It's About Time We Got There (Sai)

[Ariel]

55 Summer, 511 AV Location: The foot of Mt. Skyinarta "We're here," the Drykas called down to Ariel as she nestled in the corner of the woman's bag; the smallest of pockets. In a daze, being that it was so early in the morning, Ariel lazily allowed her eyes to flutter open. "Whaa?" she whispered, as she placed her hands on either side of her body, and pushed against them, so that she may rise to her feet. "Whoa," the drykas called as she pulled up on the reins, bringing the horse to a sudden halt. Just as Ariel was about to peer out the little hole in the bag and see what was going on, she was knocked back onto her butt. The zipper of the bag jingled, taunting the poor pycon. Why is it that that always has to happen? Ariel wondered bitterly, as she slowly got to her feet once more. "What did you say horse-lover?" Ariel called, as soon as she had peered out of her pocket. "We're here," the Drykas replied, as she leaned forward, swung her left leg over the side of the saddle and dismounted. "Well it's about time," Ariel replied, "we have been traveling for ages! And that pocket was getting rather stuffy you know. Certainly not enough room for a pycon to move around!" The Drykas laughed as she tugged lightly on the reins with her left hand, and then unzipped the pocket of the pack that Ariel lay in. "That's enough out of you," the Drykas commented as she pulled Ariel and her bag out of the pocket, and placed them lightly on the ground by her feet. Instantly, Ariel grabbed her bag and laced it over her shoulders before looking up. "But it's morning!" Ariel complained. "We're just getting started." The Drykas laughed again as she reached into the larger pouch of her bag, and pulled out a large bag of money. She placed that beside Ariel, before going in again, and pulling out a very tired looking Rafael. The drykas placed Rafael down beside her mistress. The kitten yawned, and looked up at the woman and her horse, as though he were wondering if he would be the one stuck doing the walking now, instead of receiving a free ride. "This is where we leave you," the Drykas said, "the horse will not do so well if it is forced to keep on going up this mountain. Ariel nodded, "thanks for getting us... to the foot of a mountain, and leaving us without a map," Ariel muttered under her breath, before flashing a small smile. "You have helped us a great deal, and should be given a reward!" Ariel said. "What do you say to about 16 gold mizas?" Ariel asked, as she walked over to her sack of money, and started to tug on the fabric until the upper portion, which was secured with a small brown chord, reached her. She began to tug on it with all her might, groaning as she did so, this... should... not... be... so... petching... difficult... Ariel thought as the Drykas laughed a little more. "Well at least you find this funny!" Ariel called, as she tugged on the chord a little harder, so hard, that she lost her grip and toppled backwards when the chord went no where. She landed on her butt, with a muffled thud, and grit her tiny clay teeth. "Oww," she muttered, as Rafael padded lazily over to her, and plucked her up between his teeth. Ariel groaned as she banged on the side of Rafael's nose with her tiny clay hands, "that is enough you!" Ariel hollered as his saliva sank into her clay flesh, and dripped along her clay clothes. The drykas kept on laughing, darn giants, think everything is so petching funny... Ariel thought, as the red pigmentation in her cheeks became more and more prominent. "Let me help," the drykas finally said, as she unfastened the money bag and retrieved 16 GM before closing it back up, and placing the coins in her pocket. "And Rafael, you should let Ariel go now." Reluctantly, the kitten spit his mistress back out, onto a pointy grey stone. Saliva glistened on her tiny clay frame, and dripped down the sides of her body. Petching kitten, Ariel thought, as the drykas got back on her horse. "Farewell Ariel, may the gods protect you on your journey," the Drykas said as she tightened her hold on the reins. "May you get up that mountain safely," she finished, as she flicked the reins, sending the horse into a trot, away from where she had left Ariel and her kitten. Ariel simply lay on her back in silence, for a very long while, staring up at the mountain. "Now how do you think we are going to get all the way up there with all of our money Rafael? Not that money is particularly important to us, but the giants seem to like it a lot," Ariel explained. "If you mention the stuff it always seems to get them to complete various tasks for us... eventually..." Meow. OOCPM me if you need me to change the timestamp, and sorry it isn't much to work with.

