Open Exploring our roots

[Octarus]

Timestamp: 14th of Spring, 14th bell Stretching out beneath the fountain, Octarus enjoyed a view of the people passing through while he picked at his lunch. A small roll of bread, and a handful of olives. The latter of which he was very much so enjoying the flavor of in comparison to his usual fare. Lhavit was nice, but the food there didn’t always agree with him. He was still adapting to the pallets of the Lhatvians so the Outpost was a welcome respite. There was something interesting about keeping company with so many diverse people too, though he had yet to approach them. He enjoyed listening to their conversations and their dialects which reminded him so much of hanging around the port in Alvadas. With the fountain gurgling behind him, he was almost tempted to sleep, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he wrapped up the remains of his meal, stowing it away in his bag before getting up to pace around the fountain. It was to early in the afternoon to be sleeping and there was still so much to see. He passed a few stalls offering exotic treats but ignored it for now. Something sweet would only spoil his appetite. Instead, he was looking for a more engaging diversion. He made his way past the stalls surrounding the fountain, and deeper into the heart of the Outpost.

[Asterope]

Aster had quickly learned that cats were a very common occurrence in the Outpost. The felines were everywhere, not to mention friendly; every denizen of the Outpost seemed to adore them, treating them to bits of food and head scratches. They seemed particularly fond of her, for some reason. Aster didn't mind; she just thought it amusing that the moment she was in proximity to one of the many cats they seemed to zone in on her with intent.

If she wasn't careful, she could easily end up with a lap full of the creatures. She wasn't particularly sure why, but she was alright with it. Which was a good thing, considering that was the situation she currently found herself in.

Aster was sitting crossed-legged on a bench along the hanging garden pathways, near the bazaar; there were three cats on her lap, two sprawled out and one reaching up with its paws on her chest, butting its head against her chin. Another one was twining between her ankles, rubbing against her legs. One was perched on her shoulders, purring in her ear, and another was curled up by her side.

The cat standing on its hind legs kneaded its paws against her chest, butting its head against her face again, and Aster couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She cooed quietly at the cat, bumping her forehead against its own as one hand stroked the cat beside her, and the other scratched the chin of one of the kitty's in her lap.

She received a few amused glances and smiles from passerbys, but Aster ignored them for the most part, caught up in her own little world of fur and purring. That was, until one of the cats on her lap raised its head, watching a man approach. Its nose twitched in the air before it jumped down off of Aster's lap and trotted up to the man, meowing as it wound between his legs, nearly tripping him up before reaching up to try and lick and nibble at his fingers.

Aster watched with some amusement herself, though the smile that had been curving her mouth faded. "Have something good for lunch?" She asked the stranger after a moment, as the cat batted at his hand with a paw, meowing demandingly. She was still unused to being able to simply look at and engage with strangers as she liked without the imminent threat of them trying to stab her, and while it was a nice change, it was an adjustment.

She remembered the days she'd spent in Alvadas, wandering a strange city with strange people and being so willing and able to strike up conversations with anyone that caught her attention, quiet but unafraid and interested. Now it felt like she couldn't shake the constant unease around people, and every interaction she started felt like a risk, even when she knew she was safe.

[Octarus]

He had never been to a desert, but had heard they were harsh, unforgiving places. Much like Kalea. He had a soft spot for such spaces. As this city confirmed, such conditions inspired vivid designs and lively people. As he walked, he observed fabulously constructed columns and archways that supported a myriad of buildings. One such structure had a well laid floor of colored stone that depicted a garden stretching out beyond the entrance into the house beyond. Another had a ceiling with a painted sun in the center, but instead of yellow, it was blue, and as the light reached the edges it became fainter until you could see the dark stone beneath. The floors were mostly well kept and free of sand, and everywhere there were cats. Enamored with the architecture, he did not notice as a tawny slip of a cat padded over to him and had to stop himself from falling when it weaved between his legs. He looked down at the little cat to make sure it was alright when the woman spoke. Her voice had a quality that was both familiar and alien to him in this form. He looked up at her, his face gone blank for the moment, and knelt to scratch the cat behind the ears. The woman was an Ethaefal of Syna. His mind went cold, for she was painfully beautiful to behold with her slender lavender horns and golden hair. “Nothing fit for a cat, though I suppose I could scrounge something up for him.” He said, unintentionally grinning when the cat gripped his wrist with its paws and twisted its head to lick at his fingertips. He allowed it for a moment before gently extricating his hand and slipping off his bag. In moments, he slipped out a sliver of dried fish which the cat took eagerly, carrying it away to enjoy in some corner. Three other cats immediately joined him where he knelt, and he looked up at her helplessly. “Well, I’ve gone and done it now. Might as well give them the lot.” He said as he broke apart the rest of his dried fish and dropped it for them, tossing the last piece to a late comer with orange and black splotches. Dusting off his hands, he quickly put back on his pack, and walked over to the woman. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He did not know what to say to one of his own kind, especially tawdry as he felt right now. His clothing was old, and well worn. The dark green of his cotton shirt, and trousers had begun to fade, and there was a slight tear in the front of his shirt that he had been putting off getting patched up. His black leather boots had fared better, but they were noticeably scuffed around the toe. There was still dirt underneath a few of his fingernails from his attempts at weeding this morning. He should start simple. “My name is Octarus.” He said, extending a hand. “What brings you to the Outpost?”

