The Final Stand of Kauria

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DeletedUser37114

Kitten
Kitten woke quickly, as she usually did. Couldn't really afford to sleep deeply or wake slowly if she could help it, what you weren't awake enough to deal with could absolutely kill you. From the feel of it, she was on a hard surface with a blanket beneath her. Roni was there, which was its own blessing, she was relatively warm, from the sounds of things, there were other people moving around, putting them in a building of some sort. The faint aroma of food and stronger scent of sweat and people meant this was probably an inn. Perfect, right where she should be. Sound of breathing that wasn't hers or Roni's meant they weren't alone, one set sounding fast enough that that was probably someone who was awake... Kitten cracked an eye to look around, seeing Ro... Feronia sitting, eyes locked on something behind and above where she was laying, face red enough that she had to be doing something incriminating. Well, this had way too much potential to pass up. Extricating herself from Roni's hold wasn't too difficult with how tired her girlfriend apparently was, and making a big, quiet show of stretching and rubbing at her eyes probably gave Feronia more than enough time to quit doing whatever she was doing. And looking back would tell her... Ah. Apparently their younger Kitsune friend had decided she was more comfortable sans clothing. And sheets. Kitten looked back over at Feronia, blinking as if she didn't understand either before scooching over next to the Stillblood and leaning against her, head on Feronia's shoulder. No need to humiliate the younger woman by bringing up what she'd caught her doing. Not yet, at least...
 

Deleted User - 819397

An indeterminate amount of time later, Kitten awoke, moving in wide motions to work out any kinks that had been left from a night on the floor. Feronia was thankful for the advance notice, as she had plenty of time to shift her attention to the slightly older, fully clothed Kitsune, though her face was still really red. Fortune smiled on her again though, as Kitten looked over herself, body language saying she didn't get why the girl in the bed had done that before coming over next to her and sitting down, leaning her head on the Stillblood's shoulder. Seemed that regardless of her girlfriend being there, Kitten still enjoyed physical contact. Well, it wasn't anything but chaste, and seeing as she'd let Feronia take from her there wasn't much point in arguing, even if she had wanted to. This was comfortable, offered another explanation for her red face, and...oh...if she tilted her head to give Kitten more room to rest on she still had a nice view...well...crap. Shouldn't have checked that, she needed to look away now before untrue accusations were made...oh, but the Kitsune had taken advantage of the extra space and she couldn't turn her head back...well at that point she could hardly be blamed...right? Besides, it's not like Kitten could see where she was looking from where her head was...
 

DeletedUser37114

Kitten
Apparently Feronia had no clue that Kitten knew what was going on. The girl even tried to get a better view, leading, of course, to Kitten sliding her head over a little further to fill in the gap and trapping her there. It was almost fun, trying to push until she figured out what was going on... She was going to figure out what was going on, wasn't she? She wasn't all that stealthy... Okay, then. "She's pretty, isn't she?" Kitten asked, her voice low. "Think she'd be grateful if she didn't wake up naked?" The sheets were all kicked off the bed in a mess, along with the scattered mess of clothing that must've belonged to the girl. A lot of it wasn't in great shape, way too many tears and ragged ends. But it probably wasn't any use trying to get the girl to give it up and get something new either. Regardless, covering their new friend up was probably worth at least a couple brownie points, might as well give them to Feronia, make up for some of last night. What little she could make up for, at least...
 

Deleted User - 819397

Feronia started as Kitten spoke up, face feeling as though it could catch fire. "Wh-what? I...I wasn't...I would never...that would be..." Her hissed exclamations were coupled with a stark increase in how hot she was feeling, and it didn't take a genius to realize that the Kitsune wasn't going to believe her. "It...I don't usually...I feel so bad...just..." The Stillblood was losing steam...she'd been caught, and there wasn't anything for it. "Yeah...I'll...yeah..." Upset with herself to the point she was sure it was radiating off her in a visible format, she rose and walked over to the sleeping girl, doing her best to ignore the view with...mixed success, and with gentle care replaced the sheets that'd been kicked off during the night over the bed's occupant, ensuring they would be comfortable in addition to functional. She then returned to Kitten, not sure what else she could do, huddling up a little as she sat down, arms around her knees, head resting on her legs. "I'm sorry...that was...I really shouldn't have..." She would have been mortified if that'd been her, she should've let that be the driving factor in her choices, not some stupid baser desire. Hell she was an idiot sometimes...she was kind of surprised Kitten hadn't chewed her out...after all...it wasn't like her track record at resisting temptation had been anything resembling good the last couple days...what was wrong with her?
 

