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 Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:47 am
She recovered her natural tone and nodded slightly, thinking for a moment on a description. "She is very calm and polite, but I'm afraid I can't tell you much else." She extended her foreleg and lowered her muzzle, ridding herself of an itch, giving herself time to think. She raised her head and flicked an ear, watching the pale stallion curiously. Could he be blind? "Your offer is very kind, and I thank you for it. Any help at all is very much appreciated. I hope to find her someday soon, and I'm sure I will."
She hesitated momentarily, wondering if it would be rude to ask him if he was blind, but decided against it. It would be rude, she decided, and she didn't want to offend him. Besides, there were facts against this theory. How could he see her mother if he was blind? But his eyes...
Cressida didn't need much comforting, there wasn't much to comfort her about. She lost her mother, yes, but she would find her soon. "Yes, I don't see many of our kind around much, either, but recently that has changed. I'm sure I'll find her eventually." She smiled, nodding once more. Yes, she'd find her, especially with the help of a few kind nequus.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 2:14 pm
Morthan smiled in the voice's general direction and nodded. "Yes, I've often found that things that sound impossible aren't all that hard once you actually set about trying." That wasn't always true of course but hope was the best friend that the young-voiced mare had at the moment by the sounds of it. Appearance and a manner were better than nothing to go on but it still wasn't a lot of information.
Morthan bent to nibble at the grass beneath his hooves, grateful that for once he had judged the distance to the ground about right and avoided smacking his nose. The blades were sweet and good; he had to remember to eat sparingly of them though. The warnings his parents had given him of this plentiful land had stuck well though he had never visited before.
"Well," the albino said, raising his head and giving himself a shake. "I'll be sure to look as I said... um..." No, he'd decided it was best not to ask after his own kin. Yet... "If you ever see a purple mare of our kind with a streaked mane and specked with gold, one of the reverse colour tell them that their brother misses them?"
There, it was said now for better or worse. His parents he wouldn't ask for; he was old enough himself so his sire and dam were almost certainly dead. Still, he would describe them too if Cressida asked because, after all, there was never any harm in hope.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:16 pm
The gilded mare couldn't help but smile. This stallion seemed nice, and was attempting to help her out. Another pair of eyes was a helpful thing in her situation. She bobbed her head after listening to his request. "If I see them, I'll be sure to deliver the message. And thank you once more for your help, Morthan, it really means a great deal to me," she murmured with a smile, twitching her muscular tails a bit.
It seemed her business here was done, but for some reason she was compelled to stay with this stallion. He was fairly interesting; she'd never met an albino before, nor any other pure white nequus aside from her mother. "Hmm.." She flicked an ear thoughtfully, gazing up at the stars, then returned her gaze towards the white stallion. "Care for a walk?" She asked with a smile, ears perked. It was a beautiful night, and she didn't feel the least bit tired. A walk sounded like a good thing, and one with a companion better still. If he didn't want to join her, so be it; she would see him again some day. If he did want to join her, well and good. Silence was welcome, but company was more so.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:26 pm
"Err..." She'd almost certainly noticed he couldn't see if he went with her... but what did that matter? She wasn't coming off as the aggressive kind. "Alright, yes." Morthan flashed a slight smile in the direction that Cressida's voice came from. "I'd like that. It's a nice night to be out and about." Warm, very little wind to mask small sounds that could give him a clue about his surroundings.
"I'm headed south myself, to see the ocean," the pale stallion went on. "Yourself?" He was fairly sure he'd got himself disoriented at some point; maybe if she was going south too he'd be able to get back on track a bit.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:37 pm
Her smile widened, and she adjusted her wings to a more comfortable position. "Oh, good! It's so nice to have company. Especially at night. I don't know why, but I prefer night to day. It's much cooler and calmer, in my opinion. Plus there's no bright sun to hurt the eyes," she said with a nod.
"Hmm... Where? I don't really know. At this point I'm just wandering around, I don't know where to head to next. I went to the ocean fairly recently, but as it's one of my absolute favorite places, I'd be delighted to join you," she said with a smile, turning towards the south. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she turned her head to look back at him. "Have you ever been to the ocean before, Morthan? I forget if I asked you before or not.." She said sheepishly. Not everyone had seen the ocean, she knew, and to assume he knew exactly where the ocean was if he had never been there wouldn't be a good thing. However, he did know the general direction, which was a good thing. Perhaps he did know exactly where it was? Well, there was no use thinking about it so much. Either he knew or he didn't, and she would be there to guide him either way.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:53 pm
The albino repressed the urge to do a small victory dance. Excellent. He’d got himself a guide to the ocean. "No, I've never been before Cressida," Morthan admitted. "All I know is that it's in the south somewhere and that it's supposed to be a sight every Nequus should see at some point in their life." He’d met a couple that waxed a little too poetic about it for his own liking but the Reya mare’s simple enthusiasm for the place was encouraging. Almost enough to make him forget the silly poets and their painful similes.
