February 25th, 2017 -- Afternoon
Rhy'Din
Dockside
(From live play with Orchid Evans)



Sure, the little spaz had a different profession every month or so, but it always came second to her job as top fighter for the village. Yes, Junia did most of the work, but that didn't mean she didn't have to be in top shape in case they were separated. It was a big problem in that field, the weapons were complacent. Lazy. She wasn't. It cost her having breasts, but hey.. At least with longer hair she didn't look like a little boy anymore.

Orchid was on a jog which had turned more into a free-running session. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a hoodie and yoga pants as well as gym shoes. As she ran along the pier, she found herself slipping on the wet wood. ....and then she made a game of it. To see how far she could slide. All she needed now was to be in a shirt and underwear with a pair of sunglasses. So much for training.

He'd gotten off work after a rather long lunch rush, one that lasted nearly until 2'oclock. Then again, it was Saturday and he hadn't really expected any less. His usual dull clothing was a pair of jeans with one knee torn, not a fashion statement but a mistake of not paying attention. Shoulders covered by a checkered grey button up shirt were shrugged up a bit, one hand tucked into a front pocket up to the knuckles while the other periodically moved to his mouth to take a drag of his cigarette. Long legs carried him over the sidewalk of the Docks, further out than his usual roaming grounds but he needed a small change today.

Glancing over his shoulder now and then, he breached the beginning of the pier, where cobblestones met wooden boards. A flash of movement caught in the corner of his eye had his head snapping in that direction, watching some girl sliding over the wet boards as he hiked a single brow upward. ...When you don't have a slip'n'slide, I guess...?

Orchid was one of those...dance like nobody's watching type people. She was never really one to care what others thought, because...why should she? If they were judging her for having a good time than they were obviously fat, so... "I see you drivin' 'round town with the guy I love and I'm like, forget you~" she sang softly, just...enjoying life. She'd take a running start and just kind of skid across the boards. "I guess the change in my pocket wasn't enough I'm like, fuuuuuuu----" Her toe might have gotten caught on a loose board, and she might have faceplanted on the dock. "...ngh....nd...frgt hr tuh..."

Seth... was Seth. There was no real other way to say it. Most of his life was going by unnoticed, just the way he liked it. His head tilted slightly to the side, dragging on his cigarette as those lyrics found his sensitive ears. He recognized the song, if only because of Chloe. But it wasn't in his certain tastes. That didn't mean he didn't listen on, glancing as he strolled as she seemed to be having the time of her life up until her little accident. He grunted softly at the impact, possibly feeling it from all the way over there.

There was a glance around, but the dreary weather seemed to keep a good portion of those away from the Docks. Or the hour. There were some workers, some sailors, people bustling around either to seek out a bar before it got crowded or they were working night shifts. They seemed to move right on past the girl, though.

Sighing softly, he stepped off the walk, he dropped his cigarette into a puddle he stepped over and legs carried him toward her. "You alright?" His tone somewhat quiet, cobalt blues peering down at where she'd landed as he tilted his head in a puppy like way.

Orchid didn't have being canine to blame for her ADD, she was just...special. When she heard someone calling out quietly, her brows rose and her blue eyes widened. "Ngh!" she popped up and spun around. She was a tiny thing, even with the extra inch gifted to her by her shoes. The sleeves of the hoodie hung over her hands as she wiped some dirt off her chin and cracked a wide smile. "Yup! I meant to do that..." Eyes shifted left, right, and then a very loud whisper. "I didn't mean to do that..." as if it were a big secret.

It wasn't that he was reluctant to help her up but... well, yes. Yes he was, actually. Luckily she was rather spirited and sprang herself up instead so he didn't have to. Those eyes slowly blinked at her as she spun around, seeming to pull his head back a little bit. Oh god, she's energetic like Chloe... Yet he didn't run like he probably should've.

Though when she was straightened out, he had to tuck his chin to look at her. Man, she was tiny. The beanpole had to stop himself from crouching to be a bit more on her level. But he'd just look like a dick that way. Ticking his brows, he snickered. "You mean to..." Trailing off, between the shifty eyes and the whisper, the corner of his mouth hooked upward. ".... I hoped not. Landing on your face doesn't sound like a fun hobby.." He admitted, shifting a bit where he stood.

Yeah, he certainly wasn't helping out too much on her short-situation. She didn't seem to mind, though. Orchid liked taller people, it was the other shorties that she didn't trust. Puffing out her cheeks for a moment, she thought about what he said and then nodded. "I try to make a habit of falling on my ass, but... Life has a way of surprising you," she said with a sad little smile before extending her hand. "I'm--" she looked down, her hand was completely buried by the sleeve of the hoodie. She tugged on it to work it up her arm before offering him the little limb. "--I'm Orchid. Who are you?"

He didn't trust anyone, really. For all he knew, they could be.. them. A gnome could be them! There really was no telling! You wouldn't know it looking at him though. He kept his paranoia in check without coming off like a spaz.

