[PRP] Heat Wave {Keahi and Imperio}

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio reared on his hind legs, letting out a shrill neigh into the open summer air. The temperature had been constantly rising the last few weeks, bring the clear azure sky and the pounding heat of the sun. Imperio loved it. He lived in the heat and as he gave a gallant leap in his spirited sprint, he wished he could leap into the air and fly.

His grin never left his face as he ran, going nowhere particular but running for the sake of running. Summer was when he thrived, and his mood was heightened more than usual, and not even Demon's grumbling and moody temperment could ruin such a wonderful day.

And as Imperio ran through a wild patch of flowers, petals and pollen blowing past his ears, he didn't think the day could be anymore perfect.  

[Huroggmeten]

The mare's blood-red gaze scanned the horizon, watching in amusement as the heat waves obscured her normally perfect vision. She tossed her mane gently as she turned to gaze at the cloudless sky, and marveled at it's purity. It was completely umblemished, bearing no trace of the billowing puffs of white that normally obstructed it's rolling waves of clearest blue. She gave a small contented sigh, her eyes travelling down to rest on the meadow in which she stood. The flowers had flourished in this heat, coming to the peak of their existance under the nuturing light of the sun and sending their pollen to start life anew.

Keahi's long neck arched gracefully, to place her nose closer to the flowers about her hooves. She let the scent of a particularly large flower, burnt umber in hue, waft into her nostrils, and her eyes closed with pleasure. A smile had begun to curve the corners of her lips when dirt joined the pollen in her nose. Her nose crinkled, her head shooting up and her ears back. She shook her head stubornly, trying to rid herself of the temptation... and failed. She sneezed.  

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio gave a start as he heard a sneeze, the noise almost echoeing around him. He skidded to a stop, digging his hooves into the grass to slow himself down, dirt and grass flying past him as a result. As he came to complete stop, he brought his head rapidly to the sides, searching for the source of the noise.

Seeing no one in front of him, he gave an exicted whoop. 'Wow, maybe it's a ghost! It didn't know that ghosts could sneeze that. Then again, why can't they. But why would a ghsot sneeze? If you're dead can you get sick? But why would a ghost get sick?" Did they stay out too late and catch a cold?' Imperio thought rapidly, his mind already drifting from the sneeze itself. He started trotting along, whistling as he contemplated whether a ghost could be able to hold a spoon to take cold medicine.  

[Huroggmeten]

Keahi's nose wrinkled, her eyes expressing disgust at the sneeze. Her ears flicked back and forth as she rose her head and peered none-too-kindly at the sky, wondering if perhaps something up there plotted to ruin her good day. The mare's gaze returned to the earth and she looked about, tail swishing leasurely.

She heard him first: a piercing noise, cutting through the air, though light and cheery... a whistle. She looked to her left, and spotted the stallion trotting through the meadow.

There was something in him that reminded her of herself: he was black, with firey markings... she blinked, and trotted forwards to investigate. Was that some form of bird on his rump...?  

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio froze as he heard footsteps come from behind him, his mind racing at all the possibilities of what may be behind him. 'Oh no!' he thought frantically. 'It's a ghost! Maybe it knew I was thinking about it and decided it wanted to come for revenge! What to do what to do!'

His tail swished back and forth on the ground as he tried to collect his thoughts. He shifted a bit to the left before changing his mind and headed to the right. 'But if I run will it get even more angry? Maybe I should just try to talk to it, but what if it's a mean ghost.' His face twisted into an expression of distress, his inner turmoil practically tangible.

Finally, in panic, he yelled, "Please don't eat me, Mr. Ghost! I'll feed you cold medicine, I promise, just don't eat me~!"  

[Huroggmeten]

Keahi froze mid-step, stunned. She slowly lowered her leg, blinking. Mr. Ghost? She peered down at her body, and wondered if what she had thought was pretty decent actually looked masculine... and then realized that since the other was turned about, he could not have seen her. Her hoofsteps? Was the fall of her feet... masculine? She lowered her neck, and peered at her hooves... Wait. Don't eat me? Her head shot up, and she snorted indignantly. She was no Kalona! She had never felt the desire to chew upon flesh, nor did she think she ever would! Unlike her elder sister, she would never consider lapping blood or taking another's innocent life.

Those thoughts propelled her forwards, and she cantered past him in a flurry of movement, wheeling about to face him head-on. "Excuse me, but I have no intentions of eating you. Nor am I a Mr." Her lids were lowered, a fierce glare in her red eyes. Her neck was stretched out slightly, her ears folded back. Even though she tried so to be fierocious, the picture that came to mind was still that of a small kitten trying to puff itself up to scare away a predator.  

