Can't Stop the Rain (Lucca)

[Kitty]

The feline stalked down the street, ears somewhere between being pinned back and standing straight, short, tufted tail was stiff and only twitched every now and again and her expression wasn't exactly... amiable. She hated running errands, and that's precisely what her mothers were having her do. She knew they wanted her to get out and find a job, make something useful of herself, but really ... this type of work was beneath her. She shrugged her shoulder, adjusting the bag filled with informative packets; the very things she was being forced to stop store to store to deliver, and continued on her way. There was only a few more shops that carried things such as bottled water left in this particular area so she was almost done ... just a few more miles and she could return home... or maybe she'd go out tonight and work off some stress?

Her ears started to perk a bit just as the clouds couldn't hold their burden any longer ... and it wasn't a simple drizzle either. Her ears then shot back and she rushed off to the first covered door step with a hiss of annoyance ... most from her realm enjoyed the water .... she hated it. Her family was in the business of bottling the stuff, the region had it's claims to fame in water ... and blah .... rain. Rain was the worst.

She shook out her coat with a huff, not bothering to see if anyone else was nearby .... and not really caring either.

[Lucca]

The feline wasn't the only one out running errands that afternoon. A porcupine, sunglasses placed absently atop his head and a leather bag hanging around his neck, was out picking up a few things. Of course, his parents never gave him anything to pick up that they needed immedaitely, as they were aware of just how lazy their son was, and just how long it took him to pick up a few things from the local store. Today fresh veggies were on the menu, and he had just left the store with his purchases when it started to rain. This didn't bother him, really, and he continued to plod along the street, paws absently avoiding the worst of the puddles. After all, he was a bit of a vain creature, and disliked getting muddy, but after all, why go out of his way to avoid it? He could just take a nice long bath later and...

His ears perked at a sudden hissing sound from his left, and he turned slowly to see a rather pretty Feline, looking very upset, shaking rainwater out of her fur, and Felix decided abruptly that maybe -some- things were worth going out of his way for. He walked over to the same step, though he shook his own fur and quills out before getting close enough to potentially get the girl wet.

"Hey there, stranger. Want some company while waiting out the rain?" He smiled, small round ears perked forward in a friendly gesture.

[Kitty]

She flicked a tufted ear in the porcupine's direction, her gaze remaining on the wall for a bit and her expression seemed to be stuck on sour. Well, she was stuck here until it stopped, or at least let up into a nice, light shower ... and who knows when the er .... rodent would leave ....

She shifted her gaze slowly from the wall to him, her expression softening up into something neutral. She twitched her whiskers as she looked him over, flicking the little droplets that clung there off. Slowly one brow arched .... what on earth was he, anyhow?

Without even a hello or a nod of acknowledgment she lifted a paw, unsheathed a claw made the move to poke at some of his quills.

By the suits what are those?

She tilted her head to the side a bit and simply stared at the quills. This was utterly fascinating ... she'd never met a walking pincushion before.

[Lucca]

Friendly, wasn't she? Like an icestorm. But it intrigued the outgoing porcupine. He wanted to see if he could get Miss Ice Queen to melt, just a little. So when she gave him that bland, cold look, he merely smiled winningly back at her, twitching his own whiskers a bit. He even leant forward a little so she'd be able to feel his quills better, thanking his lucky stars it wasn't a shedding period. During those he didn't like to have his 'do touched, but any other time and he enjoyed the attention, even if it was merely curiosity from those who'd never seen a porcupine before.

"They're what they look like. Spikes, quills, whatever you care to call them. Basically sharp, extra tough modified hairs." He shrugged. "I'm not really a scientist-type so that's the extent of my knowledge, but they come standard when you're a porcupine. These, however, do not." He placed a paw on one of the curly horns that adorned his head, a mutation inherited from his father, a sheep. He was quite proud of them, but he fully expected this kitty to not be so easily impressed.

"The name's Felix. What's yours?" He sat down on his haunches, getting comfortable and shifting the bag around his neck to a better position. He obviously had no intention of leaving her alone just yet.

[Kitty]

The rodent was either three shades of stupid or he was actually trying to get her to warm up a bit ... either way ... good luck to him. She wasn't exactly in the market for friends, even if that was something she lacked almost entirely, and ... well, he looked like common folk on top of that. Certainly commoners weren't all that interesting. Except that this ones fur was mutated in a peculiar way.

Sated she stopped pawing at his quills and placed both paws in front of her, picking her head up and puffing her chest ever so slightly to sit in a most dignified, feline manner.

When he introduced himself she peered out into the street to see if the rain was letting up any and, sadly, it wasn't. She flicked her tufted ears in slight annoyance before peering back at him.

