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 Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:44 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:59 am
"Bum bum bee da dum!" was all that could be heard in a very quiet forest. The 'singing' continued on as Usagi trotted along a small trail. She was in VERY good spirits, since the sun was now out to play and the winter chills had vanished until the next cold season. She was definitely ready for the season's change. Even if that meant some discomfort when the summer's heat arrived!
Her tails swished all over the place as she slowed herself into a walk. Her humming stopped when she noticed a fork in the trail. My oh my, which way should she go? For most soquili, such a decision would be quick and natural. But she was different! She wiggled her nose while considering minor details about the two paths in front of her. One of them looked a tad brighter than the other, whereas the sun was more hidden to the left. That was enough to help her find a decision!
Without further ado, she marched forward towards the trail with more sun and continued on with her humming. Why was the area so QUIET! Luckily for her, her tails and accessories made enough noise to allow anyone to know she was there. It wasn't that she hated or didn't appreciate the silence. But after awhile, the silence got very lonely. Especially when she was out on such a lovely day!
So, to keep her spirits up and climbing, she usually hummed or created some kind of lovely sound. If the birds were allowed to sing and play, why couldn't she?
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:19 am
If there was one thing this stallion hated it was loud and disruptive creatures, they were the bane of his existence and reminded him of a time that he would sooner forget. Consequently he was a stallion who thrived in solitude and was more than happy to occupy his time with more mundane and peaceful activities. This morning was of no exception and as he wandered down the sun-dashed trail his ears swivelled lightly at the albeit quaint trilling of the birds nearby. They never interrupted his reverie and left him to his own devices, in return he didn't roar at them when their volume became too much - respect, that was what it was. Alas he wasn't often one to be found out in the open on such a bright day, the sun always brought out the worst soquili and he felt the need to hide on such occasions but as fate would have it this morning didn't provide him with this option.
He had been 'summoned' so to speak. It was that time of the month again when his Great Uncle and he would meet to discuss his progress and the thoughts he might have. It was a rare opportunity for him to rant, to vent and to relieve the tension that boiled beneath the stoic front he carried. All the strain and pressures of living in a land where hell seemed ever present in his eyes, as well as an inability to speak to anyone given the language gap took its toll. Suffice to say the mutant Angeni did not consider this his home at all, it was a stopping point in which he expressed his love for his family and then fled again.
...Now more than ever he wanted to go home.
The option was not there though and the stallion placed one fluffy hoof in front of the other as he sauntered down the trail, lost in his own musings. As his Great Uncle often said, in order to progress and to find greater inner peace he had to face the things that terrified and hurt him most. If anyone else had said it he would have told them to shove it up their asses and leave him alone but Azzinoth was different. Thus, Esper had remained and with gritted teeth he had born the weight of all the quirks the land possessed that made him want to flatten it or burn it to the ground... both would be good.
Alas, the fates were in good 'humour' today and while Esper craved nothing more to be left in peace it wasn't long before the clashing of jewellery could be heard and the sing-song voice caught the tips of his ears. Unsurprisingly, his expression immediately clouded and his eyes grew dark with dread.
"Oh christ..." he muttered, his head swivelling left and right as though he was contemplating the best place to hide with the most minimal effort.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 1:03 pm
In Usagi's mind she was still completely alone and she walked along while being unaware to the close soquili. He was much too silent for her to hear so it was no surprise that she was so very unaware! Plus, she wasn't a mare that could pride herself on any keen abilities. Sure, she was smart and capable, but she wasn't a warrior by any means. If anything she would be considered a lover of all things, never finding a reason to harm or hurt anything or anyone. That was the way she was raised, and her parents were loving and serene in all that they did. She of course had a bit more energy then her siblings inherited, and to her it was a refreshing skill that she was lucky to have!
Usagi found herself stopping once again, but this time it was because a critter was nesting on a nearby branch. It looked fluffy and cuddly, and she smiled when the squirrel stared back at her from it's nesting position. "Don't mind me, I'm just walking along." she finally said, while bowing rather solemnly to the creature. Not before long, the squirrel continued munching on it's acorn, and Usagi could only smile lightly while moving her eyes upward to the sky.
She supposed it would be nice to fly. She'd seen other soquili above her before and wondered what it would feel like. But then again, there were many she'd met that would ask the same thing about her tails!
She was about to consider the subject more, but her ears tickled when she swore she heard a voice. Wait... a voice? Her head swiveled back and forth naturally, and she was sure there no one was around. But... where had that voice come from? It couldn't have been in her mind! She knew she was different but there was no way she was crazy!
