Find a road - where both of our routes meet who: Fortun and Alanna when: evening, so dusk-ish where: a random park in SO
Fortun pulled into the parking lot of the park and scanned the surroundings. He didn't see anyone yet and hoped that that continued to be the case while he was out. Sure, he had played around in his horse form at the full moon a couple nights ago, but that's only because he had to. Tonight would be because he wanted to. He grabbed up the small bag he would stash his clothes in and climbed up out of his Jetta, a smile of excitement on his lips.
While the night was not chilly, the heat of the day was waning, and the currents of air as the temperature cooled were swirling around and making the trees move. It was quite lovely, and with the last rays of the sun fading into twilight, the world was slowing down and preparing for full night. Fortun jogged a good distance away from the parking lot and the only sound was the wind and the soft padding of his sneakers. Fortun loved night jogs, and what could be more peaceful than a night gallop? His speed increased as the joy beat at his veins.
Several night birds called to each other as Fortun found a dense stand off trees in which he could strip down. There was even enough room for him to shift and get out, if he wiggled enough. Once he had shed all of his clothing, he stuffed his clothes into the bag and hung it from a tree limb out of sight from the outside of the little grove. Fortun called the change to him and felt his body meld and bend and stretch, growing slightly larger until he was as big as a full grown horse. He stood 15 hands tall at the withers and while the gap in the trees had looked big enough, he had misjudged it. He wriggled as best he could but he couldn't make it through without breaking the tree's limbs, so he shifted back slowly, not wanting to tire himself out early. He plodded out of the grove and assumed his animal form again, a snort of impatience and a toss of the head once he was on four hooves.
The night felt delicious against his horseflesh and he whinnied for the sheer thrill of making his existence known. He tossed his head and cantered a few feet away from the trees, where he mock-battled the air and attacked it with his front hooves. Sidling away, he lifted his back legs and kicked, giving a loud horsey laugh for the fun of it. He may not have claws or hands, but his hooves could sure pack a wallop! Upon remembering that he may not be alone out here, his eyes took up their scanning of the terrain as he trotted along, stretching out his limbs. The sparse woods opened up completely to a stretch of field and Fortun took off running, his hooves carving up clods of dirt from his speed. About midway through the flat land, Fortun reared up on his hind legs and neighed for all the he was worth. Once his feet came back to ground, he caught a scent on the breeze and his nostrils flared on the smell. Were? Shit! He turned to run, but where could he possibly go? He was in the stark middle of a field, and an unidentifiable were was approaching.
Think fast, Fortun! Fortun had studied the behavior of horses, and so he immediately dropped his head and started to graze, his ears moving and his eyes still alert. Maybe they won't come this way and then I can run away...Great idea, Fortun...Let's go and get ourselves eaten the first night we go out for fun...
Alanna's day had been... odd. The whole thing, from the moment she woke up until ten minutes prior when she had hopped into her car to drive to the park for the run she had yet to get in. Because yes, she had missed out on her morning run thanks to a certain penguin-girl showing up at her door and confessing all sorts of things including being kicked out of her house. So now Roxy was staying with her and Alanna was certain that it was going to be interesting, especially since Roxy happened to be all touchy and groom-happy and Alanna was all no-don't-touch-me... but what was she supposed to do, turn down a friend in need? Those words did not belong anywhere near each other in Alanna's vocabulary so she was going to have Roxy around for as long as she needed. Though now that the other woman had gone off to keep the fake boyfriend - formerly fake whatever, they were not dating was all Alanna knew because lesbians did not work that way - Alanna could get in her much-needed run.
Stepping out of the car, Alanna drew in a deep breath of the evening air, eyes flicking to take in how dark it was getting. The last time she had come out to play at night she had ended up running into a vampire. That's not going to happen this time, she assured herself as she started to go through her stretches. No need to pull a muscle or something just because she wanted to get home. Chipmunks were not nocturnal creatures and running at night always carried that extra tinge of fear and alertness. Night was when the predators - both for chipmunks and humans - came out and Alanna was all too aware of that as she finally started her run.
