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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 12:59:22 GMT -6
Bloomwood's On Parchment x Wiltholm Estate's Deal Me In1/3 Breedings for Patronne 3/3 Breedings for Matronne
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 13:04:31 GMT -6
The day was crisp. The air was cool, if only the tiniest bit nipping at any exposed flesh. The sky was blue and had a roving ivory-colored poofy cloud every now and again, but there was no threat of rain for now.
Morgan walks on the sidewalk towards the breeding center, with the lovely Cozette on a leash. The poor thing jumped at every crinkly leaf that skittered across the pale concrete accompanied by a hollow howling breeze. Morgan wasn't entirely surprised that poor Cozette was a little anxious, she'd always been that way. Morgan soothes her each time with a pat on the head (using the hand that also had the leash in it) and gentle words of encouragement. In their off hand, they held a steaming cup of something sweet and coffee-like.
Morgan stands outside the breeding center for a moment, to take a sip of their drink. They weren't sure if they got here first, but they wanted to make sure that Cozette was as calm as possible, and they did so by spending some time outside of the center, petting her and being as encouraging as possible.
[1]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 13:19:29 GMT -6
Nadia was a little apprehensive. It was always that way, when she had arranged to meet a new person, and especially if it was for breeding - the very notion of the breeding centre made her uncomfortable at times. She had reason for good cheer, however. A great match had been found for one of her houluh. Inky was... boisterous, at best, when they turned onto the street where the centre was located. He stayed at her side, but would stop to sniff or start to trot whenever he felt like it, brimming with excess energy. She hoped their partners wouldn't mind. There wasn't a lot she could do to manage it, and-- oh, was that them, outside? "Hello... Morgan?" Shy, with the hint of a smile almost lost in concern. She couldn't stop herself worrying that she would get the wrong person and be embarrassed. "I am Nadia, and this is Inky." [2]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 13:33:54 GMT -6
Admittedly, Morgan had taken a long break from breeding houluh. They got fatigue from having a ton of puppies around all at once at similar ages, so they were careful to slow up and allow the puppies to age up past milk to think about doing another. They had some days where they woke up and just didn't want to get out of bed, and others they felt a little better. It made making plans more than a little difficult. Their work helped out some with getting a more stable schedule again, which was very important for mental health.
They felt a little nervous, as they always did when they met new folks... Or old folks... or anyone really. People weren't really their forte. However, the mocha was good and tasted seasonal, and Cozette was finally starting to calm down a bit. Sometimes, Morgan swore that she practically bristled like a feline!
Cozette and Morgan looked up at the same time (unsurprisingly, both of them are a little jumpy). Morgan at the voice, and Cozette because she seemed to smell the fresh smell of another houluh.
"Ah-" Morgan clears their throat, not having realized that their voice was crackly. "Y-yes, that's me. N-nice to meet you Nadia." They would have offered a hand to shake, but they instead simply smiled apologetically, holding up their coffee cup and giving a slight shrug. Then they turned to the patronne. "And you too, Inky." He was a great example of a houluh, very nice looking, in their opinion.
"This is c-Cozette." Morgan said, gesturing towards her with leash in hand. Cozette was stark still, tail held level. She wasn't taking her eyes off of the new houluh, but the stance was not aggressive. It was as if the houluh was holding her breath.
[3]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 13:49:41 GMT -6
Nadia looked down at Morgan's matronne. Though she wasn't growling or cowering or exhibiting... much of anything in the way of active behaviour, she seemed a little nervous. They were among friends, then! She made sure to keep a decent hold on the leash to stop Inky lunging and overwhelming her. "Likewise, Morgan, and Cozette," She nodded to each of them with a smile. Inky was more than happy to come and say hello, stepping up to Morgan with his tail wagging, looking for some fuss from them. "Ah, pardon him, he does like to be thoroughly introduced with everyone I speak to." It wasn't such a bad thing. People who didn't like houluh wouldn't be breeding them, so she wasn't too worried about Inky upsetting them. It was quite chilly outside just standing still, though, and she fancied that inside would be far warmer. "Shall we go inside now?" [4]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 14:01:06 GMT -6
Morgan always felt the need to apologize for Cozette's behavior. The truth was, they had received her after they had put out an add from a person they did not know. While they were very sure that she had not been abused or anything, she just had a turbulent sense of self it would seem, and she was anxious all. the. time. It was a sentiment that Morgan understood, but it still made them feel guilty. She was quite a bit older than Nico when they got him, and that might have been it. They almost breathed out a sigh of relief whenever Cozette began wagging her tail in a slow-and-loose fashion. That was a good sign.
