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Location: Ethereal Eclipse
Geneva padded restlessly, her four-legged lupus form carrying her North and East of the Crimson Dreams borders. Her dark gray pelt blended with bands of shadow, so she melted against the background, a stone hued ghost in the gloom. The sun had set a few hours before, but she could not find quiet in her mind or solace in the library at Haven Mansion as she usually could.
Perhaps it was the fact that she had been indoors for most of the day and needed fresh air and to stretch her legs that led her to Ethereal Eclipse. Perhaps she now moved through the shadows, wandering as she wouldn't normally, because she didn't feel quite like herself. Or maybe the walls, so comforting, sheltering and strong, had just pressed too closely toward her. Either way, strangely, tonight she craved clean air and open spaces. There was a need in her that those four walls couldn't meet tonight, but she didn't know quite what it was.
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The two-toned male had once more wandered from the side of his silbing. Finding out that Alexey had disappeared had brought a damper on his spirits and he wanted to get the feeling of unease out of his mind. He was growing use to being a loner again, though something was restless in his soul, he was so use to having friends and family on the road or around him that sitting around and waiting for Alexey to return wasn't seeming like the right answer anymore. Sankor just stood there staring at the wide expansion of land before him while words rolled over in his head.. trying to think about it was getting him nowhere.
He clamped his teeth together in irritation as suddenly he left off with a ground eating lope that carried him across the lands so quickly he didn't even notice that the shadows were moving without the assistance of his gait. Suddenly it seemed like the land was flashing before his eyes as he turned hard to avoid the greyscaled mass before him. Stumbling over his own feet the brown eyed male rolled across the lands before coming to a hault upsidedown with his hindlegs flopped in his face. From this position he could clearly see that he'd almost ran over some poor lady who had probably been out on a late night stroll.
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Lime green eyes slashed open, a shock of color in the darkness. She exhaled noisily in surprise, stumbling backward a step to make room for the large wolf-shaped mass flying through the air. But then she realized there was no need as the male stumbled, trying to recapture equilibrium and failing, so it seemed. Geneva gasped as he pitched off his feet and his momentum stopped him on his back in a rather undignified position.
Amusement, shock, and concern warred in the expression on her face. But shock quickly won out as she hurried over to the male, taking the few steps to close the distance between them. Her eyes scanned and traced his inert form, checking for signs of injury before her lime green orbs came to rest on his face.
She bent her head down close to his, although she did not have far to bend. Geneva was a very small wolfess, scarcely larger than an adolescent and quite thin on top of that. Light green eyes sought brown ones as she asked, "Are you all right?" Her voice was a soft whisper parting the darkness. She whispered without thinking about it, the dark pressing in so close to them, that it seemed almost inappropriate to raise her voice to its normal level.
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His tail draped over his nose as he exhaled, blowing aside the thick black and brown flag as he raised his green beflecked sable eyes to peer at what he'd almost flattened. The greyscaled form of the lady was even closer than he thought as he realized that he was hurrying towards him. Trying to move quickly to pull himself from the unflattering position he rolled to the left, only managing to plop over onto his side as the bright spring hued orbs of the woman met his.
Offering a embarassed grin the male shook out his thick mane of fur as he tested his limbs to make certain he was still in once piece. The soft whisper of words greeted his ears like merry melody as he turned his face back towards hers. So close in the color of midnight they were his nose brushed hers as once more their eyes met. He was quiet a moment, forgetting what she'd said as he tried to get past the electrifying beauty of those strange eyes.
Shaking away the hypnotic effect from his mind the large two toned male smiled and chuckled as he tried to shrug off the whole rather embarassing feat he'd managed to accomplish. "I've felt better but I think I'll live." he said with assurity as he gave her another warm smile as he asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
[html] I'm sorry for the wait! I've had baby woes of my own. My gorgeous nephew has been sick with a double ear infection and pinkeye. I've been caring for the poor thing while his mom's been outta town. How's CJ?
Geneva inhaled softly, involuntarily and somewhat noisily as Sankor's nose pressed against hers. Her nose never worked very well, but in such close quarters with him, she caught the faintest trace of the sweetness of his breath so close to hers. She felt the invisible pull of an errant tangent of gravity upon meeting his eyes, and she almost felt as though she should lean forward. She almost did just that, but the realization that she'd stumble into him made her pause. Blinking her eyes, she was relieved to hear him speak. She took a tiny step back, her ears still erect and quivering slightly.
"N-no," she whispered in answer to his question, but her throat constricted around the whispered word, as though she hadn't used her voice in days. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "No," she said more firmly this time, her naturally soft voice clearer now. She softened it with a smile, "You startled me is all. I was more worried about you than anything."