[Sairque]

The wiry framed endal, lean musculature apparent from the scanty orange cloth covering her chest and darker bryda billowing about her legs, lounged back on the dire Eagle winging casually toward Mt. Skyinarta. Cresting a ridge, another Eagle, this one as white as Catabasis was dark, wheeled over them, drawing a startled squawk from Sai. Catabasis dipped left and a hearty chuckle cut the wind from above.

“Petching, Feruv,” the flightleader cursed amiably. What’s he doing?

He could be making a statement about your dereliction of duty.

What?! We’re on lookout duty, I’m doing the exact same thing as him. This was the third day into her assignment with Feruv and Yelltak and all looked quiet thus far. The day had bloomed sunny, calm, and perfect for napping. There’s nothing out here.

Just that rider.

Well, yeah, one rider. One. Wait. What rider?

We passed her about a bell ago. Feruv was just making sure you’d seen and noted her route, Catabasis informed her with nonchalance that belied his amusement.

What did you tell him?

That you had no idea there was anyone out here today.

Sai stifled a retort and sat up properly. Let’s go find her.

Why?

The flightleader glowered, tweaking one of Catabasis’ feathers. Because it’s our job?

I believe the passenger she dropped off is of more interest.

What?! What passenger?!

A small orange mammal with an even smaller clay figure attached to it.

Oh, well, who cares about that?

You should.

I don't care about someone dumping a pet.

That pet had an animated clay figure on it.

I don't care if it had a belt strapped to it.

It did have a saddle.

A saddle? For what?

For the little clay figure

Why didn't they just glue it on?

Because then it wouldn't be able to get off.

Why would it need to get off? Sai demanded.

Because, I imagine, spending all day every day in the saddle is uncomfortable.

What?! It's made out of clay.

I imagine that doesn't make much of a difference.

It makes the entire difference! It's a toy.

What? Catabasis resisted the urge to make his rider plummet toward the ground.

Why should I care about a small pet with a toy attached to it?

Toy?

The little clay figure!

What?

What?

The companions scratched their heads in silence for a few moments, aware of a gross miscommunication but uncertain of the point of diversion. Catabasis wheeled in a wide arc, floating comfortably on a breeze. Feruv was nothing more than a small dot on the horizon.

Okay...let's go see your clay figure, the Endal tentatively suggested and the Eagle obligingly dipped. Sai's lips twisted, stubborn Eagle. He'd already flown them to this 'passenger' and she'd never had a say in the matter to begin with. Stewing over his inconsideration for her decisions, the Endal almost jarred right out of her loosely supportive saddle. With a roll of predatory yellow eyes, she straightened herself back up and glanced around at the small glade they'd landed in. There's nothing here. She fairly heard him sigh.

Over the ridge, there, he directed and shook violently, flinging his bonded out of the saddle and into a pile at his feet. The wiry redhead groaned and rolled reluctantly to her feet, casting a baleful glance the Eagle's way.

Why didn't you land next to it?

Because it is a small mammal and most small mammals think I want to eat them, he informed her and set to preening.

The Endal grunted and stalked off in the direction he'd indicated. Cresting the rise, Sai immediately recognized that the kitty cat was the item that didn't fit in. Especially a kitten in possession of a leather pouch. Well, what was she supposed to do with a cat?

Dolt. Clay figure.

I don't care about a toy! she shot back but obediently stalked toward the kitty. "Stupid bird. I don't see any clay toys!"

[Ariel]

