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 Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:26 pm
She laughed softly, "I know that, I was making a joke. Perhaps I'm bad at such things." Again with the slow, careful talking. Hienna's eyes opened and watched him, shaking her head.
He looked lovely in the sun and the beach was absolutely gorgeous. She'd honestly never seen something so great in her entire life.
"The ocean is beautiful...."
How could something exist that was so perfect?
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:32 pm
Grinning himself, Zaphiro trotted back over to Hienna, smiling at the reclining mare. "On the contrary, you seem to have picked up on the rudiments of joking quite nicely; you just need to learn to recognize when someone else is teasing you in turn!"
This little tidbit was delivered with a wink, then Zaphiro was flopping down into the sand as well. "Though I think I'm done with racing for now; this place is just about perfect for relaxing, in my opinion. But I'm thrilled you like it, Hienna."
And he was, the sincereity evident in both tone and look. However, the look was somewhat restricted...because he was looking a bit longer than he really should.
But then, how could he do anything BUT look? Hienna was a lovely mare regardless, but in the bright sunlight she shone and sparkled like precious amethyst; the gold at her neck and ankles glittered brightly, and he barely caught himself in time for it to NOT count as staring. Which was simply rude.
So he once again turned his attention back to the water, nodding in agreement to her words. "It has it's own beauty, it's own magic; really, it's no wonder so many swear by the sea."
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:39 pm
Hienna noticed the look, though, and simply blushed. She knew that look even if Zaphiro tried to keep it as a friendly glance rather than staring. Usually, it would make the mare feel uncomfortable but she knew that Zaphiro wouldn't mean anything by it.
"And what is it that you were looking so intently at, Zaphiro?" She asked teasingly, tossing her mane slightly since the ocean breeze had blown it in an uncomfortable position.
Maybe she was committing one of those sins and being full of herself when thinking that. Maybe he was looking at something behind her?
Hie didn't like to assume.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:46 pm
Teasing tone or not, Zaphiro immeadiatly felt his cheeks flush as Hienna's words told him that he hadn't been as discreet as he would have liked. So much for the "thou shalt not stare" policy...
Hopefully his blush wasn't that evident, though; yet another time to praise the gods that he was dark of face!
That didn't chancge the fact he'd been caught staring, though, and his expression was sheepish as he finally answered after a few frantic moments of deliberations. "I'm sorry, Hienna; I didn't realize I was so obvious about it, but I couldn't help but notice how absolutely stunning you look in this bright sunlight. That's not to say you don't look lovely in shadow, of course, but after being in the dark so long, I guess you could say I was...well, taken by surprise."
Awkward, thy name is Zaphiro.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:57 pm
Oh. So he was looking at her. A deep blush spread across her cheeks and she cast her eyes downward - his compliment was sincere, she knew, not like the other stallions that always made eyes at her.
It warmed her and scared her at the same time.
"T..t..thank you." Oh. Crap. when did she develop a stutter? Hienna looked up again and gathered her courage.
"You're...quite stunning yourself, Zaphiro..."
Apparently, Zaphiro and Hienna shared a name.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:03 pm
Rather than his blush subsiding, Zaphiro could only feel his face warming even more at Hienna's response to his rather oddly phrased compliment. It was strange; he was used to being admired, yet for some reason right now he couldn't seem to come up with a decent response to save his soul.
"That's...I mean, you're welcome, and I..rather, I think...um, thanksverymuch."
The last bit was rather rushed as Zaphiro, trying to cast about for a proper comment, instead found himself stammering like an errant colt; rather than keep with the rather disjointed nothings he'd been uttering, it seemed like a good idea to end it.
Though as soon as he had, he was mentally kicking himself. THAT sounded very gracious! "I mean, it's very nice of you to say that, Hienna."
Much better. However, he could feel his whole face burning up, right to his ears. That didn't mean that he wasn't aware of the compliment, though, and inwardly his soul was singing. She thought he was attractive! Now, if only she thought more than that...
But this was a start. A ghastly and awkward start, but a start.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:07 pm
He was as flustered as she was! The thought eased Hienna a little bit, but not enough for her blush to subside. "Uh, y..you're welcome. Glad I could....uh, please you - Oh! Look at that seagull!"
Divert the conversation, Hienna, very good. Her golden eyes followed a seagull who dived at the water in search of some kind of meal. It amused her, greatly. She'd never seen a seagull before.
She had a feeling that they would become her new favorite animal for saving her from that heartwarming, if not awkward, moment.
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Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:12 pm
Eager for a chance to change the subject, Zaphiro quickly turned his attention to the bird in question, focusing on it with an intense directness that had to have made the gull uncomfortable, if it was really aware it was being stared at.
