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 Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:00 am
"Yes," he insisted, fighting to keep the venom from his tone.
ARGH.
The stallion gave a hoof an angry stamp, unable to still himself completely. He hadn't been so irritated since... since his b*****d of a brother got him kicked him his herd, he noted with dark bemusement. 'If you'll remember, I did try to stick up for you in that situation.' Ti'ran snorted at this recollection too.
"Exactly what I said," A'ier murmured with some indignation.
He gave her a sideways glance, frustration creasing his expression. Wasn't it obvious? He thought it best to try and explain though, considering the situation. "It would be just like Ri'shin - to love a mare, and leave her to fend for herself and her foals. Irresponsible, you could say. Ran prefers to call him a philanderer."
Ti'ran seemed content to leave explaining on his companion's shoulders, because he offered no help - not even a word - until Yei unveiled another question, and another name he'd not so much as heard before. "I haven't any idea," he replied, tone surprisingly earnest given his mood.
A mare, if I had to guess. That was what he wanted to say, but his sense thought better of it. The last thing he needed to do was add more fuel to her fire, and should he assume correctly, he doubted she'd take kindly to his 'knowing' this Kali individual. Whoever that was.
"I am sure you have some reason you think I should though."
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:31 pm
"Kali is Kalani's mother." Yei informed him, her tone matter of fact as she continued to eye the unicorn critically. However, as the minutes passed her glare was beginning to soften and her anger began to waver - there was something clearly wrong, regardless of how similar the foal and Ti'ran looked...
He seemed genuinely confused and each time she presented him with her accusations he appeared baffled. She had seen many good actors in her time, but to hold out this long and to look so genuine was beginning to concern her. It really was as though he had no idea what she was talking about but his excuse was so difficult to believe.
A twin!
"And I suppose this twin of yours is completely identical to you, in every way?" She asked, her tone much more steady and calm than it had been previously. Clearly she was beginning to take all his words into consideration and it was about time too!
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:12 pm
"I see," Ti'ran replied flatly, neither surprised nor amused. Maybe some day he would be glad to know their names and association, but the time was not then. He cared only enough to remember, should he develop a want for them later.
He caught it though... the crack in her visage that came with her faltering anger. It didn't go far toward curbing his own, but it did allow him to find it in himself to grant a reply. An honest one, free from his flaring anger and forked tongue. "He is white," he mused. Not quite qualified as 'completely identical', even in appearance. Never mind their glaring personality differences.
"You will know if you meet him." Velvet nostrils flaring, the unicorn added a disdainful snort for good measure.
At least A'ier seemed to be recovering. The relaxation of his company (slight though it was) allowed him to collect his wits and humor. "I would advise against it though - not that I expect my opinion counts for much at this point. Just don't say we didn't warn you when you go looking for him, and end up with a less than desirable encounter." The wolf sighed and shook his slender head.
"I should hope they're not identical in every way," he added at last.
Ti'ran finished the thought. "I am ashamed to admit he is blood." Not that there would be any mistaking their relation.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:45 am
"Oh..." Yei was rather quite for quite a while, taking all that she had been told into account before replying. Admittedly, Kalani had a pale pelt, but it was not white - rather, it held a green hue, almost similar to the small tressle of hair upon Ran's mane. In fact, if she could have placed the pair together she really would have said that they were related.
Even so, she shuffled her hooves and much to her own surprise...she wasn't entirely certain as to whether or not she should push the matter further. She was adamant that Kalani was his son, the similarities were uncanny but...
At last she lifted her head and released a deep sigh, choosing only to shake her ruffled mane. Perhaps when it came to this particular encounter, now was a good time to hold her tongue. Recently she had come to realise that she was letting her prejudices get in the way - just because he was 'exotic' didn't mean she should automatically assume that he was in the wrong.
As much as she wanted to believe he was.
"I doubt I will go out of my way to find him, it is not my place." She murmured at last, almost begrudgingly. It was clear that she wasn't satisfied but equally, she had no intention of forcing him into an even smaller corner than she had before.
"However if I should meet him..." She hesitated and shook her head once more. "Then we shall see." She mused, lifting her gaze and offering a somewhat meek smile.
"Maybe if you had met the foal you would understand my confusion...I suppose. Although I guess I owe you an apology."
