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 Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:14 pm
((This is a private rp for Epine de Rose and Nisshou Hakuyaiba. No posting please.))  
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:56 pm
The mid day sun glinted off the surface of the rushing river water where a brightly striped mare lay. Her muzzle dipped into the cool water and she took a long drink before pulling back. Her bright crimson eyes lifted skyward to stare at the endless blue above her. It was hard to believe that she had run so far and was still so close to where she had come from. Letting out a sigh she took another drink more to calm her nerves then to quench any thirst.
While she had no intention of returning to the plains and her one time family she was unsure if she had chosen the right course of action. On the plains she had never seen anything that looked as strange as her. Out in the open, however, she had seen what she had thought were birds soaring in the sky only to discover they were only horses graced with the eagles flight. Butterflies were not always butterflies and she had heard whispers of evil things lurking in the shadows. These things had been so carefully hidden from her before that she did not know what to think of them. For now the best course of action seemed to be to avoid contact with others all together.
It was difficult though. Not because they were hard to avoid but because of her own heart. She had never been truly alone before now. Even separating herself from the others she new that they were nearby. At the moment the closest thing to her was the life in the river and the few flowers she lay beside. They did not suit well for company or conversation.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:36 am
It had been pot luck really, the epiphany so sudden that it had left the mare reeling in shock. She had made no attempt to understand it, she simply accepted that the message she had been sent was so precise that she couldn't ignore it. The task and the method of success were direct in their own right, to the point that the generally analytical mare simply accepted the information she had been provided with. Running was no longer and option and the only true course was to turn on her heel and head home. Home was her immediate problem after all and running away from a herd who were prepared to pursue you was rather stupid.
It would become a vicious cycle, an endless and almost dark comedy of predator and prey. For a while she had thought she preferred such a life of endless running, but this had ultimately been paranoia speaking. Eventually (and long over due) her mind began to recover and slowly but surely it began to recover. Over the course of a variety of fated encounters she was given insight into lives that were both optimistic and pessimistic. Some soquili had permitted themselves to be crushed under the weight of such anguish while others had found an inner srength and had escaped from such dark depths. She had very quickly come to the conclusion that she disliked her own paranoia and strived more than ever to find that fabled strength that those individuals had.
She had to face her fears!
Thus it should have been of no surprise that after a period of reflection she had taken a deep breath and had come out of hiding. No longer embracing the forest as a protective blanket, she thrust her way through the long grasses towards the slopes. She had a rather arduous journey ahead of her, but the thought of sorting everything out gave her the strength she needed. Her confidence was returning and she carried herself at a much greater height. That which she had once lost was slowly returning, although a full recovery was impossible until she had completely dealt with her issues.
Nevertheless her destination was a ways a way and as with any living being she required food and water to continue. While she would have liked to rely on mind power alone it was fundamentally impossible. As a result it wasn't long before she had drifted towards the river to find herself both a snack and a drink. Her recognition of the mare's existence wasn't immediate though, despite Lycoris' rather extravagant coat her desire to 'disappear' seemed to have the correct affect. It was only as she lowered her head to drink that the pink reflection caught her eyes and she lifted her head somewhat, dismissing the fact that her hair now hung lazily in the water.
"A weather watcher...?" she mused softly, choosing not to leap to immediate assumptions of the mare and her behaviour.
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:12 am
Staring out at nothing to allow herself time to think had always been something she had done. Now it held less of an appeal in her eyes. This wasn't what she wanted to do. Granted she did not entirely know what she wanted to do at the moment. Seeking out company seemed like a suitable plan but she had no idea where to look.
Taking one last sip from the river she pushed herself to her feet oblivious to the mare not far from her. Perhaps she would take another nap. That seemed to be all she did these days really. Sleep, eat, drink, think and then sleep a bit longer. She did not think much of her current existence but at least she still had one. As long as she lived there was still a chance that she would find something more to do with herself. It was that thought that kept her going day to day.
With one last look at the sky she turned to follow the river wanting to find a shaded place to rest. What she found as she turned, however, was that the company she had considered searching for had been very near to her and she hadn't realized. She stared at the other for a moment as though trying to decide if it was an illusion or not.
