The Final Stand of Kauria

[DeletedUser37114]

Katarina
The idea that the leg was part of the woman was... odd, for sure. With the Havren being so good with metal and such, prosthetics weren't exactly a rarity. But at the same time, prosthetics didn't bleed, this was something else. Roni took Jokir's apology better than she would have, too, thanking them both for saving her. "Don't..." Kat started until the woman's expression changed to one of terror as she tried to stand again. "Don't you dare get up," Kat said, pushing the woman back down. She didn't want the woman's life to go to waste, not when she was this invested in saving it. If the fool wouldn't sit still enough to let the bleeding stop, she could at least wait until she was out of Kat's hair. "Stop them" was a worrying phrase though, and Kat glanced up at the alleyway entrance where Roni was looking. She'd expected guards, maybe a gang, not... whatever those were. The shock of the sight was enough that she didn't register Roni's call until after it had been repeated.

A dash back toward her and the barrier was up, metal magic. Useful enough, they'd be safe and Jokir would be able to handle- A horrific boom echoed as one of the attackers must have hit the barrier. The thing held, which was really good, physical barriers made from magic were pretty easy to maintain, so even an exhausted mage shouldn't have any... Kat glanced over at Roni and the hope that had been building went right out the window. The woman was shaking hard, holding it against the monsters outside must have been taking a toll on her. They didn't have time to just wait for Jokir to kill these things. And Kat's own magic would be more dangerous to them than the enemies outside if she tried to use it from within the barrier. Heating the metal wasn't an option. She'd have to use fire. Actual fire. Flares of phantom pain washed over her back as the thought popped into her head, but... she could do this. As she started gathering up her magic, she spoke "When I count down, I need you to drop the barrier," she said, voice surprisingly quiet and calm for how badly her body was shaking. "You get as far away as you can, I'll try to do my best to slow them down or stop them and worst case, I'll make sure they don't follow you." She could make sure of that, at least. "Five... four... three... two... drop." And the barrier fell around them, to show... Jokir and three dead bodies. The Shade looked rough, but unwounded and alive. Kat let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she smiled at him. "Didn't leave any for us, huh? Not very nice of you, there," she said, the relief in her voice contradicting her words.

Kat bent down next to Roni, checking on the Stillblood. "How are you doing? Do you think you could..." There was a small noise, almost like someone coughing. Jokir would feel a sharp pain in his neck followed by a burning sensation spreading throughout his body until he removed the short, black dart that was now lodged there. Kat looked up to see a new creature on the rooftop, this one weirdly proportioned, all joints and long limbs with huge, round, multifaceted eyes taking up most of its head. It was holding what appeared to be a long pipe of some sort and taking aim to fire again. "Cover your eyes!" Kat yelled as she drew on the magic that she hadn't yet allowed to dissipate. This trick wasn't fire, not quite, no need to be worried about burning anything. It took no time at all to create the seed for this spell and shove as much energy as she could, barely following her own advice in time to avoid being blinded by a bright flash. There was a set of loud squeaks from above and the sound of some skittering, then silence. If anyone were to look up on that rooftop, they would find no sign that anything out of the ordinary had been there. The thing had disappeared. "You okay?" Kat asked Roni again, still leaning down close. She checked the woman over, ignoring the scraped knee she'd gained at some point and the odd burning sensation in her shoulder to make sure the Stillblood didn't have any new injuries. Not that it would be too easy to check, the woman already had more than enough. The burning really was getting difficult to ignore, she should probably check that... Kat's breath caught as she saw the dart embedded in her shoulder, yanking it out as her stomach began to drop. The pain there continued to intensify as she stared at the glistening green ooze that coated the tip. "We all need to get to a med-tent, don't we?" she asked, pretty much a rhetorical question at that point. Of course, their ability to get there might be more than a little hindered at the moment...

Inn
As Feronia agreed to new sitting arrangements, she asked how she should sit, which baffled Kitten a little. “Here,” she said, shifting over close to the girl and, with a little careful lifting, arranged her companion comfortably in her lap. Or at least, she was pretty sure that was comfortable for them both, Feronia was still quite stiff. Maybe this was a bad idea after all, it would be difficult to trick herself if the girl just sat rigid like this… But it wasn’t Feronia’s fault that she was uncomfortable, maybe she should just start playing and see if that would help. As Kitten's started to run her fingers through the girl’s hair, she felt her begin to relax into her lap. And thankfully, she felt herself start to relax as the girl leaned back into her. She could do this. “When the mountain exploded, we thought it was just some natural disaster, the kind of thing that happens from time to time.” Feronia shifted as she started speaking and Kitten put a gentle hand on her shoulder, not holding the girl steady as much as telling her to stay still. Any additional moments or noises would be met with similar touches, though if she felt the girl was in distress, the hands would be less firm and more reassuring.

"Casualties and damage were low, we had everything contained in under a week, and we patted ourselves on the back for a job well done. Then, people started showing up out of nowhere, people who were running, sometimes missing bits of themselves. They said they were running from these… things. Made a pretty good case for everyone to get themselves armed and ready to fight, so we did. For about a month, we just had light skirmishes, singles or small groups appearing out of nowhere and seeming to attack randomly. Lost the emissaries for the Havren, Drinden and Nuseni, which caused some issues, but we persevered. We thought we were winning. Turns out we weren’t. All at once, they came through in a dozen spots around the world, like a tide. We lost Toropolis within hours.” Kitten shuddered. “Everybody ran, mostly back to their home capitols. We lost contact with the Nyf almost immediately, though last word was that they were still holding out. The Havren went dark about a week later when their capitol got surrounded. They did SOMETHING to the water and the Nuseni were busy trying to fix it when we lost contact with them. And then the Shades…” Another shudder, this one harder as Kitten lapsed into silence for a moment. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she said, her voice dull. “It’s a stupid, sad story from there. And I didn’t get to see the ending, but I’m pretty sure we lost."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Kitten wove a story about Vulx exploding, how they thought it was a natural disaster, putting a hand on Feronia's shoulder to keep her still. She continued on speaking fairly vague, saying that people were showing up out of nowhere missing pieces of themselves and running from something...just like what was happening here. These creatures seemingly were attacking randomly, though the heads of the Drinden, Nuseni, and Havren governments had been taken out. The fight against whatever the aggressors were seemed to be going well until it wasn't, flooding the world rapidly. The young woman shuddered, prompting Feronia to squirm a little in her grasp, prompting another calming touch, this time on her arm. The Nyf, Havren, and Nuseni all vanished off the face of Kauria...and then something about the Shades...though at this point the Kitsune shuddered hard and shut down again, saying she didn't want to discuss much from there, but she was pretty sure they'd lost. Completely. There were no more words after this, and Kitten's hand had stopped stroking her hair.

Feronia's first instinct was to ask a question...what were they fighting, was she from the future or something else, how did they get here regardless...something. However, as she turned to ask any or all of them, she was stopped by the look on Kitten's face. Haunted, sad, and a little afraid. She needed answers...but...the Stillblood couldn't help but feel that this would be an awful time to ask...she needed answers, but...they could wait another couple of minutes. Right now there was a vulnerable young woman, rather than a fount of knowledge. After a very brief moment of consideration, Feronia shifted enough to wrap her arms around her. The Kitsune had shown herself to be more tactile, what with her finding her companion's hair calming, so surely a hug would provide a positive effect? Ok, she probably didn't need to be holding her as tightly as she was, but hey, if this was true, and the Stillblood was inclined to believe it was purely off the reactions from the one telling the story, the same things happening here meant they were in big, big trouble...so she kinda needed the comfort too...

