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 Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:36 pm
Finally, solid ground beneath her boot-heels. Having hit port less than an hour ago, Ki'retha was enjoying renewing her acquaintance with the earth--this last trip had been pushing the boundaries, for her. But, she wouldn't trade her current life for anything--even with the difficulties it gave her, given her strong ties to the woodlands, and earth, there was something about the open sea that she just couldn't resist. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and her usual loose-fitting overshirt was unlaced, allowing some of the seabreeze to give her some marginal degree of relief from the heat.
Pointedly ignoring Oberon, who was panting insistently in her ear, absolutely miserable in the summer heat, Ki made her way through the boisterous port of gambino, the trip yielding a few more coins than she'd started with.
Irritated by his companion's lack of sympathy for his plight (it was hot when you had a full coat of fur!) Oberon nipped Ki on the ear, before darting off into the crowd.
"You little shi-" Ki cursed, eyes quickly losing sight of the temperamental butterflox. Sighing, she supposed that she really should go look for him--tempting though it might be to abandon him to his fate, since she'd agreed to participate in an ongoing experiment involving the strange vial of amber, she figured it wouldn't go over very well that managed to lose track of the creature she'd won during the summer festival the previous year. Glaring pointedly at a man who looked as though he were about to attempt striking up a conversation, she nonetheless snagged his wallet as she pushed past him, hoping that Oberon hadn't gone far.
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Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:45 am
Kinsey finally had a day off today. First time she had a day off in...well, since she had moved out of her mother's place, even! Oh, sure. She had time off from work every now and again, she wouldn't let that damn restaurant eat up all her time, but she had been spending quite a lot of time making her apartment more like home. What? It was harder than it sounded! There was a lot of painting involved, arranging furniture, and generally having some sense of design.
No, seriously. It was hard!
So, on her first totally free weekend, Miss Kinsey Finch had decided to treat herself to some fishing. Yes. Fishing. There was nothing wrong with enjoying a perfect summer day at the beach. Everyone did it. Kinsey just happened to prefer to spend them away from the crowd with a line in the water. Or in the crowd, as today's case might be. The boyish youth wandered through Gambino's port, a bucket of bait in one hand, a rod and a net in the other. She just needed to find a good place to settle down-
What was that?
Did that fox have wings?
Thinking quickly, Kinsey dropped the bucket and rod, swinging the net around as she made a wild leap towards the small, agile creature. Her net was a pretty decent size, but that wasn't the question. It was if she calculated right. The young woman hit the deck with a thud and scrambled forward to check her net.
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:56 pm
Not paying attention to where he was flying, other than to avoid obvious obstacles, Oberon yelped in surprise as Kinsey's net flew up and over his head, tangling in his wings and forcing him to the ground with an audible, solid thud. Struggling to his feet, Oberon glared up at his captor through the netting, growling low in his throat, his heart beating fast, the beginning of panic setting trickling in. It was sinking in that he was not very large, comparatively, and was now stuck completely at this person's mercy, without even the ability to take flight to safety, should he need it.
Ki, not too far behind her wayward 'pet', took in the scene before her at a glance, not quite sure as to her own reaction. She was...concerned, to see Oberon in such a state. No, she corrected herself, shaking her head--she was upset that someone else might get to pawn the annoying beast off on some collector of rare creatures, and make a fortune.
Straightening, she took a moment to catch her breath, tossing her shoulder-length hair back, expression cool and confident as she stepped over to where Kinsey and Oberon were having their face-off. Hands on her hips, she unconsciously gathered her presence, much as she did when directing the crew. She was relatively tall, and slender, as was typical of her race, but it was a muscular sort of slim--she was no starving waif!
While her clothing was hardly noteworthy, or impressive (she was dressed in leather pants that laced up the sides, and flared out slightly below the knee, dropping casually over the tops of her boots, and a long-sleeved lace-up shirt whose sleeves flared out slightly as well, with one silver cuff worn on each of her upper arms--the attire was rather worn, and since she'd only just arrived at port, was distinctly dingy), she oozed confidence.
"Do you make a habit of netting other people's pets often?" She raised an eyebrow, expression faintly amused--she'd never been the sort to fly off the handle unless seriously provoked, and seeing as the girl had hardly been discreet in netting Oberon, she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Additionally, the use of the word 'pet', rather than companion, or 'beast' was meant for Oberon, a deliberate slight on her part to the butterflox, small recompense for having to dash all through the back alleys like a common street urchin.
