[Dominic]

Deep within the forest, the sun’s rays slipped through the massive trees’ leaves and showered onto the pale skin of a body. The body was limp as it lay propped up against one of the many trees, next to a medium sized rock. In a delicate hand that rested on a bent nude leg was a long, wooden smoking pipe. It was exotic; detailed carvings of beautiful four legged animals with horns of different variety covered it, seeming to be running and jumping about in a field of grass. A thin trail of white smoke snaked from its wide end and into the air above. It was an elegant display, until suddenly, the body which carefully held it sighed, one of pleasure, and then moved, bringing the pipe to a face more exotic and beautiful than the pipe itself. His pink lips perked slightly, taking the pipe between them. He slowly breathed in, feeling a smoke travel from his mouth and into his lungs. Holding the smoke in, he leisurely removed the pipe from his mouth and rested his hand back on his leg. Moments later, he exhaled, allowing the smoke to escape through a small “o” shape that lips made. Once more, he sighed. A carefree smile slowly appeared on his face and he shut his eyes. He was so relaxed. So… At peace.



Dominic, still grinning, took his free hand and ran his fingers through his long white hair between his short and pointed horns. His hair was his pride and joy--other than his pipe. His straight hair was so long that it even flowed past his shoulders and nearly reached his buttocks when he stood. He didn’t mind being called a girl for it. Yes, it was actually a compliment to him. Dominic’s hair was just about the only thing he took care of so well. Shit, he even forgets to feed himself sometimes, but he would never forget to properly wash and tend to his luxurious hair on a daily basis.



Taking another drag, Dominic opened his eyes slightly. One of the beams that managed their way through the maze of leaves blinded him momentarily, causing him to avert his golden eyes and turn his head somewhat. He knew he was suppose to be doing something today, but now he didn’t even want to move. The tree he leaned on was far too comfortable, and this is exactly why this is his favorite place in the forest. It’s quiet, untouched by others, and extremely peaceful. A place like this one could be considered home to a being without one, which happened to be him. Deciding to finally get off his rump, he sucked in loudly and pushed himself onto his knees. Now facing the rock, he held the pipe gently between his teeth and lifted the the rock with his free hands, revealing the few items that he allowed himself to keep.



On top a pile of women’s jewelry and a golden hair brush were neatly folded clothes to hide them if someone managed to find this hiding spot. They were thin and folded so they would fit in the hole. They were also dirty. Even if he didn’t like clothes in particular, he hated that he didn’t have something to at least keep the dirt from ruining them. He needed to invest in a chest…With a lock. Taking the white cloth that lay, rolled tightly, underneath the rest of his clothing, he put the rock back down and stood. Although he was currently nude, he didn’t mind. It wasn’t for the fact that he knew no one would come, he just didn’t care. Dominic believed that if he could be nude as an animal, he can be nude in his natural form. He also prefered being naked because he hated the feeling of clothing. It was suffocating.



Wrapping the cloth loosely around his thin hips and knotting the two ends at one side, he left his right thigh greatly exposed for better movement. Without any other belongings, he began off into a random direction with his pipe resting between his fingers. He was going to roam today. He didn’t know where exactly, but he knew he was going to enjoy his time and maybe meet new people. Maybe he’d run into a bar on the way. Or even someone willing to feed him; he hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning and he wasn’t in the mood to munch on grass.

[Astral]

It had been such a beautiful, lazy day that the king had decided to escape from what little responsibilities tied him within the confines of the palace today, and relax in the open air of nature. Sure, there were plenty of spaces to lie around within the palace grounds, but none were ever as truly unwinding as the secluded forest within his magnificent land. It had taken some practiced skill to sneak past not only the royal guards and advisers that would surely question his destination, but also his wife and children whose curiosity would probably get the better of them. He flashed a rare soft smile as he walked the forest path, letting his legs take him to his undecided destination. He ran his fingers across his three earrings, letting them softly chime against each other. One for each of his children. If he had anymore he'd have to start piercing his other lobe, and with dread he realized how lopsided that would look unless he had three more; a daunting idea that he quickly shook from his mind.

