[Euphenia]

"Walking really is the best way to get around," Phen chatted conversationally as she and Txelu neared the main entrance to Haven, one of the larger animal shelters of New Alexandria. As the nyad had described it in brief earlier that day, Haven's outer walls were indeed a faded blue, but the shelter's doors' white coat of paint were done recently. "The dogs just love going for walks! Do you think Sophy will be alright with the other animals, or should we put her in an enclosure like I do for Sanna?"

Phen reached for the door's metal knob, but the whole kit and kaboodle flew open not a second later. Phen swayed back and caught the edge of the door in a practiced motion. "Christie? Hello!" she chirped, beaming a grin at the human woman standing in the doorway with her arms full of a box of squirming puppies.

Christie blinked mahogany brown eyes then returned Euphenia's smile with interest. "Phen! It's great to see you, hon. I'd give you a hug, but I've got to get these rascals to their new owner. Hey, you brought friends!"

Christie hopped forward and accepted the door against her hip, since Phen had let it go, then nudged it so it would swing closed behind her. "Welcome to Haven! My name's Christie. I'm just one of many who help to run this place. I'll have to catch your name and shake your hand later, but enjoy your visit!"

With her long dark blond ponytail swishing with each loping step, Christie moved around the pair and bounded off. Before she went around the corner of the building and out of sight, she called, "Patches still needs his bath if you want to help with that, Phen! Dawn and Trick are here today, so the pups are good!"

"She's always on the move," Phen explained with a laugh, that time getting to open the door herself and hold it for Txelu. "Yes, Sanna, we're almost to your special place. Just a little bit longer," the nyad promised her angel snake in Sylvan as Sanna poked her sleek head out of Phen's hair and tasted the air.

Past the door was a long hallway with several doors to either side and a waiting room with tables and chairs, as if the winged nymph and vampire were taking their pets to a veterinarian rather than visiting an animal shelter. The main differences were that instead of the white washed walls and super clean smells of a vet's office the floor was warm brown tile and the walls were an artistic blend of blues and coppery tones. To a human-like nose, Haven smelled somewhat like the animals its caretakers rehabilitiated, with an overlaying odor of cinnamon.

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

While they trekked the New Alexandria streets, Txelu began feeling a growing sense of apprehension. Going somewhere new with someone he only recently met did not nerve him in the least, much less since the destination was just an animal shelter, but there was something he had been hiding from Euphenia which pertained to such shelters. He mentally laughed at himself for not telling her.

Txelu looked up at the faded old Haven in wonder as he and Phen approached the building. It was fairly larger than he had thought it would be, and a wave of furry scents and cinnamon expectedly hit his nose as soon as they neared the door. Sophy, whose sense of smell even surpassed his, immediately began fidgeting a little upon the vampire's shoulder. All the new scents lurking within this building were exciting her.

Yet despite Sophy's minor fussing, Txelu declined the suggestion of locking her in an enclosure. "I would rather not," he replied truthfully, feeling protective of the windfur despite himself. He raised a calming hand to his pet's head. "Don't worry, Sophy can handle it. I will make sure she doesn't cause trouble."

Then the Haven's door flew open in the span of half a second and he found himself staring over Euphenia's slender shoulder into the beaming face of a human woman. He glanced from the puppies to Christie's cheerful eyes, but the lady swept past them almost as quickly as she'd come. He didn't even have time to step to the side, but only nodded in greeting as she frisked away. "What an energetic person," he concurred, still a little startled at how fast Christie took off.

The neat waiting room greeted Txelu and Sophy as they followed Euphenia and her snake into the building. It made him smile; the atmosphere was nice so far. "Where are the cats--I mean, animals?" he asked casually.

[Euphenia]

"She's definitely that," Phen agreed wholeheartedly with Txelu. She lead the way to the hallway then started down it. She walked with the gait of someone who knew where they were going. "Christie is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She let me stay here until I was able to find an apartment of my own. She even let me keep my cot!"

It didn't occur to Phen all that she'd said until after she'd said it. She looked over her shoulder at Txelu as if contemplating a correction, then just laughed at her foolishness while her cheeks flushed pink. "You can probably tell that I'm not from around here," she conceded while petting Sanna's pretty head and sinuous neck. The angel snake hissed very softly and rubbed into the attention. "Anyway, you asked about the cats, right?"

"Dawn and Trick are with the dogs," Phen reasoned as she stopped in front of a door and made to open it. The smell of cinnamon and something else, possibly a cleaning agent, was leaking out from around the door and likely tickling Txelu's nose. Phen didn't seem to notice any increase in aroma, but then, she didn't have a vampire's sense of smell. "So we'll visit the cats once we wash up."

When the door did open, a wave of cinnamon and sanitizer flooded the hall. There were no animals in that room, only sinks, soap, towels, and stacks of sterilized equipment like rubber gloves and paper face masks.

"There's an area over here for the animals to be cleansed, also." Phen indicated a mostly bare countertop that boasted two deep sinks and a tall cage with thick metal bars. The floor of the thing looked as if someone had attacked it with a holepunch over and over again. "That's our blowdryer," the nyad explained, pointing to the cage-like device, "It has numerous settings and is great for when an animal doesn't want or can't be towel dried. There's also holes on the inside of the bars. Feel free to touch them to see for yourself. I did it on my first visit, too."

