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 Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:00 am
 Finding a somewhat secluded spot to practice Aquitaine took a deep breath. Mother had been teaching her to dance and it was something she truly enjoyed. Watching her mother dance, well it was awe inspiring. The grace and beauty of her mothers moves made Aquitaine want to be a dancer, on top of being a knight like her father. It was a lot of work for, a lot of hours spent training in both disciplines, yet Aquitaine couldn't see going with only one path. There was too much to learn and explore in life to simply pick one thing and stick with that. The more she learned the greater off she would be. One day perhaps she would pick a single discipline to study, and become a master of it, however for now, she would learn anything and everything she could.
Step. Step. Toss head. Step. Twirling jump. Mid-air kick. Step. No, wait. That was wrong. Stopping Aquitaine thought on the moves her mother had shown her yesterday. They seemed so clear in her mind, yet actually doing them in that order seemed so much harder. Another deep breath and...Step. Step. Toss head, half rear. Step. Twirling jump. Mid-air kick. Trip over the rock she didn't see. Aquitaine tumbled as her hoof caught the edge of a rock that was sticking up in the hard-packed sand. Darn it! She had the moves right that time until that rock had spoiled everything. Giving her hoof a small stamp of frustration the blue filly moved to the other side of the clearing, being sure to check for anything that may get in her way this time.
Once she saw the ground was good she cleared her mind and began once more. And step. Step...
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:04 am
Dubious as he was about the thought of participating in any of his sister's activities- dancing and flower-picking were girly, no matter what Mother said- Arcadius was never far behind when she wandered off, unable or unwilling to allow her to be out of the safe harbor of their home without some sort of supervision. Their father's watchful eye was never far from their mother or them, but the young colt took it upon himself to look after the family when Hadrian was distracted. That didn't mean he had to appreciate watching her, though. Or not make a scene about it.
And so here he was, stomping his hooves noisily as he cleared the brush behind her.
"'Taine, are you done yet?" he wheedled- no, Arcadius did not whine, he implored- tail flicking behind him agitatedly. "Can't we go... I dunno, explore or somethin'? 'Reli's out there havin' all the fun." And no, that was not a pout, it was a scowl- something that he had become quite good at, according to their father. His competitiveness with his brother was nearly legendary by now, and though he wasn't willing to abandon his sister to who knows what- she could die if he wasn't there and something ran into her!- he certainly wasn't happy knowing that Aurelian was undoubtedly doing something more fun than watching their sister dance.
Well... he used the word 'dance' rather loosely, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut on that particular front.
In truth... well, he might have been just a tad bit jealous. Not of her dancing skills, ohhhhhhhhh no; but of her close relationships with both of their parents. 'Reli and he both knew she was Daddy's Little Angel... and now it seemed she had something to share with Mother, too. Arcadius had no interest in picking flowers, in dancing or any of that general... girliness, but he might have welcomed the idea of having his mother's ear.
It didn't, however, lessen the- very, very deeply hidden- affection he held for his sister, though. Even if her hobbies were annoying and girly.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 9:50 am
Aquitaine was not at all surprised to find Arcadius there watching her. It seemed that almost every time she turned around her brother would be there, perhaps less so when she was close to her parents, but anytime she wandered off even slightly he was there. For the most part Aquitaine liked it. The idea that her brother was always watching over her, protecting her from whatever could be out there meant she felt more confident. She also enjoyed the fact that, especially at times like this, she had an audience to perform in front of. Even if she was only practicing and that she wasn't getting it right, at least she knew that she could perform while being watched. If she ever became a true dancer in the future than she would need to be able to dance in front of large audiences and not get nervous doing so. Yes Arcadius was her brother so it was much easily to do so in front of him but it was a start at least.
Much as she would have liked to have practiced a bit longer Aquitaine knew that Arcadius would only keep questioning if she was done yet. Bringing her hooves to a stop Aquitaine looked over at her brother with a smile. "I'm done for now." She could always practice later after spending some time with her brothers. Trotting over to Arcadius Aquitaine gave her brother a nuzzle. "I'm sure we can have just as much, if not more, fun than Aurelian is having. Though exactly what they fun would entail she wasn't sure. Unlike her brothers Aquitaine wasn't overly adventurous. While she did enjoy exploring and playing she really just preferred the quieter things in life. Watching her brothers run about was often enough for her. Today she would be bold and adventurous. At least for a short time.
With a glance around them Aquitaine took a step back, giving her brother some space. Though she knew he loved her he was a boy and they generally didn't like mushy stuff like showing affection. "So what did you want to do? Catch up with Aurelian or something else?" Aquitaine would let Arcadius pick the activity, and she would tag along and try her best to keep up with her brother.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:31 pm
Although he wrinkled his nose at the affectionate gesture from his sister- hey, he had a reputation to uphold- Arcadius returned it anyway, though he did punctuate it with a n** to her ear. At the admission that she was done, his cloudy expression vanished, and at her subsequent question he grinned brightly. Finally, an excuse to go do something fun. Aquitaine usually sat out his little adventures with Aurelian- specifically, the ones that involved dirt and bugs and mud and roughhousing... and maybe a few more. If he were completely honest, he would have maybe liked to have some more fun with Aquitaine. Maybe. A little. As long as it didn't involve anything girly. Or... yeah, best just to stop there.
