Strawberry Scented Life [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

Maybe he was just being apathetic today. The mouse walked down the crowded streets not really thinking about much of anything. He had so many plans and goals and was doing nothing to fulfill them. Where had he gone so terribly wrong?

The Mid-range mouse found himself outside a tea shop. He glanced at the weapon strapped to his side. They probably wouldn't say anything about it... but he still felt bad. Instead he turned down another street. If he kept moving maybe he would feel like less of a useless son.

His mother must have been disappointed. He shook the thought off. Ichigo still wasn't quite sure what to do with his life. He had plans, yes, but none of them were set in stone. Another shop caught his attention... no that wouldn't do either. The next one was just as bad, as was the next one. Why was he even looking for the perfect shop?

He rolled his eyes. Maybe he would just go to a bar. He turned around to walk in the other direction, but nearly ran someone over. Oh dear.

"My greatest apologies!" he said with a bow of his head. Maybe he should have gotten a better look at the person he ran into.

[Kari Muffin]

(( OOC: >_> feel free to jump in and save me from myself. ))

The fairy squirrel flopped backwards with surprise. He had decided to travel the Capital City for supplies, and had gotten horribly lost. Now he had just run directly into a gray mouse.

His ears pulled back as he readjusted his necklace and money pouch. "You're excused, but watch where you're going next time." The squirrel said as he looked the mouse up and down with red eyes.

He had never seen that region before... what was it? Maybe he should just flat out ask and admit that he was a bit of an idiot. No one was perfect. Not even him, and when it came to realms he didn't know a thing.

"What region are you from Mr....?" A name. He probably should have started with introducing himself. This manners thing was a completely new concept to him as well. Why on earth did people really needed to say their names when they were talking to each other. Parsley rolled his eyes. "My name is Parsley by the way."

[The Jenn]

Parzifal had been watching the odd squirrel for a few minutes, ever since the flash of silver and gold had caught his eye and made him glance over. Something about the young man just looked familiar. He was pretty sure they'd never met or he would have remembered - it was pretty hard not to remember someone as unusual as the fairy squirrel seemed to be - but he was still struck with a sense of familiarity. He'd only ever met one family with squirrel in their blood before and that had been...

...wait. Hadn't his master mentioned something about a Corvistowne squirrel that he'd had a hand in mutating by accident? Red eyes narrowed and he considered the squirrel, even as he saw him soundly crash into another Card, another vermin by the looks of things. He moved a few steps closer and caught the young man's name.

Parsley? That was it! "You're Sage's brother?" he asked in surprise, walking forward and avoiding some of the other foot traffic. He didn't want to be a repeat of what had just happened between the mouse and squirrel with some other unexpecting pedestrian. He'd never met any of Sage's siblings, though, and wanted to see if this really was one of her brothers. He'd never met any of the others besides her, but she'd mentioned that there were five of them and most of them were named after a song she'd agreed to sing with Poe one time.

"I'm sorry - please forgive me if I'm being abrupt - but is your mother by any chance a Tulgey squirrel named Femi?" His speech was thick and would give most people the first impression that he was rather slow, though really it was the fault of the rings piercing his beak.

[Kari Muffin]

The mouse stared at the squirrel for a long moment. How could he not know what region he was from? Ichigo titled his head at the Corive when he said his name. Apparently the boy didn't get out much.

"My name is Ichigo, I'm a Mid-Ranger." He said offering a paw for the squirrel to shake. However, he was interrupted by another card. A bird with an unusual set of piercings. An interesting mixed region it seemed. At least he didn't know of a region that contained white, black and purple.

The mouse's ears twitched at the conversation. So it seemed that they knew each other? Or at least it was some form of guilt by association. Which ever it was the mouse thought it would be productive to slip away while they were conversing. It just seemed easier than dealing with a random meeting in the middle of the street. What was with his luck and meeting strangers?

[Kari Muffin]

Parsley's head turned after the mouse's introduction. Someone had spoken his sister's name and associated him with it. Then he proceeded to talk about Mom. "You're that boy Sage has a crush on." He said as his tail fluffed behind him. He had over heard Sage gossiping to Rosemary. Big ears were useful like that. He even matched the description down to the piercing. "Parzifal. That's it."

Maybe he shouldn't have just said that Sage had a crush on him. If she ever found out he would never hear the end of it. Parsley shoved that in his mind for later as he turned to see if the Mid-Ranger was still there. He looked like he was about to sneak off... but the squirrel still wanted to interrogate him. Bugger. "What an interesting cut..." he mused for a moment before turning back to Parzifel.

