[KRI] Curiosity Bought the Cat (Marcus)

[Kalina]

Rolling over, she tilts her head to allow the handler better access to her neck; she didn't want to elicit discipline over having a collar put back on her, which was something that she didn't even mind. And being good often meant that they would be nicer to her. In such a position, though, she was not aware of the leash attachment until she heard the secure click of metal on metal. Craning her neck, Kalina glances up at the length that had been attached to the replaced collar. She shakes herself off as she stands up, pulling on it lightly in confusion. As the man walks away, holding onto the other end, and against her own movements, the leash is pulled taut and it brushes against the side of her face, which she doesn't like. She sits still for a few moments, staring blankly at the man in incomprehension. She had left one confined space only to enter pseudo-freedom? She whines and begins to paw at the ground, though yelps when she receives an unexpected nudge from the handler, who was still standing behind her. Jumping up, she glances back at him. Well, if I could be rid of him and the rest of them... She begins to walk towards the man; he was holding the other end, and it was not like he would be strangled if he didn't walk to her. Clearly this 'home' thing was really going to be happening. Stretching her neck, she opens her jaw to grab at the leash. Bouncing slightly when she succeeds, she chews lightly on it, more to find out what it was, rather than get it off of her. Once she reaches him, she was still gnawing on the leash and springing away whenever it brushed against her body. The foreign sensation wasn't one she was particularly keen on, nor was it one she wanted to get used to; it was nothing like feeling someone's fingers scratch behind her ear, or a hand run down her entire body. Even having someone stroke or hold her tail was more tolerable than this. In her efforts to keep the loose length from touching her body, she once again knocks into the man and, glancing up, forgets about the material. She calms eventually and sits down beside Marcus, still looking up at him.

[Marcus Ahysen]

The entire scene was very touching to an outside observer. The little kelvic was clearly not used to wearing the leash, but Marcus apparently made her comfortable enough that it was okay. The agent smiled when she finally reached him, scratching her behind the ears once more. "We just have to go for a walk. I'll take this off you when we get home." He wondered how much the kelvic understood. She was less than a year old, but had the body of a seven year old girl. Where in between did her mind fall? Was she as smart as a seven year old, or had she not been taught anything? She clearly could understand some things, but how much, Marcus had no idea. It was certainly going to be an experience for him, to say the least. Marcus started walking again, asking Kalina to follow. If she did not immediately move he would repeat the process from before over again, taking a few steps then giving her a gentle tug on the leash. For the time being, he was patient, though he could not be certain how long that patience would last. Hopefully she would catch on quickly and start walking on her own. He led her out of the Institute and down the short trail to the dock. It was quite likely a bit overwhelming for Kalina. Marcus doubted she had ever been outside the walls. While the trail was nothing special, just a short path down to the shore taking less than five chimes to walk the entire thing, assuming Marcus did not have to stop and go the entire way, it was still unlikely that Kalina had ever experienced anything like it. And then there was the lake itself, a massive body of water stretching out farther than the eye could see. The dock, too, was probably exciting and maybe even frightening for the young kelvic. She wasn't the only one being purchased, and others were walking their purchases or having them transported in cages to their respective ships. There was a lot of shouting, some crying.. many of the kelvic were afraid, and some of them understood better than others what it meant to be a slave. Some of them were like Kalina, and had never seen the outside world, and others were just happy to be going anywhere but back to their cages or enclosures. Marcus gave Kalina a few chimes to take it all in, allowing her to lead and explore as she would. It was better to let her take things at her own pace than just drag her along, he assumed.

