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You’re pretty easy on the eyes, what breed of equine are you?

Kolr blinks.

Then she blinks again, presumably while the wheels in her head turn. Although .. she doesn't look like she's thinking. Her large blue eyes appear wholly vacant and the smile on her lips remains plastered where it was before the question was asked.
So you try again. "What breed of equine are you?"
"Breed?" Kolr breathes in response,the happy smile faltering slightly. Her head tilts as she regards you, perhaps now with a tad more scrutiny than before. "Horse of course." She finally admits, the rhyme making the smile on her lips brighten. What a strange question to ask, Kolr thinks. She clearly displays no qualities or extra appendages that would lead anyone to believe that she was anything other than a common horse. And because the question was clearly so strange, Kolr wondered if there wasn't some hidden meaning or implication that she was missing. Kolr did find language so horribly confusing at times, especially with how much could go unsaid, but even so, you were just supposed to know what your interlocutor meant. It was all very confusing and funny! For herself, Kolr never left anything up to conversational implicature, but instead always said precisely what it was she needed to communicate.
The silence makes Kolr think she is meant to elaborate.

"My...my mother was a common horse as well." She adds tentatively, as if trying to justify her lineage. If neither of her parents had been a common horse then it would have been impossible for Kolr to have been one. But because one was, so was she! The logic seemed sound and so Kolr fell into an awkward silence, wondering what more might be said in defence of her claim.

Was she still missing something? She didn't think so ... Uncertain what was meant by easy on the eyes, Kolr had just let her mind slip over the words. They didn't sound like a question, and so despite Kolr's lack of clarity at their meaning, she thought it safe to ignore them.

[337/300]

How beautiful! Tell us a little about you. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

"Oh! Well.." Already Kolr is finding this to be far too many questions. Surely you have something better to do than ask after her? She is nothing remarkable after all.
The pale girl kicks at a pebble near her hooves with a motion which is far from fluid. The bow of her knees makes the movement awkward and despite the close proximity of the stone, Kolr almost misses it completely. "My knees-" She begins, lowering her muzzle slightly to indicate the symmetrical bow in each of her front legs. "They are turned inward, you see." Instead of pointing straight ahead, her hooves are actually slightly curved, so that a line pointing from their tips would intersect almost immediately. She stares at her hooves for a moment, before returning her brilliant blue stare to you. For a moment, she does nothing but blink and look at you expectantly. After a moment she says, "Sorry, what was the question?" You repeat it. "Oh!" She says again, a near perfect imitation of the way she originally began this line of questions. "I suppose my memory isn't always very good." What another might have said in jest, Kolr says earnestly. "And your strengths?" You prod. "Oh, I'm not very strong at all. My legs, remember?" She asks almost hesitantly, not wanting to imply that you hadn't been listening. "I'm rather skinny as well-" She continues, trying to fill the silence.

In all honesty, Kolr doesn't believe she has any strengths. Objectively though, she is a wonderfully talented artist and possesses a trusting and helpful soul. But because her interactions with others are always a bit scarce (due to her dislike of speaking) no one has really ever affirmed any of these qualities as being good. And, humble to a fault, Kolr of course never ascribes them to herself.

[304/300]

It's good to know more about you. Are you religious? Who's your patron god?

"Of course!" Kolr's response is noticeably brighter now. The question is one that she can answer with confidence. "Alya of course" she pale mare gushes. For Kolr, it is such a comfort to know that her life is not merely her own; she is a cog in Alya's machine. An unimportant piece to be sure, but in everything there is purpose. Of course Kolr knows that Alya must like pegasi more (she created them after all!) but even as a simple equine Kolr hopes that her actions are pleasing to the sky mother. Al
"Did you know she created the moons the wind and the stars?" Kolr continues, her voice full of awe and her youthful face coloured with delight. Her words are a near exact mimic of the stories of Alya she was taught as a young filly. Kolr adds no embellishments of her own, feeling already that the name Alya already holds all the prominence and importance that it ought to. What else could Kolr possibly say to further abdicate on behalf of her deity?

"I have only gone to Alya's temple once," Kolr continues, "but I hope to go again." Almost conspiratorially, Kolr looks around, wondering if there is anyone else listening. "I made a painting of Alya once ..." She begins, blue eyes growing round as if with fear. "I wonder if it would be good enough to decorate one of the temples?" In her mind, such a suggestion almost borders on blasphemy, for to say that one of her creations is good enough for Alya would be to imply that her talents are somehow god-like, or good-enough-for-a-god. Of course that couldn't be true, but Kolr did think that her portrait was rather good.
"But it probably isn't. There are much better artists than me-" Suddenly Kolr's eyes squish shut in alarm and her dainty head shakes as if to erase the words. "N-n-not that I'm an artist. I just paint sometimes- but only when it's appropriate! And-" She falls into a hopeless silence, as if she is digging herself into a hole. The hole is only in her mind of course, and you wonder why she is so timid about her talents.

