[PRP] Fire-in-the-Barn Dare You (Nenetl, Sora, Delmaria)

[xo maho]

This is a private roleplay between Nenetl (Tirokio) & Sora and Delmaria Windrose (Mahogany Sunset).
Please do not post without permission.

 

[xo maho]

"Okay, now," Del said, leaning low in the sand between the sawgrass and bushes of wild roses. Her thin skin was easily cut by the serrations and thorns of both, so she tried to avoid them, but the rough grains of sand didn't feel all too wonderful, either. Turning to her little brother - his pale blue eyes and slightly floral markings were the only feature they really shared - she grinned. This is going to be fun. Sora never seemed to want to do anything, not try new kinds of grass, not poke at things that washed up on the beach with the tide... But the one thing he was okay with was meeting new people. Well, sort of okay with. He would be all reluctant until she shoved him out there, and only then would he start talking and behaving like a normal, sociable soquili. She rolled her eyes.

"This is how the game works. It's called truth or dare, and there's a special kind of rule - it's called the fire-in-the-barn rule," she explained. The game was old; she'd picked it up when she had been a filly from a passing family's little ones, who'd been all too eager to dare her to eat a starfish. Her parents had found them before she'd begun to choke it down, but she'd been ready to try. "The fire-in-the-barn rule is applied when you say something like, 'I fire-in-the-barn dare you to... blah blah blah.' You can't get out of the dare if somebody says that. You have to make believe that the only way you can get out of the fire in the barn is if you do the dare, or you're out of the game," she finished, waiting for his response.

"But that sounds dumb!" Sora replied, looking at his sister with a good bit of skepticism in his eyes as she laid down in the sand next to him. He himself was still standing, tail flicking. A slight pull and tweaking told him he'd gotten it stuck in the roses again - yanking, he got it free. The bushes shook and rattled behind him. "Why would anyone want to play a game like that? It sounds like it could be dangerous. Like what if you dared me to eat a sea urchin? And you know everything about me, we grew up together." Groaning, he looked out at the sea. His parents were a ways down the beach, and Liam was probably running around somewhere, but that didn't matter. He was stuck with Del for the day, and he knew it. Sometimes she tailed him like a curious little crab, and other times, he was the one following her. His big sister was almost a role model to him... But not quite. She was too unpredictable.

"It's not supposed to be dangerous, it's supposed to be fun," Del replied, "and you're not making it any. So my first dare..." she could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to decide whether or not he should get mad because she got to go first. "...Is for you to sit down beside me." Well, that wasn't a fun one, but at least it got the ball rolling. Maybe she would be able to get him to actually do something for once, instead of sitting around and watching other people do stuff. "But normally you have to ask someone to pick either truth or dare, so they don't get stuck doing something they really don't want to do."

"That's it?" He folded his legs beneath him and laid down next to his bright blue sister. "That was easy. Now it's my turn?" When she nodded, Sora smiled. "Truth or dare?"

Del thought for a moment, head tilting to the side and mouth crinkling in concentration. She didn't really have anything to hide from Sora, but she had no idea what he would come up with for a dare - and she didn't want to put herself at stake for that kind of uncertainty, especially with the combination of delicate fins and wings. "Truth."

Great, now he had to come up with a question to ask her. He hadn't thought about that... Maybe boys? Del wandered off sometimes on her own... And nobody seemed to know where she went. "Have you ever had a crush on anyone?" he asked.

"Really? That's what you want to know? Boys?" Del almost laughed, her wings buzzing as they dried out from the soak she'd had earlier today. The saltwater was unkind to them and they itched, but that wasn't what she was supposed to be paying attention to. "I guess there was this one guy I've seen around who's kind of nice... His name's Ion, he's a Cerynei like Dad." That was true. Ion was nice looking... But she didn't really know all that much about him. Sora hmmed, and Del shrugged. Maybe she'd have to talk to Ion some more... But now it was her turn. "Truth or dare?"

