Leather and Lace [Irriari]

[Sahiri]

Where: The Merchant's Ring
When: 20th of Summer, 511 AV
Who: Irriari, please!

Sahiri loved shopping.

Absolutely loved it.

It had taken a bit of time getting used to, but her bondmate liked seeing her in different garments, and she found that people got bored with seeing her in the same thing all the time. Besides, it gave her a routine, a chance to scout things out and be eyes and ears without necessarily sticking out more than necessary. She could hear the gossip and bring it back to Murmur, who could decide what was useful and what wasn't, and use it as he saw fit. But for all that they spent plenty of time together, there were times when she wasn't useful to him, and that gave her time to explore Ravok.

And shop.

That was what she was doing today - being bonded to a member of the Ebonstryfe saved her being snatched up and carted off to the slave pens, which had almost, almost been her fate - shopping. She was becoming a frequent visitor to Maven's Thread, always on the hunt for something new. She was going there now, her long, dark hair hanging loosely down her back, though the movement sometimes revealed a white ribbon tied into it, her hair fluffed out a bit from the moisture in the summertime air. Being of a feline nature, she wasn't fully enamoured of water, unless she was taking a bath... but she was surrounded by it here in Ravok, and over the last season, she had endeavoured to get used to it. She wasn't -afraid- of water, per se, she just wasn't its biggest fan. Her skin shone, though, silky-soft as it was, contrasting with the little cotton black and crimson tiered cotton skirt that certainly didn't quite reach her knees, revealing a flash of her long legs that ended with the dainty little sandals on her feet that laced around her ankles. A sleeveless white shirt hung off of her shoulders, kept in place with a crimson ribbon at the neckline, or lack thereof, and a crimson silk sash was tied at her hip, the ends hanging down.

You never knew who was watching in Ravok.

With a long stride, the occasional skip in her step and with her hips swinging in a movement that just seemed -natural- to onlookers despite the innocent, almost naive expression she wore on her face, Sahiri sauntered into Maven's Thread. She called a greeting to the shopkeep, and made her way to the racks of cloth, her ears open for the sound of footsteps, of people following her. She preferred to browse first, to play with items, and then make all of her decisions in a bundle afterwards.

[Irriari]

Irriari lounged against the wall of a shop in the Merchant's Ring of Ravok. While she hardly ever journeyed into the city proper, when she did she, enjoyed watching all the humans that passed around her, intent on settling their affairs before the day was done. The sun was lowering in the sky, but the bright icon still illuminated the city streets and the passerby that flitted from shop to shop. In truth, Irriari didn't find much use for the stores in this district. She much preferred ones like Black Tar's Alchemical Services. Regardless, the docks were getting old, and lately she had found herself yearning for something new and exciting.

Most of the humans that walked around either glared in her direction without ever truly looking at her, or skittered away while looking down. Either way, they were gone in the blink of an eye, and replaced by the next group. Occasionally, a few met her eyes with cold stares of their own and challenged her with simply a look. She could at least respect those who did, though few ever approached her or did anything else to pique her interest. In some ways, she had grown used to the human population in Ravok, though she still hated the majority of wingless two leggers and the egos that they clung to.

After a few chimes, a girl walked in front of Irriari, her eyes alight with purpose as she sauntered down the street. Long legs tempted males and females as she walked past, and a ivory ribbon snaked through tendrils of wild, but alluring hair. Her outfit was equally scandalous, at least from the typical attire that Irriari had seen in Ravok thus far. But whatever the desired effect was, many heads turned and stared at the girl as she strolled down the street. Irriari found herself staring too, her eyes caught somewhere between the hip hugging skirt and sash that adorned her hips. She wanted to know this girl. Something about her screamed to her senses, bombarding her with curiosity and mixed messages. What was she? Prey? Danger?

Irriari, resolved to find out, followed the girl inside the shop three chimes after she entered. While it wasn't an ideal amount of time to wait, she opened the door to the shop and stepped inside. Clothing of every color, style and fabric imaginable greeted the zith, and she frowned. Such frilly adornments were pointless to those of her race, and she hoped that the girl was not a vain material obsessed twit. She glared at the shopkeeper and pretended to examine a skirt of her own, which was surely the wrong size. The mysterious female browsed the piles of clothing happily and seem engrossed in her pursuit of the next great look. At least Irriari hoped she was.

