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 Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:36 pm
 Time came and went, the visage of the ever-changing seasons clear from the inside of the tree. It was clear from the way the sky's blue changed in intensity, the feel of the wind on one's skin. and the way the windows became easier to see outside of. Although he still retained a modest stature, he was hardly 'Little Faelon' anymore. He could look out with an arm comfortable resting on the ledge, and he couldn't use his childlike demeanor to get himself out of difficult situations. The only grand thing about him came from his background and the soft feathers he'd only recently come into. Perhaps he was still coming into them; they'd already grown far beyond anyone's expectations despite how late he'd came to have them. If his child self could have known this would happen - oh how excited he would have been!
Would his father like them, he couldn't help but wonder.
It had been so long since he'd seen him... When had the last time been?
At some point, he'd realized his father wasn't in 'time out' like he'd been led to believe. At another, he came to conclude he wasn't going to be coming back. What a terrible feeling that had been; he could hardly express it with words. Not that you'd have known from the facade he'd kept on. Always smiling, always excitable, and a little slow on the uptake - that was the role he needed to keep playing for everyone's sake. For his own sake. Even if it was a fake smile, at least he could use it to numb out any ill-feelings he might have felt. Even now, eyes looking outside, he must have looked genuinely pleased by scenery and the way the sun warmed his cheeks.
This was how things needed to be.
He'd thought perhaps things had changed when these wings had started to grow in his adolescence. He had been genuinely excited. It was as if the earth had heard his pleads and had given in to his childish wiles, that desperate want for the clouds and inexpiable curiosity for the ones deemed 'blood pae'il' that were supposedly wicked enough that merely conversing with one was enough to have you locked away forever. But as with everything else, they had been a hollow promise.
No matter how he tried, he simply couldn't fly.
He'd known from the beginning that there was something wrong with them from his mother's expression. Even if she hadn't said anything, there was something she knew and didn't wish to talk about. It was the same way as how she addressed him from the left as opposed to the right and had swiftly dismissed his childhood curiosities about the his unique marking. Not once did Faelon approach the topic with her again. Instead he'd joined the other fauny children in their lessons, but at some point he'd been politely asked to stop. Was it out of a repulsion for the way his wings had quickly developed far unlike the others? Was it due to his obvious lack of progress and the way he held down the others'? A request of his mother or any of the other children's parents?
Perhaps it was out of genuine consideration for himself, personally, and his emotional state?
It didn't hurt, though, when he'd stopped attending. He'd grown numb to such things long ago. The disappointment was about akin to receiving a banana with ones meal when you wished for an apple instead. A fleeting sigh.
Eyes trailing upwards, softly smiling, he watched a single cloud pass in front of the sun, casting his features in shadow. Its coolness calmed him and let him forget the hustle-and-bustle taking place not meters behind him in the adjacent corridor. Exhaling softly, he closed his eyes and resolved himself to another productive day of performing odd jobs in the tree.
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:04 pm
 Spitfire made her way through the tree's corridor, heading up towards the upper canopy of the tree where she could meet with Rainbow Dash for their weekly flight. It was nice to get away from her little flight school and visit the tree. Sometimes she thought about moving back, she deeply regretted that she hadn't raised her son among his peers, although it was much too late to change that now. The flight school really wasn't busy enough to justify being away from the tree as she had once done. Yes, the open fields and sky were much better for practicing, but what was the point of them if no one was practicing? Spitfire could feel the tensions more than most as she had watched the decline in 'blood pae' interested in her services. Less fauny were coming to see her, as well, because it wasn't easy to leave the tree. Spitfire couldn't help but take notice of a shiny golden faun as she made her way up the tree. His large wings were just as elaborate as his markings. "Nice wings!" Spitfire said cheerfully as she passed by him. She then paused in her steps, her mind making a connection. She turned around to look at him, he certainly looked like a son of Celestia. Word of Celestia's son had reached her, during one of her conversations with Rainbow Dash it had been offhandedly mentioned that Celestia's son had these incredible wings and yet, couldn't fly. Spitfire hadn't been able to do anything but surmise reasons why he couldn't fly since she had never met him. "Are you one of Celestia's sons?" Spitfire asked.
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:02 am
Faelon hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings, so it should have come as no surprise that he was a bit delayed in hearing (and accepting) somefaun's compliments. It just as easily could have been a sarcastic insult - it wouldn't have been the first time - but no good came from thinking negatively or, worse, acting upon it. That would just cause trouble for not just him, but his family as well. He wouldn't shame his mother and brother any further than was unavoidable.
