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Post by Satra on Aug 20, 2009 16:27:00 GMT -5
Victor just stared back, flabbergasted that the man wasn't rolling his eyes or making other such displays of exasperation. Was he being sarcastic? He knew he was probably projecting his own fears, but... yeah. Eh. He gave a relieved sigh and left it at that. He would just have to trust. Sure, it had screwed him in the past, but that shouldn't stop him from at least trying to make a new friend.
"Yes, of course," he agreed, "I'd love to meet for lunch. Though, uh, I have to admit I'm not terribly familiar with Second. I don't go there often. Is that," he paused for a moment, trying to remember the place he'd passed by once, "is that the one with the green and tan decorations on the outside? Oh what's it called... uh, Mouse in the Mug?"
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Post by Nako on Aug 20, 2009 16:42:51 GMT -5
"Yes... Yes. That is the place. Very good. At noon, then." He couldn't stay longer. He only had another two hours or so to get home before the mark on his chest would disappear. A smile, and he turned away, heading to pay for his groceries.
"T'isn't right, what you're doing. They ain't clean." The cashier muttered under her breath, staring at the man as if he bore the plague himself.
Merlin cleared his throat, staring her down most intensely. A few seconds went by, the women grew more and more uncomfortable by his stare. Finally, he slid his money across the table; an amount far more than he had bought.
"Mind your manners, girl. It is unbecoming." Never would his voice slip into irritation. "Mind it that you see that he gets decent groceries for his coin. I'll know if you haven't done so."
And with that calm, yet clear threat hanging in the air, he took his groceries and headed out the door.
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Post by Satra on Aug 21, 2009 18:45:18 GMT -5
Victor watched the man walk away for a little bit. That actually happened. Was it possible he was going to make a friend today? He really hoped so. He had so few of them. When Merlin got up to the counter to pay, victor turned and went back to him shopping. No need to stand and stare like a creeper.
He went through the rest of his shopping with nothing out of the ordinary until he got to the checkout. The cashier, with her mouth tightened to a disapproving line, had heavily discounted his groceries. When he's asked why, she muttered something about them being paid for then suddenly became much more audible when she told him he should 'have a nice day' in a rather clipped tone.
He got home and only had a few bites to eat before he scrambled around his apartment getting ready to leave again. He groomed himself meticulously, unable to get most of his fur to cooperate, but he was at least cleaner than before, then he headed out.
He'd never been inside the cafe and had only passed by it a very small handful of times. He left early so he could find it, in case he got lost. He was rather pleased with himself for finding it so quickly. He reminded himself that these things were very easy for someone as clever as himself. Except he wasn't so clever as to not bring some reading in case he was early. Hmm. Half an hour. He was getting a lot of glares just sitting there from both the patrons and staff. He went to grab a newspaper and returned, only to find that his table had been taken. There were tables open, but he was told they were reserved and not actually open for him. Victor sighed, telling himself he should have known better and went to wait outside for Merlin.
The minutes passed and Victor kept looking up from his newspaper at the clock. It was too early for him to arrive, but Victor still couldn't help but feel completely anxious. Would he show?
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Post by Nako on Aug 28, 2009 17:38:44 GMT -5
"You are an idiot, you know that?" A normally cool, calm voice was almost.. shaky, yellow eyes narrowed as he harshly ran a comb through his fur. "A blinking, stupid idiot."
His criticism though, was toward no one but the man staring back at him in the mirror, with matching harsh, yellow eyes.
Why hadn't he been in another form? Why why why? Merlin snarled anxiously, tossing the comb into the sink and running anxious claws through his fur. He never, NEVER approached a person in this form. It was too... personal. Too much of himself.
And a Lowlander, to top it off. What the hell was wrong with him?? Now that he was home and back in his right mind, the whole thing seemed like such a horrible idea. What was so damn -fascinating- about that rotting creature anyways? He had half a mind not to go.
But then again.. that's what the man probably expected. To be let down. After all, Lowlanders were used to that sort of thing, right? Why should he be any different? For some nagging, -strange- reason, Merlin found himself actually giving a shit. That was.. odd. He wanted samples from this feline. -Samples-. That was all. But even as he cursed and grumbled, he never stopped getting ready, preparing himself.. looking at himself in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable.
And his hand.. it fell upon the blank spot on his chest... The reason nobody could ever get too close. Damn it.
----
Merlin arrived fashionably late. A few minutes.. not much more than five. He'd seen that his hackles were an absolute mess right before heading out the door and found it keen to preen the featherlike protrusions, along with his wings, with a new sheen of glossy oils that kept them in flying shape. He had meant to be -early-.
But even as he felt near frantic on the inside, his exterior was kept quite somber, running a hand over his long goatee to smooth it out. He didn't have to look for the feline; he was waiting outside. "Ah... apologies. I hadn't meant to keep you waiting." The feline actually looked... quite improved from this morning.. in the way of his fur at least. He didn't say anything for a moment as he evaluated the Lowlander, but quickly came back to reality. He smiled... or at least gave an awkward tilt of the lips before speaking again. "I say... were you waiting all this time for me? Or should we have made a reservation?" He asked, glancing at the empty tables and giving the Hostess a questioning look.
