Closed Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Nieve awakes to something highly unusual.

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Gillar on July 12th, 2018, 5:21 am

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15th Day of Summer 518


Nieve opened her eyes, blinked a few times and realized quickly that something wasn't right. There was a sense of confusion created by a couple of things; her mind was a bit fuzzy as if she had drank too much the night before but she couldn't remember having anything to drink and she couldn't see anything thanks to what felt like a blindfold of some sort covering her eyes. Her hands, she was in human form, were bound behind her back by some sort of metal bindings, at least that is what they felt like. Attempts to shift her body into a yowling were met with nothing; no matter how hard she tried, she could not touch that part of herself that would cause her form to shift.

The air was cool which was odd for the coastal jungle that surrounded Syka. The smell also was quite off-putting. It was somewhat acrid and reminded her of old urine and feces. Wherever she was, she was laying down. The ground felt like stone, smooth stone, as if it were worked as opposed to being rough, natural rock. She could hear the faint sounds of the jungle; birds and insects, but they seemed far away or blocked somehow. She was as she was when she went to sleep the night before with nothing in the way of any significant possessions that she could feel.

After a several moments, she heard light breathing with a slight wheeze to it followed by the sounds of someone or something moving around. Then, someone spoke. The voice was more or less masculine, somewhat nasal sounding and a little high pitched. "Oh!, it's awake! Um...hi there! Oh my, I can't believe it! Wait, my manners...A good day to you and welcome! I think that's right...it's right, isn't it?!" The voice was filled with enthusiasm but with an obvious hint of nervousness.

Nieve could try to stand however she would find her legs lacked much strength or coordination to be able to pull it off. Whatever was making her mind a bit fuzzy was also making her body feel like jelly. Whatever or whoever was talking to her seemed to wait for a response, its wheezing breath noisy and rapid.
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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Nieve Glass on July 12th, 2018, 4:16 pm

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Nieve wasn't sure what woke her; perhaps it was just the feeling of wrongness that being in such an entirely different environment caused, even in her sleep. Regardless, she suddenly found herself stirring awake. Her mind felt thick and hazy, and she smacked her lips a few times, her mouth dry.

As she blinked her eyes open, she realized she couldn't see anything. Unease filtered through her mind as she struggled to wake up properly; rarely if ever did she find herself in such total blackness, and her tent always had some sort of light filtering through it.

Nieve made to sit up, but her body was heavy, and moving was made all the more difficult with her hands restrained firmly behind her back. She only succeeded in rolling slightly to the side. Wait, her hands were bound? The shock of panic that raced through her was enough to give herself the jolt she needed to shake off much of her sluggishness.

Blinking more intensely, Nieve realized she was blindfolded as well, hence the lack of vision. She tugged uselessly at her wrists as panic built in her chest and clawed up her throat, her breathing coming hard and fast through her nose as she found her wrists well and truly bound by some sort of cool metal.

Oh Gods, what's happening? She was on some sort of stone floor, and distantly she could hear the sounds of the jungle. She felt tears of panic well in the corner of her eyes, but then she heard the quiet whispers of shadows. Immediately, her fear lessened, and Nieve took in a deep, shaky breath.

The shadows were unfamiliar and curious; a few of them even concerned. They glided over her, though they ignored her when she asked them desperately in Makath where she was. Still, their presence was comforting, and it allowed for her to take the time to force herself to calm down. She was never truly alone, after all. Akajia, please guide me. Despite her mark, Nieve was not often one for prayer. Such was her confusion and panic, the Kelvic didn't even think of trying to shift her forms in order to free herself.

Calmer, the Kelvic attempted to take better stock of her situation. She was clad only in her linen shirt, the hem brushing the tops of her thighs, as she had been when she had gone to sleep. She was blindfolded and her hands were bound behind her back; she could still hear the sounds of the jungle but they were faint, and the stone beneath her was smooth and cool. The scent was unpleasant, making her wrinkle her nose; it reminded her of stale urine.

So then; putting her thoughts together, Nieve knew she was probably inside. Inside where, she had no idea. It was certainly not in the settlement by the beach. Just as she was beginning to put a few things together, Nieve heard breathing that was distinctly not hers.

A new sort of fear crept up through her; this one was more muted. Had she been kidnapped? How? Why would someone want to kidnap her? Questions whirled around like a storm inside her mind, and she waited, her whole body tense. She felt foolish for not having realized someone else was with her sooner, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Suddenly, the other person spoke. The voice seemed more masculine, despite its high pitch. The words that were spoken startled Nieve, and only served to confuse her further, her brow furrowing beneath the blindfold. A part of her distinctly noted that she had been referred to as an 'it', and despite the circumstances, she still found herself offended.

