Post by Pavane on Sept 30, 2010 18:29:40 GMT -5
Setting: Paddock Pond - Early Winter (RL day 10)
Characters:
Lalu - Female Coydog
Itou - Female Catahoula Leopard Dog
Skylar - Neuter Saluki
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Although the area isn't a human place Lalu's familiar with it, she's drawn to it anyway; she's been skulking around its edges for the last day or two, retreating for sleep. Now she's back, hunkered down by the paddock pond.. It's a cold, crisp day, and most of the pond's surface is covered by fallen leaves, which are shifted slowly by the sharp breeze. Lalu's making soft sounds to herself as she noses at the leaves nearest the water's edge, occasionally snapping at one. As a result, she's got a bright orange splatter of leaflitter on her nose.
Cold. Already, it's too cold for her liking, and winter has barely begun. Itou's halfway inclined to cuddle up with a bear, at this point, if he had the fluffy coat. Best keep moving, though. Easier to stay warm in motion. So she's heading out through the pasture at a brisk pace, casting about for a scent of something to eat but in no particular rush to find it, when she hears a sound. She freezes, for a moment. Don't much sound like prey. Don't much sound like something hunting her, either. Best find out what it is - so she turns her steps in that direction, ears perked curiously.
Winter is creeping in, which usually has Skylar keeping close to home to make up for the lack of warmth a Saluki's fairly short coat provides, but so far it seems like it'll be somewhat milder than last year. No snow yet, at least. As such, Skye has decided to come around his usual haunt in the farmlands for a bit of scouting about, a little sniff here and there to see what's what and who's new around the meadows. Following one of the more recent, slightly different than usual (and thus all the more intriguing) scents its nose picks up, the fawn-toned hound tracks its way south from the farm and towards the small pond found close by; it isn't long before Skye's icy blue eyes spot the other canid crouching by the pool of water. "Oh, hello there," the purebred offers in a friendly greeting, feathered tail wagging briefly. Paused to see if this stranger is friend or foe, Skylar doesn't yet notice the other unfamiliar dog nearby.
Lalu jerks her head up, her ears twitching and then flattening, and looks sharply towards the source of the greeting. Her nose twitches and she gives voice to a stuttery snarl, thin tail pressing against the backs of her legs as she does. "Who are -you-?" she demands, and then: "Are you -alone-?" whiny-snippy, and a little drooly too. She glances quickly to the right, to the left, and then, body twitching, behind her -- looking for other dogs.
Itou pauses at the edge of the tall grass, looking between the graceful purebred and the quivering mongrel. Well, here's two new scents on the trail. Ain't no point in running in, though. Not 'til she's sure this is a trail worth hunting. She doesn't try to hide herself, though sometimes her scatter-patched pelt does that for her. And sometimes it doesn't. Either way, she's not particularly concerned, just watching with an inquisitive look and a slight tilt of her head to the side. These two will show what sorts they are, soon enough, most like, and then she'll have some idea how to get involved herself.
Skylar's tail dips slightly at the snarling response that's received, though it doesn't turn tail and leave -- Skye's discouraged only the slightest little bit in attempting to make acquaintanceship with this new canine. "I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye if you like," the purebred answers just as cheerily, as though not having heard the growl at all. "Am I alone?" As though confused by the question, the hound looks from side to side as well, considering briefly before offering the tentative reply: "I guess so..?"
Wait wait wait. Her furiously working nose is finding an absence and for a moment that grumbly growl fades; Lalu simply stares at the other dog, puzzled. Then she backs up, jumping as her hind paws splash into the water. It doesn't have a /smell/! Well, it does, but not -- the snarl starts up again, with verve. "Are you -sick-?" it's nearly a wail, even as accusing as it is. Still with the darty glances here-and-back, and Lalu can't seem to decide if she wants to try staring this other dog down or not -- she'll stare intently for a few moments and then jerk her eyes away. But she's not paying as much attention as she should -- she is /confused/. And /upset/.
Itou shifts to the side a few steps, for a better scent. Lalu may be finding the scent of the sleekly-coated one strange, but there's something rather strange about the other female's, as well. She's been on the trail of that scent, before. Well, not quite that scent. But there's something about it that's downright familiar, and not from being on her pack in a hunt. Skye - well, her humans mostly had more surefire methods for making sure their culls didn't breed, but that don't mean she hasn't met altered dogs before. She pads forward a few steps - this keeps going on as it is, might need some breaking-up 'fore it turns to a fight.