Ariel sighed, "can't you say anything else?" she groaned, as she turned her head back and forth and glanced around at her surroundings, but all she saw was her cat, and a very, very long way up. And rocks... lots and lots of rocks. She could start a bloody zoo with all of them. Maybe we should have thought out the latter half of our journey a little more, the pycon thought, you know... before we left Endrykas. Ariel sighed, oh well, we will find a way up that mountain eventually. There has to be some way to do it after all... Slowly, the pycon got to her feet. "You're going to drag everything up that mountain Rafael, whether you like it or not," Ariel explained. Mrow. She walked over to her bag of money, and pulled on the drawstrings. "Just don't move," she instructed as she huffed and puffed and hauled the draw strings towards Rafael's saddle. A second later, she was pulling the draw strings through some sort of fastened belt, and a few moments after that, tying the draw strings into place. Hopefully that will be enough for it to hold, the pycon thought as she took a step back and surveyed her work. But it seems so very unlikely... Ariel then stepped around the bag, and towards Rafael. He gave him a gentle pat on the side, before forcing her left foot into the stirrup. A second later, she jumped up a little, and swung her right leg over the saddle. She laced her right foot into the saddle, and grabbed the reins. Sitting up as straight as she could, she gave them a flick, "alright Rafael, up the mountain we go!" she instructed, as she squeezed her legs into his sides. Mrow! The kitten began to move forward, yanking the sack of money behind him. Soon, the draw strings had lost all of their slack, and the kitten's fur was standing on end. Although he tried, he could not move forward. His muscles were rippling beneath his fur, strained, tense. His paws firmly planted into the ground. His eyes were closed, and he was obviously trying to do what his mistress asked of him, for once. "Come on Rafael, you can do it!" Ariel cheered her kitten on, when she realized he was no longer going anywhere. It is too much for him to take up on his own, Ariel thought, before the kitten plopped down on his butt. Obviously sick of working so hard, and getting no where. "Oh come on Rafael!" Ariel hollered, as she threw up her hands in defeat. There were footsteps coming from Ariel's left side. The sound of pebbles being ground into the dirt, or kicked across the terrain. Ariel looked up to see what the noise was, and noticed a woman with red hair. One of the inarta, her mind whispered. "Well hello there," Ariel greeted Sai. "I am Ariel, and this is Rafael," she went on, thinking it best to introduce herself. Mrow. "Now, you live on top of this mountain, don't you?" There was a slight pause, "you wouldn't mind giving a pycon and her kitten a ride, now would you?" There was a slight pause, "we have some money we could give you if you want." OOCSorry this isn't the best post.

[Sairque]

Wind blowing her braid to the left, the irritated woman stomped across the hillock toward the little orange kitty. Yellow eyes planted firmly on its little whiskered face, the small voice that pipped up nearly gave her a heart attack. Jerking to a halt about five feet from the feline, Sai stared at it with saucers for eyes and her mouth open to whatever little bugs had the misfortune of wanting to explore that cave. She’d encountered a wide array of surprises out here in the wilderness but a talking cat with its toy clay figure strapped to its back was a first. A talking kitten with money. No. This was not happening. The ginormous woman turned sharply on her booted heel and headed back the way she’d come. If Catabasis was curious about it, he could approach them himself. But then she would have to live with him knowing she’d been unable to handle a cat. Pride piqued, the sun-kissed woman abruptly spun around again and approached the duo. This time she dropped to her heels just a foot from the cat and scrutinized it for long silent chimes. “I’ve never been talked to by a cat. What are you? Are there many of you? Why did you come here? No, no, never mind, we can discuss this later. I’ll give you a ride up to the Valintar’s office and we can talk then,” she answered in a rush of Common, not even pausing before her hands shot forth and plucked the kitty and money sack up. Nestling the little beast’s body against her bare side and holding it so that its chest rested in her upturned palm and legs dangled to either side, the big redhead paid no mind to the little finger-sized clay toy adorning its back. She was probably in her armpit at this point. Unable to walk three paces without giving the thing a sidelong glance, they finally reached Catabasis. The shadow towered over them, the Wind Eagle halting his preening and swinging his nastily curved beak toward the passengers to focus one sharp golden eye on them.

[Ariel]

