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 Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:38 pm
Mrrrrrrm. Mrrrrrrrrrm. Mrrrrr-
Kinsey glowered as she watched her little silver cellphone vibrate itself off her nightstand right into a pile of clothes headed for the laundry. Stupid piece of junk. She could still hear its muffled cry underneath all the soiled clothes. Who called at friggen' early o'clock, anyways? The youth rolled over, about to stuff her head back under her pillow when she caught sight of the neon green glaring at her from across the room.
...twelve thirteen? The young woman frowned. It was just slightly past midnight, right? Right!? Kinsey wriggled to the edge of her mattress and sat up, leaning up against the wall to pull up the shade. Oh! Ow! That was sun. That was definitely the sun. The dark-haired female growled as she stood, shielding her eyes. Damnit. She needed to get going.
She haphazardly pulled on a pair of jeans, some band t-shirt and a few accessories. Kinsey forgot any makeup, hardly remembered her phone and cursed her way down the stairs before hoping out onto the street. Crap. Why was there no more coffee in her house? With only a small amount of relief, she remembered there was a small coffee shop on the way to her mother's. Spying said shop, Kinsey quickly devised her plan. The boyish youth would just swing in and-
"Hey!"
-bump into the nearest person, apparently.
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:44 am
A break was in order. She'd been working hard, and unfortunately, it wasn't the type of work she favored: she'd been cooped up in the main office of her division, having to deal with people and paperwork, two of her greatest vices. Alex had to keep Lorenzo with her just for the sake of her sanity, and he'd done wonders by snapping at passerbys and generally looking the part of an angry dog. He was no happier about the situation than she was, feeding off her own anxiety.
It was no small surprise that they were both like birds freed from a cage as they left the building, Lorenzo going so far as to chirrup his own sweet song of glee. Alex sighed with deep relief as she made her way down the sidewalk, hands in her blue jean pockets, shoulders hunched beneath her tank top. She really should have worn a polo or blouse, but she couldn't be bothered since it wasn't a formal meeting. Heck, they at least had things to distract her at meetings, like coffee and muffins!
And coffee had sounded delightful. She wasn't a coffee drinker, but to sit back in a mellow atmopshere with the tasty smelling brew was just what she needed. To watch all the other pencil pushers go about their day, while she reflected on her work and all she had done for the day. She was reaching out for the door that would admit her into delicious aromas and sweet relaxation...
...which was momentarily cut short as she ran into something. Or something ran into her, she wasn't entirely certain. There was an indignant sqwuak from the Gwee, although Alex herself didn't do so much as stumble. Bright green eyes blinked in wonder at...a young woman? Well, it wasn't the first time she'd blundered into someone, so she didn't mind taking the blame.
"Hey there," she replied, more as a greeting than an excalamation of annoyance. "You okay? Sorry about that, got a bit of tunnel vision after work." Alex smiled faintly in apology, trying to soothe the bristling dragon on her shoulder. Really, one would think it was him that had been run into, rather than his perch.
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Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:15 pm
Kinsey scowled at the other woman, halfway to cussing her out (early morning panics really left the young woman in such a sour mood), when she noticed the green Gwee resting on her shoulder. "Oh. Uh. Yeah," she replied, giving Alex a sideways look. "Just startled. That's all. Not really a morning person," she muttered, brushing a hand through her short hair. So what if it was sometime in the afternoon? She had just woken up. It was morning enough for her.
"I'm Kinsey Finch, by the way."
She'd offer a hand, but like she already said, she wasn't a morning person. She just didn't think right. She took a step sideways, trying to get a good look at the stranger's pet. She'd never seen one of those up close, before! "And you?" Kinsey asked, eyes still glued on the little dragon. "Uh, is he friendly?" It would not do to get bitten. Especially by a stranger's pet. "I mean. Can I pet him?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:45 pm
Alex was no stranger to body language, despite her failings in a social atmosphere. The short, clipped words and lackluster response already put up her red alerts to possibly just push on into the coffee shop and pretend the incident didn't happen. She was surprised (as she often was with other humans) when the other started to speak to her, and nearly down-right baffled as she was given both a full name and a request to pet Lorenzo.
"Alex," she replied, keeping her amusement out of her voice. She jerked her thumb towards her Gwee. "Lorenzo, but he goes by Zoe. He will be deeply offended if you don't pet him." Her eyes sparkled with mirth, extending her elbow in front of her body as she continued, "He's a ham. The only things he dislike are a lack of pillows to sleep on and having no sweets to eat. Zoe, say hello."
Lorenzo, for his part, was watching the other woman with great interest until he heard his name. That was his cue! Yes, they were speaking about him, and why shouldn't they? His human routinely told him how cute and silly he was, even if he knew these things; the praise was welcome all the same. "'ro!" he mirrored the woman's words in a squeaky voice. He sauntered down the length of the woman's arm, tail held high, regarding Kinsey out of the corner of his crimson eyes almost cat-like before his real nature got the best of him.
