[PRP] Let the Rain Fall (Sukari & Ravi)

[Kyaishi]

 

[Bird Draggon]

Sometimes, Ravi wondered who had it out for him up there.

Spitting out a mouthful of rainwater, Ravi shook his head and wished, not for the first time, that he could get a haircut. His mane felt like a ton of bricks hanging off his neck, and his mane felt like dragging a mountain behind him; it ached. And woudn't you know it, the day Ravi decides that the weather was good enough to move on, it rains. Uuugh, what Ravi wouldn't give for a break.

.. Hey. A break's sounding pretty good right about now, Ravi thought after a quick glance at the sky. The storm wasn't dangerous; there wasn't any thunder. Just rain. Ravi figured nobody else would come meandering down this way, so, he had no guises to keep up.

He slumped to the muddy ground with a grateful sigh, not particularly caring if his white belly was getting stained by the mud. Ravi doubted his legs would consent to standing up again if he asked them to. So, deciding to revgress for a moment, Ravi entertained himself by rolling aorund in the mud, going so far as to stuff his face into a weedy patch of it. Man, did letting go feel good.  

[Kyaishi]

It was with, for once, a light heart that a young ebony and gray mare wandered the empty forest, a rare smile adorning her dark features as she came to a halt and turned her face towards the open sky, icy cerulean hues sliding shut. The cool raindrops landing on her face soaked into her already damp fur until it was dripping and cold, but she didn't mind. She loved the rain... it was a rare time in which she could cast aside her doubts, insecurities, and regrets, and simply enjoy the water as it fell from the sky.

Waterlogged wings spread to shake the rain droplets from their feathers, folding against her sides once more as she began walking again, meandering aimlessly through the vast territory that was wholly unfamiliar to her. She didn't mind getting lost- she had nowhere to go, anyway... no one to be with besides those two quiet stallions that she had the misfortune of rooming with. She snorted at the thought, but shook it off just as quickly... she was in a good mood right now, she wouldn't ruin it by thinking of those imbeciles. A flash of red and purple caught the corner of her eye, however, and she came to an abrupt stop in the mud, azure orbs surveying the clueless stallion with a nonchalant interest.  

[Bird Draggon]

Ravi lurched to his side, tuckered out by the romp. His purple eye (the one not planted in the mud) lazily slid to gaze at the cloudy sky, but it quickly flinched and looked away as a drop fell into it.

Unfortunately, his eye rested on a lady.

Oh... dear.

Ravi had underestimated his legs; they leapt off the ground as soon as his mind yowled, there's somebody watching you, genius!, and he staggered a few steps, facing away from her calm self, to reinstall some semblance of order. After a few moments of clarity - ohmygawd, I was rolling in the mud - Ravi turned, armed with (what he hoped was) a stern glower. The effect was lost, however, seeing as his tangled white hair was plastered on various places of his body, half his face was slogged with mud (slowly dripping off in the rain), and the rest of his body would've made his mother, a very tidy mare, shriek.

"Uh - what d'you want?" Ravi wrinkled his (dirty) nose.  

[Kyaishi]

A few moments came and went, ebony and ivory locks plastered to her head and the rest of her body as the rain continued to fall, but she paid it no mind. Slowly, ever so slowly, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and hesitatingly curled upwards. A small sound escaped her lips, and her body shook... it may have taken a passerby a moment to realize what was happening, but it was difficult for the mare herself to grasp the concept.

Sukari was laughing.

Now, don't get me wrong, she had a heart, but it was locked away under layers of ice and steel, and was rarely shown in the presence of others, and especially not to stallions. Why then, did she allow it to happen in front of this total and complete stranger, covered in mud? Perhaps she had been needing a release, and he was simply the first one who had come along.  

[Bird Draggon]

It took a moment for Ravi to realize just what the lady's problem was. He was taken aback at the sight of shaking - did he actually incite fear? - but his hopes were dashed when, as her head lifted and the rain slid down her cheeks on a different path, carrying her long locks of hair with them, a smile was revealed.

Well, at least he didn't feel so alone anymore - about the length of his hair, the problems that always came with it; even now Ravi's head drooped at the added weight. Misery loves company.

But, still. The lady was laughing at his expense. This, for whatever reason, insulted Ravi, and his muzzle puckered in his distress (the earth still creeping down one side of his face). "Hey? What's so funny?" he demanded, still looking like a hygiene disaster.  

[Kyaishi]

"You..." she managed through her laughter as it gradually died down from loud guffaws, to softer snickers, to the occasional chuckle as she eyed the mud on his coat. "You look like a mud rat," she said in a tone that was clearly saturated in amusement. Her tone wasn't insulting or degrading, but she could tell he was irritated by her laughter. She considered what to say to placate him for a moment, but started at the realization of what she was doing. Why should she care how he felt? Still, intentional or not, he had made her laugh for the first time in a very long time, and it was something that deserved at least a little bit of grattitude.

"My apologies. I suppose it's just been a long time since I saw anything that made me laugh, but I thank you for it." She didn't smile, but the quirk of her lips that still remained in her amusement was enough to imply that she was still finding the situation humorous.  

[Bird Draggon]

A mud rat?! Ravi fully intended on stomping his hooves in outrage and shrieking how terribly rude this lady was, proceeded by a huffy exit. But then he rethought and deduced that, usually, manly men didn't shriek, and if he made any sudden movements he'd probably splash most of the mud right straight back onto his face.

So he settled with a miffed snort, which was followed by a gag and an attempt to empty his mouth of the soil that had entered by way of his nostrils.

"Y-you're welcome," he said miserably when he felt he could move his tongue without picking up more of the awful taste. How could they eat stuff that grew in this? The thought was inconceivable to Ravi, and he lolled his tongue out with a grimace before speaking again.

"You sure that was - augh, gross (*patooie!*) - was laughing? You looked like you were in pain."