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Post by Nadia on Oct 6, 2020 18:22:34 GMT -6
So... a cafe, was it?
Nadia looked at the building before her, and down at the scrap of paper in her hands. Catscratch Cafe. A long paper trail had led her right to the door of this hole-in-the-wall establishment, that looked... rather up her alley, in all truthfulness. She'd been meaning to find a new place to go for tea on the regular.
That wasn't why she was there, however. She was after a man by the name of Kadin, intent on asking him some questions about an aviary. Her interest in falconry had meant she had been curious about local facilities, but she had been sorely disappointed to find the aviary in question abandoned - its doors were well and truly closed when she'd gotten there. With no indicator of the fate of the building, the best thing she could think to do was follow any documents available in the local library back to the owner... and thus, she stood at Catscratch. Gelert leaned forwards to sniff at the door.
"What do you think?" She asked the houluh. No response - she didn't know what she'd expected. "Very well. I do hope Mr. Kadin is around here somewhere."
In they went. Gelert was obedient enough that Nadia lacked concern for anyone's welfare; he wasn't going to go about mauling any pets. He was, however, just as surprised as she was to see an Enileaf at the counter.
"Oh... hello!" She wasn't quite sure how to have a conversation with a cat. Like you would with anyone else, hopefully. "I... I wonder if you could point me in the direction of a Mr. Kadin."
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Post by Kadin on Oct 6, 2020 18:43:46 GMT -6
Rochelle looked up from where she was lounging on the counter at the chime of the bell over the door. She quickly sat up, tucking her tail neatly over her paws, and trilled out a cheerful, "Welcome!" at her new guests. A customer! Who came in with a houluh, of all things. An unfortunate choice of companion animals, to be sure, but it was nothing that she couldn't work with! Especially if she turned out to be a paying customer. What she certainly had expected was for them to ask after Kadin the moment she walked up to the counter. Rochelle tilted her head, one ear flicking back in the direction of the kitchens, checking to see if Kadin was still there, before focusing her attention on her guests. She wasn't sure what they could want with Kadin, but the girl didn't seem malicious at all. It couldn't be anything too dreadful. Still, she wouldn't be doing her duty as Kadin's Meddler in Chief if she didn't try her best to find out what they were here for first! "Why, you've come to the right place if you're looking for Mr. Kadin. He's in the back, right now, working on getting some cookies ready! What is it you need him for? I can hop into the back and see if he has a moment, if you'd like. Would you happen to like to order something for while you wait?" Rochelle said in a rush of purrs, getting up to her paws with her tail held elegantly in the air, posed as if to dash off at the slightest wish for her guests. She really was quite good at whatever it was she thought she was doing.
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Post by Nadia on Oct 6, 2020 18:53:42 GMT -6
Nadia was enraptured. An Enileaf, speaking to her as clear as day - she'd known that they were sentient, but had never come across one that could have a conversation with her in Common. It must've taken her a few beats after Rochelle spoke to even attempt to respond, and she looked very embarrassed with that fact, instead glancing between the menu board and the floor.
"I... I was informed that Mr. Kadin is in direct connection with the aviary in the City, and wanted to ask him a few questions about its current state. I would be most grateful to speak with him if he has a moment to spare," She said. Something for the wait? Well, that was tempting... ah, no tea. A shame. "And, um... a hot chocolate would be delightful, thank you."
A little indulgence, just this once.
Gelert couldn't stop himself from staring. That was not the sound he thought he would hear, from something that looked very much like a cat. It bothered him. He huffed, bumping his nose against Nadia's side; she patted his head without even looking. Hmph. More fool her, to trust such a thing.
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Post by Kadin on Oct 6, 2020 19:16:04 GMT -6
Rochelle preened as the human stared. She was only a bit surprised by what she was actually here for. As Kadin's Meddler in Chief, she knew all of the properties the poor fool owned. Early on, she'd decided that it would be for the best if he'd discovered them slowly, over time. Her time. Look, it was funny that he still slept in the kennels, ok? But those damn birds were getting pretty annoying. All their bright colors and sharp beaks. It might not be too early to get them out of her fur.
"Hmm, I don't believe he's ever mentioned that!" She said as if she hadn't been the one hiding the paperwork for the aviary from Kadin ever since his return to the area. "I'll get you your cocoa while you wait, we'll see if you two can work it out." She said cheerfully. Before she jumped over to the opposite counter, she paused for only a moment to make direct eye contact with the houluh, whiskers twitching in amusement as if she knew what was bothering him. She did not. She just wanted him to think that she did.
