[Sabrina]

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Kyuusho ¤ Aethereality ¤ Hanna Beth ¤

Sabrina looked up at a shop she had never seen before. In the short month - or something like that, it might have been several - that she had gone, it had sprung up out of the blue, and her eyes were now flicking along an advertisement in its window for the rescue centre. She was determined that her own pet shop would be opened again, with all her beautiful animals without an owner, and the shop itself, she had loved setting up. Home sickness had intervened and when she had returned, a month or so later, Animal Magic was shut, just as she had left it, the closed sign still in the doorway and the door tightly locked. She had not entered once more yet. She was too busy catching up with Elysia. Dominating an entire street corner had been the Wainwright brothers’ shop, down on the quay. Sabs had remembered seeing the building before as an empty warehouse, a ‘for sale’ sign sitting in the window. She had remembered how dusty and ancient it had looked inside, how uninhabited. Upon returning, she had seen it had been renovated, into some kind of trade and goods shop. So she was going to take a look inside. Eva was on her leash, and the leash was curled tightly around Sabs’ wrist. The Lemur was mischievous and often got herself into trouble, but Sabrina was determined not to make a fool of herself in front of the Wainwright brothers. She supposed she could introduce herself and take a look around, but Eva would not be causing havoc in their newly decorated shop. Not only would it probably cause Sabs’ social standing with the owners to collapse, but she’d have to pay for the damage. Sabrina pushed the door open timidly, scooping her squirming Lemur up into her arms, and entered to the seemingly empty store. Wonderful arrays of items for sale lay in cabinets. She stared at the hides of many different creatures on the wall, and made her way in toward a cabinet near her filled with what looked like the most delicate china she had ever seen. The Nymph made sure to stand a good two meters back - if Eva got on that cabinet, climbing up it… It was a scenario she didn’t like to think about. On the desk near the back wall, with the till, a card told her to ask for assistance. She ignored it - she was browsing for now. Eva squirmed and Sabrina frowned, holding her a little tighter; she wasn’t small and cute anymore, a troublesome teenager. She was bigger… and cute, a mischievous little devil.

[Official NPC]

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Wayne Wainwright glanced up from the inventory sheet he was filling out, grey eyes tracking the young woman who entered. He immediatedly pegged her as a Nymph, his gaze lingering for a moment. Beside him, Billy nudged him and Wayne flashed his brother a smile that was equal parts innocence and mischief.

"You missed the hydra fangs we sold last week." Wayne glanced at the form where Billy's long finger was tapping, wrinkling his nose a bit.

"That was off the books," he responded in a hushed voice, glancing back at the Nymph. She was probably far enough away not to hear - if she'd even understand - the conversation but they shouldn't take chances.

"Hydra fangs aren't illegal, you idiot." Wayne opened his mouth to argue, but Billy overrode him. "Log it anyway. And go see what she wants." Billy's own nose was wrinkled a bit as he looked the Nymph's way. He didn't like animals in the store, monkey-types in particular.

Walter'd warned him not to tease that primate all those years ago, but had Billy listened? Of course, they were much younger then. Much, much younger. Wayne couldn't even remember exactly what species the monkey had been, but Billy seemed to have it in for that entire genus.

It was way past time he got over it.

"You go see what she wants, I'm busy." It was the older triplet's turn to open and shut his mouth, looking way too much like a fish for Wayne to be able to hold back a smirk.

Billy watched the Nymph, his lips twisted. Wayne didn't need to be telepathic to know he was debating with himself. Wayne could just imagine how the conversation was going. Should I go, or should I stay? Am I really that afwaid of a kwoot wickle lemur?

Apparently, yes. Yes, he was. Big baby. "Let's just let her browse for a while."

[Sabrina]

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Kyuusho ¤ Aethereality ¤ Hanna Beth ¤

Eva ceased her struggles, but had, albeit unintentionally, clawed the skin from the back of Sabrina's hands, and blood was now dripping out of the wounds down the undamaged skin. The Nymph winced and glanced at the owners behind the counter, one of them looking at her. She stared for a moment. All three were completely identical, save for the differently coloured eyes. She frowned momentarily, eyes darting from one brother to the next. The first had blue eyes, the second greyish, and the third green. The Nymph unintentionally squeezed Eva tighter and then loosened her grip, a stinging sensation that was unpleasant in her hands.

