~A Canary and a Silent Dog~ (Finished; prisoners!)

[Prince Inigo]

Lily Cochon

Kingly sun, a mighty star, blazing and furious at the current time of the year, barked at the citizens of District 5 to their pastures and grasslands. The green and brown were most likely to set fire from extreme temperatures, proving to be detrimental to the wildlife. District 5 citizens were protective of their domesticated life. They treated their animals like royalty in summer and winter.

A watering can could have melted out of tiny fingers and boiled the life-giving source within. It kept its shape, however, and mirthfully showered one essential nutrient to the budding and peeking flowers. The tiny things were shy and shook under the sprinkling coldness; but, after receiving, the flowers would beam their gratitude and dance to the soft wind through their bodies.

Blond hair was tucked behind the ear, a smile stretching through the face, and teal orbs shining playfully and mirthfully towards the owner's children. The babies would last for half a year before being coated unfairly in white chilliness. For now, though, summer was the pivotal of basking. The flora would need it for future storing.

The girl entered the house for a victor. She walked through the house to a room. Inside was cutting boards, knives, spatula and other utensils hanging from a glittering rack of steel, and shiny counters of white. Opening a door revealed many flowering pots and watering cans of different sizes, shapes, and colors. They lined up perfectly in a row with equidistant spacing, the smell of musty in the air. The girl just inhaled and smiled cheerily, giggling even a little.

She grabbed a green stool and reached for the top shelf, placing the watering can in the only empty spot, the spout facing towards her should she climb back up. The blond got down and moved the stool back to its place. At a sudden grumbling of guuuu sound, the girl laughed.

She went for one of the numerous refrigerators in the area, opened it up, and blinked rapidly at the bitter air wrapping around her. Her blue eyes looked left and right, her hands pushing away other containers and bottles. She sighed small. The girl shut the door and, snatching a pad of paper and pen from a miniature basket in the middle of one counter, jotted down notes, ripped the paper out, and put the supplies back in the basket. The blond folded it and rattled the coins in her pocket while walking out the door.

The sun had not given up his chore for the day just yet. He sent blistering hot rays to the denizens, making sure to impede farmer work and ensure the animals shirked their duties. The girl in the sundress, on the other hand, was not going to turn tail home either. Her and the sun were going to race.

[semper]

Devroux Southern-Hymn Creighton

It seemed like everywhere I went, the sun was sure to make me just about have a heat stroke. But then again, it was probably Mother Nature telling me that I shouldn't be there, in District 5. Staying out of the Capitol was hard enough -- but hiding in another District still kept me on edge, even though I had done it before.

Quietly treading in the shadows beside the dirt road, I tried to not draw attention to myself. Sure, to some people I may look like a creeper stalking through the woods, but I could always play the nature-goer-looking-at-a-plant charade and hopefully that would ward off any negative assumptions towards me. I smiled at my plan, putting my hands in my pockets as I continued through the forest, occasionally pausing to see if anyone was around. No one was, and all I could hear was a small creek and faint sounds of animals I had never heard before. Strange people, these District 5 people were, living with such creatures....

I continued on my way, though soon my foot snagged on something. I wasn't able to pull it away in time, causing me to tip over sideways and fall straight across the dirt road on my stomach, hitting a few rocks as I landed. I emitted a low whimper that was quickly fallowed by a growl, gritting my teeth as I felt the spots where the rocks had hit me. I opened my eyes as I was starting to put my hands beside me to get back up when I noticed a figure not too far away. A girl, by the looks of what she was wearing -- and I had fallen right into her path. Such a gentleman I was.

I quickly got back to my feet, dipping my head down to express that I was sorry for blocking her path. It had been rude of me to do so, especially to a lady. I nodded my head in an apology once more, realizing how stupid I had been for not watching where I was going in the trees beside the path.

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[Prince Inigo]

The girl had been walking with slow but continuous speed to her destination. She smiled with each step thought was sweating profusely. Her pocket rattled with coins, and she was quiet happy.

A sudden blur crashed onto the same road as herself, and the girl jumped and suppressing the scream to an inaudible squeak. It had taken the person to stand and bow for her heart to relax, but she herself was still rattled.