He had opted to wear his usual black trousers tucked into black boots, paired with a simple chocolate-brown tunic with 3/4 sleeves; just a little something to cover up the identifiable scar that ran angrily across his chest. This way, he was less likely to be recognized as 'The King of the Shifters'. It would always remain a possibility - there were many people who followed the royal family's life as though they were part of their own, but anything that helped him be on his way without interruption was welcome.

Jarmil continued in this way, using the natural forest path rather than the man-made one so as to avoid any curious eyes, until he saw a flash of brilliant white. He stopped in his tracks, body tensed and on full alert. Had his eldest found him? Stalking forward much like his predator form would, he crept ever closer whilst attempting to conceal himself in the brush. No. Not his son - the hair was much too long. His eyes wandered the lithe form till they rested on the horns, causing an involuntary flex of muscle as his mind momentarily flashed images of demons. Now the question was, friend or foe? Shifter or Nightwalker? Common sense suggested shifter, as not many nightwalkers dared to enter his lands after the war - the few that did were usually invited. He spent a few more moments assessing him, coming to the conclusion that he was getting nowhere like this. Rising to a stand, he strode the few meters gap towards the stranger intending to find out more. Within hearing distance, Jarmil spoke in his graveled voice.

"Where're you heading stranger?"

It would've been polite to introduce himself first, but during his whole life it had always been the other to introduce themselves to him first. Old habits died hard even for a king. He stood, arms crossed looking down to the white-haired man - unintentionally looking rather intimidating. He had been told upon countless occasions by his family to 'loosen up'. But it just wasn't who he was and if people took him too seriously because of it, that was their prerogative.

[Dominic]

Dominic was twirling his white hair with his free hand when suddenly a red flash shot past his face. Startled, Dominic froze in place and allowed his hidden gazelle ears --which he was so self conscious about around others--to reviel themselves. They perked up and listened carefully. His eyes quickly scrutinized his surroundings, meticulously sereaching the trees and every other place his eyes could see until he finally found what frightened him.

A soft unfeigned smile of delight appeared on his face. It was a cardinal. It was currently perched on a low branch in the tree directly in front of him, chirping beautifully. Dominic's ears lowered slightly, for he was no longer alarmed, and the rest of his body relaxed as well. He chuckled to himself for being so startled. Silly things like that never frightened him so easily.

Shrugging off the slightly embarrassing moment, he continued to peer at the cardinal who seemed to peer right back at him. These birds were among the only other creatures he adored so greatly. Their brilliant red feathers made himself wish he were one, like his mother was. Although his mother wasnt a bright speck of lovely red, he still admired her small form and vibrant orange-red beak. At moments like these, he so dearly wished he maintained the power to conversate with animals. But instead, he simply listened. Dominic's ears twitched by themselves as the male cardinal continued to sing. For a few moments, he lost himself in a day dream when the cardinal quickly fled and vanished through the treetops.

"Ah..." He sighed disappointedly, as if he were going to ask for the bird to come back.

Dominic was standing, feeling a bit abandoned when he realized he heard a husky voice. Turning his head slowly to look over his bare shoulder, his golden eyes rested upon a rather large body of a man. Dominic silently looked the tall man up and down, inspecting him. Something about the man seemed vaguely familiar, but he pushed that nagging feeling aside. He noted his cat-like ears and saw what he thought were claws on his fingers. Not to mention his unfriendly expression. Suddenly, Dominic felt uncomfortable for the first time in a while.

"...Huh?" Dominic finally managed to ask, after a very long silence, wanting the man to repeat what he had said.

Briefly looking in front of himself, and then back at the stranger, he began wondering which direction he could run in to find the nearest town. Something suggested to him that this rather malevolent looking fellow wasn't looking to share a smoke and a friendly chat while walking through the woods together. But, Dominic was a bit surprised that he came across another being in this part of the woods. He thought it would be a while before he would have seen someone. Maybe he really needed to invest in a chest.

[Astral]

Jarmil raised an eyebrow at the slightly bewildered man. Never before had he seen such an appropriate image for 'cat got your tongue?' and it caused the corner of his lip raise into a light-hearted smirk. Sure, there had been some pretty funny reactions from those he first met (usually humans), but he could always tell they had been prepped with stories before-hand and so the initial reaction was always dulled with acceptance. This time proved much different and he had to remind himself he was not in the presence of someone who knew him.

