There is a sinister feeling (Open)

[Annabel Lee]

23 Winter, 510 AV

All Annabel could hear was the sound of the loot she just stole from two large men jingling in her small packet as she ran. She'd look back to see the two chasing her and quicken her speed. A huff and a puff. She gasped for air as she ran through the alley ways of Revok. She tried to continue running straight, but almost ran into the water. She stopped for a second to stop herself from falling in and looked over her shoulder to see the men had a close eye on her. She makes a quick turn to fall the side lines on the water. Seeing another stream of water up ahead, she'd turn a corner before, smack! Right into a wall. "D-Dammit!" she exclaim she heard the two yelling before gulping down air. She'd nod before she let her body morph. Her clothing sunk to the ground as her body disappeared. The outfit she once wore lay flat except for a small lump which slowly made its way out. A small black cat peered out before exiting.

She'd use to teeth to grasp her clothing before dragging it behind a small pile of rocks. She grabbed the small packet and held the string in her mouth before turning around and running toward the water. She'd jump quickly up on a ledge and run along the rafters for a bit until finding a small hole. She placed her packet in there before she continued to run. She'd Jump onto the roof and turn. She stopped at the ledge to see the men just catching up to her. They came to a stop before turning into the dead end. They looked around a bit before noticing her clothing. She'd jump down, landing one of their heads before jumping to the ground. She'd picked up one of her daggers with her teeth before letting her body transform back. She dropped it into her hand before taking a fighting stance. She used her leg to act like a shield for her clothing.

She notices the two men staring at her. Using it as a distraction, she'd show a small smirk before running at them with her blade, stabbing one of them in the leg. She'd run behind the other and hold the blade to his neck. "If I let you go... you are going to turn around and walk away. There is no turning back! Understand?"

"Y-Yes!" The man exclaimed. She pulled her blade back, making sure to leave a small cut but one not big enough to harm anyone. She pushes the man away, the two deciding to run. She let her body turn back into her feline form and went back for her keep. After finishing this, she went back to her clothing. After a small sigh, she walked to her clothes and let herself fall against the wall to catch her breath for a moment. She slowly started to re-dress. When she finished, she got up and walked back, stuffing the stolen goods in a small pocket like hole in her shorts.
Walking along the alleys alone, hands behind her head, she listens to the sound of silence. She smiled a little bit before putting her hands down to the loot. She grabbed it and opened it. Looking inside, she sighed. “Well... There is enough to buy a drink at the tavern.” She said as she counted the money. “Oookay. I’ll treat myself to couple drinks.” She said as she turned into another populated area before walking right into someone and falling down. “H-Hey! Watch it!” she exclaims before looking up.

[Cassandra Coven]

Cassandra hugged her arms as she strolled through the Nitrozian Plaza that wintry morning. It was perhaps only her second venture outside the tavern by herself, not having any errands to run for Mama or Papa, the elderly couple who were the proprietors of the Silver Sliver. The air was cool in the lake city, though not uncomfortably so. Still, the dark-haired barmaid wished she had a shawl or coat of some sort to keep herself warm. Remembering the first time she went out alone, her rather unpleasant encounter with the man who called himself Murmur, Cassandra moved her feet to the direction of the Odds and Ends, to apologize to Gloria as well as to pay for any damages she might have caused from the mess she had left before. She hoped the bouncer would let her in and not smack her silly, too. She recalled seeing murder in the man's eyes just before Murmur dragged her out of that place. All these thoughts were running in Cassandra's head when someone barreled right into her from a connecting alley. Staggering from the impact, she gave a shout of surprise and wondered what had hit her. A girl with the strangest colored eyes looked up at her. Her eyes were amber hued.

[Annabel Lee]

She looked up at the girls face, letting any last strain for her hood to stay up fail and fall down to her back. She noticed the hazel eyes, yet she also noticed darkness and pain within the girl. The girl looking a bit un easy to her, she decided not to pick fight with her. She frowned a little before sighing. She got up and pulled her hood up again. She noticed people staring at her, which couldn’t be good, mainly because she’d be sold along the slave market if caught. She pulled her hood farther over her face before turning. “Sorry,” she slightly mumbled. She’d walk towards the tavern, holding the door slightly when she got there. She felt a little bad before turning. “Hey, I have extra money, can I... Can I treat you to a drink?” she asked uncomfortably, hoping maybe some people would stop staring, but obviously trying to make a mends for her rude encounter. Nibbling on her lip a little, she’s say “If you want to, I’ll be at a table,” before letting the door swing. She ordered her drink and sat down, people the money out for counting. When her drink arrived she’d only take sips before starting to clean her dagger of the blood.

[Cassandra Coven]

"That's okay," Cassandra replied, almost giggling for the girl was holding the door of the Silver Sliver, and she, Cassandra worked there. But it was her day off, and she never really drank anything she served in the tavern anyway. With a slight smile, the dark-haired barmaid waved the girl off. "I hope I didn't hurt you!" As the girl entered the tavern however, Cassandra's brow creased into a frown. Even after the girl has gone, she still could not shake off the surreality of the unique shade of the girl's irises. She had never seen eyes of that color. It was almost like- "A cat's," Cassandra said out loud, drawing curious looks from those near her. She did not seem to notice though, her gaze still at the now-closed door of the Silver Sliver. She did not know why she associated the the girl's eyes with that particular animal, when there were other beasts that shared the same colored hue for their eyes. There must be a quality about the girl that prompted that thought."What a strange girl..." With a shrug, Cassandra turned around and began to trace her steps to the shop called Odds and Ends.