With that, Phen approached one of the two sinks she'd said were devoted to washing animals and lowered her right arm till her fingers were touching the metal inside. Sanna slithered down that arm and coiled within the sink, as calm as could be. Phen smiled and turned the tap just enough to let water trickle down. Sanna swayed toward the hair thin stream and watched it, utterly fascinated. Plugging the sink, Phen went to wash her hands and forearms at one of the smaller stations, soaping up thoroughly enough that the suds started to look like elbow length white evening gloves.

"We can't risk carrying a virus or anything of that nature into Haven," she explained as she started to rinse off, "It could start an epidemic among the animals, and they're often sick enough as it is, the poor dears."

She hadn't noticed before, but while reaching for a biodegradable paper towel to dry off with, Phen realized Txelu's eyes were on the red side and immediately felt like a heel. There were several conditions that might account for the change, but given that Txelu's eyes been perfectly fine before they arrived at the shelter, Phen was pretty sure of the cause. "I should have asked you this before we arrived, but better late than never. Do you have any animal related allergies?"

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

Phen may have been flushed about revealing a bit of her background, but Txelu didn't for a moment dwell on how the winged nymph had originally lived or where she'd come from. Ginevra after all had done the same for him and Adelie. He did wonder if it had been easy for Euphenia to adjust to New Alexandria, knowing that the predominant half of her heritage (as he could distinguish from her blood) made her belong to a generally seclusive race. He didn't know for sure of course; she might just as well have been raised far away from the Fae regions.

Either way he smiled kindly at her when she looked over at him. "You're not alone in that. I'm not from around here, either," he said conversationally. "I came here three years ago and met Ella at the time."

Txelu usually didn't give new acquaintances even vague facts like that, so he refrained from speaking further of the past in case it led him to less desirable topics. His air, though, gave the impression that he had lived nothing short of a normal comfortable life.

Inside the sanitization room, Txelu approached a sink and carefully washed his hands alongside Euphenia. A bit of the marble polish from earlier still clung to his fingers, so he promptly removed them with the soap. The smell of cinnamony sanitizer did not bother him in particular as he had long gotten used to these types of domestic smells, although Princess Sophy wrinkled her nose in disdain. You would rather be pampered with all sorts of exotic essences and perfumes, wouldn't you? Txelu mused affectionately at her in his mind.

"That's very understandable," Txelu remarked when the nyad expressed her concerns over spreading viruses. "Especially if the creatures are already sick, more ailments would worsen their condition... What is the state of medicine here?"

No sooner had he finished cleaning his hands that he noticed that his eyes had begun to itch. And feel dry, for that matter. He walked off to examine the blowdryer Euphenia seemed appreciative about, and from his distorted reflection upon the metal, he could identify a pale redness around the corners of his eyes. It was a little worse in his left eye. That was unexpected; he usually didn't exhibit any allergic reactions until after he actually came into contact with cats. He had obviously underestimated the dander in the air.

Given this, Euphenia's inquiry didn't surprise him, although he felt a little squeamish about providing an answer. But what could he do? Blame it on the blowdryer? He stared down thoughtfully and quite innocently at the metal container. It ignored him in all its fancy holey-ness.

Realizing that he was doing something awkward, he broke his seemingly intense interest in the object and turned back to address the winged nymph.

"I--allergies?" he repeated. He raised his eyebrows and grinned as though it were a funny question. His voice was charmingly easygoing and confident when he answered. "Well, I happen to be somewhat allergic to cats. But Euphenia, please don't feel upset or anything; I promise I won't collapse or die on you or anything to that effect."

Txelu left her line of sight to slowly trek away toward the exit, waiting for Euphenia to walk with him. "If there's nothing else left to do in this room, could we head along?"

[Euphenia]

They were well met when it came to restraint. Phen was glad that Txelu felt free to share of his coming to Alexshire those years ago and how he'd met Ella upon arrival, but she didn't press for more. The kindness of his smile was echoed in hers, and for a moment Phen projected the aura of "I won't tell if you won't" that so often happened between close friends. However, she didn't know Txelu well enough for it to last much longer than that.

She gladly let herself be led onto the subject of the Haven's patients and their heath. "Most animals that find their way to us need lots of love and care to become adoptable. Many of them don't make it."

All traces of Phen's blushing was gone by then, and her full rosy lips were pursed. Anger flashed in the lights of her eyes. She forced herself to push her instinctual reactions aside and angled her head up and back so she could again smile at Txelu. "Christie tries to keep Haven in stock with all the latest crystal technology as well as medicinal and medical aids, but it can get really expensive. She has a dryad herbalist on tap if we need her, but that's only for emergencies."

"We do the best we can with the donations we receive," Phen finished as she tossed her used paper towels into a bin specifically marked for just that purpose.

Swiveling around, Phen was treated to listening to Txelu claim that he wasn't deathly allergic to cats. She'd totally missed his supposed "blowdryer worship", which was probably just as well. When Txelu started to walk away, Phen held up a hand and stated calmly, "Just a moment. I have to change."

"This is my acolyte dress," the nyad explained as she wriggled her toes in her sandals, "I have a second set of clothes in my satchel, and there's a changing screen in here. Will you wait for me?"

