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 Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 6:04 pm
The meeting with her parents and Leon had gone...amazingly well. Gemma's head had been floating somewhere above the clouds and through the giant ink spill that was the galaxy even though it had been a few days since the meeting and while life had returned to it's normal routine - with the occasional chat and time spent with Leon - the mare was definitely...changed. It wasn't apparent to anyone who didn't know her very well, for certain. Hardly noticeable at all - but definitely there.
However, for now, she was a bit more grounded and working on carefully cleaning a stray feline's rump which had a very ugly gash in it. From what? Well, it had been loathe to tell her and Gemma wasn't necessarily one to push if the information wasn't severely needed. Which, in this case, it wasn't. "Now, hush," she murmured as the cat yowled, "I told you it'd sting. Stay still."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:45 pm
"Well, maybe it would stay still if it didn't hurt so much. Or maybe it just doesn't like having stray equines poking at its rear."
One advantage of being a sparkling family, when it was sunny it was easy to find and be found. Raphael hadn't been expecting to encounter his sister all the way out here, but there could be no mistaking that blue-violet coat. Nor, of course, could there be any mistaking that somewhat fussy 'mothery' tone that she always seemed to use when at her do-gooding. "But then again, what do I know?"
With that and a grin, Raphael alighted gracefully on the ground a few strides away from his sister, his delight at seeing her obvious on his face. However, he wasn't going to get close while the squirming feline was there, and the last thing he wanted to do was spook it. Claws weren't his thing.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:49 pm
"Well, it would hurt a lot more if it got infected," Gemma chimed, finishing up her work and nosing the cat lightly, "Now, you be careful, all right?" Shooing the creature away, Gemma straightened herself up and turned to look at her brother, her own delight quite apparent - though whether it was from her brother or from helping a creature was anyone's guess at all.
"To answer your question, nothing at all, of course." Then came the wide grin and the mare trotted toward Raphael, head bending to nose into his neck, "It's been too long, Raph. Mister Adventurer on me, hmm? Leaving me alone with Momma and Papa."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:55 pm
"Pft. Is that any way to talk to the brother that saved your skin on numerous occassions, to say nothing of the skins of all those animals because 'omg Raph, you HAVE to help it or it'll die!'?" Still, Raphael was obviously teasing as he returned the nuzzle, the banter as comfortable now as it had been back in their childhood days. Sure, Gemma was a bit smaller in comparison to him, and sure, things were imbued with the same urgency they once had...but the same old cameraderie was still there.
And he had missed her.
"Well, you know how it is, Gems; there's only so long a stallion can hang around his parents' home and do everything their way. I had to get out and find my own identity, just like Ae. Hell, Ae had more identity than me from the time we were kids, but I don't see you harrassing HIM." Not that he was around to harrass, of course, but that was moot. "Besides, it doesn't look like you've done much in the way of staying close to home yourself. This is a bit of a jog from the homeplace...did you finally decide to give Mom and Dad a break yourself?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:00 pm
"Certainly, because if I remember correctly, it took a lot on my part to get you to do such a thing, hm? So I suppose it was just as much effort to get you to help as it would have been to help it myself. Thankfully, though, I have the skills of a healer now that I do not need to rely on a unicorn horn." Gemma laughed pleasantly, stepping back to take a long look at her brother. Oh, she'd missed him terribly. They'd been so close as children and it only seemed to strengthen her need to be close to him now.
"Ae hasn't been around in longer than you. I haven't had a chance to." Gemma tried not to frown at that. Ah, she did indeed miss her other brother fiercely. "And...Sort of. I'm, uh...well..."
A blush tinged her cheeks.
"I was on my way to see someone."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:22 pm
"Yeah, well, you'd have been antsy yourself if healing a cut nearly made you pass out." After all, back in those days healing had been a pretty complicated thing, horn or no horn! These days, though, things were much better; while Raphael's own healing abilities were far less than those of his brother or mother, he was still more than capable of healing basic wound in the blink of an eye. Alicorn or no, having healing powers was handy.
But that was neither here nor now. Smiling, Raphael opened his mouth to comment on their other siblings' wherabouts (or lack thereof?) only to close it again as the unexpected blush and stammer attracted his attention. He was hardly a 'stallion of the world', but he knew his sister more than well enough to tell when something important was up. So, raising one brow in a dead-on imitation of their father, he queried, "I see. Someone in general, or does this someone have a name?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:05 pm
"Mmm..He...has a name," she said after a moment, thoughtfully turning her head, "A very pleasant one at that." Though looking at her brother with that look on his face almost made her laugh out loud. If only he knew how much like Papa he appeared sometimes! "And...Uhm...He's rather special, as well." Leave it to Gem to be quite nervous, hm?
One hoof prodded at the ground before she looked away, the blush on her cheeks darkening the purple enough for it to actually be noticeable. Oh, dear, why was she being so nervous? He'd passed the parent test, after all, but this was her big brother. Her best friend.
