Gut Instinct

[Mari]

Every fiber of her being told her to run, to get out of this place as fast as she could. Her legs locked up, and she was sure that her knees were quivering with adrenaline. Her ears flicked forward and back, forward and back, listening for any hint of a sound. This meadow gave her the chills.

The mare, neutral in all ways, paused, her head down to the grass. Her eyes flicked greenish today, reflecting the color of the rich grass around her feet. Fear, hate, and, well, perhaps just a touch of envy darted through her mind, one after another. To be bound to another creature so... to risk the pain of separation again... she winced, remembering her brother. He had likely been killed quite some time ago.

The purebred Spanish Barb trembled, a great sigh racking her sides. She couldn't go on living like this, and that was why she had come here, to Penori, wasn't it? Emi looked around, the pain of loss and fear of others of her kind showing plain in her cloudy emeraldine eyes. She supposed that some stallion or another would soon jump up to claim her, she that could never bear an heir...

[Halo]

The kindly brute trots merrily forward, head and tail high with happiness and a smile gracing his perlino kissers. Today is a lovely day, a beautiful and fine day to walk about and meet new ones. Greenway Meadow was along the way and as usual he stops by to see what or whom he might be able to meet or see. Halo has always been a bleeding heart, a hopeless and yet secret romantic, with a soft spot for the wounded and a desire to protect and nurture any in need of strength. For what use is his brawn and position if he didn’t use it to help others?

And then he catches it, the scent of fear upon the air. He stops in his tracks, turning his eye in the direction with a snort. Who could have possibly struck fear into a beautiful fae? It’s just not right, not proper. He has to do something about it or his conscience will plague him for weeks if he were to pass her by. So he approaches slowly at a leisure walk, pose unthreatening with the intent of not frightening his soon to be acquaintance.

“Good day, lovely one,” he speaks as he comes towards her side, stopping a good distance away from her. There he waits for the go ahead to approach and come near. Halo notes the apparent fear in her orbs and his eyes soften a great deal at the sight of it. He would never want to cause her more discomfort.
~Jynxed Halo

(OOC: I know Halo isn’t a neutral, Mari. But I hope you don’t mind me posting since the Neutral King hasn’t been on for awhile.)

[Mari]

((OoC: No problem. Emi should do just fine anywhere... the queen of apathy doesn't really care xD))

She eyed the stallion cautiously, taking a few steps back, away from him. Something about him was just kind of odd. He seemed... just, well, far too happy. What was there to be so overjoyed about? It was just another day. Emi supposed that that was perfectly fine... if he irked her, then there was no chance that she would love him.

"Lovely? What hallucinogenic have you ingested?" the Barb asked him, still not confident enough in herself to allow his approach. Her usual habit of picking large words still showed plainly, even though she was plainly stressed over his presence.

Emi forced herself to relax, pulling forward ears that had been pinned back in apprehension. She could, at least, be civil to this stallion. Being too stand-offish would never score her a place to live. She unlocked her knees, taking a few steps forward to compensate for those she had taken back. The small mare allowed her bi-colored tail to swish back and forth across her legs, knocking a few flies from their posts.

[Halo]

Halo is quite observant enough to know that his approach to a closer distance from her would only be met with apprehension, maybe even fear, as well as possibly more than a few steps away from him. So? He can be patient and wait for her to grow more comfortable with the idea of him and his presence. Despite the sharp retort the stag gets from his greeting, the perlino beast puts on a gentle smile, warmth flooding his voids as they continue to regard her with unchangeable kindness.

“I’m quite certain I am not hallucinating,” he speaks and bobs his head as if he’s certain. “If you truly think yourself anything but lovely then I’m afraid someone has gravely misinformed you.” If that is the case then it really is a sad one, for a mare to come to the conclusion that she is, for the lack of a better word, ugly. Halo has never found any fae to be less than beautiful in his eyes. Besides, looks aren’t anything and if they were he feels he certainly would not be in the circle of the gorgeous equines. “I do beg your pardon if my attempted compliment brought your offense.”
~Jynxed Halo

[Mari]

"If you see things not, then you must be addled to see me so. Lactating bovines of the Guernsey variety have more looks than I." She hunched her shoulders quickly and looked off, away from the stallion, in the equine equivalent of a shrug. The grullo hadn't had much experience with Guernseys, but she had always found them somewhat, however oddly, beautiful.

