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 Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:41 pm
He hated this. There was no doubt about it. Being here, and being at home was no different, and all the same. At least at home he had places he could go and things he could do to entertain himself. But here? He had not been amused once yet! The company was bland, and the conversations were even blander... nothing but prim and proper, business, soulless...
and now to make matters worse, he was stuck in one of the grand carriages his relatives had, on his way to Old Castle! by the sounds of it, that place was even more of a borefest! Great... this was just splendid... The travel was lightly bumpy, but at least comfortable with the plush interior, and his little fawn curled up beside him. His family had insisted he leave the guardian behind, but he wouldn't allow it. Ixton went everywhere with him, and being the defiant little brat he was, Matvei would allow no one tell him what to do. The little fawn was resting soundly, tiny head laying in the young boy's lap, the big red bow around his soft cream neck primped once in awhile by his chosen. He was certain everyone in this deplorable town would bask in the greatness that was his Ixton!
They arrived a little after midday, drawing up to some of the more luxurious flats that were there. Servants unloaded luggage, and Matvei's relative's were helped out of their carriages. Once it came to his turn, little Ixton in tow behind him, teal eyes scanned the streets for which he was on, a critical expression on his young face. How dreadful indeed... but the tiny fawn at his side blinked golden eyes with curiosity, head turning this way and that to see all that he could, a wide yawn creeping up on him, before his ears flickered a few times. Looking up to his chosen, Ixton gave a sweet expression, which earned the faintest of smiles on those stiff lips, and a stroke along the smooth white head. Since the older folks would be doing business meetings with clients and the like, Matvei decided he'd at least take a walk around... see what he could find.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:42 pm
Despite the recent harsh weather and the disturbing news from up North, life across Sunderland still crept on, clawing its way through day after frigid day. Old Castle was no different, and with its close proximity to the wood, things were even more bustling than usual, and not in a particularly good way. It seemed as if an electrifying paranoia had crept through, an almost overnight change as more and more knowledge became available about the happenings on their country's northern border. All eyes were cast toward the Wardwood now, nighttime guard and patrols were being introduced and people were taking more desperate precautions to ensure the safety of themselves and their families.
Though he was just as badly affected by the news and the weather as most, Burke was doing all he could to make the best of the situation. Worries and despair now perpetually threatened to overtake his thoughts, but the bustle of the town, stirred by its fear of their ancient foe awakened, was actually providing him with the thing he needed most; work. It wasn't that Burke needed the slight increase in revenue (though he wouldn't complain), but there were plenty of jobs for the smith to do aside from fret over things he couldn't control. People had been in requesting all sorts of repairs and other small tasks, and though it was all mundane work he was thankful to be able to help people and have something important to focus on.
Today was no different, and early afternoon found the blacksmith at work in his forge, repairing a set of tools someone had brought to him. The sound of hammer on metal could easily be heard from the street as he worked, though his forge's location in the back-most area of his workshop dulled the intensity of the noise. The shop itself was open, as it usually was, and anyone walking past would be able to feel the warmth seeping out through it, a pleasant change from the freezing temperatures outdoors. It really was an ordinary little place, save for one tiny detail...
"Oy! How many times do I need to tell you to keep out from under foot. Get yourself to the workshop, little devil!" Burke barked as he half-heartedly scuffed a boot toward the fiery rump of the creature who'd just nipped at his pant leg. He scoffed as the little beast darted away, barely catching sight of him as he did what he was told, for once, though Burke knew better than to think of it as obedience.
The fawn dashed past the divider separating the forge from the shop, but didn't stop there. He was chock full of energy that afternoon, but it was as dull as ever, with no one else in the shop and Burke's attention far from play. He stopped flat at the doorway, forehooves sinking into the shallow snow as he peered out into the sugar-coated town of Old Castle, ears perked, intense blue eyes scanning the surrounding area. Surely there had to be something to do, someone to pester or play with...
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:51 pm
The snooty little lord wore an expression that showed complete and utter distaste. His nose was slightly scrunched as such, and his lids were halfway veiling his rather lovely eyes. Sunderland... he wasn't impressed with the place at all. And now it was apparently under siege with some sort of.. wolves? what a country. His own wouldn't allow for such nonsense! He wasn't too bothered by it. His family had quite the troupe of guards for protection, and many were some of those who patrolled the streets at night. This would all blow over, Matvei assumed. It was nothing for him to worry or fret over. It wasn't like he could do anything about the matter anyway.
He'd passed bakery's and clothing shops that had large windows for display purposes, holding delicious delicacy's, and beautiful garments... but nothing that was striking to the boy. He'd had that before.. it wasn't so great. He'd seen that before... it was rather outdated. This place was still in the dark ages, it seemed... ok so maybe he was exaggerating.. but that was Matvei for you. Black wavy locks fluttered lightly as a chilly wind picked up, making his gaze dart down to the small fawn at his side. Though the boy was rather selfish, and uptight, he did show a considerable amount of concern towards his guardian; always making sure he was comfortable, and well fed, groomed to perfection, and entertained... though the latter was not difficult to accomplish, unlike for himself. Perhaps he should retire indoors... he didn't want his fawn being uncomfortable. Ixton gave a small shake of his body as the wind brushed by, but otherwise seemed uneffected by it, trotting with high steps, and an alertly perked head and ears. His eyes were bright and blinking, darting about everywhere, looking at everyone! But not many were out and about... and if they were, they seemed to travel with purpose to get from destination A to B.
