Timestamp: 12 Dyo, 81382 Character: http://shadowlack.com/persona.php?id=1271Tiramitsu Vaghern</a> IC It was with a flick of a fine grey wrist that a silver watch was exposed with its time ticking away. The 'Dragon the watch was attached to sighed before placing the palm of her hand on the cool stone ledge behind her. The thill was waiting at a popular rendezvous point in Chafuo; the Gid fountain - The matte silver statue showed two Gid "swimming"with an interesting and aesthetic display of water that made it the focal point for many postcards and promotional posters. It was the first thing you saw when you arrived at the shopping resort, so Tira figured it would be a good place to meet up. After much hunting around at Janardan Academy, Tira had finally found the elusive Shanu Amsési and convinced her to come and get some new threads from her new clothing line to wear, seeing as her brother didn't have the foggiest idea on how to spoil his little sister, she would. It would be nice to have affable female company for once so it was win-win. Since their last meeting though a lot of things had changed; She'd opened a lingerie line, had slight celebrity status because she was the "new thing" and taken up shape shifting and physically changed her appearance with it. Their first impression was a small 5ft 6" dragon, who was very much a little ball of fluff (that was Tiras' opinion) Now though she could be more at ease. Standing at 6ft 5" and very much a slender vet curvaceous 'Dragon she looked more appealing to a broader spectrum of males, and with her flaws in shape shifting still apparent, she was very much a busty thill. One of things she was actually disappointed about...then again she didn't have trouble finding lingerie to fit her large size these days, so maybe the problem was more self conciousness than anything else. It was for a short second that Tira feared they might not recognise her, but from this distance they'd know it was her, she was sure of it. If Dumu came, she'd be intrigued to see his expression at the "new Tira". Flicking her wrist once more the time was checked. She was still ten minutes early...
<table width=495px" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=10 bgcolor=#060606 style="border-left:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-top:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-right:1px #2f2f2f solid; border-bottom:1px #2f2f2f solid"><tr><td></img><font face="verdena"><font size="2"> Oh the stories; the brochures and leaflets, all the rumour and hype of Chafuo! There was nothing, no place, like it. The outskirts encircled the inner-most mazes of vast shopping centres, cafés, restaurants, gift and novelty shops, fortune tellers and a whole myriad of stalls and markets; merchants vying to compete on this proving ground. As they said, "Make it in Chafuo, and y'ain't crap, y'know." There were countless segments that made Chafuo the great vacation and tourist resort of the Southern Hemisphere. Caves, thousands of caves, divided the mainland from the Western shoreline. There was still plenty of time before mid-Nehlt-Sena, but already the heat haze in the distance was obscuring the largest caves. They were faded and steadily grew less visibly saturated the further back they went to the horizon. The rumble of vehicles and machinery was barely audible, apart from the Interceptors and Panters on training runs over head and over other continents, ripping up the skies with an electric, hoarse crackle when they sped above in their squadrons, painted in their famous USR colour combinations. There wasn't so much as a conventional sonic boom from the Interceptors, as such - whose squadrons that day were oddly limited to 3. However, their slower, bulkier and more obvious Close Air Support counterpart left a deafening clap of thunder in their wake. Had she not had her music on, the young, cerulean Dhampire's gentle and sensitive ears would have been blasted into oblivion. Ten point one surround sound was adequate enough to maintain a realistic environment and not kill her poor ears. The military procedures conducted over Sagar Sea were for the new daring pilots. The junior Amsési watched as an Interceptor pilot, leading some seemingly less competent, hesitant, trainees, by performing a barrel roll at a considerably low altitude. Shanu would have guessed at a thousand feet, at most. The jet stream was like a mask; her crystal blue eyes squinted through the tasteless green-blue mist. Silver dust combusted as it fell and mixed with the oxygen, leaving yellow embers to fade in place, suspended with a certain surreality. Shanu burst through a slowly disappearing gap between weighty tourists wielding several bags. Leading with her right shoulder, she didn't give the oldest one so much as a fleeting glance. Indeed, much had changed since Tira and Shanu first met all that time ago in Vivuli. Then again, some things - or some people - never changed. Some Pendragons were afraid of change, but she loved her brother the way he always was. Gallivants to different cities as brother and sister got their blood pumping. Four successive thumps and Dumu landed back on his feet immediately proceeding an acrobatic flip off transport crates, still some ways behind his greatly more agile sibling. The Royal Duo were out in all their colours that day! Dumu's fur had darkened with some maturity, and Shanu's golden tribal markings had only gotten brighter against her soft fur. Both the Amsésis donned their heavy, diamond encrusted necklaces (which flung from side to side, restricted only by the thick golden links) in direct balance with their movements - and make no mistake about it, they were making some moves! The thing about Chafuo is that it was never an empty resort. The streets were always packed with hundreds of visitors, guards, assassins, muggers, brigands, musicians, dealers and pedlars, shoppers and owners out on their porches for a cigarette break. It was the latter who had to contend with a perfectly executed wall-run by Dumu, who propelled himself to a steel monument in the centre of the open pavement. From there, the 9 feet tall Arden made a leap of faith back down on to the streets - into a seamless forward roll - and back on his feet in one motion -- finally level with Shanu, who gave him a satisfied nod. Dumu was the carrier of more canine genetics than Shanu. To them, it didn't matter, but, as a nearing corner rapidly approached, it was the only logical explanation for them when Shanu leapt against the apex and shot herself over a high divide on the opposite side of the court. A narrow alley way, littered with regular cans of beer and shards of glass of varying hues and obvious density, soon became the site of this mania! Shanu was more focused on her techno trance, pumping out adrenaline curdling beats at a pace to which she had synchronized her running. Nonetheless, Dumu wasn't too far behind again (only a second or two). Yes, the tables had turned, yet Dumu loved to aspire to a standard ahead of his own. He didn't consider it a matter of ego or pride, rather personal achievement and betterment, along side enjoyment. There was something frightfully similar about leaping around trees and leaping around the city. Although the terrain was substantially different, accuracy, speed and precise timing were the keys to unparalleled agility. There was a balance to strike between instinctive response, and reaction time. Dumu believed that instincts called for a response sooner than reaction time could parse the possibilities of defeat and/or failure. If instincts said, "Duck", Dumu would duck. If instincts said, "Jump", Dumu would jump. Such responses were like the basics of surivial -- like breathing. Instincts so common to every Pendragon on Ramath-lehi were to inhale and exhale. If you swapped instincts for reaction time, then undoubtedly half the population would be dead or dying. Dark, metallic blue oculi sank into a focused, pointed, narrow, motivated trance. His breathing became deeper, expanding his already large ribcage to as full a capacity as it could be given the speed at which he was running along. Three? No, four - maybe even five - homeless Yki (their fur tattered and frayed. Their clothes a reflection of their hardship) were slumped against the creamy white walls, exchanging their mediocre goods with one another to sustain themselves for a little longer. One had her maw wrapped with sparkling bandages which tied into a knot under her right, skywards-curling ear. The Thill across from her - a minimalist either by nature or through necessity - adjusted her bra strap and hoisted her trouser leg up so she could more easily have one leg bent against the other outstretched. The other two Yki were significantly younger niotie, wearing much more than the older two. Regardless, the youngest niotie was passing a remark about the bandaged patient having to relay the experiences of being in an operating theatre when she was better. That's all Dumu really cared to hear. He was going to make their position in seconds. All four experienced the lag associated with "reaction