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 Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:26 pm
Ariston smirked to himself. He knew that Teles was irritated by the fact that he was stating what she already knew herself. But as he'd stated before: this was a completely different case, and to a certain extent he didn't know what he was doing. After all, he wasn't Taelence. He wasn't best friends with this vixen, and because of that, all he had to go on was what Taelence had told him and his own observations.
"Please," he remarked, a tiny hint of dry humor mixed into his normally pleasant and reflective speech pattern. "Stop me if I say something you find to be untrue in this matter."
While Teles might have reservations about sniffing the flowers, Ariston didn't. He bent down in a sweeping motion and inhaled deeply.
"Honeysuckle," he said, his voice rumbling in pleasure. He picked a blossom and held it out to Teles to smell. He watched in disguised delight as she sniffed of it carefully. He took the flower back and plucked the petals from the stem. With his paw upwards, he let the wind whip the petals up and around them carrying their sweet smell like an after thought.
"So," he remarked as he watched the petals swirl in the breeze. "The only thing left to ask is, what are you going to do?"
He faced her, his soft teal eyes boring into her very core. The power felt in him before flowed and eddied around the two foxes. Poised and waiting for an opening to crush all who opposed it. Still Ariston kept it in check.
Words are power in a Mystic's hands. One slight change can send all the potential down a completely different path.
"What is it that you want Teles?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:06 pm
Teles pointedly ignored Ariston's slightly snide remark, tilting her chin up to watch the stars for several moments until his movements caught her eye. She looked at him and found he was holding out a flower for her to smell.
She didn't want to be rude, so she took a pace forwards and sniffed at the flower lightly, finding its scent pleasantly sweet. His next actions were a bit whimsical as he plucked the petals and let the wind take them...but she found she didn't mind too much.
At his question, she bristled slightly, though keenly she felt the power in the air around them. Eyes somewhat relaxed, she looked at him with a pointed gaze, mindful that he seemed to look straight inside her. What had they been doing all this time? Skipping around and singing kit songs? She wanted to get over the hurt she felt.
His next question caused her eyes to narrow.
What did she want?
She wanted Tael, but she also wanted Tael to be happy, and for Tael to be happy, she needed to be happy. Hadn't they just been discussing this?!
She braced herself against the power, rebelled against it and pushed it back.
She responded in a normal tone first, before it grew darker and edgier. "What is it I want? Dear Ariston, I thought we've been over this already?"
There was a slight, very soft snarl of irritation as she began to pace anew, still making a bit of an effort to not crush the small flowers.
"I've stated what I want. But I am seriously considering adding just a little something to the list. What is it, you're going to ask? Well, it's simple. I do not want to be here, serenaded by obvious questions we've already gone over before. The only reason I am here is that Tael would get very, very pissed off with me if I didn't go along with this. But I will not stand for riding along on a merry-go-round!"
'If I have to run, so be it. I've stuck around, I've talked with him and I've listened just like Tael said I should...so if she's ticked off with me if I run...well, then she is, but at least I did do what Tael wanted me to.' She thought, slender body tensed and ready to spring away and into action if she so needed to, but still she paced back and forth, movements careful yet quick.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:45 pm
The potential of Ariston's power surged forward, intent on bringing to life Teles's wish. Coolly, he mentally stepped on it. The power fought him tooth and nail to reach Teles, it wanted her.
Stop, he commanded powerfully. The power struggled weakly and then surrendered to Ariston's iron-clad control.
He sighed. Teles wasn't opening up like he had hoped. What's more is he knew she wanted to leave. And he couldn't stop her. The only thing keeping her here, he knew, was Taelence's orders. And those were quickly fading in her mind.
"Teles..." he shook his head. "I'm going to speak frankly, seeing as how it's the only thing you know how to do."
He narrowed his eyes, seemingly angry, but really just acting. Sometimes a harsh tone got across a lot easier than a gentle one.
