|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:17 am
He could have been a touch insulted by her reply but having taken everything into consideration before his confession it didn't have quiet as negative an impact as one might have assumed. She had every reason to assume he wasn't a gentleman given his rather boarish behaviour. Whether it was mud slinging or tossing her into a river, he hadn't really given her any reason to believe he was anything outside of that. His mother wouldn't really have had a fainting attack at this revelation, but she wouldn't have been terribly appreciative of the news either. Every individual was entitled to a little bit of fun but they had to have manners as well, suffice to say, he hadn't really presented Anelisse with any form of manners with the exception of well... now.
"I have hidden depths," he replied drily, coaxing his tone of voice away from the mild drawl that threatened to bubble up. In circumstances like this there was no reason for sarcasm and he had expected this type of reaction. He couldn't be mad at that and nor should he permit himself to be grumpy either. Unfortunately he wasn't able to school his features into a neutral expression, he'd never quite mastered this skill and as a consequence his brow lifted and a wry smile tilted the corner of his lips. He didn't look taken aback and thankfully, he didn't look as though he was intent on mocking her despite the fact she had turned a rather pretty shade of pink under her white coat.
Nevertheless, he continued to regard the mare quietly as she spluttered over the rest of what she had to say and lifted a brow higher at her outburst. Now this was something he hadn't anticipated, a declaration of his dislike for her. He was fairly certain that he had never spoken in distaste towards her, if anything it had been the other way round! His eyebrow dropped abruptly and both furrowed in mild confusion before he shook his head. He shooed the expression away from him and released a very delicate sigh through his partially parted lips. She was a puzzle but if her expressions and reactions were anything to go by, she was certainly more than just a vain princess. It did give his confidence a slight boost at the knowledge that perhaps his instincts weren't wrong after all.
"Might I note that I never said I didn't like you," he pointed out gently and shook his head. "I'm not quite sure how I gave that impression but I apologise nonetheless."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:33 pm
Sure, if he HAD to go and be logical then Anelisse would have to agree that he was correct. Not once in any of their conversations had he said 'Anelisse, I don't like you' or anything synonymous with that phrase. In basic language terms, he was off of the 'not-liking her' hook.
However, he in turn would have to admit that his behavior had been less than flattering to any mare, much less a mare who was so obviously superior to most other mares out there. His flagrant disregard of her wishes and his failure to show any actual appreciation had been as finite an acknowledgment of his dislike as spoken words could have been, and that was that. But him not liking her made his confession that much stranger, because (as she had already mulled), why WOULD he be so considerate as to protect her from the dangers of jealous females or jaded males if he didn't like her?
Sighing herself, she shook her head at the very thought that his behavior could have been taken to mean anything other than dislike. "You are a very confusing stallion, Fenghuang, and I'm sure that you have to know that as well." Because it was obvious to her, it MUST be obvious to him. "However, I accept your apology, in light of...well, I accept your apology. It is very considerate of you to offer it."
Belatedly, to be sure, but an apology was an apology. Considering how long it had been that he had owed her said apology, she was more than happy to accept it. As a sign of that acceptance (and feeling that her face had likely resumed its normal shade instead of that ghastly flushed color), she shifted both her face and her gaze back to Feng, and gave him a smile. Not a plastic smile, the sort that showed the teeth without going any further, but the kind that went all the way to the eyes and beyond.
And really, it felt NICE to be able to say that she was forgiving him! Being aggrieved was all well and good, but being able to be the bigger person was a surprisingly heady sensation!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:36 am
No other mare had been able to rankle him in quite the same way as Anelisse did. Whether it was her disregard for her own personal safety, her naivity or the potential for her attitude to cause her harm, something always set him off. Any other mare or stallion would have received an amiable smile and an equally relaxed manner. In the company of others he was a rather pleasant fellow and a rather good source of entertainment. He could compete, he could jest and he could hold reasonable serious conversations when it was required of him but as for Anelisse... Well, suffice to say she was the only one he had thrown about in the middle of a river to truly express how he felt. In some perverse manner she should have been proud, the very fact she could tick him off quite so much said a great deal. Alas if he had told her such a thing she probably wouldn't have received these facts in quite the same manner.
No female would.
The day that the words "you REALLY tick me off" became a chat up line would be the day a lot of hermits became heart throbs, suffice to say, Fenghuang was content to keep this information to himself. He wasn't going to admit that she had moments when he wanted to throttle her, but at the same time she also had rare moments (and he had witnessed them) when she was kind, affectionate and very considerate. Granted all these times were with her raccoon but it had given him insight into the fact that such emotions existed inside her and she wasn't as selfish as one might have assumed. There was no ignoring the fact that she was vain, but vanity didn't always mean an individual didn't have a hidden side - for all he knew, it could have been a great deal of bravado!
"I can't say I pride myself on being an enigma," he replied smoothly and shook his head. His family could read him like a book and he generally made no secret of what he was up to, but he couldn't be the same as her. It would have come at no surprise to many that the red stallion feared the response he might get if he spoke frankly towards her. If he was honest about his actions she may react with hostility and given he had made his decision a long time ago to keep an eye on her he would rather he led a reasonably quiet life. He didn't need the headaches! "The vast majority of my family and friends are more than capable of reasing me like a book," he added quietly.
But they know you... his mind added softly and he released a sigh.
