isleofavalon | a wolf about town [open & closed]

[Given the farmlands aren't so far outside the city Juno is keen for the chance to give this particular quest a try the moment she notes it on the QuestBoard app. And even after she actually reads what's required... well, it sounds a little tedious maybe chasing down pigs but not entirely impossible.

So one bright and sunny morning she's out in the fields with the ambition of making a little money as well as being generally useful. Alright and perhaps the notion of getting to chase something appeals to her canine heart too. She's even clad for work, a long-sleeve shirt to keep her somewhat warm against the increasingly nippy weather and pants against her legs.

What she quickly discovers though is catching pigs isn't as easy as one might theorize, even for a wolf. A few hours in and anyone else out in these fields might have to dodge getting bowled over by the wolf absolutely flooring it after a particularly stubborn pig, her arms pumping in true athlete style.

Her barred teeth probably isn't helping convince the pig of cooperating either, particularly when it's paired with an irritated sounding tone.]

STOP BEING SO STUBBORN ALREADY!

[After chasing pigs for the better part of a day Juno thinks perhaps trying to work out who this Jack Bredbeddle is would have to be a somewhat easier quest.

Or at least less tiring? She's very good at socializing after all and finds the prospects of exploring the lower town to be intriguing too. And this might be a good opportunity to meet more people too!

So first she'll drop a message on that handy AOL:]

un: juno
To anyone else interested in the Jack Bredbeddle quest I'll be at the Sword & Scabbard this evening. I'm very easy to spot, I promise!

[A picture is attached.]

Let's try to help each other out! ❤️

[She's true to her word too. Maybe she's a bit underaged for alcohol but the food is pretty good too so she's enjoying a little dinner first before questioning others.]

[She is absolutely easy to spot. Jack doesn't bother with replying on AOL, he just shows up, and he picks her out pretty much immediately. He's seen and heard her on the network before, already worked out she's at least from the same world as Louis, and he wanders right over.]

Hey. Juno, right? I'm Jack, I'm here about the quest.

[Oh! That was quick! Juno only seems momentarily surprised before she gives Jack a bright, somewhat toothy grin.]

That's right! Thank goodness, I wasn't sure I would do very well alone.

[That is definitely a lot of sharp teeth, but he's pretty used to Louis by now, so he's not particularly shocked or anything. He gives her a lazy kind of grin and pulls up a stool next to hers.]

We're supposed to find this guy and bring him in, right? We'll have to ask around for a description, known whereabouts, that kind of thing.

[Juno's ears perk forward in interest.]

Oh, like a cop show.

[Then she laughs a little.]

I've only really seen that sort of thing in television dramas. It always looks so dramatic but I'm going to guess the real thing isn't quite the same.

[He offers her a wry smile.]

It's probably going to be pretty boring, actually. Real work usually is. But with two of us, it'll go faster.

[Her smile grows at that.]

I guess dramas are always a little over the top.

[Alright then! She glances around the Sword & Scabbard itself.]

Where do you think we ought to start off then?

At the last place there was a reported prank seems the best idea, to me. You ready to go now, or you need to finish up anything in here?

[He definitely wants to get a move on, see what kind of prestige he can build up. What kind of money he can scare up with these bigger quests, too.]

Oh, definitely!

[She pauses a moment to settle up what bill she has but then she's right alongside Jack, hands tucked behind her back and a thoughtful look on her face.]

I believe the last place that reported anything about this Jack was a stable nearby. He set all of the horses loose?

[Hmm. She tilts her head a touch.]

I did talk to a few people in the pub, casually at least, and that was what I heard anyhow. Has he turned up anywhere else since?

Edited 2020-12-15 02:00 (UTC)

I heard he gave the miller donkey ears somehow.

[Which suggests someone with magic, obviously.]

It could be one of us. The newcomers. Or it could be one of the fae, like in the shop. Or just some local with a few weird spells on hand.

[Juno goes a bit wide-eyed at that.]

One of the newcomers? I hadn't thought of that.