Her eyes traced his shape in the dark. Although it was hard to see, the wolfess noticed that he seemed to have a multi-colored pelt, with earth tones and hues similar to her dark shape. Without really thinking about it, she leaned a bit closer, trying to breathe in his scent as she had before. But even at just one step away from him, it was difficult for her to capture it. Nose-deaf as she was, she doubted she'd ever get to experience his scent again. They had been close - too close for comfort in some ways, but at the same time, a small part of her wished he'd stumble into her again.
"Were you hunting? Chasing something?" she asked, to get her mind off such ludicrous things. She looked to where he would have left before he barrel rolled away, trying to discern some shape or tracks in the darkness. She looked back at him. "Forgive me, I never asked your name. I'm Geneva."
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The nervousness between the two was apparent as Sankor tried to awkwardly gather himself and retain some sense of control over his failed flight. The striking attention that the other was giving him made him wonder if he hadn't actually hurt her or atleast scared the daylights out of the poor woman. When she spoke the whispers were back for a moment until it seemed that she pulled herself back from recovery. The black and mahagony male offered her a dashing grin as she explained everything in due time. "Sorry, Ma'am" he said, feeling a bit guilty for startling the lovely lass. He really should have been paying attention but of course he'd let his mind get the better of him and now he was all a mess.
Rubbing one paw against his inner foreleg the male cast his eyes off the girl as he remarked. "You don't have to worry about me, I might not be able to land on all fours, but I'm as sturdy as a elm!" That tiny voice in the back of his head was laughing at him now, but the gentle giant just buried him below a million thoughts and smiled once more. He hoped that he wasn't going to scare her off again seeing how they'd just met... "So, you from around ...." he asked.. and yet as he questioned her he realized the girl was leaning closer to him instead of moving away. He paused in the middle of his words as he chuckled at how silly it all was. "Here?"
It seemed that she realized she'd been caught outright in whatever she'd been doing as she suddenly had babbled out a question to him as well. He cleared his throat as he blushed under his pelt. "No, not exactly.." His ears flicked to the side in embarassment as he admitted. "I was thinking.. " Normally when one was thinking though, they didn't pelt crosscountry in the dark without a care, though perhaps he was a bit suicidal as well seeing how he had almost killed himself, if he wasn't as sturdy as a elm that was.
Sankor smiled when he realized as she offered her name that he hadn't given his either. "It's quite alright.. I'm Sankor" he said with a nervous laugh. Atleast he knew he wasn't the only one making mistakes and fouling everything up tonight. Something sure was wrong with the pair of them!
[html] Geneva looked away from Sankor, shyly and demurely. She was quite aware now of how ridiculous she was being. She was acting the fool, and now she was quite aware of it. Her blood boiled with embarrassment. Her first instinct was to shut down, turn around, and high tail it back to Crimson Dreams without a word. But Sankor was so friendly, so open. She found the will to try.
"My home is quite close by -" she nudged her head in the direction of Crimson Dreams. "- although I've only belonged here a short while." She used the word "belong" instead of "been," because she felt deep within her thin bones that this place was where she was meant to be. She loved Crimson Dreams, and although she was somewhat of a recluse, she was learning to love the other lands surrounding her home. She smiled fondly.
"I'm sorry if I'm being so weird..." her voice trailed off and she grinned ruefully. "Do you - do you want to take a walk with me, Sankor?"
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He smiled softly to himself as she seemed to look away, the small glace she stole made him feel giddy, or perhaps it was the fact that he'd rolled like a bowlingball across the lands just moments ago, but whatever it was he seemed to like the feeling. He waited til she turned back to him and when she spoke he managed to nod as she explained where she came from. He realized that she was from the pack that had laid claim to the lands that his family had once roamed upon. He should have been slightly annoyed by the fact, but the family had never actually marked a territory, just freeroamed and assumed the world was smart enough to stop and think before approaching the scent of wolves.
Packs of course were different, they never seemed to care who lived there first. He wondered if the pack had even known that there had been loners that had claimed the lands as home before they'd plotted their territory. Probably not he decided, but he didn't show any signs of his inner thoughts as she smiled, the love for this place she called home so apparent. He just secretly wished her the joy in it all, there were enough lands out there for the Kiois to find somewhere new to belong.. or perhaps some pack would be good enough for his sibling.
He chuckled at the idea as he gave the lady a dramatic and graceful bow. "I'd be delighted to take a walk with you, it is a fine night for walking." he was being a little bit of a pompus fop but he really didn't care. He was actually sincere in the words he'd spoke, though the chuckle had been towards a personal joke and not the ask for his company. Infact he'd been more than surprised that the woman had wanted such a clumsy sort hanging about. Raising a brow he asked. "You don't just want me to tag along because you think I'm that accident prone? Right?" he teased with a soft simple smile, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
[html] Her smile broadened at his antics, sharing in his laughter as he gave a dramatic bow. But her laughter was muted and quiet, a whisper of sound. It wasn't that she was trying to hide her laughter so much as she was just a quiet woman by nature. She had never spoke much as a child, simply because she found talking over her sisters impossible. She had learned to expression herself quietly, and had learned to be patient to speak her piece.
