This is a solo RP for Chayse.
(All characters except Chayse are NPC in this rp)
It had been years since she'd spoken to her father, but she thought it might be time to try to find him and reconcile. It had been hard for her to maintain a relationship with him once he had left her mother and found a new family. At least he seemed happy with his new family. He had always been too busy with his new foals to spend any time with Chayse. It wasn't for a lack of trying. She had reached out to him many times to set up a meeting with him to just talk or spend a little time together. She didn't want much from him. Just some acknowledgement that she still existed to him. It broke her heart every time she tried to make plans and he would either have some excuse as to why he couldn't or he'd end up cancelling or just plain forgot. It just hurt too much for her to keep getting rejected over and over again.
She still loved him and was glad he was happy in his new family but as someone on the outside looking in, it was easiest just to stay away. She wondered if he even thought about her, and her brother. She also wondered if he even knew that he was a grandfather, many times now. She'd had so many kids now, and even grandkids of her own. It was crazy to think of sometimes. She had told her children many stories about their grandpa, but none of them had met him. There was one time that she had tried to make a plan for him to meet her first set of foals, but again he had cancelled on her. It was going to be a surprise.
She wasn't sure where he and his family were living now as it had been so long. She only hoped that it wasn't too far from the last time she had sought him out, which was about 5 years ago. As she made her way there, she ran through countless scenarios in her head of what she would say to him when she saw him. She wanted to tell him how he had made her feel, and to tell him about all her adventures and accomplishments. About her mate, her children, her life.
His new mate didn't make things easy between Chayse and her dad either. She was such a jealous type and barely let her dad have any time to himself without her there. It definitely didn't help matters that she didn't like Chayse or her brother either. It felt like she had made him choose either her or his kids. It definitely seemed like he had picked her. Sometimes it's hard to know what someone else is thinking, but the scowl she would always bear when Chayse had come around in those first few years didn't leave much else to be assumed. It had caused part of the strain on Chayse and her dad's relationship.
It wouldn't be easy to bring up all those hurtful memories and she was never one to try and start drama so she really didn't want to make a huge deal out of it, even though it was a huge deal. It was one of the most difficult situations she had faced in her life, mostly because she didn't want to hurt him, and she was afraid of the judgement and backlash she might get for finally confronting him about it. She'd always wondered if maybe she was putting too much of the blame on him, but it's kind of hard for her to see it any other way. She missed her dad and was to the point that if she didn't say something, she wasn't sure she'd ever get the chance to. Neither of them were getting any younger.
She had made up her mind that this would be the last time she tried. She was going to find him, and let him know all the pent up anger, hurt and resentment that she held. She hoped that speaking her truth might open the door to a better relationship, but it could also slam it shut in her face if she didn't pick her words and actions carefully. She didn't want to push him further away, but knew she had to at least try.
It took her three days to journey and she finally found where she had last found them. It looked like they were still living here, though she couldn't tell that anyone was around. She decided she would stay and wait. She hadn't come so far to give up now and have to go home.
She didn't want to invade their home, so she found a spot not too far away and settled herself for a nice rest. Who knew how long it would take for them to return. As the midday sun shone down overhead, a warm breeze blew over her, causing her to drift off to sleep. A shrill whinny pierced the air, startling her awake. It was dusk now and stars were starting to dot the sky on the horizon. She looked around for what had made the sound to see two small fillies playing nearby. She hadn't seen them before. These weren't the same ones who were part of her dad's new family. These foals seemed only months, if not weeks old. She looked around to see if she could spot her father but to no avail. The fillies seemed to notice her and were giggling and jumping as they made their way over to her. She stood slowly from her resting spot and shook her mane to fluff it back up. The fillies stopped in front of her, pushing against each other in excitement. "Hey! Who are you!?" they asked brazenly. She quirked an eyebrow at them and responded, "Who do you think I am?" The two looked at each other and shrugged. "We don't know. Are you our mommy?" This surprised her and she replied. "Your mommy? No. Do you not know who your mommy is?" she asked, looking at the two noticing their coats were similar to each other, but not similar to her's or her fathers. Maybe these weren't part of her father's new family. The older looking foal giggled and approached her, pawing a hoof at her. "Nope. We don't know our mommy, but we have a daddy." This got her attention. "A daddy...who's....who might your daddy be?" Just as she asked the question, a rustling came from a nearby bush as a tall slender stallion with a reddish brown coat and sharp green eyes stepped out. "That would be me," he said a slight smile on his face as his eyes met hers. "Hello Chayse. It's so good to see you daughter."
Tears welled in her eyes as he stepped towards her. The fillies ran circles around them, laughing and kicking their legs out. They seemed to be playing a game of tag. The smaller one even tried running through his legs almost causing him to trip. He just chuckled lightly and shook his head. "These two. They'll keep you on the tip of your hooves that's for sure." Chayse returned the sentiment with a smile. "I remember being that small. You know how much trouble me and my brother caused at that age." He now stood next to her, his shoulders the same height as hers. She glanced at him, not wanting to stare, but took in his wizened but toned and healthy with a long greyed beard growing from his chin but most of the hair on his head had receeded to only his neck and back of his head. "It seems the years have been both kind and cruel to you dad. You look good, just a little less hair in some places and a lot more in others." This made him smile and chuckle quietly, the way he would always do when he didn't want to admit something was funny. "You got me there. The hair on top of my head just moved down to my chin." He raised his knee up to rub against the long grey beard. "It does get pretty itchy though." Her gaze softened, and her smile reached her eyes. "It's so good to see you too dad." She stepped closer to him, hugging her neck around his, never wanting the hug to end.
The two fillies who had been playing had gone quiet and were now watching them. The older one moved closer and looked up at the two. She looked from Chayse to her dad. "Are you her daddy too?" the filly asked him. Ending the hug, he turned his attention to the filly. "Yes. This is Chayse, my oldest daughter. Chayse this is Saphira and her little sister Carlita. We adopted them." Chayse paused at that. Adopted? When did that happen and why? She had so many questions. And where was her stepmother? She had expected to see her by now. She smiled at the girls. "Hello Saphira and Carlita. It's nice to meet you." Looking back to her dad, "I expect there's a story there. Where is-" he cut her off. "Not now," he quipped, shaking his head ever so slightly and pointing with his eyes to the girls. Understanding she nodded slightly and changed her direction. "I mean where are you all living now? When I got here it didn't seem like it was the same as the last time I had come." To be fair, the last time she'd been there was many many years ago so of course things would be different.
The girls squealed excitedly and took off running back towards the way they had come from. "Come on!" they yelled over their shoulder. "We'll show you!" As they ran off, the two older soquili started to follow, giving them a good head start. Chayse lowered her voice and said, "You look like you've got your hooves full with those two. What's going on? Who's their mother? And where is your wife and her kids?" He gave her a solemn look as they made their way after the girls. "That's a story for tomorrow. It's starting to get late and I have to get them ready for bed. You're welcome to stay the night, but please have patience with me. I will tell you everything, but it's going to take time." It wasn't the answer she wanted, but at this point, she was just happy to be here, with him. "Okay dad. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
1769 word count