The blond knitted her brows. The tanning and hair seemed to match the District 5 style because of sun exposure, yet she could not recollect this person elsewhere. Internally, this gave her relief.

She immediately walked up to the person and looked all over him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" The girl brushed off any dirt and rock on the boy, also checking his arms during the process. Concern was written all over her face. The blond popped an idea in her head, and she gave a little cheery grin of assurance.

The girl grasped the boy's hand purely - and childishly - and tugged at him down the direction she was intended to go. She only smiled more as their heat was transferring between each other."Let's go to the store real quick, and then we can fix you up back at my place. I can give you some juice." Blond brows knitted again. "I'm worried about that fall." The girl had started to pull the guy forcefully, determined definitely.

(Let me know if that is powerplaying at all. It used to be acceptable to drag people back at my old forum... Dx *now is unsure*)

[semper]

((Tis a'ight. :3 ))



"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head, though that didn't seem to please her. She went on to wipe the dirt off of me, and I felt slightly awkward as she then checked my arms. Really, I was fine. I fell all the time in the forest -- some of them bad falls, and others not bad, like the one I just took. The only one that made this a hard fall was the fact that I couldn't necessarily tell her that I was okay. All I could so was make a series of dog sounds; how am I supposed to say "I'm fine" with growls, barks, and whimpers?

"Let's go to the store real quick, and then we can fix you up back at my place. I can give you some juice. I'm worried about that fall."

Before I knew it, she had taken my hand. Her hand was warm and soft.... if it was calloused by laboring the way these District 5 people do all the time, I certainly didn't feel it. Her skin felt as soft as a gentle, refreshing breeze -- I felt my face turn red somewhat. No girl had ever held my hand before, even if it was to drag me through a District I was illegally in. Sure, that may seem childish to say, but it was true. I didn't know where she was hauling me off to, but I gave little resistance.

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[Prince Inigo]

The girl had actually tightened her grip on the boy as they neared the store. The building was peeking among the street horizon. Teal orbs squinted as the structure was squiggly from the heat rays distorting human eye. Of humble origins, the store was missing a few screws and pegs, mostly made with wooden - even having a complementary wooden sign - and seeming to have no metal or any material not bark-based.

The blond had turned to the boy then curved her brows more up. She started to pick up speed to a hurrying walk after facing forward. "We'll get you out of the sun fast. You're face is a bit red." Her optimism kept up to her talking.

Arriving within a few feet of the building attracted the eyes of burly-looking people. Their eyes fixated on the blond, who had kept her gaze straight and true towards the destination. The 16-year old could feel them shifting attention elsewhere not their own machinations, and she hid a frown at that.

She dragged the boy inside. The first thing to be noted was the blast of cold air blown from spouts far enough so that the tallest of people could not bump into them. The inside was completely different from the exterior. Everything was shining, the lights from above bouncing off the linoleum floor brilliantly. To the right were large crates of a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables. The one most plentiful was the green round ball with black stripes: the watermelon. In front were shelves of miscellaneous foodstuffs, and one could detect the start of the liquor and soda aisles in back. Left were the counters and clerks.

It looked nice and rich, but it was actually very old.

"I'm sorry about before." She turned again to the boy. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lily Cochon." The girl still did not let go of their hands.

(Denseness... is a curse. *facepalm*)

[semper]

"We'll get you out of the sun fast. You're face is a bit red."

Ah.... I hadn't expected my face to turn such a noticeable shade of red, which embarrassed me a bit more. However, I tried my best to cool off, feeling my cheeks burning less as she continued to drag me along to an unknown destination. I quickly gave up any bit of resistance I had, knowing that if I was to try to escape her grip on my hand, I'd only end up hurting either of us.

As we neared the wooden building, I couldn't help but become somewhat hesitant. What if there was something horrible inside there, like a human butcher shop? Okay, okay, so I highly doubted that whatever it was would be anything that drastic, but it could've been that for all I knew.