However... there was something that caught the younglings eye. Across the street, his tiny nose twitched eagerly, scenting the air... smelling the musk and smoke from a smithy. How interesting..~ Looking both ways down the road, having picked up on such a gesture from Matvei, he lead the way to the other side, his chosen seemingly curious and following along without qualms; a rarity indeed. Upon getting closer to the establishment, Ixton's tail flagged, and his head lifted. Someone was in the doorway... another fawn! Eyes widening, the dainty little white buck pranced right on over to greet his fellow hoofed brethren. His tail fluttered with excitement behind him, his bow bouncing lightly as he leaned close to sniff at Atli in greeting, only sparing a small peek to the depths of the building behind him. But soon enough his attention was straight back on the other stag, soon locking on his glowing blue eyes.... staring at them... and stepping as well as leaning closer for a very thorough look, almost as if he were entranced by them... certainly in awe.
Matvei stared at the opposing buck with slight furrowed brows. Huh. So people here did have these too. Well... his was still cuter.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 2:11 am
At first, Atli didn't think anyone was about, as was usually the case. The cold liked to chase everyone back indoors as quickly as possible, even when they had errands to run. Imagine the tiny buck's surprise when he did see someone though, a smartly dressed human, and something by his side...immediately, the dark-pelted fawn let out a piercing bleat, a little puff of frost rising from his muzzle as he did so. In the end his call would prove unnecessary, because there he came, trotting right up to greet him, a little cream-furred darling with a bright red bow wrapped about his neck. Atli could hardly contain his excitement, leaning forward to sniff back, their wet noses pressing against one another for a moment in greeting. He indulged Ixton's gaze for, perhaps, a split second or so, before nudging the other fawn playfully, and leaping a circle about him. Where had he been before? Where were the others? The cream-colored fawn would be the first guardian Atli had ever met.
Burke's hand faltered quite suddenly as a feeling of intense excitement hit him, all but breaking his concentration. He'd been working at mending a badly bent snow shovel, but it was forgotten as he received the fleeting image of the snowy world outside. It was not a particularly new experience, even though Atli had only been with him for about a month or so, it hadn't taken long to figure out that the fawn was the source of such random bursts of emotion. Usually he was privy to the fawn's fiery excitement whenever someone came around the shop for business, so much so that it didn't startle the smith much at all anymore. A sigh left him as he set his hammer down and reached for a rag with which to wipe his hands, wanting to clean up a bit before going to see what had happened. His guess was that there was a customer in the shop, but Atli seemed even more riled than he usually got...
Atli bleated again, and nipped softly at Ixton's flank. It wasn't a harmful action, merely a playful tug, and he finally darted back into the shop, willing his new friend to follow. This way! His cloven hooves tapped softly over the wooden flooring of the shop as he barged back inside, seeming to think that it would be more fun to play indoors. It was warmer, after all. The inside of the workshop was cozy, if not a bit dim. The walls were lined with tools of all types and sizes, and there was a long table that seemed to function as a counter with other things laid about it in a haphazard fashion. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing were the wooden and metal trinkets on some of the lower shelves, iron twisted and pounding into the shapes of birds and plants, and small whittled figurines.
Atli bounded about just inside the shop, tail flickering, blue eyes full of playful fire as he tried to entice his fellow guardian inside.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:17 pm
A lot like Burke, Matvei was very used to the sort of delighted imagery Ixton liked to relay to him when confronted with... just about anything. They didn't really effect the boy himself, but they were that small bit of amusement that he found day to day. Such an easy little thing to please... He observed closely how the opposing fawn interacted with his, making sure that Ixton was treated with only respect as he so deserved... and he had to admit... it was quite cute to see the two so overjoyed to see one another. It even drew a VERY faint upturn at the corner of the rich boy's lips.
Trills and bleats of his own were given to show his appreciation for Atli's existence, tail waggling furiously, nose pressing and nuzzling against the black fur with unrestrained excitement. He gave a surprised little hop from the playful gesture, but hardly even gave any thought before following right after Atli without care that he was walking right into a store! His own tiny hooves clicked in a rhythmic tempo with his bounding leaps to join the other buck indoors. Another set of nuzzles are pressed to Atli, and a few licks given along his cheek and ear eagerly, before he slows to look around the place curiously, and just for a small moment, before his attention is solely on his new pal! ...though entranced once again with those awesomely glowing eyes.
