No Time for Sleeping

Random title yay!

Roleplay for:

Yearofdragon
Toadfoal

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Rayner had never been very fond of humans. Even when he was traveling he usually did his very best to avoid them and their cities. While some shinlai may have been perfectly comfortable living with them, he was not. So on this particular day he was a bit dissapointed that there was no avoiding them. Of course, he could still do his best not to actually come in contact with any humans, but he would have to walk through one of their towns to get to where he was going.

Might as well make the best of it. After all, he was really in no hurry, Rayner just liked to pretend he had important things to do. Important missions to go on, when in reality he was little more than an extra. He wasn't big and burly like some Darkbloods, nor did he have a particularly powerful element. Air could do some damaging things, and was a good defense when it came to hiding, but he wasn't... Awe inspiring. Not in his own opinion anyway. And that was the way he liked it. Rayner would bow down happily to those above him and very rarely said anything rude. Maybe going this way would be good practice in the art of getting along with humans.

He decided it would be best to stop for a while at the edge of the forest. Rayner had been traveling a good part of the day and was getting tired. If he took the opportunity to rest now, he would be more prepared for any encounters with humans. "I'm getting too worked up about this whole thing." He mumbled, laying down at the base of a tree. "Most humans probably think nothing of seeing a shinlai anyway. They probably won't even notice when I walk through." He hadn't really considered that there might be anyone else out around the edge of the town. Forgetting things like that was usually a mistake.

Unlike most people Leo hadn't ever seen a Shinlai and he didn’t particularly care to. His friends often over exaggerated their encounters with the huge beasts and Leo had to sit through the stories that he had heard a million times. “They can control the elements! Isn’t that Amazing Leo?!” is what they would usually say. When faced with this conversation Leo would usually continue what he was doing and completely disregard them or reply with a witty comeback, which he was surprisingly good at.

Leo guessed by the lessened amount of people entering the Tavern that it was about time for him to go home. If Leo had been just five minutes faster sweeping the floors of the Tavern, or have had Left the dishes for his coworkers to clean, he might not have run into the huge Blue Shinlai that was resting on the edge of the forest. But Leo swept the floor and cleaned the dishes, just like he was supposed to. After Leo had fully packed up the tavern he grabbed his trench coat off the now empty coat rack, hastily put it on and headed out the door.

This was Leo’s least favorite part of the day, walking home, By himself. Leo veered towards the edge of the forest as he quietly started the long walk back to his nice warm house. About halfway there Leo ran into a giant Blue Blob of fur, Suddenly Leo realized that this creature fit the description of his friends, about 11 feet tall, wears a mask, and very fluffy, It was a Shinlai. Leo let out a sigh of relief, it hadn’t seen him yet,Armed only with a butterfly knife that he often used at the Tavern, he had no chance of fighting off the Shinlai, so hoping for a quiet escape, Leo Turned on his heel, ready to walk away from the resting Shinlai, But Leo was so surprised to see a Shinlai that he didn’t see that he was about to step on a twig. CRACK! Well Leo’s chance of a quiet escape had just been blown. He now had to face the giant Blue beast.

CRACK!
Rayner's head shot up and he swung it around towards the source of the sound. It couldn't be a deer, that had to be a... Yes, there he was, a human. A gust of wind shook the upper tree branches as Rayner stood up, his head down as if he might charge. Instead he walked calmly towards Leo, keeping all four of his working eyes trained on the man.

"Human, you are trying pass without being seen?" He spoke almost quietly, somewhat amused. "Do my kind not occupy your town? I am surprised that you would wake me up in such a way, let's hope for your sake it isn't a trap." He glanced around, wondering if there were any other humans nearby. One was most likely not a threat, but a group could be overwhelming. To his relief, there seemed to be only this one. But just to be safe, he waited for the human to answer before letting his guard down.

Leo, realizing that the Shinlai had seen him and that he had no chance of escaping quietly, shoved his hand in his pocket feeling around for his knife, if the Shinlai was aggressive Leo might be able to use it to create a distraction so that he could get away, hopefully unharmed. Leo turned back around to face the giant blue Shinlai, it seemed bigger than before. Leo took a step back, judging the size of the shinlai.

