Wolves Date Too

Wolves Date Too
Date of Scene:	15 February 2013
Location:	New Orleans, Pride Lands
Synopsis:	Skoll takes Avira out for a date!
Cast of Characters:	Skoll Ulfang, Avira

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Skoll Ulfang has posed:
New Orleans is always a nice bustling town of which the pulse of life never really stops beating. Standing out a little amidst the crowd, Skoll is at the trainstation waiting for the trolley to arrive from Traverse Town. His hands are stuck in his pockets, and he's actually dressed quite nicely. That is to say, he's wearing a less outragious shirt, and he's reduced the amounts on his body simply by not wearing his jacket. He actually looks quite presentable.

And in his right hand, he's holding a bouquet of flowers. Nice reds and yellows that clearly have been picked out with the help of someone within the city of New Orleans. A nice flowershop probably. It's obvious by the way his tail is swishing about that the werewolf is a tad uncomfortable though, and his ears aren't quite perked up as much as they normally would.

Avira has posed:
This marks the first time that Avira has ever been to this world! Sure, she was there when it was freed from its shard, but unlike the Pridelands, she didn't immediately rush inside to visit. At the time she had been recovering from a fight against LEXUS. Her /first/ fight against lexus.

When she rolls in, Avira finds herself immediately effected by the 'magic' of the zone, reduced to a far more simple set of pants and shirt. In retrospect, she feels fortunate that her clothing was not swapped out with a dress.

Finding Skoll is easy as he was always very distinctive. The ears and tail certainly help. Grinning, she saunters up to Skoll. "Hey there. You wanted to meet up?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll presses his lips together when Avira comes out wearing those simple pants and that shirt. What had it been again? Hati had told him that he should drag Avira out on a date. Figure out his feelings. But he's not really all up-and-up on the whole date thing. That had been one thing his father certainly never had tried to teach him.

"Here!" He suddenly says, clearly anxious and raising his voice more than he should. He almost stuffs the flowers into her face, but is able to stop himself just in time from going too far. "Ehhhm... these are for you." He glances to the side, and his tail moves closer between his legs. He's trying his best to come up with something to say, and is looking rather... adorable and flustered in doing this.

"Ehhm... would you go on a date with me... like... today? Right now?" He asks her. "Get to know eachother better. I promise I'll take you somewhere nice!"

Avira has posed:
Being from Manhattan...Avira's pretty familiar with what a date was. Media throughout her world portrayed them in various forms. It showed the perfect date, the worst date, the blind date, the...spontaneous date? Yes. not unheard of. So while Avira notices Skoll himself first, her eyes fall upon the bouquet of flowers he has holding in her hands. It quickly clicks.

SO THIS was why he wanted to see her. Avira seems more than a little surprised by this turn of events. It is instinct that she jerks back a little bit when flowers are put in her face, though she relaxes shortly afterwards and takes the offered gift in both hands. "Skoll..."

She peeks up at him, half-smiling. "Right now, huh? Yeah, I have some time right now."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll's ears flatten to his head for just a moment as the girl mentions his name, only to perk up when she half-smiles and peeks up at him. A smile of his own grows and his tail finally wags out of its hiding-place. "Thank you." He whispers to the girl, who has accepted his gift, and then turns to look at New Orleans itself. "I honestly could not decide where to take you, or what to do. But someone once told me that the way to a girl's heart is through food..." He may have misheard that.

"So I figured I'd first take you to a nice restaurant. Should give us some time to talk." He pauses, then realizes something - obvious due to his rather obvious expressions. He moves a hand out to her, offering to 'hold hands'. Age old tradition or something.

Avira has posed:
He is nervous. Skoll, being a werewolf, does make her a lot easier to read-especially to Avira! She had learned quite a bit about animals since her world was lost to her and she was cast out. It's pleasing to see him gradually become more comfortable. "That sounds about right...with the food." No, she doesn't tell him that it's all girls. Or even just herself. "New Orleans is pretty well known for good food."

Avira shifts the flowers to be held in one hand. If Skoll had never taken someone on a date before, he's not showing it to Avira right now. Dinner at a nice restaurant was a pretty standard date thing. "Yeah, you know, we haven't really had much time to talk lately, have we?" she says, pausing, then taking his hand.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"No, we haven't really. I've been traveling constantly, so it's nice to just sit down somewhere with friends again." Skoll notes, relaxing when the girl takes his hand. The youth begins to lead her up the road. The city is indeed quite active. A twosome of fluffy looking dogs end up running around their feet twice before taking off, and trolleys continue to travel down the road. It certainly doesn't look like Heartless are a common thing here - probably due to the Traverse Town connection.

Not too long there-after, they come up on a cozy looking place. Nothing especially /fancy/, but it looks like it has that touch of New Orleans hospitality. A rather round looking woman quickly comes out to welcome the two as they walk onto the front side of the restaurant. "Ah! New visitors! Sit sit!"

Skoll sits. On a chair, but he sits rather quickly, tail wagging happily.

Avira has posed:
"You've..." she trails off. She wanted to ask if he'd been safe. If he'd not been attacked by the Gaea sisters since then. But he's here and he's in one piece...so Avira assumes that the answer has been 'no'. "Been travelling? Just all over the place?" The dogs suddenly run up and around them. Avira lets out a small squeal of delight and awkwardly tries to pet one, briefly letting go of Skoll's hand to do so.

Avira isn't looking for super fancy. That a man is taking her out to dinner is enough in itself. Cheerfully, she greets their hostest right back.

Then Skoll sits. It takes Avira a second to realize what had just happened and she holds back a laugh. Skoll's nature could not be denied! Avira takes her seat shortly afterwards. "So where have you been?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yeah, all over the place. Just like I used to before I joined the Shard Seekers." Skoll answers Avira. "I am not really the kind of person to stay in one place for too long. It drives me 'wild'." Skoll answers her, getting comfortable in his seat and giving Avira a little 'look' in case she would actually start to giggle. Not like he'd be really offended either way. It's Avira after all.