"You can mist Sanna and Sophy while I'm at it," Phen suggested as she swiftly strode over and grabbed hold of something behind one of the counters. After a series of clicks and tugs, she had unfolded and locked into place a thick rosy screen and rolled it to be between her and the open doorway. With a few more clicks, she had it half bent so it hid her from view from all directions but the wall.

Txelu could still see her from the ankles down, if he cared to look. That way it would have been easy to watch her kick off her sandals and set down her satchel. "Sanna loves being misted. Completely used to it," Phen assured the vampire as she undid her hair ribbon and then her dress's sash, "Just set her by the blowdryer and she'll go right in. After she's in, shut the dryer's door, lock it, and hit the little red button on the right hand side."

"On your right hand side," she clarified before starting to get into the nitty gritty of getting out of one set of clothes and into another, "It shouldn't hurt their eyes, but just in case, there's a latch in front that you can open so you can reach in and make sure those stay closed or at least are covered."

(( You have my full permission to GM Sanna for this, Sky. As long as Txelu isn't loud or grips her too tightly, she'll be a little "angel".

The "misting", as Phen so casually calls it, lightly mists the pet with a non-irritating, natural antibacterial spray that dries in seconds. It doesn't kill every germ, but it's something. ))

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

Txelu listened quietly and expressionlessly to Phen's dismal explanation of the inadequate medical aids. Sophy seemed to have also noticed the change in the nyad's tone and made a tiny noise that only Txelu could hear. "In that case, I'll ask Ella if I could put a donation box in our store," he suggested. That way, people who cared could at least lend a hand, even if they were not in a position to adopt. And the best way to raise money and adoption rates for a place like Haven was to spread awareness.

After health affairs were revealed to fortunately no apparent detrimental consequence, Txelu halted calmly in his footsteps when Euphenia declared that she needed to change. "All right, I will wait for you," he said simply as he turned back, unconcerned about being in the same room whether changing screen or not. He looked down at her feet while she talked since he couldn't address her head.

When he approached the blowdryer for the second time, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Sanna had already curled herself nicely at its side. The angel snake pointed her head in his direction in clear expectation. She also seemed curious about the latest development. Oh? Her nyad wasn't tending to this today?

Txelu affectionately stroked the snake's scales and gently rubbed her under the chin just as she liked. Lowering his head, he whispered secret words to her with a friendly smile while the other half of his attention caught Euphenia's directions. Afterwards, Sanna went quite obediently into the misting device. The vampire locked the door and tapped the correct button. He watched as a spray descended upon the small creature, causing her pearly scales to glisten in peachy hues. Sanna then seemed hesitant to leave the refreshing germ-killing atmosphere, but Txelu managed to coax her out and replace her with a slightly nervous Sophy.

"Sanna, please sit by and wait for Euphenia," he directed, keeping his voice low. "And Sophy, keep still; it won't be a harmful experience, I promise." He restarted the blowdryer. Sophy took her owner's words and stayed mostly motionless, and to his relief, her body visibly relaxed as she began to enjoy the misting.

Soon they were finished.

[Euphenia]

The rustling of Phen's clothing stopped. "A donation box?" the nyad thought dumbly before a grin overtook her face and she bounced in place. "That would be wonderful! Did you want to wait for Ella's answer before I ask Christie about the particulars?"

The sounds of her changing got a bit louder then as Phen tried to double-time the process. Pushing her sandals to the side, having suffered a spill or two in the past by way of their meddling, she pulled on gray knee high socks before hopping out from behind the screen. The winged girl had gone from looking like a fairy tale princess with an interest in gardening to a fresh faced high schooler ready to tackle extracurricular activities.

"Kiel wears these all the time," Phen commented with a brushing of her hands across her hips. She had put on her first pair of jeans, and the fit was really quite comfortable. She liked how they hugged her lower body without being too tight and the length was perfect for her legs. Phen was also pleased with the dark blue color. It was rare that she allowed herself to wear something other than gray when dressing to be in public. "He made me promise I'd get boot cut."

"Everything went well, I take it?" she asked while going about putting the privacy screen away. If she noticed that her sandals and a pair of chocolate brown boots were still out and neither were on her feet, Phen gave no sign. "I really appreciate your help with that. It's a precautionary measure, and not necessarily the best, but we keep it light for visitors. If we had to dunk everyone who comes here into a shower stall, fur or no fur, I think adoptions would be the least of our problems."

Sanna stretched on the counter top and hissed for her nyad's attention. When she didn't receive it in a timely fashion, according to Sanna, the angel snake hissed louder and flapped her wings. She really didn't care if her nyad was busy, she wanted Phen to look at her right-that-moment.

Phen overheard the second hiss, and shook her head as she rolled the compacted screen back behind the counter. The loose bun that she'd braided her hair half up into bobbed. "Not now, my Lily," she lightly scolded in Sylvan, "You know I can't leave this unattended."

Perturbed, Sanna slunk across the cool and flat surface the hunter had left her on, bringing herself closer to where Txelu stood. She hissed again, that time at him, and stretched out her upper body with her head slightly raised. Only by being able to talk in a two legger language could Sanna have better communicated that she wanted the vampire to rub her under the chin.

"She's definitely taken a liking to you," Phen chuckled, having watched the whole thing out of the corner of her eye, "Careful that she doesn't start searching your pockets for treats next. That never fails to tickle."

"I just have to get my boots on, and then we can go," she stated before heading over to her bag to sit down on the floor beside it.

