The new neighbor... or potential customer?

Orin Takekuro · 12-02-2010, 09:08 PM

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ooc... Sorry it took me a little bit to get this up! <3 (5 points)

There was a lot of work to be done.

Orin stood at the doorway to the bookstore with her hands on her hips as she scanned the interior of the shop, unsure of where to start first. Being a bookstore – a thing that Orin was beginning to feel was a cherished commodity only to her – it had remained relatively untouched by looters over the years. Part of the sales counter had been broken down and dismantled, probably for firewood or for parts, but judging by the condition of the exposed wood, that had been long before Cercatori D’Arte claimed Thornbury as part of its territory. A cash register that was missing its drawer rested atop the counter, and there were other bits of random stationary and office supplies stacked in bins on the shelf below. The bookshelves had met the same fate; mostly in tact except for a few planks here or there. Some shelves were still orderly and pristine, as if waiting for the day someone would come clean the years of dust away so the tomes could return to glory. A few others had been tipped or rifled through, either by Luperci or wildlife, Orin did not know. The cleaning bill for this place was astronomical, but at least it glittered with potential.

Then there was the smell.

Unfortunately, the skunk she had unwittingly encountered the day she found the store with Shawchert had left a regrettable funk behind. The creature was so distraught over the invasion of its lair and the interruption of its hibernation that it had happily skittered off that day, never to be seen or scented again. But sadly, since the bookstore had served as the skunk’s den for a few days there was no denying that the shop was pretty ripe; not even to Orin’s stunted sense of smell. In fact... she tipped her head down and sniffed at her fur, then grimaced. I hope someone can help with this. She wondered how long she would smell like rotten garlic if no one had a salve to offset the scent that was sinking into her coat.

“Oh well,” she muttered to herself. “No sense in worrying about it until after you’ve got the store cleaned up.” Yet she could not deny the nagging thought in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn’t waste her time with the soiled shop.

Shaking her head at her own pessimism, Orin resolved to get started before she talked herself out of it. The first and most productive task was to improve the ventilation.
Despite the Luperci’s lack of clothing, the cold weather outside did not bother her – her coat was specifically adapted for these conditions, and worse. So she propped the door open with a stool and headed for the rear of the shop. There, there was an open archway into a small stock room which had another door; the back door. She worked the latch, which opened easily, and then trotted out the back to inspect the boarded-up rear window.

“Hmm...” She tapped her finger on her chin as she thought. “What’ll it take to turn your back into a window.”

Bangle Guffawri · 12-05-2010, 12:26 AM

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I've been around the world, in the pourin' rain..

ooc: <3 +7 points.

The last few days seemed to be a blur, the hours swirling into one. It had been a few days since his encounter with Skye, and truthfully.. he didn't want to face her, or even the blue sky itself, since. The male locked himself up in his home most of the time, but things within, and the founding itself, reminding him of her. So, presently, the coywolf stayed up in the shadows of the large oak tree near his home, which he was becoming quite fond of. His back molded to a large branch that stuck up and out at an odd angle, leaning heavily on it. The male's left leg was drawn up to his chest, and the other dangling freely in the air.

And Bangle thought. All he did for the past few days was think. Inwardly, he was torn; he was wanting to pick up all that he had and travel out.. but snow had begun to settle in slowly over the past few days. Bangle knew he wouldn't get far, so what would be the point? Should he wait out the winter, at least the worst of it, and leave as soon as possible? 'But you have had made friends here, and they made you feel at home...' No, the male was a traveler, always had been. 'I knew I shouldn' have done that,' he mentally tortured himself, and closed his eyes in sheer disgust at the actions of said day. That was his life, he would have adventures, a few laughs or two, and then he was miles away before the sun ever woke the following day.

'Whose to say it always has to be like that?' The fleeting question was gone as soon as it had arrived. The male shook his head, unwilling to think in such a manner. No, he's never stood in one place so long. Since he was a pup, the coywolf always felt like he belonged someplace else. Bangle put it in his own head over the years that he had to leave.. or he'd get attached to said places, and other wolves. The coywolf had already been in Cercatori d'Arte for far longer than he expected, and the unexpected had happened - he was falling.

Quite literally, in fact. Bangle had been so lost in thought that his body was beginning to slide sideways, and he snapped out of his reverie only to grip the branch he had fallen off of with both hands, the rest of his body swinging freely. Leaves rustled and shook, but Bangle stood hanging there when he thought he caught wind of someone speaking. One ear moved into the direction of the sound, which came from his right, and Bangle peered through the leaves to see a pink and white female a few feet away. The pink in her hair stood out to him right away, but her white fur also stood out like a sore paw. It appeared she was walking around a large building, that was directly across from his home.

