[PRP] Falling (Marut & Raniero)

[Sayuri_Nitta]

It had probably been for the good that the stallions she had met hadn't tried throwing themselves at her, or flirted overly. Marut's response would have been to stay away from all males that weren't related to her, as she had believed that all that chasing each for romance was pointless..and not likely to happen to her either. She wouldn't have believed that a male thought her attractive, and it was still a sticking point for her with Raniero but it was slowly sinking in that maybe her looks were good enough to attract praise.

She also wasn't completely naive, she knew all about the technical side of coupling, of what a stallion might expect from her, and obviously how foals were made. So far, so embarrassing. Passion, courting, teasing and even that seduction stuff - that was a hurdle to come.

'Of course.' she replied, smiling impishly.
'I'm quite used to that Raniero.' His name was said sweetly now, as though precious to her.

Her breath caught in her throat as his forehead touched hers, and she was carried away for a moment by his scent that was all around her, and the warm press of him on her head.

'I wondered where you were..what you doing, and if you thought of me at all.'
Of course occasionally there had been the odd daydream that her left her confused - at the time she hadn't known how to cope when her mind threw up thoughts and images of him coming to her, speaking honestly of his feelings and wanting to know if she'd realised her own.  

[Epine de Rose]

"It is 'Ran', by the way..." he pointed out smoothly, lifting his head so that he could keep his gaze on her without going cross eyed. Ever the practical stallion, it was probably not a move that would have been appreciated considering how abrupt it was but at least he had a suitable reason. His ears swivelled lightly and he cleared his throat as she spoke. Really, very few referred to him as 'Ran' and it was often a term reserved for family alone but it seemed almost appropriate to permit the mare to speak of him on terms that indicated she wasn't simply an acquaintance. That being said, if anyone else or any of her family so much as uttered it they would find themselves at the end of a very cold glare and a blunt rebuttal. Nicknames in all their forms were reserved and one was only allowed to use them when they had entered his inner circle.

There were few in that circle.

That being said, he was certainly amused by how takenaback she had become by his presence. While he had only touched her forehead he couldn't help but smirk at the response. Really now, if she was swept away by that, goodness only knew what she would be like in regards to everything else. He had a sneaking suspicion (though a silly one) that she may even melt the moment she decided to cuddle him! He wouldn't even begin to dwell on courtship, seduction and passion - she may end up comatose before he'd even get the chance. It was lucky he could remain so stoic though, lest he laugh at his own thoughts and turn the scene into an awkward one with his own questionnable musings.

Nevertheless had he known of her doubts regarding her level of attractiveness he would have settled that immediately. Unfortunately he was no mind reader though and suffice to say, her little niggle of worry would remain a mystery to him until her body language or comments gave it away. There was only so much a male could do and he was no casanova with the ability to sway a mare with subtle purring and compliments - well, he could if he wanted to, but he was well aware that it was most unlike him and Marut would most likely laugh at his antics!

"Well I was usually here, sleeping or studying and had I not thought of you at least once then my father would never have tortured you in such a manner," he pointed out calmly, a hint of teasing in his tone.  

[Sayuri_Nitta]

'Ran?' she echoed, wondering why he had moved his head, but then noticed that it was easier to look into his eyes that way. It was an intense feeling to look at him in such an unguarded, direct fashion but she liked it.
'Ran..' she whispered this time. She had no nickname, no cute shortening of her own name to offer him; she'd always been Marut or tomboy..or boy when her brothers were being spiteful.
'I like that.'

It was the newness, affection had only been of the family sort, and she'd not this close with any male - it made her breathless because she knew there were be more to come, the prospect made her nervous and excited in one sweep. With her heart fluttering in her chest, she turned to slot herself neatly next to him, her hip resting on his, tucking her nose under his chin as she'd seen her mother do to her father, trying to be as bold as she normally was in their burgeoning relationship.

'You are right, I am asking silly questions.' she laughed.
'I only didn't realise how much I wanted you to like me, until I realised how far my own feelings went for you.'

Of course there were more hurdles to cross where his father was concerned, but for now she would enjoy how well this had turned out so far.  

