret his talespinning talent, and his tendancy to get caught up in his own fantasies.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:01 pm
Gemma had honestly never thought of it like that before and this stallion did have a very odd way of putting things, didn't he? She liked it, though, and it made her break out into quite the smile, there, "I suppose I am. A Medicine Mare. I like that, Leon. Medicine Mare." she laughed and tossed her gold-tipped mane slightly before scanning the area for that grass she'd promised him. He may have forgotten, momentarily, about his grumbling stomach but she hadn't. Food was vital and one of the most important ways to take care of another.
"A purpose? Well, I never really thought of it like that, either. It's just something I do...But I suppose it could be called a purpose. Daydreaming is fine, Leon. You can take those dreams and reach the stars, travel places that you cannot otherwise, and learn the secrets of the world by just closing your eyes. Even if you don't have it when you wake up, you've had it for a moment, haven't you? Having something wonderful, even for a moment, is worth it I think. So many moments, so few good ones. Even if bad happens after it, like crashing from a day dream, you still had the day dream didn't you?"
Gemma's eyes spotted a good spot to graze and she started to treck through the slow-moving stream to the other side, "Here, breakfast. Or is it lunch by this time? Probably. I tend to lose track of time. Now, eat up, before you turn into a stick and blow away in a strong gust."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:10 pm
He listened to her quietly, but her thoughts on the value of having a dream, even if it crashes back to reality, made him stop. He didn't... quite... suck a deep breath, but his stomach tightened and flipped upside down. Value in the dream of rescuing and trysting with a stolen princess, when the reality was a daughter of the ocean playing a game with him? His stomach did another flipflop. He wasn't so sure of that.
In fact, he was so caught up in his reaction, he just stared after her as she moved away from him and across the stream. When she called to him about losing track of time, he finally came back to the current reality. But at this point he felt as if he'd been kicked in the belly, and his appetite was distinctly lacking. To buy himself some time, he stepped into the stream and sank his muzzle in again, drinking deeply. The cool water soothed the throat he hadn't realized was tight, and helped him to settle his stomach.
By the time he followed her up the other bank to the grassy field, he was able to nibble politely on the grass without feeling he'd be immediately sick. The more he nibbled, the more his stomach settled, which he found surprising. It didn't occur to him that part of his trouble was hunger. Soon he was voraciously ripping up mouthfuls of grass and gulping them down. After a time of silent grazing, the heaviness in his belly told him he'd best stop or he really would be sick, of a different sort.
With a contented sigh he ambled to a sunny spot and stood with his back to a breeze, swishing his short tail to ward off any stray insects. "So what does a Medicine Mare do when not tending to others?" He wanted to ask too who usually tended to her, but figured that was too personal. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure it was something he should be asking at all. He'd tended her the once, but she'd seemed confident in giving instruction. Surely there was someone else who took care of her. She didn't need the likes of him tagging along to look after her. Inwardly he chided himself for the very thought. What was wrong with him? Had he gone mare-mad?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:16 pm
One thing about Gemma was when she was thinking about something, anything else completely fluttered away and thus the gemling had no idea that the stallion was feeling sick at all. Odd, considering she usually made it her mission to heal any kind of illness at all. Perhaps he did a good job at hiding his sudden lack of appetite and his thoughts. Or perhaps she was already too busy in her own grazing. She hadn't eaten that day, yet, so it was her first meal as well!
When he didn't come, though, the mare lifted her head and canted it to the side, waiting patiently for him to finish crossing the stream and begin eating. Like a mother watching and making sure her foal ate all of its meal before going off to play. Satisfied that he was now getting food in his belly she bent her head down again to rip daintily at the grass. Primness was something she definitely inherited from her mother.
"I wander," she answered his question, "Or I lounge with my family and play with my siblings. Or talk to my father and mother. Our family is very close." a smile crossed over her lips at the thought of Aedelstan - the middle child and the quietest of the three. Beautiful unicorn that took after their mother. And Raphael, her own protector, who looked so much like their father. The three of them were close and tight knit - almost too close, if she was going to be honest. The two of them protected her fiercely thanks to instruction from that damnable bird and her father.
Oh, she loved her father, but so overprotective! "And what does a dreamer do when he's not dreaming, hm?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:26 pm
He couldn't help it. He snorted in self-deprecation and muttered before he could catch himself, "Getting into deep trouble." There was a sudden urge to spill it all to this calm, self-assured mare, but he caught back the impulse. This was not a matter for strangers, nice as they may be. He was acutely aware that the slightest wrong word in reaction would further crumble his shaky stability, so he refrained. No, the only one he could trust to understand his humiliation was his sister. He knew without a doubt that she would not mock him, nor belittle his pain. She would know what to say to ease the heavy burden of guilt and other tumbled, mixed up feelings.