Skylar merely watches quite curiously as the other dog reacts so strangely to either something it said or did, furred ears flicking backwards for a brief moment at the accusatory question as though ashamed, although for no apparent reason. "No, ma'am..." A slight pause as the lanky hound scents at the air once again, drawing in the strange mix of smells that the female offers herself. "...are you?" Though its eerily pale blue stare continues, it's not intentionally meant as any gesture of dominance, nor is its own returned question meant to be offensive. Skye's just not the most skilled with handling the subtle nuances of certain social interactions.
Lalu whines softly. "Why do you smell like that, then?" aggressive, taking a step forward even as her belly hits the ground. She licks her teeth, eyeing Skylar. "What are you?" it's a demand, her voice raising a little. And then her head jerks sharply to the side and her ears swing forward, her ruff bristling. "Someone else -is- here!" accusatory.
Yep, sure does seem like a bit of calm speaking might be needed here. Ain't neither of these seem to have much sense in their heads, though they both got good reasons as to why. Itou lifts up her head, and gives voice a short bay. Here I am. Just like hunting on a trail, though what she's hunting is some sense. She continues padding forward until she's in clear view of the other two, tail out straight behind her and ears perked. "Sure am. Ain't seen you two before, have I? Seems you found one another 'fore finding me."
Skylar's slender muzzle droops in the faintest of frowns at the half-whined, half-growled inquisition, though by now it's become accustomed to strange reactions to its own unusual nature. But was there really a need for the antagonism? She doesn't exactly smell normal herself, after all... "What are /you/?" Skye throws back in question to the hybrid, likely only irritating the coydog even more. Before either of them can get an answer to their inquiries, however, a third party announces her presence on the scene, interrupting the conversation that was quickly on its way to becoming an inane circular argument between the two.
"A /lady/," Lalu snaps at Skylar, mimicking something her mother has said in the past, and then that short bay zaps her, apparently, right through the spine for all the way she responds to it. Her teeth snap and she wiggles in place for a moment, before slinking a few steps towards Itou and stretching out her neck to sniff so furiously she's practically panting. "Well at least /you're/ proper," licking her muzzle anxiously.
Round and round and round, that conversation was going. A pair of dogs chasing each others' tails, and no more sensical than when one dog does it. She stands her ground, letting Lalu sniff at her. Dog, through and through. Undoubtedly female, as well, with none of that funny missing smell. She takes a slow sniff back - only fair to do the same, and it'll confirm her suspicions - and chuckles softly. "Well, I ain't no lady, but I ain't got anything against the sort." Her tail lifts up a bit further, and starts a slow wag as it does. Friendly, but quite confident in her friendliness. "Can't say as how I'm proper all the ways, but then, I'd reckon neither are you, or any of us round here. So it goes."
Well, at least someone else around here knows how to be friendly... Skylar quickly responds to the wag in the newest dog's tail, offering one of its own right back, and even taking a couple of steps over towards her. "Oh, hello there to you too, ma'am." Reminded of one of the primary reasons it's returned to the grazelands in the first place, Skye inquires with a tilt of its slender head: "You know anything of Allegro, or his pack?" The alpha's scent seem to have faded from where it was usually found, but perhaps this female was one of his newer recruits, or knew of where he might have run off to.
Lalu's skinny tail quivers a few times, but aside from that she doesn't respond to the wag. She's still bellied down, glancing from one to the other, growling now and again -- but she's quieted down. "Who's -that-?" she wants to know, easing back a little.
Itou tilts her head to the saluki. "'llegro? Can't say as I've heard that name. Ain't been around here long, though. Just came up at the very tailtip of last winter." And she's not looking forward to having the whole dog's worth of winter, this time around! Her gaze falls over Lalu - steady, but not threatening. It's the gaze of someone who doesn't see the need to challenge. And then it moves on, back to Skylar. "Been no pack here, though. Not that I've seen. Some dogs, but nothing like a pack. Just a handful hanging 'round."
