|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:11 pm
Iniko was tucked away in the stacks at the library, at one of those older desks that people rarely wandered by because of its location. It was so rare to even see people in the stacks themselves nowardays, let alone to find someone in them rather permanently. Instead of holeing himself up in the room, which Kara had repeatedly said was bad for him, he had taken to slipping out and into this place. With his tattered leather book open before him and his old pen, he was scrabbling down bits and pieces of notes from any of the many books before him. Names such as Frost and Chaucer were staples among his pile, all of which were open, and all of which were overlapped at least partially with something else. It seemed that he had made this little area his own private nest to do with as he pleased.
At the present moment, his head was bowed over something particularly interesting as he was chewing on the edge of his pen. It seemed that his actual note-taking, or whatever it was that he did in his little book, had been forgotten.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:25 pm
Mikey wondered through the stacks pulling books about Wagner and Vivaldi down as he went. He was in his own little world, and nothing could pull him from it, well almost nothing. As he wondered the stacks he didn’t pay attention to anything but the shelves, and that ended up costing him the shreds of dignity that he had gathered around himself in the last few days. Not paying attention where he was going he walking right into a desk, and promptly found himself sprawled out on the floor. “Ah, damn.” Was all he managed to say as he surveyed the damage around himself. He looked up to the desk where his books had been mixed with many others, and started to stammer out an apology, when he then he caught a pair of startling ruby eyes.
Color drained from his face as he dropped his chin to his chest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:48 pm
He had been too deep in his own thoughts to notice the other's approach, and outright jumped at the collision to his workspace. Iniko's torn ear was flared back, while the one with piercings was forward out of his own anxiety. His eyes, which had caught the other's attention, were flooded with his own emotional torrent. The pen that had been partially in his mouth and hand was abandoned among the pile of things that was and was not his. He looked at the table quickly, his eyes never having met the other's gaze completely, or even really looked him over. It seemed that the poor rat was too startled to even say anything, and too mortified to make a movement to clean-up the aftermath of the crash.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:04 pm
Seeing his companion was as mortified as he was Mikey took a deep breath to gather himself. “I’m so sorry. I know it sucks to have all of your stuff messed with when your not expecting it.” The fact that he fully expected to be rejected was plain on his face, but for some reason the words just came tumbling out of his mouth. “Can I buy you dinner to make up for it? I feel really bad about what I did, and the gift shop here makes really good coffee and chicken salad.” His eyes finding a very interesting bit of carpet all of the sudden his voice trailed off as he continued “you could tell me about what you were studying.”
Internally all that could be heard in his head was an overwhelming chorus of “Stupid stupid fox!”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:25 pm
Iniko flinched a little as the offer was made, his hand starting to shake a little bit as he tried to grab up and close his half-destroyed leather notebook. He only ended up dropping it, and its pages fluttered as it collapsed to the floor of the library. "I-I..." he stammered, not looking at the other as he tried to lean down after his notebook. His efforts seemed almost futile from the intensity of the shaking in his hands, which seemed to be growing bit by bit. The rat, in contrast, didn't even seem to notice the odd fact. The only thing that seemed to be occupying his mind was a slightly bit of confusion and utter terror. Iniko's thoughts had ground to a halt, and were stuck on the repetition's of the other's words.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:39 pm
The fox gethered the loose bits of paper on the ground, and along with the leather notebook, tried to hand them to the rat.
“I know you don’t know me, but I’d appreciate the company while I ate.” Mikey’s eyes softened as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m Micky, and I promise that I’m the most harmless guy you have ever met. You don’t even have to say anything, just come get a free meal out of it to help easy my mind.” The fox stood. “If we spirits have offended, think but this and all is mended.” The fox grimaced “That was cheesy wasn’t it? I guess that’s just another thing you need to forgive me for; bad Shakespeare quotes.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 10:11 pm
Iniko didn't look back up at the fox before him, but he took what was offered to him with shaking hands. He, sadly, didn't manage to keep them in his hands. The poor rat was certainly a mess now, and perhaps it wasn't helping that the other kept insisting, or maybe it was, or, well... it just wasn't something that could be said one way or the other.
"I-I..." A part of him really wanted to agree with the other - he hadn't eaten since the pastry he'd grabbed before sunrise from the store display this morning. Yet at the same time, Iniko knew that things couldn't be good. No one ever wanted to give him something, not without... he physically flinched, pulling away from the other and getting out of his chair. The piece of furniture toppled over.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 10:32 pm
“No, you don’t need to run away from me. I know quite well when no one wants me around.” The fox turned and began jogging to the front of the library. Hoping the rat would still be there when he got back (after all he still need to gather all of his stuff) He quickly ordered a sandwich and soda from the old lady behind the counter. Fishing money from his pocket he added a box of small earrings to the bill before he paid. Throwing the box and the sandwich into a bag he jogged back to where the rat was gathering up his stuff.
