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 Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:56 pm
 Ariston was now officially out of hibernation. He absolutely HATED the wintertime. He was completely unsocial, and he kept to himself in the warmest of caves. He hated the way the winter cold ate at his skin and hair, and he especially hated the amounts of snow that would corrupt the ground. He was, most definitely, and unhappy camper when it was cold.
But there was hope at the end of the tunnel, and before Ariston knew it, spring was back again! When the male finally made his way out of the musky cave, he was relieved to feel the wonderful sun on his back, and to also feel a warm breeze coming around him in the air. He was thankful at this point, he really hated being so terrible to his friends and family. Loveless visited him quite often, but Ariston kept himself busy by doing the usual pamper or cleaning of himself, and he also got some much needed sleep done.
Either way, this crazy lifestyle kept his body gorgeous and full of glow, and it felt even better to be revealing himself in the sun again. Hopefully he could regain some of his wonderful color soon! "Ah, where to go!" he then said, with a cheerful ding. He was still in the forest at this point, and the stallion was slowly making his way towards the grove he used to find his horrible cave, since it mentally meant a sign of freedom!
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:28 am
 Unlike Ariston, Guilian had never felt winter to be something detested and avoided. Obviously there were elements of the winter that left something to be desired, but at the same time the many positives outweighed the negatives. His coat always looked its best against a pale backdrop, for starters; for another, the cold winter winds tended to flatter his short curls mane. If he had to hunt a bit harder for food and go without flowers, it was a small price to pay for the knowledge that he looked fabulous...and besides, in the winter, mares and stallions alike were extra-appreciative of having another warm body to snuggle up with, and he'd ALWAYS been willing to accomodate chilly mares.
Still, now that spring had finally arrived, he wasn't looking back at the snow with much regret. Spring meant warmth, which meant he could travel farther and see more of the world again, more of his family again, more of EVERYTHING again. But then, that had always been Guilian's way; rather than dwell on the negatives he embraced the positives of whatever life flung his way.
In theory, anyway.
But today, it was exceptionally easy for the stallion to be in a good mood. The sun was out, there was greenery about, and he'd found a patch of early grass to graze on while roaming through the forest. What was there to be unhappy about?
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:24 pm
As the minutes passed by, the stallion continued walking at a swift pace until he was clear and out of the forest. It felt like ages being stuck under the trees, and now he was free to roam the land again in his usual manner! But, as if things couldn't get any better, his eyes spotted something red and vibrant in the distance. If his guess was correct, a very good friend of his was slowly walking out of the area in front of him! Ariston then moved himself into a comfortable trot, since he was hopeful to assume that Guilian was in the area!
As he made his way forward, familiar curls started to appear, and the stallion was pleased to know that he could catch up with his dear friend!
"Guilian! Fancy seeing you here!" Ariston then stopped himself, and he decided to wait for Guilian to turn around. His friend still looked as vibrant as ever, and it was nice to see him healthy and in shape. Ariston had always feared that time could do horrible things for him and his friends, but if anything, time only made them more good looking!
"Tell me all about yourself, and if anything is new. Its been far too long since we last chatted." But, that was all on Ariston, since he went and hid from the world for quite awhile.
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:29 am
If Guilian's bright red was a giveaway of identity, then Ariston's huge white form and long blonde hair were even moreso. However, the fact that Guilian wasn't looking in Ariston's direction meant that Ariston, at least in this case, had the advantage of first greeting.
Still, he did so love pleasant surprises, and considering the amount of time that'd passed since he'd last seen Ariston, they were more than die for a meeting. "Ariston! My goodness, imagine seeing you out and about already. However have you managed to avoid getting muddy, my friend?" Grinning, Guilian turned and trotted over to the larger stallion, the somewhat banal nature of his joke second to his honest happiness at seeing Ariston after months of separation. "There isn't that much to tell at the moment, I'm afraid, so you'd likely be sadly dissapointed and have your image of me shattered forever were I to speak first." A shameless exaggerration, naturally. He just didn't want to talk first when there was so much to talk about!
"How are the kids? Have you got any more that I should know about?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:24 pm
Guilian's first question amused Ariston, and he only shook his head with a usual glee of enjoyment. "As if I could HANDLE more children! But I have nothing new to report on that subject, you should know that you would be the first to hear about any of that kind of information." But at the moment, Ariston was content in finally knowing a lot of old family drama had been resolved and forgotten. Family was an unpredictable life issue, and he was slowly getting used to that.
