Temp Board - Full Moon

[Dutch]

A feral grin appeared on Dutch’s face as Giselle fell right in step with him and a smile that did interesting things to his stomach slid onto her face.

His sure-footed dance steps nearly faltered as she inquired after his more…primal dance moves.

He was damned sure they weren’t talking about dancing anymore. Leastwise, not vertically.

At the very least, his brain was not wired to accept a grin like that with words like those and not infer things meant for privacy. White hot desire raced through him, and on a step that brought him closer to his partner, he overstepped and pressed close enough to feel her body heat, hungry flames in his eyes as he locked eyes with her.

“I know plenty, darling. Perhaps I could show you a few of my favorites?” he said, voice just loud enough to be heard by her ears alone, and tilted his head in a ‘let’s get out of here’ gesture.

[Amelia]

The winged girl smiled at the wolf as he complimented her bangles. Sort of.

“Well thank you, Maverick. At least someone has an appreciation for the aesthetically pleasing,” she said pointedly, throwing a mildly venomous glance at the chef. Ben ignored the jab.

Her eyes sparkled amusedly as Maverick fumbled for a moment with the handshake, and Amelia was reminded that while he looked quite thoroughly human, he was actually a hybrid; a wolf able to take the shape of a man, not the other way around.

Ben smiled at the wolf, and nodded.

“No one is more skilled with a grill and a slab of meat than me. I can do whatever you want with a steak, my friend, except make it fly,” he said confidently, and nudged Amelia with his elbow. “I’ll leave that to the crazy bird,” he said, obviously teasing.

“Hah, oh, you’re too funny, Ben,” she deadpanned, but she wasn’t irritated. Everybody thought she was crazy. “The airship is coming beautifully, thanks for asking. And I’ll have a stuffed potato,” she said, and began leading the way to an empty table. “And toss me an ale!”

[Giselle Danielle]

She had been inferring something that meant to be private, yes. But, that didn't necessarily mean she was about to give it to him. Though, when he stepped closer she was tempted to just run off with him at that time. It was too difficult to resist the pirate. At least she knew how to prolong it.

She leaned up against him, bringing her face close to his as a mischievous glint overcame her eyes. She knew she had him wrapped around her finger at the moment and knew that she'd be able to get him to do almost anything she desired.

"Oh? You may have gotten me easily the first time...but I'm not so sure you'll be able to get me so easily this time." She said, lips brushing against his for a moment, eyes locked on his own. "You'll have to catch me."

There was a shimmer and no longer was there a woman standing in front of him, but a wolf. She wasted no time and darted past him, weaving in and out of dancing partners and away from the floor. She looked behind her to make sure he was following. If he wasn't...she'd be very very mad.


He smiled happily, pleased that she had noted his compliment. Well, he didn't really know how to compliment things. They were pretty, perhaps, but he didn't know how to say they were 'pretty' and sound like he actually meant it. Compliments in wolf terms was a sniff of the butt. Giselle had told him, at a very young age, that humans did not smell each other's butts. He didn't know why...it was a quick and easy hello.

"My mouth is absolutely watering as I await your delicious cooking." Maverick grinned.

The mention of an airship caught his attention and he followed Amelia to the table. He quickly darted forward and pulled back the chair for her to sit. Gisell had done well with teaching him manners, though she had used very little of it.

"Airship?" He asked curiously. "That sounds quite interesting. Tell me about it."

He was genuinely interested. A ship, that could fly? It sounded too crazy to be true. But, he had found many things that were crazy and quite true on his travels.

[Dutch]

Dutch’s eyes narrowed of their own accord, his heavily hooded eyes smoldering, as she pressed against him, grazing his lips in a brief kiss. He grinned at her words and went to wrap his hands around her, declaring her caught, but suddenly she was no longer there; replaced by a white streak of fur flashing off between the dancers. So, she wanted to play it that way, hmm? Dutch let out a growling chuckle and shimmered into his own Native form, his red pelt blending in better with the hues of the humans than her vibrant white fur.

As she looked back behind her, the fox dipped around behind a group of dancing people, weaving among their shifting legs in an attempt to avoid being seen. Giselle was taller than him, thus faster, but he was smaller. He could fit through places she’d barely be able to stick her nose.

Darting through the crowd, he tried to judge the approximate place she would appear and darted out into what would likely be her path, unless she had taken a major detour, and prepared to latch onto her.