That lack of filter when he got distracted came out, that little curl of a smirk came to rise. "..At least you don't have too far to fall." Though he amended it with a crinkle of his nose, "I envy that," he admitted. He was a tall guy, just an inch above 6 foot. When he went down, it long and hard fall. And canines weren't all that graceful.

His eyes lowered down the sharp angles of cheekbones to the... sleeve... offered out. It wasn't until she tugged it up and showed her hand was in fact there and hadn't been eaten by fabric that he slipped his hand out of his pocket and took it. Easily dwarfing that little limb as spindly long fingers curled around her palm. "Lynch." Orchid sounded like a nickname to him, so he gave his last name. Counted, right?

There was a bit of laughter to what he said, she could laugh at her own short self. She wasn't like other short girls that had a complex about it. "That's true, it's a pretty easy fall.." Nodding to that as she gave him a stunted shake. When he said his name, her brow twitched. "That's an unusual name," she commented, then tried to amend it. "I mean it's not like...weird, it's just..." Trailing off as she thought about it. "No, yeah, no.. It's weird, it's kind of...aggressive, y'know? It's like," she made tiger claws, one hidden by the sleeve the other curling in a fierce way. "Grrr! Lynch!" a nod at that. "Lyyyynch..." Yeah, she was a spaz.

If she started stalking him, he'd probably think she was one of them and start stalking her back. What?! You started it! It would be harder to tell it was him, though. He was a... shifty guy.

It was her saying she was a detective that had him stopping, brows furrowed as he couldn't help but look her up and down. He had a way of completely looking a woman over without it meaning a damn thing. "...Detective.." Can you blame him? She looked maybe 18 at most, man. But, how the **** can he talk? He didn't even know how old he was! Shaking his head, he might've taken it as her **** with him.

Nodding when she summed up his not wanting cheeseburgers, he twitched a bit to the arm clap and stared at her hand for a moment. It wasn't in a warning way, more like... What? Where'd that come from? Then he blinked. Sister... "I have a dick," he mumbled, as if she mistook his gender. Or maybe he was just being a smart ass. It was hard to tell with Seth. He wasn't nearly as dumb as he came off as.

It was her agreement on the tacos that he nodded though, distracted for the millionth time since talking to her by her own ADD brain. "Okay, we'll go--..." His brows furrowed. "...I thought you were a detective." She was confusing that poor canine.

Orchid was about....28 now? Give or take? Weapons aged a bit slower, but weren't immortal.

If he started stalking her back, she'd probably just take it as their friendship being super strong. He might be able to hide from her, but not likely he'd sneak by Natalia.

"Mhm!" she said, not thinking much about it. Poor canine! His mind was going to be a mess by the time she was done with him.

When he spoke out about having a dick, her eyes buldged a bit and a smile cracked over her face, "No way," a light slap issued to his arm, "I have a vagina! How cool is that?" she giggled lightly. Whether or not she actually thought it was a coincidence was left up in the air as he stopped in his speech.

"You get distracted easily," pot, kettle. Blah blah blahck. He questioned her profession and she shook her head, hands up. "No, no, no! I was a detective for a while, I used to be a jockey who repaired machines on the side... Now I'm a firefighter."

He probably wouldn't quite get what that meant and shrug like he did with Chloe. I guess. His social skills were... below average... to say the least. Her vague agreement about the Detective thing just left him more perplexed, and he seemed to be thinking hard about that for a moment. Maybe adding numbers in his head to make sense or seem logical, which a bad thing to do in Rhy'Din in general.

It was the slap to his arm that brought him back, blinking and looking over at her just to be informed she had a poon. That brow started etching high as he brought his smoke back to his lips for a drag. "Pretty cool... I think.." He didn't quite know how to respond to that one. "I do," he admitted about getting distracted. "But so do you." He countered, turning his head when she explained her profession. He just... sorta stared at her for a moment, then looked forward. She was mind****ing him left, right, up, down and in a circle. "How... Wait. Firefighter?" Giving her that look again, he looked the most skeptical over. "...You're... a firefighter..." He.. didn't quite seem to believe her. Or maybe he was just imagining her holding onto a hose and just flying around everywhere like in the movies. ... Yeah, probably that. But he also didn't believe her.

"It's totally cool!" Orchid argued with a shake of her head. She made a circle with one hand and stuck a finger through it with the other hand. "It's like you complete me," then she realized that sounded weird and waved her hands. "Not that I'm looking to be complete...ed... But you know! Like if I needed to someone to fix my plumbing," elbowing him gently, and then thinking about that. "...well I guess I could do it myself.. I was a plumber for a while." Nodding at that. "Okay, I'm gonna stop talking about genitals now..." she nodded at that.

"But... One more thing... Me being a plumber had nothing to do with genitals. I worked on pipes and drains, but...not the sexy kind."

