RP:Pure Puddin

Summary: Barnabas Bones shows up at Lanara’s Animal Sanctuary right before closing time, bearing an apology for his behavior at the masquerade ball, along with a blue panther cub. After hearing his explanation, Lana is eager to forgive her close friend, and she is delighted that he’s fond of Puddin, his prized feline. Although the two haven’t spoken since their adventure in Rynvale, it’s obvious they’ve missed each other’s presence. The witch gives the pirate a tour of the spacious facility, where he’s able to interact with the animals, and she teaches him some things about care and rescuing those in need. It’s certain that the two have a solid friendship, care deeply for animals, and they can purely blame Puddin for having sparked this reunion, after several months apart.

Barnabas would have passed the sanctuary's security screening for having forfeited all of his hidden blades and knicknacks of war, a somewhat timely process that the pirate found to be a hindrance after a slow and appreciative stroll up to the front gate of the fence. One thing the guards seemed less concerned with was the fuzzy blue-black cat the man carried in his arms. Really, it was clawing and scampering from shoulder to shoulder during their approach, not content to settle for long in its person's cradled and bony arms. After passing through the gate, Barnabas walked through and absorbed the landscaping of the walkway, and he and this panther cub slipped through the double doors as a single body. Once inside, however, the cub began making small rawring noises and resisting the loving but jostling hands that fought to secure it. "Puddin', ye blaggart cat," grumbled Barnabas half-heartedly. The creature had long since won him over, and these antics were just too cute -even if the pirate couldn't betray such during his administration of tough love. The receptionist is offered that somewhat forced and apologetic smile of a parent fussing with an unruly child. "Uh, yes ma'rm," he said between ooches anf ouches from panther nips. Puddin' seemed to know the precise moment Barnabas wasn't looking, and would chomp on his fingers accordingly, and having the time of his life doing it. "I'm lookin' fer the, err -OW, dang git- the, uh, founder, Mizz Lanara? Is she about?"

The caretaker narrows her eyes as the male enters the sanctuary with a panther cub, clearly deciding that she dislikes the male, for no apparent reason. Venin has the curse of constant resting bitch face, and often hates everyone that enters her workplace, aside from the animals. It also was a few minutes to closing time, and she was looking forward to a three day weekend, until this pirate showed up. Tapping her fingernails noisily against the counter, she sizes up the much taller man, and sighs, her gaze dropping to Puddin. “Animal surrenders have to be dropped off in the morning. Can you read the signs? And Lana doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.” She pauses, wondering if this was some sort of suitor. The founder could use a date, in her mighty opinion. As she crosses her arms, Lanara exits the adoption office and the room instantly seems brighter. “Venin, you’re done for the day. Enjoy your vacation.” She smiles at the ill-mannered caretaker, and earns a dramatic sigh in reply, before those big brown eyes lift to gaze upon Barnabas and Puddin. “Barney! Hey!” Without further ado, Lana steps from behind the desk and pulls the cub and man in for a quick hug. “I do hope you changed your pants since the masquerade…” She’s teasing, and she winks at the male, before releasing him from the embrace.

Barnabas looked personally and genuinely offended when the receptionist greeted him with not just alacrity but presumption. And he was just about to give her the Bless Your Heart goodbye when the adoption center door swung open and Lanara instantly brightened the room. Much to everyone's great relief Barnabas did, in fact, change his pants. He still wore the shimmering silk and sea-dragon scale tunic, but it was tucked into a different sash and new pair of trousers -both immaculate white and flowing extravagantly from his form to create a long and billowing effect. The pirate extends Lanara a heartfelt and warm embrace, as best he could at least with that feisty ball of fur and piercing eyes in his arms. They say curiosity killed the cat -but panthers don't die so easily and this one at least seems doubly curious. "I smell that bad aye, that ye can't tell?" Barnabas self deprecatingly retorted, and then did a peculiar thing. Eyes normally not shy to meet darted away. And was that a bit of rose rising to the highest points of the pirate’s cheeks, where his beard could not disguise his embarassment? "Sorry about that," he mustered, looking up but not allowing his gaze to settle. It roved about behind Lanara instead. "One o' yer party guests 'ad a slip o' paper I needed. I 'ad to cause a scene. But I swear's I didn't know it was yer ball -an' t'fund yer sanctuary taboot! I 'ope I didn't cause ye too much disgrace." His shoulders rose and fell. Well that was out of the way. He let Puddin' down to roam the desktop. "An' I ain't here to return Puddin'. I love the brat, I do. I wantes t'see 'ow the place is runnin's all."

