Housepets!

"Is er... Is good for drinking?" Ilya asks, fumbling for the words in English.
Passing Feliks to Arina, he climbs down from the cart and then helps his wife and child down, the dragon still balanced on Arina's shoulder.

~~~~~~~~
Thanks to Loki's warning, the cats don't jump high. Instead, both facing the new arrivals by their side, they jump towards each other, the backs of their heads smacking painfully together.

valerio wrote: "They are fundamental, actually. Especially in an emergency. If you can use them at your best with a rogue sea, you are half a good sailor."

"Well I've never tried on the sea, but i'm pretty adaptable," Levi replied confidently. "I'm sure I could manage."

xhunterko wrote:Akki finished her meal and silently waited to see what was to be shown.
For one though, she was mostly thinking about what was best at defense.
Since, she was best at hiding and shooting arrows from a distance. It came in handy that one time her people were attacked for their diamonds.
She shook her head.
"Humans," she mumbled.

I beg your pardon, my Madonna..? All of a sudden, your mind is elsewhere."
---

Roarin wrote:"Well, that's all an' good but-" Flint began to say before the world around him shimmered and twinkled. Before he could get another word out he suddenly found himself inside a modest house. "The fried chicken..." He finished blurting out, shaking his head and reorienting himself to the world around him.
"Oooh kay... well I guess yer not really giving us much choice... Bart! Bart don't go off too far." The canine called out as the smaller pup opened the door. Following his pirate friend out Flint was treated to a sight he was not expecting.
"Definitely not in Kansas anymore..." Flint mumbled, scuffing his foot against the stone tiles of the street, 'Well, if anyone knows how to navigate a city it's me! Stick close to me bud and we'll find the best food stall in the place!" He grinned down at Bart and pat him on the head. "Now let's see if we can find someone to give us some directions."

"Why should you need directions, when you're at home?" said a female voice behind them. Even Bart stopped and turned.
It was a lycaon. She wore gloves and a large apron. And she *did* smell of food. "Tourists? I can assure thee we have some fine offer for your hunger. What will it be to your liking?"
---

Hlaoroo wrote:"Is er... Is good for drinking?" Ilya asks, fumbling for the words in English.
Passing Feliks to Arina, he climbs down from the cart and then helps his wife and child down, the dragon still balanced on Arina's shoulder.

"That is so. All our freshwater is perfectly safe. Its quality is none like you could find anywhere else. Some of our springs also store sparkling water. Care for some fruit?" and at a snap of his fingers, a handful of small purple plum-like fruits appeared at the feet of the humans. "I merely took them from the nearby trees. They have no large seed inside, so it's completely edible. Their tiny seeds make for a nice crunching contrast, slightly bitter against the rich sweetness of the pulp."
---

Hlaoroo wrote:Thanks to Loki's warning, the cats don't jump high. Instead, both facing the new arrivals by their side, they jump towards each other, the backs of their heads smacking painfully together.

"They are with us," the gorilla said to the figures. "They are performers for your entertainment like we are. They will earn their right to pass."
Mutely, the two wolves took another measuring look at the cats, before dissolving like whisps of mist.
Loki let out his breath. "Okay, this went well enough. I heard they do...unpleasant things to undesired guests."
With a low rumble, the tall bone gates opened, revealing the village inside.
The caravan went inside at a slow pace, in that muffling atmosphere. The houses were no less...exotic than the wall. Built with bones as well, they were, and their roofs and windows covered with actual red pelts...
---

RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:"Well I've never tried on the sea, but i'm pretty adaptable," Levi replied confidently. "I'm sure I could manage."

The man chuckled. "On open sea, there's no 'try'. You do or you don't, you improve or you are lost in the waters. Now this place seems so fine, but wait until a storm hits us in the open. Your skills better be at their finest. Now try and get the net back. Slowly does it. And be careful, it will be heavier with fish."

valerio wrote:"Why should you need directions, when you're at home?" said a female voice behind them. Even Bart stopped and turned.
It was a lycaon. She wore gloves and a large apron. And she *did* smell of food. "Tourists? I can assure thee we have some fine offer for your hunger. What will it be to your liking?"

Flint turned around, looking about himself for a moment before smiling back at the lycaon. "Is it that obvious we're not from around here? Anyways, if you're offering. I promised my friend here that I could procure him some local delicacies, in particular some meat of the fried variety? Or any meats really. Or things resembling meats. Or... anything that tastes good when you put it in your mouth. We're not a picky pair"

She seemed like a nice enough dog, and she smelled of food, which was promising. Flint hefted Barty up and placed him back on his shoulders before extending a hand out to the lycaon he assumed was some sort of cook. "And your name is Miss...?"

After tucking Feliks safely into his cradle the two humans sample the fruit.
"Ooh. Zis is amazing!"
"Is delicious! What is called?"