[She blows out a breath.]

What a terrible thing to do though. Ears aren't bad but when you're not used to them I imagine they can be pretty inconvenient!

Aw, they're not that bad.

[And he demonstrates by growing a pair of his own, pretty proud of himself for working out shapeshifting at all and happy to show it off. Partial changes like that are, in fact, easier than a full transformation. His are rabbit ears, though. He finds those are the easiest, if he wants something big.]

And it didn't last. When I spoke to the miller, his ears were back to normal.

[Juno doesn't disguise the way she starts back at those sudden ears, gawking a fair bit.]

WHAT!

[She hasn't run into anyone who can shapeshift clearly. She blinks several times before she shakes it off.]

Ah, that's... good. For the miller, I mean.

[He grins at her surprise, and waggles the ears at her.]

Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I've got animal magic, and that includes both talking to animals-- not ones like you, miss, but ones that don't talk like we do-- and shapeshifting into them.

[How strange it was to think of animals that didn't talk. Sure she's seen them so far but... it's still odd.]

Oh, that's part of your magic here then?

[Magic was a truly confusing thing. She tilts her head a little.]

I think mine is healing. I haven't really gotten to use it much though so -- hm?

[She pauses. Sounds like there's some noise coming from a nearby shop. It's not exactly boisterous or happy either.]

Yeah. Definitely new to this place.

[Both rabbit ears swivel in that direction, and he slides off his stool with clear interest.]

Sounds like something to investigate, hey, Juno?

I think so. It's at least something to look at.

[Beyond interviewing people who've already been interviewed a dozen times. At least the shop is easy to find with all the noise going on and when Juno in all of her brazen glory creaks the door open --]

Oh!

[A pot flies out the door! And just... keeps going? It's definitely not thrown, that's for sure.]

Now let's see...

[Juno stands for a moment seemingly lost in deep deliberation. She holds a mound of snow between her hands, brow furrowed and ears pricked forward as she debates on where to go from here.

The snow sculpture before her more or less looks complete, though it's less a snow man than a snow wolf but details, right? She's finishing up on the ears now and is apparently evaluating if they need more or less added to them.

Eventually she drops the snow which rains down over her Yamabiko companion. Not that the creature seems to mind really.]

Mmm, maybe a little here?

[Using one of her claws she starts making more detailed marks on the ears, her tail wagging a slow and sedate beat behind her. She might even poke her tongue out too in concentration.]

[Haru's taken up the task of building snow villas, being of the right size and stature to actually made...well, reasonably sized homes for small fairy creatures without having to put much thought into it. She's arrived, trudging through the snow in winter boots, seeming to struggle through larger snowdrifts, and immediately she spots Juno and her companion.

Haru is companion-less for now, too much snowy wind would blow her puffball away, but seeing Juno does make her feel less alone in this venture.]

That's a nice looking snow beast. [hands on her hips she tilts her head to look up at it.] Is it an Arctic Wolf?

[Juno can't help but beam in pride at the question, her tail picking up speed.]

That's right! You could actually tell?

[It's... not badly done but it isn't exactly high art. Then again were the snow sculptures supposed to be?]

Yeah, my next guess would have been a grey wolf like you but it's... [She gestures to the whole of it] ...well, I guess any kind of animal you make out of snow will look like an Arctic one, huh?

I'm more used to making snow rabbits. [Clasping her hands behind her back she does admittedly admire the not-badly-done ice sculpture] So, where are you putting the hole for the fairies to live in?

The mouth?

[ Stella's not exactly a delicate touch so her snow sculptures have been, uh... interesting to look at, to put it politely. She's gotten just frustrated enough to have abandoned her own efforts for the time being, so she's taking to wandering around a bit to get her nose into everyone else's business.

So when she comes across Juno so hard at work on such a neat looking snow sculpture, she comes hurrying right over to take a closer look. ]

Oh wow, check it out! This looks so cool!