Lanara can’t help but chuckle as Barnabas assumes he smells bad all the time, and she shakes her head, while leading him further into the sanctuary. She was proud of the place, and her eyes shine with admiration, as she extends her arm forward and motions to the spacious building. “I’m only teasing you! Normally you smell… Like the ocean. But in a good way!” Quickly, she adds, “I think of you from time to time… Whenever I’m in Cenril and browsing the vendors, if the wind is blowing just right, you can smell the ocean with a hint of salt… Our rescue of Puddles is a fond memory. And you’re the most aquatic person I know, Barney.” Lana’s words are heartfelt, and her smile is genuine, though she senses he’s not here for mere pleasantries, as he suddenly is unable to meet her gaze. Was he that offended by her teasing? The apology that follows is unnecessary, as she wasn’t one to hold a grudge, and he also made up for it with a more than generous donation near the end of the ball. It seems important to the pirate, and she has the impression it’s not often that he extends an apology, so she finds herself glancing away, to afford him a moment of privacy, while she gathers her thoughts. Eventually, she lifts the panther cub from the floor and gives him a tight hug, to which he purrs and leans into the embrace. The blessing of animal empathy! Lana is free from any needless nipping of her flesh as she scratches Puddin behind his velvety ears and meets Barns’ gaze, “Apology accepted. But really… Thinking back on it, I must say it was quite hilarious. There was no harm done… It was cleaned up and forgotten about, since the dragon that unleashed nerve gas was the next act.” She smirks, and tilts her head, “I’m not mad. I promise. Though… I was a little confused that you seemed not to recognize me that night… I mean I know I looked different in a bikini and shipwrecked in Fog Forest… But…” Her voice trails off and she changes the subject, “I’m so happy that you love this little furball! Puddin is the perfect name! My sister, Talyara, built this place for me as a gift. Come on in, I’ll give you and Puddin a private tour!”

Barnabas smiled outwardly and brightly as Lanara continued from complimenting his smell (for it was quite the compliment to a sailor) to recounting the sea breeze of Cenril. He missed that salty air and roll of the waves. He missed that 'ship', Cranc Mawr -and he missed her dearly. A severed connection of that sort would be something only a bearer of such a bond or an empath such as Lanara would understand. And it was truthfully a rare thing for Barnabas to be remorseful, since he tried to live properly in the present as much as possible. It wasn't very common, either, to see him flash his none-too-becoming teeth in a smile. "Aye, that fella..." agreed and muttered the pirate at her mention of the scandalous dragon. His untimely deployment might have been fortuitous for its overshadowing of Barnabas' own, but it was much more malevolent too. In response to her following question, the dreadlock man tossed his head in a sympathetic manner, while his eyes shined to watch Puddin' purr and snuggle insistently against Lanara's hands. "There were some folks 'at'd've made me er the pickpocket I was workin' with by name but not m'face. High elven snoots with fancy seals and pieces o'parchment. The kind o'parchment that moves things smoothly, an' the kind o'snoots that've enough dogs in their employ t'make my life trouble." Barnabad trailed off, perhaps realizing a poor choice in imagery. "Course I love 'em! And course I'd like a tour!"