From her new position with her head over Kitten's shoulder, Feronia murmured, "I'm sorry for making you dredge up bad memories...I appreciate you doing so. I...have some experience with that myself, not wanting to talk about some things. Some memories are just..." she shivered violently, shaking both her and the Kitsune since she was still clinging tightly to her. "We don't need to talk about it more right now if you don't want to...I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, and if you have a room you're around at least for the night." She didn't want to release the young woman until she'd recovered enough to ask her to...her heart was beating fairly quick...this was calming for her as well. Best to hold on for both of their sakes then...

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Stadium

Strangely enough, the child seemed less worried after seeing Tekki staring at her missing thumb. The woman asked her where her parents were and who did that to her, promising to keep her safe. The girl stopped crying at those words, though her expression remained haunted. "That's what Mommy and Daddy told me...before they went away." The young human paused for a moment. "My thumb was gone when I got here. Lots of light, scary noises...it didn't hurt until I got here." She looked up at the Nuseni, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. "I didn't know any fishy people were here anymore. You're pretty." Another silence as the girl bent to suck her stump clean again, then, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but you're nice. Can you really keep me safe?" The last phrase again sounded unusually mature for such a small girl...something about the concept of safety was important to this young Human...and the response Tekki gave would likely influence whether or not further conversation was possible, or if she'd decide to trust her.

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Inn

Adin looked up as Uwe walked in. "Ah, a good afternoon to you as well! I'm doing well, and from your demeanor I'd say you're in fine spirits too." He mentioned it was nice to see that Feronia was taking a break, prompting a shrug from the innkeeper. "You know, she wasn't taking it easy at all for a while, but a guest calmed her down...apparently they hit it off talking, and she convinced the girl to take the rest of the day off. Not going to complain as I told her to do that in the first place, and she's definitely old enough to be a decent judge of character. Doesn't mean I don't still worry though." He shrugged, then listened as the merchant asked if he knew any place to take a Nuseni, asking for a glogg as well. A knowing smile came across Adin's face, and he nodded. "I'll see what I can do about both of your requests there, my friend...be sure to catch me before you leave...if I'm not here I'll be in the tavern...gotta discuss a couple things with my wife before she starts planning dinner." He kept smiling until Uwe was out of sight, then let his face drop. "Damn, I was hoping he'd hit it off with her, but looks like he's got his eyes on a different prize," he murmured softly to himself.

-------------------------------------------------

Streets

Roni shook harder and harder with each blow on the sphere of protection she'd erected. She couldn't keep this up, not while she was so weak. Kat seemed to realize this, telling her to drop the orb on her signal. A small, exhausted grin crept across the woman's face. "Sure thing," she agreed without hesitation. She dropped the thing entirely at the end of the countdown, slumping against the wall before looking to see...three dead creatures, and Jokir looking like he'd run a marathon before running back to the start for something he'd dropped. "Impressive," she croaked as Kat joked about him not leaving any for them.

Kat returned to Roni, asking if she was ok. Before she had a chance to respond, Jokir was hit by a dart of some kind, shot by a fourth assailant. Her eyes wide, the Stillblood breathed a "no..." before attempting and failing to put the barrier up again. She was spent. Kat recognized the danger and told them to cover their eyes, a command that was again immediately obeyed by the young woman. A brilliant flare of light later, and they were alone again. The Kitsune turned back to ask if she was ok again, trying to find any new wounds. "I'll be fine after I rest for a while...but Jokir...and oh no...you too..." Kat had been hit as well. Gathering her energy, Roni spoke in a calm, firm tone. "Ok, both of you, stay calm and listen to me. Get the darts out of you and shut down your magic as much as you can. Kat, you should be able to more than Jokir...they only use poison darts against Stillbloods...it corrupts magic, turns it against you horrifically...the more tapped in you are, the more it burns and eats away at you. There's a physical poison as well, but it's not lethal and is there to assist the magic portion more than anything. Not lethal to anyone but a Stillblood, though Jokir, you're going to be in a lot of discomfort for a while since I know you can't fully shut down your magic." She looked up at Kat. "I owe you my life twice now...if that'd hit me I'd've had just enough time to realize I was dead." She smiled, then sighed. "We should find shelter, though I'm really not up to walking right now...if you give me a little time though, you've both saved my life...I'd say the least I can do is pay for a night at an inn somewhere in town for the both of you. Give you time to work through the poison without being stressed...that is, of course, unless you already have a place to stay?" The young woman wasn't feeling up to standing just yet, let alone walking halfway across the city...but she couldn't let almost dying three times stop her...she had a promise to keep.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

The water gardens were like nothing the two siblings had ever seen before in their lives, as the three of them walked in amongst the fountains and ponds; many of which were interconnected by small streams and waterfalls. It had been as they were crossing one of the ornamental bridges that they had first spotted the brightly coloured fish within the crystal clear water with the two of them staring at them with child like fascination. Fish...they didn't have fish in Dramor or at least none that hadn’t been imported into the country as a delicacy, Drael would have to find a Nuseni to help him if he was to properly bring his plan to fruition.
They eventually ended up in a secluded glade whereupon they sat upon one of the stone benches in order to watch the fountain as they rested "No...we have nothing like this in Dramor though I would very much like to build one" Drael confessed to the Drinden Matriarch "...it would require a lot of resources to do properly but I am sure with the correct persuasion that my father would happily indulge us" Drael continued, giving his sister a look that caused her to roll her eyes and wearily sigh "Fine, I'll use the puppy dog eyes on him" she said with a laugh. Their father had never been able to say no to his only daughter.
It was then that Srilm asked if there was anything else they wished to do before they went to find something to eat "Not really, though some clean clothes would be nice...perhaps we could find a shop along the way?" Drael said not really knowing what else Torpolis had to offer. No doubt if they found something along the way then they would be able to indulge but he had no concrete plans over what he wanted to do.

 

[Apelatia]

Tekki remained silent as the girl rather vaguely explained that her parents had used the same words before they had gone away... As much as she wanted to continue questioning the young one, the Nuseni kept her silence as the small human told her about the events that had led up to her acquiring her injury, and ending up here in the Coliseum. An interesting comment made was that the wound had not hurt up until her arrival in the entrance tunnel, which Tekki in particular found to be rather bizarre. Sure, the girl might have been in shock until now, but the complete suppression of the pain caused by a severed finger was not a natural occurrence. The conversation then took an even stranger turn, with the girl making a comment about fishy people. Tekki had heard many expressions used to describe her race before, and this one was hardly unusual... It was, however, the sentence that the term had been contained within that aroused Tekki's curiosity the most. Her face took on an inquisitive look in response, an eyebrow raised, though she once again held back the burning desire to ask questions and obtain answers, as the girl continued on. Tekki waited for her to finish speaking, before preparing to respond herself. It struck her as she considered how best to respond that the wild-looking young one was asking questions that to the Nuseni seemed far more mature than her age warranted. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, or maybe there was a reason behind it? Either way, it would be best to stay on her toes. Strange things were happening, if this girl was to be believed.

Wiping her face clean of the blaring inquisitive look that had been adorning it, Tekki spoke again in a soothing voice. "I can't promise you that I will be able to protect you from every danger that is out there, little one. However, I can say that I will do my best to keep you safe for as long as I can." Tekki paused to let her words take effect, before carrying on, "It seems to me my dear that you have gone through a terrible experience, whatever it was that happened to your finger. I think it would be best for you if we find you somewhere safe to recover, then perhaps we can go to find out where your Mommy and Daddy went. Would you like that?" She ended this last question in an encouraging voice. Once the girl had decided whether or not to come with her, she could then perhaps start to probe about why there wouldn't be any Nuseni about, and explore further into the light and scary noises...