At first everything was good and she managed to fade into a sort of rhythmical lull as she jogged, eyes still darting to catch every little thing that seemed out of place. Unlike morning runs there was no iPod blaring music into her ears because she had to be aware of everything around her and - her nostrils flared as she followed the path out towards an open field. Her senses were not the best out of the were's but they were good enough for her to catch the scent of another were on the wind. She came to a dead stop, eyes huge as she fought the urge to turn and run because there was something almost familiar about it. A horse, she thought to herself as she headed further into the field. Chipmunks had nothing to fear from horses and Krist was one. Maybe it was Krist!
"Hello?" Alanna called as she peered around the field and finally caught sight of a horse grazing. If not for the distinct smell that separated regular animals from weres then Alanna would not have known it was anything out of the ordinary. "That's a pretty good act. Is that you, Krist?"
Fortun brought his head up and spat the grass out of his mouth, figuring that he was already caught now, so what was the use? A were smelt like a were, and this girl was obviously not stupid enough to fall for his play-acting. In answer to her question, Fortun shook his lovely head, tossing and arching his neck. Hopefully she gets the idea...I don't exactly want to walk all the way back to my clothes just to have a chat. Who knows what kind of were she is. Though, she doesn't smell like a wolf, so maybe it'll be alright... He sidled backward, tossing the forelock that fell into his eyes so he could carefully keep a watch on the young woman. Small and female though she looked, she might be a lion or a wolverine for all her knew. Fortun mentally resolved to get out more often. That's a good idea, just go around smelling people and asking them what they are...that'll go over well...
With his eyes fully on the woman, he pawed at the ground, hoping she might understand. He blew out of his nose hard, and then nodded his head towards the girl, stamping his forefoot again. See, I want to know what you are. Do you understand? He waited for a few moments, his larger equine heart pumping fast as the fear of the unknown still coursed through his veins. If she doesn't get it, I'm going to run away. Please let her be as smart as she looks.
A shake of the head. Well, what looked like a shake of the head for a horse. So not Krist then... I didn't even know that there were other were horses in Scarlet Oak! Alanna kept coming across all of these interesting sorts of were's and it never ceased to amaze her what types existed. Maybe one day she would find someone who might actually be afraid of her form like she was of almost every other person's. Maybe there was a were worm or snail or something. Chipmunks ate those things, right? It doesn't matter right now because there is some strange horse right here who is clearly also a person and since I already started talking I need to probably introduce myself. Manners counted always.
Seemed like the horse wanted her to talk anyhow. Or go away. Alanna was not all that well-versed in horse body language. "Sorry, I thought you might be this horse that I knew which is clearly totally wrong and again, sorry," Alanna apologized, reaching up to play with her hair before realizing that was impossible with it in a ponytail. Nervous habits were hard to keep up sometimes. "Well I know what you are and that means you must be able to tell what I am so... introductions maybe? For me at least." Last thing she needed was the horse changing into a naked person. Her nerves would so not take well to that. "My name's Alanna and I'm nothing to be scared of. Little tiny chipmunk actually so you know, you could squish me with one of your hooves no problem at all." Now that thought was actually a little bit intimidating. Why did I have to start thinking?
Fortun snorted and shook his head again, shaking off her apology. She didn't need to apologize for being friendly. Actually, it was sort of a relief to talk to another were. Scenting the air in deep inhales of breath, Fortun memorized her scent. It was a very distinct scent now that he knew what it was, and she even smelled small. Fortun felt almost like an idiot and was halfway through the motion of placing his face in his palm when he remembered that that was anatomically impossible in his current state. He dropped his forefoot softly to the ground and took a few cautious steps closer, keeping his ears pricked forward and his eyes alert. He was pretty sure that the girl wasn't lying, but no harm in being careful right?
