[Flashback] Fancy Meeting You Here! [Dayn]

[Isette]

The feline nodded her confirmation that she did, indeed, live there by herself. It was her home. And for the moment, she loved it. But at some point, she knew she would become dissatisfied and need to leave. It was odd. More than anything, she wanted a home to return to, but over the past year she had been driven by some sort of restless force to find someplace else. Someplace new. It made her wonder if she was subconsciously driving herself away from Lhavit altogether. The thought frightened her. Isette had never been outside of Lhavit before. What would she do away from the land she knew so well? Her head tilted to the side curiously as she observed him. The news of her species seemed to unsettle him. Self-consciously, she bit her lip. That had not been her attention. Perhaps he had never met a Kelvic before. “I am cuddly and adorable,” she said, using his words. That, at least, brought a smile to her face. “I am this big.” Isette held her hands in front of her and showed him a rough estimation of her size. Her breed was bigger than the average housecat, but still just a housecat. Humans were not prey creatures to her. He was laughing, which confused Isette. She blinked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what had caused the sudden onset. Not that she minded. Laughter was far better than the unease that seemed to plague him moments before. Strange man. Ah well. Isette walked over to her chest and opened it. There wasn’t much inside it since she was wearing most of her clothing. Just a long, white chemise that she occasionally used for extra warmth or to sleep in if she slept in human form. She put her bag inside and tucked Dayn’s money under the folds of white fabric.

[Dayn]

Dayn was pleased with the response. He didn’t want to be eaten in the middle of the night, although that wasn’t completely out of the question. Once, when he’d been a slip of a boy, he’d taken in a stray that kept nibbling on his toes. That hadn’t gone down well with his father. The sons of knights weren’t supposed to spend their evenings playing with cats. No, they were expected to study musty tomes, and obediently discuss the importance of honor and valor and all the shyke the crusty old knights thought was of value. The cat was subsequently taken away from him and probably starved to death, or was crushed beneath the wheels of a cart. Since then, he hadn’t had much to do with cats.

His laughter began to subside. As he watched Isette, he slowly began to fit the pieces together. Her kind could shift into human form, but that didn’t mean they were like humans, as far as the way they thought or the experiences they had. Ever since he’d met her, he’d known there was something strange in her demeanor. He’d wondered if she was just a strange person, but it was more than that. Hearing her speak of not being used to people made him wonder if she kept herself apart not merely out of preference, but because she didn’t understand them. Did she merely watch and copy? That she’d played the part of the laughing whore so perfection wasn’t exactly a comfort, when arrayed against these sudden doubts. “Isette, how many summers have you seen?” Dayn steepled his fingers, giving her a reassuring smile to diminish the severity of the gesture. “Forgive me for asking, but what, exactly, are you doing in the midst of this city, apart from your own kind?”

[Isette]

His first question was easy to answer. “Today is my birthday!” she exclaimed cheerfully, “I am two years old.” This was clearly something she was proud of. At two years old, Isette was the human equivalent of someone on the young side of twenty. A year ago, she had seemed much closer to fourteen. A lot had changed over the past year and she was thrilled to have gone through so much all by herself. A year ago, living on her own had seemed daunting and more than a little terrifying. Now she was used to it. She ignored the loneliness. His second question was much harder for her to explain. At first, she didn’t really understand. She was born in Lhavit. They were her people. But maybe he didn’t understand that? Or maybe he meant something else altogether and she was the one who didn’t understand. The latter was very likely. She often misunderstood people. The feline frowned as she tried to organize her thoughts. “I ran away,” she said slowly, struggling to piece together sentences with her poor grasp of language. “I do not belong…with the Sesul.” That was the short answer. Isette did not often speak about her past. She wasn’t shy or anything. Most people simply didn’t ask. Stray cats were common enough, what was one more? Either that or they didn’t notice she was anything other than human. Other Lhavitians were unlikely to ask anyway. The Shimobe weren’t worth getting to know. “Will it bother you if I take my dress off?” Isette understood that humans were often uncomfortable with that sort of thing, but since she slept in her feline form most nights there wasn’t much point in keeping her garments on. The abrupt subject change was not intentional. She just preferred to know sooner rather than later.

[Dayn]

Dayn wasn’t sure how to respond, so he gave her a grin. “Seeing as this is a special day, we ought to celebrate.” He was a bit perturbed, though. A few years ago, she’d just been a glint in some man’s eye. There was something about her demeanor that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he didn’t want to be rude. He did not need to have all of his questions answered. By morning, he’d be gone from this city.

“What are the Sesul?” He frowned, wondering at how many of the intricacies of these people he was missing. So far, he’d only strode curiously around the city, which wasn’t exactly how you came to understand its ways. He watched and he listened, but the language was unfamiliar. Now, as he stared at Isette, he figured this was his chance to figure out a few things. He didn’t know if his question made her uncomfortable, but he was spared the task of trying to comprehend her behavior by the next words that came from her lips. “Take your dress off?” he repeated. Why did she want to do that? Then it came to him. Not again, he grimaced. Why can’t they leave me be? He was at her mercy, though. He’d just have to shut his eyes and give it, even if she was younger than his bastards were. The thought was vaguely horrifying. Tyveth, why are you doing this?