 

[DeletedUser13682]

The water was very fine and incredibly warm, allowing all the wearies from Uwe's last journey to float away with the steam issuing forth from the surface. It was very nearly impossible to leave the tub, but it was a necessity, as all good things must come to an end. Sometimes, though, one was lucky and the way was made for better things to happen. With great effort, Uwe lifted himself out of the basin, and prepared himself a coffee as he dried himself off. As this night was meant for greater things than mere walking about, Uwe traded out his worn and slightly dingy walking about clothes for finer ware, gray linen trousers designed originally for horseback riding, a white undershirt, light blue overshirt and cravat. Suspenders were placed over this, and a light gray vest placed over that. A long jacket of dark blue and matching wide brimmed hat were placed on the bed and readied for later. A quick visit downstairs allowed Uwe to retrieve the glogg and Adin's list, replaced with appropriate renumeration. Back in his room, fueled by caffeine and ethyr, Uwe composed his own list, taking extensive material from Adin's list, and a few snippets of information from his own knowledge of the area. As the composite list was completed, the time approached to depart for the cafe, Uwe donned his jacket and hat and left his room. There was only one more stop required before his departure. Stopping by a nearby next door, Uwe knocked on Feronia's door and called out, "Feronia, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright before I left. I'm glad somebody finally managed to get you to take the day off. I'll have to thank them later."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

(Kitten's actions cleared with Autumn)

Feronia had just started to feel as though Kitten was calming down when there came a knock at the door, Uwe's voice echoing from the other side asking if she was ok, that he was glad someone had gotten her to relax. Why the hell did he care, and why was he bothering her now of all times? She was about to get something definitive out of the Kitsune she was embracing, something that'd explain once and for all what the hell was happening...probably. She hoped. Still, that chance would be out the fricking window if Uwe were to come in (though the door was locked so she'd have to let him in)...the young woman had made sure it was understood that this was information was for Feronia's ears only...and while she definitely had plans to inform the others later, she couldn't exactly tell them if she didn't know herself. That meant getting him gone, and quick.

Without releasing Kitten, Feronia called, "I'm doing fine, Uwe...thanks for your concern. I'll pass along your thanksssng!" Her clear, confident, dismissive statement was somewhat marred by the fact that the Kitsune had chosen that moment to bite her earlobe again, firmer than the first time...if the moment back in the tavern had been unintentional, this most definitely wasn't. Before the Stillblood could process this, a flick to her chest caused her to squeak somewhat audibly, shivering violently, arms clinging to Kitten out of reflex. D-damn it all...she could feel herself heating up, her face had to be bright red...her breath was a little shaky...why did Kitten have to do this now? She needed to make sure Uwe didn't think something was amiss. "Um...yeah, I'm fine. Just t-taking it easy." The proximity to her companion was starting to be horribly distracting, and she hadn't released her ear either...oh gods she was so warm...she shivered again as Kitten pulled on her earlobe with her teeth. The rational part of her was telling her to back off, that this was too much from someone she barely knew...the young woman had, in a quick, decisive manner, intruded upon a fairly intimate touch barrier...two of them, honestly. This was so wrong...and yet Feronia still couldn't make herself move away. Couldn't unclench her arms from around Kitten, couldn't pull away from her mouth on her ear. What was wrong with her? "I'll talk to you tonight, ok? N-need some time away from people right nnowww..." Oh gods...her hands...Kitten's hands were...under her shirt now...the Stillblood couldn't help but squirm as she explored, biting her lip hard as...was...was she really going to let this happen? Was this really what she wanted? Her Kitsune companion certainly wasn't showing signs of stopping, so she needed to figure this out quickly...though judging by the way she was more or less clinging to the young woman like her life depended on it, she certainly wasn't going to be moving any time soon...

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Stadium

The young Human looked solemnly up at Tekki as she explained that while she couldn't keep her safe from everything out there, she'd do her best to keep her safe. She went on about something...the girl didn't quite understand the words being used, but seemed interested in talking somewhere more private about her parents. "I'm not supposed to go places with strangers..." she said forlornly. "...But...you seem nice...and you're pretty...and Mommy and Daddy aren't here...and it's scary here. So...we can go...and if you're a bad person...it's ok. Bad people are all over." So deciding, she held out the hand that was still whole as if asking to be helped up, quickly sucking the bloody stump on her crippled hand as she did so. Her mind had been made up, it seemed...she'd be going with Tekki, wherever the Nuseni decided to take her.

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Gardens

Srilm couldn't help but smile as Drael and Draenor both confessed their delight at the area. "I'm glad you found it to your liking...and if you'd like to build a similar structure back home, I'm sure my people could be of assistance...it would be a wonderful gift in return for you saving my life, would it not? My people and the Nuseni work quite closely with each other, I'm sure we could make it happen. I would of course still owe you a private debt, but it would work beautifully for a public display." The Drinden Matriarch was smiling throughout this thought, thinking of if two highborn Dramorans were so impressed, how much the general population would appreciate it. Her desire to give it as a gift was genuine, though at the same time she could hardly ignore the diplomatic applications...they were at peace and had been for a good while, but forging stronger ties between any two nations could only help them both. The Nuseni would get benefits as well being the actual builders, so even better. "So, what do the two of you say to that?"

Once that was decided, the topic moved to later plans. The siblings wished to change their clothes, which Srilm could hardly fault them for. "Of course, of course...and as I promised as the instigator of this evening, I'll pay for everything...your clothes are bloody on my account, so I shall gladly replace them. Shall we be on our way then?" It wouldn't take them long to find a clothing store that catered to Dramorans, with the Matriarch gently but firmly shutting down any protest over her footing the bill. Once there, she serenely used her influence to ensure the siblings got extremely fine clothes that fit both their tastes and her own, paying for them before there was any further chance to argue. Smiling at the pair as they left, the elderly woman chuckled. "You two look wonderful. Thank you for indulging me a little, I do know how young people aren't always the keenest to spend a long time clothes shopping. Now then, I don't know about you but I'm fairly hungry at this point...I've been told there's a fairly good seafood place nearby, run by a Nuseni couple. How does that sound to the two of you?" Srilm would entertain other options if the Dramorans had any, and would agree without complaint if the two of them both decided on the same thing...this may have been the result of her inviting them, but she was determined that they enjoy themselves too...she certainly was having fun.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Uwe stood by for a moment while waiting for Feronia to supposedly come up with an answer to his questions. Presently, she let out a response that affirmed that she was alright. Judging from the end of her response, she was more than alright. If Uwe didn't know any better, it sounded like the person that had convinced Feronia to take the day off was still inside that room with her, driving home the fact that occasional relaxation was well worth it. This fact was accentuated between and during Feronia's words. Through the pleasurable sounding moans, Uwe was able to understand that Feronia was 'taking it easy' and that they would talk later that night. "Alright, Feronia," Uwe responded between stiffled chuckes. "You have fun in there, and I hope you learn that taking breaks isn't a bad thing. Talk to you later." Uwe left the hallway and descended the stairs, leaving behind a few chuckles and any worry he had about the Stillblood and the events she witnessed the night previous. "I don't know who did it, Adin, but that person is a real magician. They worked quite a spell on her. Their next drink is on me, to show my appreciation. Have a good night, Adin." Uwe left with a flourish of his hat and departed towards the café and Lensni. Along the way, he stopped by a flower store to retrieve a choice selection of flowers. Before too long, he had made it to the outside of the café, with about ten minutes to spare before the appointed time. There wasn't much left to do but step up to the door and knock. After a few moments of composure gathering, Uwe placed his award winning smile (it would win awards if there were such a competition) and knocked on the front door of the café, which Uwe believed to also contain the residence of the store owner.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Inn
As Kitten sat there fighting bad memories, she felt Feronia shift in her lap, turning around to embrace her. That was quite comforting in itself, but the Stillblood also apologized for making her dredge up bad memories, saying she had some experience with that herself. The words also prompted a shudder, which was all sorts of interesting given where the girl currently was, wiping most of the bad memories away in favor of a resurgence of earlier feelings. There were also certain... areas pressing together in a way that was more than a little exciting. If this had been her, she would have thought it was a deliberate tease, but with Feronia, she just wasn't sure. Kitten was just opening her mouth to be direct and ask when there was a knock at the door. Feronia answered after a moment, saying she was fine. No mention of the stranger in her room, no invitation in. If this were a friend, Feronia should have invited him in, answer time was over. If this weren't she would have been more dismissive and rude. It was obvious Feronia wanted more alone time with her for one reason or another. She'd have to make sure Feronia knew how dangerous that was. Kitten moved quickly, managing to catch the girl's earlobe in her teeth right at the end of her dismissal of the man outside. A quick flick produced a satisfying squeak from the girl and Kitten growled in satisfaction. Now either the man would definitely be more insistent or the Stillblood would have to let him in.

