"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Ever so slowly, her immediate fury subsides. She’s said what she’d cropped up for over a year now, and her brain finally allows for other things. Sounds. Shocked and disappointed faces. Only one such though, the new girl’s face, since Arty clearly wanted to show off he was the better of them. Ilma snorted at his pretend-polite words, but she looked away abruptly, as if inspecting something in the distance away from both of them. She did not want to admit to feeling bad about this, not while he was still here. Indeed, he looked to be on the leave, and so did Nalia. Ilma would apologize to the mare if it would help, but, could not do so in front of her son’s father. At least, not right away.
She’s decided not to answer his questions, even though he is wrong about that altogether. He is an absentee father. So is Tähti’s, but at least the girl had been created with consent. Something he gladly skipped over. A one-night stand who could never be found again but would not know he had a child either, was something different than this man standing in front of her, who knows he has a son due to his own actions - emotions had gotten the better of him back then, and she was not allowed to have them now? How strange the way his mind worked. If it worked at all sometimes.
Hearing the grulla mare’s words in the end, she finally looks back up to them. No longer the face of a sullen child, but that of a diplomat once more, having pushed back the sadness welled up inside her that had come and try to replace the anger. Although, whenever she even so much as glances at Arty, her anger is still visible in her eyes. But it’s reserved only for him now. A look of “I know what you’re doing and I ma watching you”, but, nothing more than that. Hasn’t she already said what she had wanted? And did it help her? No, wait, there was one more thing she had to say.
”I’m sorry you had to be present to witness all of this, Nalia.” she dips her head at the mare, it’s clear that she doesn’t want to be here and she has every right to turn her back on both of them. With a deep inhale of breath, she looks in Arithmetic’s general direction, though not his eyes. She can’t stand his mocking ‘I have won this’ glance, so she won’t look at it. ”Why are you even here today, Arithmetic?” She can’t help the small amount of pain that sips through her words, but she really needs to know. He would have recognized her from further away than just when walking up to the other mare. And had chosen to approach and make eyes at her and add a mocking tone to his voice, as if she would be happy to be his... plaything again. All this just for the fun of it? Really? But he could also have come back to Hyaline to do all that. It just doesn’t make sense to her.
Nalia’s absolutely right though. She realizes it far too late. But he got the better of her today. Something she will never let happen again.
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[Nalia]
@[Arithmetic]
I meant spitting like spitting out words guys, not actually spitting in the face :o she’d think that gross even when she is this angry.
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
07-11-2018, 04:37 PM (This post was last modified: 07-11-2018, 04:37 PM by Nalia.)
At hearing the white mare's words, Nalia turned her head, her eyes widening a bit when she heard her apologizing. Truthfully, she had nothing to be sorry for, even if her words had been quite harsh. Nalia would not chastise her for such because she more than likely had a good reason. The question then would be: what history did these two have? Would Nalia ever have the courage to ask if her curiosity did get the better of her?
Nalia gave her head a shake to assure and calm the white mare, "Don't worry, you have nothing to be sorry for. Whatever words are exchanged between you two, hate-filled or not, there has to be some sort of reason. I prefer to stay out of that, but seeing as I'm here, it warrants that I at least understand. I have the general idea though, based on what the stallion told us," the grulla filly offered, shooting a side glance at Arithmetic as well.
It was not a look of anger or hatred, just a look in general to let him know she knew he was still there. The white mare gave Arithmetic her acknowledgement as well, only her words troubled Nalia more. There was obviously more than anger behind this exchange, and Nalia was torn between staying out of it, give the mare and stallion some space, or remaining here due to her own curiosity.
The grulla filly took a few steps back, closer to the white mare as well, to give the two some space, but remained close by just in case her instincts told her there'd be trouble.
The day had grown grayer, as had their conversation. The staleness of it was bitter upon his tongue and he felt himself instinctually draw more inward. Overhead, a gathering of clouds threatened to spill a fresh sprinkling of snow upon them, crystallized ice already clinging the the darkness of his coat. The sudden drop in temperature matched the coldness of their eyes upon him. He did not turn and leave as his previous actions had suggested he might, instead he listened intently to Nalia as she first offered defensive words and then provided her name. Both mares no longer surprised him with their unguarded contempt for him. Ilma's was understandable, however Nalia's was based purely on presumption and prejudices. She held herself above him, even without knowing the fullness of his previous involvement with the Hyline Ambassador. Outwardly, towards the grulla paint, he hadnt expressed a single ounce of animosity. He had remained calm in the face of her judgement and had only risen to draw attention to her fallacy. But ignorance couldnt be healed, it seemed, and he was content to let it be.
