[Lucas]

Lucas stalked into the Quadrangle in an agitated fashion. He wasn't sure why he had returned to the region, where the only welcome he was to have was a rush of bad memories from his past. Although the marketplace that he had passed through on his way here had changed aplenty since his departure, the cobbled surface of the Quadrangle had not changed. Neither, he observed, had the kooky statue that had always kind of freaked him out. His mother had once told him that the statue came to life, but his young self didn't swallow that tale, Lucas remembered, but then stopped. Did he remember? Recollections from so long ago were fuzzy at best, and he did not want his yearning for some sort of memory to create false ones. Still, his cynicism existing at such a young age seemed entirely plausible, so perhaps this story was not a creation of his imagination. [OOC: Lucas raps? ]

With a sigh, Lucas tore his eyes from the monument and sank onto a wooden bench, dropping his battered backpack as he sat. It was almost empty, with only a few snacks remaining and his trusty blade claws sitting at the bottom. He eyed them with a hint of sadness; they hadn't been used in a while, and the blood that remained on them had dried from a flashing crimson to a muddy brown. Still, he would hopefully be using them again at some point. He supposed he should find some sort of place to stay, at least temporarily, but the idea of going to the Anyeli sanctuary sent his wings twitching, as they were accustomed to do when he was angry. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Lucas lowered his wings, pulling them in as much as he could as was his custom. Maybe there was a solution to the shelter; as long as no-one was to check his sketchy background, he could surely find accomodation elsewhere.

Calmed, Lucas stretched out his gangly legs, which were becoming stiff after all the travelling he'd done to arrive here. Despite his grey mood, which was almost a constant, he allowed a moment for the sun to shine on his face, and closed his eyes.

[Lani]

Lani had been practicing shifting in the alley near her house as she didnt want to disturb her new roommate by shifting inside the house. Seeing someone partially shifted wasnt pleasant. She had finally finished fully shifting and had decided to walk around in wolf cub form. People didnt seem to pay her much heed, assuming that she was a domesticated animal or a shifter as was common. It was nice to stretch her legs. She knew she wouldnt be able to stay in this form for very long, but wanted to practice how long she could do it.

Walking up the fountain, she stuck her head into the fountain and lapped up the water thirstily. Her cub form needed more nourishment than she was used to, but she had been getting used to it. She yawned the best she could in wolf form and looked over at her companions around the fountain. There was a man sitting there with a old bag next to him and he smelled funny, but not in a bad way.

Cautiously padding over to him, she waved her tail in friendship.

(ooc: pm me to edit )

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

[Lucas]

Lucas' eyes flickered open as he heard the light scratch of paws on cobble. He looked for the source of the distraction and found himself looking into the warm eyes of what appeared to be a wolf cub. Without consulting his brain first, Lucas' mouth crinkled at the corners as he took in the animal. He was pleased his first encounter in this new territory was with an animal; at least his reputation for irritability would not be uncovered immediately upon his arrival. The black swirls on the creature's back were almost hypnotising, and Lucas had to shake himself mentally away from the fur and back to the yellow canine eyes.

Looking around to ensure that the Quadrangle was still deserted, Lucas sat forward on the bench, shuffling forward and reaching into his backpack. He knew there was a bit of rabbit left in it, and figured that the wolf would probably enjoy it more than he would. Pulling out the hunk of meat, Lucas once more checked to make sure they were alone. He decided they were, and so moved further towards the wolf, extending a skinny arm to offer the food.

[Lani]

Lani'd only been a wolf for a good ten minutes, and she was working hard to keep herself in a more human level of awareness. The man smelled like dirt and fresh meat and was a comfort in contrast to the harsh smells of the passerby, especially the smelly Zanaryans. They where terribly distracting. She tilted her head and stared with perceptive yellow eyes at the man. She couldnt sense any tension or anger coming from him, and felt only goodwill in the slight smile, so she let herself get closer.