"These walls that you put up to keep others out? Yeah, they're doing no one any good especially yourself. Not everything can be fixed by just you. Or haven't you noticed? Not even Taelence knows what to do anymore. If she did, do you really think she would subject all of us to this obvious torture you seem so intent on inflicting on yourself? Some how I don't think she's that kind of fox," he sighed again, impatient which was very unlike him. Teles was too far under his skin, he realized. That was not a good thing. "If Taelence is the only thing keeping you here, then why aren't you trying to make this work? I hear promises and no effort. If you can't at least try and improve for yourself, then do it for Taelence. She's going to be mad as hell when she realizes that you gave it a s**t effort."
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:15 pm
He was going to speak frankly, was he? That alone had Teles blinking. What he said after, however, had her openly snarling at the larger kit.
He had the gall to say she wasn't putting in effort? He hadn't really "helped" that much in the time she'd spent with him. Helping meant actually pointing out possibilities she could do, right? Had he done anything of the sort?
Absolutely not.
She stalked over to him and looked up into his eyes, her sapphire orbs dark and stormy.
"You dare even suggest I make no effort? Pardon me, Mystic, but I promised Tael that I would talk and listen to advice you offer - which, in case you haven't noticed, I've received none - but I think any effort to be made about how I feel can be done afterwards while I'm alone. Unless of course you think that I should feel completely better now that everything I feel is out in the open with you, a complete stranger?! I've put in effort to converse with you and to try and not snap when you speak of things that are already painfully obvious!"
She heaved a breath, and spat out her last words, tail twitching in her obvious irritation. "So tell me what to do, Sir. Tell me how to fix things and make it all better, as you seem to be so intent on doing. Do that, and then I'll make my own Goddess-damned effort!"
She stood in front of him, eyes narrowed as she dared him to so much as twitch a paw in her direction.
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Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:34 pm
Ariston stared at her impassively. He shrugged, sad that Teles still didn't get it.
"My dearest Lady Teles, in order to advise I must be given something to work with. Instead, all you've given me are truly snide remarks, that are ever so unhelpful. And since that seems to be the only thing you offer, then I regretfully advise that you hide in a hole for the rest of your life, or, until you learn to grow up," he moved away from her, trotting down the path that lead into the lower meadow fields, and flicking his tail. He peered back over his shoulder at her. "Temper tantrums are for kits, they are most certainly not acceptable for adults. Big deal, so you got stuck with the stuffy Mystic whom doesn't know his ears from his tail tip. Do not blame me for your inability to recognize when to go it alone and when to understand that you're in over your head. You alone are making things worse. I'm just the observer in your own personal life-story. And quite frankly, you're messing up your lines."
Ariston said this all with an almost scary calm. He wasn't trying to irritate Teles. He was just speaking frankly and as he saw it. As things stood, Teles would be lucky if she ever came to terms with what was bothering her. Ariston wondered if Taelence had done the right thing. Maybe having the vixen question Teles, Taelence might have gotten closer to a solution. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. In the end it didn't really matter. Taelence wasn't the one here. Ariston was. And if things didn't perk up soon, he would leave. He couldn't help someone whom refused to help themselves.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:47 pm
Teles could only bristle further at Ariston's calm speech. He infuriated her, even if he was right...mostly. Her ears twitched as she watched him pace away, standing stark still with her fur puffed out in her irritation. Her ears stilled and pinned back firmly against her head after several tense moments...and...
And she turned away without a word. Ariston mentioned she didn't know when to turn to help and when to go alone, but she knew that for this moment, she'd irritated him more than he liked...and as such, she felt it would be best to be alone for now. Teles padded down the opposite side of the hill until she knew she was out of sight. Swerving slightly, she sat amidst the tall grass and flowers for a few short seconds before she lay down, content to be out of sight and hidden amongst the grass and sweet-smelling flowers.
'What am I to do to rid myself of this self-pity..?' She wondered sullenly, eyes staring at a small violet flower at the tip of her nose.