Ariel burst out into a fit of laughter as she listened to the naive inarta speak. She was bent over on the saddle, clutching her chest with her left hand, as though in pain, as it rose and fell rapidly; while the right remained on the reins. "No, no, you silly thing!" she giggled, "the kitten isn't talking to you... what appears to be a tiny clay doll, or perhaps even a rather peculiar looking, bug, is," Ariel explained, the last of the weirds spoken somewhat angrily despite her laughter. Why is it that the never get that we're the ones talking? she wondered, as the inarta plucked her and Rafael off the ground. Within seconds, Ariel found herself tucked beneath the woman's armpit. Instantly, Ariel scrunched up her nose, my, this one needs a bath, she thought, just before the red pigmentation in her cheeks grew all the more prominent, and she burst into a fit filled with excessive screaming. "Just what do you think you're doing missy? Tucking us in beneath that smelly pit of yours? Do you honestly think we want to smell your nasty body odor? You ridiculously naive and generally thick-headed giantess?" Ariel called, before lowering her voice only a little. "What kind of petching idiot thinks the kitten is the one doing the talking?" There was a slight pause before Ariel continued as she had in the beginning, her voice high and somewhat shrill; highly angry sounding. "It's the clay being you hear speaking to you! The one you buried beneath your arm as though she were nothing! You are lucky giantess that she is of a forgiving nature, otherwise she may just have to poke your filthy eyes out in your sleep for this... disgraceful display of manners! Picking on someone approximately... twenty times smaller than you! You big.... BULLY!" Ariel huffed, wishing she could do more than simply ball her hands into fists. Ariel wished she had enough room to punch or kick, or even bite the filthy eagle rider. But she didn't have much to work with, tucked between fabric and relatively muscular arms. "Now why don't you do us all a favor, and place the kitten in your bag, and the pycon in your pocket so that at least we can be comfortable on the way up, and we won't be forced to scream at you for being so damn stupid the entire damn trip up there!" Ariel growled as she listened to the woman walk along the mountainside, displacing tiny pebbles from time to time, that ricocheted off the rock, with the slightest of clicking noises. Why is it that the larger a creature gets, the smaller their brain seems to be? Ariel wondered, as she fell silent and huffed for a moment. Why do they all have to be so dang stupid... and stubborn! Can't they just see reason for once? If a kitten has never spoken before, or a blade of grass, or a bug, they're not likely to talk now, because they can't talk. So as to why pycons are always confused for one of those talking creatures... is beyond me. It's petching ridiculous. There was a slight pause, stupid giants; it's amazing that they've managed to survive this long, with the world being as harsh a place as it is. Mrow! "And would you lighten up with the death-like grip on Rafael, you're starting to scare him; or piss him off, perhaps both," Ariel went on. "And if you are not careful, he'll start squirming, and then try to bite and claw every last droplet of blood out of you."

[Sairque]

Who’s laughing now? The naïve Inarta or the Pycon being used as deodorant? So caught up in trying to figure out what ramification a talking kitten would have, she hadn’t quite interpreted the string of high pitched buzzing that provided explanation clearing up her conundrum. Not until it shrieked at her, and it was the tone that got her attention, not the words at first. It took time to replay everything that had been said by the little pair, time to make sure that the voice had indeed stated the speaker was the clay toy and not the kitten. By the time she’d untangled the soliloquy from the jumble her memory had stored it as, they were at the Eagle, who was, much to the Rider’s chagrin, quite amused. And here you thought you were a satisfactory ambassador, Sai, he needled, standing up straight for he needn’t bend down to get a crystal clear view of every little smudge and mottle of pigment in the little stick of red deodorant. Ignoring the bird, the Inarta petted the orange kitten’s head with soft scratches, using the motion to procrastinate. What does one do after having a clay toy witness your idiocy? Squish it? Give it to a small child to play with? How does one salvage their dignity? Sighing, not believing she was about to talk to a little clay toy, the wiry woman pulled the cat out from her body, holding it sideways in front of her face securely with one hand around its chest and the other around its butt. Yup. That little clay thing was moving. “Why is she speaking about herself in the third person?” One salvages their dignity by creating a good offense. No one talked about themselves that way. That was silly. “Why when one talks about themselves in the third person does she not mention a name like a civilized person instead of just using ‘she’ like everyone knows who ‘she’ is?” Oh, clever, Catabasis commented sarcastically. “I’m Sairque. And I apologize for manhandling you. I don’t have any pockets,” she continued, going off the unraveled bit of Ariel’s speech. The wiry woman glanced down at the expanse of her mostly bare torso and the smooth billowing bryda. There was a bright sash wrapped across her hips but that would be very confining. “I think we’re both in accordance that you need to see the Valintar in the city, but we’ll be flying there. I’m not going to stick you in pockets but I’ll tie a string to you and attach it to the saddle. I can hold on to the cat.” The woman finally finished in a dull daze, a bit of a glazed look in her eyes. This was not happening.