A moment later, she was carefully pawing at the hot chocolate maker (which had already been set up just so that she could operate it on her own) before jumping onto the window that served as her entrance to the kitchens. She walked through, tossing a, "Back in a moment!" over her shoulder as she padded into the kitchens. She stayed up on her shelf, not wanting to start an argument about enileaf hair around food stuff (again) and called out to her human, "Kadin! Oh, Mr. Kadin! There's a young lady here to see you."
Kadin looked up from one of the industrial sized ovens. It looked like he'd been there for a while. There were several empty pans around him, Chocolate, Butterscotch, and Oatmeal cookies scattered all around him, sitting on cookie trays. He didn't seem amused by Rochelle's proclamation, likely thinking it was a joke. "Whoever it is, tell them to wait. This last batch will be out in three minutes."
"Very well, Mr. Kadin, I'll let her know." Rochelle replied gravely, flicking her tail just slightly in amusement when she turned to leave.
Kadin rolled his eyes, vaguely wondering where this "Mr. Kadin" had come from.
"He'll be out in a moment." Rochelle said, bursting from her cat door. She leapt back down on the counter, chirping in delight to see that the hot chocolate was done. She batted at the cup with her paw, watching it roll down a small conveyer belt before coming to a gentle stop right in front of the customer. Oh how she loved the little modifications they'd made to the shop!
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Post by Nadia on Oct 6, 2020 19:47:27 GMT -6
Gelert would've grumbled if he had the capacity. Just watching the cat prance around the place aggravated him, though he had no reason for it - she looked too clever. His woman was getting swept up in the display, to boot! It wouldn't do. The best thing he could do was demand her attention by nuzzling at her hand until she looked at him.
But she wouldn't. Nadia was altogether too fascinated with how the shop had been modified to suit an Enileaf barista; Rochelle's comings and goings were a mere distraction in the face of such a marvel. She was being served by a quadruped. The smell of fresh cookies wafting from the kitchen was making her stomach growl, but even that unsightly noise was going ignored, when she'd usually cower with embarrassment.
"I... I thank you," She said when the drink had made its way to her. Warm cocoa was a rare pleasure, and seemed all the more thrilling in the unique circumstances. "For the beverage, and for letting him know. I'll... I'll take a seat, if that is alright."
With cup in hand, she sat herself conveniently close to the counter, and settled in to wait. She had no desire to look impatient - that was rude. Instead, she kept up with the shellshocked look, and drank.
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Post by Kadin on Oct 6, 2020 20:05:25 GMT -6
"Of course, sweetheart." Rochelle purred, absolutely delighted at how captivated her customer seemed by her little shop. "Find yourself some place comfortable, he'll be out in a moment. Let me know if you need anything!" With that, she settled back down behind the counter, ears flicking between her customer and the kitchen. Maybe they'd have more customers today! Things were looking up!
Kadin finally finished up in the kitchen. He transferred the cookies over to server trays and stacked them up on his arms, carefully carrying them to the door and backing out of it. Once safely through, he set about putting the cookies out on display while Rochelle blinked slowly in his direction, waiting. Finally, he turned to look at the enileaf. "What? Why are you staring at me?"
"Oh, Mr. Kadin, don't be rude. There's a young lady who wants to talk to you, I already told you! She's right over there." She flicked her ears in Nadia's direction, eyes twinkling in amusement. Kadin stared at her for a bit, suspicious, but quickly turned away to seek out the 'young lady'. He knew better than to try to have a staring contest with an enileaf.
He brightened, a bit, at seeing the houluh with her. Kadin grabbed a couple of the cookies, making sure that one of them was oatmeal (they're pet safe!) before making his way over and putting them down on the table closest to the customer, taking a seat across from her. "For you and your houluh. I heard you were looking for me?"
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Post by Nadia on Oct 6, 2020 21:00:52 GMT -6
Nadia settled in to her cocoa, and managed to overcome the initial shock quickly enough to take in her surroundings. A cosy little place, indeed, with a mishmash of furniture that made it all the more homely. It was nice. If nothing else came of the visit, at least she'd found a fascinating new hangout and had a nice, indulgent drink.
Gelert was not so contented. It was a place of many smells, and that was interesting, but that was about the extent of the charm in his eyes. He didn't trust the Enileaf. The most offensive thing of all, however, was the lack of a snack for him. He stared at Nadia. Was she really cruel enough to sit and drink her delicious-smelling beverage without giving him a thing?
