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 Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:04 pm
Marut was looking fairly neat for once, mane and tail were tidy and there were none of the usual mud splashes up her legs, or covering her belly. Of course none of that had been entirely her idea, once her mother had found out that she would be meeting a friend of Marut's that was also male, Neve had virtually pinned her daughter down and got her cleaned up.
Marut had born the grooming session with a grumpy acceptance, and had also promised to not get too dirty when she went to find Raniero. She wasn't sure why her mother was so excited about the prospect of meeting a friend of hers, especially as she hadn't dropped any word of what she had spoken of to Raniero, that might have made it far worse. As it was Neve had even gone so far as to suggest some sort of floral adornment and that was it, Marut had scarpered before she ended up looking as Raniero had when she first met him!
She had begun to wonder what she was actually getting herself into, but regardless, Raniero was her friend and he would be meeting her mother. She carried on walking, pushing between the trees and tilting her head around, trying to discern from the different scents that hung on the air if he'd been this way recently.
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Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:34 pm
Raniero had done exactly what had been expected of him, he had wandered home rather briskly and had slumped at the prospect of meeting a mare's parents. Oh he was aware that said mare had meant it as a harmless gesture and was unaware of how problematic it may be, but this didn't make it any less troublesome. What made matters worse was that the stallion simply hadn't said 'no', his tongue had copped in and provided his mind with the two fingers salute as it agreed to accomodate her request - there was no going back on it verbally but Raniero had other plans.
...He was hiding.
His family were accustomed to his wanderings and so, to have the soquili remain so close by made his father terribly curious and delighted his mother. He was home, he could be doted on but the strange manner of his return had left his father with a raised brow and an almostk nowing glance. Oh, Paramekia hadn't the slightest clue why Raniero was staying at home but he had a rough idea that he was avoiding something. Like father like son, when all else failed the best idea was to make yourself nearly impossible to find.
Unfortunately, while Raniero could 'hope' that Marut would forget he sincerely doubted she would. If she were to fit in with at least one stereotype, she would be one of those creatures that just didn't forget. No matter how hard Raniero ran, she would be like every mare and somehow relocate him. He wasn't even bound to her by anything other than a begruding confirmation of his company and one could understand why he was reasonably annoyed by this. He was a bachelor, he had no need of females and yet here he was hiding from one as though he had recently cheated on her!
What a pain in the a**.
With a soft sigh, he heaved his shoulders forward and observed the albeit scattered horizon beyond his gaze. Broken by various tree trunks, falling leaves and swaying branches; they provided him with no set view and instead granted him the priviledge of ever shifting and changing views. Well, it had already been a week so perhaps if he thought positively she really had forgotten - according to his mother 'thinking positive thoughts' really did work.
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Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:13 pm
Unfortunately for Raniero, Marut possessed a good memory, and his positive thinking in that regards would be for nothing. She hummed something tuneless as she pushed her way through the undergrowth, weaving between tree trunks, still scenting the air as she went.
There was something, and she paused, listening and turning her head this way and that. The wind wasn't helping however and she couldn't tell how fresh the scent was. She pushed on, hoping to bump into the whoever she could detect.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 12:56 pm
Everything happened for a reason, or so he was told on many occasions. One couldn't run from their 'destiny' or whatever games the spirits had in mind. Unfortunately he had not been terribly spiritual and to this day remained a sceptic but he had to admit that there were far too many coincidences as of late. This in mind he had remained reasonably close to home and continued to dine on the mosses and other available foliage nearby - avoid the open, as gut instinct said a week or so was simply not enough time and could spark memories.
Alas the fates had not favoured him at all! As he dined on the grasses by his hooves, remaining completely unaware of his surroundings he caught the soft sound. At first he had assumed it was a mere trick of the ear, but no sooner had he returned to eating than he heard it again. At first he didn't recognise it, lifted his head to take note of what foreign presence might be close to his parent's home and then he saw it - that tell tail flicker of pale blue and those unmistakable markings.
"No way..." he murmured quietly, scarcely audible beneath his breath as he backed away slightly and lowered his head. It wasn't the most dignified of ways to hide, but with enough luck he would be able to hide behind the height of the bushes provided he kept his head down! That being said he did have the urge to correct her on the humming... Surely after the encounter with Zhu she would have known better than to sing something tuneless!
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:16 pm
Marut stopped the noise she was making, standing stock still as she was sure she'd heard movement in the vicinity. The scent was stronger now, and it seemed to be Raniero's, though that could mean he frequented this area, or that he had passed through recently. But that and the sound..
'Raniero?' she called, looking between the brown, grey and green branchesof the trees and bushes around her, searching for the striking black on blue that would confirm she was right.