The werewolf then looks up at the lady who is serving them, and smiles at her; "Could you ~." He's about to ask for the menu, when the woman speaks up; "So what you two birds like, hmmm? Meat, or fish?" Seems there is not going to be a 'menu' pers�. "Ehhhm. Meat." Skoll answers bluntly. "Alright, 'n what about you?" The woman puts a hand on Avira's chair, but doesn't lean in. She's just being 'familiar' with the two of them.

"And what can I get you two to drink?"

Avira has posed:
"...hah, I see." Well, that does make her feel a little bit better about Skoll abandoning his place at VALKYRI headquarters. A part of her had wanted to reassure him that, no, he could stay! It's okay! Please stay Skoll, I don't care about the dangers! "But where at? I'm curious. I do explore too." And there was still quite a lot she hadn't seen!

No menu? How curious. Avira's eaten at a lot of places in her previous life, but nothing that had no official menu. "Meat please!" she chirps, fearing that fish in New Orleans would mean catfish.

But as for the drink, "...hoooow about lemonade? Do you have lemonade?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Of course we have lemonade! You want lemonade too, mister?" The lady asks Skoll. And upon the youth nodding at her, she heads on off into the direction of the kitchen. "Marcus! Two meat and two lemonades! On the double! 's some lovebirds outside!" Which has Skoll turning red.

"Ah... yes... ehhm. Lots of places really. Visited the wolves a few times, and explored Brittain more. That, and here... really... just all over the place. Kind of want to go and discover more about those 'Pride Lands'. He notes.

The youth then smirks, remembering how excited she'd been about the meat. "How about you? How have the Valkyri been holding up with all this trouble lately? I noticed that Fluorgis is having some major issues."

Avira has posed:
"Great." Avira beams, apparently infected by thsi woman's perky mood. She has every reason to be happy right now, anyway, because she's on a date! Carefully, she sets the flowers on the table and leans forward, also redding a little when the woman drops 'lovebirds' on them before skipping away.

"The wolves! I ought to visit them again sometime, when I get the chance. Were they happy to see you, Skoll?" She doesn't see why they wouldn't be, though.

Her enthusiasm doesn't even fade when the subject changes to her. "Oh, fine mostly. Kat had a very unpleasant encounter just the other week with a possessed gauntlet. Fortunately, we were able to get it off of her before she killed us all! Maira has been doing well, though she seems like she has a lot on her mind lately."

Namely their romance triangle but she's not going to bring that up. "Fluorgis is getting quite a lot of trouble, isn't it? I fear it may only get worse with that strange monster that was unleashed by Morrighan yesterday."

There's a troubled look on her face, "I don't get that elf."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"They were mostly happy to see me, though a bit uncomfortable." He reaches up and touches the metalic collar at his neck carefully. "They can tell that I am not well. They reacted like I was a diseased animal - nervous to be around me. But they got used to my presence soon enough." Still, to see that wariness every time... it's something that disturbs him.

The youth then nods his head, his ears twitching naturally - telling her that he's listening. His golden-eyed gaze is set on her lips as well. "Katyna - right? I don't know much about her, but apparently she knows my sister... and me." He reaches a hand up and scratches his head a little, as if he had the smallest of itch, and then lays both of his hands onto the table again.

"What's been bothering Maira?" He then asks, just before she goes on to mention Fluorgis. "Morrighan? Ah, that one - the one that tried to help the Shadow Lords in the fall of Manhattan." Clearly, he doesn't think much good of her, if his expression is any tell. "I hope the Shard Seekers are okay back in Fluorgis. I'm kind of expecting them to solve this mess..."

Avira has posed:
Uncomfortable. My, those wolves were very perceptive weren't they? Animals in general had turned out to be a lot smarter than she had initially realized. "Awww. That's...that's heartbreaking. We have to figure out how to get that /thing/ off of you." She leans forward a little, perhaps as if she's going to reach out and touch it. But she does not.

She grins. "She's from Ivalice. I think I'd call her a mystic knight? She's very strong and very skilled. Impressive fighter! I'm glad she's on board with us. But yes, they do know each other. Oh, your sister has been hanging out with us more. I think she might want to join us." she shrugs, "Heck, I'd like it if she did. She's a skilled fighter."

As for Maira: "I think Maira may be having trouble coping with Ivo. She likes him but the feeling might not be entirely mutual." she doesn't comment on Morrighan. She seems to be grinding her teeth over that one.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll instinctively leans a little forwards when she seems like she is about to reach out to his collar. It's a very obvious sign that the werewolf trusts Avira quite a lot. He even closes his eyes for a moment. But when no touch comes, he leans back and tilts his head just slightly to the right. "I'll be okay." He then whispers. "I got people like you who keep me on the right path. But until it comes off, I can't settle in one place." He explains. "Hati believes it may be used to track me."

The werewolf then nods in regards to Katyna. "I'd like that too. Hati is a good person. And it's obvious that she is trying to move away from the chasm of darkness she stands at the edge of." The werewolf lets out a sigh in regards to his sister. "And she is trying to win the heart of Faruja." He then adds. "Or at least, that's what I understand. I hope the mouse won't hurt her heart..."

The werewolf then looks to the restaurant, just before the woman comes around the corner. His good hearing warned him of her presence. The nice lady puts two rather enormous glasses of lemonade in front of both of them. "You two enjoy now, the meat will be done in a bit." She notes, and wanders off.

Skoll looks back to Avira when she's gone again. "Ach... Ivo. Yeah. He's a troublesome one. It's very hard for him to be serious... and from what I feel - instincts and all - is that this is a coping mechanism. She may just want to... trap him one-on-one, not allow him to deflect comments, and take the straight path."

