[PRP] - Promiscuous (Sparkles & Raphael)

[Epine de Rose]

Her lunch had proved wonderful and it had been good to catch up with her bestfriend. Her family had even been kind enough to let her stay the evening so that both she and Ashura could gossip long into the night, both satisfying their craving for scandal and intrigue. Alas, that had been a few days ago now and Sparkles had long since made her way back down the slopes and into the lowlands again. One might have been so bold as to say she had selected a tiny little plot of land in these parts to act as her home - though she would dispute this if given the chance.

She was a wanderer by nature, the only reason she hadn't explored in recent months was simply because she had been taking time out to enjoy the company of her best friend. Alas, it was true that eventually the mare would have to move on again and her hooves wouldn't remain idle for long. It was the way of things and she wouldn't be one to argue with her hooves when that time came - suffice to say they could be very insistant.

Nevertheless, by the time the afternoon had approached on this faithful day the mare was comfortably settled by one of the larger lakes in the Lowlands. Perched daintily upon a large boulder, she was savouring the warm as it ran across her flanks, really there was no better sensation than this! In her eyes, the day had turned into an absolutely stunning one and more importantly, with such wonderful sunshine it gave her coat an absolutely spectacular shine.

Like a jewel in the sands she would have been impossible not to see. The glistening sheen off her coat caused it to sparkle, twinkle and gleam like a diamond. Depending on where the sun hit it and from what angle one could have been so bold as to say it went from a simple twinkle to a flare - ever so slightly blinding if an individual was unfortunate enough to look down midflight in certain situations!

A truly glorious day, the mare released a contented sigh and allowed her tail to sway lazily back and forth, drape precariously over the edge of one side of the boulder. There really was very little that could beat such a moment of relaxation in her books - now if she could have some grapes and a waterfall it would be perfect!

Of course, that might be asking a little much...

She knew that.  

[Cajmera]

It had been an interesting few days, alright. Heck, that was probably an understatement, but Raphael was frankly too overwhelmed to worry about coming up with a better descriptor than just 'interesting'. In the past couple of weeks, he had had himself called out as a child, come face to face with the fact that his oldest companion was overly rigid, that he himself had no understanding of the way that the rest of the world worked...oh, and that his godmother and his father's oldest and dearest friend had up and run off to the mountains to be the lifemate of a stallion she barely knew. Minor, minor fact, that one.

Indeed, it was somewhat embarrassing for him to admit it, the truth was that Elizabeth's situation had taken somewhat of a back burner for him, following his meeting with her. Having been on a mission, he was quick in its execution; on top of finding out that she was alright, it had been an honest delight to see her after so long. But having ascertained what was going on with her, his own identity crisis had taken the fore; between the uncertainty at what was going on, the uncomfortable realization that his accuser had been correct, anxiety at how he'd break the news to Zaris, and guilt that he wasn't taking Elizabeth's situation suitably seriously, he was....dawdling.

Dawdling a lot, honestly. Having found Elizabeth, he should have been back home the next day at the latest; instead, three passing nights had seen him make it little farther than back into the lowlands, sticking to the ground rather than the more efficient flight paths. It was a slow, meandering sort of progress he was making, accented with plenty of stops and detours and breaks for musings and introspection. He hated to make his parents wonder longer than they needed to, but the simple fact was that he needed to figure a few things out before he was back home, because he didn't think that they'd be happy with what he was going to tell them. Oh sure, they would support him and his father, at least, would trust his judgment, but they wouldn't be happy, and Raphael hated above all things the thought of causing them pain.

So he was still musing his way along when the sparkle of a lake caught his eye. A drink and a break would be as good now as later, he was sure, and he accordingly directed his step that way.  

[Epine de Rose]

Mmmm, now if she twisted herself this way and lay back just a touch, she would be graced with the most perfect position for her sun bathing. It was with a contented sigh that she set about moving her limbs into the appropriate position. Her tail gave a contented wave, sweeping briefly into the lake and then out again to allow the collected water droplets to trickle onto her flank - all in all, it was quite a serene moment and might even have inspired a few pieces of artwork!