The bespectacled human may not be very good with people (they did try, most of what they had learned, they'd learned from work at WELP) but they did love animals. "N-no problems there." They reassured. Then they gave the patronne a genuine grin, and then jostled the cup into their leash hand. It was awkward but they managed it finagle it to where they were holding Cozette's leash with the loop around their wrist and holding the cup in their hand. "Aren't you cute?" Morgan says, holding out their hand to be sniffed, but not touching the houluh of course.
That being done, Morgan nods, perhaps a little stiffly. "Certainly-" They reached for the door, and held it open. A habit, their father had taught them. Despite not being 'good at people' as they professed, their father had tried when they were knee-high to a Formica.
[5]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 14:11:55 GMT -6
Inky was always thrilled to meet another person. Unlike Gelert, who was inherently suspicious, he welcomed new company with open arms; he sniffed Morgan's hand for a few seconds, and then butted his head beneath it, hoping that they would scratch him. Nadia's smile was fond as she watched his antics. "Oh, thank you," She bobbed her head as she ducked inside, coaxing a still-fascinated Inky along with her. He hadn't even gotten to the matronne yet! That was a whole other area to be excited about. "Lovely day, but rather nippy, I find..." Ah, small talk was the worst. As a lady in polite society, she was well accustomed to bouncing aimless conversation back and forth, but it felt wrong to do that in this City. People had different expectations - they were more honest, more open. "Morgan... I hear your kennel is rather successful..." Pick up on something about them. [6]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 14:33:00 GMT -6
Morgan couldn't help but let the grin set in (rather embarrassingly) and pet the patronne on the head. It was cute when houluh butted their heads like this, Nico did it all the time. He was Morgan's favorite, but of course they still treated all of their houluh very well, even if they could admit that to theirself. They reached towards the back of an ear, where it connected to the head, hoping to give him a scratch.
After everyone else was inside, Morgan gently leads the nervous white houluh through the door. Cozette was thankfully not as nervous as the first few times that she had been brought to the breeding center. It was perhaps a little bittersweet that she was finally used to it- but only on her last breeding. If it weren't for the fact that Morgan had other houluh that could foster for the pups, they wouldn't even breed her. Cozette was such a neurotic mother.
"It is- I'm r-rather happy that the summer heat is melting away. I d-don't like the cold either. I reckon if the weather would cycle between fall and spring all year, I'd be okay." They tended to get either really talkative, or really quiet when nervous. It seemed like talkative was on the plate for today.
The human nods, rubbing the back of their neck now that they were inside of the door and had an open hand. "I guess so- I have a feeling t-that it is owed mostly to my boy Nico. H-how is Bloomwood doing, m-might I ask?" They had wanted to get new blood into their kennel, so it was nice to have a houluh-date set up with a kennel they had not worked with before.
[7]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 14:47:32 GMT -6
“Fall is my favourite,” Nadia divulged with an almost conspiratorial smile. “I adore the changing of the leaves. There is nothing like it. That blaze of defiant colour across the countryside as summer’s beauty melts away...” Ahem. Embarrassed by her wistful outburst, she busied herself with securing the necessary papers and scribbling down her details. Morgan had asked for a breeding between their houluh, not signed up for an amateur creative writing class. Inky had not yet tried his luck with bouncing towards the matronne, which was curious. Did he sense that she was a bit worried? It made her wonder. She gave him an encouraging pat on the head. “Well! We are participating in another salonne, and I believe I have the ideal houluh for the job,” She explained, signing off her form and handing it to the receptionist. “Are you going to be entering in this one?” [8]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 15:00:30 GMT -6
Something about exchanging information tended to put people at ease. It did actually work on Morgan too, even if they didn't feel like a 'person' often. They tried to separate theirself from other humanoids, but was more often than not completely unsuccessful. They allowed theirself to do a quick survey of the room, also putting them at ease, and then naturally turned back towards their company. An astute individual would perhaps notice that Morgan never quite looked anyone in the eyes, always just slightly past their temples- to make it look like they were. A trick that any charismatic but generally anxious person would pick up over a few years.
