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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 6:54 pm
Quote: The long-legged mare was like a dryad, dancing in the moonlit meadow on light hooves. Her father never told her how he had once tried to dance and failed miserably, but she seemed drawn to this self-expression even more than he had been. It seemed to flow out of her as she paused to rear, forehooves striking out to a rhythm only she heard, though a soft tune floated on the breeze occasionally as the music escaped her. She was completely oblivious to all that was around her, save the level plane of grass and the stars and moon swirling above. The moonlight was a beautiful thing; not only for its own subtle beauty, but also for the way it emphasized everything else. Every tree, every rock, every blade of grass stood out in stark illumination against the dark shadows they cast behind them, creating a landscape of dreamlike proportions. Through this, the tall, silent form of Antony was strolling, the bright moonlight throwing into stark contrast the large batlike wings that sprang from his shoulders. His head was lifted slightly towards the sky, allowing the light to pour down his face and cast a bright light on his pale eyes. However, in the course of his walking he paused, hearing the soft thuds of hoofbeats against the meadow. So someone else was out walking, eh? He could do with a bit of company, assuming it wasn't another twit. Shaking his head in dismissal of the thought, he started off towards the hoofbeats.She spun on a hind hoof, plain red-brown mane and tail flowing darkly against her paler hide in the wash of moonlight as she did. Her forehooves came back to the ground, and she arched her neck, setting off at a trot, only moving at an angle across the meadow grass. She enjoyed the solid sounds of her hooves striking earth precisely. With this in mind, she paused in place, halting her forward motion, though her hoofbeats kept up the same rhythm, as she listened joyfully to the predictable sound. Her desire satisfied, she broke from her spot and began a rocking canter around the outer edge of the meadow. Her eyes were nearly closed, reveling in her internal song. She knew this meadow well, every rock and uneven place, for she came here often to dance her feelings in private. So far, none had come across her in the process of this diary of motion. It never occured to her that would ever change. But change it did, and in short order. After a short bit of walking, Antony smiled as the hoofbeats got louder, indicating that he was getting closer to the walker. Just as that thought was crossing his mind, he was stepping out into the meadow, just in time to see the mare...pass by? Pass was probably the best way to put it; he honestly couldn't think of any way to describe the moves she was making, never having seen anyone dance before in his life. One eyebrow arched slightly, but in curiousity more than anything. What was she doing? Her smooth canter carried her twice around her meadow before she broke the pattern and headed straight up the middle, where she suddenly leapt for the sky, head thrown back and mane streaming. Her hind legs kicked out behind her, and she was flying without wings! She seemed to hover in the air for a breathless moment, before gracefully alighting on the ground again with nary an indication of having been forced to return. Instead, she gathered herself in a few strides and leapt once more, though this time it was without the dramatic pause in mid-air. Upon landing she slowed and rose again on her hind legs, eyes fully closed and face turned to the starry sky. For the space of a dozen heartbeats, she held so still, only the breeze moved her mane in a gentle caress. Almost too suddenly, all four hooves were on the grass again, and she was snorting and blowing lightly, broken from her own spell by the conclusion of her inner thoughts. Dancing was done for the night, and it left her with an odd mixture of refreshment and comfortable weariness. With a deep breath, she began to graze at a leisurely rate, as if nothing unusual had taken place.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:01 pm
As the mare ceased with her elaborate manuvering, it was as though some sort of spell had been broken. No more was Antony bound into one place by his interest in the performance of the mare, now he was able to actually act on his curiousity.
Striding forward from the edge of the clearing, he walked up to the mare with a quick, purposeful stride. "Excuse me, Miss, but what was it that you were just doing? The whole jumping about, thing."
Ever since he was young, he'd learned that the best way to learn about things was to ask about them, and this was something that he was definitely curious about. "Does it have some purpose?"
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:19 pm
At the sudden appearance of someone else, anyone else, Zoet jumped in startlement, quickly gulping down her bite of grass. She spun to face the newcomer, and nearly choked on what grass juice was left in her mouth. It was a kalona! She took a quick breath in a near gasp and held it, stepping back one pace and then pausing to really look at him, and to listen to what he was saying.
