[Rhodes]

RHODES
I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING -- TO FIGHT WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE FLYING

The slender girl padded her way through the underbrush on delicate paws. She was nearly grown now, lanky and willowy like her father. Yet she still felt like a little pup. Was she ever going to actually do anything with her life? It seemed unlikely... she could never muster the courage to so much as try. Everything she attempted felt... contrived or like she was inadequate.

Rhodes gave a long wistful sigh. Life was either too boring or too overwhelming, she was never happy.

As she approached the faerie pools her gait slowed. The footing here could be treacherous. She looked over the glimmering pools with wide blood orange eyes. She had always thought this place was beautiful. A sort of quiet, wistful energy hung in the air. She strode silently toward the edge of the water and lowered her head. Delicately lapping at the water until she had drank her fill and then pausing - eying the rounded stones that protruded from the shallow pools pensively.

She cocked her head, deliberating - that wasn’t so far. Could she make it all the way across without touching the water? She backed up a few strides and took a running jump, landing deftly on the first stone and giving a soft girlish giggle as it pulsed with a soft blue-white glow. She could just step to the next and did so. The third was a greater challenge and she paused, gauging the distance silently.

Rhodes became quickly so absorbed in her simple little game she ceased paying much mind to her surroundings.

[Traveler]

|➷| captive |➷| the wannabe playboy

#5C1310

Traveler was nearing the end of his stay in Gemini, he just didn’t know it yet. Instead he was simply wandering around, looking for something new to do. Having come across the silver and tan wolfdog who gave little indication she wanted to see him, he got the feeling she didn’t feel very bad for him as she pulled her hood on and walked away. Something about him ‘still being a trespasser’ seemed to rub her the wrong way, Trav just rolled his eyes at the miniature creature and continued on. She wasn’t the first one he’d met that didn’t feel all that too bad for him, he couldn’t understand why though. In what world was trespassing enough of a crime to receive a mauling? (It was as if he’d forgotten they thought he was harming a child and that he fought back in his panic.)

Nevertheless, these things were unimportant. Once the winter had came off the land, he figured, he would leave Gemini and never look back. Even if it meant he missed Snow White a little. He had a Bosslady to find and traveling band of idiots who thought they were witches to benevolently guard—as if he was some sort of warrior--. There was no sense in traveling in the winter he decided, and would set off from Gemini in the spring (or so he thought). So today he would simply satisfy his boredom and wanderlust, ending up once again at the faerie pools.

The red giant smacked his lips playfully, he was about to drink some water when he noticed a little fluffy girl jumping from rock to rock. Trav had never seen her before, nor heard a suggestion that there were in fact, other women closer to his age here in Gemini. The rogue huffed lightly, letting a ‘hmmm’ out in a low tone. He might as well make some friends while he was here, or at least keep trying to. The giant boy waved his butt in the air for a moment as if he was calibrating his jump like an athletic jungle cat. Before launching violently past the rock he aimed for—curse his long legs—and crashing into the pools just a few feet behind the dainty girl with an up roaring, booming laugh. ”WELL SHIT-FUCK! HAHAHAHAHA! MAN I MISSED THAT! DAMN! Hey girl how do you make that shit look so easy cause I’m jealous as hell!”

The red Fringe Dire flopped around in the water for a moment, thankful it wasn’t as deep as when Orion had taught him to fish. Placing his front paws and head down on a stone, letting the rest of his body linger in the cold water for a moment. The large scar on the back of his neck would be visible, as would be apparent his tail was missing. Tiny scars dappled the rest of him, but the boy had nearly forgotten their existence as they healed. He shivered visibly and jumped up, crashing through the pool to the other side having had the good common decency to not shake off all the moisture right next to the girl. That would have been rude, ”Man I’m fuckin’ freezing now. Oh. Uh, names Traveler by the way, but you can call me Trav.” He said with a wink of his honey orange eyes.

I’m sorry XD

[Rhodes]

RHODES
I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING -- TO FIGHT WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE FLYING

OOC: Gonna go ahead and reply but if anyone else would like to join still feel free!!

---
Rhodes backed up a few steps, dipping down in a play-bow before she dashed forward and leapt. She barely made the jump. Hind paws scrambling on the stone before regaining her balance - she barely had a moment to celebrate her accomplishment before there was a loud splash.

”WELL SHIT-FUCK! HAHAHAHAHA! MAN I MISSED THAT! DAMN! Hey girl how do you make that shit look so easy cause I’m jealous as hell!”

“YeeeEEP!”

Rhodes gave a high-pitched undignified yelp as a shower of cold water crashed down on her. She tried to scramble away from it. Her long legs tangling and causing her to stumble off of the rock and plop down on her butt in the freezing cold water. Who in the hell? She felt a wave of indignance at the strange male. Yet it vanished quickly and was replaced with anxiousness as she actually whirled on him.

Rhodes blinked at the unfamiliar male. Completely taken aback by him. Her ears pinned back and her orange eyes wide. The drenched mixed yearling looked pathetic. Her thick fur now sodden and hanging off her bony frame in limp ropey strands. She was actually pitifully thin and it was extremely obvious now that she was wet.

He splashed around ungainly in the water for a few moments and all Rhodes could do was watch, her mouth flapping up and down uselessly like a gasping fish for a moment. Unable to form any actual intelligible sounds, just halting squeaks. He splashed on through to the other side of the pool, leaving her sitting uselessly in the water.

”Man I’m fuckin’ freezing now. Oh. Uh, names Traveler by the way, but you can call me Trav.”

The friendly demeanor seemed to help her collect herself a bit. Rhodes pushed herself up, padding after the much bigger fringe dire hesitantly.