[Kalina]

To say that Kalina took to seeing the outside world easily would be a lie. Quite the contrary, for the first time in her short life, she was truly frightened. Her normally outgoing and bold nature was called into question in this moment; here, she appeared to be shy, withdrawn, almost cowardly. The whines the young kitten was unconsciously emitting were lost among the sounds of all of the other Kelvics who were no doubt going through similar things to her, but that only aggravated her further. Not only was she outside of the Kelvic Research Institute for the first time ever, but the sheer amount of beings milling and bustling about, humans and animals alike, was something Kalina had never seen either. At any one time in her three seasons, Kali would be in the same room with a maximum of maybe three others, not including the corridor in which her cage had been. She didnt even realise this many people existed. Growling in warning as one person steps slightly too close to her on his way past, the sound probably seemed quite pathetic to anyone who had heard it, but it was the best the ocelot kitten could do. Glancing behind her, she wonders if she could somehow head back inside, trying to remember why she ever even wanted to get out of her cage in the first place to see what was going on. This wasn't what she thought she would find, not at all. And right now, the comfort and security of her well-known cage seemed lovely to her. After a few false starts and many hesitations from her, Kali was finally walking normally, though her body remained as close to the man who had been nice to her, his name lost on her for the moment, as much as possible. He wasn't afraid. And no one would hurt him, so why would they hurt someone who was, in effect, attached to him, like she was? Even if it was only though some line of material. These thoughts soon soothed her further and her confidence grew. This was her chance, she remembered, to explore something other than the four corners of her small cage. And she still didn't know how long she was going to this 'home' place with him for. Her small legs were having to move at a much faster rate to keep up with the man, but soon she was moving even faster, daring to walk on ahead in order to smell something that looked particularly interesting. To her, that was nigh on everything and she probably slowed the pair down more through her curiosity that she had through fear. But that didn't bother her. Every now and again, someone would get to close, or a loud noise would sound, making the kitten jump and return swiftly to her apparent protector's side. But it wasn't long before she was back off in her mission to take in everything around her. The leash returns to her mouth eventually; Kalina was now moving at relative speed and Marcus was not really keeping up, much to her irritation. She had been pulling on the rope enough that her breathing had been partially restricted. Not painful, but not entirely comfortable either, and the bright creature quickly established that she could alleviate said pressure if she left enough give between her mouth and neck, then her jaw could take all of the pressure. At the sight of the impressive expanse of water ahead of them, though, the Kelvic freezes, claws digging into the ground, her already wide eyes expanding further. No. A pitiful sound escapes her and, in an effort not to get any closer, she drops to lie down on the ground. No nono no. No. There was no way.

[Marcus Ahysen]

Marcus was amused by it all. At first Kalina had been scared, but it wasn't long before the curious kitten was darting about checking out everything that she could, even to the point where she had to tug Marcus along behind her just so he would keep up. The agent was glad that she wasn't overly afraid. Dealing with a frightened kelvic could be difficult, especially one with sharp claws and teeth, and it was something wanted to avoid when possible. So far, Kalina was turning out to be just what he wanted. As they neared the lake, however, the kelvic froze. Marcus stopped too, at first not realizing exactly why she had frozen. The lake was impressive to look upon. Marcus imagined it was like looking out to the sea, though he had never been to the sea, so he couldn't be sure. He could make out boats, far away on the water, fishing and transporting people to and from the shore. Most days there would be no transport boats heading north, but many were coming to the Institute to purchase the surplus kelvics. Later in the day it would slow down, but the morning was always busy. The fishermen were always out there, however. Without them, Ravok would starve. The food hunters and gathers brought in were delicacies reserved for the wealthy, for the most part, but fish and the crops they could grow on the water were what truly kept Ravok afloat. It was only after a moment that Marcus looked down at Kalina and noticed how frightened she was. He realized that the lake probably seemed like the edge of the world to her. It was impossible to see the far side, and only at night could the lights of Ravok be seen from the shore, and only at the closest parts. It was probably daunting for the little kelvic. Marcus knelt down next to Kalina, rubbing his hand gently down her back. "That is Lake Ravok," the agent whispered, "And out there is our home." Marcus continued to pet the kelvic for a little while, trying to get her to calm down, but if she did not, he would try to pick her up. If either attempts were successful, he would bring her to the ship and try to board.

