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 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:22 pm
She turned her gaze back to him with a faint blush, the color of her pelt turning to a very pink hue. When he spoke of his parents, it had that same familiar ring to it. She was puzzled by the odds of meeting yet another stallion that had a grounded mother and winged father. Ironic.
But she agreed with him, "Althalus and I were foolish," she said solemnly. Even saying his name out loud brought another painful jab to her heart and she closed her eyes just in that instant to try and ward it off.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:32 pm
"What did you say?" The stallion's eyes narrowed to mere slits. There was only Soquili named 'Althalus' in these lands given that the name was foreign. Blessed with the name by the Farseer Generis, it would be highly unlikely that there would be more than one in these lands. The stallion's mood darkened considerably at this revelation and he brought himself to his full height - it was a challenge to control every desire he had to explode.
He should have known.
Althalus was one of two brothers that the stallion possessed... One had drifted off to live with his aunts and uncles, adopting the otherwise energetic and boiterous behaviour of certain individuals in that herd. However, Althalus had taken his father's tales of rakish behaviour and lessons of gentlemanly behaviour to heart. Unfortunately this particular brother had failed to stay for the entire length of each lesson and the most important lessons had been missed. Althalus had left home at such a young age and left Ambroise to bear the weight of responsibility alone. That being said, Ambroise was aware that the responsibility wasn't his... but that reckless behaviour.
Ambroise had never taken kindly to those who marred his family name.
"Althalus you fool," he snarled under his breath, ruffling his feathers irritably. He hadn't seen his brother in years but he could already envision his behaviour. Those soft words, the sweet nothings that Ambroise had observed his father whispering into his mother's ear. Enough to make a mare giggle and blush, to make them swoon. Oh Ambroise felt it safe to assume that Althalus had meant no harm by it but he should have known better.
It was common sense!
"Did he touch you?" he enquired at last, his tone sharp as he returned his gaze to the mare. He may not have been imposing or hostile on the first encounter, but the anger he felt at his brother's lack of prowess had begun to show. While he had confessed no links to Althalus as of yet, it was clear that there was some connection given the extreme shift in mood.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:45 pm
It was probably a good thing she had closed her eyes at the moment, too busy trying to keep herself as collected as a mare should be in front of others. She didn't hear what he'd said under his breath or even his second guessing what she'd said moments ago. But his next question snapped her out of her careful meditation that her eyes finally opened and she saw the anger in them.
Did he touch her? She remained silent, trying to figure out just what he meant by that. "If-if you mean injury, th-then n-n-no. He-he didn't t-t-touch me except in-in comfort."
She was completely baffled by his reaction. What under the skies did he mean by that? And why was he so angry, so upset. She knew it didn't have anything to do with her distraught. He barely knew anything about her, so why would he suddenly become defensive. It was nothing to do with her and must have been something to do with Althalus. "I-I-I don't understand," she mumbled, her ears twitching with her confusion.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:08 pm
In comfort...
"It is official, my brother is socially retarded," Ambroise spoke more to himself than to anyone else and shook his head. His expression was one of disgust and of disbelief. Althalus had seen a damn sight more of the world than Ambroise ever had given his duties and yet he was the one who couldn't spot the obvious? The overall issue at had made the stallion sick to his stomach as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place - his brother, for all his charms had butchered the family name and for what...
Flirtation?
Oh he had known his father had been a rake from a young age but Ambroise was fairly certain that Grencia had a great deal more tact. There were rules to being a rake and even Ambroise knew these. A weeping mare, one of a shattered soul should not be touched or flirted with. Unless it was your intention to deliberately break her heart then contact should be avoided. Embraces were delicate and a demonstration of more care than any rake could have truly given. Words at this moment in time could not possibly describe the level of fury running through the eldest brother's veins at this moment in time.
"It is impossible for you to understand the stupidity of another," he replied abruptly, taking a step back as he began to pace in a tight circle. It was an attempt to calm himself but he could already envision all the ridiculous mistakes his brother had made. "What promises did he make?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:24 pm
She just stared at him, still not understanding anything he was saying. Brother? Promises? There was no vow made between him and her. She just watched him stalk the forest floor like he was a predator--he was prowling. As she was watching him, she finally noted the colors, his eyes, the way some of his build reminded her of Althalus. And then her mouth dropped in a gape as she finally registered, "You're his brother?!"