“You don’t need to talk to me, but you are so hungry you’re shaking, so please take this.” He tossed the bag onto the desk, and set the soda beside of it. “Merry Christmas.” He tossed over his shoulder as went back to looking for books on the shelves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 10:53 pm
Iniko was confused and still terrified, and when the other ran off he was even more confused and lost as to what it was that was going on. "I..." He stared after the other's back before going to try and straighten his things. It wasn't that he was hungry, really, not that he wasn't. It was his nerves, they always acted up around other people. He slumped onto the floor after the bag was thrown and the drink set down, pulling his knees to his chest. Absently, he grabbed the bag off of the desk and pulled the sandwich out to nibble at it. It was awkward now, but he wasn't going to let food go to waste. He hadn't pawed through the bag yet to see the earrings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:00 pm
Mikey stalled and used any excuse he could think of to stick around in the part of the library near the Rat. It had become a challenge now. His day wouldn’t be complete until her got this guy to talk to him. Taking a book on German opera, the fox settled down in a desk within sight of the Rat’s.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:21 pm
As Iniko was hiding partially under the desk, he wasn't in plain view. He had left things where they were on the table above him, and the drink was untouched as well. When he had finished the sandwich, he'd taken a peek through the bag to discover the earrings that had been placed in there. Surely this was a mistake. A confusing mistake. People didn't give him things in the nice sense. So, instead of packing his things up and leaving like one would normally do, Iniko sat on the floor in the library and stared at the small package in his hand, disregarding the time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 11:01 pm
After a small amount of time the fox couldn’t take the silence. “The earrings are for you you know. Merry Christmas.” after taking a shuddered breath he continued. “If you want me to go please just say something. Talking is hard enough for me without someone thinking they are to good to respond to me.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:12 am
Iniko nearly dropped what he was holding entirely, the hairs on the back of his neck rising out of fear. The voice had completely taken him off-guard, and he quickly glanced around to figure out where it was coming from. His breathing was a little more ragged by the time he finally caught sight of the fox. It was probably the first time he'd even taken a look at him, though his eyes never met the other's.
"It-it's not that..." there was hesitation in his voice that was typically absent. The words trickled out in their usual hushed tone, but the certainty with which he normally spoke wasn't even in any underlying piece of his speech.
Then, stubborn despite the shaking in his hands as they held the small box, "Why?" The uneasiness was gone when he said that, his tone bordering on a demand; so uncommon for the rat as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:13 pm
Mikey took a deep breath before he started to speak in a low and calming tone. “Because no one should be as freaked out by the little stuff like you were when we bumped into each other. You remind me a lot of myself. I never stand up for myself, but that doesn’t mean that I want to see other people do the same thing.” The fox stood before continuing. “I’ll leave you alone if you want, but you deserve a merry Christmas, and I wanted to help make sure you got one.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:05 pm
((*can't help but giggle insanely* My poor little Iniko has probably now frightened Mikey to death. Xp The rat's... got issues. ^.^; ))
The rat listened as he was being spoken to, but his gaze had already shifted off of the fox and onto other things: the carpet, the desk, the chairs, the stacks behind and beside the one speaking. Essentially, as long as it wasn't the other anthro, he had probably glanced at it during the speech. Or the earrings. He never once looked down at the small package held in his hands. As Mikey stood, Iniko flinched and looked at him briefly before dropping his eyes once more.
He swallowed slowly, trying to wrap his mind around what the other had said. There wasn't any reason for him to mean what he had said. Yet at the same time there was no reason for him to not to, right? No, that couldn't be right either. There was reason for him to be lying. There were always those reasons. Christmas was never a holiday he had celebrated. It was usually the time of the year where he had to work the hardest, do the most, and make sure that he wasn't ever seen by the guests.
"No, I don't." Simple, to the point. Iniko was on his feet now, setting the package on the table between them and reaching for his leatherbound book. There was a slight trembling in his hands, but it wasn't as severe as it was before. "If you want something from me," quieter now, but no less solid, "then you can just take it. There's no reason to make any false pretenses. No one else does." He had collected his book, and the can of soda and empty plastic bag. The earrings were left on the table, and with a small sigh he pulled something out of his pocket and set it down on top of the package. "It's over the coffee shop a few blocks from here." As he removed his hand and turned to walk away, it could be seen to be a key engraved with a room number. Oh. Oh dear. Now that was a misunderstanding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
