WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO LOVE — [member=265]Keona.[/member] and August 

Jacob wasn't sure what little caverns would be used for platonic or romantic dates so he just did his best to make them all look cozy. Of course, fire was out of the question so there wouldn't be any romantic, candlelit dinners tonight. Each room had a variety of board games and cards in case the occupants wanted to stay past their meal. There was a large spread of food in each room as well, with a variety of dishes including some that had meat and some that didn't. He wasn't sure what kind of dietary needs each of his guests would have so he tried to offer everything he could think of without making the options too overwhelming. Of course, there were a variety of types of pasta noodles and sauce along with various kinds of meat as the main course, then there was a fruit salad and regular caesar salad, and then there were a variety of deserts including the pastries that'd been out in the lobby and different types of cookies. He then put in a variety of soft pillows and blankets to lay on along with a low table in the middle containing all the dishes. There was hot chocolate, wine, and water in each room (although he removed the wine later in the evening when he knew where children, particularly his son, would be). With everything set, all that was left to do was remove the wine from rooms with children and wait for the guests to arrive. —A GREAT HONOR TO HOLD YOU UP

Surprisingly, August made his way to the little room he assumed was meant for him and the one who had been paired with him fairly quick. He was pretty excited over the opportunity to make a new friend; granted, they weren't likely to see each other very often, but after learning that his old friends were no longer alive, he yearned for new ones. They didn't even have to be super close or anything. August really just wanted someone he could go to when he needed them, and vice versa.

His flat gaze moved over the room as he took all of the details in. Food, lots of it, and some games. Those would be fun to attempt to play with hooves. The deer moved further into the room and walked to one side of the table, head leaning down further as he sniffed at the food options. He sure hoped he'd be able to eat some of it.

August lowered himself to the knees of his forelegs and flopped down on top of some of the pillows, trying his best not to flail his legs and accidentally kick something. He shifted a bit to sit up further so that he wasn't lying down; that would be a poor first impression. He sniffed once more, this time at the drink options, and gently pulled some water towards himself. Of course, it wasn't so gentle, because he couldn't quite tell just how hard he was biting down on the container, but at least it hadn't broken between his teeth. Be that as it was, there were still teeth indents. Oh well.

August raised his gaze to stare at the curtains covering the opening and waited patiently for his partner.

"SPEECH"

✯ — female. beta of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat. ref. bio.

Fact of the matter, the Typhoon beta was fairy certain she did not have any friends, not in the true sense of the word.  Friends were individuals you spent time with, who were there for you.  Friends made you smile, and they were the first one you told anything and they knew you.  Since joining the Typhoon with her father and leaving their old crew, she hadn't made any friends like that.  Nobody knew her like that.  What if nobody wanted to?

The issue nagged at her as she finally set off for the assigned room, her tiny paws treading the ground lightly, tail flicking to-and-fro.  Although they did nothing for her, her sightless, sea-green eyes were flickering in a rather alert manner.  She really wanted this to go well.  Even if this would mean she had a friend rather far away, especially for someone was small as her, at least it meant she had one.  Her partner was already here, she realized, hoping she hadn't been rude and made him wait.  That certainly did not make a good first impression.

She lacked the typical confidence she retained walking across the Typhoon's beaches; her paws were not familiar with this land.  She was still trying to wrap her brain around being underground. Nonetheless she made it, though she nearly tripped on the curtain before realizing one could slip through it.  "Aloha," the child, though there was a faint Irish undertone in her voice, spoke her mother's language, although she did not remember her.  It was nicer than just saying 'hello', in Keona's opinion.  Mostly, she knew she had to get talking, so that when her partner replied she could gauge where to angle her head.  Was he tall?  Probably.  Everybody was taller than her at the very least, but it varied often, and thus she never knew where she needed to appear to be looking.

code by spacexual

August's ears swivelled to face Keona as she walked in. He stared at the little cat for a long moment, blinked a few times. "Oh. You are very small. Hello, I'm August. Did you make it here alright?" He was trying his best to be easily approachable; he didn't want this.. Oh, she must've been a child, huh? He didn't want this child to feel nervous talking to him, or even worse, be scared of him.