He knew which one he wanted to pick. Truth seemed boring, mundane... And Del would probably come up with some ridiculously embarrassing question... But at the same time, if she really wanted to ask him something, couldn't she just dare him to tell her? So dare was pretty much the only real option. "Dare."

Del grinned, and watched as Sora's eyes widened. This was exactly what she'd been waiting for... The chance to make him do something. But what? He'd asked her about boys, so... Grin widening even more, Del said, "I fire-in-the-barn dare you to sit here until a girl comes along, and then you have to go talk to her!" She was an evil genius. It was true. Evil genius. Of course, he would get her back somehow, but that was hardly important. Would they spend all day waiting? Probably. But if he met a girl, Mom and Dad would be so pleased. She really was just doing him a favor. Yeah, a favor.

Sora felt his mouth drop open. A fire-in-the-barn dare to wait? That seemed like a waste of a perfectly good dare, and probably a perfectly good day. But at least he wouldn't have to eat a sea urchin. He closed his mouth with a sullen, "Fine," and settled in to wait, looking through the sawgrass like a spy. Maybe that was what he'd have to do - pretend he was a spy to make the day go by faster. Because it was going to be a long day if nobody showed.

Tirokio

 

[Tirokio]

It was hard to say goodbye to her family, even if such a journey wasn't forever it was her first time out of her herdlands for what was going to be many, many moons. Her hoof prints left behind her frame as she walked across the beach, slowly sinking in with every step. She'd been warned of the dangers in the land beyond the protection of her father and her land's totems; of evil hearted individuals and of course of the purist eyes of those who would see her mud blood of Wind, Kirin and Kalona blood something to choke at.

However, this didn't scare her, while she was rather short in her family tree she still was bigger than most mares, muscle lay dormant under her spotted pelt.

She had to be of strong mind to undergo the task before her, setting out in order to learn more about skin walkers to hopefully aid her father in his own research of the evil driven species. Nenetl already preferred to keep back and observe, melting into the shadows as well as any ghost. She had faith in her docile and solitary ways to keep her safe from the beasts...and if all else failed she did have her wings to allow her to fly away.

As she walked along the beach lost in her own thoughts of where she wold begin her search, she wasn't aware she wasn't alone. The soft chimes of her bells on the ocean breeze gave her position away well since she wasn't trying to be silent; tail swaying in good spirits since she felt most at ease on her own. "Perhaps I need to wait till nightfall.....but stories of attacks in daylight also occur....hmmm..." Her delicate and soft voice was a bit strange with her stocky figure, but she wasn't called Nenetl, or Doll in native tongue, for nothing.
 

[xo maho]

Del heard the whisper of bells on the wind before her brother, and crouched lower in the grass, her wings sticking up behind her. It'd only been a few minutes, thank goodness. She'd have been sorely fed up if it'd taken all day for someone to come traipsing down the beach - and she would have seethed if that someone ended up being male. Her dare would be moot then. "Someone's coming," she said, waiting for them to come into sight - and when the mare did, Del was pleasantly surprised. A black-, blue-, and brown-patterned mare glimmering with jewelry was making her way down the beach... And she had wings, blue like the sky and tipped with coal. Beautiful girl, Del thought enviously, wondering if the slightly bulky mare could fly with her wings - she didn't have a long fish tail like Del's to weigh her down, after all, but an elegant blue-and-brown construction that reminded her of a cat's tail, somehow. "It's a mare," Del whispered, prodding Sora with her tail fin. The brown mare was murmuring something, but it was indistinguishable from here. "Get out there."

Sora's stomach filled with dread the instant that Del's ears flicked forward. It took him a moment, but he heard it, too: the melody of tinkling bells in the salt breeze. Then the dread turned to lead when his sister confirmed that it was a mare - she was a little closer than he - and he scooted up the beach to get a better look, peering through the swaying grass. The first thing he noticed was the brightness of sun on her gold crown. Wait, no, it wasn't a crown; it was a pair of horns, and they didn't quite glimmer in the glare like the rest of the jewelry she was adorned with, snaking around her neck and draped on a foreleg and tail and in her hair. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that she was brown, like him, but something about her was different, and it wasn't just the horns... It took him a moment to realize it, but there were things jutting out from her sides - wings? She had wings?! His father would go nuts if he saw the mare, oh they were in trouble... He'd be all over her, asking where she came from, who her parents were, if there were more winged soquili around for him to admire.