The Reya stallion rearranged his tails and nodded as he mulled over the gilded Nequus' earlier words. "Yes, I must say I quite like the night too," despite not being able to see. "It's peaceful I suppose," and he didn't burn and he didn't get headaches from the light. In fact, the only disadvantage to night was his tendency to walk into things during it... Okay, so it was a fairly large disadvantage, it was still only one.
"I think it's a Reya thing," the pale stallion went on after a moment. "Our breed along with Aeri are supposed to enjoy moon and stars more than the sun." Though he had to admit that he did like the sun as well, especially when behind clouds, rising or setting. Those were the best times for him to be moving about.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 3:24 pm
"Oh, dear, you've missed a lot," she said with a smile and a soft laugh. "Before the last time I visited, I hadn't gone for years. I don't know why, really. Perhaps it was because I didn't know my way there, myself. My mother used to take me there all the time when I was younger, so the ocean holds some sentimental value for me," said the half-golden mare with a bob of her head.
"Yes, it's very peaceful. I kind of assumed it was a breed trait, since not many Reya and Aeri are up during the day, but hardly any aren't up at night," she said thoughtfully. "But, at any rate, we should get on with our walk now, unless you'd rather stand around and talk more," she said with another laugh. "It may take us about a day or two to get there, I think, from here. I'm not entirely sure, though. I'm not good with estimates," she said with a smile. "I'll lead the way, since you don't know how to get there, unless you'd rather stay in front?" She asked, figuring he'd say no anyway. How would he be able to stay in front if he didn't know where he was going?
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 3:55 pm
Morthan chuckled and nodded. "Well, I'm glad to know I've got so much to look forward to. It's nice to hear about it from somebody who seems sane rather than... eh... nut jobs, I tried to put it nicely but I failed. Some of the people I’ve heard rave on about their favourite place have made me want to run for cover in all honesty."
Shaking his head over his deep lack of tact, and over obsessive psychos, the pale-eyed stallion turned his head up to the sky. "Well, since you know where we're going I think you'd better lead, eh?" he said, lowering his head again to look in Cressida's general direction. "Never know, we might even end up finding your mother there," the albino went on. "Perhaps she still visits it like she used to, eh?" It was possible and with luck his saying something like that, which would probably be replied to, would give him a good hint of what direction she was setting off in so that he could follow without too much of a delay.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 5:54 pm
She began walking a few paces towards, then paused to look back at him. They could talk and walk at the same time, couldn't they? "Over this way," she said softly. "And yes, a simple description of a favorite place would suffice. No need for flamboyant poetry," she said with a laugh, twitching her tails to a different arrangement.
"Yes, I suppose it would be best if I lead," said she with a smile and began walking once more. "This way, then. And who knows? Perhaps we might. I didn't see her there the last time I went, but I may meet her there this time." It was a nice thought. She doubted she would see her mother there. She hadn't been there before, why would she be there now? It was improbable, but who knows? The fates may be kind to her for once. Well, it made no sense thinking about it so much. Either she was there and they'd be reunited, or she wasn't and she would have to keep looking. Either way, the ocean would be a sight for sore eyes. She needed to get her mind off of her long-lost dam or else her mood would turn sour. She peered behind her at the albino stallion, ears perked. "What were your parents like, Morthan?"
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 5:07 am
The pale stallion turned about and set off hesitantly in the direction of the voice. Each step was painstakingly careful and yet he had to fight to move at a relatively normal pace as well. Yet if he moved too fast he would probably trip on something. Damn, damn, damn. She was bloody well going to find out, wasn't she? Well this was perfect absolutely perfect; he was probably going to walk into her now or something equally stupid. Why couldn't the world just be nice to him for a change? Would it really kill it to... Oh, a question.
"My parents?" Morthan echoed. "Well... They were parents I suppose. They were suitably adoring of myself and my sisters, taught us things like flying and running and what things were good to eat..." What else did he remember about them? "They were a pretty peaceful pair, not fond of conflict but happy to play rough games with us. I suppose they taught us to ignore people who might dislike us for what we were, too." That message had been given to him especially strongly and he liked to think he'd kept it on board well. He was good at ignoring idiots. "All in all," the white stallion shrugged, "I suppose they were nice, normal parents."
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:44 pm
The gilded mare turned her head to look back at the albino following her, watching his very tentative steps closely. He obviously was making every effort to not walk into anything or trip over anything, but without looking at the ground. Either he was trying to be incredibly dignified, too good to look at the ground when he walked no matter what the territory, or he couldn't see it if he tried. Since he didn't seem the type to be too superior to even glance at the ground, and she couldn't think of any other reason to account for his actions, he must be blind. But then how could he know the colors of his family members, or if he'd seen a white mare before? Certainly no one went around proclaiming their names, colors, and breeds at random.
