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 Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:57 pm
Oddly enough, Nan Fang Zhu Que was in fact the least like his parents out of all three of the offspring. His brother had inherited the hair of his mother and his sister had inherited the hair of his father. Both had aquired horns and yet he had not. To make matters even more interesting he was the only one of the siblings to have acquired the lion tail and even as a pure unicorn his father didn't have this. He was a black sheep so to speak and his father could do nothing more than smile fondly and inform him that he had been blessed by the gods. He was not the oldest of the children but he had been chosen to stand apart from them. Perhaps this was why his parents had been so willing to let him wander here and there so that he could find that special calling.
Luckily enough, he had found it.
Nevertheless he held a deep love for his family and when individuals expressed interest in them or any quirk they might find interesting he couldn't help but offer a more unique and warm smile. They were indeed an interesting bunch as she had said, though had he known of her troubled thoughts he would have reassured her that they had never been subject to any form of thievery. They lived a life of solitude and Zhu was fairly certain that he was probably the only individual who was nearly always in the public eye. Even then he had never been subject to such attentions and had he known about an interest in his clothes he probably would have given them to the creature in question!
"They are very interesting," he agreed gently before shaking his head at her compliment. "Everyone has their own strengths, I am as talented as you are with your art," he pointed out with a sage not. Though when she attempted to say 'admirable' his smile did deepen and he gave a small chuckle. "You have my thanks for the compliment though, but does Soul Friend not have an equally interesting family...?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:09 am
She beamed. He liked her lopsided artwork! "You really think am as talented as you?" This thought made her feel a bit giddy, or rather giddier then usual. He and his friend were so impressive it was wonderful to think that she was on the same level. Even if that level was on a different plane.
As her family came in to the conversation she pursed her lips together. "Yeah...they're pretty weird." She answered completely serious. For a good portion of her life she had not found them strange at all. the more people she encountered, however, the more she began to find them a bit odd. It was in a good way, to her, at least. They were almost constantly on the move and there was always something new and exciting, possibly dangerous going on for them. Each night and day held some new challenge for them even if it were just finding a quiet place to rest after a job.
They were very far from a traditional family. Malta had an uncle and a grandmother that she had never met but she knew them to exist. She had not seen her father since she was a foal and had herd nothing from either of her sisters for ages. Still, with everything she loved her family. Even those she had never met or hadn't seen for a while.
Realizing she had been silent for quite a while she let out a sound similar to what a mouse would make after being punted across a field. "Ummm...they're thieves so yeah pretty weird!" She giggled as she let this information slip before realizing what she said. Her face fell into a clear 'oh crap' look. She probably shouldn't just tell people that. "Oops..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:39 am
He nodded his assurances to the mare who seemed to have received his compliment with far more happiness than he had initially expected. It was almost as though he had informed her that she was the princess of some long lost province and she had all the land, wealth and riches in the world. However the truth was that he had simply complimented her art - really any form of art was based on the interpretation of the individual and how they felt when they examiend it. There was no perfect art form and even Zhu could say this for his music - there were some who loved it and then there were others who abhorred it. It was a question of taste rather than 'skill' but skill certainly helped on occasions. "You do very beautiful art," he offered a further compliment and fell into silence as she began to talk about her family.
Well, he wasn't entirely sure that 'wierd' and 'interesting' fell under the same categories and he hadn't meant it as an insult. Thankfully she didn't appear to have taken it as such and her definition of 'wierd' was probably much the same as his 'interesting'. All he had meant was that they didn't conform to the standards of others. Suffice to say he had not been expecting her to give him a complete explanation of her family and his expression remained largely unreadable as she continued to discuss them, their quirks and their professions in detail. However when she mentioned that they were thieves things seemed to make a little more sense to him - particularly her occasional frowns and musings.
Even so, he released a chuckle at her 'oops' and shook his head. Who was he to question the profession of another when he was a bard himself and could infuriate people in much the same manner that a rogue could? On more than one occasion he had deliberately played the wrong notes on his leaf to chase away individuals when they had been making others restless. It was the pacifist's way of dealing with a potentially dangerous and violent situation - and it worked!