The fwap of Del's tail against his rump made him get to his feet before he knew what he was doing. Her voice flew toward him on the wind, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He felt like he was standing there gawking at her, but he didn't know what to do. Did he just go out there and say hi? Oh, he wasn't good at this. But he'd met other people before, hadn't he? And he always got along well with them. She fire-in-the-barn dared you, idiot, you can't get out of it, he thought, not even stopping to question the validity of that argument, or considering they had been playing a game. When Del thwacked him again, he took a step forward. "I'm going, I'm going," he said, and stumbled through the sawgrass, thankfully only feeling one little nick as he walked clumsily through it. I've inherited my father's grace, he thought ruefully. "Hello!" he called, hailing her. Del was snickering behind him, he could hear her.

I better not completely ruin this, she'll make fun of me for weeks. But he knew that wasn't the point. She probably just wanted him to meet someone or something silly like that.

Tirokio

 

[Tirokio]

While still lost in the confines of her own thoughts, the mare felt her gaze drift to her right and out to the sea, glimmering against the bright intensity of the sun above. It was magical, in a sense, and while she was a mare of facts, work and research....a part of her did appreciate the appearance of what seemed to be other worldly. She mostly found these wonders in nature, and while she knew what caused the phenomenons....a part of her wistful mind would allow herself to slip into fantasy scenarios. With her eyes closing partially as she admired, she completely missed the stallion standing up from the tall grasses, not until his voice called out to her and broke her concentration.

Immediately her head snapped around as she located him quickly, her ears pinning down and her wings flaring a little out of instinct. Oh heavens, she wasn't ready! .....never mind, it was simply a stallion - not a skin walker.

Not that she was thinking a skin walker would just waltz out and call to her in such a cheery tone. Yet her shy instinct was kicking her for being so careless....now she had to be social, and that wasn't her strong point at all. With her head lowering a little and tilted down so her bangs covered a bit of her eyes she felt the heat rise in her face. Barely above a whisper the mare shuffled her hoof in the sand as her tail flicked behind her leg. It would have been impossible to hear her if he hadn't been as close as he was.

"H....Hello....there....sir...." Was he a Sir? Perhaps she shouldn't have said that....he seemed around her age, perhaps a bit older. It never hurt to be polite though, as her mother always said. Sneaking a peek through her bangs she did note that had similar colors, despite shade difference. Yet...he seemed kindly. That's all that mattered was it not? Nenetl wanted to say more, to introduce herself like a good girl her mother guided her and her family to be. However as she tried to open her mouth further no words would come out, so once again she quickly shut it. While in her head she held such bold and wondrous dreams and thoughts....her heart was fluttering in reserved timid fears that caused her body to seize up in the company of others. How silly did a larger mare like herself look cowering to a simple stallion after he greeted her so nicely? Yet...she couldn't help it, finding her wings adjusting out of nervousness.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Sora jumped a little in surprise as the mare reacted aggressively to his greeting, ears laying flat against her skull and wings seeming to fluff up a bit ominously - oh wait, she moved them, I must have scared her, he thought, backing up a little to give her some space and hopefully assure her that he meant no harm. But then... She got bashful?

Tilting his head in confusion, Sora moved closer again, trying to catch her murmur. A greeting. "Hello," he said again, flicking one of his flaxen braids out of his eyes. Movement caught his gaze: her wings moved again, sky blue feathers fidgeting. Was she as nervous as he was supposed to be? That was what Del must have been counting on, him making a fool of himself and stammering into oblivion, not trying to get him out there to socialize. But for some reason, the anxiety he was used to feeling in perpetuity was skimming off him like seawater; he was too intrigued by this girl, not to mention feeling awful for scaring her. "I'm sorry if I startled you," he said, lowering his head a little so he could peer up at her where her eyes hid beneath her bangs. They were bright gold, like her jewelry. "I'm Sora."

