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 Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:16 pm
After leaving the outdoor store with the suggestion that she pick up some books on flora, fauna, and various poisonous things in the area she'd be backpacking through, Jan had taken the twins' advice and headed over to a reptile and insect exhibit somewhat near her home.
She was running her slim fingers over the spines of several books in the gift shop area of the store, becoming slightly disappointed at the "YAYLEARN!" style they had going on. These were for children. Not exactly what she was looking for.
Approaching the gum-smacking, bored looking teen sitting behind the register, Jan got a wide-eyed look from the girl as she spoke. "Y'got an expert I coul' talk ta, Miss?"
She nodded, and disappeared into the actual exhibit. Jan slid her hands into her pockets and waited.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:53 pm
Maelon was really enjoying his job here at the reptile and insect exhibit. Though he didn't get to learn new waffle recipes or watch the cooks prepare food (so he could try at home), the redhead found that there were benefits to working here. For one, he got discounts on all the equipment so he could buy Duchess a nice, new tank. For another, he didn't have to deal with screaming children and cranky old people who wanted senior's discounts. Any of the displays that were done by the exhibit were in school reptile clubs, and Maelon only had to hold the animals. He didn't even have to talk. It was a bonus that the manager liked him, if only because he wasn't afraid to handle anything. There were benefits to being immune to poisons.
As the dark chocolate Sin'aeis reached into the tank to coax one of the snakes towards its heating lamp, when Jessica came trotting into the back room. Maelon cringed inwardly at the sight of the other teen, straightening up to look at her. "Some weird chick is in the front and wants to talk to an expert.... or something. I dunno, she speaks weird. Can you go talk to her?" She explained, blowing another bubble as she did so. The redhead sighed. Oh goodie. He hoped it wasn't some parent coming to coming to complain that their child's newfound interest in bugs was because of them. That would really ruin his day.
Hands in his pockets, Maelon sauntered out of the backroom, turning to face... a pretty normal looking girl. Huh. He wondered absently what Jessica was talking about. She looked pretty average to him. "You uh... wanted to talk to an expert?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:03 pm
Jan didn't look like much of a Sin'aeis. She looked relatively human, other than her abnormal height. He, on the other hand, was recognizable. She'd seen him before, she knew. Though, they'd never officially met. As such, her shoulders relaxed, and a charming grin flashed onto her face, before disappearing. The tall girl held out her hand in greeting, before she spoke in her soft, smooth accent.
"I'm Jan, yer Sin'aeis too, aren'ya? I was lookin' fer summin tha' coul' 'elp me out on my ba'packin' trip en a month." She paused, and made a sleek gesture toward the books behind her. For such a lanky person, the blonde was quite graceful. "'Howeva, I've foun' yer books t'be inadequate."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:32 pm
Maelon was rather taken aback when the girl relaxed. He had never got that reaction from people before. Usually he either got dirty looks – courtesy of the holes in his face and ears – or people just plain out ignored his appearance. The second really only happened with Akilah, and that was because she couldn't see him. Such were the benefits of being blind.
The redhead blinked at the smile, returning it rather awkwardly. Did he know her from somewhere? Maelon wasn't entirely sure. Still, he accepted the hand and shook it, not used to this whole 'being friendly' thing. He would much rather Jessica had handled this. She was better at this idle chatter sort of thing.
His eyebrows shot up when Jan asked if he was a Sin'aeis, surprised that he was recognized so easily. "Maelon, and yeah. One of Chaco's uh... whatever you want to call us." He made a vague gesture, not entirely comfortable saying he was Chaco's child. The chocolate Sin'aeis was much too boring to be his father. "... You're looking for what?" He asked, not used to the strange accent Jan was speaking with. "And the books are for kids, really. Nothing useful in there if you really want to know anything about reptiles, insects and the likes."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:39 pm
A low chuckle at his comment about both Chaco and the books. Jan raised her brows, a hand running through her bangs as she analyzed his confusion, before attributing it to her accent. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, slower, taking the time to enunciate more clearly. Those speech classes she'd taken had helped.
"I'm plannin' fer a backpackin' trip, 'n I wanted t'do some research on th'type a critters I migh' run into." That was a bit better. Face rather expressionless now, her gaze was still interested, "So, kin ya gimmie a hand, Maelon?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:07 pm
Oooh, that slower speaking thing made it so much easier to understand her. The redhead wondered absently if she had just picked it up off somebody or if it was her natural ability. He wouldn't have put that passed Chaco. The guy was rather weird, after all.
"Oh, a backpacking trip. Right, gotcha." Maelon couldn't have found that word in her question if somebody had paid him. Accents were just not his thing. "Well you'll be running into a few things out there, especially if you plan to be camping out there for any great length of time. What specifically are you wanting to know? Poisonous stuff only or just stuff that bites?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:14 pm
She was now consciously making an effort to speak clearly, and it definitely was helping. "All o' th' above, really. I figure s'not as good as 'avin someun who actually knows th'stuff, but s'better'n not havin' anythin'. I'm a plant person m'self. If I got hurt, I coul' probably mix somethin' up ta handle it, but s'better t'void it at all, if I kin."
