"Say, why are we here again?"
"It wouldn't be nice to give Ellen some flowers?"
"Maybe, but then again she might just eat them."
"..."
"It's a joke. Don't take it seriously Herbivore girl."
"Still, it's very meaningful for an Herbivore to be presented flowers."
"Yeah, if you say so Els. Still doesn't explain why I can't just buy some. I don't get why we had to come to the Gardening club for this."
Els just chuckled at the coyote's silliness. She guided him across the well kept rows of pot plants, her eyes going around as she searched for their keeper.
"I just happened to know about this place recently. Dom talked about it when he asked Legosi to gather some of the decorations for the festival. It seems that Legosi, for whatever reason, couldn't do that task and Dom asked me instead."
Durham raised an eyebrow. Legosi does have a particular obsession with insects, so he could easily picture the wolf in such a place for the sake of catching something exotic.
Even so, it was rather strange that Legosi failed at something so simple as picking a bunch of flowers.
"This place feels nice though." Durham commented as he took in the amazing view they have of the city around the campus. The garden was located on a elevated position, an open area on the rooftop of the campus biggest building.
Els nodded in agreement. Although her eyes searched for something else instead, or rather someone.
"Hmm, Dom said that I could find the member of the club around at this time. Yet, I don't really see anyone anywhere." She said uncertainly.
"The member?" The coyote asked, perplexed at the implication. "Are you telling me there's only one person taking care of all of this?"
"That's what I heard. I feel bad to think they're alone here most of the time." Els replied, walking across several dozens of pots with a variety of different types of plants. Some places had actual gardens with vegetables and fruits growing on them. The healthy appearance of the organics proved their guardian to be an efficient individual.
"I mean, I guess it sucks to take care of all of this on your own, but considering nothing seems wrong it wouldn't be too far off to assume they like doing this stuff." Durham reasoned, his limited knowledge of botany was enough for him to understand there weren't any plants with unhealthy condition. "Heh, I don't think I would care to remember watering even a single pot."
"With that dry humor of yours, it is not surprising."
Durham stopped, the answer on the tip of his tongue as he turned around to address the offender. But the words died on his throat as he found the origin of the feminine voice; a dwarf rabbit.
"Oh, hi! You must be the gardener! My name is Els, the sarcastic one is Durham." Els said cheerfully enough. The rabbit stared passively at both of them before replying.
"Name's Haru. What are you both doing here? I don't usually have visits this early." She asked suspiciously.
Durham was hardly impressed that the rabbit was staring at him. It was typical behavior from every Herbivore to keep an eye on Carnivores whenever they were present. He remembered flipping off some Herbivores at each moment they stared at him like that. The reactions were always priceless.
Yet, if someone reacted rather strangely in this occasion it was Els.
Her face wrinkled in a odd manner, as if she reminded of something particularly unsettling. Her eyes widened as she looked more attentively towards the dwarf rabbit.
"Oh, huh, we came to ask for the usual sets for the Summer Festival. Dom asked me to come to make sure that was being looked after." Els explained hesitantly. Durham watched the exchange with intrigue.
Haru nodded. Seemingly already aware of what Els was talking about. Her attention shifted back to the coyote.
"Yes, but why is he here? I don't think you would need two for such task." She questioned while raising an eyebrow. Durham didn't really like her patronizing tone very much.
"Actually I told Durham he could find flowers for his girlfriend in this place." Els explained with a giggle.
"She ain't my girlfriend, Els." Durham corrected coolly.
"Sure. Cause you couldn't bring yourself to ask her already. Honestly I think you should whenever you get the chance. She won't feel like waiting forever for you to decide."
Durham made no comment on that. He understood why Els thought he should stop being so hesitant, but asking such to Ellen would set the both of them on a very difficult path. He was interested on taking a next step, but not sure on how soon that should happen.