She turned her head back and stumbled sideways to avoid walking into a tree. When did that get there? She then hesitated, looking at Morthan, then at the tree, then back at her companion. She paused in her walking to adjust her wings a bit, flicking her tails, and took a few steps forward. "Be careful, there's a tree about a yard or so in front of you. I almost walked into it, myself," she said softly, loud enough for him to hear. Either he would have seen it, and she'd look foolish, or she could spare him the embarrassment of colliding with the tree. She honestly didn't care if he couldn't see; true, it was terrible to be blind and miss the gorgeous views, but he had been able to see his family and their colors and those of others. She didn't attempt to understand his predicament completely, it was quite confusing. Perhaps he could only see at certain times of the day? That would be silly, but it was the only thing she could think of.
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 7:23 am
Morthan froze mid-stride, one hoof hovering in mid air. Well that had just blown his cover, hadn't it? Oh well, this Cressida seemed alright; she probably wouldn't change her opinion of him based on this. The hoof was placed back on the ground and its owner turned a little to the right and set off slowly once more.
"Thank you," he said after a moment, turning to look in the direction he last remembered hearing the other Reya in. "So," he went on, "when did you guess? Is it obvious?" He'd got better at managing over the years but there was still no way to truly conceal his weakness. Hearing, touch and smell could only compensate so much for blindness. It bothered him less now than it had as a youthful stallion as well. Much though he often felt somewhat embittered with the cards that had been dealt him by life, he had come to accept that things were the way they were. It would be nice to have properly functioning eyes but it was also possible to cope without.
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:38 am
"You're welcome," she said softly, beginning to walk again. Was it obvious? She tried to think. It hadn't been terribly obvious, but then again, she had been looking for signs of blindness. "Well," she hesitated, trying to find the right words to explain with, "it isn't that obvious from further away, I don't think, but moreso when you're walking. I could only think of two explanations for why you didn't bother to look at the ground while walking even though it looked like you were being extremely careful. Either you were too high and mighty to look at the lowly ground while walking, and you don't exactly seem like that type," she said with a smile, "or you just couldn't see it even if you tried." She glanced back at him, then turned her head and continued. "I was wondering about it for some time, but I only guessed before you got to the tree. I might've looked foolish if I was wrong, telling you to look out for a tree if you could see it yourself, but I didn't want to risk you running into said tree, because that's never fun. I don't quite understand though," she said after a small pause, frowning slightly. "Is it just a night or day kind of thing?" She didn't really like to ask such personal questions as physical deficiencies, but since they were already on that topic, it seemed all right to ask.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:32 am
Morthan gave a snorting sigh, allowing himself to relax a little. Now that the other Reya knew he didn't have to pretend he knew what the hell was going on six inches in front of his face. "Well I'm glad it isn't too obvious," he said after a moment, listening carefully to the soft sounds of Cressida's hoofbeats and following them.
"My eyesight is... odd I suppose," the stallion went on thoughtfully. "It's poor during the day but as the light fades I see less and less until I can't see a damn thing at all. I don't know quite why that is; over the years I've just assumed that there's different bits of the eye for seeing at different times and I'm missing the nighttime bit." It was as good an explanation as anything else to his mind; he'd never been able to come up with something more sensible at any rate.
Oh he'd occasionally considered that it was a curse of some kind but, given his odd colouring, it made sense for the two to be linked. That meant either something about being albino had ruined his eyes or the whole package was a curse.
"Blind by night, burned by day. Bit of a catch twenty-two," the white-coated stallion observed with a snort and a wry smile. Some days the no-win situation depressed him deeply but thankfully today seemed to be one of those days when he could laugh at the whole situation.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:35 am
She continued her steady pace across the plains, listening to what he was saying, but then wondered how he knew where to go. Perhaps it was due to the sound of her hoofbeats? Her voice? Whichever it was, he seemed to be following well enough as it was. Still... She decided to trod a little bit more heavily on the grass so her hooves would be more easily heard. She swivelled an ear backwards so she could hear what he was saying.
"That is rather odd, I've never heard of anything like that happening before," she said, frowning. "That seems the most logical assumption, I think, but still, it's awful to have poor eyesight at all, and being totally blind at certain parts of the day, or night, seems utterly horrible. Maybe the piece that's missing was the part that gathered in the light at night and a little during the day. I really don't know, I'm not good with nequus eye anatomy," she said with a wry grin, flicking her ear. "But whatever it is, I think it has to do with you being albino. Normally their eyes are red, though I have no idea why, but yours are a nice blue. Maybe that has something to do with it?"
"Burned?" How could he be burned by--oh. "The sun?" She turned her head to look back at him, wonderingly. "That sounds absolutely awful, I can't imagine any of that, I don't know how you deal with it. If there's anything I could do to help you out, though, please feel free to ask. I don't know that there's much I could do for you, but still."
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