A Stone's Throw Away (Vyn) *Finished*

[Vyn]

Xylia's ears were cheerfully perked forward, ever fascinated by what Se was saying. Then again, Xylia was very much curious and fascinated by just about everything -- especially when it laid in an area she was especially intrigued by.

"True. I know a great deal of technical details, but as far as technique..." She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hooves. O how she could not wait until she had hands. "I look forward to the day when I'm finally able to actually put a use to all the knowledge I've amassed."

She laughed lightly, forcefully putting the knowledge of her changed suit to the back of her mind. If she let it creep back into her head now, she'd be forced to remember just how much work would be needed to catch up to what she could've learned in a day with her old suit.

(Sorry for the slow response, my muse has been finicky with all this end of semester pressure-stuff. XD But yes, on another note, I was wondering if you're still bringing Rai in or nu?)

[seraaches]

(( Actually, i forgot he was supposed to. ^^;;;; Gomen nasai, Vyn. ))

He was tired. Super tired. Exceedingly tired. And trying very hard not to think about it. Despite the fact that he was The Queen of Hearts, overlooking the knowledge that some of his children were from that very realm-- though perhaps that truly was more of a hindrance than a help-- the women of the Yarrow Gardens were proving exceptionally difficult to work with.

It had to do, the stallion mused, with the fact that he was not only male, but extremely masculine. Amazingly or not, this was not an egocentric thought but a simple statement of fact. Unlike some of his children, Shinrai could not pass as a woman.

Of course, there was always the fact that he had absolutely no desire whatsoever to try to pass for a female, so it was just as well. Gads, those would have to be some exceedingly extenuating circumstances to even bring up that possibility.

So when a certain stallion opened the door of his in-town suite, he wasn't really paying attention and the sight of a young, completely black female doe did not immediately seem to sink in.

Staring into the living room for a moment, grey-green eyes, swiftly swept the floor to narrow in on someone a bit more familiar.

[seraaches]

Se gave her something like a smile-- probably the closest he'd been able to do in weeks now-- but any further encouragement for her or even conversation along that line was swept duly off course by the sudden arrival of the Bane of His Existence.

The canine/equine hybrid growled under his breath in a distinctly dog-like manner and he stared up at his father with disdain-filled, pupilless green eyes. "Wot are you doing here?"

The stallion was covered by a long, dark blue cloak that hid most of his body and definitely his rank and suit. He towered over the children in his tallest aspect, but a exceedingly bemused expression slipped briefly over his features before it slipped away beneath a mask of politeness. "I do live here, Se. Nice of you to visit. Who's your friend?"

Se showed teeth before he glanced quickly at the doe and hid it beneath outright sullenness. "It's none of your business."

[Vyn]

Xylia could've cut the tension in the room with a knife.

The clocked stallion was weighted with exhaustion and Se was bristling with disdain.

No, no... Xylia mentally adjusted her thoughts as she listened to the men speak. Not entirely tension, she thought, but a good mixture of hate as well. At least from Se's side of the room.

The doe slowly shifted her weight, watching the two men with soft but curious eyes. Was it safe for her to speak up then or should she keep her mouth closed?

"I... It's alright, Se." She perked her dark ears forward and then shifted her slender form a bit, suddenly awkward. She had relaxed around Se but she could only imagine what this new man would have to say. It was his father, was it not? "I'm Xylia, your son invited me to stay for some tea. I'm not invading, am I?"

The last thing Xylia wanted, other than the stallion acknowledging her missing suit, was to cause Se trouble after he'd been so nice to her.

[seraaches]

It wasn't always wise to show his back to his children and Se was one of the largest reasons for the stallion's caution. Ironically or not, though, Ira was the biggest reason. Rai gave a small, inward sigh. He certainly wished for a more normal relationship between himself and his children. As the days passed, however, he was getting the sinking feeling that this was a wish not to be granted any time soon and perhaps even never. But the stallion banished that thought quickly. He didn't want to not have a good relationship with any of his kids, much less all of them. That stressed him out, he pushed the thoughts away swiftly to keep from taking out any sort of snappishness on the poor girl who seemed more than a little shocked at his appearance.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xylia. Of course you're not intruding." Though the stallion was instinctively trying to hide his tiredness. "How did you meet Se?" the man continued curiously, stepping further into the room so he could close the door.

