Flashback Playing Doctor (Alisdair)

[Kyra]

Timestamp: 68th of Fall 511 AV Where: Docks Who: Kyra, Alisdair Kyra moved along the docks, alone and bored. She had spent the earlier part of her day with Marcelo as they had put on a show. It happened most days, and Marcelo was never one to allow coin to float away, or in this case not float at all. It had been another day of hard work stealing people's coin and afterwards slipping away unnoticed. But that was earlier, and soon after they finished their work, one of Marcelo's friends arrived from out of town. They quickly headed back to his place to talk, though Kyra wasn't invited. In fact, Marcelo had given her a small amount of coin to spend on whatever she liked. She was used to this, and knew that it usually meant that he wanted to be alone. Of course this didn't bother Kyra, and gave her time to wander about the city as she saw fit. However the problem was, she had no idea where she was going. The times before she had wandered about, and found her way by accident. Now she moved along the docks still dressed in her uniform, a dark tight-fitting, gothic looking jesture's costume. The cap n bells she held in her hands continued to bounce as she walked. The light chiming sound seemed almost musical as she moved along. In truth, Kyra didn't like the hat much, it was too tight fitting, and the constant sound from the bells irritated her whenever she had to wear it. She continued to wander around, all the while wondering what to spend her coin on. Somehow she found herself at the Dark Delights section of the docks. It was a very busy part of the city and she was met with quite the sights all around her. There were many people moving about, small crowds seemingly gathered outside in front of certain places, strange moans and calls echoing from within the darken alleyways and curious looking men standing along at corners and resting against walls, all seemingly looking at her. Kyra continued to wander through, her golden eyes glancing about, taking in the scene entirely as she moved. Suddenly two women moved from against their places, and walked over to her. They were dressed in an odd fashion, or it may have been better to say they weren't dressed much at all. They walked past her, eyes falling upon her body as they pasted offering whispers of words of "Hi Beautiful" and welcome." By the time Kyra had made her way through the narrow strip, and past the bustling of people and strange sighting, she was completely lost.

[Alisdair McKennan]

Cujo whined piteously as Alasdair prodded the dog’s wound, and checked for signs of dead or infected flesh. The poor thing had probably gone a while with this deep gash, and now there was dirt in it and it wasn’t healing right. Ash was beyond wrinkling his nose at bad smells, being around the docks and open wounds all the time. In fact he rather relished the scents of wet dog, rotting fish and pus. It kept his mind sharp as he worked. He downed another swig of whiskey from a flask at his side and took out his needle and thread. At the site of this Cujo gave forth another whimper and pawed at Alasdair’s coat. The doctor sighed and scratched him behind the ear. “Oh quit your whining, I haven’t even gotten to the stitching part yet,” he said sternly. Taking pity on the wretch, he unscrewed the cap of the flask again and sloshed a bit of whiskey on the wound, to clean out the dirt and muck. Cujo howled. Ash stroked his ribbed side and shhhushed him quietly. He’d get in and out quickly and then it would be done and the cut would finally heal up. As Alasdair pierced the skin and drew the needle through, Cujo became more and more agitated. He didn’t blame the poor mutt...but then he barked, Ash jumped and dropped the needle and off Cujo went. Alasdair scrambled to chase after him, leaving the old decrepit circus booth-turned-veterinary clinic to the shadows. The pursuit led him down the narrow, dark alleyway into the bright, crowded dock area, where shopkeepers, mercenaries, dealers and whores alike gathered in clumps or weaved in and out of the horde of people. The mutt would be very hard to find in this mess. Not to mention Alasdair was never very fond of people. Besides whores. Did whores count as people? He followed Cujo through the dense crowd and nearly lost him under the silken skirt of an olive-skinned, scantily clad brunette, who flashed him a sly smile as he passed. He would have stopped to admire her if he hadn’t been frantically trying to chase down a dog with a needle dangling from its leg and half an open wound. He cornered Cujo between the wall of an old building and a market stall full of questionable looking meat. He looked up at Alasdair with big, shiny puppy eyes and whined. “Don’t you whimper at me young pup, you’re in a world of trouble!” Ash growled, kneeling to scratch him behind the ears and inspect his leg. “You stupid mutt.” It was bleeding freshly now, but at least he hadn’t gotten any more debris in it. The doctor’s gaze found the stall next to him and his patient and he sighed, slipping a few silver mizas from his pocket and tossing them to the merchant. “A sausage for Cujo, if you will. And no rat shit or rotten meat again, I don’t want to find him dead tomorrow morning.” Cujo barked happily when Alasdair presented the sausage to him. Ash held it back and said warningly, “Now this time you’ll have to stay still , got it?” The dog just whined, panting and looking entirely too hungry to have Ash convinced. He offered it to the skinny stray anyway, patting him on the back as he gobbled it up. Being a relatively small terrier, and malnourished besides, Cujo was easy to pick up. His ribcage was close against Alasdair’s vest and he howled quietly when he felt the pressure of being lifted, but the doctor just held him closer to make sure he felt safe and started back to the alley where the “clinic” was. He turned around and ran straight into someone he hadn’t seen before. She was a beautiful girl in a snug black jester’s costume, with shining golden eyes and silver hair. She didn’t seem the type for such Gothic apparel though. It stuck out like a sore paw, even at the docks. The hat she held in her hands jingled with bells and Cujo’s ears perked up at the sound. Rhysol, he was looking directly at her and she wasn’t a whore. He did what he usually did, though it took him longer this time. He sneered. “You lose your way to Circus Gothicka, lass? Or just looking for a quick miza?” Alasdair quipped lecherously. His yellow eyes burned and his smile was dangerous, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was practically cuddling a half-starved, wounded stray terrier. What was this girl anyway, a mummer? A sad fool wandered from the carnival wagon? He didn’t know, and he didn’t much care right now. He had to finish sewing up the mutt, and he was almost out of whiskey. "Have you ever looked a cute, fluffy bunny directly in the eye, right before you snap its little neck? Priceless."

