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 Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:44 pm
Kincaid's gaze flickered around the well worn path. This was one of the few forest paths that could be instantly busy. He himself was so familiar with the path because it actually led to his home - the healer's place where many a taur traveled with their needs.
Warm sunlight that hinted at the coming spring flickered in through the trees lightening the natural highlights in his golden hair. His similar eyes, bright and careful, sought out the foxtaur following him.
Kincaid smiled as he looked back up the path, "We're kinda close now." He commented fixing the strap of his bulging satchel.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:03 pm
 Padding slowly down the pathway, Mersi had been pausing at intervals to memorize the area she was following. Familiar to Kincaid was new to her. The scent of many taur packed down the pathway. This too was new to her, to find such a path outside of town. Right, his mother was a healer.
She turned a bend, spotting the male waiting for her and smiled apologetically as she hurried to catch up. "Sorry. Just looking around."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 12:52 pm
"Take your time then." Kincaid looked back at her, "I would stop at random to look around myself after all. So I won't rush you." He shrugged lightly with a faint grin before turning back.
"Just don't get lost."
With that the foxtaur started walking at a smooth pace through the forest. His pack bounced against his back as they climbed uphill and towards a clearing. There patches of flowers were starting to bud with the season change and there close by was the hint of smoke.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:32 pm
Mersi nodded slightly, but walked on with less pausing than before. She wasn't worried about getting lost. Being a hunter required tracking skill as well. As much as she liked inspecting the new road, she was more intrigued by what Kincaid had promised to show her from back at the market. Something about flowers being useful for more than tea or decoration...
At the clearing, she frowned curiously at the flower patches. "Aren't these wild flowers? Or do your mother and aunt care for these out here in a simple clearing?" Flowers in a clearing. That's pretty much what she had, except hers stayed on the outer edges.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:43 pm
Kincaid looked over at Mersi and shook his head, "Some are, while the others are herbs. Tricky to see the difference in them at times." He commented walking past the patches. "Either way these are just some random plantings. Most of the flowers are at Lily's where the huge garden is."
The foxtaur walked away from the path that would lead to his actual home and turned towards a place that he had recently cleared and moved some of his stuff into. It was easier that way - no family to disturb his studies. And it gave Willow more room for her own supplies at home for Kincaid to store things here.
"There's a place up here that I have my things into." Kincaid grinned back at Mersi, "I hope it doesn't disappoint you that it'll just be the two of us since my family lives further up the path."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 1:59 pm
Mersi paused to look closer at a patch of purple buds. "Herbs? I thought herbs were all green." She snorted at the flower, feeling silly that she was showing how little she knew about plant life compared to this male. She stood quickly. At least, she was sure she could stand at his side if it was a comparison of fighting and hunting skills. She looked down at her coarse hands and smiled.
Hearing they would be alone, she hesitated before nodding. "I'll just have to live with the disappointment, then." She said, though she was a little nervous. She doubted Kincaid would try anything to harm her, but would mother approve of this at all?! Of course, Mersi knew nothing of all the "alone" time her parents had spent together before officially becoming mates. Perhaps that was for the best, considering what all that alone time had resulted in...
"It's rather like what I have. My own place, but only a short distance from my parents."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:29 pm
"Nope." Kincaid's ears twitched back in amusement. "Alright. I'm okay with that." He replied with a grin before disappearing around some bushes. The male's gentle hands pushed vines apart and he grinned as he found the door.
"It's kinda hidden right now - I never did get around to clearing the vines off."
Not like he minded. The privacy was nice after all. Then again Kincaid did enjoy company too. Eh, he'd fix things up later. "You too?" He asked looking back over his shoulder, "I took you as one of those independent souls." His eyes glittered in humor, "You must have a good family then to stay near them still."
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:48 pm
Mersi cocked a brow, then shrugged. "My parents are hopeless." She laughed before shaking her head. "Actually, my mother told me she had been planning to live there before she moved in with my father. They had actually had it started before they decided to live together at his house. They ended up finishing it anyway, and I moved into it."
She crouched through the opening Kincaid had made. "Still on my own, but close if they need me." She looked off to the side, though her tone was proud. "Actually, it was a big help when I adopted my daughter, having them nearby."
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:12 am
Kincaid looked over at Mersi with a small grin, "Hopeless eh?" His tail twitched in humor, "Well, that definitely worked out for you then. Especially since you adopted... a daughter? Adopted?" The foxtaur just shook his head, "Just like my mother - adopting young like that."
"I just happened to stumble here one day and it turned out that Willow used to use this place before she moved to her own place, before she met father." He shook his head. "I fixed it up on the inside and so it's cozy in there now."