They give a smirk, but it is a more soft smirk at the conspiratorial tone- nothing with malice. It would seem that this particular expression came natural to them. "M-me too. T-the Emblem of my Estate is the Autumn Full-Moon Maple Leaf." They nodded, at that. "Full Moon Maple are r-really good about being fall colors most of t-the year."
They did notice that this Nadia seemed a little... Well, they couldn't put their finger on it in the few minutes that they had known them. They weren't off-put by it at all, though. Whenever the fiery-haired individual was finished doing the paperwork, Morgan would do their half in their left-handed tightly-looping script, all slanted to the right.
Cozette had excellent leash manners, but her interest in the other houluh won her over. She carefully lowered her head, and sniffed in his general direction. Her brown eyes focused on him with definite interest. He seemed... Nice. She wagged her tail again, demurely.
They grinned. "T-that sounds excellent- W-what sort of houluh are you entering?" They knew there was a strength salonne going on (they kept up fastidiously with the comings and goings of houluh care, even though they had taken a bit of a break) but they had other things to work out. "N-not this time. I hear there are a few new k-kennels on the block, a-and I have an HAA pup I have to make sure is trained properly... Well, and a few others." Truth be told, they were drowning in pups, but they didn't have too many to take care of. Just too many to worry about this salonne since there were enough people entered.
[9]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 18:16:12 GMT -6
Maple, huh? Nadia enjoyed the look of maple trees, though she was not one to discriminate - being among trees in general reminded her of home and brought her great peace. There was no better place for Bloomwood to be located than in woodland. It was a relief for her to see that she hadn’t alienated her acquaintance with her often rambling statements yet, and she was encouraged by it enough to follow the thread of conversation. “That is beautiful,” She said. “Evergreen is nice enough, but ever-autumn would bring me greater joy.” Inky’s tail went with its furious wagging the moment the matronne leaned in. He was overjoyed that she was interested! Unable to hold himself back, he booped his nose right against hers. Maybe they could be friends...? “Be gentle, Inky,” Nadia reminded him gently, then turned an amused grin back to Morgan. “I understand. I have a lot of young pups now, so I should really be taking a break, but... I so adore the babies.” [10]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 18:25:41 GMT -6
It was always a good thing whenever outings went well, and so far this one was going very well. They were very thankful that so far, the entire ordeal had been completely painless. They hoped it would stay that way. Morgan nods in reply, feeling a bit more comfortable now. "If y-you ever want any seeds or anything, I can bring you some. I g-garden as well, so I don't mind." Wow, that was generous? Where had that come from? They didn't let theirself puzzle over it. "I-I mean, those little whirly-gig seeds? T-the ones with the leaf-like blade that twirl when they fall? They're all over m-my yard, so it wouldn't hurt none."
Cozette was typically the kind of hound to jump if there was a spider, or a mouse, or a vole, or a leaf, or anything really. Everything sort of scared her, and made her a little anxious. She spent a lot of time with her other houluh friends though, and she had began to learn that not everything was out to get her. Well, maybe the food dispenser was when it made that horrid noise, but other houluh weren't usually.
When the patronne boops his nose against her, she tries very hard not to sneeze, and winds up turning away to sneeze anyway. However, directly afterward she sniffed at him again. Was that shampoo? She loved to get baths, and hadn't smelled anything like that before. He smelled nice! She wags her tail at him, partially in apology. Sorry for sneezing!