[Kyra]

Kyra found herself standing in the middle of the stretch, staring curiously across the strip at a couple who were showing a somewhat surprising amount of public affection towards each other. The woman was pretty, fair skinned, and long hair much darker than her own, and wearing a white chemise with the under garments and belt to match. Kyra looked on as they teasingly pawed at each other, their lips only parting long enough to allow a chuckle and a few words before rejoining together. The young kelvic simply couldn't pull her eyes away from them. Their curious behavior peeked her interest even more as they got louder and disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway. Tilting her head, Kyra thought to follow them, until a sound caught her attention. A bark... She spun around, her eyes darting left then right as she tried to fine the location of the sound. It wasn't often that she came into contact with dogs, and that was a good thing, because she hated them. When she was younger, she had been very frighten of them, and would run off and hide behind her mother until it passed. She learned later that they were nothing more than pets that human's enjoyed keeping around, loud, smelly pets.. Kyra doubled back as she continued to look around, the last thing she wanted was for the thing to creep up on her and touch her. The sound grew louder and caused her a bit more irritation at not knowing where it was exactly. Finally, she jumped onto the nears stall table and glanced out and around. She saw the beast once it stopped moving and the man that came up to it. Her eyes widen the moment she saw him, her lips parted, uttering soft spoken words.."Kelvic." There was something about him, something that resembled her own cat-like nature, but it was hard to say what that was. Either way, he had her interested now, as to who he was. Kyra hadn't met many kelvics in her short years and while she wasn't exactly looking for friends, she was curious. She suddenly turned away from the man and beast, when someone started to yell at her, something about standing on their stall table. Kyra frowned, offering them a rather crud raspberry, before turning away and hopping down. The moment her feet touched the ground, she was suddenly knocked back by the man, whom she was just watching. Sliding back a few steps in order to regain her footing, Kyra narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. "You should watch where you're going.." In truth it had been her, that dropped down in front of him, but she didn't see it that way. She glanced over him, her gaze falling to the beast at his side. Kyra wrinkled her nose at the dog and turned away with a grunt. "Ugh.." She looked back to the man in front of her as he spoke. "Circus Gothicka? What do you mean?" she paused as she looked him over again. It was curious, and she wondered if he could tell that they were alike or not. "Are you a thief, is that why you ask about my mizas?"

