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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jan 13, 2008 2:07:43 GMT -5
There was still a thin layer of snow carpeting the capital, but with each day that passed the delightfully cooling snow was being replaced by rain. He knew that leaving the Glacier was a bad idea, but he was stuck here now. He couldn't return, not after the choices he'd made... Rain didn't suit him, made his fur stick out in a huge variety of unpleasant ways, but he would find ways to make life work around here. For the time, he had resorted to wearing a rather large and almost floppy hat. It at least kept his hair from getting too wet whenever he was forced to go out during the rainstorms. Today was a good day, however, and the rain had let up for a few days. In its place, a thin layer of the snow had begun to cover the ground, and the bat had decided to emerge from his home to enjoy the day. A trip to the produce stand in the market had left him with a bag filled with grapefruits, and a pleased smile on his face. As he collapsed onto a bench in the park, ears standing tall, he pulled one of the large fruits from his bag. Eagerly, he set to devouring it, licking the slightly sour juice from his jaws. There were people everywhere, and he couldn't help but wonder when his services would be required once more.  |
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 13, 2008 2:26:48 GMT -5
The weather didn't stop Ichigo from enjoying his stroll. His employer had been kind enough to let him have a day off. She apparently wanted to work on some experiments and needed him quite far away. Whatever she did behind closed doors was her business. He was simply there to protect her from harms way. It was a longer walk than usual. The mouse sighed as he walked along the busy streets. People were running about, one was kind enough to step on his tail in a rush. This wasn't the ideal city that Ichigo had hoped for. The mouse finally made it to the quiet spot he had been searching for. And someone was already sitting on the bench he liked to frequent. How pleasant. Well, at least he would try to be nice. It usually didn't take much of an effort to be polite. "Excuse me sir? You wouldn't happen to be able to tell me where you got that fruit would you?" The mild mannered mouse really didn't take notice of the bat's region. He never really paid much attention to those lessons. |
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jan 13, 2008 2:40:42 GMT -5
Seth was very much distracted by the fruit in front of him, sinking his teeth into it skin and all and pulling bites off of it eagerly. He had been hungry, but it wasn't until the food had touched his mouth that he'd realized it. Grapefruit wasn't his favorite, but it was winter. What choice did he have?
The mouse approached as Seth took a particularly messy bite of fruit, long tongue swiping at his mouth to try and clean some of the juice off. He froze, mid-lick, as the mouse approached, red eyes narrowed suspiciously. The last time that he had ventured out on a lovely snowy day such as today, he had found himself fighting that bitch of a coyote. His fur bristled slightly before the mouse's question registered, and he calmed himself. Very carefully now, he finished his bite.
"There's a little fruit stand about three blocks away.[/b]" he finally replied, swallowing the juicy fruit. "The selection's not so good right now, though. Winter and all that jazz.[/b]"
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 13, 2008 11:59:22 GMT -5
Three blocks was quite far away after all of the streets that Ichigo walked. He had a dejected look for a few minutes before snapping back to reality. Right, he was still standing in front of his favorite park bench with someone on it already. Not a single bench had room for anyone else. That left Ichigo with two options. Ask to sit down besides him or make a trek to the fruit stand and hope the bat was gone by the he returned.
"With this weather, it should honestly be spring already," Ichigo sighed. "But, I've been walking for quite some time, would you mind if I took that free seat besides you?"
The words the bat could do was say no. It would annoy the mouse but it wouldn't be tragic. Ichigo would just have sore feet when he went back to work. The thought made one of his ears twitch in irritation.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jan 15, 2008 2:19:06 GMT -5
Seth was trying his hardest to ignore that dejected expression, burying his nose once more in the dripping fruit. He could just feel the cutter's eyes piercing into him, and his ears were just too big for him to not hear the other's request. An irritated expression creeping its way onto his face, the bat begrudgingly shifted slightly, making more room on the bench.
It would be hard to see, but his little tail twitched angrily under the bench. Someone always had to come by when he was enjoying his peace and quiet! He just wasn't in the mood for a fight, and he sent the rodent a sidelong glare. As much as he hated it, though... He needed any reference he could get. Surely, someone in the city wanted someone else dead! It just didn't seem possible for that not to be the case.