Alanna, then. Hmm. Fortun seemed to think that she was probably just as nervous and self conscious as Fortun could become. With a stroke of inspiration, Fortun used his hoof to write in the grass. Sure, it pulled up a bunch of the green foliage, but he figured it'd be alright. He carved the words "Hi" and "My clothes" with an arrow pointing back the way he'd come. It took him a while, since hooves were not necessarily designed for spelling words, but he moved away and gave the girl space so she could come over and read it. He whickered softly, hoping she'd understand that he wasn't leaving as he turned tail and dashed to where his bag was. At a full tilt gallop, Fortun was pretty damned fast and his hooves devoured the ground and he was suddenly crashing into the more dense stand of trees. He skidded to a halt, digging his hooves into the slightly moist sod. Shifting back so he could dart into the trees, he pulled his clothes on and then jogged back the way he'd come. So maybe this is a bad idea, but for some reason, I think it'd be nice to just talk to someone...
Fortun used his nice running form to cover the ground as fast as his human legs could carry him. It took a while longer than his horse form, but he was back to the clearing very shortly. He slowed to a walk and made his way back over to where Alanna stood, a nervous smile playing on his lips. "Good, you're still here." His smile brightened slightly as he walked up, within normal talking distance, where he stopped some five feet away. "I can't tell if you're lying or not, so I'm just going to go with my gut. And I guess I could just shift real fast and run away if you're actually a bobcat or a grizzly. But somehow I doubt that." Wow, did I really just say all that aloud? Shit... Fortun cleared his thought and rubbed at the back of his neck. "What I mean to say is: Hello. My name is Fortun. I'm...kinda new here to Scarlet Oaks. It's nice to meet you. Sorry I tried to trick you. I just...am not the top of the food chain so I get skittish, you know? Your scent startled me since the only thing I've ever smelt besides other horses is wolves. And you don't smell like that." More verbal overflow...Dang... "And now? I must apologize for talking so much. I am normally not this verbose." Fortun actively stopped himself from going further and just sort've smiled anxiously down at the young woman. Smooth, Fortun. Real smooth.
Alanna blinked as she watched the horse go through some odd motions, and then it looked like it was... writing in the grass. Tearing at the grass to get at the dirt underneath for a hello and something about clothes. "Oh," Alanna said. She was going to add something else in but the horse was suddenly galloping off. "Okay then," the redhead stood there and clapped her hands together as she waited. Why was she waiting again? It was not like the horse had said that it was coming back or anything. And even if it was it was not Krist, therefore not anyone she knew and she really should not just be waiting around. Well it's not like I have a whole lot else to do.
It was getting darker though and the redhead was about to start back towards the car because standing in the middle of a field at night? Not a good call for a chipmunk, that was how owls liked to get them, but her nose caught a familiar scent. That horse that had been standing there earlier. Turning her head she saw a man walking up to her. Well at least that's the same as Krist, I guess? Alanna offered a smile when he - Fortun - started talking, giggling at even the thought of herself as a predator. "Me as a predator would be pretty funny," she informed the other were. "I'd scare myself with my own shadow, I bet." Or maybe that would have changed if Jamie had been a tiger. Cats could not be cowards. "Oh and talk away, normally I'm the chatty one and it's kind of nice to hear someone else going on for a change. Especially if you're new! I don't know very many skittish people who aren't me but I swear, I'm not a predator. Just a little, fluffy chipmunk out for her daily run."
Fortun chuckled softly, his smiles coming more freely now that he was warming up to the woman. "Well, my experience with other weres is pretty limited. I'm afraid I'm desperately sheltered for a prior service member." Fortun squeezed his eyes shut for a flicker of a moment, trying to blink away that dark cloud. It lifted, for the moment, and he continued on with his chat. "Unfortunately, you're the first person, apart from my family, that knows both of my forms. Other times I've run into other weres, I've just turned tail and fled. But... I think I just wanted to believe you enough to take that risk." Fortun glanced down at his sneakers for a moment, scuffing the ground. "So, tell me, is your animal form as appealing as this one?" Fortun's cheeks flushed a soft red color, but he hoped that the darkness would conceal it.
