Streetlamp {Jenn}

[Amaryllis]

Leisebiile was feeling exanimate.

She supposed, upon further reflection from her comfortable position on a metal bench beneath the halo of a solitary street lamp, that this was understandable. Apart from the obvious reasons, it was positively pouring rain, and her fur was drenched, clinging in unattractive chunks to her skin, while big, splattery drops of water ran in little rivulets into the sensitive insides of her ears. That never made her feel particularly vivacious. She shook herself again, half-heartedly at best, watching as billowing sheets of rainwater raced one another over a whirling, erratic track circling the square.

Being out at this moment was thoroughly pointless. The storm had driven every level-headed human in the city toward some warm, welcoming shelter, leaving only Leise and those who had no shelter to run to. And the magician wanted nothing to do with those; she had some dignity, after all, even if it didn't feel like it at the moment.

Leise ought to have gone inside, herself, but her limbs felt as though they had been filled to the brim with lead and linked with iron, and the very thought of getting up flooded her with exhaustion and apathy. It was much easier, for the moment, to simply rest her head on the intricate black metal armrest and sprawl her blue body over the place where so many had spent a moment of their lives chatting or looking around at the people and scenery, the lush gardens and beautiful architecture with which they colored their lives. Leise followed in their footsteps, blank eyes scanning the empty square, occasionally flicking her ears with an air of vague annoyance.

[Jenn]

Nebikaerty strolled through London's deserted evening streets, humming a toneless little tune as her paws stepped in the puddles that were unavoidable on cobbled streets. She enjoyed rainy days like this one. All of the humans had scurried for cover long ago, driven in by the steadily falling rain and the gloom of night. It left her alone with her thoughts, black umbrella shielding her bipedal form from the worst of the wet. Its elegant contrast against her brilliant white fur was something to admire, which she did as she passed a convenient store window, the glass showing her a distorted version of herself. It almost seemed as if she were melting.

Seeing the center of the city so devoid of life always left her feeling quiet. No lightning split the night sky, the darkness alleviated by nothing more than a few spaced street lamps illuminating corners or benches. Her soulless eyes followed the line of light, illuminating nothing more than gleaming wetness and...

Wait.

What was that?

Eyes narrowing, she stepped away from the store window and walked across the square to one of the park benches. A lone form lay sprawled across the seat, fur thick with water and ears drooping in relaxation. She examined the creature for a moment from the side before reaching out one lightly furred hand-paw and tapping on the metal of the bench's arm. Would there be a reaction...?

[Amaryllis]

Leise had been staring at the same point in space for at least five minutes. She had been neglecting to blink, save when instinct called for it, and her pelt was growing wet past the point of saturation, little streams running down her side and over the metal of the bench, splashing like miniature waterfalls to the ground. It was only when something broke her out of her reverie that she noticed any of this, and she gave her ears a firm shake, squeezed her eyes tight shut a few times, and looked blearily around, choosing to ignore the fact that she could barely feel her paws.

She glanced over her left shoulder first, taking in the little cobblestone road winding by, the shops with windows lit above them where their owners were wearily preparing for their night's sleep, the various taverns still bustling with life, or at least a very good imitation of it. She couldn't twist her neck very far, nor did she particularly want to move the rest of her body, so she gave up looking that way and shifted her gaze to her right.

Oh. Well, that explained things.

Leise was, by nature, a flighty creature; even a half-numbed consciousness such as hers that night couldn't mute that particular primeval instinct. She moved for the first time in hours, shifting abruptly away from the sudden ghost-like presence beside her, lapine ears erect, body alert. Her back twinged in protest from the unexpected movement, but she paid it no mind.

"Hello," she said shortly, sounding rather more nervous than she had intended to - indeed, rather more nervous than she actually felt. She had no reason to be afraid. She was quick, if the situation demanded quickness. And anyway, the feline didn't appear malevolent in the least, only politely puzzled.

[Jenn]

The brilliantly hued lapine looked first to the side opposite her and Nebi smirked a little, winning the bet with herself that it would move after all. Another moment passed as that blank gaze remained turned away from her and she waited patiently, stance easy, willing to be patient for a little light amusement. Finally the blue head swiveled in her direction and she took a quiet delight in the way the ears suddenly flicked to attention, body going taut and twitching hastily away from her presence.

