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 Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:42 pm
Tsunake His eyes were dull, almost dead as they rolled towards her and flicked away again with the softest of sounds, as though the very will to live had been drained straight out of him. She was oddly uncomfortable, hesitant and unsure of what to say or even do for the other when something was so clearly wrong. So, after a moment, her slender limbs folded to bring her into the sand next to him, ignoring the way her wood-wrapped limb pushed grumpily against her chest for her troubles. Silence dominanted the space between them for a moment before she'd lower her head, warm, sweet breath tickling at his mane though their flesh never connected. "...Was it... your gift?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:43 pm
Lady_Ourania A quick shove of dune against his side let him know that the mare had lowered herself to his level without turning to glance, overlooking the curiosity of the miniature tree providing him with shade on an oceanfront. Unseasonable warmth on his neck caused his coat to flinch, scales lifting slightly to the motion, releasing handfuls of accumulated sand before laying back down to reaffirm his protection. Otherwise, the bearded male was motionless to the advances, only the basic signs of life and the flickering of his eyelids showing that he was awake and aware. The accuracy of her question made him inhale deeply to keep from succumbing entirely to the despair, wondering if she hadn't somehow known ahead of time, if she was party to a sinister fault. But it blew away, cobweb-insubstantial suspicion, and he opened his mouth, tasting salty granules on his tongue. "She... did not like it." It seemed the plainest explanation he could give, even if it was slightly misleading when he heard his muffled voice phrase it, too heartsick to try and amend the error.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:45 pm
Tsunake The way his scales rippled intrigued her, but she knew this was no time for wondering, not when he seemed so despondant. The way he took in breath confirmed that his precious gift had something to do with his current state, and genuine sorrow pulled at her eyes as he admitted as much. "...I am sorry." She could only offer, her tail and mane pooling messily against the sandy ground as she dipped her muzzle closer to her chest thoughtfully. What was there to say? She knew little of the situation, and her presence might as well have been unwanted. Perhaps the stallion only wanted to brood. Fine. If he wanted her to go, she decided, she would not protest. But if and only if he said as much would she bother.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:46 pm
Lady_Ourania He did not add on to her condolences, only pulling his body tighter, lion tail curving around his numb limbs with a sprinkle of quartz dust. It landed involuntarily in her own puddling hair, trapping a section of it against him, the buttery mass close enough to tickle his ribs if a breeze guided the individual strands to mischief. She hadn't liked it, hadn't liked whatever came with it, though he could not say for sure what exactly that was. Betrayal in mind was not the same as anything physical, but it hadn't mattered that there was no contact, the exchange from hardwood hoof to mouth enough to incriminate him. As the mingled scent of brine and sap began to filter into his senses, he exhaled the breath he'd held from his last stint with speaking, lifting his head sluggishly once the nicks on his muzzle began to burn, the elongated end dragging through the sand and half-choking him when the terrain filled his nostrils. He snorted weakly to alleviate it, sending a shower through the air, her green presence making them glow like little seed motes before vanishing again.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:46 pm
Tsunake There was a gentle tug against her scalp, nothing serious enough that she felt the need to detangle it from his side. No, it was the brazen slashes across his muzzle that made her start a little, perhaps apalled at the state he'd allowed it to become. "You must clean that." She chided him with the same tone she'd used when he'd flattened the thorny branches with his tail. He couldn't allow it to remain in such a state where it could possibly become infected, her eyes bright with concern as she watched him now. "...May I help you clean it?" She offered hesitantly after a moment, refusing to let her tail twitch with the anxiety she was feeling.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:57 pm
Lady_Ourania The kirin was oblivious to her knee-jerk disapproval at his condition - illumination quavering with the slightest cant of her garlanded head, making it impractical to read into every change - but he did not remain so for very long. One gold-striped ear swiveled mechanically toward the reproach, drooping back to its malcontent pose when he felt he had caught the gist of it. Her worry was misplaced; he was not a shaky legged colt, a few scratches of little consequence in spite of the irritation they caused, paling in the face of his other dilemma. But she seemed insistent on the matter, and he uttered a grunt devoid of disagreement, granting whatever permission was needed. So long as he was not forced onto his feet and all but frog-marched in the direction of the distant waters for a salty scrub, the sprite-like mare could do whatever she pleased.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:58 pm
Tsunake The grunting note of acknowledgement was enough to to make her slowly stumble back to her feet, backing away so she wouldn't accidentally kick sand on his prone body before slipping from the beach. She moved quickly, her breath soon escaping in soft huffs before she'd finally found the herb she'd been looking for. She took her time in investigating, ducking her head to study the arrangement of leaves and scent to confirm it was what she was looking for. Then, a quick snip of her teeth severed a gangly, leaf-laden limb and she was quickly making her way back, able to easily find the stallion where she'd left him. Crushing the plant slightly to make sure the juices were flowing, the mare lowered her head to gently touch it against his nose. "This might sting, at first..."
