the Rift


Frustration [Smoke]

Paladin the Valiant Posts: 153
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 15 Years Buff: DANCE
Tamme
#1
Individually, we are one drop
Together, we are the ocean.
- Ryunosuke Satoro

Paladin was trying to put together what he was wanting to say to Smoke. She had angered him and insulted him in front of the herd, and he was not going to allow that behavior to run rampant. However, beneath her pissy attitude was a nugget of truth that he very much wanted to address. Why had she not just spoken to him one on one? Why had she not just asked him openly about the confusion she had over her position? Either one of those was a course of action that he could respect, but threatening to leave the herd, even after he apologized and wanted to talk? The warrior could not respect that foolishness.

So, with raw burns, he moved to the tree that they had all spoken under before, and he grunted softly, crimson eyes scanning the horizon for Smoke. The sun was barely beginning to rise, casting a beautiful golden light over the grasses and settling in the trees. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself and his conflicted emotions. The stallion was still exhausted, and after the debacle with the dun-child, he was not at all in the mood for haughty, egotistical attitudes.

Respect was earned. And he had fought Gossamer for that respect and had the burns to prove it. Smoke had earned and now burned his respect for her, and the dun-child had not even begun to earn it. What a complete disaster. Also, what was with the words about Soleil? She was his second mate, only, and she ruled beside him on the Tides and kept the peace. The mare was highly qualified, but she had obviously done something to these rowdy bunch of ego-inflated equines to piss them off before they had met.

The black dun thought he caught a glimpse of the silver mare in the distance, and he lifted his neck just a little, hearing the scabs crack on his crest. "Smoke, I am here to speak if you still want to." His voice was not hard, but it was authoritative. She would not run over him with her pissy attitude anymore.


Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#2
It was an odd feeling, traveling up into the Foothills after a night spent outside of them. Knowing she'd left with turmoil in her wake, obligations left unfulfilled but doing her best to delegate some tasks. Quietly she wondered how they were doing, Ricochet and Kimber. Gunslinger's children, so alike to him and yet so different. For a moment she mulled over them, their similarities and their differences, and then blinked when the voice of Paladin reached her ears, speaking her name.

Her dark eyes focused on him in the early dawn's light, ears tilting forward. There was authority in his voice, as there ever had been. Even when he claimed to be no more than a warrior, willing to serve and uninterested in leading. False claims, evidently. Her tail swished against her haunches, barely brushing the gentle swell of her belly. She'd distantly heard Indy's cutting words the day before, words that had wounded her where Paladin's had not. Indy had been her friend, once upon a time. And if he thought less of her for doing what she'd been forced into? It had been just a few degrees away from rape, and she'd been obliging because she'd seen no other way to save her herd. A herd who did not appreciate the gesture.

She did not bother to hurry her pace, but neither did she slow it. It was a steady clip, an easy fast walk. Paladin could wait those moments more. "Paladin," she acknowled as she drew closer, only to halt a few strides away. "You were the one to ask to talk originally, before Ricochet complicated matters. It is easier to speak when there are not others to constantly chime in with their thoughts on the matter." Her voice was calm and even, much as it always was.

Paladin the Valiant Posts: 153
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 15 Years Buff: DANCE
Tamme
#3
Individually, we are one drop
Together, we are the ocean.
- Ryunosuke Satoro

Complicated matters? Did she not remember that Ricochet called Soleil a whore? That was beyond simply "complicating". The stallion's crimson eyes flashed with brief irritation before he schooled his expression, blinking the anger away. Blinking was still uncomfortable, but he was good at managing pain. However, he was not good at managing his own conflicting emotions. The stallion had very much liked Smoke, and he was angry that his opinion of her waned in response to her particularly snotty attitude during his meeting.

"I asked to speak in an effort to assuage your complaints." The stallion's voice was even in tone but no longer weary like the night before. Sleep had done his mind and spirit well, as the stallion who had spoken at that meeting was much, much older than he truly was. Exhaustion was not a pretty when worn on a battle-torn warrior, but he managed to dress it up well enough to function. "Just as I should have spoken to you first, you too should have spoken to me privately before assuming that I was demoting you." Paladin's expression was fair, even and honest.

"I have always thought well of you, Smoke. You served the Foothills as well as you could with your absentee leaders, but I did not realize that the position I gave you was one of disrespect. Gossamer had always spoken to me as if you were beneath her authority, thus why I challenged her for the Foothills and not you." Paladin shifted his weight on one hind leg to rest his stretching skin on his shoulders, and he enjoyed the cool breeze that gently caressed the burning sensation on his neck and shoulders.

