Concrete Jungle [Jess]

[Fennec]

A city of loud booming music and lights in the dark. A city that never sleeps. A city of sin. That was the best way that Rook could describe Amino Island. Its pleasant temperate weather aside it was a very strange place for Rook. The forests were of stone and the beasts were men. Walking down the sidewalk he couldn’t help but stare up at awe at the bright lights with Den Den Mushi projecting advertisements of Pipsi and Professor Salt.

Rook scurried to a park in the center of the city almost drawn by the natural world… he walked down the paved track looking at trees which likely had been transported from surrounding islands. No animals were heard save for the gentle chirp of crickets. Cool air flowed around him as his skin was coated in goosebumps. Eventually he walked toward a bench nearby where he took a seat.

It felt like this would be a very peaceful evening… or so Rook hoped. Little did he know that things would potentially get a bit chaotic. Kicking his feet he turned his head to the sky and looked at the crescent moon that adorned it the bright lights of the city making the dim stars opaque by contrast.

~^~~

The bright light of the moon shone on the deck of an icebreaker. A crew of six pirates awaited around as their lumbering Captain made his way over. He was a large shirtless man with dark hair and a bone tooth necklace hanging around his neck. Scars marked his body like tattoos of countless battles the crew looked up at their Captain silently until a thin man with a bushy mustache and a pith helmet spoke up.

“Cap’n we’ve waited for three days. The crew is getting ancy.”

The captain scratched the back of his head and groaned. His eyes lazily scanned the coast of Amino.

“Eh… I’m not sure haven’t seen any exceptional hunts around here. But I doubt any big game is headed this way so we might as well do it today.”

He shrugged and sat down on a nearby chair taking a swing of the gourd which hung around his rope belt. His eyes were locked on the island. Nothing but petty little tourtists. That was no fun. He wanted a real fight. One worthy for him and his crew. The Big Game Pirates! Led by none other than “Big Game Hunter” Captain Gahiji! But sometimes one had to settle for easy prey.

“Pull up the anchor, we're to land at midnight.”

The crew cheered readying the ship for their planned massacre tonight.

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 1

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“Ahahaha, this place is the shizz, right~?” At least one visitor to Amino certainly seeming to find a rather substantial relish for the 'Amino-ties' and so much so that she was only too happy to reach out to a stranger for a little spot of small talk and reflection, with a crash and a crunch Lizzie Lyons grinned as she clenched those potent abdominals of hers and pulled herself up from the rather unladylike position of a dumpster that she had found herself in, and then called out to the fresh face in her life with a big smile on her face and complete absence of awareness of how off-putting she probably seemed right now.
“Parties and gambling all day and night, bars that never close, back alleys flooded with punks you can paste… It's my kinda town~?” Disregarding just how likely she was to be mistaken for some kind of vagrant and along with that the reason she had ended up in such an odd position as well, instead she kicked her heels and erupted from the spot with a slight shower of metal and muck, and then landed that little bit closer to this potential friend with a smile on her face and every intention of informing said soul of why she had come to enjoy her current locale so very much.

“So… You don't know where I can buy some fireworks, do you?” Not that at least a part of her motivation for making contact with a new party wasn't somewhat tainted by desires which some might have seen as selfish, mischievous or even downright antisocial, all the same Miss Lyons could only hope that this person was a little more open minded than most, and clued up to where one might be able to acquire some pyrotechnics as well.
“Kinda feel like blowing something up~?” These factors something which seemed a long shot but ever more so when she admitted that she had perhaps rather the criminal intention along with it, perhaps her honesty might just have won them over along with her smile, but maybe not? After all, when she grinned, she usually only looked all the more dangerous, right~?

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[Fennec]

Stargazing or rather his attempt to was interrupted by something nearby. A sound… a cacophony of what to Rook seemed like mumbling and the rummaging of a nearby dumpster. The youngster's eyes opened wide in interest as he stood up immediately. But as he did a young woman around his age popped out of the dumpster. Her pallid skin seemingly glowing against the equally pale light of the moon. Whoever she was, Rook had no doubt this was a wild child and this was further confirmed by her speech patterns. Because before Rook could even reply or say anything she began to speak to him. No introductions were given, they were unnecessary. It was a shoot and asked questions later.