[Alisdair McKennan]

“You ask a lotta questions, don’t you lass?” Cujo whimpered and pawed at Ash’s chest. Truth was, he had no idea what Circus Gothicka was, but it sounded important and...weird. This girl was weird. Ash scratched the dog behind the ears and, seeing Kyra’s disgusted look, got up closer to shove the poor little bundle in the vicinity of her nose. “Not a fan, eh?” He laughed and scooted the ragged stray up higher in his arms. Raising an eyebrow at her comment, he let out a mad giggle and shook his head. “Thief? Rhysol, no, I’m a veterinarian. And a taxidermist. Funny how these things turn out, innit?” He smiled at her, absently stroking the top of Cujo’s head. The terrier whined. “Now if you’ll excuse me, circus girl, this little man needs medical attention. Be on your way now, shoo.” The hyena brushed past her and the dog barked mournfully as he stalked away in search of the circus booth. He really had to get restraints. That was the third time this week a beloved pet had run from the table. He was only trying to fix the damn things, getting themselves into trouble all the time. Cujo was a regular patient. In fact Alasdair was surprised that he was still alive after repeated issues with the butcher and missing meats. Suited the weird mummer girl to dislike dogs. Luckily Alasdair just did it for the money....mostly. As he walked away though, he felt he was missing something about the sad clown girl, something important. She certainly smelled different, that he was sure of, and she...she was much different than other humans, like how she walked, almost like a cat slinking about. He stopped and whirled around to view and examine the facts. Was it possible? There weren’t too many Kelvics in Ravok, in fact none that he had met yet, but it wasn’t improbable that this mummer could be one of them. He’d been on the lookout for a Kelvic for a few years now, though all searches had ended in failure--he was no good with people. Podrick had advised him to be rid of the obsession, but Podrick was dead and Alasdair could be looking at an excellent test subject right here, in front of him. It was too good a chance to pass up. He’d have to be on his best behavior. So with terrier in arm and a renewed interest in the girl he slowly turned back and made his way towards her. He regarded her for a moment with a hungry look. “You’re special, aren’t you sweetling?” he purred, stepping closer to look into her eyes for a hint of animal, examining her as if she was already under glass. He even prodded her gently in the shoulder, as if feeling for fur or scales. There was definitely something strange about this one, something uniquely animal. He couldn’t place it. Maybe she was a cat? Not a small one though, a big one, like the ones he used to read about when he was a child. Yes, yes she was definitely a Kelvic. How very fascinating. He smiled. oocSorry if I made him too creepy. I’ve been watching Heroes and Sylar’s starting to get to him. O_O "Have you ever looked a cute, fluffy bunny directly in the eye, right before you snap its little neck? Priceless."

[Kyra]

"I ask questions to learn answers, how do you learn them..if you don't ask questions?" Kyra winkled her nose then, even taking a step back and covering her nose as the man brought the dog closer to her. She dainty waved her hand across her face and turned her head way from them both. The dog really did smell, and to a certain extent, so did the man holding him. It was possible that the beast's odor had rubbed off on him, but it was just as likely that the smell was his alone. "That thing stinks..." When the man giggled madly, Kyra arched a brow and stared at him. There was a wildness to him, nothing strange about that being that he was a kelvic. She could also still sense a feline quality, though it was barely there, and in truth he seemed more like the mut that he held. "You're...a taxidermist?" she asked with a quizzical look upon her face. She knew what a veterinarian was, as there were doctors who only worked on humans, there were those for animals as well. But a taxidermist, that was something she knew nothing about. Kyra watched him more, listening as he rambled on, even calling her a circus girl. An odd thing to say, she thought. A traveling performer she was, that was what Marcelo had called their dazzle and snatch routine. "Are you like a crazy person?" she asked, tilting her head to look at him from a different angle. Then he was off, taking the dog with him back the way he came. Kyra wasn't sure of what to think about the strange man, or what he planned to do with the dog. Being a vet, as he said she would assume that he would treat the dog, though she had no proof if this was true or not, and if he planned to instead eat the smelly mut. It wasn't unheard of, people eating dogs, cats and other small animals. Turning on her heels, Kyra watched the snickering kelvic slip away. In the short moments that had just passed, chimes that held her attention and distracted her from the fact that she was still lost. Alone again, she looked around to find an exit that would lead her out of the area and back to her home. Suddenly, as she turned again, the man had returned. She followed his gaze, turning her body to face his as he examined her fully, even reaching out poking at her shoulder. It wasn't a surprise however, people were always touching her and she had grown used to it. She knew that it had to be a sign of curiosity, affection, or something else... "Do you like the feel of my body, is..that why you touch me so?"