No wings of any form, the size and shape of a normal horse, nothing particuarly odd about the guest. It was all very likely that this was just Lycoris's lonely mind playing tricks on her but at the moment she didn't truly care. "Good day." She said softly giving a slight bow of her head in greeting. There was no reason to be rude even if this did happen to be a false meeting.
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:03 am
Ashura's brother was arguably much more defined when it came to his appearance. He possessed quirks that she could only dream of. Additional appendages for flight and combat hung from his form and yet...Ashura was content with who and what she was. She had no 'notable' quirks as such, she was completely average in everyway save for her height. Arguably, the only notable thing she happened to have was the unnatural teal dye that she had put into her hair as an act of rebellion against her herd.
Ah, she was a natural beauty... A soquili with a very petitie form and yet the most beautiful coat. Her hair was well tended to, her coat was clean and overall she didn't envy those around her who had strange clothes or an extreme amount of hair. She couldn't ask for more than to be content in herself and in terms of her appearance she was perfectly happy - it was just her paranoia and loss of confidence that ticked her off.
Nevertheless she remained unaware of the pink mare's immediate assumptions that she was an illusion and as she replied, Ashura offered a pleasant smile. Her smiles were not as warm as some, she was simply too analytical to offer anything of extreme warmth but she was genuine... that much could be seen by the spark in her eyes at the very least. However, while she couldn't provide extremely warm smiles, she was astute and aware enough of another individuals discomfort or unhappiness. She knew that look, in a manner of speaking. That being said it wasn't her place to pry, poke or prod into another soquili's personal life without invitation.
"A pleasant day indeed," Ashura agreed and glanced up towards the clouds briefly, by the looks of things there would be rain on the slopes later. "Warm enough to be sure, I trust you are well?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:54 pm
As expected of her mind to fabricate such a pleasant character. She offered the mare a smile which seemed so fake to her so after a short moment it vanished from her face. There was no reason pretending with her own mind. It was likely that she already knew everything about Lycoris. Unless of course her will to be unknown was so strong that her mind understood that.
Her head was beginning to throb from the dizzying spiral of thought. She decided to put a stop to herself. There was no reason to give herself headaches over this. "Yes, it is quite warm." She said pleasantly her voice laced with a slight sound of flightiness that she would never bring forward in proper company. "It is my favorite kind of weather..." She paused then laughed slightly.
How silly of her commenting on things she would likely already know. It was only right though she had to continue on this conversation or perhaps down the road she would forget how to speak with others. That would be a terrible thing. "I am alright, thank you for asking. How are you miss?" She paused once again. "What shall I call you?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:35 am
Ashura was aware that there was something not quite right with this encounter. The other mare remained oddly aloof, one moment smiling and the next grimacing as though Ashura's existence was questionable. While the mare had more manners than to speak up in regards to such things, she was aware that she wasn't necessarily welcome. It was a somewhat uncomfortable situation to find herself in but as she had begun to muse over leaving the mare attempted to connect with her on another level.
Conversation.
Ashura's expression remained pleasant though unreadable for the most part and she ensured she kept her silence while the mare spoke. There was no point in interrupting a mare who seemed somewhat unsure of herself. To interrupt would startle, to startle would cause the mare to bolt. Ashura was a practical mare but she wasn't rude and she most certainly didn't like people to fear her. It would be irrational to fear someone as small and harmless as her after all.
"Mmm, I prefer a crisp sort of weather over immediate heat..." Ashura confessed to her own preference before shaking her head. There was definitely something amiss about this little encounter. It didn't unsettle her but it did indicate that she needed to be a little guarded. "My parents named me Ashura," she offered after a brief silence, "And I am as well as one can be, yourself?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:39 am
"Do you mean slightly chilly or outright cold?" She questioned wondering just what her mind was thinking. She did not like cold weather at all really. She was fond of snow but not the chilled air that came with it. Her favorite things died or slept when it was cold. Cold was death. Her eyes lowered and all traces of a smile fell from her face at the thought. Was this what her mind wanted? If it was then she didn't want to think about it.
She shook her head quickly and plastered the polite smile back across her mouth to continue her confusing conversation. It didn't make much sense for her to be saying what she was at all. It was more like she was speaking to a real person rather then a figment of her imagination. She had never been any good at creating any personalities that were different from hers when she tried to speak with her flowers. Did loneliness somehow make her more creative? She would believe it. She didn't have much choice, it was either believe it or lose her pretend companion.
