[PRP] Not so scary... (Raines x Rynia)

[Epine de Rose]

His mother had left somewhat abruptly a number of weeks ago. If the stallion had been asked to put a rough guess on the time she'd been away, he'd have put his hoof on around two months. Unsurprisingly (to him at least), his father had followed after her, what was unusual was that he hadn't returned. Elizabeth's alarmed state had caused quite a stir in his father and it was clear to Raines that the fire was something she held as highly important... Thus, the stallion had surmised that his mother would have stayed in the lowlands for an extended period. She was the sort to rebuild it, though his father's decision to remain was a bit of a turn up for the books.

This had left Raines, and a number of other soquili, in the immediate 'care' of Sylph. Admittedly, the black stallion had barely been around, trusting that each and every one of them was more than capable of looking after their own state of affairs. The Kalona invasion had come and gone, with considerable cost to the lowlands, and the fire had been doused... but nothing had touched the steep and unyielding slopes.

...With the exception of Tempest's crusade in the name of his 'god', none of the herds in the immediate vicinity were at risk. It was an unusual state of complete, and utter calm. Rather than the quiet and fearful whispers of passing creatures, topics had returned to the more mundane such as fashion or who was courting who. This was the conversation he now found himself embroiled in with Moppet who had taken a brief break from tending to Azumoth's 'luscious locks' to do the social rounds.

"So ye see, I think she may be needin' to be a bit more forward if she wants him to realise she likes him, aye?" Moppet was currently discussing his aunt, the youngest child of his grandparents, and the one currently causing the most gossip. "Maybe jes' be sayin' "Eh laddie, why won't ye let me take ye out fer a meal?" She paused and regarded Raines as if awaiting his input, though she noted the stallion seemed particularly sceptical.

"I'll...be honest with you Moppet," Raines said after a moment. "I'm not entirely certain he'd respond the way you want him to given she's been stalking the poor guy for such a long time..." he mused. "I think he might flatly reject her."

"At least it'd be an answer," Moppet pointed out. "Nay point in all this uncertainty, life is too short!"

Cajmera

 

[Cajmera]

Rynia sometimes still had to pinch herself to reassure herself that she wasn't dreaming. Life had changed so much so quickly that it had almost made her head spin! She would be lying to herself if she didn't sometimes wonder if she'd done the right thing...but she only had to look around to know she had. In her old life, what had she had? A riverbank to cuddle with, a sky to watch in wistfulness...and a mother who had beaten her into the ground, in every conceivable sense. Months later, even after Ladius had attacked Rynia with intent to cripple or kill, Rynia still couldn't shake the loyalty to her mother...and to her mother's training.

Coming to the Summit had been a good thing, but a terrifying thing. at the same time. After all, she had flown in company with a STALLION! And there were other stallions in the Summit, more stallions than she'd ever seen in her life! She had spent a great deal of time in those early days panicking, or preparing to panic, or coming off of a panic; she was positive that whatever those stallions thought of her, it wasn't good.

At least she knew that it was unlikely to be homicidal! Her 'retraining' was slow going, but she had one particularly strong ally in her corner: Elizabeth. Although she was of an age with Rynia's own mother, Elizabeth was the polar opposite of Ladius in almost every way. She had taken Rynia in without question when Raines had first brought her to the Summit, and been nothing but kindness since. She's introduced Rynia to the area...and to the Soquili (sooooo many Soquili!). She had 'held her hand' as Rynia had met her first stallions, such as Elizabeth's terrifying lifemate, Ambroise. Rynia knew intellectually that Ambroise couldn't really be scary, but he was so big and imposing...

Then again, when you thought of what some of the other stallions around here were like...

Rynia shook her head, trying not to think about it. After all, she was supposed to be thinking positive, and remembering that stallions were NOT universally scary. And even scary LOOKING Soquili could be nice inside...right?

She sighed, looking around the hillside with happiness. Life could get better, and it had! It always could get better, she now knew to be true. Though truth be told, she was feeling a bit stressed out these days, ever since her protector and teacher Elizabeth had gone down to the Lowlands. Rynia admired Elizabeth's giving spirit, but that didn't change the fact she was gone and Rynia was now left alone to soldier on.

Still...it was nice to soldier on in peace and safety! With another soft sigh, she ducked her head through the handle of her herb basket and started back up the hill. In Liz's absence, SOMEONE needed to stay on top of the gathering!

