+493 (ohhey, this can go to the pack game! )

Even though it was cold out, the rain seemed to continue falling, no sign of freezing over into snow or stopping. It had been like this since midnight the night before, and about now, in the noon hour, Sky was starting to feel it set in. Lucky for her, she'd gotten at least a bed and table, along with a few chairs, into her house long before this started, and a make-shift fire pit was set up where the old fireplace once was. She'd eaten and groomed without ever getting wet from the rain, so now, with all of her dry activities completed for the day, she wondered what else there was to do.

That's why she sat on the bed in her room, staring out the window at the little town below. Not a single soul was outside, and at this point, she felt as if the walls would close in on her long before the rain stopped. It was a horrible feeling, being stuck at home with nothing to do and no one to talk to. She'd told Shawchert the previous day that she'd need some help setting up the fire pit properly, but now she sincerely doubted even the fearless leader would dare step out in the cold winter rain.

Still, there was that small chance, and that was probably another reason she was glued to the window. The pattering of the rain on the glass and roof was enough to lull anyone to sleep, and a few times she'd found herself nodding off to it, only to awaken again at the thought of missing his arrival. The pit needed to be done, and she was in dire need of some friendly company at this point. If not, she felt she'd go insane.

Ah yes, and Sky was of course in her optime form, though she did look different today. Rather than her fur-only attire, girl had decided to wear clothes instead. A cute turtleneck kept her nice and warm, a dark moss green in color with the occasional lighter green fiber knitted in. Below, she'd found a pair of low-rise jeans, one that hugged her thighs nicely, and flared out into boot-cut legs in a faded fashion, starting dark and going even darker to black on the way down to the cuffs. The back of the jeans had been cut and redone to fit her tail, wrapping around the base in a sort of ring of denim. In the process of doing this, she'd discovered a new hobbie; sewing and working with fabrics.

Little hybrid noticed she'd closed her eyes again, and blinked her gaze back to the town outside once more. She promised herself she'd stay awake and alert, and the loyalty and patience ran deep in her thanks to her father. If needed, she'd wait a dozen more hours for him to arrive, in hopes of getting work done, and having his company to clear her head.

+434 I'm on a roll!

Sky had nodded off again by the time he knocked. His voice woke her better than the sound of knuckles on wood, and she jerked upright, glancing out the window to see him thre, soaked and drenched in mud. She squeaked, yelling back to him. "C-coming!" And away she sped, at first straight to the door, but then she turned on her toes and ran back for a towel, which she'd snagged a few with her clothing. Picking out a nice, big one, fluffy and dry, she darted back to the door, the 'tap tap' of her feet easy to hear. After a skid, slip, thump and more shuffling as she stood, she unlocked the front door and opened it, stepping aside with towel held out to him. "Please come in!"

Girl felt horrible about making him walk out in such horrid weather, and as soon as he'd take the towel, she'd be off running again, paws slipping on the wooden floor as she headed over to find him something dry to wear. Figures that she'd only found women's clothing, and only in her small size. The search was pointless, even as she rummaged through the boxes in the living room, hoping to find at least a t-shirt and shorts or something of the like.

Nothing. She did manage to remember she'd grabbed a house coat, and it was big on her, if a bit girly from the light shade of pink it was. She'd offer it to him if he wanted it, but for now, she turned in the spot and smile shyly. "Oh, Shawchert, really, you didn't have to come out in this weather if you didn't want to. I could've waited." Yeah; and she'd lose days of sleep doing so, the stupid girl. She came over to him again, and surprisingly with another towel (she'd grabbed it from the boxes) in hand, girl would offer silently to help dry his hair.

"Not a drop left. You'll catch your death." That motherly tone came back, almost instinctively. The same tone of voice she tended to use with Val. "I have a nice place to sit now. Come in, get warm." She waved to the beaten up couch behind her in the living room, and smiled shyly. It'd been a while since he'd been inside the house; surely with all the additions since she moved in, it looked very different. Heck, the walls were splashed with the occasional mural, fancy little tribal designs looking much like tattoos in various oil paints and the like. She'd made quick work of decorated it, at least.

