think of me fondly

[Colibri Haki]

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WC: 367 // have an angst-Coli? she'll cheer up if someone talks to her. Colibri rested her chin atop her knees, despondently scratching circles into the dirt beside her. The walls were back. She couldn't even tell anymore how it started; who created the distance first? Was it the lingering traces of fearfulness in her cowardly soul that drove her to withdraw every time she got close to another? Had Anu not fully trusted her from the start, or had Coli betrayed her love by not being open enough? It wasn't her fault, she pleaded feebly with herself. She had lived alone too long. She didn't know how to talk about anything personal. But she knew her lonely tendencies were as much habit as they were circumstance -- even when she was with a pack, she kept to herself. She was never going to learn. It was just how she was. The apple tree above her provided a dappled shadow, merrily absorbing the midday sun rays. She had skulked her way into the orchard again, a place she liked to hide when she was feeling sorry for herself. Anu... her heart ached for Anu, whose polite facade hurt her more than any argument could have. Everything was so fragile with them. They were both afraid to love, and it was falling apart. A soft whine caught in Colibri's throat, and she wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them close to her chest. She didn't know how to fix it. The more anxious she got, the more she avoided it. She hadn't slept in their room for several moons -- it was warm out now, easy to curl up beneath the stars and wake up amidst the dew. She longed for contact, though. At least her mane obscured the ugly bruise she had taken from her spill in the manor... Her expressive gaze was uncharacteristically blank, gazing at nothing as nature flitted around her. The occasional songbird hopped from tree to tree in the orchard, snapping up the droning insects laden with pollen. Normally spring was a season of hopefulness for the introverted fae, but she had fallen within herself again. She should never have expected her first love to work out. Did anyone get that lucky on the first try?

Table by Shannon!

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[Ehno Marino]

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-snags thread- 330

With spring finally embracing the lands with its warm, the world outside seemed to have a calm, serene quality. The quiet days lately had been feeling even more devoid of energy especially after the collapse of Old Red not long ago. The fall of that old building had essentially sent a shockwave through the pack, effecting most of the residents in one way or another. The Marino had spent the tense days follow its collapse either poking around the barn’s debris or checking in upon his wounded family members. He hated seeing both his niece and his sister confined to the manor, pained and healing from their wounds. But he was thankful that their lives had not been taken from them during the incident. While Fate was a fickle goddess, it appeared that she was benevolent enough to protect them from mortal wounds.

So the quietude felt even heavier and more profound to Ehno these past few days, and eventually it convinced him to venture out further than the Manor or what was left of Old Red. He stepped gingerly through the orchard, almost feeling as if any sounds louder than the soft rustle of the breeze through the leaves or the gentle birdsongs would shatter the established tranquility of recent days. His thoughts became so preoccupied with sounds and the surroundings that it came as quite a surprise when discovered that he wasn’t alone among the collection of apple trees. The male nearly walked right past the woman beneath the tree without noticing her, but the subtle shift of the breeze called her familiar scent to his attention.

Ehno stopped abruptly in his leisurely trek, turning to face the lady who sat under the tree’s speckled shade. He frowned slightly at the sight of her despondent features, immediately wondering what could be pulling her spirits down so low. “Hello there, Colibri,” he said softly, his lips turning up in a slight, encouraging smile that reflected within his amber gaze.

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[Colibri Haki]

