Fantasy Code FERAL

[Lioness075]

Seeing Simon's reaction to her question, Luness fluttered into the air briefly in alarm before settling back down on the chair.


As Simon's coughing fit died down, Luness tilted her head at his somewhat serious expression, though he looked more confused than anything else.


Hearing Simon's slow response, Luness furrowed her brows before fluttering onto the table in front of Simon, warily giving him enough space to put his bottle back down since he most likely would do so after drinking it again.


Thing was, Simon's response only made Luness think of more questions and it most certainly did not answer her question at all, other than tell her that Simon had some kind of troubled history with Strong.


Hearing Simon's question and then vague description, Luness responded confidently, "Simon, everyone makes mistakes. Big or small. It's a part of life. I've seen so many different levels of mistakes happen over the years. In fact, I was even present for Hitler and the Nazis. Well, I stayed well clear of them, but heard plenty from word of mouth and the like. Anyways, point is, if you made such a big and troubling mistake, why didn't you talk to her about it and apologize when you had the chance? Not to make you feel more regret about it, but these kinds of problems that trouble you so deeply are things you shouldn't ignore or avoid. It'll only get worse the longer you do so. I mean, look at how far avoiding his problems has gotten Manjano. The poor boy refuses to speak to anyone anymore, including Falarion. I mean, they speak through their mental connection, but it's clear that the lack of verbal communication pains Falarion."


@zCrookedz

 

[DawnAntalios]

Zoe's expression turned to confused upon waiting for Bael's reply. There it was again, she asked something and the boy started to stutter, feel uncomfortable in her company. She really could not explain why was this happening but she tried to overcome it with a half smile.


" Righty then! " she said " I will see if they have the required cocoa beans around here... well if not I can always make those expresso ones but they are rather boring and bland... "


When he mentioned her injury she looked at her bandage.


" I... don't know if it bled at all. " she spoke, raising her eyebrow " Now that you mention it it did not seem to bleed at all, curiously enough. I took it as a good sign since I did not have to worry about during the fight. " she looked at him, curiosity in her voice when she spoke again.


" I did not know you worried so much... I mean it is but a small scratch, I have had worse. I think you should join the others and... "


She felt her lungs refusing to take in air for a moment. As she stood there even her voice faded away, the girl leaned at the nearest wall to retain her composure as she felt a bit dizzy from the lack of air. Gasping to breathe she finally was able to stand on her own again as everything cleared up. She didn't want to be a bother but she did want to stay with someone... at least until she discovered the reason of these strange events. Smiling at Bael she nodded.


" All right, I guess a look on it can never hurt... " she turned serious for a moment, fear glinting in her eyes " Say... would it be possible for you to examine me with these... cheerleader clothes still on me? I mean... I just don't want to... part from clothes unless needed... I don't know much about medical procedures so... I just wanted to know. "


@Sleipnir


Eos nodded as Rin answered and laughed as Alec redirected his question towards him. He smiled warmly and nodded.


" I see. It is not unique then - it was just a curious thought I had in mind. " he silenced for a moment " It is no problem, I found it quite entertaining at first, it is based on the strength of one's connection with one another. At least that is what it looked like to me. "


He glanced around, seeing that people ere having a great dance party so he headed that way. He himself never tried to dance but was happy to see that others were having fun. Calmly he sat down, inspecting the revelers.


@anyonewhocares

 

[Flutterby]

After a moment, in which only the sounds of the city night filled the air, Beth looked back up at Manjano. He seemed to be thinking very, very deeply about something. Why was it taking him so long to answer? All it would take was a simple gesture either indicating "not that much" or "Im totally hammered."


He looked frustrated and unsure, and if he sighed one more time he might use up all the oxygen in the garden. Then, something she never predicted happened.


His voice. It was deep and soft, even though it was rough and hesitant from neglect. Voices were like machines- they had to be used to stay in good condition. Her eyes stayed on him, sharp with a new interest. She blinked twice, and the corner of her mouth curled upward ever so slightly, but showed no other sign of a reaction.


Inside, she was somewhere between panic and joy. He had spoken, he was making an effort, he could repair his relationships and be happy... but he was starting with her. She was going to hurt him, somehow, eventually, and send him back into his shell. She was no good for anyone. She was damaged and contagious, hadn't the past shown that?


Beth inhaled slowly, and took a sip of water. The flash of white and tan swooped down toward the ground.


"I'll make you a deal. A sort of 'I'll show you mine, if you show me yours' game. If you tell me your story, why you've isolated yourself and chose to stop speaking, I'll tell you mine." Her voice had gone a little flat, and her face became more guarded. Some part of the light in her had suddenly dimmed. "Its totally fine to say no. A part of me hopes that you will. A large part. But why stop now when we're this far already? Who knows if we'll live long enough to get another chance to share.."


She let her proposition hang in the air for a moment before adding, "You have a nice voice. I like the way it sounds."


@Lioness075


Totus circled the garden, listening for heartbeats below. He caught the sound of one, a mouse, unsuspecting far below and honed in on its location. As Beth was going for broke, he dove toward the helpless rodent. It didnt stand a chance in his talons. What a nice meal, even when everything else seemed so muddled and wrong.

 

[Lioness075]

Manjano was curious as to the big lack of response form Beth upon his speaking. Yet, upon hearing her response and guarded tone, Manjano felt himself stiffen slightly. This wasn't exactly the response he'd ben expecting, even though Beth's response made it clear that she was also lacking in the trusting others department.


Raising an eyebrow at Beth's proposition, Manjano mulled it over for a moment before being caught off-guard by Beth's additional comment, er, compliment.


Blinking, Manjano nodded at the compliment before countering Beth's proposition in a quiet voice, "How about I share a part of mine and then you share a part of yours? I think this is hard enough without me telling my life story to you in one go."


It felt like his voice was as quiet as his silence, as he seemed wary of speaking at all, even glancing back at the door to the mansion before returning his gaze to Beth.


There was no way Manjano could just tell her everything at once. This kind of stuff definitely took some time, and some getting used to. Manjano wasn't about to just spill the beans about everything in his life that ever went wrong before getting something from Beth as well. He felt a burning curiosity to know more about her while she seemed to share the same feeling for him.


@Flutterby

 

[Flutterby]

Beth stared at Manjano, her eyes clearly hiding an array of thoughts and emotions that she wasn't ready to share yet. She was curious about him, but there was no way she was allowing herself to get close to him. When was the last time she had a real, human relationship? One where she actually cared instead of pretending? An image of Ben flashed in her mind, against the Seattle skyline with his most charming smile, the one that never made her feel a thing (even though she knew it should). And she felt an odd twinge of guilt. They would never have dinner, she knew.


On a related note, when was the last time she and Totus had been apart for this long? Since she accepted the bond. A very long time to be so joined to one being and so isolated from others.


The corner of her mouth twitched, showing a momentary flash of something like anger. It had been equally as long since she had been angry at Totus for anything. This seemed important enough to be angry about.


