~* Love Challenge *~ Eden

The garden was like a miniature paradise, though it was clearly an artificialy created one. To neat and organised to be a natural one. Ofcourse, it was also in the middle of the city. It had once been an empty lot, untill someone had baught it and turned it into an oasis in the middle of the bustling metropolis.

Plant grew everywhere and a small path wound its way through the garden, ending in a small clearing with a cherry tree, a swing hung from it and a large boulder sat not for away from it, large enough for several people to climb on. The sweet smell of flowers was heady and many different kinds of insects and birds flitted about. Mostly butterflies, bees and the occasional humming bird.

The owner of this garden was named Eden.  At first glance she appeared to be a black panther, but her tail was much to long, ending almost tuft like and she was covered in glowing square markings that shifted color like burning embers every time she moved, always being the color of fire.

She made a strange contrast with the garden, her outfit bordering cyberpunk, not exactly what you'd expect to find in a garden such as this, but it was all her work regardless. She was pulling weeds at the moment, hunched under the tree.

The garden grabbed the attention of one of its typically apathetic passerby. A pedestrian on his way home from work, victim of a cancelled bus route, had paused at the gate and peered in. He blinked, unsure of the reality before his eyes.

Turning to face the entrance, his appearance became more pronounced. A typical blue factory uniform, with orange accents indicating his employment at Astro Multicorp, hung loosely on his body. A dusty cap with an orange bill sat far back on his head, and a lunchbox was firmly grasped in his hands.

Anu Leo was his name, and he was a poorly groomed feline with wide eyes a bit to much naivety for his own good. He was a bit of a mutt, and while he was distinctly Ocelot, he had enough of his mother's Siberian Housecat in him for a bushy tail and a heck of a jump shot. He was tall, and while not quite gaunt enough to be scrawny, Anu was close.

Looking around, and not seeing anyone inside from his perspective, he tried the gate. It swung open with a small creak, and Anu entered. He stopped as soon as he saw Eden, hunched next to a tree. Unsure of what to say, he froze.

She got up with a contented sigh, slapping the dirt from her knees and discarting the weeds in a bucket that hadn't been too far from her side. Her ears twitched as well as her nose as the gate creeked, her posture tensing, before relaxing as she realised the person that had entered wouldn't pose a threat.

She slowly turned around with a slightly puzzled expression creasing her features as she eyed him curiously. The cat before her looked quite avarage, if not a bit scruffy, dressed in worker clothes and clutching a lunch. On his way to work maybe? she wondered what had promted him to step into her garden.

"Yes..?"she asked, her voice soft yet clearly audible. It was quite feminine, pitched high and sounding younger then she really was. It held the odd lilt of an accent, though it was hard to place the accent exactly."Can I help you?"her expression went slightly concerned"Are you lost perhaps?".

The feline blinked after he was addressed. There was a quick look to his right, to see if he was on camera, or perhaps hallucinating. No, no, this garden did exist, and the panther before him managed to look this stunning even after what was certainly a good deal of yard work. 


Snapping back to reality with a small clearing of the throat, Anu replied. "Oh, me? Uh, oh no, I-I-I'm just on my way home from work. Third shift at the plant." His voice was a calm basso. A bit of a radio voice, strong and full, but not quite as confident as the typical trained individual, and with no real accent beyond midwestern.


He took a tentative step forward, looking around at the garden in a small air of awe. "I didn't know this was here, so I came in to have a look." Completing his visual survey, Anu looked at the Panther, a light smile on his face. "Incredible! All your work?"

She waited patiently as he ran his eyes along the garden again, looking positively bewildered, as if he had to reasure himself that it really existed. It wasn't surprising really, concidering it was an oasis in the middle of a steel and concrete jungle and had a variety of insects and birds that would rarely venture into the cities where there wasn't enough for them to eat.

He snapped back to reality quickly enough though to answer her question. She blinked, looking up at the sky as if trying to figure out the time. She'd been here longer then she'd expected. "Ah I see"she smiled at him even as he took a step closer and she felt her face heat as he complimented the garden"Yes..."she said softly, feeling flustered"I made this garden..".

Figuring it was the polite thing to do, she extended a hand to him"I'm Eden..."she said"and you are..?".