DeletedUser37114

(OOC: Apologies for the lack of posts, let's get this RP back on its feet)

Kitten
It was probably mean of her to tease the girl, but something told Kitten that it was worth it. Watching her replace the sheets as if she was comforting a sleeping child, maybe. Or maybe just how embarrassed she was, face burning scarlet. So when Feronia sat back down, Kitten cuddled back up against her, watching the sleeping girl stir and pull the blanket closer. "What are you apologizing for?" she whispered back. "You helped her, didn't you? Did the right thing in spite of your baser instincts? Triumphed over your lust to lay upon the beautiful princess a concealing bedsheet?" The smirk on her face would hopefully let Feronia know that she was teasing. But just in case... "And look, the princess' garments have been scattered, as if by a cruel wind. Perhaps if you were to gather them, she would deign to grant you a kiss when she awakes?"
 

Apelatia

Well-Known Member
Tekki woke with intentional slowness, her sleep having been uneasy for the first time in a long while. She had drifted in out of dreams involving terrible events, unshaped nightmares and terrorised faces, most involving people she had known once upon a time in the Nuseni realm. According to Anna, those good people were now gone. Despite her uncanny ability to hold herself together in the face of tribulation and distress, Tekki still found it difficult to fully calm herself in the situation in which she found herself. The other cause of her restless sleep was Anna. It was true that she could not afford to keep the girl by her side, but Tekki felt bad for letting her go at this of all the times... Still, it was for the best. The quicker Anna forgot about Tekki, the easier it would be for her to start anew with some form of foster parents. This and more things she considering as she lay on her back with her eyes open. She could just about make out the audible sounds of Anna's breathing from the bed, but aside from that all was quiet. Letting out a sigh, Tekki roused herself and began to mentally prepare herself for the day's events. Once washed, dressed and ready, Tekki gently woke Anna, who clearly had not been sleeping well herself, and sat on the edge of the bed. Loath to bring up the topic of their impending divergence, Tekki instead chose a more hearty topic to begin the day. "Good morning, Anna. How do you feel about having a nice breakfast to start today off? I can tell you from experience that the food here is good!" Depending on how Anna replied, she would make the necessary arrangements and prepare for whatever the day held for her.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Kitten was amused for some reason by Feronia's actions, pointing out in almost excruciating detail that she'd done the right thing despite her 'baser instincts', having fun with the Stillblood. She didn't get why it was amusing...she'd been awful. Still, at least she wasn't yelling at her...she didn't think she'd be able to handle that. In a roundabout manner, she suggested Feronia pick up the girl's clothing so that it wasn't in total disarray when she woke up. Which was true, she could do that, she'd cleaned rooms before with that kind of added touch, but Kitten was insinuating she might get a kiss for it...that shouldn't factor into doing a nice thing, but it...kind of was... Without a word, she rose and started taking and folding the sleeping girl's clothing for her, which was a comfortable task to lose herself in. She did note that the clothing was...threadbare, if she was being nice. The girl had been living rough, and the Stillblood's heart went out to her a little...she remembered how she was for a while after...exiting...her race's life. Still, it wasn't like she could do anything about it...at least not while she was asleep anyway. A quick return to Kitten's side after she was done finished the chore, looking a little happier than she had prior...that was a good deed, and she hadn't done anything uncouth throughout it. She wasn't a person with no redeeming factors at least...

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Tekki woke Anna before too long, looking worried as adults often did. Maybe she was having second thoughts about their parting? That would be excellent, she wouldn't need to try hard! Though it sounded like that wasn't to be talked about yet, and instead breakfast was on the forefront of her friend's mind. The Human nodded eagerly. "Please...I'm hungry, and it was really nice to have a big meal yesterday. If the food here is good I want to eat it!" She grinned at the Nuseni, starting to rouse herself in full. If she was a good girl, she'd be more likely to be allowed to stay. She knew that already, her parents had told her that a few times where they'd been. She had never been forced to leave, so she was a good girl. She knew that down to the bottoms of her toes. Surely Tekki would agree and not put her somewhere where she wouldn't be safe. She wouldn't be that mean...
 