Alas, this was soon to be shattered - not sooner had she rested her head against one of the boulders than her gaze fell upon the purple hue of an approaching form. Every now and again she would see a glimpse of light, a faint twinkle or shine that seemed to come from head and foot. Oddly, she couldn't quite put her hoof on it but she could have sworn she was supposed to recognise the individual. Unfortunately the answer was slow to come to the forefront of her mind and it was only whenever his form became clearly that she finally recognised it.

Oh she knew him!

She automatically turned her gaze upwards to look for signs of the devillish hawk that had accompanied him before. If there was one thing she didn't want it was for her morning to be disrupted by a judgemental chicken. He'd made his opinions perfectly clear, that didn't mean she had to listen to them again and more importantly, she really didn't have to listen to the stallion's views either. Admittedly he hadn't expressed many but his discomfort at who she was had been apparent.

Fortunately there appeared to be no sign of the hawk and it was with a sigh that she fixed her gaze on the approaching male and lifted a sigh. Should she sit to attention now or merely greet him when he came much closer? She'd fully intended to bask and it seemed like such a waste to pose in the manner of an expectant female - she elected to sunbathe, the current position she was in was much too awkward. Thus she finally rested her head against the boulder again and closed her eyes. She would say hello when his hoofbeats became louder and he was in earshot.  

[Cajmera]

It said something about Raphael's mental preoccupation that he managed to get as near the water as he did without registering the presence of Sparkles. After all, she was no grey and camouflaged mare; while not quite at dazzling and eye catching as his own vivid blue and gold, her bright white sparkly coat was just as out of place as he himself could claim to be in the current location. If posed the question, he would likely have responded with a polite remark on thinking of her sparkles as being the sparkle of sunlight on the water...though the truth was that he just wasn't paying attention.

And it was equally the truth that he was almost to the shore before he realized that there was someone else there, and even longer before he had made the connection that she too was someone he was acquainted with. However, unlike Sparkles he had no previous scruples to over some or worry about: she made it very easy for him by her current relaxed and, apparently, somnolent state. She appeared for all intents and purposes to be either sleeping or on her way there; he would respect her apparent desire for peace and be as unobtrusive as possible. Consequently, he altered his approach slightly to give her some space and upon reaching the water, bent to drink with as much silence and circumspection as he could manage.  

[Epine de Rose]

And soquili said she could be rude; at least she acknowledged the existence of another! Her eyes creaked open and she cast her rose gaze towards the male as he drank. Was she and her life style really so abhorrant that he couldn't bear to spare a greeting? Even she had been raised to acknowledge another, even if you didn't necessarily see eye to eye with them... It was just the done thing, you didn't have to hold an hour long conversation with them, you just had to let them know you had seen them, that was all. Urgh, apparently he was just as judgemental as that accursed bird even if he had had the decency to look embarassed and sheepish when the hawk had run its beak.

"Well, it's always nice to know where one stands in the greater scheme of things," she mused delicately, lifting up her head and adjusting her position to that she was comfortable. She made no other move to bridge the distance and instead, continued to observe him with an expression that seemed divided between 'bemused' and 'decidedly unimpressed'. "Am I truly so appalling in my lifestyle choices that you can't even bear to say hello?" she enquired before raising her eyes heavenwards. She released a dramatic sigh and then raised her tail to press against her cheek.

"And to think I went out of my way to help him," she mused, seemingly towards her tail which she was now examining with new interest. "I was even right and not so much as a nod of appreciation - well I never, I may be a 'whore' according to his companion but at least I'm a considerate one," she added in a mild drawl.

"Though I do hope your reunion went well," she added in a much more mild manner, her brow arching as she returned her attention to Raphael.  

[Cajmera]

It was funny how two different creatures could view the same situation; what he viewed as common courtesy, she was taking as rudeness. Had he known that she was awake, he would certainly have said something to acknowledge her, but acting under the assumption that she was asleep, it seemed the height of impoliteness to wake her up merely to say 'hello'. However, he was quickly set to the right way of things at her sudden lifting of her head and the obvious barb-tinged flow of words that accompanied it. His first reaction on realizing that she was awake and took his silence as rudeness and unkindness was surprise, followed closely by shame; after all, it was the height of rudeness to slight anyone, even a stranger!