But instead, Feronia continued to insist that she was fine in a shaky voice. Liar, she thought as she pulled, tugging on the girl's earlobe with her teeth. A warning shot before she really got going. And yet the girl continued to try to placate the man, Kitten slipping her hands under the girl's shirt to ensure that the last statement, which was an absolute whopper of a lie, was completely ruined. But the lie itself still needed punishment, her lover knew better than to lie like that in front of her. Some wriggling and fancy hand work got the Stillblood's shirt off, though she didn't make it easy for her, clinging and clutching for dear life. It was as Kitten was getting ready to really get some noises out of Feronia that she heard words from the door. Not concern, instructions to have "fun" in there. What kind of friends did Feronia have, not to even check on a girl making strange noises like that? Now that she was thinking about it, what was she even doing? She'd totally violated the "inappropriate touching" guarantee. And what had happened to "No complications?" Regardless of how much she might want this, it was obvious that her attempts to dissuade the girl had failed miserably, and she should stop, give her a chance to regroup and think. Feronia shuddered hard against her and whimpered as Kitten realized that she'd only just now stopped her hands from doing some more roaming and playing. Stop teasing the pretty girl, already. "F-Feronia, we shouldn't be doing this, you don't know me at all, and this has nothing to do with my story. You don't want a romp with a total stranger, do you? Don't you want to be different from those morons back home?"

 

[Apelatia]

Tekki let out a sigh of relief as the young girl reasoned her way into agreeing to be taken somewhere safe. The girl then extended her hand to be helped up, and Tekki took it. She gripped the human's hand gently, but still relatively firmly. It would not do to let her fall over; that would be a bad start to their relationship, but at the same time it was necessary to be gentle and show that she meant her no harm. Words were one thing, but actions were another thing entirely. Once she had helped the little girl stand up, Tekki smiled down at her. "I don't think I'll be watching the Games today. It's much more important for me to look after you, little one." After casting another look around the area, Tekki spoke again. "I think it would be good for you to tell me your name, dear. You know that my name is Tekki." Once the girl had responded, Tekki would speak again, albeit this time in a more decisive voice. "Right then! First off, we need to find a clean bandage for that finger of yours, so that you don't have to keep sucking on it." This said, Tekki began to walk down the entrance tunnel towards the exit, holding the girl's hand if the little one wanted to do so. There was little doubt about what needed to be done. Tekki needed to find a safe place to sit down with the girl and ascertain what had caused her finger loss. The comment made about the Nuseni also needed to be explored. Throughout her years of service thus far on the Nuseni agua-eleré council, Tekki had been able to further develop one of her defining qualities, that being her sharp and quick-thinking mind. This trait had come in handy on many occasions, and had been essential to her solving problems when they chose to manifest.

The pair made their way out of the Coliseum, and quickly crossed the empty space between the arena and the surrounding buildings. Whilst they walked, Tekki listened to anything the girl had to say, responding appropriately to each question and statement made. Soon after they had left the Coliseum, Tekki procured a small packet of clean bandages from a nearby stall selling useful and essential items of all kinds. She then tied one of these around the remainder of the Human's finger in order to help the process of healing and to prevent infection. The rest she kept for herself, should they come in useful at some point. Once this was done, Tekki made for a nearby small pleasure ground, stopping only once to buy the girl a small iced snack from a shop to keep her in good spirits. Once they had arrived, Tekki sat down on the grass, gesturing for the girl to do the same. The day was going by quickly, but there was still a lot to be dealt with before she could return to the inn tonight. Her face entertaining its usual pleasant aura, Tekki spoke to the girl, who had yet to finish the snack. "So, my dear, in order to help you find your parents, I need to know their names, and where you last saw them." An answer to this question would be a good starting point. From there, she might be able to lead the girl on to answering the other questions she had for her...

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Uwe thankfully decided it wasn't worth pursuing, so Feronia didn't need to worry about him scaring Kitten off...though she had no idea why he was chuckling. She didn't exactly have the mindpower to spare though, seeing as the Kitsune was...she yelped in surprise as she continued her play...and wait, where had her shirt gone? This was...this was...something...what was it again? She couldn't remember anymore, her mind was hazy...she wasn't able to think straight...and she was so warm, and Kitten was...oh, she was talking to her now...something about not not knowing her at all, and being with a total stranger. "I...I...well, um...ahh..." she was trying to be coherent, but it wasn't working...her mind was on the idiots back home too for some reason now...but...this was different...there wasn't any bull about it being a necessity, nothing about it being someone's right...responsibility...and yet, the young woman's points were valid...they didn't know each other, they didn't know...but...Kitten was still...or, no...wait...Feronia was doing that herself, moving...she hadn't even realized it. She was dimly aware of still trying and failing to put anything into words...she really wasn't in control of herself anymore, apparently...why was this a bad idea again?

----------------------------------

Stadium

The girl wobbled a little as Tekki helped her up, but managed to keep her feet with the assistance. The Nuseni woman inquired as to her name, reminding her that her name was Tekki. "I'm Anna," she replied fairly quickly. The plan was made to get something for the stump that had once been her thumb, then...something. "Ok...I'll follow you." The Human girl would continue to be fairly quiet as they went, though she kept a tight grip on Tekki's hand. She seemed to be a solemn child, far more than one would expect from someone her age. She was fairly stoic throughout applying the bandage, though she did utter an "owie!" as direct contact was made. Examining Tekki's handiwork, she smiled at her newfound friend, her first since they'd met. "Thank you!"

Anna smiled again as Tekki bought her the small iced treat, digging in happily. However, the question was posed as to her parents' names and where she'd last seen them. The sweet prize was quickly forgotten, her face downcast once more. "Daddy's name is Nolan, Mommy is Saley. I last saw them...in the building...Daddy called it a shelter, I think." Her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her, she curled up a little, still holding her treat, though at the moment it seemed to be forgotten.