Morgan nods. "Nothing wrong with liking puppies." Their voice seems... Fond. "Nico's going to be a juvenile forever now, and h-he seems to be happy." They mentioned- then their voice lowered as if they were imagining their little pile of puppies at home. "Puppies are a joy, even with t-their little puppy breaths."
Morgan just HAD to comment on the lovely houluh's manners. "Inky has s-such great manners!" It was a soft exclamation, but an exclamation all the same.
[11]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 18:38:26 GMT -6
How generous! Nadia couldn’t hide her delight at the offer. It was often true that bartering was the way to get goods in the City, but occasionally she was surprised with kindness like that. It never failed to thrill her. Perhaps as a lady of finery, she had become accustomed to getting things for free. “That would be wonderful, if you are sure it’s not a bother,” She clapped her hands together, but soft enough to avoid the abrasive sound - she was well practiced in being seen and not heard, it would seem. “I have been meaning to try my hand at gardening, but the puppies take up much of my time of late.” Inky was not at all bothered by the sneeze. Only natural, after all! He always made noises like that. It was hard for him to hold them in! His tail was still wagging fiercely as he bowed his front end down, hoping she might take the invitation to play. “Ah, thank you. He can be boisterous, but he is a sweetheart,” Nadia looked towards Cozette with fondness. “Your girl is truly beautiful. What a lovely specimen.” [12]
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Post by Morgan on Oct 16, 2020 19:01:00 GMT -6
It was a truth that the maple trees produced too many seeds, and of course Morgan usually just mulched them up, since there was no reason to have a super overgrown forest of them in the yard (their garden was already much like that, so it could have been an issue) so it would be good to give a few away. At least it wouldn't take much effort. They waved a hand. "Oh of course not, d-don't worry. I can't use them all myself, and it won't hurt to f-find a few viable ones and get them sent y-your way." They felt oddly at ease here. Perhaps it was because they were a little used to being around quiet folks, from back when they were a kid. Back when pops was still alive, they sometimes had business meetings with some of the other scientists, and their families (if they had them) were often... Refined.
That must have been it. This ruby-haired individual was refined. Not loud, not boisterous. Simply... There. Morgan could live with that. "T-that is completely understandable. G-gardening takes so much time-" Then, it was time for Morgan to be a little hushed and conspiratorial- "Truth be told, I have a r-robot that does most of the hard work for me. I still do the parts I e-enjoy, but there's only s-so much time." They admitted. "I have t-to drop my daughter off at school, and go to work as well." They nodded. Pet rearing was hard, and everyone had lives.
It took Cozette a moment to realize that the patronne wanted to play. Oh, she had learned to do that. Her best friend was a dark colored matronne that loved dirt, and though she very much hated dirt, she had learned to play from her. She nervously but excitedly bends down, her front legs bowed in front of her, and tail up in the air, wagging. Yes play! But oh, be gentle!
Morgan glances at the houluh, gaze softly lingering over them. "T-thank you. I'm very lucky she takes to breeding well, b-because she's a nervous hound. I-I'm unsure why. She's my only anxious houluh." They nodded. "She's even nervous around her p-pups. A little over-protective. She's gotten better over time, t-though."
[13]
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Post by Nadia on Oct 16, 2020 19:14:27 GMT -6
Nadia nodded solemnly. Oh yes, she understood what it was like to have a lot of work to do and only one pair of hands - life had made her abruptly aware that things didn’t get done by themselves after she’d left her home country. Back in the day, her father would never have allowed her to be seen doing her own shopping, let alone mining and galavanting as she did now. “You have a child? How wonderful! Pray tell, what is her name?” She was genuinely interested and invested in the response. Anything young and cute called to her; she was simply unable to resist them. “Oh, we should head in!” Inky was extra super mega happy that Cozette wanted to play with him! Okay, so he had to walk with his person for just a minute, but he was sure wherever they went, there would be room for them to play! He didn’t know this place yet, but it was okay so far. “Poor dear. I find myself to be an anxious godmother to the pups, myself,” She confessed, fiddling with the pendant around her neck. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to them. She and I share a disposition.” [14]
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