"As for Ricochet, I sincerely hope that I am not the only one who believes that his words and rash behavior is intolerable and not simply a complication." With those words, the true authority on his voice pushed forth, and his expression grew stern. "Soleil has been with one other stallion besides myself, as most mares have. Finding your mate later in life does not make one a whore. If he believes that then most mares are, and that sort of thinking is not something that I can tolerate. I know your daughter and he are close, which is why I am coming to you with this. Do you trust him to be fair to others - all others, including my mate and those of different species?" Paladin's eyes searched hers deeply, trying to catch any deception that she might be harboring.

"At any rate, I am going to allow the members of the Foothills to choose their next leaders by popular vote. The way of the warrior is limited, and I wish that I had been given another option to ascend in rank. I am not eager for power, but I want the Foothills to be great." True weariness showed now. "If you desire, you are welcome to put your name on the list of candidates. I am sure, that with the trust the herd has in you, that you will be a fair option."



Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#4
However brief, his moment of irritation did not go unnoticed. One white-edged ear tilted slightly outward at the observation as she contemplated how very different she and he were in their approach toward this. He seemed to lack a grasp of tact, which made sense considering his preference for military leadership over diplomatic.

Politely she listened to him, hiding her emotions behind a still facade. Not even the twitch of an ear or the sway of her tail gave away what lay beneath. A solemn sadness, quiet flutters of amusement, and a growing sense of determination.

"You never asked me if I was content in my position, Paladin. Never thought to ask what I would rather do, given the opportunity. Military things do not suit me, but I stood as warrior lead because Gossamer asked. And because I was better suited to it than Indy or her." Her voice was quiet as she studied him. "Nor did I appreciate being placed in a position where I could so easily be replaced, and a target painted on my side by you. There is no love lost between myself and Archibald, and he seems the ambitious sort." A small, wry smile worked her features then. The first expression she'd offered since he'd begun speaking. "Given the opportunity, I would have gladly stepped down entirely, to serve as diplomat and helper to Poppy. But you never asked, merely presumed I would rather stay in the line of work I had before."

Then she gave a small sigh as the conversation inevitably led to Ricochet. A source of more trouble she'd never found, but she had responsibilities toward him beyond bringing him to the Foothills. "Ricochet has been forever brash and foolish, but he is young yet. He is fragile still, having lost sire and sister to the shades. The latter without knowing it. But he seems to accept Kimber's influence, and she is my daughter as much as Gunslinger's." So much meaning to be found in that, she thought. "He is racist, I'll admit, but knew that the Foothills was a mixed race herd before coming here. And agreed to behave." It was the simple, honest truth, so far as she saw it.

After a moment she decided to approach the subject of Soleil. "All three of my children have had different fathers." She admitted quietly, without any hint of shame. "I cannot claim any influence on Ricochet's beliefs growing up, for he was Gunslinger's to raise. While I loved the Unbroken, I never agreed with him entirely. So I am relatively unsurprised that Ricochet has strong beliefs on more than just race. Perhaps you should ask him why he thinks as he does, instead of declaring his thoughts wrong. I am just as aware of Soleil's relations with Terrador, and his relations with half the young mares he encountered, or so it seemed." She paused, deliberating. "It is better to understand than to argue, and to find information in sources beyond what you'd think to find it in. Solstice is of an age with Soleil, and both grew up in Isilme, perhaps she knows something of why Soleil's reputation is not as you'd wish it to be. Or perhaps not. I cannot stop Ricochet's thoughts on Soleil no more than I can stop him being wary of me. I think it is only because of Kimber that he tolerates me." After he had been burned by Zaffre... she almost didn't blame the dunskin of being cautious.

What followed surprised her somewhat, and she blinked at Paladin. Allow the herd to nominate new herd leaders by vote? It was a new concept, and she mulled it over as he suggested she volunteer. "Perhaps," she murmured quietly. "If they wish me to be such, I will not decline in something so many would want." Quietly she shook her head, body relaxing slowly. "I still do not understand why you did not speak to me or to Gossamer, or both, about your concerns. Not everything has to be resolved by war and bloodshed, and many hurts could have been avoided." Her gaze drifted to his burns and then away, as it occurred to her that she'd argued something quiet similar to Gunslinger in the past. But he had been unwilling to listen and consider a path not lined by conquest. Mildly she wondered how different the Valiant was from the Unbroken, or if Paladin would truly have more in common with Ricochet than he realized.

Paladin the Valiant Posts: 153
Deceased
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 16.3 hh :: 15 Years Buff: DANCE
Tamme
#5
Individually, we are one drop
Together, we are the ocean.
- Ryunosuke Satoro

"I know," he said. "I just said that very thing. I should have spoken to you first, just as you should have spoken to me first before causing a dramatic stir and leaving without considering my own reasons." Was she not listening? Or did she just enjoying hammering into his skull the fact that he made a mistake without admitting her own faults? The mare was infuriating, unable to take responsibility for her own bitch fit. Quickly, the stallion was growing irritated, his sight glazing with red. However, the old sign of his irritation was a flicker of his skin on his shoulder, but that was easily mistaken for the flies that had taken a liking to his charred flesh.