Sanna tucked her wings back and made like a queen. She didn't know exactly what her nyad had said, but it sounded nice. Surely it was about her and how beautiful or well mannered she was.

Meanwhile, Phen made short work of sliding on her boots and tying up the laces. She first stashed her sandals in a cloth bag, then stuffed the wrapped bundle into her satchel. Self-consciously the nyad ran a hand down the front of the royal blue long sleeved t-shirt Christie had let her borrow. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to wear something that read in big white letters "DON'T CALL ME CUTE", and in smaller ones under that "You wouldn't like me when I'm cute". A diversion was in order.

"Do you have anything for your allergies?" she asked to bring the focus of the moment onto him as she hurried across the room to open one of ten lockers and push her satchel inside. She closed the metal door and clicked its lock shut. She did bring the key with her today, right? "Because we're about to head deep into the 'purring jungle'."

Sanna recognized not the words, but the syllables and how they rolled in that phrase. The angel snake flapped her wings and flew away from whatever she was doing. She headed straight for Phen's shoulder.

The nyad's gentle laughter matched the sweetness glowing in her eyes as she helped her pet to land and then nuzzled Sanna lovingly. "We're going to the reptile room first. Sanna loves the pool in there. It's this way," she instructed helpfully, then walked on ahead.

"I love it here," Phen confided in Txelu as they left the prep room, "But you probably already noticed that. Were there any animals in particular you wanted to see besides the cats?"

(( I hope the mentioning of Kiel recommending boot cut jeans is alright, Emma. Yes, I know you'll read this eventually. If not, I'll be glad to edit. ))

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

"I could ask Ella right now, actually," Txelu replied, happy at Phen's positive response. He took out his COM and opened the texting service only to be flooded with an inbox of texts from Ella, most of them demanding where he was and generally flaming him. It benefitted him (and his ears) greatly that he had temporarily blocked off voice calls for the day.

The vampire ignored the texts since he knew what they all pretty much said anyway, and instead he composed Ella a new text consisting of nothing but the straightforward lines below:

Quote

What do you think about placing a donation box in the shop to support an animal shelter?

He had long sent the message and placed his COM away by the time Euphenia returned in her fresh new outfit. Although the nyad's nymphly adorableness would have been unresistable for the majority of the world's male population, for Txelu her attractiveness once again failed to induce a compelling reaction from his own attractive head. Her shirt's clear message could not have applied less to him, considering barely a thought of calling her cute had entered his mind in the first place. He did recognize that she was unusually pretty. Yet his and Adelie's hardships in Elysia had largely caused him to miss out on that part of his life where "appreciating" the other sex was at its vividness.

"Both Sanna and Sophy took the misting fine," he assurred Euphenia when she asked how things had went.

He smiled when the angel snake began reaching for his attention. "So it seems," he agreed with Phen about Sanna liking him, and then good-humoredly reached to rub the Queen's favorite petting spot. "Very well, Your Scaled Majesty, I will do as you--"

His fingers stopped short, however, for at that very moment his COM began vibrating. It must be Ella, he thought.

Unlike Txelu's short, concise text, Ella's reply was very, very long. The first 90% basically bashed him, which Txelu absorbed with indifference, and the last line stated the ayad's acceptance of creating a donation box. It contained a dramatic change of tone, he noticed.

He turned to Euphenia. "Ella says that it's fine," he informed her. "And no, my allergy is not serious enough to require medication."

As they left the room, Sophy emitted a happy windfur sigh, for she had been getting rather bored. Txelu patted her. "Yes, you must be very devoted to this place," he remarked kindly to Phen. "It would be fine to see all of the animals if time permits."

While the two and their pets walked along to the reptile room, Txelu refrained from mentioning that he wanted to adopt a cat for Adelie. The decision was admittedly a little impulsive, but Adelie loved cats as much as him, and it would make a good surprise for her for when she returned for Spring vacation. "So, exactly how many animals live here?" he asked, glancing around at the walls as though he could see through them.

[Euphenia]

"I'm glad of that. I'd have to call for help to get you some medical attention otherwise, and Dawn would be fawning all over you. Of course, we might get Trick's attention first. She'd just try to steal my shirt." Phen laughed, amusement dancing in her expressive twilight eyes, "Trick keeps saying she'll sneak into Christie's house and take it from her closet whenever Christie comes in wearing it."

"She did?! That's great!" the nyad squealed, then promptly blushed (again) and settled for a grin instead of talking for a bit while she worked to get her excitement down a few notches. "As soon as I see Christie again I'll let her know. I'd like to give her a copy of the business card you let me have, if that's alright?"

"More now that's it's the cold season," the nyad explained, glad for a question to answer to give her cheeks more time to go back to what passed for normal. Phen beckoned for Txelu to follow her as she opened one of the many doors and walked out of the hallway and into a wide room mostly lined with heavy glass enclosures. The sound of water gurgling and splashing announced the presence of a small river rock lined pool and waterfall in one corner. "I agree with Christie that animals staying out in the chill is cruel, but she always goes out of her way to bring in as many as she can until we just can't take in any more."