She turned her greenish eyes back to the perlino in front of her, deliberately steering her mind from the circumstances that had forced her to be wandering through a herd of dairy cows. "No offense taken, then." Emi was the kind of mare that rather regularly tripped over nothing at all, or fell into watering holes she was trying to drink from. Her bald face was usually dirty from something or other she tripped into.

[Halo]

“Think what you might, then,” he states, still in warm tones, “But your opinion has not affected mine or brought distaste to said opinion.” Okay, so he wasn’t all together sure exactly what she had said, but he was able to pick it apart and get the general idea. He, of course, doesn’t want to look unintelligent in front of a mare who obviously has a fine mind. That in itself would make her beautiful, a gem amongst plain stones (not that he is saying other mares are..! Oh, forget it). Halo’s thoughts make him grin and he tries a short step closer.

“My name is Jynxed Halo. Might I inquire of your calling?” His tail swishes quietly behind him, absent-mindedly swatting flies from his hinds before they can have a chance to suckle at his blood. Though he finds an extreme disliking for the tiny creatures they are the farthest from his mind and only receive habitual attention. Now, as for this fae before him, his interest in her is peaked and his desire to protect a jewel from some careless thief who would destroy it for his own petty reasons makes sure that the curiosity remains.
~Jynxed Halo

[Mari]

She snorted at his first remark. Many had assured her of her "obvious beauty," as they called it, but most all of them had quickly lost interest after they learned of her... inabilty. Seemed most of them were just interested in procreation. She allowed his approach, already becoming slightly bored. Her jittery fear had mostly dissipated, but the interior fight or flight reflex hadn't even come close to leaving her yet. It probably wouldn't for quite some time.

His question caught her off guard. Her? Why would he want to know about her? This Jynxed Halo was beautiful, too beautiful to be associating with the likes of her. But, whatever. Stallions would be stallions, and it would be easier to simply give him what he wanted.

The mare didn't even bother with her words this time. Without her consent or knowledge, a touch of longing sadness quivered in her voice. She knew very well what was missing. Their names were Kito and "Emi." She winced, pausing, and then added, "Just... Emi."

[Halo]

“Emi,” he repeats, letting the name roll experimentally over his tongue as he tilts his head, rolling his eyes upward as if thinking of the details hidden in the simple name. And then he smiles and returns his gaze towards earth, scorning the heavens for something more...interesting. “Just Emi? But it’s such a lovely name.” So the sadness he found in her voice confused him. Was her name too straightforward for her liking? Halo himself doesn’t seem anything plain about it, but he has concluded that this mare does not have a high opinion of herself in any form. “I’m honored to meet you, Emi.” There’s a small amount of joy on his vocals when he utters her name. He sincerely loves the sound.
~Jynxed Halo

(OOC: Sorry it’s so short.)

[Mari]

Every time her name fell from his lips, her mind added "... and Kito." Kito and Emi... Emi and Kito... one couldn't be without the other, light and dark, evil and good. But the twins were just the same, like two halves of the whole. It just didn't work with one... dead.

She bit her bottom lip, choking back the sob she felt threatening to expose itself. "I... I'm... sorry..." she said, feeling the color rise to her cheeks. Showing this much emotion in front of some stallion she barely knew? Emi wheeled on her hind feet and fled, galloping full out away. Away from where?

At least, she tried to. She managed a few sides before her front hoof clipped a boulder, sending the stocky mare tumbling across she grass. The Barb lay there for a moment before looking up at the stallion. She couldn't even meet his gaze. The grullo sighed, laying her head back down on the cool dirt. She didn't feel like trying to move just then.

[Halo]

He doesn’t understand...but then there are plenty of things in this world that escape his comprehension. Why is she crying? Did he do or say something? If he has caused her grief he’ll certainly have to kick himself upon appreciating this knowledge. It had never been his intention to harm the fae, she’s a gem meant to be coveted and protected, not scorned or hurt. His expression frowns with warm concern, worried orbs following her when she turns to gallop away.