His voice brought her out of his own thoughts once again, and now she smiled, albeit a little ruefully.


"Fair enough. I dont want to push you farther than youre comfortable with." She agreed, with a small nod. Her expression lost its smile, as she realized the irony of her own statement. She pushing someone past their comfort zone? Almost laughable. Kind of a flippant thought to think about her own situation. I really should be kinder to myself about this.


"But you first. You have the advantage, after all." Beth said. She didnt know if she really believed he truly wasnt affected by the alcohol. Something must be intoxicating him, if he was speaking to her.


@Lioness075

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon watched Luness flap around and even seemed to be giving him a lecture at the moment. He had enough of his senses left to understand what she was saying, even giving them a moment before drinks to let them sink in and think about them a bit. When she mentioned Falarion and Manjano, Simon couldn't help and glance a look around for the young man, but didn't see him anywhere around at the moment. The few interactions he had with Manjano, Simon had noticed the distance he placed between himself and others. He didn't want to be distant, he hadn't really talked to Jimbo much since Kootenay and he knew that Jimbo was worried about him.


Simon slid the bottle around a bit, his bottom lip poking out a little bit comical as he let Luness' words soak in a tad. Finally he picked the bottle back up and took another swig from it and set it down, this time he was smiling a bit as he reached out and poked Luness softly in her white plumage.


"Yer a right smart fiery friend Luness. Leandra's lucky she's got such a smart bird on her side."


Simon kinda slumped forward in his seat a little bit towards Luness as he looked around the bar trying to be a bit more discreet. The attempt only resulted in Simon trying to whisper, but not actually a whisper.


"You wouldn't believe you were looking at Amber if you were to see what she was like before.....well before Singapore. She was so.........."


Simon made a confused face for a second be he threw a fist up and slapped the muscles on his arm while he made tough sounding grunt when he made contact.


"Her last name did her justice, she was so gun-ho. Vibrant, not scared of a damn thing Lune. She was amazing. Fell for her the first moment I met her."


Simon leaned back away from her looking back at the bottle with his distant smile. Seeing the liquid in the bottle swirl around once again the smile began to fade slowly.


"Your right Luness, when we get 'er back, imma tell her straight up. Can't let things keep me from tell'n her again..."


@Lioness075

 

[Lioness075]

Seeing Beth's guarded expression and then the corner of her mouth twitching in some kind of angry manner, Manjano could only assume she was in her own world in the moment, not at all reacting to Manjano in particular. He had to wonder how many times people had been looking at his own expressions and trying so hard to read him and understand his thought process. Granted, he did purposely make it hard on people so it was most certainly his own fault for that.


Seeing Beth's smile, Manjano tilted his head to the side so he could see her better with his good eye, confirming his observation that her smile was anything but one of happiness. Given how long he'd gone not speaking and expressing himself silently, Manjano was very good at reading a person's expressions and seeing in between the lines per say.


After hearing Beth's response, Manjano nodded at her and then furrowed his brows slightly as her smile faded away. On the bright side, now she would start telling him some things about herself as long as he continued to tell her about himself.


Smirking slightly, an odd expression on his usually neutral and expressionless face, Manjano quietly responded to Beth's last comment, "I'm not so sure about the advantage part considering I only had one drink, but you were the one to propose this so I suppose it's only fair."


Pausing, Manjano leaned back on the bench and wistfully looked up at the sky before saying quietly, "There's no particular thing that made me stop speaking. It was more like several events that eventually led up to my deciding to simply shut out the world. After all, you get hurt enough, you do what you can to save whatever's left inside of you. I figured the best way was to simply shut out everyone, good or bad, in a desperate attempt to, well, save myself."


Sighing, Manjano glanced sideways at Beth and then added, "I guess the first bad thing that happened to me was being born with a twin sister and then being put up for adoption by the time we were seven years old. Our birth parents weren't all too great so I suppose some could've seen it as a second chance, but foster care is far from that. Anyways, our birth mother was a crack addict and our birth father left us by the age of two so we don't really remember him or know what he was like since our mother refused to talk about him. Our mother was at least smart enough to realize that she was only detrimental to us so she gave us up to foster care in the hope that we'd find someone more well-equipped to properly raise us."


Becoming quiet, Manjano leaned forward on the bench and stared thoughtfully at the ground, as he struggled to remember his birth mother's face. It was near impossible these days to remember her at all.


@Flutterby

 

[Sleipnir]

Cedar shrugged. "I think he went upstairs," he told her. "I could do for more trees personally. Real big ones, not the saplings on the streets."


Bael listened carefully, and as soon as Zoe lost her balance he put a hand against her good shoulder and, putting his supplies on an end table sat her on the nearest chair. He frowned, a bit distracted by what she had said about the wound not bleeding. That was absolutely a concern: a wound should bleed. He glanced up at her when she mentioned keeping her shirt on, but she was no longer anything but a patient to him at the moment. "Depends on where and how wide the wound is. Chances are the cloth will get in the way and I'll need it gone but if you want to try, go ahead. I don't blame you."


He was going through the possible explanations and possible cures. But why should she not bleed? It was puzzling to say the least.


@Hel @DawnAntalios

 

[SilverFlight]

"I'm going to assume that it was someone's companion. Not a lot of wolves in Australia." Alec replied, guiding her gracefully into a spin and stepping back to her afterwards.


"I am really interested in what happened." He continued. "You just let me know if I need to make anyone's life a little...complicated." Alec had never used his hacking skills to cause trouble for anyone, but the thought of someone hurting Leandra made the option seem considerably more agreeable.


Gigi laughed as she watched Falarion trip over his long legs, but the sound was not unkind. "My dear Falarion, everything worth doing in zis life takes practice. But don't worry," She stepped right up to him . "It just means we shall 'ave to dance close together, so you can follow my footsteps non?"


She began to dance, moving to the rhythm of the music with the precise fluidity of years of practice. To help Falarion out she slowed her moves to skip every other beat, so he could see where she put her paws.


@Lioness075


"Whooo! Shake it deer-dude!" Duik shouted at Eos when he stepped onto the dance floor. "'Aight, next song I'm comin' down there!"


@DawnAntalios


Calista looked at Jimbo, already feeling the effects of her drink. "Its coming along. Not a gps signal though. Be great if it was, no it'll get me a computer identifier, from there I just need to scan for masking programs and then that specific IP. Then, next time they use the internet. Bam. Got 'em, and Amber's as good as rescued." She smiled with satisfaction. "I still got it...so she's gotta be ok."


It was when Luness began asking Simon about Amber that Calista settled into a broody silence. Remembering Singapore wasn't pleasant for either of them, but at Simon's confession that he cared about Amber Calista nearly choked on the last drop in her glass. She whirled around and stared at him in disbelief.


When he had spoken of his resolve to tell Amber when they found her Calista stood up on the counter and marched over, trying not to sway under the influence of the alcohol.


