Coconut Grove I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts

phone post for @Govinda backdated to the 15th

She was shadowed by the leaves of a strange form of timber, their bark was smooth and shingled but their libs her simply large fan-like leaves. They were straight, though some seemed to curve out of the ground at an angle. Like the one she had climbed, it was straight with the ground and only hovered off of the strange sand, snow, and grass covered ground. It was a balancing act, one that she took at a slow pace.

For a moment her loneliness was forgotten, her emotional pain set aside for this strange tree and her goal. Copper eyes were fixated on the hard and hairy looking fruit that were nestled in its leaves, sure she could have just strode along side the parallel palm but then the tiny grains of sand and thick clumps of snow would be stuck between her toes and she still did not know how he felt about that. Slowly she came closer, until, well she reach the origin of strange looking fruit. She blinked, then blinked again as her liver hued nose touched the hair surface. What was this thing?

let's be honest--one man alone couldn't hold a territory by himself. even with the help of his newfound friends, there were things that slipped through the cracks. not that he minded much, for now. with no young children to defend, a more porous border was low on his list of concerns. still, it was different from his life at morningside, and the urge to confront intruders did not die easily. 

but he did his best to put a welcoming smile on his face and lower the instinctual rise of his hackles when he spotted the woman, sniffing at the coconut. ever seen one of those before? he asked, for so many here had not. probably northerners, he reckoned. it's a fruit, you know, he remarked, coming closer with a wry smile on his face, as if imparting a big secret. grows on the trees. . .well, in better weather, anyway.

the palms were going dormant quickly, preparing for the long winter. he often wished he could do the same, just sleep away the snow.

phone post

Maybe it was her loneliness that had made her miss the obvious markers that told her nose that this area had been claimed by a gathering group of canines, maybe it was the depression that had been clutching so closely to her heart, or maybe it was just her curiousity. She had nonidea what caused this recklessness, she was usually more diligent than that. The Hanako woman prided herself for her alertness, her diligence but it would seem if had faded her as she pressed her nose to the hard hairy fruit. Evennthe awarness of her surroundings had lacked in her banishment, she had not noticed the man that was approaching nor did she notice that this place mostly carried his scent.

 ..Stupid Aiko..

 She inches closer before she opened her mouth to test the skin of said fruit, just as her teeth connected did the man speak. This startled her, causing her ballence to be thrown off as she ckutched at the hard ball. She thought maybe its hold on the mother plant would not snap like a simple petal from the stem of a flower but she was wrong. Just as he spoke about it being a fruit did the event take place. Balance wavered, she gripped the coconut just as she started to fall and it popped from its mother and sent her crashing into the sandy combination that was called the ground.  The wind was knocked out of her as she hit back first, a shaky cough-like breath came next. She was just glad she had not taken him out in her performance. Heat collected in her ears and neck from embarrasment as she straightened herself out. Pale copper eyes peered up at him with an appology but interest in his words. Finally she places the fruit between them, remembering that it sloshed inside.

"I-I beg your pardon for that scene.. I hope I am not trespassing on your land." She said as her maroon ears fell to her skull, similar colored tail swayed back and forth to show friendliness and embarrassment for her actions. "So.. this thing is a fruit, the strangest fruit I have ever encountered." her voice was gentle but slcracked with misuse. How long until the geowl fell away from her hoarse throat, loneliness was such a pitiful thing.

perhaps he should have given it more thought, instead of calling out to someone in a tree. he was reminded suddenly of dawn and many of her other female relatives as the stranger came tumbling down, landing with a muted thud on the sand. breath hitching in his throat, govinda rushed over to her, though took a few steps back as she righted herself.

god, are you okay? he asked, eyes wide. i'm so sorry. i should have thought. . . the man shook his head, then paused, a rueful smile coming to his face in tandem with a shrug. well, it is my home but you're not a bother. as long as you're doing no harm. no harm to anyone but yourself, anyway, he added, a weak attempt at humor.

govinda nodded. yeah, it's a fruit, he murmured. i think you grabbed one of the last ones. the trees have mostly stopped producing, since it's gotten cold.

