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Post by Jaguara Katial on Oct 5, 2007 17:28:34 GMT -5
She blushed a deeper shade of crimson than she had before in light of his recent comment. So much attention she was too flattered for words. She allowed herself to be guided out of the bar and towards his shop and home.
The stars shone brilliantly in the darkened navy sky and the moon, almost full, filled the streets with its soft white glow as they walked the short distance. It was a genuinely nice night one she would have spent under the nearby tree of her home if that were where she was now but here she was with a charming man…an older man interestingly enough. “Well…my parents are gone…and I’m not new here per say, I actually come to the city quite often but I don’t reside here currently though I did for a short time when I was much younger, though I wish I still did.”[/b] She wondered how much she should tell him about her past and about her caregiver if one would even call Sebak that. She decided that unless he asked she wouldn’t tell him. Some things just weren’t necessary to mention.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 6, 2007 0:57:02 GMT -5
Ashwin heard the words 'my parents are gone' and could barely contain a delighted grin. An orphan! That made things even better! It seemed like there were only three types ways girls dealt with their tragic loss of parents - with satisfaction if they were crappy, with resolve to make them proud, or with a quiet pain and angst. The last was always the easiest to work past, at least on a one-night basis, though in the long run it was by far the worst to put up with and the easiest to dump. Just one more abandonment, right?
He adored women, really he did, and the younger ones were just so much more attractive. With age came experience, and at fifty-two, he had plenty of both. At worse, he counted it a learning experience for them. At best, he had an occasional fuckbuddy at the end of it he could call on every now and then. This one...probably the former.
And really, he wouldn't ask. He didn't care. "That's quite unfortunate. It's a lovely city to live in. I've stayed here for several years now, running my shop and raising my banders. Great bars, entertaining people, lovely ladies..." He smiled and looked at her, then turned his attention to the front. "There, can you see my shop ahead? I don't believe I've ever seen you inside. I would have remembered."
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Oct 6, 2007 16:30:28 GMT -5
She was happy to have some one to talk to as she listened to his reply to her statement. She blushed slightly when he looked at her after his lovely ladies comment. She did not really find herself to be all that pretty, but then again no one had really ever told her that she was before either. It was all so new to her and it made her eyes glimmer even more. “Yeah I suppose it is unfortunate…but I don’t really remember them…”[/b] She looked down at the ground as she walked small glimpses of her mother and father flashed in her mind, but the images were a blur so it really was not worth focusing on. She looked up, smiled, and continued their small talk, “This city is indeed beautiful, one day I hope to live here or a place just as nice.”[/b]
She looked in the direction he pointed out and indeed, there was his shop. She had passed by it many times before, but no, she had not ever gone inside. “No…”[/b] she said shaking her head slowly. She remembered times where she would sit at a distance and watch all of the customers come out of the shop with such beautiful banders and wishing that she could have one of her own some day. “I’ve never been in your shop, though there was many times when I wanted to…but what would be the point if I did…I mean…why go into a shop if you don’t intend to buy…or if you don’t have the money to do so either?”[/b] She looked up into his face and his eyes and then wondered if going there was really okay…did he expect her to buy some thing after he had showed her his goods? She really was quite clueless when it came to matters such as the one she was placing herself in now.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 6, 2007 16:42:25 GMT -5
Ashwin slid her a sideways glance as he withdrew a key from his pocket at their approach. "Oh, I don't know. Meeting people, I suppose. Looking at the banders. Chatting up the shopkeeps. You never know, do you, where something like that could lead?" He chuckled a little and stepped up to the door, inserting the key and turning it with a decided 'snick' of the lock releasing his reward. Sometimes when he came home from Furgus's, that lovely little sound eluded him. Sometimes the keyhole itself played hard-to-get. Thankfully he wasn't that far gone or he wouldn't have any chance to enjoy the evening properly.
He entered and fumbled for the lamp next to the door, and then the small book of matches beside it. He was very glad of his coordination here. Burning oneself in front of potential fun for the evening never made a good impression.
Lamp lit, he raised it to illuminate the two of them once more, almost to make sure she was still there and hadn't bolted. Hadn't realized that she had accepted a strange older man's invitation, to visit his house in the evening after everything had gone dark. But no, she was still there. With a smile, he waved an arm grandly to encompass the shop. "Home and banders are upstairs," he explained, taking a few steps towards the staircase in hopes that she would follow.
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Oct 6, 2007 16:51:07 GMT -5
She followed him inside and waited quietly while he lit the lamp. She gazed at what she could see from her current position near him and from what she could see by the low light emitting from the lamp. The shop was cozy and she liked it and cursed herself for not coming here sooner. He was right there was no reason she could not have come here before and asked about the banders. Learned more about them until she could one day afford her own, but it was too late for regrets and here she was in the shop any way, with him and instead of just being able to talk about them, she was actually going to be able to meet some of them. She was over joyed at the thought of that; nothing else seemed to cross her mind.
