[FIN] - Just keep swimming...? (Calor & Nox)

[Epine de Rose]

Her limp hadn't been bad that morning, she hadn't been quite as lame and her human had seen this. He hadn't made any immediate assumptions but when she had accepted the treat and let him place the strange harness around her neck and flanks he had known she was willing to entertain him for a while. That being said the time in which he could make use of the generous mare was limited, she could help cart around some of his tools for a short while but eventually her legs would give. As a consequence, she had spent most of the morning transporting his tools and a few materials beyond the colonial gates and towards the shores.

However by lunchtime her lame gait had returned full force and she was to be granted a rest. Said human male was in the process of removing the harness from her shoulders as she dwelled on what she should do this afternoon. She couldn't strive to do much, she had over exerted herself this morning and it would be unwise to do anything else. It was with a pat on her rump that he let her know he was done and with a quiet whicker and a nudge she expressed her thanks.

Plains were out, she'd had enough of giggler watching for the week and there were simply too many over there. Forests meant small talk with the creatures that lurked inside. She gave a rather world weary sigh and continued to mull over her options until she conceded that a swim would be ideal. No one would bother her there and it would help relax her muscles.

Satisfied with her choice, the mare closed the short distance between herself and the lakes...  

[mouselet]

It had been a long while since he last stayed in a single area for an extended period of time. Since he'd left the forest lands where he'd been born, in fact. But he wasn't spending that time idly. He was exploring all over the plains, the forest, and the marginal land in between.

He was grazing by the lakeshore, enjoying a refreshing drink from the clear, still water whenever he pleased. Calor kept an eye out for humans because while his mother had spent some time with one - aye, and raised her children in that teepee! - he wasn't particularly fond of spending time with the two-leggers. He didn't think anyone in that village would force him against his will, but he wasn't going to give them that chance.

It never occurred to him that some Soquili found the arrangement to be to their liking. After all, his mother had left, right? Who was to say it wasn't the human she'd been running from?  

[Epine de Rose]

The fates had to be kidding her. No sooner had she rounded the small hillock and approached the lake than across it, she caught sight of something that shouldn't have been there. The turkey! The damn turkey was by the lake instead of flitting about with the gigglers. For a very brief moment she was overwhelmed by a sense of dread, what if said gobblers and gigglers had all moved to the lake for the afternoon and she had made the wrong choice?

...Was it too late to do a 180 and go to the beach?

Her nose wrinkled just a touch then she reminded herself that while the turkey might have been across the lake that didn't mean either she or he were obligated to disturb one another. If it became apparent that her worst nightmare had indeed migrated to the lake then she would gather up her wits and shuffle off to the coast. However, for the time being she was content to swim here and rather than concern herself further with the grazing turkey she allowed a small smile to line her lips and she promptly walked straight into the water.

Suffice to say, she let out a small coo of happiness as the water embraced her and took all the weight off her limbs. There was nothing more relaxing than a good bath and as she settled in for the next while, she closed her eyes and savoured the warm along her back.  

[mouselet]

He was going back to the lake for another drink when something caught his eye and ear. There was something dark - black! - in the water. It looked like...hair. He squinted against the sun and it's reflection on the water. The hair was attatched to a body that was a familiar shade of sky blue. Equinox!

The stallion debated swimming out to meet her. It wasn't that he didn't like water, he just...hadn't planned on going in today. But if he just called to her and walked along the shore she'd easily avoid him. And Calor didn't like being avoided.

Having resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to go to her if he wanted to have this meeting, the stallion started wading into the lake. Oh, it was going to take his hair hours to dry!  

[Epine de Rose]

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

She didn't even want to open her eyes, but she had heard the faintest swish of disturbed water a distance away. It wasn't a disturbance that implied someone was drinking, the sloshing indicated that they were in fact wading and she dreaded to think who it was. It wasn't that she was frightened of social encounters, she could hold her own with ease but if it was that turkey again then what was she meant to do? She couldn't even figure out why he'd come over again anyway, he'd got her name, was he not going to hand her a court summons?

She dismissed that idea, soquili didn't have court houses.

She allowed a deep sigh to escape from her nostrils, causing the bubbles to rise up in the water in front of her before she opened her eyes slowly. First one, then the other, just to make sure she was aware of what was coming into the lake. For all she knew it could be a child or a genuine predator and she had to be safe rather than sorry. Alas, it was neither of these things and was in fact what she had initially 'feared' - it was the turkey.

Nevertheless he was quite a distance a way and she could hope that he wouldn't close the gap. It was a warm enough day, she couldn't fault someone for swimming at least.  

[mouselet]

Calor had seen his goal and was making straight for it. He was not as brutally honest and blunt as Equinox, but he was close enough in his own way. It was probably a good thing she was so straightforward it hurt, because he couldn't misdirect to save his life. It never occurred to him that he might first swim around the lake before approaching her. No, she was the reason he was in the water and so she was where he was going.