~~~~~~~~
<"I think this may have been a bad idea..."> Sasha whispers in Russian to his sister.
<"It's too late to turn back now. I think the batons will not be enough though. Shall we do Katyusha?"> Dinara replies in the same language.
<"Da, I think that would be wise."> Sasha agrees.

valerio wrote:The man chuckled. "On open sea, there's no 'try'. You do or you don't, you improve or you are lost in the waters. Now this place seems so fine, but wait until a storm hits us in the open. Your skills better be at their finest. Now try and get the net back. Slowly does it. And be careful, it will be heavier with fish."

"Aye-Aye, captain," the cat said as he began to carefully pull back the net. he had to put a little of his weight into his pulls.

Roarin wrote:Flint turned around, looking about himself for a moment before smiling back at the lycaon. "Is it that obvious we're not from around here? Anyways, if you're offering. I promised my friend here that I could procure him some local delicacies, in particular some meat of the fried variety? Or any meats really. Or things resembling meats. Or... anything that tastes good when you put it in your mouth. We're not a picky pair"
She seemed like a nice enough dog, and she smelled of food, which was promising. Flint hefted Barty up and placed him back on his shoulders before extending a hand out to the lycaon he assumed was some sort of cook. "And your name is Miss...?"

She chuckled. The sprays of white where her black marking on her snout were showed her age. "Name's Marrya, Sir. And yes, meat is one staple food for a dominant native population made of carnivores. Please come inside..." she motioned them to follow her, and into a small heaven for meat-eaters! Lycaons and wolves were busy at rows of spits with sizzling saucy pieces of land and air creatures, sausages, hams... Smell of breads was coming from a row of ovens on the other side of the shop. A tray of freshly baked loaves had just been pulled out. At the far corner of that rustic kitchen paradise, one could see the entrance to a separate room with a table visible.
"Go take a seat, you two. I'll be with you in a moment."
Bart was looking at the food with an embarrassing level of lust in his eyes. It was possible he had stopped breathing altogether.
---

Hlaoroo wrote:After tucking Feliks safely into his cradle the two humans sample the fruit.
"Ooh. Zis is amazing!"
"Is delicious! What is called?"

"Golden Grape is its name. A characteristic of this land, it is not subjected to intensive agriculture, so that its mineral cache is not periodically exhausted and then contaminated with stranger fertilizants. This gives our produces a rich, unique taste. Our potatos can actually be eaten raw. And thanks to birds and winds, there's an ample variety of species to pick.
~~~~~~~~

Hlaoroo wrote:<"I think this may have been a bad idea..."> Sasha whispers in Russian to his sister.
<"It's too late to turn back now. I think the batons will not be enough though. Shall we do Katyusha?"> Dinara replies in the same language.
<"Da, I think that would be wise."> Sasha agrees.

"You want a suggestion?" asked the gorilla. "Do something unique, something they cannot do. To them, live entertainment is not about special effects only. it's truly about a display of physical talent. Just give your best shots as you like, and you will be recognized. Treat them as 'betcha you can't do it!'. They respect that, if you live up to your challenge."
---

RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:"Aye-Aye, captain," the cat said as he began to carefully pull back the net. he had to put a little of his weight into his pulls.

[/quote]
"Careful, yes, but not so slow. You'll lose half of them, kitten."

"Golden grape? Can zey make vine from it?" Arina asks, offering one of the fruits to Orson as Ilya hauls up a bucketful of water.

