Shape-shifting animals (Valerius)

[Iskessah]

5th Spring, 512 Location: Kelvic Research Institute Iskessah stood before the building known as the Kelvic Research Institute with several crates of animal fodder. Her job was ostensibly to deliver the crates, which she had technically done. But now that she was here, it would be a waste to just leave without getting to know the place a little. She knew very little about Kelvis, but the idea of creatures who could shift between two different forms was quite curious. She watched with a bemused expression the silly people scurrying about. It had only been a few days since the storm had come and wrecked everything. The chaos of the Ravokians desperately trying to repair their lives was a refreshing change. Not that she wasn't grateful to Rhysol for a life free from the elements of nature, but it did get a bit... same-y after a while. About a chime later, she decided she'd been standing around long enough. She lifted two of the crates and hoisted them onto her shoulder. She addressed the nearest person, "Hey, you. Where do you want me to put these?"

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Valerius Nitrozian was definitely not one of those silly people that scurried about, and he wasn’t desperately trying to repair his life either. He walked slowly, with his head held high as if the fact that the Temple of the Black Sun had been destroyed and many lives had been lost was only a minor issue. His home had been largely unaffected, and House Nitrozian would likely recover from the catastrophe. The fact that his aunt made him help clean the Research Institute bothered him slightly – he was no servant – but he didn’t show it. In his opinion there was nothing worse than a man who complained about his lot in life. He had just washed one of the cages – even a few days after the storm the Research Institute looked like a mess – and was on his way to check on the creatures that had survived when Iskessah approached him. Even though he was mostly doing what he considered slave labour these days the young man was dressed in fine clothes. That he was doing a servant’s work didn’t mean that he also had to look and act the part, and if his clothes got dirty, well, he’d just buy new ones. He could afford it. He looked at her and furrowed his brow, as if he wasn’t at all sure what to make of her, and then he glanced at the crates she had brought. „I haven’t seen you here before. The food is usually being delivered by a different person“, he remarked. „If there is indeed food in there. Who has sent you?“ While he waited for her answer, he gestured for her to follow him. Even if he didn’t know her, she didn’t look as if she’d be able to cause a lot of trouble, besides the creatures were getting a little hungry.

[Iskessah]

Iskessah couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at the man's apparent suspicion. She understood that there was plenty to be suspicious of in Ravok, but letting on that you suspected something gave up a valuable advantage. And if his mistrust was at all genuine, he would have waited for a convincing answer before letting her go anywhere. Still, his lack of vigilance worked in her favor. That was what she loved about Ravokians, especially those of higher station. They thought her beneath their notice, so as long as she did not blatantly act outside their expectations, she was not too closely scrutinized. "Your usual man got injured in the sstorm. I was called to fill in, until he can work again." She winced a little as the slight hiss came out in her words. She still had trouble disguising that sometimes, but she hoped the man just hadn't noticed. She glanced back at the remaining crates. She could probably carry more than two at once, but the more trips she had to take, the more time she would have to check this place out. Besides, she wasn't here to show off. With a mental shrug, she followed the man. As they passed by the destruction, she let out a low whistle. "What happened here?" she asked casually, as if to make conversation.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„A lot of people got injured during the storm“, he remarked as he led her into the Research Institute. The tone of his voice was a little cool, a little bit too businesslike, as if he didn’t really care about all the lives that had been lost during the catastrophe.. „Some even died. We lost a few creatures as well.“ He suddenly paused, turned around and cast a curious glance at her. He had noticed the way she lenghtened her s, but of course he was unaware what she really was and assumed that she had merely some kind of speech impairment. A gentle sigh escaped his lips. She looked so normal otherwise, almost pleasant in fact. If she hadn’t opened her mouth, he would have been unable to tell that she suffered from a disability. It was such a pity. „The same that happened everywhere in Ravok“, he replied. „The storm. It looked much worse a few days ago. We just managed to get rid of the last corpses yesterday, and some of the cages still cannot be used.“ He opened a door and gestured for her to step inside. One of the workers knelt in the corner of the room and was furiously scrubbing the floor. The man looked at them for a moment, and then he quickly went back to work. „How is he by the way?“ he asked, referring to the ‚usual man‘ and gave her a sign to place the crates next to the wall. The man had done his work well, and he’d always delivered the food on time. Valerius would hate to lose him forever. Reliable people were hard to come by. „And how was the business on the whole affected?“

[Iskessah]