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:29 pm
Kinsey sucked in a desperate breath, the deck proving to make a much rougher landing than she originally assumed. She wasn't concerned with the breathing, though. She had caught the creature. Still unconcerned with the fact she was sprawled in the middle of a public walkway, the young woman reached out to touch the little butterflox. Well, that was, until someone else marched over and inquired after it.
Kinsey rolled over and sat up, still keeping a firm hand on the net's handle as she eyed the stranger. "It's yours?" she questioned, glancing back at the fascinating creature. What a shame! He would certainly be more interesting than any fish she managed to hook. She gave the butterflox one last, longing look before raising the net. "Too bad," she muttered, slowly hoisting herself to her feet. She brushed off her jeans and her shirt, bracelets clinking as she went about her cleaning ritual. There wasn't much to clean. Kinsey dressed simply enough, and she had the build of a boy. A very lanky, skinny boy. She was all angles, no curves. There was no chest to speak of.
Kinsey pushed some of her short hair behind her ear, only to have it fall forward again. "So, what do you call that thing, anyways?" she asked, waving a hand at the stranger's pet. Kinsey blinked. Wait. Was it rude to ask for someone's pet's name before asking for theirs? The youth blinked again, frowning to herself as she offered her hand for a shake. "I'm Kinsey, by the way."
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:10 pm
Oberon blinked in surprise when the net was lifted away, interrupting the glare he'd fired at Ki, upon her referring to him as a 'pet'. With an indignant snort, he shook himself out, fur fluffing up--surely he was intimidating now!
Ki was unimpressed. Raising an eyebrow, her expression clearly stated that the butterflox owed her one, whether he liked it or not. "Yeah, it's mine...assuming I don't sell it to some sort've freak show." This last was, once again, directed pointedly towards Oberon.
After glowering for what he deemed a suitable period of time, Oberon flapped his wings, darting nimbly to return to his usual perch, on Ki's shoulder. Eyes narrowing, he nipped at her ear, hard enough to prompt her to inhale sharply. Satisfied, although his expression was still somewhat indignant, he then settled down, returning his gaze to Kinsey.
Ki smirked, although the expression had a slightly sharp edge to it--she was already beginning to regret recovering the pest. "When in polite company, and he's behaving, I call him Oberon--if I recall correctly, when I received him he was referred to as being a butterflox." She refused to rub at her ear, although the spot that the little fox had nipped at was still sore.
Extending her own hand in return, Ki shook the girl's hand firmly, her palm rough and callused. "Ki'retha." She was impressed--the other girl hadn't fallen over herself apologizing, as most would have been wont to do in such an awkward situation--she had balls, Ki would give her that.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 4:06 am
Kinsey was very silently, and very secretly, slightly thankful Ki'retha didn't seem to mind the capture of her pet very much. Not that she'd ever admit to it, oh no. Even if Ki'retha was angry, she still wouldn't have apologized, of backed down. Just gotten angry back, and that would really put a damper on a perfect weekend now, wouldn't it? But that aside, the whole ordeal didn't seem like a very big deal. In fact, it seemed like they didn't like each other very much at all. If that butterflox, was it, knew what was good for him, he'd stop biting the hand that fed him. Or the ear of the person who fed him, as the case may by.
"Ki'retha," Kinsey murmured, making sure to remember the stranger's name. She'd probably never forgot the way she looked, that was for certain. Who could forget a seafaring women, especially one with a winged fox? Those certainly didn't walk by everyday. (Or maybe they did, in which case, Kinsey should clearly be spending more time at the beach.) "Where'd you get him?" she inquired, waving her hand at Oberon. There was no denying, she wanted one!
A butterflox wouldn't compare to a pet fish, not ev- Oh! "My rod!" Kinsey exclaimed suddenly, whipping around to look for her precious tool. Tossed to the side of the docks, she was quite lucky it hadn't been kicked into the water yet. Darting sideways, Kinsey scooping it up, scowling at the person who gave her a nasty look as she cut him off. Damn men. Didn't know what they were doing. Tucking the rod and her net against her side safely, Kinsey quickly walked back over to Ki'retha. "I think going after the bait is hopeless," she muttered, quirking a smile.
