[PRP] What...Is... THAT?!

[viatorai]

private RP between v and revel

 

[viatorai]

It wasn't like the rumours were new. And it wasn't like she'd never heard of innocent-looking rabbits actually being shifters. As a matter of fact, it made sense, rabbits that weren't familiars had a tendency to...well, scare her.

Ignoring the fact that...well...*everything* scared her, really.

Valentine had been minding her business, on her way to meet with her new friend, Naosu, more than excited about the meeting. It had been...well, a very long time since she'd had a friend...well, she'd never had a friend, actually. Naosu was her first. So the fact that she was even making the journey away from her home- or, the closest thing to a home- was a huge, big deal.

So much of a big deal that anything going wrong would be soul-shattering and completely destroy her confidence to a point where she would never try to get out again.

Good thing that wasn't going to happen! Right? Right?!

...Well, considering Valentine found herself currently standing stock-still, staring at a...vaguely rabbit-shaped-but-also-horse-shaped-oh-god-is-that-the-shifter being in the distance, the outing was not going well.

At all.

[179]  

[Revel1984]

Anush had been travelling, watching for sinners to try and turn onto the right path, if that meant charming those evil shifters, or just showing some poor soul the guiding light of goodness, either way his work was done.

He had just emerged from the darkness of some trees when he watched as a young seeming female froze at the sight of a stranger in the distance. Both were strangers to him but he wasn't about to allow an innocent soul to be scared for no good reason. He quietly drifted close, not meaning to scare her, and moved to place himself between the young pawed lady, and the stranger that so frightened her. "My apologies if i overstep miss, i mean you no harm, but may i be of any assistance on this day? it would appear you do not wish to confront the stranger over yonder, perhaps i may help?" Not for the first time he forgot his presence could be startling, but he hoped his gentle voice and blocking the sight of the stranger to the lady, would help allay any fears she might have about another stranger coming upon her. He made sure to be a respectful distance though, not near enough to touch her at all, if she was worried about being harmed.  

[viatorai]

If the figure in the distance was frightening, then the being that seemingly emerged from the shadows out of nowhere was absolutely *terrifying*. Obviously, he seemed to be trying to be gentle, but for an already-jumpy being, Valentine felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest and fly several hundred malms away.

She was downright exhausted from being terrified, so all she could do was, for a few moments, stare.

After a few moments, her gaze finally dropped from the multi-winged...male? Thing? No, that wasn't nice to think, he was just another soq. Just another like her, just a little different.

"I--" She started, only to choke up, literally, and hunker down in an attempt to make herself seem smaller. Maybe then she would be left alone.

Then again- the figure in the distance had started to move.

Towards them.

Towards her.

Oh. Oh no. Oh no.

"Sh..sh...shif...shifter..." She managed to squeak out, tail tucked FIRMLY between her legs, ears pinned back and eyes wide.

[169]  

[Revel1984]

Well he'd torn it now, he'd gone and scared the poor young looking mare even more "I am so sorry my lady, the last thing i wished to do was to further your fears, i beg forgiveness" he said to her, getting down to his knees as an apology, folding all of his wings in tightly in an attempt to make himself look smaller, just as she had "I am truly sorry miss"

He would have said more but she scrambled in greater fear, her tail between her legs like a beaten dog and this would NOT do, he got to his feet, standing in front of her protectively and flared out all of his wings (except the ones on his face), making himself as large as possible. "Halt stranger!" he called to the rabbit-looking soquili, if they were a shifter, he would deal with them "Come no further until you state your purpose!" his voice deep and powerful now, vastly different from the soft, gentle voice he'd used with the mare behind him.  

[viatorai]

Oh.

Okay, well, maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

Many, many times before, Stallions had made no move to make themselves look smaller after thoroughly scaring her, it had always been up to her to correct her mistake. In a way. It was never her mistake, but she would and could never bring herself to change that thought that it was her fault in the end. Ah, well, here was a good moment in which she would be able to think otherwise.

But it wasn't like she had much time to think. To ruminate. The supposed shifter was getting ever closer, and it was to her horror that she realized that if she hadn't seen it first, it would have snuck up on her. It had no claws!