"You're a god damned coward Simon Sinclair!" She stood on her hind legs to point a paw right in his face. "You-You!" She began a little unhelpfully. "Do you have any idea what she went through after Singapore?! After you left?!" The little civet was clearly livid. "Now you have the gall to say all this!? Now?! You selfish! bull-headed!...Ass!" It took her a moment to come up with that last one and in desperation she raised a paw to strike him. Whether it was because it was wrong or because she knew she couldn't hurt him it was too hard to say. Instead she gritted her teeth and slapped the shot glass off of the counter. It clattered to the floor, but didn't break. The look in her eyes told him Calista had much more to say. She glared right at Simon and you could almost feel the words, each laced with seething fury. But when the civet made a promise, she would damn well keep it unto death. She didn't say a word more. Finally the fight went out of her and she deflated, letting her head drop.


"I can't believe you." She whispered finally and turned to jump down onto the floor. Calista returned to the screen of her computer and sat there quietly growling to herself.


@zCrookedz

 

[DawnAntalios]

As they sat down she tried to move her T-shirt out of the way but it looked that it wouldn't move that easily. She sighed, knowing that there was no chance of proper examination if she didn't remove her top so - looking at Bael for a final time she sighed. She knew that this was for the best so she did not riot neither fought against it.


" I am sorry for what you will see then. " she said, turning away, slowly removing her shirt. Upon removing it everything became visible - her plain, white bra... and the terrible, massive claw like scars stretching across her entire back. The massive, rake like wounds were nothing but a reminder, a cost of a terrible mistake she had once done in the past. The gigantic scars healed a long time ago, but they never fully healed - they would be there as a cruel reminder of her mistake. Turning towards the boy she sighed.


" I am ready. " she said quietly, certain that the boy had seen what she wanted to avoid but she did not mind any more. She sat down next to Bael, slowly and gently removing the bandage around her shoulder. The wound was relatively intact, it was still red but it did not bleed. Her guess was that it perforated from the quick shot due to the heat but she was uncertain. She was no doctor, she knew not what needed to be done.


Looking at Bael she spoke silently.


" I place myself in your hands... your expertise. " she murmured " I wish to be ready for combat as soon as possible, I will not be a burden to anyone in the team. " she placed her hand on his " Please, do what you must. "


@Sleipnir


Eos looked at Duik as he yelled at him and he laughed. He? Dance? Never in his life did he try to do something like that. He shook his head gently at first, he did not want to ruin anyone's fun with intruding. But then something stirred within him - a strange longing for trying out something new. He slowly stood up and walked towards the others, moving his head to the beat. Suddenly he felt it very easy to become one with the song and soon he was dancing - awkwardly, but dancing nonetheless.


" Well, I am impressed. " he smiled, looking at Duik " Your music is able to make these old legs dance as well. You are a master DJ! "


@SilverFlight

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra was about to nod in response to Alec's assumption about the wolf, but Alec suddenly spun her about, leaving her slightly dizzy while she let out a small laugh, her smile more than giving away how much fun she was having at the moment, despite the dark topic.


Once the spinning was over and Alec continued talking, Leandra's smile ebbed away and she thoughtfully responded, "Well, as much fun as that could be and despite how much I'd truly enjoy it, responding to someone who's hurt you by hurting them usually doesn't make anything better. It tends to only further complicate things. Plus, I've made it a point to stay away from him ever since the incident occurred. Granted, it's been six years since it happened, but that guy sure knew how to hold a grudge and how to make someone's life utterly miserable."


Deciding to shift the conversation away from the guy himself, who's identity she was still keeping secret, Leandra instead said, "Despite the ugly scar I now sport on my back, I never would've met Luness had that fight never broken out to begin with. She actually dove into the midst of the fight and blinded everyone before giving that wolf some permanent burn scars where his fur will never grow again. She truly saved my life that day because that wolf was more than ready to kill me and that scar was meant for my chest and throat, not my back. I just managed to turn around in time for the damage to be redirected. Guess I have decent reflexes."


@SilverFlight


Falarion blushed even more at the sound of Gigi's laughter, not that he took it offensively, but simply because everything that made her laugh and smile had a tendency to make him suddenly feel shy and sheepish.


At the mention of practice, Falarion began to feel increasingly nervous, as he quickly understood what Gigi was intending to do.


Sure enough, Gigi soon was near him and dancing slow enough that Falarion could somewhat follow the steps. That was, if he'd ever danced before and had even an inkling of how to make himself move fluidly without tripping himself up. This was going to be tricky.


Focusing really hard and even making a comically serious facial expression, Falarion soon was slowly but surely following Gigi's lead. As long as they didn't speed up the sequence or anything, Falarion was certain he could keep up with Gigi.


Amusingly, one could almost see the beads of sweat forming on Falarion's forehead, as his focus was entirely on not tripping over his legs and face planting again.


@SilverFlight

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon nearly lept out of his skin at the sound of Calista's outburst. He had completely forgotten that the little Civet had joined them after Jimbo went went over to sit with her. Who, at this moment, was smiling behind his glass as he watched the wraith of Calista drop on Simon. It wasn't a surprise to Jim, after all they pair were connected closer than anyone else. He knew how he felt about Strong, but had given Simon his privacy on the subject out of respect for his brother.


Simon clutched his bottle of Jack close to his chest, very concerned that the little furry ball of fury was going to try and snatch it and smash it over his head. Luckily she aimed for the little shot glass he had left behind. He looked at Calista as she turned away from Simon.


"Calista..... I'm sorry......I"


Simon was stopped short by a hand on his shoulder. It grabbed hold of the neck of the whiskey and slowly slid it out of Simon's hand.


"Let it go buddy. You know she's right."


Simon looked from Jimbo to Calista and then to his bottle. He pulled back on the bottle, not wanting to give it up to Jimbo. Jimbo sighed as he let go of the bottle and held up a hand surrendering it to Simon. He walked past Simon and Luness and hopped over over the bar with relative ease. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap and set it on the counter for Simon. Simon looked at the water then back at his bottle. He lifted the bottle high and sighed.


"To Singapore, 5 years later and its still fucking up my life"


Jimbo sighed as he watched Simon drink from the bottle again, he was becoming a bit tired of Simon's behavior.


@Lioness075

 

[Flutterby]

Beth watched Manjano, taking in his expression changes carefully. Did her face change so often and subtly? She didnt think so, but it was fascinating to watch his do so. His smirk, in particular, interested her. It wouldnt be so bad to see that more often.


Even as she was observing him, she listened intently. When he was done speaking, she let his words run through her head again before speaking.


"I can understand that. I mean.. I ran away from home and lived in solitary in the woods for two years after what happened to me. At least you didnt disappear." She said softly, her green eyes warming a little. She really did like the sound of his voice.