Okay, moving on. He questioned her fire fighting and she raised a brow. "Yeah, try to keep up!" she snickered. Then he said it again with disbelief and she widened her eyes. "What? You don't believe I'm a firefighter?"

She probably would've just confused him with that speech but thanks to her... helpful... hand demonstrations... He caught on pretty quick. Those eyes widened just ever so slightly, seeming to stare at her like a deer in the headlights as he walked and smoked just a bit more intently (maybe doing his best not to choke on it). A flush of color spread over the tanned sharp angles of his face. The elbow made him twitch a bit, shoving that same hand into his pocket as he seemed almost incredulous how easily she could talk about that. He wasn't a prude, he just... social skills lacked.

"...I'm probably not the best choice for plumbing," he mumbled without thinking about it. He was just going to make her think he was **** in bed, apparently.

"Hm?" Glancing back to her when she said 'one more thing' and he raised a brow. "Good to know 'plumbing' wasn't a cover for prostitution.." What? He's 'from' Colombia.

Thankful for the change of subject, the felt the heat recede from his face when she questioned his beliefs. He gave her another once over and said bluntly, "...no... not really." At least he was honest?

The tiny thing kinda ate up the fact that he got so awkward and stupid about it. Still, she would stop torturing him with it....for now.

"No, that has not been one of my jobs," she said. ...yet. Give it time. She seemed to get bored with everything.

Then he was honest about his thoughts on her being a firefighter. "I guess that's fair, I don't really look the part," she said, letting it go with a light shrug. Nobody seemed to believe her when she said that.

And then... as if a gift from the Gods above...

"Yo! Evans!" Called out one of the guys in a group of firefighters. They seemed to be on their lunch break, wearing shirts with the logo of the local F.D.

"Yo! What it do?!" she asked, slapping the larger man's hand and pulling him in for a bro hug.

"When's your next shift?"

Orchid looked him up and down, "Pffft, when I feel like it!" she said.

"Aight, Tiny Tits. Aight."

Orchid rolled her eyes, "Maaan! That ain't what your mama said last night!" she shot right back as they passed, a few of the other guys laughing, and she held up her hand for Seth to slap in a high five. "Nailed him!"

He finished off his cigarette, rolling the filter between his fingers when he finished. He watched the cherry get pushed out, fall on the ground as he stepped on it when they passed. Rolling it up, he flicked it into a trash can they went by. Slipping that hand into his pocket up to the knuckles, he glanced over to her and seemed a bit relieved that she'd never been a prostitute. What? She was tiny! There was... a lot of creeps, man. A lot of 'em.

Shaking his head, he snickered. "No, you don't," he almost said apologetically for thinking so and shrugged one shoulder.

It was the call from a guy that had his head snapping in that direction, only to turn back to her when he seemed to be talking to her. A brow raised curiously as he flicked his eyes back and forth, listening and the banter made that coyote smile curl the edges of his mouth. He even chuckled! He does have a sense of humor! They seemed to be passing right along though, shaking his head with that amused smile until she held up her hand for a high five and he seemed to stare at it for a moment. Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he awkwardly clapped his palm to hers before returning it to it's place.

".... Okay, so maybe you're a firefighter." His brows furrowed then as if it just clicked, though. "Wait... but how..." Looking at her. "I don't..." Squint. "...the hose..." Mind. ****ed.

Immediately she took it back. "I mean I didn't nail him... Not like that..." she scrunched up her face. "Or like, I guess he never nailed me? Not that I've never thought about it, but... Not my type. Plus he's married, I don't go after married guys... I just meant I got him good in a completely platonic way..." she mumbled, then snickered pulling her hand back after he highfived it.

"Oh, so the place isn't far from here," Orchid told him as he went on with his surprise about her being a firefighter.

"Yeah, and the bitches.." Nod-nodding her head. "I don't really have to worry about them, though.. They don't tend to go for me.. They like the muscley guys..." she looked over at him, and though he hadn't said anything she kept right on going. "I know, right? I'm adorable! They should want to put me in their pockets! It doesn't matter though... I don't like drains," she said with a shrug. "All about the pipes," sticking up her finger. "Though it would be nice to get some attention, y'know? But... Alas, the hoes are not a problem.."

He shifted his eyes over to her, perking a brow. "Didn't assume you... did..." Trailing off as she went off about how the guy was married. He still didn't seem bothered by her rambling. He was still trying to process the fact she was a damn firefighter like it had just broken his reality or something. Or he was just picturing her flailing around on that hose again.

He snorted at her 'and bitches' line, though.

He kept his hands in his pockets while he walked, watching her talk about the bitches that didn't give her attention. And how adorable she was. Which, he'd agree. But he didn't. Sort of. He nodded, that was good enough, right? Don't let her think I wanna put my pipe in her drain. "Pockets? I thought it was drains." His brows furrowed, her terminology seeming to mind**** him even more. Or maybe she was just making him think dirty and he wasn't used to it. Which, was a possibility. "You have a hard time getting attention?" He glanced at her with a raised brow, like he was skeptical on it. With a mouth like that? C'mon! Even horrified or surprised attention was attention.... right?