Matvei tenses as his partner goes darting into the unknown building, eyes quickly darting up to make sure he knows where he is... if the aroma didn't already give that away. A blacksmith...? As if he had any point coming to one of this. Snorting under his breath, he sighs, and rolls his eyes before slowly taking a single step in. He stands just inside the doorway, pulling his cloak around him more tightly, eyes scanning about the interior. So dirty... a filthy place... definitely not somewhere he'd ever want to stay at for a long period of time. Looking back to the joined fawns though... he figured he must be getting punished someway or another. First he had to come out here, and now his guardian just had to find a little friend that belonged to probably some ruffian who had little to no manner what so ever! A heavy sigh dropped from the youth's lips, gaze half lidded with bemusement. He'd allow this to go on a little longer.. just a little longer.. Hopefully who ever owned this dump was sleeping, or something. He could only imagine what sort of state they might be in.
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:36 pm
Soon, it wasn't just the images of the snow outside that he was seeing. Burke's brow furrowed slightly as he received tiny glimpses of red and white, a sweet little face that was not unlike Atli's in appearance despite the radically different colors. How could that possibly be, though? The excitement and happiness he was gleaning was near overwhelming, and he hurried to clean the soot and sweat from his hands and face, wanting to be at least somewhat presentable to whoever had found his way into the shop. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised when he stepped out of his smith and into the shop, his eyes immediately drawn to the two fawns dancing across the wooden floor, clicking and bleated as they frolicked about. Two of them. Atli had managed to find a friend, and what were the odds of that happening?
Immediately his attention was on the man in the doorway instead. That had to be who the little white one belonged to. Rumor was that they were always bonded to someone, no matter what. Did this young person have a little wooden deer figurine as well? Burke could not help but feel a vague sense of awkwardness, all out of the blue. It wasn't something he experienced often, but the young man didn't look like a customer at all. He didn't even look as if he were from Old Castle, but here he was, and he suspected Atli had something to do with their being in here.
"Good afternoon. I see my little one's found a friend in yours." He said in a gruffly amused tone, arms crossing. He wouldn't degrade either himself or Matvei by trying to talk business, because he knew it wasn't what the other was here for. As much as he hated to judge, the man's obviously higher class had Burke on the defensive. It was simply the fact of life that most nobles looked down on the working class, but the smith sorely hoped that the boy wouldn't be too much of a snob. He was the first chosen he'd ever chanced to meet, after all, and Burke was suddenly overcome with the burning urge to ask questions and talk about the little beasts. Had Matvei been pulled into the forest in the same way Burke had? He couldn't very well blurt out such things, however, so he decided on a more hospitable approach.
"You don't look like you're from around Old Castle. Welcome. Do come in out of the cold, if you please." Burke offered, and grunted softly in surprise as Atli darted around his heavily booted feet.
Oh, merry day! Atli bleated joyously as the two of them chased about, darting beneath the table and around Burke and away again. Finally, someone like him, someone to play. Someone who understood! Of course he was 'friends' with a few of the little neighborhood dogs, and was constantly tormenting any cat who had the misfortune of wandering past, but this was completely different. He stopped quick abruptly beneath a table, panting softly after their romp, waiting expectantly for the other fawn to join him, his chosen all but forgotten at the moment as his focus was solely on his new friend.musicaloner7 sorry for the delay, school hit.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:26 pm
Unfortunately for the blacksmith, Matvei was one of those stuck up nobles... very much so. Perhaps it was best to blame his upbringing for it. After all, growing up with a loveless, and heartless family focused solely on getting a one up on others... well that didn't leave much room for any sort of softness. Perhaps only Ixton was the one lucky enough to gain the young heir's gentler side, like most creatures. Matvei could relate to them better, and they were more easier to understand than his family, who would backstab in an instant without even a bat of an eye.
He watched the young pair bounce about the room, the clicking hooves so delicate and dainty due to their small bodies. Well.. he was at least glad to see Ixton enjoying himself. But this place was terrible. And he had no reason to be here, indeed. He was sure just by being so close that he'd gain some sort of disease, or grime that would just cling to him like a tick. Shoulders rolling as if to dispose of such things, he pulled his thick ruff around his neck tighter, to cover any skin that may have been visible, even if a tiny bit. Bright eyes flickered over to the opposing side of the room as a man appeared.. an older gent, by the looks, who matched the dirty place. Almost instantly a wrinkle scrunched on the noble's nose. Great...It took a great deal of effort not to roll his eyes.
"Yes, so it would seem." he replied slowly, accent thick and heavy of his foreign homeland. At least this old man seemed to have decent enough dialect. Bleating blissfully, little Ixton bounded after Atli with all his might, tiny tail flickering madly behind him, stopping though when the other man appeared. Blinking his big eyes up at the large human, he flicked his ears forward, and sniffed at Burke's leg, taking a few dainty steps closer to lightly brush his soft nose against the pant legs fabric, before retracting and looking back up to the towering chosen, head craning to get a look at his face. He stared for a moment, as if evaluating him curiously, before his attention was snatched back by Atli, beaming once more and prancing right over to the other fawn. He took refuge under the table as well, and pressed himself to the young bucks side, lifting his head to start grooming a black ear, soft little bleats piping up between the licks.
Matvei took a few tentative steps further into the place, eyeing it again, slower this time before looking back at Burke. "No. I am not." he replied plainly, displeasure very clearly written on his appearance. He wouldn't give any more details than he needed to. "And I am only here, because Ixton has taken interest in your guardian." he made it quite clear, even if it was already pretty apparent.
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