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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 8, 2013 20:54:39 GMT -8
A light breeze tickle Chance's hair while his eyes lifted towards the sky. He was not at all unnoticeable, for one thing, his hair reflected off a variety of colors from the light that reflected onto it. Despite his colorful hair, his face was a void of emotion, eyes pointed forward. Even without his hair, attention would have crawled towards him because of the large lynx that sat in his arms.
Had it been a year or two earlier, Chance wouldn't of been able to carry the lynx for this long. His body was lean and not softened by the tender care of indoors. The lynx laid limp in Chance's arms, with a touch a sickness. It's your fault, you know. Chance sent the thought to the limp animal in his arms.
Shut up. The lynx snarled weakly. Shut up! Shut up! I know you told me not to eat it! Now shut up before I puke all over you, you stupid fag!
Inwardly, Chance started laughing. The only way his laughter was given away was the slight twitch of his lips. A sigh passed through his lips, content. Even if he acted snide, worry flickered through his stomach, upsetting it, which was an irony in itself.
A busy body rushed past them, shoving into Chance. His feet slipped from underneath him, causing Jax to let out a cat wail of fear. "Gods, Jax! Calm down!" Chance stumbled and caught his feet, but he put Jax down, turning to grab the man that rushed past him. "Did you pay for that?"
The man turned and rolled his eyes, "Of course! Let go of me, asshole!" He ripped his arm out of Chance's reach and hurried away, holding a bag of goodies close to him.
The sick lynx let out a noise that sounded like laughter. "Don't laugh at me," Chance growled, he reached over to pick up the lynx again, only to pause and look at where the man rushed out from. You act like such a hero! Jax let out more noises that could be interpreted as cat laughter.
Shut it. Chance clenched his teeth and observed the shop before stepping towards it. How about here?
Here for what? Acting hero and almost falling on your ass? More wheezes left Jax. Then, he suddenly fell limp again, nausea took over him. Just help me...
"Excuse me?" Chance called softly, cradling Jax to his chest. He glanced around.
(*dies* Sorry... fail... Itried...)
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Post by Moon on Jun 8, 2013 21:57:09 GMT -8
(Aww Cloudy, it's fine. If anything, mine might be awful. I'm still rusty DX)
Mimi didn't like this. She didn't like this one bit. Everything about big cities made her nervous. From the confusing sounds to the bright shining lights that flashed overhead. It was a nightmare to try and focus on anything but her own to feet. But she couldn't do that for long for she would fall behind Chance and have to weave through the tall crowds to find him again. Her heart felt like it was going to explode from all the stimulation, and her head wasn't faring much better. Emotions from strangers who bumped into her surged up her arms. Anger, joy, defeat, it was just too much to bare. Nausea rocked her own stomach like a boat upon the sea. If she didn't find a quiet place soon she was sure she would lose it.
Damos padded along side his partner, trying to shoulder as much discomfort as he could. He hated seeing her like this but he knew as well as she did that they needed to be here for support for Jax's sake.
Geez, you make it sound like he's dying. It's just a stomach ache Damos. Miimi's brow creased as another man brushed by her. She flinched away when she caught his attention and made an effort to quicken her pace away from the man.
True, but we still don't know from what exactly. It could be-
It could be nothing, and you're just overreacting! She felt his flinch and instantly regretted her tone. Sorry Damos, I'm just worried...and scared. For him and because of this place. I don't like the feel of it. It's too cluttered here.
Damos padded closer, and pressed his side against hers. I know, little one, I know. He glanced up when he saw Chance and Jax enter a store. Come on, it should be quiet in there. He led Mimi into the store and stopped to catch a whiff of the scents that flooded his nose. The fresh scent of herbs calmed him immensely and he urged the feeling to Mimi, who gratefully accepted.