He shuffled his feet again, his nervous habit, and cleared his throat. "What I mean is, my best friend is a redhead and you at least have the same shade of hair going on and..." Oh my dear Lord I sound like an idiot. "So...uhh... Alanna. What do you do, here in Scarlet Oaks?" Fortun winced at the nearly tactless subject change and offered up another anxious smile, his hands going to the pockets in his basketball type running shorts. Boy meets girl. Boy changes back into human form to talk to girl. Boy hits on girl with stupid line and feels stupid. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. The gentleman in Fortun definitely noticed that Alanna seemed to be quite a lot younger than him, but he hoped it wasn't too obvious. She's probably totally creeped out and I just ruined the possibility of my first pleasant acquaintance out here. Jeez.. Fortun just breathed and waited for her response, his eyes straying back to the ground every so often.
Prior service member? Alanna perked up a little at that, almost asking what branch, but then she saw how Fortun closed his eyes. Oh he probably doesn't want to talk about that. People don't always like to. She knew that she tended to avoid talking about things that upset her so for a change she kept her mouth shut and just listened. And then Alanna should have caught the flirting. It was obvious, any of her friends would have heard that line and seen the slight flush and made the connection without any hesitation. But Alanna? It went right over her head and she just kept smiling. Creeping her out was remarkably hard and it showed - hell, she had made friends with a very creepy vampire after meeting him in a church during demon attacks. Could it get any weirder?
"I've been told that I'm adorable," Alanna shook her head. She had never seen herself, avoiding glancing into reflective surfaces for those changes that she had done outside of the full moon. "I don't really know but if I look like regular chipmunks then that's totally the truth. But I get the whole being afraid to share what you are thing, I could see horses getting used." Had that not happened to Krist or something like that? "But hey, if your family knows then that must mean you're born! That's pretty cool, I know a couple families of born this and that's and they all seem to be awesome about it. Like the penguins in town and I hear that there are otters and of course the wolves that we'd both probably run away from because hey, scary." She shuddered a little, not even realizing that she had talked more than she meant to.
Fortun nearly dropped his mouth open when Alanna made no comment on his sorry attempt at flirtation. Hiding the gesture by rubbing at the five o'clock shadow that covered his jawline, he chuckled. "And I believe it. I've never seen chipmunks up close but the pictures I've seen are quite cute." Just like you...Oh geez, Fortun... To Alanna's statement about being born, the man nodded his head, lifting his shoulders in a small shrug. "I know there is a huge difference between bitten and born, but either way we still change uncontrollably with the full moon. So, hey, we should stick together."
At mention of other born were families in town, Fortun's eyebrows lifted up. "Here in town? Wow. Well, thanks for the info, I'll be sure to keep my head on a swivel for the wolves. Definitely scary. Even in human form, I am struck with the overpowering urge to run screaming into the hills when I scent them." Great, Fortun, just talk up the fact that you're a pussy... He coughed softly and it ended in a nervous chuckle. "But I guess that's just instinct." A lightbulb went on in Fortun's head just then when he thought about the way Alanna said "born." "Are you born, or bitten?" The question was soft, almost a whisper. Fortun knew it was hard for some people to admit and he immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry, that's probably none of my business." Although I just blurted out the fact that I'm born...Oh well...
Fishing around for a subject that was more neutral, Fortun shifted his feet again. "So, Miss Chipmunk, what do you for a living? Besides hoarding acorns and scampering around and otherwise being absolutely adorable?" Fortun flashed a sweet smile, despite the fact that his efforts to be charming were probably lost on her. Without noticing it himself, he had stepped slightly closer each time he'd shuffled his feet. Her scent was a force of presence in his nostrils and he came to realize that he rather liked it. Musty like an animal, but also a hint of sweetness. Quite intriguing. So she had a previous were horse friend...but does she know how our scent changes when we're attracted? I sure hope not... The color in his cheeks deepened very slightly as he waited for a reply.