[Dutch]

Amelia’s already large eyes widened with surprise as Maverick leapt forward to pull her chair out for her, and asked about her airship.

This man was a dream come true!

A huge girlishly excited grin slapped on her face, Amelia sat down in the offered chair and leaned forward.

“Well, you see, it’s what I’ve been working on for the past few years. Well, a lot of years actually, but anyways. It’s so difficult to get anywhere quickly in Arcynica, so I came up with the idea of a ship that could use the air currents like a regular ship uses the tides. I’ve actually got…some drawings…somewhere…” she said, rummaging through her many pockets in search of the elusive blueprints. She plunked a bunch of loose screws and gears, charcoal nubs and washer plates up on the table, before finally holding up a rolled, crumpled up piece of paper with ragged edges triumphantly, as though it were a declaration of royalty.

“Hah, here we go. See,” she said, spreading it out on the table and sweeping the other junk out of the way, “here, that’s the mast, and the rudder, and the wings,” she said, indicating each in turn. Several small sketches of half-formed vessels littered the paper, most depicting a craft much like an oceanic ship, with sails and a hull, but in addition framed by huge, sweeping wings on either side. “I’ve worked out all the weight to buoyancy ratios and the construction. Built a small version, and it has no problem getting up in the air. It’s staying there that’s the problem,” she said, a little exasperated. “I can’t find a fuel source that will burn and produce the correct amount of carbon to power the wings.” She rested one elbow on the table and supported her head in a gesture devoid of hope, and waved the other hand vaguely. “It’s almost like I’d have to be a Terra Mage to get the damned thing going.”

Ben, bearing a tray of food, suddenly appeared behind Amelia, and she started at his voice.

“Oh, God’s preserve you, friend, she’s started about that ship. You’ll never shut her up now,” he said sympathetically, setting the food down on what clear space he could find. Amelia blushed and quickly snatched her blueprints back, stuffing everything back in her pockets.

“He asked, jerk.” she snapped, taking the ale he held in his hand and taking a large gulp. She’d been babbling, she knew. She hoped she hadn’t scared Maverick off with her enthusiasm… it was an unfortunately trait of her species….

[Giselle Danielle]

As she looked behind her, she caught a faint and brief whiff of fox. So, the crazy Pirate was following her, but where was he? She slowed her speed and turned around, ears flicking this way and that before she dipped her head down. She inhaled deeply, trying to find the whereabouts of the sly fox. Nothing came to her nose, there were too many people.

She moved off to the right and headed toward the table where the ale was placed, which happened to be in the opposite direction of where she had been running. She'd sit underneath it for a while and allow the fox to find her. She'd, of course, would run away if she saw the red fluffball. She always did think foxes were cute...and she had never seen Dutch as one, come to think of it. She sidestepped around dancers and finally made it to the safety of the table. She squeezed through the line of people awaiting their ale and laid down beneath the table laden with alcohol.

This, however, proved to be a rather bad choice.

Apparently she had thrown a couple of people out of the line as she made her way through and a brawl had started. One man claimed he was in front of the other while the other claimed he was in front. She watched as the two men fought, a bit disappointed that it had happened. Especially in front of her. She stood, and was about to leave when one of the men was flung into the table and knocked the large barrel of ale over. She, lucky enough, happened to be standing right underneath it.

A loud yelp emitted from her muzzle as the large barrel fell on top of her, causing her to fall to the ground. The impact shattered the barrel and left her soaked. She laid there on the ground, tail twitching back and forth in anger. Her white fur was now tinged slightly yellowish brown and it clung to her like a second skin. She did not move an inch, other than her tail. She knew that if she moved it would probably hurt. The impact of the barrel had not been a soft one but she didn't necessarily want to look hurt either. Instead, she simply stayed still and watched as people pointed and laughed.

This was humiliating.


Maverick was full of smiles as he made his way into his chair and watched her. She looked so excited and so happy, he could tell that it was important to her. What she was telling him was quite interesting, and he was curious as to how she managed to get that far. He, himself, would have simply tried throwing a rock in the air and declared it an airship. She, however, had actually figured out calculations and had narrowed it down to one problem.

"That sounds...magnificent. I can't believe you've been able to get that far. It's really good, you're really smart." He grinned again, having difficulty not grinning or smiling. "If I find anything that could help you, I'll definitely let you know. I want to see it when it's done."

He truly did. He might not necessarily go in it, but he'd definitely see it. And then the food came.