time", but ducked their heads all the same when Dumu exploded, bouncing thrice off the walls. Left, right, left and up. Shanu's eager eyes watched the distorted reflection of her brother in a darkened window at the end of the alley. The gold highlighted Dhampire dared not blink. His speed brought him the rewards of being the same height as her, less than a stone throw away. Only, Dumu was leading this race! The Royal Duo blasted over the dusty Chafuo rooftops, attracting their fair share of onlookers and photographs being snapped in their general direction. They kicked up clouds of settled sand from the beaches. They crushed rubbish in their path and startled anyone who got in their way, though the obstruction never proved to be an issue. So what had changed for Shanu? She was older, for one. Everyone aged though. Her dress sense had improved. Shanu wasn't just dressing for comfort any more. She dressed to impress when she wanted; Shanu dressed for fun and dressed to tease sometimes. Admittedly, that was rare in itself, but she still did it. Her accent was stronger; her tone was much softer and breathier. Her accent was a mixture of (what could only be described as) Irish and Japanese. Certainly some of her more exotic qualities were encoded in her accent. So what of Dumu? Mr. Red Tape still maintained his headache inducing honour bound mannerisms. Notably these had diminished somewhat, but it was more than obvious when meeting strangers for the first time. Now, Dumu Amsési had some dress sense. He got himself a pure white jacket and trousers combination. They weren't form fitting, but it was a flexible combination he could wear casually or formally. Shanu had his kit pressed the day before for him that day. A very large, black, calligraphic Ramathian "DA" was embroidered on the back of his jacket and on the main side pockets on the trousers. The other pockets that ran down the sides of his legs had a black trim around the opening. The stitching was white, so nothing seemed out of place. Shanu donned her own black jacket with "SA" hand embroidered on the left chest. It was waterproof and light weight, with a hood that could be unzipped. That day, Shanu felt no need to have it. It was resting on her bed post back in Janardan. The young Dhampire opted for the black tank top with silver lining. It was a three quarters length tank top - she wasn't feeling especially flirtatious, evidently! Her trousers were baggy combats, reflecting the same the USR used on routine operations around Ajita, Mansukh and Vivuli. Striped, splashed and dotted, the medley of colours could only be worn by those whose job it was to be shot at -- and Shanu. For all that, it wasn't "army surplus". Shanu bought the fashionable kind which flared at the end, despite its baggy characteristics. All the pockets were reverse zipped, meaning to close a pocket, Shanu had to push the zip downwards. Two pockets, however, broke this trend and indeed the whole trend. The pockets on her slender rear were button fastened. The buttons themselves were large, chunky grey buttons. Shanu left these undone, resulting in two stiff 'Interceptor Flaps' (as some of her friends back at Janardan called them) bouncing up and down as she ran. The reason Shanu had undone them was simple: several times she'd gotten herself caught while closing drawers in her dormitory with her behind, which was usually followed by a rather confused and embarrassed "Erk?". Dumu vanished into a deceptively comfortable space between an AC unit and window. The drawn curtains didn't prevent the elderly couple inside from dropping their conversation. Shanu spied his slick change of direction that would head on to the main streets... The true playground for their abilities. Shanu momentarily lost track of her direction. A sizeable AC ventilation shaft laid across her path, suspended three or four feet off the rooftop by small supporting arms, which were bolted and secured via circular discs. Shanu dropped back sideways as she neared and slid under the vent. On the other side, a gap had opened unto her that split two buildings. Conversions had been made to rooms or storage spaces - some residents even had extensions. Ultimately what ie meant was otherwise flat roofs had boxes on top. It was between two separate loft conversions did Shanu spy a means to catch up with her brother. As she pressed off the wall of the converted room on her right, the full scale of her next task unfolded. There was NO place for fear. But the Royal Duo knew that. The famous Gid Fountain of Chafuo could be made out past the heat haze. Both Shanu and Dumu halted at the edges of their respective buildings. The wind caught their hair from behind, singing through the strands and casting their blue hair forwards over their shoulders. Dumu's white-tipped spikes bounced slowly to the beat of the wind. Shanu's golden-tipped hair waved in slow motion. The low murmur of their clothing clapping against the folds was the only sound that could be heard from their position. Dumu's left hand braced his body against the wind, supported against the corner of an extension. Likewise, Shanu's right hand gripped a corner. Perhaps a minute or two passed. A silence overcame them both; you could have sworn they were looking at the elegance of Chafuo as a city... <font color="white"><u>"Uja iyo jaupi?"</u></font color> <font color="yellow"><u>"Uja iyo?"</u></font color> Shanu gave him a wry smile and looked over the edge of the building. A cliff face separated them from the outer rings and the high streets. It was a short cut, but if either the Amsésis slipped or tripped, it would have spelled 'fatality' for one or both of them. They also only had a mere five minutes to meet with Tira. <font color="yellow"><u>"Wait for it,"</u></font color> Her hair started to drop. Gradually, the wind began to ease off. Dumu closed his eyes. <font color="white">"Mmm,"</font color> Shanu's and Dumu's hair fell and rested over their shoulders for a couple seconds. They needn't say any more. Concurrently, the Duo Striped 'dragon and tribal Dhampire took a single step back and threw themselves likes predatorial avian off the edge of the building. During the intervening time since the trio met in Viviuli, Dumu had shown more and more interest in learning telekinesis. Shanu, now more proficient in the practise and implementation of her natural ability, showed him the tips and tricks she'd picked up along the way, cutting Dumu's learning time in half. He unofficially grew to a level where his skills were comparable with his sister's. For that matter, he'd gotten her back for the stone to the back of his head by hanging her upside-down from an extremely high tree (even for them) whilst she was asleep! Her squeals in the morning made him smile to himself. Yet here they were, sailing side by side. Their distance from the edge of the building increased. At first it was dramatic. It levelled out for a moment only, before the cliff recessed sharply, leaving the Amsésis little room for turning back. Their hair whipped wildly behind them. Dumu's larger, wider and more full bodied tail fur shuddered as it tore through the air behind him. Shanu's, however, stayed more stream lined and helped her pull ahead of him. Dumu tucked his ears back, trying desperately to make himself more streamlined, but being naturally bigger, he couldn't claw back the dozens of feet Shanu had gained in the few seconds of falling. Chafuo's main shopping streets were getting larger. The base of the cliff jutted outwards sharply. Both Dumu and Shanu had been watching it threatening to jump out in front of them at any second, ebbing and receding unpredictably all the way down. Finally the horrendously jagged surface carpeted their landing strip. The Royal pair spun around to face the silvery brown boulders daring to stop them at any second and kill them both, leaving their ultimately mangled bodies to fumble lifeless to the street and create a big mess indeed. They clasped their own paws together and pointed them, palms outwards, to the rushing surface. A static numbness overcame their bodies, and indeed did become lifeless for a second. Their hearing pulsed, popped and rang. Shanu's music turned off. Their eyes lost their sight and strained to reopen, partially bloodshot. All air was expelled from their lungs from the sudden compression - they were both nigh on internally haemorrhaging themselves. A trick which had once saved Shanu's life had returned to do it again. This time she'd spiced it for her brother and sometimes used it as a means of transportation. The concept behind this trick was this: "Try to move the planet". Telekinesis allowed a Pendragon to move objects around at will. Being who they were, sticking with only what they knew they could do failed to live up to their ambitions and expectations of one another. The fact they had no impact on the planet whatsoever didn't mean they didn't adversely affect themselves. Body conditioning was the physical side of this concept. Some larger Pendragons would stand awestruck when smaller 'Dragons ran through several blocks of ice and didn't