A Side Alley [Iseret and Miles]

[dovesplash]

Time: early afternoon
_____________
Shouts arose from the stand of a shop as cats forced their way to the front of a crowd, their tails swishing with excitement as they jockeyed for a position around a tall figure. They balanced gracefully on their toes, trying to see over the heads of others. A slender gray tom made a wide arc around the group quickly, averting his eyes from the swarming mass of felines.

“To many…” he mumbled to himself nervously as he turned down another street, less popular with merchants and more open for entertainers. His paws fumbled at the leather straps of his pouch as he attempted to unclasp the clip. With a disgusted hiss he let it fall limp, unable to slide the brass buckle away from the binding. “I need to fix that…” the tom made a verbal note to himself as he searched for a good place to perform, deciding he would adjust the pouch later.

Suddenly, a warm breeze forced its way down the alley, conducting a chorus of crinkling paper as it rippled down the wall. “hmm?” Miles lifted his eyes from the street to the side of a shop were the sound had erupted from. With a cautious glance, he began to examine the paper, learning soon that it was more of a poster, or an advertisement for something. He strained his eyes, trying to make sense of the strange scribbles on the top, realizing with a pang of longing- he couldn’t read.

“Maybe someone else-hmm…”.
Unsheathing a claw, he began to scratch at the corner of the parchment. There were several lined up along the eyelevel of the shakes that formed the corridor he stood in, certainly no one would miss one poster…

[Shy]

What a morning it had been. There were quite a number of cats that seemed to have come out just to watch some entertainment. Well, Iseret was front and center. Being a dancer, she was there to impress those who came to see the entertainment. She had even managed to bring her small cymbals with her this time. They didn't provide much music, but it gave a bit and helped with her movements. The ribbons in her fur flowed in sync with her movements and helped to create a better effect for herself. She sometimes turned her head up to the sky as it was really the only way for her to keep track of time. As it was coming to the afternoon, she took her bows and went off. She wasn't going to leave completely. All she wanted to do was take a small break. She would defiantly be back before the end of the day.

As the she cat moved away from the crowd, she took a notice into a nearby alley. She had heard some noise coming out of there and wondered what it could possibly be. She was rather uneasy as she stepped in. Normally she would never go into an alley. It seemed untrustworthy. She put her paw to her dagger just in case any danger came up. She soon stopped as she noticed the gray tom holding some paper in his hands. He didn't seem dangerous so she could now relax. She stepped towards the tom with a small smile. "Hello there. Are you lost?"

[dovesplash]

With a loud ripping sound, Miles tore the paper off the wall, leaving the bottom corner as did so. “Oh…” he grimaced as he examined the small tear, wishing he had been more careful as to remove the poster in one peace. He looked down the alley again, to another poster…certainly no one would miss two…

As he began to scan for another fine piece of paper, a voice from behind scared him.”I-I was just looking!” He yelped impulsively with a startled jump. He turned quickly on his toes to the face the stranger. She had a gentle face and graceful looking limbs; with the small cymbals, it was easy to guess what she did for a living.

“I’m not lost…” the tom gave her a puzzled look, why would he be lost here? This was probably the most popular place for entertainers.

He crinkled the paper between his paws, thinking about the strange scribbles printed on it. A woman certainly wouldn’t have enough education to read, right? However, he did felt a sense of kinship with her, being an entertainer as they both were, not wanting to count her out without even asking. He ran this through his head quickly, and without giving the stranger a chance to respond, he began again. “Okay,” he scratched his head uncertainly “This is going to come out of nowhere- and I of course don’t expect you to know being a woman and everything -but…can you read?”

[Shy]

Iseret titled her head a bit as she watched the tom who seemed to be looking over some paper. She hadn't seen it before. Perhaps he was a messager or placing them up. She was not aware that he was the one who took it down. Her eyes moved open a bit as she noticed him jump in surprise. Guess he was not assuming to find someone else around here. She couldn't tell what kind of cat he was. She could tell he figured out what she was. Her accessories always gave away what rank she was. It wasn't very high, but it was still enjoyable, and that's what mattered right? She offered the tom a small smile before moving over towards him, a bit curious as to what he was holding.

The she cat stopped as she noticed him looking over to her. Her smile soon faded as she listened to him. What on earth gave him the right to assume that she couldn't read. It looked like he was simply making himself look bad at the fact that he couldn't read himself. She narrowed her eyes to him as she crossed her arms. She was not going to just take this. "Of course I can read." Her father began teaching her at a young age for when she could become a merchant when she got older, and the priest taught her some more reading and writing when she was working with them. She wasn't really feeling to help him though considering how he had choose his wording. "Why do you ask?"

