[html] In the cover of the fog and the heavy rain, he had only wished there were better conditions go to out to the city in. It didn't dampen his upbeat mood any, even when they ended up being a soggy mess at a book store. It was one of the first places that Laurel had remembered being unlocked and somewhere that they didn't have to break into and by the time they had made it into Halifax, he figured it was better to get out of the rain. Since the book store was fairly frequented, he was assaulted by dust just inside of the doorway and once clear out of Asanotohl's way, removed his hat and weakly tried to shake the water loose from his long hair, smiling faintly at his shifted companion.
“Hope this place'll do, I didn't feel right trolling around out there in the rain any longer than we already have,” and aside from that, he figured she could venture around even if he didn't know whether or not she could read. Asanotohl had been pretty handy at helping him put together a tent, but even at that she said that she had been willing to learn things. “You'd be surprised what kind of stuff you can find in these places. Humans set up these little things to have one of a certain thing sometimes and then when you're looking around you find something totally random. Usually booze, the occasional firearm and maybe a knife or something. I've known some to have literal skeletons fall out of closets on ‘em too.” [/html]
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With eyes half closed, and ears tilting sideways due to wetness, Asanotohl was sure to remain close by Laurel’s side as he led her into a fallen city. As she looked around, she could see how some of the taller, more erect buildings had crumbled, a few even fallen. The streets were bare and cracked, weeds and thick tufts of grass thrusting out wherever they could manage. This seemed the sort of place that Asa would enjoy exploring… under better circumstances.
The Hollow Leader led her into a smaller building than a few they had passed; and she stepped unto the dusty floors after him, her eyes lingering on the clouded window at the forefront of the store, watching the rain pelt the already burdened streets of Halifax. Her dripping ears gave a gentle flick to free them of the hanging water, her ripped ear giving a slight jangle as her earrings clicked into one another. She drew her gaze back to Laurel, smiling. This place is fine. It’s… interesting, she mused as her eyes wandered around, remaining on the front desk before swiveling to the long rows beyond them. Filled with… books. This was a bookstore? Asanotohl felt a nervousness creep into her stomach. Knowing what they were was a good sign… but could she read? The memory was beyond her.
She giggled at his words, shaking her head slightly. You sure you didn’t put those skeletons there, Laurel, then forgot? she grinned, slinking past him to the nearest bookshelf. She clawed a few flimsy books, picking the thickest one from the top row. She scrolled a few pages, staring blankly at the small print and frowning slightly. It all looked so familiar, yet more than that it looked was a jumbled mess. Do you come here a lot? she asked, lifting her muzzle from the book and looking towards Laurel again.
table by chels [/html]
Ugh, crappy short post. I feel kind of sick so I wanted to post this and go lie down. x_x;
[html] He chuckled and shook his head, though if he had put the skeletons in there he was pretty sure it would have been a good gag to pull on someone. Just maybe later he'd try something like that with someone who he knew would be afraid for sure… but for now he was content with seeing what Asanotohl had picked up. “Nah, I can't say that I'm much of a reader. Books are interesting and everything and you can learn a lot from ‘em, but I guess I just don't have the attention span for them.” There was a pause as he skimmed over the covers from the area that she had picked up one from, to which he added, “I don't read French, anyway.” [/html]
Awe! *snuggles*
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She looked back down at her book as he approached, quietly looking over her shoulder towards the message of warbled letters and odd accent marks. His observation brought a hot blush beneath the fur of her cheeks. Oops, she muttered, hastily shutting the book and stuffing it back in it’s place on the bookshelf. She sighed, lowering her arms dejectedly and stalking off slowly to another shelf. I think I can read these… she mused aloud, picking up a blonde book whose title read “Medicinal Advents” by someone named “Blake Caruso, M.D.”. She scrolled through the pages, tilting her head back and forth at some of the words. Hey, this stuff looks familiar…
She dragged her finger down a terminology page, and paused at a few of the pictures; one of a sprained ankle, another of a broken wrist. Hey, listen to this, Laurel! ‘Broken bones must be set in the proper position in order to mend properly. A split and/or cast can be used in order to recreate the proper position...’ I think I knew that… She continually flipped through the books, smiling vaguely. They have poisons, toxins, medicines, terms… everything in this book! Can I keep it? It was a sort of naïve question, for who would care? But Asa was considerate, as well as polite, and turned her mis-matched eyes towards her companion hopefully.