Iskessah debated briefly how best to respond. She could make up something plausible sounding, but if she turned out to be wrong, it could cause unnecessary suspicions later on. Her position gave her an excuse for ignorance, so that was probably the safest response. "Hey, I jusst carry the boxes. They don't tell me what iss happening in the businesss. They tell me I need to work, sso I work," she said as she set the crates down. She debated for a moment whether she should immediately go back for the rest of the crates. The appropriate course of action was entirely dependent on whether the man was finished talking with her. Aside from the trivial concern that turning her back on him could be considered rude, if she wanted to gather information about this place, it would be foolhardy to sever the only connection, however tenuous, she had made. She glanced back the way they came, sending a questioning look at the man. She would let him decide whether she should return for the other crates now or later. But she wanted to make it tricky for him to just send her away, so she struck up a conversation. "Sso," she began, looking around at the cages, "you keep animals here? What purposse does that sserve?" It would make sense if the animals were kept here in case someone needed something to torture on short notice, but humans rarely made sense, in Iskessah's opinion.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Ah, I see“, Valerius replied as she informed him that she just carried the boxes. Apparently she wasn’t important enough for her superiors to talk to her about the business. She was just a delivery girl with a speech impediment. He made a face. „Forgive me for making a wrong assumption about your job. I thought you were a little more involved.“ There was a hint of arrogance about the way he said it, although he smiled at her. As she looked at him questioningly, he furrowed his brow, a little irritated. „Yes, we keep animals here“, he replied, wondering why she felt the need to seek confirmation for something that should have been obvious. She knew that his was the Kelvic Research Institute, didn’t she? What else did she expect to be here? Was she dimwitted on top of her speech problems? „Special animals. Kelvic. I assume you know what Kelvic are?“ „We study them, and we conduct experiments on them so that we can understand them better. It is quite interesting. The other day I watched me aunt as she tried to force one of the creatures to change. She is the head researcher“, he explained. „I help out every now and then.“ Truth ot be told, under normal circumstances he would have told her that she wasn’t here to chat with him, but to make a delivery and that she should better make her delivery quickly or it would have consequences, but he enjoyed talking about his job and the creatures. He even enjoyed talking about them to a somewhat strange woman. Kelvic were just so incredibly fascinating! „Mabye you’ll be able to watch when I feed them“, he told her.

[Iskessah]

Iskessah had heard the name Kelvic before, but if she were perfectly honest, she had no clear understanding of what the word meant. Until now she had assumed that it had something to do with being of slave status, but it seemed there was more to them than that. Iskessah could barely make sense of what the man was saying about them. Still, she wanted to know more, and not just because it was her job. "I've never sseen one...change," she said slowly. Were there creatures other than Dhani who altered their forms? Were they creations of Siku as well, or like the man suggested, were they simply strange animals? Without quite realizing it, she quickly flicked her tongue into the air, trying to get an impression of the nearby creatures. For the most part, they all tasted like prey. There were a few beings in the vicinity who might be capable of posing a threat, but nothing she tasted gave her great cause for alarm. Certainly there was nothing here she would ever call kin. She returned her gaze to the man, looking directly at his eyes, forgetting for the moment that she was supposed to be playing the part of a subordinate. With a warm smirk, she said, "I would like to watch you. Feed the animalss."

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„I’ve watched them change a couple of times now“, he replied. He couldn’t help but brag about his knowledge, about his experience with the creatures. The tone of his voice was as always slightly arrogant. „But it never ceases to amaze me. You would think that they would be in a lot of pain during the change, but they never complain, and the change happens almost instantly. It’s a pity you cannot replicate it in humans. We humans have to be content with magic that is dangerous and often unreliable.“ He let out a sigh. As she stuck her tongue out, he looked a little irritated – and confused – but then he shrugged his shoulders. As far as he was concerned it was just another aspect of her handicap or whatever it was that she was suffering from. Maybe there was something wrong with her brain so that she was forced to do strange things. He hoped that she knew how lucky she was that she was a free woman and had not been enslaved or experimented on. She would probably feel right at home in the company of the Kelvic she would see soon. „Come then“, he said as she told him that she would like to watch. „It’s almost time for them to get their meal. I swear, they eat much more since the storm. Maybe they are worried that another catastrophe will happen, and they won’t get anything to eat afterwards.“ He shrugged and gestured for her to follow him. „I hope you don’t have a problem with nudity. Most of the creatures aren’t wearing anything. They would just ruin their clothes when they shift into their animal form.“

[Iskessah]

Iskessah almost felt pity for the poor human. The ability to change forms was an amazing gift, one she often thanked Siku for. She could not imagine being stuck in one shape for her entire life. "Do you ever wissh you could change like them?" she asked, genuinely curious. Depending on his answer, she might be tempted to break her seven year streak of keeping her identity hidden. Though logic quickly caught up to sentiment, and she realized that the consequences of such a revelation could be...unpleasant to say the least. She held her tongue until they arrived at the cages. This tiny part of the compound seemed to have been brought back into full operation, as it held the largest amount of occupied and unbroken cages. Not for the first time, she wished to change into a form with better senses, so that she could get a more complete picture of everything that was here. But she would have to make do with her eyes and her tongue. The cage she could see from where she stood appeared to house a thin, sleeping woman. She looked to the human next to her with an inquiring gaze, waiting for him to begin his demonstration.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

"Sometimes", Valerius replied. He didn't see any harm in telling her the truth. "It is a very useful ability to have, don't you agree?" He wasn't sure if he would want to change into some kind of dirty animal though if he were given the ability to shapeshift. He'd rather become a different human - or change certain aspects of his current form that he was less than content with. "Do you not wish to be ... different sometimes?" He filled a bucket with some food and walked over to the cages, Iskessah in tow. The first creature who received her meal was what appeared to be a red haired woman in her early twenties. She was kind of pretty, and she was of course completely naked. She was dirty here and there. Some of those animals didn't care as much about being clean as humans. She appeared to be sleeping, but as Valerius and Iskessah approached, she abruptly opened her eyes and came closer. "She's a dog", Valerius explained as he opened the small door of the cage and emptied some of the food into a bowl that was standing there. "Some kind of mutt." The creature hungrily grabbed the bowl and retreated to the back of the cage as if she were afraid that somebody would try and steal her food. "She'll probably end up in some kind of experiment seeing as her dog form isn't anything special." He shrugged his shoulders and left the cage, locking it again. If she wanted to, Iskessah could observe the creature for a few more chimes while she was eating.