"Is... is someone there?" she finally asked. If someone wasn't there, it's not like she could be embarrassed.
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Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:12 am
He had immediately come to the conclusion that there was nowhere to hide. Esper was not a stallion who minced his words or dwelled on ideas that were doomed to failure for much longer than about thirty seconds. He had noted rather quickly that his coat colour was simply not suited to this climate, had it been snow he would have been camoflauged but when it came to trees... Well, it didn't take a genius to note that dappled-grey stood out like a sore thumb. He was like a set of fog lights turned up to full power against the lush green textures of the foliage that surrounded him and he was left with no other option than to deal with the approaching female. This didn't make things easier for him, on the contrary he cursed the very gods that created him but he accepted it.
You could have understood his surprise then, when the young mare walked right passed him. Totally oblivious to his existence she had drifted carelessly in front of him and then off to his left. At first he had suspected that perhaps he did blend into the background but in retrospect... He wasn't sure. His nose wrinkled at this and he briefly flicked his gaze left to right in an attempt to discern how he had pulled off such a spectacular 'stealth' moment. Unfortunately this tiny amount of pride was short lived - she'd spoken and what made matters worse was that apparently she'd cottoned on to the fact that maybe she had walked passed someone. He knew it was a query regarding this (though he didn't completely comprehend it) more so from the tone of voice than anything else; Azzinoth's language lessons hadn't exactly been extensive and to be honest he hadn't cared.
So, did he reply?
Every fibre of his body screamed out at him to play dead, to encourage the mare to thing she was being paranoid. However, he had been raised better and could already see the expression of disapproval creasing the delicate features of his great-uncle. His wings gave a rustle at his sides to indicate his disapproval at having to at least be polite, if he had his way he would just keep walking but if her instincts had finally kicked in it was better to merely respond than cause her to scream and disturb the entire forest if she happened to panic later. This in itself posed a problem though as he didn't really know how to speak well...Kawani.
"Eh..." He cleared his throat more audibly as if in response and slowly drifted down the path a little more to expose his head, if she glanced over his shoulder she would see him. "Hai."
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:31 pm
The stallion was correct in his observations. Usagi hadn't seen him at all!
When she heard the stallion's voice shift into her ears she instantly stopped to examine the area. Hm. At least she wasn't talking to herself or something. But hey, this meant that she might have new company soon, or maybe even a new friend to meet? So without further ado, she turned herself around and blinked when she saw the very close stallion. Most soquili would have been embarrassed for making such a silly mistake, but Usagi was now focused on the unique specimen in front of her! How marvelous he was!
She had never seen wings quite like his, so her eyes took in the details with hints of blinks and head-tilts. When she was satisfied with her overall first-look of the fellow, she took a few strides forward and brought her face into a smile again to greet him. To her, it had sounded like he said 'hi'. So she could only respond with the same kindness that he emitted himself! "Hello to you as well. I apologize for not stopping and greeting you firsthand, but I tend to get distracted rather easily."
Her eyes continued to survey little details here and there, but then her mind reminded her that she needed to introduce herself! "I'm Usagi by the way. What happens to be your name?" She wondered if he was out exploring like she was, or maybe he was taking a quiet stroll on his own? "I hope I'm not disturbing any plans of yours. But it's always nice to see a new face around!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:30 pm
It was one of those moments when any stranger became uncomfortable. The instance when an encounter began and the first thing the opposing party did was look you up and down. While Esper's face remained unreadable his blackened wings did shift somewhat and press firmly down upon the bloodied ones. The twitching would be enough though, enough to push the bloodied wings up a little more until they were hidden beneath the ebony plumes. He would only be comfortable when that was done and even then 'comfort' didn't really exist in his vocabulary when it came to social situations. Moments like these, generally caused him to resent his Great-Uncle a little - the manners instilled within him deemed troublesome. If he'd been like some of the weaklings that existed in the Kawani then he simply would have wandered off but he hadn't...
Instead he had subjected himself to the scrutiny of a stranger and in return he had received very little. Admittedly he had assessed her as she eyed up his form, however he sincerely doubted that she was examining him for potential weaknesses, vulnerabilities and so forth. He had noted her unusual tails, her strange branch like horns and the furs but for the most part the only thing he had taken into consideration were the horns. Suffice to say they could be used as weapons if aimed at the appropriate angle but had she any combat prowess he would have questioned it as the encounter took another turn.