[Kalina]

A hand reaches down and strokes the Kelvic's patterned fur, causing her to cringe slightly, and then stiffen. Still she keeps her eyes on the impressive expanse of water, lest it should move closer to her, or something. Home? In there? On the other side? This concept of home was sounding worse and worse by the minute. The staff of the Institute went on that every day? For the briefest moment her respect for the researchers grows, thinking how brave they were. But then she realises what Marcus was telling her. Home. Over there. Which meant that Kali had to go over there too. No no. Don't want to. No. Nothing about that water looked safe. It wasn't wavy, or particularly turbulent, it was actually quite calm, but there was so much of it. Whining once again, Kalina keeps her stomach close to the ground, but she inches closer to the hand stroking her, which, despite her fear, calms and soothes her slightly. There was no way, however, that she was going to move. The young ocelot wasn't even going to turn and try to head backwards, back towards the building from which she came. By her logic, if she stayed to the ground, she wouldn't be moved by anyone. Why, why why? What? Why? Her thoughts were reeling, moving at a mile a minute in her frightened state. It was crazy, did this man, this Marcus, get here across that? How was he still alive? The thing... he called it Lake Ravok? Well whatever it was... It was a big stretch of water and she had no idea how she was supposed to get across it. So she wasn't going to try, if she could help it. Eventually, she tears her eyes away from the water, once she was sure it wasn't moving, to look up at her new owner - though she didn't know that was what he was - green eyes pleading with him. To her surprise, he was still kneeling beside her, stroking her gently, patiently. Anyone else and she was sure she would have just been kicked down to where they wanted her to go. But she didn't want to, not one bit. Mewling, she begs him not to take her to the water, where she was sure only danger lay. But, for some reason that the shifter didn't completely understand, she trusted him; in the short time that they had been together, Kali had warmed to him. Probably because the handlers ignored here, whereas this man had, for the most part, ignored everyone else in favour of her, which she liked. Now though, she couldn't decide if attention was a good or a bad thing here. If he kept her safe, maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Big risky stuff. she wasn't all that sure yet. It was a lot of water.

[Marcus Ahysen]

Of course Marcus had no idea what exactly was going through Kalina's head, but her frightened mewls and behavior made it clear enough that she was afraid. Unfortunately, she would have to get over that fear. Hopefully, since she was so young, it would be easy for her to grow out of it. If not, Marcus might be forced to get rid of her, but this was her first time out of the Institute, so Marcus was patient. He liked the little kelvic, and wanted her to work out. After some more comfort petting, Marcus finally spoke up. "I know it looks scary, but I got here just fine, didn't I? I'll carry you the entire way, if you need me to. You wont have to get wet or touch the ground or anything, you'll be perfectly safe." After that Marcus reached down and scooped the young ocelot up, assuming his arms weren't scratched to shreds in the process, and carried her over to the boat. She would likely put up a struggle, but if she did, Marcus held her tight and continued to stroke her with his free hand. "Don't worry, little kelvic, it will all be okay. We just have to ride this boat for a little while." A little while turned out to be nearly two bells. Even though it was one of the quickest ships on the lake, there was only so much a sailor could do to make themselves faster. Even with a reimancer aboard, a ship could only travel so fast. At about the half way point they were able to make out Ravok in the distance. Marcus pointed it out, showing the young cat the place that would soon be their home. A bell later, they arrived at the docks, and if Kalina had not calmed down by then, Marcus carried her off the ship and onto the wooden planks of the dock before setting her down. "Now it's just a short walk, and you'll get to see your new home." OOCSorry I've been so slow to post lately. Big things going on in storyteller land. Nothing I can talk about yet, but you'll see soon enough.

[Kalina]