Skylar offers nothing more than a casual shrug at the negatory response, apparently not caring too much in the end anyway. It's been coming around the meadows long enough to have been through at least two or three power shifts among the various canids that have come and gone, and this seems to be no different. If nothing else, it'll provide an opportunity to meet different dogs and make new friends, perhaps. At the barked question, Skye's blue eyes flit back to Lalu before simply explaining: "The alpha of the dog pack that used to roam around these parts. Or was, at least."
"But not anymore." This seems to make her most unhappy. "Good-bye." Awkward and sudden, and she gives herself a shake before bounding to her feet and slinking away.
Itou gazes steadily at Skylar. Seems awful calm about the missing dog. Huh. But... them as smell like that are awful calm 'bout most things, ain't they? Just kind of odd that way. Then her gaze is brought back to Lalu as the coydog responds and then runs off. Now that one, that one is rather the opposite of calm. She huhs, staring at where the other disappeared. "That un needs a good dinner, I reckon," she murmurs, half to herself.
Skylar peers curiously after the strange hybrid as she suddenly darts away, seemingly a bit too skittish to handle two unfamiliar dogs at once. "What was she? She smelled different..." Just like the saluki, and yet not...despite being strange, the other female's scent was still quite familiar, but the sight hound couldn't quite put his nose on it... "Do you know?" Skye turns back around to ask, apparently filled to the brim with questions after his most recent brief disappearance from the meadows.
Itou chuckles, looking up and over at Skye again. "Aye, different's right. She ain't all dog," replies the hound. "Y'can smell it on her. Like she's been hunting the wild ones, only that ain't from her hunting. It just be a part of her." She sighs, the humour leaving her expression, and shakes her head. "Dog like that, sometime it drive them crazy. Ain't one thing, ain't the other. Don't know what they oughtta be."
Skylar's nose twitches as it attempts to garner any lingering clues in what remains of the departed canine's scent, blue eyes glazing over somewhat as it thinks, mentally filing through various scent-memories from the past. Not quite as strong as a full-blooded wolf's powerful musk, but there's certainly something wild in her, both in smell and in temperament. "Coyote, perhaps?" the last thought is mused aloud before the saluki returns its attentions to the spotted dog. "I don't think I caught your name amongst all the fuss...I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye, if you like."
Itou gives a brief nod of her head. "Seems like." That's about what her nose had figured out about the departed dog, as well. Least, the half-dog - but she'll not judge against the creature until she has cause. So, in her head, dog; if a strange one, and one it's best to be careful around for now. "Why, I don't think I quite got round to giving it!" she replies, with a chuckle. "I be Itou. Pleasure to meet you, Skye." Long names just aren't worth the trouble, to her mind.
Skylar gives a dip of the head and a wag of the tail at the returned greeting, muzzle spreading in a tongue-lolling smile. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. Least you seem a bit friendlier than that one did at first meeting..." A sudden thought crosses the purebred's mind then as he ponders the hybrid's reactions, and the saluki's head turns once more in the direction in which the coydog took off. "You don't think she's...got the sickness, do ya?" Skye asks, a clear look of concern on its face.
Itou smiles, tail swaying gently, and chuckles softly as she nods. At that second suggestion, though, she pauses, tail stopping as she considers on the question. "Could be so, but... them as has it charge forward more than they run away. Least, as I seen it," she replies slowly, thinking about it. "That one... maybe she had some crazy, but it were... a tangled up sort of crazy, not the sort of crazy where it all comes loose. Least, that's how it seemed to me." She looks concerned, though - that's not the sort of thought to be dismissed lightly, once it's been had.
The leopard dog does raise some good points, and the saluki nods along with them in agreement. "Well, I hope so..." Not just for the coydog's sake, but for their own. A wintery breeze suddenly stirs up in the air, causing Skylar's wispy frame to shudder from the biting chill. "Brrr...I think I'll be back off to the barn to find some warmer shelter for the night... You're welcome to come with, if you like." Itou wouldn't be the first dog invited along to the abandoned farmhouse, though not all of the dogs out here share the idea of Man's home as a cozy haven.
Itou nods with enthusiasm. Better yet than just the barn, the barn with another body to generate heat! Itou's coat is not meant for insulation against the frigid air her. "Aye. I'd enjoy that," she simply replies, turning herself to come along. She's had her particular opinions about this man or the other, in her time, but on the whole, she's inclined to a more-or-less peaceful sort of coexistence with them. Or with their artifacts, in the cases where they ain't around any more.