"Yes, I'm Sage's brother, Parsley." He finally said after the fact. "What are you doing outside the Wood? I thought she said you worked for Mom's friend or something like that."

[The Jenn]

Parzifal blinked, confused for a moment. Did the odd-looking squirrel have him confused with someone else? At least he did seem to be the brother that Sage had mentioned, especially with that herb name like hers. He remembered quite well what an odd thing her mother had been. Sweet, but strange. He supposed that Queens had the right to be eccentric.

So he knew his name. The boy that Sage had a crush on? That was... unexpected. And slightly surreal. He'd seen her as one of his only friends for so long that thinking she might have a crush on him was almost unsettling. He'd have to think on that more. "Yes, I'm Parzifal. I managed to earn my freedom from service a few weeks ago, actually. This is my first time out of the Woods without having to report to someone. I take it you live out here?"

And what was the gray mouse doing? Trying to get away?

[Kari Muffin]

The mouse's ears drooped at the comment about his cut. Outsiders of the Mid-Range had no concept of honor. He felt the need to education the boy who obviously lacked manners. He turned back around making sure his tail avoided the various people in traffic.

"Perhaps the pair of you should step out of the way of traffic. Irritating travelers isn't the best of ways to make acquaintances." He said as politely as his voice would allow him. Of course he was talking to a high ranking Spade and a Diamond. In general people didn't like to listen to someone of lower rank or black suit when they were privileged and so much better.

He pointed to a rather nice looking tea place. "That would be a good place to have discussions. And a wonderful place to have tea. In fact, I'm going to take my leave, Sirs and have some tea myself."

Don't follow. Please.

[Kari Muffin]

Parsley blinked at the other vermin. Well he did have a valid point. It was silly of them to converse in the middle of the road like they were doing. Not many people were kind enough to point that out. He nodded at the mouses tea comment, he would try to convince this Parzifal person to sit rather than stand in the middle of foot traffic.

"I live in Corvistowne now. I came to the city to get some supplies that the shops didn't seem to have. I'm terribly lost though..." He smirked. "Oh well. I can make a day of it. Say--how about we follow that mouse. At least we'd get to sit down, right?"

His ears twitched as he readjusted his necklace. "Congrats on your freedom by the way. Things were kind of stuffy in the Woods. I can't imagine you had a lot of fun times." Parsley thought of something as he stared at the mouse making his way to the tea house. "How are your siblings doing?"

He had two right? Sage said something about that to Rose.

(( OOC: >_> Parsley lacks social skills. *pokes him* ))

[The Jenn]

"Tea would be nice, actually," Parzi agreed, tucking his wings and maneuvering them slightly to avoid a person bowling past him far too close. "Talking in the middle of the road seems a good way to get run over. I'm not used to seeing so many people." They were absolutely everywhere, and it made his head swim. Did most of the world live right here in this city? It seemed like it from the middle of the street. Every time he came and left with his former master, he forgot just how vivid and lively the place was, and how utterly crowded.

He followed the Corvie as they went towards the tea shop the gray mouse had already entered. "Corvistowne... that's one place I've heard enough rumors about to want to see. I had to come to the city first, though. Figure out where I belong. I'm not really sure what to do with myself now that I have the choice. Work on my magic, I suppose. That seems the logical next step."

Entering the shop, he briefly admired the environment. It seemed very clean and uncluttered, though there were tables with people scattered throughout the room. "Poe and Sage are doing... well, last I saw. I know my sister planned on going to Torquehelm, though she was vague about what she would do there, and I really don't know where Imre will end up. I plan on finding out, though, of course. I need to be able to find them and visit them readily. And how about yours? You have four of them, so they must have scattered like leaves."

[Kari Muffin]

Ichigo had made a decent attempt to hide from the squirrel by moving as fast as his legs could carry him. He was in the tea house long before the other pair, and had brought himself to a corner, out of the view of most patrons in the establishment.

He smacked himself for speaking at all. This was just an off day when he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Or focused for that matter. Maybe he should make a trip home? No, that would probably make things worse.

The real problem of the matter was that he wanted, and desperately needed a job. Nothing was panning out for him. Every so often he got a nice paying Bodyguard job, and then he went back to doing nothing. All this down time was driving him absolutely nuts.

His thoughts stopped when he spotted the squirrel again. What luck. The squirrel had spotted him. No getting out of this affair.