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 Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:21 pm
Out of the corner of his eye, Akteon saw that very proud and stirring pose. It was gone so fast he almost doubted his sight; for it was replaced by amusement and that teasing manner.
The stallion turned back and shrugged, "Just a few things I have seen - those that do not have such a... pleasant experience." Akteon paused and thought about the fox couple he was by when he first met the mare in front of him. "Others, it seems, don't have a hard time at all." A wry grin broke out on his face. "Guess you just have to find that certain one." Not that he was implying anything or other.
He looked down at the impish mare and returned the expression. "And you, Miss Kali? Are you as experienced?" Akteon did not deny or confirm one way or the other.
Akteon shook his mane in good humor. The little tangled knick-knacks clinked together. "As clumbersome as this helm made of bone, do you think? You learn to deal with such things and how to manage with getting hurt..." he mumbled the last part with a bit of a chuckle, "...too bad."
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:48 am
On hearing his explanation, Kali's expression falters a little too deliberately. "And how do those few justify existence for all others?" she queries, still picking at his claim every heart has a path, and glancing over the rest. It's too easy by now - effortless, even. At this rate, she may soon grow bored of it; it seems he's nearly lost track of what it was he was defending. She's suffering no shortage of entertainment though, and even if it does come to that, she has plenty left awaiting her attention.
Things like recounting her own combat experience, it seems. Fortunately, time has afforded her some peace of mind, and even this unfortunate topic is one she's able to regard with her typical jesting demeanor. "You think a girl my age could escape her life with her heart unscathed?" she counters, her detached, almost-disappointed exterior never leaving her. "Of course I am." This remark is more than a partial truth, but she downplays it with her tone, making it sound more a joke than something of any importance. "But what about yourself?"
Still, like all jokes, she discards it easily, abandoning it with no reservations. "More so. After all, the skull is only temporarily affixed." Kali passes him a sideways, skeptical glance, then sidles a step closer, and regards the 'helm' rather openly, stretching her neck to inspect it in what nears on uncomfortably close quarters. "Isn't it?" the mare jabs again, referring back to her threat to make him prove it, all while struggling to restrain her amusement.
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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:45 pm
It was safe to say that Akteon's mind was rolling in circles. The conversation seemed to twist and turn, push and pull. Never before had he been so challenged, or having so difficult to find the words he needed. He usually had many of the answers, sure not all...but many. The experience was both excited and frustrating at the same time. In the end, he was rather enjoying the battle of words - even if he was falling behind with each new breath.
Akteon frowned, for while his mind had wondered a bit, Kali's words sparked something inside him. "Miss Kali, it is my firm belief that everyone has a path to their heart. I do not mean to say that it is always realized. Some will go their whole lives in search for the One who will traverse that path, and some will not. Yet others will search, and never find. And even some will not search, only to have that person in front of them the whole time. It is not to say that anyone can reach someone's heart, only that there is always a path." The stallion blinked, somewhat surprised by the words but also the emotion that was involved as well. It was one of the lessons his mother had told him, before she left. She was one of those that searched in vain. Would he follow her example? Akteon did not know, but he did know he did not wish to be lonely his whole life - but he did enjoy his freedom now. But he was young, he still had time.
He didn't respond her question and answer about her own heart with a confirm or deny. Akteon honestly did not know. If she said she had, then who was he to speak up. He wasn't a truthsayer. "Myself? In what way?" Akteon smiled small. "If you mean have I found a mare who had my heart... then I guess you could say my mother has it in safe keeping, for I have not found such a mare to give it to." The stallion, of course, gave a serious answer - even if her's dipped with teasing and disappointment.
But the discussion of his helm, well, that never failed to amuse himself. Akteon posed, allowing Kali to inspect the skull more fully and effeciently. She was getting close, and he could not resist pulling in a breath and holding it - heaven forbid she smelled his bitter-root breath. But Kali asked a question, and he could not resist the response. "Well of course it is," the stallion chuckled. "I am not a mutant or a freak. I am as I appear to."