The woman behind the counter glanced up at the newcomers, her ever present scowl never left her face. Couldn't these morons read? "Sign says we're closed sir." Her eyes flickered to the lynx in his arms and the wolf beside the girl. "And animals aren't allowed in here." Without another word she withdrew from the counter and paced over to the door. She had more important matters to deal with, specifically the sudden disappearance of her already small supply of Suntipped Lilies. "The door is over here, sir and ma'am."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 8, 2013 23:32:29 GMT -8
Jax snorted, sniffing towards the woman as she passed by. What a hypocrite. "Mmm?" Chance watched the girl with a narrowed gaze, too distracted to notice he wasn't mind-speaking, or what ever you want to call it. She smells like dog. "Sorry, miss," Chance let an eyebrow crawl up his forehead. Then he paused. His own thoughts entered his mind: She's already irritated. Going on about manners won't help anything right now.
Right. Jax snorted again. Can I say bi-
Chance cleared his throat. "I apologize to interfere, but-" Jax let out a weak growl that could be equal to a human groan of pain. "Look," Chance glanced at Mimi for a moment before looking up at the woman with a more of an open, wounded look. It really hurt Chance's pride to give such a look to a stranger, much less to someone who could take the look and break him with it. "Jax isn't really just an animal. I'm a liluye, he's my partner, thus, half of me. He isn't feeling too good and I really need to help him. Do you think you can help him? I can help you with--"
His eyes seemed to show something of a light bulb, flickering on. "You look troubled, that man... the shop is closed." Anger flickered in his gaze as he watched the store's door. "You got robbed. Unless you willingly gave that man that bag of goodies." On his toes, Chance looked as if he good dart after that man any moment. The only issue was the cat in his arms. Jax struggled a bit in Chance's arms until Chance set him down. Despite Jax's self-consciousness, he stretched out his comically lengthy legs. A groan left the lynx, his ears flattening. No more, Chance, just make me feel better...
The pain transferred onto Chance, crippling him. At first his breath left him before his knees weakened and he collapsed onto his knees. Stomach lurching, Chance fought down a gag and panted instead. Another sign of weakness was another low blow to Chance, and it was even worse because he gave into it around Mimi. He knew already that the city was bugging her, but truthfully, he was afraid that he would collapse if Jax did, then somebody would rob him. Or worse. "Mm, Jax?" The lynx turn to look at his partner. "I hate you." Another lurch, both Jax and Chance crippled further, tightening into balls. As soon as the wave passed, the lynx gave a dignified snort.
Truly struggling now, Chance tried to push himself to stand, only to have his strength falter again. He gave no groans of pain, only slight grunts. It was Jax who was being dramatic, acting as if he were dying from the pain in his stomach. After a few moments, Chance stood up straight with a concealed look once again, swallowing the mirrored pain around his abdomen. "If you help, I will track down that guy and get everything he stole back. Plus, I will pay you for your services, please?"
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Post by Moon on Jun 9, 2013 7:40:43 GMT -8
Mimi's nose wrinkled. She didn't like the way this woman spoke to Chance. Yet another thing to add to the list of why cities were awful. If it wasn't the overloading stimulation from everything around her, it was the attitude of the people. She watched the woman cross toward the door. She could feel the annoyance practically rolling off the stranger and crashing into her. She smells like a wolf, Damos. You think she's like us?
Damos sat down and scratched his ears in thought. I don't know, maybe. But I don't see her partner around.
Maybe like Ulric then... She glanced around the room too, but there was no sign of anyone else, human or animal, in the store with them. Mimi glanced back at the woman studying her a bit. She confused by all of this. But the more she tried to piece things together the more confused she became.
Panic flared in her belly when she saw Chance collapse. Instantly she was at his side. "Big Brother!" She place her hands on his shoulder and urged a soothing calm onto him, trying her best to calm her own racing heart. Fear tightened her throat, making it impossible to focus. She snatched her hand away for fear of spreading her own worries instead of comfort. All Mimi could do was sit by him, willing Chance to be okay. When what seemed like the worst of it had passed, she latched onto his jacket and buried her face in it. She just couldn't handle the situation. She was already unstable from the city, but now something was happening to Chance and she didn't know what. She choked back tears, willing herself to keep whatever was left of her nerves together.