Seeing the bit of meat the man pulled out, her tail started waving like mad, and she made a whining noise. The human side of her was forgotten for the moment and all that she saw was that glorious bit of meat. Taking a few cautious steps forward towards the man, she tenativly took the meat, as though afraid he may change his mind, before sitting down a pace away and eating the meat with a fury.

Once down, she licked her mouth and glanced at the man. Friend. Getting to her paws, she shook herself out before coming to the man who fed her and attempting to rub against his leg. She wanted her scent on him. The animal side wanted to claim him as HER provider, so no other wolf could get into her territory. Her ears where perked up in interest and she was happy as could be.

(ooc: this is the wolf side of her talking, sorry if its confusing)

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

[Lucas]

Lucas smiled genuinely, allowing it to reach his eyes as the wolf cub took his offering. Her tail whipping back and forth with such excitement almost made him laugh, but he wasn't sure he'd ever really laughed. He watched in amusement as the dog destroyed the rabbit with such enthusiasm, and returned to his side. He shifted his legs slightly as it rubbed against her. Friendly, but clearly not too intelligent. For all the wolf knew, he could be a lethal hunter, who often lured in his prey with bits of rabbit. Still, dopey animals didn't really know better, he supposed, and he could indulge this one in a bit of food and petting.

Taking another quick glance around the square, Lucas ensured that he was still alone with the cub. Enjoying the weight of the animal at his side, Lucas reached out a battered hand and went to stroke the wolf's soft-looking ears. He was aware that he was guilty of the same crime of trust at the animal was; yet he had the advantage of knowing animals were generally more transparent than humans. This cub was unlikely to turn on him unless he unexpectedly violent, and Lucas' quick temper was calmed near this animal. He let out a slow breath, hoping the animal wouldn't flinch from his touch.

[Lani]

Most of Lani's human senses had vanished at this point, except the small part of her focusing on staying shifted. It was getting easier to stay in animal form for longer. The other day she'd managed to go for three hours! She was confident she could get up to five, but then she'd pass out. Still, it felt natural to be doing what she was meant too, although her mind still had a hard time getting used to joints changing, shrinking, bending. Sure, it hurt a little, but anything worth something hurt at some point.

The mans mood dropped for a moment, and she took a cautious step back, before returning once it had passed. When she felt her hand on his head, she stiffened for a moment, ears pressed to her head, all her senses telling her to run away. But she could smell food, and it did feel pretty nice, so she relaxed after a moment, enjoying the feeling of being petted. She had a clear escape route all along her, and she felt no more anger coming from the big human-like man.

She had enough human in her to be able to recognize a weapon, and as her eyes landed on the claws, they widened, but noting how old the blood wasnt fresh enough for her to smell (and it didnt smell like wolf blood, which she recognized after getting scraped up in animal form), returned to regular size.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she told herself to buy a collar soon, so that people could know that she had a name, insted of calling her 'puppy' or dog, or in this case, saying nothing.

(ooc: lani's puppy form is fun to write )

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

[Lucas]

Lucas continued to pet the wolf idly, thinking of all the things he needed to sort; a place to live, a job, some sort of goal. He'd wandered to Elysia pretty aimlessly, as if some sort of very lazy magnet was pulling him here. His only associate in Elysia were a string of fuzzy memories, and a feeling of discontent. Although he'd been born in the Cloud Palace, he had never previously called Elysia home, and didn't anticipate ever doing so. Still, sitting here patting a stray mongrel was going to do him no good whatsoever, and so with a final pat, Lucas stood up.

He stepped around the wolf, and paused, realising his knowledge of the area was poor at best, and he was unsure of where to go. He looked up at the godly Xanth monument.

""Any chance of a map, oh godly one?"" He asked sarcastically, the same cynicism from his childhood returning as he felt confident the 15-foot statue was unlikely to talk back. He turned back to the wolf, who he imagined would have no idea what he was on about. Picking up his backpack, he nodded at the animal.

""See you later, mongrel.""