The ocelot kitten growls as she is picked up; the only time she was ever handled like this was when she was about to have an examination. She didn't like those, infrequent as they were. The pair were walking away from the buildings though, that was good. No, wait... he's taking me towards the big water... She whines again, struggling against his grip for a moment or two, but she still hadn't been fed today and, after her transforming twice within such a small space of time earlier, she was still quite tired. As a result, the fight left her quickly and she could do nothing but stare at the fast approaching water in fear. Without realising it, she doesn't retract her claws, which dig into her new owner. By the time Marcus gets onto the boat, with Kalina in his arms, Kali was shaking, a constant low whine emanating from her. Torn between glaring at the water in fear and resentment and hiding so that she could pretend she wasn't on this death trap, Kalina alternates between keeping her head up, eyes peeled, and squeezing them shut, burying her head into Marcus' bent elbow. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop. Simple mantras were running through her head, rapid fire. Her thoughts were so loud that they drowned out anything her new owner said to her, no doubt trying to keep her calm and relaxed. After a while, however, the journey became quite boring and the novelty of the water wore off. The three season old Kelvic soon falls into a light sleep in the man's arms, and begins to recuperate some of her energy. The slight turbulence of the boat wakes her up a few times, but she soon falls back to sleep, the strokes from the man holding her surprisingly soothing. The whines and growls become subconscious purring and, though she is half awake for the majority of the trip, she pays little to no attention to what Marcus says to her, when he does speak. Eventually the ship docks, Kalina once again woken by the sudden jolt of the boat hitting the side of dry land once again. Once the pair were back on land, and Kalina was back on her own four paws, the ocelot yawns and stretches, front legs and then back. Then, without warning, she was off once again, tugging at the leash connecting her to Marcus. Bye bye, water.. She thinks to herself. It wasn't all that bad, she supposed, but now that she had the chance to leave it, it would not be too soon before she saw it again. The Kelvic ignores the fact that she'd have to go back on it when her trip to 'home' was over with.

[Marcus Ahysen]

To say they were on land was a bit of a stretch. They were not in the water.. but the land was far, far away. There was water everywhere, still, and they were floating on it. While some of the pathways along the canals were made of stone or some other solid material, many were made of wooden planks, and the water could be seen clearly beneath them. It would not be necessary to ride a Ravosala back to his apartment, though it would have been faster, but Marcus decided it would be better to walk. Kalina had the opportunity to see a lot as she tugged along in front of Marcus. The ravosalamen glided on their boats effortlessly through the canals, stopping when someone signaled them, and continuing along their way when the person was boarded. Ebonstryfe patrolled the pathways, many nodding respectfully to Marcus as they sensed the chaon in each other, and Marcus offered them an occasional nod back. As an Agent of the Black Sun, Marcus outranked the common rank and file of the Ebonstryfe, and was not required to show them the same deference that others in the city might. Still, he respected them. They were Ravok's protectors, and Marcus was thankful for them. Eventually they arrived at the particular apartment building in which Marcus lived. He led Kalina through the door, nodding briefly at the attendant sitting behind the desk, before taking the kitten up a flight of stairs and down a hall to the room that would be her home for the next few seasons, most likely. At one point in time, Marcus had rented a suite.. and nearly gone bankrupt because of it. Even an agent's funds had limits. Instead, he had recently purchased a single room, intending to keep it until he had enough funds to purchase a manor of his own. With the added kelvic he might need to purchase a second adjoining room, but for the time being it would serve quite well. Marcus pushed open the door, allowing Kalina to enter before shutting and locking it behind them. The apartment was of decent size, the larger of those available in the NHC complexes, and had a balcony outside that overlooked the canal leading to the Temple of the Black Sun. The room was furnished with a couch, dresser, and bed, all of fine quality, a cupboard, table, a couple chairs, and a small wardrobe. It was more than enough for most Ravokians to live comfortably in, and the added addition of the kelvic would not be too bad, at least until she grew larger. Marcus would likely buy her a small bed later on, but for the time being, she could sleep on the floor or couch, or possibly in the bed with him if she did not shed too much. "Here we are. This is home, for now."