Watching from a distance was difficult; Del wanted to go over there and intervene. At least the mare hadn't seen him trip over himself right out of the gate, but he did startle her. Way to go, little bro. Her ears strained to pick up their voices, but the only one she could make out was Sora's as he introduced himself and apologized, just as he should. Their mother had taught him well... But this had to get interesting soon. Just sitting here watching was getting her skin all irritated. Well, actually, that was the sand, but if she didn't stand up soon, her belly would be raw for a week, and that would mean sleeping standing up. And it would also mean that taking her daily dip in the saltwater to refresh her skin would sting.

Sighing, Del cleared a spot of sawgrass and set her jaw down on it, settling in to watch for as long as she could bear. He better make this entertaining.

Tirokio

 

[Tirokio]

Oh what a little ninny she was being, it was making her a little more nervous that she wasn't her happy and carefree self like she was around her family members. How could it be that her very first encounter would begin like this...and to someone who was just trying to be nice to her! Get it together, Nene! She inwardly scolded, before clearing her throat.

She was about to speak once more, but suddenly a face appeared right before her. His face! Eyes widening as she gazed into his pale eyes she felt as if her face could have caught on fire at this point from the intensity of her blush. She wanted to move her wings to hide her face....heck, if she had large enough wings she would have hidden her whole body behind them. Yet thats not why she left her herdlands...she wanted to see the world.

And it all was going to start with this fellow...er...Sora, he said his name was.

Swallowing hard, she raised her voice, which was still around a mild whisper at best; but it could have been heard by anyone around if they were really trying to listen in. "I'm...Nenetl....or Nene.....Igobyboth." She felt herself quicken, her ears were still down but she'd managed to hold his gaze politely the entire time she spoke. "It's okay....." Really....she was just thankful he wasn't someone bad; she'd take being startled like this anyday if it saved her from being startled by an attack.

"Its.....very....nicetomeetyou..." Slowly, but surely, the mare offered a faint smile, trying to portray that she was happy to meet him even if her body language said otherwise thanks to her nervous shyness.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

As he looked up at her, her face seemed to brighten, and Sora realized she was blushing. He backed up a little to give her some space, wondering if perhaps his proximity was making her uncomfortable. But then she spoke up, a little louder, introducing herself. It took a moment for him to make out the last word, but when he got it, he grinned crookedly. Something about the way she spoke was endearing, and her shyness only added to the effect.

Glad that she didn't seem to hold his sudden, surprising appearance against him, Sora bounced a little, shifting his weight from one hoof to another. "It's nice to meet you, too, Nene," he replied, and saw her smile. It was sweet, despite her still-pinned ears and pausing voice. "Is this the first time you've been down here? I haven't seen you around before." That sounded like such a mundane question when it came out of his mouth, but he couldn't think of anything interesting to say - and maybe interesting would be even more nerve-wracking for her if he could actually think of something.

Wait, what if I'm holding her up? The thought shot through his mind without warning. Was he in her way? What if all the fidgeting was because she was trying to think of a polite way to get around him? Moving to the side and out of her way so she could pass by him if she wanted to, Sora tried to keep eye contact. "I hope I'm not holding you up. If I am... Well, I guess I would be the least of your worries." He laughed a little, not meaning to sound so conceited. "I mean... My father is up there, and if he gets wind of you, he'll probably chase you down to interrogate you about your wings. He loves wings." Wow, listen to me ramble. He nearly shook his head at himself, but that would have looked strange; instead, he shrugged his shoulders. "My family lives on this stretch of the beach."

