[closed] Sing for Me [Blue]

[Vyn]

Errands.

Most people found them trivial and boring but Neil was positively delighted. He loved getting a chance to help out his adoptive family and, once he was done, he'd be able to slip into the market and buy some ingredients for dinner. After living on the streets for so long cooking was a bit of a challenge, but he was slowly getting the hang of it. Especially since one of the Court's cooks had been so kind as to give him a recipe that he knew Theofilus liked.

The fox's tail wagged cheerfully and he hummed to himself as he ran in and out of stores. Calia needed something from here, and Asha had mentioned needing something there...

By the time he had everything bundled nicely in his satchel, the sun was starting to set and he found himself having to hurry to make it to the market before the stalls started to close up. It'd be alright if he didn't get it in time -- there were lots of people who cooked for family and even more restaurants in the area that would serve them -- but he loved to treat everyone.

And then the worst possible snag hit: Momo smelt strawberries. He recognized the tell-tale perk of her little tufted ears and, without so much as a sneeze of warning, she darted off toward a nearby stand. "Momo, wait! Er, heel!" Crap! Why did she have to be so thick-headed?!

[Blue]

Capital City. Calanthe had never been out of the Gardens before, so to be in a place such as this was incredible. She weaved in and out of the various streets, and eventually, she came stumbled upon the marketplace. There were various vendors, each with their unique stalls set up. Her mouth began to water when the different aromas reached her nose, so she couldn't help but get closer to the stalls to have a look. There were foods of every kind there. Warm baked breads, fresh meats and fish, vegetables of every kind, and fruit. The fruit especially caught her eye, since they were one of her favorite things to eat. Her eyes then immediately caught the bright red color of the strawberries.

"Suits, does that look good! I wonder how much money I have with me..." Cal said to herself. As she looked to see what she had with her, she heard someone yell "Momo, wait! Er, heel!" It was then she turned around to see a small and very pink animal running right towards her.

"Oh dear..." was Cal's last thought before she got bowled over by the bounding creature.

[Vyn]

Neil stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Momo crash into the beautiful Yarrow canine, his eyes growing exceptionally wide.

Oh no, oh no no no! This was not the first impression he wanted to make on a beautiful Yarrow woman! There was no getting out of this, he had to get in there and get Momo untangled from the woman or he'd only make her more furious than she probably already was.

"I'm so sorry!" His voice was high-pitched with anxiety, dainty and feminine as was suiting to his equally girlish body. Quickly he reached in scooped the little Bander up, dragging her up against his chest so he could keep her from trying to get at the strawberries. "A-Are you alright, miss??? I'm so sorry, she gets a little bull-headed when it comes to strawberries. So sorry..." He swallowed, aware that he'd been rambling and ran a hand nervously through his little mane.

He was just digging himself in deeper, wasn't he?

[Blue]

For a few moments, all Cal saw was stars in front of her eyes. Once she got them refocused, she noticed another Yarrow picking up the small pink creature and apologizing rapidly at her. She shook her head to clear her mind, and after that, she felt completely fine. Nothing was broken, or sprained, or hurt in any way, so there was nothing to be truly mad about. Except for the fact that that little beast should be on a leash...

"It's okay, I'm alright. I promise. Just maybe keep him, or her, on some sort of leash next time? I wouldn't want this sort of thing happening to anyone else." she said with a little irritation in her voice.

It was then she looked up into the Yarrow's beautiful purple eyes, and Cal saw that this poor female was truly apologetic for what had happened. Those eyes melted the slight anger that Cal harbored inside her away. Her tail began to wag slightly.

"Strawberries, you say? I myself have a love for strawberries. Why don't I buy your little Momo here some strawberries, and maybe we can sit and chat and enjoy them together?

[Vyn]

Neil couldn't help but be a little self conscious in front of Cal... A Yarrow Woman... This could either go nicely or really badly. Her look softened quickly, which he had mildly expected but it still left him tense and nervous and oh-so apologetic.

Comfortable in androgyny, Neil had taken to wearing simple clothing that didn't really reveal his gender either way and concealed some of the more... obvious... deviations from the gender most Yarrows suspected when they saw him. Theofilus had convinced him to stop wearing skirts, but going out dressed in 'boy' clothes only made him feel like a walking target.

Especially when moments like these came along. Nervously he squeezed his bander to his chest and offered a meek, tremmulous smile. "Oh yes, of course Miss... I really should." And he should, cause there was never any prediction when a ball of yarn or a cart of strawberries might appear and turn his pink princess into a little... bander. And then she offered strawberries and, from the way Momo was squirming angrily, he didn't have much of a choice. The fox blushed sweetly and his tail swayed happily. "That would be very nice of you miss, Momo and I are both very fond of strawberries as well."

Oh please, don't let this blow up in his face!

He wasn't lying, she just... hadn't asked his name yet, or anything... so he could play a long for a little while.

[Blue]

Cal just kept smiling at the beautiful Yarrow fox in front of her, while the poor thing continued to struggle with the bander in her arms. It'd probably be best to buy those strawberries as soon as possible before there was another incident. She promptly turned to the vendor next to her to remedy the problem.

"Please, could I have two packages of your best strawberries?"

After she'd paid and received them, she turned back to her new acquaintance. "I bought the strawberries! Where would you like to go so we can enjoy them together?"

