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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:12 pm
Despite her visit with Basil, Applewood could feel nothing but a distinct dissatisfaction. There had to be more to this story, but there was only one more player in this fiasco that could help her. That was Bushfire.
She'd seen the other female around, had of course met her briefly when the arrangement between she and Apple's cousin had been made. She was gorgeous, a true Wildtype with an impeccable lineage. But she still didn't know her, and that made her somewhat nervous.
She knew she could and she should go faster, but her thoughts were troubled and kept her with wings spread and riding breezes instead of flapping quite so much. Her cousin was so... so brunt! How could he expect to just get away seamlessly and switch to another, lesser mate? No, he was leaving behind a huge mess, was what he was doing. Stupid boy, someone had to clean things up even if he tried to throw his wing up and hide from it. Perhaps Bushfire would allow herself to be consoled somewhat, perhaps...
What was that?
Music.
Applewood turned her head, blinking away her daze as she stared off into the dark. A faint, but deep tinkling was making its way through the trees, and after a moment of listening, Apple lighted upon a nearby branch to better concentrate. How enchanting! Just what of Noctua could make such intriguing tones? It seemed to be coming from a little ways off from the path she should follow to reach Bushfire's home, but too far that she could just deviate a bit and still hope to just whisk by onto her destination. It would have to be one or the other.
Another predicament for Applewood, although this was a little more personal than any of her family dilemmas. She was quite honestly torn. Well, she finally thought, she still had some time before dawn came along and it would be an inexcusable time to visit. She could afford a quick glance, couldn't she? Certainly!
With that, she dipped from her branch and began to follow the brassy notes.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:24 am
Emery sighed fretfully as he added the last finishing touches to a new windchime, the rich tones as he gave it a testing nudge with his Will doing little to cheer him. His encounter with Bushfire had been nothing short of a disaster, and if he hadn't removed himself from consideration as a suitor altogether he'd certainly not made any progress. She had been so...distracted, as though something weighed heavily upon her...and after some thought, Emery had an idea of just what that was.
Basil. Deadbeat, cowardly Basil. He'd done Bushfire such a horrible wrong it was no wonder she could think of little else, yet Emery found it impossible not to feel jealous and resentful towards one who could so easily keep Bushfire's attention when he himself could barely get her to focus on him for more than a moment.
Emery was so focused on his own thoughts, he hadn't the faintest inkling that he might be about to have company.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:37 am
There was no particular melody to the reverberate chiming, but it was charming all the same. Apple had never had an experience with wind-chimes before, so she had little idea of what she was dealing with. As the occasional sounds got louder, she was increasingly beginning to realize she was headed right towards someone's territory. Somehow this disappointed her.
Ever the polite, well-mannered girl she was (and ever the pacifist when it came to her safety), though, she glided down to a branch. There she shuffled a little, claws tinkling against the wood with her curiosity. She gave an imploring hoot to the sound beyond, hoping silently that the detour wasn't for nought.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:18 am
Emery was nearly startled off of his perch at the hoot, suddenly flaring his wings to keep from toppling from the branch. For the fraction of a second he thought it might have been Bushfire--but no, the sound was little like her deeper voice, though it was still feminine in tone. Why would Bushfire visit him anyways? She was...well, Bushfire, and he was just...plain mystery-lineage Emery. Shaking off his disappointment, he pulled himself together enough to answer with a welcoming hoot.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:34 am
Oh, lovely!
Taking a moment to preen her feathers a bit (first impressions!), she took off and made her way toward the sound. A male, it had seemed to her, and soon enough she spotted him. A big boy, he was, of what looked like a delightful tawny plumage. Another Wildtype, it seemed, wonderful! She also noted something dangling near him, but saved her inspection for when she landed a respectful distance from him on a nearby branch.
"Good afternoon!" She greeted him affably, the intended smile of her beak set to a shy little quirk. "I do so hope I'm not interrupting you. I heard the most sweet little sounds on my way through the wood and it led me along this way. Could you possibly help me?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:20 am
If Emery could have blushed beneath his facial feathering, he would have. As the only thing likely to be making sound at any given time was the wind chimes hung throughout his territory, she had to mean those, right? He hadn't sung in a long time, and he certainly hadn't been humming today, so that had to be it. Caught between stammering shyness and pride in his work, Emery emitted a few rather odd noises before he managed to get anything out.
"Sounds?" he asked. "Like these, perhaps?" Giving the chime he'd just been subjecting to such harsh treatment a gentle nudge of Will, he let the gentle tones resonate in the air.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:32 am
She gave a curious, if polite tilt of her head at him and his incoherent noises, her little tufts quirking in their lopsided concern. When he moved the dangling ornaments her attentions turned quickly enough. She found her feathers beginning to rise a little at the sound with pleasure, so close and so vibrant it warmed her for a moment. Of course in the next she realized what she was doing and managed to compose herself.