[Sahiri]

She was like a little child in a kitchen full of honey-laden sweets. But she knew what she was after, though - the last time she had been here, she had been eying some of the longer dresses. Something for a change of pace - she didn't want her bondmate getting bored - and Sahiri's version of 'long' probably didn't match most of what others considered long. The seamstress certainly didn't mind, just kept an absent eye on the bubbly Kelvic from time to time to make sure that the customer was managing on her own. Sometimes they had garments to show her when she came in - Sahiri was always interested in just about everything they had to say or show her. Sometimes she even brought them little sweets that she found. The shopkeepers knew far more than people gave them credit for, but Sahiri understood networking - that was what she was doing now. She built networks, she made plans, and she found things out.

Today, though, she worked her way to the back of the shop, and kept up a running dialogue with a seamstress about new items and things that they were working on, as best as Irriari could tell. She heard the door and she heard footsteps - someone had come in after her, but Sahiri waited, tossing her hair and tracing the stitching on a long linen tunic that was a dress in itself with her own sash. Her quarry's voice was soft and silky without a hint of guile in it as she playfully bantered while she browsed. The Kelvic could practically feel eyes burning into her back. Someone was watching her. It wasn't an uncommon feeling - she dressed with the goal of being noticed, she walked with the goal of being noticed, and she acted in order to be noticed. Sahiri's fingers caressed the cloth, knowing by now which fabric was which - cotton, linen, wool, silk. Oh, she liked them all. But she was looking for summer, and summer meant cotton, linen, and sometimes silk for a flair, like the sash on her hips, a ribbon in her hair. She also had other important factors in her consideration - such as just what her bondmate liked on her. Murmur liked to see her in some simpler dresses, and after today's scandalous, by Ravok sensibilities and standards, outfits, she would have something entirely different for tomorrow to surprise him in.

As she turned to inspect another rack of garments, she took the moment to lift her eyes from the cloth and see just who had joined her in Maven's Thread. Her green eyes took in the furry shoulders and the winged creature, but she didn't shudder, didn't show any signs of horror or revulsion, just let her eyes wander up from the bottom to the top. Her lips parted slightly as her eyes met Irriari's, and she looked back down at the garment, smoothing the fabric with her fingers before moving onto the next. She cast her hook - time to see if she could get a nibble In any other setting, a predatory Zith may have bothered her. But not here, not in Ravok, and not with an Ebonstryfe bondmate. And not, certainly, with her stiletto knife in its sheath hidden from sight in her silk sash. Sometimes she carried it in her bust, sometimes on a thigh - it depended on what she was wearing, after all. But the important thing was that she let the predator act like one, for now if she wanted to seduce this one to her - besides, the way she was staring excited the Kelvic.

She turned away from the Zith, glancing shyly at her over her shoulder, her eyes just a little wider than normal before glancing away again, allowing just a bit of heat to creep towards her cheeks, adding a dusky hint to her cafe-au-lait skin as she lifted a brown skirt. Cotton. A beautiful cut, she turned with it, clutching it to her, one hand holding it at her shoulder, the other arm beneath her breasts. It was far too long for her tastes to wear as a skirt - the airy hem would be trailing on the ground. She considered, glancing at herself in the mirror and looking to check her voyeur's progress as she breathed, looking to see at how the shape of the cotton skirt measured up against her. She could feel the ribbons in the waistline, and it was defined enough with them that she could easily... and perfectly... wear it as a dress. A few long ribbons under the chest would accentuate her and give it a little bit of contrast... surely, if she could reel the Zith female in, she could ask her what -she- thought of it as she twisted slowly again, making the chocolate-brown layered fabrics flare out at her legs.

[Irriari]

Irriari began approaching the girl with slow measured steps. She had completely abandoned the dress by this point, interested only in the girl in front of her who was perusing the clothes and talking to the shop keeper happily about all manner of things clothing related. Thankfully, this took the proprietors attention away from the nonhuman patron of the store, and left her free to pursue what she wanted.

In a way, she could understand the want and need to buy pretty clothing, as humans had no wings to contend with. In flight, even the slightest addition of weight could throw off both her center of gravity and the angles she turned at. It had taken months to become accustomed to the quiver on her back, and another month more to adjust to the weight and bulk of her poisoncrafting kit. She eyed the fabric swatches laid out on a wooden table. The leather was pretty, and it was tanned well. Soft ridges crisscrossed the thinly cut hide. To the side, a harder piece showcased a distinct white oval in the middle of the hide. She ran a clawed finger across the pebbled piece of leather, savoring the soft texture. The other fabrics, whatever they were called, were of little interest to the Zith. They simply felt flimsy and easy to tear, unlike leather.

Her attention shifted back to the girl as she finished speaking to the owner of the shop. She looked at Irriari, from the tips of her clawed feet to the top of her face. Her eyes met Irriari's, and Irriari found her eyes caught, lost inside the dark depths of the humans pupils. She saw the girls lips part slightly. Had it been an accident? Was the girl toying with her?

