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 Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:02 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:58 pm
How long had it been since they'd had that rather explosive argument? She'd lost count of the days, weeks and months that had passed, in fact she could surmise that there was potential for it to have been a year or two. All she remembered is that the stallion had been positively livid at what she had done and she hadn't been the slightest bit apologetic. As far as she was concerned she was well within her rights to introduce herself to those on the slope, it avoided confusion and with the number of scouts and guards that were present, it avoided her being schooled as well. She had caused confusion once or twice, and it had only been when they had spoken to her that they realised she was harmless... or as harmless as a Kalona could get.
Ah, but had she known that it was going to invite such wrath and fury upon her, she may have at least informed him of her intentions. Whether or not Chetan would have listened to her remained to be seen, he could have been completely engrossed in his studies and only half heard her at best, but at least she would have had more ammunition. Alas, thinking back on it the mare was still unrepentant, especially now that she had been graced with Ambroise's company. She'd never met him before, he'd been extremely cordial, but eventually he had informed her that he was Chetan's uncle and as Chetan's beau he had a favour to ask of her.
His beau?
She was still considered attached to him?
Fortunately she had kept these incredulous and surprised thoughts to herself, and had listened to what Ambroise wanted to say. At first it had all seemed very peculiar, rushed and vague, but low and behold she had eventually pieced the puzzle together and had worked out that the summit were concerned about some sort of Kalona herd and they needed to make sure this place was safe. Since they all stood out like sore thumbs, they had wondered if she would possibly consider doing something akin to a fact finding mission. Was it dangerous? Quite possibly, but given her heritage they may be more lenient on her and to be fair, she could probably protect herself... But would she help?
She'd been undecided for a time, but eventually she had agreed to see what she could do. She promised nothing, only that she would take a look, and if it was deemed too risky she would leave. However, before she took to the skies to seek out these fabled 'kalona', she had elected to find and correct one tiny little issue.
Chetan.
It had been months, if not years, since they had been near each other and his family still thought she was with him. Given he hadn't given her so much as a whisper of an apology, so much as an indication that he still liked her, this was something that needed to be addressed. While she would help his family today, she wanted this misunderstanding corrected and she didn't care if he found it embarrassing.
"Chetan!" she boomed as she came to land at what had once been his study. "Drop whatever snail you're staring at and get over here," she demanded.
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:13 pm
It had been quite some time since he had last spoken to Azelle. Well, spoken was a bit of an understatment -- he had fumed at her, and she had been unrepentent, and perhaps, unknowing of the source of his irritation. Unfortunately, he'd never had an opportunity to better explain himself, and certainly hadn't had an opportunity to cross her path.
No, Azelle had been angry, and she had left. As time went on, after his temper had simmered, he had pondered seeking her out. The black, maned, stallion had even gone out on strolls in hopes of finding her, but either fear, irritation, or simple inability had kept the stallion from making amends. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and . . . he tried to stop counting. He pretended he didn't know exactly how long it had been since he had last crossed paths with the mare, but that was quite a lie -- he knew damn well just how long it had been, and often dubbed himself a fool.
After awhile, the stallion gave up on the idea of ever being able to make ammends. Clearly she had no desire to seek him out, and for as intelligent as the stallion was, he was not always the brightest. In many situations, he often found himself awkward or overly anxious and when he couldn't cope, he would dig back in to the kindness of science and the natural world around him.
The pain would ease, he told himself. There were other mares, not that he had ever once given one a second glance, nor even truly considered seeking them out. He was too busy, too busy with snails, and the deterioration of leaves, or this particular mountain fungus that might prove a threat to their habitat over the next coming years, or the acidity of a particular spring. Still, no matter how hard he tried to forget, he couldn't. Ah, he had been ever so smitten with the mare. Smitten, but terribly insecure, and baffled by her interest. He had loved her from afar, but had never the strength to confess such a thing, even while they courted. Now, it was too little, too late. . .
So it was, Chetan studied. And studied. And studied. He was practically a hermit of the herd. Still, he had remained faithful, and though he had not given chase to Azelle after she had fled, it was well known that his heart was still thoroughly, hopelessly hers. No matter where she had gotten off on, no matter where she had roamed, whether she wanted it or not.