break a bone. The harsh truth of it was that the smaller 'Dragons had broken their bones dozens of times trying to get tougher. If you hit something without the entire will to break it, it would break you with the same force you hit it. That's what Shanu and Dumu were doing - failing to move the planet moved them in the opposite direction at a speed similar to that of which they were initially falling. Think of a powerball bounced off an angled surface. Moments after, Shanu recovered from the initial shock to her system. It was no surprise she got there before her brother. Shanu picked her eyes up and peered at the blurry city drawing nearer. To be specific, They were both headed towards a circuit of lanes and access passages for the rear of the high street shops. Many buildings towered high in the distance. To be fair, several buildings around and about in the centre of Chafuo also stood tall - well above the rest! These were mostly multi-complexes, accommodating various branches for lesser brands of clothing and take-away businesses. An astoundingly bright, well contrasting aqua sign stood out, despite being encircled by multiple stores, and slightly obscured by larger residents. Even at a distance, "Mitsu Lingerie" was legible. Through the heat haze, a light blue ethereal glow shielded the grungy typography and shifted like a tide viewed at an extraordinarily slow rate. Dumu shook off the dizziness and regained his bearings. He wasn't too long after Shanu; both of them stepped once against the ground to give themselves another boost forward - more of a lift for the last, short run to meet with Tira. Where Dumu hit the ground and leapt a little higher into the air - at that speed he vaulted himself over a guarding wall of a warehouse that stocked basic supplies for nearby restaurants. Younger pendragons were shifting canisters of C0<sub>3</sub> into the lobby of the warehouse. This act was definitely tongue in cheek, but the distance wasn't all that great, so Dumu landed on the other side of the courtyard - on the Main Streets - in a large cloud of projected tan dust, kicked upwards and out in front of him as he pushed against the fine terrain to bring himself to a halt. Shanu, on the other hand, was always one for taking risks! When her paw hit the ground to propel herself, the young tribal Dhampire was aiming for a large open window. There were two in line with one another, belonging to the same warehouse over which her brother leapt. She tucked her arms in tightly. She turned her hips slightly, which in turn created enough inertia for the rest of her body to rotate in mid-air as well. Into a horizontal spiral she went, small enough to pass through both open windows. Her hair whipped the outer window frames before she too landed on the Main Streets. What was once a fairly quiet murmur of shoppers immediately broke into a chorus of laughter, shouting, bartering and general chit-chat. It was like a clap of thunder! There was no gradual build up. Breaking through the sound barrier of the warehouse put them in amongst the fray! And what a hustle it all was! Yet, for the Royal Duo there was no slacking by any degree. The ever-infectious smile, met by playful steely blue oculi, defined the competitive nature of the two remaining lines of Amsési blood. Kicking up the tan soil once more, they made a be-line for the Gid Fountain. Any path they could take to get ahead of the other - any risk that presented itself as a result - was soon taken, all for the sake of having fun. So intense was this competition that Dumu lost himself in bouncing off walls - he missed his mark, reflecting off a shop, over Tira and down onto the beach, a good twenty to thirty feet below! Shanu, however, was distracted already by her music, which had squeaked and popped back to life and continued on her previously selected track, "Neo-Rapine". She wasn't going to miss her mark, and as such stuck one paw out. She wrapped herself around the Gid Fountain and perched herself on the edge, spraying water in Tira's general direction. <font color="yellow">"Yo, lass!"</font color> A littler louder than normal, sure. One deft paw flicked the music off and retracted the speakers from her gentle ears. The necklace dangling around her neck still sparkled with the water droplets that had been flecked onto the surface, refusing to drip back into the fountain. Shanu's tail flicked around, giving the water spraying up behind her an amethyst tint. The Dhampire was certainly in her element! <tag /></td></tr></table></font face></font size>
Tira who had been sitting on the edge of the fountain the whole time, only saw the end of their antics as a blue lump whooshed overhead and over the nearest wall to the sandy beach. Still looking at the now empty air space which Dumu had previously occupied with a somewhat startled expression, she was cracked out of her little daze by the Royal femme wrapped around the fountain, if the call didn't grab her attention, the cold sprinkling of water did. Tira swung her head around in Shanus' direction, a smile easily found on her maw, followed with a twinkle in her eyes that hinted something mischievous. <span style='color:aqua'> “He sooo completely missed" </span> She said clearly amused, her smile still on her maw at the end of her sentence. Shifting herself, Tira stood up from her position with a fluid grace while pushing back some stray hair around her face – which of course returned a few seconds later - The rest of her hair was tied back in a loose but well executed plait, her hair at least a foot longer since their last proper meeting. Now it tickled the small of her back, though she had a variation of lengths around the front, like a tussled fringe – something that seemed to suit her nonetheless. Curious she peered over in the direction that Dumu had exited, but there was no sign yet of the larger blue male. A quiet breathy giggle escaped for a few short seconds before she looked back to Shanu once more. Wiggling her shoulders, Tira's lightweight black cotton biker style jacket shifted back into place, it was unzipped for the moment, which showed of the deep red strappy top she wore underneath and also that she was very “blessed" upstairs, something she couldn't help no matter how much tape she had. Surprisingly she wasn't wearing her usual combat bottoms, instead a fitted pair of black stonewashed jeans covered her rear, her tail carefully brushed so it didn't catch on the denim. <span style='color:aqua'> "He can catch up with us... come-on I'm dying to show the store! Oh how was the trip here? Not too long i hope!"</span> It was with ease that she talked to the Dhampire, as though they were close friends despite only seeing each other a few times since Vivuli. It was a trait of Tira's, she often made friends fast, She was someone who could make you feel comfortable no matter how difficult you might be. Well there was exceptions. Walking around the side of the fountain in the direction they were heading, Tira coyly cupped a pile of water in her paw, before flicking it over the edge Dumu had disappeared down, sensing his general position, she hoped for a “hit" as it were. And with a cheeky smile on her face she motioned for the younger female to join her on the cracked stone path to the main shopping complex. The streets were certainly busy today, all the pre summer hype was in full-beam as they navigated their way to the grungy aqua sign the Royal 'Duo had spotted earlier. The shop had a clear glass front which had a few pink and yellow neon 'dragonquins in the window sporting the possible combinations of Tira's lingerie. It also had a bright purple banner declaring that there was : 3 more days to go!. What for? Her newest line in lingerie, the corset sets had already been commended in femmes' magazines across the country, who could resist the sexy, simple, affordable and comfortable designs? Not many! And Tira had thought of every colour possible, meaning even a rainbow 'dragon could find something to suit them. And keeping with the clothing, the store was simple and sleek. Neon green was the backdrop for many of her clothing articles with purple walls accenting the aqua neon lights that scrawled the walls in various grungy designs. More was to be seen on the inside, but Tira slowed to a stop, looking over her shoulder to look for the elder Amsési who currently wasn't in sight. <span style='color:aqua'> “We'd better wait for your brother, the security guy won't let him into the studio if he comes in after us..."</span> And sure enough, even from the outside you could see the alert security guard patrolling the shop with a sense of duty. The burly chocolate male was mingling well with the hired staff running the shop. Or at least the manager had told her that was the case. Currently, a mousy shop assistant with shortish hair was asking him something, which was followed by a girlish giggle that could be heard from where they were standing and a deeper baritone that she couldn't quite decipher. Happy staff made for happy customers, Tira thought, as long as they did what was asked of them, she wouldn't fault them..