Obviously, this was a little different, right?
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:14 pm
"Really. So, now that we've established that this 'somebody' is in fact a 'he' and a SPECIAL 'he' at that, are we going to elaborate a little bit more, or do I have to get all creepy and stalkerish to find out details? I should warn you, though, if it's the second one that I suck at being subtle, so you'd know from a mile away I was there and flee, thus leaving me with wrong ideas and perhaps misguided concern."
Amazing how deadpan Raphael could be when discussing a serious issue, but at the moment, that was really the only reaction he had. What was he supposed to think, seeing his beloved baby sister stammering and blushing and all hung up about someone that was obviously...important. He wasn't really what he should think, to be honest! "So, seeing as how this sounds serious...perhaps you ought to fill in the blanks a bit more for me?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:24 pm
"You certainly didn't get subtle from papa," Gemma replied, blush fading against her cheeks once more, "So I'd rather you not stomp into a private moment!" Of course she didn't mean THAT kind of private moment but she could let her brother stew in his own juices on that one. Ah, yes, Gemma was a little curious to see his reaction to that one.
"His name is Leon, and he's...Urm, well. He's courting me. And I love him." Head tilt, "Very much, actually. He's already met Mama and Papa." But there was still nerves. Why would there still be that hint of nerves if he'd passed the test with their parents?
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:35 pm
As he wasn't that sort of stallion, Raphael skimmed easily over the 'private moment' comment, merely laughing it off as something far more innocent that what it usually meant. Gemma was his baby sister, after all; his INNOCENT baby sister.
Still, even accepting that as a fact, there was something almost anticlimactic in actually hearing Gemma spell out the situation. On one hand, the idea of her being old enough to actually have a serious suitor was..well, crazy; on the other hand, hearing that she was going through all the appropriate channels and thinking about her actions was nothing if not encouraging. Consequently, it was easy for Raphael to smile at her words, and for that smile to be natural.
"Well, if he's made it past the Mom and Dad test, there must be more to him than a simple flirtation. I'm very glad to hear you're happy with the situation, Gems...just remember to use your common sense, ok? Make sure you're 100% sure before you commit to anything, and remember who you are. Don't let him...pressure you into anything." Proper bit of lecturing THERE.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:39 pm
"Raphael," Gemma said with a glimmer in her eyes, "When has anyone been able to pressure me into anything, hmm?" Which was true! The entire family had been very adamant about her being more careful with her healing and damned if she hadn't gone off and taken more dangerous adventures. "If I want something, I'll do it, and only if I want something. There's only one problem..."
Gemma trailed off and looked down at the floor, wings drooping just slightly. "Unfortunately, it's a rather large problem."
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:47 pm
"Fine. In that case, don't YOU pressure him?" Though Raphael's expression was stoic, his eyes were dancing; Gemma had a very good point there, and she DID have a good head on her shoulders. Still, he wanted to be sure when it came to that sort of thing!
Though he didn't like the sound of that 'problem'. "Gemma, if you tell me that this stallion is already mated, you KNOW there's nothing that you can do about it. But if that's not the case, then let's hear it; maybe there's something that we can do about it?" With that, Raphael flopped down on the ground, patting the spot next to him for his sister to join him. "We won't know until we try, right?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:53 pm
Gemma chose not to dignify that with a response and simply sat herself down next to her brother, head flopping onto him slightly and giving an affectionate nuzzle. Ah, it was nice to have him to talk to. They always could work things out together, couldn't they?
"His father's Guilian."
That really was all Gemma had to say. Zaphiro and her mother never tried to hide their animosity toward that particular family, after all.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:03 pm
Wow. Gemma wasn't kidding when she said she had a problem, and Raphael couldn't suppress the low whistle that news brought on. "Guilian...as in THE Guilian? Damn, Gemma, do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? Dad would castrate your Leon as soon as look at him if he knew that."
Which, he supposed, was probably why it was a problem. But hadn't she said their father had already met Leon? Frowning, Raphael turned to give his sister a searching look. "Gemma, I want you to be 100% honest with me. Has this suitor of yours ever, at all, in even the tiniest way, acted anything other than gentlemanly towards you?" As he spoke, Raphael's eyes were locked on Gemma's, searching in them for the tinies flinch or denial. If he was going to be accepting this fact, he would know the truth; and no stallion would get fresh with his sister and get away with it.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:09 pm
"Yeaaah...As in THE Guilian. I don't personally care who his family is. He's Leon, and he's the sweetest most adoring stallion that I've ever met." Her eyes got distant and dreamy as she spoke, head turning upward slightly until she heard her brother's stern voice.
"No, he hasn't," she answered without hesitation, snapping out of it and allowing gold eyes locking onto gold. "He even asked Papa for his permission to court me." Who did that anymore? Leon knew the importance that family held with the wind mare, and damned if he hadn't done the most perfect thing in the world.
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