As if to confirm her fears, the supposed shifter got just close enough to-- where was the pelt? Was it that well hidden? And why was there a true rabbit next to it? Didn't they...

"Oh. Ah. I'm sorry, have I interrupted something?" The supposed shifter asked, eyes wide once it- he had stopped when told. "You're the first- well, first and second- that I've seen in who knows how long."

Curious, it...he? was smiling. gently, even. The crazed rabbit shifter was rumoured to grin menacingly...

"Y'see...We're a bit lost..."

And it was odd, usually when confronted with a threat display as her savior was doing, shifters preferred to fight rather than hunt, right? They were bloodthirsty things that did nothing but kill and kill and kill, right?

"And...Erm...Well it looks like we've caused a bit of something here..." The rabbit-like stallion hummed, tilting his head and causing his ears to flop to one side rather adorably

...Adorably?! When in the world did she find a shifter- a supposed shifter adorable? What kind of backwards thinking was that?! Valentine's only response was to whimper- less out of fear and more out of confusion at this point!

[326]  

[Revel1984]

Anush relaxed a little as the stranger came closer, though stopping when told. It was clear this was no shifter but that didn't mean he wasn't a threat of course, evil held all sorts of forms, not just the obvious one of a shifter.

"lost?" queried Anush "Lost would require you knowing where you were headed, perhaps you could elighten us as to the proposed end of your journey?" he looked down at the rabbit familiar and relaxed his wings, he still had claws if he needed to defend himself and the young miss behind him but less and less this creature was seeming threatening.

"We mistook you for a Shifter, a being of evil and destruction" he explained to the rabbit eared fellow, my those paws looked soft, he wondered how they would feel to touch, he shook his head of those thoughts. No... "Apologies for the misunderstanding, i assume you mean this young lady here no harm" he asked, giving the other a hard sideye from beheath the wings on his face. He still stood protectively between the mare, and this fellow, just in case.  

[viatorai]

Upon being told it- he had been mistaken for a shifter, the rabbit-like stallion leaned his head back, eyes wide, ears flopped back. Honestly, he looked so comically offended that Valentine, unable to stop herself, let out a soft giggle.

"I-- oh, gosh, I don't know how to really respond to that!" He huffed, but remained as good-natured as anyone. Sort of. Still seeming a little offended despite his....well, nervous smile.

Finally, Valentine uncurled herself enough to not look like she was a half moment away from disappearing into the void.

"I-if you could...tell us where you're h-headed, we c-can help you..." Her voice was small, but at least she was making an attempt.

"Oh! You're correct!" The rabbit-like stallion snapped out of his comical offense. "Right, so, we're looking for a famous herd that sells tea. And, well, other things. So we've heard."

Valentine had heard of such a herd, but she just....couldn't remember where she had last seen them.

"And if you can at least point us in a general direction that is not...well, the wrong way, we can scoot on away!"

[184]  

[Revel1984]

Anush almost fully relaxed now, it was clear this stallion was no threat, quite the opposite in fact. "Ah you are referring to the Lapsang soquilis i believe?" he said, nodding sagely. "I cannot promise i know where they are now, but i could tell you where i last saw them, and if this lady here also has information, perhaps it is enough to find them" he smiled.

It didn't take long for him to inform the stallion of where he'd last seen those the rabbit was looking for before turning to the young mare again. "I hope all is well now? but perhaps there is a place you would like escorting to for the evening... for safety of course" after all she had been frozen with just the fear this one was a shifter, he was slightly concerned what would happen if she came across one on her own.  

[viatorai]

With a polite bow of his head, the rabbit-stallion walked past the pair, sparing only one more moment to give Valentine a soft smile. And then he was gone.

Yeah, it was a smile alright.

"Y-yes....I...I th-think it's okay..." She confirmed, at this point finally fully uncurled from herself to where she could stand proper. Her tail was even untucked, even if it was twitching with anxiety. "I should...get home...It's th-that way..." Less of a home and more like a convenient safe thicket, but who was going to argue with her, honestly?

"Th-thank you..." She lowered her head. " Um...I mean, mister...uhm...I'm sorry, M-my name's Valentine and...I wanna go h-home..."

For once, she took the initiative to start heading home. Slowly. Still paranoid.