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 Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:08 pm
"I do," Sparkles knew of her family though she hadn't seen them in quite some time. In ways she missed them, had missed them for many years but had never really desired to go back. Not quite ready to settle, she was contend to explore until the time when a tiny part of her uttered the words she needed to hear - that it was time to settle down and to return home. She suspected her father would rip her a new one upon her return but after that...
Well, her parents would just be happy she was safe.
Very happy.
Especially her father who had plans to marry her off at one point and then caved when she had promptly burst in to tears. She'd always been a daddy's girl - for all her faults, she was just like him! He spoiled her rotten and drove her mother mad all at once.
"I haven't seen them in a while though - I look just like my dad," She confessed, coiling and uncoiling her tail around her fluffy rear leg. There was something in the way he spoke about his family that indicated he wasn't entirely satisfied...well maybe that wasn't the right word. Worried, perhaps? The way he shifted his front legs almost made him seem like he wanted to say something - anything.
Or was it reassurance?
She had no children, wasn't that old either...
"Appearances are deceiving and age is unimportant. Wisdom comes with age and they say that those who have experienced life can be full of surprises," A romantic at heart, she could do nothing more than smile faintly - her previous comment on romance had been lost on him so she refrained this time.
Apparently she was observant.
"Sometimes if a nature is foul though, they become ugly..." She found the concept hard to grasp, or had at first, but her companion had been determined and she had soon understood, "While if you speak to something that repulses you for long enough...you may find they are more beautiful than you gave them credit for?"
It was hard to explain, she would rather not insult someone she had never met but she could assume this was what the other soquili referred to. If Ariston was like her father, he would be the first to leap to his child's defence...regardless of faults.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:29 pm
Ariston only smiled dearly for a moment, before commenting once again. "I am sure your father is proud of you then, having such a lovely daughter. That is all us fathers want to see, afterall." Heh, how he would have loved to see Loveless again.
"Yes but rumors can be stronger then age my dear." he added, while relaxing his body again. "Sadly I find such true. Everyone has big mouths here- it is overwhelming! I like it when there is a fuss made over me, but I do not allow the fuss to involve any negatives about my family." Ariston was used to the Sinful bond he had with his fellow sinmates, and raising a family felt similar in a sense. "Ah well, nothing can be done about it. But I assure you, my life isn't that terrible!" He chuckled in a happy state, hoping to show that things really were as content as they could be.
"My daughter has her own reasons for being the way she is, and most of them involve my own faults. Her mood is foul and bloodthirsty, but she still carries her Pride as the most important thing. She is well raised and strong, what else could a father ask for?" Having two sons that were much easier to deal with, Ariston found his family situation as stressful, but at least proud through it all!
"The only thing that could repulse me for long enough periods is something ugly." he added, as if joking, though was completely serious. "I don't enjoy ugly things, its not in my nature to do so."
Ah well, he really had gone on about his family, hadn't he? "Does anything stress you out about in your life?" Maybe that was a personal question, but it seemed they had skipped over that boundary awhile ago.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:45 pm
"No, not really..." It as the truth, very little stressed her and perhaps that was more to do with her age than anything else. She was young, free and most definitely single. With no children and no responsibilities to anyone except herself, she had nothing to worry about or stress over. Maybe it was due to her faith in the Great Spirits (who had yet to fail her) that ensured this optimistic mentality or perhaps...
Well, it could very well have been the upbringing her parents provided her with!
"Of course my father is proud of me, as his only child I am his one joy -" She paused for a few moments and shook her head as though re informing herself, "Well, my mother is his other joy but I am still his favourite." It was no word of a lie either, through everything she had been his favourite and while he loved her mother she was his flesh and blood...the only one to carry on his line.
And she had wandered off, she was fairly certain he would impale her when he found her.
Ah well, things happened.
"But life is too short to worry and stress!" Her tone was enthusiastic, emphasising her youth and vitality as she puffed up her chest and turned her gaze back towards him. She wasn't entirely sure if she would ever be able to grasp his concept of family...she'd never found 'bloodthirsty' to be terribly appealing or pretty.
These 'kalona' were strange things, very strange.
