"War is almost never good. Wars can be needed to change things, but
the loss of life is never good." Agathe knelt there in silence for
a few moments before she looked up at Shaye who had chirped. "Oh
really? He carries himself like a great warrior?" She chuckled as
he flew down and landed on her outstretched forearm. Titian trotted
over and sat himself down beside Sasha. "I wonder when the storm
will settle..."
Sasha nodded, smiling at their friends. "I believe he is the greasy
of warriors. At least, the greatest on two feet and no wings. H e
is certainly a powerful ally. As for the storm, it ahould be dying
down. Any minute, it'll stop howling." As if on cue, the rain did
stop it's pounding.
Agathe's eyes widened as she heard the rain stop. A thought passed
through her mind that she dared not speak aloud. The gods were
rather childish when it came to tantrums. "So, what is the plan
now? Did we want to finish cooking the rabbit?"
The soft pitter patter of a sprinkle carried in through the window
and archway just outside the kitchen. "Why don't you change out of
those wet clothes and I can get our rabbit cooking. Worst case
scenario, we have him later. I think it may be good to get some
food from outside, restock the pantry and freezer. Just so that if
they fight again, and grumpy the angry storm cloud returns, we
won't go hungry?" Sasha suggested.
"That's a good idea, though I don't have much to change into. Since
it's still raining wouldn't it be a better idea to go out and
forage and stock up in the already wet clothes?" Agathe asked as
she stretched a little. Shaye chirped and flew off, Titian yapped
and followed after him out the door. "Well, they're off to go get
some more meat."
"That is a very good point," Sasha agreed, snagging a basket. "You
two be careful!" She called to their friends before making her way
to Agathe's side. "...so...um...you like me?" She asked softly,
happily.
Once Agathe heard Sasha move up beside her she began walking
towards the door. "Y-yes, I do, I like you." She sort of stumbled
over her words, completely unused to saying that out loud.
"Is...it okay if I hold your hand? Not to lead you or because you
need it vut because it is what couples do, I think...I read a few
books where they did that and have been curious about it. Not that
we have to be a couple right away if that is not what you want. I
mean, one day iwould really, really like that but I don't want to
hurry you," Sasha blurted, talking fast to get it all out.
Agathe chuckled and held out her hand in answer to her question. "I
would very much like to hold your hand whether or not it's
something a couple does." She would like to be a couple one day,
but she also wanted to take things at a comfortable pace.
Sasha took a deep breath, sounding very relieved as she slid her
hand into Agathes. "Oh good. So, what should we pick? Anything from
this morning? I was planning on getting potatoes, carrots, onions,
and celery. Oh! Lettuce too. All of that is used in a variety of
dishes so would be good to stock up on. Same with herbs and
spices."
"I will help pick whatever you tell me to. I remember the carrots
and onions, but I don't think I got to the potatoes, celery, or
lettuce..." Agathe came to the realization that she felt lighter
than before. She felt like she was truly happy. Her smile plainly
showed how happy she was.
"Then I will show you those so you know what they feel like and can
pick them again." Happy to just walk beside Agatha, Sasha relaxed,
a smile glowing on her as well. She checked out the sky, then
looked to the sea to check on how things looked. "Just some gray
clouds and sprinkling, from here out, in my opinion. Ares must have
gotten him under control. Thank you, cousin." The last part was
said a little louder, Sasha hoping he would hear it.
Amadaus made his way up the long, perfectly manicured lawn. His
mother telling him his zoology degree was a waist of time flashed
through his head. He smiled. Oh really? He had a fancy new gif with
it. Living here and taking care of the mans private collection of
exotic animals. He was most excited for the Bengal tiger. Such
pretty, majestic creatures...Parking his beat up little red Ford
Ranger, Amadaus stepped out of his car and swung his backpack over
his shoulder.
The large beautiful house had almost every light on and there were
several figures reclining on the porch, a few plumes of smoke
coming out once in a while. The scent of cigarette smoke hit him
even before he got to the marble pathway that lead to the
porch.
Jabrielle took a deep breath as she walked up to the door of the
sanctuary, the sun already starting to set as she had just walked
there after classes had finished. Her backpack weighed heavily on
her shoulders as she knocked on the door. She was beyond excited to
start her internship at the exotic animal rescue even though her
major was going to be in the arts, drawing specifically. She loved
animals, they were her favorite things to draw.
Amadeus made his way over, nodding to the men he passed in a silent
greeting. He knocked on the door swiftly before taking a step back.
His note had said to wait for someone to come collect him.
After a moment the door opened, revealing a smiling, welcoming
woman. "You must be Jabrielle! Oh, I am so very happy to see you! I
am Maggy, and I run the sanctuary here. It's been kind of a busy
evening so far. We just got in a red panda. He's kind of skittish,
at least so far. But I imagine it is the move. Would you like a
tour?"
The men nodded, having been told that someone would be coming. The
door opened and a man in what looked to be a brand new, and rather
expensive outfit stepped forwards. "Right on time! Amadeus wasn't
it? Come this way, I'll show you where they are." He didn't really
wait for a reply as he moved back inside and around the corner. The
house was just as big inside as it was outside. It was practically
a maze. Lionel went through a large doorway and inside were several
giant terrariums that were built into the walls. One was set up
like the Amazon, a huge python resided inside. Another was filled
with water, a shark swimming around with various other ocean
creatures sharing the tank. A few more smaller animals held the
other tanks, but the one at the very end of the room, the biggest
terrarium was set up with almost a bamboo forest type theme. "This
one is my most prized possession..." Lionel said. Inside, laying on
a heated rock was a very regal looking white Bengal tiger, its
large front paws crossed over one another as its eyes were fixated
on them, one blue, one greenish yellow. "The others will just be a
maintenance thing, but the tiger is your priority."
Jabrielle nodded and chuckled slightly. "It was busy ma'am, but I
would love a tour." She could just imagine the little red panda.
Once she got her work done she hoped she'd have a little time to
draw some of the animals!
Amadeus hurried after him. He looked over the animals, impressed
with each. He didn't like the idea of putting all of the other
animals on the wayside. But when he laid eyes on the Bengal...he
was in love! She was gorgeous! He knew going to actually touch her
was probably not going to happen but he could look after her. "I
understand, sir. She is beautiful. Where did you get her?" He
asked.
Maggy smiled, leading the way. "We don't deal with many big cats or
primates. But we are equipped to hold a few for a bit. We've got
mostly the smaller exotics here. Those that people get then decide
they no longer want. Though, we have many that have come from less
happy backgrounds. A couple were used in sideshows. A crocodile who
was trained for wrestling, a few sugar gliders from a circus. The
panda was being trained to perform tricks. They were not very nice.
But he is on the mend." She led Jabrielle past a couple of reptile
tanks. There were some rooms for dogs, cats, and exotic fish.
Lionel chuckled and shook his head. "She is very beautiful, but I
won't tell you where I got her. 'Cause then you'd get one for
yourself and have no time to help me with mine!" It was obvious
that he got her through not completely legal means, but he seemed
to be taking good care of them with the exception of not a ton of
space to run. "She is usually pretty chill, just make sure you feed
her before you do anything else in there. As for the komodo you're
gonna want to get it into the feeding room because his bite is
nasty..." He gave a basic explanation for the caretaking of all the
animals, but he spent the most time on the tiger. Talking about the
amount of food, the treats, and tending to the plants in the cage.
All the while the tiger watched Amadeus with an obvious
interest.
Jabrielle gasped softly as she walked by the animals wondering
which ones she would be taking care of. "I hope I can help him with
a smooth recovery..."