[Alisdair McKennan]

“Ah, but answers are tricky! There are liars and madmen everywhere in this world, what then?” He giggled again. Brimming with philosophy, the lass was. She wrinkled her nose at the ripe stench from Cujo’s pelt and Alasdair pulled the mutt back to his vest, which was beginning to smell odd as well. Luckily he still had the cinnamon soap that bumbling minstrel had sold him in Alvadas. It masked the smell of wet dog fairly well, although his clothes probably needed a washing. He didn’t mind, either way. Most scavengers he’d read about didn’t even bathe. Ever. He considered himself posh in that respect. Sniffing Cujo’s fur a little more intently now, Alasdair made a mock digsusted face and held the smelly thing farther from his chest to look at it in the eye. “Oh, indeed he does! You need a bath, mate, and not in the sewer again, you silly thing. You’re a silly mutt aren’t you, yes you are, yes you are!” He kissed Cujo’s nose and the terrier immediately sneezed. “You’re...a taxidermist?” The Kelvic girl asked. Alasdair grinned. It was a lost art, it was. Or a new emerging art, depending on who you asked. Taxidermy. Hmm. How to explain taxidermy...Sometimes the beauty of the act was lost in the grotesque. She might be scared. Alasdair laughed internally at the thought. Scaring people was his job. Good ol’ Doctor Fearsome, they called him, and he liked it that way. Still, this was a Kelvic, a rarity, so he would explain it as best he could. “Taxidermy,” he started slowly, thoughtfully, “is the art of taking a deceased animal friend and preserving it forever. We take the pelt, and the teeth,” He stroked Cujo’s fur and gently lifted the dog’s lip to show his canines, “and pull it over a clay or wood form, then sew it up and make it look pretty, and voila! You have a nice, familiar centerpiece to watch over you as you sleep. Isn’t that lovely?” Cujo squirmed in Ash’s arms and whimpered. The hyena tsked and scratched the terrier’s ears reassuringly. “Aww, you’re not dead yet, silly boy, you’re too cute, yes you are!” “Are you like a crazy person?” she questioned suddenly, making him look up and laugh at her. “ Like a crazy person? No no, I either am or am not, and I have not figured that out yet...Although, in the grand scheme of things, yes. Completely bonkers, out-to-lunch, why, abnormal even! Still, I am completely harmless, you have my word.” He made a little bow. After he poked and prodded the girl’s shoulder to see if she had any remnants of Kelvic bone structure still in her human form, she gave him a very odd look and asked, “Do you like the feel of my body? Is...that why you touch me so?” “Ew, darling, please, I’m a professional,” he said haughtily. “I don’t touch test subje--I mean, friends, in...such a way...ahem...” he had to wrench his eyes from the rest of said body to continue without disproving that argument. “Now I simply must ask. Your kind...you are a Kelvic, like me, yes? I’ve never actually seen a Kelvic, it is an honor to meet one, really. Perhaps, if possible, we could exchange experiences at Tarsin’s--completely business-related, of course. I am a doctor after all. It really is strange to meet someone like myself. I’m guessing...you’re in the feral cat family, correct?” He really was interested in learning about this girl--how long she spent in her human form and how long in animal form, whether it mattered...He had to know, to hear it from a real Kelvic. He checked the dog’s leg, which was still bleeding freshly, and took the short white cotton scarf from his neck, revealing yet another scarf underneath. This he pressed to the wound to make sure the dog didn’t lose too much blood. Then he looked back up at her. “Well, I need to get this little fella back to the clinic. Walk with me, dear.” It wasn’t a question, nor was it a command. He simply assumed she would follow him, being self-absorbed as he was. It was not a boast, but a way of life. He’d never cared what anyone else thought so long as he got what he wanted, why should he start now? It was in this fashion that he sauntered away, nearly melting into the crowd and becoming almost invisible save for the red scarf that unfurled and waved behind him and the billow of his dusty black tailcoat. If she did decide to follow he would soon realize that he neglected to ask her name, and that was no way to treat a test subje--ahem, new friend. “What’re you called, lass? I can’t keep calling you circus girl now, can I?” Pushy? Yes. Charming?...Well, no, but it was confidence that mattered. oocJust to be clear, Ash is NOT asking Kyra out, although it may seem like it xD "Have you ever looked a cute, fluffy bunny directly in the eye, right before you snap its little neck? Priceless."