They began to walk along the winding streets, passing many more vendors along the way. All of a sudden, she realized that she had forgotten to do something very important. She had not introduced herself to this fellow Yarrow! Not wanting to be rude any longer, she immediately spoke to the fox next to her.

"My dear! I haven't introduced myself to you, and I apologize for that. My name is Calanthe, and of course, I hail from Yarrow Gardens. May I ask you your name?" she asked, while she began to stare into the Yarrow's beautiful purple eyes yet again.

[Vyn]

Neil was delighted. She was such a nice lady to buy them all some strawberries like that!

"Thank you very much!" He paused at her question. He knew a few good places to eat, and some places that were just nice and comfortable. "Actually, I know a quiet little square with a fountain that, on occasion, has some lovely amateur musicians; if that's to you're taste." Neil actually spent a good deal of him time there.

They had started walking then, winding through the streets in search of the fountain when -- to his silent horror -- she asked the one thing that would probably ruin this good evening. His name. The boy was thankful he was clutching Momo or he would've started to fidget. Theofilus told him to be proud of himself, not to lie... and despite his fears of what this Yarrow woman might do upon realizing he was a mixed Yarrow male, he would listen to him.

"Oh... It's no problem..." He blushed heavily, lowering his head a little as his tail wrapped subconsciously around his leg. "I'm Neil. Its a pleasure to meet you..." Maybe she wouldn't be the mean sort of Yarrow? Oh suits, he could only hope so.


Momo, meanwhile, sat in Neil's arms with increasingly less agitation. She did not like being carried around like this, but she had her eyes on the strawberries. Usually, if she stopped squirming, she was given the strawberries so she'd stay as still as she could... for now.

And then, to her utter frustration, her Person began to get agitated. She didn't know why but his hands clenched uncomfortably and the tension around him made her sneeze. What was going on? Why wasn't she getting stawberries???

[Blue]

As they walked along towards the fountain that the fox had mentioned, he told Cal his name was Neil. Cal blinked at this statement, and as she trotted along the path, her steps faltered a bit. He...he was male? This beautiful creature beside her was male? How...how was that possible?

For the first time since she'd met him, she looked at something other than his face, and more specifically, his eyes. Now she noticed he lacked a more pronounced chest, but other than that, there were no other visible differences between Neil and any other bipedal woman. "He must be very androgynous then." she thought to herself.

She then realized she been staring rudely up and down this man for more than a few minutes. Cal supposed she should say something. Anything. She scrambled her brain for a response. She really didn't want to mess up her afternoon with Neil, especially since she'd gone out of her way to buy the three of them strawberries. If she messed things up now, it would all be a waste. She'd have to choose her words carefully.

"Neil, is it? Lovely to meet you. I don't think I've met a male of Yarrow heritage before. Although, you must not be all Yarrow, with those words on your body. I'm not too familiar with other realms, since I've been in the Gardens all my life." Oh Suits, now she was just rambling. She didn't want to scare him off either. Regaining her bearings, she started again. "You seem like a perfectly likable person, Neil, and even though you are male, you have done nothing to make me hate you. Well, maybe except let that bander run into me, but I suppose that couldn't be helped. She's fidgety even now. Anyway, the point is, I'd still like to enjoy these strawberries with you and get to know you better. Is that okay?"

She didn't know what it was about him, but when she said those words she truly meant them. Cal dearly hoped he understood that.

[Vyn]

Neil pale cheeks flushed noticeably as Cal looked him over, though it was not as rare as he felt it should've been. Few actually believed him after the first few words... Theo said it was because he was 'androgynous' and that his voice was unusually high-pitched for his gender.

The boy shivered a little, waiting for the bite or the smack or the sting of harsh words...

Lovely to meet you.

The fox twitched and blinked, looking down at the Yarrow woman beside him. Really? Instantly he brightened, tail wagging gently. "Oh, yes... I'm part Villa. I suppose that's the only reason I'm here...," he murmured. He was so glad that this person was not being mean, that she was willing to be his friend even after knowing his gender. "T-Thank you, Cal... I would be happy to continue spending time with you, you're very nice..." Nicer than most, if any, of the Yarrows he'd met. "And I'll make sure Momo doesn't knock into anyone else like that again, I'm still terribly sorry."

[Blue]

Well, Cal had told herself that she'd give anyone a chance, and seeing that Neil had so far been very kind towards her, whether he was male or not didn't matter. She could probably even consider him a friend now, and she liked the thought of that. However, just to be safe, she wanted to clear the air, so the poor fox wouldn't have to be so tense around her anymore.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Neil, especially if I seem to scare you at all. I know full well what most Yarrows practice when it comes to males of our realm. However, I'm not your typical Yarrow, I suppose. Killing or mutilating a male for being what they are just never seemed right to me. And after having met you, a perfectly likable Yarrow/Villa male, I can see that not all men are terrible. So, actually, thank you for teaching me something new. You may not have done it knowingly, but I really appreciate it nonetheless."

As they continued to walk along, she noticed in the distance the fountain that Neil had mentioned. It looked quite serene, and the perfect place to enjoy the strawberries with Neil and Momo. The little bander only seemed to get more fidgety as time passed, so the sooner they got to their destination, the better.