[Vyn]

The tension was strong still, charged with dislike, but it was growing thinner. Or, perhaps, Xylia was just growing accustomed to it.

There really was nothing she could do for it save for keeping an uplifting attitude and ignoring the static. After a while, she hoped, it would fade all together and the three of them could get along. Not that Xylia was butting heads, of course, but she was always the peaceful one and loved to keep such tension at bay whenever possible.

"To be entirely literal," Xylia murmured with a hint of laughter, "we bumped into each other at the park. I've been a bit down in the dumps, so to speak," There wasn't any need to mention she'd been kicked out, though that was the topping on the cake that was her day... and not to mention the reason why she'd wound up in his house instead of inviting Se back to hers. Ah well. "and Se's been so kind as to keep me company and help get my mind off of things."

The doe tilted her head toward the brightly-hued male and smiled softly. Sure he had his quirks, everyone did, but Se still seemed like a real decent guy.

The doe shuffled her hoof briefly, laughing a little at her own silliness. "And, well...on top of it all, I don't really like the dark. That's how we ended up here, at any rate."

[seraaches]

Se hovered uneasily in the background finally breaking in again. "She doesn't have to explain herself to you." While the girl may not know, this was the longest he had been in a room with his father in years without one of them exploding. Sadly, he didn't really appreciate this fact and really didn't care. His need to protect her, however, especially from the nosiness of his father, was great.

"She's going to spend the night here so she doesn't have to go back out." He'd already decided this, though if she said she wanted to go he would certainly accompany her wherever she needed to go.

Rai gave a low sigh. "No one said she had to leave, Se. It's fine." His ears pricked towards the girl for a moment. "It's very nice to hear that Se was able to keep you company," he said quietly, tone not quite giving away his disbelief that Se was able to be nice to anyone.

[Vyn]

Xylia's ears flicked forward, noting the tension once again and frowning briefly in recognition of it. Boys could be so silly, so very silly. Slowly her ears relaxed down once more and she brought that easy smile back, surprised to hear...Se defending her? That would definitely be his tone, though she couldn't quite imagine why.

"Thank you." She murmured lightly, smiling at Se. "I'd appreciate that quite a bit."

Slowly her gaze shifted back to Rai, trying to read his tone and emotions. Both father and son were so very distant from their emotions. Well, of course, all of them except that undeniable tension which bristled around the two of them.

"Yes, it really was. He's been wonderful, and so attentive. I don't think I could've ended up in better care this evening." Once more Xylia's attention was back on Se, flashing a warm smile for his benefit. She really didn't know what she'd be able to repay the male's kindness. He'd taken her into his -- his dad's? -- home and, best of all, he hadn't teased her like so many others had that afternoon upon seeing such an unusual figure walking the lonely streets.

[seraaches]

Rai wasn't certain how to take Xylia's admission simply because it seemed so entirely out of Se's character. But the boy was definitely hovering over the girl and being quite attentive. Rai thoughtfully watched as Se reacted positively to the doe's smile. That was very interesting. And if there was any chance at all that Xylia could help Se adjust to become a normal and healthy Card, Rai would kidnap her and adopt her right into his family. Well, unless there was something more going on between the two. Perhaps there was some chemistry between them.

Se perked up noticeably when the girl smiled at him and, for now, at least, he was content. The boy scooted a little bit closer to her, but didn't say anything yet.

"If that's the case," Rai said encouragingly. "Then no one could disagree with your company together." He glanced around the living room once more and tried to decide quickly on sleeping arrangements.

[Vyn]

Xylia couldn't help but notice the way Se perked to her smile, nor the small flutter of joy that it gave her to see him looking content after all that unpleasant tension. Slowly she scooted back toward him, little cotton tail wagging happily behind her.

Rai's words gained a pleasant giggle from Xylia, though she also found herself following the older male's sweeping gaze. He seemed to be searching for something, or just...thinking? Xylia's thoughts wondered briefly before coming to a sudden realization that Rai appeared to have already touched upon.

"I... don't mean to sound absent-minded here, but... are there arrangements for everyone to sleep comfortably? I don't want to be a bother, and I'm fine with couches!"

Or well, she assumed she was. She hadn't yet adapted her mom's habit of passing out on the first soft surface she found, but she had traveled quite a bit and fond herself in one too many shabby inn's with unpleasant cots... Rai and Se's couch didn't look all too bad when compared with that.