"That's it," She confirmed with a bob of her head, her green eyes sparkling with the delight of a youngling. "What a pleasant surprise! I've never seen the likes of such trinkets. What do you call them?"
They seemed so plain in color in the bare light, she could hardly believe their brassy notes were so satisfying.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:56 am
The stranger's interest in his work was like a soothing balm, and Emery soaked it up like dry soil absorbs the rain. The Bards showed a professional sort of interest in his work, that of a fellow musician, but this was different. There was just something so...genuine about her appreciation.
"They're wind chimes," he stated proudly, forgetting his shyness amongst the enthusiasm that overtook him when speaking of his work. "Bards enjoy their accompaniment to music, and they add a nice ambience to the home." Then his eartufts abruptly slicked back against his head in alarm. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." Sleeking his feathers down, he ducked his head slightly in embarassment. "M'name'sEmery."
Great, Emery, start muttering again. At this rate Bushfire's never going to notice you.
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:16 am
Wind chimes, hm? She repeated the name silently through her beak, so that she wouldn't forget. Like the instrument, however, it seemed simple enough. Apple was about to begin again before the charming young male suddenly became apologetic.
"No, not at all! It is I who should have made the introduction, I am the visitor." While a bit perplexed, she couldn't help but be somewhat amused by him. "Emery," she repeated warmly, after a moment of discerning. "I'm Applewood, but you may call me Apple if you like. Everyone else does."
She gave a soft coo, and turned her eyes to the rest of the surroundings, noting there were more wind chimes. "So you are the crafter. They are absolutely charming, good sir, had I heard a bard with one of these I might be more inclined to be out of my way." Speaking of. She perked, suddenly, remembering what she was originally supposed to be doing. But then, now that she thought of it Emery was not too far for words to stretch.
"Forgive me for changing the subject. Do you know Bushfire, the Forager? I notice you are her neighbor."
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 11:27 pm
"A pretty name," Emery replied, fluffing slightly with pride as Applewood continued. He might 'just' work with copper, but he was quite keen about it and it was enjoyable to speak with someone who shared that enthusiasm. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Apple."
Her question nearly made his eartufts slick back before he caught himself. Who was this Applewood to want to know about Bushfire, who seemed to have so much troubling her mind already? Not that he was much of anything special to be defending her so, but emotion had a way of muddling logic. He couldn't very well go about interrogating a visitor, however.
So instead of demanding just why she wanted to know, Emery answered, "Yes...I mean, I don't know her know her, but I've visited her, well..." Once. He suddenly seemed to find his feet absolutely fascinating as he stared down.
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Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 2:26 am
Apple was beginning to feel quite pleasant, up until Emery's tufts laid back once more. Her own perked a little. Had she touched some sort of nerve? Did he know something...? This could turn out to be more interesting than she had originally though.
"I was on my way to call on her before I heard the chimes," She continued, "You wouldn't happen to know if she was home, would you? The poor dear... You have heard the news, haven't you?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:21 pm
The news. Emery felt a surge of resentment, his feathers raising ever so slightly. Why couldn't everyone just leave Bushfire alone? Couldn't they see she had enough to deal with? "You mean her mate leaving her? Having to give up her chicks? If that's what you mean, yes." There was a surprising amount of venom in the word 'mate.' Emery's golden eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and sadness as he stared in the direction of Bushfire's territory. "She's had so many visitors since then." Too many, were the unspoken words.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:27 pm
"Yes, yes that," She agreed, with a somewhat mournful tone. Seeing that he was a little inflated, she resolved to be a little careful. What were his ties with Bushfire, hm? Was he related to her? He seemed so angry on her behalf and, well, she was too a bit. Her cousin was a disaster. "Well, in that case, I suppose it would be for the best if I were to wait for a little while before I see her. She must be fatigued! Such a shame, an injustice for her. I really am concerned for her."
But it almost felt as if Emery was dismissing her, and there was a brief wave of relief that coursed through her. Now she focused her attention on the male, whose feathers seemed more than a little ruffled. "I hope I've not upset you somehow, Emery."
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:51 am
Concerned? This caused Emery's eartufts to perk hopefully. If she meant well...maybe she wasn't quite the same as everyone who'd been nosing about. "Oh, no...no, it's quite alright. I just...I, ah..." He shuffled his feet as he looked down at them. "She seems very upset that he's courting a Mist."
Well if that wasn't the obvious statement of the century.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:59 am
Oh, of course she was nosing about, but she certainly didn't see it that way. She considered herself a concerned neighbor, someone who had at least some experience with drama and ultimately wished for things to be smoothed out.
"Of course she should be, both of them are from pure and quite prestigious family lines. Why, it must seem like an affront," She offered easily and then, perhaps a little secretly, "Though I personally suspect it's more the courting in general that's hurting the dear, as well as the unfortunate circumstance surrounding the separation. Honestly, could Basil have picked a less opportune time to decide he wasn't happy? Hmph. This is a travesty."
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