It had been a long time since she had opened up her shop as a hospital, and for good reason. Normally the people she sold her products with were by themselves and desperate, much easier to deal with. But when they came in groups things became much harder to handle. If one snapped they all did, and they would set upon the shelves like starving animals searching for a meal. This group however was different. Once the man had broken, the group fell apart. She sighed, it really didn't seem worth her time.
She was about to forcefully remove them when the man offered to help retrieve the stolen goods. Her brow raised slightly in surprise and she let her stance soften a bit. She glanced out the door to make sure no one else could see her leniency and shut them quickly. She passed the group again and made her way over to the shelves. With expert hands she fished out the two things she needed, lavender to the panic and ginger for the stomach pains. She set to work crushing the lavender into a rubbing balm and poured a sweet smelling oil into it. Then she moved to the ginger and ground that into a powder which she poured into a pitcher filled with carbonated water.
She approached the group once more and set the balm and pitcher on the ground along with a small glass. She pointed to the balm first. "You rub that on her neck and chest to calm her and the glass is for your stomach pains. If you're going to help, track down the thief, I can't have you four slowing me down with your ailments. Be ready to leave in five." With that, she turned on her heels and disappeared behind the curtain that led to the back room.
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 9, 2013 10:00:37 GMT -8
Chance tried to wrap his arms around Mimi, trying to soothe her. "Mimi," he muttered quietly, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, for putting you through this." He gently pushed his nose into her hair. She smells like dog. Jax complained. Why? It's confusing, solve this mystery too. Slowly, Chance pulled away from Mimi. His eyes flickered up to the woman, watching her carefully. Then she started working. His throat tightened with anger and his jaw clenched tightly.
Selfish. Why are people so selfish. I bet you that she was about to kick us out, but as soon as I offered help, she helped up. People like this... He sighed through his nostrils, swallowing the sour spit in his mouth. Oh well. She's helping us, that's something to focus on. And I was never too good at analyzing women. The lynx let out another noise that could be taken as amusement, his eyes shining with both sickness and amusement.
Always speaking the truth... Jax panted through his nose, watching the weird smelling girl with an intense gaze. Weird... When the glass was set on the ground, the lynx pulled himself towards it and started drinking for it, causing Chance to groan.
"Couldn't you of waited till I at least took a drink or something?" Jaz only snorted in response. He took the balm anyway and turned towards Mimi. "Here, so you can calm down. Though, if you want, you can stay with this," he lowered his voice, "nice lady." A wry smirk lifted his lips. With gentle movements, he moved Mimi's hair to the side and gently moved to massage the balm to the back of her neck. To her chest too, Chance. Jax mused.
Stop it, Jax, you're worse than Kevin. Chance shot a glare towards Jax.
It was funny when they thought you might want to marry Mimi, a smirk lifted the lynx's lips as he finished drinking, flopping back onto the ground. How old are you anyway? And you haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet. Kevin lost his virginity when he was-
"Jax? Stop it," Chance pushed the rest of the balm to Mimi as he continued to massage her neck.
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Post by Moon on Jun 9, 2013 16:30:45 GMT -8
The curtain fell closed behind her and Annabelle visibly relaxed. She was tired, so tired of the constant stress from being someone who she wasn't. She wasn't her sister. Her sister could deal with people much better than she could. "But Cassy isn't here, stupid." With a sigh she clapped the sides of her cheeks. She couldn't go soft now. Not with a thief on the loose and two apparrent customers on the floor of her shop. She moved her hand to the brass handle of a door. "Grandmama? I'm coming in." Her voice was soft, barely even a whisper.
"Come in, Deary. I'm just finishing my crocheting." Golden eyes glanced over the older woman's shoulders. "Here, for you my dear." She held out a dark gray baret for Annabelle to take.