"Besides, my hair would become frazzled if I worried to much and I would much rather that I remained in tip top form in case a gentle-stallion attempts to court me!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:05 am
"Ah, no worries then." he said, almost to himself. "I really don't mean to give off the impression that I am always stressed- because if anything that's not true. Maybe I even under-stress to a point but, sometimes things get a bit hectic when you are a father." Ah yes, it was a complicated step into maturity, and Ariston didn't have the complete mindset for that.
"Sadly, there aren't many gentleman in this land. I have tried my best to influence other stallions, but if anything they get too wrapped up in jealousy to listen to me." He sighed, almost a bit dramatically. "Many stallions don't understand what manners are, or how to treat a lady. Its despicable, if you ask me." Ariston obviously prided himself on his looks, but he also was sure to pride himself on his ever-so polite behavior. "It is hardest to be polite to a lady who is angry or violent back, but I at least try. It takes a lot to get my temper out of me." And with that, he flapped his wing happily and smiled at the thought.
"Well, luckily your hair is maintaining itself well." he flicked his back to let it hang naturally on the other side of his face. "I have seen a braided style like that before, it seems it is easier to hold the hair. Unfortunately in my case, I believe my hair is a bit too.. powerful, for that." With a humorous tone, he brought his eyes back on hers and smiled in response. "Ah well, my hair desires to be free and hang, so I listen!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:17 am
"Really? I've met plenty!" And she had, not a day went by when she didn't encounter at least one stallion that charmed her and made her smile. Granted they did it only for her beauty and the gifts she could grant them but they were courteous all the same. Predictable in their ways, she returned their jests and charm with very precise moves - if she liked them...well then she supposed she would have the pleasure of their company for a little longer.
Wagging her tail lazily (a habit of hers), she continued to listen to him discuss hair care and so forth until she gave a slight nod of agreement. She suspected that if he were to attempt to braid his hair it would be both very heavy and very, very long...
"Ah, well I used to allow my hair to fly free but there is something sweet and endearing about having such small braids, sometimes my companion will take the braids out and then it is wavy but otherwise..." She trailed into silence, not entirely certain as to what her point was - she supposed she didn't really have one and had chosen to be random.
Typical mare!
"Um, I'm Sparkles...by the way," She mused at last, suddenly all too aware that she didn't actually know who he was.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:42 am
"Did we really skip introductions?" Ariston laughed, but this time a bit louder, "I must have gotten more carried away in our discussion then I thought. How silly of me. My name is Ariston." With a slight nod, he brought his head to its original stance and carefully flicked his head to get a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "Ah well, at least you caught that!" Because sadly, Ariston wasn't built with the correct mindset to 'think' about others.
"Then you have been lucky then!" he added, though was a bit surprised by such. "Maybe my standards are a bit too high, but what I have met and encountered have been despicable excuses for men. Many also change how they act in front of a female, so maybe you will never know the truth." he finished his sentence with a concerned feel, but kept a soft smile through it all.
"We men are despicable creatures afterall, but I find the female race most fascinating." Well, fascinating to an extent. When violence was in the picture, Ariston ran! "At least unicorns are peaceful and kind as a breed. I have to deal with Kalona females, which are legendary in the sense of wisdom and strength." Ah, the bastards they were, Ariston found that he literally had to AVOID them for his own sanity.
"Now that I think about it.. you are the first unicorn I have run into in awhile. I don't think I have ever gone out of my way to meet a Unicorn stallion.. maybe I should to see if they are gentlemanly?" He chuckled, almost making this all a game.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:54 am
"Well my father is a gentleman," She was almost defensive as he stereotyped but what she found most odd was that he added himself in to the same category! For all his 'prideful' ways he wasn't above adding himself into the general mix on occasions. Perhaps he only ever did it in jest and would never seriously place him in the same category (or rank) as another but it made her smile a little all the same.
"Sometimes we are not always peaceful you know," She mused after a few moments, recalling times when her father would lose his temper and the herd would find themselves in the middle of a spat. It was how things were settled at home - if a soquili had a dispute they duelled, then when the battle had been won the mares would heal the wounds accordingly - there were benefits to being a herd full of unicorns.
"We have our disputes, we settle them and then we move on. That being said we are generally a gentle race," She was proof of that. While she may have been flirtatious, enjoyed the of others...she would be loathe to find out if she had hurt any of them either physically or emotionally. As one who enjoyed travelling and making friends it went completely against who she was!
