Humanoid RP [StripedPanther.:.Wrath]

[⚜ Estivel]

Her question helped clear his mind as her words hit home. So it wasn't just a 'I don't like presents' kind-of-deal. Nikki had a legit reason, and that part is what alarmed Dumir. He hadn't expected that. Once he had recovered however, he found himself glancing at a black-tailed teenager approaching them. He seemed almost as if he were in a predatory stance. Confusion glistened over his eyes, and Nikki's comment did not make it any better.

"Okay?"

The simple word rang out softly, two syllables forming a question with the slight raise in pitch at the ending. Dumir shifted away from her side to go down one aisle, eyes hesitantly eying box to box. Hispanic, Indian... ah, here we go. Dumir halted in front of a rather bare shelf that supposedly contained their Asian food, yet the main items consisted of one-dollar Ramen Noodles and microwavable Thai food. Disgust coated his expression as he fingered through the remaining boxes, most broadcasting 'wonderful flavor' and 'low calories' with their bright red letters. It took a full minute for him to finally pick up a box he was satisfied with, and turn to face the walk back down the aisle. Dumir was not a person to be rushed though, and he saw no reason to be at the moment. Yes, there was a person walking in the store. Why did it seem to alarm Nikki so much? The confusion that had briefly escaped the glint of his eyes quickly came back.

.:.:.

Irritation coated his tongue, making Bernard keep his mouth shut despite himself. What, was he not enough for her? The problems that had drove him joining a group that could allow him to release his frustration, and thus become involved with drugs and alcohol were now kicking in. Anger had always been an issue that Bernard could never really get over. For now he had to keep it in check though.

It did not take long for the panther to reach the corner, and by then the anger had died down. After all, it was a game, right? There had to be some obstacles, else it would not be fun. This brought the smile back relatively quickly, just in time to turn the corner.

"Hello there."

No introduction required yet, not until he could get her to slow down enough to listen to the words uttered through his lips. Bernard's black-tinted eyes glanced around, attempting to find the snake that had appeared to disappear. But no, there he was. He had to force himself not to allow himself to be overly unfriendly and keep up the smile.

||Wrath||

[StripedPanther]

Nikki had stopped again when she spotted something that she could use in the kitchen. While she was grabbing it, that guy came up again. Her tail twitched again and she couldn't help a growl. Couldn't he leave her alone? What was with all these people anyway? Dumir was fine, and that girl Viktoriya was still annoying, but at least she gave her space. Maybe we'll be able to ditch her on the way back to my house... That thought made her a little bit happier. But then she remembered that guy next to her. He was the most annoying person she had met so far during this week. Though, she guessed the collie didn't count. They hadn't even spoke at all, and he had only ran past the group to go down to the park. Or at least that was what she thought, anyway. Collies were such strange things. They were very annoying.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" She asked Bernard in a somewhat low and annoyed voice. At the moment it was more just her tiger DNA affecting the way she spoke. Tigers wanted to be left alone, it was in their nature to be like that. Plus, panthers were one of the most annoying wild cats around. Their black coats made them hard to see, and the fact that they lived in solitude also made her want to leave. Nikki was just amazed that this guy hadn't gotten her 'leave me alone' vibe from her glare. She looked at him again, her bored expresion back on her face, before she turned away and continued to the cashiers to get checked out.

[StripedPanther]

Loud footfalls crunched into the snow that was still falling. The winter was hardly a good time for this person. Always cold, and he was very easily getting sick for some reason. Blu looked up at the sky as he waited for the light to change, wondering when the clouds would disappear and the snow would stop. Another Christmas coming. And soon to go, too He thought, then heard the cars stopped and looked at the light. A quiet huff escaped him as he walked away acrossed the street, heading towards the park. Maybe Carter was still there? He hadn't picked up his cell, so maybe he had left it at the house. Blu found his way to the park soon enough and stopped the dog crouched under a tree with a few birds, out of the snows clutches.

"What are you doing?" He asked, walking over. The birds all few off into the tree. Carter stood and glared at the rabbit. "Hey, don't kill me, now. I only came to see where you were. Plus, they're already back on the ground. See?" He pointed to the birds, who had went back to eating. Carter looked at them, then back at Blu. "You wanna go get a coffee or something?" He asked. Carter smiled and nodded before following his friend out of the park.

[⚜ Estivel]

Someone seemed to be a bit touchy. Bernard lifted an eyebrow slightly, eying her as one might a hunk of meat; surveying with a trained eye, though he did not hold back the look of curiosity as someone in that particular field would have learned to do. No, he liked to play with his prey, though 'prey' usually consisted of actual people that had charicteristics of the prey a Panther normally would have eaten in the wild. Never before had he attempted to mess with another of his own class.

"Why yes, I do."

The pause that followed was meant to keep her in place, waiting, yet instead she was already turning away and had started her walk again. Once more the blinding red haze covered his vision, and a metallic taste coated his tongue. Why was this so hard? Was there something wrong with him?
That question was slowly processed, and another question outputted in its place: Was there something wrong with her? After all, if he started to doubt himself he really would lose his touch. And so he started into a slight jog in her direction, and slowing to a walk a mere foot away from her. Being this close probably wasn't a good idea, but Bernard wasn't exactly about to change his mind and shy away from her.

.:.:.

