The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"Hrrumpf... *smack*... mmfff..." The noises produced by the boy's impromptu feast were audible to Ichimi even from the rooftops--one wouldn't even need to be a Felvari to hear as much. It gave her a good idea of his position without requiring the catgirl to even take a glance down, and so she was able to drop over the rooftop's ledge to the ground behind the boy in one smooth motion. The urchin was so engrossed in his hard-earned meal that he didn't even hear Ichimi land.

It didn't matter, as the more experienced thief deliberately chose to make her presence known. "Huh...? Uwaahh!" exclaimed the boy, spinning around in an instant and falling on his backside. The partially eaten piece of fried dough fell out of his hands and onto the ground as his widened eyes met those of Ichimi's. Instinctively, he snatched it up anyway and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing rapidly before swallowing it down as fast as he could. The Felvari knew this as a common tactic among street rats--hide the loot in your mouth, especially if it's food, as once swallowed, it can never be retrieved again... well, at least not in a desirable condition.

"What? You're the one who let me grab it in the first place," responded the youth. "Find something else to do?! Like I have a choice, lady! Sh..." He began to look left and right as he spoke, no doubt counting his options and possible outs. The glint of a blade could be seen twirling about in one of the hooded woman's hands, and that caused the urchin to swallow. "Okay, how about I just--" He cut his own sentence short to turn around once again and make a dash into the crowd. As this decision was largely made in haste, however, he failed his attempt to weave into the throng of civilians, colliding with one of the passerbys instead.

The impact knocked the boy backwards once again. A look upwards would show Ichimi that it was no wonder as to why; the person he crashed into this time was much sturdier than a small woman or another child. It was a man, one dressed not in a guard uniform, but instead the fancy crimson threads of a Grisalescan duelist. The sword, called an 'espada ropera', sheathed at his side, all but confirmed his position as one. With well-groomed, dark hair and chiseled features, the stranger might have been considered handsome, if it weren't for two obvious scars--one upon his chin, the other on his cheek. Ichimi had encountered duelists before in the city, though merely in passing and never in a direct fight, as they were said to make terrible and very risky marks. The few she had run into had been haughty, more often than not disdainful of common folk.

His grey eyes looked down at the street rat trying to regain his bearings, then swiftly snapped into focus on Ichimi's figure. "Hmpf... is there a problem? People don't usually run so hastily without good reason," said the man, motioning briefly to the boy with one hand.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"Hah! Exactly what I was expecting!"
Ichimi opted not to pursue her target, but to instead hang back and watch the show. Maybe the Urchin would run into someone and make himself a whole new mess, or maybe he'd get away and spend the rest of the day peeking over his shoulder expecting her to be there again... either way, her goal was achieved. It was a good plan... or would have been if it wern't for an unforseen wildcard at the last second.
"Oh shi..."
The felvari's plan was for her target to run into a guard, or maybe an irate member of the crowd, or even just get away a second time... but a duelist? This changed things considerably...
The cat girl's first instinctwas to turn and run. She had seen duelists fight before, everyone had, some of the best ones were practically superstars. It wasn't an unearned reputation either, she knew a good duelist could could turn someone to ribbons before their eyes could even follow the glint of the blade. She may have been the biggest fish in the pond a few seconds ago, but there was a shark here now and the best thing to do was get away. Skill with a blade still didn't necessarily she could be outrun... and yet... the sudden change of perspective, the small tinges of fear, awakened a kind of sympathy in the felvari that made it hard to cut and run... this was no longer revenge, this was knowing it was like to be a victim with no chance of fighting back.

