UNDER THE NEATH [TIBBY]

[NIKK]

Nikk sniffed, and breathed on her hands in attempt to warm them. It wasn’t all that cold, but it was wet and the moisture was creeping clear into her bones. The only time she didn’t miss home was when the dome was covered in snow, or spring – which could change daily but that was the Keepers for ya.

At the moment she was trying to get a fire started. The tree she sheltered under thankfully held a thick enough canopy to keep the ground (and incidentally Nikk) mostly dry. The wood however, was damp and not taking the spark.

With her lip between her teeth she struck the flint to a dry piece of cloth she’d horded for just such an occasion. Eventually it took, and a hand captured her long blonde hair from the way as she leaned over to gently blow on the embers, coaxing them into baby flames. Slowly she fed it little by little until it was hungry enough to eat the wood despite the sogginess.

Resting some larger pieces of wood she’d gathered near the fire to dry for later, she then settled back against the trunk and shrank into her coat until only her eyes showed beneath her beanie. With a deep sigh she rolled her shoulders and shifted to make herself comfortable and began to doze.

Nikk had no idea if anyone ever actually slept in The Menagerie. She herself couldn’t remember the last time she had more than cat naps or a few hours and even that was rare. The warmth of the fire was soothing though and the sound of the rain was a comfort as it usually it kept the creatures in hiding. Her eyes slowly closed. No sooner had her world gone dark than she snapped awake. The fire was low – but that was not what had woken her.

Eying the darkness around she added the pre-dried wood to the flames and they licked at it greedily until it grew once more, lighting the area beneath the tree better and revealing a small presence that had dwelled in the night. Nikk was on her feet before she could think knives at the ready. Her brow furrowed and she squinted to see better – not quite able to make out what it was.

“Whoever you are, get outta here. I don’t like killin’ but that doesn’t mean I won’t,” she warned. It was true – more often than not whomever it was she came up against usually insisted on a fight but Nikk refused to even wound a creature unless she knew what and who exactly it was that she was harming. Hell, it could be a kid. She waited the shadowed figure out, hoping they would just leave her alone so she could go back to her nap.

[Tibby]

Perhaps he had wandered a little bit too far this time.

By now, the rain was soaked well into his skin, even through his thick coat. He padded quickly between the trees, sometimes hitting dry spots and sometimes getting a right splashing. Still he carried on, head and tail low, hop-skip-limping at something of a jog-like pace. He snorted suddenly having inhaled one of these heavenly droplets and shook his head in frustration. The rain was fine - almost enjoyable really - but it had been going on for a quite a while now. It seemed to have followed him from home.

He wasn't lost; his homing sense was in perfect condition. Just the thought of walking through the thickest part of the rain to get there really didn't strike his fancy right now.

A light not quite in the distance caught his eye. That could only be fire, and fire meant warm - and dry! Oblivious to the consequences, his hop-skip-limp became more of a lopsided bound as he made a dash for comfort, stepping on many a twig and through many a puddle. As he neared, however, the scent of another living thing caught his nose. He stopped abruptly, somehow surprised by this development.

For a while, he simply sat and stared from the shadow of the trees. He could tell it was female, and not an old one, but that was about it. His experience with females was quite limited, but he could remember smiles. Of course, as that thought crossed his mind she was on her feet with what appeared to be blades shimmering in the soft firelight. Blades and Tibby did not get along.

Still, he really wanted to be by that fire.

After a few more curious sniffs, he decided to bet on her being like the few females he had encountered back home - the home before this place. He loosed a quiet whine and exaggerated his limp as he came through the trees, his body the wet picture of submission. After only a few steps, he paused; if her reaction was bad, he needed enough time to duck behind a tree in case she could throw those things.