[366/300]

Hm, to each their own. What about your home? What does it look like?

"Look? Like?" Kolr blinks and looks around. They are already in Sedo (for Serorans don't often travel, and Kolr especially - with her pigeon-toed and skinny frame - has never traveled very far at all). "It looks like this?" She says, rather confused. "I haven't been to all the parts because some of them are an awfully long way away. The only time I've ever been to The Sear was in winter, and that was to go to Alya's temple. I mostly stay in the Ziuseset." She concludes with a small shrug. Without wings and with her scrawny body Kolr couldn't even hope to visit God's Landing, but nor does she have the desire to. She finds the hustle and bustle of every day life busy enough already where she lives. Besides, maybe there are a bunch of customs she doesn't know about in other areas in Sedo? How would she know? No, far better to stay where things are familiar and safe. That isn't to say life in the Ziuseset is always easy - Alya challenges them often, and even though the herd is clever and good at finding resources and stay cool despite the high temperatures, it is still a difficult way of life.

"Sometimes, if Alya blesses us with a heavy rain, you can see waterfalls." Perhaps the most inviting of all of Alya's natural gifts, Kolr loves waterfalls best. They are rare, since the type of precipitation needed to create them is rare, and Kolr has only ever seen one once. Even so, she finds herself painting waterfalls proportionately more often than any other feature of her home. "Of course all of Sedo is beautiful." Kolr adds hastily, not wanting to seem as though she is implying anything other than love for all aspects of her home. "And you have to be strong to survive here. I"m not particularly strong of course, and I could not survive on my own without my herd to help me."

[327/300]

Lovely! Do you have a familiar? If not, show us the familiar you’d like to have.

"Me? Oh no." Kolr replies immediately with a small shake of her head. "Maybe if I ever become a real artist I'll be able to buy one ... But I doubt it." Kolr's shoulders rise and fall stiffly. She isn't entirely sure whether or not she would even want a familiar. On the one hand, having a constant companion might be too much responsibility. How would she go about feeding it? What if it wanted to travel farther than she could? What if it grew bored of her, or didn't like her? Then again, since Kolr spent so much time alone, perhaps having a familiar could be ... well, nice. Maybe it could even serve as a scapegoat if she needed to get out of a conversation? Oh sorry, my familiar needs to eat so I have to go. That was the sort of thing horses might say, wasn't it?

Kolr had seen small fennec foxes in the dunes of the Sedo, and always thought that they were rather charming, with their large eyes and ears and petite bodies. The larger familiars, like tigers or even the mythical ones were simply too fantastic for Kolr to ever believe to have. Surely creatures of that magnificence and power would never stay by her side. How could as impressive as a Peryton be content with painting granuals of sand, day in and day out? No, no ... perhaps it is too much responsibility.

"But I probably won't ever be able to afford one." Kolr adds after a moment, forcing her cheeks to puff out in a smile. Not one for prolonged periods of self-pity, Kolr allowed herself one small shrug. "That's okay though. I really don't mind. I'm okay being on my own, and it isn't like I could ever be lonely - not with all my brothers and sisters always around!" This small soundbyte sounds genuine, but certainly no one could possibly have all their needs met by their herd?

[325/300]

Do you like your herd? What about your leader?

"Oh of course. Serora is wonderful." Kolr replies with an immediate and genuine smile. Her words themselves have the ring of dogmatic approval, but Kolr herself does not seem aware of this. Just the mention of her herd makes the girl brighten instantly. "Everyone is so kind and so smart and wonderful," she continues to gush, looking around and all of her herd-siblings as they go about their day. "And our leader Baram," For a moment Kolr's words trail off as she seemingly begins to envision something in her minds-eye. The moment doesn't last long, and Kolr's ever-present smile seems to widen comically. "Well he's very good of course." Although in her lessons as a child she was taught all about their former leader Osprey, and his part in the war, the details about Baram's rise to infamy were a bit fuzzy in Kolr's mind. The only details that really stuck were the aesthetic ones. Indeed Kolr had painted many details of the herd's trials over the last hundred or so years as their overt strife with the Aodh and War-Forged herds came to a close. But on details of Baram himself, Kolr hadn't paid great attention. Not intentionally of course, but unless her education directly related to something she could paint, Kolr found remembering details quite challenging.

