[PRP] More Midgets? (Amarant + Fleurety)

[Lady_Ourania]

It had been a while since he'd bothered to come down from the mountain paths and look at flat land again, the view a little disconcerting if he stopped and thought about what he was stomping through. But the stallion wasn't keen on sight-seeing, not when he had resented the idea of coming down at all and mingling with the grass-loving, slope-fearing creatures that milled about in something called 'herds.' In truth, Amarant had never really understood the concept of grouping along with other Soquili and making pacts that would be broken as soon as danger and scarcity gaped their ugly maws. It was an exercise in futility to arrange for trouble ahead by increasing numbers - if anything, the more individuals involved, the worst the result would chance to be. He'd known as a foal what it meant to be on his own, self-reliance as a survival tactic rather than a mere choice.

And yet it was a hint of hypocrisy that lured him below the cloud line, his eyes scanning the terrain for mountains that moved and were almost constantly blue regardless of the sky's involvement. The rumor had come to him a while back, talk of behemoth, red-haired creatures with an icy disposition that followed their basic coat color. He hadn't come into contact with any relatives since before his mother's death, and even then they had only been stories she'd told him, reassurances that they were not the last of a trickling bloodline. It hadn't done much for him, child that he was, but he'd allowed her the comfort of extensive talking until she fell into an early grave, succumbing to a hacking cough in the chill air nearest to the sun. No one had sought them out afterward, and he'd been forced to take care of her body himself, lugging the heavy load of once-dam and finding somewhere to stash her where nothing would scavenge for an easy meal.

So maybe it was the memory of her that made him come down, zero expectations and a mulish spark in his hidden eyes. Even dead, she held more sway over his actions than he would readily admit. On a personal level, the male didn't really care if he had living family, his sociable nature nonexistent most of the time. But he did have make sure no one was about to confuse these possible lookalikes for him, especially not if they were as coddling and kindly as his mother had been. Mistaken identity was one thing, but when he was being classified as a pushover, there was reputation to consider.  

[Kaiyumi]

It was rare, Fleurety had noticed, for the weather to be this pleasant, especially as of late. While it was still rather chilly out, at least there was sun. With winter quickly passing, spring was soon to follow and, though she would never admit to such things, Fleurety found herself excited about the flowers that would grow when the weather warmed. She was oddly fond of flowers, she had found. Whether it was their vibrant colors, soft petals, or delicate scent, something about them drew her to them.

Unfortunately, with traces of winter only just starting to disappear, it would still be some time before Fleurety would be able to find herself in the company of the spring flora. With this in mind, she emitted a sigh, glancing around at the grass beneath her hooves. "Well," She commented to herself, "At least there's no more of that terrible snow anymore." She shuddered slightly, recalling her horror when she had first discovered that the cold, white substance had coated all the plants and grass. It had taken forever - or at least, it took forever in her mind - for the snow to finally melt, and even longer for the sun to finally overcome the many clouds that had obscured it from view for so long.

At least she now had something to look forward to. Perhaps buds were already growing! Perking up at the idea, she bent down, scanning the ground for any sign of new growth. At the same moment, something - or someone, perhaps? - that was a vibrant red caught her eye. Frowning, she looked up towards the source of the color, forced to squint as the other Soquilli was too far for her to see clearly.

Curiosity besting her, she trotted towards him, wondering just why this stranger had wandered here. When she had a clear view of him, she tilted her head to the side. "My, aren't you different from the others I usually see around here." The comment came out ruder than the Usdia meant it to be, but there wasn't way to take it back anymore. Instead, she cleared her throat. "What are you doing here, may I ask?"  

[Lady_Ourania]

Later, when he was thinking to himself in a private place where no one could see his sour expression, Amarant would admit that the only reason the Usdia had been able to sneak up on him was because he was on the look-out for beings of substantial height and girth. The delicate thing that approached him out of nowhere bore neither trait in excess, and was therefore only a few short rungs above invisibility to the bright-haired stallion. Still, when her voice rang out suddenly, the only indication of his surprise was a vague shiver of motion through his scarred flanks, little more than if a fly had settled on his coat and he was telling it in no uncertain terms to find another perch. And a fly she was, with her painted on wings and her blackened, quizzical face, staring up at him and remarking plain as day that he was a beast that had no business coming down from his drafty home. Or at least that was how he interpreted the offhand statement, muscle-bound and expectant as he was of being badly received.