"Damnit... the kid's gonna get himself skewered. If that duelist is a good one, he's probably already made friends with important people... he could kill the kid out of simple annoyance and get away with it without anyone caring. Gods, the brat can't even take a scare without somehow turning it into a disaster."
Ichimi's mind scrambled to improvise, to come up with something. Maybe it was nothing, maybe the duelist wouldn't waste his time on a kid... or maybe if Ichimi didn't act now it would be over in the blink of an eye. She knew how to fight, but this wasn't a city guard or something, she didn't favor her chances in a fair fight. Even trying to use herself as a distraction sounded like a bad idea. She was fairly certain she could outrun the duelist in a chase... but if he got close to her just once, she wouldn't get another chance. No, anything that could start a fight was a bad idea... a "plan B" at best. This was going to require more tact and charm.
"Right... because charm worked so well for me last time... still, duelists aren't big on attacking women and children... even commoners. Just have to convince him the kid belongs somewhere proper...."
This idea was crazy, but Ichimi had already took a breath and started out of the alley, preparing to act on it without thinking it over.

"Gods! There you are! You're lucky real men don't waste their time on kids cos this man could have ran you through before you even knew what was happening!"
Ichimi's entire tone had changed from the one the kid had last heard her use. Now it was one full of concern, even a bit of softness tinged her scolding, befitting the role she was about to play. She would continue on, speaking quickly, to prevent either him getting in a word edgewise and runining her lie.
"Apologies, sir. Please forgive us." she continued on, adressing the duelist now in a frazzeled but deliberately soft-sounding voice "I'm from one of the orphanages nearby and this kid is one of ours. A couple of street rats convinced him to run away for a life of adventure and trouble, you know how kids are, right? If you're willing to let me take him back, I'll cover the cost of cleaning out whatever filth he might have gotten on your coat when he hit you. They orphanage doesn't give me much, but this should cover it, right?"
Ichimi produced her bag of razettas, petty change to a good duelist, but hopefully enough to give her lie more credibility, if only as a token a sincerity.
"That is, of course, if our little delinquent here thinks he's learned his lesson. I can't force him to come with me, so if he thinks he's half the man you are and ready to live on his own, then I'm sure he can find a way to make his own amends."
This last part she finished with a scolding tone, but it was so much more than that under the surface. She could only pray the kid would get the warning and play along, cos she was the only friend he had right now. Getting her lie out so fast as had given her some cover if the kid DIDN'T play along, as her story was probably more believeable than anything he could come up with. But still, her nerves made her heart beat faster than normal. There was a chance the duelsit might not believe any of it even if the kid did play along... or might simply not care at either way. She was still in the water with a shark, halfway cursing how her life with her "family" the last two years had softened her back to luxuries like a conscious and feelings of responsibility.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The duelist released a slight chuckle at Ichimi's reference to him as a 'real' man. It might have been easy to say that he was flattered by her first attempt, but a single raised brow upon his visage indicated that there was at least a tinge of skepticism that he retained in response to her somewhat blatant and unexpected compliment. "Run him through? Haha... as if I would do such a thing to a mere child. I'm just curious as to why the rush," he explained. Despite saying as much, he had moved a hand over the hilt of his sword, perhaps on instinct more than anything else.

Meanwhile, the catgirl's impromptu speech earned her an incredulous look from the youngster. Luckily for him, Ichimi would make up for the kid's apparent daftness by continuing to talk, which just barely steered the well-dressed stranger's attention back to her. "Hmm. I see," he replied, shaking his head and making a dismissive motion with his right hand so as to indicate the needless nature of her monetary offering. "Keep your coin," he ordered. "It's merely a question meant to sate my curiosity. So, what orphanage are you from?" he asked, directing the first inquiry towards the boy, who seemed a bit too shocked to give a proper answer. Outside of his apparent athletic ability, he was something of a novice, if his current behavior was any indicator--even Ichimi at that age had instincts sharp enough to avoid being dumbfounded for so long.

But despite the urchin's lack of a proper answer, the man didn't seem to dwell over it for long, instead turning his focus back towards the hooded Felvari. "Just as well--I get that a lot. And being associated with such a charitable institution must mean you're a nun of the Church of Elynsor, then? I almost pity you for it... as this is not the most welcome of cities for the devout and faithful, if you haven't already noticed." While he didn't appear to have noticed any of the girl's Voidic features, at least not yet, the duelist made no attempt to hide his fixation on her visage. "Not that your presence is unappreciated, however... at least certainly not by me. The less there are of these fatherless children running around, the better, I say."