She didn't make any audible sounds, ears pinned back but resting somewhat upon her shoulders as she shifted her head to rest upon her paws. Her thoughts came and went slowly, and her fur clumped somewhat with her low mood, but she didn't notice it for the moment.
Perhaps the Mystic had continued on down the other side of the hill...content to leave her here to come to terms with herself. Teles told herself she didn't care as she squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders, curling her tail up against her side.
'It's what I wanted, anyway. To be alone.' She blinked several times in rapid succession, clearing away the extra moisture within her orbs.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:31 pm
Ariston watched as Teles walked to the other side of the hill. And he let her. He rolled his eyes and threw himself down into the tall grasses, belly up.
No way she's the Siren, he thought, a little angrily. Absolutely no way, that that vixen is the one of my dreams.
He sighed and batted at a flower, too heavy for its stem, that was drooping into his face. He'd gotten too emotionally involved in this. A small secret part of him had hoped, and hoped against hope, that Teles was his Siren. To find that she was nothing more than a pain, yet still a very pretty fox, was a little disappointing.
He turned his gaze towards the heavens and sighed again. Why couldn't foxes be as easy to read as the stars? It sure would make his job a whole hell of a lot easier.
But if it was so easy, Ariston reminded himself. You'd loose interest fast. And then you really couldn't carry the title Mystic now, could you? A Mystic is polite, kind, courteous, attentive, and never gets emotionally involved. Things can start going down the tube. Just look at the mess you made so far.
He sighed a bigger sigh and swore under his breath. Taelence wanted him to help. Fine job he'd been doing. Still, unless Teles told him specifically that she wanted him to leave he couldn't. Which meant he had to face her wrath again.
"Teles," he called out, tentatively. "I'm sorry. I should not have said those things. I should also be listening more than I am. I'm afraid I haven't been a very good Mystic today."
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:10 pm
Her eyes strained against the stubborn moisture that just wouldn't go away. Teles growled lowly and scrubbed at her cheeks to convince her eyes to stop their nonsense.
Faintly, Ariston's deep voice came over the hill to the place she was hidden. She could just make out his words.
And she didn't care if it was kit-like, she held onto her silence and put her head back down, laying a paw on top of her snout to quiet a soft, involuntary whimper. She wasn't ready to face him again. She didn't know if she could keep to her place when he spouted more obvious facts.
It annoyed the hell out of her. Maybe Teles just had to keep repeating that and she'd convince herself she could remain where she was, alone, it would be for the best... Then she wouldn't snap at Ariston... Then maybe Taelence wouldn't be so furious with her... Then maybe she could sort herself out, even though she didn't have a clue how she was going to do that.
She flattened her ears upon her head as she stared through her half-lidded eyes at the design upon her paw. Her eyes had welled up again and she tried ignoring them and the lump in her throat. Goddess, what had happened to her? She was such a mess it wasn't funny...and now she felt like she didn't have it in her to stand up and take criticism from another fox? She was convinced she wasn't herself...but she knew that opening herself to a strange fox - regardless of what he was to Taelence - was part of the problem. She just didn't feel safe, regardless of whether or not he would not openly judge her. Every being was judgmental, no matter if they were not "supposed" to be or not.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:27 pm
Ariston listened to Teles's silence. He shook his head and tried to bring back his impassive feelings. Getting too involved meant that he couldn't look at the situation objectively. Getting attached meant taking sides, something that wouldn't help anyone in this situation.
Still her silence worried him. He frowned and looked up. And then, like a ton of bricks, it hit him. He had not, himself, been making the situation any better than Teles had. They had, in effect, been fighting. Not matching wits. Ariston had forgotten that, truly, emotions were involved here. And more than likely he had very much upset Teles.
Well now he felt like a tool. A Mystic's job was to help, not hurt.