This mouse would be a good place to start looking for information, as much as he hated the notion. With a small motion, he rolled one of the smaller fruits out of the bag, offering it to Ichigo. "Want some?[/b]" he finally asked, strange red eyes shining over the fruit that he was clutching himself.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 15, 2008 2:54:30 GMT -5
Ichigo hopped on the beach without hesitation. It was offered, that was good enough to him. He could tell the bat was annoyed, but Ichigo wasn't going to let a bit of kindness go unnoticed. He held back a sigh as he wiggled into a comfortable position. The mouse was just happy to be off his feet to some degree. He really needed to get a biped form someday. Eventually he would get a proper sword too. That was a long way off.
The mouse's ears twitched back when he heard the unexpected offer. "Oh why thank you!" Ichigo said as he accepted the offer of the small fruit. He carefully pealed back a bit of the peal and began nibbling on the food. He stopped and looked over at the bat, "Is there anything you want from me in return? It's only right to pay you back for your kindness."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jan 15, 2008 3:13:01 GMT -5
All in all, a bit of company wasn't the worst thing that could happen. The little mouse seemed to radiate body heat, and the bat wouldn't deny his love of a little extra heat. He just disliked conversation with other men, for the most part, and was quite pleased when his companion began to eat. He seemed polite, and so it only followed that he probably wouldn't eat with his mouth open and he could at least finish his meal before he set in on getting information. It was that comforting thought that allowed him to lean back once more, eyes partially lidded as he returned to his eating.
He froze, mid-bite, when the mouse began to speak to him once more, head turning slightly. His ears flicked back slightly. So eating would need to wait. He swallowed the mouthful, giving the rodent the nicest smile he could manage (the effect was spoiled by the number of teeth that he was showing. It was something he needed, desperately, to work on.). "Not a problem. You just looked hungry, 's all.[/b]" he rolled the portion of fruit between his claws, looking thoughtful. "You could start by giving me your name, and maybe some.. information.[/b]"
He was trying, that was for sure.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 15, 2008 3:31:17 GMT -5
"Ichigo," The mouse provided, "I expect you to provide yours whenever you feel the need. What information do you need?" He had half a mind to raise an eyebrow if he had one. What exactly did the bat need to know? He seemed to know the city to some degree at least. Not like Ichigo could help with that.
Did the bat need a job perhaps? Well, Ichigo supposed he could help with that sort of information. He wasn't about to argue with the man if it came down to it. He seemed polite, but that flash of teeth... well he obviously wasn't used to being polite. His father even had better manners than that when he didn't need them.
His father. That was one thing he honestly didn't want to think about. The tip of Ichigo's tail twitched in protest at the lingering thought. Those teeth were far more terrifying than the bat's. At least from Ichigo's experience.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jan 15, 2008 3:44:40 GMT -5
The bat laughed to himself, shaking his head slowly as he considered the mouse's words. He was one of those crazy Mid-rangers, so he probably saw his name as something honorable and good and brave or something silly like that. "Seth. Pleasure to meet you, Strawberry.[/b]" what an awful name. He wondered what the mouse's family had been like, that they would have seen it appropriate to name him after a fruit. The only good that came from it (to Seth, anyway) was strawberries, sweet as they were, were some of the bat's favorite foods.
Things were looking up in his mind. The only way things could be better would be if there were strawberries avaliable to him now, rather than in several months. Grapefruit just wasn't as delicious, though it was filling.
"I'm looking for work,[/b]" he said, leaning forward slightly and pausing to gnaw at his fruit thoughtfully. This was a delicate issue, and he needed to phrase it carefully. "Do you know of anything who needs... To have problems taken care of?[/b]" His grin was anything but innocent, not that he had intended it to be such. He just couldn't help it. He loved his work.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 15, 2008 13:33:18 GMT -5
Ichigo was well aware that his name wasn't the most powerful out there. Hell, it wasn't even honorable to most Mid-Range standards. His mother, however, had insisted on giving him a humble name. As much as his father insisted, Mother obviously won. That didn't stop people from making fun of him, obviously. Thanks Mom. "It's nice to meet you, Seth," Ichigo said with a smile on his face.
His ears perked at the bat's reference. He obviously wasn't talking about something honorable, that was for sure. Eyebrows would have been useful to show the mouse's discontent, but he didn't have any and didn't care. "I know you aren't talking about exterminating pests, so I assume you're talking about the dishonorable action of dispatching someone for money. I don't condone such dishonorable actions, but I'm sure my employer would be more than happy to hire someone when she needs it. I'm sure you could always head to the Diamond Court as well. I here they enjoy stabbing each other in the back. Assuming the stereotype is true."
Helping someone who did such a thing would probably be classified as dishonorable to may people. Ichigo, however, didn't look at it that way. He still had to ask the question though. "Why exactly would you dishonor yourself in such a way, Seth?"
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