"It's true, I did ask." He said, eyes turning to the food that had now been set on the table. "And I find it interesting, actually. So, no harm done." He looked up at the man with a smile. "Thanks for the food!"

He slid the plate of steak closer to himself and cut the steak into even sized pieces before shoving two in his mouth. He chewed for a while, his face clearly showing his enjoyment. The meat satisfied his hunger and he visibly relaxed into the chair as if it were heaven on earth.

"This....is.....delicious." He managed between bites. "So.....good.....oh....my.....lord."

He shoved more in his mouth, quite content.

[Dutch]

The fox’s triumphant smile faded as he looked around the wolf-free area, and huffed. Apparently she’d figured him out and had taken a detour.

Drat.

Dutch slinked and slid and wove his way among the sea of legs, searching out his quarry’s scent, and eventually found it, quite a ways off from his original estimated point of interception. He scowled. Obviously she’d been pursued before, if she knew all these evasive maneuvers. Although, it was a little funny, that the great white predatory wolf was being hunted by a tiny red fox. He smirked at the reversal of the roles.

Following her trail, careful to keep an eye open for her, the fox spotted a large, rather rowdy, group of humans standing about laughing. No sooner had he noticed them than he realized that Giselle’s scent was headed directly for them, and he frowned. This didn’t feel right. His Tandem’s keen instinct warned him something was amiss, and he swiftly retook his human form and stalked over to the spectators, roughly elbowing his way to the center as even his dull human nose picked up the scent of alcohol and wet canine. His eyes fell upon a large white wolf, lying in the middle of a pool of spilled beer, and he immediately recognized her as Giselle without a doubt.

He’d barely glimpsed the sodden form of Giselle, her tail twitching with suppressed rage, when his own temper boiled over. He spun on a man laughing particularly hard, pointing at the fallen wolf as though she were some side-show attraction rather than a living, breathing being and punched him solidly in the face, the satisfying crunch of cartilage and bone giving way under his fist shooting a rush of adrenaline through him. He grabbed another bystander by his shirtfront, lifting him up off the ground, and threw him bodily into the fray, knocking people back and bringing a rather abrupt end to the laughter.

“You are all a bunch of pathetic crow-begotten snakes. Get the hell out of here,” he snarled, eye alight with venomous hatred, and turned to bend down and pick up the prone wolf.

[Amelia]

Amelia’s face brightened as the wolf expressed genuine interest in her ship.

“Thanks! That’s really generous of you. Usually people just smile, nod, and back away slowly when I start rambling about her,” she said, gesturing at the pocket containing the plans.

She watched, amused, as he cut his steak up into little bite-sized portions before eating them; she’d half expected him to simply tear into it like a wolf, flatware be damned. She ate at her own meal, which was as delicious as she’d remembered, and giggled at the wolf.

“Shh, Ben’s ego is too big as it is. If it expands any more he’ll be so buoyant I’ll be able to harness him to lift my ship,” she warned playfully.

As she devoured her food, a niggling little idea worried at the back of her mind, and she took a rather large gulp of her ale, feeling her previous (rather strong) drink take hold and the fuzziness that accompanied intoxication set in. She moved bits of meat and potato around her plate, and glanced up at the wolf.

“So, uhm, would you maybe… like to see it? My ship, I mean. Or, well, the miniature, but it’ll look the same once it’s built…” she asked, trying not to blush and telling herself it was no big deal if he said no.

((oops! posted the last one as Dutch! >.< he just pops up everywhere...can't get rid of him....)

[Giselle Danielle]

Giselle hated being humiliated. She hated being below everyone else, or below anyone at all. She wanted to be the best at everything, but knew she couldn't be. That didn't stop her from trying. At least she was the best at making the small crowd around her laugh so hard for the time being. Though, the thought didn't comfort her. A low growl escaped her black lips as she listened to their laughs and she closed her eyes to try and forget about them.

An all too familiar scent hit her nose and she groaned, he was the last person she wanted seeing her at the moment.

Her eyes opened as she heard a thud, seeing a man laying on the ground and holding his nose. She watched as Dutch picked up a man and threw him into the crowd. She was impressed and touched that he would do those things for her. Her tail stopped its twitching and thumped the ground once in happy greeting. She was not too happy, however, when he went to pick her up. A small, barely audible, whine managed its way out from her throat as he picked her up. His hands had touched one of the sore parts of her back from the barrel. But, him picking her up proved that there were no broken bones for she felt no pain other than where he had touched.