"I imagine that your last batch of kidlets grew up nicely, I am sad that I have not seem them in their prime yet. I'm sure all three of them carry traits of yours, so hopefully I won't have any trouble spotting them soon." He wanted to meet them, and see what they were all about in personality and looks. He had a faint memory of what they were like as foals, but as adults he was completely clueless.
"Eh, even though we both say there is never anything to tell, we seem to always discuss quite a lot in our conversations, so I am not very worried." He winked at his friend while leading him into a slow walk forward. "Let's walk while we talk, you know how I enjoy that sort of thing." Plus, Guilian probably did as well, so it was a win win.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:24 pm
"Pft. If I can manage, then you can manage just as well, Ariston. After all, at last count you had less than half of the kids I do, and I haven't been driven to distrction yet." Granted, there was a great difference between being a full-time parent and a part-time parent, but as Guilian saw things, he was an involved father indeed. And if he was capable of such a feat, why, then of COURSE Ariston was as well! And besides, think of the children! "You know that any and all offspring you had would be gorgeous, so you really have no excuse. Granted, I know how it can be..."
Adopting an air of noble experience, Guilian flashed his friend a wide grin before allowing that subject to drop and acknowledge the compliment to his children with a smile. "Aye, all three of them have grown up delightfully, as I'm sure you'll believe. Rosa has her mother's fearless directness and is, as you might remember, the first of my offspring to carry my red; you might say I'm a little biased. Betina has grown up into a sylph that any parent can be proud of, with a bright and cheery nature rather like Amary's. Louie has become a fine stallion; very much his mother's son in looks. He's a bit of a late bloomer socially, but he's got a good head on his shoulder and will undoubtably come around once he's more experienced with the world." Yeah, that was definitely the confidence of a father speaking...
Allowing himself to adopt the slow, meandering pace of his friend, Guilian started off with Ariston, content to walk and talk. "All things considered, things seem to be going well with all the kids, to my knowledge. Neve is a mother to three fine young Soquilis herself now, Leon is actually out experiencing the world..." Accomplishments all around, really! "But how are things with your three?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:03 pm
Ariston chuckled at his friends words while only shaking his head as Guilian finished his last sentence. "Well you know, Spring is on the way and it happens to be my favorite season for many reasons. Who know what Summer will bring, maybe good news of sorts!" With a light wink, he only sighed while realizing he was in no rush for that sort of thing. "Its difficult to explain, I happened to save Loveless from going into a berserk Kalona lifestyle, but my other son Fiero.. I have no idea where the hell he is these days. Its a risk I have to take and think about when having children. Who knew beauty could be turned so easily, but my Sinhood is something I must always keep in mind, for my children's sake." Even though Ariston's blood never influenced him, for others, he really had no idea! But he did enjoy being a sinful b*****d whenever possible.. who ever said beauty WASN'T a sin?
After saying his own tidbit on the conversation, he was quickly engulfed in Guilian's talk of the now-adults in his life. "Ah, they really sound lovely! I remember meeting their mother once, and I remember her being a fine mare. It is no surprise that you both had wonderful children together." It was nice to at least hear good news on that situation, since Guilian's past family had been complicated with Izusa. He was surprised to hear that Neve had children of her own on that subject, and he only shook his head as if feeling even older. "Goodness, I'll have to lurk about and try and find Neve's children as well. I wonder how motherhood is going for her, it is hopefully well."
With a comfortable sigh, he only grinned at Guilian's last question before thinking of his three with a modest smile. "Eh, no complaints! I do get miffed about Fiero, since I have no idea if he has become bad or good.. but Kieran is off and attempting to become more social, and I think that's great for him. Loveless is still herself, she's finally becoming less gloomy since the weather has gotten better." And Heartless? He hadn't seen her since the winter season started, but that was for the better. He really hated socializing in the wintertime, especially if his body wasn't up to par!
"Before we know it more of our children will be having children, and so on and so on.. I suppose it is our turn to just watch and observe?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:27 pm
"Yes, well, grandchildren seem to be the natural sequel to children, Ariston, and there are certainly postives to having grandchildren. For one thing, there's less pressure to be responsible...not that I have anything against responsibility, of course." Giving Ariston a comspiratorial wink, Guilian looked very much the young, carefree stallion. Then again, he'd always felt himself 'young', even when he'd seen his grandchildren, and he felt that he had carefree down pat. Still, there was something to be said for more serious revelation.