Should he follow her? She obviously wants to be away from him so to shadow her would only aggravate her already present condition and maybe fuel a hatred for him that will divide them forever. But when she trips and falls, his instinct to take care her kicks in and he can’t stop his legs from picking up dust in a swift trot to her side. Once there he nudges her neck in what she would hopefully interpret as a consoling manner, resting the tip of his nose on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to be strong in front of me, Emi. I don’t mind if you cry so as long as I’m not the cause.” He tentatively licks her cheek to clean away the signs of tears. He worries she might take badly to his touching her and with the realization Halo lifts his head to instead peer around. His eyes search for danger as he stands protectively over the mare, eyes hardening on a far off stag who hadn’t even glanced this way. Still, the gaze would have deterred any from approaching the saddened mare.
~Jynxed Halo

[Mari]

At first, she flinches away from his touch, trying to push herself into the comforting ground. But somehow... the the little tickling feeling running down her spine with each of his exhalations relaxed her, and she felt her own breathing steady and slow.

His words touched back on the insecurities she felt, but certainly nothing she couldn't deal with. It was his action, defending her from anybeast that might take advantage of the rather vulnerable mare, that nearly sent her into another bout of sobs. Why would anyone - especially this stallion she just met, not moments ago - want to do that? She was just a mare, and not even a particularily pretty one at that.

"Jynxed Halo, I inquire as to your purpose at being so... eleemosynary?" Emi had nearly recovered her composure, and she lifted her head from the ground to look up at him.

[Halo]

Halo turns his gaze back to his vulnerable charge, blinking with a small bit of a confused daze dulling their glisten with bewilderment. What in the world does eleemosynary mean? He’s been pretty good at guessing what she is talking about so far, but that is one big word; and one the stag can’t ever recall hearing. But she’s waiting for an answer, watching him quizzically. His honor demands he reply with the least amount of hesitation as possible, even if he looks like a fool.

“I’m not really sure about your wording, but if I were to take a stab at your question anyway...” He pauses here and sighs, thinking. “I just want to help. That’s what I do, the goal I’ve set out to achieve. I don’t like to see anyone suffer and if I can do something about it or protect them...” He shrugs and lets the sentence fall apart at the end, allowing a small smile to finish it as he slowly lowers his crown to use his nose to brush her bangs from her eyes.
~Jynxed Halo

[Mari]

She smiled, letting him touch her with his nose. Definitely an odd sensation, another equine's velvety nose on her face again. Emi almost laughed at the stallion's obvious bewilderment. His answer fit well enough, though. She pulled her front legs back under her, straighteningthem until she was sitting back on her haunches. The grullo looked around a bit, catching her breath before hauling her back end up into its normal position.

"Certainly not meant for rolling around in the grass anymore, this old shell of mine..." she mumbled to herself, not really meant for anyone to hear. Emi quickly flicked her attention back to the stallion, speaking now for him to hear. "This is the veldt that one pursues when they desire a band, unless I'm mistaken. So... I suppose all this is just a prologue to actually getting me to consort with your group specifically?" Sometimes, she found her habit of twisting words a bit annoying. But it was the best way to get her thoughts outside her head, really.

[Halo]

When Emi stands, Halo takes a step back to give her room to do so. Would not be very good if she tripped over him while getting back on her feet, not very mannerly of him to not have taken precautions against it. He watches her, ready to lend support if she needs it and yet not wanting to appear to smothering either. She speaks and his tail flicks behind him in a curious way, head tilting slightly. "Greenway Meadow is a place where someone can come to find a herd. And you are welcome to return to Symphony Falls with me if it is something you find enticing. But I won't force you if you don't wish to." He fidgets slightly, a little worried about clashing vocabulary. She seems so bright and smart and he can barely understand her speech at times. He must look like an idiot.
~Jynxed Halo

(OOC: Sorry...short...)

[Mari]

She stood with her poll level with her withers, looking up at him through her forelock. Vertical black and white stripes interrupted her vision, turning the stallion in front of her into an African equine she had seen but once, but heard much about. The mare felt a gentle laugh bubble up from her chest. Zebra...

Still smiling at the comparison, Emi replied. "Symphony Falls, hmm? Sounds... prepossessing. If you're sure it would be commensurate..." She was, after all, allied to Neutral. Symphony Falls was, as she had heard, the land of the Lights. And if Halo lived there... She had thought that he seemed a bit cheerful, especially for the likes of her. But, whatever. It didn't much matter where she lived, since she was unable to give stallions what they wanted. She really didn't want to be bound to anybeast like that, anyways...

"I'd appreciate it." Plain words. Words to gain some sort of home with, hopefully.