[Ariel]

Ariel tilted her head slightly to the side as she stared up at the red-headed giantess. "Talk in third person? Why all the best people do!" Ariel exclaimed, her voice a mixture of amusement, and a low growl. She brushed herself off now that she was free, a little annoyed by the fact that she had been manhandled. And slightly more annoyed by the fact that this human was too petching stupid to figure out that kittens don't talk on her own. Geez this one is just a bit slower than most, Ariel thought, took her long enough to catch on. "And I already told you our names," Ariel went on, her voice somewhat cold, the red pigmentation in her cheeks growing all the more prominent. "But obviously, you weren't paying attention, because you were too excited over the prospect of a talking kitten!" Ariel huffed, her mind screaming at her not to bother with the woman, and to wait for another, hopefully slightly more intelligent Endal to take her up the mountain. But she refused to obey, her impatience always having proven to be a sort of problem in situations such as this. "Anyway, as was said before, the kitten is Rafael, and my name is Ariel," the pycon explained. "And I'd appreciate it if you quit talking about me as though I wasn't around to hear you." There was a slight pause as the pycon glanced over at the giant eagle, which was more than likely making Rafael a little nervous, and then back at Sai. "Well it's nice to meet you Sairque, and you really should consider investing in a few pockets... they come in quite handy sometimes you know," Ariel commented, a small grin crossing her tiny clay face. "As for the Valintar, I don't know what they are. Or who they are, rather. Perhaps... maybe. But if you want to go there then fine, we can, I suppose. As long as we get to Wind Reach, I don't think I'll mind where we wind up first." There was another slight pause, "feel free to do whatever you need to to secure us all in place, but be mindful of Rafael's claws, he has been a bit cranky lately, and doesn't always take well to new people," Ariel finished, waiting for the eagle rider to make her preparations so that they may begin their journey. OOCSorry for such a blah post.

[Sairque]

Always with the talking kitten. Since she would probably never live this down if anyone found out, the only option was to smash the Pycon beneath her boot. Just drop her, tuck the kitty under an arm, and stomp. My, my, Flightleader Sairque, murderous thoughts do not become you, Catabasis chimed in with thinly veiled chastisement. Sai released a huff and turned the glower from the Eagle to the cat, barely able to keep from rolling her eyes when the bird continued. Sit back and watch a master, yasi. Hello, Little Raspberry, a voice blossomed in the little Pycon’s mind, enveloping in its masculine charm. After a pause just long enough to give the clay one time to digest this new presence, it continued. Forgive Sairque, I flew too near the sun this morning and fried her brain, I believe. Call me Catabasis, Wind Eagle to the Flightleader here. His predatory eye, a platter-sized twin to the ones the Endal sported, stared right into the delicate fold and cut of the Pycon’s speck of an eye. As the Inarta mounted the guardian of Wind Reach, scurrying up the tack with surprising agility given her lack of free hands, the Eagle rotated its head around to keep eye contact as they spoke. Settling into the saddle, Sai kept the kittens front legs trapped within the iron clamp of her fingers. It squirmed like one of those ‘squid’ things the chefs tried to pawn off on people every so often. Especially when the nasty hook of Catabasis’ beak lifted to silhouette against the unblemished blue of the sky. It scrabbled for purchase on her arm with its back legs, but all it managed was to fall sideways onto her lap and commence kicking like a jack rabbit. The woman grunted as its claws found purchase and the taut flesh of her midriff gave way in thin lines of beaded blood. Lips pressed into an equally thin line, the Rider reached out to steady the little clay figure on the cat, letting her scramble for the safety of her hand if she so desired. The kitty lost this match, Sai pinning it down firmly and with careful attention to keep from applying too much pressure; after a few minutes it sported a roughshod harness around its neck and ribs. The arm-length leash attached to the safety device cut a dark swath across Sai’s wrist, where it anchored the cat to the flying party. After a moment of tugging on the straps, Sai rerouted the ribs strap to slide under the little clay figure’s saddle. It was nothing more than two leather laces, one looped around the kitten’s midsection, knotted closed, with the other looped on either end to go over the head on one side and attach to the rib strap with the other. The fit was snugger going under the saddle. If the cat fell it should hold. If the cat fell and ripped Sai off too, at least they would be plummeting together and Rafael might live. The Valintar is the one that will grant you leave to enter and live in the city for so long as you wish. Oh, and do not be put off by Sai’s taciturnity, meeting you is quite enjoyable for her as well, I just told her to stop making it worst by speaking. Anyway, you could not be in safer hands, he finished while turning away and making a few hopping leaps from the knoll they’d met on. After a second too long of weightless sinking, his wings snapped out, probably obscuring Ariel’s view of the planet in its entirety, and pumped. Ariel’s ride, the big Inarta, bounced with little finesse as she tried to both keep the kitten from ripping her skin into more flopping ribbons and the little Pycon from stumbling off the side. Realizing she should have also tied up the clay toy, Sai finally just snatched the thing up in her fist, holding her within the ring of a thumb and forefinger.