The term of 'fatherless' that he chose as a descriptor for the street rat caused the youth to frown a little, though he wouldn't bring himself to say anything that would anger the duelist. But so far, it seemed as though Ichimi's story was working. Hopefully she would manage to keep her lie maintained with a proper answer to his question.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

As the duelist's hand moved to his sword hilt, Ichimi's first reaction was an urge to make a move towards one of her own daggers, but some small bit of caution made her fight the instinct and keep up her act instead. Besides, things were going well anyway, the stranger had refused to accept her money, a fact that eased a large part of the felvari's annoyance at the entire situation.... Unfortunately, such annoyance would be re-stoked when her fellow pickpocket proved himself not nearly as skilled at playing along to turn a bad situation into a good one.

“Tch, amateur, might as well have been fresh from an orphanage, it's like it's his first day doing this...”
In preparation to cover for the urchin's silence, Ichimi's mind was already running over a list of the orphanages she knew of. While she had never personally spent time at any of them, in her childhood she knew children who had. Some of them were awful places, where the children were expected to work for free and hardly fed.
“Don't wana say I'm from one of those ones... but the good ones are usually run by-”
As if reading the catgirl's mind, the duelist inquired if she was a nun. The question threw her off balance, and she even frowned a little at the mention of the church, given her own distaste of the institution. She hoped it had gone unnoticed, although that was unlikely given his fixation on her. She would have to think up something fast... but perhaps that was for the better, something about the whole thing seemed off to her anyway.
“Is he actually interested in me... or is this a trap? An attempt to catch me in a lie. I neither dress or speak like a nun, and a duelist is the last person I'd expect to have anything good to say about Elynsor's church... either he's an idiot or he's trying to trip me up, either one could be bad...”

“Humf, as if I'd actually believe in the fairy tales of some foreign religion.” Ichimi answered with the slightest bit of indignation before softening her voice.
“For all their weird beliefs though, they do manage to do a lot more good than our own politicians have.”
Ichimi knew less about politics than she did about the religion of foreigners, but she knew enough to know that whoever was in any given office was hated by about half the population, sometimes more. For all she knew, the votes were faked anyway. It mattered little though, because the average commoner knew little anyway. All these small facts that she hoped would make her more believable while saving her from having to go into detail.
“So yes, I do work for them, over at St. Oracio's. The missionaries and their beliefs over there are strange, but they're honest people and they give me honest work. It doesn't always make me too popular with our own people, but when the majority of opportunities for women are jobs as dancers or maids in taverns or casinos, I think I prefer their scorn to having to deal with drunkards and horny pigs all day. Besides, I'm actually doing some good along the way... I hope.”
Ichimi paused for a moment, as if being serious and thoughtful about everything she had said, even though it was a complete lie. The truth was she considered the church's orphanages to be just as bad as any other, indoctrinating the children with strange beliefs... some of them even joining Elynsor's army when they came of age... but her own beliefs didn't matter much for the sake of the lie she was spinning, so long as she could keep managing to keep her voice and expression matching.
“Anyway, enough about me.” She finally said, turning her attention away from the duelist and towards the urchin instead. “Are you ready to come back with me or not? I understand why you'd run away, but Oracio's isn't a sweatshop like some of the others, and we'll actually feed you. I'm not going to drag you back kicking and screaming, but if the guards get ahold of you they're probably think you're just some thief or something... I'd rather a beating not be necessary to drive that point in, because they won't hesitate to give you one, but I'm not going to bring you back just to have you run off again either.”
At this point it didn't matter so much how the urchin reaction. Whether he ran away or decided to come back with her, it would give her an excuse to leave. What really mattered was how much the duelist believed her story. For the most part she had stayed steady in her story and expression, except for the slight frown at the mention of her being a nun... yet under the surface her nerves were racing at a frantic pitch. Despite the pleasantries, she hadn't forgotten that she may very well be in the water with a shark, and with every second her urge to reach for one of her knives or just run was growing. Whatever trait had made such high-stakes acting and lying so apparently effortless for Augusto and Cedrian was not a trait she had...

