|
Post by Crescent on Sept 2, 2005 1:39:06 GMT -5
Skydancer let Firefly pluck the leaf, his lips drawing back to a smirk. He tossed up his head, letting the leaves off his mouth and lips, so that they flew in one cloud all round, and then started snatching them from the air, trying to get as many as he could, laughing.
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 2, 2005 2:02:56 GMT -5
"You silly bushwoolie," Firefly laughed, ruffling the stallion's mane with a hoof. Seeing as they were both finished with dinner, the mare stood to take the plates and mugs into the kitchen. After rinsing the plates in the sink, Firefly dried her hooves and returned again to the couch she and skydancer had been sitting on.
"Whew!" Firefly said, sitting against the arm rest of the sofa, facing Skydancer, "I feel like I'm carrying triplets!" She laughed, rubbing her pleasantly full stomach and laying back against the armrest. A few moments passed before an eerie silence filled the room. A rumble started deep in Firefly's gut, and the pegasus covered her mouth with a pink hoof as she burped loud enough to compete with just about any stallion in all of Dream Valley.
She blushed slightly and looked at Skydancer with her hoof still covering her mouth. She giggled, inwardly proud of herself. Firefly laughed light-heartedly and leaned her head back, sighing.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 2, 2005 2:08:34 GMT -5
Skydancer half closed his eyes and flopped his ears downwards, enjoying the ruffle over his mane thoroughly. He leaned back and bothered to lift only one ear when Firefly took the dishes away. He felt himself comfortably full and wrapped his wings around himself, finishing his tea in one big gulp.
When she came back, he looked at her quietly while wondering how one "little" salad could fill him up so well. His tail moved lazily.
At Firefly's burb, he had to grin back at her when she blushed a little and giggled. He cleared his throat and then concentrated. After a moment he managed to find a decent rumble in his stomach, and let out a burb of his own, competing in loudness with that of Firefly's. Then he chuckled and looked at her.
"Can beat you anytime," he challenged her.
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 2, 2005 2:26:10 GMT -5
"Can beat you anytime,"
"I'll let you think so for now," the pink pegasus grinned, relaxing back against the sofa again. Her gaze drifted upward to the large round skylight window in the middle of the ceiling. The sun had just set, and the sky was gradually being painted a dark navy blue. A few pale stars twinkled in the evening sky.
"It's been quite a day," Firefly said, stretching her back. Active as she was, especially at her age, she valued peaceful downtime as well as her exercise.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 2, 2005 13:15:31 GMT -5
"I'll let you think so for now,"
Skydancer chuckled and then yawned. He had had a busy day, and now he was getting tired.
"It's been quite a day," Firefly said, stretching her back. Active as she was, especially at her age, she valued peaceful downtime as well as her exercise.
Skydancer looked at her with a smile, admiring the rippling of the soft pastel muscles, coloured deeper by the setting darkness. He turned round on the sofa, to sit on his haunches, and took one wing into his hooves. He stretched it out in front of him and started massaging it, ever so gently.
"Quite a day indeed," he said with a smile, going along the tip of the wing towards the root. "I've returned from twenty years of absence, fought with my brother, found my parents dead and then... the highlight of the day... met the famous Firefly, the only mare who could ever match my skills or my perfection in flying." He had a joking, light tone to his voice, and his magenta eyes sparkled in the darkness.
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 3, 2005 0:42:12 GMT -5
"I've returned from twenty years of absence, fought with my brother, found my parents dead and then... the highlight of the day... met the famous Firefly, the only mare who could ever match my skills or my perfection in flying."
Firefly looked away slightly so as not to seem shocked by Skydancer's comment. The stallion had been through so much in only a day.. but she took the news with grace and didn't rush to speak. Firefly wasn't terribly feminine for a mare, under most circumstances. But every female has maternal instincts, and most have at least a shred of compassion. Looking into Skydancer's magenta eyes caused a sting of pain deep inside the mare. True, everyone had their emotional baggage.. but Firefly had met few, if any, to go through the kind of trauma this stallion had in such a short time.
The pegasus did all she felt she could: scooting closer to Skydancer, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. She spoke in soft tones with closed eyes, "I'm so sorry."
She wondered inwardly just how he was able to present himself so charismatically and with such energy as he had earlier that day. The pegasus reasoned that he may still be rather numb from his experience. That numbness was one of the body's main coping mechanisms, after all. Being temporarily paralyzed in terms of one's emotions made accomplishing the necessary tasks easier.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 3, 2005 2:58:32 GMT -5
Firefly's sudden show of affection and her words had a more profound effect on Skydancer than probably anything so far that day, but it was not so much for what she did than the fact that by doing so she reminded him of the way he should have felt. He froze.
Skydancer was not good with emotions. He was not good with confrontation. He shrugged off most things with a joke, and hardly anything could hold his attention long enough to actually affect him. What had happened to him that day had been, undoubtedly, the worst that had ever happened to him. He had imagined coming home to a happy family, instead, he had found only an embittered brother and an empty house.
That should have broken him. Instead, he tore himself away from unpleasant thoughts and told himself nothing was wrong. That way, he was unhurt. He cradled himself into forgetfulness, and chose not to think about anything that would have been too difficult for him.
Firefly's approach made his wall break, however. He got tears into his eyes, and swallowed. The callous way he had just spoken about what had happened to him that day was mostly just him trying to show nothing could touch him. In truth, he was no more invincible as the next pony.
Skydancer closed his eyes and buried his muzzle into Firefly's hair. Tear or two rolled down his cheek, and he wrapped his own arms around her, to hold her tight. He did not let out a sound, or hardly moved, but he cried nevertheless.
[[ohh it's so hard to write these scenes with him. Forgive any clumsiness.]]