~~~~~~~~
The cats nod in understanding.
"I sink Katyusha should be good for zis. Is juggling fire AND knives and also is comedy. But timing has to be just right or can be very dangerous! Only problem is zat Dinara does not get to do her contortion."

valerio wrote:She chuckled. The sprays of white where her black marking on her snout were showed her age. "Name's Marrya, Sir. And yes, meat is one staple food for a dominant native population made of carnivores. Please come inside..." she motioned them to follow her, and into a small heaven for meat-eaters! Lycaons and wolves were busy at rows of spits with sizzling saucy pieces of land and air creatures, sausages, hams... Smell of breads was coming from a row of ovens on the other side of the shop. A tray of freshly baked loaves had just been pulled out. At the far corner of that rustic kitchen paradise, one could see the entrance to a separate room with a table visible.
"Go take a seat, you two. I'll be with you in a moment."
Bart was looking at the food with an embarrassing level of lust in his eyes. It was possible he had stopped breathing altogether.

"Please, just call me Flint. And thank you, Miss Marrya for your generous hospitality." The canine nodded as he and Barty stepped into the lycaon's homely abode. Once inside he couldn't help taking in a deep whiff of baked bread and other carnivorous treats. If he were any less polite he might have been drooling at the smell and sight.
Hands on both of the pup's shoulders Flint steered them both towards the table in the separate room. "Eyes on the horizon sailor." Flint whispered to the pirate, who was clearly distracted by all the delicious food nearby. "Patience. As tempting as it is to make a break for the bread, we gotta make sure to treat the nice ones good, so they give us more later."

Hlaoroo wrote:"Golden grape? Can zey make vine from it?" Arina asks, offering one of the fruits to Orson as Ilya hauls up a bucketful of water.

The dragon nodded. "The trees' branches are the result of an intervining process. The locals can disentangle the vines that make each branch and make nets and tents out of them."
~~~~~~~~

Hlaoroo wrote:The cats nod in understanding.
"I sink Katyusha should be good for zis. Is juggling fire AND knives and also is comedy. But timing has to be just right or can be very dangerous! Only problem is zat Dinara does not get to do her contortion."

"How so?" Loki asked. "Is there anything we can do to help? You're working with pros, you know."
---

Roarin wrote:"Please, just call me Flint. And thank you, Miss Marrya for your generous hospitality." The canine nodded as he and Barty stepped into the lycaon's homely abode. Once inside he couldn't help taking in a deep whiff of baked bread and other carnivorous treats. If he were any less polite he might have been drooling at the smell and sight.
Hands on both of the pup's shoulders Flint steered them both towards the table in the separate room. "Eyes on the horizon sailor." Flint whispered to the pirate, who was clearly distracted by all the delicious food nearby. "Patience. As tempting as it is to make a break for the bread, we gotta make sure to treat the nice ones good, so they give us more later."

"Speak for ya, scurvy dog. I've been dead way too long, I crave good food."

It was THEN that Akki noticed the spear at her belly and blinked.

"Oh, oh oh urgh I forget I hate training sometimes urgh stupid stupid sorry, sorry my lord," Akki stated, "My village was attacked by humans a year ago before we decided to live here and be part of this program. They heard we decorated ourselves only with the gems we found in our mountains, so a gang decided to kill us for them. Unlucky for them, not one of them survived. I was a sniper and did my part. We lost none, thankfully. Though we decided it was time to do something different with our people. So we joined this program."

Akki closed her eyes.

"I have trained before, it's just so nerve wracking, phew, focus, girl, focus," she said, she then closed off her thoughts, brought her breathing under control, and made no movement. She focused all her willpower and dutifully thought of all the dragon spoke to her to do.

She waited.

"Ah. Nyet, sorry for my English is not good. I mean vine for drink. Er... vino?" Arina clarifies, trying the Russian word in case her English is wrong.
Ilya offers the water first to Hubert and then to Orson.