Del held down a delighted laugh as she listened to the exchange between her little brother and this mystery mare. Nenetl, she was called. Her way of speaking was adorable, especially when paired with the fragile smile that Del could barely make out across the distance between herself and the mare. Sora, though... Sora was a mess, going on about their family. Points for the warning, penalties for suggesting she doesn't want to be in your presence. Even if he had been in her way, surely Sora had just stuck her in a black hole of courtesy or something. Next he would probably give away her presence... Oh no, she thought, eyes widening. He's going to tell her I'm spying on them! She started scrambling backward, sand flying, but then she thought about it - if he told Nenetl that she was up here and it turned out that she was not... Wouldn't that make him look bad, maybe crazy? As much as that would be entertaining, she couldn't do that to her brother. Maybe when she was in a bad mood, but she wasn't right now.

Frowning, Del scooted forward again and waited for the inevitable.

Tirokio

 

[Tirokio]

Luckily for Nene, Sora seemed to get the picture and moved back a smidgen; while she immediately thought maybe she did something wrong...or maybe even smelt bad these feelings were soon put to rest as he spoke. A kind of lopsided grin stretching across his face. She could breathe again, for really the only ones who'd ever gotten close to her was her family and herdmates...she really wasn't prepared for someone who had no such relation to her coming so close.

Not that he meant any harm as she could tell...she just supposed old habits die hard.

Nodding her head in almost a too eager fashion, feeling a small bubble of boldness to want to try and talk normally to this stallion like she did with those she grew up with. "YES!" She nearly shouted, before a shocked expression came out at the volume and once more she quickly felt embarrassed again. "I-I mean...yes...this is my first time...leaving my herd lands too....by myself." Was about the best she could do to explain herself and her reason for being so skiddish without just coming out and saying she was faint at heart even in such a large body.

When Sora had stepped aside she gave him a look, curious to what he was doing. Shaking her head slowly as he spoke she ever so shyly spoke again. "No...you're not. I don't quite know where i'll be going yet..." but this of course, was quickly dashed aside by his friendly little warning.

That clearly she didn't hear all of what he said as her mind picked up only a few words when she'd heard the sand being kicked up not too far away; seeing some of it fly over the tall grass.

Up there....he'll probably chase you down The words she did catch echoed in her mind as she gave a little yelp in surprise thinking whomever was going to chase her down had come over here to get her instead. In a fluster of wings and sand she'd nearly launched herself against the stallion; trying to duck her body behind his. "Please don't!" She whispered in fright, peering over his back as she looked at the grass which she could have sworn had moved.

Wait....did he say family? The mare scrunched her face to try and recall exactly what he'd said...didn't he mention father...? "Whywouldyourfatherchasemeformy...wings..." Nene almost forgot to breathe, casting a quick glance up at Sora before back at the bush where Del had been hiding all along. Was that his father, maybe?

For a girl who'd had her heart set on studying skinwalkers with no hesitation in her heart...this trip was off to a very, very bad start for her if she couldn't even handle this with grace.

Mahogany Sunset

 

[xo maho]

Sora's smile grew when Nene started nodding - she was almost too sweet for words. Earnest, though, that was probably the word he would use to describe her if he was going to use words. He had never met someone this bashful before; he had just been around his brash older sister, carrying around the weight of her ever-slightly-embarrassing presence. And because he was just getting used to her bashfulness, Sora jumped when her voice came out again, and it was far louder than he expected. His ears flicked back for a moment, his eardrums throbbing at the sound and his eyes squinting. "You come from a herd?" he asked, curious. Had a herd ever come through the beach before? He didn't think so - he had seen small family groups, numbering between two and eight, but never more than that. The most frequent numbers they saw were just lone travelers, looking for shelter, bedraggled from the harsh weather on the coast and the salt in the air. "Will they be following you?"

In passing, he was glad that he was not in her way, but he stood off to the side, anyway; if she began walking, he would probably start walking with her. It would be good for him to keep a conversation going with someone other than his family... And if she insisted on going forward, maybe he would be able to brush his father away from harassing her about her wings. They were beautiful wings - brown like the earth and blue like the sky, a perfect blend for a flighted soquili, who could travel by air and land. He supposed that that made his coloring just right, then, for he was stuck on the ground.