Lanara giggles as Puddin’s whiskers rub against her chin, the tickle a sudden surprise, and she returns the nuzzle, before lowering him to the floor so that he could scamper around the sanctuary. All of the dangerous animals were in reinforced enclosures, with magical locks, and the only one that was able to remove such a barrier was the witch that placed the enchantment. A parrot perches on a bookshelf and squawks loudly as they walk by, and Lana introduces her feathered friend, “This is Penelope. She is our little mascot. And she oddly hates dogs, so the puppy pen has to be kept far away.” The macaw bobs her head up and down, demands a cracker, and after Lana deposits a treat in Barns’ palm, she shows him how to curve his hand so that he doesn’t lose a finger. The few staff members that remain after hours all greet Barnabas with a smile or nod, each being friendlier than the last. It seems that Venin is the only employee with a sour attitude, as even the two around-the-clock veterinarians wear smiles as they work with the animals. There is a nursery; an infirmary, several storage rooms, and the left section of animals are domesticated, whereas those to the right, are exotic. The elf explains, “Not all of these animals are up for adoption. Some were found wounded and will be released back into the wild once they are fully healed. Others were found as newborns and depending on their degree of feral, will either be up for adoption, or introduced to the outdoors. Most of the domesticated types, the cats and dogs, they were surrenders, and will easily be rehomed. A few of the animals in the rear of the building are here for grooming, medical care, or boarding. And some animals find their way to me…” Lana pauses outside of a large stall, and if the pirate were to peer in, he’d see nothing more than a veil of darkness, or the shadow of a large horse. Seconds later, after she feels that the situation is safe, Moonachie would step through the shadow and appears in her stall, a majestic unicorn, solid black, with a shimmering horn atop her head. “She came to me with a broken leg… It took me three months to heal her enough so that she could stand. I call her Moonachie, and I’m finalizing her adoption this week… To me.” She’s proud of the unique steed, and the unicorn studies them both with a curious stare, before dropping her gaze to the panther cub. He was a delight to watch as she bumped into everything, charged and slid, and rolled over onto his back. Moonachie neighs and bows her head, and through the bars of her stall, gently rests her horn on Puddin’s belly, in an effort to tickle the cub. “She likes him! That’s so cute! Good girl, Moonachie…” Lana reaches in to rub the mare’s neck, while she listens to Barns’ talk about a mysterious note and a snooty high elf, all which are quite confusing. “That does seem strange… And I figured something was up, that’s why I didn’t speak your name or act like we had a history.” A pause. “Did the pudding really make you ill, or was it part of your act? I had some banana pudding myself and I was fine…”

Barnabas followed Lanara through the corridors and boarding areas of the sanctuary, his eyes flitting from one detail to the next with fond appreciation. The lesson on feeding the macaw, however unnecessary for the pirate, was listened to with intentional diligence. Of course there would be something to learn from an animal whisperer such as she! "Penny want a cracker?" asked Barnabas before expertly allowing the majestic grosbeaked bird accept the offering. He noted the vigor in the bird's eyes and plumage for a moment before continuing behind his tour guide. Puddin's ability and willingness to keep up was also duly noted -why didn't he follow like that all the time? Or just about ANY other time? Barnabas tried for a moment to study the nuances Lanara's posture and body language before concluding, as graceful as they were, that the reason must rest on her empathic powers. While he thought about this and analyzed he also listened to her explanation of the intake and adoption processes, scowling for a flash as he pondered the black hearts or small minds of the sort of folk that could teach an animal to love and trust them one day and yet abandon them to strangers in the world the next. At least there was a place like this, a person such as Lanara. Beacons of example, and Barnabas knew it was not a responsibility that came easily or lightly. The appearance of the midnight unicorn stole his attention for a while, and when the horn pressed through the confinements to the soft underbelly of little Puddin', he shot a worried glance towards its keeper. He saw no concern there, only glee, so he tried to mirror such. It appeared feigned; his heavily creased brow clearly belied his underlying concern -and love- for the little panther cub. The pudding from that eventful evening is brought to topic again, and Barnabas lost a few breaths to laughter. "Truthf'ly, I can't say. I'd been a-guzzlin' Gaulon grog fer days 'forehand. Coulda been a combination factor? It just sorta...slipped out," and another few breaths escape in a stream of mirth. "T'wasn't meant t'appen like that, Lana. I was jus' goin' t'eat it all o'er m'self, maybe a few other guests fer a distraction scene." Gravity and seriousness replaced the weather of his face. "Place is nigh t'full, Lanara. Ye mean all these critters 'ad no place er love 'fore ye opened up?"

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara continues to watch the interaction between the shadow unicorn and the immortal panther, the smile on her face an indicator that the unusual animals had become friends within minutes. It mirrors the unlikely friendship that had formed between the pirate and the witch, and she lifts her gaze to lock onto those familiar brown eyes, “Moonachie is immortal, as well… Though she is an adult, and the spell I had placed on her was only a few moons ago. Your precious feline, he will not grow up, Barnabas. He will remain a cub for the rest of his days, an eternity. I didn’t place the spell on him, or on his sister, though it’s the best gift I could offer to a friend. A best friend for all time…” Having a long lifespan is a gift in Lanara’s eyes, and though Puddin wouldn’t physically age or grow into an adult panther, he mentally would be capable of absorbing advanced tricks and such. He would always be adorable! And if Barnabas truly wished for the alteration to be removed, Lana could always research a way to remove the immortality. Moonachie lifts her head and Puddin rolls over and obediently sits between his master’s boots, glancing up at him with those piercing eyes, the picture of the perfect kitty. Animals often behaved differently in Lana’s presence, with her empathic powers, and the elf grins knowingly as she takes Barns’ hand in her own and eyes the bite marks. “Looks like you have been being used as a chew toy! Puddin is either teething, bored, or hungry. The best thing to give him when he’s especially chewy is something cold. Ice works wonders! Or…” Reaching into a bin she grabs the sawed-off antler of a stag and hands it over to the pirate, “This should keep him occupied for quite some time. And seriously, anytime you need anything for him, feel free to drop by. My door is always open, and if Venin gives you a hard time, just flirt with her… She’s a sucker for cheap romance novels and she hits on every man she finds handsome.” Lana shudders, imagining the horror that poor Callum and Kelovath must have felt when the caretaker hit on them, endlessly. The woman was always trying to fix Lana up, too! Turning away from the unicorn, the witch leads the man and his feline up and down the hallways, showing them a ton of dogs, cats, birds, rodents, farm animals, and a few turtles. There even was a tarantula in need of a home!

