Steady as She Goes [FIN]

[Lucca]

"Now we just have one more errand to run...no wait, two!"

It was a lovely day in Capital City, the sun was shining, the peddlers were calling, a freaky Chicken pushing a baby carriage was walking down the street talking to herself...wait, what?

"The bookstore should have the new best seller in by now! Oh, what was it called..."

It was easy to ignore the stares by now. She was used to them, and as long as they weren't staring at her...eyespot (shudder) she could handle it. After all, her region weren't often seen wandering around in broad daylight in the Capital. At least she'd found ways of hiding her various odd mutations...her eyespots were covered by a brightly colored scarf around her neck, her horns by a bonnet, and her abnormally large, dark eyes with sunglasses which had the added benefit of the sunlight not hurting her eyes as much.

Of course, she still looked extremely odd and her Rank was still hidden under her large ruff...but everyone had their little oddities, right?

"All right, Mel, here we are!" Stopping before a building, the Chicken turned brightly to look inside the stroller...where there was a very odd looking Bandersnatch, also in a bonnet and booties, which didn't quite cover the odd horny growths growing up its legs. The Bander snorted, blinking up at the Chicken, who clucked lightly. "Now, now, none of that! Butcher's -after- bookstore, and then we'll get you a treat, all right?"

The Bander looked slightly mollified.

[drewsky]

Xopek stood in the bookstore looking at all the different books. He was looking to find something that would be interesting. People were coming and going he didn't spare a glance from the novel he found that looked to be very good. The little bell on the door ringed every time someone walked in, quite annoying in Xopek's opinion.

The bell rang again and he looked up ready to talk to the manager to stop the bell, but then he saw a chicken pushing a baby carriage. A chicken in itself was not strange, but she was very oddly dressed she wore a bonnet and glasses, inside? the baby in the cart was strange too it was a bander but it was wearing baby clothes. It also seemed to have weird protrusions underneath his clothes. He approached and said.

"Hello miss can i help you with anything?"

[Lucca]

Molly smiled as a cheerful little bell tinkled as she pushed open the shop door with a wing. She always loved that little sound; so happy and light! She pushed her sunglasses up a bit, blinking as her overly dark, large eyes adjusted to the dimmer light inside the store. But before she could quite make out the words of the different sections to find the one she wanted, an Esterberry Ferret had made his way over to her. Assuming him to be an employee in the bookstore, Molly gave a happy little cluck and rustled her wings.

"Oh, yes, thank you young man! I'm looking for the newest book in that best selling romance series that's so popular lately...the one about the Torquehelm and the Avington?" The edges of the Chicken's beak turned up in a hopeful smile. "Oh, but here, let's make sure we're out of the way!" Swishing her wings at him, she moved away from the door, so that she wouldn't be blocking anyone else that needed to get in the door. Several other bags hung on the handles of the stroller, and a little orange Bander snout poked out of it to sniff at the newcomer suspiciously.

[drewsky]

"I'm sorry, Miss... I don't know that book, but I'm sure i can help you."

"My name is Xopek i don't work here though."

"What is your name?" He said.

He didn't know about any book like that he was more into history's and fantasy than love stories, but she seemed like a kind woman and he wanted to be helpful. he started to show her around trying to find the book she wanted.

"My what an adorable bander, you have."

"Whats his name?" He said.

She seemed nice and happy which was good, but there was one thing he wondered what suit and rank was she and what region she was from. He'd never seen a card colored like that. He decided he would try to find out.

"If its not rude in my asking, what region are you from?" He asked.

[Lucca]

A sad sound escaped Molly's beak when the Ferret said he didn't know the book...but he was willing to help her anyway. He was wiling to help her anyway...even though he wasn't even an actual employee of the store? Then her stranger appearance didn't deter everyone from being nice to her! The thought made her feathers fluff pleasantly. "Molly, and it's an absolute pleasure to meet you!" she said brightly, head bobbing a bit as she pushed the carriage a bit further from the entryway. "It's so nice to meet someone...well, nice! So many Cards here are always rushing around and wouldn't have time to help a lost Chicken." She chuckled, an odd sound to be coming from such a bird.

"Why thank you! Her name is Melonade," she explained, placing gentle emphasis on the pronoun. She reached down to smooth over some fur on the Bander's head with her beak, and Mel leaned into the touch with a low, contented sound, before blinking curiously at Xopek. "She's as sweet in her demeanor as you could please. Has a bit of trouble walking though, poor thing, through no fault of her own. It's those unfortunate growths she was born with, you see..."