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Post by Satra on Aug 28, 2009 19:18:16 GMT -5
He actually showed up. Victor's heart skipped a little in disbelief. Merlin actually showed up... and on time! Well, a few minutes late, but that didn't matter much. especially in the face that this man actually showed up to meet a Lowlander! It was wonderful people like this that gave him hope for the world. There was still always the option that he was up to something. After just a moment of staring in disbelief, Victor blurted out quite suddenly.
"You showed up!" the surprise was obvious in his voice, "I-- no! That's fine! Nothing wrong with a few minutes at all." he smiled and climbed off the bench, twitching slightly as the rot on his belly pulled a little, "Err, no. I got a table, but I showed up a little early, so I left to get the newspaper and when I came back, suddenly they no longer allowed self seating and the hostess didn't let me come back in." He closed his mouth quickly, realizing he almost got into another ramble. "I'm sure with you here we can get a table, though." His tail gave a twitch. Merlin looked a lot better than he did this morning. Not so say he wasn't presentable before, but there was a sheen to his feathers that wasn't there before. His fur looked even cleaner and better brushed than before.
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Post by Nako on Aug 28, 2009 19:46:18 GMT -5
Victor had been talking, but Merlin found himself distracted by the taughtness that went across his rot. So.. disgusting. how did it stay together? ... Did it hurt? Transfixed, he wonder if the thing oozed up when it tore.. or rather would his organs fall out? Probably not, for all that he was still alive.
I'm sure with you here we can get a table, though.
How -easily- he took to his role in life. The bottom feeder, the one not allowed in certain places because of his looks and his... plague. It was almost noble. And very much unfair. Wasn't it? Or were they truly inferior?
And then he was suddenly struck with a guilty conscience, a fidgeting hand going to the mark on his chest momentarily before running it through his cheek fur. "You... are used to this kind of treatment, aren't you?" It was more a statement than a question, his eyes flicking to the Hostess and then to him.
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Post by Satra on Aug 28, 2009 20:20:44 GMT -5
His smile faltered a little as he blinked. That... was an odd question. Had the man never seen or interacted with a Lowlander before?
"I... well, yes," he stated very honestly, "All the time. It's worse some place than others. It's the worse in the richer parts of town. Near where I live, people don't mind so much. It's still there a little, but it's just not as bad. It's always frustrating, but it's... understandable. I know our rot is unpleasant and... well, stereotypes exist for a reason. I just try to do my best and work with what I have." Victor tilted his head, "Are you... from around here?" he asked. The Capitol was a very diverse place, so in theory if he had been here for a while, he would have already encountered this and known. That, or he only hung around the richer parts of time. Or was a shut in. He nodded his head toward the Hostess who was eying them curiously by now.
"Did you wanna try your luck?" he asked, his smile returning.
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Post by Nako on Aug 28, 2009 20:39:53 GMT -5
"I am.... I'm just not used to seeing it happen, I suppose. The Capital seems like such a diverse place." He said, his cool reserve breaking a bit as a bit of a more insecure side of himself showed.. but only for a moment. He cleared his throat, feathers ruffling and then smoothing. "Let me take care of this, then."
Striding up to the hostess with all of the poise that was taught to him by his parents, he shed his skulking walk for a more refined one, head held high and eyes piercing, tail swaying behind him with self importance as he put a finger on the sheet of paper that kept track of the seating arrangements. "Oh! Lovely! It seems you have a table available right there. Yes, a very lovely spot by the window, a perfect place for us to sit." He glared down at the hostess, eyes sharp, a vicious smile curling his lips. "Now, be a good girl and fetch those menus and take us to our seats, hmmmm?"
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Post by Satra on Aug 28, 2009 21:04:16 GMT -5
Victor nodded.
"It is diverse, but sometimes tension happens. Sometimes people forget other people have a different way of thinking from being brought up different." And he was going to try getting them a seat! He smiled and watched him approached the Hostess, then his jaw dropped. He didn't imagine he would approach the situation quite like that. The look on the woman's face made Victor feel guilty. Well. Merlin was a Heart, after all. That did tend to be the way they handled things. Victor followed as the Hostess nodded, tight lipped, and grabbed two menus and lead them to a table. Alrighty then.
"You... heh, sure have a way with people," he laughed nervously. Victor felt a little nervous suddenly. Considering his lot in life, he would have never been able to do that without having it backfire spectacularly. Merlin cut an imposing figure and they probably wouldn't lash out, but part of Victor was still expecting it. He opened the menu, but didn't look at it yet, instead looking across the table a Merlin.
"Can I ask you something?"
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Post by Nako on Aug 28, 2009 21:13:47 GMT -5
In truth... Merlin didn't always know how to act around people. He understood some of the more gentlemanly mannerisms, which he often acted upon... but he also understood his family's rather heart-minded mentality. His father.. ah yes, he had been a very.. pushy man. And his mother had been used to being high on the food chain. Perhaps some of that came through. Perhaps Merlin just didn't care how he made some people feel. Ah well. He certainly didn't notice that he'd somehow unnerved the hostess; he'd merely eliminated the problem.
Victor had hesitated before looking at the menu, looking to the jackal hybrid, which the biped hadn't noticed at all. Merlin, on the other hand, had no qualms with immediately scoping out the menu, wiggling his nose thoughtfully as he tried to decide what he wanted. Not exactly very considerate, but then again it wasn't as if Merlin went out to eat with many people. He peered over the paper when Victor spoke to him, pausing a moment before politely setting the menu back on the table.
"You very well may ask a question. That does not necessarily mean I'll have an answer, but I'll do my best to oblige you."
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