His own orange-yellow eyes peered down to the nearest branch below, and he let go over the branch above and swung himself to the next thick tree limb. He remained crouched, peering at her through the trees, knowing it was rather wrong to spy on someone, but he was curious. The traveler forgot about the thoughts that were mentally tearing him apart, and tip-toed to the end of the tree limb. His view of her was crystal clear now, and had she turned her back to face his house, she'd have easily seen him.

Though he wasn't quite sure what she was doing, she seemed to be doing a bit of housekeeping. "Well 'ey there, neighbor!" He called out to her, his tail wagging once before settling it around his back legs, still braced in a crouch. Bangle was rather shocked to see the female before him without clothing, especially when it was as cold as it was outside. However, it was an opportunity, perhaps, to interest her in some leather wraps. And there he was, still in the game. All he had to do was stay focused on his work, and forget completely about pure, white fur.

Orin Takekuro · 12-06-2010, 06:51 PM

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(3 points)

The girl probably would have paid more attention to the rustling in the tree across the way had she not been so intent on talking to herself and inspecting the exterior of the bookstore. Yet still it remained that she stood, facing the wall and ignoring any semblance of survival sense she ever had. Though in her own defense, Bangle had been preoccupied much of the time and had not been making much noise until his blunder when he nearly fell from his perch. One white ear tipped backward to listen to the shifting tree, though Orin was engrossed in trying to pry a nail out of the boards with her bare fingers – a feat that was not working out well for her – so she failed to turn around until there was an actual voice.

“Hang on a second...” she muttered to the wall. The girl had a tenancy for zoning in on one thing and not realizing much about her surroundings, though that usually only happened when there were books around. Wait... did the wall just talk to me?

Arching a brow, she glanced from side to side before peering over her shoulder and spotting the tawny figure in the tree. She paused for a moment to process this sight, then turned around with a grin that could rival the coy-wolf’s.

“Oh! Hello,” she waved. “...neighbor?” She pondered the thought for a moment. So, this must be her fellow resident! And an interesting fellow he was, indeed, although in his crouched state she could not quite get a good look at him. Still, she was delighted to meet a neighbor and fellow member of her pack! Things were going very well for her here in Cercatori, indeed... well, aside from the whole skunk thing... and she was becoming acquainted with her pack much quicker than she had back in Cour des Miracles.

Smiling, she walked over to the tree, her golden eyes trained on Bangles form. A less trusting wolf might suspect him of spying – but what kind of spy made so much noise and gave away their hiding place like that? The thought never crossed Orin’s mind.

Arching a brow, she peered up at Bangle curiously. She giggled and asked, “Tell me, mister... what are you doing to that tree?”

Bangle Guffawri · 12-14-2010, 12:49 PM

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This table is lulz. +3

The coywolf chuckled a little as he saw that the female was surprised by the tree speaking to her. Until she got a closer look, that is, and was able to see him crouching down on a limb. Before she had closed the distance between them, he waved back at her, the two bangles on his arms jingling. Wrapping his gray-tipped tail around his back left leg, he smiled as she got closer. The female was quite a sight, especially with that pink hair. For some reason or another, Bangle was more impressed that they were dreadlocks, like his.

"Y'know, the way yer dressed, ya'd think it's summer." He grinned, obviously the one to have to point something like that out. Bangle remained on the limb as she looked up and asked him a question, and his bat-like ears twitched in response. "It's part of my home! Gonna make me a tree-house up here soon, though." Wait, you were just thinking about leaving! Bangle had wished he could take back his words, and he wasn't all too sure why he did say them. It was true, he was weighing heavily the decision to travel, but weather was a huge dent in his plans.

His body shifted so it was in a more sitting position on the limb, his muzzle still pointed in the direction of the female. "What'cha got goin' there?" He said as he pointed one finger across the way, towards the building that she had come from. His orange-yellow eyes settled on the building for a moment, his view partly covered by the oak's leaves. "You'd think it'd look prettier from up here.." He mused, just enough for the white female to hear, but then he lifted his muzzle into the air and cackled, his stomach rumbling in laughter. As he settled, he leaned down and offered a hand to the white female to be hoisted up. "See for yerself if you don' believe me!"

Orin Takekuro · 12-23-2010, 08:39 PM

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ooc Sorry for the wait, just getting back on track. This post beats the heck out of the crap I started to write a couple days ago, whoo! ^_^ (7 points)

The man in the tree certainly was a sight… and for several reasons. First off, he was in a tree, and it was a fact that anyone in a tree was interesting. Secondly, he had an exotic physical appearance, seeming to be of a mixed breed, though sometimes it was hard for Orin to tell. And most importantly, he could accessorize like no tomorrow! Usually Orin’s new acquaintances were giving her the eye, be it for her small size, bizarre fantastical nature, or her pink hair, but for once the tables were turned in this meeting and Orin found herself gazing at the coy-wolf with a mixture of surprise, awe, and admiration. She studied the man’s dreadlocks, similar yet vastly different than her own. Where hers were pink, his appeared to be natural toned yet ornamented with beads and trinkets. He wore jewelry in several places, though Orin could not decipher the intricacies or materials they were made out of from her position, and had belts and straps and pouches and containers everywhere. And… what was that on his back? Orin cocked her head, but could not see from here.

