[FIN] - Just keep swimming...? (Calor & Nox)

[mouselet]

Calor watched the mare's expression actually change for once - and for the worse. What was going to be her problem this time? And how far had he put his foot in?

Only a complete idiot would mistake Equinox's tone for anything but an insult and the sunset stallion wasn't that socially inept. "And why would I want those people as friends anyway?" he retorted. "There's nothing to them past the looks and surface. You're much more interesting."

But why did she want to keep herself a secret? Calor really didn't understand that, but he supposed she had a right to it. "I'm not the masses though, Equinox. I'm just one person." If he had more worldly experience, he might have gone on and said that people looking for a single person would be thrown off by a pair. But of course the young stallion didn't have that kind of knowledge.

When the mare spoke about having no use for friends and they having no use for her, Calor wilted visibly. He couldn't imagine how utterly lonely she must be, she had to be, and as sad as her words made him for his chances, he felt sorry for her. "I'm sorry that you have no use for friends...but how can you know they'd have no use for you?" He knew she was no mindreader...so she couldn't know. The stallion clung to that hopeful logic.  

[Epine de Rose]

So he was an idealist then?

She'd met those, her sister was a little bit of an idealist in a manner of speaking. The mare occasionally wondererd how far this had gotten Chatura, whether both she and her brother were happy with their lot in life. Unfortunately it was not for her to pry and given her own choices and the consequences of her own actions, it was imperative that she remained below the radar. She could be grateful for small favours though, the gods had granted her family mercy in the sense that her father was wise enough to not let her sister become like Calor. Or at least, the mare could sincerely hope that this was true and Chatura was not quite so irritating.

...She hadn't been when Nox had left.

Then again, Nox was unaware that her sister had fallen in love and as a result, could have changed her behaviour to a certain degree!

Nevertheless, when the pity flickered onto his features a flash of anger did cross her face and her gaze became stealed. Was that pity she had just seen? She was fairly certain that an individuals desire to be social was entirely their own preference! If she chose to isolate herself then she was entitled to it, no one gave other hermits this much grief. Her lower jaw tightened, her lack of appreciation for his reaction all too clear before she shook her head and counted to ten. She could control her temper, she had always been disciplined enough to do that and her father was one who encouraged others to explain themselves before shattering their illusions - she would follow his example.

"And praytell, of what use would you be?" she enquired wrily. Well, if he wanted to claim that she had no idea whether he was useful or not, she'd give him the chance to prove it. Then when he failed miserably she would be content to shoot him down again, it was becoming a bit of a routine with this unfortunate male...  

[mouselet]

Inept as he might be, Calor did notice the flash of anger in Nox's eyes. But he wasn't sure how to handle it or how to respond to the terse question. He was unaccustomed to thinking of people in terms of their usefulness. Random ideas flashed through his head and were discarded by the fact that the mare would simply shoot them down one by one or all at once. He had no idea how to answer her.

So he tried a more diplomatic approach. "I don't know," the stallion answered honestly. "But neither of us can know if you don't give me a chance." If she gave him that chance it was possible he could get beneath the layers and layers of rough bark to the heart he was sure existed somewhere in there. The more she pushed him away the more he was sure that she was utterly lonely and the less he was sure she truly recognized that loneliness. Then again, he wasn't certain she'd admitted it to herself which would probably make a difference.  

[Epine de Rose]

"A chance for what?" she sounded truly incredulous at the words that came out of his mouth. A part of her suspected he had absolutely no idea what she was saying, either that or he didn't fully understand what her question meant. Her eyes clouded again, wholely unimpressed with the stallion who simply didn't get it - it wasn't his fault of course, all turkeys were as bad (if not worse) and even the simplist of concepts evaded them. Her lips pursed as she considered how best to approach this, how best to respond and in the end it all seemed like too much effort. Even when she was blunt with him he didn't understand, so why bother?

...Yes, the mare wasn't going to shoot him down.