Having never lived anywhere else, having never travelled, and with relatively little interactions with the traders, Kolr's answer to the question of do you like your herd might be a bit biased. With what could Kolr compare her experiences to, to know whether or not her herd and leader were genuinely worthy of approval? But such thoughts rarely (if ever) entered into the pale girl's mind. Serora was everything. There was nothing outside of her desert home, at least not in Kolr's mind. Oh she knew that there were other herds and other gods, but surely nothing could compare with Sedo and Alya! Dogmatic is precisely the word for Kolr's thoughts and feelings with regard to her home. There could never be an argument or bit of evidence that could possibly convince her to believe anything else.

[347/300]

Last but not least...What blessings do you hope to earn?

Kolr smiles, hearing that this is the last question. This has already been more talking than she normally does in a day, and she will be grateful to go about the rest of her day in peace and quiet. But never one to be rude, Kolr continues to listen and answers as best she can.

The question that Kolr does not answer as immediately as the last. Her open and youthful face seems to crumple slightly, and her head tilts to the right as if she is thinking. Internally however her mind is blank. She is merely thinking of the best way to say that she has no idea.
"I don't know that I could ask Alya for a blessing.." She admits after a moment, looking both sheepish as well as hurt. "Alya, creator of moons and stars...how could I ask her to give something to me, when she has already given so much? I am only alive because she has given me a home to live in, and because she fills my lungs with air." Briefly Kolr things of her paintings - all done in servitude to the many-winged deity, but even that could not be enough.

Kolr knows about the blessings of course. She has seen many of her herd siblings ask Alya for her blessing, and has watched without envy as they receive the ability to teleport, or play with the wind as Alya does. But in her short life Kolr has never thought about these things for herself. Of course she thinks that astral projection might be nice, for those who are in their trance-like state are often left alone by others, which Kolr would very much appreciate, but of course she would never have that ability.

Would she?

"Because of my legs .. maybe teleportation or superspeed? Perhaps then I could be of more use to my herd ... even if not, at least I wouldn't always be so late to things. I don't mean to, but it's awfully hard to get around, especially on the sand."

[339/300]

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

You’re pretty easy on the eyes, what breed of equine are you?

Kolr blinks.

Then she blinks again, presumably while the wheels in her head turn. Although .. she doesn't look like she's thinking. Her large blue eyes appear wholly vacant and the smile on her lips remains plastered where it was before the question was asked.
So you try again. "What breed of equine are you?"
"Breed?" Kolr breathes in response,the happy smile faltering slightly. Her head tilts as she regards you, perhaps now with a tad more scrutiny than before. "Horse of course." She finally admits, the rhyme making the smile on her lips brighten. What a strange question to ask, Kolr thinks. She clearly displays no qualities or extra appendages that would lead anyone to believe that she was anything other than a common horse. And because the question was clearly so strange, Kolr wondered if there wasn't some hidden meaning or implication that she was missing. Kolr did find language so horribly confusing at times, especially with how much could go unsaid, but even so, you were just supposed to know what your interlocutor meant. It was all very confusing and funny! For herself, Kolr never left anything up to conversational implicature, but instead always said precisely what it was she needed to communicate.
The silence makes Kolr think she is meant to elaborate.

"My...my mother was a common horse as well." She adds tentatively, as if trying to justify her lineage. If neither of her parents had been a common horse then it would have been impossible for Kolr to have been one. But because one was, so was she! The logic seemed sound and so Kolr fell into an awkward silence, wondering what more might be said in defence of her claim.

Was she still missing something? She didn't think so ... Uncertain what was meant by easy on the eyes, Kolr had just let her mind slip over the words. They didn't sound like a question, and so despite Kolr's lack of clarity at their meaning, she thought it safe to ignore them.

[337/300]

How beautiful! Tell us a little about you. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?

"Oh! Well.." Already Kolr is finding this to be far too many questions. Surely you have something better to do than ask after her? She is nothing remarkable after all.
The pale girl kicks at a pebble near her hooves with a motion which is far from fluid. The bow of her knees makes the movement awkward and despite the close proximity of the stone, Kolr almost misses it completely. "My knees-" She begins, lowering her muzzle slightly to indicate the symmetrical bow in each of her front legs. "They are turned inward, you see." Instead of pointing straight ahead, her hooves are actually slightly curved, so that a line pointing from their tips would intersect almost immediately. She stares at her hooves for a moment, before returning her brilliant blue stare to you. For a moment, she does nothing but blink and look at you expectantly. After a moment she says, "Sorry, what was the question?" You repeat it. "Oh!" She says again, a near perfect imitation of the way she originally began this line of questions. "I suppose my memory isn't always very good." What another might have said in jest, Kolr says earnestly. "And your strengths?" You prod. "Oh, I'm not very strong at all. My legs, remember?" She asks almost hesitantly, not wanting to imply that you hadn't been listening. "I'm rather skinny as well-" She continues, trying to fill the silence.