What was it with people declaring that she had a cute animal form? First that Harley boy in the dentist office the other day and now Fortun. Oh, and Aaron but he almost did not count seeing as how he was a chipmunk too. Maybe they were required to think that each other were absolutely adorable? Alanna was going to have to ask Jamie about that the next time she saw her. Oh, or Roxy! ...no, Roxy would not work since she was definitely dating a mermaid. And mermaids did not count as penguins. What was I even thinking about again? I don't remember. Focus, Alanna, focus!
"Oh, they're not bad in human form," Alanna admitted, shifting a little. She knew Kiley after all and the redhead was one of the most awesome people that she knew. Granted, they had been friends before either of them were were's so for that to change just because one was a predator and the other prey would have been utterly ridiculous. Maybe. Kiley's scent did make her feel even more skittish than normal but hey, Fortun was bigger than her so maybe he would be braver? Alanna was not all that well-versed with horses and their behavior so... yeah. Could a wolf be a threat to one? His comment about running into the hills screaming made her giggle, thinking that he was just kidding. "I'm sure that you won't really run away! They're just people like us..." Until that question got asked and Alanna felt herself stiffen a little.
Fortun continued talking, asking about what she did and something about being adorable again, but Alanna only just heard it. She could have skipped right over the topic but doing that was practically an admission of what she was, like refusing to answer a question because it was condemning. "Bitten," Alanna said it quickly, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder and clearing her throat like she could get the taste of the word out. "And I'm a graduate student of dentistry at UoM, interning at a local office. And hey!" Her smile returned as she caught onto another part of what he said. "I don't horde acorns! Peanuts and walnuts, thanks very much, acorns are too bitter for a human tongue."
Fortun was pretty skeptical about what Alanna said about the human form of scary werewolves and other predators. "All I know is that the first time I met a wolf, and my mother told me what it was I smelled, she had to physically restrain me from running away. I kid you not. She kept trying to tell me that the wolf obviously hadn't registered what our scent meant, since he made no move to come closer, but still. I was so frightened I nearly pissed myself." D'oh, great Fortun! Can't recover from that one, can you? Fortun coughed and hurried on to say, "But I was ten at the time, so I think that excuses me a little bit, right?" He did his foot shuffle for what felt like the umpteenth time and then seemed to come to a conclusion. "I know they're people, and that they're still human for the most part. So I guess maybe I just have to conquer my fear. Most times, I can't even decide if I'm more scared or curious, which is even worse."
When Alanna answered his bitten or born question, Fortun actually winced and a sympathetic look hovered over his features. "I...can't imagine what that's like." His voice was back to being soft, sensing it was definitely a sour subject for the woman and immediately moving on to the subject of occupations. "I'm a certified massage therapist. Just opened a spa up in town. Lame name, though. "Scarlet Oaks Spa." So, if you can think of anything snappy that sounds better, I am definitely open to suggestions." Alanna's smile was quite contagious, and again Fortun found himself responding contrary to his reserved nature. His answering smile was flirtatious and he chuckled a bit before answering back. "Oh, please forgive me. I guess that was pretty stereotypical of me, huh? But you seriously horde stuff just like a real chipmunk? That is too cute!" Before he could stop himself from being rude, Fortun was laughing and imagining all the little caches of nuts that Alanna might have in her home, tears of mirth pooling in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I know I'm probably being rude, but I have mental images that are quite amusing." And so he continued to laugh.