Tilting his head as he pondered for something to do that both of them wound enjoy... and hopefully not get them yelled at by Dad, Arcadius beamed a moment later as he glanced over towards his sister. "How about we go exploring? 'Reli and I found a river in the woods a little ways back from our clearing, I wanna see where it goes!" His little tail waved back and forth in delight, though every once in a while there was an unsettling cracking noise from the exposed bone. Sometimes it caused him pain, but most days it was just strange to look at.
Honestly, Arcadius had never really put too much thought into his odd appearance. His family didn't care that he looked weird, why should he? His sister had three horns, after all, and that was just plain creepy... but if he ever heard anyone else say that about her, he'd knock their stupid teeth out. It was one thing for him to poke fun at his sister, it was entirely another for someone else to do it.
"Maybe it goes to an ocean!" he exclaimed excitedly, apparently back on the river subject again already. He had been itching for an adventure since that last incident with the strange animal tracks- they'd later found out they were coyote tracks. That one had gotten him and 'Reli grounded for a week.
Still worth it, though.
Grinning at Aquitaine, he tossed his head towards the wooded area behind them with a flourish. "Wanna go see?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:07 pm
Exploring. Why did he have to suggest exploring. Oh Aquitaine did enjoy to see new things and new places but she wasn't entirely sure it was best to go off exploring with Arcadius. Even more so when it was something that he and Aurelian had found together. What if Aurelian wanted to explore it with Arcadius alone? Or perhaps they should wait til all three of them could do it together. She knew the condition that her brothers often returned in during their 'exploring'. It involved their hides covered in mud, leaves and anything else that they may have encountered. Aquitaine preferred to keep clean. Not that she was completely opposed to getting dirty but there were certainly better things to spend ones time doing than rolling about in the mud.
As she thought this over Arcadius' tail let out one of it's cracking sounds and she couldn't help but shudder a bit. That was one thing that she would never get used to. It was such a bad sound, and the fact that it did on occasion cause her brother pain just made it all the more unpleasant to hear. Giving her head a bit of shake Aquitaine focused on her current dilemma. "I don't know." Chewing on her lip as she thought it over. Exploring could be fun but...her eyes lifted looking at her brother. "Do you remember what happened last time you went exploring?" She hadn't been there, it had been just him and Aurelian, but she had known about their punishment. And Aquitaine did not want to get grounded. Granted she was fairly certain she could get out of it if such a thing did happen. Flashing her daddy a sad look, accentuated by her bottom lip sticking out a bit would certainly make him forget whatever bad she had done.
Still. She did want to see where the river went. It might be worth it. She better not regret this when they got home. Letting out a heavy sigh Aquitaine glanced towards where Arcadius pointed. "Okay." She said with obvious hesitation and discomfort. "But I don't want to go too far away from home. And I definitely don't want to get in trouble." She made sure to give him a stern look before starting towards the wooded area.
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 8:53 am
At her pointed reminder of what had happened the last time he and Aurelian had gone exploring, Arcadius' face fell into a scowl. Of course he remembered, he'd been grounded for a whole week, though he supposed his father's disappointed frown stood out more starkly than their punishment. It had been fun, though- he didn't understand why Aquitaine usually refused to be involved. It wasn't as if they always got in trouble... yeah, okay, it was most of the time, but Arcadius still considered their adventures worth it. Most of the time. Okay, some of the time.
He was about to sigh and relent to her hesitation, but his ears perked up abruptly at her grudging acceptance. Immediately, a pleased grin spread across his teal features, lavender eyes sparking in excitement at the renewed prospect of another adventure. He refrained from hopping about on his small hooves- Arcadius had some dignity, thankyouverymuch- but his antsyness was obvious to anyone with eyes, considering the swaying of his tail, the shifting of his weight, the twitching of his ears.
Seeing that his sister had already gone ahead after her warning about not getting in trouble, he trotted to catch up with her, deliberately arching his neck and slowing his steps to look graceful and purposeful, imitating their princely father. "Aquitaine can do no wrong, she's Daddy's little princess, remember?" The words were playful, teasing rather than scornful- he didn't begrudge his sister their parents' favor... admittedly, he might have used it to get out of trouble more than a few times, while Aquitaine rarely seemed to get into trouble in the first place. That didn't mean he wouldn't poke fun at her for it.