[Kyra]

"But it's not really the answers that are tricky, just the people, yes?" she paused for a tick, lifting her fist to rest on her hip, while lifting her other arm up to allow her fingers to toss about one of her pigtails. "Storytellers..that's what my mother called them." she watched him with the dog, the way he spoke of it and too it, even agreeing with what she had said. But there was something else, was he teasing her. It was hard for her to tell most times when people were teasing her, especially people that she didn't know. From the moment that she had saw him, she knew that he was different, but at the time she had only sensed that he was a kelvic. What came next had her sure that he was insane, or bizarre beyond anything that she had ever witnessed. "Why would you want to do that..to an animal? Do you not like them living?" she finished, her gaze lowering to the dog again. Is that what he had planned for the dog, she wondered, almost feeling sorry for it. Kyra found herself laughing at him now, as he continued to pet and speak rather oddly to the dog that he held. He was crazy, and even admitted so himself. What else did this kelvic have in mind, and where did he could from, she wondered. He wasn't the scary type for sure, and easily took liberties with her, as if fearing no consequence for touching her. "Friend..we are friends?" she asked curiously, after his retort. She didn't catch the word that he so skillfully tried to hide, however she did wonder why he continued to stare at her body, since he obviously didn't want it. "Is there something wrong with my attire?" she asked, turning a quick spin, then arching her back and turning her hip out to search for a snag or whatever it was that his eyes were stuck on. Kyra's eyes widen a bit, a subtle hue of red rose to fill her pale cheeks. She had been right, he was a kelvic, and just as her friend had told her, when she met one she would surly know it. "What kind of kelvic? what do you mean?" The young kelvic had only met one other in her short life, and she had been of the same nature as her own. She wasn't aware that there were others, different from her yet also kelvics. That would explain the feeling that she sensed from this man. "Feral cat family?" she asked with a widen stare. "No my family is the Praslins..or they were." her voice become much lower now, almost inaudible. She looked on again, as he tussled with the dog, petting it and checking it's leg. It appeared that the animal was hurt, and she couldn't help but to wonder if the kelvic was responsible. Perhaps he wasn't a doctor, after all doctors helped people not turn them into wood on display. "Are you..going to kill him?" she asked as she started to follow him. For the moment, she didn't have anything else to do, and it was possible that he might know the way out of the maze that she found herself in. He continued to call her circus girl, causing her to stare at him oddly and stick out her tongue. "I am no circus girl, I told you." though now that she thought about it, he never did explain what that was. Was he a circus boy, she wondered. "Does that make you a circus boy doctor?"

[Alisdair McKennan]

It had been a while since Alasdair had had a real conversation with someone besides himself, and he was quite entertained by this fire cracker. Chuckling and nodding he replied, “Nothing like a good story. I particularly enjoy the ones with monsters. And what about you, lass? Are you one for knights and princesses, or beasties and hellfire?” As they walked along, Cujo began to bark and draw attention to them. Ash pressed a long finger to the dog’s mouth and shushed it. To this day his connection with weaker prey puzzled him. He was either simply a nice chap, or they were all terrified of him. They shouldn’t be though, his dear pets. He’d sworn off meat years ago, after the...incident, so they had no cause to fear him. As Alasdair had expected, the young Kelvic looked appalled. She stared at the dog in his hands, then back to him, as if he were about to sink his teeth into Cujo like one would a hot, crispy turkey leg. “Do you not like them living?” “Silly girl, why, pray tell would I be caring for this smelly stray wretch if I were intending to kill it? Oh, damn--look how he trembles, poor thing.” He increased his pace and as the odd pair walked through the cobbled streets, she caught up to him to clarify- “Friends?” she asked uncertainly. “We are friends?” “Well, for the time being anyway. We are strolling together, are we not?” What silly thing was friendship anyway? It was simply a system of two or more people who wanted something from one another--Admiration, adoration, money, knowledge, it all came down to basic need. “Is there something wrong with my attire?” Well now she was just being unfair. The girl was simply twisting in the slick outfit to check for tears, but he being a man and the lass being...well...what she was, it was starting to make the doctor feel rather unhinged. He cleared his throat and tried to point the decidedly unprofessional gaze elsewhere but it was proving rather difficult. He changed tack, affixing his eyes to the path ahead that led into the narrow alley. “No, no, you’re fine. Here we are!” he said with relief. The booth still stood, rickety but steadfast, with the weathered, haphazardly hanging “VETRINARY KLINIC” sign rattling against the wood in the breeze. The tattered purple and yellow fabric top rippled. He was surprised that she knew so little about her own race. He’d never seen another Kelvic but he’d read about them, and this one was definitely in the feral cat family. “No, no,” he said impatiently, gently plopping the terrier on the table and starting to tie a frayed rope to his unmarked collar. “I mean your race, your species. I’m assuming you’re...a leopard. Right?” He raised a quizzical eyebrow at the girl’s sudden change in demeanor. Her eyes looked so sad...Well, not his problem. He took up the dangling needle, dusted a bit of dirt from the seeping cut, and made to finish up the job as quickly as possible. The dog whined and whimpered at every entry of the needle and thread, but Alasdair pressed on, his jaw set in a determined line. The cut was nearly closed up when she asked from behind, “Are you...going to kill him?” He scoffed, tied up the stitches in a few swift movements, bit the thread, and gave her a look. “Really? And waste all that thread? Please.” To show her he wasn’t lying, he undid the knot tying Cujo to the table, gingerly picked the dog up again and displayed his leg to her. The skin was stitched together with the utmost precision, although it was still rather makeshift, as if a very meticulous six year old had decided to play doctor on the family pet. Alasdair sighed happily and set Cujo down again, taking out a sausage link he had saved earlier and tossing it to the terrier, who barked happily, devoured the sausage and promptly got the hell out of there. “I am no circus girl, I told you,” she said adamantly, making Alasdair giggle. “Does that make you a circus boy doctor?” The doctor in question scowled playfully and batted her on the shoulder. “Your attire, sweetling,” he explained, “it has circus written all over it. Here.” He turned and went inside the little booth, where there was a smaller endtable, a bedroll on the floor and a small stack of books. Alasdair picked up a shorter volume and flipped through its pages until he found what he was looking for. Then he came out and presented it to her. It was an old woodcarving print of a circus, with all the characters, costumes and animals prancing around the pages. He pointed to two jesters, one all in yellow and the other all in black, outfits like what the girl was wearing. He grinned and said, “See? Circus.” oocUgh. Not my best, but it'll do. Sorry to keep you waiting that long! o_o "Have you ever looked a cute, fluffy bunny directly in the eye, right before you snap its little neck? Priceless."

