Raging Fire (Open)

[* Kokia Luxin]

Kokia Luxin shielded her eyes from the twilight sun as it set off toward the western horizon. Her eyes were so sensitive, even while in her human form. Then again, so were the rest of her senses. It could get downright annoying sometimes, even after having been turned at the age of thirteen by her own mother back in Greece.

Then again, who would have guessed that Kia Luxin would be standing in the middle of Cairo in EGYPT of all places? She sure as hell didn't think she would be traveling all these different miles. She was in search of something...but what that something was, Kokia herself wasn't quite sure. Purpose? Meaning? A destiny to fulfill?

Her cerulean eyes narrowed as she watched the sun set completely; a smudge of oranges, reds, and purples splotched across the evening sky as the night life of Cairo came to fruition. As if water had been poured on an ant mound, the people soon flocked out in folds from the various buildings in the area and the lights all turned on simultaneously.

The she-wolf slung her black leather jacket across her shoulder as she shoved her fingerless leather-gloved hand into the pocket of her jeans. Her eyes moved toward the dust that practically covered her poor boots and Kia sighed resolutely as the crowd bustled and hustled around her.

She couldn't help but allow her own thoughts to wander back toward the meeting she had with a fellow she-wolf by the name of Katra. Katra was the first she-wolf she'd encountered that hadn't royally pissed her off. Kia didn't know if it was because of the war or what, but every Vampire she'd come across had either been a complete clod to her or went so far as to launch an attack at her once he figured out just what she was.

Yeah...she'd been doing way too much fighting back in the States. It was time for a change of scenery. Forget her having been trained with a bunch of amazons who were, as an added bonus, werewolves as well.

-Doesn't mean I have to be fighting every damn place I go...sheesh.- mused her irritated thoughts before Kia took up a spot near a building and leaned her back against the wall as the stars slowly started to appear in the sky above her.

Tonight was a half moon.

[caleb]

"Oh give me a home, where the scorpions roam and the corpses and vultures do play..."

To the beat of drums Caleb leaned back and breathed deep the fruity flavor of the tobacco from the shisha, letting the smoke flow smoothly into his mouth and out his nostrils. It was all almost so rhythmic, the movement of the night light so different from what he'd seen in other countries. The scents of spices were just so much more pungent, sand and heat that seeped into everything...
It was a mecca of sensation.

Here in the little corner cafe the wolf watched lazily as he smoked his shisha, relaxing now that he had what he came for tucked away in the safety of his jacket pocket. Something he hoped would help the pack in their never ending battle with the vamps...
They needed all the help they could get these days.
While they were all fighters, with lupine instincts to guide them along, some of the pack members were just too young to have to go through such bloody battles. And even though the same could be said for the blond wolf now lounging about on semi-tattered cushions, at least Caleb wasn't new to the fighting scene.

Chewing idly on the mouth piece, the slump of a body against the wall caught his attention with a flick of sky blues in the general direction of the noise. Through fragrant smoke he could immediately tell that the newcomer was no mere human, and when the fog managed to clear up some he found himself looking at a rather tired female leaning against the brickwork.

Another puff and he mused about his luck with running into she-wolves when he was out and about, always when he was having a smoke too.

"Y'might wanna lean somewhere else Missy, what that camel did there a while back sure weren't pretty."

Sincere words coming from a guy donning a green Tinkerbell cap and cheap sunglasses that could probably break as soon as they hit the floor.

[* Kokia Luxin]

Not sure why she was here, Kia only sighed once more as a light evening breeze brushed up against her. The warmth of the wind's breath was somewhat comforting to her skin. Strange how their temperatures were far higher than normal, yet a warm breath of air can cure some of the cold dwelling within Kokia's heart.

Suddenly a voice reached her ears and it took half a second for her to heed the warning. Pushing herself off with a hard jerk, Kia let her jacket slip out of her grasp and fell from her shoulders; a light "plop" echoing in her ears as the garment fell to the sand. "...dammit all." Kokia muttered as she brushed her backside off from the dirt and whatever else had managed to collect on her jeans; reciprocating the motion to her shoulders and back as well.