To try and ease the stranger's tension, Jarmil relaxed his stance a little, putting a hand on his hip and the other idly rubbed the back of his neck. More weight was shifted onto one leg than the other, giving a slightly slouched, lop-sided image. It wasn't easy to forget that he was a predator in many aspects, but it was easy for him to forget that other people would not be as comfortable around that fact as his family.

"I thought you might have been lost or something, being so far out in the forest..." he spoke half-truthfully. Initially it had been aggressive curiosity, but after seeing him interact with the bird (which Jarmil would have been embarrassed to admit had sang rather beautifully) he came to the easy conclusion that he posed no threat to anyone. No, the only threat in this situation was to Jarmil's dignity and pride - if he kept on making a fool out of himself by messing up his first interaction as a 'citizen' in a long time.

"Jarek is my name." He had given it some thought on his way here on how he would introduce himself if he should get caught in someone's presence. What better to call himself than his father's name? A dead king couldn't very much be alive and walking, and he was proud to bear it as his own. "Sorry to have jumped you like that. So, where are you heading?" his curiosity was still flared as he wondered just what the half-naked man was doing all the way out here (though he would be very hypocritical if he thought less of the man because of what he wasn't wearing).

[Dominic]

Dominic was watching him nervously over his shoulder when the man suddenly smiled; it was a soft one. The sudden change in the stranger's harsh expression made Dominic want to chuckle. He felt like it didn't fit his stern and menacing appearance, but at the same time it did. Shortly after, the man must have sensed--or seen because Dominic's back was towards him and he looked as if he were about to make a run for it-- his uneasiness since he seemed to relax into a less intimidating position . Now this made Dominic snort. What's up with this guy?

Deciding that he would be safe, Dominic finally turned his body towards the man so he was fully facing him. He opened his mouth to respond to him when he realized his ears were out of their hiding place. Oh how he loathed those things. Although they were quite adorable on him when he was a child (Yes, even he can admit that), he did not like the childish look they still gave him. They were far too large as well. Why couldn't gazelles have smaller ears? Wide-eyed with embarrassment, Dominic quickly flattened his floppy and furry light-brown ear and rearranged his fine hair over them to create the illusion that he didn't posses such hideous body parts.

"Mmm..." Dominic hummed as his once again pushed his embarrassment aside and continued to self consciously play with his hair while deciding whether or not to tell this man, Jarek, that he lived around here. "It was a gorgeous day, so I decided to take a walk in the woods." He finally repsonded in his naturally smooth and relaxed tone.

Almost forgetting that he even brought his pipe along, he placed it back into his mouth and held it there. He knew that by now he must need more tobacco, so he simply nibbled gently on the bit and eyed Jarek once more. Dominic came to the conclusion that he wasn't a bad man. He obviously was not here to rob him and it didn't look like he had anything of value to be robbed (But he didn't even dare thinking about doing that).Even if he was here to rob, he would only leave with a slightly dirty cloth and an out-dated smoking pipe that could maybe be sold and used as decoration. But Dominic would wear the tightest fitting clothes topped off with heavy-set armor before he'd allow anyone to take it. Although he isn't exactly physically inclined, his horns are rather sharp and he has a hell of a kick when in his gazelle form.

With the pipe still between his teeth he says, "I'm going where ever you're going." Being who he was, he did not have the manners to ask permission first. He had already decided to spend some time today with this unusual man, but he knew he probably shouldn't push him too much or tease him like he would anyone else. " I hope you know of a place with smokes and good food... Ah, and I'm Dominic. Pleasure to meet you." Dominic grinned elegantly and tipped his head toward him as a greeting.




(OOC: sorry for this poor post. x3 couldn't really think of what to post but I really want to rp.~)

[Astral]

Jarmil raised an eyebrow at the younger man's behaviour - especially when it came to his appearance. He supposed it wasn't unusual for some shifters to feel embarrassed about some of their animalistic features, but he had figured it was a rare enough occurrence that he'd never actually meet someone who thought that way. On the flip-side, he guessed not everyone would be happy with what they had been given at birth; that not everyone was as lucky as he was when born as one of the world's renowned predators. Oddly enough, those ears reminded him that he was rather hungry, and he just couldn't put a finger on why...

