[D2-EE] Shall we mate?

[Mara Froste]

"Briefly, yes... admittedly I... errmm... wasn't terribly attentive in history classes. It was a few years back right? 5? No 6?" She screwed up her face in concentration. "A town burned down? Didn't someone get blamed for... that... oh?"

[Calico Carter]

Calico sighed.

"Since it began in my dressing room at the Greenbottle Bay Theater, I do indeed get the blame. Since I was in the bathtub at the time two doors over, I consider that blame pretty misplaced, but... yeah."

[Mara Froste]

"Not intentional, and you weren't there. You really can't judge people by reputations. My mother is the opposite example. Pretty famous breeder, but not a nice person at the end of the day. From what I have seen you're honest and quite easy to become quote fond of."

She pushed the last noodle around her plate, before slowly chewing on it, lost in thought. "I trust Blitz and her instincts. If she thinks Orlok is good, then you raised him right and it's says a lot about the real you. I, mean, you say he can be difficult but any monster can."

She sighed with a smirk, "besides it'd be a shame to split those two too fast. It' might be nice to have a taste of that ourselves sometime." Mara smiled as she watched the two affectionate monsters. "I mean,... err..."

[Calico Carter]

Eep!

Calico was no stranger to being hit on in various (often clumsy and pawing) ways- it sort of came with the territory, and more than one creditor over the past six years had been only too happy to suggest she work off her debts "in trade," but that was... different. That wasn't kind of sweet, extremely awkward, originating from someone she actually liked a fair bit, and possibly not even what she thought it was.

"Uh... yeah, yeah, that'd be nice, wouldn't it? And y'know, Blitz is clearly a good influence on the little jerk..."

Keep it about the monsters! She's less awkward about monsters, you're less awkward about monsters, LOOK HOW EASY IT IS, yay monsters.

Eep.

[Mara Froste]

'Orlok might be a good influence on Blitz, too, though. She is sometimes too playful and needs to be able to defend herself a bit better. Orlok may be able to teach her it's okay to stand up for yourself. She's lost many a meal to a wild monster or animal. Blitz is a little too submissive. It's why I'm afraid of her battling.'



Blitz gently lifted a paw and slid it between Orlok's wings, pulling him a bit closer, and licked him once on the cheek affectionately.

'I... I feel like maybe we shouldn't be watching this,' Mara blushed and turned her focus on Calico instead, still beet red.

[Calico Carter]

"Uh... yeah. Let's, uh.... give 'em some privacy."

[Mara Froste]

"So you mentioned a dressing room. You were in show business, then? I didn't have much time for TV, as I always got stuck feeding and cleaning up after the monsters, including the hurghs..." She winced and made a disgusted face. "What kind of work were you in?"

[Calico Carter]

"Mostly dance. Got my start with acrobatics, but that's got less of a 'timeline' or something, whatever the hell it was Mom said. I was looking to branch out into acting or singing, but never landed any formal training before things went to hell."

She laughed.

"Purely amateur, by the way- we were sorta working our ways toward going semi-pro , but... well. Most of the damn town burned down, I got the blame, and that was that."

[Mara Froste]

'Dance, eh? That something I have always kind of wanted to try but have never learned. My mother used to go to these big sponsor galas held by Ophidian and their partners, sometimes I got to tag along but it was mostly monster sitting. Sometimes, I'd get a plate of food, though... the cheeses and fruits were always amazing' She got a bit sidetracked a second, 'anyways, I'd see all these people in fine evening wear pairing off and dancing under this soft colored lighting, and sometimes their monsters even tried to join in...' Her eyes unfocused as she thought back on a beautiful memory.

Mara stood, setting her plate down, and extended a hand, 'if you don’t mind, so long as dancing doesn't bring up any painful memories, would you walk me through a few steps?' Was Calico this beautiful before? The way the moonlight lights her eyes and the glow from the flames plays off her hair is so... stunning, so perfect. Her face flushed at her inner monologue. The scent of the briny sea and smoke from the fire just added to the atmosphere and made her bold.

[Calico Carter]

"Well, sounds like they were doing a bit of a waltz, maybe a minuet... let's see..."

Calico took Mara's hand, started humming something under her breath to have a tempo, and led off.

It wasn't exactly poetry in motion, not least because Calico wasn't used to leading in a pairs dance (and was six years of rust a factor? Almost certainly), but nobody's feet got stepped on.

She was focused enough on what she was doing that she missed Mara's expression.

[Mara Froste]

Mara let herself be led around in a dance on the pale sand, looking down several times to make sure she wasn't stepping on feet, at least not too much. She focused and leaned forward to look to the point her forehead nearly touched Calico's and her breath could be felt on her cheek. The tune Calico hummed was nice and somewhat familiar though Mara couldn't place it, if it even was. As they danced, the rhythm of the waves added to the beat of the song, and she didn't have to focus quite so hard. Mara let herself squeeze the other Wrangler closer just a little, in a warm embrace.

[Calico Carter]

Eep!

Calico didn't pull away, she wasn't that freaked out, but she did have her earlier suppositions reinforced.

Ohgodohgod.

How do I... oh nooooooo. No, no, Calico, what have you DONE?!

Her mental voice at that moment reminded her so much of her mother that she nearly lost the beat.

Nearly.

[Mara Froste]

Mara let go after the tune and backed away with a nod and a smile. "Thank you for the lesson. Perhaps we should clean up and get these guys off to bed soon, hm?"

[Calico Carter]

Calico didn't let out a big gust of air or anything- her semi-relief was quiet. Subdued.

Unlike her response to Mara's suggestion.

"Bed, hell, that little jerk's gonna be insufferable unless I take him for a spin and let him clear his head! Yeah! I'm talking to you! Don't you DARE make a nest out of my clothes when we we get back!"

[Mara Froste]

'I think we'll go for a walk too, first. I have an idea I want to test. If it works out, I'll show you tommorrow.'

(/Thread?)

[Calico Carter]

"I'll look forward to it!"

[/Thread and thankya!]