"I am sure they have had many adventures then," he mused amicably. Her family were not the only thieves he knew of, they would not be the first and probably wouldn't be the last either. "And I am sure you have heard more than one of these tales, no?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:33 am
A somewhat confused, and at the same time relieved, look settled on her face as he laughed a little. She had never really expected to get such a, well, calm reaction after giving out information like that. Even friends of the family were known to react somewhat angrily whenever the word thief came into conversation. So to say that she was happy that he hadn't taken the news poorly would be an understatement.
"Yeah, they have lots of adventures!" The moment of worry had passed like an evening shower. Skies were clear now and Malta didn't have a worry in the world about those clouds making trouble anymore. "They tell me most of everything that happens that's interesting...I'm like their...their..." Her eyes drifted skyward as her brows creased together. What was that word again? Her eyes went wide as she suddenly remembered and she giggled. "Their story keeper!" How had she forgotten that? It didn't really matter. She was just naturally a bit spacey, she supposed, so she shrugged it off.
"I know a lot of their adventures! I was even their for a few of them." Sure, she had been little for the few she was present for and she had been on the outside looking in the entire time. That didn't matter though. Facts were facts, she had been there, even if she wasn't part of the action. "You wanna hear a few of them?"
He had sounded somewhat interested in them and while she wasn't much of a story teller the stories themselves made up for it. Plus with all the snow that was out she was pretty sure she could doodle out a few of the scenes. Actually it might be better to draw out all the scenes if he did want to hear. They would make more sense then.
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:08 pm
His expression was one of mirth as she spoke with such enthusiasm. With the confession over and his acceptance now public, the uncertainty she had once felt had perished. In it's place her optimism and giddyness had returned alongside an opportunity for further conversation. It was amazing how something so simple could bring such pleasure and how invaluable a beings undersstanding could be. To think that if he had acted with hostility then this meeting would have come to a very stiff and albeit abrupt ending. Alas, it was not in his nature to judge and as a consequence his smile deepened and he continued to observe the mare as she proceeded to develop upon the former discussion.
It came with such ease, sliding on to one topic directly in relation to another without too much of a pause. No longer would the conversation be 'scripted' as was customary in polite conversation. The mundane and predictable topics were gone replaced with the more interesting and creative. It was when the conversation evolved to this degree that Zhu came into his element and it was during these times that he was provided with the opportunity to learn and to be inspired by the tales he heard and the individuals he really met. He was no longer on the surface, he was beneath the skin.
"To think if you had been a singer you would have been a bard," he replied smoothly, a twinkle in his eyes. He tilted his head to the side after this and cleared his throat softly. "Though you are an artist through and through, I would make no measure to change this," he added calmly. This said he waited for her invitation and gladly accepted, for one to expand upon their family antics was a fascinating thing for the rose coloured stallion and he would be a fool to reject this offer.
"I would be most honoured to hear of your adventures."
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Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:46 am
"A bard?" She asked with a little quirk of her head. She had never heard that one before. Mostly it was because she was not much of a singer. The few tunes she knew had no real words and the others had no real tunes. "Can an artist be a bard too?" Curiosity was something she truly had an abundance of. Still, the desire for answers did not keep her from moving forward with conversation. Now she had an audience of a sort, or so it seemed.
"Alright this one happened when I was really little." She said selecting a story from her memories. This particular one served to be amusing on it's own for the most part. Which was a very good thing. Making something boring sound fascinating was not a particular ability she had. "Oh, and while I was learning to fly." She fluttered her wings a little as if to remind You that they were there. "They took me out to a big hill and had me use it to help get me off the ground." As she spoke she moved her front left hoof around pressing the snow down to make a little snow sketch of the hill, which looked more like a small cliff then an actual hill. "My mom went first, then my grandpa and they both made it look so easy that I ran off right after them." She swept her hoof lightly over the snow to leave a very light trail. It was meant to be the path she took.