<table width=495px" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=10 bgcolor=#060606 style="border-left:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-top:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-right:1px #2f2f2f solid; border-bottom:1px #2f2f2f solid"><tr><td></img><font face="verdena"><font size="2"> "Completely missed" was as close to the truth as it could have been. Dumu knew he was going to miss when he saw Tira. He'd seen the gun-metal Thill through the crowd - moreover, he'd seen the shocking aqua hair against her jacket and pelt. That was yet another attribute that had changed. The dual-striped 'dragon had improved his vision. At distances nearing a kilometre, halos, double and faded silhouettes and the like, would surround objects. Sometimes, if he were approaching bigger cities, the lights would appear to split into bands which would make his eyes water a little. There was no training in the world that he could think of that could have improved his vision - it just improved over time. He did, however, scramble for the wall as he went over; his arms lashed out backwards to try and grip into the stone or the soil. What he didn't count on was the distance to which he had committed his free-fall. He was fractionally outside arms length of anything solid A public foot path teeming with nioti, niotie, Ardens and Thills were all milling around at the base of the wall. Thankfully, the drop wasn't too great - 20 feet or so. He couldn't jump it, but he could make good head way on the route back up. The metallic blue Arden decided to bite the bullet and do his best. His hardened, conditioned frame was used to physical punishment, and so the concept of hitting the ground hard was far from overwhelming; he compressed into a low stance amidst a smaller group who immediately dispersed hastily. Astonished Thills held their hatchlings back. For the same token, some Ardens kept their partners back - unsure of what they were actually doing, but rather acted more paternally than logically. Mr. Red Tape sprung back into the air and against the wall, dug his claws into the densely packed sediment and began the terribly short haul back up to redeem whatever grace he had lost by over-shooting. Unforeseeable events were often strangers around the Senior Amsési, but weren't - by any stretch of the imagination - unheard of; nor was it unthinkable that such unexpected twists of fate surprised him. No sooner had he began had Tira's well placed shot hit her, fluky, mark. Metallic blue eyes shrank in size when they registered the shower heading his way. He tried to turn his head away in time, but it perhaps made the situation worse. The cold water made contact with his right nostril, splashing right up his snout, into his eye and splashing off the side of his face in a sparkling curtain of spray - some droplets spread thinly over the sediment; the rest simple vanished from sight into the air. Struggling to take a full breath, Dumu's eyes crossed, half closed and closing; his jaw dropped reluctantly; his dark rouge tongue curled back in his mouth - a violent inhalation and Dumu sneezed loudly, shaking his hold on the wall. He went to wipe the water from his eye, but was prevented by yet another sneeze - and another, and another! Each sneeze got louder and more violent as he clawed at the wall, desperate to retain enough oxygen to perform two consecutive breaths. His fourth sneeze was more of a squeaky-pop than expelling air. Each one threw him off balance. Tumbling back on to the foot path; flat on his back with a cloud of copper dust floating around him, Dumu coughed and spluttered unwillingly. Densely toned arms carefully propped up his large frame as he took a second to sense what was going on around him, all the while cautious to be aware of another sneeze on the horizon. With an irritated shake of his head, he coughed authoritatively to clear his air ways and he looked back down at the ground. Sweat dripped from his forehead and down the length of his doppel-stroked snout, hung defiantly at the tip of his nose before dripping off onto the ground. First with his right, followed closely by his left, the shaken 'dragon pressed himself back onto his feet. Still being somewhat disoriented didn't mean 6th senses didn't work, and certainly didn't mean he couldn't move out of the path of the stone hurtled at him by an ochre Master Telekinetic. She was all of a dainty five feet tall, Anubial, and quite slim. Her face, however, betrayed her otherwise attractive features. Wizened, weathered and beaten, she wore the prices paid for wisdom, for with wisdom comes with it tremendous pain and suffering. This Thill had been through a lot, and it appeared that Dumu's actions didn't much help matters. <font color="red">"Sense enough to move. Should we wonder why sense failed to prevent you from walking, hm?! No! Don't speak. Journeymen must know their place,"</font color> She turned her head sharply, gritting her broken teeth disdainfully. An angry twitch played at the corner of her mouth. <font color="red">"Graded, or not. Your Master would be displeased, would he not, to discover your irresponsible actions here? Take leave, before stones become the least of your worries!"</font color> Dumu blinked - his right eye more lazy than his left. He plugged and unplugged his left ear quickly to bring back the treble in life. The mention of his much loved Master didn't sit well with the tall Pendragon, nor would it go unanswered. <font color="white">"Speak not of my Master. If there is but one quality in me he bestowed successfully, it was to heed not those whom misdirect their troubles,"</font color> Dumu wasn't one to allow others to walk all over him. Gritting his own teeth - much greater in size in comparison to the Thill's - his voice deepened, close to a vicious growl; a tone he used in hunting. A subtle - yet no less violent - bubbling was quashed only by an underlying civility in his nature. It could otherwise have been interpreted as though he was up to kill. <font color="white">"Especially those whom should better know the ways."</font color> With that, he straightened himself and his unzipped jacket, realigned his t-shirt and scaled back up the wall. In the meantime, Shanu had spied on her dear friend's actions. Dripping from her waterproof black jacket were beads of liquid pearl. The amethyst tint to the water darkened distinctly around the tip of the little Dhampire's tail, which swished from side to side smoothly. With one deft paw, Shanu plucked the earphones and stuffed them into the top left pocket then zipped it back up again. The smart thing about Shanu's earphones was that they operated on magnetic fields - if the earphones were within close proximity to one another, they would turn off. Logically, when that magnetic field was broken by putting them in her ears, they turned on. For good measure, she touched them together to ensure they'd turn off. <font color="yellow">"I heard the news! It's been going around Watani and Janardan like wild-fire! I saw the sign on the way in, but I've..."</font color> Squinting her crystal blue eyes, Shanu tilted her head to one side, trying to look past the crowds towards where she had previously seen the shop. <font color="yellow">"Yah, lost it."</font color> The slim, young Amsési leapt off the lip of the fountain down beside Tira. She was taller now. It comforted Shanu to feel shorter. In her classes she was among the taller students, and it got a bit boring when the others didn't want to relate to Shanu in any way. It was, therefore, refreshing and exciting to have such a good friend who was taller than her, especially when Shanu considered Tira was short when they first met all that time ago. <font color="yellow">"Mhm, sure can... the trip? Oh it was beautiful! The mountains are so picturesque during Dyo. I wanted to touch them from the outer rims, but I was a bit, um, preoccupied...?"