But after a moment, that shame was replaced by another sentiment, one that he didn't feel often but felt was certainly justified in this situation: unfairness. Yes, he had met her the first time on a bad footing, but he felt that they had parted company courteously enough. On top of that, she had been lying down with her eyes closed; it would be a very strange creature indeed who DIDN'T take those as the signs of someone sleeping! He felt that her comments were overly offensive and uncalled for, and wondered for a moment what was making her so very bitter at the moment.

Still, it was against his nature to be anything but courteous, even when provoked, and he merely returned her recognition with a nod. "Good day, Sparkles; I apologize if you took my silence as anything offensive, but I was actually under the impression that you were asleep, and I didn't think that you would wish to be awoken for a greeting, should that be the case. There was no slight intended." He cast no aspersions, made no other comments, but merely finished his drink before raising his head again for good. "My conversation went very well, thank you; it was ultimately a successful venture. I hope that your visit with your friend was also pleasant?"

Being a not particularly demonstrative stallion, he wasn't going to offer any more details than that; besides, it wasn't his story to tell. He had been surprised and concerned going into the meeting, but Elizabeth had been firm in her assurances that this was something that she wanted and that she was happy with. Raphael hadn't seen or met her lifemate, but Elizabeth had told him that Ambroise was a considerate and well-mannered stallion who she could respect a great deal, which was all that mattered. He hadn't asked about any other emotional connection and she hadn't offered, but he had heard enough to be able to report satisfactorily back to his father. It would take some getting used to, but Elizabeth had found herself a niche!  

[Epine de Rose]

Sparkles gave Raphael one of her more unusual stares as he replied. If her response was any indication of how she felt towards him, there could be no doubt that at this moment in time, the pale mare thought he was completely bonkers. She was beginning to seriously question where on earth he had gotten his ideas from - where had he been raised where his observations were sensible and logical? Where she came from, what he had said would have been utterly laughable!

"You were under the impression that I was asleep," she repeated his words, her tone vague and otherwise faint. She trailed off into silence again, manners cast to the wayside as she continued to gaze at him in that owlish way that could be either adorable or irritating. In this particular case, it was more likely to be irritating. "You are aware that the vast majority of soquili sleep standing up, right...?" she replied. It might have been a completely random remark to him, but for a wandering soquili, this observation was based solely on fact.

A wanderer, especially in the open, never slept lying down...they were simply too exposed.

"And that when they lie down they are either injured, birthing or relaxing - all dependant on the noises produced and the sound of their breathing," she added, as if clarification was required. Alas, the mare soon shook her head and elected to dismiss what she considered to be a peculiar observation on his part. Needless to say, if the alicorn ever aspired to be a proper healer, he would probably need to educate himself a little more fully!

"My visit was pleasant," she confirmed with a nod and rolled her shoulders. Adjusting herself into a more comfortable position, she flicked her gaze towards the waters edge before smiling. "She has finally found herself a beau; a slightly uncouth and very abrupt one, but she is happy and that is all I am concerned about in that respect," she explained. "Add that to an influx of three new nephews and a niece, and she is kept very busy."  

[Cajmera]

As a matter of fact, this knowledge was actually news to Raphael. Being winged himself and being from a mostly winged family in a very sheltered home, Raphael was used to sleeping lying down, his head under his wing. It was the way he slept, the way his father slept, the way his sister slept; even his unwinged mother slept lying down, covered by his father's wing. He was aware that it was possible to sleep standing up, as that was the way his godmother slept, and had tried it once as a child but found it a very awkward pose (that, and his mischievous siblings had tried to tip him over; not a pleasant awakening). Once again, he was cast in the light of the rude and unschooled, once again without any attempt or effort on his part to be insulting.