"I guess everyone's story starts before them. My parents.. they never bonded with an animal. Their parents were part of some.. I dont know.. I guess they were a religious group. I would say cult. They didnt believe in bonding. Thats how my parents met, through their parents at these meetings, when they were young teenagers. They were forced to miss the bonding age and then.. they never got a chance. They were never happy. People who dont bond arent complete. Its horrible for them. Even though my parents married and had each other, they were so so sad. I think my older brothers had it okay, but by the time I came along, they hated each other. I mean.. it wasnt as bad as not having parents would have been, but it wasnt fun either. And I never knew what companions were really for or what they were really like. And my first experience with a companion was.. well. It made it difficult for Totus. I didnt speak to him for weeks when we first bonded." Beth took a long breath, and let it out.


Well, there was the first part. That wasnt so bad. His story sounded so much worse than hers, in hindsight. After all, he was half-blind because of what happened to him. What scars did she really have? A fear of bears? Again, laughable.


@Lioness075

 

[deer]

Hearing Alec needing a hand, she did as much as she could to help out with Leandra's wounds with Alec as she thanked her. Shaking her head, Xiao Hui smiled softly, "It's nothing. . just a friend lending a hand when her two friends. . are being stubborn." She said, speaking softly as she sort of surprised herself for saying the words "friends". It felt foreign on her tongue, but it made her feel some sort of way as she felt something in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't felt . . in a long time, besides from knowing Laohu cares for her and considers her not only a partner but friend and mostly importantly family. Laohu nuzzled softly next to Leandra and Xiao Hui, keeping them warm and supported them but not before Laohu jumped, as someone came running towards Xiao Hui, literally attacking her. Shock was an understatement as Xiao Hui did not do so well with surprises, especially being caught off guard in a situation she hadn't expected. As soon as Zoe jumped on her, Xiao Hui quickly wrapped her arms around the older girl as she struggled to hold her since Xiao Hui was smaller in stature, but nevertheless, tried her best. However, Xiao Hui's ears perked at the name "Natalie" as Laohu almost growled at the person charging at Xiao Hui only to see that it was Zoe, acting somewhat strange. He looked at her curiously yet worriedly before glancing over towards Eos. But, Xiao Hui stayed quiet, letting herself comfort Zoe with her warmth until she spoke the words that was all-too familiar to her. A small flashback came to mind as Xiao Hui's eyes glazed over slightly, as she remembered her. . parents. . hugging and embracing her saying, "I thought I lost you! I thought you died!" Only to return back to reality when Zoe had let go of her, the hopefulness in her eyes gone, and only sheer panic and terror was shown on her face. Xiao Hui stepped up slowly towards Zoe, seeing that she was frightened and at a lost of what to do. "Zoe, zoe." She spoke, calmly, trying to get her to listen to her instead of panicking. Xiao Hui knew that hugging her would only cause Zoe to freak out more only for her to sit on the seat quickly. Frowning slightly, she shook her head once more, "Thank you for the compliment, Zoe. But, please, don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. Rest, that's all I ask, alright?" She said, a worried expression crossed her features. However, soon enough, the girl redirected her attention away from the scene before and asked for Bael. Soon, Wednesday came into view and talked to her instead.


Xiao Hui frowned slightly, seeing that Zoe had but ignored her presence and everything that priored, but decided to let it go, seeing that she didn't want to bring up anymore bad memories for the older girl before her. Laohu nuzzled against Xiao Hui's leg, comforting her, as he felt her emotions swaying everywhere. Seeing the cops, Xiao Hui blinked, her eyes glazing over as she robotically moved slyly somewhere hidden to where the police wouldn't see her as she took a deep breathe and calmed her nerves. "Too much surprises in one day, Hui?" He asked tiredly, cuddling up to her as Xiao Hui closed her eyes for the remainder of the ride back to the Gigi's townhouse. She could only imagine how everyone else was faring. As they arrived, Xiao Hui slowly opened her eyes, checking out her surroundings as Laohu was already up and alert, staring in awe at where they would be staying or rater resting for a while. The exterior and interior designs were definitely too gorgeous for her to be able to wrap her mind around but she made a mental image of everything she saw from the ins and outs of the townhouse. However, it didn't go pass her when she saw her teammates downfallen and tired expressions. "A 'pick-me up' as they call it, is in need, it seems." Laohu observed as he took the words right out of Xiao Hui's mouth. As they all went their separate ways, Xiao Hui was glad for a bath and a shower, she needed one desperately and knowing her white tiger, he wanted to remain his pristine self. Finding their room, Xiao Hui smiled softly to herself, still in awe of Gigi's townhouse, though extravagant and spacious, it was magnificently elegant and decorative, however, it didn't feel cozy in a sense. Nevertheless, it had been a long time since she felt the feeling of being cozy in a home. "Hui." Laohu said as Xiao Hui looked up and at him, away from thought. Staring worriedly, Laohu trotted over towards her, away from the view of the window. "Go and get cleaned up. Wouldn't want to miss the chance to lounge around, right?" He teased lightly before heading into the bathroom. Shaking her head, Xiao Hui nodded as she walked into the bathroom, staring at the different products being provided. Using his forepaws, Laohu drew the bath, dropping in a bath bomb that smells of honey-toffee. Tilting her head, Xiao Hui saw the colors of the water changing into beautiful colors as if the bath bomb was making its own artwork with the water.


Laohu laid on the floor next to the bath as Xiao Hui made sure to take any shards of glasses stuck to her arm and body before getting into the warm water. Soaking herself in, she let the scent seep into her body as the warm water ended up cleansing any dirt off of her smooth and silky hair and skin. "This feels really nice, Laohu." Xiao Hui said, sighing softly, as she leaned back against the tub, closing her eyes, enjoying the peacefulness. "I could stay in here forever." She said blissfully, as she relaxed her muscles and moved her strained ankle around, wanting to hurry up the healing process. Laohu lifted up his head and shook his head, "Don't get too pruney now, Hui." Giggling softly, Xiao Hui nodded, "'Course not." Two hours passed and Xiao Hui had finally finished her bath and shower as Laohu was cleaned, primmed, and fresh. His fur was fluffy and pristine white, as his black stripes were glossy and shining under the light. Looking at the luggage on her bed, Xiao Hui picked out comfortable clothing, one that would refrain from her showing show much skin as she was before with her high-waisted shorts. Tilting her head, Xiao Hui took out a pair of leggings and a long sleeve shirt that went passed her thighs. Looking in the mirror, Xiao Hui twirled around slightly, smiling at herself. "Is that what you bought at the airport? Looks. . weird and. . casual." Laughing, Xiao Hui stared, seeing how different it made her look, though the clothing made her feel free and felixible. "I love it, it's better than all the other clothes I wore before, especially back home." She said happily. Taking a deep breathe, Xiao Hui was a littl reluctant to go out of her room to join the others, especially since so many thoughts ran through her mind and she was afraid she'd be too lost in thought to even comprehend the others, but seeing Laohu, she opted to go out and enjoy herself. "Ready?" She smiled, as Laohu nodded a thank you towards her before walking out of the room side by side.


