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 Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:54 pm
If the yellow-fur human had the gall to threaten him, why was she now so terrified? Perhaps Bolide had misunderstood. That often happened. He calmed slightly, backing down and shutting his jaws with a snap. The Anna woman didn't seem like much of a danger now. Maybe she hadn't meant to threaten him. It could be that she was simply stupid. Hmmm. Bolide decided he could be forgiving. "I am not eating you, Anna," he rumbled. "Sneaky meat is rancid." Bolide sniffed pointedly, gesturing in Anna's direction.
Bolide's new friend was tense, frightened. By him? That was too bad. Goodness, he had only been protecting her. Bolide bowed slightly. "I am not to frighten you. Sorry." He patted her shoulder for emphasis.
Even though Soo was frightened, she stood her ground. She was tense, ready for action. Bolide's estimation of her rose. A worthy friend indeed! Yes, very good. He would have to teach her to be wary of devious people, though. Humans were small, but they could be crafty. They had all kinds of nasty weapons, too! Humans fought dirty.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:29 pm
She'd been reprieved...and insulted.
Rancid indeed!
She glared at Bolide for a long moment, bile rising. She wanted to snap at him, to gather up all that long-pent hostility and fling it at this...whatever it was...who threatened her and then insulted her, simply for daring to darken the doorway of his alley.
With the practice of many long years being married, she stifled some of the impulse -- cursing the creature out would do her no good -- but not all of it. A few years ago, she would have just extracted herself, and stewed for the rest of the day. Now, she seemed to have a pathological need to see the big bully get taken down a peg...even if it meant getting a bite taken out of her.
Moving her hands to her hips, she pulled herself up to her full height...which wasn't all that much. "I'd rather be a sneak than a bully, threatening people half my size. What did I ever do to you, besides showing up in your alley?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:58 pm
Tsunake's shoulders eased slightly, a silent sigh of relief flooding from her lungs. That could have been ugly. The noise would have undoubtedly gotten someone's attention, the cops would have been called--and that weird cult group or whatever. The Pikaia's Children. They would have found out about this. Bolide insulted her almost casually, then proceed to apologize--to her?
"You didn't frighten me." The silver-haired woman managed to say. "I was worried about--" About Anna. She had seen what Bolide could do after watching him tear into that fish; it was no surprise that he had really, really big teeth, and obviously an aggressive attitude. Her hand unconsciously reached back to give his funny claw a pat back in return, accepting his apology.
Well, then, understandably, Anna got angry. Tsunake would have gotten angry too. To be called a sneak, and rancid at that...As far as she knew, Anna had simply been curious! Tsunake had as well, or else she would have never met Bolide in the first place. But she was growing tired of fighting, wearily and warily glancing between the two combatants. One hand rubbed sorely at her temple, and she remained quiet. This wasn't her battle. The young woman looked about her size and, if Tsunake was in her shoes, she knew that she wouldn't want anyone interrupting her fight. So, Tsunake remained silent for now, willing to wait until there was a perfect chance for her to jump in "We could get out of open, so we don't draw a crowd." She muttered, casting a glance at anyone who might decide to pass by.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:20 pm
Anna's intention might have been to anger or chasten Bolide, but he was pleased by her reaction. His jaw dropped open once more, this time in a silent laugh. Good, good. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. A little bit dumb, to be sure, but not too bad. "I think I am misunderstanding. Cannot be too careful, yes? Humans are little, but have nasty little claws." He clicked his own emphatically.
"Don't worry, okay? I don't be to harm good people." Silly Soo. Bolide would not have harmed Anna unless she herself intended harm. He wasn't a crazy person!
Out of the open... now there was an interesting statement. What did Soo mean? Did she want them to continue their conversation in the alley? Bolide was confused. The natural habitat of the human woman was not in an alleyway. Bolide had seen enough horror movies to know that, thankyouverymuch. Earlier, Soo had mentioned an apartment... maybe she was inviting them back to her den! Though pleased, Bolide was a little alarmed. Soo should show some more caution. Not every man had Bolide's honorable intentions at heart. Goodness, gracious. Soo definitely needed protection. "Where do you want to go, Soo?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:53 pm
Bolide opened his mouth again, a strange silent laugh this time. Perhaps he was making fun of her again...but if that was the case, Anna was all right with it this time. He certainly had a point about the nasty little barbs some humans seemed to have.
"Some of them do, indeed," she said, absently running her thumb over the shorn nail stubs on her fingertips. She held her hand up in front of her. "I appear to be declawed, though."
Tsunake mumbled something about getting away from the alley. While it was certainly not a good idea for Bolide to stay in such a semi-public place, the thought of moving to a more secluded location made Anna a little nervous. The thought of the sunny street just a handful of steps away was at least mildly comforting. She still wasn't entirely sure that Bolide wouldn't take offense at something she said and help himself to a little blonde snack.
