Now You Can Panic! [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

If Benedict had had facial expressions it would have been one of pure fascination as Dania spoke. He honestly didn't believe in the so called curse that bound Torquehelm's, but he did believe that there was magic out there that could do something like that. Perhaps the belief of the curse was the only thing that kept the bindings on? If she stopped believing in the curse would her tail go back to normal? Her leg would still suffer from the damage but...

Falkenhayn was just as curious. He tilted his head as the woman spoke. So the curse could do something like that? He stared down at his straight jacket, somewhat thankful for it. Even if it was hard not having arms at least he it didn't make him tingly or anything.

They both snapped to attention at her exclamation. And they both looked in the direction she was pointing. A fluffy yellow tail was the only thing visible before the door shut. "Why would he go into a candy store?" Benedict muttered.

Falkenhayn shrugged, "It looked like his tail though! Let's go that way!"



Xander had decided on a whim to buy some candy for Falkenhayn and Benedict. He figured they wouldn't get far without him, so he could slip away unnoticed. He hardly realized that they had spotted him slip into the candy store. When inside he looked at the various goods to see if he could find what he was looking for. Both of them were rather fond of those nasty little gummy orange candies every so often....

When they entered he would still be struggling to find the proper candy. Falks would make a rather happy squeak when he saw the bright yellow and white cat.

[Harpsdesire]

Dania shrugged at Benedict's question. Why wouldn't someone go in a candy store? She couldn't think of a singler person she knew who didn't like sweets. "Sure, let's go!"

The rat ushered the younger card into the crowded shop with it's candy-filled glass counters and shelves lined with jars of colorful treats. The happy sound the little boy made was encouraging, it seemed she had actually spotted the right card. That certainly was a relief. "That's him, right?"

She examined Xander from across the shop. He was an odd but not unattractive mix, and bound, although he didn't bear the white wing markings even mixed-realm torques usually had. He looked nice enough, she supposed, and Falkenhayn definately seemed more relaxed now that he was no longer 'lost'. Hopefully the cat wouldn't assume she had kidnapped his children and freak out. Dania didn't think she looked like some kind of child-stealing murderer/pervert, but who knew what he would see when he looked at her.

She hung back a little, letting Falks approach him first. Although Falkenhayn was the albino's uncle, he was also clearly the younger of the two. A little surprising.... but far from the strangest thing she'd seen today.

[Kari Muffin]

Xander's head snapped around when he heard the boy's happy sound. It was hard to mistake what came out of that boy as anything else. He blinked in surprise when he noticed the Torquehelm besides him.

Falks skitter forward, Benedict still peering over his shoulder. There was an explosion of words that ran out of the feline mix's mouth. Ultimately he was happy to see Xander and manage to introduce Dania.

Xander could at least work with that incoherent jumbled now. "It's nice to meet you. Thanks for helping them. Is there anything I can do to repay you? My name is Xander by the way." he said closing the awkward gap between them and bowing his head in greeting. Formalities. Bleck.

"Thank you very much Miss Dania!" Falks said brightly to the woman.

Benedict would have rolled his eyes if he had any. At least there weren't that many people in the shop at the moment. Even so he remained quite as not to.... cause problems. Plenty of people didn't accept him for what he was. Home would be nice.

[Harpsdesire]

Really, Dania thought, what kind of person would expect payment just for helping a lost child? Still, it was nice of Xander to offer. She returned his bow and greeting. "I'm glad to be able to help, and I really couldn't ask for anything in return. They're both such sweet boys."

"You're very welcome, Falkenhayn. And you have lovely manners. Your parents must be proud." She smiled, glad to see how much calmer the child was now. In fact, she was also far more comfortable now that she wasn't faced with the prospect of a panic-stricken child on her hands and no guardian in sight.

Benedict's sudden silence didn't go unnoticed by the rat, and she laid a paw softly on his skull. Poor thing. It must be pretty hard living as someone's tail. She had pretty mixed feelings about her own unusual tail, and (thank goodness) it wasn't sentient. Being condemed to a life in a shared body seemed like an exceptionally cruel fate, and she looked at the brothers with sympathy. Still, she supposed that in a way it could be better than always being alone.

[Kari Muffin]

Xander's ear twitched at the woman's comment. She seemed nice enough not demanding anything. It was a good thing Falks and Ben had run into someone so nice. Of course it would have been nicer if they hadn't noticed his departure since his surprise was now ruined.

Oh well.

"Would you at least like me to buy you some candy? I mean, I can't just let you walk away without giving you something for your help. I'm sure Falks and Ben feel the same way." He glanced over at the taller bipedal and his skull sibling.

Benedict remained silent but gave a small nod to address the yellow cat's comment. Falks grinned, looking slightly unhinged but meaning well. "I think that would be really nice! She did help me find you."