“I... uh. Uhm. I d-d-d-don’t... I’m R-rhodes?”

She stammered haltingly, her voice lifting awkwardly at the end as if she wasn’t sure of her own name. She did not look up at him but rather down at her feet as she trudged out of the water. She moved some distance away from him and shook herself off a bit. Still wet and pathetic looking but not quite drowned rat status.


“I uh- that is... I d-don’t...” She grit her teeth in frustration at her own stammering voice.
“Who - oh you already... uhm, what are you d-doing? ... d-doing here?”

[Traveler]

|➷| captive |➷| the wannabe playboy

#5C1310

His splash had not just soaked him, but had also gotten the tiny woman. Had he noticed right away he might have felt bad but Traveler was not always the most astute of wolves. The red fringe dire wallowed around in the water, disturbing the bottom of the pool with his scrabbling about. The water was turning a slightly odd color by his digging, but he hoisted himself on the rock and didn’t notice. It only just occurred to him that the girl had shouted… or rather, yelped. Oh dear, he realized as he landed on the shore and whipped around to look back at her that she was wet and now in the water. Whoops!
”Oh hell… Fuck I didn’t realize I gotcha…” As if a splashing giant wouldn’t send water in all directions. But she had started on a rock and ended in the pool so maybe it was her own doing?

Traveler realized the girl wasn’t really making any noises, squealing about silently, haltingly. A brow perked in Rhode’s direction, taking the soaking girl in completely. Awfully thin he noticed now that the water had deflated the poof of her pelt. The boy wrinkled his lips just a little, thin was nice normally, he wasn’t sure about now? Trav didn’t know how to tell? She must be okay? It must be okay? The red giant cocked his head at the tiny woman, before settling and deciding that she was very thin, but she had pretty colors nonetheless.

Finally, she realized she was standing in water, Traveler nodded as she walked towards the shoreline as well, escaping the chill of the pools. Water still dripped from his pelt like miniature waterfalls, so he made the decision to quickly shake again before she got within range for another splash. When the girl gathered herself to speak, Trav noticed that she had a stutter. He’d stuttered before, so he wasn’t sure if it was natural or just because she was distressed. For a brief shining second, it occurred to him that it would be rude to stutter her name back to her, so he refrained, instead simply nodding. This one wasn’t very good with her words, the giant dork decided, and figured that her stutter was probably just a thing. A wrinkle nearly crept onto his face but fought it away with a fake yawn—hopefully Rhodes didn’t take that the wrong way--. She couldn’t help her stutter any more than he could help his way of talking, so he smacked his lips and waited for her to finish.

”Well it’s a little cold for a swim, but this place is pretty and shit so I thought I’d come hang around. Seen you jumpin’ across them rocks like some sort of acrobat or somethin’ fancy like that and decided I wanted to too. But I got four left feet and fuck did I miss that jump. I didn’t mean to splash ya though, love.” The fringe boy would grin at her then as a thought appeared in his mind, watching her from a distance.

”I imagine yer probably cold, bein’ so petite and shit. Come over here if ya want, I got some extra fluff to go around. ‘Less a’course you want a tail, you’ll have to ask that purple shit-fuckin’ bastard for that back.” Traveler would pat beside him before waggling his butt in the air to illustrate that he did, in fact, no longer possess a tail.

n/a

[Rhodes]

RHODES
I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING -- TO FIGHT WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE FLYING

”Oh hell… Fuck I didn’t realize I gotcha…” 

Rhodes didn't have a response to that past an incredulous blink. Was he stupid? As soon as the insulting thought past her mind, however, a wave of guilt set her ears pinning back. He probably didn't mean any harm by it. It was mean to think such things of a guy she had just met. It was just a mistake, right? It wasn't like she got hurt or anything... Rhodes shivered and gave another shake. Her fur standing up in strange spiky directions with the water. 

She recognized his thinly masked impatience at her voice and shrank a bit. At least he let her finish. A lot of people would just interrupt her if she didn't spit out what she had to say fast enough for them. People kept saying she'd grow out of the stammer but she certainly hadn't yet.

”Well it’s a little cold for a swim, but this place is pretty and shit so I thought I’d come hang around. Seen you jumpin’ across them rocks like some sort of acrobat or somethin’ fancy like that and decided I wanted to too. But I got four left feet and fuck did I miss that jump. I didn’t mean to splash ya though, love.” 

"Yeah... it's p-pretty here." She replied then glanced around, her orange eyes peering into the ethereal pale mist that hung over the pools. It was almost comical, the stark difference between the pools around her and the crass and blundering nature Traveller displayed.  

”I imagine yer probably cold, bein’ so petite and shit. Come over here if ya want, I got some extra fluff to go around. ‘Less a’course you want a tail, you’ll have to ask that purple shit-fuckin’ bastard for that back.” 

Rhodes' head pulled up, eyes widening in slight disbelief at that. Maybe she wasn't so terrible for thinking him a bit of a buffoon. That was... oof. Wow. Her head dropped, she swiped a paw over the bridge of her nose sheepishly. A pink tongue swiping across her lips in a nervous gesture.  

"I -uhm..." She sputtered, "I uh- I d-don't think so. I'm okay. I'm... p-pretty fluffy." She gave a weak nervous smile.

She lifted her head, slightly, watching his butt wiggle with poorly concealed incredulous horror. Then cocked her head curiously and muttered, "P-purple.... b...bastard?" The word sounded strange in her soft halting tone. Rhodes didn't like cursing at the best of times, first of all - she was even worse at that then she was at most talking cause it made her even more nervous.  Secondly, it was just mean or rude most the time. Though... it was one of the least offensive things he'd done in the past few minutes.

@.eclipse.