[ 'Get involved in various activities, with various people, without hesitation.' That had been the edict at his sentencing, and apparently he'd interpreted it to mean "Immediately slam down a bid on the date up for auction that involves a guy who seems alright, but more importantly: his pet dragon."
Which is, of course, what brings him here: walking into the apothecary close to the time to close. Hopefully they don't have to take the 'date' part too literally. He doesn't mind hanging out with the guy and getting some coffee or something with him and a giant lizard, but he's not sure how good he'd be at pretending like he has any romantic skill whatsoever.
The apothecary is a mass of scents, growing different sorts of distinct the closer you get to certain hanging or dried herbs or concoctions. When he spots Claude, he lifts a hand in a casual sort of greeting, approaching the counter.]
[ Claude looks up from behind the counter where he'd been hard at work mashing something together with a mortar and pestle, hair mussed, and apron covered with unidentifiable stains. He knew it was today, but lost track of time, as he often seems to do when left to his own devices, which means he isn't presenting as the rakishly handsome stranger that he'd really like to.
Not that he's taking this seriously as a date. He's never gone on a date in his life and, frankly, he doesn't see that changing until it's finally time for him to find some ambitious woman whose ideals match his, and more importantly, who is both willing and able to withstand the tribulations of court life. Still, he fancies himself a friendly sort of guy, and the auction seemed like it was for a good cause.
He hadn't expected Shinji of all people to be the one to bet on him, but... well, he's got a funny feeling that it's not for any amorous reasoning. ]
Just give me ten minutes and I'll be right with you! [ He pours his work through a funnel and into a glass bottle and corks it, then sheds his gloves and his apron, looking Shinji over in a friendly sort of way. ]
I'll be completely at your disposal this evening. Which of my offerings appealed to you, exactly?
[ He can't provide a whole lot of romance, not that he advertised the fact -- so he's making up for it with activities. ]
[The fact that Claude had forgotten (or at least not realized the impending hour) is, in Shinjiro's eyes, a great sign. Neither of them are taking this too seriously which means just have a weird excuse to hang out. So he'll approach the counter casually and shrug, watching Claude picking up from... whatever the hell he was mixing.]
Take your time. I don't have anything pressing going on. [And it's simple to kill time in a store filled with so much stuff. He'll occupy himself by letting his eyes glaze over and failing to read the labels of whatever assortment of concoctions and powders is on the shelf in front of him. It's enough to give Claude the space to work, but remain in an earshot and focused on the conversation.
He'll give what's probably a roughx half-there laugh at Claude's question, though.]
You can't tell people you got a dragon and not expect them to wanna meet her. I figured I'd tag along, meet the dragon. If you want coffee or tea after, I don't mind going half on that. It's whatever.
Oh, my wyvern! Y'know, I wasn't sure if mentioning her was going to attract people or just scare them off. Some of the people around here got real spooked the first time that she came around. I let her go explore about an hour or so ago... I think she's been out hunting. But I'll call her over in a second, and after that, I did prepare refreshments. I'm a man of my word. I'll be right back.
[ Claude disappears into the back for a few minutes -- a little more than what's polite, honestly, considering Shinji had paid for the dubious pleasure of his company, but he has a feeling the other man won't care too much. When he re-emerges, he's in a different outfit - not terribly different from the first, but at least he won't smell of char and thirteen different unidentifiable spices, especially with the help of a bit of cologne - and is hauling a large picnic blanket and a towel with him. ]
C'mon, I'll call her over.
[ He gestures for Shinji to follow him out the door and around the back, where there's a sufficient amount of land to call her over. He shoves his fingers in his mouth and lets out an absolutely deafening whistle. Sailing down to meet them with a nigh overwhelming gust of wind is an absolutely massive creature, ivory white scales shining to perfection, pupilless yellow eyes staring eerily down at them, her perpetual grin showing off rows of deadly-sharp teeth, long tongue lolling out of her mouth.