[Asterope]

Aster carefully ushered the remaining cats on her away, and they jumped off her with mewling protests as she extracted herself from them. She wiped some fur off her front, then gave up; she would just have to live with the cat hair clinging to her clothes for the rest of the day.

She watched with bemusement as the man pulled out some dried fish for the cat that was harassing him. Immediately, some of the other cats in the area perked up, noses and whiskers twitching as they padded over. She couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the man's helpless look. "Now you've done it indeed," Aster agreed, as the cats quickly went to town on the man's dried fish.

Aster stood from the bench as the man approached, leaving the cats to their impromptu feast. Unaware of the feelings of inadequacy the other man felt, feelings she herself had experiences, she tilted her head curiously at his hesitation. She paid no mind to his slightly tattered clothes; she herself, despite her shimmering beauty, was wearing clothing that had seen better days, frayed and worn and dirty.

She hesitantly reached a hand out to shake the one offered to her, her grip gentle. "Hello Octarus. I'm Asterope," she offered a slight smile. Perhaps she was reading into the man's hesitancy too much, but to her it seemed as if he was somehow nervous, and that comforted her slightly. At least they were in a similar boat, then.

Realizing her thoughts had gotten away from her and that she was still gently grasping the man's hand, she quickly let go, returning her arm to her side and clearing her throat. "I'm...staying here, for a little bit," Aster said, somewhat awkwardly. "It's a nice change of scenery. A nice place to get away from things." That wasn't a lie, really. Still, it felt strange to discuss, even so evasively.

"What about you?" She shifted the subject slightly by flipping the question on the stranger, Octarus, as he'd introduced himself. "Aside from being swarmed by cats," she added, as an afterthought, and though she didn't quite smile, the lilt to her voice and the sparkle in her golden eyes were humourous.

Said cats had finished with their feast, and while a few of them had padded over to sniff around her and Octarus' feet in hopes of more scraps, the others had slipped away, probably to find a nice spot of shade to lie in while they digested their snack.

"They're a bunch of spoiled things," she commented, offhandedly, as one of the cats that had decided to continue pestering them mewled, tapping at Aster's leg. But there was no annoyance or irritation in her voice as she glanced down at the cat, deciding to reach down and scoop the little orange tabby up, scratching his head as she looked back to Octarus. "I'm probably not helping," she admitted, but she didn't seem particularly bothered by that.

[Octarus]

Tentatively, he took her hand. Side by side the differences of their flesh were all the more apparent. Octarus tried not to stare, but it was hard now that he was so close. “Asterope” He repeated to himself absentmindedly before hurriedly continuing. “Nice to meet you.” It came as much of a surprise as it did to her that they their hands were still clasped together, and chagrined, he took a polite step back. It was hard not to feel unduly burdened in this form, marred with ordinary desires like sustenance and sleep. The latter he would be pursuing if he did not find sleep so hard to come by of late. He should be considering just why that was, but he found it so much easier to linger a moment with a stranger. One that he might share a thing or two in common with if he was lucky. He looked down at the cats and grinned. “I don’t know really besides dodging sleep. Just restless I suppose.” Octarus mused, watching as a Calico pounced a cat with black and white spots. “I never know what to do with myself during the day.” He added quietly, half intending it to be just an internal monologue that he let slip. It was more truth than he would have usually shared with anyone else, but there was an otherworldliness to Aster that didn’t make him feel ill at ease for expressing himself so. “Spoiled things indeed. They certainly have the charm for it.” He replied as he knelt to scratch one of the cats that had come to investigate his leg. It was a welcome diversion to a conversation that verged on the uncomfortable for him. Discussing himself, especially as he wore this skin. This flesh that still shamed him even though he had long ago covered his wind marks. Octarus turned his face to regard Asterope. “I-” He hesitated. The sentence was on the tip of his tongue but it gave him the creeping fear of being seen as an impostor. Why should he care with this stranger? He did not know, though the fear was very real for him. Octarus swallowed hard. “I must seem strange. My apologies. It is just…” Again he hesitated. What was so hard about expressing such a simple idea. “I haven’t met another like myself. Like you who is during the day akin to the form I take at night.” He finally managed to get out, and felt strangely more confused than when he started. Perhaps he was over thinking this though he had a strong feeling he should have just left it about the cats. He certainly wasn’t doing himself any favors with his stumbling speech. Standing up Octarus dusted off some of the dander that had accumulated along his knees from the cats. Then with nothing else to preoccupy himself through this awkward admission, he looked at Aster. She had been unduly kind to him so far so he was looking for any inkling that she wanted him to disappear. That was at least something he was familiar with. An he kind of liked it that way. Keeping to himself, he didn’t run into these kind of issues where he could so easily make a fool of himself. However one thing kept him glued to where he stood. It was the same reason that had drawn him to her in the first place. She was the closest thing he had to kin in this world and he was burning with curiosity about what her experience had been like so far. Unfortunately, a vast chasm existed between him and the person he was at night. He felt more confident in the moon’s light where as here he felt inept. That division in his character troubled him as he couldn’t puzzle the reason beyond the fact that he felt duller in this flesh. Detached. Set adrift. All words that could comprise the entirety of his time her so far. “Did you appear in the sea as well?” He asked cautiously as he came back to himself, and realized he had probably been focusing too long on the bridge of her nose. As an afterthought, his lips twitched up into a small grin.