“Whoa!”

Was the only utterance that came from Rook’s lips initially. His mouth agape. Still a bit curious and in awe by what had transpired. Was she a local? No she couldn’t be if she didn’t know where fireworks even were. With a rub to the back of his head he replied.

“Well I am new to town. But I don’t mind trying to help you out.”

He shrugged, she seemed rather fun and spunky. That's the sorta wild spirit that vibed with Rook. Plus he was bored out of his mind just leisurely walking through a gambling city. The wilds were his true place; an actual jungle of leaves was his birthplace after all. Not a place like this… a concrete jungle.

“I guess we should head to the market, no? Though…”

Rook checked a pocket watch which was hidden inside his coat checking the time. It was 10:32 pm kinda late in his book most shops back home were long closed by then. But this was a different island with different rules.

“…Mm… you know what? Who cares! Lets blow some shit up!”

Rook shrugged, it didn’t matter it was worth a shot either way. Besides, he wanted to see fireworks too. Either way this was likely the best time to introduce himself. Rook took a deep breath!

“I’m Rook by the way. I’m on a quest to become a pirate and eventually the King of the Pirates.”

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 2

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“Aha, nice! It'll be fun huh?” Almost certain that she had ran into some sweet little mama's boy for a second, though it seemed that her new acquaintance needed a moment or two to process her unusual introduction the blue belle was happy to note the fact that her initial impression of him as some milk drinking goodie good had been completely off the mark, and rarely did she feel that she had been so happy to be mistaken.
“Rook huh? I'm Lizzie~” Nodding at the suggestion to head toward the market and then stuffing her hands into her pockets as she began to waddle toward such a venue in a cocksure and almost goose-like fashion, which was only further emphasized by the slim and leggy build which she possessed I'll have you know, the sapphire swimmer tilted her head to one side as her accomplice offered up an introduction, and to it she returned with her own name in a pleasant enough fashion and even the invitation of a handshake as well.

“So you're a pirate huh?” Arching her brow soon afterward as she began to reflect on how he had professed his profession to her as well, given the fact that she didn't exactly have a title in her role as a bohemian babe from the sea or at least something that would look good on her business card Miss Lyons chose to gloss over her own calling or lack thereof, and instead opted to focus on the line of work which had been mentioned and her apparent absence of familiarity with it.
“They have kings?” One unlikely to guess from either her rising from a dumpster type stylings or bitey bitey fangs that her sapphire skinniness had been raised as a goodie good girl herself in fact, this combined with how she struggled to hold her attention on things like newspapers and other peoples portions of conversations meant that she was quite the noob when it came to those who bade to follow in the footsteps of the Golden Roger, and so she could only frown and purse her lips as she questioned such a rank of renown with wistful curiosity…

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[Fennec]

“Mm yeah, fireworks should be fun.”

What he didn’t add is that they were illegal in his home country due to the dryness of the air in certain times of year and the densely packed boreal forests. The reality was that he’d never seen a firework in action but always wanted to see one. So this seemed like a prime opportunity to bask in them and verify what he’d read in books.

“Lizzie! Well met!”

He slowly turned to look at the girl walking next to him. Only now did he get a clearer view of her pale skin and hair which was as blue as the sea itself. There was so much spirit and spunk in her even at just a glance.

“Yea! I’m a pirate. I’m trying to forge a crew together first though.”

He made a thoughtful pause.

“I need one of those to get into the Grand Line after all.”

Rook replied confidently, a spring in his step now obvious. It was true… he especially needed a navigator that seemed very important. The aspiring seaman himself didn’t know a lick of navigation. In fact his island hopping was happening out of pure luck. He knew how to go South so South he went.

“Well… have you ever heard of Gold Roger?”

That was odd? Had she never heard of the dreams? The aspirations! The One Piece treasure!? It was a spark of flame that created the great pirate era. The spark of flame that had led Rook to adventure out in the seas.