A rare smile melted away her scowl and she accepted the gift. "Thank you Nana, but you know I can't accept things from you. You know how I get." A faint blush touched her features and she turned away, trying to focus on getting ready to hunt down a thief.
"Nonsense, you silly pup. You're my granddaughter and I only want you to be happy. Won't you allow an old woman that much?"
"Of course, Grandmama. I'd do anything for you, and you know that." She smiled even more as she pulled out her favorite blouse. "And I swear sometimes you are taking advantage of me." She paced over to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans.
The old woman watched her with a smile. "I don't know what you are talking about my dear." She stood from her place on the bed and hobbled over to Annabelle. "What's this, Annie? Finally trying to impress a man?"
Annabelle froze and felt her cheeks redden with embarassment. "Grandmama!" She cleared her throat and regained most of her compsure. "No, no, nothing like that. I just...some customers offered to help look for the thief. I guess they saw where he was headed."
The older woman frowned, matching her granddaughter's previous expression. "Now, Annabelle, I want you to be careful okay? I don't know what I'd do if were gone too." She reached up and cupped Annabelle's cheek in her wrinkled hand.
"I will Grandmama. I promise." Annabelle touched her hand, stroking it and savoring the warmth she kept locked away during business hours. It was the only thing that kept her going nowadays. "Well," She gripped her grandmother's hand in her own and pressed it against the old woman's heart. "wish me luck." In a swift moment she turned back to the door, assuming her usual mask of displeasure, and exitted the room.
Mimi glanced at Jax's sudden movement. She was glad he was still able to move about, even if it looked like it took more effort than it should had. She felt Chance move beside her and resisted the urge to tighten her grip. Instead she relaxed as he offered her the balm. But she didn't take it right away. Cautiously she sniffed at the container. Instantly she felt relief flood her system and she leaned heavily against Chance. I wonder if this is what it feels like when I use my abilities on others.
Damos flopped over with a groan of pleasure, stretching out his legs. He rolled over onto his back, his tail thumping against the floor. I don't know, but whatever that stuff is take it with us.
Mimi melted even more when she felt the warmth on her neck from the balm. She nuzzled her head against Chance's shoulder. "Feels good."
Annabelle pushed aside the curtains and emerged from the back room clad in her casual clothes. She adjusted her baret and glanced at her customers on the floor. She felt her ears and tail slip out, flicking in irritation. "If you two are done, we've got work to do."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 9, 2013 17:36:25 GMT -8
Chance couldn't help the smile that lifted his lips. He felt more at home when he was around Mimi and Damos. Chuckles filled him because of Damos and Mimi. "I'm glad it does, Mimi." A smile lifted his lips, softening his eyes. In the light of the store, his hair seemed to reflect more of the greens of the herbs and slight oranges and browns. The rarity of purple, blue and yellow slipped into the reflections of his rainbow-like hair. He nuzzled Mimi playfully, poking her side like a good troll-big-brother.
Then Annabelle came back in. His eyes flickered up at her, at first filling with annoyance. The annoyance fell away quite quickly and was replace with a small slip of awe. Even with the scowl and irritation obvious in her tense stance, he had to admit, she was pretty. Pretty? Pretty? Chance, come on. You think she's hot. At first, the color drained from Chance's face, he quickly flicked his gaze away and sent a glare towards the cat who was just finishing with his drink. I can feel your libido picking up. Now heat scored his cheeks, darkening them to red. He coughed awkwardly into his elbow.