As they made their way downstairs and walking throught he double doors, Xiao Hui's ears perked up at the music as she recognized that it was Duirk's musical talents and DJing abilites that caused mostly everyone in the room to want to dance. However, she didn't recognize the dancing style as she watched Alec and Leandra danc and then it seemed as if Rin and Wednesday plus Falarion and Gigi were going to. Laohu looked over at the bar and signaled over there as she saw the others spreaded around the room, either dancing, chatting, or doing their own thing. "Looks like we were late for the party." Laohu said as he nodded towards Jimbo, Simon, and Luness, but it seemed they were discussing something heatedly and left it as that. On the other hand, Xiao Hui saw Calista walking off away from the trio, but nevertheless never asked them about it. "Hello, everyone. Drinking already?" She asked, smelling alcohol making its way to her nostrils. Xiao Hui hadn't heard the conversation prior to her coming but felt some kind of tension in the air. But, then again, it may be because she never liked alcohol, though at times, to show face, she had to politely drink with others. Making her way to the kitchen as Laohu followed her, Xiao Hui looked around for some water as she spotted one and drank from the bottle. Walking back out from the kitchen, Xiao Hui and Laohu made their way towards Duirk as they waved over towards him, jamming to the music as the disco ball lights swirled on the dance floor. "Definitely upbeat and sounding good, Duirk! Good job!" Xiao Hui said over the music as she brought a chair next to Duirk for her as Laohu went to join Eos ont he dance floor. "Care for a partner, buddy?" He asked, as he swayed to the beat of the music, not knowing what had gotten into him, as he felt the want to dance. Xiao Hui laughed happily clapping her hands together, never seeing Laohu actually wanting to dance before. With a cheerful smile on her face, Xiao Hui enjoyed herself, swaying along to the music as she watched everyone dancing on the floor.

@SilverFlight @andujarprime @Hel @zCrookedz @Lioness075 @DawnAntalios
​

 

[SilverFlight]

Alec smiled at the floor, feeling a little guilty about what he had proposed. "You're a better person than I am Lea." He said. "And the better dancer."


The song ended and Alec stepped away, just noticing the tiger beside him on the floor.


@Lioness075


"Hey Lao, didn't know you could dance." After that he immediately scanned the room for Xiao, finding her right beside Duik, who was working on the next song.


When Xiao paid him the compliment Duik flapped a paw in the air. "Aw shucks, s'not much, just a little overlay and some effects. Whoawhoa!" He exclaimed as she brought a chair by the mixer.


"This is no place for you." He was grinning broadly. "You're needed on the dance floor!" Duik hit a button and bounded away from the mixer, doing a moonwalk and a side step to take him down beside Alec. Alec had to admit if someone told him that a hyena could moonwalk better than Michael Jackson he wouldn't have believed it. But Duik had practiced.


The first bars of the song began to play and Alec started to laugh.

Spoiler

[media]

[/media]
"You know it brother! Help me get down!" They shared a look and a nod and both took a pose just before the voice of Bruno Mars flooded the room.


The pair of them matched step for step, despite Duik having twice the feet. It was clear Duik had gotten his partner to dance to this before.


"I feel the need for a fedora!" Duik called as he spun in place, bowed and sprang back.


Alec turned in place too and gave Xiao a hopeful glance. He held out his hand.


@crucialstar


*edit*


Gigi laughed again as Falarion concetrated so hard. She pivoted to dance beside him and gave him a playful bump with her hip.


"Just let go! The music will tell you 'ow to move. Zis is supposed to be fun!"


@Lioness075

 

[deer]

Laohu was moving his hind legs as he trotted up and down, then side to side as his front paws crossed with each other fluidly, letting loose. It had been awhile since he had this much fun letting or rather hearing this type of music that allowed him to be free. He saw Alec next to him and shot him a toothy grinned and flowed to the music. "I can say the same about you too, Alec." He said as he turned back towards Eos watching the stag get into the beat of the music. As Xiao Hui watched her comrades, she looked over at the hyena as he played another song. Giggling she shook her head, "I'm sort of more of a listener and player type of person. I haven't danced before." She said, trying to speak over the music, hoping Duirk heard her. Nevertheless, Duirk hopped off and did one of the most incredible dance moves she's ever seen. She gasped loudly, as she clapped anxiously and excitedly. "That's incredible!" She exclaimed, never knowing that a hyena can dance in such a humanly way. "Go Duirk!" Soon enough, Xiao Hui looked up and saw that Alec and Duirk were in synchronization as they moved together like a line dance towards the new song Duirk had played. She would never understand the magicalness of the overlapping of music and compiling the songs in such a way. Perhaps, Duirk could teach her one day.


Heading Duirk calling for a fedora, he got out of step as Alec was left spinning around. However, she hadn't expect Alec to gesture her to dance with him. A flush appeared on her face as he held out his hand for her. She never danced with someone before, or rather had a dance partner in her lifetime, even if she was 22. Nevertheless, she took a deep breathe, deciding it was time for a change, and what better way then to dance? Gently stepping off the stool and standing up, Xiao Hui gently placed a hand on Alec's and walked over to him. She smiled nervously, as she felt his warmth on her own hands. For a male, it was surprisingly really soft, though she could feel some callouses on his hands, but it never bothered her. It just meant he worked hard, right? As she looked up to face Alec and meet his she tilted her head, "I . . I have to admit. I never danced before and so I'm a little unsure of how to move my body in such different. . ways?" She said, not sure if that was the right thing so say as she quickly corrected herself, "I mean, I never took dance lessons before or rather. . I don't know what dance style is this. Do you like dancing?" Xiao Hui asked, as she still felt herself wanting to dance despite not knowing how to position herself. Looking over at Leandra, she smiled softly at her, before turning back towards Xiao Hui, "I might. . become a bit clumsy and step on your toes. Are you sure you'd like to. . .um. . dance?" She asked lowly, but loud enough for only Alec could hear as she mumbled, "with me?"





@SilverFlight @Lioness075 @DawnAntalios
​

 

[SilverFlight]

Alec’s eyes lit up as Xiao placed her hand on his. He would probably have to thank the alcohol for his newfound courage, but that wasn’t important right now. What was important was the way she tilted her head to look at him, how her eyes caught the coloured light, and the gentle touch of her delicate hand. Alec was captivated.


“Absolutely.” He answered her first question, and as he did he drew her closer. Duik side-stepped out of the way, grinning at Laohu as he went to dance by him.


“And…absolutely.” Alec answered her final question, gently guiding her into the steps, a wide, boy-ish smile on his face. He made sure to move slowly at first, so she could learn the moves he taught, but the smile didn’t leave, and Alec couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this.


@crucialstar

 

[Lioness075]

Most of Luness' feathers puffed up at Calista's outburst and her erratic behavior, as the phoenix hopped back on the table to give the angry furball some space while she vented at Simon.


Seeing Simon hugging his bottle dearly, Luness raised an eyebrow and realized that perhaps she should get Simon away from the alcohol before they got called out on another mission. The alcohol clearly wasn't helping anyone or Simon for that matter.


Seeing Jimbo joining the pair at the table now, Luness relaxed a bit more, hoping the ape could convince Simon to ease up on the drinking.