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio almost stumbled as he opened his eyes at the quite feminine voice. His first thought was that the ghost was female, and that he didn't know ghosts were solid. And kinda glowy. And kinda looked like him.

Imperio managed a panicked gasp. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know if you were a Mr. or a Mrs. Ghost and I sort of assumed. I'm sorry~" He bowed his head a few times in apology. "Are you a good ghost then? I mean, you said wouldn't eat me but does that mean you just don't think I'd taste good?" Imperio almost looked affronted at the thought. "I assure you that I'm probably very tasty."

He gave a huff before his mind caught up with his mouth. He laughed nervously. "Not that you should eat me that is. No, no." He faltered, stuttering as he continued to rambled. "I mean, I'd be terribly bland if eaten alone?" he finished weakly, hanging his head in defeat.  

[Huroggmeten]

Keahi's jaw dropped, all the hard lines she had imposed upon her face falling away. She quickly remedied this however, and assumed her normally good-natured expression. But she was not so quick to catch her thoughts...

A ghost. He believes in ghosts. No, he believes I am a ghost... in broad daylight? Don't ghosts normally come out during the night? Shadows, full moons, and whatnot? Not to say that ghosts actyally do exist. No. Just... considering the possibility. Yes, temporarily agknowledging the fact that something might be true for the purpose of arguing against it. Or... not. She cast a suspicious glance about; was that a shadow...? No. No clouds. Can't be a shadow. Jumping at shadows! Look at us now! Hah. But... ghosts don't cast shadows... do they?

She shook the thoughts away, mind scrambled by the onslought of questions she wasn't quite ready for. She peered at the stallion in front of her, and decided it was time to straighten a few things out.

"I am not going to eat you. I am sure you taste very good, but not to me. I don't make a habbit of engaging in canibalism. Nor any other sort of -ism, for that matter." She sighed, a small smile touching the corners of her lips. "I am also not a ghost..." she nudged him with her nose, to show that she had a solid form "... as you can well tell. My name is Keahi."  

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Not a ghost?" He shimmied closer cautiously, placing his face merely inches away from the mare's. He studied her for a moment silent, unmindful of her personal bubble. Only when the mare nudged him with her nose (which he responded to with a rather girly yelp) did he spring back, convince that Kaehi was indeed quite corporeal

He let out a large sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I really thought I was going to be ghost chow for a bit there.” He ducked his head, his lips turned back into a sheepish grin. “Sorry?”

He flicked his tail a bit as he straightened himself. “Kaehi, huh? That’s a cool name~” He gave a slight jump and kick in happiness, acting like a young colt. “My name’s Imperio~ Like, like…” He wracked his brain to think of some type of analogy to go with his name. “Uhh… I dunno actually.” He laughed, embarrassed, as his grinned widened.  

[Huroggmeten]

"It is quite allright. No harm done." She gave another reasuring smile, though felt even as she did that her smile fell upon a mind that had already moved on to new things. Her thoughts were confirmed when he moved so swiftly on to compliment her name, and then to give his own.

"Imperio. That is a nice name as well." She inclined her head in confirmation of her words, a twinkle forming in her eye. "Like... Imperial? Nobility? Everlasting? Eternal Flames?" she prompted, wondering where this day would lead her.  

[Teh Cheryl]

"You really think so?" He jumped in happiness at the thought of him having a nice name. "You're so nice~" He gave a childlike grin, his glee radiating off his expression.

"Imperial? I never thought it that! Wow, you're so smart to think of that. And it's such a big word. Big words are cool, ya know? I like them but when there are too many my head starts to hurt because I can't keep up." He pouted at the memory of his last attempted conversation with Demon. "I tried to use big and fancy wors once time," he continued, "but everyone just laughed at me because I couldn't say them right." He gave her some puppy-eyes, as his tail swished back and forth. "How mean is that?"  

[Huroggmeten]

Struck with the sudden feeling of talking to a young foal who hadn't noticed that his body had grown up and so still acted young, Keahi's kind smile never faltered even as her mind wandered onto other things.

Although the cactus and other desert plantlife would flourish in such weather, what of the forest-dwelling types? The ferns, who needed shade to survive? The moss which thrives on mist? Even the cactus themselves needed a little water. She cast a glance at the hot sun, feeling slightly guilty that it should give her such pleasure when it could very well be killing off the very things she had come to love.