(Post 2 of 2) Each enclosure has a card affixed out front which states the animals, gender, age, personality, and name. In the center aisle are two pens, one which holds about twenty kittens, and the other which has a litter of seven mixed-breed puppies. They are obviously spoiled, as there are dozens of toys in each playpen. “It’s so hard working here; I want to adopt them all! And yeah… Sadly. None of them had the love or care that is given here… I have a full-time staff. I hired a few volunteers from the orphanage, so the kids can learn animal care and get away from their horrors for a little bit. And I spend all my gold and time here… It’s not a job, though, it’s my calling.” Giving him a smile, and trying not to laugh as his pudding ‘slipped out’ Lana leads him over towards the exotic area. “Each enclosure has been intricately enchanted to mirror the climate of their normal environments… Food is imported weekly. I try to mimic their natural habitats as much as possible.” And she did just that, as a polar bear cub peers at them from atop an igloo, while in the next enclosure a pregnant lioness lounges on a desert floor, the hot sand bringing a feline grin to her face. They walk past animals from all over the realm, some even believed to be mythical, such as frost drakes and wyverns. All in all, there are over three hundred animals in the facility, and more than fifty of them are considered to be exotic. Knowing that Barnabas would appreciate the final enclosure the most, Lana peers at him over her shoulder, “I think you’ll like this last animal quite a bit…” Opening the last enclosure, one has to walk down three steps, and at the end is a pool of cold water, it’s depth at least fifty feet. After a few minutes, the head of a dolphin emerges, and using her fins, she splashes the pair. “Always the mischief maker! She’s friendly… Go on, Barney, you can pet her and feed her some fish. Santana was caught in a net off the coast of Cenril… There was a lot of scarring on her left side, and she had a deep gash that I had to stitch up… She is almost ready to go home.” Clearly, elemental magic was at work to transport the dolphin, though Lana acts like rescuing animals is no big deal, and she plays with Puddin as Barns’ feeds the fish to Santana.

Barnabas listened with a smile to Moonachie's magical backstory, but he made a short groan when Lanara told him Puddin' would never mature, certainly harboring concern for the cub's almost terroristic antics. He was pleased to hear, however, that the panther would intellectually still mature and possessed no less retention skills. The pirate then seemed for a time stricken dumb by sheer awe and humility, as could be seen by the slackness of his features and the excitement of his eyes. So much so that Barnabas didn't so much as form a word when Lanara inspected the fang marks punctured like so many stamps over his hands and expressed her concern. The gift of the antler tine is graciously accepted, though, and tucked away into a side pouch for later. "Thanks for that," he managed, his eyes still fixated upon the playful dynamic between Moonachie and Puddin'. As he and the little cat took to following her and eyeing the various enclosures, Barnabas chided himself. "Ah, p'r'aps I get short with deskfolk too soon," he admitted. "'Fraid I ain't much fer flirtin' though. Whether it's work er not, yer doin' a helluva job, Lana." Passing creatures he had seen far and wide and quite a few he hadn't, Barnabas' bewilderment only grew. He had seen the great white bears, knew what fierce power they possessed, and was rather impressed with how content the indomitable creature was in his enclosure atop his little igloo. Barnabas was quite enamored with admiration for his witch friend. Her surprise tour stop piqued his hard creased brow, and he interestedly trailed behind her, Puddin' tumbling about and bringing his little sable nose as close to the enclosures and their animals as he could in passing. The dolphin doesn't so much as elicit joy from the pirate, but rather -and quite overtly- sadness. His formerly shining mottled sea-hued gaze clouding with moisture. It wasn't in response to Santana's conditions, nor the tale of his rescue, but something else. He didn't betray a flinch when the creature splashed the shoulders of his tunic. It was something the naturally empathic creature might have felt and relayed to Lanara as the chewing human emotion of guilt. Barnabas splayed out a long, thin, scarred and calloused palm against the aquarium glass as he watched how gracefully Santana buoyed at the edge of the tank and waterline. How many nets had he hauled in filled with such creatures, that had become entangled after trying to rouse their own meal from the hordes of fish within them? Most didn't survive the net drop to the deck, and the ones that did were more often clubbed or gigged by the sailors as food and market product just the same. Barnabas removed his tall leather tricorne cap and pressed his forehead against the magical glass beside his palm. Remorse, apology -these were things Santana might have felt and relayed to her keeper, Lanara. The pirate held this emotional pose and prayer of sorts for a while before noticing the bucket of fish at the base of the steps, and only then did he break contact with the aquarium. He plucked first one, then two, three fish from the bucket in sequence and lofted them up and over the aquarium's edge with precision and silence.

