Only the Best Intentions [Vyn]

[Lucca]

Molly was in good spirits as she bobbed down the street. Today was one of her favorite days of all...for it was a day on which she'd bought a new scarf! She'd found the most lovely one, hot pink with neon green stars, and had promptly tied it around her neck in place of her simple blue kerchief. It still hid her (shudder) eyespots just as well, but she thought it was an even bolder fashion statement, especially when combined with her pale pink felt hat and tiger-striped sunglasses. The stares, she was sure, were just because everyone else was jealous of such a unique find!

Molly had planned to just walk back to her modest apartment, but finding it was a rather warm day, she bought a lemonade (clucking fondly at the young man that sold it to her, who had the oddest look on his face. She was worried he might have been coming down with a bit of heat stroke, the poor dear, and had offered to fetch him an ice pack, but he'd shaken his head so emphatically that she was sure it would fall off) and sat down on the edge of a fountain in the park to sip it. Ahh, there was just nothing better than a day like today. New clothes and an ice cold drink. Now if only she had someone to share her overflowing happiness with!

[Vyn]

It was a miserable day.

A nice sunny day was one thing, but this was hot and Tybalt's thick black fur didn't lend to any sort of comfort. Nor did he blasted bindings, pulling at his lip with every step he took. He grumbled and scrambled up onto the edge of a fountain, basking in the spray of water as he fidgeted with his binding. He really didn't give half a care for this Torquehelm curse, Lethe didn't have to deal with it nor Dad. So why should he have to struggle with that and his rank?!

Finally he popped the clip-ons off and gave a victorious 'ha' as they collapsed down against the edge of the fountain. So. much. better.

It was only once he'd succeeded in removing the clasps that he noticed the horrific eyesore sitting not far from him. So... many... colors... and none of them really went all that well together... And where was her suit and rank? Tyb didn't mean to, but his face had screwed up into a look of confusion that combined with his wilted look and over-heated panting probably only succeeded in making him look unreasonably pitiful.

Had he seen himself, he would've given himself a nice boot into the fountain.

[Lucca]

Molly was humming lightly under her breath as she sipped the last of her lemonade, sitting back with a small, happy noise...when she caught the flash of something out of the corner of her eye. Something dark...unless it was just her sunglasses that made it appear so. As much as her large, dark eyes didn't really do so well on such a bright day, she slipped her glasses down her beak just slightly and turned to look curiously...and gasped, wings flying to her face, at the sight she saw. Oh, her heart absolutely -broke- for the poor child! Not only was he from Torquehelm and still bound under the notions of that poor, oppressed land, but when she caught sight of his Rank, why, her heart nearly broke for him!

The poor, poor creature! And only a child, too! Oh, what a difficult life he must lead! He needed someone to step in and help him. With a flurry of feathers, Molly stood up and shuffled closer to the boy, clucking in worry under her breath. Oh, the poor dear looked so -hot-! Probably lost, too, poor thing. (And SUCH a low Rank! A 2 of Clubs. Barely better than an Ace, and oh but Molly -did- feel so bad for Aces. They were adorable, precious creatures, especially the ones that could actually talk like a normal Card! The way some Cards treated their Aces was just cruel, making them into coats and such!)

"Oh, hello, dear," Molly said, sure to use her sweetest, most comforting voice so as not to scare the child away. "Would you like a drink? It's such a hot day and you need to make sure to keep hydrated--to get enough liquids! There's a lovely lemonade stand not far from here!" He wouldn't have any money of course, himself, but Molly was having a good day and would be happy to show a little charity!

[Vyn]

Oh no, it had seen him. Quickly Tybalt ducked his head, trying to pretend he hadn't been staring. Adults were always so fussy about being stared at. With his head down he quietly waited for the scolding to come.. but it didn't. Instead she was cooing comforting things at him.

As if he didn't know what hydrated was! The little wolf tilted his head up, staring blankly at the woman. Why did this always have to happen to him?

He glanced around with hopes of finding someone to save him and, to his great despair, found no one. He smiled awkwardly, sharp teeth visible. At this point there was no escape... Well, there was. He could be a rude little jerkwad and chase her off with snide comments (it wouldn't be too hard, she sort of set herself up for it, poor ol' bird)... but it also sounded like she intended to 'get him enough liquids' whether he accepted her offer or not. He'd find a way to free himself from her condescending sweetness later.

"Thank you, miss, but I can't afford a lemonade." Hopefully Lethe would show up soon, she'd lament missing out on lemonade.

[Lucca]

Molly nodded sagely. After all, she'd expected that the poor dear wouldn't have much money. The world was so hard on his kind! "Oh, now that's not a problem! Don't you worry about the money, dear, I'll take care of you!" She made a gentle shooing motion with her wings, trying to gently nudge him in the way of the lemonade stand, still smiling sweetly.

If he was a little fussy, well, she might have to just pick him up and carry him...but he didn't look too heavy. It was just like when her pet Bander didn't want to eat his supper! It was adorable, but frustrating. But then she noticed that the poor boy also had a rather scruffy looking tail...oh, some Cards could be so cruel that Molly could barely stand it. Maybe if he put a nice bow on it...bright yellow, to get a little cheer mixed in with his dark, sad coloring! What a pleasant thought that was! She'd have to see what she could find in her closet...maybe suggest something to the boy's parents if she happened to see them. Though his appearance spoke of something dreadful...parental neglect! Oh, how Molly knew what that was like first hand, given that her own mother had never been there for her, too busy drinking and throwing herself into the arms of strange men...perhaps the boy came from a similar situation...how very sad! Not that she wanted to make assumptions, of course.