Alanna blinked for a moment when Fortun admitted what had happened the first time he scented a wolf, not sure whether or not she should believe him. What kind of guy would go and admit to that in front of a girl? One who just doesn't care. Because when he added in that cough and shuffling and how old he had been it seemed like it was true. Alanna grinned and giggled a little before saying, "Yeah, if you were just a kid no one can go and hold that against you. I sure won't! First time I came across a wolf I almost skittered right off, but my curiosity got the better of me so I decided to say hi." And then there had been Kiley and there was no avoiding a friend and that snake-boy... Alanna was getting way too used to dealing with predators for a chipmunk.
There was nothing she could say to Fortun being unable to know what that was like. Because he was totally right - the only way to know what it was like to be a bitten was to, well, be one. Not something that could happen to a born. But it was easy to forget that rather unpleasant line of thought when Fortun went on about what he did. Alanna had not heard of that spa, she did know the bigger one, but maybe she would have to stop by. Although her and places that gave massages went together notoriously bad. "It's okay, I'm actually used to getting laughed at," Alanna brushed it off with hardly a problem. Her friends like to harp on her for that one and really, had she not been a chipmunk she probably would have found it adorable too. "And yeah, I really keep stuff. It can be a bit of a problem sometimes but hey, I always have a snack ready and on hand. If you like nuts and dried fruit... you know, things that keep." She was totally not mentioning that time when she had stashed a cup of yogurt and forgotten about it until nearly three months later. Ohhhh that had not been good. "Try not laughing yourself to death over my hoarding, okay?"
Fortun was pretty glad that Alanna wasn't laughing at him for being a skittish boy, and felt relieved that she felt similarly. "Yeah, for me its a toss up each time whether or not my curiosity wins out. For instance, the young girl I hired as my receptionist is a were. But I don't know what kind. And I can't imagine just walking into work one day and asking her. 'Hey, so, what kind of animal do you turn into at the full moon?' Somehow I don't think she'd mind answering, but this whole Light of May mess is still new to me and I'm still not sure what to make of it." Fortun took a deep breath, feeling the bitterness come up again. "I mean, if I spent my whole life lying to all my friends and now suddenly I can talk about what I am? What use is that? Where was this Light of May nonsense when I was an adolescent ball of mess?" Fortun actually stomped his foot, one of the things that carried over from his animal form. He immediately blushed deeper, embarrassed that the horse had won over the man temporarily.
Fortun's mood sobered after his mini tirade. "I wasn't laughing at you, and didn't mean to be rude. I was just thinking about a house full of little clusters of food everywhere and honestly, this is probably the most fun I've had in too long. Just talking to someone who can understand." Woah, boy...Serious mode, already? Where's your shy-guy mode? Gahh... Fortun offered a brief smile and gestured at their surroundings. "Though I admit its a little strange to stand out here in the middle of the woods talking to a near stranger, right? Well, at least horses don't eat chipmunks or vice versa. Or else I'm sure this wouldn't be nearly as pleasant." Fortun shook his head slightly, musing about the diets of animals.
Fortun had hired a were and did not know what she was? Huh, that seemed odd to Alanna. Maybe she was just more curious than he was because every time she came across a were she somehow managed to figure out what they were. She knew they were not human and, unless their noses were dead, they were aware of the same thing for her. Like when two animals ended up meeting each other and sniffing. Only sans the sniffing. "I don't think it's really rude," Alanna said after Fortun finished, grinning at the way he stomped his foot. That seemed like such a horse trait and it was actually nice to see that other were's had their little traits showing even when they were in human form. She was not the only one! "I mean, we all can smell each other right?" She left off saying anything about the Light of May, not knowing what to say about it. She had been an outcast when she was growing up too, unable to touch anyone without freaking and running away or breaking down, teased for it and labeled as 'that weird girl' by practically everyone. But she did not want them to know what she was, not really.