"I am Lycoris." She said simply. "And I imagine you know how I am already..." She let out a soft sigh still finding it a bit hard to speak with the other. "But...for sake of conversation I am many things today. I regret to say that only one of these things are pleasant that being that I still live."
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:02 pm
So there was something missing! Ashura was capable of masking her confusion at Lycoris' assumption. Truly, she had no idea how the mare would be feeling or what went on in her mind. It was bizarre to assume as much but it was becoming clear that not everything was as it seemed. For some reason or another, this mare didn't seem to recognise that Ashura existed and that she was her own being - a necessity to clarify which form of cold she liked was an odd question...to offer up information for the 'sake' of something was an entirely different matter.
...How strange.
Ashura was not one to judge though. Having been a victim to her own paranoia she had often thought she had imagined things. It had taken a considerable amount of effort for her to pull herself out of that rut. Ah yes, it had been through a series of fateful encounters that she had found the courage and strength within herself to find what she had lost. Confidence was slowly returning, doubt was leaving...though the same could not be said for Lycoris.
"I fail to see how I would know of your feelings," Ashura offered carefully and shook her head. "Given I do not know you save for these brief moments it would be impossible for me to tell," she was not one to beat around the bush. She wasn't like her step father who lulled those around him into a false sense of security. Alas she was deeply honest and wouldn't permit another to think she was something she wasn't.
"As for your question, I prefer outright cold as there is less chance of a wind chill."
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:27 pm
Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. In no way did this mare seem like she was part of her mind anymore. She would never think up a character that would speak to her in such a way. At this time it seemed far more likely that she either would have come up with either one who would make her feel worse or one that would gently comfort her. She could not imagine herself imagining up one like this mare.
She tilted her head to the side giving Ashura a curious look. "You know nothing of me then...?" She questioned sounding rather sad and almost bashful. If this was the case then it seemed that she had made a horrible mistake. That would make this mare flesh, blood and bone which would likely mean that she had just insulted the first real creature she had encountered in this place.
She made no apology. There was no point to it really. If the mare took offense then she would excuse herself and leave. She saw no point in staying near to further embarrass herself or irritate the other. If she did not care then she would apologize for her mistake and perhaps take the time to engage the mare in proper conversation. Assuming of course that she wanted Lycoris around at all still.
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:38 pm
She shook her head slowly, her expression otherwise unreadable as realisation seemed to cross Lycoris' features. The mare was by no means insulted by her behaviour. Perhaps if she had been more naive, less astute...perhaps if she hadn't understood that something was amiss then she would have been less happy. However, this was not the case. Instead Ashura could do nothing more than accept that the mare in question had finally realised that not everything was quite as she imagined.
Ashura was real.
Flicking her tail against her flank, she tilted her head to one side and offered a very slight smile towards the mare. She wasn't entirely certain of how to approach the situation in the given circumstances. There was a certain element of surprise and shock in Lycoris' words - to say something inappropriate might lead to misunderstanding. Ashura was a diplomat but she had never been subject to this type of encounter before. Nothing her parents could have given her would have prepared her for this day.
"I'm sorry, perhaps if I had been a seer I could have said something different," she offered quietly. She was aware of one Seer who could read a creature inside out, but she lacked these skills and the ability to read body language only went so far... "Unfortunately as a random encounter I cannot confess to knowing of you in any great depth..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:28 am
It would of course happen this way; that her first real encounter would be assumed to be fake. It seemed to be her fate to make silly mistakes, such as this, that would only lead to problems. She bowed her head low in apology her feathery mane drifting in front of her face blocking it from view. This was a good thing because her face felt like it was on fire. No matter how she promised herself that she wouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed over her assumption she could not help it. By now she should have known not to make assumptions about people at all. If she were to have learned one thing in her time it should have been that. It was a hard lesson to learn it seemed.
After a short moment she pulled herself together and raised her head. "Do not worry about it. It was my mistake, not yours." She said putting a calmness into her voice that did not exist anywhere in her mind. She would not say it but the mare had picked quite an odd thing to bring into the conversation. While Lycoris had heard of seers a few times prior to this meeting they did not seem to be a common thing. She set the thought in the rear of her mind to think on later.