Some Mystic you are, he growled at himself. He hauled himself up quietly and began to slither through the grasses looking for Teles. The least he could do was tell her that he would leave. He would leave. He'd unconsciously let his own personal feelings get in the way. He would go back to Taelence and tell her that he'd bunked it all. In all actuality, she'd probably be a better candidate to help Teles through her troubles.
He slithered over the hill and came a short ways away from where Teles was. He could have hit himself. She was crying. And he had helped cause those tears. Feeling like a tool didn't even cover it.
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Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:40 pm
Teles shuddered and then finally managed to get a hold over herself, though her eyes continued to water stubbornly. The tang of the salt from her tears stung her nose. No doubt if Ariston came to find her, he'd be able to smell them...and it was just her 'luck' that he did. She kept still and idly rubbed at her eyes.
When the lump in her throat finally receded, she twitched her ears slowly but otherwise made no move to get up.
And when she spoke, finally, her voice was rough and low...and sullen, as though she'd finally given up and broken down. As though it didn't matter if she bared her soul and thoughts to even the most vile of kits, even one that would use such knowledge to perhaps control, or even corrupt her.
"I don't know what it is I want, aside from the immediate and obvious ones. I want to feel better, and I want Taelence...but I'm not about to destroy her happiness with Ch--her mate, just so I can be happy...because it wouldn't make me happy after all. Not if Taelence was miserable because she was missing something from her life she couldn't have with me."
She finally sat up, fur twitching and settling somewhat back in place. Teles turned her head and peered through the dim light at the starry fox, her sapphire eyes darker with her sorrowful emotions. A tear clung to her nose, and she shook it off with a slow, decisive movement.
Chances were, even if Ariston did something to irritate her, she wouldn't blink or even become agitated by it. She'd completely been drained of the will to match wits - to fight - with the dark male behind her. As slowly as she turned it towards him, Teles turned her head away...looking up to the twilit sky for just a few scant seconds before her head drooped low, ears flopping lightly to the side.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:30 am
Ariston moved forward and gently sat on his haunches close to Teles, but far enough away to give her the space she needed. He reached out, thought better of it and put his paw down. He didn't know what to say.
"Teles..." he shook his head and decided to be frank again. "You are a beautiful vixen. And sometimes, horrible things happen to those whom don't necessarily deserve it. I'm not saying that Taelence did it on purpose. But hyper focusing on it isn't good for either of you." His voice was gentle and full of kindness. And a pain of his own that he couldn't help Teles anymore than talking to her.
He had definitely become emotionally attached.
"The pain is so fresh now, I know. But I also know that you're one hell of a scrapper," he smiled at her. "If anyone can bounce back, it's you. I meant what I said when I mentioned that this wasn't the end of the world. But I should have been more specific though. This isn't the end of your world. You're too strong for it to be."
Above them, the meteor shower had started early. The fading light from the sun was completely diminished from the light of the falling stars. Ariston looked up and sighed happily. Looking down, he caught his breath.
In the light, Teles looked like the Siren on her pavilion.
He looked away suddenly.
Would the Goddess please make up her mind as to whether Teles is or isn't the Siren?? he thought, a little anxiously. This game of wait and see was starting to wear on his nerves.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:19 pm
Teles nodded forlornly to Ariston's first statement. "I know she didn't do it purposefully, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less for either of us."
Her silence reigned as Ariston continued on, ears swept back lightly so she could easily hear him. She silently pondered his words, and as the flashes of light from the shooting stars above caught her eye, she looked up, ears softly perked as she watched the chunks of rocks in the sky.
It was definitely a treat to watch things like this. She'd only really seen maybe two, having not looked up at the stars constantly. A catch of breath had her glancing over her shoulder at Ariston, an ear perked forwards in her curiosity.
Instead of sating said curiosity, she opted for the matter at hand.
"Do you have any suggestions as to how I can stop feeling this way?" She didn't have the energy to sound snide with her remark. It was just a tired question from one who - after five days - was tired of feeling as miserable as she was.