When his expression became broody and he offered that piece of information, she raised an eyebrow and kept her own expression serious. Though she had to tighten her lips not to laugh, and her eyes seemed to be smiling. "Well then... I would say... I guess you better make the worm dance," said as the poor waiter came by with their drinks. She didn't break character, instead she took a casual sip of her cola and then looked at him. "The worm is your penis." Oh, she went there, you don't talk about not wearing underwear, and expect her not to picture your dangly bits.

"It's alright, I was actually a therapist for a little while. We'll work on it together." A soft smile.

His lips grew thin as she told him to make the worm dance, just the faintest thinning out. A brief and subtle break in that pokerface. He had to fight not looking at the waiter when he came by, that was much harder to hide than his laughter as his hand came out to collect the glass and slide it in front of him. "Thanks," he mumbled to the waiter. Staring her down, he leaned forward to reach his straw. "I got that.. Also the pipe. For drains. Plumbing." His brows somehow managed to drop lower as he said all that with a straight face.

Aaaand all that **** the bed when she brought up another profession and stumped him. He got that confused puppy look as he tilted his head. "....Therapist... I don't... Ngh," he grunted, breaking character completely as he bit the wrapper of the straw off and chewed on it, tugging the straw out of the paper wrapper the rest of the way.

"Yes! Pipes! For drains!" nodding her head oh so firmly at that, cheeks puffing out a bit. Her eyes ticked to the straw and she raised an eyebrow. "You're really going to use a straw? That's a cutter enabler," she protested with a shake of her head. If there was one thing she felt very strongly about, it was straws. Also the rights of spiders...but that was a story for another day.

When he grunted about her latest profession coming to light, "I have had many, many jobs... I get bored easily.....and you're kinda cute when you're confused." Nose crinkle.

He couldn't help but snicker at her agreement with his mentioning of pipes and drains.

The straw's end dangled over the surface of his drink, not yet dropped into it yet as he looked at her and blinked. "Cutter enabler?" He raised a brow, still chewing on that piece of paper before turning his head to spit it away carelessly. "How are straws cutter enablers?" He squinted, which asking this girl any form of question was probably a bad idea and he braced himself for another rambling fit.

He lifted his chin and let out a seemingly understand --if not skeptical-- hum to her explanation of the professions. "So you're not just a compulsive liar then," he observed, giving a brief curl of his lips that hinted to a smirk but his tone was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

Crinkling his nose at being called cute, he shook his head and swallowed the objecting words that rolled up his throat by dropping his straw pointedly into his drink and took a sip from it.

Oh, he was going to get a ramble and a half, you could tell just by look she gave him.

She grabbed her cup and put it in between them, tapping the rim of the glass. "Notice the liquid at the top of the glass. It's first in line! It paid for these seats! It wants to be drank, it needs to be drank! It was filled with all this promise of being at the top of the cup, being the first thing to touch your lips... And all of the sudden her comes Mr. Straw, dipping on in...and sure, yes.. The liquid on the bottom was there first, technically...but that doesn't mean anything. Even if you're first in line for tickets, if you can't afford front row, ya ain't gonna get front row... Do you follow me? So the straw goes to the bottom, and just lets all this liquid cut in front of the top liquid...and it's laughing all the way up! Laughing at the top liquid that is stuck in the frosty embrace of the ice, doomed to get watered down, and probably? Not even drank. It's cruel..." Oh yeah, she felt very strongly about the crimes of straws... "I'm not a compulsive liar, no. I'll show you sometime!" Glaring slightly at his straw.

He took a subtle deep breath, preparing himself for the ramble that was confirmed by that look she gave him.

He watched her intently, listening as he did best to not drift into his ADD brain and follow the words. That puppy-like tilt of his head came along at some point, the brow staying elevated as his fingers fidgeted with this straw and rolled it between the pads. By the time she finished, he watched her quietly for a moment as an idea seemed to form in his mind.

"But..." Lifting one long finger in a show of telling her to hold her horses. "What if I just..." Watching her with brows raised, he started lifting his straw up through the liquid, the end resting on the top as he brought the drinking end to his mouth, sucking up some of the top levels. Tipping his head some, that pointing finger splayed with the others like he a magician pulling off a trick. "Top gets drank, more reach." And my top lip doesn't get stabbed with cold damn ice cubes. That was really his only qualm with drinking it from the cup. His lip got cold... sometimes he snorted some of the fizz up and went into a sneezing fit.. sometimes if the cup was too filled it got the tip of his nose wet.. okay, a few things he had qualms with. Straws were useful, dammit!