His words were polite enough, and his manner wasn't a threatening one. She regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments, not answering, only studying him. Her heart still thudded from her exertions as well as her alarm at his abrupt arrival. She gave a moment to wonder what her father would want her to do in this situation. She let her breath out slowly, deciding that Eloran had always taught her to listen to her instincts and follow her heart. And they both were telling her that this stallion meant her no harm... yet.
"I was dancing," she replied finally in a quietly confident voice. "I do it to express how I feel. Tonight I was dancing for the moon and the cool of the night, and the joy it stirred within me." She answered honestly, with no intent or thought of subterfuge. She was still eyeing his fangs a bit warily, but she did not move any further from him. "Do you have the habit of watching others while they are doing private things?" There wasn't... quite.... a suggestive double-meaning there. She still was studying him and his movements, his reactions, listening to them and to her own reactions to him.
This was a very unusual sort of meeting, she concluded to herself.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:28 pm
Though he'd dealt with more than his share of race predjudice in his time, Antony had always been the way he was and those he was friends with knew that even though he looked fierce, he was actually nothing at all like a kalona. However, those that DIDN'T know him tended to react badly to him, and he usually wound up starting every meeting with a hasty explanation of sorts.
His interest in the whatever-it-was-that-she-was doing had caused Tony's usual recognition of that fact to take a hike, though; that she might be alarmed by his appearance didn't even OCCUR to him, even when he was standing right there. Instead, he was intent on her explanation, wondering why it was he'd never heard that term before.
"So...you call that kind of moving about dancing, huh? I've seen Soquili who move when they're happy, but I'd never seen anyone putting as much effort into it as you did."
Her return question had him grinning, though, unconsciously emphasizing his sharp fangs. "I suppose it is a bit odd and creepy, when taken like that. Actually, I just happened to be passing by when your...dancing caught my eye; I don't know if you realize this or not, but the moonlight really makes you stand out." As he spoke there, he was smiling, the words not meant to be any sort of come-on but an honest compliment. "And I'm Tony, by the way; sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that really wasn't my intention."
Although in retrospect, he probably could have waited a little bit, but oh well. Hindsight's 20/20!
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:42 pm
Zoet still watched him carefully, comparing the threat her eyes saw with the overall impression of normalcy her instincts were feeding her. it was odd to see fangs when he smiled, and not be frightened. It was a rather puzzling combonation of circumstances.
"I put effort into it because it feels right to do so." She paused to consider thoughtfully how to explain. "It wouldn't feel right to only do it half-heartedly when my heart was brim full of delight with the night and the moon." She paused again, tipping her head. "It would be like bringing a partially eaten apple as a gift to a friend, rather than a whole and beautiful one." Though if that was it, who was she presenting her dance to in homage? Certainly not herself... and the moon didn't care if she danced or not. Truthfully, it confused her to try and explain such a primal and intense expession of herself to someone else.
And then he became the first stallion to ever pay her a compliment... aside from her own father, of course. She felt her face growing warm, and she tucked her chin a bit shyly, arching her neck prettily, though she didn't realize it. "Thank you. I'm glad the moonlight is so kind to me, since I so love to be beneath its light." She glanced up again to meet his eyes, his kalona-like features slowly fading from her concious sight as she focused more and more on who he was. "It is nice to meet you, Tony. I"m Zoet, or Zoey if you prefer." She smiled slowly, not exactly shyly, but without pretense or flattery. "Are you interested in learning how to dance too?" It was a bit awkward, but it was what was on her mind, and what he seemed interested in, so she thought it made most sense to offer it.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 7:56 pm
Hrm. Antony supposed that made sense, but he wasn't exactly sure how the analogy worked. She had seemed really surprised to have him around, so as he hadn't seen anyone else about, it seemed as though she'd been dancing by herself.
Then again, even if she WAS dancing for herself, what was wrong with enjoying herself? It was like anything else, you had to go with what felt right. If she liked dancing and knew how she wanted to go about performing that dance, that was all that mattered. Grinning, he bobbed his head at Zoet, acknowledging the return of the introduction as well. "I think I'll go with Zoey, as it's a bit easier for me to say. But if it's compatibility you wanted, I suppose it's not hard to say that you found it in the moon! Do you always dance at night, or are you also a dancer by day?"