~~~~~~~~
Sasha raises an eyebrow.
"I vill be juggling fire and knives and Dinara vill srow zem to me. Some I vill catch vis my nose so if timing is wrong zen I could be stabbed or burned or blinded. Is vun of our most dangerous acts."
"Da, is great fun." Dinara grins, earning a playful elbow from her brother.
"As for vhat you can do... Vhat do you suggest? Ve are not really used to vorking viz ozzer people..."
"Mm. Circus in Moscow vas run by FSB or Bratva, probably, so vas bad idea to ask too many questions or to get too close to ozzer performers... Ve had to be pretty self-sufficient."

valerio wrote:"Careful, yes, but not so slow. You'll lose half of them, kitten."

the cat attempted to pick up his pace. not so easy when you don't weigh much more than the full net.

valerio wrote:"Speak for ya, scurvy dog. I've been dead way too long, I crave good food."

Flint raised his hands in surrender as he took a seat at the table. "Fine fine, suit yourself. Just saying. You can catch more ants with honey."

xhunterko wrote:It was THEN that Akki noticed the spear at her belly and blinked.
"Oh, oh oh urgh I forget I hate training sometimes urgh stupid stupid sorry, sorry my lord," Akki stated, "My village was attacked by humans a year ago before we decided to live here and be part of this program. They heard we decorated ourselves only with the gems we found in our mountains, so a gang decided to kill us for them. Unlucky for them, not one of them survived. I was a sniper and did my part. We lost none, thankfully. Though we decided it was time to do something different with our people. So we joined this program."
Akki closed her eyes.
"I have trained before, it's just so nerve wracking, phew, focus, girl, focus," she said, she then closed off her thoughts, brought her breathing under control, and made no movement. She focused all her willpower and dutifully thought of all the dragon spoke to her to do.
She waited.

The spear retreated...slowly...a feet.
two feet.
three feet...THEN IT LUNGED AT HER!
---

Hlaoroo wrote:"Ah. Nyet, sorry for my English is not good. I mean vine for drink. Er... vino?" Arina clarifies, trying the Russian word in case her English is wrong.
Ilya offers the water first to Hubert and then to Orson.

"Ah! I see. Yes,, though the natives learnt to use every fruit of this island to make alcoholic beverages. Only grain-based drinks are forbidden, as grain is supposed to feed only. I can't give you any of that right now, since you are feeding your child, but I think your husband could appreciate a gift..." and at his gesture, a wooden, finely carved cup, appeared in front of Orson, floating in the air. It contained a honey-colored liquid that smelled like fruits -like apple, like strawberries and banana in a potent mix. "This is made with different fruits, a distillated nectar twice stonger than cider, with a salty aftertaste. They call it Anthesya.
---

Hlaoroo wrote:Sasha raises an eyebrow.
"I vill be juggling fire and knives and Dinara vill srow zem to me. Some I vill catch vis my nose so if timing is wrong zen I could be stabbed or burned or blinded. Is vun of our most dangerous acts."
"Da, is great fun." Dinara grins, earning a playful elbow from her brother.
"As for vhat you can do... Vhat do you suggest? Ve are not really used to vorking viz ozzer people..."
"Mm. Circus in Moscow vas run by FSB or Bratva, probably, so vas bad idea to ask too many questions or to get too close to ozzer performers... Ve had to be pretty self-sufficient."

Loki nodded. "Ahh, a dangerous performance! This the spirits will appreciate! I'm sure you will shine!"
The convoy stopped in the village's main square. Everyone started unpacking under the severe scrutiny of the locals.
"Ahh, the adoring masses!" the fox grinned. "Gotta love 'em! here!" he tossed what looked like a metal pearl to a wolf cub. The young one took it...and it set his paw on fire! He yipped with joy.
---

RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:the cat attempted to pick up his pace. not so easy when you don't weigh much more than the full net.