---------------------------------------------

Cafe

Lensni opened the door a moment after Uwe's knock, still professionally dressed. "Good evening Mr. Lundhof...professionally early I see," she greeted him with a smile. "Though the flowers are a contradiction to that...it seems taking you at face value is a mistake." Her tone was gentle, mocking and yet not doing so out of cruelty. "I do appreciate the gesture though. Please, come in...we should put these in water before we depart." The cafe was empty, the chairs inverted on the tables for ease of cleaning the floors. The Nuseni woman guided Uwe around to the staffroom, which had stairs in the back. "It was easier when I moved to Torpolis to rent a single place to live and run my business. I intended to relocate once I gained some capital, but I grew attached to the place." Her living space was small, but comfortably decorated, though the room was fairly humid. The living room and kitchen were one room, while a door off to the side likely led to the bedroom and bathroom. "I apologize, since I live alone I made the space more livable for my personal tastes. We'll be gone shortly." There weren't many objects in the space that would tell more than Lensni's taste in art, which seemed fairly conservative. She fumbled around in the kitchen for a moment before casually summoning enough water to fill a glass, putting the flowers in it and placing the arrangement on her living room table. "Thank you again, they are indeed quite lovely." She smiled at Uwe again, then inquired, "shall we be off then? Do you have a place in mind for dinner, or am I to find out as we go?" She appeared to be enjoying herself already, though some of it was evidently from her gentle teasing of her companion for the evening. No matter how the evening went, it seemed to promise to not be boring at the very least.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

As the barrier dropped, Jokir chuckled as Kat quipped that he could have left some for them. The moment, however, was interrupted by a sharp stinging in the side of his neck. Jokir’s hand immediately went to the source of the pain, pulling out a dart as he spotted the fourth assailant. Determination to protect the other two filled him and he began to reach inside himself, to draw out the last of his mana reserves, when Kat shouted out for them to cover their eyes. Jokir did as he was instructed and the bright flash of light illuminated the entire alley. Jokir looked up to see the fourth attacker gone but not before darting Kat. As she removed the dart from her, he placed his dart in the folds of his clothing, ensuring it would not further pierce his skin, so that he might study it later. Roni confirmed his suspicions that this was a poison. As she told them to shut down their magic, Jokir chuckled at the grim irony of the situation. He couldn’t use his own life force to cleanse himself by the sounds of things, because doing so would spread the poison faster than he could wipe it out. As Roni mentioned shelter and thanked the both of them for saving her life Jokir nodded in agreement. “We, well Kat, have a place to stay but it’s on a rooftop and though Kat and I could make it, I doubt that you could in your present condition and neither of us are going to be able to carry you in our present states. Therefore, I suppose an inn is our destination.” Jokir really wanted to summon a sword, just to have one on him in case he needed it, but if what the girl had said was true (and she certainly seemed to know more about these things than anyone else present) then doing so would only make the poison worse and, in his current state, he really wasn’t in much condition to deal with an aggravated poison.

Looking around the alley, he came to a sudden realisation as to where they were. “Perhaps there is more luck in our Cycles than thought. If my knowledge does not fail me, we are a ten, maximum fifteen, minute walk from the Shade embassy. Their Cycles will have taught them medicine and there will be an alueel (Literal translation: Shadow Room/Room of Shadows)(This will sound to the untrained ear exactly like Aluille (which is the Shade’s word for their own race)) where I can rest. It should be…” Jokir paused for a second, searching through knowledge that mostly remained stored in his brain, information granted by the Cycle that he did not regularly need, “this way.” Pointing out the alley the opposite way to the way that they had entered it, Jokir stood there as the pain in his neck spread through his body. It seared pain into his chest, marked his arm with a burning sensation as if someone had set fire to the clothing that hugged his skin. Jokir, however, showed no signs of the pain that he felt. It would be over in a few minutes and Jokir knew that getting Roni and Kat to safety was more important. He was a warrior, he had had his fair share of fights over the years and had come out of all of them alive. Roni and Kat, by contrast, might be able to fight but they were civilians, at least as far as he could see. It was his duty, his role in the Cycle, to ensure that they reached safety and the Shade embassy offered the best chance of this safety. The other, less important, bonus was that he’d be able to get an immediate investigation launched into the creatures that had attacked them. First, though, he had to ensure the continuation of the Cycles of these two. That was his duty now.

 

[Apelatia]

The little girl had introduced herself as Anna, and for the first time since they had met, had smiled at her, which was nice to see. Aside from the two occasions where her face brightened up though, the girl remained rather stoic and sombre, both characteristics which Tekki found rather strange in a girl of such a young age. From her experiences, she had found that most young children were usually in one of four states: excitement, crying, dreamland or exhaustion. Though a rash generalisation, Anna fitted into none of these categories. This was perhaps understandable. She had lost her thumb, after all. Though Tekki's suspicion was that there was more to this occurrence, especially considering the circumstances and the very appearance of the wound having such a striking resemblance to that of a similar wound just a day previous... If her reasoning was correct, something was going on, and whatever it was, it needed to be resolved quickly before more unnecessary hurt was caused. Seeing Anna happily consuming the iced treat brought back the smile to Tekki's face, which had faded to a look of concentration over the course of her musings. The Nuseni woman then listened with open ears as the girl listed the names of her parents, Nolan and Saley, before then going on to describe the last time she had seen them. Anna spoke of a building, that Nolan had apparently described as a...shelter.

Talking to the little girl seemed to her to be posing more questions than were being answered, Tekki considered. Shelters were generally for hiding in, or acted as a form of protection from some form of danger... More food for thought. Seeing the girl curl up on the floor with the iced treat clasped in her hands caused a feeing of pity to well up inside of her. The aura of sadness present on Anna's face and in her body language was so apparent that Tekki could not help but utter a quietly spoken, "It's OK, dear." The councilwoman reached out with her free hand and stroked the child's face gently, before withdrawing it slowly. "It sounds to me like you don't know where your Mommy and Daddy have gone. Is that right?" After a short pause, Tekki manoeuvred herself so that she was sat alongside Anna. Carefully, she placed her free arm around the girl's upper back in a comforting gesture. "I don't want you to feel sad, my dear, but there are just a few more questions I have to ask you before I will stop. I need to know firstly, was this shelter in this city, or was it somewhere else - at home maybe?" Tekki paused here in order to ensure that the girl was following. Once she ascertained that she was, she continued. "Did your Mommy and Daddy leave the shelter to go anywhere, and was there anyone else there with you? Lastly, why did you say to me that you didn't know any 'fishy people' were around still? Has something happened?" Tekki dearly hoped that Anna would be able to answer her questions. If the girl did, perhaps she would be able to gain some insight into what was going on. Then, she could concentrate on getting Anna to her parents, or at least someone who could look after her in the short term...

