Closed Okomotion

[Celie]

Summer 5th, 513 Okomo Day - Shurai Peak Okomo Day was her favorite holiday. Every Summer, a day just to celebrate Okomo - it was wonderful, like a second birthday, except everyone was celebrating. Celedia had been wandering around Shurai Peak in her Okomo form, receiving food gifts from people here to celebrate her species. Not that there was nothing about them to celebrate - along with Skyglass, Lhavit was practically built on the backs of Okomo. And what would the Shinya do without them? They'd have a hard time going anywhere on horse-back. Celie took pride in the fact. She had been pet and given gifts all day - and one child even rode on her back for a few minutes. It was incredible - she loved the attention, even though she couldn't thank anyone without causing confusion as the okomo they just fed was replaced by a random naked girl in a puff of djed. Still, every once and a while throughout the day she took a break, wandering off and just nibbling on some flowers by herself on the side of a street, and now was one of those moments.

[Licearsvansan]

OOCAttack of the giant post

As he walked down the streets of Lhavit, Svan found himself taking a stroll in the middle of a foreigner city with no idea of what was going on, and no clue of what he was going to do with his future.

Again.

For the past week or so Svan had been trying to find something to help him get closer achieving his first gnosis mark. The problem wasn't that he didn't have any idea of what to do, it was that he had no clue how to start. To get close to Caiyha, Svan had to get close to the Okomo. The best way to do that was best to get a job taking care of them. However, to get a job caring for Okomo, Svan needed experience in taking care of animals. Which would be easy, if all animals didn't seem to hate him. Apparently, weren't fond of carnivores. Go figure.

Svan let out what must have been the hundredth sigh this bell. He wasn't even disappointed anymore. This was after all, what always happened to him. He traveled to a new city in hopes of finding a solution, but all he ever ended up with were more dead ends. No, now after years of countless failures and false hopes Svan was just bored.

For a moment he considered giving up. Maybe he just wasn't cut out to serve Caiyha. His temper was too short, he didn't know petch about nature, and he frankly got a little too much satisfaction out of swallowing his food alive. Everyone else seemed to be so busy today. People were rushing back and forth with children following close behind, and the only person who seemed not to have some place to be was the lone Dhani standing in the middle of the street. Svan balled his hands and slapped them to his head. He tugged lightly on his hair as he groaned in frustration. Why Caiyha? Why is it that after 17 years of this I don't seem any closer to getting a gnosis than I did the day I left the nest?! Svan bowed his head and let out a sigh of defeat. In a voice like a whisper Svan begged, "Caiyha, if you can hear me...if you have any faith in me PLEASE help me. I'm lost and I don't know where to go. Please Caiyha, I just need a sign!" Uncovered his eyes and looked back up to find a giant banner that read "Okomo Day" in big bold letters. Svan's mouth hit the floor. Kinda blunt...but I'll take it!

As if he had not even a moment to spare, Svan took off down the streets towards the Okomo village until he realized that he had actually no idea of what one does on such a holiday. Obviously it involved Okomo, but he had little other idea of the festivities taking place today. He could imagine himself heading down to the field with the celebrated beasts and having the misfortune of displaying his ignorance by asking one of the people working there what the holiday was about. If they were ever to allow him to work there they couldn't know just how clueless he was. With a frown the snake stopped in its tracks and looked around the the street in hopes of finding someone who could explain the festivities to him. The Dhani's hazel eyes fell on a portly grey haired man who had several baked good out on display. Svan waltzed up to the man casually and gave the friendliest smile a Dhani could muster. "Good afternoon sir, I'm new to town and was wondering if you could do me the favor of explaining what exactly is going on today?"

The man glanced lazily over to the banner and then back to Svan with an insulting look on his face. "Is it really that hard to figure out?"

Svan's smile grew broad and forced at the man's reply. And his voice, while still polite, now had an undeniable edge to it. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more clear. I understand that this is a holiday for the Okomo, but I'm not entirely sure what one does with the Okomo on such a holiday."