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

"Moppet, if that poor stallion actually caves in and lets my aunt seduce him I will..." Raines paused and considered his options while the raccoon gazed at him expectantly. He genuinely considered the prospect of Solstice and Tranquility to be so absurd that he needed a suitable declaration to make this absolutely clear. "You know what, I have no idea what I'd do, it's just such an utterly absurd concept."

"And why is it so absurd?" the raccoon raised her eyebrow, catching sight of Rynia out of the corner of her eye. Always the polite one, she gave her an enthusiastic wave. Raines followed her gaze, noted the mare and offered a smile before continuing his conversation, he knew better than to push his luck, his mother had made sure he understood that fact before she had left.

"I just can't see the appeal of someone mooning at you from afar, randomly showing up everywhere you go," he paused and shook his head. "If anything I would be disturbed by someone stalking me," he murmured. He was genuine in this as well, he couldn't realistically see any period in which 'stalking' would be appropriate. Ah, but if only Yei had been here to indicate that it was impossible to understand the way love worked sometimes!

"Ye know..." Moppet leant back on her haunches and grinned. "Yer dad was a pretty big stalker in 'is time, and yer uncle Feng! Aye 'e be jes' as bad as yer aunt," the raccoon giggled at the memory of all the antics, recalling those days with fondness. To think back on it now, she suspected a lot of them would be embarrassed or thoroughly amused by how they had been as young soquili. "And we'll not mention all those wild nights and accidents we 'ad either..."

"What...?"

"Ye be one of the few offspring that was expected, darlin'," Moppet since with a smug smile. "Ye never be knowin' when love will come yer way and fer all ye know this stallion might find he quite likes 'er."

"I'd rather have someone who talked to me," Raines mumbled glumly.  

[Cajmera]

Rynia hadn't been expecting to encounter anyone out on the hillside, and her first reaction was, as always, to flee. Still, time was her friend, and she was able to squelch that thought after only a few moment's consideration. Instead, she sent a hesitant smile back over towards Raines and Moppet, even going so far as to boldly offer a one-winged wave of her own.

"Ooh, aren't you going to go over and say hi?" The voice, high and piping, broke in just as Rynia was feeling proud of herself for the wave. She didn't have to look to know who was speaking, but she did anyway, looking down at the bird resting on the edge of her basket. "You know I can't do that, Aria; they look busy in their conversation, and I need to get these plants laid out to dry, and-"

"And, nothing," Aria the bird said with firm determination. "It's just Moppet, and Raines! We like them, remember? They are nice! And friendly! And not scary! And it would be good for me to hear catch up with the choirmaster, and for YOU to talk to someone besides me." For being only a few ounces, Aria knew how to throw her weight around. She had taken a genuine liking to the timid mare in their journey to the Summit, and had stayed on with her to help Rynia 'ease' into Summit life. It was a bit of a wrench, missing out on all the choir happenings, but she was confident that she was doing a good thing.

Or she would be, if Rynia would just listen!

Sometimes, a bird just had to take things into her own wings. Without giving Rynia a chance to form a new arguement, Aria took wing and swooped over to Raines and Moppet. "Helloooooooo there! Do you mind if we join you for a little while?" She didn't know what they were talking about, but surely it would be a nice chat regardless of topic!

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

He knew the songbird, she'd been part of his choir and he offered a pleasant smile as she dropped in on them. Neither he or Moppet would have had any issues with Rynia joining them (although it would have surprised him), and well, Aria was the bubbly sort anyway... That was sort of how most of the birds in his choir were. Still, this could also work to his advantage as Moppet clearly wasn't buying in to his view that the whole 'stalking' thing wasn't exactly the best of courting methods.

"Of course you can," he said at last and gave her a welcoming wave. "In fact, I think you could actually contribute to our discussion," he added and peered at Moppet, who as usual, looked very confident that she was correct.

"Ain't nothin' to discuss," she replied confidently and patted down at her fur.

"And I disagree," Raines replied and peered at Aria, electing to address her first. After all, he assumed that Rynia would (maybe) speak when she felt ready to do so, if she didn't want to then she didn't have to. Suffice to say that he suspected his mother would be very proud of him in these moments. Regardless, the pair at least deserved a summary of events so that they could accurately provide their own opinions.

"So, I have an aunt," he began. "Her name is Lilly and for the last few months she's been stalking a stallion in the lowlands because she thinks she's in love with him," he paused for a breath. "I'm pretty sure she also hasn't spoken to him, if anything she just moons after him. Now, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the fact that I would find it kind of...oh I don't know, creepy, to be stalked endlessly by someone who just stares at me." he cleared his throat.