Her words came like a stampede towards him, she spoke so quickly and without a pause that he was quickly overwhelmed by the number of syllables, slurs and words that he was unaccustomed to. The stallion couldn't for the life of him begin to fathom what the hell she had said. He had tried of course, but there was only so much one could draw from another's tone when they were moving at that rate. Particularly when he hadn't the foggiest idea what have the words meant. As a result of this confusion he could do nothing more than what the majority of males (of any species) did when their mate, female friend, sister or mother had utterly baffled them.
He blinked; twice.
Of course he was a stallion who had been raised to read body language, tones and so forth. He was a stubborn creature to boot and consequently he wasn't about to be defeated. Admittedly this probably wasn't going to work out quite as he planned, he would definitely fail to answer the majority of her questions and in doing so would probably reassure her that she wasn't in his way (which was inaccurate) but there was only so much the poor sod could do. Thus it was without furtheradue that he dwelled on her chitter briefly and noted that at some point she had told him her name. But uh...which bit of the chitter was her name?
Usagi?
Very slowly he unfurled his the ebony wing on his right hand side and pointed it in her general direction. "Usagi?" he murmured, his accent thick as the word crept up from the depths of his chest. That done he then pointed his wing at himself and tilted his head to the side, "Watashi wa Esper desu...Hai?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:52 pm
It was hard to make Usagi not smile. She liked to pride herself on the fact that she could remain chipper and cheery no matter the situation. But right now she found her face molding with a bit of confusion. But alas, she was still smiling at least! "Ummmm..." Ok, what did the stallion just say to her? Was it a different language? How was that possible?! "I'm gonna need you to speak again so I can hear your voice, if that's ok." What an interesting set of words!
Never had she heard of another language. But then again, there was no reason it wasn't a possibility. The land was huge in space, and there were many areas she had never been to or heard of. But wait... did that mean that the stallion couldn't understand her, then? She lowered her ears a bit and tried to figure the whole scenario out in her head. Everything just got reaaaally complicated.
"Well, there's no reason to give up at least." It was as if she was speaking to herself, but she felt as though she needed the motivation. This was an entirely new situation, and it was one where she lacked proper abilities to solve the language barrier. "Let's see now.. you said Hi before, now I wonder what other words you said in that sentence." She glanced at him again and puckered her lip with a light sigh. "I should be more accommodating and helpful. And it would help if I was more wordly as well." Pft, her parents could probably understand the stallion. Sometimes she felt as though they could do anything!
Her tails swiveled and swerved as she watched the stallion closely again. Well, at least they had their eyes? Maybe she could read his expression? Though, at the moment he seemed rather normal, and she too was more restrained and quiet then usual. "I really am baffled!" she finally said, with a light self-induced laugh.
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Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 9:48 am
Oh Lordie...
She just kept talking!
The stallion could do nothing more than stare at the petite mare as she proceeded to chitter away again. Apparently he had gotten something wrong, either that or she had completely missed what he had said. The speed at which she spoke was so fast that even with the small amounts of Kawani he could recall, he could barely pick up on anything other than the typical adjoining words such as 'the' and 'I'. It was at moments like this when the stallion often wished he had kept his mouth shut and his giant form hidden. He could tell from the outset that if he had done so she would have never seen him and he would have never found himself in the position he was now subject to. His thought processes continued down this line for quite sometime until the mare ceased in her comments and stared at him. Apparently it was his turn to say something, the problem was that he had absolutely no idea where to begin. Perhaps he should start again...?
That sounded reasonable.
He slowly crossed his front wings in front of his face and with a flourish, tore them apart again as if to say 'No, no, no!'. To make this even more clear he shook his head as well. There he paused and then repeated the movement in the hope that showing it twice would give her the opportunity to catch what he was trying to say. Satisfied that he had made it perfectly clear that she hadn't understood him, he then attempted to once again introduce himself. If she started chittering again after this he was at a loss for what to do, mares baffled him in general but the foreign ones were even more extreme than the locals!
He pointed at himself with his wing, pressing the tips of his flight feathers against his cheek. "Esper!" he uttered, emphasising the word and continuing to tap his cheek as he spoke. Then he moved the wing away from his face and tapped her cheek expectantly, "Hai?"
Call it his gambit, but that was about all he could mustre. He'd never been good at this social stuff.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:55 am
The stallion's signals and movements were appreciated greatly and Usagi watched as he pointed to himself and said what she believed to be his name. "Esper... that fits you well." She tilted her head with a grin and was a bit surprised to feel his feathers on her face shortly after. Oh, was he asking for her own name too? She assumed that's what he was going for and hoped to not disappoint him. "Usagi." was all she said, while bowing her head to initiate that was her own name in response.
