you must learn control (open)

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew sat on the steps of the temple. He banged his knee on a pillar as he brought them under his chin, but he paid that no mind. Overhead, a small but dark storm cloud gathered.
"Not again." he muttered and pulled the elven cloak over his himself to guard against the inevitable downpour. He did a rather inadequate job and one shoulder and most of his back stuck glaringly out of the cloak, but his face was covered as were his bruised knees.

"I thought you said this was supposed to be better!" he yelled at no one in particular as the rain began to beat on his exposed back. He wriggled ineffectively to fix the problem.

[Ethereal-Star]

Down the streets of La'marri, there was a large beast walking (or rather skipping) through the rain that had just begun to fall. While many others had gone into their homes to seek cover from the coming storm, there was at least one inhabitant wandering the town, skipping merrily down the cobbled pathways. And he was singing. Because it was such a glorious day, rain and all, and he wanted to sing. So sing he did.

"I'm siiiiiinging in the rain,
And I have absolutely no shaaaaame,
For yes, I am sinnnging in the rain,
as the sky opens up, this unicorn comes out to plaaaaay,
Having me some fun, a round of drinks for everyone,
so yes, come one and all, let's keep singing in the raiiiinnnn...."

As Chestnut continued to sing, he soon came upon the temple in the village and noticed a small figure sitting on the steps there. He stopped in mid-song and looked curiously at the figure. It appeared to be a young boy trying to seek shelter from the elements and not doing so hot a job at it either. However, Chestnut could tell this was no ordinary kid for the unicorn sensed the magic within him, very strong but very chaotic magic. Chestnut wasn't sure why this person was sitting out in the rain getting soaked and did not seek better shelter. Didn't he have a home to return to?

So naturally Chestnut went over to the boy and made light of the situation around them. "Hey there. Nice day for a simple stroll, isn't it?"

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew brushed his hood back and looked at the creature who approached him.
He tried to scowl at him, but it came out more like half a smirk.
"Are you playing with me?" he asked defensively, a hint of anger in his voice. That kind of game was exactly like the elven children who until so recently had been his friends would play.
Nearby, thunder crashed, and lightening hit the ground, scorching some vegetation.

[Ethereal-Star]

"My, my, are we temperamental today!" Chestnut said, smiling. "Why the long face? And I am referring to you of course, not myself, mind you." he chuckled at his own joke and pranced around a bit, only glancing over at the scorched vegetation for just a moment before replying, "Now, what did that poor vegetation ever do to you, I wonder?"

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew looked confused at first; he didn't get the joke. Then he just looked ashamed. "I can't control it." he said plainly. "You should leave before I hurt you too." The rain started to fall heavier and mix with ice.

[Ethereal-Star]

"Now, now, chin up." Chestnut admonished lightly. "As for the storm, do not worry yourself over that. Chestnut has his own particular magics..." he grinned and shook his mane at the boy.

"Why don't we both go inside the temple and just take a breather, chillax, tell stories and jokes... Y'know, that sort of thing..." he looked at the boy with concern. "You look like you could use a break from your troubles."

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew wasn't sure who this 'Chestnut' was, but he didn't mention it. Nor did he believe he deserved a break, but he didn't say that either.
"I guess so." he said, and let himself be led inside the temple.

The rain lessened as Mathew went inside, but the dark storm cloud remained stubbornly over the Temple.

[Ethereal-Star]

Inside the temple it was drier and more warm, so Chestnut settled back on his haunches in a relaxed pose. Looking at the boy, he said, "Now I believe introductions are in order here." the unicorn stated, tail swishing back and forth over the stone ground beneath. "My name is Chestnut Sparkle Mister, Noble Prankster Extraordinaire! But only on certain days of the week." he joked. "However my name remains the same, obviously."

Blowing a strand of light blue hair from his mane out of his face, he looked at the child and asked, "And what is your name, mister..." he left the sentence unfinished, waiting for the boy to give his name.

[R.R. Pebble]

"Mathew." Mathew stood awkwardly in front of the unicorn, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He didn't understand this creature's jokes, but long time (could you really call the period spent traveling with someone who doesn't experience time linearly as time?) traveling with Mylicet/Aki had taught him that you didn't actually have to understand someone to travel with them.
"Are you... are you... native to this world?" he asked hesitantly. He was relatively dry, thanks to the protection of the elven clothes he wore, but his soaking wet blond curls were plastered to his head, and he was shivering a little.

[Ethereal-Star]

"Well Mathew, it's a pleasure to meet you. I would shake your hand but I myself seem to be lacking one so I'm afraid I'll have to offer you my hoof to shake instead." Chestnut grinned and held out his hoof for the boy to shake in cordial greeting.

When Mathew asked if he was native to this world, Chestnut replied with, "Native? No, not exactly. I come from a place of light and higher vibrations and all that jazz. Some would call it heaven or paradise and they're not wrong. Although it would be more accurate to say one of the heavenly planes, as there are many. However, I have dwelt on this earth for so long now I can scarcely remember much about my previous home. No matter though, I am happy here."

The unicorn noticed Mathew shivering and asked in concern, "Are you cold? You certainly look it."