She nodded when he mentioned that his residence and the banders were upstairs as she followed him. “How many banders reside here with you Ashwin?”[/b] she asked innocently as she continued to look around as she walked taking it all in.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 6, 2007 16:59:35 GMT -5
He preceded her up the stairs and thought on the question, the light from his lantern reaching far enough that she could follow him without tripping over the steps. "Right now? Oh, let me see...seventeen live in the shop at the moment, but that number changes all the time as some are sold and new ones arrive from all over the kingdom. All but Treasach, my own pet, should be locked up in their homes for the night. Letting too many run loose at once without supervision is usually a very bad idea."
Laughing, he opened the door at the top of the stairs and heard a sneeze before he saw the bright black eyes of his bandersnatch staring at him from the arm of a couch near the door. The silly creature always waited out here for him whenever he spent the night out. He made a clucking noise with his tongue, the sound relaxing the alert creature, and waved her to come in after him.
All around the room, various large enclosures were caged off by remarkably thick wire mesh and bars. They were quite spacious and multi-tiered so the banders could climb and sleep on different levels. The dominant one in the cage usually slept at the very top. He took good care of his charges and made sure that the facilities were adequate for the task of housing them.
He reached out one hand to scratch under Treasach's khaki chin, which the male graciously allowed, before turning his eyes towards the second person coming up the stairs. He sneezed again, but Ashwin quickly scratched behind his ears and he subsided, coughing a little. "Do feel free to pet him, and close the door behind you," the man invited, wanting her to move closer.
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Oct 6, 2007 17:22:23 GMT -5
“Wow seventeen, that’s a lot of banders, how do you handle them all?”[/b] She was shocked that so many were here in the shop she thought that maybe ten or so but almost twenty? She could not imagine what it was like to live with just one let alone so many of them at once.
As she walked through the door after he himself had entered and calmed the bander that was not in a cage, she had a quick chance to look around a bit at her surroundings. Such large cages and so many of them as well, she wished that she could go and peek into them to see what beautiful creatures resided among them, but she knew better.
She focused her gaze on Ashwin as he petted and scratched the one bander that was out of a cage. This one must be Treasach, his personal bander. She nodded quickly and carefully shut the door and walked over towards Ashwin. “He is very handsome.”[/b] She reached out gingerly with the tips of her wings to stoke the khaki colored bander. She did not want to scare him though it seemed like he was much better trained then the one she had met before, but of course not nearly as vibrant. She smiled again, “How old is he Ashwin? He sure is very well trained.”[/b]
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 6, 2007 17:36:15 GMT -5
"Under the touch of their own 'people', banders tend to be a lot calmer," the pine martin told her as he stroked the thickly-furred appaloosa rump with one hand. "He can be quite a handful sometimes, though, that's why training is so important. By himself, without me around...watch out."
As he said this, his other hand moved around to touch her while she distracted herself with the bander. He petted the back of her neck, along one wing joint, down her spine a short ways and then back up. So soft and feathery. "He's about five years old now, young enough and still in his prime. Of course, most would argue experience is what makes him the stud he is, rather than age. Can I get you something to drink?"
Already he was considering what to give her, what magic combination would loosen any inhibitions without sending her to the floor. He really preferred his partners awake and participating. She seemed a lightweight, so he would have to gauge carefully. Maybe two of the Smorton's and a Triller? That might work...
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Oct 6, 2007 18:00:02 GMT -5
She nodded, “Oh I see..”[/b] she had heard from Sebak that banders were very dangerous in the wild, she didn’t really think about it but apparently it wasn’t much different from domesticated ones as well.
When she felt him suddenly touched her back and run his hand down her spine the same unfamiliar warm feeling that she had felt back at the bar while she was sitting on his lap returned. It made her skin crawl in a tingly way and it cause her skin to tense up uncontrollably, which in turn caused her feathers as well in that area to stand up on end. She did not really understand the feeling she was having and did not really feel comfortable asking Ashwin so she decided to ignore them for now.
When he asked if she wanted something to drink, she jumped at the offer not really understanding what he meant “Oh…yes please that would be nice.”[/b] She smiled at him and continued to pet his bander.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 6, 2007 18:09:53 GMT -5
He beamed as she accepted his offer and moved away into a small room connected to the living area by an open doorway. "I'll be right back with that, then," he called cheerfully, rummaging in his cabinets for the appropriate bottles. He should have enough of the pale amber liquid left for two...pour one for himself, one for her, and then give her his. The Triller could come later, if it proved necessary.
In the meantime, Treasach submitted to her further pets with good grace, having been properly reassured that she was Acceptable and Not A Threat. He even leaned in to the feather touches, liking how they tickled against the top of his head. He could only just feel them through the thick layer of fur and skin.
Ashwin came out with two drinks in hand, glass cups about what you would expect and a bit more than three-quarters full with a fruity-smelling amber liquid. Beneath it, of course, was the scent of alcohol. "I do hope you like it," he said conversationally, eyes watching her closely. "It's a favorite of mine, and I'd be quite disappointed if you didn't." Sometimes all the young ones needed was a bit of pressure, whether they liked it or not, to drink every last drop.
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