Still, that fact at least excused her hostility somewhat, and he was able to be courteous as he replied, "Actually, where I come from we DO sleep lying down almost all of the time, and it wasn't part of my upbringing to stare at anyone while they were taking their leisure. Lesson learned, noted, and will be considered in the future." He bowed slightly at the end of that statement, taking up the far more accessible topic of her visit instead. "I am glad to hear it, both that the visit went well and that things are going well for your friend. It seems that the season for new relationships and new lives has officially begin; hopefully they are all healthy and happy and remain so." Hopefully he was safe there! "For my part, I hope hear more good news of that nature in the future, as my younger sister and her beau are beginning to get serious, which is quite exciting for our family."

It was a little more chatting than he usually offered, but it was an olive branch of sorts; now if she would only see it as such!  

[Epine de Rose]

"Well, the vast majority of us do not live in a location where we are safe enough to slumber in such an exposed manner," she replied delicately and flicked her tail to the side. She afforded a few stretches, first her forelegs, then her hindlegs. It was only when she was much more comfortable that she continued to speak, smiling a touch more warmly at the well wishes that he provided to her bestfriend's family. Suffice to say that not all of the children were healthy, but the majority were and the one that was sickly was in good hooves. Rumour had it that there was an exceptionally good doctor in the region and while Sparkles had never met him, Ashura had sang his praises loudly enough for the unicorn to buy into it.

"As for my friend, it's taken her long enough to settle, it's about time I say," she wrinkled her nose a little and shook her head. "The amount of stallions who cast her aside, honestly, there was no reason for such poor luck," she murmured. It was a vague musing but the mare had always struggled to understand why Ashura had been the subject of such issues - the mare was pretty and every stallion Sparkles had met always desired the company - temporary or otherwise.

Alas, she had Cinnamon now and she was happy.

Unfortunately, there was a chance that Raphael might regret mentioning his own sibling. For some reason the mare had developed an impish twinkle in her eye, and, was regarding him with renewed interest. The interest wasn't necessarily in relation to him, moreso towards the lucky family member who had landed herself a beau.

"Oh la la, well if she's as naive as you seem to be then she might need a few tips to make sure she enjoys herself," she cooed with owlish eyes.  

[Cajmera]

Raphael was not in any mood to get into a debate about the sleeping habits of the world, and much as it was an embarrassment to admit it, he was feeling decidedly petulant at the continued characterization of him as naive and ignorant. They'd already established that he didn't have a great deal of exposure to the world at large; did it have to be reiterated every time a new subject came up? But even while he was thinking those thoughts, he was doing his best to squelch them; it was a waste of time to be petulant, and ungracious to keep harping on the negative.

So he decided that the best course of action was to allow that topic to drop completely, focusing instead on the more conversational, less confrontational topic of their visits and their respective acquaintances. Sparkles seemed a great deal more content while she was talking about her friend, and Raphael, being a family-oriented Soquili himself, was always willing to take about the comforts of home life; anyone's home life! He was sympathetic to the situation of her friend, indeed he was; with love and compatibility in romance being such an important element in establishing one's ultimate happiness, he could well find it distressing to be courted even once and then cast aside.

"It must have been a trial for her, but it is wonderful to hear of someone finding their true partner in the end. I hope that she and her lifemate are happy together and that it is enough to negate any past troubles or slights." He maintained his level tone and composure, even as Sparkles adopted a somewhat disturbing expression. Her sudden enthusiasm was disconcerting in that he didn't understand the reason for such a reaction, but he wasn't about to let that show!

"I am sure that she will be the best judge of her own happiness in her relationship, and it appears that the two of them are very open and honest with what they expect from each other as far as a life partner. They have had their own difficulties to overcome, but appear to be all the better as a unit for having had to address them." And they had honestly been a few doozies; Zaphiro, usually mild and composed in all things, had been appalled to learn that his daughter's paramour was the son of Guilian, a stallion he had always disapproved of. While he hadn't forbidden the match or been outwardly negative, he hadn't been pleased, and that much had been very obvious to his whole family. It hadn't helped that Gemma had always been of an excitable temper...