Well...she could always plead work back at the accelerator and take off if things got strange...er, stranger than they already were. "Is there a good place to go nearby?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 1:50 am
Those massive jaws opened once more--but Bolide didn't seem angry. Hm. Well, this was turning out nicely; Tsunake was pretty sure she had pegged Bolide's personality down some. He wasn't evil, despite what his appearance suggested. He was aggressive, forward, but at the same time, protective. He formed opinions quickly, maybe? Shaking off those thoughts, Tsunake chuckled, resisting the urge to glance at her own, slightly chewed on nails. It was a bad habit she hadn't quite gotten rid of.
"All right. I believe you." The woman tipped her head forward slightly, amused with Bolide. He obviously wasn't stupid, and...well, despite his obvious oddity, he seemed to know human customs. Good lord, she was taking this too calmly.
Blinking, Tsunake shrugged slightly before responding, "Well, I just thought that if we stood here too long, someone would see us and start making a fuss." On top of that, who knew if Bolide would respond the same way--and scare the unfortunate sap right out of their skin. "I know there's a few parks around...or one park, rather...the beach...my apartment." She added the last rather lamely. She hardly believed that Bolide would be able to get through the door, and if he did, it'd be crowded and uncomfortable. "Either of you know of a spot? I'm all out of ideas."
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:50 am
Bolide's anger had evaporated. Anna thought he meant pitiful human finger-claws? Oh, how silly. His Mutti regularly used his rough hide as a nail file. He laughed out loud, a kind of bizarre bubbling chuckle. Bolide was more concerned about the ugly little stingers humans concealed about their persons than about human fingernails. Guns, knives, tranquilizers, cellphones with infuriating ringtones -- humans had all sorts of nasty accessories.
"It is true, soon there will be a fuss. I have been here for too long." A park sounded nice. The beach sounded nicer, but humans tended to be boring companions at the beach. Unless they had all sorts of arcane equipment on, they couldn't venture out past the shallowest water. Bolide squinted at Anna and Soo. They certainly didn't have human swimming equipment on. Hmmf. "The park is okay, or a beach. It is your decision." The park was sounding nicer and nicer. Maybe they could have a picnic. Eating food with friends was very good, very good.
Bolide straightened up and carefully edged his way out of the alley. He was now extremely obvious, but hopefully they could get to wherever before any humans kicked up a fuss. The people of Rosewood had seen Bolide out and about before, but it was doubtful that they would ever completely accept his presence. He bent down closer to Soo and whispered. "Be careful to be inviting strange men to your den. Not all as good as me." Of course, Bolide's whispers could usually be heard several feet away.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 7:16 pm
Anna didn't think he got the joke, but that was all right. Having Bolide think her silly was better than having him think her delicious.
The park sounded like a good idea. Anna didn't really want to get crammed into a small apartment with someone as big as Bolide, and the idea of the beach conjured up a few too many...odd memories...
She caught most of Bolide's whisper to Tsunake, and stifled a giggle. The thought was...hilari...but she'd better think of something else before she offended him again....
"The park sounds nice," she said to no one in particular, glancing in the direction of the neat little grocery store that first caught her eye. "How about some lunch?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:50 am
She would have been lying if she had said Bolide's chuckle hadn't surprised her. It was a faintly amused surprised, however--good to know that the creature could laugh. Shifting the book bag on her shoulder once more, Tsunake gave a little shrug. "Kay. The park sounds nice..." It'd be a good chance to relax, and, if they were lucky, no one would be around. Wishful thinking, but hey, it could happen. Just look how her day had turned out already...
The woman didn't draw away as Bolide shuffled out, then bent slightly to whisper at her. Eyes went wide for a moment, and, furiously fighting the urge to turn crimson, Tsunake cleared her throat, refusing to look at Anna out of sheer embarrassment. Let a dump truck decided to back up right over her now, please.
"I will." She promised quietly, smiling abashedly down at her feet. No sense in getting embarrassed--or offended. "That's sweet of you to worry; I'll be careful." Any man who got dragged into her 'den' would probably be in pieces.
Tsunake almost sighed wistfully at the thought of a picnic, looking very much satisfied. "That'd be good! I've got some money with me..." What would Bolide eat exactly? She and Anna wouldn't have a problem picking out whatever, but... "You want anything?" She asked, hoping very much so that whatever he chose wouldn't be too awkward to be seen carrying around.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:27 am
Oblivious to Tsunake's discomfort, Bolide nodded happily. A picnic, a picnic. That would be good. Anna was looking at the grocery store. She had the right idea. Bolide had already had a snack today, but in typical shark (and male) fashion, he was always ready to eat.
Soo's offer to procure food was kind, but Bolide was slightly miffed. The male was supposed to bring the female food, didn't she know anything? That was just what happened when you let feminism run rampant. Females buying food for males! What was next? Bolide was all for strong independent females, but if it involved morally suspect picnics he was against it. Oh, well. Soo was a human. She probably didn't know any better.
"I buy the food, you see? The man brings the food to the female! That is how it goes. Come." Bolide edged past Anna and Soo, shuffling boldly out of the alley. The grocery store owner might be somewhat surprised by his appearance, but he was a customer. The customer was right. That was the law.