DeletedUser37114

Kitten
Oh, she was such a bad person. Getting a kick out of making the younger girl get up and pick up clothing while she sat there and relished her embarrassment. It did seem like the task was enjoyable for her though, looking happier coming back than she had going out. Probably proud of herself, not doing anything untoward with the younger Kitsune. Of course, she wouldn't have done anything more than look in the first place, Kitten was more than sure of that, but she wouldn't have been surprised if she had more confidence in the Stillblood than she had in herself. But nevertheless, since the other Kitsune was unlikely to treat her to any sort of reward... Kitten leaned over to kiss Feronia on the cheek. Just a quick, chaste peck, nothing untoward for an acquaintance. "There," she purred, voice still quiet. "Since the princess is still sleeping. When do you think we should wake them up?" A head gesture meant that there wasn't much chance that the girl misunderstood her question. Not that there was much chance of that anyway. It was probably still relatively early, she was an early riser, and if Kat was starting to stir, she'd probably gotten most of the poison out of her system. Roni, she was less sure about, she really needed to do a thorough check of her injuries later, make sure she wasn't low on energy. And make sure she got fed. And that she didn't need extra cuddles.
 

DeletedUser31931

The hours whirled by as Jokir relieved his life. Moment after moment. The parts of his Cycle that had come to define Jokir resonated deeply within him. He reviewed his most recent memories, thinking on how he had acted, how his Cycle had influenced the Cycles of others around him. He thought back to the fight, to the creatures. He had pushed himself too hard, too far. That said, he owed it to the girls to defend their Cycle. And old man like him had little left in his Cycle. Ever since Marjanna’s Cycle had detached itself from his own, he felt like his Cycle had been cut adrift. He could see the path that he was supposed to take, the Cycle’s desires for him. To explore and discover were the challenges laid before an Elder and a Warrior of the Aluille. Still, his Cycle felt drained without Marjanna to share it with. Ah well… Jokir reached out through his mind, stretching himself mentally from his memories. His body felt refreshed. The comforting embrace of the Cycle had renewed him and now he was ready to mix his Cycle with those of the people around him.

In the darkness of the resting room, Jokir’s eyes shot open. He rose from his resting position, stretching out his body in the quiet darkness of the room. He opened the door and headed outside and quietly treading down the corridor of the embassy. He reached the end of the hallway and as light from the outside filtered in, he judged that it was likely midmorning by the sunlight. He had been gone, perhaps, twelve hours? He had spent longer recovering before, but only once. Jokir realised that if he were truly to take care of his Cycle, he would need to be more careful in future. His Cycle, however, was not as important as that of Kat and Roni’s, the thought of which had spurred him to move to the front desk, where the secretary from the evening before was waiting for him. “May your Cycle find you well.” Jokir bowed as he spoke. Once he had received a greeting in response, he spoke again. “May I enquire as to whether the guests I brought with me chose to stay the night? Also, what progress have we made in both our research and in talking to the other races?” Jokir hoped that Roni and Kat had stayed the night. The embassy was undoubtedly the safest place to be right now. As he waited for the answer, he decided that, had they not, he would make tracking them down and ensuring their safety (as well as finding out Roni’s story) the foremost objective in his Cycle. The sooner, the better.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Kitten wound up being the one to kiss Feronia, a chaste ordeal on her cheek. Which was nice, admittedly, but it didn't help the conflicted feelings she had towards the Kitsune now...after all, she'd sort of helped her cheat on...Roni, that was it...shouldn't any sort of affection towards her be avoided now? Still, the Stillblood would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate the gesture, and she flushed a little as the young woman's lips brought back memories of yesterday. Regardless, that was all in the past now, and she knew it. Even if Kitten offered now she wouldn't take her up on it...cheating was one of the worst things you could do to your partner, and weird lookalike coincidence or not, Feronia wasn't her girlfriend.

She was shaken out of her musings by the Kitsune's question of when they should wake the others up. Frowning at her, she replied, "I don't see why we need to...the girl in the bed is working poison out of her system if I understood things right, and R...your girlfriend looked beat up both on the physical and mental ends. Isn't sleep something they should get as much of as they-"

"If you two were any louder you'd wake up the whole inn..." Roni's voice, slurred with sleep, carried over to them, where she was still curled up under the blanket she and Kitten had been given. "Morning you two. Forgive me if I'm slow to get up. Sore. Not your fault for once either, Kitten..." She chuckled into a long sigh before falling silent again.