He squinted at her after the show, skeptically. "You're going to have to..." He wasn't totally convinced about the ex-detective-basketball player-therapist now-firefighter. Oh, and once a jockey. Maybe soon to be prostitute? That was still shaky. And something he might try to talk her out of.

Watching him carefully when he started moving, she raised an eyebrow. She half expected him to start blending the drink together, and she'd probably scream about it being chaos. CHAOS!

But, he didn't.

Instead, he brought the straw to the top and began drinking. The other eyebrow came up to match the other before they furrowed as if she were in deep contemplation of what he had done. "Well, Seth Lynch... Master of Kung Fu..." she gave him a stern look before she reached across the table for her own straw and began unwrapping it. "I like the way you think," a firm nod before she peeled the top of the wrapper off and raising the tube to her lips. With a hard blow, she shot him in the face with the rest of the straw wrapper. "See? Proof. I'm a good shot with a gun... and... I guess we'll have to play a basketball game together sometime, but don't cry when I beat you down."

That fidgeting finger seemed content at prodding the tip of his straw after he'd drank from it. He watched her in her contemplation, as if waiting for the jury to come up with a decision. For all he knew, she was a Professional Straw Protester.

His brows ticked when she gave him that name, opening his mouth to object that he wasn't good at Kung Fu, but clamped it closed. He'd let her think what she wanted about his Kung Fu skills. "Yes, Orchid... that smells like pomegranates?..." He mumbled, squinting a fraction at her stern look before flicking his eyes to the straw she was reaching for. There was a flash of a coyote grin before he straightened it back, lifting his chin a touch. "I like to think outside of the straw wrapper," he admitted, watching her put the straw to her mouth. But he managed to squeeze his eyes shut and scrunch his nose to the end of the wrapper that assaulted the bridge of his nose. He shook his head like a dog that got sprayed with a bottle before making a face at her. It didn't last long because she distracted him with basketball. "I'll be sure to bring tissues. Just in case."

Using his free hand, he balled up the wrapper that had landed on the table, just to press a thumb and middle finger together to flick it across the table at her like a missile.

Dipping the straw into the top of her drink, she took a sip and raised an eyebrow. "You did well... You did well." A firm little nod before she leaned back.

Then he was flicking the crumpled up wrapper at her. Her reflexes were... Well, they were kind of ridiculous. Yes, she was clumsy, but when it all boiled down to it, she was the top fighter in her village and had been training since she was...five? Her motion was quick, slamming down a single pointer finger on the wrapper and pinning the thing against the table in a quick motion. She looked up at him with wide eyes practically bugging out of her skull.

"Kung fuuuuuu...." she whispered in a creepy voice before slowly disappearing beneath the table.

His eyes briefly closed as he shrugged, opening them to peer at her before the paper was flicked. His eyes narrowed on her as he huffed a bit to her catching it. He got shot between the eyes and then she catches his paper missile? Giving her an almost broody expression, his words contrasted with his tone. "...Impressive." Only to blink and drop the expression all together when she bugged out her eyes and he just stared at her. His brows lifted when she spoke in that creepy voice and his head lifted a bit while watching her 'til she disappeared.

Only then for his neck to seemingly shrink as his shoulders hunched. What is she doing down there? Leaning back against the booth, he craned his neck to try to look under the table like a damn dog that couldn't find his ball. "What're you--.." Cut off at the neck, he lifted his chin to see the waiter reach their table with their tacos.

"Where'd your friend go?" He could've sworn she was just there a second ago!

Seth leveled his gaze on him, a serious expression that was a near perfect pokerface as his fingers laced and his hands rested on the tables edge. "..... She's under the table cleaning out the pipes.." Blink.

The waiter just stared at Seth for a moment, his mouth like a guppy as he didn't quite know how to respond to that.

Perhaps humoring Orchid, Seth fought the twitch at the corner of his mouth as his brows lowered. "... And by pipes, I mean my penis." Blink. He was just clarifying!

The waiter got red in the face, putting down their food tray and squeaked. "Enjoy your food!" And he couldn't get away from there fast enough.

Seth's pokerface broke then as he tucked his chin, shoulders shaking with silent laughter as he tried to contain it. Some people were just too easy...

Beneath the table, she was doing absolutely nothing. She had just made a dramatic exit, dammit! Then the tacos came, and damn did she want those tacos.

When the waiter questioned, she nearly popped up, but then Seth spoke up. Her mouth twitched at the corners. Was she proud? Damn right she was! Her shy new friend was making people uncomfortable! Priiiiide!

Orchid watched the waiter disappear from under the table and then a thought crossed her mind.

She reached for his lap, dragging her nails across his thighs in a way that was nothing less than sensual. Why in the world was he comfortable right now, dammit? She would not allow this! She might've screwed with him more if it weren't for the tacos. She popped back up...on his side and sat next to him. "I was not." Dirty bird!

She grabbed one of her tacos, unwrapping it and shoving it into her mouth. "Mmn...talco..."

