They say ....

[Jay]

Devereux

Devereux, or as he was known by his friends and family, Dev stretched under the pale light of the rising sun. As his bright turquoise eyes swept the hilly countryside a soft sigh escaped the tom's lips. He and his cousins had left their home with their parents moons ago and struck out together to carve their own path and the tom was happy. He enjoyed the presence of his cousins and the two were his best friends. Yet the tom still felt like he was missing something and when he sat and thought back to the love his parents use to give off when near each other he realized that he was lonely. He wanted to have a relationship like his parents had. He wanted a family. But the tom hadn't met any she-cat that caught his interest and with his normally quiet nature he wasn't likely to go out and meet one either.

The fluffy brown and white tabby tom was drawn out of his thought when he head the soft footsteps of his cousin RJ. It never ceased to amaze him how different the two siblings could be sometimes. And, briefly, the tom wondered how his own brothers and sister were.

"What are you thinking about so early?" RJ's voice was soft, his tone caring as he settled down beside his cousin. Dev turned and flashed RJ a half smile, "Not much. Just pondering life and relationships, per usual." RJ laughed at that, a smile curling on his lips as he nudged Dev's head with his nose, "Keep doing that and I'll start to think Sam was right when she said you were an elder in a young tom's body." RJ's pale turquoise eyes danced with humor before he brushed his cousin's flank with his tail. "Go explore today, without Sam and I. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for."

Dev considered RJ's words for a moment before nodding his assent. "Alright. I'll be back by nightfall. Try not to get into too much trouble." The fluffy tom stood then, light touching his nose to RJ's ear in parting before turning and trotting down the hill that their small barn overlooked to one of his favorite swimming spots.

Dev didn't know how long he walked for, just that he was extremely grateful when he finally reached the small pond that he'd found when he was younger. It wasn't really secluded so anyone could happen upon it, but he enjoyed the view it held of the field and fields of crops the farmers in the area grew.

Ooc: Sorry, crappy post. Haven't rped with Dev yet so I have to get a feel for him.

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[Shadow]

H O P E

Hope sighed happily as she carefully padded along the countryside, a small smile on her face as the sun warmed her back. She was having quite the good day. She had woken up a bit sick, but soon her small cold had faded and she had even found the energy to play with her new siblings. She hated being so tired that she couldn't even be a good big sister and entertain them. Of course, she still didn't feel absolutely perfect; her body still ached in a way that just simply didn't go away anymore, and she was still just a bit tired, but she certainly wasn't gonna waste the day now, not when she felt better than usual.

So she had decided to go outside for a little bit of exploring. While Briella always worried when she left the barn, Hope always assured her that she was growing up now and was able to handle herself. Besides, she could avoid most dangers, and she could always pull the sick cat move if some strange cat approached her. The calico paused as she watched a few mice skitter around in the grasses, her eyes narrowing playfully before she pounced. While her obvious intention was not to hunt and kill the mice, she did get a bit of joy from carefully batting at the creatures as they hurried to safety. A purr of contentment now in her throat, she continued on her way, eyes gleaming as she looked around for what to do next. She never went out with goals in mind; part of the adventure was finding the fun while she was out and about.

Hope continued just a bit when she caught a flash of a reflection just ahead of her, and her eyes filled with curiosity. Now what was that? Just a few more paces forward and she realized the reflection was caused by a small lake, and she smiled at the sight. She could use a drink, and maybe even rest her paws in the water. As fun as the outside world was, relaxing was still always fantastic, especially when her body tired out a lot more quickly than it had even when she was younger.
So with her decision made, she altered her path to head towards the pond, an excited little smile on her face as she sped up a bit with a small burst of energy at the prospect of the water. She could even play in it! True, she'd be a little lonely, but maybe she could bring her siblings here when they got older! The little she-cat's smile grew with joy at that thought, and she carried on, eager to explore this new area.

ooc;; oh god this is horrible let's just ignore this and move on, right

[Jay]

Devereux

Devereux sighed in content as he slipped into the pond; the water immediately making his normally fluffy fur cling to his muscular body. His bright turquoise eyes closed briefly as he sank down as far as he could in the water, which wasn't very far due to his height. It'd been far too long since he'd last gone for a swim, far too long.

The young tom-cat had been relaxing in the water when he heard the sound of paw-steps approaching. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he opened his eyes to watch as a young looking calico she-cat came bounding over the hill to the water. He waited until the she-cat was closer to the pond before he stood, giving his wet fur a few shakes and then licking his spiky chest-fur down.

Dev didn't bother moving, afterall what would be the point if this she-cat turned out to be hostile or mistook his movements for agressive. No, better to stay here and test out the waters, so to speak. "Hello, there. I'm Devereux, what's your name?" He asked after a few moments passed. Dev wasn't the most social of cats, especially when it came to newcomers but he figured a little small-talk would be better than him simply staring at this new she-cat. Besides, that was creepy.

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[Shadow]

H O P E

Hope slowed as she reached the pond, panting softly with a smile, though she paused with shock as something rose from the water. She stared with wide eyes, mind working quickly to piece together what she was seeing. Ohmygoodnessdidthatcatjustcomeoutofthewater? She then lightly shook her head, deciding that it wasn't entirely too strange for a cat to go for a swim, no matter how her own family had never done so. Maybe he was a fun cat to be with, if he did things like swim in his free time? Maybe he'd let her join him in the pond? Unless he wasn't actually nice and tried to chase her away. But then he spoke, and he definitely didn't sound mean, so Hope smiled as she took a few steps forward to greet the cat in the water.