Fortunately, those troubles were in the past!  

[Epine de Rose]

So naive! It was an adorable trait in a child but there was a comical element whenever it came to a grown soquili. The more that Raphael spoke, the more apparent it became that he had led a much more sheltered life than her own. He wasn't the first she had encountered with such a mindset and nor would he be the last, he was simply an oddity in the face of so many males and females who had explored their sexuality the moment they had hit adolescence. It was with this in mind that Sparkles could begin to forgive and appreciate where his familiar had been coming from, if Raphael and his hawk had lived in such an isolated and enclosed environment then their prejudice really shouldn't have come at any surprise to the pale mare...

Her eyes seemed to light up as these thoughts were processed, a sudden realisation of what the explanation might have been for the untowards behaviour. In essence, the blue stallion was still a child and had much more to learn about the world. He'd taken the first step, he had flown the nest (literally in some respects) and now he was taking a few moments to investigate what lay beyond his family's holdings. With his hawk absent he might even be able to explore the more gritty and real aspects of society rather than what his companion might have considered to be what was good and proper. Oh, she wouldn't wish harm on anyone but she also wouldn't encourage others to believe that everything in life was sugar coated.

She'd done that before, it hadn't been pretty.

Alas, she couldn't help but giggle as these thoughts fluttered across the forefront of her mind, particularly when he made his remarks in relation to his sister's happiness. On an emotional level, Sparkles had little doubt that she would know what did and didn't happen, but the mare did have to wonder just how much more knowledgeable she was in comparison to her brother. It was for this reason that the pale mare fixed her owlish stare on Raphael, though this time, it was significantly softer and much more good humoured. Suffice to say that it was amazing how quickly one could forgive and forget when they knew the reason behind certain behaviour...at least for a while, if he didn't change after his little adventure, then there'd be words.

"Oh I'm sure that she and her beau have a fantastic emotional connection, they wouldn't be in love if they didn't," she replied, her tone full of mirth. "But emotional connections aren't everything that a girl needs to be worried about, there's more to a relationship than just that connection," she pointed out and shook her head. "If you can't work on the other aspects then things may become a touch more awkward and uncomfortable -" she paused and cleared her throat. "For a number of reasons..."  

[Cajmera]

It said something to Raphael's naivete that he didn't read anything more devious or alarming into Sparkles' change in expression and tone. Coming from his own place of exasperation and frustration at the reiteration of the earlier topics, he was just glad that she'd stopped being upset about Zaris and his own ignorance regarding the ways of the greater world. There was a great irony in him driving the point of his own ignorance further home with a topic he'd thought was safe; but the irony was lost on him, as he, being of a very polite mindset, hadn't yet made the leap that Sparkles had made very early on.

The fact of the matter was that he had never really thought about the intimacies of being mated, and definitely didn't intend to start by thinking about them with regards to his sister. He had been raised to value propriety as the highest and most important virtue, and to treat mares with the utmost in respect and cordiality so as to not throw any questions on anyone's intentions or virtue. And strange as this was, coming from a grown stallion, he had never really thought beyond to consider what that virtue or lack thereof was in reference to.

So he merely frowned at her breakdown of romantic connections, unsure of where, exactly, she was going or the relevance to this conversation. Cautiously, because of that element of the unknown, he replied, "I'm sure that there are many elements that must be considered in order to have a successful relationship, but there are best worked through by the parties involved, I would think. Barring some sort of truly unpalatable situation such as abuse, I don't think that anyone has any business to delve into such personal things regarding someone else."  

[Epine de Rose]

"Oh, well...that's where you're wrong," Sparkles observed, her expression remaining impish as it became more and more apparent that the stallion before her was the definition of naive. Either that, or Raphael who was an individual who excelled in pretending he was an innocent - that being said, given her previous encounter with him she suspected it was highly unlikely he was a deviant. If he'd been a deviant she would have known and he certainly wouldn't have preached at her... well, that was inaccurate as he hadn't preached on a personal level but he probably would have shut the bird up!

