Monotony Everlasting. (Chao)

[Thalron]

Perth sighed... Some days were busy, well... as busy as a general store in torquehelm ever got. he supposed that busy just meant there were a couple people in line, nothing like what would be seen in the larger cities or the capital. But he liked it this way, due to his bindings it'd take too long to deal with a great influx of people. Unfortunately at the moment it meant that the pains of boredom were attempting to drill into his skull. this was likely the slowest day of the week, at one point he had tried closing up shop because of the regular lack of customers that came in, but he got so many complaints he decided the boredom of a near empty shop was worth not getting chewed out.

He drove a little bit of it off by re-arranging some of the merchandise, checking the stock, counting the cash in the register. Everything seemed to be in order. yup... he gave a large sigh as he slumped behind the counter, resting his chin there as he stared towards the door on the opposite side of the shop. Maybe he should try repainting the place, a brighter motif would be nice... he glanced from side to side as he thought about the possibilities, but soon decided that he couldn't afford to close down shop while everything was getting set up... and no one here seemed to care how it looked anyways, just if it had their favourite candy or etc.

It didn't take long for him to get driven to more desperate measures of escapism. Taking a cup and setting it on the edge of the counter he leant back, a couple of straws held between his forepaws. Carefully he'd take one with his teeth, then attempt to blow it out and get it in the cup. Once he was out of straws again he eyed the door... then sighed and moved to pick them up again.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Shelves were quite an irritating thing, weren't they?

The fawn looked up at them, her ears flicking back ever so slightly as she considered how best she should go about getting the item she wanted - a box filled with small and brightly colored cakes, each flavored with a different jam filling, sat on the shelf. They were a rare treat to find in Torquehelm's dreary shops and the girl knew she had to have them. If only they weren't oh so high above the child's head! If she had been born with a biped form, there was a chance that she would have been able to reach it, but as it was... It would take some work.

Purple hooves were placed carefully on a lower shelf and the child craned her neck to no avail. Though she could better see the object of her desires, she could no better reach it than she could before. A look of frustration crossed her mind before a fleeting thought crossed her mind --

--The shopkeep. He would be able to reach them!

Triumphantly, the girl leapt down, and the chain that held her wings in place slid over one of the hooks holding bags of candy up on display for the patrons of the store. Her feet hit the ground with a soft thud, but when she attempted to walk away, she found she was completely stuck. Well, this was fantastic.

She hated her bindings.

"Hello? Mr. Shopkeeper? Excuse me!" the girl called out, voice light but somewhat strained. She craned her elegant neck as far as she could, getting the slightest glimpse of black-and-purple behind the counter.

[Thalron]

Perth was somewhat surprised to find that there was someone else in the shop- but then he remembered seeing her come in a little bit ago. It must've taken her awhile to figure out what she wanted. "Be there in a second." He stretched a little as he got up, then hopped over to where she was stuck, his chains jingling with each of those hopping movements.... He kind of hoped she wouldn't call him some variation of 'pogo' after seeing how he moved about.

He was about to ask what she needed help with, when he noticed she was hooked... quite literally to some candy. "That's funny, I don't remember stocking any fawns..." He said in jest before chuckling and leaning over to unhook her... he had to admire her wings, it was just unfortunate that she shared the chains that so many of their kind were bound with. atleast she could walk, though that was atleast one step ahead of him.

"Do you need help with anything else?" it was mostly out of courtesy that he said that, children were rarely given money to actually buy anything in his shop.

[carcinoGeneticist]

When the ferret hop-stepped into view, the girl's ears flicked back slightly even as a thankful smile crossed her face. For a second, she wondered how the man would manage to help her from her current situation, but he did so admirably and she giggled softly at his joke. "Didn't you hear?" she commented lightly when she was freed from her trap. Her little tail flicked ever so slightly, and she glanced up at the man with large, well, doe-like eyes. "It's on special order."

The strange little fluffs that sprouted from her head twitched slightly, inclining forward as she looked the man over. "You have sky in your eyes," the girl commented rather forwardly, leaning in to get a better look at them. "At least, the sky that I've read about in stories. Did you know that outside of Torquehelm, the sky is blue?" at that, a somewhat wistful tone entered her voice.

For now, the cakes were forgotten. The ferret was much more interesting in his own way. Especially with those golden horns and sky-tinted eyes...

[Thalron]

She was receptive to jokes? That was somewhat amazing to him considering his usual cast of customers... He wondered if that would survive the journey to adult hood or if it'd get crushed by this depressing place before hand. He hoped it would survive, a sense of humour was always a good thing... even if it was as cheesy as his own. "Definitely seems suited to the candy isle." he chuckled again then sat back, his head tilting to the side a little bit as he popped his neck.