Shut up, Jax. There is no "libido" building up. Chance felt his stomach twist; had he been touching Mimi when his awe and embarrassment rolled through him? She is pretty. He finally gave Annabelle a grunt of an answer, reaching towards the cup. He winced at it, knowing very well that Jax had been drinking out of it. Swallowing his disgust, he poured more of the drink for himself and swallowed it all in one fast gulp. "Thank you," Chance added. "For your kindness." So that the quirk of his lips didn't show, he turned his head to pick up the items on the floor. With an added thought, he let Mimi keep the balm. "I think you will need that," Chance mused to her. "Later in life. You get nervous a lot." With a chuckle, which he inwardly scorned himself for,--why should he show this stranger the better side of him?--he stood and went to place the cup and pitcher on the counter. "How are you feeling, Jax?"
The lynx stood and stretched carelessly, Mmm... like I should find out how a lynx can get condoms for his partner.
The blush returned, "For Gods sake!" For the sake of his own embarrassment, Chance thought the rest of his argument to Jax, showing pictures to Jax that were quite like death threats, all the while, the lynx laid lazily near Damos and let out sounds that could be equal to evil laughter. With a sigh, Chance glanced towards Annabelle, "My name is Chance. My ass of a partner is Jax. Mimi is my little sister, and that's her partner Damos. We're wasting time. If you're coming along, tell me how much the balm and stomach stuff costs and I'll pay you."
The lynx carefully stood and trotted around before stepping close to Damos. Tell him to sniff out the bad guy.
"No need, I know where he's heading, and I know exactly what he looks like, but when we get more down the street, I'll need him or Mimi to." Sliding out his favorite deck of cards, Chance headed towards the door, opening it. "Jax, scout ahead or stay behind."
The lynx growled towards Chance for his foul mood and carefully moved a couple of steps before flopping down onto the ground again. Give me a few moments, just a few, and then I will scout ahead.
"Mmhm, okay," Chance snorted and held open the door for Mimi and the others. "Let's get going."
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Post by Moon on Jun 9, 2013 23:41:37 GMT -8
Mimi felt a smile crease her lips and gigglss escape her as her and Chance bonded. She couldn't help but squeal a bit when she felt Chance poke her sides. She squirmed and twisted beside him in joy. But she paused amidst her joy when she felt a shift in Chance's emotions. Curious she glanced up at him, her brow frowned a bit in confusion. What was the cause of his sudden shifted interest? She followed his gaze and met the steely cool brown eyes of Annabelle. Her brow deepened. Why is Big Brother so interested in her? She's just mean and refused to help Jax.
True, but she did eventually help him and even helped you and I without our asking. Damos instantly rolled onto his belly when he saw Annabelle emerge. She obviously wasn't too keen on having animals in her store so he wasn't about to push his already strained welcome.
Yeah, but it wasnt until Chance offered her something in exchange for her help. She glanced down at the container Chance had handed her. It was true, she had been getting rather skittish lately and she could never get herself to calm down even with Damos' s help. She accepted the soothing balm and eased it onto the belt around her leg.
Annabelle watched the strange exchange between the partners, taking note of their slight gestures. She felt her cheeks burn, however, when she met Chance's eyes. It couldn't have just been her mistake, right? He had definitely been staring at her. She felt her ears flatten against her head defensively. Yet she couldn't help but stare back. His hair was like nothing she had seen before. "Your hair..." The words escaped her before she could react.
Finally trying to impress a man? Her grandmother's words echoed in her ears. She shook her head, turning away. Suddenly a glass of honeysuckle roots became the most interesting thing in the room. She stared hard at it, trying to clear her head. Sure her grandmother was right, she did need to move on with her life, but the problem was that she couldn't. A part of her still felt responsible for her sister's death and that part refused to let her move on.
His comment caught her attention and she shoved her yet to be solved issues to the far recesses of her mind. "If you help me catch this thief, you can consider that payment for your remedies." She watched yet another exchange between the partners, but tuned them out. "My name is Annabelle, if you must know. Now that formalities are dealt with, let's get a move on. I can't just leave this store unattended for too long, so we need to go."