[Kalina]

Not once on their journey through Ravok did Kalina look down. Too much was going on around her, to her left, to her right, right in front of her, even behind her. Every now and again she would stop to get a proper look. Sometimes the young Kelvic would be looking, to decide if it was safe, or she would just be her inquisitive self; wanting to know everything about anything she passed. Every so often Kali would begin walking one way, only to be dragged down another by the man at the end of the leash. On occasion, if there was something particularly interesting down the way she wanted to go, she would growl at her new owner and snap at the leash keeping them together. His routes were boring, she decided. But maybe there was method in his... boringness... After what seemed like a million scents and sights later, Marcus guides the ocelot into a building. At the beginning, Kalina wasn't so sure about actually going into another building just yet. She'd only just managed to escape one; who knew the next time she would be getting out of this one? Trust. She thinks quietly. Kalina had heard the multitudes of researchers back at the Kelvic Research Institute say it to her, and to others. Often, she remembers, it wasn't followed by anything good, which made the word bad in her mind. But. Ever the foolish optimist, she still thought the idea behind the meaning was supposed to be something good. Trust. Heading in, she clambers up the stairs,taking them slower than she might were she not attached to Marcus by the length of material; she had long decided that she didn't like the leash. It restricted her movements too much. With a few feet of give, she couldn't travel far enough to satiate her curiosity. But the stairs were most annoying; if there was one thing Kali loved above all else (except food and strokes) was climbing. This wasn't a tree, but it was close enough. Kalina's pace slowed as she was led down a corridor. She wondered what was being kept behind each of the doors but she wasn't brave enough to go up to each of them; too much of the unknown resided behind each one. The kitten also knew that she would most likely soon be behind one of them, and that worried her slightly. When Marcus stops to open one of the doors, Kalina's tail flicks, though this time in a negative fashion. She wasn't sure about this, wasn't sure at all. Despite this, she still heads into the room just in front of the man. The Kelvic kitten makes no effort to enter the room further though, her only initial investigation of the room to be looking. Most of what was there, Kalina had no idea what it was, or what it did. She was confused when the man said 'home' again, and she knew all of the workers at the Institute couldn't fit in here. Must be lots of homes, she decided. Finally she yips. This was basically a big cage. There was no metal, and it wasn't see through. But it was the place that Marcus spent his time. It even had a locking mechanism, like her cage. Yup. Home was just another word for cage. And she was alright with that, finding the idea slightly comforting. Kalina still didn't understand why so much stuff was needed, however. All she had in hers was a water bowl, some yellowy and itchy sticks that lined the floor and her blanket. She freezes. Blanky... She had to go back to get it, she couldn't leave it, she needed it. She would even blame the death-floaty-thing on the big water to get it back. She was probably only here at home for a few days before she would be taken back, but she couldn't even go that long without it. Whining, she opens her jaw, just a little, and leans in to grab and sizeable chunk of the man's dark clothing, and tugs. The kitten was young and small, but she was not means weak in this form, by any stretch of the imagination. Had her attempt to get her owner to do what she wanted been any harder, and she might have ripped his clothing, at least, she hoped she hadn't right now. Then she definitely wouldn't be getting the blanket back. She whines and tugs once more. The chances of him understanding were slim, whilst she was in this form at least. She inwardly curses the collar around her neck, and the two changes she had already done today. But she had to try to make him understand somehow.

[Marcus Ahysen]

Marcus was a bit confused as Kalina started tugging at his pants. He had no idea what she wanted. He did in fact have her blanket, wrapped up in the same pack that contained the clothing that had come with her purchase, but he didn't realize that was what the young kelvic wanted. Perhaps she did not like her new home? Marcus had to admit it could be better. Before he'd had nearly twice the space, but now it was just a single room. But it was still much larger than the cage she had been kept in before, so that couldn't be it, could it? Was she hungry, perhaps? Or thirsty? Marcus had some food and water he could give her, though he did not know if the cat would like fruit or not. He did not store meat in his room, that would be foolish. The meat would go bad and stink up the place, but he did have some apples. Marcus walked over to the cupboard, setting the pack down on the floor next to the table, before opening it up and pulling out one of the apples. Taking a knife, he cut the fruit into slices before bending down and offering one to Kalina. "Are you hungry, little one? Here, try this. You might like it. I can get you some water too." If she did not take the apple from his hand, Marcus would simply set it on the floor before standing and turning back to the cupboard, pulling out a bowl and filling it with his water skin. He hoped that she would eat, she probably was hungry, but he would have to go and buy some proper food for her later. Once the bowl was full, Marcus set it on the floor as well, offering the water to her.