Closed Unmet Eyes Are Watching [Meville] [Mino]

[Minosayaa]

Mino turned and cocked her head to the side, "Who are you?" She asked before returning to sniffing at this man's scent. "You've been watching us. Why?" Looking the man over she could tell he wasn't Vantha or was part of any of the holds. He smelled weird not like the cold, winter, hunting, ale, or meat. So just what did he do? She furrowed her brow and stared him down. Still sniffing at him from time to time.He WAS pretty though...

[Meville Brightshade]

The Kelvic's brief questions brought a wider grin to Meville's already pleasant expression. "Who am I? My name or my person, I wonder." He shrugged, allowing the statement a brief moment in the limelight before continuing with the information the Kelvic most likely wished for. "My name would be Meville. Meville Brightshade of no hold nor trade." He shook his head, tsking at his lack of anything more to give. "Certainly not an impressive title, I agree, but as true as the steady flow of snow."

The second question was, if anything, just as simple an answer as the first had been. "I'd thought myself rather curtained, though apparently my vanity got the better of me." A soft sigh flitted from his lips as he drew up a chair, easing himself down with all the air of a man in his own home. "As for why, I suppose you could say I find you both rather interesting. It's not every day one is able to sup with a Symnestra and her Kelvic companion."

Common | Vani

[Minosayaa]

Mino dug back into her porridge. Still eyeing and sniffing at the man whose name was Meville. I'm just showing Nasse around our pretty city. You know kinda like a tour guide! Imma sled dog! One of the best Forstfawn has! What do you do? You smell funny not like meat or hunting or any normal Vantha smell." Mino sat there trying to decide whether or not she liked this Meville guy. "My name is Minosayaa! But people call me Mino. I haven't decide if I like you yet... Just so you know.." She gave another sniff. "You ate squid today and seaweed. I can smell it on you.Why aren't you in a hold? You could join one if you wanted to bad enough and that would mean a job." She had been staring at Meville's hair it was brighter that most people's hair around here. In a sudden lapse of judgement she reached out and grabbed a lock of his hair, not hard or pulling at it. For some reason the Kelvic just wanted to touch it. In her mind it was brighter thus it had to be warmer, right? But it wasn't, it was just hair.

[Meville Brightshade]

"Minosayaa, hm? An interesting name. I believe I'll join the most and dub you 'Mino' as well, I fear I would only butcher such a name given the opportunity." He nodded graciously to indicate the Kelvic's name was properly stored into his memory. At the girl's next statement, Meville could only laugh, easing back into his chair into a comfortable recline, eyeing her with a bright, impish glean in his blue eyes. "Is that so, Mino? I shall do everything within my limited abilities to alter your highly valued opinion, though I may need some hints as to what might make me more appealing." His laughter danced through his words, falling to a soft chuckle at the end. She was straight-forward, not-unlike a certain Vantha he knew.

The Kelvic, Mino, was filled with the same sort of frivolous curiosity that so often got the better of him, casting her into a more endearing light than he'd initially allowed her. Kelvics were, in a sense, more human animals, and Meville wasn't much of an animal lover. Still, Mino's interrogation was enjoyable enough, he decided not to dwell for too long upon her race, after all, it was rude to not devote one's attention to the conversation at hand. "I certainly did. I'd like to compliment you on your superb sense of smell, though I fear the scent of the sea is a bit too strong to require only the most sensitive of senses." He offered an conspiratory wink before adding, "Either way, the compliment still stands."

"You're right, of course, I could join a hold, but I don't really possess the innate talent nor the drive to pursue any of the-" His words were cut short as Mino's hand darted out to lay claim to one of his many curls of hair. Startled, Meville simply stared wide-eyed and speechless at the dark haired girl before breaking out into laughter once more. "Not quite what you thought it would be? You seem a bit disappointed."

Common | Vani

[Minosayaa]

Mino furrowed her brow, "It's bright, like the sun or fire. So I thought it would be warmer than Vantha black hair. But it's just hair.." She gave Meville's hair a good pet, "Kinda like.... a fluffy rabbit. N-not that you smell like a rabbit." She frowned realizing how stupid she sounded. She shoveled more porridge into her mouth. She liked when he laughed gerally she liked when anybody laughed. "You laugh nice. I like that. Where do you live? If you're not part of a hold.. Don't tell me you sleep in the snow!? That's not healthy...for a human anyway!

[Meville Brightshade]

From the way she spoke, jumping from one subject to another, much like a puppy in a room full of things to smell, Meville figured she was on the younger side of her lifespan. While he wasn't fond of children, his stomach was filled with his delicious breakfast, and the comfortable warms of the Commons helped him forget his stigma for the time being. "It is a bit on the bright side, you're right. I stand out like a tree in the drifts." His eyes blinked shut as the Kelvic's hand once more bore itself down on his head, patting his hair with a tentative probing. He shook his head, running his hands through his hair and letting the locks fall back into their unruly curls. "Like a rabbit, you say?" His brow raised slightly, awarding him a flustered assurance he did not smell like a rabbit. A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head again, this time at the strangeness of the statement. A little tick at the back of his brain suggested this was a small taste of what it would be like to speak to himself.

Her next compliment seemed a bit random, but Meville reasoned she'd been doing that the entire time, so the unexpected should, in turn, become that which he should expect and vice versa. Grinning wide at her assortment of questions and compliments, Meville let her finish admonishing her final advice before he replied. "Thank you, for your appreciation of my laughter, that is." Here, he offered her a smile before continuing, "And I certainly do not allow myself to sleep outside. I reside in the Warrens, permanently. Jennai and I have worked out a deal of sorts: I work for her and she lets me stay there." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and tilting his head in question at the young Kelvic. "And where, may I ask, do you live, Mino? In the snow?" A teasing sort of chuckle followed.