He grunted softly as he pulled the heavy door outwards and with a creak the wood finally agreed to move. With ease he entered the room and only stuck his head out for a warning, "It's like a cellar so there's steps right here. Careful now."
Kincaid carefully placed his hands on the walls, since it was a narrow stairway after all, and took a step forward. Silently, he descended into the darkness.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:40 am
"Well, I did try to find her parents, but they had moved on. No one else would take her in." Great, now she was making herself sound heartless. "She's grown now, and I don't really intend for any more until, well, if, I find a mate."
She nodded, heading right in after Kincaid, but distracted by thoughts of her daughter, and any possible later brood. Then, with the same tact and grace of her mother many years before, she misjudged the narrow steps, the longer drop throwing her off balance and tumbling down the steps. It was with her training that she was quick enough to turn herself, using pressure to pin herself between the walls of the steps before she could take Kincaid down with her. "Bugger." She grumbled, easing her paws onto the steps to make sure she was secure. Luckily, the darkness concealed the bright red of her face, the scrapes on her cheek and palms, and what was sure to become a bruise on her arm. Fur would hide anything else, but it had only been a few steps.
....Maybe he hadn't heard her fall? The thought made her snort softly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:49 am
"Ah, that was nice of you. Some would just leave her anyway." Replied Kincaid lightly from the darkness. A small grin came over his features at her comment about having a mate before more children.
"Oiy!"
Kincaid's sharp ears picked up a tumbling sound coming from behind him. Reaching the bottom step the foxtaur turned around and looked into the darkness behind him. His dark accustomed eyes picked out Mersi's faint outline, "What happened?" He asked while his hands found what he had been looking for. With the ease of experience Kincaid lit a torch that had been hanging on the wall and cast a soft light towards Mersi. "Are you okay?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 11:03 am
A light? A torch! Of course, a torch! She stood up quickly, a hand against the wall to ease the dizzy spell. "Fine!" She pipped too eagerly, waving a dismissive hand as she stepped the rest of the way off the stairs. "Missed a step, but I caught myself. My cellar has wider steps than you. Lets go on."
Before the adrenaline could make her start rambling or laughing like a nervous teenager, she cleared her throat and busied herself by fixing the bag over her shoulder, eyes down and on her bag in embarrassment.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 11:28 am
For some reason Kincaid found it hard to believe that Mersi was perfectly fine. "You missed a step?" Kincaid frowned, maybe he should have went down to light the torches first. The foxtaur sighed, he really needed to get something done about the light problem.
Still he shrugged lightly as he put the torch back into its holder. No need to press the issues if she wasn't dying from the fall - though he did make note to check out her injuries later if she had any. Sneakily though of course. Kincaid grinned before looking back at Mersi.
"Well if you're ready we can go into the main room now."
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 1:22 pm
Mersi kept her face cheerful. She didn't feel too bad, other than a wounded bit of pride. Falling down the stairs... What foxtaur does something as disgraceful that?! Especially in front of handsome new acquaintances!
She nodded, passing the torch with a small glare. 'It should have been lit before or not at all.' She thought sourly to herself. She certainly didn't blame Kincaid for the trip, so she blew out a breath and relaxed. "Is the main room where your magic flower is?" She asked teasingly, still doubtful that flowers were more useful beyond healing and teas.
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 1:37 pm
Kincaid rose an eyebrow at her question before grinning back with humor, "Of course. Along with my genies and magic potions." He chuckled lightly as his hands felt the cold stone wall to find a heavy door with strong locks. Luckily he had left the place unlocked the last time he left.
The door creaked softly this time as he swung it open. With a smile the foxtaur took another torch and dipped it in something. In a second a flash was lit and the small fire traveled around the room. Kincaid grinned at his own invention since he wasn't a cattaur like the previous owners of the underground place he couldn't summon magic lights like them.
Instead he used oils to run around the walls of the room where it would catch on fire and last for hours. The stone cuts where the oil flowed contained the fire and covered most of the light, so no no eyes would be hurt by fire's usual brightness. Instead the room was dimly lit, enough to see by but not overly bright.
No smell came from the oils, else he wouldn't use it. After all Kincaid wouldn't want something to mess with his 'magic flowers'. The same was true for the scentless candles decorating the walls as well in their small colored crystal orbs holders that he had found in the market as well.
The foxtaur grinned back at Mersi and patted one of the many pillows where wool blankets covered the dirt stone floor. "You can sit down if you want." The light flickered over an archway revealing another room - this one doorless and full of herbs and flowers.
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