“To be Pirate King is to be free! Gold Roger was the freest man to ever live… I wish for true freedom like that and if I have to be Pirate King to achieve it? Then I will.”

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 3

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“Right? We should definitely grab a ton? Some to set off, some to blow things up with… Let's make those casino displays look like a sack of S/-/!7!” The type who needed little encouragement to feel like her plans were a good thing, Miss Lyons was only all the more excited by the approval she was shown by her new friend, and as such she quickly found the concept to which they had seemed to subscribe snowballing in her mind to truly epic proportions. Though, go big or go home were kind of the words she lived by, right?
“A crew? Yeah, I suppose it is more fun doing stuff with friends, huh?” Not seeming to possess the worldliness needed to fully understand what Rook meant however as he began to talk about gathering a team of people to make up his gang of pirates, after a moment she managed to liken his intention to the motley group which she had built when she was younger to run around with, and had to admit based and that and the very thing that she was going right now that everything was more enjoyable with company. Well, aside from a dump, of course!

“Gold Roger? Was he the one in the with the teeth, outside that Casino? Billgon? Bullyawn? Something like that…” The teen found tilting her head however when her partner in pyrotechnic crime mentioned a name that many would brand her a fool for not knowing, the first face which Lizzie thought of when considering a party with 'gold' in their name was a fellow with rather the glistening grill who had been grinning outside one of those grand gambling houses, it was likely that the man who had raised a million black flag or more had in fact been mentioned to her in her life at some or several points, but this was a girl who only seemed to recall that which interested her the most.
“You wanna be free? Wait, did someone make a slave of you? My dad said to look out for guys who try to abduct others? Want me to kick their ass?” Ignorant of a great many things indeed and sheltered enough that she carried a strange kind of innocence to her, the finer portions of her acquaintances ambition was lost for the moment as she interpreted his desire in a more literal sense, and was pushed toward worry as a result. After all, she had far more familiarity with matters of involuntarily servitude than she could ever admit, or even realise in fact…

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[Fennec]

Blowing up the casino? Truth be told Rook hoped that was a figure of speech and not literal. He liked blowing stuff up as much as the next guy but he’d rather not hurt anyone. Especially innocent people… even if said innocent people were going to gamble their life savings away.

“Friends… yeah! I want those for sure. Crews, are nakama! Ride or die folks? Ya know?”

A smile spread across his face as he reminisced on it. Growing up he didn’t have many friends; there weren’t all too many kids his age back on Port Klondike. The ones that were there had different interests than him and many more simply wanted to get away from the small town seeing it and the island it was on as a dead end. Rook let out a deep seated sigh as his smile faded the more he thought on the topic. But that was all quickly blown away by the bluenette next to him’s remarks. He gave her a shrug.

“Truth be, I just know his name. No idea what he looks like there were no pictures to accompany what I read so as far as I know that is what he looks like, ehehahahehe.”

Rook gave a fox-like chuckle. His eyes turned slightly to look at the street lamps which marked the end of the park as they began to transition into the mean streets of the city. His head spun around again, once more toward the bluenette who seemed to always have some new explosive thought.

“Ehhh!? No… I’m not a slave. I uh… my parents just didn’t want me to leave the North Pole. I honestly don’t know why but all I know is I crave adventure. The road to becoming Pirate King will give me that.”

The young dark haired boy stared up ahead at the paths into the city. That was the fun thing about adventure wasn’t it? You never knew where you were going. Or what kind of adventure you’d get. But he was at least grateful that he’d left the North Pole behind.

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 4

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“The North Pole…?” Once more the blue belle seeming to show that she was fickle and all too easily distracted to boot, while it was certainly something of a relief to hear that the new face in her life was not currently suffering through some manner of involuntary servitude she couldn't help but feel the conversation jerking in an entirely different direction when he mentioned just where he had come from, and frankly the frenetic fox couldn't believe her luck when it came to random bystanders as well.
“Wait, did you know Santa? He lives there, right?” Remembering how she had always been told that a special figure associated with the season of holidays was associated with the northernmost tip of the world and hearing little of anyone else residing in such a significant locale either, once more that innocence of ignorance seemed to perk up for Miss Lyons as she quizzed the lad on a topic which might have made most snicker or tease her, but for she was one of both excitement and sincerity. Clearly no one had the heart to break certain illusions in her younger years, eh?