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:39 pm
That is the sound of fervent sincerity: something her ever-teasing shell has little guard against. It feels wrong, somehow, badgering one so openly defending his beliefs... But then, hadn't that been her goal all along? "Well," she starts, drawing herself three steps away. "How that confirms your cause, I'm still not certain. But, at least you've an opinion now, and that's a start." She's still teasing, but it's much softer now. Kinder. One can almost hear the genuine. gentle heart she has buried somewhere inside.
Only almost, though. Her next breath is as sweetly tart as ever. "Of course you haven't." That much is certainly clear enough, even without his saying so. "If you leave it to her, though, you never will." Kali has the overly stern tone of jesting lecture, but the stare she passes him is as serious as it is ornery. She could assure him, she'll gladly keep her boys' hearts as long as they'll let her. It's not that she doesn't wish them love and happiness, though... She just hopes they won't repeat the same mistakes, and the same heartache she did, even if it is all part of 'living and learning'.
"They say actions speak louder than words," she quips anew, putting on her best look of curiosity as she edges near again.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:47 pm
Akteon smiled, his brown eyes sparkling in the unfiltered light. He would have nipped a non-essential feather if she hadn't moved away as a consolation prize. But she did, she he meerily rolled his eyes jokingly to the sky and then back onto her face, "Well, I am so glad I have you approval in the matter." The stallion snorted, "even if it did not prove my very non-physical cause." He smirked and tilted his head to the side - had her voice changed a little? Nah, that would be far too easy.
The unicorn chuckled and shook his mane. "Oh, I haven't seen my mother in... years. I would very well not leave the searching to her, it would never get done." Akteon paused and laughed at a thought, "Besides, she would probably just 'give' it to the first mare she saw to be done with it." He shifted, just a little uncomfortably, "She's...not one to really commit for very long."
But Kali moved nearer again, and Akteon nudged her with his shoulder mysteriously, "Oh, are you really that curious?"
The stallion took a step back, and dropped his head to his front hooves. Of course, he had to compensate, and bowed a bit for the balance. As the skull helm rested firmly on the ground along its forehead, Akteon shifted his hoove so that it could hold the skull down in place. Then, he pulled down towards his chest and out. The helm came off without a hitch - of course it would, he takes it off fairly often when he wants to.
Not hindered with the skull helm, Akteon stepped back into place and lifted his head. It was still the natural blue of his coat with darker points. As was with his body, there was no white fur. His eyes glinted with excitement. "There, you see? Is this better proof for a claim?" The stallion winked. It was so much lighter, but at the same time, he felt exposed - a lot more exposed that he usually did.
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 2:43 am
For a moment, Kali regards him openly, allowing earnestness into her features and tone. "Not all must be physical to be proven, you know. Experience often speaks a great deal of truth." For once, she's not searching for a rebuttal. This remark is honest, and little more.
It's still not something she's prone to falling into for long though, and again she turns to jest, despite the weight of his response. "But you are?" she queries, her ears perked and her expression painted with the most teasing sweetness she can muster. It might even be difficult to tell this is a quality she admires in others, and regrets having neglected for her foals.
"Curious if you will, yes." She can claim nothing more, though - Kali never doubted its lack of attachment, nor the form of his face underneath, and his sincerity. It's plain enough; she watches him with amusement, her head canted a fracture to one side.
When all is said and done, she's grinning rather plainly, and finally offers him a decisive nod. "Yes, it is," Kali adds, her tone oozing deliberate, teasing approval, as if to suggest it would have been easier to resort to this from the start. "Is that so hard?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 9:41 pm
Akteon shook his mane out. The firelock clung to his face stubbornly. It was perhaps the one down-side to wearing the skull - the 'helm-hair' that he is stuck with after it was removed.
The stallion pauses, and takes the question to heart. But when he is ready to actually respond, his grin returns with a sparkle in those dark eyes. "Oh, Milady," Akteon purred, "if I were not one to be so committed, I would have left this Forest long ago and never returned.... no, I have learned from the actions from my mother." The words were serious enough, but there was a glint to them, as if there was another story to tell, or a joke to be said about it. It was mostly true - his mother had left him young, but she took good care of him while she was around. And, he did love her, despite it all. But he would never leave his own offspring - he would be there for them whenever they called (and that did not include spoiling them rotten).