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:00 pm
Lady_Ourania The sudden removal of her mane from under his leg left it with winding phantom sensations, a few silky threads clinging to his armored side as the rest of her disappeared without another word. He did not call her back, engrossed in the crash of marine wrath on the shores, the otherworld that was a reflection of the heavens being foamed over and destroyed with each obsidian spill. He did not know when it would be wise to make an appearance in his own home, when his beloved would settle enough to invite him back to their shared cave. He felt eroded and bullied, something that the moon could not right just by hanging bride-pure overhead. Footsteps alerted him that she had returned, smelling strongly of her domain, the one that she carried with her everywhere and could buy only brief reprieve from. Her breath passed near his face, and then something dribbled down, splashing across the wounds and birthing forest fires in the tiny, bloody craters. Muscles tightened, tempted to loll his head out of reach and somehow make her leave him be. But it was too much work, a low groan surfacing from his vocals to express what the rest of him couldn't.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:04 pm
Tsunake She could see the muscles tense and winced for him, the sound tugging at her heart and forcing a murmured concern out in the open for all to hear. Soon, soon it would numb and only tingle briefly before that faded as well, and the mare slowly lowered herself down. "I'm sorry." She finally said, a breath exhaling from her nostrils tiredly. "It wil heal better now, and you won't get sick..." It was all right if he wasn't listening right now, for she could muster up enough words for them both until he finally grew weary of her babbling and sent her on her way.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:06 pm
Lady_Ourania The sympathy was next to useless, but it quieted him nonetheless, facial spasms proving it was impossible for the stallion to maintain an impassive exterior. Her treatment reached a particularly deep slash across the front of his nose, making his eyes water as he instinctively buried it against the softest plane he could find, trying to usher it onward to the stage where it didn't hurt. Her neck was warm and oddly welcoming, the expansion of his lungs carrying her deepwood scent into his throat, the differences between her gold and the surrounding sand more obvious so close up. His vision cleared slightly as he blinked away the glaze, confused for a heartbeat before he gingerly pulled away, forgetting how cumbersome movement had been a second before.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:06 pm
Tsunake Azure eyes grew wide with surprise as his hard, bearded face sought isolation against her neck, effectively stilled and silenced both. Her muzzle briefly dropped as though to nose at the tufts of his mane, but he'd only drawn back again and she was left with a lingering expression of uncertainty. It looked as though maybe the pain had eased at last... or had it? She couldn't tell for sure. "Better?" She was eventually able to voice the question, peering openly at his face as though in search of answers.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:08 pm
Lady_Ourania The throbbing blaze beneath his skin was temporarily forgotten, if it had not left him entirely, thoughts buzzing with other things while the petal-perfume of her filled him to the brim. They stared at one another in careful dismay, and it occurred to him how they were both flat on their bellies, limbs not quite touching but near enough to create a tent of shared heat. They had been this way all along, her beside him, and the wrongness of it was registering too late to make as great an impact. Her inquiry forced him to take his own evaluation, nostrils flaring to see if he could feel the minute worms of budding infection working through them. A sharp twinge, but it was less apparent than it had been, sanitized and sticky. "... Yes." He selected the reply at length, neck curving while he considered her rare toes. "Thank you." Nearly identical to what he had said the time she had retrieved a shell for him, but it contained a vastly different meaning in this place, even if he couldn't specify what made it new.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:14 pm
Tsunake She was not convinced for several moments, silent, impassive, almost as stoic as the trees wrapped around her slender sides. He spoke at last and the words flew straight through her, a slow blink her only reply for a moment before she dipped her head, perhaps to hide the way her smile curved. "You are welcome." She was relieved, was all, to ease him of his pain--and more so that he'd awaken from whatever shell he'd withdrawn into.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:16 pm
Lady_Ourania The implied shyness of her motion made his brow crease, and he glanced respectfully elsewhere while she spoke, the internal struggle ongoing while it seemed to be winding down on the outside. He shouldn't have touched her, being half-blind and pained not an impressive enough excuse if he was forced to plead his case before his lover. She would know, would point out that he hadn't pulled instantly back, that he'd consciously lingered for reasons that would end them. Delayed anxiety roiled though him, and the kirin began to fight to get his legs to support him, the golden rods too used to sleeping while the rest of the body moped. He stood uneasily, inadvertently looming over the mare with her tree coming chest-high on him. There was still sand on her neck from where he had pushed his face against her, tiny flecks of blood - his blood - standing out among them like carnelian blooms. And he was torn on whether to dust away the evidence or to leave it to her, another instance of willful contact sitting ill inside him. "I..." He realized that an apology needed to be made for his behavior, but it was hard to phrase with the roaring in his head, equal parts water crashing into surf and flighty indecision.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 9:16 pm
Tsunake His struggle was enough to make her start, craning her long neck up to better keep an eye on his wounded face, his sudden unease. Her gnarled claws dug into the sand, helped push her up while the rest of her normal limbs were there to keep her steady. "Are you... feel better?" She tagged onto his pronoun, assuming he was simply at a loss for words and not minding continuing the conversation from there.
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