Welcome to Gaia! ::

There was always work to do at the sanctuary. Even when he was home from a long work trip, Kuno was expected to do his share.

Didn't mean he wouldn't find a way to slack on his chores.

After carrying the bag of seed over to the kinfa's feeder, he climbed onto one kinfa's back and idly stroked its vibrant feathers while his mind wandered. Feathers... there were earthlings sprouting feathers at random. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes on one of his trips, he would never have believed it. It wasn't only feathers either! Some had vines, some had claw-like hands, and some even found their crystals change color. He had heard of such things happening before, but it had always just been stories.

What would he do with feathers growing from his own body? "They didn't have enough to fly like you," he murmured to the kinfa, fluffing its feathers playfully. "You'd be out of a job if that started happening." The kinfa only replied with a disinterested chirp while it focused on pecking at the feed bag.

Brow rising at a delightfully familiar voice, Kuno's automatic but genuine grin rose. Of the things he had done in his life so far, inviting Mero to stay at the sanctuary had to be in the top five! Of course he'd gone and gotten work with a traveling crew, but when he was home... "I wouldn't be surprised if something out there did," he mused as he slid off the kinfa's back. He gave it one last pat as he walked away.

Food! "Thanks!" he chirped, quickly scooting over to the wash basin to clean his hands. "Actually, I was thinking about things with fewer feathers." He glanced over his shoulder to gauge Mero's reaction. "Like people with feathers, you know?"

Kuno gave an amused smirk. "Yeah, they're an interesting bunch.. but I'm serious. I saw it m'self!" He grabbed the towel to wipe his hands and headed to where Mero was setting up. On my last job, we met this guy with feathers coming off his shoulders and arms. I'm pretty sure they were on his ankles too, but he was wearin' a long robe an' I was busy." His boss was cool, but sure didn't abide any slacking. He raised his hand to point a finger at Mero. "An' before ye tell me it was decoration, it sure wasn't. Those were growing right outta his skin. That moron Jesper tried to grab one; he's lucky he still had his own hide after that."

With an excited lick of his lips, Kuno started helping himself to the leafy salad, not hesitating to scoop out a few extra berries either. Comparing the feathers to Teagan having fur made him snort with amusement. "To be fair, people do have fur in their own way," he mused, reaching over to lightly brush a strand of Mero's hair. Such pretty hair...

Pretend? He sighed dramatically and shook his head. He knew that if their positions were reversed, he'd have a difficult time believing her.. "O'course it's weird. That's what makes it interesting. He said he ain't the only one though. I guess other old folks are sprouting things like feathers an' spikes an' even fins! He thought is has something ta do with their blood." He took a bite of his meal and sighed contently. Simple, but oh-so tasty.

His mouth was already filled with salad when he felt the touch to his arm, and he couldn't help peering at her face. Did she like what she felt? Did she even notice?

..What was he, some horny teenager?! Kuno shook his head to pay attention to the story Mero was telling. By the end, a chill had gone down his back. "I can't tell if that's inspiring 'r creepy," he said with a snort. He couldn't imagine abandoning his family for some dirt. "But is it just a story, or does your ma think it was real?"

"Hmm. They do say most stories start from something that actually happens, so maybe there's a little truth to it. Probably not much, but maybe a little. Those feathers though.. those were real as the nose on your face." Kuno nabbed another mouthful of salad and chewed thoughtfully. "I think I'd prefer some magic ability rather than some fancy feature. To make food grow where nothing else can? That'd be lots more useful than some spiky shoulders." Besides, he already had spikes on his body!

The comment about the other mages made Kuno smile. Mero sure had some fire to her. "Hmm, maybe it's good ya don't know how to do that. With so many mages around ya, I'd never get to see ya again without a fight." While he knew he would be more than able to throw a punch on Mero's behalf, he got the feeling that she wouldn't be all that pleased with it. Better to not need to do any fighting around her.

His brow rose with surprise at the tease, and a light laugh rose. Of course, a coy smirk quickly followed and he leaned forward playfully with a wag of his eyebrows. "I've had a few ladies call me hot before, but I gotta say that's a new one to me."