Needless to say, he was not expecting her to return. Not now, not ever. So, when that loud, demanding voice echoed not far from where he was taking note of the local tree growth, and its fungus, his stomach all but dropped.
. . . . he knew that cry.
He knew that sassy inflection.
But. . . . what was she doing in his study? And what on earth could she possibly want with him?
Panicked, unsure, surprised, startled, embarassed, the brown and gold stallion knew it would not do well to keep her waiting. Though his throat clenched, the stallion had always been rather stoic. So, he swallowed his feelings, and pushed his way back to the heart of his study. Sure enough, there stood Azelle, in all her blazing glory. Oh, silver eyes could have drank her in. . . and in part they did . . . but. . . . what they had, what strange thing it was, had been ages ago.
So he dropped his gaze some, cleared his throat, and stopped a few yards before her. "Azelle." He stated politely, courteously, though words almost failed him. What could he say? ". . . what might I do for you?" Stiff, formal, so typical Chetan. Logical, aloof, not one to let himself get wrapped up in the emotional; one who . . . was so socially awkward it was painful. Still, age and time had tempered him with a little more confidence, a little less awkwardness, though not much.
He would never be extroverted. He would never be charming. He would simply be the studious hermit who never quite said the right thing, at the right time. . .
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Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:43 pm
What could he do for her...? Well she supposed she shouldn't have expected anything else, the male had always been a difficult one and he was the definition of stuffy. That being said she still would have thought he would have had the decency to look sheepish or apologetic for the fact he had dragged her in to this. Oh she had long since accepted he was a coward in certain respects, not one to take the bull by the horns, but he'd always had a very definite view on how things should be done as well...so much so that he had told her off for saying hello; well, fat lot of good that had done either of them.
How he'd come from such a charming father she'd never know.
"You can start by telling me why your family still think that you and I are together," she snapped. Unlike the stallion before her, she had never been one to shy away from confrontation, no matter how uncomfortable. Oh sure, it might have left a bitter taste in her mouth and brought up some rather unfortunate sensations; confusion, loss, embarrassment that she had misunderstood what she represented, but that didn't mean she would shy away from her responsibility. Her family had known what had happened, so she failed to see why his didn't either!
"To the point that they requested that I provide them with help with their Kalona problem," she continued coolly and arched a brow. She'd always had a knack for such haughty expressions, she exuded a sense of entitlement on many occasions that just seemed to it; but now was a painfully obvious moment when she knew she was deserving of an explanation...she wasn't just pushing for one.
"Last time I checked you had chased me out for being sociable so if you could just run this whole thing by me again that would be fabulous," she positively glowered at the stallion, her good humour long gone in her trek into his domain...and that was exactly what it was. She might have trooped about as though it was her little kingdom but when it came down to it she had always been an interloper, dropping in unannounced and disturbing his beloved research; and now she was doing it again, though for less pleasant reasons, at least in her books, for all she knew he had merely humoured her all those years. After all, she would eventually get bored and entertain herself elsewhere, then he was free to return to his research.
"Not that I won't help this time, I'm just not a huge fan of the imploring gazes and assumptions," she finished at last, her lips pursing into a thin line. He might have been the epitome of formal, but she was not one to rein in her temper and she had no qualms about displaying her unhappy manner!
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:47 am
Chetan didn't even know where to begin.
The stallion was quite aloof, and had always been incredibly introverted nad reserved. He was formal, overly-polite, and had always been a bit of a blacksheep. His father had never known what to do with such a socially awkward son, and Chetan had always known himself to be a bit... odd. For as intelligent as he could be about the physical world, when it came to making and creating social connections, he struggled.
Seeing Azelle back in his little grove was both a blessing and a curse. Mostly, he supposed, the latter, for the amount of pain that gripped him. His heart had all but seized, and for a long moment he struggled with words. His brian was trying to make sense of everthing throughout the haze of feelings that had gripped him. Thankfully, her sharp retort and explanation of WHY she had returned did help logic its way past his fumbling feelings. Feelings he knew he should have long since let go, but the damned pesky things were resiliant to logic.