Feronia had flushed at Roni's words...she really didn't need to know that kind of thing...and if she was some version of herself...why the hell was she saying that kind of thing aloud? "I, um...I can give you two some space if you'd like...don't mean to impose..." She started to rise, looking uncertain as to whether her presence was wanted or not...this whole situation was just too weird for her, weird duality of the people present, and having slept with the one who was committed to the other one of her...she really had no idea what she was supposed to do anymore...
 

DeletedUser37114

Embassy
As Jokir walked into the room, the Shade at the front desk stood up to bow to him. "Research has been slow," he started once greetings were exchanged and Jokir's questions were asked. "These... creatures bear no resemblance to anything we have encountered, sentient or not. There are traces of magic in their systems, but those are more residue than ability. More study will be needed. As for the other races, it appears that there has been trouble with these creatures throughout the city. A number of deaths, many injuries. We are currently working to gather more information in this as well." The Shade sighed, face impassive. "As for your... guests, they left not long after arriving. Their cycles are currently at an inn most of the way across the city." Waving his hand, the Shade pulled a small blob of shadow from under his desk, setting it in front of him as it formed into a small, shadowy lizard, which scampered up to Jokir. "This guide will help you find them. May your cycle flow ever smoothly, Esteemed One."

Inn
Feronia seemed a little tense as she kissed her. Entirely understandable, given their previous activities and everything, but... The serving girl also argued that they didn't need to wake anyone up, that the Kitsune was working poison out of her system and that Roni was looking beat up. Which, of course, prompted Roni herself to chime in. Kitten had been wondering when she'd wake up, normally it was difficult for her to get up without waking her. Though at the same time, they were normally a little more... intertwined than that. Nudging Feronia so that she could comfortably move away, Kitten crawled over to her girlfriend and planted a kiss on her cheek before pulling Roni's head up into her lap and running her fingers through her hair. "Hey, beautiful," she said, smiling down at her. "Anything I should know about?"

Kat floated for a while in the dark. It was quiet there, no weight, nothing hurt, just warm bliss. And then she was lying on something soft listening to people talk. Kat rolled over, cracking her eyes to glare at the other occupants of the room. Apparently Roni had found them some place, but she didn't recognize either of the others there. Granted, one of them seemed to be taking care of Roni, who seemed to be awake as well. The other one... Kitten blinked and frowned before trying to move a hand up to rub at her eyes and sit up, the blanket falling down to pool around her waist. That girl looked really similar to Roni, same hair, same build, what was going on? That was definitely Roni wrapped in the blanket with the Kitsune... And why was she cold? She had this blanket, the inn wasn't particularly... Looking down gave her that answer. Kat flailed for a moment, trying to pull the blanket back up to cover herself, flushing with embarrassment. A quick look told her that the two on the floor were engrossed with each other and the one by the wall who was studiously not looking at her... She saw. She almost certainly saw. Ashes and cinders... Kat slowly curled back up until the blanket, facing away from the rest of the room. With any luck, this was just a weird, embarrassing dream, not anything real, not anything real...
 

Deleted User - 819397

Roni smiled and leaned into the kiss, sighing happily as Kitten started stroking her hair. "Morning to you..." she responded, her voice still laden with sleep. "Feeling sore. Have some cuts. My pinky got severed on the trip, stump is throbbing a little. Burned enough energy to trigger the last resort, feeling that today like I always do after...but I could be a lot worse." She opened her eyes, smiling up at the Kitsune. "Could be alone still..." The Stillblood's expression became alarmed. "Kitten...your ear...what happened? Oh...don't tell me that's what you lost coming over...I'm so sorry, that must hurt so much...I wish I could help with that..." She moved an arm around her girlfriend's waist, still keeping her head in Kitten's lap, enjoying the feeling of her hair being played with. In a quiet voice, she added, "I missed you..."

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Feronia was completely ignored as Kitten moved to Roni, almost acting as though she'd forgotten the other occupants of the room existed, which...yeah, she should go...leave the two alone to catch up...besides, it's not like the other girl was...oh, no, she was awake, and sitting up...and that was a nice view...and she was being a total idiot again, flushing bright red as she turned and stared at the wall until she heard movements synonymous with fixing the problem. The girl looked embarrassed, which...that made two of them...but all the same, she needed to feel like the pair on the floor were alone with their quiet words for her own peace of mind. With that in mind she approached the bed, fighting to keep her face clear of blushing. "Good morning...are you feeling better? You came in really sick last night...I'm Feronia, I work at the inn, and kind of got caught up in events with Kitten over there, who, um...seems to know Roni, who brought you here, and..." Oh hell this was a disaster. Way to go Feronia. "Um...so...what's your name? Are you feeling better?" You idiot...you already asked her that. You're going to seem like such a moron. And now you're flushing again. Great. Better get ready to be told off for being a horrible person...
 