"I have to admit though, you are perhaps the second Kalona I have ever met and you are very different from the previous." She confessed, "Your company is most definitely welcomed and it's a pleasure to meet you."
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:15 am
"Well, you are a lady so I have no doubt your father was a gentleman." he added, still oblivious if he might have said something wrong. "You can always tell from how someone was raised, what their parents are like." Well, that didn't ALWAYS work, especially in Ariston's case with his own daughter. "It can be a nice way to observe I suppose."
"Everyone has their moments, so that is understandable. We can't all ignore our tempers forever." Even Ariston understood that subject. "Though I find it most amusing when a pretty female gets extremely angry at me. Its hard to not still find them cute even when one is being threatened!" A bit of a random side note, but his own comment made him chuckle for a moment. "I am sure you would still look cute even if angry. That's just the way some were built." Thankfully the heavens made enough pretty people out there, rather then all of the ugly!
"Well I am pleased to hear such." he said, with a slight smirk. "As said before, its been awhile since I have been regarded kindly by a female. Or.. regarded kindly by anyone! "You see, even I can break it to you clearly," he narrowed his brow and strut a few paces away (mainly for the hope that he was out of range for kicking) "Maybe I have been lying to you this entire time, and I should be shamed for it!" Oh goodness, one of his speeches was coming..
"I am actually the Sin of Pride, so although I may be a wonderful spectacle, I can't lead someone as lovely as yourself on without you knowing the truth! Us sins are nothing but trouble, and I assure you that much. I have the title for being one of the most deadliest, but why has always remained a secret." He cut himself off with a wink, and wondered what she would think of him now.
It was fun to make others take him for a fool.. because.. then it was easier to mislead them in the end. That was one of his most fun games, afterall. Sparkles wasn't a target of his, so for now it seemed she was fine from his grasp.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:43 am
She had heard stories from her father about 'sinful' qualities, her herd had tales and folklore in relation to them and she knew why her herd viewed pride to be the very worst of the sins. However they did not call it pride so much as 'vanity' and when a little filly or colt got a little too 'proud' it wasn't unusual for an Elder to tell them a little story that would cause them to whimper and reconsider their stance after a few hours.
"You wouldn't be a sin if you weren't trouble...but life is full of surprises, questionable desires and unusual past times. You are no more trouble than those things." So perhaps she was being just a little sassy, she had met only one kalona before and he had terrified her - she'd always been wary of them, uncertain but that didn't mean she always judged on looks alone.
...After all, this one had been pleasant for now - regardless of his confession she still viewed him as a gentleman for now. A little too trusting for some, she gave most the benefit of the doubt until they had lost her trust and then it was lost forever (or until they performed some fantastic feat to regain it).
"You will have to do a little better than that to scare me of, if my company was not desired you need only say and I would have went for a swim," She pointed out teasingly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:12 am
Strange, she didn't seem that upset, or surprised. Ariston let out a sigh of relief, and a visible one at that. "There is no reason to scare you off- and scaring off isn't really in my ways. If I had a bad hair day, that would be enough to scare you off!" He grinned, basking in the delightful humor. As if HE could get a bad hair day like that, yeah right.
"Us Sins try to stick together, even though we are all completely different. Its the way we were made, and its important to represent." With a now formed smirk, he looked at her again after a thought. "Have you had the honor of meeting any other sins? I am sure you will notice them - right- away." He chuckled and gleamed, knowing how amazing they all looked.
"Am I keeping you from your swim? I certainly don't want to stop you from your favorite activity." he nodded, wondering if that was what she set out to do in the first place. "Sadly, I still cannot accommodate you on that thought." he swayed his tail and looked at her smoothly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 3:18 pm
"No, I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of encountering any other 'sins'," She replied softly, though a part of her was rather glad she hadn't. Given what the other sins represented she would rather plummet off the side off a cliff than become acquainted with them. Wrath, Envy...Gluttony, she wasn't entirely sure they would be pleasant experiences at all - that didn't stop her wondering how they presented themselves to the world though.
...The definition of beauty was a strange thing, perhaps they were a sight to behold in their own ways even if their personalities twisted them in to despicable creatures.