The she-wolf eyed the fellow in the room curiously as he puffed away on...some device. Not a smoker herself, Kia only shrugged as she knelt down to pick up her jacket and shook it free of the dirt and sand that had flown onto it. Quirking her brow, she tossed the jacket over her shoulder once more while sliding her free thumb through a belt loop on her pants.

Though the scent of the spices coming from his smoking device threw her senses off just slightly, Kia could tell almost instantly that this brute was a werewolf like herself. Rubbing the back of her wrist across her nose, she marched into the room and plopped down in front of him; a fist resting on her knee as Kokia sat Indian style. "The name's Kokia, not Missy. We clear, hm?" she stated challengingly while feeling her fangs growing a bit from her slight annoyance.

[/size][/blockquote]

[caleb]

The quiet murmur of surprise from the cafe patrons wasn't the only thing that alerted him to her arrival. Scents of agitation and earth smells grew strong, and still he just lay back, blowing more smoke into the air.

"The name's Kokia, not Missy. We clear, hm?"

Tipping the sunglasses down, he peered at her from over the rim, quickly looking her over before he grinned slowly and gave a semi shrug.
"Like crystal Koki-monster, like crystal."
He exhaled another breath of perfumed fog and flipped the glasses off entirely, setting them down on the Prussian carpet beneath.

Caleb could tell she was ruffled, but really now, he was only doing her a favor. It could have been worse, what with the caravan making its way through the streets... The smoke from the shishas acted like air freshener, masking the odors of camels that thought the streets as their toilets.

"So, a she-wolf in Cairo aye?" he said ,leaning up a bit to look at her a little closer, "Y'don't look African, sure don't smell like a local either."

Fair skin like hers, and oceanic tone of her eyes surely didn't suit the desert landscape. Her outfit too spoke volumes about distant traveling and trekking. His only guess was that she was, searching for something. Kokia's attitude didn't fit the laid-back traveler, who only made tracks to explore.
No, chits like these, always had a purpose of some sort.
And being the creature that he was, Caleb was curious.

"Smoke?"
He nodded to the extra shisha just to her left.

[* Kokia Luxin]

She saw those piercing blue orbs gazing at her through the rims of his shades, looking her over. Thankfully, it was just curious speculation instead of a lustful stare that she was oh-so-used to getting nowadays since she'd left home. Only her cerulean eyes narrowed a bit at his next mock-butchering of her name.

Kia rolled her eyes. "Just Kia will do, friend." she half-snarled before blowing bits of her banes off of the bridge of her nose.

She hadn't been in Egypt for very long; a few days now. Her travels finally led her to Cairo. But something always led her down a new path with even more new clues and mysteries to solve. Sure, Kokia was a werewolf...this she was certain. But what of the rest of her kind? What answers did they have for her?

Even more...what kind of life could she lead in the world outside of her tribe?

At the male werewolf's inquiry about her being in Cairo and duly noting that she was neither local nor an African, Kia shrugged and took the time to study the male as well. He dressed like he was someone from the States. But from his rugged appearance in regards to his attire, Kokia could tell that this male was a traveler like herself. Nomads tend to attract other nomads and gave way to answers she sought for the many questions she had.

It upset her that the first things she learned about once stepping out of her village in Greece was the hatred between Vampire and Werewolf races, as well as a war brimming on commencement due to two individuals falling into a forbidden love affair: a vampire and a werewolf.

"I'm a traveler and my roots lay in Athens." Kia stated simply before leaning back on the cushion into a more comfortable position. Declining the offer to the smoke with a simple movement of her hand, Kia eyed the stranger across from her curiously. "You look like you got a serious case of wander lust...it's only fair you tell me who you are." she stated boldly, almost daring the male to challenge her.

It had been a while since she'd met someone brave enough to try. Something told Kokia that she was going to thoroughly enjoy this.