 

[DeletedUser13682]

There was a moment or several of waiting in front of the door before it was answered by Lensni, wearing that sharp looking business outfit, an interesting choice to say the least. He didn't think that she'd still be wearing working clothes, though they did look nice on her. "I have a bit more to me than what's on the surface," Uwe replied, handing the Nuseni entrepreneur the bouquet. "I discover something new about me at least once a week." After a chuckle, the merchant followed the café owner past the staff room and up the stairs to her private residence. It was a bit on the small side, but it was very handsomely decorated and had the appearance of being quite comfortable to live in. One could really relax in such a cozy place. "I can see why you stayed here. This place is very nice. Your house is much better than most places I've stayed at, if you could call the roadside a place. It's not a bad existence, but sometimes when you're out there amongst the wolves, you do wish you had a warm bed and sturdy walls. The stars do make up for the danger. You can see the brighter ones here in the city, but to truly get the full spread you have to travel deep in the wilderness. It is truly a sight to behold." By this time, Uwe had opened his jacket and loosened his shirt; the humidity in this place was threatening to overheat him. It was a surprise there wasn't rain in the place, but if Lensni felt at home in here, the who was Uwe to say anything about it? Despite having that well lived in look, there wasn't much in the way of personal effects. The conservative art was the only hint at what she really liked, and Uwe couldn't extrapolate much from those. If he had one of his friends from Urbano Rifugio Artisto, they wold probably be able to tell everything about Lensni just from the few pieces on the wall. Uwe lacked this gift; his artistic talent only extended to being able to recommend fitting works for customers. After Lensni had summoned up some water for the plants, she was ready to leave. "I like to keep a few surprises. It's bad form for a merchant to reveal all of his cards at once." Once Lensni was ready to go, Uwe would offer up his arm, and lead Lensni to an upscale restaurant Adin had recommended, specializing in Nuseni cuisine with some modifications inspired by the other races.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Inn
Feronia was apparently too far gone to be coherent, judging from the complete non-response to Kitten's question. And from the fact that the girl was now the one moving, arching and shifting against her hands. This was going way too far. The only problem, Kitten couldn't remember why that was a bad thing any more. The girl was so warm against her, she obviously wanted this, what was the harm in giving her a little satisfaction? Except that some nagging idea in the back of her mind kept warning her that this was a bad idea, that she shouldn't go through with undoing the Stillblood's pants... Kitten froze as she realized she'd already undone the buttons and that two of her tails had taken the place of that hand, lightly brushing and playing. And when had she ended up on top of the younger girl? And why did she have the other girl in a pin, holding her hands down against the bed above her head? Kitten growled with frustration as Feronia's scent, the feel of her writhing underneath her steadily buried her second thoughts, the distractions piling up. Was it because she hadn't explicitly asked for this? Maybe if she managed to get permission... "I... I need you to say you to say you want this," she said, her voice strained, forcing her hands and tails to be still, trying to keep the other girl from moving too much against her. "Do you really want this, Feronia?" She was so torn, hoping the other girl would say yes and hoping at the same time for a no...

Katarina
Kat felt her heart start to beat faster and her breath speed up with it as the burning sensation continued to spread out from her shoulder. Her magic was useless for dealing with this sort of wound and it was getting worse and- Roni brought that train of thought crashing to a halt as she explained that it worked off magic and that shutting down their magic would help with things. She'd been keeping hers ready to fight, just in case, but if that was the reason for this burning... Kat took a deep breath and let her power flow out of her in a shower of tiny sparks, letting the energy disperse. The burning didn't hurt any less, but the spreading slowed down and stopped, the difference between pain and normal sensations clear enough that she could have drawn a line to divide the two. Apparently this was a weapon used by "them" against Stillbloods, which was awful. Why would anyone go through the trouble to make a poison that would kill one of the races like that? And if the poison was magical, even a medical tent might not be able to help...

Roni thanked them both for their help and said something about resting here for a little while and then taking shelter at an inn where she'd pay for their stay. Kat began to dismiss the thanks and point out that she wasn't far from her own place. Then she tried moving her right arm. The pain doubled, then tripled until she stopped trying and sank down next to the Stillblood, when it faded back to the manageable levels it had been at. She couldn't climb with only one arm, let alone carry the injured Stillblood. And she wasn't going to leave the woman. An inn was starting to sound like a better and better idea. Jokir explained the situation, which she would have yelled at him for in any other situation, it wasn't like she wanted everyone to know about her home. But at the same time, she could make an exception. Just this once. Jokir also explained that the Shade embassy was about ten or fifteen minutes of walking from here, which was nice. Staying in a place built for another race, especially one where she'd met only one member just felt wrong to her. She didn't know anyone who'd been inside the building, heard absolutely nothing about it, she wasn't sure how welcoming it would be to an injured Stillblood and a poisoned Kitsune. But with the poison continuing to burn and nausea creeping into the equation, Kat couldn't afford to be picky. "The Shade embassy should work," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't know how welcoming they'd be to a couple strays, but if it's our only option..."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Things were getting fluid for Feronia now. She was having a seriously hard time keeping herself aware of everything that was happening. When did Kitten's hands get replaced by two of her tails, soft and wonderful? When had her back hit her bed, her companion being forced to follow her because the Stillblood was still embracing her? When had her own arms been taken away from around the Kitsune and put above her head, one of the young woman's hands holding hers down? This last one snapped her back to reality a bit, and she struggled a little to realize that she was locked in place. She wasn't going to be going anywhere until Kitten let her up. This...this should be a bad thing...shouldn't it? And yet why did she feel like this was the best thing ever? How...how could this be bad? And then, everything...stopped. A whine was past Feronia's lips before she knew what was happening, and her already warm face felt even more suffused with heat. She tried to move, but aside from being able to lift her torso off the bed a little she was locked in place by Kitten's limbs. Her captor was asking her something...if she really wanted this. Did she? Were there even two answers to this question? Some small part of her seemed to think so, and that part made her struggle against the restraining she was being subjected to...and as she again had it proven to be fruitless, that part winked out. "P...please..." she managed after a moment, wanting the return of what Kitten had been doing...wanting more...this was a great idea...and she couldn't stand to wait another second.

-------------------------------

Park

Anna looked up as Tekki first stroked her face, then embraced her with one arm. "Mommy and Daddy told me they'd be behind me...but when I got here, they weren't," she explained as the Nuseni woman tried to get confirmation that she didn't know where her parents were. She nodded solemnly as she was told she needed to answer a few more questions before she could stop dwelling on her missing family...she didn't really understand why, but Tekki seemed like a responsible adult, so it had to be important. "I don't know where the shelter was...it wasn't here." That was all the response she could give for the first question, and the others were just as frustrating for her. "I don't know where Mommy and Daddy could have gone, they said they'd be behind me." She'd said that already, but apparently it was important to be sure. "There were a lot of people in the shelter. More than I can count." Another question Anna didn't understand the necessity of, but still something she could answer. The last question, however, she knew was important. The young Human was silent for a long while, thinking. "I know we can't drink water unless it's been pur...purfeed? You and the other fishy people live in water. I think that's why there aren't fishy people anymore." She looked a little concerned for a moment, as if she'd given false information, then nodded. "Yeah...fishy people can't take bad water...I heard Daddy say that..." Anna looked down and saw the forgotten frozen treat still in her hands and took another bite, mostly because she was starting to get a little uncomfortable at how much Tekki was staring at her. Grown ups didn't pay that much attention to her, she knew that...so why was this one keeping her eyes on her?

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Restaurant

"Well, you certainly don't do things halfway, Mr. Lundhof." Lensni's approval was evident in her tone as she realized where they were going. "You've done your research, at least." The Shoreline was an exceedingly well-known restaurant in Torpolis, specializing in Nuseni dishes with twists that represented its location at the meeting point for all the races. "A professional in multiple fields, it seems." Her dry sense of humor continued to be delivered with no inherent malice, the gentle teasing seeming to be a way to judge what kind of person she'd agreed to go to dinner with. Once they'd been seated and ordered, with the Nuseni woman selecting a seafood platter with desert spices from Dramor, she turned her attention back to Uwe. "You mentioned earlier that you travel, rather than have a shop set up here in Torpolis. What made you choose the life of a wandering merchant rather than keep a stable location? I'd also be curious to know how you got involved so quickly with anti-earth shaking items if you don't have an ingrained base here in the city." She chuckled a little, adding, "I won't steal your secrets, promise. I'm perfectly happy running my shop. I don't think I'd have the talent to try to convince people to buy other things." Her tone was pleasant, making conversation on the main thing she knew about her company as a way to begin any subsequent discussions. After all, she couldn't let him control everything about the evening, now could she?