[Kyra]

"Tsk tsk, dog man.." she said quickly, lifting a single finger to wag in front of him. "Didn't you know? Beasties and hellfire are very bad things." She turned away from him then, uttering a gentle sigh as her gaze wandered off. Silence fell between them for a few ticks, until the dog started up again. Kyra turned to glare at it, her nose wrinkling up as a low growl rumbled deep within her throat. A few people would turn along the way, but once their eyes fell upon the strange pair, the dog was the least of their focus. "So then, you don't plan to eat him?" The mysterious kelvic seemed surprised at her questions. As if to say that people didn't eat dogs, or treat and care for animals before maiming them and serving them up for dinner. It wasn't something she'd seen a lot in her few travels, but it wasn't something anyone would likely forget. They moved along, and Kyra moved faster to catch him and follow his pace, anything to lead her out of the area and back where she was before she became lost. As for as conversations went, for her they were mostly entertaining with a few being dull. But with this guy, it was a whole new skill to undertake, and she half wondered if he had been raised in the wilds. "A stroll does not make us friends..friendship makes us friends." When it came to her preforming outfit, Kyra was a bit at odds. The outfit itself was comfortable enough and allowed her limbs to move freely, but the sound of the bells on the hat were rather annoying, and she hated the fact that people could always hear her coming. If it wasn't for the hat, the outfit was just fine, but then there were others...The people who always stared at her for long lengths of time without blinking their eyes. It was a curious thing, but as Marcelo had said it did draw the crowd. Kyra slowed down a moment when he turned and entered the alley. She wasn't completely sure, but it didn't look like anywhere that she had just come from. She wondered now exactly where was he off too? Still she followed him, slipping into the alley with him leading the way. It was humorous in a way, the fact that her mother always warned her to stay out of allies, and now that she was alone it seemed that she was forever going through them. It didn't take long, once they were inside for her eyes to focus in on the crud sign. What exactly was this place, she wondered. Watching the kelvic and his dog, she moved against the wall and looked on. The man then started to tie the animal down, possibly for the purpose that she thought of before that he was unwilling to admit too. The kelvic was surly a curious one, and asked a lot of questions. Personal questions, and without a hint of tact what so ever. The feral cat family, the race of her species. "And if I am?" she asked flashing him a toothy grin. "Does it really matter?" she continued slowly walking over to stand next to him. "You're no leopard, so why do you care?" Kyra tilted her head and watched as the doctor worked his skills on the mut. She paid close attention to what he was doing, and the reaction the dog gave in turn. The kelvic, seemingly of many names also enjoyed giving them just as well. Circus girl, sweetling, interesting names to be sure, and one's he would likely use until she told him her name, which she hadn't yet. Her eyes followed him, first to where his hand rested on her shoulder and then as he moved away, and finally coming back with the print of the circus group. Kyra stared at the print, the characters displayed on the page looked familiar, something she had noticed once inside Marcelo's magic chest. "These are circus people?" Kyra snatched the print from his hands and looked it over closely. The jesture's he pointed out did remind her of her own clothing, and she found herself looking for one dressed as Marcelo did next.