Her question about teaching him to dance provoked a different reaction, however, causing him to laugh and shake his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that actually performing would go well with me. I'm awfully big and bulky, after all, and you're little and dainty; I'd likely look like a tromping buffalo, and no one would want to see that!"
However, as soon as he finished speaking he was quick to amend that statement. "Well, maybe other tromping buffalo, but I don't know where any are. I think I'm better to suited to watching than doing, but thanks for the offer." His gratitude was sincere as well, but no less sincere was his aversion to trying out dancing himself.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:18 pm
Zoet smiled more as his genteel manner became more and more prominant, making his threatening features recede even more into invisibility. "I dance whenever the mood strikes me, really, though usually without an audience." This time she smirked teasingly at him, her demeanor settling into a very relaxed and congenial attitude. "You are my very first audience, besides the beasts of the forest." She added thoughtfully, "Even my father hasn't seen me dance before." Her ears swiveled as she considered that possibility. "Somehow, it doesn't seem like the sort of thing one would share with one's parents." She glanced at him to see if he agreed or understood the why of her statement.
She then had to break into laughter at the image of him as a tromping buffalo, with other buffalo tromping merrily after him. "Size has nothign to do with that kind of movement. All it takes is muscle, limberness, and a desire to dance." Even so, her smile dismissed her own suggestion of teaching him, acknowledging that it didn't interest him. "So if you are not good at dancing, what is it you are good at, Tony?" Her ears pricked forward with interest, nostrils flaring slightly as if to scent out details about this intriguing stranger.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 8:29 pm
"Man, those beasts of the forest have been getting a real treat, then. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a whole array of deer and foxes croushed beyond that line of trees, just grouching at their bad luck the show's over." Grinning, Antony made a show of looking over at the tree line, narrowing his pale eyes and peering into the underbrush in search of some other lifeform. However, he didn't see anything, so was consequently quick to look back at Zoet. Her comment about not showing this to her parents was interesting...but in a way, he could sympathize. While there wasn't really anything he wouldn't share with Guilian...Izusa was a different matter.
"I suppose I can understand that...but still, I'll leave the dancing to you. Watching is more along my lines, along with making the requisite admiring comments. On my own, though..."
Hrm, what WERE his specialties? "Wandering, flight in general, starting conversations, and being an object of interest. I've also been told I'm charming, but a total a**." Winking, he gave the mare a roguish look. "There's no accounting for taste sometimes, though, so I try not to let it get to me."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 10:50 pm
The young mare was beyond flattered. she wasn't used to being complimented so smoothly and from so unusual a source. She lowered her eyes as he continued in his charming ways, her lashes fluttering self-conciously. Her heart was beating faster, and she was starting to feel light headed. The realization though that she was acting like a silly filly made her snort and shake her head as if annoyed by a fly around her ears. She would not be lulled into acting like a fool!
She mentally braced herself and splashed freezing water on her conciousness. Thus her ears pricked as he began talking about himself. This was more like it... or so she thought until he winked at her, and her knees told her they wanted to turn to water. She sternly told herself no and latched onto the odd comment.
"How can they think you both charming and rude at the same time?" she queried, a frown creasing her lips and she ruminated. "What have you...," she caught herself before asking what he'd done to make an a** of himself. Quickly she searched for something else relevant to ask. "Rather, what sort of soquili say such things of you?" She eyed him closer, curiuosity written clearly on her face.
As long as she focused on her own natural tendancies to curiousity and thoughtfulness, she hopefully could resist becoming a whickering blob of jelly around the strangely handsome bad boy.
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:44 am
Had he been his father, Antony likely would have picked up on certain things. Like the way her eyelashes fluttered, or the way that she avoided looking at him for a bit. To a stallion like Guilian, such things would have been confidence boosts, the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
However, Antony wasn't his father. Obvious signs like blushes he could read, things that were more than self-evident as to what they meant. But when it came to subtleties...well, there he was beyond his range, and consequently such behaviors slipped past his notice.
Instead, he noticed the way Zoet had paused while speaking to him, the sharp changing of the topic enough to make him grin. "So, you're a polite one, huh? Well, there's no harm in asking about something I brought up myself; I promise I don't bite!" The glint of fangs as he grinned at her might suggest otherwise, but he was totally honest; even his own mother had given up trying to teach him to hunt in abject disgust. He might have the teeth, but lacked the drive.