It may have taken longer then most encounters, but at least their names had been established and exchanged. Usagi did feel a bit of disappointment on her part since the stallion looked so very upset when he was trying to communicate before. She didn't want to stress him out at all, so she figured it'd be best to take the entire meeting as slowly and carefully as possible. Maybe she would try each sentence or word with a one-step-at a time approach? How long could she last doing that?
"I like your wings." she finally said, while moving her eyes to the feathers that were once on her face. She kept her eyes forward and on his wings for several minutes and hoped that he could see what she meant. His wings were very interesting now that she noticed them so carefully. But.. was that blood on one of them?
She shivered at the thought and brought her cool eyes on the stallion's again. Overall she felt very strange. She was so used to talking and shouting all of the time, and now she was acting quite oppositely. But she was noticing details she had never appreciated before, like the cool breeze against her ears, and the details the stallion carried himself. His voice felt extra special, since it was a rare occurrence every now and then.
What a learning experience this was!
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:07 am
So he had been right!
Why in the name of all that was good and holy had she not just confirmed that the first time he had asked? Females were a truly baffling species and evidently a male had to be completely blunt and direct for them to give the appropriate responses. Or at least this was the conclusion the stallion had drawn over the last few years - he could explain why he had chosen to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life too! A male needed to be blunt to be understood, but when he was blunt his chosen consort would burst into tears and bolt...frankly it was all a bit too complicated for the stallion and he had concluded it was a waste of time. Apply this bizarre behaviour to his own personal issues and he didn't really feel up to explaining the problems he endured on a daily basis.
Ironically, 'stress' was one of these problems and the mare was doing nothing to assist him in finding inner peace. While it was through no fault of her own, her gaze had caused something to tweak inside him and what little comfort he had felt during his morning walk was vastly disappearing. To her strength she had lulled into silence and she was speaking for slowly - her words were more enunciated and the faint Kawani tongue he did know could just about make out some of what she said. Admittedly he relied heavily upon her body language to confirm this but at least he was making progress?
Unfortunately her compliment was lost on him though; no sooner had she shuddered than his eyes had given a flicker of pain and he had quickly withdrawn his wings. The ebony forewings furled abruptly, pulling the bloodied white plumes beneath them. This was the reason he hid them, the response he got was never pleasant and the assumptions that were made? Well, her shudder was tame in comparison to mose but didn't make it any easier to stomach.
...She didn't like his wings at all.
Suffice to say he could offer no more than a tight smile and gave a nod to indicate he had understood her. "Arigatou," he murmured.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:10 am
She once again watched his body's movements carefully, and suffice to say her compliment seemed to be taken differently then she imagined. Did he not like his wings? It honestly wasn't her place to ask... especially since there was a language barrier that was hard enough to understand. She also was a mare who believed individuals would vent if they wanted to, and the stallion didn't seem like the type. But to her that was ok, since everybody had their own strengths and personalities and how they presented themselves. She wasn't necessarily the venting type either, since she'd never want to bring her problems on someone else.
So, back to his name and what she knew already. She prepared herself for another sentence and question, and she was ready to speak slowly and surely. She had never moved her voice so carefully, and usually she'd blabber and enjoy a quick exchange every now and then. But Esper was teaching her a new bout to life, and whether he knew it or not, she was definitely thankful for the experience.
"What were your plans for the day, Esper?" she moved her tongue tediously and felt accomplished when the sentence was completed. Hopefully she hadn't interrupted his plans. She knew also that her sentence would probably be hard to answer, but at this point she didn't mind. It was worth a try to just.. ask anything! Plus, she didn't want to be wasting his time or anything. Hopefully he would let her know if that was the case?
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 6:21 am
It was complicated; he both loved his wings and loathed them - the advantages they provided against a variety of things gave them purpose. However, the blood stains and the stares they drew brought great discomfort... he didn't care to mention the memories they pulled along with them. Perhaps he would have regarded them with less of a subconcious air if creatures didn't immediately stare towards the lower set and ponder as to the reasoning for the blood spatters. Alas, it was not to be and he would be plagued by such gazes for the rest of his life... there was nothing he could do about that.
Nevertheless the mare soon drifted on to other topics as though aware of his discomfort. For once in his life he was grateful for a chatterbox. They were never inclined to dwell on one topic for long and could dismiss things so easily. Admittedly, most chatterboxes weren't quite so aware of another's body language but given the current situation she really had no choice. If she wanted to talk to him, she had to watch him. He was accustomed to reading the actions of others and as a result he rarely struggled to understand particular subjects but to know he had her gratitude would have baffled him.