Common | Vani

[Minosayaa]

"Well, I was bought a long time ago by a Frostfawn; he didn't know I was a Kelvic. So I lived with his family and him, until he...erm passed as the Vantha call it. So now I have my own tiny room with everything I need. I still do visit my old owner's family. Heck, I visit everybody I can when I'm not working!" She smiled but a tinge of sadness was slightly visible behind it. It was over more than her former bondmate's death. "Hey Meville, have you ever hear of something called stunted mental growth? At least I think that's what it's called... Something they say happens when a Kelvic bonds too young?" Mino knew deep down somewhere what this meant. Why she couldn't learn to read or write. All of it led back to Darrus and he was gone. Mino pushed the thought from her mind, "Sorry for that weird question... So like I said I'm a Frostfawn sled dog. I help on hunts, moving goods from hold to hold, and sometimes guide people though the city. When I'm done with work I enjoy giving people sled rides. So I guess even when I'm done working, I still work just for fun. And YES I do doze off in the snow from time to time, but with a coat as thick as mine I don't feel a thing!" She grinned showing off her pointed dogish fangs. "Now that I know where you live I'll come visit you sometimes too! Or if you're off work I'll take ya for a ride or we could have a snowball fight or something!"

[Meville Brightshade]

Meville grinned at the first part of Mino's short history. He could only imagine the Frostfawn's surprise when he realized he'd purchased a Kelvic. His grin quickly fell to a slightly curved frown at the mention of her owner's passing. Death was such a curious thing. Some dealt with it by ignoring it, pushing it aside as if it were nothing. Others embraced it, celebrated it. From the looks of things, Mino seemed to just accept it as a fact. Meville wondered just how long ago it was, but decided it was information he could gather at a later date if he so pleased. She was incredibly open, and he doubted he'd have to do more than ask to get it.

"Stunted mental growth? If it's anything like it sounds, I have an approximate knowledge of it, yes." His brow knit into a slight crease. "Though my knowledge of your race doesn't much extend past the fact you can shift forms. I wasn't aware bonding carried with it the possibility for such a complication." Frowning now, Meville chewed on his bottom lip as he more carefully studied the girl in front of him. What he'd first taken as a smile seemed to be a bit more melancholy.

In an instant, Mino pushed forward, leaving behind both subject and emotional state in favor of more lighthearted matters. Meville decided not to pursue it. It was enough to know that the strange relationships Kelvics seemed to form with other sentient races was more than just a strong connection. Curious as it was, Meville found Kelvics to be even more of a questionable species than before. Allowing a lighthearted laugh to follow Mino's grin, Meville nodded at her self-imposed invitation into his life. "That would certainly be a treat."

Common | Vani

[Minosayaa]

Mino laughed, "There's more to us than meets the eye Meville! Did ya know if we get a scar in one form it will always be visible on our other form too? Same goes for tattoos and other skin markings. When bonded we also go through something called mirroring where a Kelvic mimics trait of their bondmate. One such happening I hear was with a stunted Kelvic who learned to read and do math. Learning is near impossible without a bondmate... We also don't like clothes, they get in the way of shifting. The only reason I'm clothed now is cause I get in trouble if I don't." She frowned. "You humans and your clothes... I will never understand.." "So what kind of work do you do? Jennai doesn't work you too hard, does she?" Mino giggled to herself,"Does she know that you're here and not there?" Mino gasped opening her mouth wide, a subject change was coming. "What do you do in your free time for fun? I mean besides following people. Also which room is yours? So I don't go in the wrong room. Although I could probably sniff you out.." She paused, "You know I might just check out the other rooms too. No harm in that!"

[Meville Brightshade]

Suddenly, Meville found himself the student in a quick summary of the Kelvic race and their various quirks. Not one to look away when information was handed out freely, Meville nodded and smiled where appropriate. Their curious necessity to find a "bond mate" and the repercussions of being unable to do so came as a surprise. Meville had imagined the species to be relatively independent. While he understood they chose non-Kelvic partners to walk with in life, he'd figured it was something similar to a marriage or bonding of brothers. According to Mino, without a bond mate, a Kelvic was nowhere near complete, almost broken.

Her confused statement regarding humans and their love of clothes brought a knowing laugh up out of Meville's happily filled belly as he nodded his agreement. "That would make two of us, unfortunately!" Meville had little trouble understanding why Mino might find clothes a silly frivolity. They were cumbersome, expensive, and rarely were they ever as free as skin. There was also the simple fact most humans would die without something protecting their bodies from the harsh climate of the north, but inside, Meville agreed it would just be much better for everyone if the clothes were left at the door.

Shaking his head, Meville responded to Mino's question in the slight lull. "I mostly tend to registration and rentals with the occasional custodial work thrown in when I've taken extra care to get under Jennai's skin." The last bit he added a mischievous wink, chuckling to himself as Mino sped off onto her next point of interest. A quick onslaught of thought mixed with inquiry required Meville a few beats to sort through before he was able to respond. His grin now firmly set upon his features, Meville decided to begin at her beginning and end where she had.

"I spend most of my time socializing, like this. There's a plethora of interesting creatures in this city. I doubt I could ever know them all to the extent I wish." That, and his practice of projection which, being a solid taboo, Meville thought best not to add that. "Eleven M. For Meville." That last bit was a sort of joke between him and Jennai, as there really was no "M" section. They'd just tacked on an "M" because they could. "And I would certainly suggest snooping around some of the other cabins. Intrigue, mystery, and adventure are just a few of the wonders you might find." He paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side as he thought. "Well, that and some more undesirable facets of civilized practice."

Common | Vani