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 Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:14 pm
Or, rather, Candra had found him. She had been nothing but a pool of safety and serenity since he met her, and he found her presence so calming, he kept accidentally staying another day. And another one. And several more after that.
The question now became: should he stay or should he go?
He had been weighing the question for a few days, but it had grown more pressing now that the seasons were changing. It had been too long, if he was still just staying 'temporarily' - he didn't want to overstay his welcome. Candra had been so kind, but perhaps she was secretly fed up with him...? The only way to find out was to ask. Directly.
It made his stomach curdle to think of, but he had to suck it up and do it, sooner or later, and he was well past 'sooner' by now.
"Candra," Jack greeted softly as he approached her. "How are you today?" If she was already having a bad day, then his questions could wait. If she was having an especially good day, then...perhaps his questions could also wait. He would need to choose his moment carefully, lest he get an emotional answer instead of an honest one.
((wc: 258 ))
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Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2024 10:20 am
Candra could not believe how lucky she had been to come upon Jack when he had stopped in the herd for a drink. The conversation they had that day had been very comfortable. Now it had been quite awhile since he had come and what started out as just one night, had grown into a much longer stay. She actually did not mind, every conversation she had with him was like talking to a long lost friend. While she was close to the herd, there was something different about Jack, something that made her feel even more like she was at home. Every day, she worried that he would leave, which hurt more than she ever thought it would. She had talking with Aiyana, asking her if Jack decided to stay, would she and Star Blayze allow it. The alpha assured her that if he wanted to, he had a home here.
The mare's mind was on how to ask him to stay, if he wanted to, when she heard hoof steps approaching. She looked to see familiar orange stallion, her hearts hammering in her chest. Start easy, she reminded herself, say hello and ask him how he is doing. If he seemed to be coming to tell him he was leaving, she would need to choose what to say and how to say it. Oh, she hoped she was not going to screw this up, she wanted him to stay so very much. She just hoped she would not scare him away, she would hate to do that.
"Jack, it is good to see you. My day is going quite well, just walking around a bit, enjoying the beauty of the woods. How is your own day going, if you do not mind my asking,"Candra spoke with a soft smile. That's it, just nice and easy, don't spook him. Of course, the mutant mare figured some would be spooked by her looks, but Jack had never been. She waited patiently for his answer, telling herself that it was going to be okay. (WC: 344)
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2024 5:08 pm
Jack smiled fondly; he couldn't imagine a question that she would ask him that he would mind her asking, or his own answering, for that matter. Granted, he didn't know her perfectly, yet, and Jack was slow to trust at times, but... he tried to think of a scenario in which he would tell Candra she had stepped over the line somehow.
He couldn't think of anything.
"It is going better now," he said simply, joining her. He let the silence spread comfortably between them for a few moments, mostly just studying her face with the same quiet intensity that he brought to everything he did.
The thing was this: Candra was beautiful.
Jack could appreciate an aesthetically pleasing Soquili as well as anyone, but Candra was more than that. She was - arresting. The stars in her hair, the pattern of silhouetted trees on her haunches, the deep, inky sky-purple shade of her hair... she was striking. He had seen many technically beautiful Soquili before, but there was something more about Candra. Something compelling.
The thing was also this: Candra was kind. Candra was warm. Candra made him feel... safe, and that was not a common feeling for the stallion.
"I was wondering," Jack finally said, giving no indication of the thoughts that were crossing his mind, "if you or the herd leaders had any..." he trailed off and paused, trying to figure out how to word his question. "If you knew of any reason that I... should be moving on from this territory. Not--not because I wish to leave," he added, the addition coming quickly; he hardly ever talked quickly - that was perhaps the fastest words had ever left his mouth. "Just-- if I have missed some cue or someone else wishes me to leave..."
He had been planning to say that if someone else wanted him to leave, he wanted to respect their wishes and leave, because Jack had never been the type to be where he wasn't wanted, at least not once he was aware of it. He'd been planning on giving Candra (or her family) an 'out', if he wasn't welcome here anymore.