And so, not knowing what else to say just yet, that is what Nieve decided to settle on. "I'm not an 'it'," She said, with a slight frown. She struggled to force herself to a sitting position again, and was successful this time; her head turned to face the general direction of where the voice had come from.

The nasally tone of voice and the excitement, borderline nervousness, in the other person's words made her feel as if she wasn't in immediate danger, and her fear quickly ebbed to be replaced by anger. "A good day indeed, to find myself kidnapped and in a strange place with a strange person," Nieve snapped, her shoulders tensing up around her ears, and her pointed teeth flashing in a silent snarl.

The shadows swirled around her; she could feel them, and she latched onto them for strength. "Don't be mad," One of them whispered to her as it breezed by. Nieve paused, chewing over the piece of advice. The shadows clearly knew whoever her captor was to some extent; either way, she was beginning to feel that perhaps yelling wouldn't get her any sort of favourable response. And she certainly didn't want to anger whoever had kidnapped her, especially when she didn't really know what they were capable of.

Inhaling deeply, her nostrils flaring at the unpleasant smell surrounding her, Nieve forced herself to measure her tone more evenly when she next spoke, though anger still churned heatedly in her chest. "Who are you, and where am I?" She asked. "Why am I here?" She had more questions, questions like 'how did you get me here', 'what do you want with me', but she brushed them aside for the time being, her pulse pounding in her ears.

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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Gillar on July 13th, 2018, 3:01 am

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The response to Nieve's snarky comments followed by her questions was momentarily silence. Then, there was a bit of audible shuffling; the wheezy breathing continuing. Nieve could feel the presence of someone or something very close to her and could smell a strong animal scent. The voice, in a bit quieter but no less jittery tone said, "So filled with questions it...sorry, she is. A bit feisty you are too. This is not a strange place and I'm not a strange person. At least I don't think so. Oh wait, it, she, you, can't see me. My folly...don't bite me ok? I let you see now."

Nieve could detect movement right before feeling the blindfold being pulled away.

It took only a few breaths for her eyes to adjust to the filtered light. What she saw was quite different than what she was used to seeing in and around Syka. First, the light that allowed her to see came through small fissures in the high stone ceiling, roughly 30 feet high. Although it was difficult to tell just how big the fissures were, they looked pretty small. The light that made it down to where she was revealed what once could have been some sort of stone chamber. The ceiling looked to be worked-stone as was the floor. The spot where she sat was a small island amidst what appeared to be sea of junk that masked whatever the full size of the room may be.

Stacked all around were piles stacked upon piles of everything from cloth and clothing mixed with countless branches, leaves, torn paper and parchment, partial and full pieces of furniture, tools, implements, utensils, pottery both broken and intact and in many places patches of a brown and dirty yellow crystallization of some sort that seemed to act as a kind of glue that sealed it all together. About 10 feet away from where she sat, Nieve also saw what she could only describe as a "nest" burrowed into the trash. The nest was lined with coins and a few gems. There were glittering trinkets, chains and jewelry dangling from the top of the nest. There were a few other things in the nest that Nieve couldn't make out because of what had hopped back away from her and hunched down about 5 feet away.

The person, at least it looked mostly like a person, was completely nude save for a couple of bracelets. His tanned skin was made darker by the dirt and grime that he was covered in. He was thin, with short yet spindly arms. His hair was bushy and greasy yet he oddly did not sport any facial hair. His face was slender and angled with dark eyes. His nose twitched frequently as if he were constantly sniffing at the air. On the back of one of his hands was a glowing symbol of some sort. It was not a tattoo; it was as if it were embossed into the skin. The "man" also looked quite young, barely into young adulthood.

Still hunched, he shifted back and forth, his eyes always moving. "See, not a strange place, you see it now. I am not strange either, you see me now too. Your not...what did you call it, kidnapped? No, you are not that. I used a little something to keep you asleep while I pulled you out of your tent and brought you here. Here...there? No, here. Here is where we are now, that is where you are. You are here. My home. What did we call it...Oh yes, Pavena!" He held up a finger as if discovering a forgotten thought.

"Or at least a piece of it. Anyway, let me see, you had more questions. Questions need answers and I have some answers. Um...Oh! You wanted to know who I am!" The young man hopped up and down in excitement. "Oh how I have waited so long to tell someone that!" The young man paused for a moment, the look on his face indicating he was lost in thought.

Recollection coming to his face, he enthusiastically said, "Teekley! I was called Teekley! I am...er...was? Yes, I was involved in sanitation here in grand Pavena."