Alohilani.

She dipped her head to him before looking back out into the rain. She wasn't going ot make this easy for him ... not at all.

[Lucca]

Felix's ears flicked back and his honest face fell in an odd expression for him. There wasn't a whole lot that got him down, easy-going as he was, but the one-word answer was somewhat disheartening. However, he currently had nowhere to be and nothing better to do (ah, the wonders of being basically jobless) so he wasn't about to give up unless she made things really tough for him. After all, socializing wasn't work.

"Alohilani," he repeated, raising an eyes and smiling a bit. "Quite a mouthful of a name. Got a nickname you go by? Like say, Lani or Alo?" She should at least have -some- response to that, he figured, even if it was aggravation at wanting to shorten her name to a more familiar version. He glanced out at the rain as well, nose wiggling happily. He loved the smell of water. It smelled like...home.

"So what's a pretty girl like you doing stuck out in the rain?" he asked, intent on getting her to open up a little. He glanced sideways at her through half-lidded eyes. "Does it have something to do with whatever's in the bag?" His gaze slipped to the aforementioned satchel curiously. As it happened, Felix was both rather unintelligent and happy to make new friends.

[Kitty]

Perhaps, but I would definitely prefer it if you simply didn't shorten it.

Her mothers did that and it was horribly, horribly annoying. She liked her name, thought it was pretty .... and didn't see any point in making it short and ... a little more common. In fact her parents called her 'Lohi' [ low-ee ]. suits it drove her up one wall and down another .... but she couldn't really do anything about it now could she?

And... he was still asking questions? Oy. Well, at least this one she could answer and rub her good fortune in this spiky rodents face a little, eh? A wicked little smirk touched her maw as she reached into her bag and produced one of her fliers. Everyone worth their rank knew the company ... Glacier's Peak Water. Her mothers owned and ran the water bottling company and had been more then a little successful in the venture ... and she was set to inherit it.

I'm supposed to be passing out fliers and pamphlets for my mothers' company.?

[Lucca]

Felix grinned as he finally got a decent response out of her. Well! Now that was more like it! "Aww, well if you insist then. It's really just a bit of a mouthful, though. Not that it isn't pretty," he hastened to add, tail flicking in an absent motion. "Alohilani. Alooohilani. Alohilani!" He nodded his head as if to some beat that only he could hear. Her name would fit great in a rock song...no, a rock ballad! It could be about love and...his drifting thoughts were grounded as a pamphlet was shoved under his nose, and he grabbed it curiously with one of his dexterous rodent paws.

Even he recognized the name. "Glacier's Peak, huh? -Your- family owns the company?" He let out a low whistle, obviously impressed. He flicked through the pamphlet, skimming it quickly. "You must be rolling in it, then," he said with a hint of envy. Not that his parents weren't well to do in their own way, but they were nowhere near this rich. If they were, he would never have to go to another Market, never have to hear 'subtle' hints that he should get a job...that would be wonderful. He could just do whatever he wanted, all day, every day! Not that he...didn't do that anyway, but then he could do it without having anyone give him dirty looks for it!

[Kitty]

It always pleased her to quite a large extent when people recognized the glory that was the family business. It was a wonder no one else thought of it first, bottle water and sell it wasn't a hard concept, but she wasn't complaining. She got vacations, a summer home and a rather comfortable living from it and, well... the little bits of work she was expected to do were easy. Although, in the future, she would need to find a partner that was good with numbers ... that aspect she wasn't so good with. People she was good with .... when she needed to be.

Mmmhmm, and we just reached out to two more realms this week. If this keeps up ... we'll be all over.

She flashed the porcupine a toothy grin and puffed out her chest, perhaps this wasn't so bad after all.

It's my parents that mostly benefit ... although I won't deny that there are a few perks of that. I'm quite looking forward to out summer trip to the Villa.

[Lucca]

Felix goggled openly at the Feline. He was meeting someone rich and famous! Or well...the company her parents owned was famous, anyway. But best of all? She was actually engaging him in conversation now! If what it took for that to occur was for her to brag about her money and her parents' success, well, Felix could live with that.

"Wow," he said, because at first that was all that came to mind, and the sound of the rain in the background faded away (not like he didn't hear it all the time anyway) as Alohilani continued, and the Porcupine's golden eyes widened even further. He made a strange, half whimper under his breath. "You're going to the Villa? I've always wanted to go there. I love music!" He did, too. Any sort of music, really, though he liked something he could dance to. And the groups of travelling entertainers from the Villa that came through town every so often were some of the most talented Felix had ever had a chance to see. And yet, he knew that the Realm's most talented almost never left their home, giving their very best music to the cliffs of the Villa.