Giving himself an internal slap on the back, he turned to look over at the yellow fauny with a sincere smile. "Why thank y--" His woulds caught and his expression held as she turned around, the moment seeming to drag for an eternity as he stood in place. What in the earth was wrong with...?
Oh, just asking about his mother. Strange. He was pretty sure all of the faun and fauny had known of him since he was a child. In fact, he knew most of them too, a notion that made her unrecognizable appearance all the stranger.
Nodding he held up an enthusiastic thumbs-up and winked. "The one and only of three." He purposefully mumbled that last part, hoping to keep the mood light with a joke. Then he laughed at it himself before offering her a hand. "Th'name's Faelon. I thought I knew just about everyfauny around here, but I cannot seem to remember what to call you. Have we met?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:40 pm
Spitfire chuckled at his joke as she shook his hand. "I'm Spitfire." The fauny introduced as she took a step closer and shook his hand. "No, we haven't met. I come by the tree often enough, but I moved not too far from here some time before you were born." Spitfire said thoughtfully, thinking back to when she had left. "Yeah, you're probably pretty close in age to my son." "I left to get some fresh, open air... that, and I give flying lessons and at the time, there was more need for it outside of the tree." That certainly wasn't the case anymore though. She wanted to bring up his flying, find out if it was something he had ever figured out, but Spitfire wasn't certain if it was a sensitive topic either. At least by bringing up the flying lessons she had opened the subject up for him to talk about if he wanted to.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2017 1:59 pm
"Spitfire..." he repeated, giving her a quick look over as they shook hands.
Orange, firey hair and eyes - yellow fur and hooves - flaming wing cutie mark - noticeably firmer figure than the average fauny, even the pegasi. He couldn't see her back, but he imagined that was the most toned part.
Got it.
Laughing, he released his grip and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well that certainly explains it; the mystery has been solved! Haha! I cannot say I have been away from here myself." Letting the laugh naturally fade, he held his joyous smile as he continued. "Is that so? You should bring him with you the next time; introduce us. Who knows, it might be the blossoming of a wonderful, newfound friendship. A true camaraderie as has yet to be seen here!" His words held an exaggerated flourish that seemed to resonate from deep within, and he paused for but a moment before laughing a heart laugh, eyes closed, yet again.
When he quieted down, ever-smiling, he opened a single eye as she mentioned the lessons. What a strangely coincidental meeting.
"I can imagine." He once more closed the eye and nodded before opening them back up. "Out there, you have... the angels and the demons..." he had uncrossed his arms and was counting with his fingers, now with two out, "...and the fey - although perhaps not, since they have a different set of wings if I remember correctly..." he momentarily put back down the third finger he'd held up. His brother would be out too then. "...and there were those bird-like ones with the super powerful wings; what were they called again? But anyways, that's three..." he hummed, eyes tilting up. "I guess maybe some like Sona? Oh! I've heard that some naiad grow wings like us too if one of their parents is an angel or something. Add in the pegasi and I guess that makes..." He looked to his fingers, counting them, "Six? Sounds like a lot more business than in this sleepy place. Haha, I can see why you left"
If she'd been offering him a hint of some sort, it went straight over the boy's head. For how much he claimed to not be an idiot, he still wasn't one for subtleties.
"Do you like it out there; what's it like?" There was a bit of a childish sparkle lighting his eyes as he inquired. Stories of the distant lands were one of his favorite.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:06 pm
Spitfire smiled and gave a firm nod of her head. "He actually used to come with me all the time when he was a kid, but he does his own thing now. I'll mention it to him." Spitfire continued to nod as he listed off the different pae species, she had worked with plenty of angels and demons in the past, none now. "Some fae... more tricks than anything else though, since, yes they are very different, more magical." Spitfire paused as he continued. "Harpies, yes." She nodded her head enthusiastically. "They actually have to be taught to fly... I think their mothers are supposed to teach them, but all the ones I have met didn't have mothers like them." The mixed naiad she was clueless about as her home was fairly far from any major water source. "Didn't know about naiad growing wings..." She said thoughtfully. It seemed if anyone needed help flying it would be them, her gears were certainly ticking about how their wings worked now. "It used to be busy." Spitfire agreed. "I like the openness, it always feels good to come back here though" She looked down for a moment. Rainbow Dash had been trying to convince her to come back for some time, and she was probably right. There was something refreshing about being connected to the tree. "Things used to be different, I'm hardly needed anymore it seems."
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 8:46 am
Faelon looked around, catching glimpses of others eyeing the two of them with suspicion. Of course they were; the two of them were not only casually talking about the 'blood pae'il,' which was bad enough, but the actual taboo of interacting with them. That was something that could warrant quite the severe punishment if they weren't careful.