“I never object to a pretty woman taking off her dress,” he replied, with just a hint of playful banter. Old habits died hard.

[Isette]

Isette returned his grin. A celebration sounded wonderful, but weren’t they supposed to be hiding and laying low? Isette didn’t have anything to celebrate with in her little shelter. She had that meat pastry earlier and that was good enough. The flavor still lingered on her tongue. It was a nice thought, though, that this man wished to celebrate her birthday with her. If he pursued the idea, Isette would gladly go along with it. After all, she wasn’t the one who had to lay low. He was. Or maybe they could celebrate the next day when he took her out for food. Meeting Dayn had certainly been fortuitous, she thought as she launched into an explanation of her people’s ways. “Sesul are…scholars. Priests. Magicians. They are important people. Respected.” She yawned and stretched. It had been a long night. A good one, yes, but a long one nonetheless. And since he didn’t seem to object (he had even complimented her, she noted with a blush), Isette slipped out of her dress and folded it before placing it in her wooden chest. All she wore then was her glistening skyglass pendant, and that was something she would not take off. “Would it bother you if I slept in my natural form?” she asked him. Just to make sure. Her mother had always insisted on her sleeping in human form. As though it would somehow make her more human. It didn’t. All of her mother’s efforts to fix Isette were in vain. But that was not important now. That was the past. Dayn was the present. If it bothered him, Isette had a chemise she could sleep in to help make up for the lack of fur her human body possessed. It wouldn’t be a big deal. Isette was determined to be happy on her birthday.

[Dayn]

“Sesul,” Dayn repeated the strange word. “They sound like a bunch of doddering paper-pushers and crazed fools.” He was dismissive, though he didn’t speak with an excess of contempt. He knew the sort. Every city had its priests, though perhaps not a cadre of mages, or many scholars, either. That usually depended on how much they valued that sort of thing. Dayn had been raised in Syliras, where magic wasn’t practiced openly, so he’d always been highly suspicious of mages. Also, it didn’t help that they tended to go mad. He wondered if overgiven mages were a problem in this city.

“Natural form,” he frowned, aware that he was starting to parrot her words. That was probably the cat form. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d be happier being a cat than a shape-shifter. “Go ahead, you can do whatever you want. I’d prefer for you to be comfortable.” Realizing that she might shift forms right then, he hastily spoke up. “What happens, exactly? I mean, in your head. Do you think the same, or does that mean you’d start thinking more like a cat than a human?” Not that she was human, of course. Just a simulacrum, forged by some long-dead mage.

[Isette]

The way he spoke about her people was curious. Isette tilted her head to the side and regarded him thoughtfully. Doddering paper pushers and crazed fools? Should she be offended? Or amused? Isette wasn’t sure how to feel. It was her family that he was insulting. But did Isette really feel any loyalty towards those that had rejected her? It was a strange thing. The Kelvic didn’t know. For now, at least, she would put the thought away. Revisit it later. It had been a whole year, half of her life, and still she was unready to deal with such complex emotions. It was a good thing when he changed the subject. Isette was relieved that he didn’t seem put off by her preference to be in her true state. Not only that, but she appreciated his curiosity. Curiosity was something she could relate to, and therefore it was a trait that she deemed good. “I will be the same,” she told him, “But my language will be different. I will understand you. You will not understand me.” The cat grinned. “I have not met a human that speaks feline.” She watched him then, waiting to see if he had any other questions before communication was cut off.

[Dayn]

“Same, but different,” Dayn raised an eyebrow. He’d rather have been one or the other, but then again, it wasn’t as if she had a choice in the matter. He was also aware that she had a knack for saying things in a way that made him think more deeply. Yes, perhaps she would understand his words, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she also spoke of a deeper understanding. He was certain that he didn’t understand her, though. “Go on, then,” he said, lying back. “I’d like to see this, and perhaps tomorrow, when the fuss is over, we can see about that meal.”

[Isette]

The feline nodded with a pleased smile. She liked this man. Isette pulled her dress off of her body, folded it neatly, and placed it in her trunk. Then, an instant later, she took the form of a fluffy black cat mixed with a dash of white here and there. She mewed to show that she still recognized him and touched her nose to his hand as a form of greeting. Then turned and hopped onto her bed. Isette yawned and curled up at the foot, leaving plenty of room for him if he so chose to sleep there instead of on the floor. Everything seemed to end well that night. So it was with a light purr that Isette fell asleep.

[Ophelia]

Experience Isette: +2 Stealth, +2 Acting Dayn: +1 Running, +1 Unarmed Combat, +2 Acting Lore Isette: A Year Alone, Guarded Around Strangers, Difference Between Human And Feline Eyes, Do Not Mess With The Twilight Family, Playing Your Part, Inviting Him Into Your Home, Making A Human Comfortable With A Kelvic Dayn: The Way Brothers Protect Their Sister's Honour, The Ferocity of Twilight Women, Uninformed Flattery, Hiding In Plain Sight, Playing Your Part, Chivalry, Shape-shifters (Kelvic) Notes Awww you guys are sweet together. This thread was adorable to read. Dayn's demeanor is hilarious, and Isette, as always, is a cute little kitty cat. This thread was fun, I hope you all enjoyed writing it! PM me with any questions or whatever. <3