Suddenly she felt terribly underdressed, and it did not help matters any when he pointed that out, either. She looked down at her bland self and crossed her arms in front of her, suddenly displaying atypical self consciousness. Her face scrunched up, indignant for a moment as she retorted, “Well, I don’t need to dress up. I’m warm enough with all of this.” Her hand brushed across the full ruff of fur that had filled in around her crest – her thick winter coat.

Suddenly something occurred to her, and she quickly jerked her gaze down at her own body as she gasped. “What?! Does it make me look fat?” She patted her fur, trying to smooth it down a little around her tummy and hips. This was her first winter as an adult, and the vain thought about what her winter coat may look like had not dawned on her until now. Her golden eyes flicked back to the man in the tree. “You would tell me if I looked fat, wouldn’t you?”

Finally, she resorted to grabbing her tail and pulling the excessively fluffy, pink appendage in front of her and twisting her fingers through the long fur. She looked worried for a moment, though was soon distracted by the thing the man perched in, remembering her earlier inquiry as he referred to the tree. “So you are my new neighbor? That’s great! Ooooooh… A tree house! That would be so cool. Can I come see it when you’re done?” She beamed at the thought and hoped that when it was complete she would be able to see it from the office window – that would soon be her bedroom window.

She took a step closer to the tree and craned her neck a little more to peer up at Bangle, but when he gestured towards the other building she glanced back over her shoulder. “Oh, that’s my new home. It’s a bookstore – isn’t that amazing! Thornbury had a bookstore, and Shawchert is letting me have it. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I’ve got nothing but time, and it will really pay off in the end, I think.” She turned back to Bangle and cocked her head in confusion as he said something about the sight, and then roared with laughter. The Takekuro woman looked back and the building, concerned. What was wrong with it? When she turned back to Bangle the man thrust his hand down towards her. Any worries diminished at the prospect of hiding out in the tree, and a grin spread across her muzzle as she let go of her tail and locked arms wrist-to-wrist with Bangle.

Orin pushed off the ground a little to help, and her small form was hoisted up into the braches with ease. She quickly planted her feet on one of the limbs, displaying the natural grace and dexterity that her whimsical nature often betrayed. She giggled a little and smiled at Bangle – this was turning into a small adventure all it’s own – though quickly turned her gaze to the building, only to notice the view was much obstructed by the branches and leaves. Still she was confused about what had been so funny earlier. She turned back to the hybrid, eyebrow arched in bewilderment, “What? I don’t see anything wrong with it?”

Her eyes turned back to the building as she settled herself down onto the limb, setting her rump on the branch and letting her legs dangle over one side while her tail swayed gently over the other.

“Anyway, I don’t suppose I should call you ‘neighbor’ all the time. What’s your name? I’m Orin Takekuro.” She grinned heartily with the introduction, offering her hand to Bangle again for a shake.

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Bangle Guffawri · 01-12-2011, 02:51 AM

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570 words. I FAIL for taking so long. Whack me on the head next time @_@; And is it wrong to really want sweets whenever I look at your tables? Big Grin ~

If she thought him impressive, Bangle thought the female below him was rather crazy walking around during the winter without any sort of garment on. Perhaps he could interest her in some elegant furs or simple, easy to wear leather wraps.. but that would have to be for later. All of that was inside his house, and the coywolf did not care to leave the safety of the tree to fetch them. Besides, this was his neighbor, they would have plenty of future interactions and possible trades with one another.

He watched as she tried to hide herself from him, which only made him grin wider. He was used to making others uncomfortable, but then she made a quick retort. Ah, so she was the fiery kind. Already Bangle was attempting to size this female up, trying to get a good picture of who she was like before they even said a handful of words to one another. When Orin asked the male if her own fur made her look fat, he couldn't help but bark out with laughter, stomach moving up and down with the notion. "Fat? Naw.. more like poofy," he said to her, though he wasn't sure how she would take that. Then the coywolf cocked an eyebrow at her. "Miss, I'm a travelin' merchant. Why would I lie to yeh?" Another big grin marked his words, assuring her.