After all, he was his son...
"Ahem..." he coughed to interrupt her, offering a bright smile in response. With a cheery voice toned down so that she was the only one that could here him, he offered a suggestion. "As much as I am loving speaking with you - that is no joke, to be true - I think we should take it somewhere... a bit more private?" Without making much of a motion or cracking that expression of his, his eyes glanced to the side of them where a pair of faun that had stopped to eavesdrop where now quickly hurrying away. "Hungry? I hear Mojo's has this Hunter's Stew special that goes perfectly with his newest brew."
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:41 pm
Spitfire saw his change of posture and looked around, noticing what he had already noticed. It wasn't something she was as conscious of, living outside of the tree, but she was fully aware of the situation. Normally she went straight to the home of some of her fauny friends, so she was able to talk freely. Normally, she didn't even spend so much time talking about such things, but he had gotten her on one of the subjects she was most passionate about since the different species of the island experienced flight in such different ways. It was part of why she had been so interested in Faelon, his wings were truly unique for a faun, she was fighting herself hard to resist getting a closer look at them. "Oh, of course." Spitfire responded quickly, not thinking anything extra of it. She hadn't planned on making a huge stop of this conversation, she had plans to visit another. However, it wasn't going to be a huge deal for her to delay a little either. "Sure, I have not been to Mojo's in a long time, that sounds great." Kicking back with a brew sounded like a great idea too.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 1:12 pm
"Great!" Faelon responded cheerily, quite pleased that this conversation was going to continue. He'd always held a unique interest in the other species on the island and the areas outside Laisihiel, long since before he could remember, but it wasn't something he could look into very often. Not only were the educational materials lacking (as if he could read them well) but it just wasn't something most were comfortable indulging anyfaun with. Especially since he was older now, he should have known better.
But this was a rare opportunity, so he fully intended to take advantage of it. Hopefully he would't bore her either.
Walking with a small skip in his step, he offered her casual conversation on the way. Idle inklings such as how what produce was now in season, where the rangers had last been hunting: things like that. He was a busyboy who got by helping out with odd jobs as he was needed; naturally, he was actually quite aware about most of the comings-and-goings of the place.
As they approached Mojo's, he made a show of stretching his arms above him. "Just in time! Had it been another minute, who knows if I would have lasted!" Laughing, he opened the door for Spitfire and followed her in.
"Table for two, please?" He asked the hostess on duty, his smile holding as she shifted uncomfortably. Not even missing a beat, he added with a wink, "One of the back rooms is fine if we'd be a bother to the other guests." That seemed to be the preferred option considering how she visibly relaxed and led them to the back with haste. He took the seat furthest from the door and placed an elbow on the table as he looked up at the waitress, grinning. "I'll take your Gatherer's Salad special with a pint of that fruity brew Mojo just finished up; what was it again?" at her silence, he shrugged and laughed. "No matter. And Spitfire here will have...?" he looked over at her to let her vocalize what it was she wanted.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 3:06 pm
It was quite interesting to be hearing updates on the going on's of the tree from another source. It made sense that he would know so much about what was happening, Spitfire was certain that Princess Celestia was still heavily involved in leadership around here. "Someone must not be feeding you enough." Spitfire said with a shake of her head as she entered Mojo's. The female watched with curiosity at the exchange between the hostess and Faelon. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on, but she wasn't about to say anything just yet. She took her seat at the table and listened as he took his order, and when it was her turn, "Yes... he was telling me about the hunter's stew? I'll have that, and whatever brew you are pairing with it." Spitfire said firmly. Once the waitress was gone, Spitfire finally spoke up about the earlier exchange. "So... what was that all about?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:37 pm
Faelon maintained his expression with perfect composure until the girl left, after which he sighed and leaned back in the chair with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. "Ahhh... It never gets easier, does it?" Laughing, he sat back up and looked back at Spitfire, his hands closed on each other and resting on the table's surface. "Hmm...? That was a pretty standard reaction I would say? Oh right! You live on the outside - how nice is that~. Well, my brother and I are not particularly well-liked around here by most of the proper faun. It is a bit better with the fauny." he shrugged, no ounce of displeasure entering his voice. "But what can you expect? We are the sons of a traitor, after all."
"I probably get it worse than Haldir though. He at least looks like our parents. Mostly." Lifting up a hand, he gripped a piece of his hair. "Oh the other hand, I have all this gold on me." then he turned to show off the marking on his right side. "And this strange marking that nobody recognizes. Well, I imagine my mother does, but she rather hates this thing. Won't even look at it." He laughed and returned his hands to the table. "These wings really sealed the deal for me though, with how much different from everyfaun else's they are and how late they developed. There are some rumors here and there that claim we have been cursed by the blood pae'il, or perhaps Laisidhiel herself."