Apelatia

Well-Known Member
Anna responded favourably to her offer of breakfast at the inn, stating rather eagerly that if there was good food to be eaten, then she wanted to eat it. Allowing a broad smile to spread across her face, Tekki gently smoothed the girl's hair as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You deserve a nice meal after all the walking across the city that you did yesterday, my dear." After checking that Anna's bandage was still relatively fresh, Tekki showed the sculpture that she had purchased two days previous to the girl, allowing her to handle it as she so desired, the Nuseni councilwoman answering any questions and responding to any comments which the girl made about it in good spirits. Once Anna had stopped observing the sculpture's many curves and angles, Tekki picked up her staff from where it rested against the wall, before leading Anna out into the hallway. Resisting the urge to sigh, she locked the door to her room, before turning around and pacing down the corridor with Anna in tow. Before she had gone too far, however, she stopped. Allowing her thoughts to wander, she turned and gazed towards the door of the room into which Feronia had retreated the night previous. Tekki frowned, her desire to find out more about the incident which had taken place the day before almost overriding her need to get Anna to breakfast. However, sense won over in the end. Feronia's "top secret" information could wait. The little girl beside her was her priority for now.

Once at the foot of the stairs, Tekki strode slowly over to Adin at the front desk, her face having regained its usual cheery look as soon as she had left the staircase. Inclining her head politely to the innkeeper as he spotted her approaching, Tekki spoke in a measured voice. "Good morning, Adin! How are you this morning?" No hint of the presence of the many thoughts presently swarming around her head was visible as she spoke. Once the innkeeper had replied, Tekki smiled warmly, gesturing towards Anna. "Both Anna here and I are rather hungry, and would appreciate a hearty breakfast this morning. I will, of course, pay extra for the provision of food for Anna in addition to myself. Would that be sufficient for you, Adin?" Raising her eyebrows, the Nuseni stood waiting for a response.
 

DeletedUser31931

Jokir nodded as the embassy clerk explained that they still had yet to figure out the bug-creatures. It was understandable. When the conversation turned to Kat and Roni, however, it seemed that they had decided to leave the embassy. Jokir felt strangely saddened at their departure, touched in a way he hadn’t been in a while. As the clerk pulled a shadow from under the desk and formed a small lizard, Jokir bowed. “And may yours flow ever stronger.” With the formalities of their conversation ended, Jokir left the room, following the lizard as it left the busy streets to take to the terraced rooftops of the city. It did not take him long to cross the city, quickly covering what Roni and Kat had presumably stumbled across yesterday evening. He was still slightly upset that they had endangered their Cycles by going across the city, especially since these attacks were more widespread than simply the attempt upon their life. His mind clicked over the puzzle in his head and he decided that he would go and visit the ambassador again later, and offer his services in helping solve this problem. The Shades could always form a night watch to protect against the creatures… Memories of the Troubled Years stirred in Jokir’s mind and he remembered the feeling that all Shades knew, what it was like to be an enemy within your own birth city. These creatures were not good for the natural balance of the Cycle, this much he knew. The lizard veered downwards and Jokir followed it to the ground level, crossing behind an inn. He tensed as he saw the large hole blasted in the side of the wall, but he knew that the embassy clerk would have told him if they were in danger and the damage didn’t look like it had been caused since he had left the embassy. He followed the lizard, climbing up the side of the building and into the room. Once he had entered, he reformed, exiting his invisible mode. Exiting the room into the corridor, he saw it was empty, a peaceful tranquillity settled over the whole building. As the lizard stopped at the door it tapped on the handle. Jokir thanked it for its work and it vanished, fading into the shadow that the doorknob created on the door. Standing in the hallway, Jokir took a deep breath, before raising his hand and knocking.
 