"Honestly," she said, mischief also in her eyes. "I just wanted to be in the company of someone who is so acrobatically gifted." For some reason, she found Sankor very easy to talk to. Probably because he had taken a potentially awkward situation and had turned it around in the space of a breath. He made her feel at ease, not at all self conscious. It was very freeing for her, because she watched her every word and move usually. It lifted a burden from her, made her feel light-hearted in a way.
She moved and turned to stand beside him, mindful to keep a small distance between them, although it wasn't a considerable distance. Despite herself, she felt very comfortable in Sankor's company already. She took a few steps forward before turning back to look at him. She grinned at him, a little self deprecating but very cheerily as she said, "Just to warn you, I have absolutely no idea where I'm going."
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While she may have been quiet the male generally was easy going and gentle, sometimes loud and brawny like boys tended to be but always on the inside he was a giant teddybear with a heart of gold. He smiled at her soft lilt of laughter at his foolishness before settling into teasing the woman back some for the words she offered him. His large paws padding softly beside hers as he grinned softly, knowing this would be a walk to remember, atleast for a while.
He turned his green flecked orbs towards the woman as she seemed to grow into a braver soul. His smile never vanished as he snorted. Flashing a toothy grin he tossed his mane in some odd snobby airhead like manner as he said with a fake blast of boredom. "That's nothing, just wait til the lake ices over.. then I'll show you some real talent." Oh yes, he knew just how awesome he was. He'd really regret that comment though as it would soon enough be cold enough for him to bust a few moves on the ice, or better yet bust his arse.
Flickering his eyes back to meet hers he asked horrified that she was going to lead him off into the darkness and get the both of them lost. "I bet you've been planning this.. waiting for soom poor unexpecting sap to come along and convince him to take a long walk in the middle of nowhere.." He stopped for a moment and cast her a suspicious glance. "You're not some serial killer are you? I've got to tell you.. I don't make a good victim. I tend to snivel and moan and cause all sorts of anguish to the nerves." the words were said in almost a happy manner, as though he had no problem at all being her victim!
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I suck. I am sorry! But I am sooo ready to get back on track!
"And here I thought my innocent bystander guise had you fooled," she said, attempting to sound sinister. The edge of laughter on her voice definitely detracted from her attempt. "Lucky for you, though, it is my night off." She turned and leered at him. "Although if you'd like to make an appointment for tomorrow night, I'd be happy to dismember you in the manner of your choice. You might not be the ideal victim, but business has been slow." She couldn't take it anymore. Laughter bubbled from her lips and her lime green eyes crinkled as her smile deepened.
"Will you tell me a little bit about yourself, Sankor?" she asked, trotting along comfortably beside him at a leisurely pace. "And you know, if you want to throw in a few tidbits about places you frequent, in case I happen to look for you when I'm not off duty." She winked at him, her smile warm and genuine as she studied the two toned wolf. He really was very fascinating.
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Sankor grinned in spite of himself at the notion she lay before him. He couldn't help it but the idea of being her victim didn't sound so bad. He rolled his eyes innocently as he asked. "In whatever manner I like?" he stole a glance at the girl and winked, knowing that he was taking the jest too far but it was worth it. The laughter that had followed her offer had been sweet and he just couldn't help but join in. Before long it seemed he fought to catch his breath as he called out. "Alright..alright.. you win.." he said with a grin and a shake of his head.
Their paws were taking them off into the darkness as though they owned the night but soon that question came up. The male flicked his ears back as he smirked and turned his head towards the greyscaled woman. "How much is a little bit?" he asked teasingly. "I was born in these lands.. and I left. I spent more than enough time traveling and being a lazy backsliding dreamer..." He stared up into the heavens as he went on. "That was of course before they mentioned all the crime and violence that was sweeping across my ol' home." He flashed her a grin as he lied through his teeth. "I came back to clean up the lands. You could say I'm the new law around here." So here was the outlaw and the long arm of the law strolling along, just like it was in the times of man. Was the cop crooked or the criminal straight.
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She loved the way he talked and the way he laughed. It was gratifying to know that she didn't have to try, although she struggled not to laugh as she spoke. That it was just so easy to be herself and let things flow. Sankor made it easy and she was grateful for his company. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much.
"I sense a conflict of interests here," she teased lightly, walking easily beside him. Her steps were far less measured now. Instead she walked slowly, her footfalls not lining up properly. Her lime green eyes were dancing and focused mostly on the dual colored male.