"I've met people in weirder ways," Alanna grinned, shrugging off the thing about her clusters of food. Because it was totally true, the food thing, and she knew it. Anyone who had been in her apartment - and that was actually a really small number - knew it was true. She was completely expecting to have Roxy freak out over nuts in the couch or something like that one of these days. "Just the other day I was out for my run, kinda like right now, and came across a were. Guess I just gravitate towards people like me. Although she's a predator so I was more antsy than this. You might be able to squish me but you don't smell threatening." He actually smelled... wait, a little different than he had at first? Must be the whole changing to a human thing. "Besides, you're new! I know what that's like and wouldn't want you to feel out of place or anything. Who doesn't like making a new friend? Even if it's random as this."
Fortun nodded at Alanna's statement about scent. "I definitely know when another were is around, but sadly my experience with all different breeds is limited. Is "breed" even the right word?" Fortun shook his head, laughing at himself while he reached back to scratch his neck. Fortun shuddered at the thought of a predator were. "I'm pretty sure I'd be skittish around a predator, too. And I would definitely make it a point not to squish you!"
At the mention of making friends, Fortun smiled, unable to help himself. "Usually the road to making friends is a lot longer for me. But I find myself opening up to you and I don't know why. And I am in no place to turn down a possible friend. I forgot what being new felt like. It's a whole lot more scary than I remembered." Fortun shrugged. "But I guess that's what life is all about: doing things that make you scared because it'll be good for you." Fortun blinked a little bit at himself. "I...rarely talk about life lessons with people when I first meet them, forgive me." This time, the color that perked up his cheeks was from sheer embarrassment. Things can't be going too horribly if she's the one who mentioned friendship, right? Right. "Besides running, what do you like to do for fun around here?" The hand that had been near his neck dropped to rest on his hip as he awaited a response, his lips curved in a calm smile.
Alanna giggled at hearing Fortun refer to weres as something with breed. "I prefer to think race," she remarked. Breed was something that she had always associated with cats and dogs, not different animals. Although race did get complicated when they were human as well since it could be taken to mean the color of their skin. Ah well, Alanna hardly ever made note of that as it was.
Hearing Fortun's little almost-speech, Alanna stopped giggling but her smile stayed. She was certain that he was older than her so he probably knew what he was talking about but she had to admit that it was a little odd to hear someone say all of that so soon after meeting. "It's because I'm a chipmunk and everyone loves us," she teased. That was very not true - gardeners had a thing against them for digging up their bulbs and making tunnels underneath of yards and the list went on - but Alanna preferred to think of people liking her furry side since they did not always like her spazzy human one. "Well, other than running I hang out with my friends. Get coffee, do my internship and summer classes... uhh... that's really it. Wow, my life sounds boring put into perspective." Alanna blinked, not having realized how little she really had the time to do. "Though apparently I've also made a habit out of running into people around here. Were people. Anything you like to do for fun?" If he said something creepy then she was gone, but if he said something interesting then she would let him have her number so that they could hang out sometime. The last were-horse she knew had been fun after all, why should Fortun be any different?
Alanna's laughter was contagious, and Fortun found himself chuckling softly. "Race does sound a bit better than breed. At least better in that it doesn't sound like we're going to a were pedigree show or anything." Fortun also briefly thought about race in terms of racial background, but he figured that Alanna didn't mean it in a bad way. And neither did he, for that matter. People were people and he tended to at least try to treat everyone the same.
Alanna's statement about everyone loving chipmunks made Fortun's smile turn a shade brighter. "Well, imagine the girls I'd have to chase away if they found out I can turn into a pretty white stallion. No thank you." He shook his head, trying to make Alanna laugh by making fun of himself. "Hey, your life doesn't sound boring. Everyone just has different passions, and I bet your life makes you feel complete. Or if it doesn't, you're the best judge of how to achieve that." Fortun swept his hand back up to the back of his neck, massaging his fingers into his skin. Just keep sounding aged, Fortun, good job. She's probably more than ten years younger than you anyway. Sheesh. No chance in hell. Though his smile flickered for a moment with his train of thought, he quickly resumed his calm façade. "I also love to run, for obvious reasons." He gestured at the field and figuratively at the fact that she'd nearly caught him in the act. "It's something I've always loved. Besides that I spend my time reading and researching things that interest me, working out, and going out with friends were I to acquire them here. Oh, and yoga, even though I've been told men shouldn't like it since its largely a "woman" thing." Fortun shrugged this part off, having received his fair share of teasing for his healthy habits, not to mention his love of fashion. "That's pretty much it besides my job. Which is a lot of fun, even if I don't have that many clients yet." Fortun had a thought and laughed. "You should drop by some time, try to help me guess which kind of were my receptionist is." Fortun flashed what he hoped would be a winning smile.