She hadn't stuttered the question with how shocked she'd been. She'd been such an even bigger fool! She hadn't even realized that he was blood-related to him in any way until she really looked and saw. Vidia snapped her mouth shut and started muttering under her own breath, calling herself a fool. She'd cried on the shoulder of his family, told her tale to his brother, and it didn't seem to bode well.
Vidia opened her mouth several times with something on the tip of her tongue and closed it again. What could she say? Sorry for her being a ninny? The only thing she could do was answer his question, "There were no promises."
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:47 pm
"I just said I was his brother!" he snapped angrily, flicking his gaze towards the mare. His pacing quickly began with renewed vigour and he wracked his brain for a solution to his problem. It was unfortunate that the mare had tuned out at the wrong moment but in hindsight, probably better that she hadn't heard him refer to his brother as 'retarded' as the insult was reserved for family ears only.
"Eldest of four siblings born to Yei Umeko and Grencia, they live on the slopes." he explained almost dismissively, flicking his tail against his flank with whiplike ferocity. He would later pity the poor flies that had lay their, now crushed by the unexpected and very abrupt attack. He was not one for being reckless but he was not adverse to showing anger. It often took him a few moments to regather his thoughts and to form a relatively decent strategy to overcome his problems.
So his brother had royally messed up and his family name was in tatters, there were very few ways to fix that. Not only that but a public and genuine apology didn't seem like it would be as successful as the stallion would have preferred. Urgh, was his family deliberately chosen by the spirits to endure such trials and a ridiculous amount of drama!
Regardless he had to protect his family.
He may have made no promises but even Ambroise knew the whispers that could slip from a Rake's mouth. His brother's behaviour had been reckless but he had escaped - granted he had shattered a mare's heart but he was unscathed...or would be until Ambroise got to him. There were so many charmed and lulled words that came from rakes and really, there was only one way to fix that.
Ah but of course, the eldest son was never meant to be free.
"I am not Althalus and it is safe to assume that I lack his charms," he stopped pacing and glanced up towards the canopy before shifting his gaze to the mare. "I cannot make up for the pain he has caused but I can attest to the word he has whispered," he fell silent for a few moments and shook his head slowly, his eyes weary.
His brother was going to have such a headache.
Protecting his family name though...was of the utmost importance to him.
"If it is what you seek, then I will - "
Do what?
"You can have me." He finished with an unnatural calmness.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:31 pm
She'd taken a step back when he's lashed out at her in his anger. The frail composure she'd been holding together crumbled a little bit, but she tried to reason with herself. He was just angry. She wasn't sure who he was angry at, but he was just angry. Okay, so that was a mild term compared to the storm that brewed around him.
She'd known already that he wasn't Althalus, his personality was completely different compared to the light-hearted flirt she'd talk with one sunny afternoon, so she didn't argue against him on that note. Though everything he said was not making any sense whatsoever to her. Attest to the word he has whispered? Skies above, what did he mean by that?
And then it all finally fell in to place and she realized there had to be some sort of error. Ambroise thought she and Alth--no, no way was he even thinking that way! And she felt her own anger start to rise at the accidental insult he'd dealt her unknowingly. "What kind of mare do you take me for?"
She took another step back from him, her bracelets making a quite clicking noise with the movement. "Have you? What do you think your brother and I did?" Her anger showed brightly in her eyes.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:41 pm
Well it hadn't gone completely to plan but as the anger rose within the mare she seemed to gain strength. That frail and weepy exterior had transformed into something much more desirable. Worthy of respect and with a renewed light in her eyes it was clear that deep down the mare had potential if she could only see that. He was not about to pander to such whims though and instead he merely raised a brow at her outburst - he hadn't taken her for any sort of mare other than a weepy one.
Anger still coursing through his veins he maintained the eerie kindness and his expression remained stoic. Admittedly his jaw had begun to tighten slightly as she continued, but it was her refusal that irritated him most. He had attempted to do the right thing, to correct the errors of his brother by offering her the 'support' she needed...he hadn't inferred anything else. It had backfired and now he recalled why he was not a gentleman and why mares were a trivial matter.
"With all due respect I took you for nothing more than what the wind referred to you as before," he referred of course to Wild Wind though he was unaware of the name. "Weak, cowardly and unworthy of attention given your frail and exceptionally weak exterior -" he was abrupt but he had always been renowned for his abrasive nature. He was tired of being 'polite' as there was simply too much room for misunderstanding. It was better to be blunt.