However when she smiled it was in a manner he hadn't been privvy to before. Her eyes seemed to light up and he was taken aback - he'd never seen a genuine smile before, or at least one that wasn't directed at him. His lips parted slightly and then after a few seconds he released a small snort of disbelief and flashed a boyish one of his own. "Thank you," he offered a reply as she accepted his apology, though he was fairly sure she wouldn't want anything further on the subject... or if she did, then she would most likely bring it up herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 6:45 pm
Yeah...safe to say that Fenghuang's instincts on keeping silent were dead on when it came to 'You tick me off' being a come-on or a compliment. He could bask in being 'right' all that he wanted in believing that there was more to Anelisse than just surface Anelisse, but internal Anelisse was VERY proud of surface Anelisse and compliments were expected to be of a very particular and gracious nature. Granted, getting a backhanded compliment would be her just desserts with how many she had dished out over the years, but the key difference was that in uttering them, she was completely innocent as to their backhanded natures. Hearing that she 'ticked someone off' was a good way to get her to leave in a huff, possibly after the offender got either a good kick or a pronounced scowl. Or both.
So it was good that he didn't broach that subject, choosing to got the safer route of continuing her confusion. At his comment on enigmas, one aquiline brow immediately arched as though to say 'oh really' before she shook her head again, having come to the conclusion a few strides earlier in their conversation that some things were just not meant to be understood. For a stallion that didn't care to be an enigma, he was certainly good at being one!
However, she could forgive him for that, too. She was on a forgiving roll tonight, no sense in wasting the momentum by holding a grudge over something so petty. For all she knew, he might even wish he weren't an enigma, although that in turn would create more complications (such as: if he didn't want to be a confusing creature, why did he persist in BEING one?)
And in the spirit of forgiveness, she was able to appreciate the smile he gave her as well. It was rather remarkable, really, that a creature so intent on looking sinister before could both clean up so nicely and have such a wonderful smile! He had very white teeth, very evenly spaced and perfectly proportioned to his nicely curved jaw...and now she was staring again...and now she was blushing again. Damnit, she did NOT blush!
Hastily, she passed the perfectly brushed end of her tail over her face as though blotting at a moist spot, the tail-tip providing a semblance of cover against that aggravating bit of color. With an air of casualness, she commented, "But here I've let myself get distracted; Raccoon is going to think that I've either gotten lost or abandoned her." Assuming that she was aware of the passage of time, that is... "So I really SHOULD go." Before she completely lost hold of her sense of perception.
Taking a step back, she once again made as though to turn back to the woods. This time though, she was the one who interrupted the departure, glancing back and commenting, "But I hope we'll see you again soon."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:50 am
If Anelisse had met his parents, siblings or any other relative she may have realised very quickly that they just didn't do secrets. Ambroise could be incredibly aloof, but even then he held his silence because he preferred the quiet and very rarely kept a matetr of importance to himself. Granted, Anelisse may not necessarily appreciate the exhuberance of his family but at the very least she may have realised that they were a touch loud, rather boisterous and as a consequence fairly easy to predict when they weren't aiming to prank one another. Unfortunately, Fenghuang was increasingly aware of just how unlikely it would be for Anelisse to ever encounter his family and appreciated that perhaps in the circumstances he was a touch confusing. He wasn't going to apologise for it though, everything he did around this mare was generally an act of self preservation!
His brow creased ever so slightly as she flushed with colour, but the expression that had invaded his features dissipated quickly and an individual would have been hard pressed to guarantee that it had been there in the first place. Regardless of whether or not he had or hadn't seen her blush, he had opted not to mention it. It was better for him not to jump to conclusions any way, blushing could mean a variety of things and some of them were decidedly negative. It was best to leave things on good terms rather than catering to his underlying curiosity - he was of the firm belief that if this particular mare wanted something known then she would definitely make it known.
...It wasn't as if she appreciated being ignored.
"Well I had best not keep you then," he replied in due course and gave a slight nod of his head at her words. He could appreciate her need to relocate her companion, they had quite a special bond and he wasn't about to stand in the way of that. Besides, hadn't it been he who had been trying to escape before and had even thrust a prayer skywards in the hope that the spirits would relieve him of the mare's company? He had been graced with that at least and for once, it was a pleasant farewell as opposed to one that had ended in a very disgruntled female or the loss of a segment of his mane. Pursing his lips briefly, he regarded the mare for a few moments after she had turned round and offered another smile at her final gesture.
"I'm sure I'll crop up at some point, I usually do," he gave his assurances and lapsed into silence once more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:28 pm
"Well, in that case, have a good afternoon." Deciding to end on that positive note, Anelisse gave one final nod, then turned and trotted off into the woods.
She could be very pleased with the way that meeting had turned out, and as she started off through the trees it was with an undeniably pleased smile on her face. Raccoon would have been SOOOOO pleased to see her, being so polite and sociable and friendly (and looking ravishing, thanks much). Ane herself was pleased, glad to have had a chance for Fenghuang to see her at her best. Not that that implied that he'd seen her in any sort of pitiable state, but he HAD seen her in her grunge stage and he'd seen her muddy (never mind the mud had been HIS fault) and he'd seen her angry (having caused said anger, but still). Not ONCE had he seen her at her best for an entire meeting, and she didn't doubt that it had had a positive effect on him.
It had certainly had a positive effect on HER, and she didn't doubt that her behavior and his response had in turn inspired HIS best; he had certainly been far more mannerly than he ever had before, and he was in as fine of looks as she'd ever seen him.
It had been a surprise to see him looking so...so...NORMAL after their last encounter, when he had stank and been overgrown with brush. This time, he was well-groomed; still a bit scruffy, but his coat was smooth, his mane mostly out of his face, and his hide clean. He had seemed so very normal; handsome, even, with his coat such a nice shade of orange-ish (completely coincidentally the color of her eyes)...
Ah well. The end result was that she had been in fine form, he hadn't been incorrigible; it had been a good day. Now if she could just find Raccoon and they could both make it home by dark, it would end a good day as well!
"RaCOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
