Flower Gazing (Mercedes)

[Dream Wolf]

Dream was walking the flower beds, it was winter yes, but there were Gifted people who made some of the flowers bloom. He was walking, but his mind was racing. He had killed someone. Granted she had killed an unknown number of people herself, three at least that Dream knew of. But it was the fact that even though he wasn't in control when it happened, he remembered every detail about what had been done.


He shook his head driving away the dark thoughts. He focused on the flowers and was reminded of his mother. She had loved the winter flowers, the way the colors had contrasted with the snow. His father had always said that he had proposed to his mother right here in this very park, on the night of the winter solstice. He watched a pair of squirrels fight over a seed that had fallen from one of the dried flowers, he walked over and, true to Argi's amazing rules, they did not run from him. He plucked a seed from another flower and placed it between the two rodents, the bigger one took the new seed and bobbed its head at him. He never really got used to that, the way the animals in the city acted compared to outside it. He was used to it in the Chaser Hounds, but they weren't wild animals.

He heard footsteps behind him and stood.

[Mercedes Conell]

SMILE FOR THE LIVING !

get what you need and give what you're given ...

Well, at least someone was having luck with animals. Mercedes was definitely not. Her and a classmate had decided to smuggle a bunny onto the academy grounds to surprise their own dorm mates.

Unfortunately, the classmate hadn't mentioned quite how far the walk was from her house back to the academy. Along the way the bunny'd hopped from their arms and vanished, so they'd split up. In no time Merc was running after the bunny straight into the rose garden.

"Wait, please! We have carrots!" Mercedes promised, but the bunny hopped on, disappearing within some flowers.

"Mr. Fluffy, your owner will be very cross with you..." Mercedes informed the hidden rabbit, her tone cautionary. That's when she noticed the male standing in the rose gardens. She'd inadvertently walked in his direction without even noticing him. Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment, her purple eyes widening slightly in surprise. Maybe if she didn't say anything, he wouldn't notice. She cast her gaze down, pretending that she was still searching for the fluffy brown bunny.

TAG: Dream Wolf
NOTES: Mercedes isn't the best with animals.

THANKS ANNECORDELIA

[Dream Wolf]

Dream was still, he could sense the rabbit, three feet behind him. He slowly turned, sensing the rabbit's energy. It wasn't afraid, just bored, probably with being carried. He crouched down and reached out, his hands stroking the rabbit's back. He lift the little animal up and looked it over, making sure it was healthy. He turned to the girl who had come up behind him. "You should let Mr. Fluffy's owner know that he is in fact a she...So Mr. may be a bit off for this little bugger."


He walked over to her. He had seen her at the academy, but he was in a different set of classes than her. He only knew she was older than him by a year or so. Her name eluded him, something like Mary....he knew it started with an M... "I'm sorry...I don't know your name though I probably should. I'm Dream Wolf."

He held the rabbit out to her, keeping a tight grip on her scruff.

[Mercedes Conell]

SMILE FOR THE LIVING !

get what you need and give what you're given ...

That bunny was trouble. The pink lingered in her cheeks as she looked up at Dream, unable to ignore the fact that he was clearly speaking to her. He seemed so natural with the bunny ...

"Merc." Mercedes stated her name, the c coming out as an s sound that began definitively, then silenced itself.

She took the bunny when he offered her, nodding when he'd said the he was really a she. It probably wasn't the best time to tell him that 'Mr. Fluffy' was just her spontaneous nickname for the creature, or that she didn't actually know what it was called. No matter either way.

"Thank you," Mercedes murmured, drawing the fluffy creature toward her chest protectively. Not protective because Dream wasn't safe, but because she didn't trust the animal not to jump again.

"Sorry for disrupting you. It's such a peaceful morning." Her gaze shifted, taking in the quiet rose garden. "But... you go to the academy too, right?" She recognized him, too, and the name once he'd said it. In fact she'd read his name somewhere recently, though she was drawing a blank as to where or why.

TAG: Dream Wolf
NOTES: Mercedes really doesn't know much about animals.

THANKS ANNECORDELIA

[Dream Wolf]

Dream nodded and smiled reassuringly at her. "Ok Merc, its nice to meet you. Maybe I should walk the rabbit to wherever you're going with you, just in case, if she gets loose I can track her. And it is a peaceful day. I would feel like a bad person if I didn't make sure you got where you're going without trouble."

He turned to the squirrel that was still sitting on the sidewalk looking at him, the seed in its paws.

"Off you go little one, before someone else tries to steal your seed." The squirrel bobbed its head and hopped away. He turned back to Merc, and shrugged. "Sorry, the animals around here, they don't know me, but they all know of me, my dad was a zoopath, he could communicate with animals."

[Mercedes Conell]

SMILE FOR THE LIVING !

get what you need and give what you're given ...

Mercedes hesitated, drawing her chin down into her chest, hiding her face within the brown fur. She'd like to think she could handle the animal, but having company was tempting all the same. But fairness was important- was it fair to divert him from his plans for the day to cater to an unnecessary whim of hers?

"The plan was to sneak the bunny into the academy." Merc admitted, having lifted her chin again so she could answer clearly. It seemed a little silly when she said it aloud, but there was no use not telling him. If he walked her all the way to the academy he'd probably put two and two together. And if he didn't want to be an accomplice, she should probably tell him beforehand.

"That's so sweet," Mercedes smiled, her eyes brightening. It wasn't sarcastic- the idea that animals would know of him based on his father's communications with them was endearing.

"It seems like they understand you pretty well," Merc observed, referring both to the squirrel and the now-tamer bunny.

TAG: Dream Wolf
NOTES: Merc is pretty sure Dream's connection to animals is adorable.

THANKS ANNECORDELIA

[Dream Wolf]

Dream looked at her. Sneaking the rabbit into the academy...he could get in on that. He grinned. "Won't be as epic as when the Mercer Twins managed to sneak a whole herd of deer into the gym, but this sounds too fun to pass up."

He held out his hand, in a gentlemanly way, as an offer of support. "I would be glad to accompany you, my lady."

He let her lead the way to her friend and nodded to the other student, smiling. "Nice to meet you, I am Dream Wolf, of the Argi Wolf Family, the first and only true trainers of Chaser Hounds."

He waited for the girls to speak if they were going to.