Nevertheless he found intriguing that Els would say that Ellen would even be waiting for a decision on the matter. He wasn't even aware Ellen could be thinking of bringing their relationship to a next level, they both weren't exactly similar on many things.
Yet, he was inexplicably drought to her presence, no matter how much he denied to himself to be that interested on the zebra. His mother, her bold sexual comments aside, already saw things as they were and there wasn't much for him to work against that idea.
Perhaps Durham was unwilling to admit that the prospect of dating scared him a bit.
Ellen was the only girl he ever managed to talk with a rather high amount of frequency. Any girls he previously met were either too noisy or just plain silly. Shiira and Juno were exceptions but he had limited time shared with those two.
The coyote was almost assured that he would go through his years at the campus without really meeting anyone even remotely interesting. That was before he got to known those who make part of the Drama club.
Durham felt he could blame Legosi for that. The wolf barely talked about any of his club activities or its members. Not even Jack knew much of the club aside a few familiar faces he occasionally saw during classes or club events.
The coyote smiled at the memory of seeing Jack getting worked up about a girl. It was rather endearing but, considering that the girl was a rather bossy and tempered one (although not nearly as much as Ellen), he worried that the Labrador could be too sensitive for such contrasting personality.
Shiira, Ellen, Bill, Els, Kai, Dom, Mina, Tao, Legosi, Louis, Juno and some others that were part of something as simple as a club project, but gave it a different meaning on everything with each of their views and opinions about the world around them. There was no such thing as 'herd mentality ' in that place. At least not in the same amount Durham often experienced when on anywhere else but in that particular club.
He lately found himself wondering if he should try joining or not.
"So, any idea what you might be looking for? I do have a few tulips and roses laying around. Unless you wanna try for a specific color." Haru asked, seemingly curious by the coyote's hesitancy. "I wasn't aware that Carnivores would really like flowers anyways."
"Eh, she's actually a zebra." Durham replied distractedly. Only after a few seconds he realized the words that came out of his mouth.
The female rabbit stared at him with an unamused expression. Her hands on her hips as she sighed.
"Look, I don't have time for jokes. What exactly do you want? I do have a lot to do up here. I would really appreciate if you can just skip the conversation and go to the point."
Durham eyed the bunny warily. He wasn't sure how to approach her passive aggressive skepticism. He decided for the 'all in' tactic.
"Well, I was hoping you could just help me to find some nice flowers for my, as Els so kindly mentioned, dear and beloved zebra. Which also happens to be taller than me and loves to use me as a punch bag."
Durham paused. A smirk on his face playing out as he watched the bunny gap at him for a brief moment. She didn't say anything, but the way she crossed her arms and frowned at him wasn't really the reaction he expected.
"Well, if that's what you're getting yourself into, might just look for something that won't cause any allergies. I know very few sets you can look after that won't cause any issues." She said with a tone of skepticism. "Not that flowers would be your biggest concern."
Durham snorted. How predictable that she would make some sort of insinuation in regards to a Carnivore dating and Herbivore.
"True, the major concern is, as I stated previously, bigger than me." The coyote replied, his words carrying an undertone that made Haru annoyed.
"I will show you to it then."
Durham nodded, he spared a quick glance at Els, his eyes caught the troubled look on her face. He stared at her briefly, curious on what had the fluffy female worked up. Els, noticing the attention she was being given, only shook her head.
"We can talk later."
'Interesting.' Durham shrugged at her in response. 'Definitely curious to know what's the stuff I'm missing here.'
The coyote waited for Els to move after Haru before trailing near her. His eyes shifted around, observing the vibrant environment with mild interest. He would be lying if he said that none of flora caught his attention somewhat. Despite not being into plants, he couldn't deny the appeal some of them had.
'This is the kind of stuff Ellen wouldn't mind having at her house. Well, assuming she finds some place that can accommodate plants anyway.'
"Before we get to pick any bouquets..." Haru started, her voice drove the coyote away from his thoughts. "What colors did you have in mind? Any that she likes?"