"And you know, I forgot to use my wings so I fell." She giggled and made a whooshing sound. "Straight down. And do you know where I landed?" She leaned forward as she asked the question her eyes widened like she expected him to know the answer. To be honest part of her thought he might actually know how things turned out. He just struck her as the kind that would know many things that he didn't say.
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Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:30 am
"A creature can be anything they wish to be if they put their mind to it," he explained quietly. He was not one to shatter another individual's dreams but he also knew that bards were generally not tone deaf. Provided that she could sing she shouldn't have a problem with it. That being said he had never heard her sing and consequently could make no judgement on it - luckily for him, she had asked a rather vague question and he could provide her with a non-commital answer that left the decision entirely up to her. That being said the pink stallion was notorious for his 'vague' answers, he would respond to a question but on occasions would speak in riddles to such an extent that no one understood what he had meant until the event actually happened or until he was long gone.
It worked out for them both.
Nevertheless she launched into his story before the stallion could dwell on the topic any longer and he listened willingly. A polite smile creased his lips as she spoke of a childhood memory. It was a typical childhood memory of course, a first flying lesson but children were well known for never really following the 'rules' as such. He was not to be disappointed and when she progressed into the story his smile became warmer. He could certainly picture it in an almost comedic manner, the little foal barrelling off the cliff face only to forget that she possessed wings and could therefore glide to safety. It was not difficult to envision the family or their immediate response to this either.
He shuffled lightly, his own wings ruffling as they seemed to remember how he had learnt to fly. He hadn't been taught so much as figured it out for himself. That was irrelevant though and as a consequence he rolled his shoulders and deliberately leaned his head in towards her upon her dramatic pause. As if on cue his eyes widened and he released a soft gasp of anticipation - well, it wasn't quite anticipation but he was more than capable of playing along and if it made her happy then he was more than content to oblige.
"Where?" he enquired obediently.
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Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 8:27 am
Maybe she wasn't such a horrible story teller after all. You seemed to be getting into it after all. "I landed...on a rabbit hole." She answered a sizable grin on her face. The memory was making it hard not to laugh the entire time. Though, if she did, she imagined she would be quite hard to understand and there wouldn't be much point to telling a story if no one could understand it. "And wouldn't you know the poor critter was still home!" The expression on her face was made up of a mixture of amusement and pity at the moment. Still, she continued her story.
"He was made too...though you probably would be too You if I'd fallen out of the sky and on to your home. But...do you know what he did?" She did not wait for an answer this time. Instead she started stamping what could either be a turtle with a stomach ache or a picture of a poorly drawn foal sitting on a burrow entrance. "He kicked me! Straight offa his house with his big ol feet! And it hurt too!" At this point she could not restrain the laughter that had built up inside of her.
Unable to speak through her laughter she gave up telling her story at least for the moment. Dark indigo and black wings fluttered about lightly as she shook with her fit of giggles. She missed the time she spent with her mother and grandfather training from time to time but while retelling the adventures it was hard to feel even the slightest bit saddened by it. It would be silly to think of happy times with a frown after all.
As her laughter began to die down a little she gave the rosy maned stallion a goofy little grin like an apology of sorts.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:52 am
Both eyebrows lifted at the revelation. He had never heard that one before, landing right on top of a rabbit burrow during flying lessons. It was certainly a more unique tale to tell rather than plummeting into the sea or a lake. That alone had amused him and before she had even mentioned the rabbit he could already envision the disgruntled rodent as the dust fell on top of it's bed and it was forced to repack the walls. Yes, he was fairly sure the rabbit would have been delighted by her intrusion upon it's personal space... He stole a smile at his own thoughts which were to be confirmed soon after by the rest of her tale.
His smile deepened as she recalled her memories with such fondness and he released a small chuckle in response to her laughter. It was infectious and one couldn't avoid laughing at least a little at the imagery she provided. From the shocked expression of her filly self to the grumpy face of the rabbit, it all provided a very vivid and easy to recall picture. Perhaps it was the bard in him that found it easy to view such things so easily but it certainly brought enjoyment to him. There was no doubt in his mind that she loved her family dearly and regarded them with a great amount of love.