[caleb]

"Just Kia will do, friend."

"Kia? Like the car brand Kia?"
His laughter brought out segments of smoke coming from both his mouth and nostrils, fading away as he tried to compose himself. Raising both hands up in a gesture of surrender he shrugged amiably and chuckled.
"Sorry."
He wasn't.
Not with that smirk of his and the audacious way he grinned over the mouth piece, but hey, he wasn't that rude either.

Caleb wasn't too philosophical about the whole war as some people were, preferring to see things from a more general point of view. The love between a wolf and a vampire had nothing to do with him, nor did he really care. If that's what they wanted to do, then he had no real issue with the eloping of species...
But it was what they would bring along with them that irked him.
Vampires thinking they could just wander the streets without fear of wolves?
He was not about to let a vampire shake his hand and then turn the next corner and snack on a local.

That's just the opportunity they wanted.

That's why he'd travel all the way out here, anywhere, to see to it that his pack had everything they would need to survive this bloodbath... he sure as heck wasn't going let the nightwalkers win and live in that world.

"I'm a traveler and my roots lay in Athens. You look like you got a serious case of wander lust...it's only fair you tell me who you are."

If she was judging him based on his looks alone, he wondered just how much she actually knew. He certainly didn't dress much like a traveler, he didn't even have proper trekking boots like she did. Just a slightly tatty jacket over an acid green tank, jeans and sandals... Of course he was bare footed now, in respect of the cafe's customs.

Scratching his short blond spikes beneath the glittery green cap, he mused on her line of questioning a bit before taking another deep breath of smoke.
"Wouldn't really matter to ya now would it?" he inspected his fingers a second before flicking away some grit he found beneath his nails.
"But since ya asked so nicely and even gave me your name and all..."

And he reached out with the exact same right hand towards her with his trademark smirk.

"The name's Caleb."

[* Kokia Luxin]

His jest about the car only cause Kokia to raise an eyebrow, scowl forming on her lips. So, this male wanted to be cheeky with her, hm? When he raised his hands up in "mock" surrender and apologized, Kia could instantly tell that he hadn't meant it at all.

What an arrogant piece of work this male was. She couldn't help but wonder if this brute sitting across from her was a part of a pack or if he was just some loner. Either one didn't really suit him...and yet they did, all the same. And if he was one or the other, would he be partaking in this ridiculous war she'd heard rumors about.

Kokia couldn't believe that every creature she'd come across, be they vampire or werewolf, had their own views on the issue; most of them wanting nothing to do with a union between their races. It was a bit ridiculous to want to get just another excuse to have an all out blood war between their kind.

Whatever happened to just getting the hell over one's self? Reaching new stages of enlightenment...or hell, even just growing the f*ck up?

As the male began to speak once more, Kia noted that everyone else in the cafe were barefoot. Feeling slightly ashamed given her upbringing, Kia began to pull off her boots and stuffed her socks into the shoes; making herself sitting in Indian style once more. Her cerulean eyes watched as he picked out the dirt from under his nails, then held it out as he introduced himself.

His name? Caleb.

Eying the hand for but a second, Kia reached out and accepted the hand with her own free one; the fingers lacing around the outer edges of his hand in a firm and confident grip. The smirk was on his face, but Kia's own scowl began to transform into a smirk of its own as her grip tightened. She couldn't stop her teeth from showing just a bit between the edges of her lips.

"It's a pleasure to meet you...Caleb."

This male wanted to play games...then the least she could do was oblige and gauge his strength to her own.

Kia's grip grew steadily tighter as she waited for Caleb to react to her challenge.

[caleb]

It was interesting, the way she regarded him.
With most ladies ,Caleb usually got four different types of reactions; The Swooners, the Deny-ers, the Pouncers and the Down-right Detesters.
But this Kia, regarded him with a mixture of disdain and interest in the same way a person looked at an insect through a microscope. An almost clinical-like curiosity that made him have this sudden urge to chew on something tough... Like a beef jerky or hard strip of leather.