Characters:
Lalu - Female Coydog
Itou - Female Catahoula Leopard Dog
Skylar - Neuter Saluki
---------------------------------------------
Although the area isn't a human place Lalu's familiar with it, she's drawn to it anyway; she's been skulking around its edges for the last day or two, retreating for sleep. Now she's back, hunkered down by the paddock pond.. It's a cold, crisp day, and most of the pond's surface is covered by fallen leaves, which are shifted slowly by the sharp breeze. Lalu's making soft sounds to herself as she noses at the leaves nearest the water's edge, occasionally snapping at one. As a result, she's got a bright orange splatter of leaflitter on her nose.
Cold. Already, it's too cold for her liking, and winter has barely begun. Itou's halfway inclined to cuddle up with a bear, at this point, if he had the fluffy coat. Best keep moving, though. Easier to stay warm in motion. So she's heading out through the pasture at a brisk pace, casting about for a scent of something to eat but in no particular rush to find it, when she hears a sound. She freezes, for a moment. Don't much sound like prey. Don't much sound like something hunting her, either. Best find out what it is - so she turns her steps in that direction, ears perked curiously.
Winter is creeping in, which usually has Skylar keeping close to home to make up for the lack of warmth a Saluki's fairly short coat provides, but so far it seems like it'll be somewhat milder than last year. No snow yet, at least. As such, Skye has decided to come around his usual haunt in the farmlands for a bit of scouting about, a little sniff here and there to see what's what and who's new around the meadows. Following one of the more recent, slightly different than usual (and thus all the more intriguing) scents its nose picks up, the fawn-toned hound tracks its way south from the farm and towards the small pond found close by; it isn't long before Skye's icy blue eyes spot the other canid crouching by the pool of water. "Oh, hello there," the purebred offers in a friendly greeting, feathered tail wagging briefly. Paused to see if this stranger is friend or foe, Skylar doesn't yet notice the other unfamiliar dog nearby.
Lalu jerks her head up, her ears twitching and then flattening, and looks sharply towards the source of the greeting. Her nose twitches and she gives voice to a stuttery snarl, thin tail pressing against the backs of her legs as she does. "Who are -you-?" she demands, and then: "Are you -alone-?" whiny-snippy, and a little drooly too. She glances quickly to the right, to the left, and then, body twitching, behind her -- looking for other dogs.
Itou pauses at the edge of the tall grass, looking between the graceful purebred and the quivering mongrel. Well, here's two new scents on the trail. Ain't no point in running in, though. Not 'til she's sure this is a trail worth hunting. She doesn't try to hide herself, though sometimes her scatter-patched pelt does that for her. And sometimes it doesn't. Either way, she's not particularly concerned, just watching with an inquisitive look and a slight tilt of her head to the side. These two will show what sorts they are, soon enough, most like, and then she'll have some idea how to get involved herself.
Skylar's tail dips slightly at the snarling response that's received, though it doesn't turn tail and leave -- Skye's discouraged only the slightest little bit in attempting to make acquaintanceship with this new canine. "I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye if you like," the purebred answers just as cheerily, as though not having heard the growl at all. "Am I alone?" As though confused by the question, the hound looks from side to side as well, considering briefly before offering the tentative reply: "I guess so..?"
Wait wait wait. Her furiously working nose is finding an absence and for a moment that grumbly growl fades; Lalu simply stares at the other dog, puzzled. Then she backs up, jumping as her hind paws splash into the water. It doesn't have a /smell/! Well, it does, but not -- the snarl starts up again, with verve. "Are you -sick-?" it's nearly a wail, even as accusing as it is. Still with the darty glances here-and-back, and Lalu can't seem to decide if she wants to try staring this other dog down or not -- she'll stare intently for a few moments and then jerk her eyes away. But she's not paying as much attention as she should -- she is /confused/. And /upset/.
Itou shifts to the side a few steps, for a better scent. Lalu may be finding the scent of the sleekly-coated one strange, but there's something rather strange about the other female's, as well. She's been on the trail of that scent, before. Well, not quite that scent. But there's something about it that's downright familiar, and not from being on her pack in a hunt. Skye - well, her humans mostly had more surefire methods for making sure their culls didn't breed, but that don't mean she hasn't met altered dogs before. She pads forward a few steps - this keeps going on as it is, might need some breaking-up 'fore it turns to a fight.