Curious, she spoke off-topic, completely unembarrassed about the infamous question Sin'aeis used to ask one another upon their first meeting. "Which are ya?" Food, she meant. "I'm potato." She'd long gotten over her slight shame about such a boring food. It was a versatile food, after all. Better than, say, pheasant.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:28 pm
"Having someone who knows about it is always better," Maelon agreed, reaching back with his foot to snag a nearby stool so he could sit down. He had a feeling this would be a long talk. "But avoidance is good. Don't want to be picking fights with things you can't take on. Out in these woods you don't really have to worry too much about poisonous things. Snakes are the big ones, but most other things are only really poisonous if you eat them."
The redhead nearly blanched when she asked what he was, mind instantly jumping to his sexuality. The jump really wasn't his fault, since Akilah seemed to like drilling it into his head that he was gay and he was equally adamant that he was not. Thus, just as he opened his mouth to reply, Jan replied with potato. Maelon blinked twice, before realizing that she was talking about what his food element was. Oh. Well, that was a lot easier. "Potato huh? 's not a bad one. Dark chocolate."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:51 pm
Jan rested an arm on top of, and hip against, the sturdy bookcase as she nodded, listening attentively to Maelon. If sexuality had come up, perhaps he would've been soothed by the knowledge that Jan didn't give a damn about it, either way. Wasn't her business. Besides, as swishy as she was [and most of the sin'aeis, really], it didn't matter.
"Well, I don' eat meat, so I won' be eatin' any of those things, and I kin identify my plants well 'nough." This was the third chocolate boy she knew of, and so far, one of the more interesting ones. She liked his piercings. Gesturing to his lip, she showed no reservations. "Where'd ya git that done? I got mine same place I got my tattoo, but I'm lookin' fer another, locally."
Her tattoo and piercings had taken place close to her boarding school, not here.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:03 pm
Knowing that someone didn't care about his sexuality would probably be slightly relieving. Not that he thought Mignon cared, but he was sure if he told her he didn't like being touched by females (or anybody really) she would ask him if he was gay. Which he wasn't. He was just traumatized, that was all. Between Becky and Akilah, anyone would be the same.
"Well, I wouldn't be interested in eating caterpillars or bugs, but I've heard of people that do. I can't imagine they'd taste very good, but there you have it." Maelon shrugged, weirded out by the fact that people would eat things he kept as pets. It was like eating a cat or a dog. Just.... no thanks.
Maelon tilted his head at his gesture, moving his hand to touch the two silver rings through his lips. "These? My guardian's friend knows someone who does them. Sells all sorts of earrings and stuff. Nice enough guy. You have a tattoo?" He had considered getting one of those, but hadn't liked the idea of sitting there for hours having needles shoved in his back. One needle at a time was good.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:08 pm
With her typical lack of modesty that came from being unaware of people's bodies or nudity in general, Jan simply lifted the edge of her shirt until the vines twining around her stomach and back were visible to him. After another second, she smoothed her shirt back down, brow creasing slightly.
"Et's strange how we coulda gone this long withou' meetin'. Y'must know some o' my friends." To make things simpler, she only named ones their age. "Lyrus, Mignon, Yukito..." A slightly less amused smile. "Still, I'm rather out o'touch, too. S'one o' th'reasons fer this trip. Gettin' ta know people 'gain."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:15 pm
For a split second, Maelon feared that the shirt was coming off. He has just started to raise his hand to shield his poor eyes, when he realized that the shirt was only coming up high enough to reveal her stomach. Phew. The redhead disguised the gesture by reaching up to instead run his fingers through his hair, though he looked slightly shaken. "Very nice. You like plants and stuff?"
"Not that strange actually," Maelon said rather dryly, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a small smile, "I've avoided contact with people in general for a long time. Any of the Sin'aeis I met when I was a toddler, so you probably wouldn't remember me even if we met." He nodded when she started listing off her friends, knowing all of the ones she mentioned. "Know all of those guys. And Akilah and... couple of other ones I met when I was little. Is this trip like a Sin'aeis bonding trip?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:21 pm
Jan noticed his shaken behavior, and odd gesture, but didn't comment, observant but respectful of others' privacy. Instead she nodded slowly. "Mmhmm, I'm quite th'gardener." Remembering the antisocial phase she'd gone through once she'd become a kid, up until now, really, she could relate.
A matching wry smile appeared on her own face and the tall girl looked a bit thoughtful. "... Sure, in a way, I s'pose." A pause and her dark brown eyes studied him carefully. "Mayhap I shoul' fergit th'book 'n bring you 'long instead."
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:33 pm
"Yuki was too," Maelon murmured absently, remembering that he hadn't seen his friend in a long time. He hoped the white chocolate Sin'aeis was doing alright. "You like gardening flowers or more like... food kinds of stuff?" He wasn't fond of flowers, but growing food had always seemed somewhat appealing. It would mean he didn't have to leave the house to get groceries as often.
Uh-oh. The redhead wasn't sure he liked that look she was giving him. He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow, shifting a little nervously on the stool. "Me? You want me to come camping with you?" This didn't sound like such a good idea. "Who else is coming?" It was one thing to go on a trip with a couple of guys. It was totally different if it was all girls. He would die. Literally.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:38 pm
"I do herbs, spices, food, other useful plants." Jan shrugged. She didn't really grow flowers, unless they could be used as other things, like remedies or poisons. Shrugging, the tall girl's gaze didn't waver as she watched the redhead shift about.
"I'm keepin' et small. Mignon, Lyrus, a friend Pell, if she's bigger'n when I last saw her. Mayhap a few others if I run into 'em while I'm still plannin' for it." No Ancelin. That was for sure.
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