Being pulled into that store felt like I was surrounded by snow. It was very chilly, yet refreshing from the relentless heat outside. I was greeted also with the smell of fresh vegetables, and boy, did they smell good. I couldn't remember the last time I had had a potato, or a tomato, or lettuce, or those red things that have green leaved stems....

"I'm sorry about before. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lily Cochon."

I turned my attention back to her, offering a small smile. Since I couldn't really tell her my name, I decided to keep up the charade of being a really quiet/shy fellow. I gave another bow; however, this one was more of a "nice to meet you" gesture. Out of the corner of my eye, I scanned the shop for other people. I wasn't supposed to be here.... at any moment someone could scream my secret, and I'd be screwed. Hopefully, though, maybe Lily wouldn't catch on as to why I never once opened my mouth.

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[Prince Inigo]

(Rushing out of the store because... I don't know. I figured it would be too boring to be in a store for, like, four more posts. Too much... unnecessary writing? I don't know.)

Lily smiled cheerily, tilting her head a little to the side. A soft giggle emitted, airy and full of mirth. "You don't need to bow for me. I don't need such manners." Her tone was gentle rather than annoyed or embarrassed. She stumbled when another customer bumped her from the back. "Oh, I guess we should get started. Don't want to crowd the door with all these people!"

The girl started to walk towards the produce and drag the boy while rustling in her pockets, jingling the coins and various items in her sundress. She kept at digging until feeling paper. Lily withdrew the list, unfolded, and inspected her earlier writing. A smile spread happily.

"Pick anything out while I go along," Lily said amidst grabbing a bundle of red grapes, cradling them with one arm. "It will be for your meal." The blond tugged the tan lad all throughout the grocery store, more for him if he wanted to take anything than for herself - though she liked window shopping. Lily would glance back at the list and mentally scratch off each item.

The girl was getting cluttered with many things. She was having a hard time once she got to the last on her list: the lemonade. Lily looked at it, frowning. Since being in a carton and going to buy it anyways, the girl grabbed the top part by the teeth and almost fell from the immense weight. The blond managed, however. "Letsch gull."

Lily lugged the items, again dragging the taller boy with her, towards the front. People watched the two weirdly, especially with the carton carried by mouth and not by hand. She merely passed them off.

By making to the counter fast, Lily let the cashier take each item one-by-one, relief shooting through her arms and - eventually - teeth. A grocer bagged the foodstuff, and Lily slipped them all through her arm, one long string of bags.

"That's that. Now we can start heading for my house!" exclaimed Lily when they both left the grocery shop.

[semper]

"You don't need to bow for me. I don't need such manners."

Ah, but I did need to use such manners for her, or else she wouldn't have known that I was being grateful towards her.

"Oh, I guess we should get started. Don't want to crowd the door with all these people!"

Before I knew it, I was being dragged once more through the store. The large variety of produce was certainly astounding -- I had never seen so many different vegetables in one place in my entire life. I had no idea what was what, or if anything tasted good, but apparently Lily knew.

"Pick anything out while I go along. It will be for your meal."

Well, one thing was for sure, I didn't know what to pick out. I turned my attention to the rows of vegetables, spotting a brown oval thing. I looked at the sign: Potato. Ah, I remembered these. They tasted really good, especially in soup. I smiled as I picked one up, examining it before taking it and heading back after Lily, but once again I was being dragged off. Upon reaching the counter, I set the potato up with all the other groceries, and when she picked them all up, I gave a quiet whimper to try to tell her that I wanted to help her by carrying some of the bags as we left the store.




((Meh, it's so short & ugly. x3 *is half-asleep* ))

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[Prince Inigo]

('Tis okay.)

Lily and the unfortunate victim of her shenanigans walked up the road of little incline. The sky was now squiggly as well. Lines started to blur and deform into hallucinations, figments of watery pools. The thirsty would have desperately lap nothingness, minus the gritty taste of dirt and stone. Outdoor pets panted, slinking away into shade, which was already overcrowded.

The blond perked to whimpering. She turned to the boy, smiling. "Don't worry. We'll be out of the heat soon. Preserver!" The short one laughed cheerily, ignoring the gazes flung at the two. Her position shifted to the front before adjusting the bags rowed, digging deeply across her arm.