One would think she was distancing herself from anything, human.
The way she held herself, her tone of voice and even her mannerisms, spoke of a certain unfamiliarity with the world she was in now. Like she'd been up in some mountain for years and had only just been introduced to everything else.

The only thing that made her seem less robotic was the flickering change of emotion on her face that went from frustration to something a bit more... sneaky.

"It's a pleasure to meet you...Caleb."

He blinked, eyebrow quirking when he felt her fingers wrapping tightly around his and getting tighter still. She was even showing her teeth.
The wolf in him questioned her sudden aggression, wanting to prove its strength and return her challenge with a growl. But the human had a feeling this could be a little more than a girl trying to act tough, so he soothed his bristling lupine half and both came to a sort of compromise.

"Jiminy feckin cricket," he chuckled quietly, so as not to cause any alarm to the other patrons, "Y'gotta be kidding me. playing mercy? What are ya, ten years old?"

His callused fingers seized her own, constricting tight and pulling her forward so that her face was just a few inches from his. Blue meeting blue as he slowly breathed out the remaining fragrant smoke.

"As much as I like a good rough'n'tumble as the next bloke, I wouldn't wanna make too much of a fuss here aye? See that over there? " his words were soft as he flicked his gaze over to the burly man smoking a shisha, stern and intimidating, "That there is Osahar, he owns this joint and is sort of a mate of mine. Now he don't like people rough housin in his cafe, and his guys don't like it either. To them, it's offensive."

Unknown to the public, there were men in practically every corner of the cafe, well armed in case of raids or uproars which weren't uncommon in these parts. Caleb let his fist-buddy allow that information to sink in before he continued.

"Consider this a favor from me to you, Kia. Y'cant just go around startin challenges in places where ya can't finish em."
And just before Osahar could get suspicious of Caleb and the newcomer, the wolf pulled back with a wide grin and patted her hand.

"Loosen up Koki-monster," he teased, "Here, have a cap!"

Then he dumped his sparkly green Tinkerbell cap on her head, patting it as well.

[* Kokia Luxin]

Kia was ready; the excitement of a new challenge rising up in her body like a helium balloon. Her adrenaline was pumping nine hundred miles a minute and it took every ounce of her being to keep her fangs from growing right that second in the heat of the challenge that she so longed to have ensue.

...but that soon was destroyed.

In that split second, Kia saw a flash of something in Caleb's eyes; as though he were trying to not only discern what her motives were, but how he would respond to such a challenge. His movement was quick as the quiet chuckle of some phrase she didn't understand left his lips. What was this about mercy? And what?! Being a ten-year-old!? Kia had taken on her first hunt at the age of seven and bathed in the blood of her first kill before ten. What was this about mercy?!

Suddenly, Kia felt Caleb's fingers tighten around her own hand and a light gasp left her lips as she was pulled forward. The crystal blue of his eyes were startling at such a close range and Kia could not stop the blush of embarrassment from forming on her cheeks. However, her jet brows furrowed in irritation at the outright move and without warning.

But Kia kept silent as Caleb's low, deep voice reached her audits. "As much as I like a good rough'n'tumble as the next bloke, I wouldn't wanna make too much of a fuss here aye? See that over there?" Kokia's eyes followed his to where a big, threatening looking Egyptian male sat smoking from one of the devices. Keeping her eyes there for but a second, her deep blue eyes slowly moved back to face Caleb; his eyes now staring into her own. "That there is Osahar, he owns this joint and is sort of a mate of mine. Now he don't like people rough housin in his cafe, and his guys don't like it either. To them, it's offensive."

At the mention of "his guys," Kia quietly sniffed the air around her. Gun powder. She'd heard of such things while getting her lessons in the other tribal camps of Amazon werewolves. Something that came out of metal contraptions and the orbs that fell from them burned and tore through the flesh like tiger fangs.

