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 Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 1:19 pm
It was a new morning. The winter had just felt taking the chill with it. It was nice out warm and all the grass was starting to get its green colouring back. The sky was clear but not cloudless. The sun was beating down onto the ground. Terentia missed the warmth of the lands. Even though winter was beautiful she was glad she would not have to spend another night shivering in her little home.
She took a deep breathe and set off on her walk through the forest she was happy to see all her little friends were awake after there long sleep. She loved all the little birds and mice that lived around here they were nothing but nice to her. Even though they could not understand each other she had played with them when she was a foal. It appeared like they still remembered her too... she was glad.
She smiled and bowed her head at them with a small chuckle. Before she continued down the path her tail just scraping along the ground. It looked like it was time to trim it again. Her too leggers made sure she was always clean and pretty. She loves the attention and wishes they was a way to show them how thankful she was. She looked up at the birds in the sky and she had a feeling... that today was going to be interesting. Snapping out of her thoughts she looked around. She thought she herd something?
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:03 pm
 "Excuse me!" Idris called out. "Excuse me! Hullo!"
Idris didn't blame the mare for walking right past without noticing him. He was standing in the bracked far off the beaten path, and mucking about with a long-dead log. Looking for rare lichen wasn't a particularly glamorous job, no matter how important it was to find the correct ingredients for the ritual he was going to re-enact during the next full moon.
Archeology was messy work. He should probably have left his desert finery back in the cave he was using as a campsite, but he didn't want to lose it to scavengers. The twin snakes attached to his headdress were important historical artifacts!
"My apologies for interrupting you, but- er. Would you happen to be familiar with this area?"
Most stallions would feel too nervous to speakso casually with a bona-fide four-winged Angeni, but Idris was half-Angeni himself, and had grown up scolding his brother for reckless flying practices. Meeting holy Soquili didn't phase him at all.
Now, talking to mares in general? That was an entirely different matter.
"I have a bit of an odd request, you see." He babbled cheerfully. "Not, er, that I think it's odd, but people that I like and respect have often told me that my requests are strange, so I defer to their judgment."
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:23 pm
Terentia's black orbs looked back and tilted her head at the stallion who was swiftly coming towards her. She smiled politely bowing her head as he came near her eyes catching sight at the odd way the stallion wore cloth and jewels. It was different to say the least and with a small smile he looked into the stallions eyes and knew she had nothing to fear. As he talked she listened to his voice and the odd things he was saying and she tilted her head in a confused manor chuckling a bit at how rushed his sentences sounded. In a way she was just happy that someone had come over to talk to her, not any people did that.
"Yes I have lived in this forest for a while now. Don't worry about sounding odd sir I would be glad to help you in any way I can." she replied to him curious to know what he was going to say. Her eyes raised to see the snakes that rested on the males head holding up a purple jewel it was a beautiful colour and everything about him seemed to be drawing her interest. "But first please tell me, where did you acquire such fine trinkets? they are not like anything I have ever seen before, they are quite beautiful." she complemented wondering what his response would be.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:44 pm
Now that the mare was looking at him, he noticed that her eyes were completely black. How strange! Why, the darkened sclera made her look almost insectile! Idris was tempted to ask if the feature was related to a curse or other affliction, but thought better of it at the last moment. His mother had raised him to be slightly more tactful than that.
The subject would slip his mind soon enough. Idris rarely paid attantion to what other Soquili looked like, or what they were wearing, when there were pressing academic issues at hand.
"Oh, this?" Idris was a bit flustered by the question. He'd never gave the aesthetic appeal of his regalia much thought. "I, er, well. I travel quite a bit, you see, and I was in the desert a good ways from here, and I happened upon a series of temples with my brother, and there were several bands of two-leggers about, and one thing led to another until we, um-"
His eyes widened.
"Not that we're grave-robbers! No! Certainly not! What I meant to say is, these are historical artifacts uncovered during a fact-finding mission to lands due eastward. I'm not trying to be flashy, but one simply can't leave items of anthropolgical importance lying around when they can be carried on one's person. Preservation of historical artifacts is a cause that's near and dear to my heart, and the two-headed snake god of-"
Oh. Oh, dear. He was going on, wasn't he?
Idris flushed, beneath his thick, dark pelt.
"In summation: I'm a scholar of the occult, and these are some of the products of my searches. I'm hear now to conduct a similar fact-finding endeavor. To that end, I have some very important questions about local lichen."
From the way Idris' eyes shone, it was obvious that he felt them to be very important indeed.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:53 pm
"Oh no really, I would never accuse you of grave robbing sir. I totally agree that history should never be lost. I must say you are quite lucky to be able to study and see such things with your own eyes! it must have been amazing to know about cultures which have been long lost. Please tell me more about it, do the items have meaning?" she asked interested in what he had to say, she loved to learn and hear stories when she was just a filly her father used to tell her stories of far off lands and adventures. She chuckled. My this male seemed to bring back memories of her childhood.