Sky didn't think he'd be able to make her blush that soon into their meeting, but sure enough, his stubborn reply did such a thing, only making it worse with his compliment on her paintings. She stood in the doorframe leading to the living room and suddenly it seemed as if her feet were very interesting. She twisted her toes a bit and smiled. "Thanks... It's more a hobby really, the painting I mean." Poor girl managed to snap herself out of it with her own words, and over to went to the couch, only to pause again.

"Oh, I was thinking a high-mouth fireplace. There's enough bricks gathered up in the den for it, and the chimney still works fine." She shrugged, then turned away, seeming to find interest in yet another fetching chore. She didn't go far, just upstairs and back quickly, a nice brush in hand upon her return. "Hm, you don't look very leader-like with your fur all stuck up like that, Shaw." Mock scolding was given before she slipped behind the gap in the couch, that rare bold side of her coming out.

Unless he pulled away or protested, girl would casually run the brush through his hair, voice softening with her little task at hand. "I'm good with building stuff, but I'm not so great with getting a job done. I've built my fair share of dens and walls before, though temporary, while living outside of Cercatori D'Arte." Careful of his ears, she gently brushed away a stubborn strand. "If you hadn't guessed by now, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist." She chuckled at herself, having been told to loosen up many times by Dusk in the past. "I've got a rough idea in my head on how it should look. The problem is getting it out into the real world without completely redoing it a thousand times."

That part of her O.C.D. issue was clear; on the wall, smears would occasionally be noticable from where she'd wash the paint away after the slightest mistake. Something as simple as a quivery line or an off-key note at times ruined her greatest moods. One of the reasons she'd studied more into singing than drawing or building things was because her voice was something everyone praised, no matter how horrible she thought she sounded. Every compliment was taken in modest stride; another reason she'd come to like Shawchert so much. He'd been the kindest person she'd met when it came to flattery and honest compliments for her skills.

Sky was delighted that he didn't move away when she started brushing his hair, and behind him, her smile grew a bit. But then, as she was about half done, he jerked up and stood, and she herself jerked back, holding back a yelp, and holding the brush to her chest rather nervously. His voice sounded again, and she calmed down, smiling brightly. With a nod, she moved away from behind the couch and replied. "No need to help get them in. I've got them stacked near the chimney in the den." Which was where the fireplace had been. Girl led the way into the other room, thoughts bombarding her as she fell silent.

It's nice of him to help out, even if it meant coming out in a winter rain storm. She glanced out the window as she walked past, frowning at the rain hitting the glass. I wonder if we'll get a chance to just spend time like this- Her mind faltered and as she entered the den, she waved over to the bricks. No, he's just helping you out with a chore. He's a pack leader. It's part of his job to make sure his pack is safe and warm from the cold winters here. There's nothing more to it. Stop dreaming. She let out a tiny sigh and forced a smile, despite her self-cruel thoughts.

"I grabbed as many as I could, and there's some in the crawl space beneath the back of the house. I guess this might take a day or two to finish, so if we need more, we can wait until the rain goes away to get them." Another glance at the window, and another frown. "Ugh. I hate the rain... make's my knees hurt when it's cold like this." Not that they bothered her very much. The occasional sore joint, she was used to. Being a hybrid, it came naturally, especially in bad weather conditions. I wonder if there's a storm coming... I'm not fond of lightning or thunder... I might escape to the hunting lounge if so, just to be nearer the pack.

"I don't have any putty or anything mixed up, but I think I might have a bag of powder somewhere in the study. Want me to go check?" Back to the task at hand, and away from her own self pity. No matter how tempting it was to ignore the project and just spend some time with him, the task had to be finished. No doubt he had better things to do than hang out with his little hybrid packmate.