"Let alone if they suddenly, one day, decided to declare they were in love with me," he finished.

"And I believe tha' in this case 'e 'as te accept that nay everyone' is like 'im and she might succeed," the raccoon spoke after the stallion. "Frankly, I reckon his aunt 'as as good a chance as any at gettin' what she wants!"

"Thoughts?" Raines enquired.  

[Cajmera]

Agony, thy name was Rynia. She knew very well that Aria meant well, but did she have to mean well with such...well, with such aggression? Here Rynia had been feeling proud of herself for making eye contact and waving, happy to move on and get back to the safety of home, and now she was on the horns of a dilemma! On the one hand, she COULD just continue on and leave Aria to converse as the little bird wanted; but on the other hand, Aria had asked and been invited on behalf of both of them. Surely to run off now would be rude?

At first, she should to the side, dithering a bit. It wasn't like it was a BIG group, and Raines was nice...but he was still a stallion...and there was no other mare to help her out with her anxiety. But Aria was there, and Moppet...

Finally, she split the difference, sidling up to the group with her usual timid caution and taking up a position on the other side of Moppet. Since Raines had waited for her, she caught the whole conversation...though that might not have helped her out! Once she realized they were talking about...courting behavior, Rynia promptly turned red and cast her eyes down to her hooves. What a subject to be discussing so...so...openly!

Aria had no such qualms, though, and she was always willing to offer her opinions. Perching on Raines' head, she offered, "I think she should talk to him! He might be pretty to look at, but watching won't really tell her much about his character, hrm? She's looked, now she ought to talk!" Nodding her little head for emphasis, the bird flitted over to perch on Rynia shoulder, chirruping as she asked Rynia "Don't you think it would be good to talk to someone you admired?"

Her face still flushed and her head tilted down, Rynia was staring intently at her basket of plants and wishes she was somewhere else. However, a brief awkward silence made her feel she ought to say something, so she took a breath and burst out quietly, "IthinkitsoundsverypersonalIdon'tknowbuttalkingishard..."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

"See!" Raines declared and waves his wing at Aria as she bounced to Rynia's head. "Freaking thank you," he continued, his expression one of pure gratitude as he regarded the bird. Clearly there was some sense in the universe as Aria was in the same ball park as he was. How could anyone ever expect to fall in love with someone if they didn't talk to them? How could they even know what they were like, hell, even if they were compatible?

"You have no idea whether or not you'll even match, whether they have a personality, if they're rude," he put his wing back to his side and released a small sigh. "Short of being able to read someone's mind, how can you possibly know you'd be happy?" he asked softly. "Blind leaps of faith are one thing in certain scenarios, but in this one... I'm not so sure." he finished.

"Maybe, maybe, but how de ye not know that she's done her research or 'eard that 'e ain't a bad lad, hm?" Moppet pointed out gently and the nodded towards Rynia. "And what the lass says here, is true, some folks find it hard to talk."

"Hard, yes," Raines conceded and offered an apologetic smile to Rynia. "But not impossible, and there's no way I could pledge my life to another, or have their children if I didn't know that they were right for me," he pointed out and groaned. "And I wouldn't even trust word of mouth, some can sound amazing and still be...what's the word..."

"Incompatible?"

"That, yes."  

[Cajmera]

It might not have been much, but Aria was pleased with Rynia's effort. Part of the reason she'd taken up with the mare in the first place was to help her out; Rynia was soooooooo out of her element in the world at large that she needed all the help she could get! Elizabeth had been wonderful for Rynia, and Aria was pleased to see the growth Rynia had experienced thus far...but how, Aria wanted to know, was she supposed to become truly happy if she didn't get past this crippling fear of everything?

And really, how could anyone be afraid of Raines? He was so likable, if Rynia couldn't get comfortable with him, she'd never be ok with anyone!

"Though really, can't you do a little of both? Watch someone for a while, then work up to talking to them, then go from there? Who says you have to go straight from watching to pledging your life?" Trilling, Aria swooped back over to perch on Raines' head, giving him a gently admonishing peck. "Does it have to be from one extreme to another?"

As the conversation continued around her, Rynia worked on collecting herself and calming herself down. It was still rather shocking to be listening to such a conversation; after all, Ladius hadn't believed in love, and coupled with her views on stallions...well, this wasn't the sort of thing Rynia was used to hearing about! Though at the same time...