"You own the ground?" He growled when she questioned his presence, swinging his chiseled head around to eye her through his overgrown, fused bangs. It was probably more venom than the comments deserved, but he was feeling remarkably irritable, and didn't have time for little doll-sized ponies who felt his appearance had a stake in their happiness. He didn't care what she did or who she did it with. He would have been oblivious but all the better for it if she'd just left well enough alone. Something she'd said did make him wonder though, and he mulled over the fact that he was new in her eyes when he'd been hearing just the opposite. Maybe she was new to the plains. Maybe she meant he was about as welcome as the rest of his hypothetical relatives, which boiled down to not at all. Maybe his father's side of the family was a bunch of raucous brawlers who needed a good skull-bashing to see clearly. It certainly would have explained a lot about his inheritance as far as traits went.

"Nobody similar's been around?" He asked, the tone a little calmer than his previous snap, or at least more nonchalant now that he had a better hold on his temper. There was no sense in skirting around and making painful small-talk first. If she wanted to be chatty on his time, he'd wrangle something useful out of it, even if he didn't much like where the plan might lead.  

[Kaiyumi]

[[ ...OH GEEZ. OTL I'M SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT, OURA! ;;; ]]

Despite her small stature and the her fragile appearance, Fleurety was nothing short of bold. While she generally tried to be friendly and likeable, she had discovered that she had a way of occasionally saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Perhaps her tactless comment about the stranger’s appearance had been one of those wrong things to say, and contributed to his bad mood. When the Soquili replied to her – his voice sounding somewhat hostile to her – she frowned at once, arching an eyebrow.

“My, aren’t you a friendly fellow.” She commented, once again proving that she needed to keep some thoughts to herself. “No, I don’t own these grounds. A tiny thing like me? Anyone remotely bigger could probably drive me off, if they wanted to.” Fleurety made a face, before tilting her head back uncomfortably to study the tall Soquili with interest. She had never quite seen anyone who looked like him. She couldn’t help but wonder how he managed to see through all that hair. Did he ever have any problems with seeing? Had he ever walked into anything because of it? She opened her mouth to ask, but froze as she realized that it was probably something he wouldn’t want to answer. To save herself some embarrassment – as she must have looked ridiculous with her mouth hanging open that like – she commented that she liked his hair, and that it was very unique. That was a compliment, right?

The Usdia tilted her head to the side, furrowing her brows as she shook her head. “No, no one similar. I mean, I’ve seen others with hair as bright as yours but…” She trailed off with another shake of her head. “Why do you ask? Are you searching for a family member, or something?”
 

[Lady_Ourania]

He overlooked the trilled remark, acquainted enough with the concept of sarcasm to understand when it was being used, even if it made the sculpted red hair on his chin bristle at something so small daring to lob it his way. Self-aware to the point of knowing she was no great threat, but apparently not so great at realizing when to keep her yap shut. Was she a midget like the other he'd seen before, or closer to being a foal? The way she spoke, clear with a vocabulary, said usdia, though smart-mouthed babes were more commonplace than any unfit parent had the right to make them. It was a fifty-fifty chance, and Amarant didn't much care, predisposed to liking neither.

The way her jaw hung ajar in deliberate censorship barely caught his attention, already feeling like he'd wasted enough time on oreless mines while his gaze wandered above her again with ease. The gentle roll of hills made his hooves itch, slightly indignant about being made to walk such pale slopes when they were used to rougher stuff. Then she expressed interest in his hair, his lips peeling slightly back from his teeth along one side in either a grimace or a grinning threat. It was hair, hair that he let grow and tangle up, looking like ropes or worms or whatever else they said out of earshot; nothing special about that. "Need to get out more," He replied impassively, apparently referring to her despite his own antisocial nature in that department. He didn't regain any shred of interest until she answered his question, one diamond-colored hoof striking the soil with vacant irritation. Bright hair didn't mean much, but seeing as she had focused on his first, it might have been the only thing she bothered remembering.

On the topic of family, he issued a noncommittal grunt, not about to give her a detective badge for determining the obvious. What had possessed him to ask in the first place, he wasn't even sure. Probably lacking enthusiasm, wanting someone to tell him to head right back up, that he was wasting his time. But he'd have to keep looking, even if he wasn't all that devoted to finding.