As soon as she was in the air she shimmered into her natural form and draped an arm around his neck as she looked at him with a smile.

"I'm not sure if you want a sore women drenched in ale, but you have certainly caught her." She paused before laughing. "I probably look ridiculous. Probably don't smell that good either." She looked down at her wet clothes and shook her head. "I need a bath."


Naturally he would have teared the steak apart with his teeth. But, Giselle had hit him a couple times for eating like that as a human. So, instead, he cut his pieces up and ate them the 'proper' way. He didn't like it, but he was in company that he wished to please, so eating ravenously would not be the way to do that.

"Well, I'll be honest when I say it doesn't sound likely. I believe you, however, so I find it quite interesting."

He stopped feeling bad for having Dutch get punched in the face and instead began to enjoy himself. He really did enjoy the girl's company and was glad that he was spending time with her rather than Dutch. He was sure the pirate had slept with other women since Giselle, but he didn't want Giselle finding it out. Knowing her, she'd probably ask him eventually. His thoughts were interrupted as she asked a question and he looked up at her with surprise.

"Really?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as he swallowed the remnants of a piece of steak. "I would love to go see it....her." He corrected himself quickly.

He took the last bite of his steak and then downed the rest of his drink from before. He realized, a bit later, that he had stolen the mug. Oh well, he'd pay the man if he saw him again.

[Dutch]

Dutch winced as he heard the soft whine from the wolf, and he tried to make his movements as gentle as possible. He gave her room when she began to shift, and was grateful as his arms settled into a more comfortably natural position. It was far easier to hold a human than a wolf, and far more pleasurable to hold Giselle than an overgrown pup.

The pirate looked down at the saturated woman in his arms appreciatively. “Oh, no, it’s actually one of my fantasies to have to chase down a woman soaked in ale who is completely under the thrall of my irresistible charms, though I have to admit she is supposed to be naked,” he told her, careful to keep his expression perfectly serious. He quickly bent down and nuzzled her neck, breathing deeply.

“And I think you smell delicious,” he said, and ran his tongue in a slow circle over the skin. “And what do you know, you taste good too,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

“I could just lick your entire body clean, but I suppose if you insist on a bath…” he trailed of disappointedly, and set a heading for the nearest inn.

[Amelia]

Amelia practically bounced in her seat when Maverick agreed to come and take a look at her airship. She wondered if he was supposed to come with gift wrapping.

“Really?! That’s fantastic because she’s right around the corner, let’s get going!” she exclaimed in one breath, her words leaving her mouth so close together it probably sounded more like one enormous word in a foreign language than a coherent sentence, as she turned to launch out of her seat and dash out the door, then stopped herself and forced her limbs to set her back down. “I mean, whenever you’re ready to go, she isn’t that far off,” she edited in a more reasonable manner, taking a steadying drink from the last of her ale, and trying to pretend her face hadn‘t just caught fire.

“And it’s alright if you don’t give her a gender; she’s really just a hunk of wood ‘til her maiden voyage, but I sorta jumped ahead with it all. I even named her. Kinda,” she said, trying not to sound like an excitable five year old with a new toy.

[Giselle Danielle]

She raised an eyebrow when he admitted that it was one of his fantasies. Though, she had a feeling he was joking. Even with his serious face she didn't fully believe him. At the mention of being naked she rolled her eyes playfully at him. This man was driven by one thing, and one thing only. She wondered how many he had taken since her. Did he enjoy it as much?

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and twitched a bit when he brought his head down, breath running over her neck. She was rather sensitive about her neck, so when his tongue touched her skin she twitched a bit more. She chuckled and rested her head against his chest.

"You never cease to amuse me." She said, eyes looking up at his face. "Although your offer is tempting, very much so, I must decline and postpone it for another time. Perhaps when it's something other than ale."

She wasn't looking forward to leaving his arms. He was so comfortable...


Maverick laughed at her excitement, not at her. He had finished his food, and had finished his ale so he had no problem going to see the airship at that time. He stood and looked down at her after she had sat down and shook his head.

"No no, no need to be polite." He said, offering his hand to her. "I'm a wolf at nature, being polite that way is by sniffing one's butt so..." He grinned. "Let's go, I can tell that you're excited to show me it and I'm excited to see it."

He really didn't need anyone to be polite towards him. He didn't mind in the slightest that she had jumped up without asking if he was ready to go. He was always ready to go. Giselle almost always dragged him around when he was least expecting it.

