[PRP] Hesitant Heart (Leon/Gemma)

[Talencia]

Supposing his sister had a point, Leon spent several days pacing about his home area anyway. Most of the time he argued with himself concerning Gemma and the events leading up to him meeting her. The rest of the time he despaired that she would even be interested in the likes of him. He had, after all, caused her hurt, muffed her bandage instructions, and... and.... and right about then he'd remember her smile, and her electric touch. And then go back to pacing and arguing.

Finally, three days later, he gave up and started off. He wasn't entirely sure where he was headed, though he did aim towards where he'd met her. He wasn't silly enough to think she'd be waiting around for him at the same spot, but... it just seemed more likely to find her in that general area. He mused that perhaps he'd venture closer to the village if he couldn't find her near that stream. It was dawning on him how very little he had to work with.

Maybe this wasn't such good idea?  

[Kyribird]

After the dinner with her family, Gemma had done much the same - though instead of seeking advice with her family who she knew would tell her to 'be careful' instead of giving her any practical thought - and had wandered around lost in her own thoughts. The gemling was naive when it came to the matters of just about anything. Easily swayed, easily drawn in. Her brother had warned her of stallions, as had her father, but she'd chosen not to believe them.

After all, a simple medicine mare wasn't one that would be drawing much attention, right? But there was Leon, and there was...something. Not love, no. Gemma hadn't the faintest idea what love was other than what she felt for her family and she supposed that was a very different kind of love, to be sure. But attraction? The wind had absolutely no idea how to classify it, and it bothered her. For now, she'd stick him in the 'close friend' category. That sounded about right.

Gems hadn't stayed close to the stream, at all. Wandering was what she did and currently she found herself heading toward the two-legger village. Slower, perhaps, than she usually would have but she was often slower when lost in thought.

Obviously, she didn't sit well with confusion. She liked answers.  

[Talencia]

After a futile morning spent wandering around the area of the stream, he turned his nose resolutely towards the village. He didn't dare dwell on what he might say or do if and when he found her. That line of thinking only made him terribly nervous. So instead, he spent his time thinking about all her nice points. Her smile was definitely at the top of the list. Her kindly nature came as a close second. There were her useful wings, too. She was clever with them, he was sure. HOW he was sure of that, he didn't question. And then there was her colors, which he found soothing and enchanting. Like the color of dusk with the very last light of sunset fading from the sky. Unbeknownst to him, he got a very silly grin on his face as he thought this. Sunsets were his favorite thing to look at, aside from his sister. And now Gemma.

He came within sight of the village just then, and stopped dead, suddenly uneasy. He'd never been this close to the two-legger homes. The scents that drifted to him made him crinkle up his nose. Smoke, and lots of different animals, and leather, and all sorts of other smells he couldn't even begin to identify. Snorting uncertainly, he turned and began to circle the gathering of teepees, keeping his distance, but still in sight. His ears flickered constantly, alert for danger as any wild thing would near so much noise and activity. His entire body communicated his unease. What could they all be doing, he thought, to make such a swirling chaos? And how could they even think with all those smells and sounds to distract them?

He'd very nearly forgotten about why he'd come, he was so distracted by the sensation of benig near the village.  

[Kyribird]

It was something that the mare had grown incredibly used to in her short time as an adult. After all, she'd spent most of her time there watching the medicine woman. Granted, it was more quiet with the old woman than it was around the village itself with the shrieks of children and the talk of the warriors and all the other goings on. She loved it, though. It was busy and lord knew that Gemma liked to be busy. Especially when she was trying not to dwell on things.

She arrived shortly after Leon did, her hooves pressing into the ground almost silently as she slipped into the village. A familiar and welcome place by most of the tribe and she was greeted by pets and scritches and the familiar chitter of children who loved her rich color. It made her smile and her head leaned into each and every touch to give affection. Ah, children. She adored them with their innocence.

Even one of the eldest, nearing manhood, was sweet when he brushed her. Golden eyes, however, caught sight of a familiar purple shade and she paused in the bath of affection, gently moving away from them and heading toward it.

"Leon?" What a surprise. Oh, dear.  

[Talencia]

Moving out from a crowd of two-legger young, brilliant color caught his eye and he turned to see her, moving away from the human foals. He didn't miss the looks and touches of affection, nor the glow of happiness that they caused her. Thoughtful musings about this tiny insight into her shifted his focus, this time blocking out the strangeness of the village.