Irriari stepped closer to the human as she turned away and held a skirt against her lithe body. The color was stunning against the girls skin, and Irriari knew that the innocent gestures were drawing her in. She also knew that if there was a game to be played that the first move would have to be her own, and the rules would be on her terms. She stepped forward again, noting the ever closing space between her and the girl. She was only a few hand spans away from the noticeably taller human, but she had become used to such things.

“You know, sugar, as darling as that scrap of fabric would look on your body, I think it would look much better in tatters on my floor.”

Irriari refrained from the obvious comment that would have came next. The girl would look wonderful on her bed with her wide eyes taking in every aspect of the room she would be locked in. It was a bold, stupid statement, but something about the girl has set her on edge, and had made her want. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about the girl, but she didn't want to be so swayed that she forgot who or what she was.

[Sahiri]

Footsteps.

She was coming closer.

A hip jutted as she postured in the mirror, stroking the cloth, letting her fingers linger near her navel, slowly smoothing the cotton with her palm at her thigh, watching her mark come closer and closer still, letting herself meet Irriari’s gaze in the mirror, her shy little grin broadening, her eyes widening just a little more. She kept up the Zith’s stare in the mirror until she blinked again, her eyes returning to their normal size. For all intents and purposes, she seemed pleased with the attention… and there wasn’t many who would say that, considering her mark was a Zith, of all things.

But Sahiri was a Kelvic, and she had her own animalistic side – even if cats didn’t necessarily get along with bats – and she could well relate. But for all that she was a caracal that could become a human, Murmur needed her to be a human that could become a caracal. He needed her to be useful. And this… this was one of the ways she did it.

There was a simple necklace that went with the skirt-like dress that could be used as a decorative belt, too, with brown beads in various shades and some larger, creamy-toned flat discs, that when combined with the chocolate-brown cloth, stood out well. With the dried coconut shell kept in place like a belt buckle for decoration, it all went together well. A bit darker than she might normally have liked, but it contrasted with her skin, making it look a little paler, a little more delicate. A little more fragile. And she had a feeling that the Zith not only liked it, she -wanted- it.

For all the way that she seemed to be looking at the cloth, seeing how the garment would work on her, she analyzed the situation. She wanted this one, to know about her, to find out what she was doing here. Her behaviour told Sahiri a lot – the way she stared, the way she walked. She was a predator – she didn’t want something that was stronger than her, something that could put her in her place. Sahiri had a good head on her in height, but the Zith’s attitude was more than enough to make up for that, as far as Sahiri was concerned. “That is a good question,” the Kelvic practically purred as she faced Irriari, draping the skirt over her forearm, one eyebrow quirked as her lips parted, almost pouting, teasing her like she wanted a kiss.

“I think it would,” her tongue moved inside her mouth, against her bottom lip, as she licked it, and she slipped past the Zith, brushing against her lightly, letting her smell her and her hair – she had washed it earlier and worked some oils into it that gave hints of the aromas of spice and flowers, neither overwhelming, not even with Irriari’s nose. Clearly, this little minx was skilled with them, understanding that just faint hints were often more than enough. In the movement, the Kelvic’s soft fingers brushed against the other female’s forearm.

Sahiri turned, facing Irriari again, making the little tiered skirt flare out from her long legs as she languidly caressed a sheer silk chemise on a mannequin, her eyes on Irriari’s. She didn’t look away – she wasn’t prey without a backbone, not this one, but she wasn’t giving the aura or presence of being someone that was going to put her in some sense of danger. Her next words confirmed this – she essentially passed control right back to the Zith. “But the real question isn’t where the clothes are… The better question, is what we could do,” she paused for emphasis, a playful smile on her face, “to make them get there.”

[Irriari]

Irriari watched the girl as she stared into the mirror, and then brushed against Irriari's forearm after licking her delicate lips. It was tormenting, and the girl knew it. The way her tongue played against her lips drew Irriari in, and she knew that whatever scrap of sanity that kept her from staring a human down was slowly fading away and was being replaced by a want for the girl with hair that smelled of the wilds.

Her hair, while dark, smelled of wild flowers and the luscious nectar that they produced. The scent, however she had gotten it there, wasn't overdone, and it remained pleasing to Irriari's senses. Everything about the girl pleased, taunted and toyed with her sight. Each flash of skin or innocent look in the girls deep eyes made Irriari want to take her, though she did not know where. Would it truly be bad to play with this girl? She obviously knew the game she was playing, but Irriari doubted she knew the consequences for playing with a zith. She shook her head slightly as the haze began to clear with her each thought that crossed her mind.