[Dutch]

Dutch smiled at the woman in his arms, relieved that she wasn’t angry or upset. He was worried the little incident might have a negative effect on her mood, but she seemed alright. He decided to conclude that his witty repartee was responsible.

“Yes, well, I try,” he said, shrugging a shoulder as she admitted he provided her with ongoing amusement. He wasn’t really surprised when she declined his offer, he hadn’t really expected her to be in the mood for that sort of thing at the moment and it had been presented jokingly, but her ending suggestion raised his eyebrows.

“Well, I will be keeping that in mind for later, madam,” he promised, flashing her a wink and quick grin.

“By the way, for future reference, the proper response when a man goes to the trouble to punch someone’s face in for you, is to gush over his manly prowess and immediately bed him. However, I am inclined to let it slide this time, in light of the fact that you need a bath. I will, of course, be more than willing to help you with reaching the hard to reach places, such as your chest, stomach, legs, back… more or less anywhere currently covered by clothes, actually,” he said in the tone of someone who thinks themselves quite selfless and helpful.

[Amelia]

Smiling sheepishly up at Maverick, Amelia took his offered hand and stood. “I always get a little over-excited when it comes to my ship. Usually it scares people off,” she laughed.

She laughed at his description of politeness. “Well, I glad for the both of us you restrained from sniffing my butt earlier. I may have taken it badly after Dutch, you know,” she told him, smiling. Through the haze of alcohol and the bubbly excitement of someone’s genuine interest, Dutch’s irritating attractiveness was but a dull memory. Who really cared about a two-timing, insincere, probably tiny-dicked overcompensating flirt anyways?

Leading the way, she tried to keep the bounce in her step from turning into outright skipping.

“I have a hard time leaving my ship behind whenever I go on trips. I miss her if I’m away for too long,” she admitted. “Silly, I know, but I’m always afraid I’ll stumble upon the magical solution to my problem while I’m away and I won’t be able to test it because I left her somewhere,” she justified, and led him into an inn, up the stairs to her quarters. Opening the door, she stepped back to reveal a wooden contraption about two feet high and three feet long taking up most of her bed.

“Ta-dah!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms wide. “Officially, she isn’t named yet, but I’ve dubbed her Etherwind. Rose for short,” she said, in a tone that stated this made perfect sense to her. “Would you like me to explain how she works?”

[Giselle Danielle]

She pressed her ear against his chest, simply listening for the moment. His heartbeat was still pounding quickly, probably due to the fight from earlier. His chest seemed to rumble slightly as he spoke and she moved her head off his chest so she could hear him clearer. She raised an eyebrow at his words, looking up at him with a small smile.

"Oh?" She asked, a grin spreading over her face. "Well then, I see. I apologize for not gushing over your manliness. To be quite honest I was rather touched that you would do such a thing but I did not know that I was suppose to gush over you." She ran a hand over his shoulder, down his arm and then to his chest. "Perhaps I shall bed you, but later, after the bath. Or, during. Depends how large the tub is. Inns don't usually have large ones, unfortunately."

Her voice carried on with no hint of a joke in it and she kept a rather serious face.

"Though, your offer to help get those 'hard to reach places' will be greatly appreciated."


He looked at her as she laughed and smiled. She really was cute and he wouldn't mind her tagging along with them on their travels for a while. Though, he didn't think she'd come. Why was he even thinking about taking her along in the first place? It had always been just Giselle and Maverick...until Dutch...but Dutch was different, they wouldn't be staying with him. He came and left, they came and left. It worked out. Though, he knew that Giselle never wanted to do the leaving part.

"Nah, I don't see why. I'm sure the concept is hard to grasp, but anything is possible." He laughed as she spoke about him sniffing her butt and he shook his head. "Yes, I'm sure you probably would have punched me in the face. You shouldn't be mad at Dutch too much...Giselle and him never really declared themselves...together. Unfortunately for my Tandem I think she's come to liking him a bit...too much. So, naturally, I had to interfere. But, I'm happy now because I get to spend it with a beautifully smart woman."

The ale had taken its affect on him. He didn't usually give compliments, but when he did it was the truth, he rarely ever lied. He quickened his step, for he was sure she was about to explode if they didn't get there soon. She was so excited about it, he could understand a bit.

"It's gorgeous." he said as his eyes landed on the ship. "Yes, please, show me how it works."