[NIKK]

It was a quiet, drenched, little brown dog and she stood up the rest of the way in surprise. Her furrowed deepened– he looked hurt, but she was no fool. Once a shifter barely a kitten changed into a half-starved young girl who’d tried to slit Nikk's throat in her sleep. For all she knew, this little dog could be a two-hundred thirty pound mongoloid man with a bat and a bad attitude. No sir she was not an idiot.

Her gaze narrowed as she watched him. There was something about him – with his ears back and the look on his face he almost looked like a puppy. She remained still for long moments considering before she looked out into the night. The rain had been going strong for hours, and it was unlikely that it would let up anytime soon. Brown eyes slid back to the dog and finally she huffed a sigh as her entire body sagged in defeat. I guess I am an idiot.

Without warning a whoosh cut through the air with a glimmer and a knife hit the next tree over squarely. She was quick, and had already fixed the dog with a hard gaze.

”Until the rain stops, then you go,” she said as she levered herself down again against the tree, arms resting on her knees. Her chin lifted indicating the blade that reflected the light of the fire. ”There are more where that came from, and I can hit my target at three times that range easily. Don’t test me.” There was a severity to her words, but also a bone-tired weariness that she couldn’t hide.

Getting more comfortable she watched the dog shrewdly. She was going to regret this she just knew it.

[Tibby]

The sigh made him think it was clear to move forward, but the sudden thud into a tree very nearby stopped him again. Perhaps he shouldn't mess with this type of person.. Eh, he shrugged (as much as a dog can), if she was willing to put up with him then she wouldn't snap at the slightest mistake.

Surely.

His limp turned casual as he approached, mouth open, catching rain. She was rather cute for someone attempting to appear dangerous. With a doggish grin, his mischievous rose; he opted to turn human as he got within reaching distance, a process made even more awkward by the missing limb and inertia. Losing his balance, he turned and thudded not-so-graciously with his back against the tree. A hissing sort of laughter escaped him as his gaze rose up to find hers.

"My lady," he said, voice youthful but somewhat raspy, "I present to you Tibby of the Nilda Pack. May you contain your applause - it's a bit rough on the ears." The grin didn't waver for a second as he gestured to his ears with his one arm.

[NIKK]

The rouge watched the dog with suspicious eyes. It was only then that she realized the limp was not from an injury, but rather from the total loss of one of his legs. A chill ran down her spine – either he was new, was something formidable as a man, or very clever. Not many lasted in the Menagerie, even with all of their limbs. The misfortune of missing one entirely was not in his favor (not that it might have been anywhere else.) In the Menagerie it was as good as a death sentence.

When he shifting into a human her heart leapt and she flinched as if to rise. However, the quick assessment of size and demeanor allowed her to relax – but only a little. He was not big and he was not new … which narrowed his ability to survive to ingenuity. With the right cocktail of personality and ability, such wit could be even more dangerous than if he’d been a mongoloid three times her size.

Her sum up of the one-armed guy took just seconds before his half fall to the tree, in which she decided to keep her knives close and watch him shrewdly. She did not flinch when he fell. If he needed help she certainly didn’t want him to get the idea that she was his nanny. Conversely he moved as though he was at least semi-use to the condition, in which case coddling or anticipating him was not something she herself would have appreciated in his situation.

When he laughed at looked at her, her opinion changed instantly. No, he would have loved the attention. His addressment of her as a lady, and following introduction of himself little phased her. No, she’d to better to keep an eye on everything – especially her belongings. Nikk’s brown eyes were level and unflinching as he grinned and made his joke. Whether the attempt at humor was to ease her or himself she little cared.

“My name is Nikk. Call me Nikk,” she said simply and looked back to the fire. The blonde had never been big on pleasantries even before the Menagerie. She reached to one side to fetch a long stick and moved the tinder about the fire as she said, “Rather careless of you to lose your arm. Who did you end up giving it to?” She asked, her face impassive as she returned the stick to her side and leaned back again against the tree.