Kadin, therefore, was a gift from the gods. Bringing cookies with him was enough to warm the cockles of Gelert's heart; he was leaning over to investigate the offerings before Nadia could get a word out.
"Hold a moment, you," She said, tucking her fingers into his collar to hold him. With the houluh gotten hold of, she turned her attention to Kadin, and held out her hand for him to shake. "Hello, sir. I assume you are the Mr. Kadin I seek?"
Should she drop the title? No, she didn't want to look rude.
"I am here regarding the aviary in the city. I saw it had closed down, and when I looked for information regarding the owner, all sources led to you."
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Post by Kadin on Oct 7, 2020 10:27:56 GMT -6
Kadin smiled faintly at the houluh's eager interest in the cookies he'd brought over. He hadn't thought himself much of an animal person before coming here, but the more he worked with the creatures he'd suddenly found in his care, the more he was coming to realize how much easier it was to deal with them than to deal with other people. Certainly beat the string of apprenticeships he'd be subjected to in his youth.
Case in point.
He redirect his attention, with some effort, towards the girl who was actually talking to him. Nodding at her question, he affirmed, "Yeah, I'm Kadin," and resisted asking about the 'Mr.' portion of the address. Apparently this was where Rochelle had picked it up from. He listened as she talked about an aviary? Of all places? And suddenly found himself in the awkward position of potentially having to explain his memory loss to a complete stranger.
...Yeah. He wasn't going to do that.
"An aviary? I'm... pretty new here, but I keep finding things that have been left in my name. I might own an aviary, I'd have to check." Kadin carefully dodged the issue, putting it off until later. He'd never found a property permit that talked about an aviary in his possession before, but worst comes to worse and he figured he could go to city hall and look it up himself. Of course, that was when Rochelle made it clear that she had absolutely been listening in the entire time. From the counter. Where she was currently loafing, pretending to ignore them.
"In the safe!" She trilled, flicking her tail once in the air as if that should have been obvious.
Kadin frowned. If he had a safe that held important paperwork somewhere, this was the first time he was fucking hearing about it. "Safe? What safe?"
"The documents safe. If you own an aviary, the documentation should be there!" Rochelle said back, ending with a yawn that she politely put her paw in front of even though it did nothing to block all of her needle-sharp teeth on display.
Kadin was getting a bit impatient at the game she was clearly playing. "Where?"
At this, Rochelle finally sat up and rolled her entire head to mimic rolling her eyes. Really! This boy could be so thick sometimes. "In the kennels, of course."
"...Of course." Kadin said flatly. He turned back to Nadia with a frown, although it wasn't for her. He gestured in Rochelle's general direction when he said, "I'll have to check the document safe. That's apparently in my kennel. I think I know what pets are supposed to be in the aviary. They kinda stand out." He hesitated here. He was technically done for the day now that he'd finished baking for the display. He could go look for the documents now. But he had no idea what this girl wanted out of... all of this. "What do you want with the aviary, anyway?" If she just wanted to meet the pets that were supposed to be there, he had no shortage of birds back at his place that she could gawk at.
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Post by Nadia on Oct 7, 2020 14:24:08 GMT -6
Nadia thought that she'd better do something to distract her houluh - if Gelert didn't get his mouth on those cookies, he'd nag her for the whole of the conversation and she wouldn't be able to pay attention in the way that her partner deserved. So, a portion of the oatmeal was broken off and fed to him. With him chewing away, she could concentrate on what was being said, and how to respond to it. The exchange between Kadin and Rochelle left her confused, rather than illuminated. He wasn't aware that he owned an aviary... but the Enileaf seemed to know more about it than she was letting on, given that she was the one with all the answers. How could one be unaware of owning property? His explanation was plausible, and she wasn't the sort to judge (too harshly) on first impressions, but it did strike her as unusual if nothing else. To keep herself busy while she waited to re-enter the discussion, she took another sip of cocoa. "Well, I... I had developed an interest in falconry, and thought it would be valuable experience to volunteer at the premises for a while, to observe professionals in action," She replied. Hearing her own wistful ideas spoken out loud made her face flush - was she really troubling a stranger over this? "Pardon me, I-- I have no desire to trouble you, if this is all an inconvenience." Gelert was nothing short of ecstatic to bother this person, after devouring that cookie. It was delicious! There'd be more where that came from, right? The hopeful gaze towards Kadin was difficult to ignore. [Logged]
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Post by Kadin on Oct 7, 2020 16:26:13 GMT -6
"Hmm." Professionals? Kadin couldn't remember training any birds before, but that was hardly anything new. He was sure that some of the birds in his kennel must have been trained at some point. There sure were a fucking lot of them in there. "I get that, I definitely have some izer you can practice working with." He waved off her concerns, shaking his head.