She'd startled it. How cute. Was it scared? It certainly sounded anxious. The mustildae idly wondered how old it was, to be so jittery and apparently lost on its own. Old enough for adulthood, certainly, but perhaps still young. Its voice was little clue and gave her the impression of a female. So. It was most likely a her.

"Good evening," she murmured, smirk slipping easily into a bemused smile. "Quite a night to be enjoying London's scenic benches, wouldn't you say? You look a little worse for wear from your misadventures in the rain. And now you've gone and gotten me curious as to what a pretty little thing like you is doing here, absorbing water as if it's going out of style." With a light step, she moved from the side of the bench to its front and held her gentleman's umbrella so that it covered them both to a degree - her more than the strange lapine, of course. The actions was done slowly, so as not to startle the flighty-looking thing.

[Jenn]

((*respectfully backs out* If you come back and ever want to play with this again, just PM me. ^_^))

[Amaryllis]

(( I love these two. Like, absolutely love them. >_>; D'you want to start this up again? ))

As Leise grew more accustomed to the fact that she was no longer by herself, she felt a bit of life seep back into her bones, simply due to the presence of another. It was instinctual, for one such as her, for there were advanced behaviors that such a situation required - namely, common sense and wit - and those, in turn, required rather more than the bleary, soggy awareness of the world that Leise had been suffering. Common sense made her shift a bit so that, between her soggy cape and the mustildae's umbrella, she was adequately shielded from the rain; wit made her cock her head and let a small smile play across her maw.

"Forgive me," she replied airily, "you caught me unawares." Which was embarrassing - Leise preferred to keep her wits about her, if she could help it, and jumping about like a newborn bebe in its first thunderstorm rarely gave others the best impression. But she didn't let herself worry; it was more than likely that the other would understand, or at least let Leise's antics go without making an issue of them. Especially if Leise was clever and charming, which she decided to make a point of being.

"And," Leise added, her little smirk still gracing her delicate features, "I think it's quite nice weather for relaxing contemplation, don't you?" She folded her forelegs and glanced up as a magnificent forked lightning bolt grazed the sky and brought everything into instantaneous focus. "I'm afraid, however, that I haven't any interesting ulterior motives for being out and about. Being indoors simply tends to become repetitive. But what about youself?" Leise asked brightly. "You strike me as the type that would find mysterious things to amuse yourself with on nights like these."

[Jenn]

((Oh yes, let's please continue! And I need to catch you sometime to talk about what I have planned for Nebi in the distant future...because I think you will have a ball with all of it. :3 Their bebes, and Nebi's from elsewhere, will make a delightful little horde.))

Nebikaerty laughed a little at the other's guileless question, recognizing a fellow charmer when she saw one. The laugh was nearly as pretty as the mustildae herself - gods knew she practiced it often enough when by herself to keep it that way. As a Poison, she could hardly do her type justice unless she maintained an artfully charismatic mystique. As a Magician, this young lapine perhaps felt the same way, covering her embarrassing 'stumble' with pretty words and an unconcerned pose. They both played the game and she would not acknowledge the slip with anything other than a faintly knowing smile.

"The rain does lend a lovely backdrop to the solitude of the mind," she agreed, "I suppose that's why I wandered in the first place, to amuse myself. With recent developments, however, I believe that end would now be better served by a spot of company."

Smoothly in sync with her words, the lithe, currently bipedal female slid down onto the seat next to the remarkably blue Magician. The large umbrella now covered them both completely and, at least to Nebi's eyes, fostered an environment of intimacy beneath the stormy darkness of the night sky. Atmospheres such as this one suited her particular charms just fine, allowing her to work her own brand of 'magic' with delicately patterned fur and a pointed, angular muzzle. She was taller than the lapine, bipedal or not, and sat so that she just barely reclined against the back of their bench in a graceful but comfortable pose. How could it be anything less than a pose when so much thought went into the action?

Even soaked to the skin, her companion made an appealing little picture. Perhaps she wasn't as young as all that, to recover so well from a her unexpected start. That brought whole new levels of opportunity to the evening, depending on how well they both played the game.