Avira has posed:
A look of shock spreads across Avira's face. She hadn't even thought about it being a tracking device. But if that was the case, wouldn't they have grabbed him by now? Then again it would also explain why Makenshi was able to find Skoll when she hadn't really publicized his presence.

More surprise follows. "Hati likes Faruja? I had no idea. How strange, they seem like exact opposites of each other! Maybe opposites really do attract."

The waitress returns with their drinks and Avira perks, taking ahold of her glass. "Thank you~"

Once they are left alone, their conversation can continue. "You think so? I will suggest this to her. I can tell she's very anxious about her relationship with Ivo, so I want to help her in any way I can." She half-smiles.

"But that aside...I am anxious about my upcoming battle in the arena. I really...have to win this."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"It's alright. They've not bugged me yet, so either I'm not that important, of Makenshi has them convinced that I won't be a problem." Skoll answers Avira. "Though I know the Gaea sisters are still on my tail." Wag wag. "As for Hati and Faruja, I'm not entirely sure how it is. But apparently Faruja has touched Hati on occassion, and the girl has given him a back massage or something." He really doesn't wanna know. He's happy for his sister if it ends up being something though. And Faruja is likely to get pummeled if he makes his sister unhappy.

Skoll reaches for the glass and takes a sip... and his face scrunches up a bit due to just how sour it is. He sticks his tongue out, making a little weird sound with his lips, and then goes 'hmmm' and takes another sip... with the same result. "Yummy." He declares. "But sour."

The werewolf then reaches his idle hand forwards and tries to touch Avira's. "I am sure you will do your best. That is all you can ask for. I believe in you, Maira." He stares her right in the eyes as he says this.

Avira has posed:
"Makenshi is very dismissive." She seems pleased, though, at the thought that he'd be left alone at last. They'd just need to get that collar off soon, then. Maybe the remaining Gaea sisters felt their lives were too important and didn't want to meet the same fate as their sisters.

"You've never had lemonade?" Avira sips hers, "This is good. I bet they make it fresh here."

Skoll reaches out and touches her hand. She feels a small shiver as they make contact and she falls still, looking back into his eyes. "Thanks." she offers.

Her voice drops. "I am curious. Chains. Why did you choose to fight with chains?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll notices that little shiver of the girl's, and simply smiles at her in regards to this at first, before adding; "Are you cold?" After all, leave it to the werewolf to be worried about her. The werewolf then sits back and puts the hand flat on the top of the table. "But no, I've never had lemonade. I always went for the fizzy drinks myself." He explains, drinking more of it and slowly getting used to the sour taste.

When her voice drops, his ears perk - as if to make up for her lowering in tone. "I used to train with just my claws. And I found that I was good at letting magic run through them. I ended up getting this nice watch from my mother at a certain point when I was young..." He moves a hand to his pocket and draws out a beautiful golden pocketwatch, and clicks it open. He lets it dangle down from his fingers. "One day, I ended up focussing my power and it ended up going through the watch. My father said it had something to do with the chains representing the power of Infinity. So it kind of went from there." He knows why Avira uses the Spine - he'd seen that much. "My turn then - why ice?"

Avira has posed:
"N-no, not at all. It's...well, nevermind, it's nothing." Avira really didn't want to just come out and say how flighty she'd been with physical contact from other people. Slowly she was acclimating, though. Pushing on, she actually laughs a little at the lack of lemonade, "Really? Soda was a thing but not lemonade? That's so weird!"

Those perking ears are so /adorable/! Leaning forward, she looks at the lovely golden watch, slowly reaching out to touch and examine it. "It's nice. Really?" A finger lifts to touch the chain of the watch. "That isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think about chains."

Her brown eyes flick back up to meet Skoll's, "...practicality. I can make water with this magic. It won't burn me, it's not wild like lightning magic. Healing magic I...wanted to learn offensive magic first. To defend myself. There was no magic in the world I was originally from."

Avira pauses, "Well there was, but I didn't know about it."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well, for me anyhow. I discovered Soda when I was visiting... some world - don't remember which. And I liked it enough that I kept ordering it." Skoll explains. "It's not like my world had Soda. Of course, sometimes I'd come across these backwater worlds that tried to call it 'Pop' - which made like, no sense." So the werewolf complains before taking a few more sips of the lemonade. He still shows those little twitches -- sour.

Skoll lets her touch the watch as much as she wishes. There's an ivory backplate to the pocketwatch, with some kind of black horn as the dials. The hands are made out of the same black stuff. "Yeah, not really what comes to my mind first either." Skoll explains. "But I became quite proficient with them. Somehow, it is really easy to let my magic traverse chain."

His eyes flick up from his watch's back, and pockets the thing again, after closing it. "Yeah, Zia is from your world - and she knows magic. But from what I understand, the whole monsters and magic thing is kinda under-cover around theres." Skoll notes.

This is around the time the ol' lady comes out with two massive plates of meat. That is to say, a wide variety of meats, grilled.

Avira has posed:
Even those little twitches are cute, Avira had to admit. Very animalistic but that didn't seem to bother her very much. "Oh yeah, that's a midwest thing. They call it pop because of the carbonation! The little bubbles go pop." She drinks her own lemonade but doesn't make any faces about it.

Avira eventually takes the watch in both hands so she can look at it. She seems absolutely enchanted by the object. "It works nicely. Your magic that is. I know I certainly wouldn't want to have to fight it! But hey, if I gotta at some point." she half-grins at him, making it clear that she wouldn't take any control from him lightly. Should it happen.

She looks sad. "Very under cover. I went through my whole life without knowing. I thought it was all just a bunch of stories." she looks a little embarassed, "...when I came to Ivalice and found that magic was real, I immediately had to learn it! So I studied up really hard. And managed to-oooooh."