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"So you are a supporter, and yet not a believer? Interesting," said the stranger, slowly moving his hand off the hilt of his weapon, an ornate but well-crafted blade. "Though it sounds as though you don't have a lot of faith in the system," he added, looking her over once again. Perhaps a man of his level of privilege, who had managed to gain what was no doubt a large sum of wealth through his own doing, wouldn't understand the failings of Grisalesca's politics. He then turned a curious eye to the orphan, who finally seemed to be getting the hint.

"Yeah, I uh... that was, I w-was wrong," stammered the boy reflexively. His somewhat questionable acting skills gave quite a large window of opportunity for him to be exposed by the scar-faced swordsman. But the composed prizefighter wouldn't be so hasty as to out him so brutally--in fact, it was hard to tell if he even had any interest in doing so in the first place.

"Honest work, huh..." he mused aloud afterwards with a single brow raised, seemingly skeptical, as if he were to burst out in laughter at any moment. Ichimi would find that his uncertainty was thankfully not towards her facade and more about her political views. "Anything that keeps you alive and fed here is honest enough, isn't it? Though, horny pigs and drunkards--there is certainly no shortage of those in our town, hahaha. One might say that our city thrives largely because of them, even! A shame, since you are fair enough that you might make good coin in such a profession."

He gave her the slightest of shrugs. "Well... whatever suits you. Keep it up, I suppose," was all that he elected to say with regards to the catgirl's supposed profession. With a brief and dismissive wave of his hand, he was off, headed back towards his original destination. Somehow, despite not having the most airtight of lies, Ichimi had gotten away with it this time. That, or the stranger had simply allowed her to. A few tense seconds later would reveal that the duelist had no intentions on going back to challenge the lies he had been fed.

The urchin heaved an audible sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping and head nodding downwards. "Wow.... er, that was weird," he murmured, daring to look up at her after a short pause. "Didn't think you'd lie for me in front of a guy like that though. You're not really from an orphanage, are you? Ehhe..."

While talking, he dared to take another bite of the snacks he had stolen, as if she had already given them to him as some kind of present.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

"T-that asshole! Trying to tell me I'd make a good bar whore!"
Ichimi's exchange with the duelist, though it had gone in her favor in the grand scheme of things, had left her temper burning under the surface. Though what he had said might have been taken as a compliment by some, to the Felvari it was a very back-handed one, the kind she would have expected from Augusto messing with her. Ichimi hated that feeling, hated being messed with, it made her feel like a bullied child... a feeling only intensified by the fact that she knew it was stupid to fight back right now unless it was absolutely necessary. Only the fact that the urchin by her side had started playing along now helped to supress the urge and keep her hand from her daggers.
"Just smile and play along... smile and play along."
Whether the duelist actually bought her act or just considered her amusing and beyond concern, Ichimi wasn't sure... but her patience and restraint had paid off, and after a short exchange the duelist continued on his way without incident, much to the catgirl's relief as she stood tense and watched him depart.

"Geeze! I just wanted to give you a scare, did you have to almost get yourself killed?!" the felvari snapped in annoyed to break the silence. The actual trigger for the outburst had been the urchin eating more of what he had stolen from her, but after everything that had just happened, she defelcted her annoyance, deciding to just let the kid have his prize. It felt reckless to stay moody when her moodiness had just caused all of this, like tempting fate, so she instead focused on letting go and returning to a more neutral mood.
"Anyway, whatever, you're right. I'm not from one of the orphanages, I hear they're terrible places. I'm glad someone around here is smart enough to see that. That duelist must've gotten poked in the brain one too many times or something."
Ichimi paused for a moment, considering how to proceed.
"At any rate, I'm not going to bother chasing you down again... but I was being serious when I said you were terrible at this. You'll stop feeling so tough after a couple of beatings, and at the rate you're going you're setting yourself up for alot of them... not everyone will settle for a jump scare. If you've got other choices, they're not worth throwing away for THIS."
Ichimi wasn't sure where she was going with this or why. It was a probably waste, so without much else to say she turned to walk away, after all she still had a day to enjoy... and had been fortunate to stay in possession of the rest of her money.
"You've probably heard all this before, so hearing it from me is pointless. It's not like I care beyond passing curiosity or actually expect an answer as to why you're doing this... if you think you know what you're getting yourself into, even though you don't, then good luck... you really really need it."

