Snippet #2669890

Gaele continued to study the grey-furred wolf man in the pale night's lighting, taking advantage of their closeness and her conversation with him to get her first real good look at a Lycan. Living in Argohahn, and especially during the time that she had, she'd had very little exposure to creatures and persons who were not human or average in shape and form. She knew, from tales at the very least, that there were others out there, that the world was much more diverse than her own hometown would have led her to believe, but until now they'd only lived in her imagination. They are pretty fierce-looking, she noted, though given the relaxed state of this one she couldn't find reason to be uneasy or worried. The Queen left nothing to interpretation about the conduct she expected of her citizens, and Gaele trusted that those who inhabited her kingdom, even temporarily, would follow good behavior in order to keep the peace. Especially knowing first hand herself what happened to those who didn't.

The stranger had less of an idea what it was he hoped to find inside the shop, though the young human woman could sympathize. She'd never possessed anything she considered fancy or frivolous, and with no prior knowledge about those sorts of things she couldn't even be sure she had enough to make a purchase. But her uncertainties weren't enough to dampen her mood, and she chuckled as the Lycan lifted one gauntlet-covered hand--paw?--to show the unlikeliness of him purchasing a ring. Unfamiliar with armored coverings of any type, she had to assume he knew what he was talking about, and answered decidedly, "An earring, then." If fitting a ring beneath his gauntlet was going to be too much trouble, then it was best to forego obtaining one. Besides, what was the fun in owning fanciful jewelry if you couldn't wear it?

She was about to make other suggestions when she noticed his attention shift, and as he stepped away from the wall to stand she righted herself to do the same, turning to see another dark-coated Lycan toting a box and brandishing a smile that was thoroughly friendly and inviting. With an accented voice, which she realized was still dissimilar to that of the lighter furred Lycan, the tall, dark stranger approached the shop intently, revealing himself to be the keeper as he unlocked the door and led the way inside. Curious and intrigued, Gaele followed after the armored stranger into the shop and began immediately to look around in the dim light as the shopkeeper welcomed them and excused himself to the back. She spared just a quick glance and a smile his way when she caught his wink and went right back to looking, stepping up to the closest standing case to peer inside. Gems glittered, metal glinted, catching the eye and tugging at her vanity. Oh, how lovely it must be to wear such beautiful creations! But what can I afford? As she mulled over the question, she bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully, frowning as she side stepped to continue surveying her options.

Hearing the thud of boots announce the return of the shopkeeper, Gaele didn't think anything of it until she turned her head to look the Lycan's way, opening her mouth to ask about his pricing when she realized he wasn't there. Instead, there stood a tall, dark-haired man, skin tanned and eyes inhumanly gold. Was this someone who'd been lurking around in the back while the store was locked up? She couldn't quite decide, and didn't have the time to when another dark, furry figure strode in through the doorway, startling her instantly. Only registering the creature's massive size and shape, easily the largest wolf she'd ever seen, flighty instinct kicked in and she reacted without thought. Gaele made a startled squeak and barely managed to keep the saddlebag she carried in her arms as a hand shot up to cover her mouth, bumping into the display case behind her as she backed into it in a feeble attempt at distancing herself from the beast. But despite her fearful reaction, it seemed to pay her no mind, and both the man behind the counter and the armored stranger barely reacted to the presence of the dire wolf, the latter even going so far as to scratch the massive wolf behind its ears like a pet.

Beginning to feel wholly out of place, the petite human held still and breathed in a few shaky breaths to try and calm down seeing as she'd completely overreacted, or at least compared to the others present in the room. Her hand slowly lowered from her mouth and her arm wrapped around the saddlebag like the other, clutching it tightly against her chest as she told herself repeatedly, It's fine, it'll be fine, just calm down and do like they do. Her green eyes shifted from the wolf to the Lycan, back again and over toward the man behind the counter--and fixed on him as he spoke with the voice of the Lycan who'd shown them in. Is that--? It can't be. It had been a furry, dark-coated wolf man who'd opened the door, not this smiling human. Was he...were they one and the same? She'd never truly believed the tales before and found herself struggling to do so now, but...his voice was the same. Is it really him?

She assumed so, especially as the grey-furred wolf man answered the presumed shopkeeper's inquiry, stating some land's name in answer to either the first or second question. Gaele hardly noticed as she was still preoccupied with trying to steady herself, and didn't really make any attempt at answering either question as the armored stranger asked about the shop's items. Still casting nervous glances in the direction of the dire wolf, the young human woman tried to keep a relatively relaxed air and nonchalantly moved to inspect the cases closer to where the other two men in the room were for comfort's sake, forcing interest as she stared into the cases and tried to distract herself with the shiny jewelry on display.