"Human, you are trying pass without being seen, Do my kind not occupy your town? I am surprised that you would wake me up in such a way, let's hope for your sake it isn't a trap."
Leo stared at the Shinlai, no one ever told him that they could talk! Still shocked that the creature could speak, he replied “Well I was going to try and go around you but this stick got in the way.” Leo paused and gestured to the now broken stick. Moving on to the shinlai’s next question Leo started again” Shinlai? Yea, they come here all the time, everyone loves them, I just haven’t ever seen one before” Leo Attempted to lock eyes with the Shinlai, but he was unsure of which pair of eyes to look into. “so why are you here” Leo questioned.

Seeing the human reach for a knife, Rayner hesitated where he was standing. A knife wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it could hurt like, well, a knife. A low growl began to rumble deep in his throat.
So the people in this town liked Shinlai, and he just happened to encounter one who had never seen them before. He stopped growling, and blinked, "Never?" Oh, well that made things more interesting! He would risk being stabbed this time, if only to mess with Leo a bit. He began to advance again, circling around the human just beyond striking distance. "I am only traveling through this place, I only stopped to rest and perhaps get some food. It's been a while since I've eaten, and humans often make good meals."

Rayner was really referring to the food humans cooked, but it could have been meant either way. In fact, now that Rayner thought about it he could actually smell food on Leo. It was a nice smell, and although cooked food wasn't as good for him as his normal diet, he did like the way it tasted. Kind of a treat. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

The Blue Shinlai started to growl so Leo instantly pulled his hands out of his pocket and away from his knife, although Leo purposely left a corner of the silver handle out of his pocket just in case he needed it. After Leo pulled his hands out of his pocket, the Shinlai started circling him, just outside of Leo’s striking range it's just like a vulture, waiting for a kill Leo thought, really hoping that Shinlai couldn’t read minds.

"I am only traveling through this place, I only stopped to rest and perhaps get some food. It's been a while since I've eaten, and humans often make good meals."
Leo stepped back again, this time in fear, was this Shinlai going to eat him?! Leo had no clue about what Shinlai ate; they could have eaten rocks for as much as he knew, none of his friends have ever told him about their diets. Well, they might have but Leo never payed any attention to his friend’s Shinlai Talk. Leo began to edge his hand back to his knife; even though it was folded Leo could pull it out and unfold it moderately fast if he needed to. Then Leo realized, he must smell like the Tavern, all the food that was there must smell delicious. Or maybe, the Shinlai was really after him…

Rayner continued to circle the human, slower now, he smiled at the human's reaction. It was better than he could have hoped, but if he kept this up he would surely be asking for it. The man didn't really seem to be enjoying himself anyways, and since Rayner now knew that he'd never encountered a shinlai before, he decided that maybe it was time to give a better impression of his species.

"Well, do you have any food?" He asked, coming to a stop and sitting down, "Perhaps I had best introduce myself and give you time to do so as well. I'm Rayner Veldt... And in case you were wondering, I don't eat humans. Just human food, which I noticed you smell like." He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

oh great, it's deciding on what part of me to eat first... Leo thought as the Shinlai continued to circle around him, still out of striking range. Leo noticed a smile on the creatures long face, was it enjoying itself? Is this what Shinlai did for fun, threaten to eat men walking home from work!?

"Well, do you have any food? Perhaps I had best introduce myself and give you time to do so as well. I'm Rayner Veldt... And in case you were wondering, I don't eat humans. Just human food, which I noticed you smell like."
“wait, you aren’t going to eat me?” Leo asked, his face turning red in embarrassment at his previous reaction to Rayner” so, Rayner, you don’t eat humans, just their food? Well, I can help you with that” Leo was now Significantly less afraid of Rayner ”first let me introduce myself, I’m Leo, I work at the tavern, it must be the food I cook there, it’s a decent sized walk that way” Leo gestured towards the way that he had just walked from” if you would like we can head over there and I can try to find and cook you something to eat.”