[Lani]

At the moment she was too disoriented by the petting to realize what he was saying, but at the tone she growled a little. It wasnt a good name, but maybe the man was just upset? All of a sudden she felt her fur almost tingle and almost unnoticably start to retract. Her body was telling her she needed to get back to her normal form. Eye's widening, she yelped in the mans direction, a almost high-pitched bark accompanyed by a gesture of the paw that clearly said 'stay.' She looked as though she was going to fetch something and she hoped the nice man stayed.

Racing back to the alley as fast as her paws would allow, she managed to shift back to human in only five minutes (her body seemed to know how to change back to what it had been for years much easier than this new, more difficult form, although she did have to work to not throw up, as her digestive system moved back into place. Getting up from behind the dumpster she'd run too, she pulled on the change of clothes she had waiting there for when she shifted back. They where just a simple Beatles band shirt and a pair of old ripped jeans, but they felt like heaven. Moving out, she stumbled and ripped part of the back, displaying a small portion of her tattoo.

Running again, only this time on two legs, into the square, she looked to see if the man was still here, shoulders a little hunched forward, bright eyes more intelligent then they had been with dirt in her hair. She wanted to thank him, it had been awhile since she'd seen kindness from someone when she didnt look like a person. Most didnt take too kindly to wolf cubs.

(ooc: )

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

[Lucas]

Lucas turned as the wolf moved, watching it run away. He shook his head, grinning a little. Animals he could read; the food was gone and so now had the wolf. As he was alone, he checked his bag again, making sure his few belongings were in order. Finding them as they should be, he zipped up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder, relaxing his wings a little more at the same time. It was becoming more natural to not have them all bunched up as he'd always wanted to when he was travelling; they were too much of a reminder of what he was, and what his parents had been. But back in Elysia it didn't seem so crucial to try and blend into the brickwork as he always had, except for when he was looking for trouble.

Just as he was considering leaving the square, he turned, thinking he'd heard footsteps. Surprised, he spotted a girl moving at some speed back into the square, from the alley that the wolf had disappeared down. He tutted, supposing she'd seen the dog and been frightened by it. Pathetic. It looked like she'd managed to rip her clothes in an attempt to get away from the animal he knew as affectionate. Or it was some crazy fashion trend that Lucas didn't understand, he wasn't really sure. For some reason, the girl seemed to be squinting over at him.
""Looking for protection from the scary wolf, I suppose."" Lucas mumbled under his breath, turning away from the girl and going to leave the square.

[Lani]

Lani saw the man and her eyes brightened as she fell into an easy jog to catch up to him. He'd been nice to her as a wolf, hopefully he'd be okay with her thanking him. "Hey!" She said, before managing to reach him. Offering him a handshake, she smiled at him. "Hey, thanks for the rabbit back there. Always nice to meet an animal lover." Her muscles where still a little worn from shifting but she grimiced when she felt cool air on her back, glancing at the shirt, she swore in russian. "How do I always seem to ruin my clothes..." She mumbled to herself, before turning back to the man.

"Sorry for not introducing myself, I'm Lani, Canine Shifter." She said with a wolfish grin. It was easy to see the resembalence between her and the animal, the facial expressions, the tattoo on her back and her hair, which short as it was, slightly resembled fur. She remembered the claws and realized that there was the possiblilty that the man might not take too kindly to her now that she wasnt a wolf, but she pushed it away; it was nice to be optimistic.

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

(ooc: if Lucas kept walking, then gmod permish to have Lani walking beside him while saying that.)

[Lucas]

Lucas heard a "Hey! as he walked away, but chose to ignore it. He wasn't in the mood for human company, especially if it was in the form of this girl who apparently fled from wolf cubs. Yet still she persisted, and soon they were in step. He took a cursory glance down at the girl, and had all of about two seconds to study her before her mouth opened, and an unstoppable gush of words flowed from it. As he tried to make sense of her speech, he stared down at the hand she'd offered, his own remaining firmly at his side. After a few seconds he arranged the sentences in order, and with that came realisation, and Lucas' face fell.