Little wings spread and beat just so to loft him in front of the new woman, uttering clicks and whistles as he told her just how great he was. Sure, the humans may not speak his language, but that didn't mean they didn't understand. Usually this was followed by himself getting hugged or fed sweets, so what wasn't to understand? He cocked his head to the side, tail snaking by his legs as he awaited his affection.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 5:14 pm
Kinsey's smile brightened a little, appreciating the hint of humor. Or maybe it wasn't humor. But, it would probably be even funnier if Alex's Gwee, Lorenzo was it?, actually got offended because she didn't pet him. And as funny as it sounded, the youth got the distinct feeling she didn't actually want to test the theory. She giggled as the dragon parroted his name and reached out to pet him, looking over at Alex after a moment.
"He's really nice," she said, unable to keep the stupid grin off her face. "I need to find myself a nice pet like this," she murmured, pulling back after a moment. She didn't really want to over do it. Besides, she didn't have any snacks for him! "I've been trying to get my hands on some fancy fish, but compared to him and some of the other critters I've seen running around..." Kinsey shook her head and shrugged. Koi just didn't seem very exciting anymore.
A man pushed himself around Kinsey, giving her a look as he worked himself into the coffee shop. The young woman didn't hesitate as she mirrored the nasty look, sticking her tongue out as she was jostled to the side. Hmm. She swung around, tipping her head as she looked at Alex. "I think that was a hint to go in," she said, smiling a little. At least the bad case of the mornings had worn off!
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:15 pm
Lorenzo was positively preening. It'd been a good chunk of time since he'd been paid such attention, especially by someone new! He liked new people. They didn't know he wasn't supposed to eat treats, and were easily swayed by his big eyes and innocent charm. Until his human said otherwise, he fully intended to take advantage of this glorious opportunity!
That was, until the New Person seemed to lose interest and look at the door. Indignant, the Gwee uttered a sound not unlike a huff, returning to Alex's shoulder with an upturned nose. He was far more interesting than that sweet smelling place! Unless...she was curious about it for his sake? Why of course, what other purpose would it serve?!
The woman ignored the seemingly bi-polar dragonette, grabbing the Gwee (who was beyond indignant at this point) and tucking him against her chest. "He's a handful," was all she said, smiling warmly. Alex may never need children or pets with Lorenzo, as he seemed to double as both. At the man's nasty glance, she simply shook her head, glancing briefly inside. People. What confusing bags of emotion.
"Let's not disappoint anyone else, then," she chortled, scritching Lorenzo's nose, who unsurprisingly had fallen still and was nearly purring. "And tell you what. I'll treat you to a cup. My way of apologizing for making the morning harder than it needs to be." Alex lifted her eyebrows, using her foot to catch the door so they could finally enter their mutual point of interest.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:50 pm
Kinsey nodded, reaching forward to grab the door Alex had caught. "Sounds good," she agreed. Heh, like she'd turn up a free cup of coffee. And that meant she could use her coffee money to buy something like a blueberry muffin, or maybe a scone. Mhhm. Scones. She couldn't even remember the last time she had something along with her coffee. (It was when she still lived with her parents, that was for sure.) It would be a nice change. Maybe running into Alex wasn't such a bad thing, after all.
The young woman pushed open the shop doors, hanging on long enough for Alex to join her inside before slipping into line. She knew exactly how she wanted her coffee. Leaning back and glancing over at Alex, she smiled, amused by the strange point of view. "Hey, not to be rude, or anything, but shouldn't you be at a job, or something?" Kinsey offered a haphazard smile. Most people didn't have time for coffee in the middle of the day, they had real jobs, as her family put it. "Unless, you're on your lunch break, or something," she mused.
A voice drew her attention front and center. Man, the service was fast here! "Uh, small coffee with three creams and no sugar, please." Sugar, in coffee, was pure gross. And who needed that kind of energy, anyways? Certainly not her! "Oh, and a blueberry scone, please," she added, stuffing her hand into her jean pockets, fishing around for her wad of cash while she stepped sideways, making room for Alex to order whatever she was having.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:02 pm
"Not rude at all," Alex replied with an arched brow. Most people didn't care to ask such things, but she didn't really mind the question in the least. "I just came from my job. 'm done for the day." That's right. She refused to go out and scale the cliffs at this time of day; she wouldn't be back until morning, and that was ludacris. Even people who loved their jobs as much as she did had to take some sense of rationality into consideration. It was quite impressive, considering the woman rarely had a shred of rationality to begin with. She passed on returning the question, as it seemed to her if Kinsey had just awakened, then she worked graveyard. Or at least, it was kinder to assume such, anyway.