Suddenly...Kokia Luxin was extremely embarrassed. She could not stop the red from reaching her cheeks in both anger and shame at herself. But she couldn't be too hard on herself. After all, this is why she traveled the world now; to learn its cultures and understand the modern world for what it was. Everything was so different than back home in the forest, back in her tribal lands.

Until now, Kokia had been either fighting for her life because she chose to stay out of the current global conflict between the vampires and werewolves, or she was keeping to herself to train her fighting abilities. Kia really did have a lot to learn about the world...Caleb made that quite clear.

"Consider this a favor from me to you, Kia. Y'cant just go around startin challenges in places where ya can't finish em." said Caleb, bringing Kokia out of her inner self shame; the advice sinking in hard like a boulder into a deep ocean.

Kia's eyes gazed into Caleb's piercing blue ones as he patted her hand with a smile, leaning back, the wide grin on his face that she was slowly getting used to. Her brows furrowed in shame as she bit her lower lip, averting her eyes. "Loosen up Koki-monster," he teased, "Here, have a cap!"

When she felt the piece of garment fall on top of her head, she allowed her eyes to blink a few times before looking back at Caleb curiously. As the male patted her head, her cheeks flushed and with each pat, she closed her right eye as a relieved smile formed on her lips.

A content air of silence swept over them before Kokia allowed herself to speak. "I--thanks..." she whispered, slipping her hand back to place it in her lap as she sat back in her cushion across from him. She pulled the brim of the cap low to hide her face; boy was she ever ashamed right now. "Guess I'm not used to the customs of the modern world..."

[caleb]

Her embarrassment was almost palpable, flushed face and shifty eyes that were nothing short of sheepish. Caleb may have felt a small amount of satisfaction, but it wasn't from seeing her suffer. If it was anything the blond wolf could relate to, it was the feeling of falling into a world that was a completely twisted mirror of the one he thought he understood.
He had to be bitten to understand it.

Still, he did enjoy making people squirm.

Slowly taking a long drag from the shisha, he took a quick glance around to make sure that the alarm wasn't raised. While most of Osahar's men were humans, there were two wolves present. Bodyguards trained to rip out throats at the stern man's command... Good thing for 'making friends'.
A brief meeting of gazes from wolf to man, and Osahar just chuckled, shook his head and turned away. Leave it to Caleb to sooth things over with the big guy.

"I--thanks..."

A casual, non-commitable shrug was his only answer for that.

"Guess I'm not used to the customs of the modern world..."

"T'ain't nothin modern about this, lass." he said with a wave of the mouthpiece, "This is old world stuff, traditions that have been around before queen Cleopatra even knew what her lips could do."
Long fingers idly tugged on a cushion tassel, his demeanor resembling someone who either didn't really give a care about what he spoke of, or knew it well enough to be bored with it. Technically, Caleb was neither, but he did play this role well enough.

"Culture and all that shite," he explained, "Stuff ya ain't never gonna know unless ya bother t'find out about em aye? I thought all travelers knew that."
He was merely teasing of course, as brash as he was Caleb would never purposely make fun of someone who wasn't as well versed with the world as others.

"Ya shouldn't be out here if ya haven't a clue about these things. In most places, they'd just be insulted... But in some places, they get insulted and actually do somethin about it."
WIth his index finger extended, he drew a slow line across his neck to demonstrate his point, quirking a single brow.
"And here, it's their right to defend the honor ya so blindly soiled. WHether it's a missing hand or a slit neck."

Sweet mint tea had been placed on the table next to a tray of assorted dried sweets like sultanas and dates. The wolf reached over and helped himself to a dried apricot, chewing it languidly as he spoke through mouthfuls.

"Sure ya can fight, got a good grip on ya, I'll give ya that." he said with a respectful-like nod of acknowledgment, "But ya ain't gonna be very well liked if ya keep fightin ya way through everythin aye?"

Those bright blues rolled around the room in his usual cheeky manner, then he stretched and relaxed back against the cushions, "Much easier t'go with the flow."

A moment to finish his treat before he belched, not even bothering to excuse himself as he continued on.