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Post by clouds just clouds on Jun 10, 2013 19:50:05 GMT -8
Chance reached up, a bit self-consciously, and ran his fingers through his hair, making the array of colors shake and explode across his hair. "Mm... yeah, my hair." His eyes flashed to the side, his brow collapsing. "It's... well, it's hard to explain. For time's sake, I was born this way." With an impish smile, he looked up at Annabelle. "You should see it in direct sunlight." Which she will, in a few moments, Jax added wryly.
Ignoring his partner counter part, Chance stepped outside and glanced from side to side. He observed the faces of the people, storing them into memory. From one side of the street, he caught sight of angry faces of people, arguing over something. Reading their lips, he gathered that someone came rushing through and shoved them, and even stole a wallet. The trail is hot. With slight excitement, Chance began to dance on his feet, ready to get on the case. He loved solving mysteries.
"Don't worry, your shop won't be unattended, Jax is staying. He'll scare any other thief away. Either by his freakishly long legs, or his foul attitude." Chance couldn't help but notice he was being a bit friendlier to the shop owner, despite her own foul mood. Like a cat himself, or perhaps a hound on a trail, he stalked forward through the crowd. As Chance promised, as soon as the sun hit his hair, a new vibrancy of color flashed into his hair, reflecting the brightest colors and mocking a rainbow in itself.
He paused for a moment to make sure they followed before he dove further into the crowd, slipping through it eagerly. He passed the angry group of people spouting about a man in a rush. Pausing, he tapped their shoulder, "Where did he go?"
"I think he went dataway," one of the men grumbled, pointing with his thumb.
"Aye," another agreed.
With a quick nod, Chance followed back onto his trail, looking both for angry faces and for the man. From here though, he knew, that the man would have blended into the crowd since he thought his escape was evident. Report him to the police, or scare the shit out of him? With automatic gestures, Chance filed through his cards, taking out his favorites: Jack, Queen, King and Ace. He slipped the rest away for easy access. For one last time, he paused to make sure that Mimi and Annabelle were behind him.
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Post by Moon on Jun 11, 2013 9:46:22 GMT -8
(My gawd, I just noticed how badly my phone wrecked my post. How did you even read that? XD)
She watched him curiously as he combed his fingers through his hair. Again she turned away, embarrassment dusting her creamy cheeks a vibrant pink. Though she couldn't help but sneak glances at his hair. It just wasn't natural, but then again nothing in her life had been normal. And she couldn't very well call her own self normal, with her ears and tail. It was as he said, she was born that way. Despite the few similarities they seemed to share, she couldn't bring herself to trust him or any man for that matter.
Mimi stood to follow Chance out, but stopped when she heard Jax was staying. She knelt beside him and hugged him. "I'm glad you're feeling better." Not wanting to be left too far behind she quickly kissed Jax's nose and followed Chance out of the store. She mounted Damos and stood by the door waiting for Annabelle.
Annabelle couldn't help but smile a bit as she watched Mimi and Jax. Deep down she longed to feel that way, like she belonged with someone. But she wasn't ready to open herself up to that possibility yet. It would betray her sister's spirit to be moving on so soon after her passing. She felt her tail and ears droop as she emerged into the sun. Her energy faltered a bit.
Mimi glanced back at Annabelle as she emerged, feeling her mixed emotions. Though she didn't exactly like Annabelle, she still didn't like to see others in discomfort. She reached over and pushed a soothing calm onto her. She felt Annabelle jump under her touch. "You can trust Big Brother. If he says he's going to do something, it will get done, no matter what." Without another word Mimi and Damos dashed off to catch up with Chance.
Annabelle stayed for a moment, drinking in the calm and feeling it push away her anxieties. She pondered on Mimi's words. As much as she wanted to trust Chance, she wouldn't be able to unless he could prove himself. She glanced over her shoulder at the lynx who was staying behind. "You better do a good job, cat." She sped off to join the others hiding her ears and tail. Familiar scents filled her nose and she felt her scowl deepen. She knew the smell and she had a feeling that wherever they were heading, it was not one of pleasant familiarities.
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