[The crunch of the snow tips her off first but by the time she turns Stella is there praising her sculpture. And that just sets off the canine in her.]

Is it? Ah, I'm so glad!

[Her tail picks up speed behind her.]

[ Oh god, that's all it takes for Juno to get so excited... Cute....!!! ]

Yeah, yeah! I've been giving it a try too, but we don't get a whole lot of snow where I grew up so I've never really, uh, made a snowman before...

[ She comes over to inspect Juno's a bit more closely. ]

Ooh, but yours is so detailed, though! I really dig it!

Ahaha, I know how that is. I've always lived in the city so there aren't really a lot of open spaces for this sort of thing.

[Her tail bursts into a quick flurry of wags, tempering down after a second. She flusters a little as she laughs.]

Sorry, sorry! Canines really love praise so it really sets off my tail sometimes.

[She speaks of it like it's an entity only half in her control.]

Oh, wow! Really?

[ Stella leans herself back at an angle that seems almost sure to make her topple over so she can eyeball Juno's tail for a moment. Thankfully, she straightens back up before she goes plopping back into the snow. ]

It's not a thing you're doing on purpose?

[At that Juno waves a clawed hand quickly.]

Oh no, not at all! I mean I can control it but... ahaha, a wolf's tail tells you a lot about their moods.

Eheh, I was gonna say it must be hard keeping a poker face if you've got that to give you away but I'm not any good at keeping a straight face anyway and I don't even have a tail...

[ Though by the way she perks up a little as a thought hits her, she definitely already has some Puppy Energy. ]

Uh, it's not a drag me asking all kindsa questions like this, is it? I've been kinda bugging everybody about where they come from but it's probably gonna get pretty old before too long, huh?

[Oh the look on her face. It's all exasperation coupled with a big ol' sigh.]

You have no idea! It's just so... frustrating sometimes!

[She huffs another breath, puffing out her cheeks just a touch.]

I can't "play it cool" like a lot of other animals. If I get excited then there it goes, wag wag wag! If I get angry it can puff up too! Not as much as a feline of course but it makes it really, really hard to hide when you're annoyed! And then--

[... Oh. Oh wait! Oh no! Juno looks unabashedly ashamed over at the other woman, eyes wide.]

I started complaining again! I'm so sorry!

[She just has a lot of passion in her body! Honest!]

[ Oh, that's an impassioned little speech! It's absolutely not what she was expecting to hear, but she's so delighted and so caught off guard by it that Stella can't help but laugh. Not at Juno, of course, but she's so charmed that she's more than a little tickled. ]

No, no, you don't have to apologize! I can't even imagine what a pain in the butt it'd be to have something just giving all your feelings away like that, jeez.

[ She stops giggling and gives Juno a smile. ]

I wasn't expecting you to come out with all that, but it's kind of a fun side of you!

[Juno huffs out a breath before she instantly presses her hands to her cheeks, abandoning her snowman detail work to fluster.]

Aaah, how can it be fun!

[She puffs out her cheeks just a touch and swats a hand at the other woman. Not heavily and not meaning to hit, of course. It's all a playful gesture.]

[ And of course, that just makes her laugh harder. ]

It's always fun seeing somebody get all worked up about something! Not worked up mad I mean – but like, when somebody super cares about something, isn't it fun just listening to them talk about it?

[Oooh. Juno thinks on that a moment and then nods a little.]

I get what you mean. The way someone's eyes light up when they talk about something they have a lot of strong feelings about? That sort of thing?

Exactly!

[ She pumps her fists excitedly. ]

It's like– even if it's not something you'd be excited about in the first place, hearing somebody else talking about it and getting super into it ends up making you excited, right?

Mm, yes! That's what makes performances so exciting, right?

[Or so the wolf thinks.]

Right! No matter what kind of performance it is, so long as someone's having fun doing it, it's fun to watch.

[ She nods to herself, like she just dropped a real nugget of wisdom there and then grins at Juno again. ]

Man, just talking about it makes me wish we had an excuse to do something on stage while we're here, but what would we even do?