“Is it far away?” It only seeming natural for a woman of such madcap tendency to also begin to harbour ambitions about making a proper introduction on her own terms to a figure who was beloved from her childhood to boot, the skinny siren seemed to pause in place as she realized that her transit to the seas of the north had provided her with the ideal opportunity to visit such a well known celebrity, and she turned her head to look in the direction of the sea because of that.
“I bet that guy knows the best fireworks huh? I wonder if we could swim there…?” Nodding as she reasoned that the workshop of the worlds greatest toymaker was bound to be stuffed with all kinds of rewards as well, Lizzie couldn't help but feel a temptation to toss herself into the deep right now and make a beeline straight for such a land of renown and reward, and only had one thing seeming to stop her too, for that matter! Unfortunately, she did not know the way, but now she had someone who did right…?

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[Fennec]

Almost as soon as the conversation had started it looped around once more on itself. Now the flabbergasted young woman was talking about some dude named Santa which to be frank Rook had never heard of before. His brows furrowed in slight confusion as his fiery orange eyes began to avoid eye contact. But the way she spoke about the man made it seem like some sort of fairytale figure. One simply didn’t speak about a random old man with child-like wonder.

“Err… yeah! He visited our town frequently to buy uhh lumber! Yeah!”

Rook replied with an awkward smile, he hated having to lie through his teeth. But to be honest the innocence of the little arsonist of a girl before him was like a little ember of light in this city of vices. It was an ember that he’d rather not squander. He blushed. Not to mention it was pretty cute. But that's besides the point.

“Well… we’re in the North Blue so this is as close as you’ll get to the North Pole. But we are rather far at least from this island? Maybe some three-thousand nautical miles away.”

He explained, his travels had taken him far from home. It wasn’t just the distance that was impressive however, the North Pole was also a rather isolated location not many islands were inhabited in that area. It made sense that the sea was rather treacherous that far north. Between the cold, the icebergs, and kraken it was a tall task to ask most to visit or even settle.

“Well I’m sure he has a jolly set of fire- wait, swim?”

Rook paused, caught off guard by the absurdity. His eyes widened a tad. That probably wasn’t a good idea. No, not probably. It definitely wasn’t especially for him.

“Er… well I mean maybe? But like I said it's far away and also it's treacherous with many sea kings and krakens along the way. Not to mention I can’t swim.”

He felt a bit guarded about telling folks about his Devil Fruit. Most people around these parts considered fruits a myth and when they saw one they often turned to panic. It was simply fear of things they didn’t know. Rook was only afforded that knowledge because his father had been a botanist from the Grand Line. He had many books on the subject of those mysterious fruits.

“Well I used to be able to… but not anymore.”

Rook corrected himself but said no more as he turned his head to face the sea same as Lizzie. He did miss swimming on top of the fact it was an invaluable skill especially as a pirate. But the powers he gained in exchange were great. It was a trade off. Like everything in life.

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 5

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“Oh shit, to make toys for the kids? That's awesome!” Those big eyes of hers only seeming to become larger when Rook mentioned the idea of a certain celebratory figure taking timber from his home, she felt her excitement growing along with them as she imagined the kind of purpose that a rosy nosed fellow could have for such an item, and never for a second seemed to worry that she might be being told a taller tale than she expected.
“Three thousand? Damn, that's gonna take a couple or more days even at my top speed…?” Left frowning however as he mentioned the distance that they would need to travel to get to the locale which she craved for the moment, now that Miss Lyons thought about it she has to assume that this place would be a lot colder if it was close to the pole, and subsequently she admitted that even she couldn't cross that distance in less than a few days even with her own submarine swiftness.