She twitched her tail and wrapped it a bit tighter around herself, the tip flicking on the other side of her body. Perhaps it was just best to get all this over with now...why she hadn't seen it before... Well, she'd been appalled at the thought of help from a stranger...even if he was a Mystic, and even if he was Tael's foster brother. She still couldn't bring herself to trust him just yet, but he already knew how she felt about the whole thing.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:17 pm
The starry male kept his eyes on the shower. He could answer better if he wasn't distracted by her startling similarity to the vixen of his dreams. And it was getting harder and harder to convince himself otherwise.
"You mean besides letting time work its magic?" he asked. "Keep busy, find something you enjoy doing, see friends or meet new foxes." He looked sideways at her and then turned back up to the stars. "Next meteor shower, come out here with me and talk, not like now. Not trying to fix anything. Just hanging out. I don't know, but keeping yourself occupied is a good idea." He shrugged.
"Who knows?? This thing with Taelence and Chocolate might not last that long. You might get a second shot,"
This, strangely, was hard for Ariston to say. He puzzled over it but couldn't figure out why.
He flicked his tail, and bent an ear back, listening to a cricket chirp behind him.
"In the end, I can only advise. You are the one whom needs to heal the tear in your heart. No one else can tell you how to do it. After all, no one knows you better than yourself, right?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:01 pm
Teles flicked an ear so she could hear the Mystic as he spoke without turning her head. Meet foxes? Goodness knows she wasn't good with that, as tonight had more or less proved. And friends? Well, she didn't exactly have any to speak of aside from Taelence...and, she supposed, Ariston himself. He wasn't a bad fox...despite how he could grate her nerves with stating the obvious.
The invite to come to the next meteor shower to 'talk' surprised her, and she turned her eyes towards him to give him a scrutinizing look. Only when she was satisfied he meant what he said about just talking and 'hanging out', did she relax somewhat.
The possibility of Tael and Cho not working out had her ears perking for a mere second before she lowered her head in shame. Who was she to wish her friend's relationship didn't work out..?
The last thing he said made her snort internally. It was completely ironic he should say that; she'd been fighting to be alone because she had felt that was what she needed, yet she was forced to be in the company of Ariston and open herself to him... And now, of course, he said she ultimately knew best. It was screwed up.
But...she had to admit she did feel grateful he hadn't left when he could have.
"I suppose..." She murmured in return, not having all that much to say. She slowly lay down upon her stomach, resting her chin upon her paws as she looked up to the sky and the flickering stars above. Her ears drooped slightly, she was still unsure overall on what she should and could do to make herself feel better...but at least this was a start, right?
"I've never seen such a clear meteor shower before... Most times, where-ever I was at the time, it was either overcast...or I ended up being...occupied, and I couldn't watch. It's...nice...to be able to sit and watch it without having to watch over my shoulder every few moments."
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:25 pm
Ariston watched in amusement as Teles settled down. He saw something about her that she probably didn't realize she was doing in the first place.
For the first time all evening, Teles looked comfortable. Not only with her surroundings, but herself as well.
Well stick me back in the sky, he thought. Did we just take a step in the right direction?
Whatever this was, it seemed to be the turning point. Teles didn't have to accept what was going on. But being at least semi at peace with the situation was healthier than being the whirlwind of turmoil she had started out as.
He flopped himself onto his back, his favorite star viewing position, near Teles but still giving her the proper space she expected. He sighed contentedly and for a moment stopped being Ariston The Mystic and became Aris The Fox.
"I see them all the time," he commented. "But they never cease to amaze me. Each is different and yet it's all the same principle. They fall from the sky."
He stretched a bit and continued.
"One day, I'm going to chase a star down. There's a very old legend, that just before a star hits the Earth it's a live being. It's the impact that kills it. Sounds silly I know, but with all the magic in the world it wouldn't surprise me if it were true,"
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