[dovesplash]

Miles failed on picking up the stranger’s irritated tone, slightly surprised when she claimed that she could, in fact, read. His tail twitched impatiently, trying to figure out how he could get her to decipher the poster without disdaining himself. It was embarrassing to know that a woman could read when he couldn’t. He couldn’t stand it when a lady surpassed him in any field, especially when it came to education. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t read, but it was certainly her ‘fault’ that she could read. She had done something right where he had done something wrong.

“Well, I was just wondering…you know if you could- I was asking because- I-er-“ Miles racked his brain, trying to think of a clever way out of the situation “I wanted to know if-“ his tone suddenly lifted as he reassembled himself from a withdrawn pose to a more forward one.
“I was asking to know if you would prove it.” With a small shuffle, he tilted the poster toward her “Yes, prove it. Prove that, you can read.” Miles gave a small nod as he flicked the poster out, a smile wide on his face, giddy on the fact that he had come up with such a smart plan.

[Shy]

{What is the poster about? What does it say? XD}

[dovesplash]

[ haha,I was wondering that myself. XD Just kidding, I was thinking it's probably some sort of advertisement for a shop or something, advertising cloths or weapons, but you can make something else up. Like "Best clothing made of fine silk.low prices, Visit us on the Main street Tavern. ect" ]

[Shy]

{Ok, sounds good to me.}

Iseret was still not pleased with this tom or the way that he was acting. It seemed he was at a lost for words at the fact that she could read. What was so wrong with a she cat learning how to read? It was needed as a priest and her father always told her that if she was going to be a good merchant, she was going to be able to read and write so that she could sell things. Even if she did not follow in her father's footsteps, she was proud to be an educated dancer. It was a bit surprising that this tom himself was not able to read. Even if he was one of a lower rank, surely he would at least be able to read a simple sign.

The she cat was not buying his excuse as to why he asked is she was able to read. It was clear he didn't like the fact that she could and he could not. Either way, she gave a shrug and moved closer to him so that she could actually read what was on the poster. It was fairly simple and easy to understand. She turned her green gaze to the tom before clearing her throat. "It's just a poster from a local weapon seller. They're having a sell on some of their weapons. Guess they're trying to get some attention."

[dovesplash]

Miles keep his smile as he rolled the poster into a tube “Ah, yes that is what it says, you can read. All right…” He gave her a small wink and he tapped the top of his head with the parchment, hiding his feelings of doubt behind a bright, fake expression. He didn’t quite believe her; it wouldn’t take a lot of brain power to make something like that up. Perhaps he could test her further and confirm his thoughts.

“You’re such a good reader; I bet you could even read that sign there.” The tom gestured to a small wooden plank at the end of the alley. Ignoring personal space and the free will of the she-cat, he brought his paw to her wrist in attempt to pull her along with him, closer to the sign. “Yep, I bet you could get it word for word. “


[ If Iseret choses to read the sign can be some sort of directions like "Main street tavern this way" or something.]

[Shy]

This tom was so easy to see through. Even though he seemed to agree with what she had told him, she could tell he didn't really believe her. Why couldn't he think it was possible that there were some she cats out there who were able to read? She cats were just as good as some male cats. Education was needed if she was going to take either of the previous career paths that were choosen for her. Why was it so wrong that she kept her education with her when she decided to become a dancer? She kept her eyes narrowed on the tom for a moment before turning her gaze, waiting for him to say something else.

Sure enough, it seemed the tom had another test for the she cat, but that was not what bothered her the most. The tom, without even asking her, grabbed her wrist and began to pull her along. Had he never heard of personal space. She growled a bit as she reached for her dagger with her free paw. She took the dagger and rested the sharp blade against his skin, pushing it in a bit if she could. "If you want to keep your paw, I suggest you let go of me. If not I could always cut it off." She didn't really know how to fight with her dagger, but it wouldn't be really hard for her to just run the blade through the tom's skin. She was not going to put up with him and his ridiculous tests.

[dovesplash]

The tom flinched back at the cool metal blade made contact on his skin, pulling his arm sharply with a shocked hiss in addition to releasing the she-cat’s wrist. “Whoa!” He backed away sharply, gaping in horror at a small line of blood that began to stain his gray fur to a dark crimson. His tone held fear and shock as he sent an accusing yowl at her.
“You cut me!”

