Name: Dray
Story: Mashup of Everwood and Fensirt
Colors: Daffodil 9) Baby Animals, Tequila Rose 10) "Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more"
Supplies and Styles: Collage (Fensirt from jkatkina), Mosaic, Graffiti, Eraser, Pastels (Fluff Bingo O4, "Friends")
Word Count: 994
Rating: G
Warnings: I try to write someone else's character, it may be semi OOC.
Notes: An entry for the Valentine's Day/Family Day mashup! jkatkina Have a thing!


Tuanada had flumped out front of the cabin, eyeballing its rootlets as they quested around for fresher soil. Boyce had known the daemon for some time now, through a string of acquaintances (and more importantly, through his partner, who was reclining on the porch with a glass of wine abandoned on the side table, gently snoring. From what he understood, they'd been on a long circuit, taking a fieldtrip from the tumult of their lives to make some coin and get some news from the further abroad.

Not that Boyce had a lot of news, but he did have lots of the local game to trade, and an utter delight with the little eggs that they'd carefully insulated and packed all the way here. Even now, he came out of the coop with a few new eggs scooped from broody hens, having replaced them with the precious new eggs that ought to hatch some fancy varieties in anywhere from a few days to a week.

"You couldn't've made better time," he said, in that off-hand way of his, as he passed by the big Rider daemon to clean up and prepare a proper meal.

Tuanada huffed a laugh and combed the fur on the back of his paw. He didn't know Boyce quite so well as he thought he understood most humans, but he deigned not to make a crack of humour, just to puff up his own skills. So rarely did he see this man with such a genuine smile that he had a feeling he might pop the bubble if he opened his muzzle. Then again, one thing did come to mind. "I suppose it's better we didn't make an omelette on the way up after all."

Boyce came around from the wash barrel near the porch with a wet rag, and sat himself down in the grass near the Rider, cleaning his hands. "Really is. By the next time you two come around I'll have a enough put aside to put a few good feathers in those fancy braids of yours. Might even match, if you got the Fancy Blues I wanted."

"Is that a bribe?" Tuanada asked, fully aware of an undercurrent. Kaitan wasn't snoozing on the porch only from the hard journey; their negotiations in the cabin had taken too long by half, and when his riding partner had come out the front door she looked much like a cat who'd got in the cream. Not that he was going to object to who Kaitan saw or didn't see; their own relationship was morally and necessarily a platonic one, but he had grown to know her well enough to know that she could be precocious with her heart, and that was different than merely being precocious. Tuanada was gratified when he caught a glimpse of Boyce's face reddening under his dark facial hair, and he couldn't help but flick his ears in charmed amusement.

The human rallied, pulling his boots off so he could bury his feet in the grass. "Well, I'm not much of a hair dresser... but I figure if I can get two bribes out of one, that's not a bad deal."

Tua huffed again, the stub of his short tail thumping jovially at the repartee. If Kaitan was going to let this big galoof into her life once in a blue moon, he supposed he couldn't blame her. He reached a paw over and, before Boyce could suspect a thing, he bodily dragged the man down and perched his muscular forearm over the man's side, much like one would take an irascible middle-sized kid to hand. He dragged the comb of his tongue backwards through the human's carefully set hair, running it all askew. Snorting, tasting something not unlike sap in the pommade there, Tuanada genially said, "'not much of a hairdresser.' You daemon-less humans need someone to keep you to a higher standard." He gave a squeeze of his forearm before letting Boyce go, recognizing the way the human had stiffened up as though he expected a fight. Unlike Kaitan, Boyce didn't go for an assault, and so Tuanada almost disappointed took his point without need for a wrestle. Daemon-less humans also had the unfortunate prejudice of fearing people with claws and teeth, he understood, so he loafed up his big paws beneath him and smiled at the human with his ears and eyes alone, no teeth, just in case.

Boyce had put one hand to the back of his head like he expected to find blood, but when all he found was a badly mangled hairdo, he shot the daemon an inscrutable look. Tuanada blinked slowly. "Where I come from, that's roughly equivalent of a hug. Fairly certain I'm not about to make a meal out of you," he added, just to take a second point from this odd little jousting game.

The human took a few moments to consider that, looking from Tuanada, up to Kaitan still snoozing in his oversized porch chair. "Well, you wouldn't like the taste; I'd be too woodsy."

Tuanada snorted. "That's certainly better eating than grit and sand, but I'll bow to your wisdom." And, for a moment, he considered. Then he said, "she isn't the sort to get caught up in one person for too long, all in a row. If that works for you, I won't make a fuss... but you ought to know."

Boyce shifted uncomfortably, shrugged, said, "I figured. She said just about as much. It works; I like the quiet. Couldn't handle much more of that getting tumbled around, anyway." Whether he was talking about Tuanada's hug or any earlier interactions he didn't clarify. "I'm putting some food together. Come on by the pit and we'll hash out what I can send you off with, when you head out."

"Hold on," Tuanada raised his arm again, grinning. Boyce put his big mitt against Tuanada's toe beans, and they shook on it.