He nickered in reply to her, still looking from her to the foals she'd left behind. "Gemma, I'm sorry if I interrupted," he replied. "I can go and come another time instead." He backed a single step, torn by the urge to flee, the stirring to be close to her, and a sense of decorum that couldn't decide if it was more proper to stay and chat or to let her return to whatever she had been doing. Anxious, he teetered between his conflicting inclinations.  

[Kyribird]

"No, no. It's fine. You didn't interrupt," she assured him, tilting her head and eyeing him with slight amusement. Always amusement with her, "I wasn't expecting to see you here, is all." Gemma took a step toward him and lightly pressed her nose to his, "You said you wanted me to show you the village, after all, though I didn't expect you to seek it out yourself."

Gemma's wings flared and she shot a look back toward the children, a warm smile being sent their way. A call from one of the village elders sent the children scattering, though, leaving Gemma and Leon alone for the moment.  

[Talencia]

Her eyes were alight with good humor, and he smiled tentatively in response. Then she totally blanked her words out of his head by touching him. Again with the touching and the tingling! It was like an electric shock when her velvet muzzle connected with his. His whole body vibrated for a moment, addling his wits and tying his tongue.

"I didn't seek the village," he murmured without meaning to. "I came seeking you." Oh no, did he just say that? Out loud? Heat flared in his face, and he fumbled to move past his unintentional honesty, although the truth was, he probably would have said it anyway. He just was all off-balance from their brief contact. His muzzle still tingled in fact. "But I very much would like it if you wanted to show me now."

Oh for his father's glib tongue! Thoroughly flustered, he snorted softly and shifted his hooves, giving her a sweetly sheepish look.  

[Kyribird]

Another surprise - it seemed that the other Soquili was good at that. Gemma's eyes widened slightly, "Seeking me? Now, why on earth would you seek me. Do you have a hurt, Leon?" Concern instantly touched the mare's face and she began mentally checking him over to see any bumps, bruises or abrasions that needed attention.

However, the nervousness that he showed insinuated it was not her expertise that he was seeking and her company, making her own face flush with heat. Oh. Well. "I'll show you, then," she said with a small nod of her head and a warm smile, "If you'll follow me."

Gemma took a step backward and then turned, walking toward the largest teepee that sat in the center of the particular village.  

[Talencia]

Though he followed her willingly, he tended to be rather twitchy about all this activity. He snorted and tossed his head at loud noises, and shied away from darting children or animals. He did his best not to be frightened or intimidated, but it was hard, for a wild one like him. He shuddered his hide and stayed very close behind the winged mare, very nearly pressing his chest against her rump. He was breathing hard as he turned his head side to side, tail tucked and ears constantly moving.

"How do you deal with all... this?" he snorted. HE didn't sound remotely condesending, but very unsettled. "So much noise, so much movement. How can tell when it's safe and when it's not?" He did somewhat wish he wasn't being led directly to the middle of all this ruckus. But he was here for her, and with her he'd stay, despite his own discomfort. He hoped he too would get used to it soon, though.  

[Kyribird]

"You will know when there is danger," Gemma said softly, stopping when she sensed his full discomfort. A wing went out to gently stroke at his head in an attempt to calm him, "Now, it is peaceful disorder. We are safe here, Leon. The two leggers will not harm us." She'd never known one of them to not be nurturing to their kind and would severely be surprised if it were otherwise. As far as she understood, it was against their beliefs.

"Trust me." Perhaps too much to ask after one meeting but she hoped that he would at least settle down, "If I'm not frightened, you should not be either." She continued, then, toward the teepee. "This is the place I spend the most time. The healer's dwelling."  

[Talencia]

He held stock still and listened while her stroking feathers sent shivery, wonderful chills all through him. But they were soothing chills, which seemed to wash away his fears. It was true... he should have taken his cues about danger from her. She was a sensible mare, knowing when to be afraid or not. This was her chosen location as well, after all. He took a deep breath and further calmed himself, though an occasional rolling eye or snort revealed his discomfort.