She approached the one with the greyish eyes, the one who looked unoccupied. Sabs hadn't the first idea when it came to Dracovari, but she did know that the one with the green eyes was a Viridis; that had been Lora's sept and eye colour. The Nymph inhaled and smiled wearily at the man with the slitted eyes, and proceeded to introduce herself. "Hi. I'm Sabrina, and I own a petshop quite near here... I just came to look. But I was wondering, do you have anything I could tie around my hands to stop the blood flow? They're only thin, clean cuts, so it'd be, you know... wasting a doctor's time having them healed now."

Not to mention she couldn't be having more scars. Sabrina had been quite the clumsy scab-picker as a child, so her skin wasn't as flawless and clear as her face was. On her stomach, she had two scars from where she had picked off some of her chicken pox when infected. There was a pink, jagged one on her hip from where she had fell over in the kitchen before, and her hip had scraped down the pointy corner of a kitchen cupboard door. And a small purple one on the underside of her forearm from where she had been burned by a cigarette at her mother's birthday party.

[Official NPC]

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The sound of Walter entering from the back was accompanied by a strangling sound from Billy as the Nymph and her pet drew nearer. Wayne arched an eyebrow at his brother's paling face, wondering whether loosing his snicker would be worth the trouble. If Walter had stayed in the other room, Wayne probably would have risked it. Billy's fists were kind of wimpy, and he was too busy warring with his fight or flight instincts to deck him for laughing.

Except Walter was here now, electric blue eyes peering over a bunch of boxes as he carried new stock to the cash desk. Wayne reigned in his amusement at Billy's phobia, scooping up a pile of scattered pages to give Walter space to dump his cargo. He'd just finished spacing them evenly when the Nymph spoke.

"Hi. I'm Sabrina, and I own a petshop quite near here... I just came to look. But I was wondering, do you have anything I could tie around my hands to stop the blood flow? They're only thin, clean cuts, so it'd be, you know... wasting a doctor's time having them healed now."

Billy gave another strangled moan, stepping behind Wayne, no doubt so he'd be the first victim if the lemur attacked. Wayne shook his head, amusement sparkling in his grey eyes as he shook his head.

"Well, sure, we have plenty of band-aids." He leaned forward, resting his arms on the cash desk and gesturing for her to step closer as if what he was about to say was a secret. Billy, knowing exactly what he was doing, jabbed him in the kidney with a finger and huffed. Wayne could practically feel him scowling at his back.

"I'm, um, I'll be in the back." Billy was gone two seconds later. Wayne had never seen him move so fast.

Walter nodded at the girl as he opened one of the boxes to begin removing inventory. Ever courteous, and watching Wayne with a pinched, disapproving frown.

"But," Wayne winked at the Nymph, continuing his conversation with her as if his brothers hadn't interrupted. He wouldn't honestly withold a band-aid. It wasn't like they were expensive, and they had a seemingly endless supply since one or the other of the triplets was always banging a thumb or a toe or something silly. That, plus Walter's almost obsessive caution. If Billy hadn't fled, he could have healed the injuries himself, but the middle triplet was such a wimp when it came to primates and their ilk. It was hard to imagine how he'd survived in the jungles they'd explored with their father. "It'll cost you."

[NPC]

(Eva, Ring-tailed Lemur, played by Liz)


Eva loved her owner with the pure, untainted love that formed because of the affection shown by the Nymph, and because she was generous in the portions of food the Lemur received. Sabrina knew how to keep the Lemur content; a scratch behind the ears and a piece of apple worked wonders. However, this method was, frankly, only temporary for keeping the Lemur from being mischievous. She had grown well, and because of the Nymph's lack of strength, she knew how to get her own way.

She only stopped struggling for a while, and as the Nymph spoke to the man behind the counter, Eva fixed a somewhat curious gaze on the funny humanoid with the green slitted eyes. He looked as if her owner were carrying a flesh-eating animal, and Eva didn't like that. She was nice! Sort of... When she wasn't causing havoc or was being affectionate. However, Eva did like running about like a crazed chimpanzee, leaving trouble in her wake.

Eva had been rather quiet when she was younger, but that had changed when she, with quite the cunning, small mind, had realised how easily she could get her own way with Sabrina. In a way, she considered Sabs to be her own little servant, but all the same, she loved the girl. Watching the queer humanoid skitter off into the back of the store, Eva turned her head to lay eyes on the Nymph.