Phen sighed at the futility of not having enough room for every animal in need and flicked a switch on the wall that was by the door. Crystal powered lights flickered to life. "We keep the brightness low so some of the more nocturnal reptiles aren't disturbed," she offered before Txelu might ask why the lights were turned down so much, "This room is also kept at a higher temperature than the rest. I apologize if you find it uncomfortable at all, but we'll be leaving soon. Trick will be taking care of the reptiles, since they're her favorites. Though ..."

Having paused, Phen glanced down with a smile to Sanna before switching back to Txelu, "You did say that you wanted to see all of the animals if time permitted. Would our reptiles hold any interest for you?"

Sanna decided that since her nyad seemed very distracted at the moment, it was the perfect time to dive off of Phen's shoulder and glide to her favorite spot in the entirety of Haven ... right on the tippy top of the rock waterfall. With a practiced hop and slide, Sanna made her landing and curled up so her long tail trailed into the water. Aaaah, bliss.

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

"Oh no, that's unnecessary," Txelu stated at once. As if little kittens could get a vampire into the hospital! He joined Phen's laughter before looking at her in confusion. "Hm? Why would she try to steal your shirt?"

He took out one of the requested business cards and handed it to the nyad when she mentioned Christie would like one. "In that case, I will give it to you right now."

"Christie has a very good heart," he continued as they entered the waterfall chamber. After a brief glance around the room, he gave Phen a sad smile, his voice gentle and understanding. "It's unfortunate how there are always animals that end up suffering, isn't it? At least you do what you can. It's hard to take care of everyone."

Txelu left Euphenia's side momentarily to examine the room a little more. His gaze followed Sanna's path in amusement as the angel snake coasted off to the little pool reservation. Sophy displayed more interest in the grassy enclosures by craning her furry head in curiosity. Phen's ribbon had been relocated from her neck to her arm, and it flipped gently when she moved, casting off a soothing lavender-gold glow in the dim light.

"Why not?" Txelu replied, flashing Phen a quick smile when she inquired about the reptiles. He took some time scanning the enclosures and dropped back just a little in alert when a large spotted lizard suddenly popped up on the glass right in front of his eyes. Casually studying its faintly pulsating belly, Txelu inquired of Phen, "May I ask what the adoption terms here are? ...For the cats, specifically?"

[Euphenia]

Phen wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. It was an old habit she was trying to knock, mostly because it tended to influence the utterance of the dreaded "c" word. "Trick has this collection of t-shirts with sayings on them. She claims it's quite expansive, and I'm inclined to believe her, since most every shirt she wears is like that and I have yet to see a repeat in, what, six months? Anyway, she can't seem to find this one," the nyad patted her chest with a lopsided smile, "And doesn't want to make it herself. Something about handcrafted shirts not being valid for her collection."

"Thank you. Christie has an index she keeps these in, so it makes things simpler," Phen said warmly while accepting the second card, then tucked it into the left front pocket of her jeans.

She nodded in agreement with Txelu's assessment of Christie's heart. "People like her help to maintain the Balance here in Alexshire, even if they don't realize it. Some nymphs seem to think that favoring one extreme over another, good or evil, dishonors the Balance, for must we not be equal unto both sides of our inner selves before we can truly understand the essence of Balance? I understand their view, but am unable to follow it utterly. I suppose, like Christie, I care too much."

"Oh. Oh dear. I'm sorry, Txelu. I don't mean to prattle on so," Phen apologized, though the vampire was then moving about the room and examining the many enclosures. Thankfully, that time her blush was minimal. Perhaps she was getting more used to being around Txelu? Phen could only hope.

Sanna flicked her tail in reaction to her nyad's apology. Clear blue eyes watched Phen's wings unfold slightly and flutter in embarassment, and Sanna gave an annoyed hiss. Her nyad was paying far too much attention to the hunter and his pillow. Normally she'd have either flown to Phen to remind her nyad where her priorities ought to lean, but Sanna didn't want to leave her cool water just yet. So she hissed again and coiled up the main portion of her body a bit tighter. She'd demand her due later.

"You likely just made his day," Phen managed around a giggle as she moved to stand beside Txelu at a respectful distance, "Trick calls him 'Spook'. I'm sure you can guess why. Hello again, Spook," she cooed to the large lizard.

Spook barely tilted his head in the nyad's direction and tasted of the air several times in succession. When Phen, Txelu, and Sophy did nothing of further interest, at least according to Spook's standards, he meandered to the other side of his "territory" with a satisfied air.

"Hm. While I explain that, let's go to the cat room," Phen suggested as she started for the door at a casual pace, "Patches needs his bath, anyway, and I love seeing the little fellow."

"The first step is to find the pet that's right for you," the nyad began with a cheery smile. Phen gestured a lot with her hands when she was discussing something she was passionate about, and right then they were very active, indeed. "Then once you've found the new member of your family, we have you sign a series of forms. The first is a written promise to take care of the animal you've adopted, and an agreement that you will return them to us for readoption purposes should your situation change and you can no longer be considered a suitable parent."

"There is a small fee that covers vaccinations and a basic care package," she went on to explain as she stepped out into the hall, the door held steady by a slender hand, "Any questions so far?"

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

Txelu chuckled. "Sounds like an impulsive streak," he observed. "Ella has the same problem with hair accessories. She makes many of them herself, though. A very crafty person she is."

And there may have been a double meaning in that.