Durham halted his response. He never actually asked Ellen about things like favorite color, favorite food or several other minor interests.
"Huh, blue..." He replied slowly. A wild choice but he could justify that easily. It's not like Ellen would really care for the color anyways.
At least he hoped so.
"Huh, then will see an arrangement for you." She replied with some smugness. Durham sighed, he was aware that the rabbit figured out how clueless he is in regards to details about his love interest.
'Urgh, I hope this won't take too long.'
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Durham opened the door slowly, his eyes scanned the area for any sign of his roommates. Thankfully no one was around despite being nearly dusk. He quickly made his way inside and closed the door.
The journey back had been quite informative. After buying the flowers from a rather skeptical gardener rabbit, one that Durham honestly preferred to not get involved with, he became aware of the gossip regarding the very same gardener.
Els, according to her several amount of different sources, heard of that particular rabbit having affairs with several different males in the Campus. Durham was rather skeptical of such gossip, but the multitude of boasting males in regards to their physical experiences with that rabbit, something that was talked rather carelessly about to their friends, was enlarging such a huge group of witnesses that the coyote had to accept it as undeniable proof.
He said rather firmly to Els that he refused to comment on that. It wasn't his business nor his place to judge the rabbit or the ones that slept with her. Yet, the idea of a student doing such thing alarmed him. Sure, it shouldn't matter if people got involved with more than just one other soul, but the amount mentioned that the rabbit went through was just beyond abnormal.
Durham would rather never need to talk, or think about it again.
He wasted no time and kicked off his shoes to a corner, feeling relief at getting rid of the bothersome material that was part of Cherryton's standard uniform. He absolutely loathed those tight shoes.
He walked towards his bed with caution. His arms slowly rotated to accommodate the arrangement of flowers in front of him. He scrunched his muzzle as some petals caressed the edge of his nose.
"Durham?"
The coyote felt his heartbeat stop for a narrow second. His whole body turning to ice as he just became aware of the other presence in the room.
"L-Legosi?Wha...when did you get here?" The coyote asked, not daring to move an inch. He couldn't understand how he did not take note of the wolf's presence when he entered the dorm.
The sound of heavy feet hitting the wooden floor alerted him for the wolf's approach. Durham couldn't help but dread the likely amount of awkward questions that would be thrown his way.
Legosi stared at the coyote's back in confusion, unsure of why Durham sounded so uncomfortable.
"Huh, I came by few minutes ago. I had forgotten one of my... are those... flowers?"
Durham sighed in defeat. There was no point trying to talk his way out of this situation. Legosi probably smelled the scent of the bouquet way before seeing it.
"Yeah, yeah. You got me. I bought this for Ellen. We are going out tomorrow. Kinda wanted to make a surprise." The coyote admitted begrudgingly while turning around to face the taller canine. "Though this wasn't really my idea, Els talked me into it."
"Els?" Legosi contemplated the event for a quiet moment, his curiosity peaked all of sudden. "Say, how are you and Ellen doing? I don't know much about your relationship and honestly I should known more, at least something."
Durham was surprised that Legosi asked such thing. The wolf rarely asked about other students or any animals overall.
"Why the sudden interest? It's not like you even talk much about relationships with anyone, or even Jack for that matter." Durham questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Legosi winced at the words being thrown his way.
"Perhaps not. It's just..."
A conflicted expression on the wolf's face caught Durham's attention.
"Why don't we sit down and talk?" Durham suggested, indicating the wolf's bed with a nod of his head. "I think we both have things to clarify. That if... you want to. I know I'm not Jack, but I would like to think we are friends that are perfectly capable of talking and helping each other out."
"We are." Legosi replied immediately, but the blank expression coming from Durham made the wolf reconsider. "I guess... we should talk more often."