His natural half-scowl returned to his face. He wasn't doing it intentionally - it was everything about his face that conspired against him to give him a naturally serious face. The slightly narrowed eyes (which he had adopted off his father), the tiger pattern on his brow which made his eyebrows look closer together than they were, and the decades of practiced impartiality he's had to wear on his face during political meetings. Sure, he had been sculpted into a wonderful leader, but that didn't transcribe into social skills very well. He figured experience would soon get it into his system, and it looked like he had found his first partner for practicing.

To be told to take the lead was nothing new to the King, but by a stranger who didn't know him? Of what little excursions Jarmil had done as 'Jarek', he had not had an opportunity to witness such open-mindedness and it had saddened him to find that his citizens would much rather avoid contact with strangers in an effort to rid any chances of ill-will towards them. It was a strange notion that the more he acted as a King, the more they leaned towards him as a citizen. He lightly smirked to Dominic at his own inward musings. He would have to make more outings as himself in order to raise moral then.

At the thought of a place to eat one local place sprung to mind. It's inhabitants rarely looked up from their tables occupants and they never asked questions. Ever since he was just a young Prince it had been his go-to place when incognito. He was pretty sure the owner knew who he was, but he had never once paid any mind to him. The atmosphere was always cheery and the bustling laughter of men and women alike rang through-out the old building. "The pleasure's mine" he said, the words dancing around a light smile. He nodded in the direction that Dominic had initially positioned himself to run towards. "There's a renowned tavern a few minutes walk that way" He stepped to his side, intending to walk along-side his new acquaintance.

He didn't see why the young gazellean would leave him now - he had invited himself after all. So he started a conversation; if not to distract Dominic from any doubts he had, then it was to distract Jarmil from any doubts of what he was doing here. What had started as a peaceful stroll had ended up with a meal with a stranger. What a strange turn of events indeed...

"That's a pretty old looking pipe you have there. An heirloom perhaps? Or is it in fashion to smoke pipes these days?" he started, sticking both hands in his loose trouser pockets. It had made him curious since he saw it in the younger man's hands and although not a topic he was educated in, it was a start.

(OOC: Thats fine - it was a great post and I don't mind waiting either way :3 Sorry mine seems a little jumbled @-@)

[Dominic]

Dominic laughed lightly after Jarek showed the direction of their new destination. "Huh... Is that so?" He was rather surprised and amused that he would have ran in the safest way. Although he has been just about everywhere in Sanchu, he never took the time to actually consider where he was at nor did he care. As along as he ended back home in the woods after his trip, Dominic was happy. And of course, he always managed to be propped up against his favorite tree in the end. But now he was slightly concerned. Dominic scratched his head and continued to further question the location of his home. "I'm rather surprised that I haven't been there before, considering that I live close."

Once Jarek stepped along side of him, Dominic began walking with him. As he walked, he lifted his cloth as to not trip on it and in doing that, he exposed more of his covered leg. Since it was now a habit--or maybe it was an excuse to have the suffocating feeling eased-- he didn't realize how feminine, and rather inappropriate, his actions were, including this particular one. The way he holds himself and even his appearance is a bit more girlish than a man's. Dominic is completely oblivious to the true reason why he, on occasion, is called a girl. But if he did know, he of course wouldn't care. He always managed to get something free by being who he was, anyways.

Looking at the man from the corner of his eye as he still chewed on his pipe, he was quite happy that he asked about his treasured belonging. Smiling and removing it from his mouth, he says calmly," Yeah, I guess." Dominic then paused to look over his long pipe for a moment, fingering the small carvings, before continuing. "It was my father's, although I'm not quite sure how long it has been in his family. Quite lovely for relaxing. A man like you should invest in one."

Dominic trailed off and was silent for a few seconds when he realized the only question he asked him was "Huh". His slanted golden eyes once again perused Jarek. From what he could see, he carried nothing. His clothes were rather plain, but everything else about him were extremely...different. Not once has Dominic seen a tiger shape shifter. His markings that showed on his skin were beautiful and helped him look even more intimidating. Or was it just his natural seeming bitch face? Dominic covered his grin with his free hand.

