[ended] Of Fire and Flame [Sera]

[Vyn]

Parvana knew it had been bound to happen. For all the nice people she had met, there would be those who couldn't just stare from afar. Her father had warned her constantly of these people that could not keep their hands to themselves and that would have no respect for her body or her wishes. Yet, after all the kind people she had met, Parvana had simply begun to stop believing him.

That is, until it happened.

She had stepped briefly into Furgus's bar and pub during her so far unsuccessful search for the only 'family' she had left and had wound up gaining more than the information she had sought to find. The bar tender was able to tell her a general location of where Anatolius might be working, and while it wasn't entirely helpful it was still better than nothing. A loose pebble skating across the street had given Parvana the first head's up that she was not alone but she had not had time to contemplate its source before two bipedal men swooped in upon her.

They grinned like proud fools when she let out a startled cry but their grins didn't last long.

A gleam of brilliant orange and red, like a flash of fire, had lit up the night and a large canine had planted himself firmly between Parvana and the men that had attempted to corner her. The crowd around the Pub was never friendly this time of night! Hadn't Parvana known better? No, Anatolius reminded himself with a sight, Parvana doesn't honestly know anything of the City does she? He would, however, have to worry over her sad and sheltered existence once he was done chasing off these thugs.

Not that they had lasted long anyway. Reeking with alcohol and already unsteady on their feet, the idiots had been caught more than off guard by the flaming canine and were already beating a hasty retreat back in the direction they'd come from.

"Parvana! What were you thinking?! Wandering around so late at night?!"

(Oi, I'm pretty sure that sucked a little -_- My apologies Sera! I only just woke up, which accounts for the poor quality >_<, but Anatolius just wouldn't stop bugging me for a post. XD heh)

[seraaches]

He didn't often venture far from the Palace in human form; it was difficult to be constantly recognized and he very often was. So he ventured forth in bipedal form, a cloak wrapped closely around his body to keep certain information about him well hidden. His hat was pulled low over his face, obscuring his right eye. Certain... growths made him a potentially frightening figure as well as adding to his familiarity. The barkeeper was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about any similiarities between a once regular patron and the newest Queen to the Court of Hearts. The smart man was also well-tipped for his virtuous silence. It kept both parties happy and willing to work with the other, so the stallion was able to still enjoy some respite from his stressful life.

With his new responsibilities, sadly, he was less free to step in on bar alcarations as he once was. His gaze was drawn, however, to a rather striking woman as she gently inquired after someone's location from his friendly barkeep. After the man gave his information, however, it wasn't just the woman who left the pub. The equine wasn't pleased by wot he'd seen in her followers and after a long hesitation, he finally decided to do his own stalking, just to be certain that the little creature didn't get into any trouble in her search.

He didn't hurry along; he wasn't far enough back that he couldn't stop her pursuers if they got too rowdy, but it soon became apparent the stallion wasn't needed this night.

It was a beautiful sight, really. A red canine with ruff and tail of flame, bearing down upon the imposing men with righteous fury, the grey-green gaze of the stallion could only follow the threat with respect. There may have been something slightly off about the fire, but the Morganberry man was still a sight to behold. And that rang a little bell in the equine's mind. Making his decisions suddenly, he was striding forward to the pair swiftly, eyes noting suits and ranks absently, though the Club emblazoned on the man's red chest pleased the horse inordinately. Oh, this was perfect.

"Is everything all right here?" The Marshdweller's voice was commanding, just another facet of him now.

[Vyn]

Parvana shrunk beneath Anatolius's admonishing gaze and, slowly, he began to relax his stance. That meant the fire on his tail and mane had begin to flicker out, fading back to normality. That is, until Parvana's eyes fell on the figure approaching from behind them and she let out a startled gasp. Instantly the canine's fur was ablaze once more and he spun around to stare up at the bipedal horse that loomed over them.

Curse this! Anatolius couldn't stand being so much lower than others. In suit, in rank and even in form. His fur seemed to burn even more brightly as his frustration peaked...only for the commanding Marshlander to simply comment on their well-being. Go figure, make an ass out of himself as well?

Slowly he relaxed, the fire dimming but not fading while An blushed beneath his red-hot fur. "Ah, yeah...I think everything's alright now... Right, 'Vana? You are okay?" He had the look and sound of a big brother, fretting over his naive little sis. "Thank you though, ah..?" He prompted lightly, searching for a name.


Pavana remained shyly hidden behind Anatolius, uncertain as to how to respond. She merely nodded when An questioned her and otherwise she simply stared. Oh my, what had she gotten herself into by wandering out into the night?

[seraaches]

The stallion nodded as though greatly pleased that the woman was all right; which, of course, he was, but he'd never really doubted that she'd be fine. He hadn't been that far behind the woman's pursuers. Either way, his concerned needed to be seen and noted, that was the important thing right now. There was a certain appearance to encourage.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said quietly, letting his gaze shift to the now shy Corvistowneian who was hiding behind the other man. When he saw her watching he inclined his head to her respectfully. "My name is Rai," he answered the Morganberry's question easily. "That or Whip will work easily. Is she truly all right? I know of a place nearby she can rest and relax, though the atmosphere is a trifle overwhelming at times..." This plan was two-fold, actually. If they did go to the house, there was a chance the people he needed were there. If they weren't there, then he'd still have points for acting as a concerned rescuer.

He never questioned when he'd begun to have plots and sub-plots for nearly every action, but if he had noticed he might have been rather shocked.