The grey haired man's expression quickly changed as he realized that he had a potential customer in his presence. "Well my friend-" Oh!? We're friends now? "-this holiday is one where we the people of Lhavit celebrate the proud and majestic beasts known as the Okomo. They were given to-" Blah blah blah, stuff I already know, Blah. "-and it is on this day that we thank these wonderful creatures with the finest gifts." The man finished with a broad smile that was just as fake as Svan's.

He wants me to buy a gift? I guess that explains why he changd attitudes faster than an Akalak with a split personality. Svan frowned lightly, "And what, pray tell, would you recomend I give the Okomo." Svan pointed to a random pastry on the man's table. "This?"

"Most certainly not! No no no. Are you trying to insult the Okomo? Imagine, you meet an Okomo for the first time and give it a lousy treat like this on such a sacred holiday. Why it would remeber you as "that worthless cheapscape" for the rest of its life."

Svan backed away in shame. Did Okomo really have such good memory? If so Svan would want to make the best first impression possible. "Then what would you suggest?"

The man stopped for a moment and stroked the short grey stuble on his chin. "I think I may have just the thing for you. One moment." Quickly the fat man ducked down beneath the table he was sitting at and then rose moments later with a large un-iced cake in his hands. "I was saving this for a someone else, but you seem to be in a much more desperate situation than her. I don't normally sell people's orders to other people, but i will make an exception for you-" The man leaned in closer with a sympathetic expression on his face. "-just this once."

A sane man would realize that he was being swindled right now, but Svan was neither sane nor doubtful of the man's sincerity. "How much?"

...

Ten kinas later Svan was walking down the street with a large carrot cake in his hands. Again, a sane man would have at least felt cheated, but Svan was carrying himself as if he had gotten the cake for free. He had after all, talked the man down from twenty kinas. After some searching he had found directions to the Okomo village and was on his way there when he spotted something odd out of the corner of his eye. He turned to find an Okomo standing by the side of the street, and eating flowers. The snake looked around and realized that he was the only one aside from her in the immediate vicinity. He whispered a short prayer of thanks for not having to compete for the attention of this creature with a hundred small children. he then Hurried over excitedly and stopped just before the Okomo. Svan pushed the cake forward and smiled happily.

"Hello Mr. Okomo!"

[Celie]

OOCAttack of the not-so-giant post She sniffed it. Carrot cake. Not a normal carrot cake, of course - it was made for the Okomo, which meant no sugar or icing or anything of that sort. Just carrots and whatever else went into carrot cake. Yum. She probably would have kicked him for calling her Mr. Okomo, but the cake made up for his sins. The man was average height, average looks. Nothing special. Celie snorted and then took a bite of the cake, pulling it out of his hands and dropping it onto one of the flower beds, crushing an unfortunate clump of dwarf primrose. She ate it in large bites, licking crumbs off of a few of the flowers before eating them, too. A moment later she was sniffing at his pockets and hands for more, when the distinct smell of snake reached her nose. It wasn't that strong and mostly overpowered by the smell of human and flowers, so she chose to ignore it. When she was certain that he wasn't hiding any more treats in his pocket, she leaned her head forward and prodded him with her skyglass horns, as if to say "Buy me more food."

[Licearsvansan]

Svan smiled as the Okomo ate his offering. As it bent over to munch the cake from the flowerbed Svan moved closer to pet the beast. He reached out his hand and gingerly pat the Okomo on its back. The Dhani had the smile of a happy child on his face as he pet the creature. To anyone passing by, the Dhani seemed less like the horrible snake monster that he was and more like a young child at a petting zoo. As the Okomo finished eating and began to sniff Svan he let out a small chuckle and gave a half hearted push of protest. it was obvious that Svan was enjoying this. That is until a sharp sky glass horn jabbed him in the chest.

"Ow?!" Svan said as backed away an rubbed the spot were he was pricked. The Dhani reached up to the horn that had poked him and pinched his fingers over the tip, effecticly wiping of the slight dot of blood that had stuck to her. "I kinda need that" As he felt the tip of her horn and looked into the Okomo's eyes Svan was suddenly hit with an amost picture clear message.

"Buy me more food."