Hearing hair mentioned, Sophy lovingly nudged Txelu from his shoulder, causing him to instinctively tilt his head away to escape the furry attack. Yet he smiled at the windfur from what he could see of her in his peripheral vision. Sophy happily cuddled her ribbon; she still hadn't lost any ecstasy over her pretty lavender toy.

The vampire did listen to Euphenia's reflection over spiritual "Balance", but to be blunt, his sight and attention were favoring the reptiles. Good and evil, light and dark, yin and yang... in some ways he was too pragmatic to dwell on them in daily life anymore. (Besides, spirituality was Aunt Irena's department.) Even so, the thought came across to him not for the first time that living creatures taking the form of man were inherently similar. "Surely we all care too much about something," he commented, since silence would have been rude. "It serves as motivation, and lets us find ourselves. At least -- that's what I think; I apologize if that sounds vague."

His eyes stayed on Spook as Phen joined his side. Did all the animals have such personalities here? he wondered in amusement and a slight hint of vexation also.

He finally turned around and followed Phen when she suggested that they head to the cat room. He took the door from her and returned her light-hearted smile. "Actually," he began, "the adoption is for my sister. She's wanted a pet of her own for a while, but it's a little difficult since she's apprenticed out of town. We would have to find a cat that likes traveling."

As they made their way to the feline area, Txelu's slim fingers hovered over the pocket where his COM was. He contemplated whether or not to call Adelie, lest it would ruin the surprise.

[Euphenia]

Sanna stayed with her waterfall, though she was deep into plotting her "revenge" for later as her nyad left the room with the hunter and his pillow. She had no interest in socializing with the other reptiles, so when the door closed behind the two leggers and their fluffy hanger-on, Sanna curled into a loose and limber ball of coils and dozed.

"If I may say, I think that is very considerate of you," Phen approved with an easing of manner and tone. So, he had a sister, probably one younger than he. She'd always wondered what it would have been like to have a sibling, though given her mother's profession and Phen's having to move to Silas when still quite young, the nyad had to admit that it was probably for the best that the subject had never come up. "Some of the cats don't mind travel as much as the others, but ... Hm. Is she very busy, being apprenticed as she is? Would she be able to take care of a cat with special needs?"

That's when it struck her. A sister? But he was a ... "That's easy to explain," Phen thought to herself as they stayed the course down the hall, "He might have been 'changed' recently, she could also be a vampire, or maybe she's just older than I originally thought. Yes, it must be one of those."

"Here we are!" Phen declared with great exuberance, getting an eyeful of Sophy and her ribbon as the nyad turned to wrap a hand about the proper door's handle, "The cats to the left are already socialized some, so I would suggest starting with them. I have to see to Patch and Puff once we're in there, but please don't let me deter your browsing. If you want to take a cat or kitten into the visiting area, just let me know and I'll make it happen."

A chorus of mews and meows greeted them as Euphenia pulled the way into the room open, then held the door so it would remain that way as she waited for Txelu and Sophy to go inside ahead of her. "Cloud is a cutie," she suggested, then pointed over to a sectioned off portion of the "purring jungle" where most of the noise was coming from, "He's a bit on the loud side, but once you look into those baby blues and cuddle the little cream puff, he sneaks into your heart and kneads it into better bedding."

(( Cloud's image is courtesy of the Cozy Kittens Cattery. ))

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[Txelu]

Sophy snickered quietly when she realized that they were leaving the arrow behind. She was admittedly a bit jealous of the waterfall, but it smelled too much like reptile anyway.

"She's a music apprentice, so she has to work very hard," Txelu explained, a sense of pride for his sister coming over his face as he said so. "A companion would take some of the stress off, and Adelie always makes time for other interests. She's a talented girl."

When Phen opened the gate to the cat sanctuary and they went in, Sophy inadvertantly hissed as the scents and noises of all the felines hit her at full force. It was always more than a sensitive nose expected. Her eyes flickered around a little distrustfully, her grip tightening.

Txelu did not appreciate that at all. He had told Phen that Sophy would be no problem, and he was not about to go back on that! "Hey Sophy," he whispered pointedly. "You decided not to be rude, remember?" And if she had not decided that, then he had been betrayed.

"She's just a little nervous," he said cheerfully to Phen. "But she'll get over it. Anyways, I'll just be looking around. Good luck with Patch and Puff!"

He thanked her for the suggestion and left the nyad's side. Sophy did seem to get over it, as she visibly relaxed when Txelu started walking again. "Hello, Cloud," he greeted the meowing white kitten. A coffee-colored, quieter kitten next to him leaned up and peeked at Txelu and Sophy with a mysterious expression. It was easy to get lost in the cat's glowing yellow-green eyes. Txelu reached forward to pet the cat, only to have him climb up on his arm. He laughed, trying his best to ignore the allergies. This one liked to play, did it?

Sophy meanwhile had dropped herself off her owner and hovered at the edge of the section, next to Cloud. You're a loud one! she commented. But I like your fur! How do you get it so white?

Cloud responded by playfully tackling her, and the two began rolling around as each tried to gain the upperhand.

[Euphenia]

Those two words, music apprentice, captured Phen's attention so utterly that for a moment she forgot where she was. "That's wonderful! May I ask where she is studying?" she asked with great interest lighting up her face and inspiring her voice to do little cartwheels.

She almost opened up with another flurry of questions, but Txelu was continuing on with his explanation, and Phen didn't want to interrupt any more than she already had. So she listened instead, with as much enthusiasm as that action was capable.