"If you prefer diplomacy, I would be honored to have you be in charge of the diplomats. That would ease some of my already increasing stress." Paladin's crimson eyes shifted to the borders, his nature being ever watchful. "Though I will not stand and allow you to speak as if you had no fault in this miss-communication, Smoke." He said sternly. "You could have easily spoken to me after the meeting, or you could have spoken up that you were not interested in militaristic matters. I would have let you choose."

Hearing that Ricochet was a racist sent the stallion's ears flying backward on his neck, and the black dun arched his neck angrily. She would allow a racist among their ranks, and he had already violated the rules with his thick skull and wild tongue! "A father who would indoctrinate his child with such hatred is a fool," he said, crimson eyes flashing back to the blackness of his past. Still, a darkness resided in his soul from his upbringing, a cruel instinct that he daily struggled with suppressing. "I would know. Mine was a monster." Paladin sighed, expression turning weary. "Perhaps you are right. The young buck had no choice but to suffer his father's words and likely had no room to form an opinion of his own. Tragic, really."

Paladin sighed at her words. "Smoke, I am sorry, but I had spoken to Gossamer twice about being a military lead along side you, and she all but ignored my words. Even though I bested you in battle once, she would not appoint me head warrior. I spoke to Indy on the matter, and he told me that she was waiting for you to choose a mate to be the military lead. Then, I could not find her, and I was watching with a knot forming in my stomach as the members of this herd grew lethargic and... it fell," he said, his expression honest and sorrowful. "Speaking gained me nothing. So I obeyed the laws of the land with Indy's blessing and challenged Gossamer. I did not even expect her to show up, to be honest." The stallion grimaced grimly. "When she did, she told me that the Foothills was great, and I tried to tell her otherwise. It was falling into a mountain of inadequacy. She spoke of roads, but I had never once laid eyes on Narmer; she spoke of numbers, but so many were going to the Throat and the Edge, even equalist unicorns."

"At that point, there was no going back, and I did what I thought was best given the situation I faced. I was going to challenge Indy before he told me that Gossamer had the final authority, and I assumed that you were considering nothing more than a general." Paladin eyed her apologetically. "I truly did not mean any offense. What I was told and what was true were obviously two different matters entirely, but I hope that now, with the elections in place, the herd will be able to choose their leaders without bloodshed." He sighed. "Though it may be a shock to admit, I am not a lover of war. Spars and strengthening my body give me purpose. It is what I know. I was raised in battles, blood and murder, but I have no desire to shed blood. I ran away from that life for a reason."

Paladin then turned his head, ears pricking forward to catch the signs of change on the wind. "I am going to gather the warriors now to aide, Mirage, Lady Smoke." The black dun bowed his head deeply. "I hope that you choose to put your name in for elections. You would have my vote."



Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#6
Dry humor lit her eyes as she watched him. The conversation was not going the way he'd expected, this much she suspected. "When I took leadership from Ricochet at the Oasis, I spoke to Aera and sorted things out before addressing the herd." It was not quite an accusatory comment, but nor was it anywhere close to innocent. A reminder that he was not the only one to have gained leadership from within the herd by battle. An unspoken commentary that she saw his way as less than successful. As if the meeting hadn't been plenty sign of that.

But she was pleased that her words had defused a potentially disasterous revelation into a moment of thought and realization. She remained silent as she let Paladin process her revealed knowledge on Ricochet, though her ears twitched at the information he dropped in turn. Interesting. At least he was willing to allow Ricochet another chance. Which the dunskin surely needed. Being introduced to a herd in which you expected one sort of leadership only to have everything turned on its head had not helped the situation.

A soft laugh escaped her then, at his admissions. "Pick a mate? The Unbroken has fallen and took my heart with him. Only as I raised his and my daughter that I began to gather its pieces back together and contemplate lending it to another. But I lost that one as well when the shades drove us all out, and I know not if he lives. Had you merely asked me, I would have been content to lead with you as partners in military things." Her eyes had softened with an old sadness, whose pain had only blunted over the passage of time. They closed then, as she shook her head.

"Paladin, I wish you only the best. But I must be selfish for once, and go in a direction in which lies my best interest. The Foothills no longer is that." There was a small smile on her features as she gazed at him. "Always before I have gone where another led or where my responsibilities have driven me." Truth, though it had taken time for her to realize as much. "Stay safe, lead well." And then she was bowing her head to him in return, before turning away. Home... she would have to find her own again.


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