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Although the basic forms were there, Anelisse was not, nor had she ever been, a master of the social graces. It wasn't that she was badhearted or determined to be offensive, she had just never really been around enough others to figure out that backhanded compliments were usually taken as an insult...or waht a backhanded compliment even was! As far as she saw it, she was the picture of graciousness and any Soquili would be proud to hear such praises, even if it were to come from a Soq with buckteeth and a hunchback!

Consequently, she was oblivious to any curiousity or wonderings on the part of the stallion, choosing to assume instead that he was suitably gratified by her kind words and not in the least bit affronted by Raccoon. Then again, who could possibly remain affronted after getting such a kind apology and explanation? No one, that was who, and she sincerely doubted that anyone with any semblence of attractiveness could be so rude. Pretty people were NEVER rude, it was a biological fact!

Content in that knowledge, she took his offer at face value, that he'd eaten, but he was still hungry. Fair enough, then they would all eat, talk, exchange compliments, and then go on their merry ways. All in all she could think of worse ways to spend a morning.

With her same airy briskness, she called over her shoulder, "We'll be having winter leaves and chilled apples, although if you're one of those...meaty types, Raccoon has a few crayfish that she can probably share. Though I strongly doubt you're so barbaric in your appetites, given you have properly proportioned teeth, one can hardly be certain of anything in these wild times we live in." Another backhanded compliment, courtesy of Anelisse! She was just on fire today.

Walking up to the bank, she eyed the ice for a moment with searching intensity. This time, though, it wasn't just for vanity's sake; finding what she was looking for, she lashed out at a point where the ice was thin and cracked open a large hole. From this, she drew out a woven basket, setting it on the bank and turning it towards Feng so that he could see the braided band of hair tied to the handle of the basket and to a root on the bank. "Clever, isn't it? Raccoon came up with scheme after seeing some two-legged creatures doing the same thing. I tell you, it's a most amazing device."

Having satisfied her pride by showing off her 'toy', she proceded to unpack a few cold, damp apples from the basket before replacing it back in the water. "Now then, that just leaves the leaves...although you never answered, did you want any crayfish?" Granted, she hadn't given him a CHANCE to answer, but who was counting?

BLissfully unaware of any conjecture or scrutiny on the part of her breakfast companion, Ane went about her business with relative efficiency, pulling the leaves out of a snowbank and polishing the apples against her flank until they were no longer damp and shone like polished rubies. It was such a pretty meal, the red and the green bright against the snow...almost enough to make one forget that it was cold and depressing outside!

It would be harsh, but not entirely wrong, to suggest that Anelisse was simple in her thoughts. It would be more accurate to say that she was uninformed and naive, with only her limited social circle and life experiences to draw on. The idea of having a large family, of traveling so very far as from the mountains, of...well, a lot of things, was completely foreign to her and had never crossed her mind before; having never thought of if herself, it was easy to not suspect a more worldly mind in her companion. All that mattered, all that ever mattered, was herself and her immeadiate surroundings, the present, the now; that, and making it the best possible ____ in terms of aesthetics and enjoyment. In some ways, not a bad life.

It did mean that she was left at a loss in some circumstances, though, like upon witnessing Fenguang's...smile? Grimmace? Expression of disgust? She wasn't sure what to make of it, and gave him a perplexed look that only lasted a second, disipating when the expression on Feng's face did. Obviously it wasn't important.

"Very well, then the crayfish just for Raccoon. Help yourself to the apples, then, and the leaves; they're quite fresh from the cold. And yes!" At the praise for her basket, she couldn't help but beam, taking any praise to her familiar or her possessions as praise to herself. "It's very useful, and Raccoon is so clever in making sure it doesn't get swept away in the river. Really, hair is SUCH a useful substance when you think about it, on top of being attractive." With that, she crunched into an apple with gusto, licks at the juice with the same pleased smile. What a nice companion Raccoon had found, so complimentary! "What do you think?"

Well, that was unexpected. Anelisse could not, for the life of her, figure out what could possibly have solicited such an outburst; since when was offering someone breakfast controlling? It wasn't like she'd tied him up and force fed him, and she hadn't even insisted that he help her! Really, she couldn't think of one single thing that could account for such a very objectionable outburst, especially when she was being so very nice!

Setting down her own apple with care, she gave the stallion a truly majestic frown. Whatever polish might be lacking in her words was evident in her body language, from her hooves to the tip of her horn, and her face was definitely no exception. "I am no such thing, and have no idea where you got such an idea." Her tone was polite, but the aggreived tinge would have been obvious to a far denser stallion than Feng. "I just like things to look pretty, that's all. I was raised to be considerate of guests and their aesthetic considerations, and you NEVER put mussed food out if you can tidy it up first. If you prefer, though, I'm sure that we can toss a few in the mud and roll them around first before you eat them."