Now was her chance. The Nymph took a babystep closer toward the counter, and while she was occupied with speaking to the second humanoid, the Lemur shook her head free of the collar connected to the leash. With one powerful leap, she was on the floor, her owner stumbling backward from the impact of her leap.

Eva made haste after the cowardly humanoid. She wasn't intelligent enough to know that he was scared of her, but she had enough brains beneath skull and fur to know that he was a perfect opportunity to create chaos. Her muscles writhed beneath her fur as she took off after the first humanoid, tail swishing with her movement. She darted around the legs of the two-legged creature who had been speaking to her owner, scrambling awkwardly over his right foot.

The Lemur chattered gleefully, before springing lithely toward the humanoid in the back room, aiming for his back.


OOC: slight gmod of Sabrina with permission.

[Sabrina]

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Kyuusho ¤ Aethereality ¤ Hanna Beth ¤

Sabrina inched closer politely, her eyes flashing momentarily to Mr Viridis, and then to Box-man, who entered from the back. Back to Mr Grey Eyes, the Nymph looked at him questioningly, one of her hands mechanically holding the more injured one in an iron grip. She winced noticeably as the palm of her hand laid firmly against the back of the other, blood oozing onto her skin, undoubtedly smudging it.

"Well, sure, we have plenty of band-aids."

She smiled as best she could, a little weakly and giving her an involuntary vulnerable expression. Sabs hated to look weak in the eyes of others, especially those of the nice men who owned the trade shop. "But." She frowned, a little doubtfully and a little warily. She had watched Mr Viridis leave for the backroom and Box-man give her a curt nod as acknowledgement, and now looked at Mr Grey Eyes expectantly. "It'll cost you."

Sabrina had never used her allure before. She had entertained the idea of captivating people, but hadn't had much control over it until she bonded with her element. It was probably something that had became apparent a little bit more when she had gained more experience... so now was the time to be charming. Or attempt to be. Turning it on to the max, barely even realising whether or not it was working, she smiled coquettishly. "I guess not everything comes f-"

Dull pain thudded in her chest as she was used as a spring board, and powerful hind legs dug into her skin. Ouch. Sabrina stumbled backward and wobbled precariously, on suddenly unsteady legs, her arms pinwheeling uselessly as she collapsed onto her right leg on the floor. Allure still present, she blinked numerous times and watched Eva round the corner of the counter, the leash and collar dangling from Sabs' hand.

"No- Eva! Come back here, you little brat!" Sabrina moved the leg she had collapsed on and flinched when pain throbbed in her ankle - twisted, most likely. Rising rather clumsily and ungracefully, she swayed dangerously to take a step forward. "Oh- owwwwww..." What a great day. Twisted ankle, throbbing chest, injured, bleeding hands, and now she'd just, well... made a fool of herself. Her social standing with the Wainwright sons had, like she had vaguely predicted earlier, collapsed.

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Wayne wasn't stupid and had enough experience to be aware of the allure she turned on. His mischievous grin broadened, amused that she thought she had to use her looks to get what she wanted. He'd only meant to tease her when he said the band-aid would cost her but he was enjoying her response anyway.

But then that damned lemur got in the way. It was probably a good thing Billy'd already left because if he was still standing there when the creature took off, he'd have been screaming like a girl. While Wayne would enjoy teasing him over that, it wasn't something he wanted other people to witness.

Commotion exploded. Walter gave a yell, no doubt a belated warning, and spun as if to catch the escaping lemur. The Nymph collapsed, splitting Wayne's attention between enjoying the show and going to help her. He'd barely rounded the cash desk when he heard Billy's scream, right on cue, and turned to see the lemur scrambling after his brother with Walter close behind.

The storeroom door slammed shut with Billy on the other side, and Wayne bit his lip in an attempt not to laugh as he turned back to the girl. He was clearly on the verge of an explosion of laughter as he reached out a hand to steady the girl.

"C'mon," he told her, moving to wrap his arm around her waist so he could help her to the stool behind the cash desk. "I think you need more than a band-aid now, but if we're going to get my brother to heal you, we need to recapture your pet first." He grinned down at her. "Not that I didn't enjoy all this, but any ideas?"