Seeing Nikki already approaching the checkout counters did not surprise Dumir; after all, the guy was being a jerk. The hair on the back of his neck stood up instinctively, though more out of irritation than fear or anger. There wasn't much that a Black Mamba could be scared of anyways, though it was odd that Dumir was so calm considering how easily the Black Mambas could get angered. Normally he didn't have anything to provoke him so he kept quiet. Alongside the irritation was the bitter taste of jealousy, though he wasn't used to it so he simply dismissed it.
The snake shuffled after the two, boxes occupying his hands and making the slightly warped expression on his face look merely as if it were a side effect of being left behind. That was better than the alternative at least.

"Making friends without me, Nikki?"

His tone was light and not nearly as serious as he could have made it, yet it was said through slightly clenched teeth, making it come out almost monotone except for the slight stress he put on her name at the end of the question. Red-veined yellow irises shifted from her to the new cat.

||Wrath||

[StripedPanther]

Nikki's ears fell back against her head as she heard Bernard trot up next to her. To close! She thought, her tail fluffing up. Not out of being surprised or scared, but mearly out of anger and annoyance. Couldn't this cat just leave her alone already? It was hard for her to keep from smacking him. Or what she would normaly do- slice the persons face open with her sharp nails. Once she was at the check out area, she put the things down so that the person could scan them. Nikki looked back at Demur. Her answer was just a sigh, though she knew he would get what it ment. Then she thought about how his voice sounded. Was that purposely in monotone, or was something really bugging him? She pushed that thought aside. "Dumir, I'll pay for your stuff if you want." She said as the man behind the check out area finished scanning her things. It was only $100, though the man seemed surprised when Nikki took out her wallet and actually handed him a hundred dollar bill. She had already told Dumir that her parents gave her cash, but she hadn't told him about her online job yet. I'll do that later.. Nikki thought.

Then she turned her attention to the panther. Would he follow them back to her house? Probably. Big cats didn't let up so easily. Maybe if she just ignored him for a while, he would leave? If she showed no interest, he should get bored and just disappear, right? Or did that not always apply to things like this? Nikki didn't care at the moment. She grabbed her things and slung the bag over one of her arms, waiting to see if Dumir wanted her to pay for anything. But, according to his attitude, he would probably say no, so Nikki stuck her wallet back into her back pocket.

[⚜ Estivel]

Amusement filled every crevice of Bernard's face at seeing how easy it had been to anger the poor girl; this game would be all too easy. He got the message though and retreated back another foot to allow her breathing room, despite how he wanted to move in for the kill. Would this game end with him as a winner? The thought brought a small smirk to his face, though then it curved down slightly at the tips. The other person, the snake, seemed to have already claimed her. Competition always made the already entertaining game just a tad more fun though, so the alarm quickly slid away.

"You don't think you can get away that quickly do you?"

His voice was smooth, similar to how a panther's voice would have been if one could indeed talk. Sly, smooth, and controlled above all, though the line between having and losing control was thinner than most realized. Bernard didn't stand but three feet away, closer than even Dumir as he waited for her answer.

.:.:.

Alarm is an emotion that most snakes don't feel; they are either content or angry, and rarely experience anything outside of that small spectrum. Obviously Dumir was not content as the panther got closer and closer to his friend, so naturally anger started to outweigh his happiness. He resisted the urge to push past him, and instead attempted to keep the calm composure that he was so used to keeping. Then he realized that she had indeed started paying, which implied that it was his turn. This finally gave him a chance to step past the new cat, pushing his shoulder forward with his so as to get through the small entrance of the checkout line.
Of course it didn't take that long for the cashier to scan two boxes, and then ring up the total. Dumir already had the cash waiting, and after handing it to the man, he turned to follow Nikki, leaving change behind. It didn't matter, right? He tried to reason with himself silently, all the while ignoring the person behind him.
Hopefully he would not try to stake a claim, as most cats felt they could do, and then follow the two home. /Home/. Where did that come from? Dumir's brow furrowed for a moment before he decided to let it go. Might as well leave and pray that his assumption was wrong and this would be the last time they would see this new addition to the town.

||Wrath||

[StripedPanther]

Nikki grabbed her bag and looked over at Bernard. Was he really expecting something from her? "I never said it was easy to get away. But I also never said that I liked you, so you might as well give up now before you get into trouble." She told him, turning around and walking off towards the entrance after Dumir had paid. Once there, she gave a quick look around for Viktoriya, then went outside with an annoyed huff. More snow was falling, and there was a fine amount already on the ground. it was a little troubling to know that Dumir might get sick from the cold, but she would leave that up to him. "Lets hurry back before the snow gets any worse." She told Dumir, not even pretending remember about Bernard. Cats were annoying, but they would loose interest fast. At least, Nikki hoped. Having someone like him around wasn't good, she could tell.

She walked down the side of the road, a hand in her pocket while the other carried her things. It didn't take long to get to the stoplight at the end of the road. As she waited for Dumir, the collie from before was walking down the street with what Nikki guessed was one of his friends. Carter noticed them and waved as he walked past, Blu on the other hand didn't really notice them since he was just looking up at the sky with a somewhat annoyed look. Guess rabbits don't like snow either.. Nikki said, grinning slightly. The light turned red and the cars stopped. She walked across the road, and as soon as she was over the crow that had stuck around her house flew down from a building and landed on her shoulder. Startled, Nikki watched the bird for a moment, then gave it a glare. "I thought you were staying at the house?" She told it. The crow ruffled his feathers and made something like a purr before turning its head around and watching Dumir.