Akteon's grin widened, "Ah, but it is to some degree....." He gave her a sideways grin. "Can you read my mind? Now that there is not another's skull to block the pathway to my own thick one?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:17 pm
"It's Kali," she clips, pacing away. The mare has allowed him to address her similarly before, but she's reminded of Kestal more and more. That chapter of her life never saw true resolution, and she'd rather not think of it now. Not in the company of this stranger, who risks having her opinion of him tainted by it.
Three steps later, she pauses, glances over her shoulder, and nods approvingly. Committed, he says. It's a good word; he could do much worse. "It is far easier to say something than it is to prove it. Hopefully, you'll do the same when it truly comes time to show it." There's teasing challenge in her tone, but for whatever the opinion of a stranger is worth, she believes him.
"Where was your father through all this?" It is perhaps too personal a question, but Kali can't help wondering. Neither she, nor her foals had one themselves.
"You claim there's something to read?" she queries, giving him a slanted glance. It's a lighthearted jab though; the mare gives her tail a playful flick and pulls herself to the opposite side of the clearing.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:00 pm
Akteon watched as she paced away, a bit uncertain - should he follow her or not? Nah, she didn't seem to be the kind of person to want that, plus... there was still the helm at his feet. Of which, he should probably put it back on. The stallion bowed down again and slid his head back into the antlered skull.
Standing straight once again, he stretched to loosen muscles and ensure that the helm was secure. Akteon was one to meet a challenge. His eyes sparkled - he would have to be on his 'guard', prove himself worthy of.... the stallion wasn't sure, but it must be good!
His head wove back and forth in a version of a shrug. "My father? I have never met him. If I were to ever see my mother again, I am not confident that she would know him either, or remember his name for that matter." Akteon paused, a bit uncomfortable by that turn of conversation - he was not his father and would never repeat the actions. His blood bubbled at the thought, even, and he would not take such thoughts and take them out on her.
But the other comment was more to his level. Akteon grumbled and he lowered his head to look at Kali longly. "Well, there is sooooomething there," he smirked. "Would you care to check?" The stallion curved his head to look the mare in the eye.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:38 pm
As he shifts and adjusts both his posture, and his 'helm, Kali looks away, taking the allowed space as a moment to let her thoughts drift. She's had much on her mind since she arrived here, in the forest of her youth - some good, some bad, and some entirely irrelevant. All memories, and ghosts of a past she sometimes wishes she could forget. It's not been easy, living here... But every now and then, by some twist of chance or fate, something comes across her to make her change her mind. It lights the darkness, sweetens the bitterness, and brings a much-needed balance to her everyday.
Through her life, Kali has encountered many. Her children were the last, though... Joyous, loving bundles that they were. They're gone now. This mare feels no deep remorse in it, and is far from suffering in her 'empty nest', but she misses them. She misses the light they gave to her, and their company. It's true, she still has the man Elan, and she knows he loves her dearly... but he will never fill the void in her heart. He can't. She craves the companionship of her kin. She wants deep, equine friendship. Compassion, even, and humor.
Akteon reminds her of it. He brings to realization all the things she's been missing without kinship, alone as she's been of late. But she doesn't mind, because she sees in him potential for friendship, and supposes she likes him. He has a good heart.
"She never told you his name?" she asks finally, pulling herself from her thoughts and smiling ruefully over her shoulder at him. She can sense his discomfort, but has little pity for it. The past is as great a part of the present as today, and she values acceptance of it. It's something to treasure, even for all the bad, and she has no shame in asking him to confront it.