But he couldn't quite make himself say the words, and Jack realized with a jolt that he wasn't sure he would simply amble on his way just because someone else wanted him to go... unless that someone was Candra herself. In that case, Jack realized, he would turn and walk and probably never ever stop walking until his hooves wore down into nubs. That would be preferable to displeasing Candra, or worse yet, feeling how he did about Candra while Candra felt... differently.
...How... did he feel about her? How did she feel about him? Jack's heart gave an uncomfortable thump in his chest. These were not questions Jack was prepared to answer, because he'd never thought he'd have to ask them in the first place.
((wc: 485))
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Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2024 12:04 pm
Candra had to steady herself when she saw that smile light up his face, it always sent such a joyful feeling running through her body. She was about to ask why his day was going better, when she realized it was a stupid question. It dawned on her that the reason it was better when he came over here was because he was in good company. Well, at least she hoped that was the reason and that she was not reading something into it that wasn't even there. She was in her thoughts, chiding herself for worrying, when she thought she felt his eyes on her. A gentle tinge of pink painted her cheeks, she certainly hoped he liked what he was seeing. He supposed that he would have not spent what time he had with her, if he thought she was horrid to look at, she mused. Of course, she also hoped it was more than her looks that drew him in.
As she allowed the quiet to settle on the both of them, she allowed her own eyes to take him in. He was quite a striking Soquili himself, with his strong orange coat that was a darker shade, with brighter stripes adding to the handsome appearance. His brown mane and orange antlers added to the picture, he was a strong and handsome stallion. However, it was more than his looks on her end, he was polite and he had been a good ear to listen to anything that may come into her mind. He made her feel safe with anything she told him about, whether it was good or bad. She knew he had a kind heart and he had shown her how he cared. He had been there to listen to her and he always made her feel like what she had to say mattered. She realized, that having her near made her feel safe and the thought of him possibly going off again, it hurt to think of. It was something she had worried about everyday as she got used to having him here, was that he would come to her and tell her that it was time for him to move on.
Her mind was brought out from her depressing thoughts, when she heard his voice begin to break into them like some quiet light nudging its way through the branches. She looked to him as he started, trying to pick up any indication from his body language of what he was wondering. Nothing, so she would just have to wait for him to get his full thoughts out to know what was going through his mind. She was patient as he spoke about herself or the herd leaders and then about if any of them had reason for him to leave. Her body froze, at least until he mentioned that it was not because he wanted to leave that he was asking such. She felt a bit of relief sweep through every fiber of her body, so he wasn't wanting to leave. Her brain took in all this information, trying to think of how best to answer him. Were words enough to express what she wanted to say, she wasn't sure they were. So without thinking thinking, she went up to nuzzle him, softly and sort of shyly.
"No, there is no one I can think of that want you to leave. That..well, that is least of all me. I...wanted to...ask you to stay, for so long now. I just..I didn't want you to feel forced by me. I have...liked having you around, a lot,"she began quietly. (WC: 605)
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Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2024 5:39 pm
Jack smiled, slow at first but widening quickly as the mare spoke. Candra's voice always sounded sweet to him, but it sounded especially musical as she told him what he'd hoped she might - that she didn't want him to leave.
"I have liked being around," he echoed, knowing it sounded silly, even as he said it. "Very much. And I'm... glad that the feeling is reciprocal." Jack hesitated a moment, then took a step closer to the mare. He lowered his voice slightly, though the volume belied the intensity of what followed.
"Speaking of... feelings," he began, steadying himself with a breath. He wasn't prone to anxiety, but in spite of himself, he felt like he was tripping over his words. "I believe I have... that is to say, I..." he closed his eyes a moment, unable to think straight with her looking at him like that, and then continued, "I deeply value the friendship we have formed, Candra, and... in addition to that, I feel... I feel more than simple friendship in my heart for you. I didn't think I should ask to stay longer without being honest about that factoring into my... my motivation for wishing to stay with you - that is, to stay here - longer." For the first time, nerves were clear in his voice, and his usually reserved, demure eyes were full of anxiety and hope, mingled together.
"If you don't feel the same - we don't need to speak of this any longer. I would be happy to stay with you in whatever capacity you would like me to fulfill, but... I can't promise that the feelings will fade, though I can promise I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable."
((wc: 286 ))
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