"Hello, Devereux." she then responded kindly, as if she hadn't just been internally freaking out about him. He did have a strange name though. It was pretty, but had a weird foreign taste. "I'm Hope." She paused for a moment, glancing around before focusing back on the wet tom in the pond, an amused smile appearing on her face at the look of his fluffy fur spiked out from the water. "So is this your pond, Devereux?" she then inquired, "I'm sorry if it is, I've never been out this far and I don't want to intrude on your territory..."

ooc;; ---

[Jay]

Devereux

Dev let out a silent sigh of relief when the she-cat spoke in what sounded like a friendly manner. He really wasn't up for a fight, not that he'd ever hurt a she-cat. Unless she hurt him or his family and friends first, that is.

The tom-cat blinked himself back into focus as Hope spoke once more. "Nice to meet you Hope. And no, this isn't my pond. Feel free to come in. it's not my territory either," He meowed with a chuckle, his turquoise eyes meeting Hope's light blue ones momentarily. "I live in a barn a little ways a way from here with my cousins. Where do you live?" The tom cat decided that Hope wasn't a threat and sank back down into the water so that his chin was just resting over its surface, his eyes never leaving Hope.

ooc; Sorry it's so short. Couldn't think of much to say.

[Shadow]

H O P E

Hope gave Devereux a wide, friendly smile, pleased that he wasn't about to start getting possessive over the body of water and chase her away. She took a few more steps forward, closing the distance between herself and the water to let the edges of it just tickle her front paws. She hesitated about actually joining Dev in the water, though. She had never gone swimming before...what if she drowned or something? That thought kept her on the safety of dry land, at least until she could build up her courage a bit more. Despite her uncertainty, though, her curious gaze never left the other cat, widening just a bit with wonder when he sank even further into the water.

Her eyes did finally break away from his own to glance around the area at the other cat's mention of his barn and family. "Oh, really?" she then said excitedly, "I didn't even know we had any neighbors!" The she-cat grinned at the swimming tom before nodding over her shoulder, "I live in a barn a bit behind me with my parents and siblings." she then informed him, wondering just how close they were to each other without even realizing it.
She then stood in silence for a moment before nodding at the water, "So, Devereux...do you swim a lot? I've never seen a cat go swimming before!" Of course, cats could go swimming all the time and she wouldn't know it, she had been cooped up at home for so long. She was just able to leave home on her own in the last year or so, insisting that if she was going to keep getting sicker, she may as well go have some adventures first.

ooc;; ---

[Jay]

Devereux

Devereux observed the she-cat before him silently, his vibrant turquoise eyes flitting away from her face to slide across her body quickly before he lowered his gaze, fractionally ashamed that he was blatantly checking this she-cat out.

A slight smile touched the fluffy tom's lips when Hope spoke about her family, her love for them evident. "When I have time I swim. Both of my parents were a little odd in the sense that they loved to swim. That trickled down to me, I guess. It's relaxing. You just go into the water and it's like your troubles are soaked away."

Dev's ears flattened against his head briefly when he realized he'd talked a lot more than he'd intended to. Clearing his throat the tom stood slightly and gestured to the water with his paw. "Why don't you try and come in? It's not that cold. And once you get used to it, it's quite relaxing." The tom gave Hope a friendly smile, his bright eyes meeting hers for a moment.

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[Shadow]

H O P E

Hope smiled as she listened to Devereux speak, amused and amazed as she listened about his strange family. So his parents swam too? How strange! She could hardly imagine her own parents swim for fun! But maybe they were the strange ones for not swimming? Huh. This thought occupied her mind for a moment until the movement of Dev's paw caught her attention again.

"Oh..." she trailed off nervously, eyeing the water with distrust for a moment. She felt worry in her chest, but surely Devereux would help her if she had trouble? She took a moment to take a deep breath, calming her uncertain heart before returning Dev's smile. She may as well, right? She came out her to explore and experience the world while she still could, right? It would be nice to be able to say that she went swimming once.
"You promise it's not hard?" she clarified as she took a few steps forward so her paws were submerged before glancing up to meet the other cat's bright turquoise eyes. Her smile widened a bit in response to the other's friendly expression before carefully continuing forward until her legs were submerged and the water splashed lightly against her chest. It wasn't so bad...the water felt nice, and it made her tired body feel lighter and more energetic than it had in ages. Maybe this whole swimming thing wasn't so bad?

ooc;; ---

[Jay]

Devereux

Dev couldn't help but grin when Hope cautiously padded into the water up to her chest. He was surprised that she hadn't freaked out and ran splashing out by now. A gentle smile curved across the tom's lips as he stood, water dripping from his long fur as he padded closer to the she-cat, stopping when there was little over a fox-tail length between them.

"Come on, just a few more steps. I'm right here just in case something happens." His voice was soft as an unfamiliar emotion flickered across his heart. Dev couldn't help but feel elated at the joy he saw on Hope's face, his eyes glittering with amusement and happiness.

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[Shadow]

H O P E

Hope lingered in the spot she had stopped, eyeing the water uncertainly as if it were some other cat that she wasn't sure if she could trust or not. She glanced up at Dev swam closer, unable to hold back the smile that crossed her face at his reassurance. Despite having just met the tom, she trusted him without question, just something about him making her heart lift happily.

At his words, she shuffled a few more steps forward, the ground underneath her paws continuing to slope down and leaving her in the water, her toes just barely able to brush the mud and rock beneath her. Her eyes widened briefly, paws splashing for a moment before some sort of instinct kicked in, and the splashing became a bit coordinated. While it certainly wasn't as smooth and graceful as Devereux's swimming, it kept her afloat, and she felt herself gaining more confidence and control by the moment. "You're a liar." she then panted out, though she gave the other cat a breathless grin, "This...is kind of difficult." Her pawstrokes weren't as frantic now, though, and she sighed with relief as her body calmed down and the water soothed her sore muscles.

ooc;; ---