"Well, I would say you probably caused him some pain too," he pointed out wisely. He wasn't being patronising of course and the mirth still lilted his voice. "You probably caused his roof to fall straight onto his head, he would hardly be thankful for that, now would he?" This said he shook his head at her apologetic grin and cleared his throat. He lifted his tail round briefly to brush the forelock from his eyes and once again returned his attention to her.
"I assume you eventually learnt to fly though, yes?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:22 am
She had never thought of it that way before. Instantly she felt a bit bad for the poor rabbit. At least she hadn't been a bear or something big and bulky like that. If he could kick her off his home then that meant he had been alright. With that thought reassuring her the situation didn't seem so bad anymore so she let it go without commenting on the poor bunny. Perhaps one day she would track him down and apologize. Today was not that day however she had more to tell still.
First, it seemed she had a question to answer. With a smile and a bob of her head she spoke, "You bet I did! Though...not during the same day..." She hadn't actually achieved take off for a week after that adventure. Bad flying weather had made lessons nearly impossible so they took time off. "But when they finally got me off the ground...well they said I was a natural!" It was a point of pride for her. Her mother and grand father were both excellent fliers so being called a natural by them meant the world to her.
"But..." She pursed her lips together ever so slightly. This question seemed to involve a lot of buts. "...I can't stay up for long. Or I crash." Her eyes drifted down to the picture of hill and she traced the line showing her drop making a whooshing noise. Strangely enough she didn't seem saddened by this at all. In fact, she seemed almost pleased by it.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 1:07 pm
He wasn't entirely certain if she meant she grew tired or that her wings simply weren't strong enough to carry her weight. On certain occasions both reasons could be combined and held true, on others it was either one or the other. He was not a creature he opted to guess and make inaccurate assumptions though and when she refrained from further developing this comment he thought it best to let it slide. She seemed happy that she could fly no matter how strained it may be and that was good enough for him! Personally he never had issues with flight and his Angeni blood gave him unspoken strength in that department but he could distinctly recall the rather jaunty and unpredictable behaviour of his wings as a child.
...Ah, fond memories there.
"I am glad to hear that they appreciated your prowess," he agreed with another of his smiles, pressing his own wings firmly against his clothed sides. The moment he did this the forelock he had been adjusting rebelliously fell into his eyes again and he feigned exasperation. He could do nothing more than snort at the longest strand for an instant and then release a chuckle. Suffice to say that while things generally worked out for him in the end, there were just some things that would never change...especially when he was fairly certain that his hair had a life (and therefore an opinion) of its own.
"Of course, I do not believe I would be quite so graceful!" He announced with a self-deprecating smile. He gave another snort to shoo the hair away from his eyes again and raised a brow, "Now why is your hair not as stubborn as mine, eh?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:09 pm
Violet eyes watched in amusement as his hair fell back in to his face. She couldn't suppress the laughter that bubbled out of her. "Well I'm only graceful until I'm up for a while. Then I get all light headed...which is about when I crash." She said through her laughter. "And I'm sure you're pretty graceful in the sky. You look like ya would be." Her eyes wandered back to his wings for a moment. They weren't like the wings she was used to seeing. It would be quite an impressive sight to see him soaring on them.
When he snorted again she turned her attention back to his face slightly wide-eyed like the noise had startled her. Truth be told it had, but just a little. "My hair..." Her voice drifted off as her eyes wandered upward. She had never thought too much about her hair. It was stripy and dark and curly and stayed mostly in place unless she did something too wild. "I guess it's just friendly and easy going...and maybe it likes the wind on it." Her head bobbed slowly up and down as she spoke and her eyes followed the curls as they bounced and shook from the movement.
"Also..." She stopped bouncing her head about and looked at You once more. "You have more hair then me! Maybe it feels too crowded so it spreads out to your face cause there's room there?" It seemed like a perfectly logical thought to her. If she were feeling to crowded she would most certainly move somewhere more spacious.
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:12 am
Now there was an argument he had never heard before. He supposed it was a perfectly logical point as well. He had much longer hair than the young mare before him and his face was a 'blank' area. Malta could very well have had a point when it came to the strands seeking a more comfortable and suitable home - though such a move may cause temporary blind spots for the stallion and therefore make travelling a bit more hazardous. He was satisfied to say the least and it was further testament to Malta's intelligence (and creativity) that she could make such an observation from one small remark.