</font color> Shanu smiled more to herself than to Tira. The thrill of bouncing through a concrete jungle wasn't as unorthodox as one would first presume. It was remarkably similar in many ways, but so much more invigorating than flexible surroundings. She loved to know that if she kicked off a wall, it wasn't going to bow under the force - much unlike branches, trees and even river banks. With a frequency erring on the side of too-often such natural furniture had given under the Amsésis' forces, knocking things out of the ground, uprooting smaller trees, snapping branches and causing an altogether less rewarding play-ground. Dumu saw it as a necessity to keep moving, not knowing what would happen next. The uncertain outcomes made him an extremely quick thinker when it came to manoeuvring open spaces and narrow gaps. For Shanu it was a different story. While in her earlier years, the young Dhampire thoroughly enjoyed the uncertainty, she discovered a more reliable calling from the cities of Ramath-lehi. To her, they took as good as they could get, and to her, that's all she wanted. Something she could revisit time and time again, and know it wasn't going to give in after a few beatings. It stood its ground and made her tougher. Failure, too, made her more aware of the dangers. While Dumu was fast, Shanu was strong. When it came down to it, Dumu could get around tight corners, smaller gaps, and balance on the most unbelievably small things for someone his size. His balance surpassed Shanu's - hands down. When it came down to Shanu, she found her lower body strength notably more durable than her brother's. She could leap nearly twice as high as him, after a full speed run up. Her running speed kept her abreast of him, as well. He couldn't match on physical, long haul stamina. It had been a long time since he'd caught her. She had to give credit when it was due, though. Because of the continual competition, he had gotten significantly faster; only not fast enough. His sheer bulk prevented his muscles from reacting as quickly as Shanu's. A fact of life. A fact of the Royal Duo. Kicking up dust on the beaten path, Shanu's reflective eyes glistened when they set upon the figures, fitted with attractively coloured and styled corsets. Shanu'd never been near a corset in her life, but had heard much about them - some good news, some bad news. Her close friend Jaydi suffered a Thill's nightmare scenario: the ribbon of her corset snapped, leaving her a little more on show than she had desired. Shanu was quick to acquire and implement a menu. But here they were! And Tira owned the store - the whole line in fact. The Tribal Dhampire eyed the strapping guards in uniform. Handsome, yes, but a little too stern for her liking. Shanu hooked one arm around Tira's and tugged her a bit closer to whisper into her ear. <font color="yellow">"Do these machines have names, or serial codes?"</font color> The giggle pinned Shanu's ears back with a sharp clink of her earring. It had always been a distinguishable feature, but in recent years, the earring had been getting uncomfortably small. At times, it had caused bleeding, and for Shanu's sensitive ears, such an affect wouldn't do. More often than not, she removed it to prevent the dull ache she got just before it bled. That day, things weren't too bad - until her ears went back and shifted the golden loop. It wasn't so much shrill, annoying or grating, rather it was expectantly loud over such a distance. Her crystal blue eyes - normally never wide - shot open and faded in saturation. It may sound strange, but it was the genuine equivalent of shock reducing the visible size of pupils. The colour returned reasonably quickly, but not before a stunned, 'Whoa!', was exclaimed! One ear rose again, but her pierced ear didn't. Not due to being affected too much... The toughest part for an ordinary Pendragon who had never done what Dumu did naturally would have been the timing. Sharpshooters could sense their target and hit it precisely. Pilots could sense when to pitch or roll to avoid an oncoming missile or shells. Less technical and military than that, and probably closer to the situation, would be how cooks and chefs could tell when certain ingredients were finished and ready to use. Maybe even a parallel could be drawn between nioti being able to sense the deceased to the point where they could look directly at "empty space". It was a 'feeling' he got that allowed him to judge at a glance if a certain move was going to work or not, and where an acceptable alternative could be found. But none of that mattered. The rooftops heard the melodic pounding once more. He watched the streets below, which returned the odd look too. His dark blue hair whipped behind him as his shoulders pivoted backwards and forwards, dipping steeply with longer strides that took him over alley ways and elevations between houses, apartments, stores and cafés. He wasn't far from Shanu and Tira anyway, but had to make a quick detour. A mass exodus of Anubi from a nearby restaurant caused too much of an obstruction to make a straight shot for the pair. Up onto the edge of the building, Dumu threw his arms out and backwards to propel himself further. Landing heavily a stones throw away, he made quick to brush himself off, and noticed that Shanu's in-tune ear hadn't missed so much as a heart beat. Gently it rose to meet the same height as the other. <font color="white">"Mitsu L-onjeree? Laundry?"</font color> <tag /></td></tr></table></font face></font size>
Giggling at Shanus' response, she pushed a lond lock of aqua hair behind her ear. H e was the friendliest out of all the security guards there. The other ones were machines. <span style='color:aqua'>" I'm sure he has a barcode, actually. I tried to scan it on the checkouts when i was showing him around. He's nice enough though."</span> The security guard had even allowed himself a chuckle on that interview, it wasn't often that your boss was as playful as a Cessi. It was his show of emotion that had got him hired as the head guard. The other two were silent, if not bitter. Those two were on a lunch break, thankfully. She kinda wished she hadn't hired them. But back on track. The two femmes were finally joined by the Arden. Dumu, who was looking a little damp in the face, was scruitinizing the sign and reading it out. Her hand instantly went to her forehead. He wasn't that naive was he? Was it possible?? If that was the case! Poor Shanu... she doubted he had taken her girl shopping for an age. <span style='color:aqua'> "How uneducated Dumu, you know not of the simple undergarment of the female race? It's Lingerie, not Laundry ya' silly sausage!"</span> She teased him cheerfully, thwaping him lightly on the ear with the tip of her outstretched paw, her tone an impression of one he had used a while back until she returned to her own. Her accent was light and for lack of a better description, Scottish. And she hadn't forgotten about the noodle town. Looking at Shanu and then Dumu she had the cheeky glint to her eye. <span style='color:aqua'>" Seeing as you know nothing about a ladys' essentials, you won't mind if i bring your lil' Dhampire up to date...? Hmm?!"</span> If he tried to argue, it would be useless. Shanu would be getting spoiled today. Protests or not! Looping her arm once again around Shanus, she quick marched them to the store, and upon entering the the floor with a series of quiet welcomes from the staff. The mousy assistant skittling away to her till once more with mumbled apoligies. Tira returned the many " Afternoon Miss Vaughern" with a smile and a nod. Punching the arm of the brown security guard with a wink and a nudge. She so knew he liked that shop assistant, and he coughed uncomfortably at the silent admission, nervously looking over at the anxious femme at the counter. Probably saying something telepathically, as she suddenly broke into a smile. Realised what she was doing and busied herself with dusting the dust-free worktop. <span style='color:aqua'> " So you want to try anything on? Its my treat today, i missed your birthday afterall, that means ya' have to accept anything i give you"</span> Tira prodded the royal blue femme in the ribs before she twirled around to face the lagging arden, her hair falling back around her face, eyes flashing deviously. <span style='color:aqua'>" And you are gunna help, no If or Buts'"</span>
<table width=495px" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=10 bgcolor=#060606 style="border-left:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-top:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-right:1px #2f2f2f solid; border-bottom:1px #2f2f2f solid"><tr><td></img><font face="verdena"><font size="2"> <font color="white">"...Lon-jer-ay?"</font color> Dumu hadn't seen such an obscure spelling before then, but if that's how they wanted to spell it, then he'd flow with it. He allowed Tira to tap his ear, then tipped his head away in defence, keeping his eyes on her. Her accent was as rich as ever, and the bond between Tira and the little Dhampire had seemingly grown even greater, despite a hiatus in their friendship. It was good to see Shanu with friends - close friends. He heard Tira's remark about educating Shanu; he was never against learning... When Tira asked, Dumu took a quick look at the 'dragonquins in the window. He had noticed them before, but hadn't paid too much attention as he was more focused on catching up with the pair who had made pretty good head-way. Seemingly accurate representations of Thills wearing the bare minimum amounts of cloth over unspoken regions appeared to be the theme. How could one whole shop be dedicated to the sale of such minuscule garments? Dumu did notice, however, that the 'dragonquins were not slight of stature. Far from it, in fact. They weren't overweight, either. The target audience looked to be the well endowed young Thills of Ramath-lehi who had difficulty obtaining "stylish" underwear. Yet, Dumu didn't understand the appeal of different designs if the purpose of 'lingerie' was to be hidden beneath other clothing - as the word "under" in "under garments" would suggest. No sooner had he considered this prospect had Tira looped his sister's arm and dragged her off into the shop. A deep dread suddenly bubbled in his throat. A warm sensation caught there - one he had to force down, then tagged on behind. The green walls complimented the décor and style of the large shop. The doppel-stoked Arden caught sight of the staff milling around - some less gruff looking than others. The Royal Blue male straightened up instinctively when he saw a guard look at Shanu. The Senior Amsési gave the guard a stern look of acknowledgement. <font color="aqua"><u>"And you are gunna help, no If or Buts'"</u></font color> <font color="white">"By help, what do you mean?"