"Who are you?" He finally asked, quite bluntly. He was sure he would know he wasn't asking for his name again. Something about this stranger seemed paculiar. There was also this nagging feeling....

[Astral]

Jarmil nodded in understanding at the enigma of the tavern. "I wouldn't worry too much about having not stumbled across it - It's the kind of place where you can only really find it if you're invited." He grinned as the puzzle left his mouth, imitating the exact words said to him upon his first venture to the tavern. "Well, I suppose you'll see why when we get there..." He had to stop himself before he gave away what was so special about the place; he didn't want to lessen the impact when Dominic saw it for himself.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jarmil tried not to notice how Dominic was carrying himself. He was a man raised among men in the manliest of environments, and so couldn't fathom the idea of being so... dainty. He had nothing against his new companion's way of life, but Jarmil could almost laugh at the looks he would get if he acted anything less than... well, a tiger. Deciding not to dwell on it anymore, he distracted himself with the conversation.

He turned to face the white-haired man as he spoke about the wooden device, his own happy mood amplified by Dominic's smile. He could tell the man cherished the memento (he had decided that was what it was based on the past tense when referring to his father) and he unwittingly raised a hand to feel the uneven surface of his own chest - the only memento given to him by his father, unbeknownst to most. "A man like me?" he looked forward to where they were heading,  distractedly scratched under his chin with his previously occupied hand whilst pondering the statement. "Nah, I wouldn't suit a pipe, and I'm pretty sure my kids would make fun of me for it..." he grinned lightheartedly.

He carried on in silence, paying no mind to the almost obvious looks he was getting. As a King, he was used to them, and more so as a Shifter among the other races. Even among the Shifters, his animalistic physique was abnormally extravagant - even going as far as to having stripes. He had hated it as a young child; his royal tittle had done little to ebb the taunting off other children. And yet it now defines him for who he is and he wouldn't have it any other way.

His reservedness continued as Dominic spoke. His previous smirk slowly faded and he carried on in passive-seriousness. He had not expected his true identity to be questioned so soon, though he didn't know what he had expected. Jarmil knew that eventually he would have to tell the man who he really was, though he had thought that they would at least get through the meal first - giving them both ample time to become accustomed to each others company. As it stood now, he hadn't even gotten to know anything about him, and so didn't know how he would react; the whole point of giving a false identity was so that he could mingle with the citizens without them second-guessing their actions around him. He didn't want Dominic to act unnaturally, but, he realized with a sigh, it really wasn't fair to be leading someone on like this.

"Ha, I've been caught..." he lightened his attitude but he just couldn't relax his face muscles as much as he'd wanted to. "My name is actually Jarmil Schwarz." He continued on, regardless of whether or not that was ample enough to be recognized. "10th generation heir to the throne; the King of Sanchu." He dared not look directly at Dominic, but settled for glancing at him from the corner of his eye out of morbid curiosity at his reaction. His posture had relaxed; holding both hands interlocked behind his head as he continued walking.

[Dominic]

"Hmmm, well this should be fun." Dominic responded, becoming interested in the mysterious tavern. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him of his To-Do List for today. If his new friend wasn't willing, or wasn't able, to grace Dominic with a meal, he'd more than likely have to make a pit stop and muster up some coin from someone else. Of course, he'd have to ditch Jarek for a bit. He couldn't have his brand new pal knowing he pickpockets because he is just too lazy to work. Hopefully there would be a small town near by...

Dominic was once again absently stroking the smooth carvings. As he ran his fingers across his long pipe, he further tried to persuade the man. "Oh come on. They come in many different styles. You don't have to worry about carrying a girly one like this. A nice short one would suit you just fine." Dominic was grinning as he spoke. Although he wasn't lying, he felt that this man probably preferred alcohol over smoking for relaxation. "I'll let ya' try mine when we get to the tavern.... Don't worry, I may be poor but I'm not riddled with diseases." He snickered and leaned towards Jarek to playfully jab his arm with his elbow.

As they walked in silence, Dominic looked at him completely, opposed to straining his eyeballs to peek at him as he previously was. He was extremely curious now. Had he met him before? He knew that couldn't have been possible, for anyone would recognize this bizarre--No, unique looking man. Was he drunk when he stumbled upon him one day? No... A man like him, with children, wouldn't go to the bars he does. Maybe he glanced at him in the streets; it was really killing him now.