However, Guilian at the moment had no idea that Ariston was entertaining thoughts of Guilian's past depressions; if he had, he'd have had to say something to quell such worries. Izusa was an element of his past, and it was back in the past she was firmly entrenched. She might have been horribly unpleasant in some ways, but she had had her positives; for one thing, she'd given him three children to be proud of. And speaking of those children...
Glancing sideways at his friend, Guilian commented drolly on a thought that had been on his mind for some time. "I haven't seen Tony in some time, which is slightly atypical of my second son. Usually he's pretty good about seeking me out, unless he's got something else on his mind, busy elsewhere, or brooding. Makes me curious what he's going to have to tell me when I finally see him."
Not that Guilian expected anything out of the ordinary; he just couldn't help but remember how affectionate Tony and Loveless had been previously. While he was an unobtrusive stallion when it came to the DETAILS of his children's personal lives, that didn't mean he wasn't about forming opinions. And just because he didn't believe in permanent attachments or anything similar didn't mean he couldn't approve of an attraction!
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:21 am
Guilian made a good point, and Ariston could only shrug while pondering that possibility in response. "But I have the type of children who would pawn their own children off on me for baby sitting reasons, so I wouldn't be entirely out of the loop!" But truthfully, Ariston didn't mind that sort of thing happening. If anything, he wanted to remain in the scope of family anyways, so he would be delighted for any kind of grandpa attention. He was just too stubborn to admit that of course.
Guilian's next tidbit on Antony was surprising to Ariston, and he looked at his friend with sympathetic eyes. "Well, busy is usually a good thing, right? And I'm sure he'll make an appearance at some point, he always does." It didn't seem as if Guilian was worried, but Ariston could tell that he wanted to know what his son was up to. "You are much better about thinking about your kids then I am, if I think about them too much then I won't have time to think about myself." He only grinned playfully after such a comment, while stretching his wings in a lazy manner.
"I assume that Tony has been spending time with Loveless, since they have before in the past. But she never says anything to me about that sort of thing. She closes me out too much, so I'm afraid even I do not have any information." Ariston would have enjoyed a bit of drama if he had some, but his daughter was too sneaky even for him! "Ah well, I knew they would become good friends at some point, so I have nothing to worry about." Or at least, that's what he liked to tell himself.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:13 pm
"My friend, thinking about my kids IS thinking about myself, if we must be perfectly frank; I am the reason they exist, after all, and the link that binds them all together." Raising the bar for Ariston in terms of narcisissm with that particular comment, Guilian showed no sign that he was joking; though a devoted father, there was nothing he was as willing to admit when it came to his kids as his own role in their lives. Such paternal fondness was truly heartwarming...
Though it wasn't without it's trials. Shrugging his shoulders at Ariston's observations, Guilian found himself forced to stifle a sigh. "Oh, I don't doubt Tony'll make an appearance, it's just a trifle strange. He was always was of my more conversational children, after all; not that I begrudge any of them their lives, of course."
For that brief moment, the expression on Guilian's face was pensive, pensive as he reflected on the fact that he saw his eight children but rarely, with even the three youngest ones being off on their own more often than he'd like. Of the older three, he only saw Tony with some sort of frequency; of the middle two, Leon's withdrawn nature and more recent migratory ways had meant that the two were rarely in contact. Amary was delightful, but she had her own life to live, and as for the youngest three...well, they WERE new adults, so he couldn't begrudge them freedom. But damn it was hard to readjust once you got used to things!
And mulling on that made him remark, not so much to Ariston but to them both, "I'm getting old."
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:40 pm
Ariston could only pat his friend after a brief silence arrived between the two, since he himself was thinking exactly how Guilian was. Usually he had some witty or playful kind of response, but this time he just didn't. He felt the silence was necessary, since he and Guilian had some thinking to do. "To hear you say that is just heart breaking." he then added, with a usual smile. "You're too young for that sort of talk. Age brings wisdom, so that's good right?" And what for Ariston? He didn't feel wiser at all, and maintaining his beauty was even more of a hassle nowadays. But he would strive and continue to look good, since it was the destiny given to him.
"Oh well, I don't feel like life sucks now or anything." he then said, while raising his eyes to the sky. "If anything, I feel more connected to the relationships I have, and I am thankful for that. When I was younger, I was all over the place, but now I feel rooted. Maybe that's one of the positives of aging?"