At this point the urchin was free to disappear or let Ichimi walk away. She had considered being generous, giving him a few coins, but had ultimately decided against it. Maybe he had a sob story that could pull on her heartstrings, maybe he was just being a rebellious kid... but either way, hand-outs never fixed anything. If he wanted anything more from her, he'd have to follow her, but given how the last person she had helped had chosen to completely ignore her, she thought the odds of that happening were low.
"And so help me if he tries snatch something from me AGAIN..."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The boy swallowed the bite that he was chewing just as Ichimi lashed out at him, more out of nervousness than out of seeking to ensure that the irritated girl couldn't reclaim her stolen food now that it was in the depths of his stomach--though he had certainly accomplished the latter, intentionally or otherwise.

*GULP*

"Urk... nuh... no way! He wasn't gonna STAB me or nothin'! I don't think. Didn't know you'd be THAT fast though. I mean, most girls aren't," remarked the urchin, daring to take yet another bite of his hard-earned treat between sentences. He would speak with his mouth full, crumbs flying out the corners of his lips as sating one of his most primal needs--hunger--came before etiquette. That, or he simply hadn't learned such manners, which as Ichimi knew wasn't particularly uncommon among these types of kids. "I could tell that you were though, even with the cloak, 'cause of the boobs." He paused to point a sugar and cinnamon-coated finger at her chest.

"Mmrrphhph... not from the orphanage? Me neither. I mean, not anymore. They're super lame! They make us pray and stuff, and we get punished for the stupidest things. Besides, the food's a lot better out here," he explained, pausing for a moment to chew and swallow yet again. "Most of the time. And hey! I haven't got beaten up yet. If it hasn't happened at all up until now, then it's never gonna happen," declared the youth with an almost impressive amount of confidence.

Oddly enough, he didn't seem intent on making too quick a getaway. Perhaps it was thanks to Ichimi's relative lack of hostility from his perspective, or maybe just a fleeting interest. She would end up having to walk away first, leaving him to munch on the leftovers of the snacks she had enjoyed just earlier.

But when the catgirl went about her own way, she would only make it roughly a dozen paces down the street before she felt a presence following her. It was the same boy, and he soon caught up to her, trying to match her stride for stride as he traveled alongside the felvari. "Sooo... where ya headed, anyway?"

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Idiot kid...”
Ichimi's annoyance caused an ear gave a twicth under her hood, enough to be noticeable if someone had been paying attention. The kid pointing at her chest had been the trigger, but her frustration stemmed from the whole situation in general.
“What a fucking waste of my charity. I should have just dropped down on the kid and kicked him down the alleyway from the start, that might have worked better than expecting a scare to do it...
Whatever, just walk away, let the brat enjoy his game, it's not like it's not gonna all come crashing down eventually anyway. It's not my fault kids are stupid, and I knew not to expect anything different... still a damn waste to have made the attempt, but it's over now. I hope it's a “girl” giving you the beating when you do mess up like an hour from now, little imp.”
Despite any lingering annoyances, Ichimi turned and went her own way... unlike the kid, she knew when something wasn't worth it. A fight in the middle of the street against someone smaller than her for no obvious reason wasn't worth it, not if someone started asking questions when she had things to hide.The felvari was content to just forget things and go on her way... although it seemed her tag-along had other plans.