"So, I take it ya got a story to tell me aye?"

[* Kokia Luxin]

You know that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that tells you that you're being made fun of for the fool you are? That you just got caught with your pants down in a room full of strangers as well as close-knit friends? Like you suddenly want to transform into a hermit crab and hide in your shell, burying it as deep into the sandy bottom of the ocean as you possibly can?

Well, that's exactly how Kokia Luxin felt in that moment.

"T'ain't nothin modern about this, lass." stated Caleb as he waved the smoking mouthpiece at her. "This is old world stuff, traditions that have been around before queen Cleopatra even knew what her lips could do."

Kia lifted her head, blue eyes looking at him curiously as she studied his face. Well hell, how was she supposed to know that? She'd been living in the deepest part of the woodland area of Greece for the past twenty years of her life! Besides, she'd only been in Egypt for no less than three days. He couldn't expect her to have memorized the customs that quickly.

The she-wolf quirked a brow as he played around with the tassel on the cushion he was currently seated in, looking almost bored. Or was he only trying to appear to be as such? While Kokia studied the male, attempting to take in just what kind of wolf this guy was and what all he entailed, Kia sniffed the air cautiously. Was that wolf she smelled? It wasn't from Caleb...but lingering around the cafe.

-I can't tell with all this damn smoke in the air...UGH!- mused her thoughts, her irritation growing.

Caleb's words cut into her thoughts. "Culture and all that shite...Stuff ya ain't never gonna know unless ya bother t'find out about em aye? I thought all travelers knew that."

Kia frowned, folding her arms against her chest as she turned her head away from his seemingly condescending manner. It was like he was reprimanding her. Sure, Kia needed it. But he didn't know anything about her so how could he judge her like that? It was slightly infuriating.

Men...

Once again, Kia listened to Caleb continue his little "lecture." Really now...come on. She slowly turned her head and cocked a brow upward as she folded her arms even tighter across her chest. This was getting ridiculous.

"Ya shouldn't be out here if ya haven't a clue about these things. In most places, they'd just be insulted... But in some places, they get insulted and actually do somethin about it." Kia's mouth parted slightly in outrage; eyes narrowing as Caleb traced a line across his neck in a gesture that equaled to meaning having one's head cut off. "And here, it's their right to defend the honor ya so blindly soiled. Whether it's a missing hand or a slit neck."

Kia was getting insulted with this male chastising her. That's why she was out here: so she could learn. If it was obvious to him that she didn't come from a society where she interacted with different people outside of the society where she came from, then shouldn't he just lighten up and get the hell off her back?

The she-wolf wanted to launch the pillow she was currently sitting on straight into this male's face, but the smell of something sweet and minty reached her nares and her anger slowly began to deflate itself. Heartbeat quickening every second in anticipation, Kia's cerulean eyes searched the area for the source of the heavenly scent and when she saw one of the cafe attendants approaching their table with the items she had been whiffing, the she-wolf had to bite back her own squeal of delight. Not bothering to wait for Caleb to tell her to help herself, Kia reached for her cup of tea and let the tiny clouds reach her nose, the smell of the mint opening up her sinuses and she blew on the liquid a few times before taking a rewarding sip.

Kokia vaguely remembered Caleb's hand coming out to grasp one of the dried pieces of fruit and Kia followed suit, reaching for a handful of dates and shoving them into her mouth unceremoniously, part of her cheek puffing out like a chipmunk as she chewed, the remaining juices of the date spilling into her already watering mouth; slurping on her tea at medium volume to push the thick chunk of fruit down through her esophagus and into her stomach.

It took her a moment for her to realize that the brute was actually still talking to her while the she-wolf reached onto the tray and snagged a clump of light green grapes and popped eight of them into her mouth at once. "...ain't gonna be very well liked if ya keep fightin ya way through everythin aye?"