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Streets

Oh GODS were Shades annoying...how had she been able to stand being around one for a while? Roni knew she wouldn't have been able to handle it...the overly polite tone, the constant talk of Cycles as if they all shared some sort of communal life path, the fricking diplomacy left and right...and all this when the silver-tongued freak was poisoned. Gods forbid she spend time with him when he was healthy. Fortunately Kat was there to shed some normalcy on the situation, though her discomfort was hardly a good thing, especially not if she wasn't even able to stand after trying to move the arm that'd been hit.

Then Jokir had to go and ruin Roni's plans by saying the Shade Embassy was close by, and that he could rest in a whatever and the others could be tended to. MORE Shades...great. She was about to speak up and suggest he go there to get fixed up (and boil his head, though she wasn't about to say that out loud) when Kat agreed with him. Damn it...she needed to get over there, the sooner the better, but..."I won't argue, though staying the night is something I'd like to avoid if possible." There was no help for it...they were going to the gods-damned Palace of the Polite, Holier-Than-Thou shadows. She and Kat would be given every accommodation, all while being told anecdotes about how this would never have happened to a Shade and how fragile their races were and what a shame it was...and there she was being unfair again. What would she say if she heard Roni ragging on someone like this? At least give them a chance, that's what...the Stillbood knew that all too well. Could even hear her slightly disappointed tones. No hope for it then. "We should...probably start moving then...I hate to ask, but I'm going to need a little support to get up...once I'm up I'll hopefully be able to walk with minimal help, but..." The Stillblood hated being this weak, hated not having control over her own actions...but if they were all in agreement, surely there wasn't any real harm...she'd need to pay them back of course, but that's what the inn was for...or at least, that's what she'd keep telling them.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

As Srilm made her offer to create a water garden within Dramor as a way of saying thank you for saving her life Drael hesitated as he tried to work out how best to address her offer without causing any unintended offence "Mother I wish to gratefully accept the aid of your people and that of the Nuseni in bringing such a garden to Dramor but...you must let us pay at least some of the costs towards its construction, I wouldn't want to risk damaging your relationship with the other Clans for our sake" he cautiously replied. Although the concept of blood debts and honour were deeply ingrained within Dramoran culture, building such a magnificent edifice as a water garden could be construed as favouritism by the other clans which could in turn result in petty acts of vengeance such higher trade prices and the removal of Dramoran soldiers. However if it was handled correctly then it would open the doors for a closer relationship between the Dramoran clans and the Drinden and Nuseni. The gods alone knew how much they needed to improve their relationship with the Nuseni, and all because they'd lost a battle to them around two thousand years ago! "...I do not wish take up the entire evening with politics but perhaps you could join us within Dramor so that we could properly discuss matters, I may even be able to arrange a more...permanent...location for members of your government to stay" he said hoping that she'd understand what he was proposing. It would be the first time that a race would be granted a permanent embassy within Dramor and would hopefully be the start of a closer relationship with the rest of the world.

After leaving the gardens the pair of them would be led into a clothing store where they were able to buy replacement garments seen as the ones they were currently wearing were now soaked in blood. Despite his best efforts and protests that saving her life been reward enough Srilm insisted on paying with Drael reluctantly accepting her gift.
As with all things clothing related Drael was able to find a new outfit relatively quickly as opposed to Draenor who poured over the various options available to her with Drael fearing that they could be stuck here for hours. A bark of laughter escaping his throat over the Drinden's comment about young people not enjoying clothes shopping "speak for yourself, Draenor would live here if we let her" he replied with a laugh, with his younger sister sticking her tongue out at him in response to the jibe.
With a decision having finally been reached they left the shop with the subject turning to that of food.
Other than a bag of sweets he'd bought to satiate Draenor's sweet tooth he'd had nothing to eat since this morning "I...I can't sat that I've ever had seafood before, it is somewhat pricey back home but I would certainly be happy to try some" Drael said with his sister adding her consent to the idea. So far the day had panned out to be quite an enjoyable, even with a slight skirmish though that was probably just a Dramoran thing.

 

[DeletedUser37114]

Inn
Kitten sat on the edge Feronia's bed, giving the now-unresponsive girl a little space. She was still fully clothed, not quite feeling comfortable enough to let the Stillblod reciprocate. It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed playing with the girl, it wasn't like the noises and struggling hadn't been entertaining, but it didn't take thirty seconds after she'd decided to take a break before the guilt decided to rear its head. In force. What would she think if she knew that Kitten had gone and slept with a girl who was practically a stranger? And she knew that forgiveness and an offer to make it three were just comforting lies. They'd never specifically promised that there wouldn't be anyone else, she'd never thought to ask or ever make that proposition, but with how possessive her lover had been, what they'd shared... This had been cheating. There was no way around that. What had she been thinking? She'd gone and thrown the best thing in her life away for a girl she didn't even know. Pain brought her knees to her chest as the realization hit her and shame burned her throat as hot tears began to flow, though her sobs stayed silent. How could she have been so stupid...?

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

It took a little while for Feronia to come down to Kauria again, her mind in an orbit she hadn't known existed. When she did she became aware that Kitten had moved to the edge of the bed and...wait, was she...crying? She tried to move, but her limbs felt like complete jelly and wouldn't listen to her. She tried again, got a similar response. Damn it...that meant trying to figure out what was wrong without actually getting up and talking about it. She opened her mouth, the interior dry, her throat a little achy. "K-Kitten? Is...everything ok?" From craning her head she could see the Kitsune was still fully clothed...so she hadn't..."Um...did...did I do something wrong? Should I have..." Damn it, she had no clue what to say...the anger at herself loaned the Stillblood a little strength, and she managed to, with some effort, get into a sitting position. "Hey...if...if there's something I can do...I'm sorry for being new at this..." Yeah, she was making an utter mess of this...with another bit of effort she'd managed to get her rebellious limbs to get her over to Kitten and get her arms around her. Her emotions towards the young woman were a little muddled right now, but she did remember that she was a tactile person...hugging her would be comforting, and doing so was an easy way to nonverbally show support.

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Srilm

Drael was hesitant to accept Srilm's offer of the water garden being her repaying the siblings for saving her life, and as he talked she came to understand why. Because the Dramoran weren't a unified people, handling it poorly would possibly lead to strained relations with the ones not under their father's rule. However, it seemed that the young man held more political influence than she realized, as his counterproposal sounded as though he would be able to give the Drinden a permanent embassy in their territory. This was promising indeed, and the Matriarch smiled. "It seems you are skilled in multiple areas, an admirable trait in a leader...very well, I will accept your proposal...once the Games are over I'll discern when I can make the trip to hash out the exact details...I'll put in word with the Nuseni Governor as well so he can start thinking about when works for him...it would be ideal to have us there at the same time."