"Precisely." The coyote replied with a grin on his muzzle. "Since we are being straightforward for once, I want to ask you something, in return I will answer one question of yours. No lies here, only the truth."
Legosi clasped his hands, his eyes shifting downwards as he thought about the proposal. If being honest meant a step forward in their friendship, even if the wolf felt extremely uncomfortable by doing so, then he saw no other way of doing it.
"Just... promise to never tell anyone?" Legosi asked, although he sounded more like begging. Durham shifted his expression to a more serious one.
"I won't betray your trust, Legosi. No matter what happens, what we share concerns no one else. Unless you wish, whatever it may be, to be shared. Otherwise I ain't telling a damn thing to anyone."
"Not even Ellen?"
Durham chuckled. This wolf was way more well aware than he let himself know.
"I promised a lot to Ellen, but spilling other's secrets wasn't it. Only my own."
Legosi nodded slowly, letting out a breath of easiness. Durham sounded very solid about his statements, his resolve gave the wolf enough courage to speak his mind for once.
"I... think I'm in love..."
"That's good, which also explains why you're expressing yourself more often. Don't give me that look." Durham chuckled as the wolf stared quizzically at him. "It was very noticeable for any that spent months stuck in a dorm with your sorry tail. Spill it out, what's so amazing about her that caught your attention?"
Legosi hesitated. He frowned while struggling to find words to describe his feelings in regards to the female that plagued his mind.
"I... it's hard to say why, but... her scent..."
"Huh, I'm afraid I have no idea how to understand scents." Durham replied somewhat sheepishly. Legosi regarded him with a wary look.
"Durham, you're a coyote. You should have quite the nose. Not as good as a wolf, but still."
"Gee, thanks, I feel very proud of myself." Durham replied with irony. He sighed before scratching his furry chin, the call for a bath urging his senses. "The thing is, I kinda had a very unusual birth. Therefore I didn't developed a reliable sense of smell. To put it simple, I cannot smell anything."
"Oh."
Legosi glanced around awkwardly, unsure of how to take in such situation. It wasn't very often he meet someone with some sort of disability, at least not since...
"That's why you take two showers a day. Cause you can't tell if you're smelling good or not." Legosi stated hesitantly.
"Yep, that's about right. Well, your turn. I asked my question."
"Huh, my answer was sort of... short." Legosi countered weakly. Durham dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"Bah, a question is a question. Come on, I'm kinda looking forward to see what you want to know." The coyote insisted enthusiastically enough.
"Right, hum... are you really in love with Ellen?"
Durham smirked. It was a very predictable question but he's been preparing for it.
"Yeah, I am. We actually will go out on a date tomorrow wit- huh, witness the buzz on the downtown and whatnot." Durham quickly corrected himself. He felt his face heating up as Legosi regarded him very quietly. The coyote mentally cursed himself for nearly giving Jack away. "Heh, I kinda might get a summer job while I'm at it."
This surprised the wolf quite thoroughly.
"You're already looking for a job? But you're still a second year."
"Well, I won't be here forever and I'm very doubtful I would take the fourth year, like many others rarely do." Durham regarded the wolf with some worry. "Have you thought on what do you want to work with after you finish school?"
"No, not really. I had a few things in mind, but I'm not sure yet." Legosi admitted somewhat regretfully. Durham nodded.
"Well, you should try starting somewhere, even if it's something totally different from what you would be aiming for. A bit of income this early helps tremendously. Especially if you are going out with a girl. A male with a job speaks volumes for any female that you might be wanting to impress. It doesn't hurt to try."
Legosi pondered the suggestion in his mind. Durham was always a down to earth type of person, he rarely left himself to be bothered by circumstances out of his control, especially when it was about social prejudice. If the coyote was thinking that far ahead about his own life then, perhaps, it wouldn't be a really wasted effort to try to do something similar. Not to mention that the concept, that more often than not was truthful, of females being more attracted to partners with some sort of income worried him greatly.