"Basically, I have a bad habit of being extremely tactless from time to time. Shocking, I know, given my amazing looks, charisma, charm, and way with words," this all said with a teasing grin, "but from time to time I think before I speak and apparently come off as utterly and completely offensive, which has on occasson lead to be getting kicked and/or smacked across the face. Whether or not I deserved it depends on the Soquili, I suppose."
Grinning, he rubbed ruefully at the side of his muzzle with one spiked wingtip; it was lucky he was naturally black about the muzzle, or else he'd have turned that color a long time ago just from being decked! Ah well, live and learn, right? Lowering the wing, he gave Zoet a smile. "So...if I wind up offending you, warn me so I can duck, if you don't mind."
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:04 pm
She eyed him askance, not entirely certain whether to believe what he was saying or not. She thought he might be teasing, what with his jocular attitude about it, even smiling as he rubbed his muzzle as if in the memory. She frowned just faintly, not in an angry or upset way, but more in thought and disbelief.
"I'd say you look pretty well equipped to defend yourself," she opined, arching a brow in a not quite mocking way. "If you deserve it, I see no reason to give you warning." She sniffed in a mock-snooty way and tipped her nose up. If he could pull her leg, she could tease right back. "In fact, perhaps you just might get it from me, to keep you on your toes." She flicked her tail in amusement. "Gotta keep you in shape somehow, Mister I-don't-bite."
Her own uneasiness over his sharp teeth and batwings totally faded at that point. They became teasable parts of him rather than ominous weapons of destruction. She siwshed her tail again in an unknowingly flirty manner, neck arching just a bit. She found a stallion that could tease and not take himself too seriously a definite plus. After all, if you couldn't laugh at yourself, what good was laughter?
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:05 pm
Well, in a way warning him that there would be no warning was something; besides, he DID have size on his side, which meant that it would take a bit more damage to actually injure him. He hoped.
But her teasing DID provoke a grin. Wordplay was something he enjoyed, the scenarios of 'what if' and one-upsmanship frequent players in his conversations going way back to when he was a foal. Granted, the details had changed a bit as he matured, but the basic elements were there.
Just how much those details had changed was evident as he replied, "believe me, there are better ways for a mare to keep a stallion in shape than trying to deck him. And vice-versa, of course, but that goes without saying. Now, if you were looking for something other than being hurtful..."
It was difficult to say whether Tony was teasing or not. Sometimes, the line with him had a distinct blur to it...which, granted, could be safer than there being one that was beyond the question of a doubt!
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:35 pm
The brown mare laughed merrily at him and smirked back. "Is that your round-about way of renigging on those dancing lessons I offered?" She gracefully bounced backwards a few steps, beckoning him forward. "C'mon, scaredycougar, I'll show you something easy!" With that, she spun on her hind legs and set off around the clearing at a gentle canter, curving her neck to glance back at him through her waving mane.
"Let's go, slowpoke, or you'll miss your chance to dance with me!" Witha snap of her tail and a playful squeal, she kicked out like a filly out for a spring frolic.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:43 pm
...Not quite what he meant, nope. Still, Antony was amused as Zoet suddenly started off again, her laughter carrying across the moonlit clearning.
However, he stood where he was at first, chuckling at her exhuberance. "What, you expect me to change my mind already? I told you I don't move like that, Zoey! Although..." An amused grin curved the corner of his mouth, and then he called out after her. "I make an attempt at this, and you have to at least LISTEN politely to a suggestin I'VE got, ok Zoet? That means no kicking me, by the way, or any other pain-infliction."
LISTENING couldn't be that hard.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 1:50 pm
Zoet grinned to herself. Oh, she knew he was up to something. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it clearly pleased him to supposedly get her into a win-win situation for himself. Somehow it didn't feel entrapping, though. It felt... fun!
"Alright, buddy boy," she called back over her shoulder, approaching the first turn without him. "But you better haul it to catch up with me, or you'll miss your chance at my complacent capitulation of no violence at your lil suggestion." She chuckled then, a nice, floating laugh that lacked the nervous twitter of many mares her own age. "So either move it, or put up your dukes and be ready for me!" She gave another mid-stride kick of general good-humor and returned to her gentle pace, waiting for his presence beside her.
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