Upon hearing Simon's comment and seeing him ignoring the water, Luness could only match Jimbo's sigh, as Simon continued drinking anyways. Great.


Hopping along the table until she was in front of Simon once more, Luness then tilted her head at him and said calmly, yet curtly, "Is this how you deal with all the things that go wrong in your life, Simon? How do you think Strong would feel to find you drowning in alcohol?"


Realizing quickly how a drunken man could take those questions the wrong way and get upset, Luness quickly followed up with, "If you won't sober up for Jimbo or myself, then at least do it for Strong. Do it for Calista, too. She deserves a proper apology from a sober Simon, not a drunk one."


@zCrookedz


Hearing Beth speak in turn, Manjano shifted his gaze back to her and watched her carefully, feeling an equal desire to better understand what she'd been through. Plus, her eyes were captivating and Manjano could easily lose himself in them without a second thought.


At Beth's response to his brief introduction to his own life, Manjano merely nodded in response, as he wasn't sure what else to do or what to even say to her. She'd certainly taken an extreme action against whatever exactly had happened to her. It only made Manjano more curious though.


Listening to Beth explain her family to him, Manjano's eyes widened and he found himself staring at her in disbelief. People actually resisted bonding with animals? That was a thing? Why would anyone ever think that was a good idea?


It was completely understanding for the people who avoided bonding to never be happy though. How could anyone be happy when part of their very soul was missing? Manjano had felt more 'complete' in a sense when he'd bonded with Falarion. He could never understand purposely avoiding bonding with anyone.


At the mention of her not speaking to Totus for weeks when they initially bonded despite her family restrictions, Manjano tilted his head to the side while looking at Beth before asking the question that immediately came to his mind, "If your family was so against bonding, then how did you bond with Totus?"


@Flutterby


Leandra grinned when Alec smiled down at the floor, instantly thinking of how cute he looked when he did that. Though, Leandra had learned before that guys didn't tend to like being called 'cute', at least from her personal experience, so she didn't bother mentioning what she thought about him.


Hearing Alec's response, Leandra shrugged and then blinked in surprise when Alec mentioned that she was a better dancer than him. There was no way that was true, especially considering how fluidly Alec had been dancing thus far.


Seeing Duik moonwalking nearby, Leandra laughed and then a broad grin appeared on her face when she heard the song that was now beginning to play. Uptown Funk was most certainly one of her favorite songs to dance to.


Before she could really get into the mood to dancing to the song though, Leandra saw Duik and Alec dancing together and laughed again before deciding to give Alec space when he invited Xiao to join him on the dance floor.


While Leandra had tried to win over Alec, it was clear by the look on his face and the way he looked at Xiao that Alec had already been won over. Oh well, that just meant Leandra could have a ton of fun with those two now. Well, not right now since she'd kill the moment they were having. Another time, another place. Or whatever that fancy quote was.


Grinning, Leandra then proceeded to do her own moonwalk over to Duik, joining him and Laohu before asking Duik, "So, how many times did you and Alec have to practice that little sequence before you both nailed it together?"


@SilverFlight


Hearing Gigi's laughter, Falarion's face somehow managed to turn redder before he stumbled a bit and managed to catch himself before he face planted yet again.


Unhelpfully, Gigi bumped him with her hip and Falarion let out a small yelp before unceremoniously slipping and falling onto his side.


Scrambling back to his paws, Falarion sheepishly grinned at Gigi upon hearing her remarks. She was right, even though Falarion still felt nervous.


Rejoining Gigi's side, Falarion tried to loosen up a bit, as he started bobbing his head to the beat of the music before eventually doing something of a jig, which looked rather comical at first until Falarion actually started dancing pretty well to the beat of Uptown Funk.


@SilverFlight

 

[Flutterby]

Manjano's disbelief was not lost on Beth, and she flushed a little under his scrutiny. The next question wasnt surprising. "Um.. I ran away from home, after the bad stuff happened, a few weeks before my 16th birthday. I had no idea what I was doing.. After a few days I was so hungry, and it was raining hard that night. I snuck into some government building, I didnt even know what it was at the time. There were animals everywhere. I looked at Totus, and my gut went funny. But I was clueless, I though it was a hunger pain. I ate from their break room and fell asleep in an office chair. When I woke up, Totus had gotten out of his cage and come to me. I tried to chase him off, lock him back up, but he wouldnt let me. I had to get out of the city because I didnt want to be found. He followed me into the woods. I ignored him for like three weeks, and then one night I broke down. I was crying, I felt so alone and broken. He came up and started preening my hair, like he would another owl. I told him everything that night, and we've been as close as we are ever since. We dont usually speak mentally though, he's willing to respect my feelings about that." She explained, feeling a little embarrassed. She had been so ignorant.


"Totus is a large part of why I have never gone home. My parents are divorced now, I send them cards sometimes. But combine the situation of why and how I left, with being bonded.. They would chase me off like I had the plague." Beth shrugged, another bitter smile on her face. "They arent bad people. I have good memories of them too. They just dont understand me anymore, and theyre afraid of what they dont understand."


She took another sip of water, and looked at him again. He had gotten her to share more about herself then he had shared, but she couldnt begrudge him that. She would just ask for more in return. "How did you and Falarion meet? And how did you get the almost-matching scars?" Beth hoped that wasnt the big thing that she shouldnt ask about, but she had a feeling it wasnt. There was something more to his pain. He felt guilty about something, and it wasnt about being attacked by something with claws. So asking about the scar should be safer than asking about whatever that could be.


@Lioness075

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon lowered the bottle to the counter and stared at Luness with a pretty intense gaze that only seemed to worsen the more she spoke. Finally after she had said her peace, Simon rose from his chair still fixed on Luness and let go of the bottle leaving it on the counter. He was uncharacteristically quiet as he stood, and it was like her words had been able to sober him up entirely when he spoke finally.


"You don't know a damn thing pheonix. About me, about Amber, or about what kind of hell we went through. So don't try and act like you have a clue what she would think or say."


Simon was mad. He was mad at Luness for saying what she had, he was mad at Calista for exploding on him like she had, but most of all; Simon was mad at himself. He pushed the stool out of his way and stormed across the floor where everyone was dancing, stumbling only once when he actually made it to the door frame to head back up towards the rooms they had just come from.


Jimbo was leaning against the bar watching Simon storm out of the room, sighing and shaking his head. He reached for the bottle Simon had been clinging to the duration of the talk and drained the last swallow of it before tossing the empty bottle in the trash. He walked over to Luness, trying to give her an apologetic look as he sighed and looked pretty much defeated.


"I'm real sorry about Simon, Luness. Four years of sobriety, down the toilet."


