What cats get up to at night (Aiza)

[Alea Davenport]

Brightening at the change of subject, Alea smiled. "Me neither, but apparently they're pretty common, at least according to the horse seller. They're called Gildings, and they glow in the dark. I can show you if you want." She gestured back in the direction she thought her camp was in....

"Er... you wouldn't happen to know the way to port from here, would you? I can find my camp from there, but I seem to have gotten a bit lost, chasing that stupid cat in the dark." She gave the cat a stern look, as it ignored her and draped itself lazily across Aiza's shoulders. "Hmph," she grumbled to herself, "maybe at least YOU can keep him out of trouble."

[Aiza]

Aiza smiled and nodded. "I would love to meet a glowing horse! I didn't know they actually existed!" When asked the direction of the port Aiza nodded. Her knowledge of Avanthal would come in handy here! "Of course, I have no problem helping you find the port." Aiza almost mewed out her words. The cat's warm fur reminded Aiza of her mother. She smiled and petted his head and looked to Alea. "He is good company, you've taken good care of him."

[Alea Davenport]

Alea scoffed as they began walking, "You wouldn't think it, the way he acts. He could stand to be a little more grateful that I feed him." She reached over and scratched the cat's head almost absentmindedly.

After a bit of silence, she said, "I don't really know anything about Kelvics. Maybe you could help me? Like, are you a person who just happens to turn into a cat sometimes? How does someone like you even exist?"

[Aiza]

Aiza glanced over at Alea's question about kelvics. She never really thought about it. All she knew was that she existed; there wasn't a real reason why that she knew of. Thinking back on it, her mother never really explained why they were able to change, or why the lived where they lived, or how long they lived or anything. Aiza blinked looking down at the ground. Why was she born the way she was? Was she really that different? The kelvic looked at Alea. She looked like Aiza, well, in form. Two arms, two legs, a face. And in her feline form, she looked like her cat. It did not seem odd to her, at all. "I don't know. My mother was a kelvic, and I know there are different kinds out there... I just know that we can change back and forth between forms when we want to. It can be tiring sometimes though, we have to eat a lot more that you or your cat, just to keep up with our bodies." Which was true, Aiza ate a lot during the day; enough to fill a grown man. "But as far as why we exist I don't know. I just exist, honestly. It isn't any different to why you exist to me." Her mother always told her she was no different then the next person. As a child, it would bother her sometimes, because some people would treat her like she was an outcast, eventually, she got over it and decided to live how she wanted; not how others want her to be.

[Alea Davenport]

Alea sighed. She could count the things she knew about these creatures on the fingers of one had. They shifted freely between animal and human form. They had no sense of modesty. And they apparently ate a lot. At least they seemed to not be dangerous or intent on killing and eating her, so that was a plus.

Besides, it wouldn't be much of an adventure if the whole world looked exactly like Denval. So she shrugged and said, "That makes sense, as much as anything ever does." She decided to change the subject. She wanted to get as much information out of this girl as possible, and they were only about halfway back to her camp. "So, what is it like to like in Avanthal? What do you do here?"

[Aiza]

Aiza ran her hand along the cat's tail, she enjoyed the feeling of his fur. She side glanced at Alea when she asked her next question. "What is it like? Cold. It snows most of the year and it gets worst in the winter. It is harder outside the city to live than inside. I used to live with my parents outside the village, when they died I moved into the city. I live in Winterflame hold, I cook." She smiled looked at Alea. "Though, I'd love to leave. I don't like the cold, which is funny because I was born here... But I'm not built for it, so it makes winter hard for me." She frowned kicking the snow under her feet. She felt the chill again and cursed. "I am too exhausted to shift back, and my feet are cold...." She groaned. "Are we close to your tent yet? Or can we stop somewhere warm..." Aiza, being forgetful as she was, forgot to grab shoes, or something warm, and is left walking half nude through the streets of a very cold Avanthal.

[Alea Davenport]

Alea realized suddenly how stupidly unobservant she had been. The girl was walking in the snow, at night, BAREFOOT! She looked around and said, "My camp is nearby. We can get there faster if we run!" With that, she grabbed the girl's hand and sprinted at top speed as if Aiza's life depended on reach the tent as soon as possible!

By the time they reached the glow of her Gilding, Alea's throat was aching from her futile attempt to pull enough air into her lungs. She pulled Aiza into her tent so that the girl would at least have SOMEthing between her feet and the cold, wet snow. Still gasping, she handed Aiza her own cloak for additional warmth, while the cat jumped down and sat on Aiza's feet.

While Alea worked on catching her breath, she thought about what Aiza had said. Alea herself didn't mind the cold too much. It was colder than she was used to, but as long as she has appropriate gear, she found that she could survive it well enough. However, she wasn't partial to it, and she did not relish the thought of staying in any one place for too long. "I plan to leave Avanthal eventually," she said brightly. After all, I have a world to see, and it's not going to come visit. Her expression became thoughtful as she continued, "Though, travelling in the Winter sounds like a bad idea. I may have to wait until spring..." Which left the question of how she was going to survive the winter. Without some sort of serious intervention, her tent was going to get awfully cold. After all her past panic about being eaten by bears, it would just feel silly to freeze to death.

[Aiza]

Aiza ran with Alea, keeping up with her at a good pace. Of course, she had to hold the cat in one arm, to keep the poor thing from falling or getting lost. Aiza wasn't perfect at running, but she was good enough to keep up with Alea. It must be in her feline genes. Aiza stopped feet from the camp, staring at the glow of the horse. Wide eyed and curious she slowly stepped forward until she met eyes with it. Smiling she put one hand out, allowing it to sniff her and get her scent, it was something she allowed all animals to do, being one herself, she felt it was one of the crucial things in a meeting... Like shaking hands. The kelvic side glanced at the girl and then scanned the camp site. She was not going to make it out in the cold. "What are you good at? I mean, Avanthal has holds for all types of careers... Winterflame, holds the farmers and cooks and such like that... and the other holds have all the other important jobs in the city... Maybe I can help you find a place to live until spring comes..." She said in a soft voice, hoping she could help her new friend out. "Maybe you could live in Winterflame with me!"

[Alea Davenport]

Alea frowned. "The only thing I really know how to do is fish, but I really prefer doing it as a hobby or for food more than as a job. Fishing in large quantities just doesn't feel right." She thought about it more. She liked Aiza, but cooking...wasn't really her thing. She could roast a fish over a campfire, maybe, but that was about it. She also sort of liked camping out by herself, and it wasn't quite cold enough yet to force her indoors.

But Aiza was trying so hard to be helpful. Alea couldn't just brush her off because she didn't want to move inside yet. "But maybe there's something else I could do. Tell me more about Winterflame and the other holds." Almost absent-mindedly, she reached over to the cat still purring in Aiza's arms and scratched him behind the ears.

[Aiza]

Aiza thought for a moment, staring out into the woods. "Hmm, well... there is Frostfawn, that houses everyone who takes care of animals. The story goes whenever the Godess told them they needed to go into the city, they said they rather stay in the forest with their animals, so that hold was built. Maybe you could go with your horse... Skyglow is where they house the visual artists, Snowsong is where they have the music makers, Winterflame houses the cooks, Iceglaze is the crafters..." She allowed herself to pause and think back on the other holds... "Whitevine holds everyone who knows anything about medicine and Coolwater is where all the water related jobs are. Fishers go there, but you said you don't want to do it as a job... so maybe Frostfawn... that might be your best bet." She smiled, petting the glowing horse. "What is your horse's name?"