"Hello again Equinox," he said when he was close enough for her to hear him easily. She looked...well, she looked tired in a way she hadn't during their previous encounters. He wondered if something was wrong.  

[Epine de Rose]

She should have known that wishful thinking would once again disappoint her. She should have gotten over that as a foal when wishful thinking hadn't won her grandfather over. Still, a small part of her had hoped that today would be her day and the turkey had indeed just gone for a swim. Unfortunately he hadn't and soon enough she could feel the sloping waves of water as they lapped up against her side. He was coming straight for her, he as going to pester her again with something utterly random - was it just his goal in life to be annoying?

Perhaps she had provoked him before.

She scrunched her eyes closed a little tighter as he spoke, reverting to a foal for a very brief instant. If she couldn't see him then he wasn't there, right? Or whatever the saying was, fact of the matter was that she really hadn't wanted to deal with him. If he was going to make small talk again then the most she could mustre was a blank stare, if he was going to say hello, ask something random and then disappear again then what was she supposed to do? Turkeys made no sense, they were entertaining to watch from a distance but what the hell was she meant to do with one that kept poking his nose in her personal space.

"What do you want this time?" she asked in exasperation, finally opening her eyes. It wasn't the best of greetings, but what was he to expect, a fanfare?  

[mouselet]

That was...a really good question. Why had he come out here, into the middle of the lake? He hadn't actually thought about it.

"Well, I saw you out here." Duh. She knew that. He knew that. Say something else before she has a chance to rip you a new one. "I'm pretty sure it's good manners to not ignore someone you know," he stumbled on. Then he grinned and added, "even if all you really know is their name." Yeah. That would do. Hopefully...  

[Epine de Rose]

It's rude to ignore people you know and like...

Equinox gave him a rather critical stare, arching a brow at his remarks in a way that clearly stated she thought he was a prat. No male in their right mind would make such a silly statement unless they genuinely lacked the intelligence to realise what it meant. He couldn't have been anymore obvious, the turkey's sole purpose in life seemed to be to pester her the moment she entered his line of sight. Evidently she really had provoked a sleeping dragon and rather than being wrathful this one was like an incredibly annoying baby dragon that assumed she was it's mother.

In short, he wasn't going back to bed.

"Most would say that not knowing anything about a person is an ideal reason to ignore them," she pointed out in such a sound manner that she wouldn't have received any other disagreement well. "Just knowing someone's name means nothing, I could say that I knew the most popular turkey's name in the area and still steer clear of him," she wrinkled her nose and snorted. "In much the same way as I would give any prima donna giggler a wide birth too."

"...So what is it you really want, or is it your new found calling in life to transform into my shadow?"  

[mouselet]

As he smiled at her Calor had the sinking feeling that Equinox was, once again, going to shoot him down with her words. His grin wavered a little, but the sweat running down his neck could be mistaken for water dripping from his hair.

And...there it was. She had a good point about knowing no more than a person's name. He bristled slightly as she called him a turkey (again!) and mentioned the "gigglers." But then she asked him a question, a direct question, giving him a chance to give her a better answer! This was his chance...if only he could take it.

"Well...there's a point where you have to talk to someone and learn more than just their name," the sunset stallion spoke slower than usual, trying to not make any gigantic mistakes for Equinox to torment him with. "So...I want to learn more about you, be your friend." Yeah, that sounded right. And maybe she'd be less threatened or scared by him being a friend, after all friends were friends and helped each other and spent time with each other...right?  

[Epine de Rose]

“Do you?” Nox wasn’t sold on his reply. She had lived a life in which she didn’t have to speak to anyone if she didn’t want to. Knowing a name in passing was one thing, but why did she have to subject herself to the company of others, particularly when they’d drive her mad. As far as she was aware it was an individuals choice on whether or not they wanted to get to know anyone. If they chose not to, then that unknown person would only have a ‘name’ and a passing initial impression – it was no loss in that respect, at least in her eyes.

“So if you knew the name of a murderer, does that therefore mean that you must learn more about them and become their friend?” she enquired. Even she could recognise that she was taking things very literally and her logical mind did attempt to point out that he probably didn’t mean it in that way. Unfortunately, he had a way of rankling her even without opening his mouth – first impressions and all that, he hadn’t given her a very good one. To her credit she did manage to lower her brow and keep the snide expression from overwhelming her otherwise pleasant features.

“Why in the world would you want to get to know me anyway?” she snorted and shook her head, her tone just a touch incredulous at this. Very few approached her, particularly given her hostile stance, so why had he taken it upon himself to be different? It made no sense, unless he really was a genuine turkey and regarded her as a challenge, a hostile mare to be conquered and then boasted about. It was enough to make her skin crawl even when she was merely theory crafting and it wasn’t a guaranteed motive. “There’s nothing to know that would be of interest,” she pointed out flatly.
 