Avira is upon the meat in short order.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Midwest thing?" Skoll's left ear flops down, and his right one perks up while he tilts his head. The youth then shakes his head, figuring this for a Manhattanite thing, and moves right on to her little challenge. He grins, showing his fangs while he's at it. "Ah, is that so? Think you could take me?" He leans in towards her and looks 'up' at her from his new position, those yellow eyes piercing. He truly does look like a wolf sometimes.

Of course, he scoots up quickly when food comes, and he's already almost drooling when the large portions of MEAT appear. "If you don't finish yours..." he starts to Avira, just as the platters get puts down in the middle of the table. It's actually two different mixtures of meat. The woman then takes out two extra plates and puts them in front of each of them. "You two share nice now, you hear?" The lady comments, before she trots off again.

Skoll immediately grabs a fork and spears some bacon, and hoists it onto his place. Bacon! Meat! His eyes are /wide open/, and his tail is wagging entheusiastically behind him. "Magic is common amongst my people in different forms." Skoll notes, before forking some bacon into his mouth. "Mwha-wah-wha..mwwuah..." (Could always train you a little in it.)

Avira has posed:
"Midwest United States." Avira explains. "That's the country that I'm from. Originally. Same country as Manhattan. Same country as here...I think." New Orleans still existed. Maybe it's because it's a past version of earth? She smiles sadly and shakes her head, "I cannot. Not until my whole world is restored. Right now we'd just be happy with Manhattan coming back. We're..getting closer."

Speaking of getting closer, Avira grabs a fork and also gets closer as she realizes that her own food is under threat of being eaten! Not only that, but the plates contain different things! Sharing! How dastardly, clearly this is more of the 'lovebirds' special.

She reaches over and snatches up a steak. "What kind of magic?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I see." Skoll answers, not sure what else to say on that subject. The country was gone after all, it was just Manhattan now. And bringing it up any further seems to him like it'll bring up even more hurt. He can already see just how weak that smile of hers is. His ears hang down a little as he regards her like this, and his body slumps mildly back... and then he concentrates on meat and everything is okay again.

Nom nom nom meat.

"Well, I have a variety of magic. I know how to imbue items with magic fairly well. And then there's the magic of summoning. But more-so, I think I want to teach you the magic of calling forth tamed beasts, and imbueing them with your own magic. Imagine letting wolves run at your sides, biting with the magic of ice."

Avira has posed:
The worst part in that was Avira was from Brooklyn. Her own home, her own 'area', was just accross a simple bridge. A subway ride away! Except there was nothing but darkness there. Would Avira ever see the city she was born and raised in again?

Avira sneakily swipes a piece of bacon, moving quickly like a ninja. A bacon ninja.

She chews slowly, looking intensely interested as Skoll describes his magic...and admits he wants to teach her how to call forth beasts and...enchant them? "Which reminds me...I used that gift of yours." she blushes, "It sort of worked. It called animals to me but they were still very wild."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
BACON NINJA!?!? Egad!

No actually, Skoll doesn't care. He has enough bacon and meat himself right now on his plate, which he is eating as slowly as he can manage... which isn't really that slow. But at least he keeps some time in between bites to speak a little-bit.

"Ah, the horn? Yes, of course. What do you think, I'm going to give you a Flute of Hameln? No no no, the horn summons wild animals - which you then have to train." He nods his head sagely as he states this.

Avira has posed:
Avira's manners are advanced enough that she knows better than to speak with her mouth full. Anything she says is said once her current morsel has been masticated and swallowed. It slows down the conversation but Avira is in no hurry. For once, she would like to simply enjoy herself.

"Yes, the horn." That other gift of his, the crystal, was still around her neck, affording that faint glow still. The necklace has proved itself to be quite an asset when faced with dark places. She pouts, "You could have told me that first at least! I don't really enjoy getting..."

Her tone changes. It actually sounds kind of...suggestive? No, can't be. "...mauled by wild beasts. Hmmm, I must keep this in mind for later. Perhaps practice with my wolfpack."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Oh? You don't like getting 'mauled by wild beasts'?" Skoll mocks surprise, even putting a hand to his lips to mock this surprise. The werewolf then grins and lowers his posture a little - in order to look a bit more powerful. A human way of doing this, that is certain. An animal would never lower their posture to have this effect. "I expected that you could handle it. And seeing as you are here now, I was not wrong in my assumption." Skoll adds.

He then erects his posture and eats a little bit more meat, before noting; "Of course, you don't want to go doing things like tying down the wild animal you've finally managed to catch. You want to tame them, but they will never be /pets/."

Avira has posed:
"Absolutely not!" Avira pouts at Skoll, leaning forward as she jabs her fork down into a collection of roast beef. Then Skoll hunkers down at her and Avira leans herself forward just a little bit more, looking him in the eye. "What! I am able to handle it! Quite adeptly." If you know what she means. Avira reaches over and sips demurely on her lemonade.

Hearing Skoll expand upon the horn and its role further, Avira nods. "I don't really want to keep /pets/ anyway. Pets can't take care of themselves like wild animals. I want them to preserve their instincts. But..." she tilts her head to the side, "...these are things you can do too, right?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll shakes his head in bemusement as she claims that she is able to handle it, before that smile retreats a little and a /blush/ appears on his cheeks. He blinks wide-eyed, and then quickly glances away. What was that wolf thinking!? Who knows. Maybe Avira will get ideas.

"Ah... ehmmm. Yeah. Good." He nods his head, and quickly chomps down a larger quantity of delicious meat, before shaking his head. "I connect well with wolves, but that is it. But I knew someone amongst my pack who was really good at this. So I am kind of... passing it along."