It doesn't take more than a moment of inspection to see that her white scales are stained with blood around her mouth and lingering around her fangs, some dribbling down her neck. ]
Hi Zaffy, [ Claude croons, as though greeting a particularly adorable puppy. ] You went hunting, didn't you? You're disgusting, aren't you? [ He takes the towel he'd brought with him to scrub down her face (much to her chagrin, it appears; she snaps her jaws playfully at him as he gets close, but ultimately relents to being cleaned off), then takes a step back, sweeping his hand between the two. ]
Shinji, meet Zafeera. Zafeera, meet Shinji. You can touch her, if you like. Just make sure to pet her with her scales, not against them. She hates that.
I figure anyone scared off by her might not be someone you wanna hang out with, anyway.
[It's a half-joke-- but it does seem to him to be a good way to weed people out. If they don't like your pet, then it won't work. Simple as that. And as Claude excuses himself, he'll wave a hand in acknowledgement- and sure doesn't seem to care about the length of time. Killing time is something of a specialty of his, after all.
The picnic basket and change of clothes gets an eyebrow raise and something of a half-smirk, as he moves to follow Claude over and outside.]
You're going all out, huh. Guess I better step up my game.
[But finally, Zafeera appears! His expression definitely shifts as she approaches and gusts into a landing, all teeth and scales and bloodstains. As much as he's gotten used to seeing monsters and weird animals both back home and here, seeing an actual dragon is another thing entirely. She moves like a predator, but responds positively to Claude's attention-- And it reminds him of someone having managed to tame a wolf or a lion.]
Damn....
[It's a curse in awe, but he still takes a few steps forward- and extends his hand, palm down, like one would when greeting a dog, to let them sniff you.]
She's cool as hell. [Sadly, he's not really the type to call her beautiful or anything. Once he's convinced she won't snap at him, he'll move a bit closer, able to brush the backs of his fingers against her scales, being mindful of move in the same direction.]
I don't really blame anyone for being scared by her. They should be. She's a dangerous animal, [ Claude says cheerfully. Even if Zafeera can understand him - which he swears that she does, half the time - he knows that she would agree with the sentiment. Oh, she's as sweet as a pussycat with Claude, but she can crush a man's skull between her teeth in a way that can't possibly compare with the dangers that something like a horse trampling you beneath its hooves poses. There's many an opposing soldier that has found themselves on the wrong end of Zafeera's gnashing jaws.
But here and now, she seems quite tame, letting out a pleasant sort of grumble as Shinji's fingers brush her side, craning her head to get a good look at him, translucent membrane flickering over her bright yellow eyes. ]
But that just makes her even cooler. [ He slaps at her side, much like one might the flank of a horse. ] She and I have been together since I was just a little kid. I hatched her myself. She didn't get any choice in enjoying my company, did you girl?
Yeah? Guess I should be glad my hands don't seem tasty to her. [Or that she just ate. He's wiling to bet it's mostly her socialization, training, and having just hunted that keeps her relatively relaxed, and not snapping those teeth at him like she had Claude.]
Are they common, where you're from?
[Claude hatched her and raised her-- which he can't imagine being an easy task. Sure, lizards and stuff start small, but she clearly soars around hunting deer or something. Not that any of this information changes the way he runs his hands over her scales, head tilting as he gets a better look at her. If there's one thing that's actually really cool about being stuck in Aldrip, it's seeing all these fantastical, impossible creatures.]
Damn, I didn't even have a cat or a dog as a kid. [it's said with something of an amused smirk, and then he finally glances back to Claude. After all, he should at least be a little polite.]
Oh, yeah. There are entire battalions of wyvern riders. They're not as popular as pegasi or horses, since they're a little trickier to train and way more expensive to feed, but there's no beating them on the battlefield. [ He gives her haunch an affectionate pat. ] Her and I make an unstoppable team, if I say so myself.