Snickering, he shoulder-checked her playfully, furry ears perking as they caught the sound of rushing water not far off, and he broke into a run. "Come on!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:27 am
Aquitaine glanced over at her brother with a smile as they trotted along, but it didn't take long for that smile to fade and she scoffed at his comment. It was true, she was daddy's little princess and her brothers knew that well. Heck anyone could see it in the way Hadrian did anything she asked and went out of his way to make her happy. She always loved that fact, it meant she was extremely close to her father which not all fillies were, fillies generally spent more time with their mothers. Aquitaine spend as equal of time with both her parents but there was something special between her and her father, knowing he would do anything she asked. "Even so, I still don't want to get in trouble." Even though she knew any trouble they possibly got in would be overlooked by her father she didn't want to get into it. There would be something very unpleasant about seeing any flicker of disappointment in her fathers eyes because of what she had done. No it was best to remain his perfect little angel and leave the trouble to Arcadius and Aurelian.
She couldn't help but giggle as he bumped into her. She may not like the rough play her brothers did but ever now and then she could get into it. As Arcadius began to run off she threw a playful n** at his back. She could hear the water up ahead and was suddenly curious about where it would lead. The idea of adventuring with her brother may not have sounded all that fun only moments before, yet now as that river was within hearing distance Aquitaine couldn't help but wonder where it came from and where it went. Yes, she had been bitten by the adventure bug and she would see this thing through - as long as they didn't wander too far of course.
Kicking out in delight Aquitaine raced after her brother who had gotten a good head start on her. "Wait up Arcadius!" She called out, not wanting to get separated from her brother. This was their adventure together and she wanted to be there at his side as they explored the length of the river and attempted to discover it's secrets.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:13 pm
The light n** at his hindquarters made him snort with laughter, throwing out his back hooves in a playful buck, but absurdly careful that he didn't actually hit her. Arcadius may not have been as doting as Hadrian was, but the young colt was ridiculously protective of his family... moreso of Zara and Aquitaine, he supposed, since Hadrian and (debatably) Aurelian were capable of defending themselves. The two brothers had a bit of a closer bond with each other than with their sister, but Arcadius might have admitted (if threatened, maybe) that he had a soft spot for Aquitaine, in a slightly different way.
Well, he wouldn't be play-tackling her anytime soon, that was for sure. Maybe a bit of hair-mussing wouldn't hurt, though. He had brotherly duties, after all.
He slowed his pace for her at her shout (a bit reluctantly, the river was so close), but practically danced on his hooves as he waited for her to catch up. He seemed to stumble over a weed at his exuberance, though he paused a minute to frown at the culprit, excitement forgotten for a moment. Was that a weed, or a vine? Seemed that he was running into that particular problem oddly often... plants seemed to like him. Strange. Adventure postponed for a moment, Arcadius took the opportunity to glare at the offender before he realized what he was doing.
River. Adventure. Right.
Bouncing back into a trot, the colt grinned again as Aquitaine reached his side, and the sound of rushing water grew closer. Maybe they could go swimming! The weather was warm enough to permit- but he didn't think 'Taine would go for it... it was one of the activities that Zara had expressly forbidden them from doing unsupervised. But he was here, wasn't he? Surely that had to count for something, he was her big brother!
Hm. Better think of some way to butter her up, first.
"What did you and Mom do yesterday?" he inquired casually, thin tail flicking about in a way that he hoped was nonchalant, but actually came off as morbidly awkward, not solely because of the cracking noise his exposed bones made. Couldn't fault him for trying, anyway.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:16 am
Aquitaine nearly stumbled into her brother when he stopped to inspect a plant. What was with him and plants? She had seen him on a number of other occasions, though she had remained hidden from him, while he very closely inspected various plants. Perhaps he would use plants when he was older, mother and father had mentioned some plants were good for healing, was that what he was working on, learning what plant was what? Or maybe he just secretly liked plants. That could be it too, but didn't he sometimes poke fun at her for liking flowers? Then again would he admit if he liked flowers? Likely not, Arcadius, and Aurelian for that matter, liked to appear tough and independent, and certainly admitting to liking plants, especially flowers, would take away from that.
Giving her head a bit of a shake as she fell into step besides Aquitaine was starting to get excited about this trip, even if she did still have some reservations about them possibly getting into trouble over it. As long as they were careful, didn't wander too far and Arcadius didn't do anything dangerous they would be alright.
His question got her interest instantly. She loved talking about what her and mother did, although a small part of her warned her that he was asking this question for a reason, not out of curiosity or interest. Still, if he asked then she was willing to tell. "She was teaching me a new dance for most of the day. It's a bit complicated so it's taking a while to learn. That was what I was practicing earlier." She told him with a proud tone in her voice. Aquitaine may be daddies little girl but she had a great love of her mother and dancing so it was a subject she loved to talk about. "Then after that we went for a walk down the beach, gathered some shells and picked some more flowers." Then because he seemed to be in a bit of receptive mood, or was it that he wanted something from her, she added. "You should come with me some time, it's real fun and mom says dancing can actually help wit our training with dad too, cause it's gives us better flexibility and agility."
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