“Oh, they're not so bad? Take a chunk or two outta 'em and they tend to leave you alone?” Seeming to shrug with a definite note of dismissiveness at the comment about sea monsters however, Lizzie pulled her hands behind her head in a rather casual fashion as she confessed that she tended to be the sort of thing they dreaded, and spoke with a kind of gravitas that told any listener that her assurance came from no small degree of experience as well.
“Oh yeeeaahhh… Human kids have to learn, huh?” Not seeming to pick up on the implication of the reason behind his absent swimming ability however due to her own absence of acquaintance with the means through which such things were magically deprived, she remembered people saying that 'normal' folk did not take to the water like she had in her youth, and at first seemed to guess that it was more a case of ignorance on his part than anything.

“Hahaha! Dad said I could swim even before I could walk…?” This seeming to prompt the blue betty to boast of her own ability, she pushed her thumbs into her waistband again and pushed out her elbows a bit in a vaguely flexing fashion with her chin and chest high as she admitted that such things came all too naturally to her, and considered taking them both for a trip into the deep in order to demonstrate such a fact most fully. Though, after that last time, she was trying not to be quite so impulsive with the liberties she took with others, right?

“Used to? What the hell happened, did you forget how?” Tilting her head however when Rook admitted that he had once seemed to possess such a skill but such a fact no longer was the case, the leggy lass couldn't help but feel astonishment at his comment about no longer being able to swim, and folded her arms as she looks him over to see a reason for that. I mean, maybe the loss of a limb or something might make him suffer, but he looked largely intact, right? More than that, in fact, with those blackbird wings on his back!

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[Fennec]

Sweat beads began to form on Rook’s forehead as he gave her a nod. The northern boy didn’t totally love lying even if it was something silly like this. But it was in the name of preserving the child-like innocence that the young woman had. Perhaps more amusing to Rook was her confidence in swimming out to see. A few more days? Days? Rook furrowed his brow. Weeks maybe. He thought to himself. Biting chunks off of krakens? Well she did seem to have sharp teeth. Who exactly was this girl? She was surprisingly brave about this whole ordeal more than any regular civilian even with combat training would be. Then again, Lizzie had hopped out of a trash bin… so she wasn’t exactly the most normal.

Rook tilted his head curiously, human kids? Wasn’t she human too? Now this is getting confusing. Apparently she could swim before walking? Well Rook could believe that at least. He didn’t exactly know how babies operated but if it was anything like wolf pups then they were born with reflexes to help them stay afloat. Maybe humans were the same. Though Lizzie seemed to establish she wasn’t one and while Rook was normally not the intrusive sort it felt a little incurious to not inquire. What exactly was Lizzie?

His Father’s books spoke about a few of the races one could encounter in the Grand Line and seldom took sight of in the blues. Fishfolk, Merfolk, and elusive of all minks. Giants were listed too of course but Rook took those descriptions of men and women the size of buildings with a healthy dose of skepticism. Until he had a good look at it… then again… it would truly be mesmerizing. His spirit of adventure always fighting against his intuition.

“Er… pardon… human children? So I assume you’re not human? Sorry if that is very obvious but I never ran into non-humans up north. I read about them in books but they had no pictures.”

Rook replied, he tried to formulate the reply in a way that was very polite. Not that he was good at it. It was just an attempt. But it would seem that Lizzie had her own questions about Rook and she didn’t exactly use tact. Rook stopped in his tracks. This part of the city was still rather quiet, the silence only interrupted by the occasional bark or howl of dogs and the steady song of crickets. The residential area just outside the park. It was late so many homes had the lights off. That or more likely the home owners were out partying the weekend away. Rook looked down at the brick road and didn’t make eye contact.