[mouselet]

Calor's smile faded a little as Equinox replied coldly (as usual) to his statement of wanting her friendship. He wasn't really sure why she seemed to be so against the entire idea - in his experience, girls were so much more social and talkative than guys! After all, that's what his sister Canace had shown him.

Her question of a murderer was even more confusing. Where did that come from? Was she grasping at straws to try and get him to go away or did she really know one? He didn't think for a moment that Nox might be a murderer - she seemed to be a good person beneath all that rough bark, and he said so. "I don't know about a murderer," the stallion admitted, "but I know I'm not and I don't think you are, so what's the point in asking?"

Calor frowned inwardly as she asked him why he would ever want to get to know her. If he'd had more worldly experience he might wonder if the question she was actually asking was whether she was worth getting to know. But this young and rather ignorant stallion didn't have that kind of depth, and so his reply was on a more...positive note.

"Why wouldn't I want to get to know you?" he countered. "You're pretty, you're interesting - even if you try to humiliate me for even coming up to you - and how can you know what I find interesting or not?" He swam a little closer. "Let me be the judge of whether or not there's anything interesting to know?"  

[Epine de Rose]

Clearly this stallion wasn't one for rhetoric no matter how valid the question. He hadn't put two and two together, hadn't realised that she had twisted his words. Alas, she was slowly learning that this particular stallion didn't seem to have any semblance of intelligence. He had the power of speech and he had his looks, but outside of that his brain was nothing more than a grey, gooey mass - either that or he elected not to use it. Unfortunately this did nothing to help him escape from the stereotype she had imposed on him the second he had opened his mouth in their initial meeting.

Unsurprisingly, her expression spoke volumes...she wasn't impressed.

"Clearly you missed the point," she murmured, a hint of exasperation in her voice. He truly was trying on her patience, no other thing seemed quite so adept at pushing her buttons. If she possessed hands she might very well have throttled him - as it stood, she didn't which was a bit of a disappointment. Nevertheless she heaved a rather deep sigh and regarded him with something that could have been roughly translated as confusion and irritation. She understood the words coming out of his mouth, she just didn't understand his motives.

And then it dawned on her...

"Oh I get it," she mused at last and rolled her eyes. "This is a bet, isn't it? You and your friends have decided that the perfect challenge for the coming autumn is to try and conquer the most difficult of creatures," she drawled and shook her head, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "There are other mares and stallions for that, depending on your fancy. I have no interest in such games, you can save your pretty words for them."  

[mouselet]

She wasn't impressed. He was getting used to this, but he really wished he could impress her - and not with how much he could put his hoof in his mouth. Calor was tempted to ask what point he was missing, but didn't really want to give Nox another opening in which to jab words sharper than needles.

And then she jumped to a conclusion that was so far out of whack that he had to say something. A bet? Friends? What kind of stallion did she think he was?

"W-what!?" the stallion spluttered inelegantly. "You think I'm interested in you becuase of some stupid dare? I don't even know anybody in this area! I'm not trying to "conquer" you as some stupid challenge or anything. Nobody I know even knows that you exist!" Calor forced himself to pause, not just because he was out of breath but because letting his mouth run ahead of his mind had already gotten him in trouble with this mare.

"I'm trying to get to know you for you and because I think you're intersting and that has nothing to do with any other creature." He would have stamped his foot, except that the water made that whole action pointless.  

[Epine de Rose]

Her brow went up at his outburst and she shook her head. Still unphased by his remarks and confession that he had no friends in the area from which to receive this dare. She'd traversed other locations in her time, appeared here and there, there were opportunities elsewhere to make a bet. That being said it would have meant he had followed her here and the prospect of a stalker was just a little disturbing. Disturbing in the sense that she hadn't spotted him more from the point of view that her life was in danger - suffice to say, she could hold her own if it was absolutely necessary (limp aside).

Nobody even knows you exist!

Well, she could see how that would work. She'd purposefully made herself difficult to find and even harder to know. She was a shadow and would prefer to keep it that way. To have such a brightly coloured, loud mouthed stallion prancing after her didn't really help to make this achievable. Unsurprisingly, her expression clouded considerably and she shook her head at him. Really, how in the name of all the holy gods was she meant to get this message across? Did she have to go right up to his face, plant her nose against his and say it in a very slow manner that her nonexistance was part of the point?

Urgh!

"It is most unfortunate that you have no friends," she drawled, though her tone indicated that she wasn't being particularly genuine at this moment in time. "I will pray that you succeed in increasing your circle of friends substantially, the chitterbugs and dandies are always inclined to let more into their lands," she raised her eyes heavenwards and sighed. "But I would much prefer to keep my existance as it is - unknown to the masses," she pointed out bluntly.

"I have no use of friends and they have no use of me. I am uncertain as to how much clearer I can make this - I sincerely doubt a picture would be quite so obvious," she stated as a final point, her brow lowering as her expression became neutral again.