Kali won't force him into seriousness though. She meets his claim with a more lighthearted grin, and shifts to face him more fully. "And how would you propose one does that, sir?" The mare gives him another sidelong, teasingly doubtful glance, and raises her head in skeptical poise.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:00 pm
Having been occupied with the fitting of the skull, Kali's lapse in words went unnoticed. But this place also did not hold the memories for him as they did for her. To him, it was a very pretty area that had meaning to the mare before his eyes.
The next question, all he could do was shake a heavy head, sending the sound of small trinkets caught in his hair hitting each other and twinkling softly. "No name, no face, no story - he is nothing, for he did... Either he risked the lives of others for a single time of simple enjoyment or chose to leave a mare alone. Did he love my mother? Myself? Doubtful." Akteon looked at Kali and tried to peer into her own mind - he didn't have the talent, that was for sure. Her mind was as unattainable as any other's. The stallion cocked his head to the side and smiled gently - he couldn't help but wonder what her story was. Did she know her father? Her mother?
But there was an opening, and his smile grew. "Well, first, you'd have to come closer.... much closer....."
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:22 pm
Unlike him, she has heard stories of her father. Her mother had tried hard to paint him with visions of noble honor, and of loyalty when she and Loki were young. She tried to teach them he was gone not because he didn't love them, but because their herd had him duty-bound, and they would be safest if he stayed behind. Even then, Kali had known better. Her mother had bitter sadness in her eyes when she spoke of him, always. It had pained her to recall him, and to recount him as the hero he never was. She had known it, and look now how it all turned out!
But Akteon's story rings tragically close to the story her foals may some day recount to others. To the story they may have told already. Even to this day, she's shared with them almost nothing of their father. Not even with Kalani, who deep down, she knows is desperately seeking him, if only to know him. She wonders, should she have told them more? Despite knowing almost nothing of him herself?
"Bitterness is a plague on the heart," she tells him, unusually solemn. "You wouldn't stand here without him." She's had to remind herself of that more than once or twice. It was a lesson hard-learned through her grief. Kali tells him nothing more, though. Her past is her past, and she has no intention of volunteering it.
Instead, she turns her two-toned eyes on him, offers the most mischievous grin she can muster, and inches closer. One deliberate, graceful step after another, until she stands almost nose-to-nose with him, so close she hardly need budge to touch him. "Close enough?" she asks, cheekily, her ears rolling forward with curious interest.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:34 pm
Akteon was all for changing a serious situation to his own 'advantage'. He watched carefully as Kali deliberately stepped forward. One... she was only three body-lengths away. Two... now at one and a half. Three... there eyes were so close, her soft velvety nose so close to his own that had bone protecting its sensitive surface.
He snorted in irony, "Oh yes, saving heartache one family at a time." Akteon winked.
The stallion clucked deep in his throat, "Oh... no... not close enough." Akteon rolled his eyes and sighed in mock exasperation. "Here, let me!" He stepped forward and pressed his exposed cheek to her own, staring into a bright green eye. "There, now... do you see anything in this thick skull of mine that alludes to something being in there?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:29 pm
"Who said anything about heartache?" Her tone teasingly bodes ill omens, alluding to something far darker, and far more dangerous... But she can't be bothered with making it seem any more dramatic. Not with him as close as he is now, not even a breath away.
She's not a claustrophobic mare - having invaded his space once already - but she's watching him carefully, bracing herself for whatever antics he may have in mind.
Still, he catches her part unawares. Surprised, she almost flinches, only just stopping herself before shying away. An ear twitches uncomfortably, but she meters her unease, and covers the rest with a thoughtful frown. "Mmm... No, it's hard to say," she remarks, passing over an opportunity for outright refusal. She pushes away and flashes him an ornery grin instead.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:38 pm
Akteon's bound tail swung carefully. When Kali didn't outright maul him, he took that as a good sign - but she had wanted to know how one might see if there was anything in that mind of his, and weren't eyes the way to see into one's soul...why not the mind as well.
He sighed sadly, as if her comment really hurt him, "No? Nothing...." Another sigh as she stepped away from their close proximity. "Whatever should I do? Is there any hope?" Akteon bowed his head 'sadly' and looked up at Kali with hopeful eyes.
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