"Oho, I should think you are correct; Soul Friend!" He smiled and lifted his gaze towards the pale pink strands, permitting them to rest over his nose for a little longer. It was then that he tilted his head and they slowly cascaded down the contours of his muzzle to rejoin their companion strands upon his neck. "Methinks I will provide them with the opportunity to have vacations in such regions in future, if only to provide them with a short break," he continued. This seemed a satisfactory compromise in his opinion and once he had confirmed it in his mind he moved on to lighter topics, his ears swivelling back and forth in receipt of her laughter.
"They say that the air is lighter the higher you fly, you know?" Zhu returned to the topic of flight with hearsay observation and discussion. Given his lineage he could fly higher than most but he'd heard from a variety of winged creatures that the air was different really high up. "Perhaps you should fly lower or take more rests, Soul Friend?" He offered with a small hint of a smile. "Methinks the world would not appreciate it if you were injured in one of these crashes, nyah?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:21 am
"Oho, I think they'll like that." She said mimicking him a bit while fighting the urge to erupt in a fit of giggles for doing it. It was far too easy to enjoy these conversations for her. How wonderful. Things didn't feel forced or awkward to her and each subject seemed to flow from place to place. Somehow it even managed to keep flowing backwards. The young ex-thief's distraction imagined it would make quite a fascinating river.
It shifted and turned backwards a bit abruptly to return to flight. She didn't mind the sudden change at all. She quite enjoyed everything to do with the sky. Speaking about it was no exception. "It's lighter?" This was something she had never noticed. Of course she had never thought on the subject. All she really thought was that the higher she got the more she could see of the world.
At his suggestion she tilted her head to the side pursing her lips together in something of a pout. "But...I don't want to fly low..." She muttered her wings drooping slightly behind her. Taking more rests wasn't a bad idea but she had the tendency to forget most everything while in the air. It was likely she'd crash before remembering that she was supposed to be resting.
"But you know You, when I do crash again...I'm sure someone will come help me if it's bad right?" A tiny hopeful smile settled on her face as she gazed up at him with wide innocent eyes, like a child begging for candy.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:30 am
Most soquili would have crumbled with embarassment at the mimicry but Zhu was a firm believer in the idea that such things were one of the best forms of flattery. As a result he offered a small chuckle of amusement and provided a self deprecating smile, in a manner of speaking he certainly deserved the teasing. He was after all an eccentric creature and the manner in which he spoke was often subject to scrutiny - he rarely sounded serious and even when he was serious it was difficult to tell if he was jesting or not given his usual behaviour. Ahhhh but she had gotten her interpretation of his tone so well that even he couldn't resist the charm in it; he really did sound quite amusing on occasions.
"It is lighter," he confirmed, having flown high enough so that the clouds had dampened his clothes with such weight that he'd been forced to land again. He could recall how cold it was, how light the air had been but his Angeni blood had prevented him from crumbling. He had landed safely and spent the rest of the day warming up again while making mental notes not to fly quite so high with the additional weight of robes on his back - it was a lesson well learnt to say the least. "Some can cope with such things, others can't," he explained easily.
"However," he paused a little as her wings drooped and offered another of his bemused smiles. He wondered if she was aware of how expressive she was, how easily she portrayed her emotions even without the use of words. "Flying slightly lower doesn't mean that you need to skim the ground, it simply means you don't go so high as to lose your breath," he pointed out softly. He didn't want the mare to stop flying but he didn't really wanted her to crash either. He was a firm believer in good samaritans but the likelihood of a unicorn appearing out of nowhere each time she crashed was a slim one - he'd rather she wasn't fatally wounded!
"That being said..." he released a soft sigh and fixed an easy smile onto his lips again, "We can always hope that there will be assistance if you do land badly." He finished. He wasn't going to promise it would be there (because it wouldn't) but he wouldn't shatter her dreams either, it wasn't his job.
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