DeletedUser37114

Inn
Cinders, The girl, Feronia, noticed and decided to move closer. And there was no way to fake that she was sleeping, no way to get her to go away without actually confronting someone who was just trying to be friendly... Or wasn't, she was referring to the other Kitsune with a pretty insensitive nickname. If she worked here though, it probably wasn't a good idea to make a scene... Plus they'd be on their way before too long and she wouldn't have to do talk to her ever again. In the meantime, she needed to save any dignity she still had. "I... You didn't see anything, right?" she asked, voice quiet but firm, still curled up and staring at the wall. "You didn't see my... You looked away right as the blanket fell, right?" Just a small, quick lie, hopefully she'd just echo it, not tell anybody, she'd be able to get to her clothes and get dressed without anyone seeing anything... The sound of knocking at the door told her that wasn't going to happen any time soon and she curled up tighter, squeezing her eyes closed. "Go away, go away go away..."

It was so nice to be with her again, have everything feel right again. There had been an awful void in her chest when she was missing, but now... Everything was okay. Even if Roni was being a bad girl and trying to change the subject away from how hurt she seemed to be. She'd make sure to look her over when they had time. Thoroughly. But for now, Kitten let her girlfriend think it worked, no point in making her unhappy when they had just gotten back together. "Small price to pay," she murmured back, gently running a finger over the curve of one of Roni's ears. "Less useful than a finger, at least..." She leaned down to plant a kiss on Roni's forehead, still running her fingers through her hair. "Missed you too, dearest." That last one almost hurt to say, she knew that she'd been the one at fault, the one who'd run ahead and done stupid things while Roni apparently had to fight and get hurt. Judging from how carefully she was moving, hurt a lot. It was tempting to just start undressing her here and making sure she was- And now someone was knocking at the door. Probably the innkeep, about the room next door or some food or looking after Feronia or something. The serving girl was over with Katarina, talking or looking after her or something along those lines, visible, clothed, and safe. Nobody could fault her for her care. So she didn't need to get up and leave Roni, she could just ask Feronia to answer it. "Feronia, would you mind getting the door?" Nope, no need to leave Roni, she was going to be right here until heaven, earth, or her girlfriend made her move.
 

Deleted User - 819397

It seemed the Kitsune wasn't up for talking about anything comfortable, instead asking if she'd seen anything, if she'd looked away when she'd sat up. It was said with quiet desperation, almost shouting that this was the correct course of action to pursue, and Feronia didn't have the heart to correct her again. "Yeah, I looked away...just felt like I should talk to you seeing as the other two are...occupied..." Or...not, seeing as Kitten asked her to get the door. "Sure..." was the uncertain response, frowning in sympathy as the girl in the bed curled up again, muttering under her breath...she'd really had a rough time the last while, but there wasn't much the Stillblood could do about it now. As she made the couple quick steps to the door, she wondered if it was Uwe or Tekki who was knocking...after all, they were the only two that would have any reason to do so. It was a complete surprise, then, to see a Shade standing there, looking...like a Shade, she supposed. The reclusive race hadn't been prevalent at the inn as they didn't often stay overnight outside their own areas, and she hadn't met many on the road after leaving her own people's main group. She had no real idea about their culture, didn't know what would and wouldn't be offensive, and was just now realizing this was a severe problem as someone in a service job. Still...this one had come and knocked on the door, so a greeting wouldn't be amiss...hopefully. "Good morning...can I help you?" She really had no clue what she was doing...if she'd been in her own room she would have figured the dark figure across from her had something for her to do for them, but...she wasn't in her room, which begged the question why they were here. With any luck, that would all be explained now so she could get her feet under her for the first time since she'd started talking to Kitten yesterday. SOMETHING had to make sense, right?

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A soft snort emanated from Roni as Kitten mentioned an ear being less useful than a finger. "It's one of the least useful fingers...I can still do everything I could before..." She quieted at the Kitsune's kiss, sighing and snuggling deeper into her lap. She ignored the knock at the door, content to let Feronia get it. She and her girlfriend were on the far side of the bed, they weren't going to be bothering anyone like this. Plus she hurt and it was so comfortable in Kitten's lap, having her hair played with...who could blame her for not being present for a guest? Instead she smiled up at the love at her life before closing her eyes again, continuing to enjoy the attention she was receiving. So long as they were together, there wasn't anything else she wanted. The rest of the world could buzz off...it really could...

