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Everyone had their own Achilles heel, that one little weak spot that could cripple an otherwise invulnerable individual. Such, with Antony, was the seemingly innocuous utterance of "your kind" by Abattie.

Strange how strongly one could react to such a little thing, He'd been grinning in his amused fashion, thoroughly enjoying the way that she tried to dig her way out of the hole she'd created for herself, when everything came crashing down.

He was used to the stares, the whispers, the worried shuffles. As he'd grown, he learned to laugh them off and to go the extra mile to shatter those illusions; one could have kalona blood and not be a demon. But this...

It was the way she said it, he supposed, that made it such a bitter pill. the way she said 'you don't scare me, that makes it more fun. I share an interest in "your kind."'

Fun. Kalonas were fun, something of interest to possibly be studied through a sheet of glass. Kalonas, his "kind."

Wrong. He wasn't any "kind," be it kalona, half kalona, half wind, mixed blood, anything. He was himself, as much an individual capable of his own thing as anyone else. He knew that, but it still stung, stung so much...

He couldn't continue this conversation, not like this. Not after such a piercing barb as that, unintentional as it was.

As it was, he managed a smile to the mare as he replied to her last statements, but it was a somewhat detached smile. He wasn't his father, he couldn't hide it when something got to him. And, also like his father, he didn't automatically desire 'company' when depressed. No, he needed some space...

"Well, you know what they say about fun, Regular; it's all in the eye of the beholder." Although still polite, the emphasis on the word 'Regular' was probably more than enough of an indication of Antony's upset, particularly in conjuction with the following statement. "And I can understand your unease in unfamiliar situations. My apologies for putting you in one."

Not a very graceful sign-off, but again...he wasn't his father. With that and a slight incline of his head, he then turned away, preparing to head off the way he'd come.

Tears. Damn, but he hated tears; not because they made him feel guilty, but because they had always been a sign to him of manipulation. Granted, that was likely because his sister had been one of those types that cried when she wanted to get her brothers in trouble, regardless of whether or not she actually hurt or was troubled.

But never let it be said that he was the type who jumped to conclusions. As he flicked open his wings, he glanced back over at the mare, his pale eyes level.

"I told you, I am NOT a kalona. And I'm certainly not a 'kind.' A word of advice for you in the future, though; just because you might view yourself as a 'type' doesn't mean everyone does. A pureblood unicorn might not identify themself firstly as a unicorn, or as a unicorn at all; mixed bloods are even LESS likely to associate themselves suchly. Would YOU like it if I said I hated 'your kind' since 'your kind' only jumps to conclusions and spews poisonous prejudices?"

The words were cold, cold and harsh. But there was the ring of truth in them, as there was in his icy eyes. Amazing how they could go from laughter to frigidity so fast, yet...

He might have learned to deal with predjudice, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Even if it wasn't meant to hurt, things like Abattie's 'fascination' with Kalonas were worse; who would want to be liked for their appearance or traits? It was enough to make one sick, it truly was...

"Your father plays a dangerous game, trying to get on the nerves of a kalona. That's a good way to get killed in even ordinary circumstances, and hardly behavior you should wish to emulate."

But then, could he blame her for imitating her father? Had he not himself absorbed beliefs and behaviors from his own?

Granted, there was a difference between a strong appreciation for females and a warped obsession with baiting kalonas. Or whatever. His mother was a harridian when she was riled, and he'd heard that, compared to most, she was downright tame; that made the desire of the non-kalonas breeds to toy with the tempers of the so-called "True Kalona" that much more perplexing to him. Oy...

Still, upset as he was, the fact that she was trying meant something. The little disjointed corrections that cropped up each time she realized she was going teh wrong way were small, but the meaning behind them was profound. She was trying, and that was what mattered, right?

Running a wing over his face, Antony sighed heavily, pondering the proper course of action at the moment. But it only took a short bit of time for him to realize that to continue reacting as he was was unmerited by the mare's actions; there'd be time enough later for him to curse the forces of fate or whatever. In the meantime....

"Look, let's try this. We back up, start this conversation over, and forget this whole little wrinkle ever came up. So then, hi, I'm Antony, otherwise known as Tony, and it's a pleasure. I hope."

With that, he turned around to face the mare, once again giving her his broad, pleasant smile and a slight bow. Let's see if attempt two couldn't be better!