"You are here because I need you. Me and you, we both be the same! We be the same!" Teekley paused then said, "I need your help, you will help me?"
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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Nieve Glass on July 13th, 2018, 7:29 pm

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The man spoke strangely. His nervousness and nasally voice aside, his speech pattern was strange; he used strange words and paused often. Nieve wondered if Common was his first language. 'Don't bite me'. Nieve almost snorted at the request, but held still as she felt the person approach her.

Finally, the blindfold was pulled off of her face. Evie blinked, squinting slightly as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, her pupils expanding and constricting until they settled on the appropriate dilation for the strength of the light.

Nieve glanced around, taking in her surroundings. As she'd suspected, she was in some sort of room. Glancing up, she saw that the ceiling stretched high above her, cracked and crumbling, the light filtering through the cobweb cracks the only source of illumination. However, it wasn't that which caught her attention.

Her mouth parted slightly in surprise as her gaze skimmed the room. Twisting around as best as she could, Nieve swiveled her head to look behind her, but indeed the whole room looked the same. Heaps upon heaps of junk scattered the floor, a veritable sea of trinkets and tools and paper, among other things. She was seated in the only clear section of the room.

She squinted, peering at a dirty yellow crystalline substance amidst the junk, but she couldn't tell what it was. Amazed and more confused than ever, she finally settled her gaze on her kidnapper...or not, according to him. He had moved away from her in the time since he had lifted her blindfold, and was crouched down in front of what she could only call a nest.

He was nude, which didn't phase Nieve in the slightest, but he was strange looking. He seemed human, but his proportions were slightly off, his arms short and thin. A glowing symbol on the back of his hand caught Evie's eye; it was certainly no tattoo. A mark from a deity, perhaps?

Nieve tore her gaze from the illuminated symbol to meet the other's gaze, as he began to speak again, answering her questions. "You drugged me?" Nieve asked, her voice astonished and slightly angry despite herself; although, it wasn't that much of a surprise. It explained her grogginess and weakness, in any case.

But the question was forgotten as he continued to speak. Pavena...why did that sound familiar? The memory returned to her abruptly. Pavena and the World Gate. Mathias had spoken of it early last season, about it having something to do with where the Verusks came from. Was she in Pavena?

Before she could launch into another barrage of questions, she was interrupted. Pity rose in her; despite everything, Nieve felt bad for the man. He was so excited to tell her who he was...he must have been intensely lonely. How long has he been here all alone, Nieve wondered. Surely that couldn't be good for one's mental state. It would explain his odd behaviour, in any case.

Teekley was the strange man's name. Her pity softening her, Nieve tilted her head to the side, baffled by what he was saying. "Alright, then. Hello, Teekley. I'm Nieve."

"What do you need me for? I don't understand," She said plainly, her confusion evident. "You say that we're the same. Are you a Kelvic also?" Is that what he had meant? She couldn't tell if he smelled of the distinct human-animal scent that other Kelvics did, with the strong and unpleasant odour clouding the room.

"Why don't you untie me? I promise I won't run away." For indeed, despite the uncertainty and quiet fear that still lurked in her, Nieve was intensely curious. She wasn't going anywhere without figuring out what was going on.

"What do you need my help with?" And why me, she wondered, her lips pursed in a quizzical frown. "If you tell me, maybe I can help you. But I need to know what I'm doing first."

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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Gillar on July 24th, 2018, 5:41 am

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Teekley grinned widely, at Nieve's introduction. His teeth, although not the whitest things around, were rather odd shaped; at least the two front center ones were. They were a bit larger and longer than normal. With an enthusiastic response, he chimed, "Nieve! It's fantastic to meet you! Thank you for coming here to see me!" His posture, while still a bit guarded, softened a bit although he still seemed to be in a perpetual state of varying degrees of nervousness with the way he fidgeted and couldn't seem to stop moving some part of his body. He listened as she asked him a few more questions although his attention outwardly seemed to be unfocused.

"Oh yes, I do need your help. Thank you for offering!" His excitement never seemed to fade. At the mention of being a Kelvic, Teekley did a little dance with a bit of a spin before saying, "Kelvic! Yes! That is what we were called...I mean are called! I'm a Kelvic!" He placed both hands on top of his head before his body was surrounded by shifting and swirling lights; his human form dissolving into a much smaller one. In place of the man sat a rather large rat. It wasn't a simple rat like one would find roaming the streets of some of the larger cities though. It had a long, bushy tail and large rounded ears. It was brown except for its back which was almost black and as it sat on its hind legs, Nieve could see that it had a white underbelly and white feet. Its tail actually looked more like that of a squirrel than an actual rat; more flat than round. Around its neck were the two bracelets it wore when human; possibly explaining the whole placing his hands on his head before shifting.