“What could we do?”

Irriari paused for a moment, as if she was truly thinking about the question at hand, though she wasn't. She had seen the same scene in the colony often before. It was something she had memorized by heart.

“I could take you back to my place and rip those dainty clothes off of you myself. Or maybe I'd be nice. I don't know. I haven't decided. I could make you hurt and scream and beg me for more. Or maybe you'd be more than I could handle, who knows?”

She stopped and looked at the girl, directly into her dark eyes before continuing

“You want to know what it will take? Tell me who you are, and why you're acting like this. If you're going to lie, at least try to make it believable.”

Her memories flashed to Fierce and what he had done. They then shifted to all the angry, horrified and disgusted looks she had received from the humans she had met in Ravok. There was not a human here that would care for her, was there? The whispers and looks had confirmed it. So why was this girl playing with fire?

[Sahiri]

This time, the Kelvic didn't dance away, enticing Irriari to follow her with a subtle shift of her hips, a tilt of her head, or the pout of her kissable lips. No. The foolish fisherman was the one who jerked the hook before it was firmly set in the fish's mouth. The brush of fur had thrilled Sahiri to her core, her Ranuri assuring her of what she already knew - that the Zith wanted her. To claim her. To use her. It was hazy after that - as if Irriari wasn't sure in her heart as to how she wanted to proceed. Sahiri couldn't tell if Irriari knew if she wanted to maul the girl or play with her. The Kelvic could only guess, and that, in itself, excited her.

She was playing with fire, and she knew it. She didn't mind at all. Oh, she would mind being marked too deeply by someone who wasn't Murmur, who had already made his mark on her delicate skin. But as long as it pleased them and didn't disfigure her, Sahiri didn't mind at all. Whe Irriari made her suggestions, Sahiri's eyes widened ever so slightly, as if they pleased, excited, and enthralled her. Her lips parted slightly, revealing a flash of white teeth. The following question, earned the Zith the slightest quirk of an eyebrow as she tilted her head questioningly... but it was the ones that followed that made Sahiri's smile brighten, causing her dark green eyes to practically glow as she actually laughed.

She was being called out, by her mark, no less. She leaned forward, stepping closer yet, the arm holding the skirt over it falling to her side as her free hand sought Irriari's, loosely entwining their fingers, her thumb caressing along the lines of her palm, torso almost against the Zith's, separated by a breath. "My name is Sahiri. This is me. This is who I am... this is what I am." She had no need to lie - not when that was the truth. She was what Murmur needed her to be, which was useful, and her abilities just so happened to lay in this realm. "I'm not like them, you know," her voice was husky, down an octave. "I don't see the monster... I see you..." her lips were almost by Irriari's ear now. "And I know that you want fun."

[Irriari]

Irriari watched the girl, and her dark eyes flicked from the humans eyes, to her cheeks, to her mouth and then back again. While she hardly expected to pick up on any overt signs of a lie, the girls face and her words would tell her something, surely. The girl, whose skin was beyond hard to describe, simply continued to look at Irriari, her eyes alight with amusement, curiously and something akin to joy. At least, Irriari hoped that the signs she saw in front of her could be taken as truth, and prayed they were not a skilled, intricate ploy by an actress. Irriari knew if things went further, and the girl actually called her out on her proposal, things could get ugly fast. She had little idea of where they would go, as she assumed the girl was not so brass as to perform such acts in the clothing store. Location was everything, and if the seductive human in front of her picked their locale, it would be telling. Irriari hoped that it wouldn't be in her room in Tarsin's Boarding House, as there simply wasn't enough room. She laughed inwardly at herself. Was she considering actually entertaining this female? Many times, she had broken codes of her race, and she had little fear in doing so now, but something about the thought of going to bed with a human still felt off. A second later, when her brain processed the girls alluring smile once again, it didn't seem so wrong.

Irriari clenched her clawed hand against the girls fingers when she felt them against her own. She applyed pressure, but not so much to damage the delicate . The girl spoke and Irriari noted her name into memory, though she had never been good with such things. Sahiri. And Sahiri professed that this was who she was. Irriari knew that she could debate it with the girl, and turn the argument on end, if she could only figure out what the 'this' was. Was she speaking of the way she walked, and how every movement was finely tuned to draw a glance? Or perhaps she was speaking of the bold way she had confronted Irriari's questions. Or neither. Or both. The puzzle was mind boggling, and Irriari wondered if she was thinking too much into it. But she wanted more, she wanted to know Sahiri, and to know the mind inside the body, and the soul inside her heart. Surprisingly, some humans had such things.