</font color> Shanu in the meantime took a wide-eyed look at all things Tira had in stock. Her eyes first went to the walls. Dozens upon dozens of different styles, sizes and types adorned them, suspended from wall-mounted brackets. Her eyes were then drawn upwards. Following them closely were Dumu's, too. They both stood agog - for two different reasons. Dumu couldn't understand why Tira would put so many up there, whereas Shanu was attracted to how the light shone through them. So many styles of pants to accompany and compliment the enormous range of body pieces, bras, halter-neck, under wired and no wires - even corsets! The whole lot was there, within touching distance of Shanu's fingers. She pulled her hand away from a black lace set. The under-wired plunge caught Shanu's sparkling crystal blues first. She then noticed that she didn't need to climb up to the ceiling for the accompanying garment. She moved on. There was much to see! She gave a humourless guard a smile and a nod, expecting nothing in return. Dumu took a moment to sincerely look around the store as they pottered through - still some ways behind the pair. He meandered his way to the wall right of the entrance, near the checkout counter where the Thill there eyed him warily. He cocked his head to one side, slinging his longer spiky hair to one side. His eyes stayed the same where other 'dragons may have squinted in contemplation. A black and red... something... with flappy additions to the two spherical things apparently gave this class. He had a basic understanding of its purpose, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around why it had so many straps! He picked the corset off the wall with one finger and further scrutinised it; he adjusted the distance it was from his eyes, as though it gave him a better angle. He cast an eye to the 'dragonquins in the window and thought he recognised the shape. He noticed that the cups kept their shape remarkable well, so prodded them to see how resilient they really were. Only, when Dumu prodded, his claw caught beneath the wire and split the delicate fabric. A thin wire whipped out and caught his right eye, instantly making him drop the misandristic garment on the floor and give a tiny yelp of surprise! It certainly wasn't turning out to be his day. <font color="aqua">" So you want to try anything on? Its my treat today, i missed your birthday afterall, that means ya' have to accept anything i give you"</font color> Shanu licked her lips and swung around to take another look at the store as a whole. The scent of untouched lingerie filled her lungs it all its beauty. She was quite fond of the black lace set, but wanted to see more... <font color="yellow">"He never did take me out... Tira,"</font color> Shanu shuffled closer, wary that the guards may have excellent hearing. Shanu was unsure of what she wanted to ask; more overwhelmed by the range. More so that Tira was letting her pick anything the young Dhampire wanted. She dug her paws into her pockets and seriously considered... <font color="yellow">"Tira. I want to try your best. Whatcha got?"</font color> The junior Amsési gave her friend a sideways glance and held the look. Shanu wanted to filter these options down, badly, because there was so much to choose from. Also, Shanu was unsure to admit it, but she didn't actually know her own size and took what she had for granted. <tag /></td></tr></table></font face></font size>
Sticking out a pink tongue at the Arden as he tipped his head away, she kept eye contact for a moment before breaking her attention away, and back to Shanu. In the moment it had took him to contemplate, they were already in the store chattering away. "By help, what do you mean?" Turning around, with a subtle tinkle of the zips on her jacket she smiled, almost too sweetly at the blue male. Her hands were clasped around her back as she squared herself up a little at him, a glint of mischievousness evident suddenly. <span style='color:aqua'> “Oh, you'll find out soon enough, there's lots of places to visit today... It's a good thing you're a strapping strong arden though, you'll need it later."</span> Winking at the end, she popped over to where Shanu was looking up at the ceiling. Tira quietly followed Shanu, a bemused but kind expression on her face, Shanu was obviously missing out on a lot of lady things with her red tape brother. That was something that would be resolved today. Shanu would always have a shopping partner in Tira if she needed it. Dumu was forgotten for the moment, Tira assuming he'd be following them close behind. It was the more distant yelp that made her look out from the corner of her eyes, and with a small smile on her maw she laughed in her head lightly before Shanu brought her attention back to the more pressing matter. <span style='color:gold'>"He never did take me out... Tira,"</span> The grey female smiled sympathetically at her, before murmuring a quiet<span style='color:aqua'> “ I know.."</span> before the conversation got back to its lighter attitude. The blue female shuffled closer, and Tira smiled again at her quiet voice. <span style='color:gold'> "Tira. I want to try your best. What cha got?"</span> A sudden idea came to the femmes head! Oh she knew just the thing to show her. Pulling out a fancy looking silver contraption and checking the time, they still had an hour and a half till the photo shoot for the new range. And it was more private. So if Dumu wanted to destroy anything else in her shop, there wouldn't be the startled and horrified gasps from the audience in the store. <span style='color:aqua'>“I've got just the thing upstairs! No-one but me and the designer has seen it so far" </span> and as though to prove her point, she pulled out a length of ribbon which had a card attached, emblazoned with a swirly design. <span style='color:aqua'>“I have the only key to it, I'll grab your brother, and we'll go upstairs"</span> In a flash she was soon beside Dumu, who still seemed shocked by the attacking lingerie. She giggled softly at him before grabbing his wrist in a light but firm grasp. Tugging his arm lightly she was pulling him in the direction of Shanu, hooking her arm in Shanus' and heading towards the temporary wall that had 'OPENING SOON' painted across it in a graffiti text. The guard eyed the three up for a moment, nodding to Tira, before standing aside to what was an invisible door no matter how you looked at it. Freeing her hand from Dumus' wrist, she pushed in the panel which popped inwards like magic. There a set of clear glowing steps went upwards, casting a pattern across the walls. <span style='color:aqua'>“The studio is up here, and my new range that's getting released, come on..."</span> As she bounced up the stairs and onto another clear landing, she swiped her card on the dark wall before the large door slid open to reveal a natural source of light. As she walked into the studio, the smell of wood and fabric was apparent. It smelled quite homely though, even to Tira. The room was large, The same size as the shop floor but done out open plan and spacious in comparison. It looked less grungy and graffiti like up here, and the closed room in the corner was the VIP Changing room. The wall with the new range was covered by a chiffon curtain, As a precaution although she was the only one with access at the moment. When she released the range, this while floor would have all of her products displayed for any VIP visitors, who would shop on a different floor obviously. It wouldn't be free though. There would be charge for a VIP fitting, something Shanu would never need to worry about there. Bouncing up to the chiffon sheet, she pulled a rope which lifted it up so Shanu could see the new range. Lights shone down on the 40 or so matching sets hung on the wall. <span style='color:aqua'>“Pick what you want to try, and lets go to the changing room!! I haven't had a chance to try any of these ones on yet either!"</span> She sounded excited now. She had been dying to try these out, but never had the time to, today was put aside for girly shopping! So it was now or never!