"I will think about it. Say, are you doing fine with her? I mean, I'm not sure how much it can affect you once you're dating outside species and, well, not even a Carnivore. Aren't you worried?"
Legosi's concern were genuine and Durham was glad to be able to ease them somewhat, he briefly wondered if all his other friends were in a similar state.
"Aye, I'm always worried, but mostly for her than me. Being an Herbivore will by default put her on imminent danger. Yet, I got to known her better, she is the least likely to be attacked and not fight back ferociously. That girl knows how to put someone down if she wants to. Remember the other day she kicked us really hard?"
Legosi grimaced at the memory. Ellen's kick left him with difficulty to breathe without feeling any sort of pain for two days straight. As if the scarred scratches on his back caused by Bill hadn't been painful enough during that time.
"Yeah, I can relate with your expression right now. She can be truly savage when she wants to. It's kinda scary, yet endearing somewhat. She is mighty impressive for a female Herbivore, that's why I got interested on her. We had a bit of a rough start but got along as time went by. I just... I can't see myself with any other person that not Ellen. She's unlike any other girl I met. I think exotic would be the simplest way to describe her. That and I have a thing for tall girls."
"Well, you ain't the tallest person around." Legosi replied without thinking. Durham snorted.
"Such words coming from the giant wolf himself. I wonder how you will do if you ever find someone taller than you. Well, there's Mina, but being a long neck isn't exactly an advantage."
"Riz is a bit taller than me, Bill I'm not so sure."
"Yeah, Bill is kinda around your height. Dunno about Riz, I barely get to see that dude around. What's up about him anyway? I don't think I ever heard his voice. He's like you, but ten times quieter." Durham inquired with a curious expression on his face. Legosi shrugged.
"He never was one of talking. Whenever needed he would do his tasks and everyone never had anything to complain about it. He's mostly around minding his own. Bill and Tao get to talk with him once in a while."
"Speaking of him, how's Tao? I don't think he took Shiira's break up very well."
Legosi sighed, looking somewhat frustrated by the mention of that particular event.
"Tao should've know better than to go with Bill. I wish he hadn't. He's really nice and I don't think he would go after the wrong things on his own. It was really bad that Shiira found out though. I wouldn't say he was entirely to blame since we had no intention of ending up at that market. Tao is... being very quiet. At least that's how it felt the very few times I saw him, although I did notice he started to look after Juno more often."
"Oh, wow. He's probably already thinking of moving on." Durham joked, but Legosi remained thoughtful.
"No, I don't think it's because of that. It's just that Juno... well..."
"Oh, great. Here we go again with your Juno issues."
Legosi regarded the coyote with something akin to indignation.
"My Juno issues?" The wolf inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Legosi, let me ask you something, even because it's my turn to ask anyways. Why you never gave Juno a chance? What's about Juno that makes you be so evasive of her? Juno, I hope Ellen doesn't hear this, is quite an amazing girl. Sure, she may jump head first into things without proper thinking, but she is very pretty and mindful of other people. She's been trying hard at the club, everyone noticed that and grew to respect and admire her, not only due her efforts, but her kind gestures and overly positive attitude. People like her mostly for who she is, even a good deal of Herbivores. I may say is damn impressive how well liked she is around the campus, even despite being a first year. Juno is not the kind to sit around and let the world of stereotypes and prejudice overtake her confidence. You see Legosi, she's not just a pretty face, she has a great personality behind her. Why wouldn't you give her a chance?"
The wolf remained silent, his eyes staring forward, locked on a distant gaze that went beyond their plan of existence. Durham took notice of the barely noticeable trembling of the wolf's hands, the way his tail snapped from time to time, his muzzle scrunching lightly as if he was trying to contain something deep within him.
"Legosi..."
"It's just..." The wolf closed his eyes. A low whimper escaping from him, something that alarmed the coyote tremendously.
"...she...she looks just... like my mother."