Very blunt.
"But I must ask," a small smile lifted onto his lips, an uncharacteristic expression for one so serious. "Now that you have refused one with wings, how do you feel?" he wasn't about to make any assumption based on his brother's activities from this point forward. The mare had firmly closed that subject and he could be satisfied in the knowledge that he had offered to honor his family and his name. Her rejection was her own choice.
That being said, his brother owed him.
A lot.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:57 pm
Vidia took back the ground she'd give him and went the extra step that brought her just to the edge of his personal space. She didn't know whether to break down in tears again or hold onto her anger, so she held onto her anger because it kept her from that dark-dark place. "If you knew love and were of the softer gender, then may you'd have been in the same condition I'm in now."
But her angry eyes faltered when he pointed out that he'd offered himself to her and she was something that would never see the things he saw in the skies. She'd glanced at the very appendages and then back into his gray eyes. She had to think about how that made her feel. "I feel like dirt because you thought you could take the place of someone else you'll never be."
It was the harshest thing that came to mind, but it was the truth. "Sacrificing yourself because of his wrong?" She found it ironic that this stallion would do such a thing. "What about your happiness, your chance for love? Just because my mother's name is Ever Sacrifice does not mean she'll make one that will stop her hooves from running."
There was the pride that ran in her family's veins, the very pride that flowed in her father's, and it shined in her eyes along with her anger. But she finally turned her head away from him, taking a few steps to the side of him and looking him over with a critical eye.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:15 pm
"Dirt?" he repeated before nodding his head slowly and chuckling, that wasn't quite the answer he expected but simply confirmed one thing. The judgement cast upon her by the Wind stallion had been accurate. It had been harsh, but if she was inclined to permit herself to think in that way then that was all she would amount to. He would at least grace her with the ability to define herself, based on that answer...that would be how he would treat her.
"If that is how view yourself then you will amount to nothing, you are a disappointment to your father," he agreed softly. He had always been strong in body and mind, proud of his heritage and of his herd. Had he found any in his herd doubting their abilities then he would have forced them to take a look at themselves. He would permit them the time to find their answers and then they would have to make a choice. He didn't suffer fools and never would.
Nevertheless as she brought up his methods of ensuring his family remained honourable his expression darkened considerably. It was clear the mare was not only weak but naive too. She had adopted the 'fluffy' view of life and had insulted the view of a realist...someone who had lived and endured far more trials than her weeping little backside could ever dream of.
He approached the question carefully though, he did have manners.
"With all due respect, your family is tiny," he pointed out calmly, "Consisting of your mother, your father and your siblings..." he had gathered as much from her weeping and of her all too easy to attain explanations. She didn't appear to have the ability to withhold information. "My herd is considerably larger and consists of a multitude of families with mine being the Alpha." He shook his head and looekd towards the mare with pity, his nose crinkling somewhat.
"Sometimes you must make a choice that is right and not what is easy," he continued darkly, inferring that he was less than happy at the prospect of being tied down by such foul means. If he were to mate he would have sooner he found a more capable mare, alas he had taken the plunge...he had been willing to take his brother's mistake and make it work. It had been her choice to say no.
"Not every ending is happy, and love does not exist in every single corner of this world. You live in a bubble mare, a very small one if you cannot open your eyes and see that reality." His tone was cool and yet his words were so controlled that it could very well have been unsettling. He had a way with words when he decided to talk at length. "Sometimes you do not have a choice and honour is something that must be upheld."
"Then again," he paused and arched a scathing brow towards the female. "You would not know what honour is...if you have fallen from grace and view your own heritage with disdain, would you?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:32 pm
He'd hit too close to home, too close to her own doubt about her own family, and it showed visibly on her face. The pain was naked there for a few moments before she covered it up again with anger. Anger was good. Anger she could handle right now. "My family issues are my own and will be dealt with accordingly," she said through gritted teeth.
She hated his look of pity, hated that he saw her no longer as an equal or anything for that matter. She flicked her tail casually, which caused her family's feathers to twitch, as if dismissing his explanation that her world was small compared to his. She'd stuck by her mother because her father couldn't fully give up the sky. Even her own sister had gone off to see the world, so she'd stayed with her mother and her herd-mate, because she couldn't leave her mother truly alone. All before that Wind had broken her spirit, her confidence.