So sure that it was going to be something on the lines of what he thought, he was utterly surprised to hear the name of his companion. He was so surprised that he involuntarily released his cloth and instantly tripped on it. Upon tripping, he landed hard in the dirt on his hands and knees, dropping his pipe, causing it to slide a few feet away. His long hair slipped off his back and flowed onto the ground, creating a wall of white between Dominic's face and the rest of the world. Dominic stayed positioned like so while everything in his head raced around, trying to make sense of what he heard. Maybe he was joking? No, no, that can't be. He now realized why he looked so familiar. Even a man like him knew what his own King looked like. Ahhh, what a mess.

Sitting back onto his knees and flipping his now wild hair out his face, he looked up to the King. Dominic was totally oblivious on how to act in this sort of situation. He was also never taught how to act in the presence of royalty since he was a poor shifter ever since birth (it's not like he knew that there was a certain way to act in the first place), so he simply just stared at Jarmil awkwardly. He then began thinking that maybe the King was away, and for what he thought alone, because he just wanted a short getaway. Although overwhelmed and completely taken by surprise at first, he began laughing hardily after a heavy silence. "Who would have thought that I would have ran into the King!" Dominic sucked in some air and wiped a single tear from his eye as he helped himself up. "Ah, this is great. I wish mother was here for this." The last bit was said out loud to himself.

After dusting the dirt from his cloth, he bent over to pick up his pipe and once again started off towards their destionation. Due to his ignorance and simply because of the way the King went about things with him thus far, he decided that just because he was the King he didn't have to not accompany him anywhere. Actually, he wanted to stay with him even more. He was so curious about the royal and had so many questions. Dominic also knew that a free meal could be a definite "yes" today. A wide smile stayed glued on his face.


(OOC: all these mistakes and typos I'm finding... xD I've been using my phone, so sorry if I don't catch something at first .)

[Astral]

Jarmil had not considered the pipe in question to be 'girly' - though he figured that reflected his knowledge on the subject if he couldn't even fathom the masculinity of a pipe. He'd never had to consider it before now, as the idea of inhaling fumes in an attempt to relax didn't appeal to the man; the few nights he'd walked in on his grandfather surrounded by other elderly men also puffing away had deterred him enough to not even be curious. At the comment of diseases, Jarmil felt himself involuntarily stiffen, though he kept his smirk. "You speak as if the rich are immune to disease..." he teased lightly, raising an eyebrow.

The tiger-man stopped in utter surprise when his traveling companion suddenly fell to the ground on his knees. He had no idea of what had happened as his eyes had wandered elsewhere, but he knew it was no coincidence that it happened after revealing his name. Now the problem was, did he fall to his knees in some sort of uneducated bow? Was he trying to pull some sort of trick? (It wasn't unknown for thieves to pretend they were injured in order to set themselves up for an attack or even a con) Or was he genuinely that shocked that he had fallen over for lack of balance? Jarmil had only been traveling with the stranger for a short while, and although he didn't personally know the guy, he doubted he had intentionally fallen over.

He crouched on his toes so he was level with Dominic (given an inch or two), resting his forearms on his spread knees for balance and support. He was about to reach out and check that the white-haired man was ok when he moved on his own. Other than looking a bit disheveled he seemed unhurt and for that Jarmil was thankful. In fact, the intense stare he received afterwards was enough to make him look away whilst resting his chin in a cupped hand in an attempt to hide his almost cheeky grin. This wasn't the first reaction of it's kind he had seen, but it was the first he had witnessed personally on his own terms - and it was hard to keep himself from smiling.

Glad that Dominic seemed to be taking the situation lightly, he decided a little banter was definitely appropriate. After straightening up and dusting off some unseen dirt on his trousers he snorted. "Technically, it was I who ran into you..." and he was now glad of it. This was what he had wanted all along - someone to chew the fat with, without having to worry about formalities whilst hiding himself. This was much more comfortable than having to pretend at being someone else just to have a decent conversation.