In all honesty, Kolr doesn't believe she has any strengths. Objectively though, she is a wonderfully talented artist and possesses a trusting and helpful soul. But because her interactions with others are always a bit scarce (due to her dislike of speaking) no one has really ever affirmed any of these qualities as being good. And, humble to a fault, Kolr of course never ascribes them to herself.

[304/300]

It's good to know more about you. Are you religious? Who's your patron god?

"Of course!" Kolr's response is noticeably brighter now. The question is one that she can answer with confidence. "Alya of course" she pale mare gushes. For Kolr, it is such a comfort to know that her life is not merely her own; she is a cog in Alya's machine. An unimportant piece to be sure, but in everything there is purpose. Of course Kolr knows that Alya must like pegasi more (she created them after all!) but even as a simple equine Kolr hopes that her actions are pleasing to the sky mother. Al
"Did you know she created the moons the wind and the stars?" Kolr continues, her voice full of awe and her youthful face coloured with delight. Her words are a near exact mimic of the stories of Alya she was taught as a young filly. Kolr adds no embellishments of her own, feeling already that the name Alya already holds all the prominence and importance that it ought to. What else could Kolr possibly say to further abdicate on behalf of her deity?

"I have only gone to Alya's temple once," Kolr continues, "but I hope to go again." Almost conspiratorially, Kolr looks around, wondering if there is anyone else listening. "I made a painting of Alya once ..." She begins, blue eyes growing round as if with fear. "I wonder if it would be good enough to decorate one of the temples?" In her mind, such a suggestion almost borders on blasphemy, for to say that one of her creations is good enough for Alya would be to imply that her talents are somehow god-like, or good-enough-for-a-god. Of course that couldn't be true, but Kolr did think that her portrait was rather good.
"But it probably isn't. There are much better artists than me-" Suddenly Kolr's eyes squish shut in alarm and her dainty head shakes as if to erase the words. "N-n-not that I'm an artist. I just paint sometimes- but only when it's appropriate! And-" She falls into a hopeless silence, as if she is digging herself into a hole. The hole is only in her mind of course, and you wonder why she is so timid about her talents.

[366/300]

Hm, to each their own. What about your home? What does it look like?

"Look? Like?" Kolr blinks and looks around. They are already in Sedo (for Serorans don't often travel, and Kolr especially - with her pigeon-toed and skinny frame - has never traveled very far at all). "It looks like this?" She says, rather confused. "I haven't been to all the parts because some of them are an awfully long way away. The only time I've ever been to The Sear was in winter, and that was to go to Alya's temple. I mostly stay in the Ziuseset." She concludes with a small shrug. Without wings and with her scrawny body Kolr couldn't even hope to visit God's Landing, but nor does she have the desire to. She finds the hustle and bustle of every day life busy enough already where she lives. Besides, maybe there are a bunch of customs she doesn't know about in other areas in Sedo? How would she know? No, far better to stay where things are familiar and safe. That isn't to say life in the Ziuseset is always easy - Alya challenges them often, and even though the herd is clever and good at finding resources and stay cool despite the high temperatures, it is still a difficult way of life.

"Sometimes, if Alya blesses us with a heavy rain, you can see waterfalls." Perhaps the most inviting of all of Alya's natural gifts, Kolr loves waterfalls best. They are rare, since the type of precipitation needed to create them is rare, and Kolr has only ever seen one once. Even so, she finds herself painting waterfalls proportionately more often than any other feature of her home. "Of course all of Sedo is beautiful." Kolr adds hastily, not wanting to seem as though she is implying anything other than love for all aspects of her home. "And you have to be strong to survive here. I"m not particularly strong of course, and I could not survive on my own without my herd to help me."

[327/300]

Lovely! Do you have a familiar? If not, show us the familiar you’d like to have.