That was so encouraging! His sister loved music? Perhaps he shared her interest on the subject? Fairly buzzing with new-found energy, Phen was considering what to ask Txelu next when she noticed Sophy's distress. "Don't worry, little one," she whispered in Sylvan not a second after Txelu had reminded the windfur of her promise to behave, "They may be feline, but the small ones won't harm you. Be cautious of the larger hunters, though. They are likely to find your tail enticing."

Phen made the attempt to lightly stroke Sophy's fur with gentle fingers before smiling at Txelu's wish for luck. "May Xanth show you the way to the perfect companion for your sister," was her soft reply before she turned her attention to the kennels on shelves to the side of the room.

She knew the way to Patch's kennel. It looked like all of the others, but she'd walked the path to it so many times over the five days that she had the route memorized. Opening the metal door, careful to make as little noise as possible, she peered into the container to see baby blue eyes gazing back at her. "Hello. How are you doing, little fury?" she murmured, reaching a hand in so the black and white kitten could rub his own greeting. She smiled when he mewed feebly and padded toward the front of the kennel. "That's it. It's good to hear your voice again. Are you feeling better? Did you eat your breakfast?"

She checked the kennel's water tube, and her smile quickly switched directions. A wrinkle of worry creased her otherwise perfect brow as Phen helped the kitten to escape his sanctuary and cuddled him to her chest. "We talked about this, Patch," she began, addressing the kitten face to face. She didn't seem to be discouraged when the little fellow yawned in response. "You are not going to get better without nutrients, and you are not allowed to dehydrate yourself."

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[NPC]

(( This is Colleen, reporting for NPC duty! *Salutes!* ))

"Just a sec, Trick!" was verbally hurdled down the hall near the open door of the cat room, and soon its owner strolled into the room itself.

"Oh, Phen, yer here!" squealed an amply fleshed young woman whose short orange striped blond hair bounced when she bounded over to briefly hug the winged nymph with one arm. The other pudgy limb was too busy keeping a sudsy wooden bucket aloft to join in the gesture of affection. "Hello, Patch. How's the cutesy-wootsy-woo? How are ya? Are ya goin' ta get better? Are ya? Yes, ya are!"

"Ooo, someone new with ya?" the peppy girl asked, and somehow she moved all of her cute bulk in Txelu's direction without giving Euphenia the chance to respond. "Hi! I'm Dawn!" she announced, only then spotting Sophy among the kittens. "When'd we get another windfur? I thought the last one we had was adopted. Oh, but she's a real cutie-patootey! Hey, that's my Cloud yer wrestlin' with, lil' lady. Be nice now. He's got no claws, ya know."

Cloud had put up a good fight, which he felt was necessary, since he'd started it, but Sophy knew how to handle herself better than a half grown kitten. Soon she was the victor, leaving Cloud pinned to the padded floor and wailing how he wanted a rematch.

"Hey now, up up, lil' girl. Let him breathe, 'kay?" Dawn fussed, putting down her bucket and going for Sophy with both of her soapy hands.

(( I hope that GM there with Sophy is ok, Sky. ^.^; ))

[Txelu]

(( 'tis fine :'D ))


"She plays violin and cello," Txelu answered when Phen asked about Adelie's studies. "She wants to sing, too."

He smiled at Euphenia's enthusiasm. Oh right, she was a performer too. Adelie would like her, he thought.

By the time Dawn came in, Txelu was still trying to get the coffee kitty off of him, as the feline had crawled up to his face and was now hanging fussily about his head. Due to the furry blockage in his general field of vision, Txelu wasn't quite able to greet Dawn sophisticatedly. "G-Good afternoon," he said, just about teetering. "I'm Txelu--"

It took a moment, but he was able to control Coffee well enough to turn his attention to what was going on with Cloud and Sophy. With Coffee literally hanging by his neck, Txelu hastily bent down to scoop up Sophy before Dawn could. He apologized with a slightly disheveled smile, hair somewhat unkempt after that brief event. Ah, he loved cats. "I'm sorry, miss; this windfur belongs to me. She's here to visit."

Cloud meanwhile had pulled himself up indignantly and was still mewling up to Sophy for a rematch. His fur was more fluffed up than before after the wrestling match. Txelu patted him with a sympathetic grin. "Sorry, little guy. Sophy should have gone easy on you."

[Euphenia]

Somehow Txelu had heard "what" rather than "where" when Phen asked about his sister's musical studies, but Phen was too wrapped up in Patches to correct the misunderstanding by the time she thought to do so. So she let it slide. It didn't matter much anyhow, as she could always ask for the location later, and it was exciting to know that Txelu's Adelie was practicing with two instruments that Phen herself had yet to learn. Oh, and she wanted to sing! Inspired, Phen hummed a few bars of her favorite human folk song right there and then.

As she tended to the trusting kitten in her arms, Phen started to fantasize future interactions between herself, Txelu, and Adelie through the medium of music. She'd gotten Patches to the counter, where a shallow wooden bowl waited to be filled for his bath, when Dawn burst onto the scene and wrapped the nyad up in a hug. "Hello, Dawn!" Phen responded brightly, unable to return the embrace due to her hands being full, "Yes, that's Txelu."