Even with her hood up, Ichimi could hear the kid approaching before he caught up with her, or perhaps a combination of other senses made her aware. It didn't matter either way though, her reaction would be the same. Even without making any obvious physical movements, she tensed, just a little. There was nothing overtly threatening about him following her, but old instincts wouldn't be quiet in her head.
“Is he here because he saw me offer my coins earlier. Surely he can't be so stupid as to try and steal from me AGAIN... no, of course he can, he almost got himself skewered a few minutes ago and think's he's invincible. Well, lets see him try.”
Ichimi's hand moved under her cloak towards one of her smaller throwing knives, if the urchin made a grab for her coins, she determined she would put the blade right through the back of his hand and out through the palm, no hesitations this time. Kids were remorseless, guiltless, and only learned through the harshest of trial and error. This she had learned many times over, and exceptions were rare.
Still, in all truth, she could have ended this whole encounter by simply telling him to get lost, or taking off with the knowledge that he couldn't keep up with her... she knew this, but curiosity nagged at her now. The felvari felt a need to know what he was up to, if he was up to anything at all. Besides, both options for ending this whole thing still remained open if she ended up getting bored of this game later.

“I'm not heading anywhere special, I'm just killing time in a way that won't piss off any more duelists or anyone else bigger than me...”
It wasn't exactly a friendly answer, but it wasn't outright hostile either. She didn't much care if the kid left her alone, but if he was up to something then he probably wouldn't be deterred so easily either.
“Is there a reason you're following me? I don't have any more food, and I'm not going to risk my skin if your clumsy thieving gets you caught again.”
Whether the kid would follow or not, Ichimi did have a direction in mind, back towards the main street and ever so closer towards the warehouse that was her base. The rain had died down a bit, and although clouds still hung in the sky and might be there all day, she still wanted to be closer to home in case it did suddenly brighten up and make her hood stand out... although if her tag-along tried to lead her anywhere else, she decided she would pretend not to notice and play along instead.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Though the momentary flutter made by one of the Felvari's ears was largely involuntary, the boy's gaze stayed fixed on her for the most part, such that it was difficult for Ichimi to tell whether or not he had noticed the telltale peaks of her less human features. But while the catgirl had managed to keep her cool, opting to turn away and head off, the urchin had also kept a certain level of interest in her, at least enough so to start following her.

Undeterred by her somewhat callous demeanor, he would try his best to make eye contact while talking, clutching the bag of food with both hands. She could see him attempting to peer over beneath her hood once more--without touching her, of course. "So where are you REALLY from? Not actually from Elynsor or anything, right? Since you speak our language and stuff. Everyone I've met from Elynsor, like those ladies in the black gowns, are always so strict and mean," remarked the lad, earning a few chuckles from random passers-by.

His views weren't exclusive to that of a street rat such as himeslf, however. Not just in Naralona, but in all of Grisalesca, Elynsorians suffered such a reputation--that they were an extremely judgmental, harsh and unnecessarily strict people who didn't know how to relax and enjoy life. From Elynsorian eyes, Grisalescans were considered lazy and irresponsible people that slept all day instead of working and indulged themselves in one too many drinks. However, natives of the region saw it a different way. The sunlight was, at times, a harsh enemy in many regions of the country, delivering unwanted heat during most hours of a given day where Elynsor saw a fairer balance between dusk and dawn and Grem was reputedly dark during much of the year. Working all day, especially during the midday hours, was literally dangerous; thus, the siesta, or short midday nap, was a common feature of Grisalescan culture.

"And uuuuum, what are those things on top of your head?" Seemingly oblivious to the crowd around them, he spoke in a normal, conversational tone, enough so that anyone nearby could easily be turned into an unintentional eavesdropper.