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Adin looked up and smiled as Tekki approached, nodding to Anna, who grinned sunnily back at him. "Good morning you two. I'm well, and I hope you both are feeling as happy as you look." He shook his head, frowning a little, as the Nuseni woman explained how she wanted to pay for breakfast. "You are caring for a child who has lost her parents for the time being, you talked me into it last night but I won't have any of it today. It is unfair of me to accept payment while you are doing a good deed." His expression returned to his pleasant smile as he looked down at the Human girl. "If you insist on the extra though, why not use it to get something for her instead? After all, the Games are underway...Torpolis is awash with goods and sales, many of which would be fascinating for any child. Odds are we won't see many of those things back here again until the next Games, so now's the time to look." He shrugged, becoming a little more serious again, dropping his voice so that Anna could no longer hear him. "If it really bothers you that much, consider it an apology for what you went through two nights ago. I don't care what you use as the rationale, so long as you don't give me the extra coins." He waited for a moment, then grinned down at Anna. "We've got a big breakfast cooking, why don't the two of you run along and get yourselves some of it?" The girl nodded and pulled on Tekki's arm, grinning wide with excitement. "Please? I'm hungry..."
 

DeletedUser31931

As the door swung open, it revealed Roni standing behind it. No, wait, that wasn’t Roni… Jokir quickly scanned the room as the mystery that lay before him became apparent to his Cycle. The Stillblood standing in front of him was several years too young to be Roni and yet was otherwise almost exactly identical to Roni. To further complicate matters, Kat was lying on the bed, wrapped up in a blanket. Shapeshifting was out of the question and, whatever it was, the situation seemed peaceful so Jokir chose the most direct route. Bowing, he introduced himself. “Good morning. My name is Jokir Azal. I came here expecting my Cycle to interact with one Kitsune and Stillbood, but it seems I have found the wrong Stillbood.” Laughing a little at his own joke, he offered his hand to the Stillblood in front of him. “I understand our Cycles have not crossed before, but if you would permit me entry to your room, I would be most grateful. I wish to speak with Kat.” With that, he waited for the Stillblood’s response, his mind still mulling things over. First these bugs, and now a Roni doppelganger with no actual Roni in sight but with Kat still there. Roni, he reasoned, must be nearby (and Kat would hopefully be able to tell him where to find the girl). Still, Jokir’s Cycle had certainly taken a turn for the weird in the past day or so. The only appropriate response, however, was to keep a smile on his face, a sword at the ready, and be prepared to enact the will of the Cycle, in whatever way it might present itself. In these uncertain times, flexibility in one’s Cycle would be key. And Jokir was willing to do whatever it would take
 

Deleted User - 819397

The Shade didn't answer Feronia's question at first, opting instead to cast their gaze around the parts of the room they could see behind her. This was a little disconcerting, being treated as though she wasn't there. She was about to ask again what they were doing there, though this time a little less polite, when they bowed and spoke up, giving the name Jokir and talking way too much about cycles...whatever those were. Still, they wanted to talk to Kat, which could only be the Kitsune in the bed behind her, and had been looking for a different Stillblood, probably Roni. Ok...something about the Shade was off-putting to her, but all the same..."Kat just woke up after being poisoned, so it would be best if you waited for her to be ready..." Her tone was formal and distant, but now her voice softened, becoming withdrawn. "We all had a long night..."

Roni had tensed when Jokir spoke before nuzzling into Kitten's lap more. The fricking 'Esteemed One' had followed them. She hoped Feronia would handle him, get rid of him, but she wasn't doing anything aside from making things seem worse than they were...and Kat did need to take it easy for a moment...she might be awake, but a little more rest couldn't hurt. The same logic applied to her, of course, but she was the older of the two hurt people, so it fell on her to ensure the younger was taken care of. So deciding, and with much regret, she extricated herself from Kitten's embrace and rose with a couple winces and a curse under her breath before looking over at Jokir with undisguised irritation. "You know they have conventional ways of getting ahold of inn guests, right? Rather than just showing up at their room unannounced when everyone's just waking up?" She limped over to the door, Feronia backing away into the room, looking grateful at not needing to try to hold up the conversation anymore. "We can talk outside the door...let the others rest." She finished her exodus before closing the door, looking back at Jokir with a more neutral expression. "I'm glad you're ok, don't get me wrong...those darts are death incarnate for Stillbloods. Just bothers me when I'm injured and need rest and someone shows up ignoring any sense of caring about the fact they don't heal as quick as them. Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?" She settled back against the wall with a wince, knowing if the conversation went on too long she'd find herself sitting against it rather than standing, her injuries sapping her strength with greedy speed.
 

