Art & Madness: Blank Canvas {Any}

[Jacksanna]

One step, two, a third and then the petite winter nymph comes to a stop at the edge of what little tree-shade could be found at the farthest reach of The Field. 

Lean muscle twitches beneath an icy coat splashed with droplets of earthy red ocher and darkest ebony. Silken banners are an almost metallic white, streaked with a dozen shades of silver and black.

The compact yet beautifully proportioned mare looks out from mismatched eyes; one the rich brown of damp soil and the other a deep indigo blue. Dark ears swivel and flick at the slightest sound, catching snippets of conversation that drifts her way on the sweet summer breeze.

Pale hooves paw lightly at the ground, tearing small divots out of the lush earth. How are there so many individuals gathered in one place? How are there no predators stalking these lands? 

Then, hardly a moment after the questions form in her mind she watches a steady trickle of bolder-than-brass stallions approach the grazing mares. Notices more of these mixed-gendered cliques; pairs and trios and groups.

She watches as mares follow stallions from The Field... or snub them. A flick of that white-grey tail, a quiet nicker of apprehension. 

“Aah... I see, open auditions…”

Quiet words carried by a lilting, soothing voice. A huff, a sigh, a step from the shadows into the light.

[Hasenel]

As he grazes along the edge of the field, far from the others, Hasenel lifts his head when a new arrival suddenly appears. Silently, he watches her from a distance, his eyes looking her over as he realizes this mare is not like most. Stepping forward Hasenel approaches her quietly, hearing her sarcastic remark.

"Hello there," he says gently, smoothly. "If there are open auditions, I suppose I'd like to join."

His nostrils flare as he stops a few feet from her, noting that she is a well muscled mare despite her small size. Yes, he'd certainly like to compete... or audition his strength and ambition... for her loyalty.

"I am Hasenel," the fire stallion says to her steadily. "Might I learn your name?" As much he desires to tell her about his will to form his own kingdom, the stallion holds back, knowing he ought to be patient and not overwhelm her.

[Jacksanna]

That smooth, gentle voice is close enough, unexpected enough, that her next step is halted for an instant before she settles her hoof back on the ground. Those mis-matched eyes turn to Hasenel, head canted slightly to one side.

Rather than looking startled, as that pause in her step may have suggested, she looks more as if she’s been caught doing - or saying - something that wasn’t exactly polite. His words bring a charming though self deprecating smile to her lips.

“You’re in luck, fine sir, for it seems that you’re first director to the show.”

A shallow bow to the stallion, one foreleg straightening while the other bends. The antic is smooth and gracefully executed despite being sprinkled with a liberal amount of humor. She straightens to all of her petite height,

“My name is Jacksanna. Unfortunately, I lost my script in the swamps back that way… mind helping me out with my next line, Hasenel?”

[Hasenel]

Jacksanna...

The fire stallion was amused by the mare; she carried the joke flawlessly. When she asked what her line ought to be, Hasenel was happy to make a suggestion.

"Perhaps it is that you'll come with me, and become the first honorary member to my kingdom."

Secretly, he hoped she would have no objection. Long before he had met her, Hasenel had explored the land to find the best place he would start his herd. As it were, he had found a place he deemed perfect, but could not claim it without finding a mare to share it with, first.

[Jacksanna]

The splashed mare blinks at the fire-kissed stallion… then blinks at him again before she prances a complicated little jig half-way’round Hasenel then back around again to be facing him. She moved nimbly, the antic playful yet deliberate and quiet. 

Then, all at once, she was completely serious save for the wry glint in that multi-hued gaze.

“Huh… don’t know how I could have forgotten such epic lines,”

She tisks, tuts, sighs. Tossing her head she says:

“Of course I’ll come with you,” Then, in a terrible villain’s accent: “Who doesn’t want to take over the world?”

Finally her features smooth into an expression of genuine excitement, the thrill of adventure bright in her words.

“Truly, though, I’m in! Where’s camp?”

[Hasenel]

If he could grin, Hasenel would have done so when she agreed to join him. In that moment, pride filled his heart as reveled in the fact that he had claimed his first mare, and it hadn't been too difficult. Not that it should be, he thought. She'll do very well with me.

Snorting with triumph, Hasenel began to turn toward the forest.

"I won't spoil the surprise yet," he said. "If you can keep up, you'll see for yourself."

Without warning, the stallion passed back into the forest, his hooves carrying him in a swift canter. Constantly his eyes and ears were flicking behind him, making sure he wasn't disappearing too fast for his new recruit.

OOC: Hey Jacksanna, I just claimed the Island Resort land in The Gates kingdom. I'll start a new thread for us there.