"Mm?" she said during mid-chew and in the process of stuffing another six grapes into her mouth while reaching for the dried apricots. Nodding her head like a child that had been distracted and wanting to get the lecture over with, Kia shoved a two dried apricots into her mouth, chewed on the deliciously sticky sweets with as much gumption as she dared while making an effort to keep her mouth closed as best she could.

Draining her tea to push the fruit down into her stomach once more, Kokia firmly patted her chest with her fist as a very unlady-like belch escaped her mouth and after giving her head a little shake, smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth before allowing the muscle to extract itself out of the cavern and lick her semi-plump lips. Kia's eyes immediately roamed the tray for anything else delicious while her hands reached for the miniature kettle that held more tea, taking it upon herself to refill her empty cup. She didn't bother with Caleb's seeing as how he hadn't even taken one sip of his beverage.

"So, I take it ya got a story to tell me aye?" Kia heard him say and she looked up at him for the first time since she'd seen the food placed before her. She saw the food and nothing else at that moment.

Kia picked up her cup the way a man held a liquor shot and pressed the brim against her lips, taking a generous sip of the sweet liquid until it was half full before placing it back onto the tray. A sigh of contentment left her lips as she wiped the back of her wrist across the corner of her mouth and chin, shrugging as she popped two more dates into her mouth. "As I appreciate the lecture, I still say I'm a traveler no matter what. But I haven't been on my own for very long, little less than six months." she stated while chewing the dates and popping another one into her mouth. These things were so delicious! A hard, gulping sound was heard while she picked her up her tea from off the tray. "I've been with my tribe, hidden away from the eyes of the modern world and so I've never known anything outside of my tribal camps back in Greece."

A frown formed on her lips as she realized that the tray was getting fewer and fewer with delicious delicacies. Her hand reached for the dates and she popped another five into her mouth, chewing and drinking her tea at the same time. Another beautiful belch flew from her mouth and she tossed her hair from her face, adjusting the glittering cap Caleb had placed on her head to where the brim of the item was in the back and out of her way. Now that was comfortable and more like it. Everything could be seen...and there was more food!

She refilled her tea cup once more, sipped and sighed in contentment and grabbed another dried fruit she didn't know of into her mouth. Somewhat bitter, but with a nice sweet taste on the end that lingered on her taste buds. Oooo...another favorite for Kokia! The she-wolf threw six more of those into her mouth and chewed.

"All my life *chew-chew* I'd been trained to *chew-gulp* fight. All I know is the life of a fighter." Kia said, lifting up her tea and just as she was about to put it up to her lips again, she paused, blue orbs looking at her and not down at the table of food for the first time in a bit since she'd begun satiating her hunger. "Which is why when one of our tribal camps taught me of what the real world was like outside of our own secluded one, I wanted to travel across the world and see, experience, and to learn everything that I am able to." she said, eyes narrowing while she sipped her tea, eyes still gazing upon his relaxed form above the rim of her cup. "So I apologize if I seem barbarous to someone like you. I'm practically like a newborn babe out here." she said, putting the cup down and looking down into the empty vessel as she reached for the tea kettle and refilled her glass again. "You can not expect me to be able to take in everything at once like some rag or something. I'm only huma--er--nevermind."

Kia finished pouring the tea and allowed her deep blue eyes to flicker up at Caleb's lighter hued orbs as he watched her with an expression she couldn't quite place just yet. Shaking her head slightly, Kia ignored the bits of her hair that were falling across the bridge of her nose as she placed the kettle back on the table. Reaching out, her hand stopped above the fruit tray as she suddenly didn't know what she wanted to eat. There were still so many to choose from!

So much to learn about the world and Kia only had one stomach. Sigh--twas a crying shame.

[/color][/blockquote]

[caleb]

Ever since he'd been accepted into Patrick's pack, Caleb had to learn two things very fast...
One, you stalk alone, but you hunt together.
Two, the Ulfric may be in charge, but the female was not very far behind.