Lifting his chin after his weird laughing fit, he seemed pleased with how that went.... "You goinnnnnnnnnnnnnggaaaaa." Whatever he was going to say was contorted into a weird gibberish when he felt her nails on his thighs, making him jolt then squirm. His hands swatted lightly at her fingers as you'd think he had ants in his pants. Nope! Just a girl under the table scraping his thighs sensually with her nails. No big deal!

A flush of color dusted the high angles of his cheekbones until he sat there awkwardly with his lips pressed together when she popped up on the seat next to him. Looking over at her, he scrunched his nose. He might've said something in retort to that... but... tacos. ADD brain strikes again! "Hm." He hummed, the color disappearing for now as the coyote's mind went into -eat- mode and he picked up one of his tacos, unwrapping it and took a large bite out of it.

Orchid was unusually quiet as she ate, you'd think she was part coyote, too the way she wolfed them down. Nope, she was damn near human had it not been for those supernatural weapon abilities. Every so often she'd take a sip, and keep on going to town on the tacos... Not in the fun way, but... Well, it was fun for her! They were good, but the spice kind of made her red in the face, which was pale for the most part.

After they were done, she looked at the empty wrappers and grunted lightly. She'd eaten every one, and her stomach had pooched out a little. She patted it, and nodded. "Ngh... Made those tacos muh bitch..." she said in a lazy voice. "I'd do it again, too but--" her words were cut off by a loud, almost inhuman belch. "...later..."

(To Be Continued....)

She needed to know, man! She needed to know if he was Kenny! Though she was a bit too tired to persist. Tomorrow, though...

Looking to the door, and then to him, she looked at him like he made an awful decision. One that would get everyone killed! "I don't think I'm gonna make it," she muttered dramatically, resting her cheek against the table. "You're gonna have to go without me, tell my children...I love them..." Orchid mumbled weakly.

She will not know! His mystery genitals would remain as such.

He almost looked apologetic to her as he peered through brow and lash at her, his chin still tucked closer to his chest. Her dramatization had him rolling his eyes and snickering. "Come on, soldier. To your feet," he muttered, nudging the outside of her thigh with her knee. "You can tell your..." Squint. "Children?... You love them yourself." Why did he get a feeling her 'children' was a house full of cats...

Mean! Mean thoughts! Orchid had no cats! ...Okay she had a tiger... That didn't count, though! "I can't have kids," she admitted without much shame or sadness. Still, she admitted when she was fibbing, dammit! "Got stabbed through my baby maker a while back," Orchid told him.

When he nudged, she groaned and slowly began working herself to her feet. She yawned lightly, there was no way she'd make it back to Sama tonight. Probably stay at the Inn. Grabbing her hoodie, she looked over at him. "Can I have one of your smokes?"

He blinked at her honesty, it seeming to catch him by surprise. Hey, I just met you and this is crazy.... let's eat tacos... and I'll tell you I can't have babies. How in the world that came into his head, he didn't know. But he shook it out and blurted his own honesty. "I don't know if I can have kids." There was a secretive expression on his face, like there was more to it but he didn't delve into that.

When she got up, he scooted lazily out of the booth and stretched his wiry limbs out before raking his fingers through those messy thick locks. Looking at her when he was asked for a smoke, he nodded. "Sure," he wasn't stingy with his smokes, he'd share. Retrieving them from his pocket, he flipped the lid and pushed the filter of one with his thumb to make it stick out for easy grabbing. After she took it, he'd do the same for himself but catch it with his lips, pocketing the pack and trading it in for his zippo to light them both. Because who gives a damn in Rhy'Din if you smoke in the establishment?

Orchid was pretty open about the fact that she couldn't have kids. She was okay with it for the most part, though she still used protection. Couldn't be too careful! "Of course you don't, Kenny...." Orchid teased, shrugging into her hoodie before she took the cigarette. When he lit up, she didn't seem to react like it was going to have trouble. She took a drag and turned her eyes over to him with an elevation of brow. Cigarettes were awesome, but...only after a big meal. Nothing settled a full tummy like nicotine.. "Mm... That's good.. Alright, where am I walking you, sista?"

With the ungodly and possibly supernatural STDs roaming around Rhy'Din? Protection was a good idea. Or Seth was just paranoid. Both were possibilities! Flesh eating viruses didn't sound like a picnic at the beach, that's for damn sure. Y'know, if he wasn't a Ken Doll.

"Right," he snickered, shrugging his shoulders evasively. Inhaling himself, that free hand returned to his pocket. Cigarettes were awesome all the time, thanks. Not really. He didn't care much for it, but it was something to do with his hands. He raised a brow at her in return, shaking his head.

"You don't have to walk me anywhere." Though there was a weird amused smile on his face like she'd just told him a joke. Where's the leash? Is the collar sparkly? Shiny? Spiky? Does it have a tag?