She moved onwards, but slowly now, scanning the area carefully. Was he hiding? Maybe she'd just heard something else moving, and she'd been correct about the scent. She couldn't imagine that he was playing some sort of a game! She grinned to herself at that amusing thought.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:28 pm
If only she knew... He was doing more than hiding! For the sake of his own sanity he was attempting to remain completely still while watching the mare between the leaves in the bushes. She had slowed her pace significantly, her hoof beats were quieter and any abrupt movement from him would automatically give him away. Lord knew that if he so much as sneezed she would find him - he now knew what it felt like to be the prey to a Skinwalker or a Kalona. The desperation combined with an absolute necessity to give nothing away...and yet the entire time you wanted to move.
Ah, it was just sod's law that his hind leg was starting to itch and as a consequence was twitching to such an extent that he had to bite down on his teeth to resist the urge to kick out. All he had to do was stay quiet, in no time at all she would disappear and continue on her way - completely unaware that he was literally inches from her behind some bushes. That being said his amber eyes did shamelessly trail after her figure from their shadowy cover and he had to admit she was certainly much tidier than he had ever seen her.
...Wasn't that a bad sign?
He tilted his head at this and 'hmmed' mildly as he mused over the reasons for the sudden tidiness. This was to be his own undoing though given that the shift of his head caused the leaves to ruffle loudly and he winced, a silent curse uttered to his own curious nature. Well, if this was a Skinwalker he'd totally be dead.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:47 pm
Marut drifted past Raniero's hiding place, a sound from opposite where he was hiding catching her attention for a moment, even though the scent was strongest here. She felt confused, was he actually hiding from her? She turned, looking into the shadows behind the bushes, trying to work out if the shapes she could see were a Soquili, or just her eyes playing tricks and turning the shade and branches into what she wanted to see.
She let out a small noise of irritation, unusual for her, and turned away, just as she heard the quiet sound, a mouth being used, and the bushes rustled. Marut whipped her head around, and pushed into bushes, straight through to see the hiding stallion.
'Hello..' she said, her head tilted at him, not knowing whether to laugh or not. She gave a half smirk instead.
'Researching the bush?'
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:54 am
"As a scholar I also strive to be a botanist," Raniero replied smoothly. He hadn't missed a beat despite the fact that he was positively reeling from his own stupidity. That being said he did withdraw his head from the bush and gave it a slight shake to remove the leaves. He straightened and mumbled softly as he felt his neck creak before all tension was released and he could move freely once again - hardly the most dignified way to be discovered but at least he could feign innocence in relation to what he was doing behind the bushes. In all honesty he probably could have been doing far worse things!
"You are looking far tidier than usual," he observed at last, opting to change the subject as quickly as possible. His ears swivelled and he glanced briefly over his shoulder to double check that none of his own family had stumbled upon his mishap. Sure, his father wouldn't say a thing but his brother may tease him mercilessly for the hiccup when the stallion was so obssessed with perfection.
This was far from perfect.
Nevertheless secure in the knowledge that no one else was about the stallion did return his gaze to the mare and arched a brow. It was a rare opportunity to observe a tomboy in such a manner - clean and unbelievably tidy, he could almost envision her being tackled by numerous forest creatures and groomed into submission - an entertaining show in itself but he wasn't adverse to the overall appearance of the mare either! It did make him terribly curious as to why she was so tidy though...
"I did not expect you to have a desire to impress anyone with appearance, he must be a terribly impressive athlete to make you transform quite so much."
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:08 am
'Oh really? If I didn't know you better I would say you were hiding from me.' Marut looked boldly at him, a smile lingering on her face.
'But you'd never do that I'm sure.'
This would be an image long etched in her memory, Raniero amongst the bushes, covered in leaves, but showing his usual front. She backed up a way so that he could get out without bumping into her, and canted her head at his words.
'Oh you noticed? That would be my mother, she insisted on doing all this once I told her I wanted you to meet her. I have no idea why.' she shrugged, and shook her head. She had a strange urge to ask if he approved of how she looked..but she didn't give into to it.
'You have a leaf still stuck in your mane. Want me to get it?' she offered, having caught sight of the offending little object still snarled in his hairs.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:30 am
He'd done worse things, looking like a tree was nothing out of the ordinary for the blue stallion who often did rather eccentric things. It was unavoidable in certain pursuits, every experiment often led to musings and ideas that were generally far from normal. Therefore it should have come at no surprise that he could remain completely unphased by his peculiar appearance despite the extensive number of reasons for looking as he did - and not one of them actually involved research! At some point, hell had certainly frozen over for the poor stallion who now stood before this particular mare.