Then, just as quickly, Teekley tucked his paws close to his chest and again shifted forms back to that of a young man. "Your a cat, I'm a rat! Funny combination we are!" His enthusiasm came to a halt however as he considered her request to be unbound.

"No, no no, can't release the bindings yet. I may be old but the old mind still works...for the most part. We wait. I tell you how you can help me and then we go from there." His tone was more serious but not harsh.

Teekley then seemed to lose himself for a moment in his own thoughts. His lips moved silently as he looked around the vast pile of junk. Suddenly he shouted out, "Ah, I remember where I put them!" before shifting once more into a rat and darting off toward the pile. With ease and near perfect balance he hopped his way up the junk before plunging into it and vanishing. Nieve could hear some scrambling about and see some movement of the junk around where Teekley disappeared.

A few moments later he emerged from a completely different part of the pile, closer to the ground. With a mix of a hop and run, with something in his mouth, he darted back over to where he was standing before. Dropping what he was carrying, Nieve saw a pair of elaborately carved silver keys attached to a silver key ring.

Teekley shifted back, reached down and picked up the keys. "Ok, so, I need your help opening a door. The door is locked and these keys open it. At least that is the short of it all, or is it the long of it all? Anyway, that is what you are offering to help me with. At least that is if you are still planning to help?" He gave her a truly pathetic look of genuine hope.

For some time now, Teekley had been watching the people of Syka going about their daily routines. There were others he had considered getting help from but most of them didn't quite fit. It wasn't until he mustered the courage to investigate her tent while she was out one day that he realized he'd found the person he was looking for. Thanks to his special gift, he was able to learn a little bit about Nieve before finally deciding to escort her to his home. Although knowing a few basic things about her, he was still a little unsure as to how she would react overall to the situation she now found herself in.

Sounding comically formal, Teekley added, "There's so much more I want to tell you but I can't if you aren't going to help me. Need to know basis sort of thing. You understand." Something that was obvious to Nieve however was that even if she were to have the bindings removed and made it up to where the outside light was coming through in the ceiling high above, the fissures looked, even from down on the ground, to be far too small for even her yowlwing form to fit through.
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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Nieve Glass on August 6th, 2018, 1:13 am

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So he was a Kelvic; Nieve scolded herself mentally for not having put that together herself. She watched curiously as he showed her his animal form, placing his hands on his heads, swirling lights surrounding his form.

A rat sat before her, though it wasn't like any rat Nieve had ever seen; there was some sort of irony in that. But something nagged at the back of her mind; if the man in front of her was a rat, then how long had he been here? Nieve was hardly an expert, but as far as she knew, rats didn't exactly live for dozens of years; let alone the many more than that which were implied by Teekley telling her he had been a part of Pavena.

Then again, the animal that sat on its back legs and twitched its nose at her was not a sort that she'd ever come across or even heard of. Teekley was hardly recognizable as a rat; his bushy tail reminded her more of a squirrel. Perhaps whatever sort of animal it was had a longer lifespan than a normal rat?

It seemed the more questions were answered, the more she was left with. Nieve frowned slightly, quiet for a rare moment as she tried to sort through her thoughts as Teekley transformed back into his human shape. His denial of her request to be unbound brought her attention back to him, and Nieve narrowed her eyes slightly. She watched him change into a rat again and dart into the sea of junk, clearly looking for something.

Well, if that was the case, then she would just shift to her yowlwing form to get out of her bindings; shifting was second nature to her. It came as easily as breathing, and with little more thought; so when she still found herself in her human form, Nieve felt the panic begin to return.

She concentrated harder, reaching within herself, clawing at the animal she knew sat under her skin, but nothing happened. The shadows chattered around her, swirling closer as they seemed to sense what she was trying to do. The bindings; it must be the bindings. They had to be magic of some sort; she had no other explanation, and while Teekley was strange, he had yet to come off as cruel; surely he hadn't done anything seriously harmful to her to hinder her shifting. Was that even possible to do?

She was distracted by Teekley returning, something shining in his mouth. He shifted back to his human form, but before she could blurt out any questions, he dropped a ring with two beautifully carved silver keys attached to it. "A door?" She asked, bewildered, her questions successfully railroaded by the new piece of information.

"You need my help to open a door? But you've got the keys right here." Nieve stared at them quizically, and then something lit up in her mind as she made the connection between the two keys and the both of them. "Is it...do you need to use both of the keys at once?"