And oh, how Chetan didn't even know where to begin. He knew of the kalona herd, knew of the danger. The fear for her safety turned into an anger at his family. . . and it quickly swelled! His tail swished in irritation, though it was not due to Azelle, and there was a momentary panic. "They should never have requested such a thing. Never should have put you in the middle of that mess!" He all but roared -- roared by Chetan's standards, at any rate. "You didn't actually agree to it, did you?" It wasn't that he doubted Azelle's ability to handle herself, but. . . .
This herd was not native to the Kawani, obviously. They were not kind, they were not looking to love their neighbor, or make friends. And while Azelle certainly looked most the part, would her mane tail get her in trouble? Would they kill on sight if she were discovered? Chetan didn't know details, didn't know what his family had even asked of her, but. . . how could they? Were there not others to go in her stead?
So he was a coward.
So he was selfish.
So he was shy and afraid of the world.
He was not strong like others in his family, he was not as resiliant as all that. All he had was brains, but even then, he knew he lacked wisdom or common sense. And while he did not like the kalona herd so close to their lands, he . . . also felt helpless. There was little he could do, physically speaking, and he knew he didn't have the courage to face them as some of his family very well might.
But to have Azelle go do some task, do something that required her to get muddled within that kalona herd. .. or to even get near it. . . He couldn't help but be afraid. Capable as she might be, that was walking close to the fire, and he didn't want her burned. Just as he feared for his family, for his herd, just as he worried and fret about what they would do. . . "Look," he spoke again, this time reigning in his outburst of concern, trying hard to stay cool, calm, and logical. "I'm sorry they contacted you at all. They never told me of it, and I certainly would have told them to find someone else to do their work. Not that I don't think you can do it but..." Well, he didn't need to say it. Quickly moving on, he added, "They . . . They especially shouldn't be under any assumption. They . . . shouldn't have acted the way in which they have. And for that I am . . . I am sorry, if it caused . . .discomfort." Oh, he was flailing. . and equally embarrassed. Of course his family would do this. . .of course they'd bring her in to the fold, and not only put her life in danger, but to make assumptions that they were together? They . . .they weren't anymore.
Chetan never chased her out, though he had been upset that she'd introduced herself to his family without her knowledge. It wasn't a crime but. . . he had hardly known where he stood with Azelle and what HE had wanted, and what his family might assume with such a meeting, might not have been what Azelle desired. It had been a mess, and while he hadn't meant to upset what they had. . . it had been broken all the same.
Oh, if only he could turn back time and . . . handle the situation more delicately. Instead, his temper had gotten the best of him, his emotions that he tried so damn hard to bottle. He was a fool, and idiot, and he didn't know how to fix this. . . wasn't even sure he could.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:22 pm
Had he raised his voice? Well, he might not have raised it to the level of, say, a bear, but he had sounded a little louder than normal. Perhaps something she had said had riled him up? She held her tongue until he had finished speaking and it was only then that she was able to ascertain that he was unhappy at the actions taken by his family. Admittedly he seemed more angered by their request than the assumption, but logic stated (yes, she was using logic!) that this was expected - Chetan would always have his priorities in order and someone's life was marked higher than something so trivial in comparison.
"Why would I say no?" she asked after a few moments of measured silence, her lips pursing into a delicate line as she regarded the stallion. She couldn't really determine how he was feeling beyond apparent frustration, or was it anger, at his own family. Perhaps a small amount of disbelief, that would have been 'logical'... all in all, it really should have come at no surprise to her that his facial expressions caused her some level of difficulty.
"They clearly required my assistance and it's bad form to ignore someone in need, at least that's what I've heard," she mused and shook her head. "I just need to make sure I paint my hooves so they look cloven and I should be fine," she added and lifted one up just a little to inspect it. She had thought about some things at least, though he was right that her tail might have been cause for concern...and what if the 'paint' ran off at some point and exposed her as impure?
It was at this point that she fell quiet for a short while and then cleared her throat.
"And thank you," she said finally and tilted her head to the side, "I suppose I can forgive you since you knew nothing," she murmured and shook her head. "I just..."
What did she want?