"Yes, there are lots of them out her. Pelicans as well, and the occassional sandpiper, though not in this season. It must just be a nice place to stop for a meal, or maybe they just enjoy it like we do!"
Though he noted that there was only ONE gull at the moment; obviously said gull didn't have to worry about making an a** of itself, for which it was profoundly fortunate.
Finishing his ponderance on the gull, Zaphiro carefully glanced over at Hienna again, his features schooled into a mask of calmness though his face was still blazing. "I suppose it would be foolish to think that we are the only ones who want the peace, huh?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:59 pm
"I'm certain they do. I must admit that this could become one of my favorite places. Granted, I do not believe it would be the best place to live should the tide come in. That would be worse than finding yourself rolled into a nearby pond."
Hienna offered a wide smile at Zaphiro, still blessing her stars that she was dark coated and he couldn't see the heat still blazing across her face.
"Foolish, no. Fanciful, perhaps. After all, were we the only ones to enjoy peace the peaceful places would be all ours."
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:10 pm
"True enough; I'd hardly think that being coated in seaweed or being carted out to sea by the water would be a pleasant experience." Though it was an amusing mental picture, one that he focused on a bit harder than was strictly necessary. But it was working; he could feel the heat in his face starting to diminish, and that was an important thing.
He hadn't meant to be so obvious, after all; the point of his behavior was to work his way up, as it were; insinuate himself into Hienna's affections and see if his were actually returned. Not to complain; knowing that she was interested in him on any level was amazing. But for some reason...
This wasn't quite right. This was...well, tense. He could almost FEEL the tension radiating off of his body, coupled with an awareness of her; an awareness that she was there, and that she was attracted; a ponderance of whether or not she was looking at him when he wasn't looking at her...
Best to focus on the location. The conversation. He was NOT like Guilian, damnit. "I suppose that the definition of peaceful changes from person to person, though...and there's a lot of space out there. So maybe, in one sense, that's actually true." After all, they had the place to themselves right now, didn't they?
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:23 pm
The conversation change was beginning to work for the mare and she was quite pleased when the heat began receding from her face as well. Of course she hadn't been aware of Zaphiro's own and that was likely a good thing. It was also a good thing that the unicorn had absolutely no idea what Zaphiro was thinking or the heat would go right back to her cheeks.
Hienna bent her head to poke at a crab that was scurrying by and laughed softly, momentarily distracted from the conversation topic by the weird little creature with eight legs.
"Look at that, Zaphiro. What a funny little thing."
More distractions were good.
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:41 pm
Following Hienna's gaze, Zaphiro too looked at the crab, though his smile was rater sardonic. "Ah yes, one of my little crustacean friends. Better watch your tail with them around, Hienna; those claws can hurt."
And they had a bad habit of clinging. He'd been latched onto once before, and it was enough to permanently sour the stallion on the creatures. Not that he had to deal with them that much, of course; much as he enjoyed the beach, he was ultimately in inland creature.
Still, contemplating oceanic hazards was as good an occupation as any, and suitably mellow. Actually, the whole situation was rather mellow, now that the two of them had made it past the conversational awkwardness.
And it was a gorgeous day to be at the beach. The sun was warm on his dark hide, the sand comfortable, and the breeze that caught and played with his long curls was soothing. Now if only he could remember that!
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:49 pm
She went a little bit closer to the crab to get a better look at the claws Zaphiro spoke of and was quite nearly clipped on her nose. The mare pulled away just in time for it to snap mid air and scuttle off.
"...That would have been unpleasant," she murmured, looking cross eyed at her nose to make sure there were no scratches. Thankfully, the crab hadn't managed to graze her at all.
"I do not think I would like to call one of them friend."
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:02 pm
Hienna's antics provoked a new round of chuckling as Zaphiro watched, shaking his head at her in mock dismay. "So, I warn you about them and the first thing you do is try and get your nose amputated. Are you TRYING to make me worry about you, Hienna, or are you just succedding?"
Honestly, he couldn't imagine her managing on her own. There were so many natural dangers, and then there were the other Soquili, the kalonas and skinwalkers...it was enough to make one's hair stand on end. He KNEW that she felt she could handle herself, but could she really?
Of course she could. Hienna might be a lady, but that didn't mean she was incapable.
But then, it was his perogative to worry about his lady...
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:16 pm
It was such a good thing that Hienna hadn't heard Zaphiro's thoughts calling her his lady. She would have turned tail and ran for the simple fact that it sounded like something her mother would have yelled at her about.
A stallion thinks of a mare as his property. You are nobody's property, girl. or something to that effect.
However, she didn't, so the point was moot. Hienna looked up at Zaphiro with a little laugh, "I just wanted a closer look..." a pause, "Do you really worry about me, Zaphiro?"
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