[Sabrina]

¤ Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Kyuusho ¤ Aethereality ¤ Hanna Beth ¤

Sabrina, horrifed, watched Box-man make chase after Eva. She staggered forward to join in the chase, clenching her jaw as pain gripped her ankle and her arms quivered. Eurgh. Twisted ankles were a right hindrance. Not to mention that she wasn't sure any of the brothers could catch the speedy little Lemur; she didn't mean to be a judge, but they were so tall, and... The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

She was grateful when the arm of the brother she had been talking to slipped around her waist, and she leaned against his frame (hopefully all that ice-cream she had been consuming lately didn't create a problem for her weight), without shame that she was essentially balancing and relying on the Dracovari. Sabrina let him guide her behind the counter, moving her twisted ankle carefully and hopefully not bleeding all over his nice outfit with her bloodied hands. She sat down on the stool and looked down at her ankle with a frown. Sabs was a little irritated that she had not worn jeans in favour of a skirt, because her ankle was visibly beginning to swell up... Nice.

Sabrina could tell the Dracovari was really enjoying this whole event. Her eyebrows knitted together momentarily at his grin, and she mechanically smoothed them out with her right hand. "Not that I didn't enjoy all this, but any ideas?" Well... Eva was a tricky subject. She liked it when she was chaotic, and she somehow enjoyed creating trouble and making Sabs look like the village idiot.

Which reminded her of a time, when she was seven, when she and Stan had found a stray dog while out strawberry picking. The dog had been a spaniel, one of the ones that were complete and utter lunatics. Sabrina and he had snuck the dog home, careful to crouch down low and enter the house through the back door. They both knew that there was a 90% chance that their parents wouldn't have four children and a dog, especially with Zach being allergic to them (dogs, not children). So they had hidden the dog behind the bin in the kitchen, casually standing around the barking bin as their mother came to wash the dishes.

The only way they had been able to get the stray dog from behind the bin when Suzanne had shrieked, frightening the dog, had been by coaxing him out with food. Eva liked food. Apples in particular, along with grapes and watermelon. So...

"Eva could be coaxed out with some fruit, I think," the Nymph replied, smiling unsurely as she massaged her ankle. "Sliced apple or grapes should do the trick, I think. If you can't get fruit, then you'll have to run after her to prevent her terroising your brother." She grinned sheepishly, probably making herself look like more of an idiot.


OOC: do you want to go first so I have more to reply to as Eva, Emmakins?

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"Oh-ho no," Wayne said, his tone a cross between continued amusement, reluctance, and surprise that she'd suggested it. "I don't do chasing." He preferred to sit back and watch others do the chasing; it was much more fun that way.

"I'm sure we have some apple somewhere. Walter likes his fruit, the sourpuss." Ignoring the girl's uncertainty because he was never comfortable dealing with females when they needed reassurance (which, thinking on it, was probably why he couldn't keep a girlfriend longer than a few months), Wayne lifted a hand in Walter's direction. Not that the overly serious triplet saw it. "Hey, Walt, the pretty little lady suggests coaxing the monkey thing with your lunch."

Walter stopped chasing after Eva long enough to glare at him dubiously, his electric blues flashing irritation. "Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that again."

"Hey, wasn't my idea." Wayne grinned, holding out his hands in a peacemaking gesture, his tone completely irreverent. He chuckled as, grumbling to himself, Walter made his way towards them and the drawer in the cash desk where they kept their lunch boxes. The closer he got, the more coherent his tirade, until Wayne had to focus on something else or risk laughing outright.

"Damned wimp of a brother, time he got over this stupid phobia, and what's with you tormenting him, you brat, I should have known better than to go into business with the two of you, spent all my life cleaning up your messes, and what's with me having to recapture this damned lemur, I have half a mind to - "

Dropping to his haunches to inspect the girl's ankle - and doing his best to drown out Walter's grumbling as he fished around in the desk for his lunchbox - Wayne frowned. Either this chick bruised really easy or the fall had been worse than he'd thought. "Well, I'm no - No, the apple, you dunce. I rather doubt any living creature would be interested in your marmite sandwiches! Yergh! - healer but this looks twisted at least. Best keep your weight off it until Billy grows a spine. Ow!" Rubbing his head where Walter had "accidentally" elbowed him while putting the lunchbox - minus apple - back in the drawer, Wayne winked at the Nymph.

Still grumbling, Walter held up the apple and started coaxing in the worst baby voice Wayne had ever heard. "Coochi coochi coooooo. Come steal my lunch, why don't you?"