"Well I was just curious as to why they might of thought what they did, that was all..." she finished, perhaps sounding a touch sheepish. "At least now I know that things were just a misunderstanding, right"
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:44 pm
This was just an atrocious plan. Azelle hardly seemed concerned; the way she spoke about paining her hooves made it seem like she was simply going out for a night on the town to chat up some amicable fellow! This kalona herd sounded like bad news, and he . . . He had to wonder what they might do if they found her suspicious. She did look like a kalona, but she also possessed a mane tail; he didn't know if purists actually took that as sign of the blood or a mixed-breed. He didn't now much about purists at all, really; all the kalona kind he knew were amicable enough, if not a force to reckon with. Azelle herself was beautiful but could crush anyone beneath her hoof, that he was sure of! He knew better than to take her, or any of kalona blood, lightly. One could never judge a book by its cover, after all.
So it was, the stallion tried to find the right words. He studied the mare, considering what his family had requested of her, and worse, how they had presumed them still a couple; oh how it stung knowing that he had flubbed everything up. Why hadn't he just asked her what she had wanted to be with him? What they had been? Why hadn't he at least tossed his pride aside and begged her to come back, to reconsider, to apologize? It had to be too late now. He was a fool. . . and now, all he could think about was this mission; this danger that might very well put her life at stake.
"You wouldn't be ignoring their need," he stated, his worry obvious. "You'd be asking them to find someone else or considering your life. It's not like they're asking to you to simply stroll through the meadow. I don't doubt your ability to perform or act, but paint exudes a scent, and there's still an issue with your tail. They might kill you without a second thought. What exactly are you supposed to be doing for them, anyway? Chat them up? Watch them?" He finally asked, silver eyes watching her intently. This was all a horrible plan and he couldn't wait to see what his family had to say. This was crazy.
When Azelle asked why they thought what they did, Chetan felt his heart give his skip, his stomach churn, and his shoulders sag. He lowered his head some, averting his gaze while he tried to think of his words. ". . . they, they . . ." He struggled to find a reason. He knew his father tried to reassure him, to tell him they were going through nothing more than a lover's spat, but Chetan wasn't sure Azelle even wanted to be that these days. "They think we're just going through a rough patch, that's all," he stated with a small shrug. "I think they . . . know I still . . carry a . . flame for . . you . . . but. . . It's ridiculous of them to make such broad assumptions," he hastily carried on, trying hard to not feel flushed or embarrassed. "They just . . . don't look at the facts. They're romantics, too emotional, too invested. Silly of them, right?" He wanted to laugh but there was nothing funny about his heartache.
This was a new form of hell and he hated it.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 10:47 am
"My grandfather possesses the same tail as me and he is a Pureblood," she pointed out stubbornly. She even had Ariston's horns, inheriting their simple design, but they were none-the-less his. For all intents and purposes, painting her hooves should have been enough in her eyes. If the Kalona were that puritanical then she would know fairly quickly and make a swift escape. Besides, if they had any sense of forethought and intelligence they would realise rather quickly that she was not the only 'pureblood' who lacked the speared tail. To turn away those who didn't necessarily conform to your foreign standards would do no favours for them if they needed allies, and whether they liked that or not, at some point they would need them.
...How else would they get insider information on territory and potential enemies that could opposed them? She wasn't the best strategist in the world, but even this mare could recognise the practical uses for the natives of the region.
Nevertheless Chetan seemed to be very much in the 'no' camp, one of which he would share with the rest of her family. Truth be told, she hadn't told them of her intentions either and nor did she plan to. The moment they heard they would object, perhaps even forcefully, and she simply couldn't afford to let them dictate her own choices to her. After all, she was no sheltered princess and it was high time she was allowed to make her own decisions and accept the consequences. She might have been taken by surprise that she had been asked, but she appreciated that her value was recognised!
However when the stallion explained the reason behind his family's assumptions, an explanation she had never really anticipated she would receive, it did give her pause. She had known that his family were very much like her own, ruled in great part by their hearts, but it seemed that they were the smarter ones in this scenario despite the giant brain Chetan may or may not have possessed. Her head promptly tilted to the side as she regarded him, mulling over his words for a time - she wasn't entirely certain of how to respond yet, but she would know in a moment or two...
"What facts are those?" she said finally.
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