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 Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:43 pm
 It was unusual for Pascallion to be without his second pair of wings. They were practically part of him, ingratiated with his flesh and blood, hell, he felt nude without them. Life would have been so much easier if he had been born with the damned things, instead of simply pretending. But life didn't give him those cards and he was thankful to at least have a full, functioning pair.
But that didn't stop him from dreaming.
He didn't let that thought plague his mind at this moment, however, as he shrugged himself out of his faux wings. It felt good to let the flesh under his straps breathe a bit, yet at the same time he felt terribly exposed. He would have a hell of a time getting the things back on, but he tried not to worry about it. He made it explicitly clear to the herd that he needed his space and they seemed willing to oblige. They didn't want to disturb whatever it was an Angeni needed to do to be able to bless them, right? That and he made a point of slinking off in the darkness. He had chosen a rather secluded section of brush, near the rushing waters of the local river, to relax.
He gently draped the second pair of wings, his satchel, and his pale sash over a low hanging branch. Once sure they were safe from the dangers of grit and grime, he quietly slipped towards the muddied shores, savoring the sensation of the cool, crisp waters rushing past his hooves and along his sides. He wouldn't be long. Just in and out. A quick dip to rid his rather beautiful if he did say so himself light pelt of any dirt. He wanted to look nice and presentable for the parents that he wished to visit, after all.
The sun was just peeking and the morning birds were warbling their little hearts out. There would be plenty of time to dry, get his harness back on, and make his way to where that painted, one-winged Gada was staying with his budding little family.
He had to see this Kalona foal for himself.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:20 am
 Dresden knew exactly why her son looked the way he did. Deep down, she'd always doubted that she could hide her kalona blood forever; now, it had finally asserted itself. But fate had provided her a way out- Gada, in his trustworthy ways, had taken her children to an angeni, asking for the blessing of flight. She'd always heard that magic creatures were tricksy beings in stories- to get what you wanted from the genie of the lamp, you had to be specific. And kalona wings were wings, no doubts about that. What she needed to do now was figure out how to keep the blame entirely off of her. But first, she needed to meet the angeni. She had her ideas about how to spin this, and on top of that, she was curious. She'd never met an angeni before. How strong could he be?
But it wasn't just curiosity. A bit of her was upset. She wasn't sure if it was jealousy in Gada trusting another enough to expose their baskets to him, or if it was disappointment of some kind. That didn't make sense. Hadn't she always strove to prove herself to her absent mother? Wouldn't having a kalona foal prove her lineage? Her worth? It should. She should be happy about this, entirely happy. But she'd deal with her own thoughts later; right now, she needed to be the distraught, innocent mother, clueless as to why her only child was a monster. She'd asked Gada where to find him; Gada said the forest, in a glade, perhaps near the river. Here was such a place. But where was this prophet?
There was a horse there, in the water. He hadn't seen her. She'd been quiet; she was always quiet. He was submerged up to his flanks in the water, and while she could see one set of wings, she couldn't see the other. What had Gada said? Golden as fall wheat, a mane like a river of sun? The wet horse in the river certainly didn't look golden. More like pale dun. But perhaps when the sun hit him just right and a father's hope for the future took over, he was the sunny prince Gada had made him out to be. And if not, well... she could just ask him for directions.
Silently, she secreted herself in the bushes, waiting for him to make a move.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:36 am
Only when he felt refreshed and thoroughly invigorated, did he make a move to leave the chilling embrace of the river. He wordlessly turned, carefully watching his step until he was once again on the banks. He shook out his wings and fanned his body, completely unaware of his spectator. He carried on in this fashion for a few moments, before slipping silently into the copes of trees and shrubbery that he had hid his articles within. While removing the harness had been a chore in and of it'self, getting it back on was an entirely different story. Even with seasons of practice, it still posed a challenge every time he donned them. He was thankful that none were around to watch him squirm back into them.
But he was getting better.
It wasn't as hard as it was when he was a youngster.
He hummed softly to himself in a rather cheery fashion as he slipped his satchel and sash back over his head and paused for a moment, partaking in the rather tasty grasses that grew along the banks. This would hopefully be a good day. It had started cheerily enough, after all.
All that remained was a little trip in the direction that the one-winged Soquili was rumored to be living. He shouldn't be hard to find at all.
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Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 8:33 am
Several emotions ran through Dresden as she watched the wind soquili attach his strap-on wings. First, she was a little shocked to see just how much of a charlatan he was. Then, a pang of jealousy shot through her. For how long had he managed to convince people he was an angeni? He must be good to keep up the charade this long. She'd convinced others that she was half something-or-other, but never quite like this. She could understand why he was pretending to be an angeni. Made perfect sense. Angenis got respect, and nobody questioned them. But soon the jealousy was replaced with malicious glee. Oh what fun she could have with this. And she'd be completely off the hook; he'd take the blame for blessing their basket, he'd share it with Gada for being non-specific, and she'd come out of this smelling like a rose. How perfect!