table by chels [/html]
And today I feel better! Just hungry. ;_; *purrs*
[html] Regardless of the naïvety of her question, he couldn't help but smile. If she could read, that meant that she definitely had some smarts about her, leaving him to speculate to himself further of just who or what she could have been before coming around in such a place. “Feel free, it isn't mine and I don't think the guy who lived here is going to give two shits either way,” because man was dead and gone, right? Laurel had never seen anything else but their skeletons and in pictures left hanging on the walls of their buildings and homes. “Maybe you were some sort of apothecary, runnin’ around and fixing folks.”
And just maybe she had been running around from some pack trying to fix a certain someone… but what were really the odds? Ember was probably long gone anyway, hiding out somewhere away from her vicious sibling. Mentally, he shook his head like an etch-a-sketch to clear that; it wasn't his place to get into the affairs of others that much anyway. It never had been and the few times that he had bothered, he wasn't a wanted face. So instead he examined the rows of books, venturing around aimlessly because nothing jumped out at him other than the interesting pictures at times. [/html]
*hands a Popsicle*
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She beamed down into the pages of the book as Laurel gave her the go-ahead; she closed it, figuring there would be plenty more time to read through it. As he spoke again, she had just wandered back to the front desk to set the book down, placing it there so that she didn’t have to carry it, but so that she would not forget it. Her unmarked ear flicked vaguely at his observation, and she turned her muzzle towards him, even whilst he was looking nonchalantly down a row of book. Maybe… she mused more to herself than him, though found herself quite uninteresting; therefore brining her attention back to Laurel.
She moved slowly after him, mis-matched eyes glancing the shelves she passed, just in case another book struck her as readable or interesting. Asanotohl came to stand behind Laurel, her gaze intently upon the back of his vest. He wore clothes, and she could not tell how common or uncommon this was, seeing as she could not remember hardly anyone or anything. She touched the small of his back lightly, in case he didn’t already know she was there, then her hand slid to the bottom of his vest, softly grasping the tender edge of the fabric and smiling absently. Hey, Laurel…? she said quietly. Are there clothes in this place? She dropped her hand from his vest and stared idly down at her bare chest. Not having any clothes didn’t bother her, so she supposed she was used to it; that maybe this was natural for her, so this was more a curiosity experiment than anything. I think I want… erm, I mean, can you teach me to wear them?
table by chels [/html]
*nibbles on it!*
[html] He had become so engrossed with looking at the cover designs of the books on display and spacing out at the same time that he didn't hear Asanotohl come up behind him. The only thing that drew him back to the present was her light and gentle touch. He stood rigid for a moment, not really sure just what she was getting at when she spoke and a thin smile spread across his face. “No, there's no clothes here,” aside from the ones on his back, “but there's probably a store around that has some.” At that point she let go of him and he turned slowly, trying to shake the awkward feeling that had seemed to fill the small space they were occupying. He wondered if something was coming back to her then, aside from having a comprehension of what she was able to read and not able to read.
“And I guess I could… never really tried to teach anybody how to wear clothes before though. It's pretty much straightforward when you see ‘em,” since obviously, their heads weren't going to fit down a pant leg or out an arm hole that easily. Kudos to anyone who actually got the job done though, aside from looking completely idiotic (and on the other hand, providing the author with hilarious imagery) something would dawn on them eventually. Lack of ability to talk and oxygen, maybe. “If you don't want to look around in here any more and see if the rain lets up any, we could probably go searching for a store somewhere.” Searching would be fun, but thinking about poor Asanotohl trying to pick out something to wear would be entertaining, at least on his end of things. [/html]
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Disappoint shone in her mis-matched eyes as Laurel stated that there were no clothes available here; it had almost turned into a pout, but she found herself smiling despite the fact. Well then, this’ll be a first for both of us, then… I think, she mused, adding the last part in recognition of her inability to remember whether or not she’d worn clothes before. He added that they could go in search of another store, if they were finished here. I can come back here anytime! Besides… I have a good book for now.