Wounded pride was evident as she picked up her apple again, her impression of their guest much less rosy as a result of his outburst even as she tried to rationalize it away; he was, after all, attractive, and attractive people were unable to be unpleasant (see Anelisse' Axiom). Maybe he was too hungry to wait for clean food? That must be it, he was simply unwilling to wait. She could respect that.

Composing herself again, she offered in a much less hostile tone, "Eat it any way that you see fit. WE will take our food as it currently is."

Raccoon, in the meantime, had been busy herself. Once Ane had pulled up the apple basket, Raccoon had scuttled over to the hole in the ice and, leaning over, almost went headfirst into the water. Feeling around a bit, she eventually found what she was looking for, a smaller basket containing live crayfish. Smiling gleefully, she pulled out a few, then unceremoniously plopped her opwn basket and Ane's basket back into the water before flopping down to enjoy her meal. 4laugh

To say that Fenghuang's behavior left Anelisse taken aback was putting it mildly. Expecting a concession on the part of the stallion or, at worst, maybe rolling the apple in the grass, she was completely unprepared for the vision in mud she ended up with.

THough she considered herself to be a paragon of good manners, she couldn't supress her initial reaction of shock, incredulousity, and horror as what HAD been a presentable stallion transformed himself into a mud being. It was absolutely disgusting, if she were being honest, and she was now completely on her guard, lest any of his mud splatter in her direction. She was not particularly in the mood for a mud mask today, nor was she due for one!

Setting her teeth slightly, she recomposed her [removed](to her satisfaction), though her orange eyes were narrowed and wathing him warily now. "I know no such thing, nor is that particularly relevant to now or here. I don't see why what the majority does should matter, not unless I were to be a member of the majority. And I never claimed to be any such thing." With an air of offended dignity, she picked up her own apple, which still gleamed from its polish. "If you wish to be....muddy, then feel free; if you want your food muddy, then likewise feel free. I certainly won't stop you."

Indeed, she wouldn't so much as touch him at the moment, let alone stop him! Just looking at him and his muddy state was enough to make her skin crawl, even moreso when she considered that he was intentionally eating the mud. It was so very, very vile...honestly, she just didn't know what to make of this, and she washed her hands of trying to make sense of him!

Oh, he had NOT just done what she thought he'd done.

Ane had had her head tilted down, looking at the CLEAN apples, when Feng had decided to shake; consequently, she was spared the ignominity of a muddy face. That did nothing for her mane and neck, though, which were spattered with far too much mud for any common mare (such as herself) to accept with complete serenity. Raising her head, she fixed Fenghuang in a gaze that could politely be described as murderous, her eyes flashing orange.

Really, this stallion was just determined to cross the lines of acceptability, wasn't he? While it was entirely possible that it had been an accident on his part, shaking with her so close, his last few comments had been so decisvively on the 'insulting' side that she didn't doubt that his behavior had bbeen deliberate. More to the point, she didn't ddoubt it was deliberate with the goal of dragging out a reaction!

She'd heard of his type from her mother, once upon a time. Soquili who were disagreeable or mean in subtle ways, picking bit by bit at their target until said target erupted in a volcano of fury, only to be embarrassed by the notice of observers who fail to see the original provocation and witness only the wild response. She was in no mood to provide public amusement; though it looked like they were alone, she wouldn't put it past the stallion to have companions waiting in the nearby woods for just such a moment. No doubt there had been a group of them about when Raccoon had made her move, with Feng just being the primary pursuer. She could respect that he'd been upset, but not that he was reacting to such a simple thing as hair theft in this overcomplicated way! And trying to deceive them, too...NOT COOL.

Well, he would have to seek out his kicks elesewhere; she refused to be made ridiculous merely to satisfy the misguided sense of vengeance of this stallion!

Though granted, he might not actually be talking to her at the moment. She wasn't sure what exactly his latest speech meant, or if it was even directed at her; all that she knew was that she didn't like the sound of it.

Drawing herself up to her full height, she gave the stallion what she felt to be a suitably dignified glare before stating, "I'm sure that I don't know what you're talking about, SIR. But I think that we can both agree we are done here; I, at least, need a bath, though you are certainly free to remain filthy."

A very polite speech, if she did say so herself! Now, the angry fire in her eyes and the fact that her teeth had been gritted the entire time likely ddetracted from the 'calm, cool, and collected' look she'd been going for, but overall it was acceptable. Surely he couldn't argue with such politeness and good manners in the face of his own...misbehavior; however, the most she expected at this point was a speedy departure, maybe with an apology if she was lucky.

Really though, stallions these days!

It was just as well that Feng was keeping his musings to himself at this point; Anelisse had always prided herself on her general superiority in everything, so to learn that she was being viewed as a 'stereotypical' anything was bound to leave a sour taste in her mouth. Indeed, it was already proving challenging to maintain her composure and her patience in the face of such provocation.

His continued presence after getting so thorough and polite a dismissal further enhanced her current irritation, both at Feng's actual behavior and his stubborn refusal to behave as he ought. He was a nicely built stallion with a good smile, he should be bound by the natural laws!