With the scratch still stinging, he lost any sense he may have before, not thinking that the injury may have been a result of his actions. The paper in his other paw slowly unraveled as it fell to the ground with a soft crinkling sound. Miles continued to back away from the she-cat until he felt his back touch the stones that formed the far wall of the alley. He was confused, what had he done that could have possibly brought this on? The words of the stranger rang in his ears, not quite registering in his brain.

His expression turned from puzzled to aggressive as he blurted out what he was thinking, “What was that for?” Pale blue eyes fell from the women’s slender figure to the ground where his poster had landed, noticing the edge as it rested in a puddle. With a gasp, the tom made a dive for the parchment, scooping it wildly from the water. “Oh no!" he yelled, ”Look what you’ve done!”

[Shy]

Iseret gave a small smile as she felt the tom let go of her. She backed away as the tom did the same, looking at the small cut that she had given him. At least it wasn't that bad. Had she actually known to use the knife, it probably would have been worse. She looked down to the blade and frowned as she noticed a few drips of blood. Guess she was going to have to clean that when she got home. Iseret placed the dagger back in its holster before turning her attention back to the tom. He seemed to be really shocked over that fact that she had given him a cut. Surely anyone who met a complete stranger, and this stranger grabbed them without asking would try and find some way to get themselves free.

The she cat looked down to the poster as one of the corners seemed to have fallen in water. The tom seemed really angry about it. It was just one corner, it was not like the whole thing was ruined. She gave him a shrug, ignoring it and finally taking the time to answer his question. "Why? Because I don't know you and you dared to grab me? I don't like being dragged along." She began to walk past the tom. Maybe it would be better for her to just return to her dancing. She was sure there were some more cats waiting to watch, and it was her job to entertain them.

[dovesplash]

Miles didn’t hear whatever the stranger had said, completely devastated at the fact that now, two corners of his poster were ruined. He cradled the parchment between his paws, examining the saturated edge as it began to fall apart into small damp flakes. “What am I going to do about this?” he muttered with a distraught exhale, “It’s ruined! Never the same again!”
He felt a throbbing loss as he stared at the now distorted scribbles on the top left corner. Someone wasn’t going to be happy about this.

“Wait! the tom called as he watched the retreating tail of the she-cat. “Come back!, You have to fix this!” He stumbled to his full height with an ungraceful step forward, holding out the paper expectantly toward the stranger as he ran to catch up with her. “ You have to fix it, or he’ll have my ears about this.” Miles dropped his tone as he began to mumble to himself “Oh no, please don’t be mad at me, Oh, please no.“ He began to pull at his ears nervously, giving the stranger a desperate look “Please! help me fix it.”

[Shy]

Iseret gave a glance back to the tom as she noticed that another corner of the poster had become wet. She really could not understand what the big deal was. It was just some advertisment and if the merchant selling these weapons was smart, would put more than one up in a given area. What harm would really be done if the owner was down one poster? She gave a shrug before turning back and heading away again. There really was no reason for her to stick around anymore. Besides, she had work to do and things to get done today. Her dancing came above everything else... well almost everything. There were a couple of exceptions to that feeling.

The she cat stopped as she heard the tom telling her to wait. Now what did he want from her? More ridiculous reading quizzes? Her ears flicked as he started to demand her to fix it, though soon seemed to be begging her to do so. Why on earth was this so important to him? She gently rolled her eyes before turning to him. "What do you want me to do about it? The only way that thing is getting fixed is to let it dry and hope it can still be read." She looked over the poster. What more would she be able to do for it? Nothing really...

[dovesplash]

Miles felt hope flare in his chest, was there a possibility of redemption for the poster? “Okay, Okay,” bouncing apprehensively on his toes, his tail lashed wildly. “Help me lay it out. H-help me spread it in the sun. “ It was true that the poster wasn’t very large, but the tome worried about it tearing due to its fragile structure, it had already suffered two injuries. -And, for some reason he felt like he owed something to this she-cat, not wanting to leave her with the words he had spat at her.

He looked at her again with desperation, “Please. If you help me…” with a long pause he looked her over, debating with himself silently before finally coming to a conclusion. “If you help, I’ll play for you.” He pated the leather pouch at his hip, suggesting that he had an instrument inside to which she could dance. He bit his lip anxiously, waiting for her reply with a hushed prayer. Please, please, please…