"It's fine, I need to sort through the crap in my kennel anyway. If I do have the permit in there, it'll give me a good excuse to clear out some of the pets who clearly don't want to be there." Kadin stood up, brushing some spare flour from his jeans where it somehow ended up underneath his apron. He hesitated at that, intended to go ahead and get this out of the way now that he was free, but he had no fucking idea what to do this girl while he was attempting to navigate his kennel. "Uh, you're welcome to come back tomorrow and I'll let you know if I found it. Unless you wanted to help, but the kennel is kinda. Crazy." To put it mildly.
While he wait to see what her answer would be, he offered the houluh another slight smile. He offered his hand for pets or sniffs, assuming it would be allowed to come and say hello.
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Post by Nadia on Oct 8, 2020 13:26:31 GMT -6
Gelert was typically not fond of new people around Nadia. He was defensive of her to a fault - he recognised her as a weaker creature than he, and wanted to protect her from outside influences that could cause her harm. This man, however, had won him over with cookies. Cookies alone. Maybe he was not the vicious warrior he envisioned himself as being.
"If you require assistance, I am free," Nadia responded. She was responsible for putting this into action, after all. It would be rude of her to leave him to a potentially stressful situation without even offering to help. If he declined, she would respect his wishes, but she wanted it to be known that she did not expect him to do all the hard work. "It is just Gelert and I, out for a walk. Plus, I have... finished my cocoa."
She sounded rather disappointed at the discovery. There was a cookie left to nibble, though! That was consolation enough.
"The cocoa was delicious, thank you!" She called to the Enileaf with a cheery wave. "I shall certainly return!"
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Post by Kadin on Oct 8, 2020 15:10:57 GMT -6
"Sure, you can tag along." Kadin didn't really say anything about helping. Truth be told, it would probably be a bit of an inconvenience to have her along since his kennels were such a disaster area already. But, well. He had nothing better to do and it looked like she didn't either. If they found the permit fast maybe she could help him move the aviary birds over or some shit like that. Kadin walked over to the counter to grab his to-go cup of coffee from Rochelle before they headed out. He noticed that there were two to-go cups instead of the typical one. He raised his eyebrow at Rochelle. Rochelle flicked her tail, tapping him on the cheek, and gave him a feline grin. Rolling his eyes, Kadin grabbed both cups and handed one to the girl, holding it out for her without a word until, presumably, she eventually accepted it. "Don't thank her." He advised as he led the way to the door. "She hasn't charged you yet, but she'll find a way to make you pay later." He paused at the door, holding it open for her to go first, and to ask, "What was your name, anyway?" After a walk to the kennels, sipping at their respective beverages, they finally made it to Kadin's. He hesitated at opening the doors, glancing at the girl a moment before advising her, "You might wanna stand back." The advice would turn out to be purely practice when, upon opening the doors, no less than six houluh charged out, barking and yipping as one, to surround the both of them and Gelert. Lux the celestial, Cirrus the zephyr, Miles, Dodge, Cookie, and, of course, Elk. Elk, in particular, seemed extremely interested in Gelert's everything, going right up to the bigger houluh and trying to sniff his nose, toes, tail, ears, and everything. Was this a new friend Kadin had brought him just for them??? "That's the welcome wagon." Kadin said with a shake of his head, trying to wade through the mass of bodies and into the actual fucking kennel. "Watch out for anything with teeth bigger than their's. They aren't all friendly, but the dangerous ones are in separate areas."
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Post by Nadia on Oct 9, 2020 12:54:24 GMT -6
Another cocoa? Nadia really should decline, on account of her diet, but-- ah, what the heck. The Enileaf was kind enough to make it for her, so she felt duty bound to drink it. Plus, it was hardly a chore. No one had to twist her arm to drink hot chocolate. Even as she was advised not to thank Rochelle, she offered her a shy smile on the way out, feeling almost mournful to leave her behind.
"I... I didn't tell you?" How embarrassing, to not have told him her name. "M-my name is Nadia. Forgive me for the oversight."
She was quiet on their way back to the kennels. It was... more than a little awkward, to be doing this with a man she'd just met, but she was making big strides in that department as of late. The thought of the veritable stranger living in her house crossed her mind. Her attention was sharply diverted to her surroundings when a pack of houluh came charging towards her.