The Kelvic looked away from the keys and back at Teekley; she could have laughed at the shift in his tone. Even if she did refuse, what good would it do her? Would he leave her there tied up? If he let her go, she could see no way for her to leave; the cracks in the ceiling were too small even for her tiny yowlwing form. And despite everything, she was insatiably curious about what the rat Kelvic needed her help with.

Perhaps it was her, or perhaps it was the triangle sitting between her shoulder blades, or maybe it was a combination of the two; but her blood was thrumming with a need to know what was going on, and she would never forgive herself if she let this opportunity slip away and let all the questions swirling around her mind remain unanswered.

"Alright," Nieve said, very sincerely; she locked eyes with Teekley, her face serious. "I'll help you. I'll help open the door, wherever it may lead." Would she regret her decision? What if something awful and terrible lurked behind the door that was opened by the keys? I suppose I'll find out, Evie mused to herself.

"Where is it? The door?" She glanced around the room again, wondering if she'd missed it on her first sweep of her surroundings. Whatever Teekley said, she would listen intently. If he tried to lead her somewhere, she would follow, bindings or not; though if he wanted her to stand without unbinding her wrists she would need some help, as her body was still feeling weak from whatever drug she had been given.

Nieve had given her word, and unless something drastic happened to change the current circumstances, she was going to stubbornly stick to it. Excitement and apprehension both mixed in her chest as she waited for Teekley's answer.

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Nothing Like a Game of Cat and Mouse (Nieve Glass)

Postby Gillar on September 10th, 2018, 3:31 am

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Teekley hopped around with a bit of a dance when Nieve agreed to help him. Her agreement also led him into a new round of frantically excited words and over-the-top movements and expression. First, he called out a word in a strange sounding language. As he spoke it, the bindings that held Nieve immediately released their hold on her.

Sweeping the keys up in his hand, he cheerfully said, "A door! Yes a door! It's THE door! The keys, their are two of them because their are two locks, yes! See, the keys need to be put in the locks at the same time and turned! But, but, but, you see, there's more than that! There is a special bit of magic on the locks. The one who the room behind belonged to, he could could enter at will. But, but, but, he was a little secretive and didn't want just anyone coming and going so he made it so other than him, only those with the two keys can get in. But, but, but, the two using the keys need be Kelvic!" Teekley began doing more of a dance while whistling with no real rhythm.

Teekley danced his way over to the strange little nest at the other side of the chamber and began rummaging around as if looking for something. With a squeal of victory, he danced back over to Nieve and handed her a small, sticky wad of something waxy. The smell was immediately unpleasant to her nose.

"Eat that. It fix the weird feelings and make you feel all better!" He waited expectantly for her to try the strange wad. If she were to eat it, Nieve would find that it was waxy on the outside and slimy on the inside. While it smelled rather offensive, somewhat like almost-turned cheese, the taste was rather bland. Immediately after ingesting it however, assuming Nieve did, she would find her head instantly clear.

With a wide grin, Teekley continued, "The door, it's not far, nope, it was...I mean it is pretty close." He then howled with joy and said, "I've waited so long for this day!"

Teekley then darted off back to the great pile of junk that surrounded them. He paused for a moment, his finger rubbing his chin while he appeared lost in thought. Then he lightly smacked his own face and laughed before reaching into the pile and pulling out a small rock that looked to be painted green.

Holding the green rock up for Nieve to see, Teekley exclaimed, "Almost forgot this! We need it to find the right hallway. It's been awhile since...wait, has it been awhile? Maybe I was there a few days ago...oh well, whatever. We need it to find the right hallway. See, a lot of Pavena is in really bad shape. What used to be in one place isn't exactly in the same place now. This rock, it should...I mean it will help us find the right way. I think I remember where it is but this'll find it for sure."

Teekley then gave Nieve a few moments to right herself, ask him any questions and do whatever she needed otherwise. In the meantime he wandered about seemingly aimlessly. Although his activity seemed random, it was always punctuated by an instance of clarity, success or insight, even if only in Teekley's own mind.

When Nieve was ready, Teekley walked over to part of the junk pile and cleared some of it to reveal a part of the stone wall that seemed to stand out from the other stones around it. With a push of his hand, the stone sunk into the wall and slid to the side, revealing an opening. Teekley looked over his shoulder at Nieve and said, "There used to be little things like this all over the place. Ways for us Kelvic to get around Pavena without getting in the way of the others." Teekley then vanished through the opening which was just large enough for a smallish human to crawl through.
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