Taking a step in front of the register, Alex glanced at the Gwee nestled in her arms before ordering. "Peppermint hot cocoa, please, and one of your small eclairs." Green eyes flit between the dragonette and the cashier, wondering if there was a no animal policy. Oh well, bit late to wonder now, eh? Not at all noticing if her company was offering up any type of money, the Italian pulled out her wallet and held it open with her teeth, plucking a single bill from it and handing it to the barista. Replacing the wallet in her back pocket, she jerked her chin off towards the tables and chairs. "Got a preference?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:36 am
"Oh, really? That's neat!" Kinsey was pretty sure most people would kill to be done in the middle of the day and have the rest of the afternoon free. She certainly would. The youth wouldn't exactly call her shift 'graveyard', but it was pretty close. She waitressed at a downtown restaurant. Depending on how the night went, she wouldn't get off until one or two in the morning. It always took her a while to settle in to go to sleep, and Kinsey insisted on having at least eight hours before getting up the next day. She was told she was quite the little demon without.
Kinsey realized Alex had paid for all of it, mumbled some kind of thanks under her breath, and stuffed the small wad of ones back into her pocket. She followed the Italian's gaze across the small cafe and shrugged. "By the window, I guess," she said, snatching one of the small 'free samples' and pocketing it. A moment later, their orders came up. Kinsey took her cup gratefully, inhaling the intoxicating aroma with a happy sigh. The scone in two, the girl turned and led the way to the table she just indicated.
She set her plate and cup down, eyes flicking to the other woman and her pet. Kinsey grinned something slightly wicked and pulled the free sample from her pocket and offered it to the Gwee. The cookie was a little crumbled now, but she hoped Lorenzo still appreciated it. Alex did say he liked sweet things.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:40 am
Nodding, Alex gave Kinsey another wide smile. "Sounds good," she agreed, dumping the change in a nearby tray that said 'Tips.' Thankfully they didn't have to wait long for their drinks and sweets, picking up her own and balancing them both in one hand. It was no easy feat with Lorenzo scrambling for what he knew was in the bag. The Gwee had a nose that would put any dog to shame; she knew it well from trying to hide sweets in various places in her make-shift home, only to find the whole area ravaged mere minutes later.
Taking a seat, she put the drink and eclair down, also putting the dragonette on the side of the table. "Mind yourself," she warned the male dragon, who tucked his tail tightly around his legs in acknowledgement.
It didn't last long, though, as there was a cookie being offered! With a chittering song of delight, Zoe belly-crawled over to Kinsey, lifting his head and sniffing the cookie, eyes watching the woman to make sure it was okay. When it didn't move, he gingerly took a piece (about half, since it had broken), before darting back to his corner on the table. There, he promptly stuck the whole thing in his mouth, pooching out his cheeks not unlike a chipmunk.
"Slow down Zoe, if you choke I'm not letting you have anymore for a week!" Assuring the Gwee looked properly scorned, the Italian chuckled softly, leaning back in her chair and taking a sip of her sweet liquid. It was delicious, as always, even in the warm weather; peppermint and chocolate, it really couldn't be beat. She dabbed a bit on her pinky finger, extending it to Lorenzo, who very delicately (and with a tongue full of crumbs) licked it. "I had to do paperwork today, so I don't get to do my real job, don't have time. If the stuff-shirt pencil-pushers knew the delicacies of working with animals, they'd be a little more understanding with stupid things. Or so I'd like to think."
It was clear by her tone of voice that she obviously didn't think so.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:32 am
Kinsey watched Lorenzo with a hint of awe, most pleased the draongette had accepted her offering. She was half-tempted to offer him her scone, but the girl hadn't had a scone in a reeaaaally long time and- Well, it looked like Alex was going to take care of her Gwee. Kinsey smiled and took a sip of her coffee, glancing out the window before looking back at the pair.
"He really is a neat little fellow," she commented, watching him lap up the hot cocoa like a cat. "So, you work with animals?" she asked, taking another sip of coffee. "Is he one of the animals?" Kinsey tipped her head to the side. It might explain why the Gwee was so well-mannered and social. Or maybe he was just a pet. Getting to keep the dragonette could just be a perk. Who knew?
About to ask, Kinsey realized midway through opening her mouth how pushy she was being. The tan girl paused with a sheepish look, flipping dark violet hair out of her face, revealing the three rubies under her left eye. "Sorry about, uh, all the questions. I've just, you know, never seen anything quite like him before. He's so neat!" Kinsey wasn't above admitting she was jealous, nope. "Was he hard to train?"
There she goes again.
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 8:15 pm
"Yep," Alex agreed, watching the Gwee with a smile. "He's a character." She cocked her head to the side, chuckling a little at the questions; no one had ever been so interested, and it was somewhat refreshing. "Zoology," she confirmed with a singular nod, leaning on her arm resting against the table. "Zoe is one of the domesticated Gwee, so you could call him a pet. Sometimes I think he's more a pain in my butt than a child could ever be, 'cept he doesn't grow out of it."