Alanna had to admit that the pretty white stallion thing was very appealing, but that was because horses were fun. And girls did have an undeniable weakness for pretty things. Most girls. Even if said stallion happened to be a human who liked to spout off slightly random and philosophical things that she was going to have to think about later because right then she was so not in the frame of mind to consider whether or not he was right. Probably is. Philosophy was never my strong topic. That was why she had turned to chemistry and dentistry, really, she could understand science because there was hard fact and evidence there while in philosophy anyone could be right. "Hmmm... maybe I'll do that. Stop by that is." Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her cell phone and tapped the screen to life. "What was your place called again? I'm really terrible with remembering things like that if I don't have something to remind me. Or if I don't think it over and over again."
Fortun had to greatly resist the urge to exclaim something like "YES!" when Alanna pulled out her phone with the intention of getting his work info. He kept his smile right where it was and replied,"It's the Scarlet Oaks Spa for right now, until I can think of a better name. It should be listed with the address, I was able to look it up on Google yesterday. And, the...uh...well the number should listed, too. If you ... need my personal one, you're welcome to it." And with that he fumbled for his own cell phone, flipping it open to use the Qwerty keyboard. He paused there, waiting to see how this comment would be met. "I should warn you though, I send some pretty random texts, so if that freaks you out, I understand." Breathe, Fortun. It'll be alright. It's just a cute chipmunk girl with a cellphone. His smile felt forced and so he toned it down a bit, hoping he didn't sound...desperate? But hey, pretty girls who actually wanted to talk to him for more than an evening were kind of hard to come by.
Scarlet Oaks Spa, oh right he had said something about that earlier and it had been a name that Alanna was sure she would remember. Apparently not. How ridiculous is that? Not the name, just the fact that she struggled to remember it, but with it put into her cell now she had no choice but to remember. "Random texts?" Alanna arched an eyebrow and giggled, shaking her head. "No one sends more random texts than me so I'm definitely not worried about that." Her friends tended to comment on that every now and again just to remind her. Like she managed to forget with the flood of responses she always got. Apparently telling her friends that no, she had not called the guy she was dating back after he kissed her was one of those 'big deal' things that went right over her head. Like... a lot of things right then. "So give me your number and you can have mine and it's all good!" She even had her contacts list open with his name typed in, this being one of those things that she was good at.
Fortun's smile sparkled just the tiniest bit more at that. He spouted off his digits for her as he typed her name into his contacts for when she would tell him hers. "Good, well then at least we have the opportunity to amuse each other. I have the tendency to be glued to my phone all day on the off chance that I might have something important to talk about, but its usually just silly stuff." Fortun's fingers hovered over his keyboard while he waited, his spirits lifted higher than they had ever been.
"Silly stuff is what keeps us all in good moods though," Alanna pointed out as she gave him her number and clicked 'save' on his. "And there we go, I think that this was one of the best runs I've had in awhile!" Clearly she had to take more of them at the dawn and dusk hours if this was the result - other were's. "You'll be hearing from me Fortun and feel free to send me those 'silly' texts because seriously, love a good laugh. I'll catch you later!" Because it was nice to hang out and all but staying in a rapidly darkening field was not doing good things for her chipmunk side. With a wave, the redhead backed away a few steps before turning and jogging off.