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 3, 2005 23:01:29 GMT -5
Minutes passed as Firefly continued to hold the troubled stallion. She winced slighty as he began to let forth the emotions previously guarded so tightly. Oddly enough, she wasn't bothered by Skydancer's emotional burden. Previous times had she been worn thin by needy ponies, even burdened by them in themselves.. but it was, for a moment, as if Skydancer instead filled a void in her life right then. He was bringing to light a part of her that few ponies ever saw.
But another part of Firefly's heart sank. So this was why he sought her out.. he needed comfort. Perhaps it wasn't that he was interested in her, just interested in some emotional and physical resources, a rebound from his pain. All the same, she'd take it in stride and try to help the poor fellow. They had a lot in common, after all..
Firefly pulled back eventually, wiping a few stray tears from Skydancer's cheeks. "Let's get you a bed made, huh? A little sleep will do you good," The pegasus moved to kiss his cheek, but refrained. She instead quietly stood, ready to seek extra bedding from her bedroom loft.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 3, 2005 23:46:10 GMT -5
Skydancer pulled a little back when Firefly moved again, and shook himself as though in an attempt to shrug off the pain that way. He had already spent some time earlier that day in thought of his parents and everything else. And most important of all, he did not want Firefly to see him like this. He stood and wiped away the rest of the tears into his forehooves. Then he raised up his head high, a bit of a smile attempting on his lips.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want to be like this." He looked down and scratched on the floor with his other forehoof. "Don't take this the wrong way, Firefly... I appreciate the shoulder to cry on and everything, but... that's not me. I want you to know that."
Skydancer wasn't the best with words, and this time he didn't really even know what to say. He gulped down the last tears and shook himself again, then folded his wings close and tilted his head, bending his neck, looking rather like a schoolboy caught stealing cookies. There was ever so faint blush around his ears.
"I don't want to burden you," he found himself saying. "I can go to the castle... I'm sure Rain would find me a room there."
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 4, 2005 0:33:09 GMT -5
"Don't take this the wrong way, Firefly... I appreciate the shoulder to cry on and everything, but... that's not me. I want you to know that."
"It's ok," Firefly looked downcast a moment, but raised her head with a small smile, "You're in pain, I understand." She looked away a moment, desperate to say something her mother would have said to her, Then back at her friend, and spoke with a quiet, somewhat wise voice, "We all feel pain sometimes, Sky.. and many times running from it only makes it worse. You have every right to feel the way you do.. don't be embaressed of it."
It was as if her mother spoke through her at that moment, and Firefly was glad to offer some bit of wisdom in Sky's time of grieving.
"I don't want to burden you," he found himself saying. "I can go to the castle... I'm sure Rain would find me a room there."
Firefly responded somewhat quickly, "No, no.. stay. I.. I could use.. the company," The pegasus smiled briefly, suddenly looking somewhat shy herself.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 4, 2005 0:50:04 GMT -5
Skydancer looked down, her words touching him - quite deep. He wasn't sure how to react to them. He didn't know how to deal with them. On some level, he knew she was right, but on the other... he didn't want to think about it. He appreciated her words, however. It meant she understood.
"No, no.. stay. I.. I could use.. the company," The pegasus smiled briefly, suddenly looking somewhat shy herself.
Skydancer smiled tentatively and lifted one ear toward her. He took one step closer.
"I would... appreciate it," he said in reply, then stretched out his neck to touch her on the nose just a little. It was sort of a half a nuzzle.
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 4, 2005 1:50:03 GMT -5
"I would... appreciate it," As Skydancer leaned to nuzzle her, Firefly, with slight hesitation, met him in the nuzzle, and let her nose linger there a moment. "It's settled, then," Firefly smiled, then smothered a yawn. It was a little early for bed, but she was tired after a day such as this. In her youth, the mare would have undoubtedly be up late that night and early the next morning without a misplaced hoofbeat. But, inevitably, her age was slighlty catching up to her. Just slightly. "Come up to my loft, we'll find you something to sleep on," She said, walking to the ladder-like stairs against the far wall which led to the upstairs loft-like bedroom.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 4, 2005 1:55:08 GMT -5
Skydancer enjoyed the moment their noses met, and didn't hurry to pull back. He was getting his self-confidence back - bit by bit. At her invitation, he followed her towards the loft. His ears were swivelling around eagerly though slightly nervously. He wasn't sure how he should have interpreted her invitation. It was, after all, rather early for bed - even if he, too, was tired.
|
|
|
Post by Jewel on Sept 4, 2005 2:02:05 GMT -5
As the pair climbed into the loft, Firefly's 'bedroom' came into view. This consisted of a large, but clearly unmade bed, with a circular skylight window above it. Her home let in much light through windows such as these, and it always pleased the pegasus to be able to see the sky.
There was also a small dresser with bits of this and that in its drawers, including some garments for the cold weather. Next to the dresser was a closet, full of basically everything Firefly didn't know where else to put.
"Here, have a seat. I'll see what I've got in here.." Firefly motioned toward her bed, seemingly unconcerned at its messy appearance (Firefly's reasoning was, why make it when you're just going to unmake it again?), and looked suspiciously at the closet door. She remembered the disaster that ensued the last time she tried to find something in there.
|
|
|
Post by Crescent on Sept 4, 2005 2:06:37 GMT -5
Skydancer looked about in the loft, a bit amused. Yes, she was indeed not very organised. That appealed to him. His brother had used to drive him mad with his military way of organising things. He had joked once if Starshine actually measured everything into place, but when his brother had simply stared at him blankly and said "of course", he had stopped laughing. To the date, he wasn't sure if Starshine had been joking.
He smiled as he unceremoniously flopped himself onto the bed. His eye remained on the mare, however. He grinned as the mare stared at the closet.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll defend you against anything that might crawl out of there."
|
|