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=D whee! your writing is so pretty! // WC:335 Lost in thought, the rustling of the branches and leaves around her did not register as anything more than the wind. She didn't feel the urge to cry... but she didn't feel any urge at all. It was just emptiness. A part of her had been quietly hoping that Anu would look for her, like she always used to. Not this time, though. Colibri was back to the beginning, incomplete, unwanted. Maybe she should be begging Anu to tell her exactly what went wrong, so that they could fix whatever broken relationship they had. The energy just wasn't there, though. She didn't need to hear what the Lieutenant General thought of her -- those doubts had been present in her own mind from the start. If she avoided it long enough, everything would go away... just go away... "Ah! Eh, Ehno! You, I didn't s-see you there," she yelped, startled hands flying to her mouth. She flashed an awkward smile, quickly smoothing the dirt from her haunches as she stood -- and promptly wincing as the low branches of the apple tree showered down against her bruised head. Calm down, you look like an idiot! she hissed inwardly, trying to compose herself before the senior carpenter's gentle gaze. Ehno was one of the kindest souls she had encountered in this territory, and she found herself trying too hard to make a good impression, as well as embarrassed that he had stumbled upon her looking so downtrodden. It wasn't like she had such a hard life. Sure, the love of her life had just fallen out of love with her... but she would recover... right? "Are you happy?" she asked suddenly, blue eyes alight with a simple curiosity. The times she had seen him -- at the lakeside, at the pack meeting, hunting in the snow -- he always seemed so easy-going and relaxed. She could use any advice she could get at this point; she didn't have a lot of friends she could turn to.

Table by Shannon!

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[Ehno Marino]

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Ahh, you flatter me! ^//^; I'm sorry for the shortness and delay this post suffers from. D:

His greeting seemed to snap the lady abruptly from her reverie, eliciting a startled response from her. A silent apology flashed within his eyes. “Ah, it’s fine. I almost missed you myself.” A couple of real observant ones, they were. As if to further prove this point, Colibri stood and bumped her head against a few of the branches above her. “Careful there,” he said, a slightly playful smile lighting up his face. He offered Colibri a hand to help her step out from beneath those overbearing branches of the tree.

The chocolate-furred girl spoke up, her question simple, but so sudden that it was altogether unexpected. Ehno simply blinked for a moment, quiet as he contemplated what prompted such a question—or how he could respond. It wasn’t something his thoughts necessarily dwelt on often. The Marino was one to take everything one day at a time, savoring the simple joys in life and moving past the bad things as quickly as he could. But he never specifically thought about how happy he felt; he just was. It was certainly a curious question, but considering how downtrodden the young woman had seemed a moment before, perhaps it wasn’t so out of place. The Italian found himself nodding as he began to speak. “Well, I suppose I am. Gotta keep the good things in your thoughts. It helps keeps the bad feelings away, I guess,” he said, that smile of his still hanging from his lips.

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[Colibri Haki]

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WC: 260 // ahh same here! ^^;; no worries! Ehno offered her his hand, and she gingerly took it, stepping out from beneath the splayed branches of the orchard tree. "Th... thanks," she added shyly, offering him a true smile. He really was a nice guy - it must be a woodworker thing. So far, those she had met who were good with their hands were universally gentle and kind, Ehno being the epitome of this generalization. She, on the other hand, seemed to get more and more clumsy and awkward as life went on... He must have such a patronizing opinion of her. She blurted out her question, and there was a moment of silence; droning bees and rustling leaves filled the air between them as the man deliberated how to respond. Colibri realized she was being too forward, and was about to backpedal and say he did not have to answer something so personal, but by then he was already speaking. Keep the good things in your thoughts. Easier said than done, but oh, he just looked so happy when he said it... "What good things do you carry with you? If... you don't mind me asking," she added in a rush, hoping she wasn't making her packmate too uncomfortable with her awkward questions. He was probably used to her by now, but she worried all the same. "Someone once told me... 'Find something to do to channel your feelings'. Does that work too? I... I'm sorry for pestering you..." Her shoulders sagged a little, ears tilting back an apprehensive notch. Did Ehno know anything about relationships?

Table by Shannon!

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[Ehno Marino]

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:] wc:394

The two Dreamers were such a sharp contrast to one another. Ehno’s eternally outgoing quality was nearly the polar opposite of Colibri’s shy and reserved nature. The Marino found her timidity endearing, finding that it served to make every true smile and comfortably offered word even more precious and brilliant when they emerged. The Marino only wished he could find some way to make that smile light up her features more often.