She didn't seem to be looking towards him, maybe she was already scared of him? He didn't think he was that intimidating, though the smell always seemed to put people off. That was okay, that was something he could easily explain. Maybe it was because she was so small and he wasn't exactly the smallest of all deer. Whatever it was, August figured he'd be able to find out soon, without having to bother the cat about it.

"SPEECH"

✯ — female. beta of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat. ref. bio.

Keona tilted her head the moment August's voice touched her ears.  Small indeed, and he was very tall, in comparison.  She figured even her father and uncle would have to crane their necks.  She did not mind, though she hoped there was somewhere she could jump on that would let them speak without one having to crane up and the other having to peer down.  It got uncomfortable after awhile.  Feeling a little more in her element, knowing she was actually looking in their direction, she nodded.  "'m Keona."

Tentatively, she took a few steps further, until she located a pillow and leapt up, blinking as her paws sank into the fabric.  Soft.  While she could in fact smell him, especially now she was a little closer and more relaxed, she did not seem bothered though it was mostly due to her young obliviousness.  She did not know what to make of him at all.  She was however, curious.  "'an I'm a rusty spotted cat.  We're small," she offered up, pleased for once that she spoke without any error.  Often she got her words mixed up.  "What're you?" Hopefully that was not rude.

code by spacexual

He watched as she moved to face him properly after he spoke, noting the detail. "It is nice to meet you, Keona." August watched her as she moved to a pillow. She moved carefully; maybe she was shy? She certainly hadn't spoken much, and the deer knew that could mean she was shy. Of course, she was pretty young, and August knew children were much more likely to be shy than older animals. They did tend to hide behind their parents, right?

August smiled when she asked what he was. She'd probably never seen a deer before, huh? Of course, he didn't realise how literal his thoughts were. ""I am a deer. Specifically a fallow deer. I think.. We are one of the smaller species."

"SPEECH"

✯ — female. betta of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat. ref. bio.

At least he was friendly.  Keona was growing far more in her element, although the new location continued to keep her on her toes.  It was far easier to fix a location, to make her eyes seem more attentive, now as he continued to speak.  One of the smaller?  She blinked, supposing that was lucky.  She did not always like feeling completely dwarfed by others, but it was often inevitable.  Her head cocked a little to the side, wondering just how much larger other deer might be.  "We're the smallest... In the entire crew," she reported matter-of-factly, confidence gleaming in her eyes.

Undoubtedly it was true, even if she did not know everyone in the Typhoon.  Everyone she had met, by far, had been considerably larger than her, and her father and uncle.  Perhaps there were benefits to being small, but Keona so far, only worried that it further the impression she was weak and incapable of taking care of herself.  But she was here, on her own, making a friend all by herself in a new place, so that had to amount for something... Hopefully.  Either way, she was happy to be doing something different.  Hopefully nobody here, but specifically her hopefully-new-friend-August, didn't think she was just a little kid who couldn't do anything.

"But... I don mi that much," she decided. It just meant she had to work a little harder to prove herself, but that wasn't too terrible in the great scheme of things.

code by spacexual

"Well, that's very good then. I am glad you do not let it bother you." August really hoped he didn't come off as weird. He knew he didn't speak as casually as some of the others usually did. Did his wound smell? He really hoped it didn't. Even if this was just a child who wasn't likely to judge, August wanted to make a decent impression.

"You are saying we. Would you like to tell me about the others? If you don't, that is okay also." He sounded a bit like the elders had in his herd when they spoke to children. Oh, great, now he was realising he was as old as his elders had been and acted just like them.

"It is whatever you would like. You can speak most, or I can speak most, and it can be about anything. You are free to ask questions, too." August hoped that was friendly enough. He didn't want to weird the child out or cause her to duck into her shell, but he wanted her to be aware that he was alright with talking about anything, even if they ended up talking about a bug she'd seen the other day. "You could also eat first, if you would like."

"SPEECH"