[Vyn]

"Oh? Really? That'd be real kind of ya miss, real kind." Tybalt forced a smile. This lady really was pretty nice. A little better than some of the idiots he'd encountered. At least her misplaced pity came out well. He just hoped this wasn't the overly helpful sort of card that eventually drugged you and tried to wear your skin. With her frightening taste in fashion it was an all too probable possibility.

Nevertheless, Tybalt hopped down from the fountain's ledge and started in the direction that she had motioned to earlier. Lemonade was lemonade, even if crazy people bought it for you.

While Tybalt was not neglected by any means, he was definitely a latch-key kid. His mother had abandoned him and his sister on their father's doorstep and his father, for all that he was loving and attentive when he was home, was terribly busy with his work at the Courts. Luckily Tybalt was welcome at the Courts whenever he pleased (though he preferred the Capital for adventures) and Toli managed to keep his sexcapades away from home so as not to expose the children to a constant flow of strange men and women.

Honestly, if Tybalt could have chosen, he would've kept it that way. Better an absent parent that let him do whatever he pleased than the disturbing realization that his father was a man whore.

[Lucca]

"Oh, don't worry about it at all, dear, I'm more than happy to help out!" Molly bubbled, all too eager to show off her generosity. This was just the sort of thing to help the public get a better view of those from Cranstone Moors...to show how much her Realm were willing to help out the unfortunates of the world and bestow their abundant charity upon them! Of course, she didn't worry about silly little things like the fact that she covered up most signs of her heritage with tacky clothing and accessories. She was just very...sensitive to criticism, and she got a lot of that if she walked about without anything on.

"Come on, right this way, dear!" she said as she bustled the last few feet to the shop, as if the boy wouldn't somehow be able to see it by now. Taking out her purse (a rather tacky thing in and of itself as well, being a strange shade of green looking like it had been pulled right out of the Golfram Marsh) the Chicken paid for a lemonade for the boy and, after a bit of thought, a cookie for herself, as she was feeling just a bit peckish.

Molly smiled, kneeling down to be on a level with the Torque child (because she didn't want the poor darling feeling like she was always talking down to him!). "The lemonade will be ready in just a moment!" she told him, in case he was worried and didn't know how these sorts of thins worked, but then she suddenly realized that she didn't know the lad's name! He must have one, after all, even Aces had names, and no parent could be so negligent as to not name their own child! "What's your name, dear? My name is Molly!" she said in a cheerful voice.

[Vyn]

Tybalt was glad he couldn't read minds. He was certain that his frustration for people would've been much worse if he actually knew what they were thinking before they said anything. Worse yet, what they weren't thinking. Her 'guidance' was only proof of that. ...How could he not see it? It was a big pink cart with a picture of lemons on the front!

Then again, it was possible that he'd been blinded by her scarf. ...Ack! Or her purse! How had he encountered such a woman? Lucky, though, her strange taste was distracting him from just how badly degrading the situation really was. Honestly, to be treated like a two year old when he was a very able-minded eight was just horrifying.

When the woman knelt to better be on level with him, he flashed a smile and bobbed his head. "I'm Tybalt. Nice to meet you Miss Molly." He wagged his tail for good measure, looking nice and amiable. Could someone remind him why he had to act like a well-mannered Ace to get people to treat him kindly (stupidly, yes, but also kindly). Absently his gaze wandered back to that strange ruff around her neck. "Why don't you have a suit and rank?"

[Lucca]

Tybalt should maybe consider himself fortunate that he encountered Molly on a day she was by herself instead of with her Bander, Melonade. The Bander had a birth defect that made it difficult for her to walk...which prompted Molly to baby the poor thing, even going so far as to push Mel around in a stroller and fit her with a bonnet and booties to cover the horny growths on her feet. It was no wonder Mel was a bit disgruntled, even if she did get fed table scraps on a daily basis. Many other Cards tended to feel a bit sorry for the creature, and it only added to Molly's overall...strangeness.

Molly smiled at Tybalt's response. Oh, what lovely manners he had! Maybe his parents weren't quite so negligible as she'd first thought. But the smile on her beak fell for a moment (though she quickly forced it back) at his honest question. "Oh, but I do, Tybalt!" she cooed, and moved her wing to push the grey neck ruff and garish scarf aside and show him the bright red '7 ♦' on her chest. "It's just hidden, a bit! Everyone has a marking there, after all, no matter what region they hail from!" Molly knew she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she'd had a proper education at a fine school, and she'd been taught same as all the other 'enlightened' folks that there were no such things as Jokers, Rabbits, or any of that other nonsense.

[Vyn]

Tybalt was indeed fortunate that he did not see how she treated her little mutant of a bander, that would be garish indeed and painful to witness. More fortunate, though, was that Molly had not yet attempted to put a bonnet on him. The thought alone would have killed him.

When she pulled back her ruff and showed him the mark, Tybalt hesitated and then nodded quietly. Oh - a diamond? Seeing a red suit was a little surprising, usually they were bullies or snarky and sarcastic but this lady was actually pretty nice. He'd even assumed she was a Spade or something. "What about Jokers? My dad read me a book about Jokers and it says they don't have a mark there at all - and that they can be any region or rank or suit that they want." He nodded sagely.

In all honesty, he thought Jokers were just that: a fairytale that his dad had read him as a child. A neat fairytale, but a fairytale nonetheless.