They crossed over the boundary of middle-class and poverty to the higher and privileged. Dirt hardened to colorful pavement, cracks against wooden boards magically repainted and fixed themselves to a nice textured wall, the shabby shacks transmogrified to monstrous mansions, gaining more glass square eyes and pillar limbs. One's status definitely weighted by how many stories in possession. The mansions had an air of old-fashioned elegance and beauty, the eggshell shade splashed on all of the flawless abodes. Neat lawns of green and rows of flora hugging the walls accentuated the richness.

Lily dragged the tanned boy to the third house on the right. She finally let go of his hand to dig out a key. The girl unlocked the door, then said, "Please come in." She stepped in, took a few steps, and swerved a left back into the kitchen area. Carefully the grocery bags were set on a counter, and she started to remove the items, glowing bright.

[semper]

"Don't worry. We'll be out of the heat soon. Preserver!"

It wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for, but it worked, I guess. The heat certainly was bad, but as we walked along, I didn't exactly know how much longer it would be until we reached her house. As we passed the poorer houses, I couldn't help but look around. These were the kind of people I knew -- poor, don't have a lot of possessions, maybe just made barely enough to get by -- and I respected them for that. That was the way my family was, too, before I was turned into an Avox. Who knows what their financial status is now that I'm gone....

Then we arrived to the part of town that had the nice houses. Back in District 11, we didn't particularly like the people that had large, fancy houses. They were usually snobbish, up-tight, and self-centered. Lily didn't seem like that type of person... sure, she was a little thick-headed at times, but who wasn't?

"Please come in."

I fallowed inside after her, awed by the house. It was in such good condition.... and all the lamps and shades and what-not, certainly not like my old house. It amazed me just how nice a house could be.

I fallowed her into the kitchen, wanting to help her put away things. Looking around, I found a pen; picked it up, took the cap off and wrote on my hand: I'd like to help you put things away. Capping the pen and putting it back, I turned my hand so that she could read it, hoping that she'd at least let me help her.

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[Prince Inigo]

The groceries increasingly cluttered the counter. The vegetables Lily tried to set upright would tilt to its side, a body that stood then collapsed to the floor. Teal orbs fluttered from the items to the inked writing on skin. Lily blinked then waved both hands, adding in an anxious tone. "Ah! That's okay! I got everything!"

Lily rushed getting the rest out of the bags, practically scrambling. Great determination filled her body. She started to throw the bags onto the floor in her blind haste.

She finished, huffing slightly, then looked on the ground as she heard rustling against her leg. Lily flushed crimson, dropped down and started to pick up the mess. "How embarrassing!"

The short one gathered, folded, and piled them on the counter. A growl emitted from her stomach, and the blush grew in intensity. "Ah... so... hungry? What would you like for lunch? Ah! I never did get your name." Lily turned, hiding her very apparent embarrassment, and began putting the unnecessary items to their respective places.

[semper]

"Ah! That's okay! I got everything!"

I felt really bad for not helping her, but I didn't want to irritate her by going against what she had said -- but I still felt guilty. Watching as she darted around the kitchen, I noticed that she was simply tossing the bags to the ground. Aha! There was something I could help her with. I went around and began helping her pick up the bags, but as soon as I got a few, she had pretty much swept across the entire floor and picked them all up. I quietly watched as she folded them, studying the certain creases, and so then I tried to fold the ones I had gotten, placing them on top of her pile. I couldn't help but smile as her cheeks turned red -- not because I found it funny, but because it was.... well, kinda cute....

"Ah... so... hungry? What would you like for lunch? Ah! I never did get your name."

I was somewhat hungry, but her second comment caused me more mental grief. Apparently she hadn't found it weird that I wrote on my hand earlier, so I guessed it wouldn't hurt if I did that tactic again, so I took the pen and wrote on my hand again.

My name's Devroux Creighton.

After holding it out so she could read it, I took it back and added on another comment.

I'll just have whatever you're having.