[Vyn]

Parvana worked desperately to regather herself and located her voice. Her body was trembling slightly but she was alright, really... Just, shocked. She'd never been to the City before, especially not at night or in An's 'district'. Sure she'd wandered around the busy streets of Corvistowne, but there most of the scientists had an unspoken agreement and didn't attempt to snatch up fellow scientists.

"I..." She stepped up next to Anatolius and cast a soft smile up at Rai. He seemed kind enough. "T-Thank you, Mr. Rai. Your concern is appreciated, as is your hospitality. My name is Parvana, but you may call me Vana if you'd prefer. It has been a pleasure to meet you."

Anatolius paused, arching a brow at his "little sister" 's formal tone. She did that all pretty well, better than An could. "Yeah, a place to rest would be great. Overwhelming is better than..." He motioned a paw around the surrounding area. It was better than strange and dark for a lost little girl like Vana. "I'm Anatolius; An, Toli, Lius...I've gotten it all." He paused for a minute, the his tail wagging as his ears perked forward.

"How did you end up with a nickname like Whip?"

With the lifting of his mood and the steady decline of his anger, Anatolius's fur had returned to normal. Beautiful in its pure sunset hues, but normal.

[seraaches]

The stallion was pleased that they decided to take up his offer, though he did rather hate to stick them in with all of the kids all at once. The little butterfly, though, seemed like she might be a good influence on his rather crazy brood. He hoped they both liked children, but it seemed exceedingly likely that they would. That was also good.

"I'm honoured to meet you both, Parvana, Anatolius. Please, follow me." The man began to lead the way before shifting his cloak to show the long, whip-like appendage that was his tail. He smiled and tucked his tail back beneath the deep blue cloth. "It's an old nickname," he confided in them lightly. "Reserved now for family and friends." Give them a sign of his intentions because he truly did hope that they could be friends.

It wasn't too long of a walk to the apartment, though they didn't really leave the shady district. As they walked up the stairs, they began to see plants flowing across the balcony and stairs, and things became quieter and calmer, as though this was a real home amid the shabbiness of houses.

[Vyn]

Parvana and Anatolius were both beginning to truly relax in the stallion's company. He seemed kind enough, and friendly too. Parvana especially appreciated his comment in regards to his nickname. 'Reserved now for family and friends'? In that case then it was an honor he had offered it, wasn't it? It meant he wanted to be friends and, for the naive butterfly, friends were just what she wanted to have!

Anatolius was a tad too careless to truly absorb that small sign as Parvana had, but he took the offer of friendship quite freely. Friends were nice, especially interesting ones like Whip. The canine's tail continued to wag as he bounded along with their new friend and companion. "It's a real pleasure to meet you as well, Whip. Thanks again, it's really great of ya."

Before he could proceed with more idle conversation or anything, they had reached the stairwell to the apartment and Parvana had seen the flowers. She let out a delighted little note of pleasure and fluttered her wings. "O! What lovely flowers!" It brightened the surrounding area considerably and gave everything a very homey feel. Parvana was already quite comfortable here.

[seraaches]

The stallion flicked his tail idly, though the movement was obscured beneath the cloak. He was glad, for once, that Mnem and Minh's place wasn't that far from the bar, instead of his usual distrust and concern that they were subjecting the children to even -more- bad influences. Of course, the other part of his mind always rationalized, wot worse influence could there be than Mnem? The poor kids really needed better contacts.

His ears flicked back to catch Parvana's comment and he answered rather cryptically, "Only if you don't know wot they're for." Rather than explain the statement, however, he knocked lightly on the door before pulling it open. "Mnem, Minh, kids, I've brought guests." Silently he prayed that they'd all behave themselves for ONCE. Especially Ira. And Mnem. And Eir. And Hadyn. And... well, and all of them.

[Vyn]

Anatolius didn't exactly like that comment. When something was beautiful only on an aesthetic level than it was typically dangerous on another level and...well, An didn't want to possibly put his naive little Vana in a dangerous situation. Especially a situation that appeared beautiful and harmless but was in fact something else. His tail wagged with a bit less vigor, but he didn't turn back nor did he force Vana to flee for her life. Instead he just moved a little closer to the sweet butterfly.

Whip was a good guy so far, Anatolius would trust him until given a good reason not too.

Parvana, however, had no idea what he meant and didn't exactly think of concerns regarding this. Instead she tilted her head, blinking curiously. "Oh?" The clueless butterfly eyed the flowers curiously before taking the wise move and ignoring his comment. Well, rather, filed it away for later use. The flowers may not be what they seemed, but that did not detract from their beauty.

At least they made this unnerving district look just a bit brighter.

(Should I be waiting for The Family to post now? XD)

[Kasatsu]

“Aiolos! Would you get those kids to behave? Hadyn do not make me come over there, you will not like the consequences.” The bipedaled red mouse commanded from the kitchen table. A few pieces of papers were spread out in front of him. He on a short break from his Kingly duties, though the papers would suggest otherwise, and thus was on a visit home to visit friends and family.

Hearing the shout for Mnem and Minh he turned to see his friend at the door. “Sorry Whip. The girls are out . . . somewhere. I had just gotten home and they were out the door a few minutes later.” He was frustrated and it probably came out in his tone. Running his left hand through his fur in agitation, the scar on his arm was made obvious.

“Ah, you have company! Well do come in, though I have no clue as to why you would invite anyone over to such a place like this. . .” His attention was diverted by the sound of something breaking. “Ira! Wot did I tell you about playing with that? I am going to hand you over to Mnem when she gets home!”