"No, I wasn't planning on it." Rayner laughed quietly, "But you did wake me up, so I felt like revenge was in order."
He glanced towards where Leo had come from, "This tavern is a food place? That sounds good actually, I wouldn't mind trying it." He had in his mind a sort of cave, but then, that was a cavern. Rayner had never been in a tavern before.

He stood up again, shaking out the silky blue fur on his neck to dislodge a few leaves that had fallen on him. "I would offer you a ride, but I've never trusted humans very much." He admitted, "But would be happy to offer you something in return for food. Come up with a favor by the time we get to your tavern and I will most likely grant it."

"No, I wasn't planning on it, But you did wake me up, so I felt like revenge was in order."“ah, I can’t blame you for that” Leo agreed, he wasn’t much of a morning person, or someone you should wake up during the day” if someone woke me up I might try to get revenge on them too” Leo joined Rayner in looking towards the tavern , thinking of its layout and if he could fit Rayner inside without any troubles “ I think that if I move some tables I could fit you inside the tavern, so you wouldn’t have to wait outside for your food” Although Leo Knew the Tavern was big enough to hold Rayner he was more worried about the door, Leo wasn’t completely sure that Rayner would fit through the door.

"But I would be happy to offer you something in return for food. Come up with a favor by the time we get to your tavern and I will most likely grant it." Leo smiled “I’ll be sure to think of something by the time we get there, it is quite a long way” Leo was at a blank about what he would ask Rayner for.” Well if we’re going to the tavern, we better get going” Leo turned towards the tavern and started walking towards it “so Rayner, what kinds of food do you like?”

Looking at Leo curiously, Rayner wondered how he would fit inside the tavern too. Even though he wasn't the largest a shinlai could get, he had never been allowed inside a building before. He walked along beside the human, interested to see how that would work out. He could always smash in the door and make a big enough hole to fit through, but that probably wouldn't be appreciated.
"To be honest, I'll eat pretty much anything." Rayner admitted, "So long as it's good to eat, that is. Meats are always good, but sometimes I like the foods that only humans make, like bread and sweet food. What do you usually serve at your tavern?" He asked, "If I hadn't smelled the food on your clothes, I wouldn't have thought you cooked."

Leo continued walking, this time with Rayner at his side. “Well, a lot of the people that go there often order Lemon cake, or a nice slab of meat. But I prefer the lemon cake, it tastes much better. But I think I know exactly what to make for you” Actually, this was a lie; Leo had no clue what he was going to make Rayner. There was just so much food that Leo could make for the Shinlai, Leo just added that to his list of things that he needed to think of before he got to the Tavern.

"If I hadn't smelled the food on your clothes, I wouldn't have thought you cooked."Leo Smiled and laughed quietly “You wouldn’t imagine how often I get that” It always amused Leo at people’s reactions when he told them he was a cook “but looks can be deceiving”

"Lemon cake?" Rayner raised an eyebrow(ridge?) under his mask. He had tried lemons before, they were fruit, but not really much good to eat. They tasted bad and made his tongue sting. Not as bad as peppers, just bitter on the outside and sour on the inside. Weren't cakes supposed to be sweet anyway?
"I'll try your lemon cake." He decided, "It sounds like a challenge... You wouldn't happen to also make that stuff... I don't know what it's called, but it's like bread only long and thin and cooked with mashed tomatoes on top I believe."

“You wouldn’t imagine how often I get that, but looks can be deceiving.”
Rayner grunted, "Hmph, I suppose so. Maybe it's because you have muscles instead of fat. I always thought cooks were overfed because they always had so much food around. Humans are so strange about food," He went on, "it seems like they're often either overfed or underfed, and complain about it either way."

(Sorry about the late response, I was away for the week XD)
“You know, the lemon cake isn’t as bad as real lemons. It’s more sweet than sour; unlike most people think” Leo continued listening to the Shinlai “does it also have cheese and meat on top? I think we make that too but I can’t remember what it’s called, I think its starts with P or R or something”

“Hmph, I suppose so. Maybe it's because you have muscles instead of fat. I always thought cooks were overfed because they always had so much food around”
Leo smiled, this Shinlai obviously hadn’t spent much time around humans, unlike a few of the Shinlai who frequented Leo’s town. “Well I wasn’t always a cook, I used to be a s-…” Leo caught himself, he almost revealed himself as a former spy, although Leo wasn’t a spy anymore he still liked to keep it a secret “actually its better off that I didn’t tell you, a cook is much better than what I used to do” leo faked a smile and looked at the ground, hoping that Rayner didn’t ask about his former professions.