[Annabel Lee]

Annabel quickly gulped down her drink. She stood up and walked to the door. I’m sure those men are talking by now; I better make my way out of here. She thought to herself. She sighed, remembering why she came to Revok in the first place. She had to go the Odds and Ends to talk with someone. She took out a small paper drawn by a person she asked for directions the day before. She walked out the door and looked at the paper, noticing it was the direction the girl was headed. She slowly made her way to the area, hoping not to run into that girl again, mainly because it made her uncomfortable talking to anyone in Ravok. Ever since those men too her parents, she’s been searching for things that may lead her to them. She’d stretch a little bit as she walked, thinking things over.
She looked ahead before pulling hood even closer to her face, knowing that the women she encounter was staring her in the eyes made her feel a small bit of terror. The men she took down weren’t all too big, they were scrawnier then anything, so it was easy to take them down, but she feared if they sent a guard of some sort, she had no chance. She gulped in some air, shivering a bit. With all the excitement and all the adrenalin she had, she didn’t notice how cold this winter actually was. She crossed her and held to herself tightly. It wasn’t until she looked up; she noticed she was just down the street from the Odds and Ends. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling. Okay, I’ll get this over with and run... The faster I get out of here, the faster I can not only transform into my feline form to stay warm, but I can also get some sleep. She thought to herself before yawning a little. She looked a head, noticing the girl from behind “Oh sh-_” she exclaimed before covering her mouth. She ran and leaned in a small doorway, hoping she hadn’t been spotted.

[Cassandra Coven]

Cassandra walked to along the Nitrozian Plaza absentmindedly, a faint smile lighting her lips. She was less preoccupied with her surroundings as she was with what was running through her mind at the moment: thoughts of Keating. Despite their last encounter where she was left in pain in more ways than one, the dark-haired barmaid had to admit that the man elicited a certain attraction from her. A lot of attraction, if she was to be honest with herself. As such, she kept bumping into people along the way to Odds and Ends, apologizing to each person profusely. Still, that did no prevent her from relieving the memory. As she neared her destination, a strange feeling overcame her, like she was being watched or followed. Turning around, she scanned the crowd to see if she recognized anyone. Did Murmur send his people to keep tabs on her? But no, there was no one suspicious, just the normal day crowd of Ravokians going about their business. She still felt paranoid, however. "Hello?" Cassandra called out, drawing curious and amused stares from the people around her. When no one answered, she shrugged and went on her way. The Odds and Ends was just around the corner.

[Annabel Lee]

Heard the girl call out, which sent a shiver down her spine. She shrugged thinking she was caught and walked out, but to her surprise the girl was gone. She took a deep breath in and let it all out, speaking “Thank goodness,” Under her breath. She slowly walk in the direction, but stopped at the corner, looking around. She saw her and pulled back quickly, letting her back press tightly against the building. She’d notice there were quite a few people staring at her, and whispering. She bit her lip and began to chew a little bit before pulling on her hood. She decided to risk it, and started to walk around the corner, keeping her head down but looking up through her eyes.

Annabel would walk slowly, as if trying to be quiet as she watched the girl. She would slightly watch the girls hair sway, and let her body perk up, feeling playful! She sped up, and then caught herself, stopping completely to let the girl get ahead. She started to go again, still watching the girl, but trying to focus so her feline instincts didn’t take over. She looked down at the girls feet, but every now and then looking up at the hair. D-Dammit! No! I will not play with her hair! Her black... Wavy... bouncy... Swaying... String like... No! Stop! Don’t think about it! Oh! But it would be so fun to play with! Nya! She thought to herself and she smiled a bit, Ah! Why is it so hard to resis- She thought trying to snap out of it again before realizing she had been using her hand to slightly paw at her hair, clawing through it. “W-Wha!” she exclaimed before falling over, her face going beat red. Her eyes went wide. Shit! What the hell! She thought before looking down to her hand, still slightly clawing. She held it shut before getting up and running “S-Sorry!” she yelled back as she ran quickly and turned into an alley, stopping only to lean against a wall. She pulled her hands up to her face to hide the blush.

She’s notice her hands starting to slightly glow. “N-No...” she said out loud before running down the alley to a small opening between two buildings. Her body shifted and her clothes fell. She crawled out and looked around, seeing if anyone had been near to see. No one. She let out a small huff. She looked down the alley and noticed some rocks. She pulled each individually and placed them on top of her clothing to hide them. She walked out and ran around the corner, looking down the path to check to see if the girl was there, not being able to see over the crowd, she’d jump into a small crate, then onto one stacked up on another just slightly leaned against the building next to this. She looked over, and noticed a small amount of black hair. “Mew...” she’d slightly hiss, as to point out she saw her.