Skylar merely watches quite curiously as the other dog reacts so strangely to either something it said or did, furred ears flicking backwards for a brief moment at the accusatory question as though ashamed, although for no apparent reason. "No, ma'am..." A slight pause as the lanky hound scents at the air once again, drawing in the strange mix of smells that the female offers herself. "...are you?" Though its eerily pale blue stare continues, it's not intentionally meant as any gesture of dominance, nor is its own returned question meant to be offensive. Skye's just not the most skilled with handling the subtle nuances of certain social interactions.
Lalu whines softly. "Why do you smell like that, then?" aggressive, taking a step forward even as her belly hits the ground. She licks her teeth, eyeing Skylar. "What are you?" it's a demand, her voice raising a little. And then her head jerks sharply to the side and her ears swing forward, her ruff bristling. "Someone else -is- here!" accusatory.
Yep, sure does seem like a bit of calm speaking might be needed here. Ain't neither of these seem to have much sense in their heads, though they both got good reasons as to why. Itou lifts up her head, and gives voice a short bay. Here I am. Just like hunting on a trail, though what she's hunting is some sense. She continues padding forward until she's in clear view of the other two, tail out straight behind her and ears perked. "Sure am. Ain't seen you two before, have I? Seems you found one another 'fore finding me."
Skylar's slender muzzle droops in the faintest of frowns at the half-whined, half-growled inquisition, though by now it's become accustomed to strange reactions to its own unusual nature. But was there really a need for the antagonism? She doesn't exactly smell normal herself, after all... "What are /you/?" Skye throws back in question to the hybrid, likely only irritating the coydog even more. Before either of them can get an answer to their inquiries, however, a third party announces her presence on the scene, interrupting the conversation that was quickly on its way to becoming an inane circular argument between the two.
"A /lady/," Lalu snaps at Skylar, mimicking something her mother has said in the past, and then that short bay zaps her, apparently, right through the spine for all the way she responds to it. Her teeth snap and she wiggles in place for a moment, before slinking a few steps towards Itou and stretching out her neck to sniff so furiously she's practically panting. "Well at least /you're/ proper," licking her muzzle anxiously.
Round and round and round, that conversation was going. A pair of dogs chasing each others' tails, and no more sensical than when one dog does it. She stands her ground, letting Lalu sniff at her. Dog, through and through. Undoubtedly female, as well, with none of that funny missing smell. She takes a slow sniff back - only fair to do the same, and it'll confirm her suspicions - and chuckles softly. "Well, I ain't no lady, but I ain't got anything against the sort." Her tail lifts up a bit further, and starts a slow wag as it does. Friendly, but quite confident in her friendliness. "Can't say as how I'm proper all the ways, but then, I'd reckon neither are you, or any of us round here. So it goes."
Well, at least someone else around here knows how to be friendly... Skylar quickly responds to the wag in the newest dog's tail, offering one of its own right back, and even taking a couple of steps over towards her. "Oh, hello there to you too, ma'am." Reminded of one of the primary reasons it's returned to the grazelands in the first place, Skye inquires with a tilt of its slender head: "You know anything of Allegro, or his pack?" The alpha's scent seem to have faded from where it was usually found, but perhaps this female was one of his newer recruits, or knew of where he might have run off to.
Lalu's skinny tail quivers a few times, but aside from that she doesn't respond to the wag. She's still bellied down, glancing from one to the other, growling now and again -- but she's quieted down. "Who's -that-?" she wants to know, easing back a little.
Itou tilts her head to the saluki. "'llegro? Can't say as I've heard that name. Ain't been around here long, though. Just came up at the very tailtip of last winter." And she's not looking forward to having the whole dog's worth of winter, this time around! Her gaze falls over Lalu - steady, but not threatening. It's the gaze of someone who doesn't see the need to challenge. And then it moves on, back to Skylar. "Been no pack here, though. Not that I've seen. Some dogs, but nothing like a pack. Just a handful hanging 'round."
Skylar offers nothing more than a casual shrug at the negatory response, apparently not caring too much in the end anyway. It's been coming around the meadows long enough to have been through at least two or three power shifts among the various canids that have come and gone, and this seems to be no different. If nothing else, it'll provide an opportunity to meet different dogs and make new friends, perhaps. At the barked question, Skye's blue eyes flit back to Lalu before simply explaining: "The alpha of the dog pack that used to roam around these parts. Or was, at least."