Lanara sits on the final step of the pool exterior, nearly slipping into the water as her sneakers fought to find the proper footing. The slick moisture on the steps doesn’t hinder the elf though, as she bends forward and Santana eagerly swims over, delighted to have a visitor. The dolphin is friendly, as they often are, and mixed with the empathic nature of her keeper, she nuzzles her bottlenose against Lana’s hand, practically begging for attention. Extending her hand, Lanara shares a long moment with the magnificent dolphin, gently rubbing her fingers up and down her nose up towards her eyes. It looks as though she’s petting her, but in actuality the witch is assessing the injuries, and making sure Santana hasn’t lost any weight, or suffered any exterior injuries, from her time in the enclosure. She had healed nicely, and she was well enough to be released into the wild at this very moment, though Lana wasn’t quite yet ready to say goodbye. The elf leans back, her arm and blouse soaked, though she’s not the least bit annoyed. It was the end of the day, and she loved all the elements equally. Santana swims to the right and focuses her tiny eyes on Barnabas, the kohl lined irises widening for a second, enough for Lana to pick up on the sudden shift in emotion. Both the witch and the dolphin study the pirate, noticing his downcast posture, and the film of moisture coating his eyes. Santana bobs her head up and down, and she tries to communicate with Barns’ by vocalizing a series of clicks and squeaks, her nasal air sacs working overtime to try and get her message clearly across. Feeling that her message would be delivered by her keeper, she rises slightly from the water to catch the fish offering in rapid succession, and hungrily swallows them. Lanara leaves the enclosure and locks up behind her, so that Santana wouldn’t be disturbed by the other workers, and she sadly lifts her gaze to look into Barns’ eyes, “She has a message for you, and for other pirates.” There’s a pause, as the silken gray tail lifts in a final wave, before the dolphin dives beneath the water and out of their line of view. “I’m so sorry, Barney… I didn’t think. I thought you’d love to meet one up close and personal. I mean… Where else can one without empathic abilities pet and feed a dolphin?! I-I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Dropping her gaze to Puddin, she speaks softly, knowing that it would reach the ears of the man at her side. “Santana said that she accepts your apology. And that she knows it’s a way of life. She holds no hatred towards you, because her kind doesn’t understand anger. They only know love and pain. And though some actions cause them pain, dolphins don’t hold grudges.” The faintest smile appears on Lana’s face, and she grabs Barns’ hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, only now peering up at him from beneath impossibly long lashes. “It’s okay… You have a good heart. You feel remorse, Barney. And she knows that it’s a way of life. You have to eat, and they have to be careful not to get caught up in nets. And… I don’t know if you know this or not, but dolphins are the most intelligent creatures in the realm. They are as smart as you and I, Barney. They understand the way the world works, even from under water. So… I know this may have been a wake-up call, or brought you sadness, but Santana isn’t holding anything against you. She can sense that you have a pure heart. She knows that I wouldn’t endanger her and bring someone to her enclosure for a visit, if they didn’t love animals as much as I do. And hey! You have to love animals… Your hands are chewed to bits by this little guy!” As if on cue, Puddin lifts his head and playfully swipes at Barns’ boot, as Lana gives his hand another squeeze, before dropping it. She hated seeing her friend depressed. After several moments of standing at the male’s side, she departs, allowing the pirate and the dolphin a few moments alone, should they require a moment of privacy.