Taking the hand and continuing his warm smile, Anu replied. "I must say, Miss Eden, I am quite impressed." He almost felt like an electric current pulsed through him as they made contact. His hand was large and beat by industrial labor, and contrasted her small, if well worked hands by nearly engulfing them. The two locked eyes for a moment, before breaking the handshake. God, her eyes were beautiful. A little hypnotic.

Then Anu noticed he was staring. Quickly clearing his throat and looking off at an interesting patch of grass, he continued. "Oh, uh I'm Anu. Pleasure to uh... meet you." After a breif gesticulation acknowledging her proximity, Anu's hands went to his pockets.

He tried to avoid looking at Eden, for fear of being too presumptuous or creepy, yet somewhat yearned to gase upon her. She was like a work of art, a sculpted ideal made animate and still containg all that brings the joy of the eye. Still, he wanted to respect this woman for more than her figure, and thus resolved to stay himself from that delight until such a time she and his conscience resolved to allow him to look.

She smiled with a genuine warmed that reached her clear blue eyes as they shook hands, his hands were warm, even though they were warm and callused and he wasn't turning the handshake into strenght contest. It was a good handshake, nice and firm, no loose wristed arm pumping."I'm pleased to hear you are impressed". It was a phrase that could have easily been sarcastic, but there was nothing but an almost shy honesty in her voice.

"Anu..."she seemed to taste the name as she spoke"That's an unusual name... I've never heared the like before.". She didn't seem to take offense to the looks he was giving her, almost as if used to it, though she gave him a small, almost hesitant smile.

"ah... it's ok, you can look"she smiled almost wryly, though humor danced in her blue eyes"I look rather unusual I know... I'm used to people staring... thank you for trying not to though... but its ok really"she clasped her hands before her"I look exactly how I want to, therefor there is no shame in looking... its meant to be seen"she sounded almost sage and cryptic, though the serious expression on her face as she said it was almost humorous.

Anu paused for a moment while he considered the statement. Well, if it was alright with her, he supposed there was nothing wrong with it. Smiling at his conclusion he nodded quickly and turned to face her. His grey eyes lit up and he examined her body in a glance just a tad longer than cursory. 

Anu tried to do otherwise, but could not help but enjoy her appearance. It was indeed unusual, but not at all unpleasant. The tail alone was hypnotic, constantly moving, shifting like some torch. Eden's outfit was far more futuristic and stylish than his boring uniform, but it complemented her nicely, right down to those beautiful blue gems in her eyes. 

He suddenly felt very self-conscious in his shabby uniform. He rubbed his nose, still feeling a bit bashful when he caught that mischief in her eyes. The tone was serious, but the body language painted a different story. Anu tailored his smile and response accordingly. 

Clearing his throat, his basso humming out "Well, if it's meant to be that way, I hope you don't mind me to admiring the view."

"Sometimes appearances are all we have"She mused, before smiling"and you can only make a first impression once, it's one of the life lessons my mother used to drill into my head"she made a disparaging face at the memory, but her smile returned quickly enough. She didn't seem to think any less of him because of his uniform though.

She looked to the boulder sitting in the small clearing and headed towards it"come on, lets sit down, if you want to talk some more that is, wouldn't do to keep standing around". The boulder was a lot smoother then it appeared at first, some of the surface forming perfect seats as if they'd been etched into it. Providing comfort without doing anything to disturb the natural look of the garden.

"I have some tea with me... if you'd like some..."she offered, almost shyly.

Anu was taken back a bit, but pleasantly so. Following closely behind, he figured a delay in his nightly commute wouldn't hurt. He was just going to zonk out in front of the television anyways. To be in a beautiful garden with a welcoming host, having a bit of tea, making small talk would be much better. "Oh, sure, I'd love to stay."

Anu ran his hands along the stone. It seemed more comfortable than his bus seat. Satisfied with his analysis, Anu was prepared to take a seat when she spoke. As he was offered a drink, he removed his hat, feeling as if he was in Eden's home and such a gesture was appropriate. His hair was thick and wild, not quite long, but knappy.

After placing his hat on the rock, he gave an affirmative nod to her offer, and stood up. He was feeling just a tad bit bashful, and he chewed his lower lip gingerly before saying. "I would love to. Do you need some help preparing?"