Her gaze turned back to Imperio, and she rejoined the conversation at his mention of big words. At this she let out a laugh, and though one might expect such a sudden show of joy to be quite harsh, it was not. It contained a musical tone, one which would be pleasing to even the most trained of ears, warm and full of joy. As her laughter died, she looked at the stallion before her with a twinkle in her eyes. "Imperial is no bigger then everyone, for both contain 8 letters. Perhaps you meant 'lesser-used words?" She rose her eyebrows in question.

Keahi felt just a tad out of place, what with Imperio being so outwards with his expressions of joy. She looked covetly around, and let out a tiny jump of her own- just the barest lifting of her back legs. She looked back to him, pretending as though nothing had happened- although now she felt much more comfortable, as though she had balanced his joy.  

[Teh Cheryl]

Imperio blinked confused. "Imperial is no bigger than everyone? Everyone?" He looked around, trying to figure out what 'everyone' Kaehi was talking about. "But.. there's only me and you here?" He tilted his head, his confusion still blatant. "Everyone, everyone," he chanted, still looking back and forth in the empty valley for someone else. 'Maybe she means animals? Like mice and snakes? But I don't see any little furry things around here so they have to be hiding. But how can Kaehi see things that are hiding.'

He suddenly gasped as though hit with a sudden revelation. "Do you have x-ray vision?" he questioned excitedly. "Do you, do you? Is that how you can see little rabbits and stuff in the ground? WOW. How cool is that~?" He gave his tail another excited flick, his ears twitching in his frenzy. He didn't notice her slight jump, his mind working rapidly at under the revel of someone being able to see through things. "Oh, wow, oh wow. How cool~" he repeated. "I've never met anyone who could see through the ground! What's it like, what's it like?"  

[Huroggmeten]

Keahi stared, all pretense of being completely unphased by the other's foal-like mannerisms gone. It was one thing to have a childlike view on the world, to look be light and bouncy and have not a care, to believe in things just because they provice answers to questions that may seem difficult to believe have any less then completely magical answers. It was quite another to be so stuck in such a state of mind that you were not even capable of setting out the tenses of the parts of speech. She gave a small sigh, her lips twitching into a smile. She considered pretending to have X-ray vision, perhaps just to amuse him... but no, lying was not an acceptable course.

"No, I do not have X-ray vision, however dissapointing that might be. What I meant was simply that Imperial has eight letters. I- 1. m- 2. p-3. e-4. r-5. i-6. a-7. l-8. And Everyone has eight letters as well. E-1. v-2. e-3. r-4. y-5. o-6. n-7. e-8. Therefore, what you reffered to as a 'big word' was no bigger then a word you were very comfortable with using, and so it is not the size that daunts you rather the fact that you may not know it's meaning." She had the feeling that a verbal spew that long might have lost his interest halfway through, but felt better for saying it. After all, if he was able to pay attention, then he might have actually learned something.

She had watched as he had jumped about, as his mouth had moved so quickly in order to keep up with his wandering mind, and yet the similarity had not clicked until that moment... he was acting as she had as a foal, when her mind shut down and all her energy was funeled through her body.

As a foal, she posessed so much energy that she either had to be constantly occupied with a puzzel, or cantering about in circles and zigzags. She was now capable of channeling her energy into either thoughts or physical actions, always careful to never let herself become to riled up for fear of hurting herself or others. But as a foal, if her attention slipped for even one minute from the latest puzzle... ZOOM! She was off.

The only difference was, for Imperio, all that pent up energy had nowhere to go but the hooves and the ears and the mouth. He was an entirely physical being.  

[Teh Cheryl]

"Ohhh~" Imperio said, understanding finally hitting him. He scrunched up the side of his mouth in concentration as he listenened to her talk, trying to keep up with all the numbers and letters. He mentally ticked them off in his head, 'I, M, P, E, R, I, A, L. Eight. E, V, E, R, Y, O, N, E. Eight.'

The light bulb went off. "I see!" He nodded vigourously as she finished talking. "I get what you mean now! And yeah, that's it. I guess it's really not a big word at all, but I don't really hear anyone use it. I wonder why," he said, going off on another random tangent. "I mean, it's a really nice words, after all. It must get lonely when no one uses it. I mean, I'd feel lonely if I was a word and not many people used me."

Kaehi was looking at him strangely, and Imperio just grinned in response. He was used to funny and rather lost looks when he talked to people. He really didn't mind, it was actually rather amusing for him. Sometimes he just keep talking and talking and talking just to make the other person go 'Wah?'. He giggled inwardly at the thought.