In a battle of worms versus feet, the feet were sure to win.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:53 am
Ki hesitated a moment before opening her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Kinsey, darting to pick up her fishing rod. When the man fixed first the girl, and then herself with an annoyed glare, she stared back, deliberately shifting to the side so that when he walked by, his shoulder bumped into hers roughly. At the same time, with her other hand, she nimbly lifted the wallet out of his back pocket--not bad at all...it was surprisingly heavy. When he turned his head to give her another glare, she shrugged, her own expression shifting to pleasantly deadpan.
"I won him--he was a door prize at a summer festival I attended last year." She still wasn't quite sure how it had gotten to be so long, without her having killed him, or sold him to the circus already.
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Ki met Kinsey's eyes with her own. "You could always see if one of the fish-sellers around here has leftover bits of fish they've cleaned--I don't fish myself, but I've heard they make for decent bait." She'd never really understood the appeal of fishing--she liked eating, and that included fish, but she'd never had the urge to take a day and give it a go.
Grunting, the man finally turned and continued on his way without anymore of a fuss, obviously in a hurry to get to wherever he was going. Satisfied, she grinned, tucking the wallet behind her belt.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:44 pm
Kinsey watched quietly as the other woman seemingly bumped into the grouchy man -she had stepped in his way, didn't she?- and then gave him an innocent look. Well, as innocent as uninterested gets. That was odd. They hardly knew each other, why would she defend- Oh. Kinsey flipped some hair behind her ear again, frowning thoughtfully. "Did you just-" No, no. It was probably better not to ask. She shook her head and pretended like she hadn't started.
"Door prize, huh?" Kinsey's face fell a little. "So chances would be, I couldn't get one." Alas. She'd have to stick with trying to catch something interesting one of these days. The fish in pet stores weren't really the same. (And come to think, they didn't have anything like butterfloxes, either.) She shrugged and shook her had, looking back down at her rod as Ki'retha made her suggestion.
Not bad. Kinsey shrugged and nodded. She didn't fish with fish guts too often. Smelled funny. "You wanna come along?" she offered. "I'm sure someone around here has a rod they'd be willing to lend." Kinsey paused before adding, "Or a rod they aren't watching closely," she mused, shifting. She had 'borrowed' more than her fair share of rods when hers had broken or been pulled in when she wasn't near a shop. "Well, whaddya say?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:01 am
Ki's smile widened, her whole expression lightening somewhat, into an almost childlike expression of joy, when Kinsey made no move to draw attention to her nimble fingers, or to start preaching as to the 'wrongness' of her actions. This girl might just be worth spending a little more time with, especially since she'd managed to ruffle Obe's feathers, so to speak.
Shrugging, she gave Kinsey a slightly odd look, as if she couldn't understand why she'd want a little pest pet like Oberon. "That'd depend, I guess--I mean, I can't imagine that there won't ever be any more of them or anything, you know?"
Glancing over at Obe, who was still pointedly ignoring her, Ki nodded decisively--it wasn't as though she was in any hurry to get back to the appartment after being cooped up on a ship for so long, anyway.
With a small huff, Oberon settled himself more comfortably onto Ki's shoulder, finally shifting his attention off've Kinsey to look around the bustling port with an idle sort of interest.
"Sure." She finally said, tucking one thumb loosely behind her belt. "Although I've never actually...fished before, so the odds of my hooking something I shouldn't is pretty likely."
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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:07 am
Kinsey shrugged back, brushing her hair out of her face. Again. "Well, I guess I'll have to look around and see?" she chirped, looking thoughtful. No use getting all done about it. "Where'd you say you got him, again? Party? Who held the party?" she rattled, already turning on her heel to head for the fish mongers. They'd probably be pretty easy to get to part with their unneeded fish pieces.
"Never fished before, and you live around here?" It was an assumption, but she did seem like she knew the docks pretty well. "Right waste," she said. She'd fish every day if she lived around here! "But, you'll probably have beginner's luck. I sit around all day, don't catch a damn thing sometimes. But new kids go, catch a whole pile a' fish. You'll be like my good luck charm!" Kinsey smiled, and wrinkled her nose.
"I think they have the fish."
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:25 pm
Inclining her head at Kinsey in a noncommittal sort of agreement, Ki propped one hand easily on her hip. "It was a summer festival, not a party-I don't remember how all it was organized, but there were all sorts of booths, and one of them happened to be some sort of door-prize raffle, with different creatures as the 'prizes'" she shrugged, then, as if the whole process really wasn't a concern for her...she really wasn't sure how much about the 'experiment' was safe to discuss with others, and so avoided giving away anything more specific.