"Pardon me if this seems rude...but I do not imagine there is anyway to save this meeting is there?" It was a rather negative thought but it was the one that was flying through her mind the most. "If there is then please tell me if not then I suppose I should leave you to your business." She did her best to smile but it showed as a nervous one.
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Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:24 am
Despite her bright colour this mare truly was a negative creature. Ashura couldn't fathom the reason behind such behaviour, remained unsure of how to address her without insult... It was truly a puzzle and had she more confidence in herself she was sure that she would know. Unfortunately she hadn't yet 'grown' in strength and as such, paranoia still plagued her immediate thoughts enough to hinder her. She couldn't be as decisive as she would have preferred, if she was to try and be decisive now it would simply end up with misunderstandings and a great deal of confusion between the two. Given that she would rather not leave the Kawani in disripute, she couldn't afford such things.
"It takes a little more than that to insult me, I assure you," she murmured gently, at last choosing the more subtle option. She wouldn't deny that Lycoris had made a mistake, but she also wouldn't take offence. Lycoris obviously had her reasons for acting in such a manner and as such, it seemed a misunderstanding in regards to her existence was bound to happen. Ashura had always preached for understanding within her herd, it would have been hypocritical for her to reject the words of the mare before her now.
"I won't lie that you left me a little confused but that doesn't mean that the meeting can't be saved - it's not as if I was offended!" She chuckled softly and shook her head. "Misunderstandings happen quite often, it's unavoidable."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:19 am
She was grateful over how forgiving this mare was being. Of course she was still rather embarrassed but if she was handling it well enough the flower mare saw no reason why she couldn't at least pretend to. So much of her life had been composed of lies there was no reason why she couldn't contribute to the list herself.
She pulled a smile on to her face to mimic a genuine one. "I am glad that I haven't upset you." A tiny laugh accompanied her words but somehow led to the smile fading away. It was as though she couldn't do both things at the same moment in time. This was the case. A smile and a laugh together indicated real joy. Real joy was something that she hadn't experienced for many months.
"I am afraid it's been some time sense I've really had any company." The mare deserved at least some explanation over what had happened. Her eyes drifted downward for a moment as she retreated back into her thoughts and memories. It was no lie that it had been a long time but it was not the entire truth for why she acted the way she did. Even when she had regular contact with others she had never really been one for conversation. This fact, however, was one she was sure the mare could live without knowing. If she could not then this mare would be very strange indeed.
Her eyes raised and settled on the other's face. She tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, studying her. It would be a shame if she was an odd one. She wanted to be buried in normalcy. She dearly wished to be completely ordinary herself though that was something she was sure would be hard to achieve. She was a spider lily, after all, and they were all such curious plants.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:30 pm
Ashura had spent years pretending to be something she wasn't. She had surpressed her emotions to the point of paranoia and uncertainty. She simply couldn't handle it any longer and as such, had found the courage to stop. That being said it was not her place to lecture another on such things - she could see the lack of truth behind the flower mare's smile but it wasn't for her to comment. When Lycoris was ready she would make the steps she needed to recover, her path was her own to walk. Encouragement and coaxing could happen but only from an individual who was content in themselves, it was simply too hypocritical for one like Ashura to open her mouth. Somewhere, someday she hoped it would be different...
"You and I both," Ashura ridded herself of her musings and rolled her shoulders loosely. The smile continued to remain on her equine lips as she observed the mare. Evidently she was suffering from a great level of discomfort and the dapple mare really wasn't sure how to help that other than to leave. It posed a rather difficult problem given that the flower mare was attempting to be social despite her conflicting body language. "To be honest my preference was to lead a solitary life until recently myself, company caused too many complications for me to deal with." She remained vague over the details and released a soft sigh, once again reverting to her own thoughts as she mulled over her itinary for her journey home.
"But I soon found I had to step out of my forest and work things out, social situations really aren't for everyone are they?" she chuckled softly. She was certainly a mare who did not enjoy the limelight, it chilled her blood to be the centre of attention. "Although I know one particular individual who absolutely loves it - I don't know how anyone can chatter over nothing though, there's only so many times someone can talk about the weather over and over again in the same day..." she observed quietly. Really she wasn't sure how to approach this situation, a part of her encouraged her to leave the mare be but the other didn't want to cause insult.
...A sign would have been very nice at this moment in time.
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