[Tibby]

Nikk? Wasn't that a guy's name? The question rose to his lips, but died there as the lady's stick caught his eyes. Gaze rooted to the wayward piece of tree, he sat in silence for several moments after her last question. Finally registering the voice, he snapped his eyes back to her, grinning again, idly rubbing the stub of his left shoulder. "My family took it," he said casually, Egyptian accent being sure to pronounce every syllable. "We realized too late that it would not make a very good meal." He didn't grace this silly story with so much as an attempt at sadness; his eyes remained on her, mostly closed with the size of his grin.

He reached up to give his head a bit of a cushion against the rough bark. "So what about you?" he asked more quietly, "Why are you so cold and defensive? I am a tiny, fraction of a dog; are you perhaps deathly afraid of fleas?" In truth, he didn't much care for the woman's story. Regardless of her level of truthfulness, it would be easier to make conversation - and conversation was the door to excitement. Thus far, he knew not whether he wanted a friend out of her, but he was keenly aware of her confidence with those knives. Most people in this pit weren't confident without a reason.

Tibby, of course, was one of the few exceptions.

With any luck though, her paranoia would keep her expectations of him much higher than his abilities truly called for. As long as that lasted, he could get some much-needed socializing in, and maybe even have a bit of fun. His gaze went unabashedly over her body - not for sexual reasons, though he did linger on her chest - but to see if she might have any possessions hidden away that he could ask about. For now, he'd have to settle with the knives if the autobiography route fell through.

[NIKK]

The wind picked up, sending a gust of cool air through the trees and buffeting against the fire. Nikk hunched deeper into her coat and shifted toward the fire. Her gaze was spliced; one eye she kept to the fire and the guy in her peripheral. The other she kept closed, periodically opening it to scan the darkness before closing it once more. It was a habit she had adopted that had saved her life more than twice.

At his response to her left-handedly rude question he spewed some story that was either a rough spin on the truth or altogether false but obviously meant to create a reaction. It was the same reason she had asked after his arm so brashly. They were sizing each other up. The far side of her mouth kicked up a hair, and she tucked her blonde hair behind an ear. Her reaction was chagrin rather than humor.

He relaxed against the tree, but wasted no time asking his own questions. So what about you? Why are you so cold and defensive? What a stupid question. It was like asking why a soldier at war jumped at the sound of a siren or why people who'd been in terrible car accidents flinched when another vehicle drew too close. Aside from him being too intelligent to ask such an inane question, it was none of his damned business. The question was purely fluff - a mindless query for no reason but to create relaxation between the two of them. It was not her job to make him feel more at ease and in fact she did not like the idea of him getting too comfortable.

Her mouth opened the smallest bit as she focused both eyes on him for a breath - an eyebrow raised in what was obviously a quelling look. You're not an idiot and I'm not an idiot. Shall we not act like fools? Nikk wanted to say but kept her peace. Soon enough the weather would clear -maybe, and he could continue on his way.

This was why she steered clear of people, or at least - her conscious reasoning of steering clear. People were out for themselves, nevermind about anyone else. She was no different and the plus about the Menagerie was all the fuss and stupid social expectations and fake pleasantries were utterly useless. However this was not the way of it. Instead, people tended to compensate for the lack of normalcy - forcing it into outrageous situations and encounters and all the while expecting themselves and other people to just carry on like they were sitting on a park bench in Central Park. It made them that much more manipulating and untrustworthy, and that much more useless and senseless to Nikk. She'd been in the Menagerie for years. This was the way of it.

There were ways she had learned to handle it, however and more often than not it took too much time to explain things to people who in the end cared less than she did. Over experiences she'd stopped most conversation simply by opting not to be a part of it. So cold and defensive ... and alive. Or as close to 'living' as one could get in the dome.

Nikk's silence went on for a long time, and she could feel his eyes on her. She was irritated with herself for wondering what he was thinking suddenly, and quite pointedly refused to ask him anything. Maybe he'd get bored with her and leave that much more quickly.