[Honesty-FIN] Strange Behavior [Wabi Sabi x Shockstar] (Port)

[BlueEyedMelloon]

A pile of rocks towered above a green-haired foal. His bright orange eyes scanned a rock, turning it over and over in his hooves while he pondered its markings. He finally shook his head, and placed it with a smaller pile, picking another one from the larger group and repeating the motion.

Wabi Sabi liked this one; it joined the few behind him while he smiled. He had originally been doing this project inside the house behind him, but his mother had wielded her power and had him remove them on the grounds that someone could slip. But it was alright; it was a nice day, so the foal didn't mind sitting outside instead.

----




"GET. BACK. HERE!!!" came the angry shouting of a yellow colt as he tore through the grass after a wild cat, his black orbs narrowed and fierce. The cat darted past another colt and his pile of stones, skirted a tree then jumped a fence a few feet away.

Cursing, Shockstar slid to a halt, huffing and puffing, one hoof raised and shaking at the fleeing cat. They always fled! Every single one! How was he supposed to become the best trainer if he couldn't catch any other critters except one! And even that one didn't count as he received it as a gift from an annoying yellow fluff pony who found him as a blister pack. "Uhg. This is ridiculous." he brooded, stomping a hoof on the ground.

It was only then did he realize the other colt next to him, playing with a pile of stones. "Er....." he blinked, staring oddly at the other foal. Just what was he even doing?

------

   
His methodical rock-looking was interrupted by a very odd looking phony chasing a cat. The cat outsmarted him, taking shelter in a tree while to foal pouted. Wabi stopped inspecting the rock in his hoof to stare at the foal instead. His tail was rather strange; more solid than a typical tail.

It was then that he realized that this red cheeked foal was staring right back at him. He blushed slightly, then smiled, waving the hoof that currently wasn't holding a rock. "Hi." he said lamely, unsure just what to say.

-------

   
"Eh..." was all Shockstar seemed to be able to spit out for a few seconds until he gathered his wits. "Ah, hi?" he blinked, tilting his head as his unique tail seemed to flick one single flick. He gazed back to where the cat had disappeared then back towards the foal and his... rocks? In that moment, his curiosity got the better of him and his current goal was forgotten. At least for now anyways. "Whaaaat... are you doing?" he asked, his black gaze peering over all the rocks, noting that they seemed to have markings of some sort and what the foal was....organizing? Separating? Something?

[BlueEyedMelloon]

   
Wabi was still a bit shocked by the other foal's appearance, but he put that aside for another moment as he was asked a question.

"Oh, me?" he asked back. Stupid question, of course he meant me! He thought to himself.

"I'm sorting through these rocks." he said. "I'm looking for the most imperfect ones." he added, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do.

--------

   
Shockstar bit his lip at the colt's explanation. He didn't get it. Buuuut.... they are rocks... was what he wanted to say at first, but he held back. Instead he made a sort of face then forced a smile. "I-i-ineresting..!" he lied, feeling no real interest at all. In fact he almost wished he had kinda...ran... into someone...else's yard? Rocks all were imperfect... they didn't have pretty rocks.

At least not in this colts opinion anyways. ''Em, may I ask....why?'' he tilted his head, plonking himself down on his butt as he sneakily stuck a hoof out to poke at the closet rock to him. Maybe there was something he was missing? Gently he turned it over to see.

Nope.... looked like a boring rock to him.

-----

   
Wabi watched the other colt poke at the rock. "Yep! They are rocks!" he said, "But each rock is a little...or a lot different. Like this one." he went on, holding up one with blue in it. "This one is kinda blue, and it's missing a chunk here. But this one is also blue. It's just missing less. So the first one is more imperfect." He placed the first blue rock in the smaller pile, and the second one in the larger.

As for why, he tapped his chin with a hoof. "You know....I've never really thought about why I do it...." Now that he thought about it, it seemed odd. "I just...do. I don't....like the perfect things." he said, tumbling over his words.

"It's almost like they are....no, they aren't real. When they are perfect I mean. You know?"

He looked at Shockstar with a smile.

-----


The yellow colt tilted his head. He watched him place each blue rock he had just pointed out into separate piles as he listened to the other foal explain what he was doing...and why.

They all still looked the same to him.

"Kinda? I think?" he squinted his eyes, looking over each blue rock in turn. He was trying to get it, but it was still a most definite no. Still though, the kid seemed...nice...in his own way. Though he still had several questions.... like, a lot of questions.

"But..why broken ones, wouldn't they work less better? Are perfect ones really that bad?" he blinked, wandering closer to the larger pile that he guessed was the rocks that were too.... 'perfect'. "I mean, they look pretty real to me. And probably hurt just as much if you threw it at someone." he laughed, turning around to playfully stick his tongue out at the other colt. He couldn't help but be a bit of a silly smarty tail in that moment.

[BlueEyedMelloon]

      
   
Wabi blinked. The system made perfect sense to him. Maybe he didn't explain it right.

"Broken things are pretty in their own right. They don't...work right. That's true, but they have an interesting feel.." It was hard to convey what he wanted, how he saw things.

Wabi smiled as the colt stuck his tongue out. "I'm sorry..I guess I'm just..strange. in the way that I think."

--------

   
It might not have looked like it... .but Shockstar was really trying to get it. Except he couldn't. But he also kinda felt bad that he wasn't. He shook his hooves and his head.