Then she remembered."Oh! I am sorry please, my name is Terentia."She stated with a small bow of the head to show respect towards the male."So you need help locating more artefacts? I would love to help you anyway I can, I have never met anyone on such a grand crusade please tell me what you know. How exiting. May I join you please. Maybe you could tell me about your adventures on the way?" she asked almost making up his mind for him about it, she was ever so exited how interesting! She had to say she had never met anyone like this before. She was also going on quite a bit, she would soon calm down after she got over the initial shock, she chuckled and shook her head maybe she was thinking too ahead of herself. She did not want him to think she was forcing herself upon him, that would just be rude.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:13 am
"Ah! Yes! I must introduce myself as well. I assure you, I was taught better manners than this." Idris bobbed his head apologetically, before straightening. "I just get caught up in things which are really quite fascinating and I don't know where my mind- er. Well! My name is Idris. I've been travelling since I was a young foal; it really isn't anything special. If you're curious to see new things, why, I'm certain you could do the same! And cover much more ground than I do with those wings you sport."
The stallion craned his neck to look around the glade.
"I'm hoping to re-enact an old ritual here. That's why I'm looking around this glade for some blue-green lichen. It's not, er, very glamorous, I suppose, compared to jewelry and things, but once the ritual is complete I'm hoping to gain entrance to a local boneyard, and one never knows what one will find in such sites."
Focus, Idris. Focus! He spent so much time wandering on his own that, when he ran into another Soquili, all the words he was holding in spilled forth in a great waterfall of verbousity. It was embarassing. Asar would surely scold him.
"If you help me look for it - mm, I can't really reward you, per se, but you might find the ritual interesting on a scholarly level!" The stallion looked tentatively hopeful. "If you're interested in historical artifacts yourself, then I would be very happy to hear about your research as well! I fear I don't often encounter other Soquili with an, er, interest in my work."
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:26 pm
"I would love to join you in this ritual! how exiting I have never done anything like this before." she smiled and thought for a moment, she did not think it was right to disturb graves but if it was for the sake of knowledge then she would put her religious beliefs to one side. She wondered how he would react if he told him. Told him about what she was and everything. Smiling she decided it might be best if she told him something about herself after all he had told her a lot about himself and it was only fair for her to return the favour. He seemed to be someone that she could trust after all.
"To be honest I am no stranger to rituals and such, you see I am a priestess so I have been learning spells and such from a young age, as well as reading a lot of scripture. If you want I could tell you more." she stated with a tilt of her head, her long two toned hair sweeping over her shoulder and around the other side, her wings spread. Feet feather trailing the ground she walked on as she came to stand by the stallions side. Her black eyes looking up at him with a admiring tone to them. He was so interesting in what he had to say and even though he was babbling what he had to say was amazing. She did not mind him babbling in fact it was kind of cute.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:28 pm
"Ah, of course!" Idris nodded, as though Terentia being a priestess was the most natural thing in the world. "I had wondered about those wrappings of yours. Are they ceremonial?"
He gave Terentia's scarf a long, evaluating look, before he realized that he was staring and hurridly glanced away.
"My mother is a Priestess herself; a mare of the Veldt, and medium for the Orishas. Of course, she couldn't train me to succeed her, since I'm a stallion, so... I tend to approach religion on a more scholarly basis. In my experience, all traditions are equally worthy as objects of study. I work to find evidence and artifacts of traditions that have long passed, so that they won't be lost to posterity."
And if that took Idris into a boneyard, then so be it. At least he was respectful enough to preform a cleansing ritual following the beliefs of those who rested there, before entering their sacred ground. He knew better than to wander into sacred areas unprepared and end up with a curse on his head.
His mother was, naturally, a strong believer in their ancestral traditions. Idris took a more cosmopolitan approach. Travelling around with his diplomat mother and seeing the world, he'd encountered a dozen different ways of worship before he'd even grown.
The stallion grinned. His stammer had lessened, and he grew more and more at ease, the longer he was allowed to talk about his scholarship.
"Shall we be off, then? I assure you that I won't require you to do anything to break your vows. I'll take the ceremony all on myself." Idris tossed his head, to indicate a small side path they could head down. "Is your faith of Kawani derivation, or an import from the Eastern lands?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:30 pm
Terentia watched him close as he was staring at something, she was not used to people studying her too closely. Most people that she met just glimpsed at her not spending at all much attention to the finer details. She did however wonder why he was looking at her in such a odd way. "Oooh my ribbons? no they are not, just a gift from my father, the markings on them are of some history but he does not know much about my family's heritage." she stated bluntly tilting her head in wonder why he asked that, then again he seemed like the kind of person who would want to find out things.