Annabel couldn’t control her transformation all the time, so when her cat like instincts kicked in, she’s most like shift, but couldn’t shift back for a couple days, sometimes weeks, it was all very random. All she knew was that when she did shift back, she’d be able to control it for a long period of time. So, usually, by this point, she’d find someone to take her in, feed her, give her some where to sleep, the usual stuff. And when she knew she could shift back, she’d just disappear and not come back.

Deciding to do this, she started mewing. She was rather small for a cat, looking almost kitten like. She was pure black, with her normal colour eyes, and very fluffy, so it made the ‘Pick Up’ very easy. She’d purr a bit and roll onto her back, paws up as she stretched a bit. She canted her head to see if anyone noticed, and also to check on the girl, who by now probably thought she was either a psycho path, very creepy, or figured out her secret.

[Cassandra Coven]

Cassandra, oblivious that she was being followed, continued on her way, dreamy smile back on her lips. She was about to turn the corner that led to Odds and Ends when she felt something catch on her hair, like fingers tangling in her long locks and pulling her head back. "Wha-!" she cried out, her eyes widening in surprise. Was someone attacking her? She whirled about, one hand raised defensively to protect her face, the other drifting down to her waist where a hidden dagger was concealed. But there was no ruffian behind her, no street thug looking to relieve her of her coin. It was the girl she bumped into earlier and she was...clawing at her hair? Cassandra was about to ask what the girl was about when the girl apologized and bolted to one of the side streets. Cassandra was left wondering what in Priskil's name just happened. Was the girl trying to take her belt pouch and her hand got caught on Cassandra's hair? Suddenly worried, the dark-haired woman hurried to her destination. Cassandra's hand was on the door knob about to open it when she heard loud mewing coming from somewhere. She looked around, trying to determine the source of the sound and found that it came from above, from a small black cat. "Aww, a kitten!" she said in delight. "Why are you up there all alone? Did your momma leave you?" Cassandra held her hands up, as if beckoning for the cat to come to her.

[Annabel Lee]

Head still canted, she slowly approached the girl. She narrowed her eyes a little. This isn’t a good idea... she thought in protest as she slightly stopped. Just pretend to not trust her and- she cut off her train of thought as she stared at the hair once again. “Mew!” she squeaked a bit and squatted. She would hold the position for a moment before she pounced, pawing at the hair. She’d purr loudly and she played with the sleek black length. After a moment, she stopped, realizing she had just played herself right into the girl’s arms. Oh damn! Uhm... What do I do?! Wait... This might be okay... If she doesn’t notice my human form around, she might not suspect me. Paw paw, she’d stop her train of thought to play for a second before continuing. And then, I can just leave! No bond, nothing. She canted her head and nuzzled close to the girl
“Mew” she’d purr a bit, putting on her usual show, hoping the girl to take her with her for a bit. She’d look up and peer her eyes into the woman’s. She looks away and tried to nip at her fingers, lifting her paw up and extend her claws, feeling very playful for some reason.

[Cassandra Coven]

Cassandra was delighted that the cat seemed easily taken to her - and it was a cat, a rather small one, and not a kitten as she first surmised. She was a playful one, the cat, pawing at the curls of her long dark hair as if it was a toy. Pawing? the barmaid wondered, suddenly the remembering the girl who had clawed at her hair from behind not a few moments ago. The similarity in behavior was not lost to her. "Strange," she muttered, deep in thought as she gazed unseeingly at the cat in her arms. She started as she focused on the creature, the cat's eyes catching her attention. It was a shade similar to the girl's as well! Her skin crawled at the strange coincidence; looking at the cat gave her a sense of deja vu. But Cassandra shook her head, telling herself she was being silly thinking such thoughts. That girl could be thsi cat, that was just ridiculous! Giggling to herself, she tucked her hair behind her ear as she prepared to enter the Odds and Ends, to ask if the cat belong to the proprietor of the store. The cat suddenly nipped at her gloved hand however, startling her. "Oh, a feisty one, aren't you?" she laughed. "Come on, let's see if you belong to anyone in the store!" Cassandra opened the door, the bell behind it ringing from the action. A giant of a man moved from the adjecent wall to block her path, glaring down at her and the cat. As she met his gaze, she found no recognition in his eyes, flooding her with relief. He must have forgotten all about the little mishap she's had in the same store the previous season! Lucky! Still, the man's gaze was unrelenting as he voice boomed at her, like an oncoming avalanche about to flatten her, "No pets!" "Oh! But I was, uh, wondering if this cat belonged to you," Cassandra held up the black cat in her arms. "Um, I mean any of you, you don't look like - I mean, um...no? No pets, right? Yes, I was, um, just leaving..." She gave the man a weak smile, before backing up and closing the door behind her. She put the cat back on the ground. "Well! You're obviously not from in there! That man looked like he would it you too," she said worriedly. "Maybe your master lives somewhere near here? I could take you to him..." Cassandra waited a moment, as if expecting the cat to answer her, before rolling her eyes and muttering, "I feel so pathetic, talking to a cat..."