Wayne rolled his eyes. "Remind me never to let you procreate, yeah?"

[NPC]

(Eva, Ring-tailed Lemur, played by Liz)


This was fun. This was the most fun and excitement she'd probably ever experience. What was more fun than terroising the humanoid? It helped that she was small and agile, capable of fitting into small(ish) spaces and climbing up into high places. Like chandaliers. Maybe her next trick could be dangling from the light...

Eva had successfully landed an attack on the Dracovarian, and his manic screaming had made everything so much better. Not to mention, he didn't exactly stand there and bawl. He was great fun, and his girlish shriek had made it much, more worthwhile.

She wasn't intelligent enough to think that Sabrina and the other humanoids would conjour up a different idea to lure her away from tormenting the Dracovarian. Eva was but a Lemur, and when the one with the shocking blue eyes stopped chasing her, she smugly clawed her way up some shelving near the terroized Dracovarian. She stopped to stare down at him unblinkingly, her ears twitching to every little bit of movement.

Lunch. That was one word she could comprehend; Sabrina used it all too often when feeding Eva, and although her brain wasn't big enough to understand much else, that word she could hear from the other side of the door. She clawed at it, like a cat who wants to be let outside... only she was a Lemur who wanted to be let in.

OOC: If there's any gmodding here, may I have permission? If not, I'll edit.

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Billy hadn't realised at first that the lemur was chasing him. He only wanted to get as far away from the creature as possible. He knew his brothers - Wayne, especially - would be laughing at his reaction but he couldn't help it. He knew, logically, that fearing an animal that was probably less than a third his size was childish and silly and completely unreasonable. He also knew that, no matter how logical he wanted to be, the sight of any primate (or tree-hugger in general) would tip him into a terrified frenzy.

It wasn't funny, and as soon as he got out of the storeroom he was going to kick Wayne's backside from here to Daire. The rest of him was optional.

The storeroom door slammed shut and Billy sagged against it, trying to get his breathing under control. He could hear his brothers' voices but not quite what they were saying. And then the shelves beside him rattled. Billy froze. It was like something out of a horror movie, that frozen moment when the victim knew what was coming, that the murderer or monster was behind them and weren't sure how best to respond.

Slowly, Billy turned his head to look, his eyes straining to catch a glimpse of his monster in his periphery vision. The creature's ears twitched and Billy whimpered. It was staring at him like it wanted to eat him. Were lemurs carnivores? Oh, goddess, he better not be on the menu. If he was, he was coming back as a Shade to haunt his brothers for all eternity.

The creature started clawing at the door. Billy was too scared to recognise the action as that of an animal wanting to get out, and only saw the claws. He staggered back and crashed into another row of shelving a few feet from the door, staring at the lemur, projecting his silent pleas so his brothers would get their act together and "Save me, dammit!"

Walter hadn't seen the lemur chase his brother into the storeroom, so when he turned and started coaxing with his best baby voice (though, having had no experience with babies, his 'best' was dreadful), he was surprised to realise the creature had disappeared. Wayne's dig drew a droll stare from him, but he otherwise ignored the youngest triplet. Now was not the time to be drawn into an argument about who should and should not have kids.

"Where arrrree you, you little... monkey?" Substituting a nicer word for the one he'd initially wanted to say wasn't easy but he didn't want to offend the girl.

"Save me, dammit!"

Walter's lips twitched but he managed to keep a straight face. Wayne's snicker suggested he, too, had heard Billy's telepathic plea and didn't object to finding entertainment in Billy's plight. "Could you be serious for one second?" Wayne shrugged, still grinning, but Walter ignored him. He'd heard something else. A crash, and scratching, like claws on...

"Oh, dear goddess." No wonder Billy was trying so hard to make them hear. He was trapped in there with the very thing he was afraid of!

Stepping forward, holding the apple at arms' length, Walter sighed. They may as well write the rest of the day off; Billy would be an absolute wreck after this and Wayne would be too busy teasing him to get any work done.

"Coochi coochi coooo." Pausing as his hand rested on the doorknob, Walter took a deep prepatory breath, then yanked the door open and waved the apple in the air for a second before tossing it gently so it would roll well away from the storeroom door. Hopefully the lemur would take the bait and he could slam the door shut, with Billy safe on the other side to give him time to calm down while they got the animal back on its leash.