"Me? Oh no." Kolr replies immediately with a small shake of her head. "Maybe if I ever become a real artist I'll be able to buy one ... But I doubt it." Kolr's shoulders rise and fall stiffly. She isn't entirely sure whether or not she would even want a familiar. On the one hand, having a constant companion might be too much responsibility. How would she go about feeding it? What if it wanted to travel farther than she could? What if it grew bored of her, or didn't like her? Then again, since Kolr spent so much time alone, perhaps having a familiar could be ... well, nice. Maybe it could even serve as a scapegoat if she needed to get out of a conversation? Oh sorry, my familiar needs to eat so I have to go. That was the sort of thing horses might say, wasn't it?

Kolr had seen small fennec foxes in the dunes of the Sedo, and always thought that they were rather charming, with their large eyes and ears and petite bodies. The larger familiars, like tigers or even the mythical ones were simply too fantastic for Kolr to ever believe to have. Surely creatures of that magnificence and power would never stay by her side. How could as impressive as a Peryton be content with painting granuals of sand, day in and day out? No, no ... perhaps it is too much responsibility.

"But I probably won't ever be able to afford one." Kolr adds after a moment, forcing her cheeks to puff out in a smile. Not one for prolonged periods of self-pity, Kolr allowed herself one small shrug. "That's okay though. I really don't mind. I'm okay being on my own, and it isn't like I could ever be lonely - not with all my brothers and sisters always around!" This small soundbyte sounds genuine, but certainly no one could possibly have all their needs met by their herd?

[325/300]

Do you like your herd? What about your leader?

"Oh of course. Serora is wonderful." Kolr replies with an immediate and genuine smile. Her words themselves have the ring of dogmatic approval, but Kolr herself does not seem aware of this. Just the mention of her herd makes the girl brighten instantly. "Everyone is so kind and so smart and wonderful," she continues to gush, looking around and all of her herd-siblings as they go about their day. "And our leader Baram," For a moment Kolr's words trail off as she seemingly begins to envision something in her minds-eye. The moment doesn't last long, and Kolr's ever-present smile seems to widen comically. "Well he's very good of course." Although in her lessons as a child she was taught all about their former leader Osprey, and his part in the war, the details about Baram's rise to infamy were a bit fuzzy in Kolr's mind. The only details that really stuck were the aesthetic ones. Indeed Kolr had painted many details of the herd's trials over the last hundred or so years as their overt strife with the Aodh and War-Forged herds came to a close. But on details of Baram himself, Kolr hadn't paid great attention. Not intentionally of course, but unless her education directly related to something she could paint, Kolr found remembering details quite challenging.

Having never lived anywhere else, having never travelled, and with relatively little interactions with the traders, Kolr's answer to the question of do you like your herd might be a bit biased. With what could Kolr compare her experiences to, to know whether or not her herd and leader were genuinely worthy of approval? But such thoughts rarely (if ever) entered into the pale girl's mind. Serora was everything. There was nothing outside of her desert home, at least not in Kolr's mind. Oh she knew that there were other herds and other gods, but surely nothing could compare with Sedo and Alya! Dogmatic is precisely the word for Kolr's thoughts and feelings with regard to her home. There could never be an argument or bit of evidence that could possibly convince her to believe anything else.

[347/300]

Last but not least...What blessings do you hope to earn?

Kolr smiles, hearing that this is the last question. This has already been more talking than she normally does in a day, and she will be grateful to go about the rest of her day in peace and quiet. But never one to be rude, Kolr continues to listen and answers as best she can.

The question that Kolr does not answer as immediately as the last. Her open and youthful face seems to crumple slightly, and her head tilts to the right as if she is thinking. Internally however her mind is blank. She is merely thinking of the best way to say that she has no idea.
"I don't know that I could ask Alya for a blessing.." She admits after a moment, looking both sheepish as well as hurt. "Alya, creator of moons and stars...how could I ask her to give something to me, when she has already given so much? I am only alive because she has given me a home to live in, and because she fills my lungs with air." Briefly Kolr things of her paintings - all done in servitude to the many-winged deity, but even that could not be enough.

Kolr knows about the blessings of course. She has seen many of her herd siblings ask Alya for her blessing, and has watched without envy as they receive the ability to teleport, or play with the wind as Alya does. But in her short life Kolr has never thought about these things for herself. Of course she thinks that astral projection might be nice, for those who are in their trance-like state are often left alone by others, which Kolr would very much appreciate, but of course she would never have that ability.

Would she?

"Because of my legs .. maybe teleportation or superspeed? Perhaps then I could be of more use to my herd ... even if not, at least I wouldn't always be so late to things. I don't mean to, but it's awfully hard to get around, especially on the sand."

[339/300]