Narrowing her eyes further, she swept her gaze over Feng with a new scrutiny. There must be some flaw that she had initially overlooked that resulted in this sort of rude behavior, maybe an extra appendage or some sort of brand or a missing bone or SOMETHING. Her examination turning up nothing, she finally decided that the mud itself was to blame; spending too much time in muddy conditions obviously addled one's brains as well as one's hair. Shameful. But now, the question was even more perplexing. Was a mental addling his fault, or the mud's fault?

Unable to determine who to be annoyed at at the moment, she wound up becoming more annoyed, this time at the irrationality of it all. This sort of thing was exactly why society was horrible!

And some of that annoyance had crept into her tone as she responded, "Obviously I don't see it as irrrational, or I wouldn't behave this way. However, you are sorely mistaken if you think I am panicking, as I am NOT panicking. Then again, you're also mistaken in assuming that this is nothing, because it is NOT."

Not nothing indeed, and she didn't even care if she was using a double negative! Inddeed, by the end of her speech her voice had gone up at least two degrees in pitch, another crack in her 'I'm not upset' facade.

He had NOT just called her hysterical. More to the point, he did not believe that she was being hysterical, could not think or suspect that she was hysterical, not when she was behaving so very cordially and composedly. Hysterical people flailed and screamed and cried, and she was doing none of the above. He was just picking on her now, and she did not appreciate it, not one iota!

Her voice now back at its normal pitch (at least for the moment), she ground out, "I am NOT hysterical, though I'm beginning to think that YOU are, or were." It was definitely the result of the mud. It was impossible for a creature to spend as much time in mud as this stallion must do and come away with all of his mental faculties intact. And it was obvious that he spent a lot of time in mud; his cavalier attitude towards the stuff and the ease with which he made himself filthy bore testament to an easy familiarity that she, for one, did not approve of! Undoubtedly she had made herself clear on that point, yet he continued on! She was going to have to get direct if he didn't smarten up soon, and THEN he would see what was what!

That brilliant plan almost immediately ran into difficulties, though, in the form of a very handsome compliment that came on the heels of his insult. Though couched in such a way as to seem like a hypothetical situation, Ane heard it as "Has anyone ELSE ever told you..." Consequently, she flushed up a nice rosy pink and made as though to look away, though Feng could easily see the pleased smile on her face. "No, I haven't heard that before, but then I don't usually let anyone see me when I'm disheveled. It isn't seemly, and you know how crazed stallions can get at an object of desirability made to appear lax in her guard. Still, I suppose I am very-" Her mother had ensured that Ane, at least, would be impeccabl groomed and therefore made inaccessable to the lustful addvances of the masses...or something. If she would have thought about it rationally, then it's questionable just how sensible Ane would have found it...but it was something her mother had said, and therefore MUST be right...

But wait, she was supposed to be upset with this stallion!

Narrowing her eyes, she turned around again and fixed him with a highly suspcious and patently annoyed look. "But that is HARDLY relevant at the moment, and I'll thank you to actually listen to me." Try to distract HER, would he? She didn't think so!

The line in the sand had been drawn and there was no turning back now. If looks could kill, Fenghuang would officially be dead and a tombstone to his memory would have beeen erected over his twitching corpse. Since looks could NOT kill, though, Anelisse had to content herself by pouring enough vemon to kill an elephant into that one piercing glare.

She wanted to scream, she was so mad! Before had been bad enough, but now her face, neck, chest, and forelegs sported splotches and splatters of the unsightly brown muck. And he was standing there laughing at her, LAUGHING at her! Nevermind he wasn't vocalizing the laughter, she could see it in his wickedly sparkling eyes that he found amusement in her situation; more to the point, he wasn't taking her concerns seriously! Obviously he was NOT one of the beautiful people, never had been, and never would be. For all she knew, he was one of those magical creatures that wore another creature's skin to hide it's own repulsive one.

That had to be it, there was simply no other explanation.

Figuring out his secret did nothing to soothe her nerves, though, and it was with extreme peevishness that she spat out, "I'd rather deal with twenty voyeurs in twenty bushes that be exposed to any more of what you seem to think is good conversation. You'd best 'help yourself' away, or I might not be able to 'help myself' next time!"

Exactly what the retaliation would be would have to remain a mystery to both of them; though in possession of a sharp and pointy horn, Ane had never learned how to use in in a serious fight and could, at best, poke fiercely...if her target stood still enough. But she could, and did, turn and give him the Cold Shoulder of Displeasure as she flounced over to the riverbank. "I believe that you can find the exit." Keeping the same tone of high dudgeon in her voice, Ane offered him that HIGHLY considerate good-bye, though without even glancing his way to see if he was leaving. She was done dealing with rude mud-throwers, and wasn''t going to provide HIM with any more amusement today!

That was the theory, anyway.