Avira has posed:
A smirk creeps up her face as she watches Skoll's reaction. While not generally a raunchy person of any stripe, she takes notice of the effect her suggestive-sounding comment. How interesting, though, usually she's the one squirming around other guys. As she ponders this further, she finds herself unsure how she really feels about it.
%RBut onto a safe convesation. "I seem to work best with the wolf-types so far. You seem to have noticed that...but I would love to expand my abilities beyond that. And to imbue them with my ice magic like I imbue the Spine...hmmm."

Her eyes sparkle. "I look forward to earning these skills."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll isn't as innocent as he might make you believe, such is certain. But at the same time, he's /really/ innocent. He knows things, but he has no experience, so to say. Not that one would really know. After all, does she not remember that time in the alley? When she was being hunted down? The way he'd protected her...

"That's because wolves know a good person by nature." Skoll taps his chest strongly as he says this, grinning widely. He then forks a piece of bacon and then points it at her; "What you grinnin' at, young lady?" He asks, then offers her the meat on the fork. Sharing food! Step two!

Avira has posed:
It was that moment in the alleyway that made her wonder in the first place, in fact. A misread signal on Avira's part that may have lead her to becoming a little "hot for teacher" as some might say. Naturally, Avira will never admit to this particular moment since in retrospect, it HAD been more about protecting her from Kharmja than hitting on her.

"So you're suggesting that I'm a good person~" Avira teases back, "Since I do have another certain wolf or two that seems to show up around me quite often." Skoll's entire family actually fits the bill at this point. "Oh you know-"

Avira leans forward and snaps that meat right off the fork. "The future."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Ah, poor Avira. 'Hot for teacher' huh? The werewolf waits for the girl to take the meat off of his form, and then spears more for his own consumption. "Well yes - that I am. You are a good person, Avira. And indeed - it would appear that me and Hati both naturally stick around you..." The werewolf grins. "But from what I understand, you get around." He pauses, then adds; "That is to say, you know a lot of people." He would never insinuate a negative thing...

He then tilts his head, and blinks at her. "So what does the future hold that has you grinning so much, Avira?"

Avira has posed:
It wouldn't be the first time Avira has grossly misinterpreted signals in the past. Skoll may have met Valeth in Castle Oblivion. How on earth did she manage to become an item with that jerk? "I'm touched that you both would think that." she murmurs, not thinking she's as great as some people make her out to be. She was...selfish. Very selfish.

"It's just a feeling, Skoll. And optimisim, I guess. We're all working so hard to get Manhattan restored, I think we'll actually suceed."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
He can tell that she has her doubts. "Nobody is perfect Avira." He reminds her. "Even I've done bad - no matter how noble and honorable I might want myself to be." The werewolf then offers her a bit of bacon, this time holding it between two fingers. Seems he's given up on the whole fork thing for this.

"I'm glad though. With that optimism... I am sure you will see your old world restored. What will you do when it is back?"

Avira has posed:
"You're...okay with that, right? I mean...I do act like a big damn hero and it's not always because it's the right and just thing to do." Avira's shoulders sink a little. "I've met so many other people since my world was destroyed. I don't think I can ever measure up to them really."

But she can fake it though. She was getting pretty good at that.

Eventually she smiles again. "Well...I know one thing I want to do is get a few books on TRUE BASIC and study them. In case I ever have to help the Program I am friends with. I also miss New York deep dish pizza."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"As I said, even I've done bad. No, I'm not happy with some of the things I've done - but it's that guilt that entrusts that I am a good person - that I try to better myself." Skoll explains, moving his hands a llittle as he explains this rather animately, smiling as he does so. He reaches a hand out again, but this time leaves it with the palm up. An offer for her to take his hand if she so desires.

"You worry too much, Avira." He states clearly.

Of course, with his other hand he forks some bacon and sticks it right on into his own mouth. "I am afraid I am not too good with books. But I heard about a place named Mysidia that has a lot of mages in it." He points out, before tilting his head. "A program? You mean Deelel? Or...~?" At least he's /heard/ of DLL. For the normally people-clueless Skoll, that's amazing enough. "And if it's New York deep dish pizza you want, there are some refugees out there... I'm sure /one/ of them has to know how to make one."

Avira has posed:
"Is guilt the difference?" Avira asks philosophically. "What else is there that would make us "good"? I have to wonder...is there more?" She sees the open palm and reaches out to place her hand in his.

A smirk creeps up on her face, "Ah...you're not the first person to say that to me either. I guess it's true!"

Her other hand is also busy procuring more of the offered meat-it seems that Avira's plate is quickly becoming depleted. "Well, Deelel and some other Programs I know." And the MCP, who is apparently THEIR MAYOR now. "Programming language in that form is strictly a creation of that world. I don't think I will find books on it anywhere else." Her hand wraps around his, "And...it's about the experience. I guess I miss my original world more than I ever thought I would."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well, I don't know. Something like that I guess." Skoll answers Avira, waving one hand about a little and closes his other around her fingers. His hand is strong - and certainly bigger than hers. "I am sure there's a bunch to the whole mess of what makes a person good. Just strive for what you think is good - and you should be okay... I think. If in doubt - don't be a jerk." Skoll nods his head while he states this last part, then grins at her.

"And yes, then it must be true."

The youth doesn't let go of her hand, especially not as she just wrapped it around him. Instead, he gives her a comforting squeeze. "I think - magic was the books that I was refering to. I haven't a clue about programs I'm afraid. On all my travels, they're not exactly a common thing for me to run into." Skoll stares at Avira for a moment, looking her in the eyes, and then quickly sips on his lemonade while blushing a tad.

"I'm sure it'll come back soon enough with all the work you put in."

Avira has posed:
"No, I think you're onto something, Skoll. I think guilt is one of the things that separates us from those who have...abandoned sensibilities." Her hand is pretty tiny compared to Skoll's. It seems at one point it might've been softer too but the past few months of training and becoming a hunter have hardened the skin. They're not the untouched hands of a lady at all.