Instead, he turned his thoughts to trying to address what he'd been asked. "Daydream is pretty much all I do, I suppose," he replied heavily, ears communicating skepticism at the wisdom of that. "When I am not tending to needs, or talking with my sister, that's all I pretty much do." How embarassing to admit that his left lacked depth to that degree. Well, there was nothing for it but to bear up under the truth. He bowed his head and lipped at a random plant disintrestedly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:35 pm
That, Gemma caught, most definitely and it made her pause and raise a brow, "Deep trouble? What trouble have you gotten into?" Now she was intrigued, moving closer to the stallion with concern on her face. Ah, she often did this and she knew it drove her brothers crazy, "Does it have anything to do why you were laying half dead on the forest floor and haven't eaten in so long?" Probing. Gemma did that well - but not in such a way where it SEEMED like she was poking. She actually was concerned, and that much could be heard, at least.
She wouldn't comment on daydreaming - she'd never seen it as bad unless all one did was live in their fantasies and refused to acknowledge reality. It wasn't something that this stallion seemed to have a problem with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:52 pm
Leon balked, stepping back several quick steps at he was confronted with exactly the questions he did NOT want to answer, not right now when everything was so fresh, so painful. But he didn't want to insult and brush off his new friend either. Frantically, his eyes almost rolling again, he searched for the answer, and found it. Time for truth again, though of a less revealing sort.
He snorted uncomfortably and shifted his hooves, but didn't move away again. He cleared his throat noisily and made himself look her in the eyes to show her how he felt. "Thank you for asking," he said softly and in sincerity. "It is kind of you, and I know it is your way to heal hurts. But these aren't the sort that can be smoothed over or kissed away." This last was in reference to how hism other tended to love on him to make him smile and feel safe again after some hurt or trauma. His foalhood had been fraught with supposed traumas, so he had gotten kissed quite often by his mother. "I'm just not able to talk about it yet," he continued. "I'm sorry." This last was said even softer, with a tender look in his eyes that for a moment spoke more of regret at the lost chance to draw closer to this pretty friend. He wasn't really aware of his own undertone, though. It was an instinctive, natural thing, below his radar for dramatic emotional reactions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:57 pm
A frown touched the gemling's face, but she didn't probe any further. She knew when to back off, and when to press. "I'll listen when you find yourself ready to talk, if you ever do," she assured him and bent her head down into the grass again to talk a small bite of a meal. No, Gemma wasn't offended by the need to keep some things quiet. She knew her mother was the very same way with her father sometimes.
He'd press, and she'd pull back, and cry. Gemma never really understood why she did that sometimes but she knew that she didn't mean to hurt Zaphiro by doing so. As her head lifted to assure him she wasn't upset in the least, her eyes caught his and she smiled to do just that, "You don't need to apologize. I suppose I just like healing any hurts that I can. But sometimes time is the best healer and there's nothing my wings nor hoofs nor mouth nor ears can do, yes?" One wing came out to pat him gently on the back and the tips stroked through the stallion's hair, "You just eat, and know that you have silent company."
With that, she pulled her wing away and bent down to continue her meal once more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:07 pm
Leon felt... grateful! That was what the sensation was. Grateful not to be pressed, grateful that she understood without him having to tell her all. He'd known so many dense and callous foals when he was young, he tended to expect those he met as an adult to be the same way. He gazed at her in astonished appreciation as she took a mouthful, then felt the warmth intended with the stroke of her wing. She understood!
Stirred by his upwelling of gratefulness, he moved clsoer to her and nuzzled his thanks. "Sometimes silence is more healing than a stream of words poured out in love," he commented. "Thank you, Gemma. It... helps more than you can know." He still blushed faintly at his touch of affection towards her, but since he hadn't meant it to be a romantic pass, he let the heat drain away in the light of his positive feelings for this new friend of his.
"Did you say something about raspberries?" he inquired then. His belly was full with grass, but a taste of sweet would be welcome. "They sound especially good right now." He turned to nibble an itch away and noticed he'd now lost all his roses from his tail. "A rosebush would be welcome as well," he murmured regretfully. His black roses and his neckchain were his only adornments, thing which made him feel more handsome and dressed up. He wasn't quite as meticulous as his sister with them, but he preferred to keep himself up if he could. What a mess he was!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:12 pm
The nuzzle sent warmth through her. Ah, that was the best part of her 'job'. The gratitude that she felt from those she worked with - in any sense of the word. It made everything, especially the lack of hands, worthwhile! "That is something I can agree with," she answered with a soft laugh, "And you don't need to thank me for doing something that any decent Soquili would do in the first place."
Her head leaned in to return the nuzzle and she stepped back, looking quite amused at the mention of raspberries, "Yes, there's a bush rather close by that's full of them. My mother's quite fond of them." She trotted back across the stream and started in the direction where the bush laid. Once she got to it - about ten minute walk away - she nosed toward it, "Have your fill, Leon. Though if you eat all of them my father may come to get some for momma and end up getting yelled at for returning empty handed!" She laughed.