<table width=495px" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=10 bgcolor=#060606 style="border-left:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-top:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-right:1px #2f2f2f solid; border-bottom:1px #2f2f2f solid"><tr><td></img><font face="verdena"><font size="2"> Considering Tira's less than modest endowment, one could feel sorry for the G-Forces the zip toggled had to endure whenever Tira turned - let alone sharply. He had noticed them a few times, usually after her turn was complete - the zips that is. This time was no exception. Metallic blue eyes shot a wary glance at the reflective pieces of metal as they bounced a wandering beam past him then instantly back up to the gun metal Thill's aqua eyes, which were swiftly, momentarily, a great deal closer after she's flashed that sweet, devilish smile... "almost" nothing. It was too sweet. A warm buzz rang in his head and down his spine when Tira squared up to him. He felt threatened in a neutral sense. He knew nothing bad was about to happen, but demanded of himself to take all necessary precautions to not look down! Admittedly, ashamedly, he did have to endure himself when his eyes flicked again early in her spiel. Immediately, as though coming to attention, but less firmly and snappily, Dumu raised his head so his muzzle was almost perfectly horizontal. Almost mechanically, his steely blues locked onto the Thill's, and stared down past his muzzle at her, in at attempt to prevent any further temptation. He couldn't prevent the thought though: the thought of how seemingly smoothly rounded she was... He snapped his eyes shut. Ironically it was just as Tira remarked about his strength. Unfortunately, again, closing his eyes didn't help much. Instantly plastered against the blackness was the projected split second he'd instinctively glanced at Tira's cleavage. He tried to shake it off. Before she winked he'd opened his eyes again to catch it, which just compounded the matter, and he returned to blackness and turned away momentarily. Shanu would have picked up his difficulty if she herself wasn't lost in her own thoughts and fantasies. He was grateful later for this fact. He forced himself to recall a type of training that cleared the mind of unwanted thoughts - something he hadn't the need to do since he was five or six, and again when Shanu was attacked. He stood tall and still. Dumu tilted his head back to breathe in the single breath usually needed to clear his head. Nine times out of ten, it would be like washing loose grime from the inside of a basin. He'd see or feel it go and would be alright to continue. This time, every time he thought the "unwanted" memory was removed, it resurfaced. Two, three, four times he tried. Frustrated by the persistence of probably the most embarrassing image to which his subconscious clinging, he drew in one more deep breath, which whistled softly by his partially parted teeth and lapped over his warm tongue. No sooner had he shut his mouth did he exhale with force, shock and disbelief. <font color="white">"No... no no..."</font color> He turned, only to be grabbed by Tira, flying through the store again. <font color="Yellow">"Upstairs? There's more?!"</font color> It took until she had been dragged up the stairs before the reality of the situation properly dawned upon the Royal Femme. She'd given the guard a hurried smile, thanking him for being so helplessly professional. The sign above the door wasn't lost on her though, despite being dragged at speed. It was strange, to some degree. Both Shanu and Dumu were more than capable of navigating the awkward twists and bends of Chafuo but unable to make it through a shop with the same litheness. Opening unto the Royal Duo: the large open plan studio sent both sets of eyes off in different directions to take in their new surrounding. Pretty well fixed to the first few feet in front of the door, the pair commanded a space akin to bodyguard on duty. Oh the part of Dumu, he was expecting some truly eye-melting sets. Shanu looking very much forward to trying some eye-melting sets, if it meant Dumu's eyes would melt! Needles to say, when Tira pulled the rope to unveil her newest line, Shanu was off her spot like a bat of of Hell. The young Dhampire rushed forwards, not knowing what she was going to do when she got there, but needed to be there anyway! She eyed the labels closely, darting between one space to another, as though competing with time itself. She knew she could move fast, but she could read only so quickly. Shanu stood ended up standing between two separate sets at a time, reading one label and jumping to the next, all the while scrutinizing the designs, shapes and patterns. They were all good, but which one was the best? Tira certainly didn't shirk the work when she said that Mitsu would cater for the endowed. Nor did she lie when she said there was a style for everyone! Some pieces looked too weak for Shanu's active life-style, thinking that Lingerie was every-day wear, like normal underwear with class. <font color="yellow">"Balconette... chemise... corset, corset! I've hear'... hmm, strapless?"</font color> Her crystal blues flicked up to the bra itself. A quirky smile questioned why it had to be put on a label. <font color="yellow">"Plunge multiway...?"</font color> Once again her curious eyes inspected the new black under-wired bra before her. Multiway puzzled her. She could understand the plunge part, but doubted its ability to hold in place what Thills had to have strictly, relatively, immobile. It just seemed too steep a decline for Shanu's liking, so moved on, and forgot about the importance of "multiway". It would remain, unless changed, a mystery. But she felt no need to have it answered. Black satin corsets of varying designs, side by side, kept cropping up. Full boned and half boned ones, full cup and half cups. With lace and solid panels. Ribbons and zips. The young Amsési stared blankly at the assorted styles, before, rather roughly, she bundled up an arm full of a selection of the more prolific sets. Some balconettes, some corsets (full and half boned to see the major difference), a couple "cleavage boosters" and a handful of lacy, skimpy sets. His sister was like a wild animal at the display wall. Dumu slid himself cautiously out of everyone's way and stayed quiet. He didn't have full confidence in the fact that Shanu knew what she was doing, having never been in a lingerie store before. But clearly, disregarding this minor snag, she was still snapping up the clothing like no tomorrow. Excited much? He thought so. He also thought that the peculiar shape of the coral in the fish tank was worth a closer look. Some skilled hand had sculpted Mitsu from it. It wasn't small either! The enormous aquarium contained several rarer species, that appeared to ogle him as he got closer, suspicious of his intentions. Back in the midst of all the madness though, Shanu spun away from the wall, hopping and bouncing - literally - to try it all on! <font color="yellow">"Yo, Red Tape, hold these!"</font color> Shanu haphazardly tossed Dumu an armful of the more lacy selections, watching for his all too predictable set of reactions. First would come the alert, acute expression to catch incoming objects. Then would sluggishly arrive a wash of confusion and puzzlement, followed by an intrigued prodding and dainty lifting of some certain unmentionables. He cocked an eyebrow with his head to one side at a seemingly simple black bra, yet for the life of him couldn't figure out which strap would do what first. A single strap that came around from the cups themselves, and the two dangling thinner straps - obvious to anyone else. It didn't help him too much when he caught it by a thinner strap. Holding it out in front of him, he peered at it in all different ways, from different angles; his eyes flashed with mild annoyance under the glint of the luminous orbs above. It appeared he would do that a lot in their gun metal friend's luxurious shop. <font color="white">"Thills willingly wear these contraptions?"</font color> <tag /></td></tr></table></font face></font size>