There were so many things that Ehno kept in this thoughts on a daily basis, things big and small, tremendously important and seemingly insignificant. “I don’t mind at all,” he said, smile softening. “I always think of my family, especially my children.” Family was a bittersweet thought to him, with his family split and his children living so far away. Holding tight to the precious moments made it easier to forget all about the bitterness hidden there. “And then there are simple things like the Manor, or the cool feeling of a breeze coming over the ocean. Anything, really,” he said, words accentuated with a short, embarrassed laugh. It felt almost silly to say it out loud, but there were days when those little things felt like all he would ever need.

She offered him another question, bundling it with an unnecessary apology. “Hey now, don’t you worry about pestering me. It takes more than a couple of good-natured questions to get on my nerves,” he told her, the words carrying a lightly teasing tone. The girl’s question opened Ehno’s eyes to a possibility he hadn’t considered before. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he often did find little ways to channel his feelings. After all, he fell into his woodworking hobby initially to fend off his ever-present wanderlust. The more he became involved with his carpentry tasks, the more it seemed that keeping his hands busy was a perfect way to keep his thoughts from wandering down the dark corridors in his mind. “It does, now that I think about it. When I focus on my carpentry projects, I can work of my stress and keep myself from dwelling on things that bother me.” He nodded matter-of-factly as he spoke. “Are there any little hobbies you have that you can channel your feelings through?” he questioned, curious as to what the timid girl did with her free time.

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[Colibri Haki]

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WC:301 // C: Children... she had been unaware that Ehno had children. There was also a little irony that the two of them were speaking together, since they were involved with former mates Naniko and Anu respectively. But she was oblivious to that, as well as the reason why Ehno's pups were not here in Crimson Dreams. She was curious, but it didn't seem like the sort of question she should ask. Her brothers were in a different pack, after all. Family was always complicated. She muffled a giggle with her hand, amused by his embarrassed laugh. It was a little corny, but it was still sweet of him to say. The little things in life, simple enough to be taken for granted, but beautiful enough to uplift the spirit. She understood, but simply nodded, mirth still bright in her smiling eyes. "I... I like to garden," she offered shyly. It was one of the things that had brought her together with Anu, both of them having a green thumb. "There's something very... peaceful about it. It feels like being a part of nature, rather than simply preying upon it. And... cultivating things, it really... they depend on your care," she added, certain that she was sounding stranger and stranger the more she rambled. It was perhaps her one redeeming quality, though, that she was good with plants. "I haven't... done that much here, though. Anu is the horticulturalist. It's... not my place." And there it was, the first flicker of confession. Did Ehno really want to get caught up in her romantic woes? It felt like something she needed to get off her chest, but she didn't want to make the kind Marino man uncomfortable. She shuffled her feet idly in the loam, waiting quietly to see if he would change the subject.

Table by Shannon!

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[Ehno Marino]

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I can't remember if Ehno ever knew anything about Coli and Anu together, so I'm going to assume that he never did. o:

Gardening seemed like the perfect pastime for the timid Dreamer. When Ehno thought of such a task, he imagined it to be just as Colibri described it—peaceful and very much a part of nature. The Marino certainly didn’t have a green thumb, but he did have an appreciation for the quiet beauty of the nature around him, and so he found himself gaining some respect for the chocolate-hued woman’s abilities in that regard. The role of a quiet nurturer seemed like a perfect fit for Colibri, and he could picture very easily the woman sitting and tending to the plants on some clear-skied afternoon. “It certainly does sound quite peaceful,” he commented. A soft smile had found its way back to his lips at the thought.

She went on to mention Anu’s position as the horticulturist in the pack, stumbling over her words when she claimed it wasn’t her place. The Marino man recalled that the pack’s second-in-command had a fondness of gardening as well, but he was certain that she would be glad to share the task with Colibri. “I’m sure Anu wouldn’t mind you helping out at all, especially if this is something you enjoy doing.” Oblivious was he to the involvement between the two women, or what had become of the relationship they once shared. He would have mentally kicked himself had he realized what an awkward turn he was steering the conversation in, but as it was, he only considered his words to be encouraging and curious.

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