She looked back at him to listen to what he had to say to her. "Ah I see. I would love to meet your mother I have not heard much about her cult. My faith is one of the Sun God. I preform weddings and blessings. You have very interesting views on the matter, study? Vows?" she asked a little confused. "My you take faith seriously. Religion is a good idea that some people take too serious, outlines to our lives which are not meant to control them, just help them on their way at least that's what I believe. I am sorry you probably don't want to hear this.... lets go your right."
She let out a nervous chuckle before she started to walk down the path which became revealed to her. Her expression remained cool and in control but some eagerness could be seen in the way she acted. She looked back at him hoping for him to lead the way."I am so sorry if I sound rude or.. I just am not really good at socialising with people. They say I seem a little stuck up and too logical."
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:55 am
"Me too," Idris confided. "I mean, er. I talk a lot, about things, not because I know a lot but because they're fascinating, and, well, I ask a lot of questions, so I- well. I'm not a great conversationalist."
Suddenly his throat felt dry. He swallowed visibly. Good job, Idris. Good job. Trying to explain why he ran off at the mouth only made him babble even more! He hoped Terentia didn't think him unredeemably nosy.
"For social graces, you'd have to ask my brother, Asar. He's very good at that sort of thing."
And he'd certainly be interested in a pretty mare like this, all things considered. Asar was a consummate charmer.
"But, er, I think logic is an admirable quality! Faith may not always follow a logical code, but that doesn't mean it can't be approached from a rigorous academic standpoint."
Was that an offensive thing to say? Oh, hell . Idris didn't even know. It was definitely long past time to shut his mouth.
After a few good minutes of travel, they arrived in a dank, closed-in area. A thick canopy of leaves hung heavily above them.
"Right then! We're here. The lichen we're looking for is said to be a blue-green color. Do you know where we might find such a thing?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:22 pm
"I would not say that, I mean you are talking to me just fine." she smiled with a small smile, he did say some quite interesting things. Even though he was rambling a little bit, so was she, and she was having a lot of fun at the moment.
"I guess you are right, everything can be summed up some way or another these days. My favourite part of faith though are the things that can not be explained. I guess I am just a dreamer like that." she mumbled to herself more than anything. She flicked her mane out of her eye, the bit of ribbon that was covering it still tight against her face as always. She could not get it off, she had grown into it in a way, from when her father gave it to her as a child.
"Hmm." she thought for a few moments, in a forest green and blues where the most common colours so this might not be as easy as she thought it would be, then something clicked in her mind and she smiled looking up at him.
"Nearby here there is a forest full of flowers of all colours and types. It covers the land and is amazingly beautiful. If anything I think there might be some there. If not then well its a wonderful place that I love visiting any ways. That's if you would like to go. On the way maybe describe it a little more?" She asked looking up at him admirably, she was really interested in this ritual she was looking forward to seeing it preformed.
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 7:45 am
"Things that... can't be explained?"
The idea that there were things that couldn't be explained had never occurred to Idris. Surely everything could be explained. Everything in the entire countryside! And if he didn't have all the answers, why,that only meant he had to work harder to deduce them.
"I see." Idris beamed, following behind Terentia. "If you find any, do let me know. They sound like a wonderful challenge! I should be much obliged if you could lead me to this forest of yours. I'm not the most skilled botanist, but a natural wonder is always worth noting."
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 12:55 am
"Yes things that can not be explained. Like.... hmm.... well. If a grandfather is dying, but refuses to die and magically stays alive to see the birth of his grandchild before he closes his eyes to eternal slumber... resting happily...
or the fact when sometimes when you prey so hard your heart is thumping, your eyes are swelled and your throat is clogged. You get the slightest feeling that someone... somwhere is looking over you...
Like me, I have always had the power to change into a human, I have no eyes but still I see. I am from a family of monsters and liers but... I still believe that I am a good person... I want to know everything. I want to see everything and I want to experience things that I would never have dared to... even if they are not always good. I dont know... sorry not it is me babbling."
She smiled at him the sparkling voids that she called eyes looking up at him with such admiration. He was so much different to anyone she had talked to before. He would actually listen to what she had to say which was amazing. She had never really felt like that before she was too used to getting into fights when she came out mainly with her family where every encounter had almost lead to blood and sorrow. Thats why she likes others so much they where layed back and she could be herself. Not what people expected her to be. She was a priestess afterall you know. A role she chose no one else and this was because... somehow she wanted to feel as if she was needed in this world. And no matter how bleak things looked... she wanted to hope someone was looking over her.
"Ah yes the forest just this way. You wont regret it, it is beautiful!"
Her smile grew from ear to ear as a small chuckle came from her lips. She looked forward to the direction of a small side road. She looked up at him one more time before she tilted her head.
"But... you will have to work for it. Catch me if you can brave explorer. For you will not find your treasure without me."
She winked in a playful tone of voice before she turned and started to run down the path, not full on pelt but a quick jog, jumping over logs that where in her way. If they where going to be learning all day. They might as well blow off a little steam now. Idris did not looked like he played too much... it was sad. She wanted him to have fun.
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