Of course. This was Elysia, where nothing was as it seemed. He'd been living amongst humans for too long, and of course you couldn't just take things at face value here. He shook his head. Even the animals couldn't be trusted. He tensed his wings and gripped the strap of his rucksack harder, to keep his temper in check, and nodded stiffly in response to her babble. Her features backed up her words, Lucas realised, watching her facial expressions mirroring the ones he'd seen in the wolf. They were one and the same, for sure. Lucas felt his temper beginning to boil. He'd been in Elysia a number of hours, and already he was being lied to. He remained silent and continued walking, still ignoring her outstretched hand. As he passed the statue of Xanth, he spat at it in disgust.

""Some world you've made"" He muttered bitterly, hoping his body language would warn the shifter away.

[Lucas]

Lucas noticed the shifter wasn't coming closer, which he took as a good sign. Obviously his body languade had warned her off. It seemed his first observation was correct, this girl was a wuss, and one that was easily intimidated at that. And too trusting, even in animal form. Weren't wolves supposed to have some inner working that meant they didn't blindly trust any stranger that thrust some food their way? He assumed the dog hadn't gotten to that bit in her copy of "Shifting for Dummies" yet. He shook his head once more in comtempt and strode away further. He paused once more to look at the monument to Xanth, and wondered if he should wipe the spit off. His face changed into a sneer.

""Nah, what are you going to do about it?"" He challenged, knowing full well that he wouldn't get a reply. No-one here was gonna give him a straight answer, he knew that. Still, he was here to raise hell, so he supposed he should get onto doing so. That meant a visit to the Cloud Palace to find out who was in charge. Once again his wings tensed, as if they recognised the pain that this visit was going to bring back. Still, he could deal with it. Finding authority and challenging it always helped take the edge off of any emotion. And with that, Lucas shot one more evil glance at Xanth, before swaggering away from the square.

[Xanth]

Xanth always tried so very hard not to take it personally when someone complained about her, her actions, or what she stood for. If nothing else, she'd come to realise in twelve thousand years that mortals were wont to need a scapegoat and, right or wrong, often found their way to her.

Unfortunately, a lot of that blame was aimed at her statue, which was why she really needed to find another acolyte. She had put off the search in a vague hope that Inimicus would return from his quest and, quite frankly, sheer laziness. She was still dealing with the aftermath of her recent choices in employees, to boot, and so the search had not been a top priority.

And so, she was left to clean up the 'Varian's mess herself, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she waved a hand at the rippling image on her temple wall and watched the spittle disappear to leave the purple marble gleaming once again. Tempted as she was to teleport to the quadrangle and demand the distasteful young man clean it up himself - with his tongue, no less! - Xanth refrained. She had made the choice to support free will a long time ago and, sadly, that meant accepting the blame and hatred that seemed to go hand in hand with freedom.

Which was not to say, however, that she would allow the young man to go unpunished. Karma would bite him back sooner or later; he would simply not realise it was a direct consequence of spitting on her statue.

Piper's Boutique ¤ Dafont ¤ Anime Rain ¤ Aethereality ¤ Keira Knightley

[Lani]

Lani was shocked at the mans blunt dissapproval of the statue of The Creator that she remembered visiting not so long ago. Although slightly shocked, she knew that each should be allowed his own beliefs and held her tounge. She'd heard stories, legends, of the Godess not hesitating to protect what was hers, and this temple. However, his attitude didnt mean he was always like that.

Attempting to catch up with him, she said quietly: "Well, you seem to be having a bad day. But thank you. If you need a place to go, or a little help, dont hesitate to find me." If he wanted her to go then, she would go. She would not hesitate to show him future kindness, as much as she could. She was not stupid in animal form. If anything, she was a better judge of character. She just knew that this man had to have some good in him, somewhere. Everyone did.

PB | DaFont | Esaudrae | HG B.D | Swear | Katherine Moennig | Wolf

(ooc: I hope the thread isnt closed >< Its quite interesting. If asked though, I'll take down my post)