"A fan of mine?" He said before even he thought about it; it was his jolly mood that had made his mind skip all possible thoughts of why his mother wasn't 'here'. With the lack of his usual decorum came a lack of finesse he had almost perfected over his years as king. In his usual meetings with big figure-heads he would avoid any topic that may be sensitive to the receiver, as it could offend and therefore damage any relation they might have been building with possible allies.

He continued on their walk alongside Dominic, hands now held together behind him as he subtly arched his back in a stretch. He looked over to his companion and caught the infectious smile, returning it with a sharp-toothed half grin. "We should be getting close now..." he said, noting a familiar landmark from his previous excursion that he had etched into his mind lest he lose his way (not for the first time). "Though I probably should point out that you need to be looking up in order to find it..." As if on cue, a wooden structure could be seen a little in the distance if you craned your neck to look in the canopy of the trees. Between the thick leaves a tavern lay hidden wrapped around the large trunk of a tree probably a thousand years old. A curved stairway twisted around the tree, winding its way to the entrance. Glass windows overlooked the forest and beyond, with rounded walls all around. Jarmil stopped to admire the handy work as he always did, still not able to comprehend the tenacity the craftsman must've possessed. He looked to Dominic and friendlily clapped a hand on his shoulder grinning. "Hope you aren't afraid of heights..."

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? 

OOC: Took a bit longer while I sorted out my post :) Also, here is an [Image] to roughly what it looks like, though larger in scale :)

[Dominic]

Dominic scratched the top of his scalp and shrugged. “I guess you’re right.” He snickered , his cheeks beginning to hurt from grinning. Oh how no one would believe him if he told them that he is now drinking buddies with His Highness. He knew for a fact that the next time he went to his usual hangout spot and shared a drink with his friends, they’d only laugh thinking it was one of his “stories” that he tells because he’s drunk. In fact, he won’t even try to tell them. Not because they wouldn’t believe him, but if there was a small chance that they did believe him, they would want to meet him as well, and Dominic did not want to be liable for any harm that came towards Jarmil( although he was quite sure he could fare pretty well on his own). There was only one person that he would tell, and he had already decided to visit her directly after (whenever that’ll be).


Once again he slightly held up his cloth with one hand to prevent another accident as he walked. He could feel burning sensations coming from his knees and wondered if he were bleeding. Blood meant cleaning his clothes, and if he cleaned one, he had to clean them all. Cleaning is another activity that Dominic is far too lazy to do. The only thing he is willing to clean is his hair. And maybe his own body. Besides, why should have to clean something he loathed? When did it become a thing to wear clothes, anyways? What bastard invented them and made it socially “unacceptable” to walk around nude?


Underneath his white locks, Dominic’s ear wiggled as Jarmil asked of his mother. Although his mother has been gone for many years, he never became sad when asked of her. He absolutely adored speaking of her. Reminiscing in his old memories made him tingle with happiness all over, but he does try to not think about her very much. He didn’t want to be stuck in the past. Yet, he never did pass up the opportunity to talk about her when given the chance (which is rare). “Oh yes.” Dominic responded, his goofy grin becoming softer. “She dreamed of being royalty. She could even be mistaken for one with all that beauty… Minus the rags.” Even now he could remember her telling him stories about princesses and queens. Such stories seemed unreal to poor wanderers, but he loved them. They both did. “She’d talk your face off with all the questions she had.”


As they walked, Dominic gazed upwards as suggested to. Immediately, his draw dropped. Through his awe, he felt Jarmil’s hand fall onto his shoulder. He did not responded to him for a couple of moments, for he was giving himself time to take in the beautiful architecture and to comprehend what he was seeing. “How…?” Was the first question Dominic managed to whisper, still trying to comprehend. How could a building be built in a tree so high up? And how could he live so near by such a wonderful sight and not have noticed it at all? Why is this not a busy, well-known place yet? “Wow…” Dominic whispered to himself and then louder, he asked, “Why is today the day when all the strangely wonderful things happen..? Is my wish coming true?” Without waiting for a response, Dominic proceeded forward, his gaze still fixated upwards, straining to look at the tavern.

“Luckily, I am not. But how did you find this place? Get stuck in a tree?” he joked back once the amazement wasn’t fully overwhelming him. Now he was simply excited to get up there. Really excited. “The look and view better not be covering up the fact that they might have nasty food.”