Awkward, yes; but not as awkward as continuing on with their other conversations. Besides, the 'starting over' conversation had been a common occurance in Antony's youth, often employed when an irate mother or sibling would blow up at inopportune times. Now, there were no negatives, just a normal conversation between two normal Soquilis.

Flicking back his wings, he sauntered back up to the mare, giving her a grin at the lively introduction. Take two, stronger and with more enthusaism? Something like that.

"Well, Attie it is then; I always liked the idea of being a sometimes operator, so I think I'll go with Attie. Short, cute, and just enough punch to carry well when yelled over a long distance from a high hilltop. Or do you not care for high hilltops?"

The look he gave her was totally serious, except for the dancing eyes. When he meant to change the subject and erase the negativity, he wasn't kidding!

"Tony's what I'm used to, but if you ARE that anti-cickname, I won't bite your head off if you call me Antony. And you'd be surprised how well my name can carry, especially the 'ee' sound. You would not believe how many times I got to hear JUST 'EEEEEEE' when my sister was screeching at me; then again, I was never sure if she was screaming at me or my brother Nicky, and I didn't want to find out!"

Grinning, Antony gave the mare a roguish wink, as though letting her in on a secret. Then again, unless one happened to be an only child, they knew what annoying siblings were like. It all just depended on whether they were the ones annoying or being annoyed!

That got him thinking, though... "So, do you have any siblings, Attie? Or are you one of the fortunate few that doesn't have to deal with such?"

And he meant it; while Tony had always gotten along well with his brother Nicholi, the two boys had virtually always been at odds with their sister, Neve. Even now that they were adults it was virtually impossible for Tony to spend much time with her, and he had a strong hunch that the feeling was mutual.

Oh yes, a barrel of fun. "If you're a stallion looking to get laid, then yes, I'd have to agree. Otherwise, only if you're into vindictive self-abasement by a largely spiteful mare, which I've never been. Suffice to say...I don't see my sister much any more. Not a bad thing, though, as my family was always rather...unconventional."

To put it mildly. He doubted that there was a name for the social structure of his family, but whatever it was...it was family. "My brother and I get along great, and we're very close to our father, though; while I respect and love my mother, to say that I agree with her a lot of the time would be lying. It's a bit complcated, but whatever. Sounds like you have a fun family, though!"

Really, having a family that didn't involve much yelling had to be something. Not that everything in his family DID revolve around yelling, of course...but his mother DID have a habit of getting annoyed at Guilian for trivialities and Neve was too much like her for her own good!

Antony had to grin at the reaction the mare had to his description of his sister; he supposed that perhaps his phrasing had been a little strong, but it was basically the truth. Besides, he had no troubles with her sexual adventures; in this family, that was just the way things went. No, what he had a problem with was her tendency to view her partners as meat and everyone else as simply beneath notice; not cool.

However, it was the mare's discussion of her family that really got his attention. Given that his own had broken up as soon as the kids were grown, he'd always been interested in the familial relations of others; what was "boring" to her might not be to him.

"Ah yes, the organization. I know how that goes, sort of; my mother was always closest to Neve. Then again, Nic and I used to cover for Dad with Mum, and she didnt' like that too much..."

Her comment about her brother being protective was an interesting one, though. "So, your brother doesn't think you can fight for yourself, or what?"

Though he'd technically never experienced what Abattie was talking about himself, Antony could nevertheless sympathize with the trials of parental favoritism. After all, didn't his mother favor Neve? On the flip side, it could be said that his father favored he and his brother...but he also liked Neve. And their mother liked him and Nic, as long as they weren't defending their father...

Scratch that. He really had NO idea what was going on with Abattie's circumstances, or at least no similar experiences to compare it to. But then, everyone tended to view their own circumstances as more dire than they really were. At least, that's what he'd always thought...

"Meh, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Family is supposed to be loved and tolerated, even if you actually hate each other. Maybe it seems like your parents are doing something, but there's always a chance it's imagination, you know? And if your brother is worrying about your well-being, that's at least a sign that he cares. At least, I think that's the case."

He'd heard that older brothers tended to be protective of younger sisters; obviously there was a time and place for that, as he definitely didn't feel protective of HIS younger sister. Then again, Abattie did have a much more...youthful air to her than Neve did, or ever had. Maybe that had something to do with it?