He didn't seem bothered when she leant in to get a better look at his eyes and such, although he did blush a tiny bit at the comment of his sky-like eyes. "The sky really is blue outside of Torquehelm, I've seen it myself... It stretches on forever..." A similarly wistful sigh escaped him as he thought about it, but soon he snapped out of it again and grinned. "Did you see the picture on the back wall? That's what it looks like out there." he was kind of proud of that picture, he didn't paint it but... he really liked it.

[carcinoGeneticist]

What the man meant, exactly, went completely over Sia's head, and her faerie fluffs raised almost inquisitively for a second. She decided, however, that whatever he'd meant would be ruined if she asked, and deferred to a response that seemed to be universally acceptable in most situations. "Thank you." she responded in a dainty voice, shuffling slightly. Violet hooves clopped against the hard floor.

The girl's eyes were two bright spheres when the man spoke. He had been outside of Torquehelm?! Was that even possible? She had tried to leave the day she'd heard about the sky, but it had rained on her and it wasn't long at all before she'd trotted, rather sullenly, back to her home.

"You have a picture of it?" she echoed, voice filled with wonder as she took another step forward. The child had no concept of personal boundaries, it was obvious. "You'll show me, right? Please?" the girl moved from one hoof to the other, shifting her weight in a delicate way, a slow grin spreading across her face. She wanted to see it for herself, but a painting would suffice for the time being. Anything to help her imagination out was a bonus.

[Thalron]

He seemed to realize that the comment might have flown over her head when he received that generic 'thank you' but he didn't dwell on it, especially as she practically stepped on his paws. He didn't mind having his personal space invaded very much but.. he had to do a sort of step backwards while getting up to avoid pushing her backwards with his bound forelegs.

"Of course, it's right over this way." He said with a smile, before hopping back towards the counter but then went to the left of it and motioned up to the wall. "I know it's not too exciting... but I think it's nice." he left that idle comment as he looked at the picture. It was pretty simple, a large open field, a house in the distance... a deep blue filling the sky with only a couple clouds.... Anyone that actually lived outside of torquehelm would immediatly recognize it as a rather cheap one that could be bought from most shops... And it was, he didn't spend a great deal of time out there, and had no idea where real art galleries were.

[carcinoGeneticist]

And there the picture was, just as incredible as the girl had imagined it would be. Violet eyes peered at it, and she carefully placed a hoof on the wall beneath it in order to push herself up, giving her a better look at it. She had her nose barely an inch from it as she looked over every little bit of it, and when she finally turned away it was with a strange expression. She stepped back towards the ferret and stood beside him, looking at the painting in full.

"It's pretty," she finally said, the ghost of a smile flitting across her face for a moment before she turned to look at the older Torque fully. There was something thoughtful in her expression. "But it's not pretty enough."

Of course, Sia wouldn't be herself if there wasn't some idea she had in store to fix this. "We should go see the real thing," she said with a small nod, her smile returning in full. "You're an adult, so I'll be safe to go with you. Then we can see the real thing!"

[Thalron]

Perth tilted his head to the side, using the large horns to scratch his shoulder idly as she was so ensconced with the examination of that picture... He was glad that there was someone other than himself who enjoyed such things. Maybe some day he'd try to find some more pictures to decorate this place with... Maybe even a painter. Needless to say, he had soon become drawn into his own world as he thought about what he could do.

He didn't snap out of it till she said that it wasn't pretty enough? That was a... weird comment. "I'm glad you like it though."

Her next sentence was less unexpected, but when she asked to be taken out to another realm he was... obviously shocked. She would really go with a random stranger she met in a shop, all the way out of torquehelm? She was either very naive, or disliked her parents... It wasn't his place to question either possibility though. "Ah... Well, I can't just leave my shop randomly. And you need permission from your parents." A smirk spread across his face as he wandered over to the counter. "If you do get permission though, I plan on heading to the highlands near the end of the week." Part of him hoped she couldn't come... But she did seem to enjoy a great deal of things that his less enthusiastic realm-mates oft overlooked. Actually getting out of this place for a little while might be good for her.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The young doe nodded her head, a small smile still curling across her face. She did like it, but it was only a small sample of something she was hoping to see in full glory sometime soon. Especially if the mustelid was willing to help her. He seemed like a good sort of person, one who could be trusted on that sort of trip. "It's missing something," she said patiently, like she was explaining a complicated idea to someone who was too young or uneducated to figure that out on their own, but her smile never faded.

But then... Oh. Oh, he was a good person! But this just made her goal more difficult. The fluffs on her head twitched slightly as she watched the other Torque, her mind already sneaking through tunnels that would lead to the prize: A trip out of her gloomy home-realm.

She beamed at the ferret.

"Of course," she said, little tail going flick-flick. Her ears swivelled forward, standing tall with interest. "Of course I need permission. The Highlands, then? When should I come find you?" She could get permission from her mother, she was sure. Hadn't the Doe done travelling when she was young, as well...?