She took another deep, calming breath, as she thought about the matter at hand. Clearly, love was a good thing. Didn't she have tender feelings for Aria, for Liz, in her own way? Hadn't she seen firsthand how much Liz loved her family, her sons as well as her lifemate? Rynia was still scared to death of Ambroise, but Elizabeth was clearly something else when they were together. If they were ok with that...tenderness being seen, then was it really an awkward thing?

Well, yes. Yes, it was. But that wasn't likely to be changing any time soon, not without a little more effort on her part. So finally, with another deep, calming breath, she lifted her heard and offered timidly. "Don't you need to know you like someone before you like someone, though? I mean," she said, ducking her head, "Talking to someone...that can be scary. Even just to say hello," she said, ducking her head to avoid anyone's eye contact. "I think it's a lot harder...to say you like someone...because if you don't, you can always hope."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

"Ow," Raines protested as he was admonished and squinted ever so slightly. It seemed he'd been going about this the wrong way as Aria had portrayed his remarks in a particularly one sided fashion. Fortunately, and much to his internal surprise, Rynia spoke up and afforded him enough to gather his wits and formulate a new response that would incorporate how he felt, or at least convey it in a somewhat more appropriate manner.

Though Rynia's remarks did have validity to them and he would at least have to concede that point.

"It doesn't have to be extremes," he said slowly, rubbing at his cheek with his wing as he regarded the three females. "But at one point can you honestly say that 'just looking' has gone on long enough?" he asked. Clearing his throat, he settled in to a more comfortable position and it was only then that he continued with his train of thought. "Consider that if you simply look at someone for too long... It may be too late?"

"What's to stop that other soquili from being greeted by someone else, or simply being made too uncomfortable to want to be near you on the day you decide to greet them?" he pursed his lips. "Even saying 'hello', whether it's quietly or shyly, is something... it's an acknowledgement and maybe, just maybe, they'll keep you for longer because you struck up that conversation..."

"Things may not always work out, hell, rejection can be normal...pretty sure my uncle got rejected a bunch," He shrugged. "But at least he had the courtesy to let someone know he did want to be acknowledged by them...The fact he kept trying until she said yes is mostly because he's a masochist, but the point still stands."  

[Cajmera]

It was a rare thing for Rynia to say so much in the company of a stallion, and she flushed once again, this time with pride. True, he promptly offered a counter to her thought, but that didn't change the fact she'd had it AND shared it! A tiny pleased smile teased at the corners of her mouth, but she was quick to look back down at her hooves. There was only so much excitement a mare could handle at once!

Aria had no such qualms, though, and gave Rynia a beaming smile. "That's my girl, making a brilliant point. Though that's a good point, too, Raines," she chirruped again, cocking her head to one side, then the other, as she considered. "I think you have to decide which is a bigger risk, then; talking to someone and maybe being rejected, or losing them without ever taking a chance. Maybe if you only wanted the idea of the romance? But there are no cuddles with ideas," she said with a birdy sigh."

Once again, Rynia was shocked into looking up, this time to stare at her familiar with startled eyes. Cuddles? Since when was Aria going to talk about such...dramatic topics? And with such experience, it sounded like! "What?!"

Epine de Rose

short post is short...sorry

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

Rynia's outburst gave Raines a minor jolt and he blinked rapidly as he turned to look at both the bird and the mare. All things considered he didn't think Aria had said anything quite so controversial, and he spent more than a moment trying to comprehend what Rynia's outburst was in relation to. In fact, he got so confused that he had to backtrack over the conversation in an attempt to identify which topic had set her off - was it Feng's masochism or... No, it couldn't be that, she was looking too pointedly at Aria.

Wait, was she worked up over cuddles?

"Are we...talking about an embrace or something more intimate?" Raines asked, squinting just a touch as he regarded Aria. Unsurprisingly, he didn't find the concept of an actual cuddle to be worthy of shock, but if Aria was using it as a euphemism then yes, perhaps Rynia was entitled to be a little taken aback. Or, now that he thought about, perhaps being taken aback by something so innocent was something Rynia would do...given where she came from it wasn't so farfetched.

"Why nay both?" Moppet asked with a peel of laughter and Raines afforded her a strained expression in reply.

"Generally speaking, embraces are par for the course during courting but..." he paused and pursed his lips a touch. "I suppose if you were catering to some imaginary ideal or fantasy, then staring at someone from afar would make sense..."

He frowned.