In fact, apparently, his efforts seemed to be condemned. It was just too heavy...
---

Roarin wrote:Flint raised his hands in surrender as he took a seat at the table. "Fine fine, suit yourself. Just saying. You can catch more ants with honey."

"I did that when I was trapped underground! I hadn't honey with me, but I had a lizard for bait. And for a time it worked. Not the finest food, but it kept me going."

valerio wrote:"I did that when I was trapped underground! I hadn't honey with me, but I had a lizard for bait. And for a time it worked. Not the finest food, but it kept me going."

"You wha-? That was just a figure of... I guess that's kinda smart, not that I would ever eat ants..." The dog shook his head, his elbow resting on the table with his chin in his palm. "I remember back on the mainland I had to scrounge around for food. I avoided it as much as I could but sometimes I had to look through dumpster and trashcans to see what the humans threw out."

valerio wrote:In fact, apparently, his efforts seemed to be condemned. It was just too heavy...

Levi got the net as far in as he could and struggled a bit before asking for "A little help?"

Roarin wrote:"You wha-? That was just a figure of... I guess that's kinda smart, not that I would ever eat ants..." The dog shook his head, his elbow resting on the table with his chin in his palm. "I remember back on the mainland I had to scrounge around for food. I avoided it as much as I could but sometimes I had to look through dumpster and trashcans to see what the humans threw out."

---
Reginald chuckled. "Oh, so you wouldn't eat what nature offers but eat through the putrid discards of humans? You pets are so we...FOOOOOOD!" he practically erupted into a cute howl as the owner of the diner came in carrying a tray with a pile of smoking roasted ham and sausages, accompanied by hot buttered bread. She put it on the table between her guests. "There you are. Other than water, anything you'd like to drink?"
---

RandomGeekNamedBrent wrote:Levi got the net as far in as he could and struggled a bit before asking for "A little help?"

The man nodded and within minutes the net was safely aboard with her load. "Now, you learnt your first lesson: on a boat, you are *never* alone. You have your duties, you work hard, but no sailor refuses help to a crewmate. That's how you prevent accidents. No matter what you do on shore, when aboard we all are friends."

valerio wrote:Reginald chuckled. "Oh, so you wouldn't eat what nature offers but eat through the putrid discards of humans? You pets are so we...FOOOOOOD!" he practically erupted into a cute howl as the owner of the diner came in carrying a tray with a pile of smoking roasted ham and sausages, accompanied by hot buttered bread. She put it on the table between her guests. "There you are. Other than water, anything you'd like to drink?"

"I have some standards... maybe a day or two or more without food and I woulda-oh woah..." The canine gaped in silent awe at the incoming food. He grinned as Barty wiggled in his seat, centuries of living still didn't change the fact that he had the instincts of a cute pup. "No ma'am, water's just fine. Unless you got anything strong in the backroom." Flint was sitting on his paws, the scent enough to drive even a stuffed animal to consider taking a bite of the food before them. Slowly he reached out to take a slice of buttered bread, taking one large bite.

"Hmmgh~" Delicious...

After swallowing his piece the dog nodded at the lycaon. "Thank you so very much for this more than kind hospitality Miss Marrya. What could we possibly do to make it up to you?"

"Sank you, my lord. Vashe zdorovie!"* Ilya says, raising the glass and sampling the drink.
"Ooh. Is, uh, fruity. And refreshing. Zis is made viz Golden Grape?"
"Maybe just small taste vould not hurt?" Arina asks hopefully.

~~~~~~~~
The two cats smile nervously at the cub's antics as they unpack their gear - two chests and a large, painted board with the words "Sasha and Dinara" in both English and Russian around a large target. They follow the lead of the other performers when setting up their space.
"So... Who vill go first?" Sasha asks as he and Dinara step into their sequined unitards.


*Your health! - one of several popular formal Russian toasts.