“does it also have cheese and meat on top? I think we make that too but I can’t remember what it’s called, I think its starts with P or R or something”
Rayner nodded slowly, thinking, "Yes, I believe so. And I think... I think the thin bread like pieces are called... noodles? Maybe not, but if you can make it I'll eat it."

"Hmph." He frowned at the man, certain there was something the human wasn't telling him. But all the same, the blue Shinlai kept his mouth shut and instead chose to nod and continue walking. The words "used to" were at least of some comfort, but Rayner wasn't entirely positive if he could trust the human yet or not. Even if he could, he might still have a hard time trusting Leo completely.

After a while Rayner began to swing his head back and forth from side to side slowly as he walked. It was more for increased observation than anything, but it had gotten darker and the smell of food was now growing quite strong. He suspected they must be getting closer to the tavern Leo had spoken of, and increased his pace slightly. So distracted by that smell and thoughts of what lay ahead, he didn't even notice a small tree growing in his path and rammed right into it, growling as the tree snapped on impact and fell to the ground. "How thick can this forest of yours be?" He grumbled, "I hope we get to that tavern soon, hunger is starting to make me careless."

"Yes, I believe so. And I think... I think the thin bread like pieces are called... noodles? Maybe not, but if you can make it I'll eat it."
Leo dragged his attention back to Rayner "lasagna! That's what it's called, yup we make that!" although it had been a while since anyone had ordered lasagna, Leo wondered if he still remembered how to make it " at least I think we do I haven't had very many people order it"

Leo couldnt help but laugh a little when the blue Shinlai ran into the tree, breaking it like a twig " don't worry we're almost there, only a few more minutes". After five long minutes of walking through the dense forest and many broken trees later, Leo paused in front of a medium sized brick building with a hanging sign that read 'the owls nest tavern' he stopped to admire his building for a moment before turning to Rayner " well here it is , the Owls Nest, my tavern, I think you might be able to fit your head through the front door if you don't want to wait outside while I prepare your food"

"Might as well give it a try." Rayner looked at the building curiously, then at the door. Okay, lets do this.
He waited a moment so that Leo would have a chance to go in first, then lowered himself onto his stomach near the door and slowly stuck his head in, trying his best not to break anything. Luckily, his best was enough, and his head, horns and all, fit through without much trouble.
However, his body was another story. So Rayner left that outside.
Now that his head was in the building, the smells were much much stronger. Food that had not been finished, the lingering scents of cooking, the spices stored away, he could smell them all. "Mmmm." His shoulders pushed against the door frame a bit as he lay his head down on the ground. "I feel like I should actually pay you for the food or something. Isn't that how you're supposed to get food?" He mumbled.

Leo opened the large door of the tavern and slowly walked inside. Immediately after Leo had entered the tavern, Rayner poked his enormous masked head through the door, his horns barely scratching the doorframe. Although, Rayner could only fit into the tavern until his shoulders, Leo imagined how silly the outside of his tavern must look now, with a giant shinlai halfway sticking out of it. “a perfect fit” Leo laughed.

"I feel like I should actually pay you for the food or something. Isn't that how you're supposed to get food?" “it is, but you don’t have to worry about it” Leo pushed a couple tables off to the side before looking at Rayner and smiling “ you didn’t eat me, that’s payment enough for a lifetime of food” Leo continued to move more tables aside so that Rayner wouldn’t feel closed in.

"Well, if you insist."
Rayner's tail swished outside, he had to admit it was a little uncomfortable not being able to keep tabs on the back half of his body, like usual, but at least his element was handy in that he could use air currents to pick up on movements. That of course would be useless once he was rewarded with food. Edible things were terribly distracting to Rayner, though it didn't show since he actually didn't eat much on a normal day.