As per the norm, Sky smiled. "Will do. I'll probably change though, cause I don't want to get my new clothes dirty." She shrugged and wandered out of the room, leaving him to do some planning. Meanwhile, she'd do some thinking. A dangerous thing when her thoughts tended to lead to him. Drat. She wondered about a few things, like if she should mention to him if he liked anyone. She also wondered for a tiny moment if she should mention her liking him. In the last few weeks, she'd learned a great deal of things, and not from the books she'd collected since moving in. One of those things, she constantly denied to herself when she was alone. The moment she saw Shaw though, that denial washed away into fear, and of course, shameless flirting, much to her later dismay.

She easily located the bag, a big one from that hardware store she'd visited looking for shelving supplies a day or so ago. Sky took a moment to glare at it, knowing just how heavy it was. How can a powder be so damn heavy? It weighs more than me, I bet. Shoving her distaste aside, as well as her thoughts, she heaved the bag up and over her shoulder.

Bad idea. Down she went with a thump, backwards. Too fast did she pick it up, and too far did she sling it over her shoulder. The bag went tumbling out into the hall, happily creating a mess. Old packaging. Dandy stuff. Sky herself came flopping backwards into said mess, squeaking as the power went flying up in little clouds upon impact. It wasn't a quiet fall. Rather, it was a rather loud on, consisting of her yelling a profanity as she unbalanced, and then again as she realized the mess she'd made.. and the waste of it all.

Numerous more profanities, this time in what could've been the usual Swahili she sometimes slipped into, followed this realization, loud and clear. She remained on the ground, but kicked her feet a bit in a tiny tantrum. "So much hate!" Oh, okay, she wasn't -overly- angry. Just annoyed. Goodie for Shaw, who'd not have to put up with her temper, as bad as it could be.

She finally rolled over and pushed herself up onto her knees in the doorway, glaring down at the white mess of powder. Her hair and fur was covered in it, and no doubt it would cling to her sweater like crazy long after the first wash. Lovely. "Scratch one bag of mix, Shawchert. Unless you plan on mixing it all over my damn floor! So much for that angelic voice. The more she stared at it, scowl firmly planted on her face, the more upset she got. With those ears pinned back, eyes narrowed and lips pursed, not to mention her balled up fists resting firmly on her lap, and tail twitching much like a cat's, it was a cute enough scene. Add in a little mixing powder and you've got what could've been an overgrown five year old failing to help mother in the kitchen with cookies.

She was expecting something like that to happen. Sure enough, Shaw came in, saw her, and with a grin, started laughing. She pouted up at him, that same adorably funny face on. He was being kind though, and offered to help her up in way of apology. She thought about accepting that offer, but then she saw how nice and clean he was... She washed away the pouting look, and innocently took his hand, moving as if to shift her weight and stand.

Then she pulled. Hard. She flung her weight back and with a smirk, went to pull him down into the mess of white. Revenge for laughing! If he fell, it would be the sweetest tasting revenge yet, even if it was a waste of putty. She knew she had seen more somewhere, outside of her house. Rainy days weren't meant for working though. They're meant for at-home amusement. And this, dear muse, is the sweetest kind.

If he had fallen, she'd grin at him, now on her knees with her hands infront of her, tail waving behind her in a slow, playful fashion. "Still funny, oh mister Shawchert?" Her voice was taunting, in a friendly, teasing sort of way, sly and playful grin plastered onto her face, showing off pearly whites and shining blue eyes. Oh yes, this was much more fun that glooming about all day. Very much so.

"I hate cleaning. It's one of the reasons I have so little belongings. It's boring and no way to spend a rainy afternoon." Her tone had taken on a childish zing, and if one listened closely, almost flirty. "Besides, white looks good on you." Sly smirk returned, as evil as ever, and she reached out to throw a handful at his head, showering him, hopefully with the white putty mix.