Falks would have wagged his tail if he had control of it. Instead he bounced slightly in place. Feeling ten times better. They weren't lost. No one was going to kidnap them. No one was going to hurt them. Nothing was going to explode. They were in a candy store. Nothing could go wrong.

[Harpsdesire]

She was about to politely refuse again, but Falks' enthusiasm swayed her. It seemed it would be almost rude to refuse after that. "That would be nice, thank you so much. That's very kind of you to offer." She smiled happily, if a bit bashfully-- she actually did have quite a soft spot for anything sweet. It was so pleasant to curl up by the fire with a good book and little sack of sugary treats, savoring them slowly as she lost herself in another world.

She stroked Benedict's head gently a few times with absent affection, then turned away abruptly to study the jars of brightly-colored candies. Perhaps it was a bit rude of her to touch the child without his consent... although it did occur to her that as a skull with no skin and therefore no nerves, he might not exactly be able to feel it, anyway. She hid her embarrassment in concentration on selecting a treat.

"Which one do you like, Falkenhayn?" She asked, grinning at boy with only a shadow of her usual melancholy. "I like alllll of them, I think!", the rat said, playfully.

[Kari Muffin]

Of course Falks being adorable won the woman over. Xander glanced at the bipedal cat-mix. Really if he had known he was doing it, he could easily use it to his advantage. But of course Falks was oblivious to quite a few things. One day in the future Xander might explain things to him, though he thought that the innocence was priceless on so many levels.

The yellow cat went to join them, a little bit away to give Falks and Benedict plenty of room.

Benedict was a little surprised at the woman's gesture. He hadn't been expecting something like that from.... anyone. He would have made a sound if he wasn't terrified of sending the other patrons running out of the candy store. Instead he rested his head on his brother's shoulder, glancing at the brightly colored candies that were nothing more than a shade of gray to him.

The bipedal boy bounced on his toes for a moment as the woman inspect all of the candy. There was quite a lot of it, and if she liked all of it it would be quite the problem for Xander, he was sure. "Well, I like those orange slices...." he said motioning to little orange colored candies coated in sugar. "But I think the chocolate covered pretzels are also good!"

[Harpsdesire]

"Anything chocolate-covered is good." She agreed, smiling at the mixed-breed child. To Xander, she commented, "I'd like some of the chocolate-covered raisins, if you don't mind." She left it to him to decide the amount-- since the raisins were loose in a glass jar, the cost would depend on how much he ordered. It seemed like a good compromise, as it left him the option of spending only a few coins without looking rude.

For all her social awkwardness, Dania was very sensitive to the feelings of others, and would never dream of choosing something terribly expensive and inconveniencing or insulting the albino. She smiled at him bashfully, still hesitant about accepting payment for her help, even if it was in the innocent form of candy. "Do you have a sweet tooth, Xander?, she queried cheerfully, watching Falks bounce in place as Benedict stared at the treats. Could Benedict even eat? "I've always had a weakness for desserts. I think I get it from my mother and her baking."

[Kari Muffin]

Xander didn't raise an eyebrow at the choice. Chocolate covered raisins wouldn't be his first choice, but everyone had different tastes he assumed. And she was probably trying to be nice and keep the cost down. They were probably the cheapest thing in the store.

He waved over the clerk and ordered a pound of the chocolate covered raisins along with a pound of orange slices. He handed each back to their respected owners with a bright smile. At the question his ears flicked backwards. "I'm not really all that fond of sweets. Though I enjoy jawbreakers and chocolate covered sardines every once in a while."

Falks was happily debating eating an orange slice with Benedict when he heard the words "chocolate covered sardines." His nose twitched furiously at the idea of fish smothered in chocolate. Benedict made an amused noise as he took the bag from Falks so the boy could speak. "He really has a weird taste in candy."

[Harpsdesire]

There was a touch of child-like glee in Dania's gaze as she was handed an entire pound of candy. She would nibble it a bit at a time, making the treat last. Although desserts were far from scarce in her house, it was rare for her to have so much candy at any one time. She was rather more thrilled than she was willing to let on. "Thank you." She said again, then popped one of the raisins neatly in her mouth.

She shared Falkenhayn's sentiments when it came to chocolate-drenched fish, but she answered with a non-commital sound, chewing the raisin slowly as an excuse not to comment on his candy preference.

"I've never tried chocolate-covered sardines." She admitted, smiling at Falks as his little nose crinkled. "It certainly sounds interesting, though. Maybe sweet and salty, like the pretzels." As her mother had often told her, 'it's always possible to think of at least one nice thing to say about anything'.

She watched with ill-concealed interest how the conjoined boys worked as a team, with Benedict taking a turn to hold the bag, acting almost in the place of the Torquehelm's jacket-bound paws. Luckily the store was emptying out a bit as shoppers left with bags of sweets, so there were few customers around to notice the unusual children.