[Alisdair McKennan]

“Bad things are fun!” Alasdair protested, knowing for a fact that beasties are much less boring than princesses. He stared down a curious merchant as they passed his tea stall and turned yet another corner, and the Kelvic behind him ventured, "So then, you don't plan to eat him?" Ash stopped, looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. His forehead was really starting to hurt with all these incredulous glances. “You don't seem to like the mutt very much, why would you care if I do? Though of course, I wouldn't. Old man terrier will probably die soon anyway. I might as well let him live out his life. Or get killed and eaten by someone else. I don't do that anymore.” He knew the friend conversation would become awkward. He shouldn't have said anything, but while they were on the subject he sniffed delicately and raised a hand to smooth back his greasy hair. “Ahem, 'friendship' is just another word for mutual need. I need to talk to a Kelvic, and you need...” he trailed off midsentence and gazed quizzically at her. “What is it that you were looking for again?” Never mind that. It was something, he was sure. Wasn't his problem. He'd just take a few notes, maybe question her about her animal form, time spent in it, the usual. It would only take a few minutes. Maybe a blood sample or two. He quickened his pace and the dog whined a little at the shift. The young Kelvic jogged a little to keep up and the bells on her hat jingled mockingly. She made a face at them and tried to muffle the sounds they made. Apparently the girl hadn't known what she was signing up for when she decided to be a merry, disturbingly-clad jester. Quite touchy about her species, this one was. "And if I am?" she asked flashing him a toothy grin. "Does it really matter?" she continued slowly walking over to stand next to him. "You're no leopard, so why do you care?" Alasdair set the dog down on the table and drummed his fingers on it, leaning over the terrier to give her another signature “Really?” look. “I'm just curious,” he said finally, shrugging his bony shoulders with a small smile. “I have never seen another Kelvic except in books. You,” he said, pointing directly at her, “Are a marvel, and I intend to learn more about you. More specifically,” he added, leaning closer her way, “the leopard you. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something about yourself! If you would be so inclined, of course.” He was lying about that last bit. He really wanted to be courteous but the girl had something he wanted and he was going to question her whether she liked it or not. He just wanted to give her the option. Less stress on both sides. As he prepared the stray for another attempt at sewing up the cut, The young Kelvic leaned against the brick wall and regarded him warily. She obviously was still expecting him to chop Cujo up and put him in a stew. He finished up, cut the thread with his teeth, wiped his bloody hands on a pant leg and untied the dog. “Don't you find yourself back here, Cujo, ya hear?” Ash yelled as the terrier limped away from the clinic with a rocky gallop. “WATCH WHERE YOU STEP, YOU DUMB MUTT!” A few finely dressed passers-by hurried by the dank alley faster than usual seeing its habitual occupant yelling at a running animal, which wasn't unusual but, coming from Alasdair, was cause for worry. The doctor grinned at them and waved a little. They did not wave back, and quickly disappeared into the safe, lighted part of the market square. Any refined civilian brave enough to venture in the docks had someplace else to be; the rich folk rarely stayed. It was also becoming clear that the girl had no idea what a jester was, so he deigned to show her. “These are circus people?” the girl asked. Ash grinned. “Yup, all of them here. You can typically find these sorts of characters at circuses, carnivals, the like--” Her eyes alighted at seeing the jester's picture and she boldly snatched it out of his hands. Alasdair stood there with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his face. Were all Kelvics this stout-hearted, to follow a strange man into an alley (supposedly out of curiosity), and to be so brash in their talk? Or was it just one of the particulars of their animal forms? Hmm. Interesting. "Have you ever looked a cute, fluffy bunny directly in the eye, right before you snap its little neck? Priceless."