Softly, very softly amongst all the noise, he replied, "I trust you, Gemma." It was a statement, an acknolwedgement. Much more quietly he followed her now, blowing occasionally to better scent his surroundings, learning about them now instead of fearing them. As he watched with a more objective perspecitve, there did seem to be much merriness rather than clashing, more coltish playing than random attempts to run into him. He watched, listened, smelled... and stored away the observations for later mulling.

For now, this was the healer's dwelling place? Somehow he'd imagined... well, something different. He didn't really know what. He gazed at the structure in puzzled wonder. Why did they have these things ti live inside, anyway?  

[Kyribird]

Words couldn't explain the exhilaration that the mare felt at those four words. He trusted her, and that meant the world to her! God knew why, considering trust was involved with her work every time she needed to tend to someone but still! Her eyes lit up, then, and she peeked her head inside the teepee to see if the old woman was there.

Disappointed flooded her to see that the healer was not there, as she had hoped, and she took a step back, "The Medicine woman is not here, at the moment. Perhaps she is out collecting plants and things. But this is where the ill rest, and are taken care of. Over there..." her head pointed to the cluster of tee-pees, "Are where the families live. Often times, two or more to each one though the higher ranking will get dwellings of their own. This place is very much based on community. Everyone takes care of everyone else." And it was obvious that Gemma felt at home here. Likely, it was because her own family was much the same way.  

[Talencia]

He followed her around, placing each hoof carefully. With so much activity, he was concerned he'd step on something... or even worse, someone. He felt so very ungainly with these two-legged creatures. They moved so much quicker, even at a 'slow' pace. It made him feel like he was four tiems as big as he normally felt. A giant among the little people.

He looked where she indicated and moved as she moved. He even experimentally shoved his nose into a random doorflap. This earned him a squeal of babyish happiness and a noseful of smoke. He jerked his head back, snorting to rid it of the acrid tang. Smoke was definitely something he wasn't used to.

He turned wondering eyes to Gemma. "How did you come to be so at home in this place?" he asked wonderingly. He felt it must take a very special soquili to put up with this racket and the bizarre ways of their bipedal brethern. "What led you here so young that none of this bothers you?" He wasn't intending insult to the folk fo the village. It was simply the observations of an unexposed stallion. He was rather impressed by her breezy nature around the chaos that was the village.

Another child darted through his legs, and he gingerly lifted a hoof to peek under himself, despite the fact that the little thing was long gone by then. He raised a completely baffled look to the mare's gaze then and asked plaintively, "And how do you know where to step and when not to move so that you don't trample these fast little foals?"  

[Kyribird]

"I don't know," Gemma answered, laughing as he snorted out the smoke. It was amazing watching him in this new place - just like a foal discovering he had extra appendages or something equally as interesting. The gemling just couldn't help but smile, "I came across here on accident one day as a foal and just...watched. My lack of a horn has always..."

Well, she never admitted this to anyone before and didn't know why she was doing so now...But really, she didn't feel bad in doing so, "It's always upset me. I'm jealous, I guess. All my family has one except for me and my father and while I love being so much like my papa...Out of all of them, I think I deserved the horn more. Maybe I was meant not to have one to teach me something. Gods know. But I do know that I shouldn't be jealous of my family's fortune."

It always dug at her that she felt such a petty emotion. Jealousy didn't become her. "As for knowing how to step? Well, they know better than to get in my way." Simple, no?  

[Talencia]

Ateentively and quietly he listened to her hesitate over her admission. Instinctively he moved close to her and nuzzled, sidling up beside her in reassurance. "Being sad over something your family was granted with but you don't posess is nothing to be ashamed of," he commented gently. "Look at me! Not just my sibling and mother, but father most especially, were all gifted with an easy manner and bold self-confidence when with other soquili." He snorted at himself. "I, on the otherhand, am anything but." He swished he again-beflowered tail. "I tend to be very wistful about that. But... what is, is."

His heart stopped for a second at the words that were about to leave his mouth, but he shoved his trepidation aside and said them anyway. "Who knows? If you had a horn, perhaps someone else would have already swept you off your hooves, and we wouldn't be here now." Heat flashed through his body like a jolt of lightning. How had he managed to say THAT?! To cover it he danced aside, nearly tripping over something left near a teepee.

He caught himself just barely and ahemed, feeling highly foolish again. What was he, after all? Horn or no horn, Gemma was lovely. How could noone have charmed her yet? And why oh WHY did he think he, of all soquili, could?