DeletedUser13682

The sun peaked in through the window, its piercing rays penetrating through the room and straight into Uwe's eyes. He slowly opened them, the eye gunk and headache providing mild resistance. He didn't know quite what time it was, but he did know that he was running late. For what though, he couldn't remember. There was something warm beside him in the bed, something slightly moving up and down, up and down, up and down. He turned around and spied a lump beneath the curtains. That was strange; Uwe never slept with random lumps. That must have been the source of the up and down motion, and the accompanying noise. It was almost as if there was someone breathing beneath the sheets. Uwe tried to think about last night, but all he could do was recall blank holes, starting after a wonderful seafood dinner with a lovely Nuseni called Lensni. Then did that mean they both ended up here in Uwe's room? He slowly pulled back the covers and revealed the sleeping form of Lensni. That did bring back a couple memories of their night, drinking oinos, discussing their families, facing some horror or maybe its aftermath? Was there a knock on the door once? Most of those fragmented memories were fuzzy. The chain of events wasn't cohesive, couldn't be made out well, but he did feel well rested, if a bit sore. He slowly rolled out of bed so as not to disturb the still sleeping Lensni, and quietly padded over to the counter, where he quickly set about making his coffee. As the first drops of the black blend hit his lips, and the headache becan to subside, fuzzy memories of a ruined room suddenly focused into images of Feronia's, and Kitten's aftermath with the creatures, whose remains were still probably in that room. After writing a quick note letting Lensni know that he went to check on Feronia and Kitten and to help herself to the coffee, and finding a serviceable pair of brown trousers, a light blue tunic, and a comfortable pair of moccasins, Uwe walked out the door and quietly closed it behind him. Across the door stood a Shade and Feronia, no not Feronia, but perhaps her sister, talking outside the room that sheltered Feronia and Kitten. "A wonderful morning to both of you," Uwe spoke out, as he walked across the hallway. Throwing on his smile, he continued speaking when he reached a couple steps in front of the two. "I hope you both are having a good morning. I'm Uwe Lundhof. I've come over to say good monring to Feronia and Kitten. I had a very interesting conversation with them yesterday, and promised to continue it with them this morning."
 
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DeletedUser31931

As the Stillblood in front of him spoke, Jokir nodded, sympathetic to Kat’s plight. As he made to apologise and offer to keep watch should any present danger arise, Roni stood up from behind the bed, Jokir’s eyebrow raising slightly. Now that he could compare the two, they both had metal legs, but which leg was metal was itself reversed. Most peculiar. Jokir wondered if metal legs were common amongst Stillbloods, for his own Cycle had involved almost no interaction with the species, and resolved to question his Cycle memories or the embassy staff later. For now, Roni was none too pleased to see him which was perhaps understandable. Their Cycles had only just intertwined after all. Still, Roni’s rejection of his Cycle stung a little bit, especially after he had protected hers. As Roni closed the door behind her, Jokir tilted his head slightly and decided on his tack before responding. “I sense you are not fully healed, so I will keep my speech brief. Or, as brief as this tongue allows it to be. I wish to ensure your safety and Kat’s today and perhaps to see if I can arrange a meeting of diplomats at which you would be present. The… bug creatures have been attacking more across the city and I have no doubt that they were in part responsible for the damage in the room next door, the reason I knocked immediately instead of waiting. Given your apparent knowledge of the creatures I would appreciate your co-operation in this matter, though I would understand if your Cycle leads you in another direction.” Jokir decided to not end with a bow, given that he was beginning to form the suspicion that Roni didn’t much care for Shade custom, something that would explain her hurried exit from the embassy last night. Before she could deliver her response, however, Roni and Jokir were interrupted by a door opening and a human stepping out of a room. As Jokir quietly assessed the shadows in the corridor and how hard it would be to put out the candles should the man prove a threat, he listened to the man’s speech. It seemed that the man appeared no threat but rather an ally, but although Jokir’s frame outwardly appeared calm and relaxed, he was in one of the opening battle stances that a Shade would use, ready for a surprise attack. Still, the man had told him something. Feronia was the name of Stillblood who was not Roni, and that there was another person (presumably a Kitsune) named Kitten. Raising an eyebrow, Jokir looked at Roni and tilted his head deferentially to her. She knew the situation better than he did (much to his chagrin) and probably knew this Kitten. Besides which, he had yet to receive an answer from her. All things considered, it was best to let her speak first.
 
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