"Magic...books?" she asks, intrigued, "I admit, I did read a lot of books to get myself started on magic." she says, pausing as their eyes meet. She too falls silent as she holds his gaze.

"Thank you." she murmurs, "For your vote of confidence."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yeah, I never really 'got' books. I can read and all, but... I'm more of a practical person." He squeezes her hand lightly again, just as he adds; "More hands on..." Before letting go entirely and returning to his food. The lady in the meantime, has come around and poured the twosome some more lemonade and put down the bill. This is why Skoll just moved his hand - moving over the bill and pulling it towards himself, putting down the cash needed, and leaving it at the edge while giving Avira a 'look' that implies 'my treat'.

Treats!

"You're welcome?" Skoll finally adds in regards to the vote of confidence. "There's another reason I know you are a good person though. You got through the ordeal of being turned into a big fuzzball with wings without turning anyone into shish-kebobs. And you even overcame the darkness and became human again." All by the power of bacon!

Avira has posed:
"You better not mind that I enjoy reading, then." Avira says softly, realizing that Skoll's probably the first person she's really let onto this. Angantyr may have been able to catch it given all the reading she did in the first few days after arriving in Ivalician civilization. But to enjoy it recreationally?

Avira attacks the recently replenished lemonade, though she almost lets it go down the wrong "pipe" when Skoll makes his comment.

"You're right." she reflects. "I did manage to keep myself under control. It was very painful though. I'm...glad that's all over." Mostly over. She didn't need the reminder about Hades.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Of course not. Just don't throw fancy words at me." Skoll answers her, before rather noticably thinking about what he just said... and adding to it while his ears perk; "Actually, fancy words can be thrown at me, as long as you explain them." He doesn't want to come across as an unlearned oaf. He simply was never good with books of the 'learning type'. He's a warrior after all.

"I'm glad it's over too." Skoll tells her, sitting back and relaxing, not seemingly noticing her lie - which was always a danger with Skoll after all. The youth lets out a little sigh, eating a bit more meat, but apparently starting to get full if the speed at which he is eating now is any tell.

Avira has posed:
Avira actually lifts an eyebrow at this. Honestly, she's not all that thrilled at the thought of dumbing down vocabulary for him. But then he adds that addendum and she grins, "Sure, I can do that. All you have to do is stop me and ask~"

She too seems to have finished eating, though she does pick at her meat every now and then.

She was worried about that little half-truth too. Skoll has proved his ability to detect untruth in the past.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Nope, he's not asking. The nice lady comes on over and takes Skoll's money, as well as the sizable tip for the good food. "Thank you for taking care of us." Skoll tells the woman, patting the back of her hand. "Oh, thank you young man." Before she wanders on off again.

"So what would you like to do next?" He asks Avira. "I don't exactly fancy a trip to the swamp, but I hear they have some really good musicians here." He sadly doesn't know as much about that.

Avira has posed:
"Yes, thank you so much. This was great." Avira offers up to their waitress with a smile. There's that infectious good mood again-then again, she was also having a great time so she couldn't help but not be happy.

"You? In a swamp?" Wet dog smell comes to mind. "Might not work, but I'm kind of surprised-I've come to enjoy our little nature expeditions quite a bit, you know." Avira grins, "But I would also like to hear some musicians play. I'm sure they're not hard to find down here."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yeah, thinking wet dog right now, aren't you?" Skoll points at her accusingly while leaning forwards, grinning. Clearly, he doesn't care that much - but he sometimes can almost be like a mindreader. Or maybe he's just gotten used to Avira enough. He then leans back against the seat, taking his time. He may have paid for the dinner, but he's not in a rush.

"I do quite enjoy our 'little'..." He even does the finger quotation marks thing. "... nature expeditions." The youthful werewolf just continues to grin for a little longer with one of those similarly infectious good mood smiles. "After some music - can go trek out into a forest for some private time?" He offers.

Avira has posed:
"Well uh..!" Avira immediately gets flustered. How did he figure that out?! She didn't want to insult him or anything but Avira is very intimately familiar with how bad wet fur can smell thanks to her time as amutate. "Maybe." Likewise, Avira still wants to finish her lemonade and pick at the meat left.

Little indeed. More like Hunger Games. In a twisted way, Avira really did like them. She liked the challenge. The danger.

Wait, private time? No, she didn't have to worry about anything. Skoll was a noble wolf! "Sure, I'd like that."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Indeed. Unlike what some of her other friends might think, the werewolf wouldn't lay a hand on her - nor ever do something against her will. He's a noble wolf - or at least, close enough to such an archetype. Although the punkish behavior at times can make it a bit hard to see at first glance. "Don't worry. I'm used to it." Skoll tells her, when she claims 'maybe'.

The youth picks a few pieces of meat even though it's starting to get cold, and sits sideways and crosses one leg over the other. "Visit the wolves, or a new place you've never been before?" He inquires.

Avira has posed:
"Used to the smell?" Avira teases, poking his finger with her free hand. Within a few minutes, she's consumed the rest of her lemonade. With a few more minutes of chilling, she seems ready to go.

"Let's go somewhere new." she suggests, "I...I would like to explore."

So THIS is the kind of stuff Avira likes on dates. Huh.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Heeey." Skoll gives her one of those mock-insulted looks. "No, just used to being teased about being similar to a simple dog. Though at least those have better manners than your mercenary friend." He notes. The youth then slowly gets up from the table, shoving back the seat, and quickly makes his way to her side and makes a little bow. "M'lady?" He comments, waiting for her to take his hand so he might take her somewhere.

"Music first, then the forest trek, or would you simply rather go exploring?"