...Maybe he did provide a valuable lesson, who knew?
He listened carefully in the hope of understanding her words and every now and then particular words did catch his ear. Some were a mumble, some were a blur and others were gibberish. However, her patience would be rewarded as he managed to gather together the key words (mostly 'plans' and 'day') and pieced together her query. By the peak in her tone she had definitely asked a question so that could either mean that she was asking if she had disturbed his plans or if he had any... He had a fifty-fifty chance of getting this right.
Or he could be vague and get it completely right...?
"Eh..." he cleared his throat thoughtfully and shook his head. "No plans." He replied after a few moments. It wasn't strictly true, he did have to meet with his Great-Uncle but as Azzinoth had not set a specific time he was in no great rush either. While Esper was not a sociable creature he also couldn't lie, it had been against what he had been taught and as such... he even told the truth when he didn't want to.
"No...important plans," he corrected after a few minutes of searching the rusty vocabulary in his head.
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Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:59 am
The fact that the stallion was trying so hard to speak was enough to make Usagi's smile widen. She found strength in a new patience she was discovering, one her parent's had never required of her or found as necessary. She was quiet and attentive, watching the stallion and listening to the amazing words he spoke out. So, she wasn't stopping him from anything? Well thank goodness! She took a light breath in and somehow felt less like a burden then before.
Usagi took a moment to remember what she was doing, and her plans involved trail walking and scenery watching. She wondered... would the stallion be interested in walking along with her? She prepared herself to ask such a thing, and hoped to portray what she meant as well as she did before. When the moment was right again and Esper was looking straight at her, she decided to speak again. "Esper, would you like to take a walk with me?" Her annunciation was careful and slow just like before, and she bobbed her head happily when she was finished. It always felt good to speak, at least to her.
And, If he didn't want to, well, at least she had tried!
Her tails shook lightly in discomfort suddenly, and she turned her head to see that one of them was intertwined in a small bush. Oh my, when she was distracted she seriously didn't pay attention to anything else! With a groan she turned her attention backwards and struggled to get herself free. This was a usual occurrence- there was no avoiding the sheer size of her tails. She honestly wondered how her parents managed their own, but it seemed she and her brother were left with even larger versions then what most carried! "Let me go!" Stupid bush.
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Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2009 10:23 am
For all his aloof facade, had he know that she considered his words to be amazing he would have shuffled uncomfortably in embarassment. He wasn't a sociable creature by default, even as a child he recalled his brother's words. When he had spoken he'd been stared at in disgust, there was nothing 'amazing' about him at all. Such was the manner in which his words were received at such a young age that this had been imprinted in his system and he simply had no desire to talk anymore. When words brought about disgust when you had only been doing the right thing, they seemed utterly useless and irrelevant - thus he only spoke when he had to clarify things and even then it was brief.
Thus, when she invited him along with her he fell quiet. He mused over the words, body language and facial expressions quietly, sifting through his mind for any tell tale words that stood out. However, before he could even fully comprehend what she had asked her tone had changed and sounded more...harsh? His brow furrowed and his gaze refocused as he turned his eyes back to her form. His initial assumption that he was the cause of it was wrong and it was revealed that she was well...stuck. Frankly he had never seen such a tail in all his life but he wasn't really that surprised by the predicament either.
"Ah..." he murmured 'helpfully', observing the situation for a few moments longer. The more she tugged, the tighter her tail would be trapped and as a consequence he released a small sigh and moved beyond her. Keeping a suitable amount of personal space between himself and the attentive mare, he drew around behind her and unceremoniously slammed one very large hoof into the bush. Sure enough, the weight was enough to compress her bush and while it wasn't a tidy tear, she would be free to move...she'd just have to find a raccoon to pull the twigs and leaves out of the bushy tail itself.
Lord knew he wouldn't do it!
"Mmmm, yes?" He offered at last. He didn't know the correct words he was looking for, the key word he'd forgotten was 'better?' but there was only so much he could do. Nevertheless he had dealt with the problem in his typical manner and soon lifted his foot off the bush again so that it could recover; he was never much of one for tact. Satisfied that he had done what was necessary he dwelled on what she had said before one more; completely unaware that most would have laughed at the humourous nature of the mare's predicament.
"Where...you go?" He enquired at last, his gaze hardening. There were some regions he just wouldn't return to and he had to be sure the mare wasn't going to wander there. Perhaps to some degree he had understood her!
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