Hienna never yelled in earnest. Her parents never really fought. But it was funny how they antagonized each other constantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:19 pm
He contentedly followed her, moving quietly and without any extra expended effort. It felt good to just be. Without expectations. How strange to make one friend so recently who reveled in pretending, in that side of him that dreamt... and now to meet a friend who fulfilled the real needs of quiet, of reality, of normalcy. It was an unsusual balance. At this particular point, his painful experience made him lean more towards a desire for normalcy and reality rather than dreams and pretending. At the moment they were much much safer.
As he maneuvered to carefully nibble off the small berries, he spoke between bites. "Tell me about your mother?" He paused to smile, unaware of the amusing color of his teeth from eating the bright berries. "She sounds like a lovely mare." Particularly if she is anything like you are, he mentally added as he took another nibble. Right now some quiet conversation about loving domestic situations suited his mood exactly. Something soothing, reliable, and non-dramatic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:35 pm
"Hmm, my mother, eh? Well, her name is Hienna and she's a unicorn. Beautiful, beautiful purple coat..." she lifted up her legs and showed the brighter patch of purple, "Something like that, actually. I'm told I'm the perfect mix of my parents. But...Momma. Momma's got a golden horn and jewels all over her body." Oh, yes, Gemma admired her mother so very much, "She's very soft spoken, usually. Careful about what she says - Papa's always trying to get her to break out of it and she's been a bit better about it. She's sweet, and kind, and she's very loving. Likes to laugh. She boosts us all up and makes us feel like we can do anything we want. Because she believes we can. She never healed much before she became a mother, though, as far as I can tell. Had to get used to it really fast with me as a daughter."
A bright, beaming grin took hold of Gemma as she explained her mother and she reached down to nibble on some berries herself, closing her eyes as if imagining the mare, "She's really warm, too. Likes to snuggle. Gives the best hugs, even though she doesn't have wings she'll wrap her tail around you and squeeze. A lot of times we just pile on each other."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:51 pm
Leon watched her describe her mother, right down to scrunching her eyes closed to better 'see' her. It amused him, making him smile more as she went on. "She sounds like a wonderful mother indeed," he replied when she was done. "My mother is very affectionate too. She has no wings either, but when she'd pull me close with her chin and nuzzle me with a soft whicker, I was completely surrounded by love." He eyes grew dreamy, likely the first time all day. "My father is the one with wings, and he made good use of them for hugging too."
His expression turned thoughtful. "Though we don't spend a lot of time in the same spot, our family is very close in a different sort of way." He'd stopped eating, his eyes faraway. "Both my parents naturally show us how much they love us as often as they can." More mulling followed this, and then, "I'd be more affectionate with others too, but my shyness gets in the way of that."
The look that crossed his face as he realized he'd said that out loud was quite comical. His eyes grew wider, and his mouth dropped open just slightly. A swift intake of breath accompanied another flash of heat to his face. Suddenly he was very busy finding just the right plump raspberry to pluck off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:57 pm
"There's all sorts of families, and it's different how things work for different people. I can't imagine my family being any other way, just as you likely can't imagine yours. It's all wonderful in their own ways, aren't they?" Gemma's eyes fluttered open again now that she didn't need to imagine her mother anymore and she picked off a berry, letting the juice splash across her teeth as she nibbled at it.
A brow raised at the confession, though, and she once more had to hold back a laugh, "Mm, there are different ways of affection, Leon," she assured him, "And shyness is an endearing quality. If everyone was outgoing and loud, I'd certainly have more of a headache, wouldn't I? Then again, I'd have more patients too." A wry smile, "I like your shyness, myself. Tell me about your father? I've heard a lot about your mother, but not your father."
She watched his assessment of the bush with an amused light in her eyes. Ah, he was interesting, this stallion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:47 pm
Drawn out of his self-conciousness yet again by her inquiring manner, he chuckled at the thought of his father. He shook his head in wry amusement. "My father is a one-of-a-kind. He loooooves mares." He emphasized the word by drawing it out significantly. "He and my mother are not mated, at least not how most stallions and mares are." He nibbled a raspberry leaf instead of the berry and blinked at the difference in taste before finding another cluster of fruit.
"Mother doesn't bind him to her. He wouldn't let himself be bound, really," he mused. "He enjoys the freedom she gives him, and she enjoys his company. It's an odd situation I guess, but it suits them." His taste for sweet was fulfilled, and he raised his head from the bush to gaze toward the sky. "That wouldn't work for me, though it seems to work for my sister so far." The warmth that flooded his voice when speaking of his sister was palapable. Nothing she could do would ever be wrong. "I suppose it's generally a family lifestyle, since all three of them are that way. I'm the odd one out. Always have been," he added with a smale flick of a smile towards his companion. "I imagine this all sounds rather alien to you, since it sounds like your parents are so very devoted to each other."
He suddenly realized that he had put that wrong, and hastened to correct himself. "Not that father won't do practically anything for Mother. He practically worships the ground she walks on. She simply isn't his exclusively, nor he hers exclusively. They are bound without being bound," he finished lamely, realizing he couldn't put his parents' complex relationship into easy words. He gave the mare a helpless shrug.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