The Cambrian ducked through the (fortunately) double doors of the shop, nearly knocking over a stand of snack nuts in the process. He straightened up and looked the cashier in the eye. "We are buying food." Bolide stuffed a claw into his pocket and pulled out a wad of junk mail. Ah, here it was. To Mister Boblide B. Green, esquire. Thank goodness he had remembered to check the mail before coming to town! "I have a Veeza five thousand dollar credit limit. See here. It is written." He shook the crumpled letter at the cashier proudly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:07 pm
The man brings food to the female.
If it weren't coming from an almost eight-foot green aquatic creature, it would be downright insulting. As it was, watching Tsunake and Bolide interact, Anna felt like she was watching some sort of bizzare animal mating ritual on the Nature Channel, complete with British voiceover.
"See how the male maneuvers his way into the front of the pack, leading the hunt to provide food for the females. He will offer the food to the chosen female, and perform the ritual mating dance.
"Look there! A competitor is guarding the food. Watch as the male puffs himself up to intimidate this competitor. This serves two purposes: one, to force the competitor to relinquish the food; and two, to impress the female..."
Anna shook her head, forcing herself back to reality. Bolide was waving a crumpled wad of paper and a shiny new Visa card at the cashier. The cashier was certainly intimidated...or maybe just stunned...
In either case, she felt more than a little awkward. "I think I'm going to wait outside for you two..." she said quietly in Tsunake's direction. "This store is maybe just a little small for all of us..."
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Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:14 am
...The man brings the food to the--Tsunake had clapped one hand over her forehead, eyes closing in utter disbelief. Oh no. Oh no no no. This wasn't going where she thought it was going, right? Tsunake looked uncertainly to Anna, then back at Bolide, following behind awkwardly. Well, this didn't have to mean anything, right? Instinctively, she thrust her shoulders back and straightened herself, her head held high. She sure as hell wasn't going to let it mean anything, and that was that.
Five thousand...A Visa with that much money on it? Just where had Bolide gotten that? Tsunake blinked, shrugging her shoulders slightly, but offering a small nod at Anna. "Okay...Do you want anything specific? I can try to make sure we grab it..." The silver-haired woman suddenly felt bad for the blonde. She had sort of been dragged into this, and, while Tsunake loathed feeling guilty, she couldn't help but think that it was partially her fault that Anna was in this mess.
Suppressing a sigh, Tsunake returned her attention to the cashier, faintly amused as she wondered how he was going to react. Hopefully he wouldn't freak--that would send up a panic and the LAST thing she wanted was to get involved with the cops today.
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Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:50 pm
Bolide didn't have any romantic intentions towards the woefully tiny human females, but he knew a man's duties when it came to food. The woman might prepare the food in the den, but the man brought the food when eating outside. That was just how it went. He was willing to allow Anna and Soo to choose their own lunch, though. Bolide wasn't sure what the humans would like to eat, and didn't want to offend them. Humans could be very picky about their food.
The cashier was shellshocked, gaping up at the unlikely trio. Bolide snorted impatiently and stomped off down an aisle. Food, okay. Bread, vegetables, slimy lumps of pre-sliced meat wrapped in plastic. His claws punctured a bag of bread, sending several slices fluttering to the floor. This was okay. This was speed shopping. After demanding a bunch of interestingly exotic types of meat from an alarmed butcher, Bolide was ready to roll. He shuffled to the counter and waited patiently for the other two to bring him the lunch they had chosen.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:23 am
Anna was headed for the door when her feet were attacked by flying bread slices.
She picked them up without thinking, and was left trying to decide what to do with the dirty errant slices. Embarrassed, she finally left them on the counter, and decided to stick around and help with the shopping...and maybe with carrying the groceries.
She grabbed a package of cookies off the shelf and looked back at Tsunake, who was much closer to the cold beverage cases than Anna was.
"Could you maybe grab me something caffeinated while you're over there?"
Bolide had marched up to the cash register and was waiting. He seemed to have more than enough food to do everything but satisfy her need for chocolate and large amounts of caffeine. She tossed her cookies onto the pile and gave the cashier a (hopefully) reassuring smile.
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 7:50 am
Tsunake blanched slightly at the slices of bread that ungracefully fell to the floor, tugging her book bag higher up on her shoulder. Well, that wasn't good. Maybe she should clean it up--eyes locking onto Anna, a look of utmost relief broke across the silver-haired woman's face. Oh, good! So she wasn't going to leave her alone in this slightly awkward situation...At least there wasn't a mass panic yet, right?
With a derisive grin, she nodded, tugging open the sliding door and grabbing two Cokes. That would do, right...? If not, oh well! "Hold on." Dashing into one of the aisles, Tsunake snatched up a jar of crunchy peanut butter, hesitating before grabbing a bag of chips as well. Couldn't hurt. Trotting back, she set them on the counter with the other items, mirroring Anna by trying to give the cashier a smile as well.
"This should be nice." She murmured happily, moving to stand next to the other woman. She hadn't had a picnic with friends in ages--it'd only make the day even more exciting. "Hope the park's empty." Empty enough, anyway.
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