It wasn't, however, anything to be distressed over. The tension appeared to bleed from her body as she crouched down to greet them - while Elk was sniffing at Gelert, she took the chance to pet him. Gelert was not quite as amused. He allowed the boisterous youngster to bound around him, but would not rise to it.
"Oh, of course!" She was happy to follow, weaving in between bodies to get into the kennel. Nothing to be afraid of! "Your houluh are very lovely."
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Post by Kadin on Oct 9, 2020 13:45:50 GMT -6
Elk whined happily, tail wagging madly and hitting any legs that were too close to it when Nadia started petting him. What's more, he flopped down right at Gelert's front paws, tongue hanging out his mouth in a doggish grin, begging for belly rubs or attention from Gelert or both. Probably both. He did whine extra pitifully when Nadia moved to walk away, but that just meant he could focus more of his attention on making Gelert his Best Friend Ever. A few of the other houluh greeted Nadia, too, most notably Dodge and Miles politely sniffed at her hands when she was saying hello to the rest of them. But once Kadin moved to enter the kennels proper, they were by his sides in an instant, walking right next to him as he carefully picked his way inside. Clearly these two probably had the most training out of the bunch, judging by their manners alone. "Thanks." Kadin said over his shoulder, holding open the door for her and the rest of the houluh to come through. Once they were all inside, he closed it securely and turned around to consider where the fuck they were supposed to search first. These kennels were... expansive. Kadin clearly had a large one, if the long hallways and multitude of rooms and additional hallways branching off was any indiction. In this first area, there were mostly small to medium creatures. Houluh, felusine, a few less magically inclined malii, and other more simple creatures seemed to make this part their home. There was even a little section off to one corner with day lamps for pachee to lounge underneath. But to the sides of the room, there were large entrances where other creatures could clearly come and go as they please. Kadin set off straight down the middle of the room, mostly ignoring creatures as they came up to start at him. Most of them gave Nadia and Gelert a wide berth (other thank Elk, who was probably still trailing after Gelert like a lost puppy). "There's some rooms for storage and office spaces past this first room." Kadin explained as he carefully navigated the floor. "We can start there. I guess we're looking for a document safe?" He half said, half wondered. He'd seriously never seen a safe before in this place. Maybe it was hidden behind some of the food storage units? Kadin's thoughts were interrupted by a low chuffing sound that was coming from one of the other entrances into the room. He slowed to a stop, sighing as he looked in the direction it was coming from. It was slowly getting louder and, along with it, the regularly thumping of a rather large creature running towards them. "Ok. I'm about to be tackled by a Chelcauda." Kadin said calmly, almost sounded bored, as if this happens every day (spoiler: it did). "He doesn't mean any harm, but sometimes he sets me on fire by accident." And that was all the warning they got before Zeal made his appearance. True to form, he made a beeline towards Kadin and utterly bowled him over. Luckily? He did not set him on fire. Instead he was... licking his face? Yeah. That sounds about right.
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Post by Nadia on Oct 9, 2020 15:47:20 GMT -6
Gelert didn't really know what to make of the pup. There were plenty of them back at home, sure, but he knew their smells and their faces - this one was different, and didn't know not to bother him. Was his mother around? None of them came to claim him, so... he gave in, to the extent of giving Elk a sniff.
"Yes, you make friends," Nadia teased with a smile, amused by the confusion-bordering-on-distress on her houluh's face. If it had been anything but social awkwardness, she would have stepped in to rescue him. "He cannot harm you. Look! He is perfectly darling."
It didn't occur to her that the habit of chatting in full sentences to her companions may come across a bit odd, so she continued along with a smile on her face, observing the wide variety of critters. What a huge space! Far bigger than hers - perhaps bigger than her house, even! No, enough gawking. More focusing. She nodded, all prepared to delve into the offices in their search.
The arrival of the chelcauda was unanticipated. The fact that it was on fire felt like fate laughing at her.
Her breath caught in her throat. Even as the beast licked Kadin's face and showed itself as no threat, she was frozen, fixated on the flame; she could feel her chest tightening. She was going to throw up. It didn't smell the same, or sound the same, but it looked the same, flickering and glowing and--
Gelert bumped his nose against her wrist.
"I-- I'm sorry, I-- I need to--" Dizzy as she was, Nadia turned to face away. Navigating with tears blurring her vision wasn't easy. "I can't--"
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