[LamiaGirl]

-Abigale Enters the Thread-

The temple had been quiet today, mostly so. Aside from the odd person coming round to do whatever it was they did to pray to their deities, no one had come round. This was not entirely odd, nor was it a bad thing. Abigale was a creature of quiet and the lack of noise or intrusion served her nicely. This temple was not where the Lamia lived however, so she had no right to complain should others come by, she did however know that on a rainy day like today it would be quieter to spend the day here than at the group lodging she had been at earlier. She had spent most of the day curled up in front of a single altar. Several candles burned away gently on it hearth as they had been for several hours. Occasionally she would slip to the side to allow others to pray at the Altars base if they needed, and she would immediately return when they had left. She was not doing this to pray herself, but instead to look the part, to avoid being disturbed, to think, and hope for the off chance that some form of divine inspiration would come to her and she might figure something out.

After a rather long period with no interruptions the sound of hooves caught Abigale's ear. She froze on the spot, not sure what to expect as the sound seemed to come from within the temple itself. Had someone ridden a horse right into the temple or was this something else? It wasn't until she heard the voices that she pieced the scene together in her mind. She gave a small sigh as she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and slowly began to move along the back of the temple. Being a Lamia and having a serpentine lower body meant that when she moved it was virtually noiseless, a trait that had saved her many times before. In this case however she perceived little to no danger.

She continued to make her way around the temple sticking to the wall as much as possible. She didn't feel like being social today, that's why she was here in the first place. As she moved she heard the Unicorns introduction, Chestnut Sparkle Mister. The human looking person with him was named Mathew, or at least that was all he had said in response. drew her cloak tighter around her as she approached the door. While the cloak was incredibly long, it did nothing to hide the tail that made up her lower half. This had never concerned her too much as she was proud to have the single appendage as a pose to legs, though it did tend to make people uncomfortable. After another moment she was at the door and she slipped out without a word, her tail taking a few moments on its own to disappear out the temple entrance. She would come back later when things were quieter.

-Abigale Leaves the Thread-

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew wasn't sure what to do with the hoof, but the unicorn had said something about "shaking" so he did.

"Did they kick you out too?" he asked.

[Ethereal-Star]

Chestnut neither saw nor heard the Lamia leave, so he continued his conversation with Mathew. "No, I wasn't kicked out. I came here to help and offer my services for a war that was fought long ago on this very continent. It was....a trying time, to be sure." The unicorn seemed reluctant to say more about this, as his expression slightly darkened but only for a second before it quickly brightened up again.

"So! You said you were kicked out of your previous home? That sounds rather harsh, I'd say." Chestnut thought for a moment and plunged onward. "Where did you used to live if I may ask and how did you come to be here?"

[R.R. Pebble]

"The elves sent me here because they couldn't control me... what I am. They said this would be better than being there: steeped in their magic, it was too dangerous. I'm too dangerous." It was hard to tell from his tone if his feelings toward the elves were that of anger or sadness. It was probably some of both.

[Ethereal-Star]

Chestnut huffed in disapproval at the actions of the elves. He was sure they had their reasons but kicking a child out of his home was hardly the right thing to do. "Now that is a very sad tale, it is. But what's done is done and we must move on, right?"

Chestnut winked at Mathew and grinned. "Hey Mathew, do ya wanna see a trick? It just might help to cheer you right up."

[R.R. Pebble]

Chestnut was right about moving on, of course, but Mathew wasn't ready to admit that.

"I don't like tricks." he said, "You can't predict them. And they tend to go sideways around me now." He thought of Mylicet. Tricks had always gone sideways around her too -- poor Ee'lan. Was he still orange? Mathew wondered. A hint of fondness, of nostalgia, might have been present in his face for just an moment, and then his anxious scowl returned. "The children played tricks. That was the problem."

[Ethereal-Star]

The unicorn observed the child as he remarked that he didn't like tricks, that they were too unpredictable. A flash of nostalgia or something akin to it, showed in the boy's features but just as quickly went away, replaced with a scowl that Chestnut guessed was something the boy did quite frequently when he thought of his prior home.

Chestnut could not say he wasn't disappointed but obliged anyway. "Okay, so no tricks, no magic then." he agreed. "What would you like to do then to keep your mind off your worries? How 'bout a game of 'I spy?'  Or tic-tac-toe? I like games, they're so much fun. So, what do you say?"

[R.R. Pebble]

"I am not a spy." Mathew said defensively. "What I told you was truth."

[Ethereal-Star]

If Chestnut were expecting some kind of negative response, it certainly wasn't that. The unicorn was slightly taken aback at Mathew's retort, but then he began to laugh. "No, silly, it's a game! I Spy is a game where two people each try to guess what object another person is thinking of, something that is in the room they are in. It goes like this: I spy something white and solid. Now you have to guess what it is I'm talking about. It's fun, you'll see!"

Chestnut straightened up a bit, shaking his mane out of his face. "So go on, guess what I was referring to!" He certainly hoped the boy would oblige, as he sorely needed to lighten up and have some fun. It wasn't healthy to be all grrrrr, arghhh, all the time. Chestnut chuckled at his own inner musings, turning his attention back to Mathew and awaiting for a reply.

[R.R. Pebble]

Mathew didn't see why this was supposed to be fun. He can, perhaps be forgiven for this, having spent so much of his life among creatures who were telepathic.
"I'm not actively telepathic." he said, "and I know a test designed as a game when I see one."