And then...came a question she could have expected. It still made her droop slightly. Those from her Region were looked down upon for being 'weird'. "No, it's all right. There aren't a whole lot of us running around in the Capital!" She shook her head, one foot scratching absently at the floor. "I'm from Cranstone Moors." Of course, if Xopek -had- ever heard of her region, it would not have been by that name...

[drewsky]

Xopek wanted to help molly so they walked over to the romance section and looked around. Molly seemed very happy that someone wanted to help her and Xopek was happy to oblige in any way.

When she mentioned that her bander had a mutation, he wondered how it got it and why she would want to keep it. The growths may have been strange, but it was cute nonetheless.

He saw that when he asked about Molly's region she seemed very shy and awkward about it. When he heard the name he gave a small shudder. He was a historian so he had heard the name Cranstone moors, but there was very little information on it. He never even knew cards could come from there. He was curious about the place and being able to ask someone who lived there was a great thing.

"Where's Cranstone moors" He said.

[Lucca]

Molly's head perked up as Xopek was able to show her to the right section, and her dark eyes scanned the shelves, looking for the distinctive typeface that would help identify the series. Giving a happy little cluck, the Chicken spied the series...oh, but she had all these ones! Where was the newest? Temporarily leaving Mel in the aisle she leaned over to the shelf, one wing lifted so her feathers could brush over the books and count them.

The Ferret's question, though, stopped her dead, and her face fell, losing its cheerful demeanor. Here it came...she'd explain, and he'd remember all the dreadful, horribly unfair rumors he'd heard about her Region, and he'd shun her...just as many others had done before him. "Well, it's east of Corvistowne...we're somewhat large and colorful, it's really a lovely place to visit..." She paused, debating her next words...her head dropped slightly, head pressing against the shelf and eyes closing. "You may know it better as...as Niieliye." Such an unfair name. Such an unfair reputation.

[drewsky]

Xopek saw the chicken move her wings over the books looking for the book she wanted, which Xopek thought was weird. He saw her look through the books and she didn't seem to be able to find the new one she was looking for.

He saw her smile fall when he asked about Cranstone Moors. When he heard what it's other name was he shuddered a little bit, but he saw the way she looked at him and he suppressed the shudder. The rumors he'd heard of the area were disturbing, but most of the rumors he heard were second or third hand. He couldn't trust such unreliable information so he decided to take the information with a grain of salt. She didn't match the rumors of the people from there so why should he judge. He said.

"Ive heard of it, but i don't believe all those rumors. I think it might be a nice place, so i wont judge you on rumors, because you are a very kind person."

[Lucca]

Out of the corner of her eyes, Molly noticed the shudder he couldn't entirely hide, and miserable anticipation seized in her chest, a heavy feeling centered on her heart. But his words had her turning towards him, surprise across her features. No one had ever...said that to her before. Some had begrudgingly accepted her, true, like her boss and coworkers and landlady, but usually, Cards loved to judge others based on appearance alone, or on what they'd heard.

Despite her best efforts, Molly felt her eyes well up with tears at this man's kindness. "Oh, sir, oh...Xopek, you are by far the kindest man I think I've ever met!" she said tearfully, and moved towards him, as if she wanted to embrace him, a few tears spilling out of her eyes. She knew that she looked a bit alarming while crying though, thanks to her overly large, dark eyes, so she tried to stop...but as usual once the floodgates opened...

That is, until she seemed to catch sight of something behind Xopek, and her eyes widened even more, as impossible as that seemed. "I *hic* think we found it!" she cried, blinking her eyes rapidly to try and dispel the blurriness. "The book! It must have just been misshelved..." She pointed with a wing to something just to the left of the Ferret's ear.

[drewsky]

Xopek saw Molly's smile fall as she saw his shudder at his reaction to where she came from. She seemed as though she would cry when she began to and said he was the nicest person she had ever met. She moved as if to hug him when she let out a shout she had found the book. The book was behind him and she just had not seen it. It was a small book with a strange type-set and it was brightly colored too. She was almost jumping with happiness for finding the book.

He turned around and saw the book he grabbed it off the shelf and handed it to her. Her face lit up when she got the book, she thanked him profusely. He walked her over to the counter and she payed for the book.

"Do you need anything else, Molly." He asked