"But not anymore." This seems to make her most unhappy. "Good-bye." Awkward and sudden, and she gives herself a shake before bounding to her feet and slinking away.
Itou gazes steadily at Skylar. Seems awful calm about the missing dog. Huh. But... them as smell like that are awful calm 'bout most things, ain't they? Just kind of odd that way. Then her gaze is brought back to Lalu as the coydog responds and then runs off. Now that one, that one is rather the opposite of calm. She huhs, staring at where the other disappeared. "That un needs a good dinner, I reckon," she murmurs, half to herself.
Skylar peers curiously after the strange hybrid as she suddenly darts away, seemingly a bit too skittish to handle two unfamiliar dogs at once. "What was she? She smelled different..." Just like the saluki, and yet not...despite being strange, the other female's scent was still quite familiar, but the sight hound couldn't quite put his nose on it... "Do you know?" Skye turns back around to ask, apparently filled to the brim with questions after his most recent brief disappearance from the meadows.
Itou chuckles, looking up and over at Skye again. "Aye, different's right. She ain't all dog," replies the hound. "Y'can smell it on her. Like she's been hunting the wild ones, only that ain't from her hunting. It just be a part of her." She sighs, the humour leaving her expression, and shakes her head. "Dog like that, sometime it drive them crazy. Ain't one thing, ain't the other. Don't know what they oughtta be."
Skylar's nose twitches as it attempts to garner any lingering clues in what remains of the departed canine's scent, blue eyes glazing over somewhat as it thinks, mentally filing through various scent-memories from the past. Not quite as strong as a full-blooded wolf's powerful musk, but there's certainly something wild in her, both in smell and in temperament. "Coyote, perhaps?" the last thought is mused aloud before the saluki returns its attentions to the spotted dog. "I don't think I caught your name amongst all the fuss...I'm Skylar, but you can call me Skye, if you like."
Itou gives a brief nod of her head. "Seems like." That's about what her nose had figured out about the departed dog, as well. Least, the half-dog - but she'll not judge against the creature until she has cause. So, in her head, dog; if a strange one, and one it's best to be careful around for now. "Why, I don't think I quite got round to giving it!" she replies, with a chuckle. "I be Itou. Pleasure to meet you, Skye." Long names just aren't worth the trouble, to her mind.
Skylar gives a dip of the head and a wag of the tail at the returned greeting, muzzle spreading in a tongue-lolling smile. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. Least you seem a bit friendlier than that one did at first meeting..." A sudden thought crosses the purebred's mind then as he ponders the hybrid's reactions, and the saluki's head turns once more in the direction in which the coydog took off. "You don't think she's...got the sickness, do ya?" Skye asks, a clear look of concern on its face.
Itou smiles, tail swaying gently, and chuckles softly as she nods. At that second suggestion, though, she pauses, tail stopping as she considers on the question. "Could be so, but... them as has it charge forward more than they run away. Least, as I seen it," she replies slowly, thinking about it. "That one... maybe she had some crazy, but it were... a tangled up sort of crazy, not the sort of crazy where it all comes loose. Least, that's how it seemed to me." She looks concerned, though - that's not the sort of thought to be dismissed lightly, once it's been had.
The leopard dog does raise some good points, and the saluki nods along with them in agreement. "Well, I hope so..." Not just for the coydog's sake, but for their own. A wintery breeze suddenly stirs up in the air, causing Skylar's wispy frame to shudder from the biting chill. "Brrr...I think I'll be back off to the barn to find some warmer shelter for the night... You're welcome to come with, if you like." Itou wouldn't be the first dog invited along to the abandoned farmhouse, though not all of the dogs out here share the idea of Man's home as a cozy haven.
Itou nods with enthusiasm. Better yet than just the barn, the barn with another body to generate heat! Itou's coat is not meant for insulation against the frigid air her. "Aye. I'd enjoy that," she simply replies, turning herself to come along. She's had her particular opinions about this man or the other, in her time, but on the whole, she's inclined to a more-or-less peaceful sort of coexistence with them. Or with their artifacts, in the cases where they ain't around any more.