"What?!" Svan said as if he had heard the words directly. 'How can you still be hungry? that was an entire cake. Svan folded his arms and made an expression as if there wasn't anything that she could say to convince him to buy her more. However, after a few moments of standing there it turned out that she didn't have to say anything to convince him. With a sigh of defeat Svan let his arms fall and headed off to find more food. Suddenly the snake stopped and turn back to the Okomo."Well are you coming? The food isn't gonna pick itself out." With that Svan continued forward and grumbled angrily to himself.

For petch's sake I thought "I" was the Dhani.

[Celie]

Celie followed happily, reveling in the fact that she conveyed her message and convinced him to act on it without saying a word. It was a relief to not have sticky children hands running through her fur, not that they knew she was a Kelvic. Most of the time, when she wandered in her animal form, no one knew she was a Kelvic. It wasn't obvious, and the only people that really knew were the ones she had told, other than her family. She could still smell snake, but it was still clouded with human and okomo smell. She ignored it for the most part; more cakes were in her future, and that was more important than a stupid snake. She trotted next to him. Celie didn't recognize him from Lhavit's 9,000-some citizens, and he dressed like a foreigner. He must have been a traveler, or a trader. She looked up at him and snorted.

[Licearsvansan]

Svan walked through the roads of Lhavit as he headed on his way back to the man he had seen earlier. As he walked he couldn't help but marvel at the splendor of this moment. He was in what was perhaps the third closest city on Mizahar to Caiyha, and he was walking alongside one of the Goddesses sacred beasts. It was more than anything Svan could have asked for. The city itself was glorious, like a piece of the Ukalas had fallen to earth, and even the citizens were undeniably beautiful. Svan had never been attracted to any race but the Dhani before, but the Ethaelfal were creatures out of a dream. A good dream too, not the nightmares that occasionally plagued Svan. However, perhaps the most magnificent part of it all was the Okomo standing next to him. It loosely resembled a goat, but to compare the two was like comparing a mortal to an Alvina. This was a creature handcrafted by the gods themselves. Svan turned his gaze and stared at the Skyglass horns of the creature. He had never seen anything else like it in the wild, how exactly did such horns grow? He had thought that the skyglass was more like a rock than bone, but perhaps it was something different all together. He resolved himself to study the horns further when he had the chance. After staring for a few moments, the Dhani turned back to face forward just in time to smack into at wall.

His face bounced off the wall like an organic trampoline and the snake stumble backwards onto his rear. As he collapsed his back slammed into something hard that shook under his weight. Groaning in pain Svan looked up to see that head had fallen into the side of another bakery stand and there was a large pie wobbling dangerously over the ledge of the table just above his head. Svan gave the pie try a look as if he might actually murder it if it fell, and by the grace of the gods the pie found its balence just before it fell onto him. Raising his had to hold the tin, Svan rose back to his feet to meet the eyes of a rather angry looking salesman. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Really?" The man said bitterly.

Svan rubbed the back of his neck and placed the pie gingerly back onto the table. "Your pie." The man simple nodded in response. Svan bit his lip and turned to his Okomo friend. "Well, see anything you like?"

It should be quite clear to Celie by now that Svan knew little to nothing of what Okomo's could eat, because everything on this table was food designed for people.

[Celie]

The pie that had almost crashed into the floor in an unceremonious blob of cherry filling and crust looked lovely, but easier to eat in human form. It's easier to clean pie from skin than it is from fur. In a flash, the Okomo was now a naked human girl pointing at the pie and looking up at the boy.

"That one, please." Celie would have a very thick Lhavitian accent to him, but she'd still be understandable. She didn't find it odd that she shifted in the middle of the street and that she was naked, and she expected everyone else to feel the same, at least for the moment. Not that she was ugly as a human. Her hair shimmered blue-black like a Vantha and her eyes were a pale purple that bordered grey. But she was still naked in the middle of the city and that was entirely odd.

[Licearsvansan]

Svan looked patiently at the Okomo to decide and wondered if the creature actually understood him. He knew that the Okomo had natural empathy which meant they felt emotions, but was this because it was the limit of their telepathic powers, or because they weren't smart enough to send actual thoughts. This was the thought that was going through Svan's head as the creature before him popped into the form of a small naked woman in a flash of light. Dumbstruck would be and understatement.