Ears pricked forward in interest, his smile never faltered as he met her gaze in a friendly manner. He nodded his head in reassurance, "Perhaps you are right," he conceded with a playful wink of his hazel eye. Gesturing towards Ilma he continued, "I am glad to see that the rare predisposition of self control has not been lost to all. I will restlessly anticipate our next meeting and my chance for redemption."
Concluding his farewell to Nalia he returned his attention to Ilma, the waves of his disgust towards her slowly subsiding. Sifting through his memories with her he felt nothing but regret. His lust had been what had led to his eventual downfall, the lowest point in his life had been succumbing to her pretty face. That was all she had been to him, nothing more than a casual flirtation paired with a good body and pleasant features. Her wit had been dull and their conversations forced, but none of that had mattered so long as she gave him what he had set out to take. And she had. Though, the details of her willingness had been mildly overlooked.
Knowing her more intimately, he'd come to realize that her affections were as flighty as a deer caught in the wood. Her gaze hungrily shifted from one male to the next, him being the second of her 'flings'. The ivory mare was blind to her own faltering attentions - little did she know that he had been watching her. Her heart had barely finished a single beat when she instantly fell into the arms of another. Who was it? Svedka? The longer he watched the clearer it became that he was her next desired hook up. He was only partially surprised to find her womb barren, but he supposed Svedka had found a more suitable mate to warm him that past autumn.
Many and more happy realizations tumbled within the darkness of his mind, begging to be set lose upon her. But he remained silent to such things, glad to let her to continue to live happily within her delusional world.
Ilma's apology to Nalia felt strained, a feeble attempt to regain the dignity she had lost. Turning to him her question was simple and he suspected that she already knew the answer.
To find you, my darling.
"Why, I was merely enjoying the sights," he explained with a quick glance at the frosted landscape that surrounded them. "It was only a happy accident that I stumbled onto you here...my lady ambassador."
He threw her title at her with heavy contempt. After her display he couldnt help but question if she was deserving of such a burden. Smiling he started to walk away, his tail swaying with each step he took.
"Truly, this was a rousing experience," he called back at them over his shoulder. "I look forward to seeing both of you again very soon."
And with that, he disappeared over the rise.
Arithmetic
I Don't Make Love
@[Ilma] | @[Nalia] Sorry, I lost power twice yesterday...so that's why this is a bit late to the party.
And there's a lesson waiting to be learned the firestarters always get the burns and the good guys never get the girl
Whatever Arithmetic was thinking, she was glad he didn’t show all of it. His behaviour was nothing she could ever agree with, which was why she, seeing him after so much time, had exploded. She should not have, as he loved to point out several times - she only reacted with a harder look and ears pinned to her head for a moment, and did not care to make a show of herself again. Although given the chance, she might have literally attacked him. But perhaps he’d best her in that too, and certainly she would not try in front of another.
She ignored his comment about seeing them again soon. She’d rather he stayed out of her life for good. Not only because choosing him over Svedka to try and build a lasting relationship had backfired hard on her, but also because now that her feelings for the latter had been given time to grow (something the impatient Arithmetic might have had, had he waited for her to do so), she had moved on now, and would not like to try over with the grullo again.
But there was something about her way of giving love he had not understood. She’d been ready to give everything as long as she got something in return, but, since he’d taken what she was not ready to give, all of that budding love had been frozen to death. She shook her head silently when the grullo man left, and turned to Nalia. The mare had said not to apologize, but she felt like she should anyway. ”No, whatever we have going on should not have been outed in front of you. That I have good reason has nothing to do with my really bad example of a diplomat.” She says wryly.
With a sigh, she turned to the west. ”If you’ll excuse me, with this weather it’s a long walk home. I hope to see you again sometime under different circumstances.”
and shooting stars cannot fix the world
@[Nalia]
Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this: men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.