But right now, she had business to conduct. Veiled threats to make. She'd have to think fast so that he wouldn't call her bluff; taking him by surprise was the best option here. For now, it'd be best not to let him know at all what she'd seen. She could judge his reactions from there. "Excuse me," she said, clearing her throat daintily, "but I'm looking for Pascallion. Are you him?" She walked towards him carefully, placing one foot neatly in front of the other. She wanted to create the illusion of a radiant young mother who was worried about one of her foals, but still loved them both. So many little things were needed for this facade; delicateness was one of them. It might be hard to keep the sheer relief out of her voice, though... but dammit, she'd try!
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:02 am
He froze as a voice caught his attention. He couldn't very well spit out the mouthful of grass that he had been gnawing on, so he quickly swallowed and lifted his head, his pale blue gaze quickly landing on the rather pretty gray mare. She had come out of, well, nowhere. He had been so certain that he had this little patch of land to himself and he didn't take that long...
Oh dear.
How much had she seen?
He tried not to dwell on this rather worrying thought. She didn't seem furious, which was a good sign, right? Of course, he never stuck around to see anyone get angry, but he could imagine what they'd look like if they knew. She wasn't quite like that, so perhaps he didn't have to take off already? He really wished to see the foal, too, as he was extremely curious in these mystery wings. He couldn't possibly have made them, but hell, this particular case was unusual.
"You've found the right fellow, miss. How can I be of service to you?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 11:31 pm
As the stallion confirmed her suspicions, Dresden decided that right now was the time to deal with her little dilemma. If he thought she thought he was an Angeni, then he could claim that the gift was for wings or flight and that the powers that be wouldn't let it be more specific. He might come to believe that it really was his fault. But what if he did know? Angenis were typically honest sorts. He might tell. He might be obligated to tell.
Whereas if he knew that she knew he was faking, his silence could be bought. He was faking for a reason, and if he wanted his life to continue normally, it could. She'd be in charge- he'd have to say whatever she wanted if he wanted to keep the status quo.
Clearly, the second option was better. Dresden raised an eyebrow and gave a wry smile. "Mmhm. It's just that, see, I'd heard that Pascallion was an Angeni. Certainly my mate made him sound as such."
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:56 pm
s**t.
She must have seen something, else she was much sharper than the average soquili he spoke with. His guise was a pretty damned good one, so she must have seen. But knowing that really didn't change anything, now, did it? She still knew, which forced him into a rather hairy predicament. His first instinct was to run, or fly rather, as fast as he could. It wouldn't be the first time he was chased off, nor would it be the last. Running was his lifestyle after all.
But her demeanor confused him and kept him rooted in his spot. She didn't seem angry. In fact, it was that wry smile that befuddled him and kept him where he was. Just what did the mother wan't from him, if she wasn't furious.
"He wasn't mistaken, I can assure you. I've heard that my blessing worked, however in an odd way. You've actually caught me on my way to visit."
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:26 pm
"Oh, I know your "blessing" worked," she said, smiling just a bit wider. "But see, I thought that Angeni usually had two pairs of wings of their own..." She stared pointedly at the leather straps encircling his body, the straps holding the wings to his sides. Yes, he was faking, and he was a good faker, but there was no way he was what he claimed to be.
Unless he was like Gada. She fought hard to keep her face from falling as this thought crossed her mind. Had she seen scars on his body? She didn't think she had, but his hair might have been covering them. And besides, couldn't one of his Angeni friends have given him his wings back? No, he must be faking it. And if not... well, she was pretty good at fleeing. But she was sure she was right.
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:46 pm
"You seem rather pleased with that. I am always more than happy to help." He tried to keep himself levelheaded and assertive as he spoke, but his confidence was waning, which was evident in his ever so slightly quavering voice and a shuffle of his hooves as he shifted his weight. It was rare for anyone to notice and, come to think of it, he'd never had reason for an excuse, tongue-tied, he looked her over long and hard.
Huh. Cloven hooves. Interesting, but he thought nothing more of it at the moment, his current situation a wee bit more pressing.
"I've practiced this art for quite some time and I'm rather good at what I do, if I dare say so myself. I don't quite see the reason for this visit, ma'am. I simply wished to speak with your mate, to see if I could possibly provide any further services." It wasn't an admission, not exactly, though it could easily be taken either way. It was the closest he was going to come to actually letting those words pass his lips.
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