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:42 am
As he came to the realization she was indeed backing down, he also became more fully aware her acceptance of this reality came with its own batch of trouble. A lot of trouble, potentially.
Ris'hin could refute his word, should she meet him. Though his brother could have denied anything, regardless of what it was he said, there was an unfortunate truth here. Despite how real it was he had a brother, or how similar they were in appearance, Ris'hin could claim he was lying. Yei would be able to throw it back at him, and his circumstance would be difficult to explain at that point...
If she was reluctant to accept he had a twin, he was sure she wouldn't take the whole truth as honesty. There were times he wasn't sure even he believed it.
The question was, would she believe Ris'hin? And furthermore, did he care?
Doubtful, on both counts. "No, it is not." She had pressed her nose quite far enough into his personal business already. His tone was relenting though - if only slightly.
There was a heavy sigh, and for the first time, Ran's posture showed signs of relaxing. "Understanding and appreciating are two entirely different matters." He had no difficulty understanding her confusion - no more than he doubted that foal really was his, in a backward manner of speaking. That hardly made her ridicule more tolerable though. One couldn't honestly expect him to take criticizing gratefully.
"It's possible," he replied, rather uninspired. He knew though... give her a minute to come around. It would take just as long, or longer for his irritation to ebb anyway, and everyone deserved a moment to come to an understanding with being wrong.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:44 am
Yei hated admitting she was wrong, it came with the territory of being female. Still, what made it all the worse was the fact that she truly believed that she was right in this instance - unfortunately for her, she had no way of proving that she was. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, swallowing her own pride when that knowledge remained lodged firmly at the forefront of her mind but she settled herself by informing her own head that the sacrifice would prove a good one in the long term.
Flicking her tail against her flank, she took a few moments to absorb his reply (taking careful measures not explode) and pursed her lips. All in all, she was reasonably nosey and being informed quite bluntly that she was not to involve herself in his personal life was a kick to the teeth. Then again...
Well, they weren't exactly close friends were they?
She had only met him once and although the encounter had been an amusing one, perhaps one that had shown a rare side to him, it was not enough to draw them into that type of bond. Admittedly, befriending a unicorn in such a manner would have been ironic given her apparent dislike for the exotic but she was learning...there was always more to an individual than met the eye.
One thing was for sure though, if she met his 'brother' she would not take kindly to his charms. She may lose her temper now and again but she was not as stupid as she came across.
"It seems your brother is quite a handful, if he is a twin like you declare..." She paused briefly and canted her head to the side, a feeble smile creeping onto her lips, "Have you never considered tying his horn to a tree and leaving him there?" She enquired. Truly, she would never consider doing something quite so brutal but it would certainly give Ran a head start if he were to run for it.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 8:59 am
Everyone hated being wrong, so far as he was concerned. He knew he would have, were it him. Unfortunately (for her, mostly), neither were - he just had the advantage of a stronger foothold, and the convenience of a twin he could firmly, guiltlessly (and rightly) place with blame.
He had more in store for Ris'hin than meager blame too, but that was a matter for another time. A bone to be picked later, if you will. For now, he had other things to attend to... Things like swallowing his retreating anger, and establishing a new opinion on Yei.
An apology - a proper one - would have gone a far sight further toward smoothing his bristled hide, but after a moment of reasonable consideration, he supposed this would have to do. It was the best he was going to get, he was sure, and he wouldn't stoop to misdirecting his anger at Yei. If nothing else, he knew she was sticking to her belief, and that he could respect.
A somewhat grudging respect, for now. His mood had all but subsided. "Were I someone else, I might have considered." If I were you, really. He wasn't though, to his relief.
"He only says that because he's not particularly friendly with raccoons, and he couldn't tie it himself," A'ier added, nodding. At least one of them had recovered. And Ti'ran gave him a glare, as expected. That too was normal - the wolf grinned at him. "He's not particularly friendly with anyone, come to think of it." Only in jest, only in jest...
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:29 am
It seemed that A'ier was digging his own grave at a steady rate in the corner (figuratively speaking) but even so, his comments did make Yei smile. Despite the tense atmosphere, the predator was doing his best to elevate the mood. They were tiny steps, almost tentative but his words did ring with a truth that reminded her of their previous encounter.