At the other's new line of conversation, Ki grinned, shaking her head. "Nope." Until recently, when she'd finally condescended to get her own appartment, she'd not even really 'lived' here, anyway.
"So really, it's often just a way to spend a day lazing in the sun?" This said with an almost lazy, mischievious expression that made it hard to tell just to what extent she was teasing.
When it became apparent that neither Ki nor Kinsey was going to do anything drastic anytime soon, Oberon took off again, landing a few feet away on the ground and sniffing around curiously, although he frequently looked back over his shoulder, as if to make sure that Ki hadn't wandered off too far.
"So, what do you do, besides fish?" She asked a moment later, content to let the girl lead the way, given that she was the one with prior experience.
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:24 am
"Yep. Damn right it is," Kinsey replied, flashing Ki a toothy grin before turning to the fish monger they had come upon. It was actually a little funny; the older woman had never fished before, but she already knew exactly what the past time actually was. Most people who fished couldn't even enjoy the real beauty of it. It wasn't about the fish, not at all.
A few moments later, the youth turned around with a bucket of fish, wrinkling her nose a little. It smelled a little, but once they got down to the edge of the docks, the breeze would take care of that. She began to lead Ki down to her fishing spot and considered the question. "Well. I have a job. I waitress the late shift." She shrugged. "I go visit my family...and...that's it. I need more hobbies." The girl stuck her tongue out and sat down at the edge of one 'her' dock, deserted by whoever actually owned it, and patted the wood next to her. "Well, gonna fish, or what?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:42 am
Ki laughed, shaking her head at Kinsey's bluntness. It was a trait she enjoyed. Immensely. Additionally, she noted privately, the pasttime also had the potential to provide a mostly-free dinner, if things went well--and that was something she appreciated even more.
Standing a couple of paces back, she left Kinsey to talking the fish seller out've a bucket of fishy bits, scritching at Obe's chin thoughtfully, as he'd taken it upon himself to perch on her shoulder when she and the youth had moved. When Kinsey turned back around, success evident by the bucket of fish she now held, Ki raised her eyebrows. While certainly not her favorite smell, odour was something that she'd long since learned to ignore--a necessity when one was sometimes out at sea for months at a time with men who, in some cases, seemed to consider bathing an option.
presuming that this girl didn't waitress at one of the dingy, dockside taverns that Ki and her crewmates were likely to frequent--she seemed a little too clean-cut for that. "You still live at home, then?" Her tone was neutral, although she couldn't help but wonder just how young the girl was, if that was the case.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:17 am
Kinsey had long since outgrown 'girly' traits such as recoiling at foul smells; it was a necessity when growing up with brothers, after all. She settled down on the dock, plucking off her boots and wading her socks deep inside said boots before addressing the hook and fish guts. Good thing she didn't mind touching gross things anymore, either. Once the bait was properly secured, she offered the line to Ki. "You want to have first go?" she offered, leaning down to dip her fishy hand in the water.
"Hmm? No, I moved out," she replied, chuckling. "But, I dunno. My mom likes to have meals with the whole family a few times a week, and who am I to say no to a free, home-cooked meal?" It went without saying that it was far better than anything Kinsey tried to create. She was good at serving food, at that was as far as her domestication went. "What about you? Hobbies?
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:18 am
Shaking her head, Ki crouched down beside the bucket, eyeing the fish-bits thoughtfully. "Nah, I'd rather see how it's done, first, I think." She tended to be a fast learner, and really didn't think there was all that much to fishing, anyway-but it gave her a little more time to observe, and measure the girl's personality a bit more thoroughly.
"Free meals are nothing to sniff at," she responded easily, amused. The closest she came to 'family' meals was eating with the rest of the crew on board the ship, or when more than one of them ended up at the same dockside tavern and grabbed something to eat. She didn't cook herself--aside from the occasional frozen dinner or instant noodles, anyway.
Shrugging, Ki braced her hands on her knees, debating between taking a seat, and remaining as she was a bit longer. Did lifting valuables from unsuspecting passers-by count as a hobby? She wondered how the girl would take that, a smirk flitting briefly across her face.
"Not really." she replied after a brief silence. "I don't really have all that much free time on a steady basis, so while I have interests, like most, I don't really have any one activity that I'd label a 'hobby'." The sea remained her first love, which her lifestyle certainly reflected--and if it meant that she had very few close relationships, then that was a price she was willing to pay. She enjoyed the freedom, the constant change, and the excitement that her life so often brought.
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