Svan looked over to the owner of the stall to see his face in the exact same expression. The snake shut its slowly shut its mouth as a sign of respect, but his eyes remained wide open. He was half worried his eyes might just hop right of of his head shouting "I quit" as they bounced off. Luckily, The Dhani's eyes remained and only his mind was lost. A thousand questions bounced around inside his head. Each one looking for an answer, and most found one.

How had the Okomo shifted? It was a kelvic.

Why hadn't she said anything? Okomos can't talk.

Why had she shifted now? To eat of course.

Why does she want the pie? Because everyone loves pie!

The snake had traveled with a kelvic for an entire season and become well a custom to their strange habits. He had come to know, understand, and accept many of their quirks so seeing ones shift like this really wasn't a big deal. However, after all his question and answers there was only one nagging thought that Svan just had to say.

"You're a GIRL!?"

[Celie]

"Of course I am." She spoke matter-of-factually, flipping her hair of her shoulder. Of course she was a girl! It wouldn't make sense for her to be anything but. Both the shopkeeper and the boy were staring at her, as if she were something alien.

She pointed at the pie again. "I'm hungry. Please." She even pouted a little, to add to the effect. People passing by started staring, too - mostly confused, but a few possessed a knowing smile; the only person who wouldn't mind standing naked in public would be a Kelvic. She was still staring intently at the cherry pie, almost tasting it in her mouth. But she was also cold. Without clothes or fur, and at night, it was chilly, even though it was summer. Her pale skin was soon covered in goosebumps, and her arms moved from their previous positions by her side and pointing at the pie to folded over her chest.

[Licearsvansan]

Svan clapped his hand over his face as he realized the stupidity of his question. Of all the things he could have blurted out it just HAD to be that didn't it. It wasn't that he doubted whether or not she was a woman, he was simply surprised. And after having called her "Mr. Okomo" he was feeling a good deal of embarrassment. He could only thank the gods that she had revealed her gender and race before he started confiding secrets with her. He doubted an Okomo would care if Svan told it about the time he had woken up in the middle of a forest with a couple dead naked men surrounding him, but a Kelvic just might. Breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn't said anything he would really regret Svan lowered his hand from his face.

He half expected the Okomo to be standing there now and for the baker to tell him that he had been hallucinating, but no, the woman was still there and still naked. As the Dhani's brain slowly began to process his situation he chuckled. Caiyha had not only seen fit to deliver him to an Okomo, but one that could speak as well. Svan usually had a natural talent for understanding the beasts of the world due to his extensive exposure to them and their teeth, but an animal could only communicate simple things to Svan if any. A Kelvic though could explain anything Svan wanted to know in as much detail as needed. They could even explain the most complex intricacies of their strange minds so that Svan could learn more about how they think.

"I'm hungry. Please."

That being said, it rarely took much to get inside a Kelvic's head. "Hungry my arse, I fed you an entire petching cake earlier. Now you're just being greedy." Svan said as he turned to the man. "Well, you heard the lady. One pie"

The man stuttered for a moment as his mind apparently tried to remember what it was doing. "Oh! Of-of course." The man fumbled around to grab the pie off the table and hand it to the woman. The snake fought back an urge to hiss at the mans clumsiness. He had avoided becoming cherry flavored already, he wasn't interested in taking chances a second time. As the man handed the pie to Celie he sputtered a "N-no charge." before sinking back to try to comprehend what had just happened.

The Dhani's hands moved to his neck as he unfastened the grey cloak around his neck, and tossed it over Celie's shoulders. "Come on lets go." -before Stutters over here can get back his senses and charge me. Svan walked down a few roads until he came to a bench and then sat down. He stared quietly at his new Kelvic friend for a few moments before speaking. "I don't mean to interrupt you pie murder but I feel like I should introduce myself. My name is Svan I'm a follower of Caiyha, the goddess of the natural world. I'm visiting the city in hopes of learning more about the Okomo because, as I'm sure you know, it was Caiyha who created them. I've seen a couple Okomo so far, but you are DEFINITELY the first to poof into a naked girl. At least the first I've seen."

Svan leaned in closer to the woman, "So, would you like to tell me who you are, or shall I just call you Miss Okomo from here on?"