"I guess that means I couldn't bribe you to let the eye of the law wander a bit in my case..." she said, trailing off and winking at him. "'Business' has been admittedly slow for me, but there's always potential for growth."
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The mahogany male just smiled once more at the woman as her laughter seemed to fill the night. She seemed much more at ease with him now than when he'd crashed into her when this had all began but he didn't make a fuss about it, it was better to have company that felt relaxed than company that shied away. His dark hued paws moved in a dancing pattern, his footfall moving him slightly from side to side as though he were drunk. The male loved the way her eyes seemed to dance in the dim light of the stars as the night took hold.
He couldn't help but chuckle as she teased him on their common ground of the law and outlaw. "Conflicts of the interests..can be interesting though." he said with a mocking serious tone as he paused in the forward motion and just let their jog slow to a mere walk. "Though.. I'm sorry to say.. bribery will get you nowhere.." He grinned at the lady and yet suddenly he stopped and turned to her as he raised a brow. "Atleast, I don't think it will.. depends on what the bribe is.." His slight grin turned into something more as he shook his head at the lady. She was a work of art.
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Geneva slowed her steps to match Sankor's pace. It seemed as though the pace of their travels matched the pace of the conversation, and now it was winding down, but not due to lack of things to say. She kept her eyes steady on the path ahead, as she was still not familiar at all with this area. But she snuck a glance his way to find his eyes alight. She brightened at that, turning her face to hide her smile.
She turned to face him again as she caught ahold of the speed they were at now. As the darkness pressed close, she felt as though there was only him and her within the whole world, although everything else had faded to the reality of a dream. But at the same time, this scenario seemed to have a dreamlike quality. She had never thought she could feel so at ease with someone she had only met. But hear she was, and she wasn't tongue-tied or embarrassed. It seemed like a miracle.
A tendril of shyness wrapped around her as the double meaning of her previous words suddenly dawned upon her. But that didn't deter her in the slightest. She just laughed slightly, looking at him steadily as the night took hold. "I guess that'd have to be one hell of a bribe," she said, with a touch of laughter and something else in her voice.
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Sankor couldn't do anything but smile at the grey hued lady who walked so strikingly beside him. While he seemed to watch her more than the path she had her attention on where they were heading, atleast one of them did or they'd probably be spending more time tripping over their own paws than enjoying the slight teasing comversation. The light in his eyes only shined on when she finally turned her own orbs to steal that glance. He caught the look and a slight cocky smirk played across his maw. Why was he acting like such a yearling, he couldn't really say but atleast he'd found something to relax him this night, a stranger who was more a friend than anything at this time.
Finally it seemed that he realized how dark the world around them was growing as his shoulder brushed up against the woman's. He raised his eyes to gaze up at the sky above them, the stars sparkling softly as suddenly a flare flashed across the sky. He smiled up at the falling star as he flicked his orbs towards the woman and asked, "Ever wish upon a falling star?" He was such a casanova with his slick words and dreamy looks. So smooth and fashionable.. too bad he wasn't actually looking for love this night, only company.
He puffed out his chest slightly as her soft melody of laughter rang out and the truthful words that followed. Stealing a glance at the woman before smirking to himself he chuckled. "That it would, that it would.." he said as he tried not to turn back to meet the eyes of the woman, knowing he'd break down laughing if he did.
[html] Let's wrap it up?
Geneva's eyes had finally adjusted to the dark. The world was no longer just shades of gray and patches of shadow. She could now make out where she was and surprised to find that she did indeed know her location. The duo had jogged and walked with a purpose, but now their direction had taken them close to Crimson Dreams borders. Of course, she could be totally wrong in her estimation. It wouldn't be the first time her sense of direction had failed her.
Everything was so new to her now. These lands, and the ease with which she could handle herself. She glanced back in Sankor's direction with a smile, still a bit breathless from their travels and their shared laughter. It had been a wonderful night, a wonderful diversion for her. Her gratefulness for his company was plain on her face. She didn't need words to express her gratitude for his company.
"This looks like my stop," she said. "Although revealing my head quarters probably isn't the greatest idea, now is it? Promise to give me a ten second head start if you ever catch me on duty," she teased. Shaking off their silly banter, she said seriously, "I hope to see you again, Sankor. I'd love to take another walk, sometime."
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He was so caught up in their laughter and quick witty banter that he didn't realize when they'd come to a stop near the borders of lands which once had been his home, oddly enough it seemed by the words he was gracing her with, her home now. He smiled softly at the woman as eased away into the night, first in joking manner then in more serious tones. "If you continue to walk the path you tread you'll see me again outlaw." he said softly, amusement in his voice.
Bowing down against one leg the mahogany male smiled and murmured. "My lady of the night." ..and with that it was like he'd never been there as he faded into the darkness of the night and disappeared once more. His mind and heart at ease as he quietly found his way back to where his sister slumbered still in the night.
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