Orchid...did not get the humor. She didn't realize she was making a dog joke, dammit! It was no fair! He knew what she was! "Pfft, like I'm gonna let you walk home alone..." Plus how else am I going to find out where you live?? And then... "Plus, how else am I gonna find out where you live?" she asked. Yeah, seriously, every thought in her head popped out of her mouth.

It was an inside joke... that only he was let in on. He was a prick like that. But he was still half convinced she was one of them. "I'm sure I can take care of myself, I'm the Master of Kung Fu, remember?" He snickered, starting to turn until he stopped and stared at her questionably when she blurted out the second part.

"....." He squinted at her. "...You gon' stalk me?" Just as blunt, the cigarette bounced between his lips as he talked.

"That's true, that's true..." A nod, "But you're not part Kung Fu... So your Kung Fu is no match for mine!" she shouted at him with a snicker. A puff of her cigarette was taken and she made a face. "I was thinking about it..." she admitted. She blew out a cloud of smoke and let her eyes roll shut.

"Been out of the game for a long time..." she muttered softly, but then nodded firmly. "I can do this," she said softly. Then when he pointed out his 'proof' she shook her head. "Circumstantial evidence, won't hold up in a court of law..." she muttered. "It's filthy lies and slander, and when you shower I expect you to wash your mouth with soap..." she muttered against him before shrugging a shoulder. "You're a Kung Fu master, I'm confident you'll figure it out."

Her mention of 'a long time' had him eyeing her all skeptically again. How old is this chick? "Rhy'Din is lawless," then furrowed his brows and gave a distracted look around. "...Is there even a court here?" Shaking his head. "Besides, I don't think a lawsuit about slander of drooling would hold up in court either. Also," he sighed. This was probably a record for him in the talking department. "I didn't say it bothered me. And it's weird that you'll admit to stalking before you'll admit to drooling." Wrinkling his nose, he huffed softly. He eyed the kitchen through the plate glass doors. I might need my spatula to get this chick off me..

Orchid wasn't that old....she was just dramatic. A long time for her was a few months, because she got bored and moved on by then. "There used to be a Watch, and... I don't know if that still happens anymore, but... It didn't used to be completely lawless..." she assured him. When he pointed out it was weird that she wouldn't admit to it, she leaned in and ran her tongue up the back of his neck, "Fine. I drooled on you. Happy?" she asked. Pfft, good luck with a spatula! Bitch was in spider monkey mode.

Dramatic. That was an understatement. She ate 5 tacos and thought she was dying. "Sounds familiar..." He hummed about the Watch, but shrugged. "Is now," about Rhy'Din about lawless. He puffed his cheeks a bit, possibly regretting giving her a piggyback ride and mentally committing to never do it again.. which he'll more than likely forget about. Feeling her tongue on the back of his neck, his shoulders bunched and his head tucked like he was suddenly a turtle. "Nghhhhh!" He groaned, shaking his head and squirming. "... Are you asking me this before or after you tongued the back of my neck?" He grumbled, eyeing her arm like he was going to bite it.

Orchid was 4'8'' and weighed 85 pounds, that was a lot of food! She could have very well been dying, dammit! At least she didn't blow chunks on him..? "Yeah, I guess," she muttered almost sadly. Then it all faded away upon his reaction to her attack. It was super effective! She cackled out and clung to his back harder, "I guess I wanna know the answer to both.. Before and after, I mean." Her nose crinkled and an impish smile spread across her face. It was fine if he wanted to bite, just no breaking skin. She didn't want his damned coyote rabies!

He could deal with the drool just fine, but blowing chunks was where he drew the line, dammit! He might've questioned why she sounded sad about it if she hadn't tongued his neck and made him lose his thought process. He huffed to her laugh, only to grunt when she clung to his back more. "Before: yes. After: my neck's wet and it feels weird. So a bit less than 'yes'." He wasn't contagious! But he still didn't want to break skin. That didn't mean a convincing --yet non-threatening-- growl didn't roll from his chest as he nipped at her arm. Animals were still animals.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to push the drool thing!" she chirped back at him. Well at least there was no chance of him turning her ass, Orchid couldn't handle being a coyote, man... She didn't eat enough garbage! One eye closed when he growned and nipped, and she lifted her chin some. "Are you...?" Her own teeth were not pointy. She wasn't part reaper, or anything remotely cool. Still, she bit down on the flesh between his shoulder and neck, letting out pathetic growls of her own. "Grrrr!"

"Maybuh you foulduff juff admittud tuh droo'ngh," he mumbled awkwardly against her arm, biting at it yet not hard enough to break skin or really hurt her. It was the equivalent to a puppy chewing on a damned toy. Though it was his turn to drool on her, the mumbling and contortion of teeth and lips making some saliva drip down her arm. He wasn't sorry, it was justice. Though she seemed to take justice into her own hands as she bit him back and his shoulders bunched again, that realistic low growl rolling through his chest and reverberating to hers through his back. Luckily for her, he was rather docile and not easily angered so he didn't tear into her arm like another of his kind might've. "Urfiddddddddddd," he almost whined. Neck biting was a low blow, man! Though at least she couldn't see the flush of color on his cheeks from her position back there.