"No no no no, not strange! I think kinda gettin it! But um, they all kinda feel the same to me? Like.... well rocks..." he blinked, tilting his head, taking the colts words extremely literal... at least at first. He rubbed a hoof over one and concentrated, closing his eyes as if that was going to help make the answer appear.

Then a tiny idea flickered in the back of his mind. "Or do you mean another kind of ....feel?" he blinked his eyes open. He wondered if the rocks somehow felt to this foal more like how feelings worked? Like one just felt happier than another. But how did that even work?? It was still just a rock?! AUHG all this was too weird but he didn't want to say anything overly rude. He bit his lip again and smiled apologetically.

"Let...me.." he said and scooped up two rocks, holding them side by side in front of his nose. He squinted one eye, then the other then both, trying to see which rock was more imperfect. One was rounder than the other while one had more jagged edges, but the round one had a lot more cracks in it and was over all duller than the other. Whereas the jagged one had a sort of sparkle to it in the light that made it look slightly glittery and prettier to look at. Man how did this colt tell which was perfect and which was not?! Shockstar decided to give it his best guess.

A slight frustrated sigh escaped without Shockstar meaning for it too. His ears perked up and he peered around the rocks at Wabi to see if the colt had heard that. "Um....t-t-this one! It's the more jagged and broken...so its the one I think is better." he blinked, holding out the rugged rock for approval.

[BlueEyedMelloon]

Wabi shook his head. "I don't mean a literal feel, like touch. They have their own spirit...and it's different than other, whole things have. They have...character." he finished lamely.

It sounded like the other colt was starting to get it though. He watched the yellow phony examine the rocks with held breath. Maybe, just this once, someone would understand...

But Wabi was disappointed with his choice. The round one was clearly the more imperfect, even though the edges were nice. But he didn't want to hurt his new acquaintance's feelings, so he swallowed the disappointment and plastered on a smile.

"That's right!" he said, voice a little higher than normal. "You totally get it!" He placed the jagged one in his imperfect pile, where it glared at him like a neon bulb. He'd just...move it later.

"What I say often doesn't make sense. To others, ya know? Sometimes that lack of knowledge leads them to say things that are hurtful." The colt's orange eyes dulled a bit. "Like saying that I am weird." He picked up a rock that had a crack right down the middle and stared at it, almost forgetting Shockstar was there.

------------

   
Well...this just got more awkward.

Apparently he had got it right. Ooohboooy now he had to continue this charade. He did his best to let his face light up with a smile. "Sweet! I think I really am starting to get it!" he faked, picking up another set of rocks and examining them closely. Each time he was still instinctively picking the one that looked better to him and consequently wrong to Wabi.
What the colt said however, touched him a bit. "You aren't weird... I get it." he said, his tail flicking a bit. "I mean... about others not understanding. No one gets me either. I probably just look like a crazy colt to them hah...." he half laughed before just standing there rubbing a hoof on the back of his head as he let out a sigh. Suddenly this entire situation was starting to feel....well....just wrong.

"Hey.... I'm Shockstar by the way...." he blinked, grinning sheepishly as he held out a hoof to the other colt. All this time and he never bothered to say his name, man was Shock just getting off on the wrong hoof today. What was worse was he was lying about understanding all this rock business just so he didn't hurt any feelings. And that was the farthest thing from cool. But what else should he do....?? If he told how he really felt the other would probably get even more upset. Especially after that confession...

"Um..." he stumbled, staring down at a pair of rocks that looked almost identical. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep trying to pick out imperfect ones.

---------

   
Wabi Sabi watched each rock choice with dismay. It was going to take him forever to resort them out at the rate the colt was going...But he couldn't go back now could he? After praising him so completely right off the bat. Perhaps Shockstar wouldn't want to be his friend, since they had started out with Wabi lying to him. And then sharing how he felt Wabi's pain with being different...well, he was starting to feel just awful.

That doesn't bode well for a friendship.

And rather than looking more excited, like Wabi did when he sorted rocks, the other looked...concerned.

Wabi stuck out his hoof, taking Shockstar's in his. "I'm Wabi Sabi." he said, head dipping in a bow. They went back to sorting, until Shockstar seemed to get stuck. Wabi waited politely, even though the imperfect rock practically glowed in his eyesight. He started to sweat, barely containing the need to point out the most wrong rock.

[BlueEyedMelloon]

   
"Nice to...uh...meet ya!" Shockstar tried to smile but it was feeling harder to do so. He stared down at the rocks, willing his brain to figure this out so that he didn't look like a blundering idiot and maybe make a new friend... but it just wasn't working as quickly as he'd have liked it too.

He scooted a rock forward. "Um...this one." he stated, then faltered. After a few seconds he pushed the other one forward and then paused. "No....this one." he nodded. Then frowned. He pulled the two rocks back then sighed, pressing his hooves to his head. "I think, maybe I'm stuck." he half laughed, still trying to go along with the charade like it was a totally normal thing to happen.

And then he caved. "Actually. No. That's not true." he paused again then smiled albeit a bit sadly. "I don't understand at all!" he shoved all the rocks forward towards Wabi and shook his head. "I was trying. I wanted to get it....so I pretended like I was and told you I was.... but I just don't honestly understand...." he said sheepishly in defeat, sinking a bit.

A tiny voice squeaked out of him next, so tiny Wabi probably had to lean close to hear it. "I'msorry."

------------

   
Friends?

A friend! How lucky!

"Friends!" he said, grinning. A bit of a bump in the beginning, but Wabi felt that somehow things were right with them being friends. What luck: two new friends in a week! He would have to tell Orbit about this!

(I think we are good!)