"You see, when it comes to relationships, particularly on a long term basis, it's a family's responsible to prepare one another for what's expected," she pointed out. There was a measure of irony in relation to her own life, her mother had certainly prepared her but not in a manner that would befit a family's responsibility. "I suppose that it's more the duty of a mother towards a daughter in certain respects, or a father towards a son, it generally depends on gender," she mused softly and then shook her head. "But unfortunately in certain situations and family units one cannot be fussy about gender, the option isn't always there..."

She paused to let this sink in.

"Regardless of the gender issue aside, it is a family's duty to prepare their children for what is expected of them in the wider world, both on an emotional and physical level," she explained, a small smile tweaking at her lips. She couldn't quite push her hoof on it, but there was something very satisfying about discussing this subject, she had no idea what she was hoping for as a reaction but if he hadn't have been blue, she might have gunned for a blush! "The emotional level is usually very easy to discuss and prepare for," she added softly, conceding that the emotional issues were generally stepping stones and aided in development.

"But the physical issues are a bit more complex -" she paused for a split second and chuckled. "Sex is a bit more awkward to prepare your daughter or son for, particularly if their partner has weird tastes," she concluded without even a sliver of embarassment.  

[Cajmera]

Oh. Gods.

It was difficult to say what Raphael found more embarrassing: the fact that he was suddenly in the middle of a conversation involving frank discussion of sexual behavior, or the fact that his own lack of understanding Sparkles' hinting had provoked it. Both were equaling unsettling, because as much as he disliked frank discussion of...personal matters, he also hated appearing to be ignorant. If he was a stallion with a fragile ego, his would have been completely dead and deflated.

However, his ego was one thing, his sense of propriety was another. As soon as Sparkles said the 's' word, Raphael could feel the blush coming on; both at the discussion, and the fact that Sparkles seemed completely unaffected by it! Never in his life could he have imagined anyone, much less a mare, could talk about something so very personal without so much as batting an eyelash! But if she were unaffected, he was not. As soon as he felt the heat begin to rise in his face, he swiftly and neatly pivoted himself around so that he was facing the opposite direction, thus allowing him to try and collect himself outside of the unnerving gaze of this mare.

Uncomfortably, he ran his wing over his mane. A difficult question faced him: ending the conversation was obviously the correct action in terms of propriety, but was it an appropriate course in terms of courtesy? He held both propriety and courtesy in high esteem, and slighting one at the expense of another...

He was aware that his silence was creating an uncomfortably long pause. What was he to do? Speak? Not speak? Change the subject? Oh, how had he managed to reach adulthood without ever having had an opportunity to prepare for such a scenario? Surely he had to do something!

Taking a deep breath, he rotated himself back to face Sparkles. "Please pardon my rudeness, I am not used to such...frankness. I'm afraid you have me at an acute disadvantage." It may not have done much for creating an image of "worldliness", but at least it was honest. Honest, and hopefully polite!  

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

He was extraordinarily polite and she was so utterly unaccustomed to it that she couldn't help but regard him with further amusement. It seemed that she would be this way for the duration of their encounter, her lips parting in an impish smile with each passing moment. The twinkle in her eyes would have been impossible to miss, particularly as he became decidedly more uncomfortable as the conversation progressed. In fact, no sooner had she provided him with a solid and honest answer to his previous assumptions than he had turned her back to her - would he storm off?

...They often did at this point.

Much to Sparkles' good fortune, the stallion did not storm off, instead he turned around, regarded her with a renewed sense of composure and then he'd apologised! She was forced to recover from her surprise for a brief second and schooled her expression so that her jaw did not drop to the floor. Alas, this surprise was quickly replaced by something decidedly more mischievous - he had just confessed to being at a disadvantage, but was this in relation to the topic at hand or simply the honesty with which she spoke?

"Are you implying that you have never lay with a mare before?" she asked, never having been one for tact around a subject she considered to be a natural state of affairs. Everyone did it, it was necessary for life to exist, so why should everyone be so prudent about it?

"Or merely that you live in an environment where these subjects are regarded with um...distaste?"