"Perhaps it's simply that I wouldn't find it fulfilling and would prefer something real and longer lasting..." he cleared his throat. "I'd sooner talk to someone, I'm not sure I could live with the regrets and 'what ifs' if I were too late." he confessed.  

[Cajmera]

As a matter of fact, it WAS simple cuddles that had Rynia so worked up; if she'd considered the idea that 'cuddles' could be a euphamism, it's probable she would have died of embarrassment on the spot. But the facts of the matter were, she might have made a good amount of progress in conversation and 'existing around stallions', but the idea of physical contact was still something beyond her comprehension. Every touch she'd experienced growing up was aggressive; with the exception of the sister she'd long ago lost, every contact had been brutal. Even now, with the exception of Aria she kept her physical distance from others; the very idea of intentional physical contact was beyond her.

That, and the very important fact that she didn't actually know 'where babies came from.' All Ladius had ever told her was that stallions were bad and to keep her distance; why would Ladius want a failure knowing how to reproduce?

As far as she was concerned, cuddles were extremely intimate, so she gave Raines a look of blank confusion. What could be more intimate than an embrace? But she wasn't about to ask about such things, oh no! It was much safer to look back down at her feet.

Aria had no such constraints, though, and she trilled at Raines. "I think that's the heart of the matter, though. If your aunty is content with a fantasy, then what's the harm? But if she wants more from this stallion, then maybe she should think about stepping up, hrm? Otherwise, she might lose him, and wouldn't THAT be sad?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

In this, it appeared that Raines was going to have to concede defeat, as Aria and Rynia had both raised very valid points. He had no idea if his aunt was simply entertaining a fantasy or if she genuinely had eyes for the stallion that she was mooning after. He supposed he could ask her when she next flew home, try and clarify if she was simply catering to a daydream or if she wanted something more... but even then, could he really argue with Lily?

Unfortunately for him he was the complete opposite of Rynia and his mother, the younger mare was a complete force of nature and when it came to her opinions, she was very set in her convictions. Persuading her that she should introduce herself before it entered her battleplan probably wouldn't go so well. That said, he suspected that if it was a real crush and she acted too late, then the little firestorm would be stomped out for quite some time.

"Eh..." he released a heavy sigh. "You know, I don't think I actually asked her if she loved the stallion or she was simply daydreaming over having an attractive trophy at her side," he confessed and rubbed at his temple with his wing. "Still, you have to at least concede that staring at someone for an extended period of time every day for the sake of your imagination is still a bit..."

He paused.

"Off, I guess... It's rude at the very least."  

[Cajmera]

That, at least, it a point that Rynia concede. She couldn't speak for the stallion in question, obviously, but if someone were to keep appearing and stare at HER for extended periods of time, she'd be thoroughly freaked out! Though the first time she realized someone was actually watching her, she would have fled to a new, safer location...

Though at that thought, Rynia found herself frowning, and she suddenly heard herself asking, "does the stallion know your aunt is watching him? I mean..." once again she ducked her head, nervous as the three others all turned their attention to her. "If it was me, I'd be terrified if someone was watching me. But I'd leave, so they couldn't watch me any more. If the stallion knows your aunt is watching him...maybe he is ok with it? Maybe it makes him happy...maybe he even wishes he could talk to her," she said with another shy smile. Wouldn't that be something? The two of them admiring each other, not know that the other actually felt the same way?

"Maybe it's just...the right way for the two of them." She doubted she'd ever feel the same way; the story Raines had told about his stalking uncle had deeply distressed her, and she'd been anxious about his aunt picking up the same bad behavior. But maybe this was something...gentler?

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Cajmera

"You know I have absolutely no idea..."

And he didn't. It wasn't as if he had deliberately trailed after his aunt to watch her or the stallion in question. He was fairly certain no one had ever really followed Lily while she was off on her excursions. If they had, then the gossip hadn't reached him, or whoever had done so was keeping the observations very close to their own chest. He pursed his lips at this, he supposed if he did want to make a more measured statement then he would have to watch her.

Ah, but it was at that point that the little meddling matchmaker that dwelled deep in his blood made a very, very brief appearance.

"But if that is the case then they're never going to get anywhere and an intervention would be needed," he stated and shook his head. "At least to get them to talk to each other," he continued. "If someone didn't do something then it could go on forever without even the slightest glimpse of a bloody happy ending!"

"Ye know... that almost sounds like ye be volunteerin'," Moppet stated with a smirk.

"Eh?"