He watched as Leo pushed tables out of the way, his head moving ever so sligtly to make up for his lack of pupils.
"So tell me, while you're making some of that... Lasagna, I believe you called it. What is it that humans like you generally do in a place like this? You said earlier that you'd never seen a Shinlai before, has word of the revolution not reached your kind?"

Leo Paused for a moment to catch his breath after moving all of the heavy wooden and stone tables then headed towards the open faced kitchen to begin cooking for Rayner, and maybe make something for himself. “you better watch your tail out there, we do have multiple packs of wolves that pass through our town each night” Leo said seriously “we wouldn’t want you to lose a good chunk of your tail”

Leo unhooked a large metal pot from above the stove and filled it with lukewarm water, preparing it for the long flat lasagna noodles. “Well people usually come here to eat or get a drink for themselves or they come in groups and order large meals.” Leo continued listening to Rayner as he put the warm water on the stove” yep, the only person in a town of 124 plus two permanent shinlai residents that hasn’t ever seen a shinlai until now. I overhear a lot of talk about the revolution through some of the loud idiots who eat here, I personally think Darius was right”

The thought of wolves made Rayner even more uneasy. He never had been terribly fond of felines or canines, though he preferred dogs when domesticated. "I'll think take that warning to heart." He pulled his tail around closer to his feet. If any wolf tried to get a hold of it they were sure to recieve a mighty kick in the face.

"Hah!" Rayner chuckled at Leo's description of the people, it amused him to think of loud idiot humans. There were morons in every species, but for some reason the idea of these long legged fleshy animals walking around and loudly declaring things struck him as particularly funny. He was a bit curious about the two resident Shinlai, but figured that if Leo had never seen them than he probably wouldn't know where they lived.
"You think Darius is right? Interesting, of all the people one could run into, I'm glad I happened to run into one who takes logic into consideration. I sometimes think the humans who side with Daila only do so because they dislike violence. But if I'm not wrong, you do have your own gods?"

“you should stay until tomorrow while the tavern is open, you’ll think that some of the people are ridiculous, loud and crazy Do you know any Shinlai like that?” Leo asked as he put the lasagna noodles into the boiling water, making a loud hiss of steam explode out of the pot. Leo turned to the block of white cheese laying on the counter, grabbing a cake pan and knife out of a drawer, preparing to start the base of the lasagna.

“ I’ve been referred to as ` the human Darkblood` by multiple people they all tell me that darkbloods are violent but I think that they’re just protecting the truth, Dailia didn’t want to be worshipped, the darkbloods don’t worship her. Plain and simple.” Leo Started to cut the white wheel of cheese into thin strips and laying them in the pan, making sure that they were all equal in thickness “Humans have different gods, depending on who you ask, most are based off of a Dailia-like human but some aren’t.”

"Hmph, I can imagine. Not sure I'd enjoy it, never have been one for crowds... Actually, I can't think of any at the moment. There was always my older sister, Tornado. She used to enjoy torturing me." He clenched his teeth, remembering his childhood and how she used to pester him. The smell of Leo's cooking seemed to calm him down, and he sighed, wriggling a little and shifting sideways until he began to slide slowly through the door. One arm slipped in, and he moved his weight to the side, forcing the other one in. At this rate he might actually be able to fit all the way through.

"The human Darkblood huh? Not bad!" He continued to work at slipping through the door without breaking it, but he could feel the stress on it beginning to build up, "We do protect the truth, or rather, try to bring others to their senses. Daila has been mindlessly worshiped for long enough. She may claim the elements of light, fire, earth, water, and air, but that doesn't explain dark and balance."
He could smell the cheese now, oh that smell! Rayner's stomach growled, and he grew tired of trying to get through the slow way. With a final shove the door gave and crashed to the side, allowing the rest of the blue Shinlai to slip in and inspect the damage. Maybe nobody would notice if he just put it back... Standing up and leaning over, he carefully picked up the door with his front feet and wedged it back into the door hole. It was obviously broken, but he sat in front of it so that maybe Leo wouldn't be able to tell.