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Post by Aura on Jun 23, 2019 0:48:23 GMT -6
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Post by Aura on Jun 23, 2019 0:58:42 GMT -6
Falling in love with them had been unexpected. After all, their normal feelings towards creatures tended to take quite some time to form into affection. It was impossible to avoid loving the tiny pollen cats, however; especially when they fixed Aura in their cute blue and purple gazes. The ssashirk had found someone they could borrow pachee from, either for a fee or for pick of the litter, but they wanted to start their own collection. That was where the trip to Nature's Bounty had come in. After acquiring their new friends, they found their way over to the breeding center for the first time- and released the critters into the room. Aura watched as they, at first, ignored one another; both were interested in sniffing all over the comfortable-looking room. It was possible scents from previous visitors still lingered, and that is what had caught the interest.
Aura found a place to sit out of their way, much more content to just watch them get to know one another. They'd brought a book to read on the local flora in the meantime; love could not be rushed, after all. The investigation of their surroundings needed to happen first, and then- they were sure- more would come.
((A: 1/20 E: 0.1/0.1 H: 0.1/0.1))
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Post by Aura on Jun 23, 2019 1:21:01 GMT -6
Sure enough, after enough time, Honey and Echo had their fill of the room and were more interested in one another. They had been bought at the same time, but kept entirely separate. They had also been completely alone in their enclosures upon being brought home; it was strange to see one another. They approached cautiously, the leaves on their back bristling. They stayed just out of reach of one another, necks stretched out and tiny noses twitching as they inhaled one another's scents. It was both familiar and strange. Being social creatures, however, they could not bring themselves to stay suspicious for long. Honey was the first to relax, leaning back and resting on her stomach on the ground, watching what Echo would do in response. He mirrored her, following suit and resting with his front limbs tucked beneath his chest. He did not let his guard down quite so quickly, and the tension showed in his posture- but Honey seemed perfectly at ease. She just wanted to have companionship. She'd been so lonely since she'd moved into Aura's home.
Aura looked up from their book, trying not to smile at the pachee loafs that had suddenly formed on the floor. They would have had to be heartless not to find it cute.
((A: 2/20 E: 0.2/0.2 H: 0.2/0.2))
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Post by Aura on Jun 25, 2019 19:49:43 GMT -6
Aura looked up and watched them for a few more moments. As soon as they'd start getting closer, they'd never be lonely again; the ssashirk intended to only allow pachee to live at the house in Avant Vall. Perhaps one day they'd get a bigger place- maybe a farm- where they could have many more creatures, but that was for their future. Their goals for the moment were just to get established and make their pets as comfortable as possible. For pachee, it meant getting them companions so they wouldn't die from loneliness.
Echo didn't calm, just watching her for a few moments. Honey swayed her tail as she watched him, further relaxing by flopping onto her side and slowly blinking her eyes at him. It was that gesture that finally let him start to relax, but only a bit. They didn't talk yet; both of them were waiting to see who would break the ice. They'd been kept with others of their gender in Turner's shop, but had been almost entirely alone upon moving into the oasis of Aura's house. They were both desperate for the companionship, but just wary of the new place and the strange companionship of one another. Echo considered for a moment, and then rested his head on his paws, letting the tension out.
((A: 3/20 E: 0.3/0.3 H: 0.3/0.3))
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Post by Aura on Jun 26, 2019 19:07:22 GMT -6
At Echo finally relaxing, Honey didn't move; she just started to talk to him. To Aura, of course, it sounded only like chatter. "You can smell it, can't you? A lot of pachee come through here. There's no fear mixed in. What do you think that's about?" Honey had never been in proximity with a male before, and the lack of mark on his face- as well as the pollen on his tail- were interesting. She was intrigued by the scent, and it drew her in just a little. It was...intoxicating, almost.
He twitched his nose, trying to pick out what she was talking about. It wasn't long before he picked up the familiar scent of pollen and something else, but he couldn't put a leaf on what. "Now that you mention it, I do. It mostly just smells like our dust." He flicked his tail for emphasis. "There are scents of others like you, too. Is this some kind of designated meeting spot? I have distantly been able to scent you in the yard, but this is the first time we've been allowed close."
Hearing their chittering finally start pleased Aura in a way they hadn't imagined. They weren't prone to cute fuzzy feelings, but something about pachee mewls was the exception.
((A: 4/20 E: 0.4/0.4 H: 0.4/0.4))
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Post by Aura on Jun 26, 2019 20:59:03 GMT -6
"Perhaps that's all this is. Well, regardless, it's nice to meet you. Where did you come from before ending up with the big lizard?" Honey asked. She lazily looked around the room, searching for anything entertaining. It was a pretty cozy room; there was little carpet or fabric, probably for ease of cleaning. There was a windowsill with sunlight filtering in from the outside... She stretched and rose up from the floor, trotting over to it and jumping into it to look outside. She glanced back at Echo, wordlessly inviting him to come join her.
He watched her move, and decided if she had not been hostile thus far that was not going to change anytime soon. He moved to jump up beside her, keeping just enough distance so they did not touch. The sunlight felt good on him, as well, and he resisted the urge to purr in response to it. "I remember being raised by a human with a kind voice. He had me in this busy type of place with others of our kind, but all pollinators like me. He always smelled like soil..."
Aura watched them a few moments, and the lines of light filtered across their tiny bodies, before returning to their book. They seemed to be getting along now, a little, and probably deserved privacy.