Tira had remained for the most part, silent. Shanu seemed to be so enthralled with such choice, that she just watched with a kind look in her eyes. Pushing a stray lock of hair back from her face, she looked up at the wall of lingerie with a more subdued action. She had some in mind to try on already, the silken Aqua set, the Gothic looking red and black lace marionette and a few of the steel boned corsets she remembered drawing in the early stages of designing. She reached close to the back of each of these pulling out her size, which was a few sizes bigger than Shanu. looping them over her forearm as she reached up to the higher corset, mainly white with a deep blood red trim and ribbon lacing up the back. By the time Shanu had lobbed her first lot over to Dumu - who was now inspecting with much confusion - Tira had finished her selection, adding a very lacy set to her own collection. Then With a slightly devilish smile and a tilt of her ears, she pinched the Shanu's lacy selection from Dumus' grasp, holding as it should be in front of herself. <span style='color:aqua'>"If we didn't wear them, we'd be bouncing all over the place, they're not like rocks y'know"</span> and as if to prove her point she shifted herself with a little bounce, her cleavage bouncing with the tinkle of her jackets zips. Then throwing the lace back at him, she picked up another from his lap, examining the soft label attached - 32E. <span style='color:aqua'>"Shanu, the size is wrong on this..."</span> Turning around on the spot, she held the item in her paws with the label showing the size. <span style='color:aqua'>"Haven't you been measured? You're not an E cup dear. Dumu really needs to look after you better!"</span> A cheeky playful wink was directed at the Dhampire and in a series of seconds, Tira was brandishing a long numbered tape. <span style='color:aqua'>"I know how though, so we'll get you sorted out, no worries. Lets go to the changing room, Dumu will get the right sizes for us."</span> Clasping Shanus' wrist, she lightly tugged her to a door just past the fish tank, she swiped her magical card one more and the metallic door swished back to reveal a smaller cosy room, you could see the other side of the fish tank from in here, though you couldn't see outside it. It was something about the way the glass was constructed, meaning that you couldn't see through the other side, she didn't know how it worked. Inside was a very plush neon greenish sofa with expensive looking cushions and soft lighting. Four "saloon-esque - cubicles were side by side, allowing females to see each others faces, but adjustable for taller and shorter thills. All of this was in a softly brushed metal, slightly cool to the touch, but not unpleasant. The dark carpet was plush and thick underfoot, and there were mirrors in each stall, with two buttons, one for soft lighting and one for florescent - each was inscribed with its purpose. Also there was a wall with spaced out hooks for any garment a 'Dragon may have - it was outside the cubicle, The VIP rooms would have a helper at all times to pass them whatever they wanted... <span style='color:aqua'>"You'll need to take your tops off for this, is that ok? you can keep your bra on though, your brother can get us the right sizes, when he brings what you have through"</span> As she spoke the tape was, soon dangled around her neck, her own garments were placed up on the wall, and her jacket discarded onto the arm of the sofa along with her card key.
<table width=495px" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=10 bgcolor=#060606 style="border-left:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-top:1px #1a1a1a solid; border-right:1px #2f2f2f solid; border-bottom:1px #2f2f2f solid"><tr><td></img><font face="verdena"><font size="2"> Dumu pulled his head away from Tira, in an attempt to not 'understand' how she'd explained. If he had given the idea much thought, then she moved more than he would have bet she would. But there was a part of him - much to his dismay - that had to admit she bounced well. Tira was playing him and his naivete; that he didn't like much. What he didn't mind was that Tira felt it worth her time to play him. He felt oddly reassured, as though proud, that the gun-metal Thill was this way towards him. It was a shame he couldn't bring himself to reciprocate. He cast a curious eye between the two Thills as they milled about the lingerie, and now and again over the load in his arms. The more he inspected it, the less and less he felt unsure about it all. From the outset, the prospect of his little sister wearing such enticing garments disgusted him - to think that she would want to show herself off. Thankfully Dumu wasn't too insensitive and understood - or at least appreciated - that Shanu wanted to feel good in the clothes she wore and was fed up of having clothes too small and restrictive. Unlike much of his red tape mannerisms, Dumu refrained from assisting Shanu in her clothing choices. So the fact that Shanu had gotten bras too small for herself meant she'd suffered with breathing difficulties and chafing in some circumstances. 32D, he could remember. He could remember Shanu briefly talking about her trip into Watani and into Dhruv to pick up various items. When it came to the talk of underwear, he turned his ears off. Truth be told, it embarrassed him. Now, faced with nothing but underwear, he bit the bullet and didn't feel too bad about it. Shanu obediently peered at the soft label presented to her and heeded her knowledgeable, dear friend. Before she could bleat about being measured, Shanu decided to just stay in Tira's footsteps and get sorted out - and be one step closer to the most luxurious clothes she could lay her paws on! Reminded of the mechanical nature of the whole show, there, the young Dhampire had accepted by that time that such interfaces were a novelty, but not unheard of. Execution was key to making them look impressive. She lucidly watched the card get eaten by the reader and vanish again from view in Tira's deft paws. Drawn by the movement of another door, Shanu peered around the corner into the luscious changing room. It was perhaps the carpet the drew her attention, more than the stylized cubicles and peculiar fish tank physics. The Golden highlighted Amsési wanted to kick off her boots and pad around on the thick pile if only for the strange, gentle yet tingly sensation she would get underfoot. Self-conscious about her incorrect size, the fact spurred on the desire for underwear that fitted her beautifully. It wasn't about "fitting". It was about feeling and looking good in it. Shuffled over to the sofa, Shanu balanced on one foot, placed the toes of her other foot against the heel and levered her small foot from her boot, then repeated the act for her other one. Her feet were barely visible below the cut of her jeans, which rested loosely over the top of her boots. She kicked the pair next to one another against the base of the sofa. Crystal blue eyes flicked up towards Tira. She'd dispensed with her own garments and had turned back around with the measuring tape. Shanu hoped - dearly - that Tira could find the size for her; her confidence and security around Tira stayed the same. So she was about to remove her tops in front of another Thill; Shanu knew that Tira wasn't going to laugh for boast or try to belittle Shanu, because there was too much between them. With that, a wry smile spread over her gentle face to think that Dumu was within 10 feet of a buxom, attractive, gun-metal Thill with her jacket off. Shanu's right index and middle fingers snagged the grip on her jacket zip and gave a firm tug to get it to move from its rather stiff position. After which point the teeth of the zip parted willingly. An inch from the bottom was where it stopped, allowing Shanu to work her arms free and casually toss the expensive jacket over the padded back rest of the couch. With her fingers along the silver lining, she deftly readjusted her black tee. <font color="yellow">"I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing, so point'n'click? But..."</font color> Shanu gave a thoughtful look through the one-way window at her brother then back to Tira. Crystal blue eyes flashed brightly. The junior Amsési put herself off balance ever-so-slightly to rest against the edge of the couch; middle fingers caught under the small black zips of her combats and - with some ease - made a gap into which her thumbs could get and continue to push the zips as far as they would go to get her whole hands into the dark, rough depths. She stuffed them down and as casually as you will, tilted her head to one side in thought. The tribal 'dragon pulled her hands into the air and clapped them together firmly as if to audibly punctuate an end to one topic and hence the start of another. <font color="yellow">"So I'm getting tied up, right? Oh yeah. What's lingerie actually for?"</font color> <tag /></td></tr></table></font face></font size>