Rain or not, she grabbed Laurel’s hand and made for the door, grabbing her book as they passed the front desk. She pushed open the unlocked doors with a slight bit of difficulty, but led herself and Laurel out into the rainy streets. She looked up at Laurel and smiled, her eyes squinting against the rain that fell upon her face. Carefully holding his hand in her own, she partially led the way down the street, peering into broken and dusty windows; yet not entirely sure what they were looking for.
table by chels [/html]
[html] Though he couldn't remember the last time he had been led anywhere by someone else and by his hand, there was something almost familiar about the brief excitement that flared up in his eyes when she pulled him right along out of the store and halfway down the street before settling into a pace that didn't require as much effort. For the most part, he remained quiet as he peered into the windows as they wandered by them, scanning them almost for something entirely different than she was; for something good and something useful to perhaps come and retrieve another time later. Asanotohl's jubilant demeanour seemed to radiate off of the windows every time she peered in with that determined bi-coloured gaze, though he almost wondered if she could see through the grime on the windows better than he could.
So he simply watched for signs. Most stores had a sign, didn't they? [/html]
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Most of the shops look emptied out, more like abandoned lots with roofs if anything. Either that, or the windows were so nasty that she wasn’t even really seeing the inside. It took only three or four windows before Asanotohl changed up her method; now she was looking up at the broken, rundown signs, and disappearing lettering on the windows to try and see what they said. A lot of it seemed a different language, but Asa lucked out upon seeing “clo” on the half-broken window of a department-looking building. She could only assume that the paint had once said “clothes”, or a variation thereof.
She’d nearly forgotten she’d been dragging along Laurel beside her, only remembering when she had to let go of his hand to try and open the door. It shifted, but not without a bit of effort from her tiny body. The door squealed and scraped, as if something behind it was keeping it from opening. She stepped back. Is there another way in? she mused allowed, cradling her elbows and swaying side to side very slightly.
table by chels [/html]
[html] He absently shuffled his hands into his pockets as she tried to wedge the door open, but it wouldn't budge. Laurel couldn't really see why it wouldn't, although on a closer inspection he figured that the pretty lattice-like work in the glass of the door wasn't really in the glass of the door. Maybe it was the reason. Given all of the locked doors around, he wondered if man had died out before anything was open, like the signs often said. “Mmm, I don't know. We could always just bust out one of the windows and go in that way,” he said, eying the plate glass window beside him precariously as though it were going to unhinge from where it was and fall out on him.
“Or I could go around back and see if there's anything there and you can keep trying that door,” he thought aloud, letting his olive-tinted gaze slide back to her. Hell, if she even wanted to, they could just go and find another building and tell the one that they were standing front of to get lost. But at least it had an awning like some of the others, which despite it's tattered nature, was keeping a little bit of the rain from them. Not that it mattered much since he was soaked to the bone, but having it there only made him less inclined to much of much anything else but stay out of the unpleasant weather. Either way, he reckoned if she wanted to get into the building, forcefully was about the only way they were getting in. [/html]
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Well, I guess we can--!! At that moment she had leaned against the other door beside the blocked one, and it swung open; so easily in fact, that it came off its hinges and crashed to the floor, the unbalanced Asa going with it. Ow, damnit! she growled, pushing herself up on her hands and knees, sitting back to brush off her hands. It hadn’t really hurt, but surprise made people say strange things. Hey look, Laurel. A way in! Late, and rhetorical, but there nonetheless.
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[html] It never failed, really. The time when they thought everything was said and done with, something else opened up its doors. Only literally, this time. Withholding a laugh for her sake, he took a feeble step inside of the building and offered his hand out to pull her up onto her feet. “I wished I had that kind of luck, just pushing and leaning on things to make them open,” he jested, “I usually have to practically burn down the damn building to get in sometimes.” Regardless of that factor, once she was situated he didn't dwindle at her side for long, already venturing around the musty store. Maybe he'd snag a few things to suit him, who knew? [/html]
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She gratefully took his hand, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. I guess I’m just the lucky type, she grinned, rubbing the back of her neck and tossing in a little, nervous laugh for stupidity’s sake. Laurel turned off into the store, which was apparently lined with racks and racks of old clothes, just their luck. She trudged off as well, only semi-following so as to not be too far from him; yet she paused at a rack of jackets, yanking a black leather one off its rusty hanger.
It was obvious that her arms went through the sleeves, so she did so; yet the opening ended up at her back. Backwards or not, it was still a nice jacket. She jotted over to where Laurel was looking around, and presented herself to him proudly; arms spread-eagle. This is a jacket, right? Isn’t it awesome?