@Lioness075

 

[deer]

Laohu looked over to see Duirk side-stepping over to him and dancing along with him. He sent him a grin and nudged him along as he looked over towards Alec and Xiao Hui. He had on an amused expression as he talked over the music, "Despite how she looks, she has two left feet when it comes to dancing." He told Duirk, chuckling before moving along once more to the rhythmn of Uptown funk. On the other hand, as Alec brought her closer to him, she felt her heart soaring in her chest as foreign feelings bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't believe he absolutely wanted to dance with her and better yet, wanted to be in her company. Just those words made her feel content and overjoyed. Her eyes lit up brightly, even though she felt nervous knowing she may end up tripping on him or herself. But nevertheless, they began moving to the music as Alec went at a pace where she would be able to catch up and be guided by him. She couldn't stop smiling, seeing Alec looking more care-free and relaxed when she had joined in with him. She couldn't stop staring at his smile as she realized that however he felt when he was with her right now, it made her feel more alive than she had been in forever, including, enjoying dancing. Before she knew it, she spoke out her thoughts, "I like your smile. And this is nice, being like this, dancing, with you." Xiao Hui blinked, her face flushing as she tried matched Alec's footsteps only to have gone off beat when she fumbled over her toes and accidently literally fell into him. Lightly squealing, Xiao Hui gasped, "I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz, again.." She said, scared that she may have opened a wound by accident as she tried to pry herself off of Alec only to step on his toes. Xiao Hui was beyond embarrassed and nervous. She definitely was the worst dance partner on the face of the planet. However, she couldn't help but find her nerves slowly disappearing as she kept looking at Alec's facial expressions, seeing him smiling, because of her? And being happy, because of her? Or perhaps she was just thinking too much, but either way, she honesty had to admit. . being with him now on the dance floor was new and exciting.

@SilverFlight
​

 

[SilverFlight]

Duik shot Leandra a welcoming smile as he made room for her to dance with him.


"Oh That? A few weeks I think. It was a deal. He agreed to learn the routine I choreographed, and I agreed to stop waking him up with Spice Girls every morning." He finished with a broad, toothy grin. "Hey! Would you like to learn it?"


"Zat's it! you are doing it!" Gigi yipped happily. She found Falarion's pace and matched him once she had an idea of his pattern.


"Whoo you two on fiya!" Duik shouted at them, winking at Falarion as he caught the wolf's eye.


@Lioness075


Duik shook his head at Laohu's comment. "Cat, looks have nothing to do with whether or not you can dance. Take Alec for example." He tried his best not to laugh first, he also tried to say it loud enough for his partner to hear, but Alec seemed to be in another world completely. In truth Duik couldn't have been happier. In his mind Alec had endured enough.


She liked his smile. The thought made him smile wider if that was possible. "I like yours too," he begun a little lamely, "and I'm also fairly partial to the rest of you."


When she tripped his reaction was almost instant, he caught her shoulders gently, making sure she didn't fall too far. He watched her trying to recover, blushing furiously and apologizing and suddenly he couldn't help but laugh, and he couldn't stop. She had taken it so seriously, the thought filled him with mirth, and he hoped his laughter hadn't earned him a punch in the arm.


"I'm sorry," He said when he had recovered enough to speak. "Its just, I've never met anyone like you. One minute we're in a life-or-death situation and you're giving out orders like a drill sergeant, and the next...you're...well." He gestured to her with both hands, not quite finding the words to describe it.


"Its..." But at that moment Simon stormed past them. Alec pulled Xiao gently with him to step out of the larger man's path. He gave Xiao a worried look.


His first instinct was to go after Simon, but Jimbo knew him best, so he shot a questioning glance at the ape.


@crucialstar @zCrookedz


It was then the food was brought in. Three kitchen staff entered with plates piled high with steaming dishes of every description. One server even brought Leandra's hot chocolate.


Duik cared about Simon, and how the big guy was feeling, but his stomach overruled almost everything at that moment.


"Do I smell steak?!" He asked, trying not to drool on the floor.


"Oh! Ze food iz prepared! Come everyone, let us enjoy a meal together!" Gigi made her way off the floor and over to the tables. A lower one was set for the shorter animals, so they could enjoy their meals without having to cram themselves into human-made chairs.


@everyone

 

[deer]

Laohu chuckled, listening to Duirk's comment about dancing and looks not having anything to do with it. He shook his head as he made room for Leandra that had came by them. He listened to their conversation about Alec taking dancing lessons from Duirk as a deal so that he would stop waking him up with a group he had never heard about. Either way, Laohu looked over at Eos and tilted his head, "What kind of music are you interested in?" He asked him not before hearing Dirk asking Leandra if she'd like to learn the dance moves. To say that the hyena has skills is an understatement, considering not only did he know how to dance but he taught his human partner. Chuckling once more, Laohu reminisced to the time when Xiao Hui was at the age of eight years old and her Father had wanted her to learn how to dance with silk, but that only ended up in a disaster since well , the young girl always ended up wrapping herself in the cloth.


On the other hand, Xiao Hui hadn't expect such a reaction out of Alec, especially when he bursted out laughing from her clumsiness as she stared at him a little embarrassed yet the more he laughed, the more contagious she felt it was as she ended up laughing at her own mistakes and seriousness. Giggling, Xiao Hui took in this moment and continued enjoying the light-hearted atmosphere when she was around Alec under the disco ball. She pouted slightly when Alec stopped laughing and recovered. "Don't choke on yourself." She said teasingly as she remembered a quote she heard before. "I heard. . laughter is the best medicine." Xiao Hui grinned but not before she blinked at Alec stumbling over his words. Shaking her head, she resisted the urge to laugh but jokingly said, "You're cute. . when you're fumbling for words to say." Not knowing she had it in her to tease and joke around in such a way, she felt her face heating up, but she liked the feeling. Tilting her head, Xiao Hui took the chance to observe Alec's frame and expressions at a closer and in depth way. Her eyes moved at the lines and shapes his eyes, nose, ears and face made as she committed it to memory. However, Xiao Hui's grin turned into a genuine wide smile as Alec told her he liked her smile, but even more so, when he admitted he was fairly partial tot he rest of her. Curious, and wanting to see more reactions and expression from Alec, she asked, "The rest of me? What would that be? And well . .if I was just one shade of a spectrum, I wouldn't be considered interesting, would I?" Giggling, Xiao Hui nodded, not surprised by Alec's mishaps of trying to describe her personally. If she had to be honest, she didn't know either, so she could understand where he was coming from."Thank you, Monsieur, well . . I hope to see more sides of you as well, since aren't we just full of surprises? Also, you managed and did incredible under pressure through all of the situations we have gone through." She said, complimenting him, still a little flushed, "from what I've seen, you're humble and modest, you're not afraid to protect your comrades and the ones you care about, plus, you know how to have fun. It sounds like you're quite down-to-earth . . to me." Xiao Hui smiled, genuinly speaking to him, however, before she could hear Alec's reply, he quickly but gently moved her away from Simon's bulldozing pathway as she spinned slightly on her toes. Seeing Alec's worried expression, Xiao Hui gently squeezed her hand in his, hoping she could divert his attention back to her, "Hey, Alec." She said softly, trying to soothe Alec, "It's okay, I'm alright. But I wonder what made Simon react and storm off like that." Xiao Hui mused before she heard the doors opening as trays and trays of food stayed high to the ceiling was brought in by the servers. Perhaps she could go and find him later, considering she was worried for him, but until then, she could only hope he would cool off and join and dine with the rest of them.