Again he laughed and shrugged.
"Curse or not, it is not as if they are for anything more than appearances. Cannot fly. If anything, that is probably the true curse of it all." A cheerful sigh. When was the last time he'd actually spoken like this with somepae? Had he ever?
It actually was quite nice.
"But enough about me. Worry not, I doubt they will return for quite some time. At least twice as long as normal; sometimes they forget altogether until they need the room cleared out. Oh! I will make a bit of a scene this time if they forget; cannot have you going hungry!" A cough. "But yes, you said you have worked with those birdlike ones - the harpies - right? And the others out there? What are they like? And you said your house is out in the open? Is it closer to the forest then, or perhaps the lake? Oh! Is it on the trading route with Alu Spring?! You might have seen my other brother if that is the case!"
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:01 pm
The other faun had a tendency to ramble, so Spitfire didn't say much, but she certainly was in deep thought about the different things he had to say. Sometimes it was difficult that her life was outside of the tree, there was so many things she missed by being away so often. So many of the tendencies of the tree faun that she simply didn't understand, like being the sons of a traitor? She knew enough about the issues with blood pae that she at least understood how troublesome it would be to have wings like those in the tree. Then there was the issue that his wings couldn't fly. Rainbow Dash had told her as much, but hearing him say so was somehow different. Spitfire narrowed her eyes. Aerodynamics were exactly her place of expertise so her gears instantly began turning. Of course, being tucked into a table in a bar wasn't exactly the place to be figuring that out. "The harpies are very wild, and fairly difficult to work with simply because of that. I've had to have Zecora patch me up a few times, but the instincts are there, they just need a little push in the right direction. Helping other's fly is kind of my life's mission. My home is just on the other side of the bridge, I need to stay close to the tree, that connection, and all my friends are here. I also needed more though. I'm not sure I've seen your brother though." Spitfire paused for a moment. "I would need to take a better look at you to figure out what is going on... but I don't think you can't fly. And I enjoy a challenge, otherwise I wouldn't deal with the harpies."
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Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 12:56 pm
Faelon did have a tendency to ramble when excited, a bad habit he'd picked up in childhood and never had corrected. his eyes practically lit up as she spoke about the world outside the tree and just about herself. She really seemed to have a clear plan about what she wanted to do with her life and had aquired just the tools and know-how to do so. In truth, he was kind of envious of that
"Haldir tends to stay cooped up reading - if you need to find him, you can either try his alcove or the library. Maybe you could talk him into getting out more often." Faelons attempts had largely failed to date. He blinked, a sense of mild confusion passing over his features for just a moment before he forced them back with that smile of his. "Do you think so? The others have all said it was hopeless - that the wings were just no good." A pause. "I could... Stand up if you want to look at them?" It wasn't like they were near any of the other guests anyways, and it would probably be a while before their orders arrived.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2020 9:30 pm
"Is Haldir similar to you," Spitfire asked curiously. "At least as far as wings and build go, and being declared flightless?" Perhaps comparing the two brothers could help decipher what was going on here. "Yes I do think so, your wings seem similar to that of the..." Spitfire paused to lower her voice. "Angels... which might make sense to the prejudice of them being no good. And well the body of a faun is much different than that of an angel, but..." The female paused before she could get to much ahead of herself with the science-y explanations without properly observing his body. Spitfire glanced around the room, she supposed if they stepped away from their table their was enough room for him to spread out his wings and for her to get a better look. "Yes, that's a grand idea." Spitfire determined as she stepped up from her own seat. Once Faelon was standing, Spitfire would further instruct him to spread out his wings.
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Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:58 pm
Faelon shook his head. "No, he has my mother's horn though - it appeared late in life about the same time as my wings... He does have some golden, featherlike antlers instead of branches though." He certainly couldn't fly with them though. As Spitfire continued with her thoughts, Faelon nodded as appropriate, priabbaly obviously growing more excited. Sure, there was the question of why he would have wings like those of the angels rather than those of the faun, but that was of little immediate consequence.
He moved to stand soon after herself.
Turning his back to her after taking a few steps away from the table Faelon unfolded a magnificent pair of white wings. Just the sheer size should have been impressive by faun standards, but everything from the shape to the general way it connected to his back would have reflected the physiology of an angels. Given this, it should have been no wonder typical methods weren't working. Glancing back, he offered, "So, how's it look? Oh! Just give me a heads up if you're going to touch them - they can be pretty ticklish." He'd hate to accidentally smack her with one on accident.
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