Avira has posed:
Avira purses her lips a little. So Skoll didn't like Angantyr all that much? A little unsurprising, actually-Angantyr was kind of a jerk, even Avira acknowledges that. He's also an acquired taste and not known for being friendly, as a rule.

Smirking just slightly, she takes his hand. "Let's just find some music. Then exploring."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll kindly helps up Avira, stepping back to make room for her getting up, and then dutily proceeds to lead her down the street towards where a bunch of musicians are playing. There's a Cello involved, as well as a single guitar and four men on various trumpet like instruments. It's one of those happy tunes that kind of puts a swing into one's step. And as Skoll approaches the band, his tail is happily bouncing about.

Avira has posed:
This is New Orleans! There is music everywhere and Avira is super pleased that they don't have to go very far to find some. It's catchy too and she finds herself suddenly biting her bottom lip. Almost as if she wants to sign along but she's clearly holding back right now.

"My..." she eventually vocalizes, "This is the kind of music that I wish would follow me around throughout the day."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well, I am sure you could get them to pass through Traverse Town if you wanted to. I'm sure the people there would appreciate the music as well." Skoll answers her. The way the girl is biting her lip is kind of cute, and the werewolf throws her this grinning look while she may be looking. He's not about to sing with them though - he's not much of a singer at all. His voice isn't that fantastic, though he makes for a fantastic howling sound as a werewolf.

Avira has posed:
"Do you think they'd leave here?" She murmurs to Skoll, which sounds like a legit question. They seemed happy here, after all, and unlike she herself probably had no interest in leaving (or starting anew). She continues to chew her lip, looking conflicted. Skoll actually hasn't heard her sing before, has she?

Ironically, thanks to the maid cafe, she's heard Skoll sing.

Avira taps her toe along to the beat. Full on dancing might be an alien thing to her.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I don't think they'd 'leave' here, per-se. I think they wouldn't mind performing elsewhere though." Skoll answers her, and moves his hand down her arm in order to try and find her hand. To hold her. He even goes so far as to tug on her hand a little - to unbalance her and get her to lean against him a little. Not in a way to force her - but rather to 'tell' her that it's alright to do so.

And no, he's not heard her sing. He's sung however, and is quite embarassed about it as well.

Avira has posed:
"Hmmm." One hand, the hand not closest to Skoll, lifts up to tap her chin as she thinks about what Skoll just pointed out. There was truth to it too-as long as they could come back, right? Funny that she hadn't valued her own world until she lost it. "That could work."

He takes her other hand and pulls her in a little and she tips over to lean against him. She seems a little caught off-guard by this for a moment before she really does lean against him.

Avira thought the bacon song was FANTASTIC, nonetheless.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Well of course the Bacon Song was fantastic. It's about bacon. And everything about bacon is fantastic. Like how Skoll thinks it cured her from being a big fuzzy-wuzzy. Skoll moves his one hand to Avira's side and the other takes her hand, and he just kind of stands there for a while, tapping his foot, listening to the music while holding the girl. It's an incredibly simple thing to do, but... in a ways, it's nice. Just... nice.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Skoll then suddenly whispers, and tilts his head, looking down at the girl.

Avira has posed:
Skoll manages to slip the huntress a bit closer to him and it's only until he starts to do this does she really realize his purpose. Upon seeing this, she certainly doesn't seem to mind it happening as she's tugged in.

Being held...she enjoyed it, based on what they'd seen.

"Singing...I could sing right now but I don't know where to start."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"You sing?" Skoll asks her, not in that 'surprised' kind of way, but as a general question. "Maybe when we head into the forest, you can sing something. I don't think this kind of music calls for a voice other than that of the instruments." Skoll notes, looking at the musicians. They're too concentrated on their own work to go and listen in on the twosome's conversation on the sidewalk. The werewolf casually rubs her side as he holds her like this. He'd held her a few times in the past - and after her initial escape from Manhattan, had he perhaps been the first? But he's her teacher - in a ways. Should this really be... their future relationship? Like this?

Avira has posed:
Already Avira feels a slight twinge of embarassment as his surprised reaction. Maybe she should have told him another time and place. Somewhere not public. But it's too late now. What's done is done.

Avira quietly lets it go, closing her eyes as she feels Skoll's arms. "You're right, this is jazz, right? People typically don't sing to jazz."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I wouldn't know." Skoll admits. "I'm not exactly familiar with music. But... it doesn't feel right? You know?" Skoll relies more on his instincts than anything else - and they rarely have let him down in situations like this. He continues to hold Avira for a little while longer, enjoying the movie, tapping his foot to the pavement now and again and swaying his head. It doesn't look like he's about to break out into dance however.

After a good while of enjoying the music, the youth makes a small sound and looks at Avira, clearly expecting her to tell him when she feels ready.

Avira has posed:
"Wait wait wait." Avira says quickly, "Not exactly familiar with music? But didn't they have any music on..." she pauses, "...your planet. Did you planet have a name?" The woman lowers her voice a little so the people around wouldn't hear this talk. "So you know, this one is called 'Earth.' Which is kind of generic all things considered."

Eventually she does have her fill of music, still fighting the urge to sing or, Faram forbid, dance to it. She tugs on Skolls arm and nods her head elsewhere. Time to move, clearly.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"We had music on my world. But... nothing like this." Skoll points out. "We engaged in far more... tribal types of music. Lots of drum. Howling to the moon. Singing in groups. I believe they call the latter... A Capella here?" Skoll explains, looking at the girl. "I used to listen to some music when I visited the world I got the shirt I usually wear, but that was a short-lived thing." He adds onto this.

"The dancing however... isn't anything like here. It's very much... the liberating kind of dance. Just letting loose - you know?" He suggests, while wandering away and leading Avira to an abandoned alleyway. Or at least, he's trying to find one.