Nevertheless it came as no surprise to him that she was naive as ever and as he had suspected his mother had drawn to usual conclusion. He had more discipline than to grown outwardly at how terribly awkward this meeting would be in the near future. Her mother would be expecting one thing and it would be quite another entirely - as prettily as she had decorated her daughter... Marut remained utterly oblivious to the reason behind it. More to the point Raniero wasn't entirely sure of whether or not he could handle the situation himself - he was aware of the truth but how on earth was he meant to inform her mother without offence?
...Oh dear.
'Awkward' really couldn;t describe the predicament he found himself in but much to his disgust (at himself), he simply didn't have the heart to blatantly refuse. He had tried, valiantly he might add, to avoid her and apparently he wasn't permitted to. He was going to have to meet with her mother and endure whatever attention and questions she might throw towards him - he could only hope to provide very long winded answers (not hard) that would either confuse her mother entirely...or point out that this wasn't what she assumed.
"I am sure the leaf will remove itself," he replied softly, giving his mane another shake to place it in the right parting. That aside, he chose not to inform Marut of further reasoning behind her mother's intentions and released a sigh. There were just some things you had to find out yourself...
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:41 am
Just because Marut had said she didn't know why, didn't mean it was the complete truth. She did have a small inkling, mostly thanks to the questions she'd put towards Raniero the last time they'd met, though it was a a small one at best. She was hoping her mother wouldn't do anything embarrassing when Raniero met her though. She was glad though that she'd managed to find him, as she didn't want to face even further questions about why she hadn't brought him along to see Neve.
'Fair enough,' she replied, drawing back. It wasn't as though she had wanted to remove the leaf - or did she? She looked at it again and then at Raniero and smiled.
'Ready to go?'
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:49 am
...Was he ready?
Was he ready!
No he wasn't bloody ready and he never would be! Alas, he kept his expression neutral and rolled his shoulders in a loose and almost casual shrug. This mare had been nothing but a pain in his rump since the day he had met her and here he was humouring her by meeting her mother. No stallion in their right mind would have agreed to this! There was no way he could ever be ready for a potentially disastrous encounter quite like this one. That being said he did steel and brace himself for it and gave an albeit curt nod...there was nothing else he could do.
"Humour me," he replied coolly, gathering up his composure (leaf included) to follow after the mare. Perhaps with luck her mother would cotton on reasonably quickly and the entire thing would be painless. Then again he didn't want her mother to be offended and misunderstand him - he did find her daughter attractive, he wouldn't lie about that! But this wasn't to say he was ready to make someone quite so naive his mate! She didn't even know the slightest thing about courting - if he so much as tried he suspected she'd assume it was a game and Raniero was not one for talking to granite whenever he cared to be listened to.
Alas without an inkling of which direction to head in he could only wait for the mare to provide directions...
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:27 am
'Okay, let's go then.' Marut said, turning towards the direction she had come from. She'd gotten a little bit turned around after having to scent-search for Raniero, but she would find her way easily again, just had to follow her own trail.
'So what so fascinating about that bush that you didn't come out when I called your name?' she asked, eyeing him sidelong once they were under way. She still had a sneaking suspicion that he was actually hiding from her, but she didn't want to know that really, nor the why.
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:36 am
Mares had a terrible sense of direction for the most part. The majority of them often became completely distracted by something or someone else that they temporarily forgot what they were doing or where they were going. Unfortunately his mother's view on positive thinking had already been blown out of the water and regardless of how 'distracted' Marut might of been he could only assume she knew exactly what she was doing. They were going to meet her mother, Raniero was going to be thrust into the centre of a great misunderstanding and throughout it all he would have to smile and at least try to be reasonably amiable.
...Now where was his raccoon to go 'woot woot' when he needed it?
Quite simply, all his cohorts had vanished upon the declaration that he was on vacation and would not be requiring their services for the time being. He had no need of them, no need to bind his hair into braids and as a result they too would be on holiday. It made things terribly difficult for him when he lacked the dreary voice and the appropriate limbs to fully demonstrate how he felt and to express himself clearly - the more steps he took, the more uncomfortable he was becoming about the whole thing. That being said he wasn't permitted to dwell further and after a short while he released a sigh.
"Certain bushes bloom and mature during this season as opposed to following their spring born brethren," he shrugged loosely as though the rest of the answer was obvious. Really, he had no desire to offend the mare (which was unusual in itself) but why couldn't she see?!
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:42 am
'They do huh?' Marut replied, having found her way and was walking now with more purpose. She had to only hope that her mother hadn't gotten bored in the time that it had taken her to find Raniero, and gone off to visit a friend or just to the Lake as she did from time to time.
'So your research is all about plants now, or just when I come and find you?' she laughed to herself, pausing to shake a tangle of leaves from her feathers before moving off again.
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