Or.. was Ariston making stuff up at this point? "I keep trying to imagine aging as a good thing, help me out here!" he then said, with an even wider grin. "We aren't the type to dwell in negativity, you know." Which was true.. he and Guilian were usually almost TOO positive. That's what made them so enjoyable! "Plus, you are still able to flirt and have fun with females, so what's the big problem anyhow?" Both of them had a wonderful social life, so at least they were distracted somewhat.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:30 pm
As silence had never been a common element in Guilian and Ariston's conversations, it only made sense that that the lapse into quiet would register with both stallions. Unlike Ariston, though, Guilian didn't view the silence as a positive.
Well, that wasn't entirely true; it WAS a positive in that it made him realize just how pensive and morose he sounded, two adjectives that he hated in any sense and especially when they applied to him. Shaking his head to try and dismiss the somber attitude that had fallen over him, he looked over at Ariston with a look that was both amused and accusatory. "My dear Ariston, what is the world coming to when two such stallions as we are reduced to nattering aout age? Years are merely a number, children and grandchildren more notches on the proverbial belts of our virilty...it's all good."
That was what he'd keep telling himself, anyway, and maybe it would wind up being true. "Regardless, things are looking positive."
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:29 pm
"Well yeah, I know." Ariston then said, while glancing away from his friend in a comfortable manner. Even he was a bit surprised to see Guilian so pestered with thoughts, but for him it was also a normal thing. Ariston found that he was usually flustered with thoughts all of the time, but the thoughts varied according to whatever drama was in his life. He didn't find age to be that big of an anxiety, but he knew it was an annoyance when possible.
"I really hate negativity anyways." he then admitted, with a light head shake. "I find no matter how much I complain, I just can't be too angry about it. I noticed you have the same traits you know, its not in you to damper in the sad all day." Ariston then chuckled at himself, knowing he was right about that! "I guess my answer to my age is just a hint of laughter, since its easier to laugh all this stuff off anyways."
Yes.. that was the beauty of life of course! Not everything had to be complex and complicated, and Ariston kept himself peppy knowing that. "I still think you should be proclaimed a professional father. I know I had learned a helluva lot from how you taught your children."
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:55 pm
If there was one thing Guilian was always amenable to (besides the obvious), it was being complimented. The fact that it was Ariston doing the complimenting made it even better, as that meant that Guilian didn't have to suspect there were ulterior motives involved. Granted, he never assumed that ANYONE had ulterior motives, and even if they did he was usually amenable to at least part of what said Soquilis were after, especially if said Soquili was a mare.
No, no; he simply liked to make things more dramatic than they needed to be, even in his own thoughts.
Giving Ariston an amused smile, Guilian was clearly over his little despondant spell upon hearing himself to be thought a role model. "Well, I'd have to disagree with you on that, my friend; after all, there are those that I know feel I should be lynched for my 'lack of dedication' to my family, as it were. Still, I like to think that I've done my best by each of them; regretting the inability to spend time with them on a day to day basis is one thing, regretting that I'll never see them again for reasons of one's own making would be even worse. Besides, there are always others, in some form or another."
That last comment likely wouldn't make sense to one that didn't know what Guilian was referring to, but he didn't elaborate any further. What he was referring to, of course, were the newest offspring of his partner Luca, children that were very obviously not Guilian's but had nevertheless been looked on by the red stallion with no small amount of 'paternal fondness'. After all, family was just as much a state of mind as anything else, and if Guilian chose to view a child not his own as his own, why...that was his peroggative.
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:46 pm
"Lack of dedication my a**." Ariston then said, with a light snort. Anyone who talked badly about Guilian and his family would get a horrible rant from the gold stallion, and he really hated others who made comments such as that. "Your children are obvious happy, healthy, and pretty much amazing. Its only jealousy you know, I can tell you from my experiences with the Envy Sin that other's will always posses that sin themselves." And Envy was totally annoying, THAT was for sure.
"I know if I ever needed to leave or vanish, I would allow my children to be under your care. NOT that you need more youngsters to babysit, but you know what I mean." He smiled warmly at his friend, knowing that his trust in Guilian was something incredible. He thought of Guilian as he thought of Wrath, his closet partner in crime. Even though their crimes were different, it was all the same for Ariston.
"And strangely, I could see even Loveless putting up with you. She may have been a monster in the past, but she thinks of you quite well now." Unlike her mother.. who was pretty much invisible to all of them. "You could handle it!" And, that was most amusing of all for him. "I'm going to need something to keep me busy soon." he then admitted, while glancing ahead of Guilian. "A part of me wonders if I should find another mare, but then I remember all of the crap I'll have to deal with at the same time..." Ugh, relationships.
Why weren't mares like him and Guilian? Or if there were, Guilian always got them first! But, that was always a humorous reality for even Ariston to muster.
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