Orchid didn't mind drool. She'd been splattered with blood, guts, and who knows what else? A little drool wasn't going to gross her out. She didn't even respond back to his words at this point. She wasn't going to give! When he growled, she growled right back, but it was horribly unrealistic as she all but gnawed on the poor man. In all fairness, she had no clue that she was making the man blush. It was just closer to her than his arm might've been.

His nose scrunched as she kept on with gnawing on his neck, her own arm still in his mouth as he just about slobbered her to death. He didn't even care at this point. It's.... it's been a while. So, in hopes of killing two birds with one stone and not letting her know that he wasn't a ken doll, he'd let go of her legs after she'd clung to him like a leech.

Going into his jeans pocket, he collected his keys and moved to the diner door to unlock it. Still growling and chewing on her arm, inside he went and locked the door behind him. He was still careful to make sure no burglars came in easily, alright? He was an effective guard dog. "Lash chancsh," he warned her, moving past booths to the backdoor that lead upstairs where his small apartment was.

Orchid opened those eyes when he began to move around, but she didn't really seem to mind. She didn't really believe that he would hurt her, and if he was going to, he wouldn't have woke her up. So she kept ahold of his neck and shook her face back and forth. "Grrrrr!" right back at him! Of course she wasn't actually trying to hurt him, though. He warned her and moved up the stairs and she clung harder to him. "Cld ded...hnds..."

He squeezed one eye closed when she shook her head with her teeth still latched onto him. "Nghhhhh," he grunted, keeping himself steady as he multi-tasked climbing the flight of stairs, gnawed on her arm and tried to keep his brain from going challenged from being flustered. Note to self: Next time a chick falls on her face, leave her there or she'll latch on, possibly stalk you and gnaw on your neck like a ham bone.
Unlocking his door when he reached the top of the stairs, he pushed inside and headed right to the bathroom, growling at her and slobbering the whole way. Unless she got off his back... he was turning that cold shower full blast and stepping into it... using her as a mediocre human (ish) shield against the assult of cold water.

Damn it! She was covered in all the important places. She gave him a look when he acted all funny about it. She was beginning to think he really was Kenny at this point. A little giggle chimed out at his reaction to the question. She wins! It was when he left that she peeled the rest off and finished drying. She changed into the new clothes, pulling the drawstrings so that they hugged her hips tightly and then dwarfed her dwarfy self with the sweatshirt. With the blanket around her, she moved from the bathroom.

Over a year... was still over a friggin' year. He already had to take one cold shower tonight, he didn't want two. It was either stare at the ceiling or stare at her like a creep. Instead, he'd done everything awkward but jump out the window.

He'd closed his door --keeping his Kenniness secret-- while he changed, but he was relatively quick about it just in case she decided to pop in and tell him a ramble story with his pants at his ankles. She's right though. Peeling them off had been the worst part. Coming out a moment or two later in another pair of plaid flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt, he raked his fingers through his hair. "You can uh.. take my bed. I'll take the couch," he offered. "If you want," he amended. He wasn't going to make her walk home after drenching her in the shower with ice water.

When he came back out, she shifted her eyes to him. It had been a while for her, too, but... She self serviced, man. She knew how to take care of her urges! She'd have to give that boy a talking to about the importants of diddling. Swiping her sleeve across her nose, she sniffled lightly. She was still cold, but his offering had put a warm smile on her face. "Thanks, but..." she gave him a look. "I think I'd be more comfortable on the couch than you would."

While he just cringes and gets all weird? Pass! Even if the cold shower had been a dick move, he wasn't actually that much of a dick. When she chose the couch instead, he crinkled his nose and eyed her for a moment as if giving her the chance to change her mind. "....Alright," he nodded. "If you want more blankets, they're in the closet there." Pointing. "And there's pillows beside the arm of the couch." Lifting his chin to it. "I'll be in here if you need me," he mumbled before turning and heading into his room. He left the door open though he almost closed it. He was a bit weird about it but... well, he just hoped that for once the night terrors didn't have him in a fit usual and she had to be around to hear it.

Orchid knew how to deal with that sort of thing. The village, well... It was a place of nightmares lately. She had dealt with her fair share of night terrors. ...other people. She didn't have them 'cause she wasn't a lil bitch. Anyways, she gave him a thumbs up, a bit drained of her usual spunk after it was all said and done. She moved for the couch and curled up with her head resting against the arm of it. It wouldn't be long at all before she was drifting off.

After a few moments of glancing at the doorway, he climbed into bed and curled up under the covers. With his internal clock practically shattered considering he was a canine, it wasn't long before sleep washed over him... and the terrors began shortly after.

See also: A Moth to a Flame.