Avira has posed:
Seems Avira's actually very interested in this subject. "A capella's the right term for it, yes. Music when it's just your voice making the sounds. So you really didn't have instruments like that-" she jerks a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing at the brass and string instruments in the jazz band. "-on your world. Mmmm, when Manhattan is back, I think I'll take you to a musical on Broadway."

Maybe to see...CATS?

The farther they go from the crowd gathered to listen to the musicians, the more abandoned alleyways there seem to be.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll nods his head. "We had drums. But not much in the ways of flutes or string instruments really." Skoll explains. "I mean, they existed, like... a panflute. But it was really rather low tech. You have to understand - where I come from, nobody has ever heard of a 'phone'. Instead, we call through howling at other tribes, or just running to deliver a message. It's... more personal, you know?" He explains. "But I've come to appreciate the directness of the phone." He moves his hands as he explains things, trying to empower his words.

Not too long after, the two make it into an alleyway, and the youth opens a Dark Portal, and squeezes her hand gently. "Let's go."

Avira has posed:
"I did see a little bit of your world that one time." Avira reflects, recalling her strange time in Castle Oblivion. Well, it had been one of her more pleasant experiences in Castle Oblivion. "And you've seen mine. Phones all the time." she laughs a little. "At least for the most important of people. I too appreciate having a phone these days too. Everything's so much more dangerous, afterall."

She hesitates only for a moment at the portal before steeling herself, knowing that the darkness beyond will try to change her-taint her. With only small amounts of darkness in her own heart, though, there is a long way to go before it causes serious problems. "Alright."

When she steps through, she notices she's no longer holding Skoll's hand. A look down at her hands quickly reveals why. "A..ack.."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
For Skoll, the darkness is far greater a threat - thanks to that collar. But to go where he wished to take her would have taken so much longer. But most of all - he's not aware of its corruptive properties. The youth makes his way through, and when they step out, they stand atop a low branch on a mighty tree trunk. Skoll, a cute little wolf, stands before her and stares at the skies. It's dark here, but a full moon is bringing its pale light upon everything.

"There are no lights here. No people. Only nature." Skoll points out. "Nothing to blot out the stars and the moon." He twitches one of his ears and then points a paw up to the skies.

Avira has posed:
Much like the first time they had visited this place, Avira has once again become a jackal. It's easy to identify her like this because of her scars. This might actually be the first time Skoll's really got a chance to look at the scars on her back, which include a distinct pair of circular ones.

One of those circular ones comes from Kaze himself.

Unlike Skoll, she seems uneasy in this animal form, especially on a branch like this. "S-skoll, I've never climbed a tree like this." she says, her ears flattening down and her tail tucking behind her. "As a human I had thumbs!"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"You'll be fine, Avira." Skoll answers her, the chain aroudn his collar jingling as he moves further along the branch. It holds steady - not even a wobble or the slightest bend. "If you fall, I promise I will catch you." The little wolf then turns around slowly, and walks past Avira on the thick branch, easily having room for the two of them. Indeed, it is in that moment that he inpects her scars. He'd always accepted that she had them - that she got them through some rough experiences. But some of these looked rather painful.

Still, it's quite obvious that he accepts it for what it is - and accepts her for who she is. "Anyhow, if you want, we can drag ourselves off of this tree?"

Avira has posed:
Avira is actually comfortable enough around Skoll that she doesn't mind that he sees those scars. After a while she herself didn't seem to be bothered by them. In a way, they gave her character. Nor does she seem to mind that it's sort of like giving a peek of more skin than usual in this form. Skin-hide, whichever.

"You promise, right?" she peers over the edge of the branch. It may be one of the low branches but this was still a very, very big tree. "Wow, this tree must be hundreds of years old."

She laughs nervously, obviously trying to be brave or impress him. "No, I can stay up here, it's okay. Getting down might be even more of a hassle!"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
It's quite old from what I can tell. Though I think there's this tree in the World of Ruin that is far bigger. Not sure what it's called though." He's refering to the Iifa tree. The wolf turns around again and comes to stand besides the girl on all fours and gives her one of those dog-like head-nuzzles before walking to the end of the branch again.

"I don't know if I could ever live in a place like Manhattan. To be honest, I try to fit in. And to an extent, I think I succeed. Clothing and what-not. But there's just something that I miss about being able to be in a place like this. A place where nature still thrives."

Avira has posed:
Before Skoll passes by completely, she gives him a return nuzzle. "Ahh, I've heard of that tree." She's visited that tree, most likely. It wasn't the best of visits though and she didn't exactly get the chance to appreciate the nature at the time.

This time she actually follows after Skoll, moving very carefully as she acclimates to her newer center of gravity.

"I grew up there but at the same time..." she lowers her head a little, "I don't think I enjoyed being surrounded by so many people all the time. It felt cramped."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll nods his head. "I'm a people person. Or at least, I like pople. But cities like that - they're so big. So many people talking at the same time." His ears twitch a little, and the wolf sits himself down on his haunches - and continues to gaze at the moon more. "I think I heard someone refer to Manhattan as a concrete jungle or something? I can tell you this..."

The werewolf pauses, and then finishes that sentence; "It is nothing like a jungle." The wolf then tilts his head back and lets out a singing howl to the moon.

Avira has posed:
Avira sits down next to him. "Concrete jungle, urban jungle." Avira nods. "I've heard it before. Strangely enough...cities like that are perfect places to practice free running. Like a forest, in a way, there is a lot to climb and avoid. Just more people added to the mix. Rabanstre was a good place to practice." she sighs a little. She had still been avoiding the place.

'It is nothing like a jungle.' Avira looks to him, then ahead to the moon which, at the right angle, would perfectly silhouette their figures as they sit upon the bough.

After a moment, she joins in, her howling a considerably higher pitch.