The talk returned to food, and Drael almost hesitantly requested seafood, with Draenor nodding her agreement. "That sounds wonderful to me, I know just the place. If you would accompany me..." Srilm proceeded to lead the way to a building with the words "The Shoreline" proudly perched atop the roof. "I've been here before on official dinners...they do wonderful things with their seafood...I know for a fact some dishes use spices from your homeland, so if you aren't feeling particularly adventurous you can have some familiarity in your meal. If you want to explore more, they have all sorts of twists on classic Nuseni dishes that can be found in some form or another across Kauria. The choice of course is yours, and as I promised even before the whole life-saving debt, I'm paying, so please don't feel burdened by the cost." Once inside the staff quickly identified their customers as the Drinden Matriarch and insisted on putting them in a quiet, out of the way location, promising their order would move ahead of everyone else's. Srilm flat out refused the last, firmly stating "I won't cheat honest people out of a timely meal. You put us on the standard rotation." Once their waiter reluctantly agreed, the head of state proceeded to order a salmon with a berry sauce blend that Drinden cuisine was famous for. As he walked away with their orders, she sighed. "You know, I envy the two of you...in a position of power and yet not high enough yet to be instantly recognized...it can be so tiring being catered to for everything...as if I was more important than anyone else in this restaurant...but anyway, enough about that unpleasantness. While you were ordering, I received a message from my retinue." She gestured to the dying petals of the flower that had bloomed in front of her on the table. "Urgent requests for me to return where it's safe aside, they did say they confirmed the creatures we were attacked by don't seem to be any known species...and they checked even ancient records to be absolutely sure. Whatever they were, our people have not seen them before, and none of our communication with any race ever mentioned them." She chuckled a little. "They may be insufferable at times, but they're certainly efficient. Though I can't imagine they did it alone...more than likely made every archivist back in our capital work overtime looking through anything relevant." Her smile faded. "Unfortunately, it means we're no closer to determining what exactly they are...if anything, we're further away. I can't help but wonder where they came from if we have absolutely no records on them." Though somewhat more somber than usual, Srilm was more deep in thought than unhappy about this news...any information was good at this point, even if it wasn't particularly enlightening.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

As Jokir received assent from the other two that going to the Shade Embassy would be the best idea, he set off towards the embassy, helping Roni up and to support Katarina along the way. Several minutes of shuffling and weird stares later, they turned up at the door of the building that Jokir had entered that morning. Opening it, he found a Shade sitting at the reception desk, idly practicing with the shadows. Looking up, he dropped the shadows he had been holding back onto the floor as he saw the state of Jokir, Roni and Kat.

Jokir opened his mouth and launched into a full explanation. To Roni and Katarina, the dialogue that followed was barely comprehensible, sounding more akin to two people singing a fast paced tune than actual words. The rhythm was solid and the tune was melodic in tone but the words were almost indistinguishable as Jokir succinctly explained the events, from Roni’s arrival in the street to the creatures attacking (who Jokir settled to call “Insects of great size unbefore seen in the Cycle) to them making their way to the embassy. He instructed the male Shade to have the embassy have the local Shade scientists investigate the creatures, which they would likely want to do anyway given the fact that these were entirely new creatures to the Cycle, and enquire if any of the other races might know of what they were. Jokir didn’t and that meant that likely no Shade would. If no knowledge existed of these creatures in the Cycle knowledge, then they were certainly facing a new threat. He produced the poison dart that he had recovered from himself and instructed the Shade to have this analysed as well. Finally, he informed the Shade that Roni and Katarina were to be considered his guests and were to be given protection (especially in the case of Roni) and shelter and that he would be meditating. Finishing with the urgent goodbye, he turned round to Roni and Kat. “You two are welcome to stay here. You are my guests and you will be cared for and fed and protected. I need to go into darkness to recover from both the poison and from the fight itself as I had to use my own Cycle force in order to defeat those… creatures. I may well be up to a day in there, I cannot be entirely certain. I’m sorry to have to leave you like this, though if you want you can come and find me and talk with me over the next day or so. The choice is yours.”

Leaving them to be helped by the embassy staff, Jokir made his way with purpose through the corridors of the embassy, following the signage in Common to enter a darkened hallway. There were only one or two candles in the hallway itself and the majority of other races would have a difficult time seeing in the dim gloom had their eyes not adjusted. For Jokir, however, it was a clear as the light of the midday sun, moreso in some senses. The night, Shades found, could often reveal more about the world than the day. As he walked down the corridor he picked the first available room and entered it. The floor was cold and bare and the walls lacked any furnishings but Jokir could sense power within the walls, the power that resided in the energy that lay in the shadows of the world, the power that sustained the physical form of the Aluille. He sat down cross legged on the floor and closed his eyes. Thinking deeply, he began to meditate, focusing deeply on a single image in his mind’s eye.

 

[Apelatia]

The little girl went on to describe that her parents had told her that they would be right behind her, but had ended up not right behind her... Talking about her missing parents was clearly making Anna feel uncomfortable and sad, but her willingness to provide the necessary information despite this was admirable. Tekki continued to smile encouragingly as the girl went on to describe a shelter, filled with many people. It had apparently been somewhere other than Torpolis, which suggested that Anna had somehow...moved through space from the shelter to the Coliseum? It was all a little bizarre, but Tekki kept her thoughts to herself rather than speaking them aloud. She imagined that saying anything about the situation at this point would more than likely confuse the girl even further... Anna concluded this part of her talk by reaffirming that she did not have the faintest idea where her parents could be. Tekki sighed then, before removing her embracing arm. She also took her eyes off Anna for the first time since they had sat down, instead directing her gaze towards somewhere in the distance as she considered what she had been told. As Anna fell silent for an extended period, Tekki lost herself in her thoughts. The whole shelter thing was bizarre to say the least... Why would so many people be crowded into a shelter? Shelters were meant for safety, and the only feasible explanation Tekki could muster was that Anna was from the region near Mount Vulx, and had been ushered into safety somewhere because of the magnitude of the eruption... That still did not answer the question of the shelter though. In that situation, it would have been better to simply evacuate the area. No, something else had happened... The whole issue of Anna disappearing from one place and reappearing in another was equally bizarre, especially as somewhere in that chaos she had lost her thumb, and with such a clean wound... Tekki could not quite understand how that could have happened. Moving through space was not something that was possible, as far as she knew, and why Anna would have lost her thumb in the process confounded her as well.

After some more time spent in deep thought, Anna spoke up again, and Tekki fixed her eyes on her again, intent to hear what she had to say about the Nuseni race's situation. The girl started off by trying to explain that to be drinkable, water had to be purified. That was true enough. Non-purified water was unhealthy to drink. As the girl continued to talk though, Tekki felt herself becoming more and more horrified by the words. Anna was describing to her, with the innocence of a five year-old child, the potential and sudden annihilation of the Nuseni race. Tekki found herself simply sitting there, her face drained of all colour. The councilwoman's face appeared to be very pale, with her mind frantically trying to search for reason that Anna would be lying to her. Her seemingly constant smile was gone, and in its place was a look of emptiness, of vulnerability and of utter disbelief... Her problem though, as she battled within herself, was that a five year-old would not be able to wax such a potent story by themselves unless it was true. "I don't..." were all the words that escaped Tekki's mouth before a few lone tears began to run down her usually healthy-looking face. Feronia's fellow Stillblood had not been lying. Something was going on outside their little Games bubble, and she was now left without anyone or anything... She had never been particularly close to her family, but their sudden end still left her feeling empty. ...and everyone else, from her neighbours, to the other members of the aqua-eleré council... They were all gone. As she silently sobbed, Tekki buried her face in her hands, trying desperately to come to terms with what had happened...