It was good to know that the girl didn't see the monster inside of her, though it would do the human well to remember that her true nature was simply leashed for now out of curiosity, and could be called back in an instant. Irriari pulled the girl forward by her hand, roughly, looking to face her, and to see into her eyes as she did.

“Fun? And where do you think we should go, Sahiri? I'm going to call your bluff, but you had better be serious.”

Her hand tightened around Sahiri's once more, holding it close inside of her own. While the decision had been made hastily, Irriari hardly regretted it. There was something about this girl, and the promise of adventure in her voice that made Irriari want her and all that she spoke of.

[Sahiri]

Her eyes brightened, almost to the colour of emeralds in the light of the shop, her eyes never leaving the Zith's as she stood there, and when Irriari pulled her, she stepped closer still, closing the last bit of distance, her body pressing against the furred one of the Zith. "Fun," she repeated, her eyes dancing, her free hand reaching up to touch and caress the silvery hair, tucking it behind her ear, slowly lowering her hand, using the backs of her fingers to touch the bare skin on Irriari's face, her tongue running over her bottom lip, the very tip just peeking out in the motion.

Somewhere to go. The wheels in her head turned quickly. She couldn't very well take this one back to the room she shared with Murmur. He would be very displeased with her if she'd done that. She could take her to the boarding house, but Sahiri didn't know if the Zith had been there yet. She could easily get them a room there for the day... or visit the House of Immortal Pleasures... the brothel. She'd seen it. She'd also heard tell that rooms could be rented by the bell, though she had never been inside of it. That could be worth checking out. Big. Luxurious, surely. But that locale might also give the wrong idea... though Sahiri felt she likely could have applied for a job there. One in dire straits was in no position to be choosy. She hadn't had to be. And while it would have brought her some extra coin, it surely would have occupied her time more than she would have liked. She liked being able to come and go as she needed and pleased.

"I know two places," she whispered to the Zith, her lips so close that they brushed against Irriari's with each word, just teasing her, begging her, daring her to kiss her. "There's the boarding house... Tarsin's Boarding House... or the House of Immortal Pleasures." The girl could have possibly have lived at either - both were certainly believable... but wasn't the House of Immortal Pleasures a brothel...? Was that what Sahiri was? Her fingers, warm and soft moved inside Irriari's hand, stroking the skin of her palm even there with faint little circling movements with her fingertips. Her other hand, by now, had made its way down Irriari's side, leaving light little touches all the way as it rested by the Zith's hip and finally fell slack. "Whichever pleases you..."

[Irriari]

Irriari smiled at Sahiri when the girl echoed her own desire for fun. It was time for fun, though the type of fun that they would experience was as variable as the humans in the streets. Her moods dictated such carnal acts- though she hadn't done such things in years. Her last had been Sevrai, and she smiled at the memory before turning back to Sahiri, who was standing there, close to her, looking as beautiful as the second she had walked in. Somehow, such charm was effortless for the girl.

Sahiri was against her, moving the hair that needed to be cut, and caressing the side of her face. Did the girl know what such touched ignited in her? Did she know how violent zith matings were, and how such actions could take her to the edge in an instant? Irriari suspected that the human didn't- as only a handful did, and only after being underneath a insatiable zith did they come to possess that particular bit of knowledge. Some died, though she had no intention of having Sahiri killed or maimed. Scare her, and pleasure her, yes. Rip off an arm, not so much.

Sahiri suggested two places, and didn't seem to prefer one over the other. Tarsin's Boarding House was a familiar site to the zith, though they would have to rent a room. As much as she wanted to trust the girl, no human knew exactly which room was hers, and though no valuables were stored there, she planned to keep it that way, for safety’s sake.

“You're not a whore, are you?”

Irriari gazed into Sahiri's eyes before continuing.

“If we go to the House of Pleasures, I'll treat you like my own personal harlot.”

Though the idea excited her immensely, Irriari knew that she would rather be at Tarsin's Boarding House for the night.

“No, we'll go to the Boarding House. That would make me very happy.”

For the first time, Irriari touched Sahiri's face lightly, dragging one clawed finger against the girls delicate, intriguing face. It wouldn't scratch her, but it was a simple reminder of who she intended to bed. This was her final chance to leave.

She grabbed Sahiri's wrist with her other hand, and moved her slightly- a feat that was easy due to her nearness. Now, the girl was pulled tightly against the shorter zith.

“Last chance. Do you truly want this?”

Irriari was not disinterested in the outcome. It would be hard to let the girl go, but the memories of her own rape were too fresh in her mind to take the girl by force now.