Bangle found his feet idly moving back and forth as they dangled on the limb he sat on, still staring down at the female. She took an immediate interest in his mentioning of a tree house to be built in the oak's large branches and secluded leaves, and he cocked his head at her. "Well if yer gonna be seein' it from yer window, I don' see why you can't see it fer yerself when it's done!" Enthusiastic as she was, it was catching on, and soon Bangle's heavy thoughts were forgotten. His right hand lifted up to scratch at the back of his neck, still a bit confused in trying to read the pink haired female. She seemed eccentric, yet serious when it came to what she wanted to do. Light and airy, yet still maintained a certain flavor to her qualities.

After listening to her talk about the bookstore, which really wasn't all that interesting for the traveler, he leaned down to hoist her up on the branch beside him. She seemed to have a bit of fun climbing up into the tree, the air being filled with her bubbly laughter. But then she looked at him, confused, and he followed her gaze back to the store across the way. "Well, don' mean to break yer heart, but it isn't that much of a sight yet." He said, slightly nudging her with his arm as she settled. Bangle was able to get a good look at the female now, who, to the coywolf, seemed anything but normal.. no matter what he was told. The coyote mix took her hand and shook it firmly, a gesture he was very well used to by now. "'Ey there neighbor, I mean.. miss Orin. Name's Bangle!" He chided. "So what's yer story?" Bangle asked curiously, though also wanting to know why it was that the females he met so far in the pack had white fur, and a love for books. Was there a memo he didn't know about, yet?

Orin Takekuro · 01-16-2011, 03:02 AM

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OOC No worries, I'm pretty slow myself at the moment! WC 769

Her ears fell back with worry as she took a second look at her bookstore upon Bangle's comment. Well, perhaps it wasn't anything special yet. The windows were still boarded up even, and man did it smell inside from the store's previous residence. But she had just gotten it! What did he expect? Orin glanced back to the merchant, thinking about it a moment more. Maybe he wasn't trying to be mean, maybe he was just being matter of fact with her. Maybe he saw something more in the bookstore than she did? “I guess I see what you mean,” she agreed, a bit apprehensively. She did not want to talk bad about her bookstore, as though the thing would up and leave out from under her if she insulted it. She looked back to the old, disheveled outer walls for a moment and sighed. “It needs a lot of elbow grease. The interior is pretty charming, though... I think.” Orin suddenly found herself full of self doubt. Was it actually a nice place or had she pulled a veil over her own eyes?

“It definitely needs something, though. I need to find some more furniture for inside, I'd like to set up a work desk or two downstairs. And upstairs... that needs a whole overhaul if I'm going to make it my bedroom.” She mused for a moment more about the bookstore, but some of the vigor had been sucked out of her words now that she was dwelling on its value.

She settled herself comfortably on the big oak branch upon which she perched, her limbs dangling and swaying over the side. The coy-wolf changed the subject and she was quick to follow his lead, latching on to his question and taking advantage of it for all it was worth, the life returning to her voice.

“I'm from the Americas,” she began. “Florida, to be exact, if you know where that is. I grew up there with my brother Niro. Place was horrible for a couple lone pups... Gangs. Slums. No food. So one day Niro found this old ship log and I read about this sailor that was from Florida... Jacquez Trouillefou. Anyway, the book told about his sailing up north, here to Nova Scotia. So I thought, couldn't hurt to try ourselves. We bartered passage on a ship and arrived on the other coast, in Cour des Miracles. It was like fate! The Court is the same place Jac landed and formed his pack! I couldn't believe my eyes when the legend himself greeted us on the beach that day...” Her whimsical voice trailed off. Was this really what Bangle had intended, her full life story? It didn't matter, it was what he was going to get with Orin.

There was still a loving lilt in her voice when she spoke of Jac. To her the man was still a hero, and had disappeared before he had the opportunity to burst her bubble. She probably should have taken his sudden abandonment of his pack as a clear sign that he was what he was – a wild egomaniac who cared for no one but himself – but Orin had convinced herself that his disappearance must had been the work of foul play, not because the man simply tired of his duties as the King of Cour des Miracles and up and left without word.

“Niro and I joined Cour des Miracles, and life there was so different... so much better than what we had before. But... call me ungrateful, I guess, but I just really didn't fit in. No one really cared about what I did there. I love my brother and I care for the friends I made there, but I ended up spending all day in my room just because there was no one to share my stories with,” she sighed at the thought. She truly had spent weeks at a time locked up in the Chien Hotel.

Her eyes scanned Bangle's visage, possibly looking to see if he tired of her story yet, but mostly not registering if he did. “Anyway, I met Shawchert in a funny fashion. He found me stuck in a tree.” She snickered at the memory. “Hopefully I won't get stuck in this one.”

She paused for a minute and then quickly blurted, “What the hell! Do I really look poofy?! Poofy!” Her voice was indignant and the words spilled from her mouth as though they had wanted to come out the whole time but just didn't know how.

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