"I'm Txelu--"

There was no real reason for it, but Phen blushed anyway. They'd said his name at the same time.

That's when Phen got an eyeful of Txelu plus windfur and kittens. When the vampire knelt to pat Cloud, Phen nearly lapsed into a Dawn-like coo.

Catching herself, the nyad turned around and set Patches into the bowl, then arranged him to be more comfortable while the little guy nuzzled her fingers. She couldn't help but smile adoringly down at the sweet soul that was still battling for his right to live. Her little fury. "A nice warm bath will be nice, won't it, Patch?" she murmured before straightening and going to get the shampoo and towels she needed from a cupboard.

Though Dawn was likely to notice the detour, Phen took it anyway and wound up walking by Txelu. One wing outstretched as if it wanted to brush his back with its feathers. Again, Phen caught herself in time and twitched it back. "Dawn, Christie said that you and Trick were with the dogs this morning?" she asked, mainly in an attempt to divert Dawn's attention. The longer the other girl stayed, the greater the chance that Trick would come looking for her, and Phen was pretty sure she didn't want to endure watching Trick flirt with Txelu for the rest of his visit. "How is Goldie doing?"

Usually, asking about the status of one of Dawn's favorites reminded her to check on said animal. Phen hoped it worked this time. She would fill Dawn in later to make up for it.

Piper's Boutique # Raine # Celestial Star # DaFont # Angel

[NPC]

(( Colly again. Bring out the cake! ... What, no cake? ))

As Phen had feared, Dawn got a "Oh, so that's the way things are?" gleam in her huckleberry blue eyes the moment that she'd turned and noticed her fellow volunteer going off the beaten path to be near Txelu on her way to collect bath supplies. Dawn arched an orange banded blond brow at Phen, but possibly to the nyad's surprise, she left things at that. For all of five seconds.

"A pleasure ta meet ya, Txelu!" Dawn tossed up at the friendly vampire as she patted the still protesting Cloud before getting to her feet. She thrust the same hand that she'd pet the white kitty with at Txelu with the utmost of confidence, a knowing smile on her face. "Ya must be real special for Phen ta bring ya in ta meet the fuzzies. She talks plenty 'bout a Kiel and a Lazuli, but yer the first she's ever brought with her."

"Shhh! Cloud, quit yer carryin' on. Psh. Silly boy don't know when he's licked." Dawn waggled a lime green and yellow bedecked finger at Cloud, then beamed at Sophy like she'd just won some sort of prize. "Now, yer windfur there is a right cutie. Did ya catch her in the wilds? A fascinatin' place, the wilds! One day Christie is gonna take me, and we'll .. What ya need, Phen?"

Listening for a moment, Dawn then became even more animated than before, making a grab for her bucket and sloshing some of its frothy water on the floor. "Oh shoot! Thanks fer remindin' me, Phen! Goldie's not doin' so well, so I best be off."

Dawn darted for the door, leaving little puddles behind as her bucket wobbled side to side. "I'll tell ya more later, Phen. Hope ta see ya later too, Zuzu!"

Disappearing around the bend, Dawn's voice was joined by that of another not far from the cat room.

"C'mon, Trick! We need that 'ol rub of Christie's fer Goldie."

"I thought I heard Phen's voice. So, she's here?" the other person asked, "That's good. Then we can stay with the pups a bit longer."

The conversation that followed had to do with a certain dog, presumably Goldie, and how she was suffering with some sort of chest infection that complicated her breathing and eating processes. Txelu might have caught some of it, but it was likely to fade into obscurity the further the girls went down the hall.

[Txelu]

Even with a fidgety Sophy in his arm and Coffee clinging inches by his face, Txelu still managed to shake Dawn's hand fairly evenly. The confident directness of Dawn's bubbly attitude startled him a little, but he was adept enough to respond well to it. “It's very nice to meet you, too,” he said pleasantly.

Meanwhile, Phen had happened to arrive nearby. Txelu wanted to ask how her maintenance with Patch and Puff went, but Dawn was absorbing attention in earfuls. He noticed the expression she gave to Phen but didn't really attribute anything to it. Nor did he find anything strange with Dawn's words. As for the smile she cast him, did she know that he was a vampire? It was a thought to entertain. “Ah, we've just met today at the Quadrangle, actually,” he replied brightly and obliviously. “I simply agreed to come along.”

He didn't quite get to say more, for Dawn had already moved on. Sophy puffed up her chest and revelled in glory when the woman complimented her. Oh yes oh yes, I am definitely a cutie! Much cuter than him, in fact. Especially with this ribbon.

He didn't even get to answer Dawn's next question, for she became preoccupied by the mention of Goldie. He cracked an embarrassed grin when the woman called him by Adelie's petname. Heaven help him if Euphenia started calling him that, too.

“Dawn's a very upbeat person,” he commented cheerfully to Phen as the happy lady left the room. She kind of reminded him of Ella. He really needed to stop comparing everyone to Ella.

As the chattering faded away, Txelu thought to do something about Coffee, who had begun mewling. Gently prying the kitten off of him, the vampire lowered him back to his spot nearside Cloud, being careful not to slip on the somewhat wet floor. Really, they would all make good companions, he thought, feeling a bit lost as to which cat out of all these cats Adelie would like best. “Maybe a quiet, peaceful one with lots of patience and a liking for music,” he pondered, half to himself.