"If you don't know what use you could possibly be to me then you can leave," she stated with a shake of her head. "I need no one and require nothing. If you cannot dispute this then you have merely confirmed my intial suspicions," she pointed out. She seemed to be finished at this point and with a snort she pulled away and swam a distant to put a gap between herself and the stallion, it was a snub in some form but at least she hadn't made any remarks about him directly this time!  

[mouselet]

The stallion winced again at the volume Equinox produced, if not what she actually said. Why was she so certain that he could do nothing to help her? He mulled over the problem when the mare spoke again, shooting down all assistance at all and starting to swim away.

He watched her despairingly trying to think of everything he could do to help while admiring her strength. In the water, one almost didn't notice her limp-

Her limp! Sure it wasn't a fresh injury, but it was something he could help with!

"Equinox, wait! Wait!" he called out, swimming over to her again. Calor was grinning from ear to ear as he approached. "Your leg, I can help you with your leg. Relieve the pain, maybe even heal it."  

[Epine de Rose]

She had to be imagining things. She'd thoroughly dismissed him and yet, a voice in her head insisted on ensuring that he plagued her just a little longer. She was almost certain it was her head playing tricks on her, would have bet good money too. At least, she would have bet such currency until the water thrust against her side and she came face to face with the stallion again - what was worse was that she found herself in very close proximity to the stallion.

"Wait, wait - what?" She mimicked his tone before fixing her gaze on him, her eyebrow rising in challenge. He couldn’t possibly have anything else to say, there wasn’t anything else to say, at least not to her knowledge. Unfortunately she was wrong, the stallion did have something to say and it was of such importance that he needed to block her exit (apparently). What had happened to her simple life – what had happened to the times where she could have a nice relaxing bath and listen to the idle chitter of passing creatures?

...Someone was up in the heavens laughing at her.

She made a mental note to take them out in the most brutal way possible when she crossed paths with them. Hell hath truly no fury like a mare scorned.

Alas her brow slowly lowered when he elaborated on his exclamation, his apparent usefulness was very presumptuous. Her leg was both a literal and figurative sore spot for her; it brought back rather painful memories but was also a reminder of what she had nearly become. It wasn’t a simple issue of curing a limp and besides, if it had required superficial healing, didn’t he think she would have the intelligence to seek such a thing out? Frankly she hadn’t sought anything out, she hadn’t needed the attention or the questions – the humans had taken care of her well enough and she had no grounds to complain.

“There’s nothing wrong with my leg,” she snapped waspishly and shook her head. She had nothing further to say on that matter but apparently, she needed to be a bit more creative to get him out of her hair. What better way to deal with a boisterous turkey, one who was clearly all talk?

She considered.

And then she licked him – right on the nose.

“I suggest you move out of my way. Now,” she instructed.
 

[mouselet]

Her mockery wasn't enough to dim his enthusiasm. But her long pause before she snapped was. Calor winced again at the venom in her words. He should've known that she'd be touchy about the leg, and he should've been more diplomatic about bringing it up. He should've-

The stallion's regretful thoughts came to an abrupt end as the mare licked him right on the nose. Red eyes snapped wide open and stared at the mare in total shock and surprise as his thoughts ground to a screeching halt.

She...licked him? Why had she...licked him?  

[Epine de Rose]

Screw kicking a male in the nuts.

You can even avoid kicking him in the shins.

Equinox was renowned for knowing how to win particular encounters and there was nothing more powerful and effective than a swift lick to the nose. Given that a great many soquili translated this as a 'kiss', while others weren't quite sure what it was, it left a significant number in a daze. Regardless of what he may have considered this to be, it had had the desired affect and he stood silent and surprised. She suspected he would be mulling that little motion over for quite some time and with this in mind she took her leave.

She said nothing, she gave no gesture and instead she swung round and swam away. If she'd opened her mouth she knew he would snap out of it and this simply wasn't a risk she was willing to take.

Take that, turkey-boy!  

[mouselet]

As Equinox predicted, the stallion did nothing as she swam away, simply treading water and staring straight ahead. It wasn't until he saw her getting out of the lake that he blinked, shook himself, and swam off in the opposite direction.

He was definitely going to have to think hard over this encounter.