[Ariel]

Ariel pressed her legs against her kitten's flank, one on each side of his body. Her feet sunk into the tiny silver stirrups, as she dug them lightly into Rafael's side. She didn't want to press them too firmly, or squeeze him too tightly however, for she feared it would make him lurch forward when he wasn't supposed to. Yet, she needed to be able to hold onto him as well, for surely, her death grip upon the reins, which she had wrapped around her wrists a number of times, would not be enough if the oversized eagle dipped to one side or the other, or flew too quickly. As she struggled to get a proper hold, she could hear a man's voice in her mind. A voice that had never been there before, she looked around wildly, before she realized that the bird was somehow speaking to her. I am not a raspberry, her mind growled, but it's nice to meet you nonetheless Catabatsis, and your red-headed friend, who seems to believe in talking kittens. Speaking of Rafael, please don't think to eat him once we have reached your home... for not only does he come in handy from time to time, but I doubt he'd appreciate the role reversal. He is used to eating tiny birds, you see... Ariel's thoughts trailed off for a moment, unless it's Sairque we should fear most. Surely she doesn't appreciate being made a fool of by a talking clay person a mere fraction of her size, and her traveling companion... is it so much of a stretch to think that she may harm him, or us? Surely you know her better than we do, you live together... I am assuming. Ariel listened as the bird spoke again, responding to some of her earlier questions. She didn't have time to notice the shadow of the inarta's hand before she pulled her off the saddle. "You could be more gentle this time," she muttered under her breath as she took a position a little closer to Sai. Are you sure she likes me? Or is being irritatingly rough around the edges all part of her charm? Her way of saying she likes you? she asked the giant bird as she glanced up at Sai. "Whenever you're ready to go, we're ready," she called, as she turned her gaze to her kitten. "And try not to move around so much Rafael, should make the flight far easier, and slightly less painful, don't you think?" OOCSorry this took so long, and I can't do too much...

[Sairque]

The feel of golden sunlight caressing chilled skin in the early morning bells bloomed in the Pycon’s mind, the wonder of a flower’s blossom, and the refreshing tingle of rain after months of drought accompanied it. Laughter. She rides on the back of a talking Eagle, should a talking cat be such a leap, Little Raspberry? the soaring bird questioned rhetorically, banking and pointing them toward a giant mountain in the distance. The kitten is safe with me, his stature discourages the appetite, you know. But his scratches encourage disposal, correct. The bantering creature replied to the inquiry regarding who the real danger was. She can be unpredictable, but is not prone to unwarranted acts of passion. The frivolous harming of yourself or your mount will not occur at her hands, nor be allowed in her presence. A lesser degree of natural delight echoed within Ariel’s mind, replacing the somber assurance of his Rider’s character and intentions toward the little duo, as she continued her line of questions. ’Like’ is not a feeling that means much to this one, but she does find you intriguing and quite puzzling. Points in your favor should you win her true affections, he added with a hint of mirth and dash of roguish play. Valleys and ridges spread out beneath them as the winging bird gained altitude. Trees looked like nothing more than bushy blades of grass, rivers shrunk to no more than thin cuts of smooth gray. Kalea stretched out beneath them, continuing in a never-ending spread of green. Blue began to edge the green in the direction of their travel. The world became to Ariel as Ariel was to the world. The squirming Pycon found herself released in a safe location and her dubious companion ripping strings off a scarf. A pause in industry signaled yellow eyes swiveling to the little red creature and soon, one hand keeping and iron grip on the kitten, she swiveled around to a bag and pulled out a leather lacing. A spar to serve for boots, or some sturdy but small work. “If you tie this around yourself firmly, you can roam around and explore and look down. If you fall without it on, the only way to safely catch you will be in Catabasis’ mouth,” Sairque warned soberly, offering the end of the lace. The trip would take roughly a bell, a bell to revise their early opinions of each other or conduct flying antics. How often, after all, did the little Pycon get to fly?