"Ah, but he would get along with bears methinks." Yei pointed out smoothly, her comment a veiled reference to the last bear that Ti'ran had encountered. A'ier would no doubt recall, it had resulted in a feather becoming impaled on his horn...she wasn't surprised to see that it had disappeared. If she was honest, the disappearance of the feather was a pity, orange brightened him up considerably.
"Raccoons are not hard to befriend though...just offer them gossip every now and then and POOF!" She gave a toss of her head, enough for mane to billow out slightly. "They return frequently, in exchange for words they provide you with aid..." She was clearly speaking from experience and a small twinkle appeared in her eye.
Not that she had tied any horns to trees lately, but she had thought about it a few times.
"Regardless, perhaps if I take a dislike to him then I shall do it! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned -" She paused and gave a small chuckle, "Or so they say at least." She added hurriedly for she wasn't the type of soquili to be so cruel regardless of who the creature might have been.
Nevertheless, as she once again allowed her muscles to relax she seemed to shrink in height. She was a rather tall soquili, but rarely held herself to attention - it was terribly uncomfortable to do so and left her neck with a creak in it. Similarly, she hated to look quite so imposing, as sociable as she was...imposing wasn't quite as inviting as her usually calm demeanour.
Funny how that always evaporated around the 'exotic'.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:15 am
Really, that was A'ier's specialty. It may have been the only thing he was actually good at! He could have even made a case using it as the reason Ti'ran kept him around, but he was sure that wouldn't be necessary. He knew Ran gave him an exceptional amount of leeway - why was anybody's guess.
And reminding her of their initial encounter had been his intention. While perhaps not the fondest memory for the unicorn, it should have been more pleasant to her recollection.
Not the fondest was an understatement, actually. "Only if their names are something other than Gully." Of course he remembered.
"Bribery for friendship? Really, Yei..." Undoubtedly, that would be the nearest to joking Ti'ran would ever step. A'ier managed more than enough for the both of them anyway.
"There is no perhaps. If you take a liking to him, I will be surprised. And if that is ever the case, I may also have to consider your judgment void." It was a statement, not a threat. Surely she was more sensible than that. Surely. Especially after today, considering all the grief she had for him.
A'ier nodded again, in agreement this time. "That would be a travesty. You wouldn't disappoint like that, would you Yei?" It may have been presented in a rhetorical fashion, but A'ier meant it conversationally. Anything... Anything at all to turn the tides of conversation.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 10:33 am
"I have a suspicion that Gully would take offence at that comment." Yei pointed out quietly, her tone serious although her expression revealed otherwise. Even so, as both appeared to round on her in relation to a certain 'evil' twin brother she was rather taken aback. Granted, she could understand A'ier and his forwardness but Ran's was a little out of sorts.
Or maybe it wasn't - she had a suspicion that Ran's concerns lay more in the abuse that she had given him only moments ago. To take an apparent like to his twin would be an affront. There was a part of her that could see his point but having an immediate dislike to his brother...
Something bugged her about that. Automatically assuming that another was bad based upon the words of another. Granted, she often held the exotic to be suspicious and untrustworthy but choosing to listen to the words of one over another? It was strange and just a little unsettling, placing her in a position that she didn't appreciate.
Perhaps it was an attempt to deter her, but encouraging her to avoid his brother only made her more curious. If she hadn't desired to see him, she most certainly was now - if only to draw her own conclusions, without biased and perhaps his twin wasn't quite as secretive?
"Raccoons respond to bribery, it's in their nature." She replied at last, keeping her own thoughts hidden as she picked up on the discussion once more. "And they're quick, quick enough to place another feather on your horn." She mused, a mischievous twinkle returning to her eyes.
"Something I suspect you wouldn't mind as much as you let on."
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:17 pm
"Maybe," Ti'ran replied impartially. He obviously wasn't concerned for the bear's sentiments on the matter.
His unease actually lay in the thought she would chew him up one side and down the other, then let his brother get away unscathed. He didn't much approve of double standards in concept, but when he was receiving the short end, they only looked worse.
Particularly because he was always on the short end. Ti'ran wasn't one for jealousy, but he tired of taking the fall over and over again.
"Maybe," he said again, equally noncommittal. "But who am I to exploit another's nature?" He would be a hypocrite if he were to resort to that.
Her accusation gave him a moment's pause, as though he was honestly taking it into consideration. "If I let on that it's painful, then you are right - it isn't uncomfortable so much as mortifying." Almost as bad as Ris'hin trying to humiliate him, with only a fraction of the effort required. "Present company excluded, I would prefer not to traipse around in front of others with a feather affixed to me."