Ah, sorry for the late reply! Phone post

His words came out of concern and shock as she landed on her back, it caused her approach towards this man to soften. She still had a chip on her shoulder, even with loneliness biting at her heart. It was her family, her pack, that casted her aside for her lesser gender, all because she wanted to break the mold that they had formed. The girl shook her head as he continued, this was his home but she was not to be harmed unless she meant harm. Then there was a joke about her harming herself.  "Fair enough, I can promise you that I mean no harm to anyone but myself." She chuckled and kept her tone rather playful, this man did not seem like the men that she grew up with. She would remain herself until he proved her otherwise.


Then the words were back to the fruit, he noted that was the last one. Well, probably the last one. This cause her carrot colored eyes to where she had fallen, sure enough, the reason it came so easily was that it's stem had shriveled and no others grew with it. "You can have it, if you wish. After all, this is your home, not mine." She nosed the hard cylinder towards the man she didn't know the name of though she was curious what was inside.

"Where are my manners.." She murmured as she dipped her brown nose to the man before her, "my name is Aiko Hanako.  May I ask yours?" she spoke softly, never removing her playful smile from her lips.

she was cute, and not without humor. he found himself grinning along with the repartee, shifting his weight on his paws as she spoke about the coconut. tempting as that offer might be, i'll pass, govinda teased. i'm not much in the mood for coconut. with a forepaw, he sent the sphere rolling, then turned his gaze to her again.

you may, aiko tanako, he murmured, with a dip of his head. govinda. where do you come from? the seawolf asked, nostrils flaring slightly as he tried to sort through the scents on her pelt. not many recent ones--and what he did pick up, he didn't recognize. he was curious to know whether she planned to stay nearby or was simply passing through.

This lighthearted conversation was just what she needed, how long had it been since she could bave thos type of conversation with a man or anyone really? This man was quite cordial, had a sense of humor, and to top it all off, was quite handsome. She was really enjoying herself, even as he rolled the coconut back to her saying he was not in the mood for it. One had to be in the mood for this, this fruit? She looked down at it in confusion but that slowly turned into curiosity. How does one eat this thing anyways?

she echoed her thoughts outloud, "how does one eat this thing?" she laughed at her oen words as her gaze shifted to him as he spoke his name,  she dipped her head in respect for him providing that information. 

"A pleasure to meet you, Govinda." Her ears flattened at his question, it wasn't because she hated that he asked that question it was because it was such a sensitive subject for her. She gave a sigh before giving him what he asked for thoigh she broke their eye contact, turning her head away in sadness. " I traveled from the west, far away from here. My birth pack resides in a labrynth of trees, caves, and heavy mist." she finally looked back at him. A flash of anger entering her eyes but as fast as it appears, it disapears. "They are called The Bloodoath.. and  I am not allowed to return." She tried to smile but failed, she did not want to spoil her time with this man but speaking of them, well, it upset her. Maybe she needed to tell omeone though, would that make it less painful?

govinda smiled wickedly, though his eyes were still kind. you crack it open on a rock. takes some practice, he said. then you suck the milk out of it. like a giant, round, hairy teat. he thought that teats were perhaps more appealing--but coconuts weren't bad.

but he was less interested in coconuts and more interested in her story, particularly in the range of emotions that seemed to go with it. his smile stuck around, but it faded into something more sympathetic. the bloodoath didn't seem like a group that was very welcoming in the first place; perhaps it had been best for her to move on, even if not by choice?

i'm sorry to hear that, govinda murmured, shaking his head. it's their loss, anyway. always remember that. especially since the revelation that engel had not, in fact, harmed sorrel marie, he felt very opposed to any sort of banishments for offenses less than the very worst. he didn't fault grayday for the decision, but god, so much had gone wrong. . .