[Epine de Rose]

"Mhm," he murmured quietly as the mare adjusted to his nickname. It wasn't a dramatic change in his appearance, but given it was two syllables shorter and denoted an entirely new level of the relationship he could understand her uncertainty. He didn't need to remind himself repeatedly that she was new to this type of thing. She had said it herself, her body language had practically screamed at him on more than one occasion until he had the opportunity to point it out to her in the middle of a forest. Granted, it had been one of his more awkward encounters with a mare but it had served it's purpose.

At last she understood and embraced the fact that she was a mare. She may take a little longer to accept her beauty and the attraction she held. She may even choose to ignore that she caused the heads of many a male to turn but suffice to say, Raniero was content. He was not a romantic and was practical in every regard so whispering sweet-nothings into her ear would be a rarity but he would be glad that she could at the very least accept that he appreciated her in much the same way she did him.

...Even if his emotions were under his control and she was decidedly more spontaneous with her own.

"So you would have been content for me to ignore you if you had not been inclined towards me?" he enquired softly, lifting his head slightly as she slotted herself underneath his chin. He'd seen his parents do this and his father had often joked that Ailurinae made a good headrest but now Raniero could understand. While the mare could enjoy a good cuddle, he could enjoy not having to lift his head up - Hah!

Nevertheless, while Marut was anxious and yet anticipated the moment in which he brought their relationship to another level...Ran was prepared to take things slowly. She could continue to muse over when he would strike, could drift into her own imagination and when the time was right she would experience his otherwise questionnable behaviour. There was something to be said for making the anxious wait, it often made things a little more...satisfying?  

[Sayuri_Nitta]

Marut moved her head, shifting it carefully so that she didn't move from under his chin but so that her mane pulled out from across her eyes. She wouldn't do that too much as her mane would gather static next which would be even worse.

'I would have wanted to be your friend even if nothing else, I always liked being in your company.' she replied, trying not to think on the fact that he seemed to be actually resting his head on hers! She would let him do that for a while and either move out from under his head, or give him a slight nudge if her neck started to ache.

She fell silent, letting out a small sound of contentment; he was wonderfully warm next to her. At some point there would be moving..at some point she would have to return home and let her mother know the good news. But not right now. After a time she wondered if she should be speaking, or if it was okay to just enjoy his company in quiet. What more could she say right now? He knew her feelings, and she wasn't assured in herself, nor thinking that far ahead to speak of futures and maybes.  

[Epine de Rose]

[[ x3 Seems like a good place to stop this one, nyah? Nice and content, then when she's ready she can drift home to yell her success at her Mum! ]]

Ran would have doubted that she would have wanted him as a friend if he had rejected her. Pain and heart ache often took time to heal, so much so that she may very well have avoided him until she could portray herself as a tomboy without him reading her like a book. It was just as well that he hadn't been so callous though, and as a result she could be content with her current situation and remain unaware of his arched brow and doubt regarding her statement - perhaps in time she could have recovered, but she would probably not have been his friend immediately. That being said it was endearing that she would attempt to point such a thing out, regardless of whether or not he rejected the statement.

Still, he was content with his current position and eventually she would get used to the head leaning. It wasn't that he was lazy but since she was there he might as well use her right? Under the guise of a hug it seemed to work out quite well and in that regard he had to embrace the opportunity. Oh - he knew that she would probably cotton on but every male had their infuriating quirks and this happened to be one of his. Combine this with his eccentric behaviour, his cross dressing and his constant obssession with study and Marut could safely say she had a very stable individual.

Well, in his defence he was warm... that was the good thing about being male, he was a portable radiator.

Suffice to say he was happy to remain silent for the time being, musing over the current state of affairs as well as things that needed to be attended to. He would need to discuss certain things with his father, in particular he would need to find out exactly what was said and the expectations his father had. Add this to informing his mother that he had a mate and he had quite a bit to do, especially when his father's conversations often lasted for hours on end... It would be safe enough to assume he would only do this though, when Marut had chosen to leave to inform her mother who no doubt was responsible for this sudden arrival in the first place.