"You are the first I have had the pleasure of entertaining, that being said I haven't been in these lands all that long," She pointed out, simply arching her neck to release the tension as he mentioned her swim. One day he would break out of his comfort zone and experience the wonders of what lay below the surface but until that day she could live in hope.
"I wasn't planning on a swim today, on the contrary I was prepared to be suitably spontaneous - I prefer to act upon whatever is presented to me first," She explained, raising a brow as she attempted to envision a bad hair day for the stallion - all she could imagine was an afro-like appearance and that made her laugh out loud!
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:41 am
"Ah, so you are a new sight in these lands? How have they been treating you so far? I hope your stay has been enjoyable to this point." He grinned, wondering why he hadn't seen her roaming around before. "Life is pretty relaxing here, besides some slight dangers, it is easy to enjoy oneself."
Suitably spontaneous? Well, that sounded interesting! "So, since I am here I am your distraction?" he curled his lip into a sly grin, and lowered his eyelids slowly. "I am just glad I am able to keep you entertained- and hope so at least!" If anything, Ariston was more happy being the one entertained, since he would have walked off long ago if the conversation hadn't proved itself enjoyable.
At her laughter, he only chuckled quietly, but then raised his purple eyes to the sky. "Goodness, we have been talking here longer then I thought, it is almost late in the day. I hope I am not keeping you from anything." he added, wondering what his own day was supposed to be. Well, if anything he had succeeded in finding some good discussion and a pretty face. He wasn't sure what the female was up to, though.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:58 am
"It's a very nice place," Sparkles' provided him with a simple response as though uncertain as to how to express how she felt about the place. It was much more 'settled' than her homeland and the constant appearance of human was a little unusual. While they stayed away from her, left her to her own devices they still acted strange.
Not to mention, there was a rather scary and frightening looking area which seemed to radiate with 'evil'. It was a graveyard but having seen nothing like it before Sparkles couldn't have known what it was. All she knew was that she didn't care for it and would rather not go near it.
...A smart move given Kalona lurked there!
"Personally I favour the deserts you have here, the Oasis within them are truly beautiful and the plantlife is unlike anything I have seen," Her smile widened as she turned her gaze upwards to where the sun now stood high in the sky. Given she hadn't moved from this location since this morning it really was a surprise - it had been that long already?
"I should think you are a little better than a distraction if you could keep me talking this long, Ariston," She replied smoothly, releasing a chuckle as she glanced briefly at her fluffy hooves. "And you weren't keeping me from anything, I don't know much about this land so everything is new to me."
"Have you any suggestions on where I should visit?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:40 am
Ariston had never been to the deserts, but from what Sparkles was saying, it sounded as if they were quite a sight! The thought of having sand all over him just wasn't appealing, and for some reason in Ariston's mind, he assumed sand would get all over him in the desert. He really had quite the imagination. "I bet on a clear night the desert is beautiful with stars.." Someone else had told him that, but he couldn't recall who.
He was glad he was fulfilling his duty as a distraction! "Hm I don't really pay attention to where I am, ever. I tend to just wander around. I usually stay in the most social of areas.." He pondered for a moment before continuing. "The mountains around here are gorgeous, I have heard other Soquili speak towards climbing them. Maybe you can check those out some day? I know from experience they are beautiful from the air as well."
He hoped his tidbit of advice was reasonable enough, since he really was clueless about issues like that.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:52 am
Oh! Well she supposed she could clamber up the hill side but only if the weather was good. Slopes were always slippery in the wet and the desire to have mud over her hooves was not that high. Rather, she would have preferred to avoid the mountains entirely and walk round them if she was going to risk being up to her knees in mud.
It just wasn't going to happen.
Ever.
"It really is, it's also very warm and the ground is so soft to lie on," She explained. It was as he spoke that Sparks began to wonder exactly what the stallion did all day. He seemed to be fairly indifferent to everything, either that or he was just completely clueless! It was rather unusual, she was so used to stallions knowing every little detail.
"And the water is so clear and sweet, cold as well which is strange given how warm it is there. Very tranquil." She added before releasing a sigh and shaking her head.
"Have you always lived here?" She asked at last, figuring that perhaps if he hadn't then it was excusable that he wasn't aware of nice spots to visit.
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