"I think your world is sad to have such a dark outlook," she finally said after her moment of reflection and turned her own pitiful stare back at him. "If we weren't meant to have happiness, then there is no point to this world, is what my mother always told me."
Vidia began to stalk around him, looking him over once more in a different light and there was sorrow in her eyes when she came to face him again. "If I have to sacrifice love for your world, I don't want any part of it. And so my answer remains that I won't take you because I don't think you'd ever know what love was if it kicked you in the head."
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:43 pm
"I suggest you meet a Kalona, then come back to me in regards to what you view as 'happiness'," he replied calmly, releasing a small chuckle as she attempted to turn his words on him. Unfortunately for the mare his pride and strength of self sustained him. He had his directive, he had his honour and he lived for his responsibilities. Her failure to recognise that not ever family was as simplistic as hers was almost comical. She knew nothing of the world simply because she didn't want to see it.
However she was right, the more she spoke the less desirable she appeared to the stallion. His brother had indeed been a fool to pander to her whims, but it was her own dellusional state that had led to her downfall. It was her fault she had fallen for his charms and taken them for more than they were worth - it was her crush, her weakness. It was her mistake. He had taken the necessary measures to right it on his side and had been spurned.
As far as he was concerned the debt was repaid.
Nevertheless he did have one last thing for the mare before he took his leave. Cold, hard truths were what most required to open their eyes. He spoke no soft words, cringed at the mere thought of such false actions. Instead he was always blunt and abrasive, but at least he never lied either... She was blind for now but something would take her eventually.
"If you intend to deal with your issues," he paused for the added flare and shook his head, drifting passed the mare in a dismissive manner as he began to walk towards the edges of the forest. "Then stop running away from them." He finished, never pausing in his saunter.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:50 pm
Oh no, she wasn't done with him. She grabbed a mouthful of his tail and pulled hard to keep him from leaving. He'd insulted her and this, she would get an apology. She kept a firm grip on the multicolored length and dug her dark hooves into the ground. Stubborn as a mule, she got that from both parents.
She knew that a simple plead for him not to leave would have kept him from going further, but she was angry and now he would be the focus of that anger. She'd dealt with a proud Wind before, had her heart shattered by a foppish stallion, and was now getting a lecture from yet another proud Wind. Men!
She gave a very hard yank and felt a few strands pull from his skin. That was sure to get his attention. Or in her case, his anger as well.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:57 pm
Ah - life always threw a curve ball every now and again. He should have known better than to turn his back to a disgruntled female but alas, he had done so. Now he found that she had grabbed his tail in a rather unladylike manner and had absolutely no intention of letting him go. Admittedly she couldn't talk with his tail in her mouth (which he viewed as a good thing) but it didn't make it any less exasperating. In his eyes the conversation was finished.
Nevertheless he released a sigh and came to a halt. It was with a ruffle of his wings that he glanced over his shoulder towards the mare and observed the pitiful stance she had chosen to take. He was well aware that she was angry, he had fed her rage in an attempt to show her she did have strength but alas... All it had served to do was to transform her into an attention whoring child.
Now his brother really did owe him.
"I do not have time for this," he stated cooly. Oddly enough he wasn't angered by her behaviour given he had experience greater stupidity at home. He had seen his brother (as a foal) do the very same thing to his father. While it was a hassle it was not a severe problem and he was not adverse to cutting the hair of his tail off completely if she persisted. However, she did appear to over step the mark ever so slightly when she ripped some of the strands from it.
It was just as well that falling from the sky was considerably more painful than the loss of a few hairs, he scarcely flinched and instead arched a brow at her behaviour. He had nothing more to say and he could stand here for as long as it took for the little whelp to break down again, or to find some sense of dignity and behave.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:08 pm
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She spat his tail out of her mouth and moved forward to block his path further with her body. Her head was held high and the blue and green feather finally settled back behind her ear. She glared at him with eyes like her father's. "Apologize," she said coldly.
She didn't care what other plans he had in his life. Right now, she was wanting an apology. For what, she wasn't sure, but she knew that this situation warranted one. Even if she'd never get one from Althalus, she could at least demand one from Ambroise for his own behavior towards her. Childish, but she knew in her heart that she was right to demand him to take account for his own actions.
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