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[html] His taste in clothing hadn't changed too much over the years and he mostly stuck to the same thing over and over. Laurel was a bit more about function than style and as time had gone on, he had figured out just what worked for him. Something that didn't fall apart at the first chance and didn't inhibit his movement any. From hats like his own to neckties and shoes, nothing really jumped out at him immediately. So when Asanothol got his attention, she got all of it as he turned back to face her over the top of the empty racks with a wiry smile. “It looks nice. I like it,” he remarked honestly. “If you stick around until the winter, that might keep some of the chill out if your fur doesn't.” Which was something he was going to have to watch out for himself. [/html]
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She beamed at his words, pulling off the jacket and hanging it over her arm. Then she skipped off again, pausing as something bright caught her attention. Hey, what’s this? she asked no one in particular, kneeling down to pick up the lime-green cloth with white polka dots. It was a soft fabric, and relatively clean, given its accommodations. She smiled airily, turning slowly to present the bandanna to Laurel. Where does this go? It doesn’t have sleeves or anything… it’s just a piece of cloth… She couldn’t imagine tying it around her neck.
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[html] He wasn't sure what it was at first, thinking of it more as a scarf than a bandana. The bandana that Nikita wore had a long tail to it, whereas the cloth he was looking at was definitely smaller. Interesting, nicely patterned, and already he had thought of another use for it than it was probably intended to be for. “If you got a string or something, you could put the corners together and tie them up and make a little pouch,” he said, thinking rather simply on what he would do. “Or maybe if you know how to sew, I guess you could do the same thing only thread the string through it or something. Make it look a bit better.” Otherwise, to the clothed coyote, it was just a piece of pretty fabric. “Hell, if you got enough of them together you could probably make something with them.” [/html]
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His ideas were inventive and beautiful in her mind. She nodded carefully, promising herself that she’d go back to the bookstore and look up something about clothes, or sewing. I think I’ll try to find some more! she announced, as if it were needed. She felt much like a child, learning new things and getting almost unnecessarily excited over something that would otherwise be extremely trivial. She scouted the store carefully, at one point finding two more bandannas at once; a red one with white stripes and a blue one with black splashes on it. But it wasn’t too long before she had put her whole collection down and grabbed a small sundress. It had no sleeves, so she wasn’t sure how to put it on.
It was a soft, dark pink, almost red; thin at the top where her chest should be placed, and short and ruffling at the bottom. It was trimmed in white lace, and had an intricate bow tied around the middle. She scampered back to Laurel. Hey! I want to wear this… h-how does it go? She turned it in every which direction and held it against her body, tilting her head up towards Laurel with a pleading face.
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She reminds me of a girl I saw in a thrift store one day... putting on the hats and the shoes, hee. XD
[html] He trailed after her after circling around one of the racks, his tail swinging out of the way as he narrowed weaved between everything. From the hangers to the clothes both on them and on the floor, he partially felt like he needed to watch his step. By now his eyes had meandered elsewhere, quietly taking in the cracked designer plaster that ringed the room that they were in. “Take as much as you want,” he murmured after her, perhaps almost too quiet for her to hear. After a few more minutes of rummaging around, she came running back over to him and haplessly turned the dress fifteen thousand ways than the one way it went. Laurel couldn't help but laugh as he took a hold of the dress—the material was soft, he noted— and turned it right side up and held it against her. “There you go, it goes like this. I guess you take it from the bottom of pull it over your head, or somethin’” since dresses weren't exactly things he wore on occasion. [/html]
Lol xD But srsly... I love Laurel <3
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She grinned sheepishly as he laughed, though didn’t feel at all ashamed; never abashed to learn things she probably should have already known. As he righted the dress for her, she looked down at it as he held it against her, then she smiled up at him. She took the clothing into her own hands, holding it away from her to look at the back. A zipper. She was almost surprised that she knew what it was and fiddled with it until it simply fell down. She lowered the dress and stepped into it, pulling it up unto the proper place, rotating her hips so that the slender waist settled comfortably against her sides.
She held the chest area against her own, then pivoted, looking over her shoulder at Laurel. Zip me, please? Her bi-colored eyes doe-like, and her grin happy and toothy.
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