She chuckled softly, watching him finally swallow down the cookie. Alex shook her head, taking the eclair carefully between her fingers, "I don't mind. It's kinda nice. It may sound weird, but I don't get to talk about myself much...working with animals," she broke off a piece of the sweet, "I don't have much in the way of human interaction. Makes me kinda awkward but I do try." She handed a small piece to the dragonette, who took the offering gently before doing as he had with the cookie and stuffing his cheeks silly.
"Lorenzo is a good topic starter," she laughed, shaking her head as he looked between the women, cheeks puffing with the small sweet. "There's a bit of a language barrier, as I'm sure you've noticed, but he learns quickly from repetition. The Gwee communicate through...well, to put it simply, they recognize vibrations, so he learns through tone of voice. He's not the brightest but he's a good little boy. Aren't you sweety?" she purred, scritching his nose as he chewed. "I study his wild brethren on the Barton Cliffs, s'where I'm stationed right now."
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 4:05 am
Well, at least Alex didn't mind playing twenty questions. Having spent most of her life with her family, she didn't have a lot of time to go and meet different people. Being the oldest and all, Kinsey was always expected to be at home to help with the younger kids. She never minded, oh no, she loved the little ones...but she wasn't completely heartbroken when her mother decided it was time she make on her own and her brother should take over with helping out around the family.
Kinsey nodded, nibbling on her scone as she watched the dragon do the same with the pastry. He must be like a dog, or something. Always hungry and afraid he'll never see another meal. "Wow. That's really cool. Is he the only one you've trained, or do you focus more on the wild ones?" she asked, idly wondering where exactly the Barton Cliffs. She never spent too much time outside Durem. Kinsey tipped her head to the side, brushing her bangs out of her face. The three red rubies under her eye glimmered in the midday sun.
"Man. I don't have a job anything near as interesting." Waitressing. Bah. Like she'd do that for the rest of her life. (Though she was having trouble finding a new one.)
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:42 am
The Gwee, sensing he was the center of attention, belly-crawled slowly towards Alex in a silent askance if it was okay that he left his position. At the gentle pat on his head, he was reassured, venturing to plop on his hindquarters between the two. He clicked and whistled conversationally, agreed that no doubt their praise of him was due and appropriate.
Slowly breaking off another piece of the eclair, Alex chuckled, considering. "I wouldn't say I trained him. It's more that we came to an understanding, a compromise. I guess you could say he thinks of me as his Alpha; I take care of him, and in turn, he gives me his respect and companionship. If I'm anxious, he can usually tell, and has a tendancy to get somewhat snippy like he's trying to protect me." Handing over the torn bit of morsel, she addressed the other question. "Oh I'm not a trainer, I just observe. My daily routine involves scaling the Cliffs to get to their dwelling, where I do studies on their habits and structure."
Alex thought of Zahara, adding, "There is one of the wild ones that has taken as much a curiosity of me as I have of them. A little female, but she doesn't let me touch her. She watches. They're interesting critters. We may never understand their language, but...well, you heard Zoe. Hey, Zoe," she lowered her gaze to the Gwee, "say 'Zahara.' Can you say Zahara?"
Lorenzo nibbled on the eclair a little more slowly this time, realizing that he was being properly fed and wouldn't have to flee with his treasure. He looked between them, head lifting at the familiar name of 'Zahara.' "A'ara," he agreed.
Chuckling, she pat his head, earning more chirrups and clicks from him. "Interesting, yeah, but it wasn't my first choice. Glad I went with it, even if college nearly killed me," Alex joked good naturedly. "What do you do?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:15 pm
"Ooooh," Kinsey said slowly, nodding as Alex explained the relationship with her Gwee. It was kind of like raising kids. You didn't own them, but if they didn't have a healthy respect for you, you wouldn't get a damn thing out of them. Except maybe a big mess in the kitchen. (Which, no, they wouldn't clean up by themselves.) She took a sip of her coffee, smiling brightly as Lorenzo parroted Alex. If he wasn't the brightest bulb, she couldn't image how smart the really clever Gwee were!
"Oh, uh, me?" Kinsey asked, blinking owlishly. Wait, wasn't she trying to avoid the topic in the most roundabout way? Damnit. "Uh. You know. Not much." The girl waved her free hand around, sinking in her chair a little. "I waitress. It's not very exciting. Since I work until the early morning, I get to meet some real creepers." That was putting it gently. "I'm...kinda looking for a new job. I just don't know what I want to do." She gave Alex a wry smile.
"I was home-schooled, I have a lot of brothers and sisters, so going to college was sort of a shock for me. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do, so, I, uh, haven't registered for any classes this fall," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't see the sense in throwing my money away for something I might not want."
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