All thought flew from his mind, however, when she scurried around him and nearly pressed herself up against him, apparently out of fear. Brows knitting in confusion, he followed her gaze up to the grass. Had Del moved? Had Nene picked up on it? Way to go, sis. Her question barely filtered through Sora's ears, but he answered it anyway, figuring it was best to answer that first before telling her what was actually up there. "My father - he adores wings. He wants to know how they work, how they can keep a fully grown soquili aloft. He likes to look at the variety of colors, the differences in feathers. He just likes wings. As for what's up there..." His voice lowered to a whisper. "That's my sister. She dared me to come down here and talk to you. So I did, and she's probably trying to hide her laughter or something. She's harmless." Mostly, his common sense thought, thinking of the bite or two she'd bestowed on him over last couple years.

Tirokio

 

[Tirokio]

Breathe, Nene, Breathe! The mare inwardly scolded herself as she withdrew herself from against the stallion just slightly. At the reveal that it probably wasn't his well meaning father and was simply a sister hiding nearby in the bushes she'd found herself blushing quite profusely. She'd not imagined running into anyone close to her herd land; perhaps maybe a day or several in solitude getting to know herself and her place in the world outside her father's blessed lands before confidently meeting with others outside her herd.

Well....she'd met someone at least.

"I am..." She smiled in a docile manner, motioning her hear back in the direction she'd come from with a flick of her chin. "My herd land is back there, down on the southern point of that peninsula. Its a wonderful place, coastal beaches and temperate forests...We're large in numbers." She looked back, ears flattening slightly. "But not all of us are large." She'd known not all soquili were of open mind, and while Sora had done nothing to tip her off he was of narrow view she was still cautious of exactly what information she let past her lips before she had a clear answer. She didn't want to upset anyone or in turn get upset if someone had not so nice things to say about her family. She wasn't as bold and upfront as her siblings to 'dish out' information and responses. So she'd wait...and if it came up she'd say something.

"No...just me. Mother told me about the pass connecting the peninsula and the mainland via the beaches so I didn't have to go through the sloped mountain pass - its a little quicker when heading east." Besides, the Usdia's of the herd always used the pass; so since she had no set aim aside from a visit close to the skin walker graveyard if she didn't meet one on the way she had no set course. "I am on this journey alone. Its a bit too dangerous..." And well - she didn't want to disclose exactly what she was doing to her family; Nene wanted it to be a surprise to return with a plethora of information for her father's studies.

"There...isn't too much I know. It wasn't an area of study I've gotten to yet..." Nene remarked towards her own wings. She knew her bone density was different, and her wings were proportioned to her size to allow flight; perhaps her brain was wired a little differently to have a cognitive flight instinct but....she'd been more inclined about different species and social studies than a Soquili's make up. "But there are a lot of winged soquili in my family and herd so...your f-father would probably bereallyexcitedtobethereandtalktoeveryone..." she paused, took a breath to calm before continuing. "My father is the Angeni of Knowledge so...they'd have a lot to discuss." Wings and information was pretty much Cuauhcoatl in a nutshell.

Looking back to the bush once more, Nene had lowered her own voice to a whisper; even if she didn't know why she was whispering if everyone knew of everyone's presence now. "I don't understand...is it amusing for you to be talking to me..?" Was she funny? She was spirit born from the wishing star so maybe she was funny to those unaware with gifts from the great star...or was it more he was the source of humor? She couldn't say she had ever been dared to do anything, so it was all a little foreign of a thought. "I must be troubling you though...I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable...or do something uncomfortable like talk to someone like me..." Oh bother. She couldn't quite express that she was sorry she came along...because Nene would have never known she was part of someone's dare ahead of time but she supposed if she hadn't been walking by he wouldn't have had to complete a dare..... even though they were still standing close she'd glanced his way; golden eyes peeking through her slightly shielding black bangs. "I'm sorry Sora..." Even if sorry wasn't the norm to say in such a situation it was really all she was familiar with.

Mahogany Sunset