[ That's when he'll let her bite, too, though he tries not to. One, because neither of them thrive from close-combat, and two, because he's convinced at some point she's going to get sick from biting some really dirty soldier. Deer are much safer. ]
But I grew up around a whole zoo. Cats and dogs and horses and pegasi and wyverns were just everywhere. Maybe you oughtta take in an animal while you're here too. [ It's a little sad, the thought of being detached from all that. But the palace had been a veritable haven for animals, allowed to roam around more or less as they pleased, knowing that there would always be servants to set out food and water for them, to care for them when they were sick, to welcome them inside when they became old and infirm. He's not sure if that's due to his father's own affection for the beasts, or if this is a tradition passed down the entire family.
He looks at Zafeera thoughtfully, placing a hand on her snout as her long tongue snakes through his fingers. ]
If you're not afraid of heights, I can take you for a spin. It'll be a lot faster than just walking to a good picnicking spot.
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timeasmymeasure
Post-auction DRAGON DATE
Date: 2024-02-25 03:05 am (UTC)Which is, of course, what brings him here: walking into the apothecary close to the time to close. Hopefully they don't have to take the 'date' part too literally. He doesn't mind hanging out with the guy and getting some coffee or something with him and a giant lizard, but he's not sure how good he'd be at pretending like he has any romantic skill whatsoever.
The apothecary is a mass of scents, growing different sorts of distinct the closer you get to certain hanging or dried herbs or concoctions. When he spots Claude, he lifts a hand in a casual sort of greeting, approaching the counter.]
You got much left to do to finish up?
no subject
Date: 2024-02-27 02:36 am (UTC)[ Claude looks up from behind the counter where he'd been hard at work mashing something together with a mortar and pestle, hair mussed, and apron covered with unidentifiable stains. He knew it was today, but lost track of time, as he often seems to do when left to his own devices, which means he isn't presenting as the rakishly handsome stranger that he'd really like to.
Not that he's taking this seriously as a date. He's never gone on a date in his life and, frankly, he doesn't see that changing until it's finally time for him to find some ambitious woman whose ideals match his, and more importantly, who is both willing and able to withstand the tribulations of court life. Still, he fancies himself a friendly sort of guy, and the auction seemed like it was for a good cause.
He hadn't expected Shinji of all people to be the one to bet on him, but... well, he's got a funny feeling that it's not for any amorous reasoning. ]
Just give me ten minutes and I'll be right with you! [ He pours his work through a funnel and into a glass bottle and corks it, then sheds his gloves and his apron, looking Shinji over in a friendly sort of way. ]
I'll be completely at your disposal this evening. Which of my offerings appealed to you, exactly?
[ He can't provide a whole lot of romance, not that he advertised the fact -- so he's making up for it with activities. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-02-28 07:48 pm (UTC)Take your time. I don't have anything pressing going on. [And it's simple to kill time in a store filled with so much stuff. He'll occupy himself by letting his eyes glaze over and failing to read the labels of whatever assortment of concoctions and powders is on the shelf in front of him. It's enough to give Claude the space to work, but remain in an earshot and focused on the conversation.
He'll give what's probably a roughx half-there laugh at Claude's question, though.]
You can't tell people you got a dragon and not expect them to wanna meet her. I figured I'd tag along, meet the dragon. If you want coffee or tea after, I don't mind going half on that. It's whatever.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-29 06:25 am (UTC)[ Claude disappears into the back for a few minutes -- a little more than what's polite, honestly, considering Shinji had paid for the dubious pleasure of his company, but he has a feeling the other man won't care too much. When he re-emerges, he's in a different outfit - not terribly different from the first, but at least he won't smell of char and thirteen different unidentifiable spices, especially with the help of a bit of cologne - and is hauling a large picnic blanket and a towel with him. ]
C'mon, I'll call her over.
[ He gestures for Shinji to follow him out the door and around the back, where there's a sufficient amount of land to call her over. He shoves his fingers in his mouth and lets out an absolutely deafening whistle. Sailing down to meet them with a nigh overwhelming gust of wind is an absolutely massive creature, ivory white scales shining to perfection, pupilless yellow eyes staring eerily down at them, her perpetual grin showing off rows of deadly-sharp teeth, long tongue lolling out of her mouth.