“Well, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 6

[Jess]

Just a gal trying to Mako the Most of It~

Lizzie Lyons

“Ahahaha, damn I'm so cute I had ya fooled, huh~?” The brow of the blue beauty seeming to lift a little as her new friend admitted that he hadn't expected her to be anything other than bonafide one hundred percent ape evolution, he was hardly the first to make such a mistake based on her skinny frame and only very slightly blued skin, and yet she still couldn't help but enjoy how well she had passed for what most might consider normal.
“Actually, I'm a bit human, and a bit shark~? My dad was a fishman. My first dad, at least?” Skipping forward as she found herself with the chance to show off the strange amalgamation of land and sea she seemed to be and starting at her lips, which she was happy to peel back enough at the corners once she had explained her lineage a bit better, and in doing show off the sharp and jagged set of dentaculars she had been gifted with as part of her breed. Though she certainly wasn't content to stop there either.

“Fangs… Gills…” Perhaps taking most pride in those big chompers but having more than a few features which seemed to separate her from most other gangly limbed gals, Lizzie tugged the neckline of her tee to one side and then gently prized the subtle slits which sat between her neck and shoulder to help her survive beneath the waves, though even then was not content.
“And the biggest of big strongs? Quite the monster, ain't I~?” Glancing around herself and spotting a rather large and cumbersome bench which had been bolted to the table and tearing it from the ground like it was no more trouble than a slim tent peg, she proceeded to lift the item above her head and press it up and down with only the same level of visible strain as one might expect from a broomstick, in actuality she had wished that they had a dumpster like the one she had lurched from earlier on to show off with. Now that seemed more a spectacle of her lifting ability, right?

“Try me, son. I've seen some shit!” Perhaps for these reasons the rake-thin lass scoffing when Rook next tried to affirm that she wouldn't believe his story about how his absence of aquatic ability had come to be, the maid of all things mer tossed the bench away like an old deck chair and beckoned at him, almost begging to be surprised by what he might tell her. Though, given what she had been through, it would have to be something damn impressive right…?

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[Fennec]

Rook couldn’t help but blush and turn his eyes away. This girl sure was a tease and he wasn’t exactly equipped with how to deal with someone like that. But his eyes quickly returned to her once she began a showcase of her fishy aspects or was it sharky? Having read about Fishmen was one thing, seeing one even if I half-blood was rather fascinating. The sharp shark-like teeth, the gills, and other appendages that would need to normally be scrutinized more so in dim light came forth as proof of the woman’s heritage. There was one thing missing, however…

“But-“

…the interjection was cut off as the one missing puzzle piece was revealed when the girl skipped ahead pulling a bench from its bolts and held it over her head seamlessly. The grand strength native to fishfolk was something of legends and truly incredible! To see what this thin girl was capable of something that some of the most dedicated weight lifters aspired to be was truly impressive. Then again, Rook was no different and he had some hidden abilities of his own to boot. There was more to him than he let on and at times even knew.

“Wow!!! Monstrously strong maybe! But I wouldn’t label you a monster, Liz.”

At least not yet… tho perhaps calling herself a monster was warranted. But, Rook wasn’t a fan of labels; they felt a bit too restrictive when the nature of people was in reality a lot more messy. Now the spotlight was back on him. Rook took a deep breath. Even if the invitation had been very confident. Even if the girl before him was incredibly special in her own right. Most blue sea dwellers could at least subscribe themselves to the idea of a fishman. The same couldn’t be said for Devil Fruits.

In an instant Rook transformed from man to beast, his features shifting around as a snout grew in place of a flat face and ears elongated into points. Soon the young boy that stood before her was nomore in his place was a quadruped vulpine creature. No more than two feet tall and three feet long excluding the tail, the form was rather lankey. His palette was normal but non-standard, a mix of gray patches with the run of the mill red-orange fur covering most of his features. Its features seemingly stretched out… the fur swirling like smoke patterns as its most fine edges faded into ethereal wisps which were standard for plumes of smoke. But perhaps most unusual was the fact that two tails swayed behind him instead of the singular which often followed members of the vulpine species.

“Tada!?”

Rook gave a pair of jazz hands (now paws) to Lizzie from his sitting position before firmly planting them on the ground and standing to look up to her. His hazel eyes are still there just now, more beast than man. He stood there waiting for a reaction. His ears flickered and nose twitched with anticipation.

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Rook | Gun Smoke | Post Count: 7