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[Prince Inigo]

Lily finished putting the unnecessary items in their proper places, deserting the vegetables and lemonade to the cool kitchen island, the red in her face fading to the normal skin pigment. The air was unusually silent. The blond shifted attention to the boy, blinking at the writing, in confirmation, then glowing. " 'Dev-row'? 'Dev-row'? Am I saying it right? I'm sorry if I'm not."

A tanned hand retracted, scribbled on, and presented a new message. Lily clarified her vision had not failed her, moistening the teal eyes. "Well... ah... I'm not sure if you like clam chowder and roast beef sandwiches; but, if you say you will eat those, I'll do it!" The girl balled her fists and placed them near her chest. Her brows furrowed with a smile, a look of determination.

She went to the refrigerator and grabbed out a package of bacon, a couple of carrots, and half-and-half cream. The girl started the fire at the stove, heating the pot. Quickly, the bacon strips were out of the package and were cut in half with a sharp, short blade of clean metal. Lily plopped in the droopy white and light-pink meat in the pot. No sizzle produced.

Inst waiting for the juice to start showing, the short one got out another blade blade and a butter knife from a drawer. Lily went back to the refrigerator, this time to draw out a baggie of roast beef, a small container of mayonnaise, and bread. A thin layer of the mayonnaise was smoothly coated in perfection on the slices, then a piece of roast beef - after being cut to an appropriate size by the blade - was laid on snugly. After the second slice was put on top, she used the same knife to cut in half.

Lily took out a plate, blue designs wrapped around the edges. She set it on the counter with the sandwiches and started to place them in a specific manner: the triangular food were spaced apart a good distance and positioned to make an apparent entrance to nothingness. It was more out of habit than anything. "Enjoy," she said with a cheer.

[semper]

" 'Dev-row'? 'Dev-row'? Am I saying it right? I'm sorry if I'm not."

I smiled and nodded. She was one of the only people to have gotten the pronunciation of my name right, and I was glad. Besides, I couldn't tell her the right way to say it -- she would've just had to guess.

"Well... ah... I'm not sure if you like clam chowder and roast beef sandwiches; but, if you say you will eat those, I'll do it!"

I had never had clam chowder or roast beef sandwiches before, but it sure did sound good. And I certainly wasn't about to abandon an opportunity for some food, especially with a new-found friend.

I silently went and sat myself at the table, not really knowing what to do. I wanted to help her, but I knew absolutely nothing complex about cooking. So instead, I decided to just not be a bother and stay put and stay quiet.

"Enjoy,"

I looked down at the bowl and smiled, looking back up at Lily and giving her a 'thank you' nod. I then took a spoon and stuck it in the chowder, stirring it a little before tasting it. It was really good, in my opinion. A nice bold taste.... I liked it. I gave Lily another smile and nod, showing my appreciation.

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[Prince Inigo]

Lily watched as Devroux had nodded to her as she set the roast beef sandwiches and a bowl of piping hot clam chowder for him to enjoy. She herself had taken out a smaller ceramic and dished a little of the creamy soup, observing the specks of black spice, chunks of chopped potato, cut circular carrot pieces, the little morsels of sea clam - with juice - and bits of bacon staying still in their places unless swirled by her spoon. She had sat at the table. The blond smiled as she received another little nod in approving fashion. "Haha. Thank you very much."

For the lunch, the girl only scooped out tiny mouthfuls. At the start of her fourth bite, she had grasped her stomach with her other hand. She had not touched the sandwiches at all. "So... I assume you are a rather shy or silent person?" Lily suddenly spoke out. "It kind of reminds me of a little kid when he's all bashful and trying to hide away from adults. I find it so cute." Small laughter emitted from her lips, and she continued to basically pick around her bowl, almost like if she was nibbling on a cracker. The soup had whittled down to a puddle, the black pepper speckled on the walls of the elegant dishware.

It had taken her to finish the meal for her to finally widen eyes and grow extremely anxious. "Ah!! I'm so sorry! I dragged you around without asking! That's so awful of me. I'm very sorry!" She had retracted in her seat, tapping against the table, nervous and guilty. "I really should have asked..."