It doesn't take more than a moment of inspection to see that her white scales are stained with blood around her mouth and lingering around her fangs, some dribbling down her neck. ]
Hi Zaffy, [ Claude croons, as though greeting a particularly adorable puppy. ] You went hunting, didn't you? You're disgusting, aren't you? [ He takes the towel he'd brought with him to scrub down her face (much to her chagrin, it appears; she snaps her jaws playfully at him as he gets close, but ultimately relents to being cleaned off), then takes a step back, sweeping his hand between the two. ]
Shinji, meet Zafeera. Zafeera, meet Shinji. You can touch her, if you like. Just make sure to pet her with her scales, not against them. She hates that.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-09 02:39 pm (UTC)[It's a half-joke-- but it does seem to him to be a good way to weed people out. If they don't like your pet, then it won't work. Simple as that. And as Claude excuses himself, he'll wave a hand in acknowledgement- and sure doesn't seem to care about the length of time. Killing time is something of a specialty of his, after all.
The picnic basket and change of clothes gets an eyebrow raise and something of a half-smirk, as he moves to follow Claude over and outside.]
You're going all out, huh. Guess I better step up my game.
[But finally, Zafeera appears! His expression definitely shifts as she approaches and gusts into a landing, all teeth and scales and bloodstains. As much as he's gotten used to seeing monsters and weird animals both back home and here, seeing an actual dragon is another thing entirely. She moves like a predator, but responds positively to Claude's attention-- And it reminds him of someone having managed to tame a wolf or a lion.]
Damn....
[It's a curse in awe, but he still takes a few steps forward- and extends his hand, palm down, like one would when greeting a dog, to let them sniff you.]
She's cool as hell. [Sadly, he's not really the type to call her beautiful or anything. Once he's convinced she won't snap at him, he'll move a bit closer, able to brush the backs of his fingers against her scales, being mindful of move in the same direction.]
You been with her a while, seems like?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-14 09:56 am (UTC)But here and now, she seems quite tame, letting out a pleasant sort of grumble as Shinji's fingers brush her side, craning her head to get a good look at him, translucent membrane flickering over her bright yellow eyes. ]
But that just makes her even cooler. [ He slaps at her side, much like one might the flank of a horse. ] She and I have been together since I was just a little kid. I hatched her myself. She didn't get any choice in enjoying my company, did you girl?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-24 01:46 pm (UTC)Are they common, where you're from?
[Claude hatched her and raised her-- which he can't imagine being an easy task. Sure, lizards and stuff start small, but she clearly soars around hunting deer or something. Not that any of this information changes the way he runs his hands over her scales, head tilting as he gets a better look at her. If there's one thing that's actually really cool about being stuck in Aldrip, it's seeing all these fantastical, impossible creatures.]
Damn, I didn't even have a cat or a dog as a kid. [it's said with something of an amused smirk, and then he finally glances back to Claude. After all, he should at least be a little polite.]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-27 10:32 pm (UTC)[ That's when he'll let her bite, too, though he tries not to. One, because neither of them thrive from close-combat, and two, because he's convinced at some point she's going to get sick from biting some really dirty soldier. Deer are much safer. ]
But I grew up around a whole zoo. Cats and dogs and horses and pegasi and wyverns were just everywhere. Maybe you oughtta take in an animal while you're here too. [ It's a little sad, the thought of being detached from all that. But the palace had been a veritable haven for animals, allowed to roam around more or less as they pleased, knowing that there would always be servants to set out food and water for them, to care for them when they were sick, to welcome them inside when they became old and infirm. He's not sure if that's due to his father's own affection for the beasts, or if this is a tradition passed down the entire family.
He looks at Zafeera thoughtfully, placing a hand on her snout as her long tongue snakes through his fingers. ]
If you're not afraid of heights, I can take you for a spin. It'll be a lot faster than just walking to a good picnicking spot.