Laohu's sense of smell caught a whiff of thefood before it arrived as his attention was drawn to the mountain of food piled up. His eyes widened as he felt drool coming down the side of his mouth, but he'd never let it drip, considering how polite he was. At the mention of steak, Laou felt a rumbling in his stomach as he made his way over to the tables. Seeing food being brought into the room, Xiao Hui hadn't realized how hungry she had been until she smelled the aroma of the meals. "It smells. . really really, good." She began before she stepped a little bit closer to Alec, "So, Monsieur Alec Desrois, would you care to join me for a meal?" Xiao Hui asked, hopeful that he would want to still be with her for the time being.

@zCrookedz @SilverFlight @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @everyone else
​

 

[Lioness075]

Listening to Beth explaining why she ran away, Manjano raised an eyebrow, as she kind of danced around the specifics and instead went into further details about her strained relationship with Totus and how they'd originally met. It certainly sounded like it had been difficult and no doubt, Beth's misconstrued mindset towards bonding didn't help any.


Hearing Beth defend her own parents despite everything, Manjano tilted his head curiously at her, but upon hearing her questions realized he'd have to share more before he got another answer.


Thinking back to when he and Falarion met, Manjano's lips stretched into a half-grin.


Still feeling uncomfortable looking at Beth the whole time he spoke, Manjano shifted his gaze skyward, as he then spoke, "I used to work at a wolf sanctuary back in Australia. Neither Leandra nor myself liked being around home unless we really needed to be so while she went off and did her own stuff, I worked alongside the wolves. When I turned fifteen, I decided to skip school and go to the wolf sanctuary, in the hope that I'd bond with one of the wolves I'd work alongside for those couple years. Sure enough, I entered one of the enclosures and Falarion came sprinting up to me, though he tripped over himself and ended up sliding on his face towards me instead. He was excited to see me because he'd already felt something before I had even realized what the same feeling was."


Shaking his head in amusement at how clumsy Falarion had been back then and still was, Manjano seemed a bit lost in thought, as he didn't answer Beth's second question.


Yet, before Manjano had the chance to do so, a maid opened one of the front doors behind them, making Manjano shoot to his feet and turn around, his eyes a bit wide, as he worried someone had been eavesdropping on them.


Seeing the maid's equally surprised look, Manjano relaxed and then she soon followed suit before saying, "Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you like that. We just brought out the food and I was told to try and find you two."


After saying this, the maid immediately disappeared behind the door, as Manjano glanced down questioningly at Beth, making it clear that he wanted to know if she wanted to stay or go get food. Personally, Manjano felt like he was starving so he'd love to go eat, but he'd wait if Beth wanted to do so.


@Flutterby


Giggling at Duik's explanation, Leandra then grinned at Duik's question and said, "Of course! I'd love to learn the routine!"


For Leandra, dancing had always been one of her most favorite things to do. Singing was a close second, but dancing just always seemed to really get her mood soaring.


While waiting for Duik to begin showing her the routine, Leandra began humming along to Uptown Funk, really enjoying the music and, well, the whole moment they were having.


Overhearing Duik's teasing comment towards Alec, Leandra grinned and quickly added, "I don't know, I'd say Alec's caught someone's eye so I suppose that must mean he's a looker."


@SilverFlight


Hearing Gigi getting excited at him, Falarion's face felt permanently flushed, as he stumbled a bit before catching himself and continuing along.


Not helping anything, Duik then shouted at the pair and Falarion glanced over at him in time to see him wink at him. Perking his ears up at this and widening his eyes in embarrassment, Falarion suddenly stopped his dancing and looked down at his paws.


@SilverFlight


Seeing Simon storming past everyone and out of the room, Leandra's dancing slowed as she furrowed her brows and then paused, wondering uncertainly if she should go after the big guy.


Not too soon after thinking this, Luness flew over to land on Leandra's shoulder before whispering in her ear, "Let me handle this, dear. Enjoy the party and the incoming food."


As Luness flew after Simon, the staff soon brought in the food just as Luness had predicted.


Seeing her hot chocolate in the mix of everything, Leandra couldn't resist letting out a squeal of delight before hurrying towards the food and grabbing her hot chocolate. Deciding to not burn her tongue by drinking it while steam rose from the mug, Leandra set aside her mug at the nearest table before returning to the presented food and trying to decide what sounded the best.


Spying some Chinese dishes in the mix, Leandra grinned and snagged three of them, some white rice, dumplings and what looked like sesame chicken or something similar.


Sitting down at her claimed seat, Leandra also had a cup of water she'd snagged at the last second and she soon began digging in while simply expecting everyone else to sit down around her.


@SilverFlight @anyone


The moment Falarion had stopped dancing, the food had been brought in and Gigi was already making her way towards some shorter tables designed for the animal companions.


Grinning at this, Falarion bounded over with her and soon had a plate mixed with some various small animals cooked for him as well as some fruits and vegetables. After all, maned wolves were omnivores.


Immediately beginning to eat some of the meats, Falarion soon became oblivious to everyone around him, as he'd been starving and had just been distracted from it up until this point.


@SilverFlight @anyone


Meanwhile, Luness exited the room and soon saw Simon's retreating figure up ahead.


Flying after him, Luness then said, "Dear, the food has arrived."


Quickly realizing this no doubt was the last thing on Simon's mind currently, Luness then landed on a light fixture near Simon before adding, "You know, shouting at someone that they don't know anything when you don't tell them anything is kind of contradictory. If you refuse to tell any of us what happened and are frustrated by our lack of understanding, then you're only going to continue to have this problem the whole time you're with all of us."


Pausing, Luness then tilted her head at the man, waiting for whatever kind of response he may have for her.


@zCrookedz

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael was a bit shocked or maybe upset by the scars, but didn't dare say a word. It seemed inappropriate at best and terribly inconsiderate. He silently began examining her wound, making a mental note of the scars, and frowned when he touched the cut. "It's still red and hot. That's not right at all." He looked at it a bit closer, alarm setting in. "You've probably picked up an infection of some kind from that bullet. I'll need to treat it with marigold, probably, and yarrow just in case it starts bleeding." There was a slight pause and then Bael chuckled. "This is going to be the worst smelling piece of work." He looked through what he had brought and began working with it on the mortar and pestle, then with warm water made a poultice and put it in one of the muslin bags. He wrapped it on her shoulder. "You'll want to replace it in a few hours," He told Zoe. "If it's an infection, that should help. I hope that's all it is." He sounded doubtful, though, but didn't elaborate on the issue. "You know -- if you feel up to it in the meantime -- we could, maybe, go get that coffee or something? I mean, I would like to stay close. That way I'm here when you need this wound dealt with again," he added a bit timidly.


@DawnAntalios