((A: 5/20 E: 1.0/1.0 H: 1.0/1.0))
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Post by Aura on Jun 26, 2019 23:17:16 GMT -6
Honey fixed one of her purple eyes on Echo, then back out at the world. The things he was describing were similar. "That was what it was like for me as a kit as well. He smelled of soil and his hands were warm. When he worked in our enclosure, he'd sometimes put me on his shoulders and let me ride around with him." She responded, with a contented flitter of her wings. "Sometimes people came in and left with my sisters." Those were always difficult days; she never saw her sisters again after those. She wondered how they were...
"It was like that in our enclosure, too. People would come in and look at my brothers or my friends and then walk out with them. I never liked anyone touching me much... but the lizard seems to try more." He looked over at Aura, watching them read. He gave an agitated twitch of his tail. "They don't try to hold me, at least, but they walk by and scratch behind my ears a lot. I don't know how I feel about it."
Aura didn't notice the dark pachee's scrutiny; they were already lost in their book, trying to absorb every bit of knowledge on the local flora.
((A: 6/20 E: 1.1/1.1 H: 1.1/1.1))
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Post by Aura on Jun 26, 2019 23:32:34 GMT -6
"How do you not like it? I think it feels amazing. When those claws hit that one spot right behind the ears..." She gave a low, rumbling purr, closing her eyes to let the sunlight soak into her. Of course both of them got plenty of yard time back home, but it was their nature to be drawn to the sun and the soil.
He blinked at her, and noticed for the first time just how beautiful she looked caught in the daylight. Her light brown fur and the yellow of her leaves were made for the summer and the radiance. When his silence went too long, and she fixed him in one of her purple eyes, he saw the light catch...and they shimmered like the richest berries he'd ever seen. He rustled the leaves on his back, trying to concentrate. "I just don't see the point in it. All that touching, I mean. It's never felt good enough to justify someone else being in my personal range."
Aura flipped a few pages in their book, looking for the chapter on pachee. How were they supposed to know when they were done? It wasn't as if they had similar mating rituals. Mainly, they just seemed to be relaxing. Was something going wrong?
((A: 7/20 E: 1.2/1.2 H: 1.2/1.2))
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Post by Aura on Jun 26, 2019 23:43:30 GMT -6
Honey fixed him in both of her eyes at that point, an incredulous look on her face. "Never felt...? That's nonsense. Here." She moved up closer to him, nuzzling her head along his shoulder in the process. Finally, her sides and shoulder were pressed against him, and she continued in the low rumbles of purring in her chest. With both of them lit up in the sun, she realized just how beneficial it was that his fur was so dark. He was so... warm. "Doesn't this feel nice? Worth having me inside of your space?" She teased.
He froze as soon as she moved closer, body stiffening. Having her so close was so strange, and at first? No, he didn't like it. But as he started to pay more attention, he realized that she actually did feel... pleasant. Not amazing or anything like she'd described from having her ears scratched, but there was something different about her than the humans. He couldn't help it; a soft purr escaped him, too. "Yeah...I guess this is nice," he admitted, in a slightly lower, embarrassed chitter.
Aura looked up when the light shifted on their face, realizing that something had changed...and saw the cats cuddling. Well. That was probably a good sign about how well things were going.
((A: 8/20 E: 1.3/1.3 H: 1.3/1.3))
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Post by Aura on Jun 27, 2019 0:06:28 GMT -6
"See, I knew I'd be right," she joked. In being that close, though, she was realizing some things too. She'd been affectionate with the lizard before, with Turner, with the other female pachees- but there was more to it here. The way their shoulders brushed together, the way he smelled...It awakened something in her, some buried instinct she'd never come across. Her head felt strange...Hazy. Dizzy. The sensation was like a headache, but instead of being painful, it was euphoric. She purred, running her tongue between his ears affectionately.
The more he snuggled with her, the more he started to enjoy the proximity. The purring healing, and spoke to him in a way he didn't know how to explain. It caused a tickle in his heart, a restlessness he couldn't describe. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. "Well. That's different. You're not a weird lizard human," he joked- the first joke he'd made. He realized, too late, that in moving his body his tail had moved too. In his excitement, its normal swaying had turned into a rattling, almost like a snake.
Aura saw the cloud of pollen, first- and, too late, realized they were going to sneeze. They buried their head in their arm, keeping their eyes shut tight. The pachee had the benefit of extra eyelids they did not.
((A: 9/20 E: 1.4/1.4 H: 1.4/1.4))
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Post by Aura on Jun 27, 2019 0:15:58 GMT -6
"No, I'm not, but you should give getting pet a few more chances," Honey said softly. That euphoria was fading, and she realized that there was a slight yellow cloud in the air- and that her vision was blurry. It was the first time she'd ever had to make use of her extra eyelid. As the cloud dispensed, the euphoria disappeared, and was replaced with a light itch in her forehead. She resisted the urge to scratch it, instead, continuing her affectionate bathing of the other one like her. Had his eyes always been blue...? How long had he been looking at her like that?
"I'll give it a try, just for you," he promised, still giving a low purr...but he felt strange. Tired. He wanted to go home and take a nap. Before he could vocalize any of this, he saw Honey get gently picked up and put into a box by the big lizard. They were nicer, instead coaxing him inside by placing one of his favorite treats inside his box. Were they going to take them home together...? Would they be allowed to be close to one another this time? Reluctantly, he went into the cage, barely eating his berry.
Aura picked up the boxes, heading back towards the house. That had been textbook, if they'd read the book correctly.
((A: 10/20 E: 2.0/2.0 H: 2.0/2.0))
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Post by Renathan on Jun 27, 2019 0:51:23 GMT -6
No way, two females? And pretty black ones, at that!
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