Oh! There, there!

[Juno is really into this sleigh ride. Gripping the front of the sleigh before her she's leaned completely forward, ears tipped forward and nose practically raised to the wind as the sleigh itself dashes onward. Her tail beats a distinctly pleased rhythm against the seat behind her.]

Berries are on the list, right? There's some that way!

[Here she points emphatically with a finger as she glances back to whomever ended up on this winter wonderland ride with the wolf. She practically sparkles she's so darn pleased!]

I can smell the herbs too!

[ He...shouldn't have gone with her, he thinks. Maybe it was a bad idea to even think that he should spend time alone with Juno on a sled. Because he's wildly uncomfortable given how they left things. Given that he's pretty good at hiding that, and that she's enthusiastic about the ride, he'll at least put his best effort forward.

He glances down at the list, then back up towards her. ]

Yeah, berries and pinecones should probably both be around here.

[ He starts towards the trees. He's not a big... fan of hanging out in nature like this, but he has company, he's dressed warmly, and they're keeping busy which means he can work while keeping company. ]

[For her part Juno hadn't exactly made things easy. It was bound to be evident by now that she hadn't exactly been reaching out to him. She hadn't avoided him or given him a cold shoulder exactly. She was perfectly friendly but even now there's space between then in the sled, distance that wasn't there before.

Hopping out of the sled Juno seems to be perfectly at home with her surroundings. It wasn't unlike the breed specific rooms set aside for them back at school where the canines all gathered, save quite snowy and not moon lit at all.

Sighing out a cloud of white against the cold Juno notes aloud, her head tilted skyward a moment:]

I'll have to come back here some night. This is nice.

[There's a contentment to the way her tail sways now, hands clasped together near her waist. She looks back down and with a pleased grin trots to catch up with Louis -- and then past him, enjoying a chance to stretch her legs on their way to those berry-laden bushes and trees.]

Edited 2020-12-07 21:16 (UTC)

[ He isn't fully sure how to act with her. The way that he had told her that they should stop talking last time he saw her before showing up here had made him unsure how to behave. He doesn't make any effort to catch up to her, just keeps his pace and a small amount of distance as he moves through the trees. He's still only a few paces behind her, though her speed seemed to have picked up. ]

It's quiet out here.

[ Whether or not that means he likes it - it's hard to say. Though he does enjoy peace and quiet. He shifts his attention towards her for a moment. ]

I'm going to go deeper into the trees.

[ He's remaining goal oriented. ]

[Wah! Just like that, he's taking off?! That's enough to make Juno snap her attention back to him, expression momentarily surprised as she pauses in her steps.

Her ear flicks a time or two and she lets the surprise (and what traitorous disappointment she might feel) slough away with her nod.]

Alright then.

[... But.]

Be careful though. The woods here are pretty pleasant but there are other creatures here too.

[Not that he needs her to tell him that it's just -- mph. Canine protectiveness?]

[ He pauses for a moment and tilts his head back towards her. He hears that note to be careful. But, there's no point with him, to be honest. When Louis is careful, he still tends to end up in trouble or putting himself in danger. ]

I'm always careful.

[ He's not really ever careful, but it sounds nice when he says it, so he does. ]

I'm not helpless out here, you know.

[ He doesn't have the same skills as a canine, of course, but he knew he'd be fine. He had good instincts. ]

If you're so worried, though, you should say close.

[You should stay close, he says! Juno squares up her shoulders like she's about to give him the business about that, cheeks puffing up and everything because -- ugh, this deer!]

[Then she huffs out a breath and with a tail flagging back and forth like an agitated whip she replies:]

Well then don't go to far and I won't either.

[She's standing her ground here! She's making a point! He can't just get her to follow him around!]

a wolf about town [open & closed]

hogtied (open)

jack bredbeddle (open)

Re: jack bredbeddle (open)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

snow villas (open)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

foraged and found (open)

lmk if you need me to change anything ♥♥

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2