As for Yei and A'ier? What they'd seen before couldn't get much worse. He only worried Yei would find new ways to abuse his reclusive, easily embarrassed demeanor.
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:30 pm
Yei could do embarrassment, she enjoyed jesting with her friends but she knew when public humiliation was not required. His character came under this category and she could only assume that he would be unable to cope with the attention should she do anything in public. The opportunity would never present itself though, Ti'ran seemed to avoid social encounters with every possible part of his being.
Unfortunate that, it could have done him good to get out more.
Even so, as he mentioned feathers in a rather derogatory manner she couldn't help but cast a glance towards her backside, where a pair of feathers hung at her tail. She knew that the feather in her ear was still there, but attempting to look at that was positively ridiculous - what was wrong with them? She felt a little put out by that comment but perhaps (and if she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt) he had been referring only to himself.
"You view befriending raccoons in that manner to be exploitative?" She enquired softly, avoiding the tentative subject of her own appearance. She had received quite enough comments on her pelt to be certain she would avoid it at all costs. "It is no different than befriending some mares..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:19 pm
He had no doubt of that. None at all. In fact, as he recalled, he had asserted some sort of aversion to social interactions involving Yei and others in their last encounter. That was how certain he was of her capability. He just had no desire to experience it first hand, and had he known, he may have expressed some degree of gratitude for her consideration.
He couldn't have been sure the opportunity would never crop up though. A'ier was becoming rather deft at forcing him outside his zone of comfort, and he didn't doubt Ris'hin would add some shades of spontaneity... Like it or not.
The stray glance cracked his once again expressionless visage though, and he raised a single brow. For the briefest of moments, Ti'ran considered saying something hopefully reassuring, but the thought was fleeting. It was better not to make assumptions, he reasoned, and willed himself to think nothing of it.
"To be frank," (was he ever anything else?) "I hadn't though much of it one way or the other. If it were another soquili, however, I would be somewhat less approving. Bribery is a little close to manipulation for my taste."
What he didn't understand was how bribing a raccoon could be comparable to befriending a mare. What did one have to do with the other? "And if by 'some' you mean the romantically disloyal sort, then I don't much approve of that either."
A'ier took the opportunity to seat himself, and curled his tail around his paws to observe in rare silence.
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:49 am
Romantically disloyal? Well Yei wasn't that sort of mare but the manner in which he automatically made the assumption did more than irk her. If she had any feathers, she would have been ruffled but instead she just let out a snort of warm air from her nostrils. Romantically disloyal indeed! The way to befriend her was often to mention some interesting gossip.
Gossip usually equated to a rather interesting topic of conversation, common grounds were found...friendships forged and so on. She puffed out her cheeks briefly as the thoughts whirred about in her mind before releasing a small 'cluck' of her tongue. She had known Ti'ran was socially inept but never had she suspected he was this bad.
"Not everyone who enjoys gossip is romantically disloyal." Yei replied testily, arching a brow as she observed the unicorn. She wasn't about to lose her cool completely (yet again) but she wasn't about to let him put her into that category either!
"Gossip is an essential part of social interaction, it's natural!"
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Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:51 am
It was hardly his fault it was the only logical conclusion he could come to. After all, he hadn't yet acquired Yei's opinion of herself - he had no gossip for her, and as such, it didn't occur to him she would consider befriending her required it as 'bribery' of sorts. Really, at their rate of misinterpretation, it was a wonder they could carry even fragments of a conversation.
Ti'ran may have been a bit of a social dunce, but he wasn't that inept. Her irked tone and disgruntled snort were hints enough. "I would like to think most individuals are above 'bribery for friendship' - gossip or otherwise." She was criticizing him for having a shred of faith in others, including her. "I would not have expected you to prefer I assumed your requirements for befriending were similar to a squirrel's."
"Natural, maybe. Essential, not so much." It was A'ier who spoke this time, though he didn't bother to adjust his lazy posture. "Can't imagine what it is that keeps you tolerating our company, if that were the case." The wolf gave her a sidelong glance, but he grinned in a joking fashion. "Unless you're collecting gossip out in the field. In that case, I can't imagine we'd be a particularly interesting topic of conversation."
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