And in that pack, it was just teeming with estrogen. Females who from a rather early age had learnt the true meaning of the strength they held and how to use it to their best advantage. Add that knowledge to the instinct of their inner wolves and you had quite the combination. Beautiful but deadly; lulling prey into a false sense of security before tearing their limbs apart... Literally.
And it was in this same pack, that Caleb had to somehow muddle his way through and find his rightful place. One that didn't have him curling his tail between his legs every few seconds, although he'd gladly roll on his back and wag said tail just to hear them laugh.

So when faced with the frowning... girl, in front of him, Caleb found himself somewhat curious, amused and yet a little put out.

For all the bravado she matched him up with, she seemed just as easily put into a sulk within the next few seconds. That tiny frown that crinkled between her brows and the way she had her arms crossed over her front reminded him of a child about to throw a tantrum. All she needed to do now was stamp her foot.
This, Kia.
She was no push over, and most definitely not a prissy miss. And that tough-act she put on was more for defense than anything else. But why did she bother with donning the 'battle mask' to ward people off? There was no need for her to do anything to prove her strength or ferocity, she just was.
She should just drop it all and have no care for such an image...

Rather like her table manners.

The only reaction to the way she guzzled down the treats on the table was a very minute tilt of the head. If she'd been traveling for as long as she said she had, Caleb wouldn't blame her voracious appetite. Besides, with the amount of energy involved with being a werewolf, the high metabolic rate demanded high quantities of food. Usually of the high calorie category.
The honeyed dates and dried sugared fruit were pretty good energy boosters anyway, especially for life in the desert. The blond wolf just hoped Kia wouldn't get sick from swallowing everything at once.

Wouldn't that be fun to see an extra pattern on Osahar's persian rug?

"All my life *chew-chew* I'd been trained to *chew-gulp* fight. All I know is the life of a fighter. Which is why when one of our tribal camps taught me of what the real world was like outside of our own secluded one, I wanted to travel across the world and see, experience, and to learn everything that I am able to."

"Ah."
A sage nod as he steepled his fingers before his face, lips pursed and brow frowning in thought. A perfect picture of hammed up wisdom.
"So you're kinda like Luke Skywalker aye? All hidden away in preparation of the great outside... learnin about the Force and all that shite..."

At her loud belch he shrugged and felt the corner of his lip twitch.
"Or maybe GI Jane. I dunno, take your pick."

"So I apologize if I seem barbarous to someone like you. I'm practically like a newborn babe out here. You can not expect me to be able to take in everything at once like some rag or something. I'm only huma--er--nevermind."

"Barbarous?"
The blond rubbed the nape of his neck and gave a laugh that was part incredulous and part amazement. He placed the mouth-piece back on its tray and grinned at her, bright blues sparkling.
"Look Lass, if there be anyone who's been made t'feel like a complete Oik, s'yours truly." he winked and stole the last sugared nut that was hidden by the tray-cloth, " Ye got this thing about ya that makes me feel like I gotta be really gentleman-like y'know? Sit up straight and hold m'tea with me pinky pokin out."

Quick up and down look before he cleared his throat.

"And I ain't talkin about yer current messy Yoko Ono look either." he joked and scratched at his chin in that satisfied and content manner, almost purring, " I ain't judgin ya lass, not the way ya think I am. So ya grown up within y'tribe and all, I know what it's like t'have your world swiped from under y'feet and tossed into a new one. Most of our kind do anyway."

They all had their stories.
And most of the time it ended with them being shunned from society, thrown out of homes and spurned by people they once loved.
"At least y'got somethin, most of us didn't get aye? Y'got to grow up knowin what ya were, if that's what all that trainin was for I be guessin."

Caleb took a moment to just lie back on his cushions, his gaze drawn by the gentle sway of silky coloured gauze and tassels that shielded most of the sunlight from those sitting comfortably within.
Two blinks and a cock of the chin later, and he's offering Kia his trademark smirk again.

"Tell y'what Koki-monster, you ease up on me and I'll...try to behave. We have a deal?"

This time when he stretched his hand out, it was held palm facing skywards, in a placating and peaceful gesture.