It was now apparent that he had caught on to at least one bit of her nature. Some fetishized Felvari, like Sol; others would see her in prison without a proper collar, like most city guards. However, the youngster didn't seem to know exactly what she was, just quite yet. Given some of the looks that had come upon the two from those in the vicinity, however, Ichimi would likely have to avoid getting too much attention somehow.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“-he saw that?!”
The felvari almost froze in her tracks when her tag-along had asked about her ears. It was a dangerous question, given the context, and it caused a weird momentary type of horror... like watching something fragile in the middle of a free-fall and being too far away to catch it before it hit the ground. However, Ichimi knew better than to stop completely. Hesitation and freezing up were beginner mistakes, obvious tells that anyone could see, she knew to this to the point where her brain's programmed reaction was to keep her on auto-pilot, doing whatever she was doing before, it used the moment to catch up. Her pace would hardly change at all, and a second later she'd act to diffuse things.

“Huh? Something in my hair?”
Grabbing the edge of her hood to hide the movement, the thief made her ears lay flat against her head, any pink inside part laying face-down against her head and one the top hair-covered side showing. Although such a technique wouldn't fool anyone upon a close inspection, at a glance or a distance it would cause her ears to blend into the texture of her regular hair. This was what she was counting on, as she removed her hood and ran a hand over her head as if feeling for a bug or a twig or some other foreign debris. Of course, this was all for show, only meant to give any nearby onlookers a quick glance of her apparently-earless profile before she hastily pulled her hood back on.
“This is part of some game, isn't it? Knights and demons, right? Sorry, I'm too busy to play some horned void-devil or whatever it is you kids are into. You should go find someone your own age to play with.”
The felvari's voice underwent a subtle tone change near the end, the same kind she had used when she needed the kid to play along with her story around the duelist only moments ago. Whether he would pick up on this a second time was a gamble though... one the felvari wasn't sure she would win.
“Damn kids... I save the brat's hide and he's gonna get me jumped by a crowd in the street.”
The felvari's pace quickened a bit with her nervous energy and she found herself drifting off to the side of the street, away from people. While it might not look to strange to bystanders, the urchin would be able to notice the change in her demeanor unless he was denser than bricks.
“How much does he actually know? Does he know what a felvari is? Is he trying to get the attention of a guard without raising my suspicions, thinking there's a payoff in it for him if he does? No, he's unbelievably stupid, just like when's trying to steal stuff. All kids are stupid. Stupid or not though, he's bad luck, so much bad luck... this has gone on for too long.”
Ichimi felt eyes on her whether they were there or not. Even if she wern't Felvari, the urchin felt like bad luck, and she had no reason to be tolerating him as well as she was. Any normal person would have sent him off as a pickpocket... or a kinder person would have taken pity on him as a beggar and sent him on his way. The felvari's curiosity was dead now, and wanting nothing more than to end this, she decided the second option was a cheap price to pay to get out of danger. Her hand fished a few razettas out of her coin pouch.

“Here, go get yourself something fun and stay out of my hair, OK?”
The bribe was bad negotiating on Ichimi's part, someone like Cedrian or Augusto would have been able to pick up on her nervousness, her sudden change of behavior going from threats to a handout, and know she was bargaining from the position of someone uneasy. Still, she was only dealing with a kid here...

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The boy watched carefully as Ichimi played the momentary sighting off as if it were nothing at all. She had even brushed her hand across the top of her head to show that there was indeed nothing there, causing him to blink a few times in astonishment before the hood was replaced fairly quickly.

While the catgirl's hastily improvised excuse might not have done enough to convince a particularly sharp stranger, like the 'consultant' she met the night before, the urchin next to her was not nearly as perceptive. He took the trick at face value, wearing a confused look at first. Where there was once a twitching peak atop her head, now there was nothing at all.

"Oh," he responded, scratching the back of his head as he silently tried to make sense of what it was that he did see. Apparently nothing, thanks to Ichimi's demonstration, and so he would settle. After a few passing moments where they continued to walk--away from the larger crowd--he allowed the look of puzzlement to pass. Still, his curiosity regarding her intended destination remained, and so he continued to travel alongside her. It seemed that the only finesse he learned was in the initial steal against unsuspecting strangers... but nothing past that. Certainly not in the social realm, which allowed him to follow Ichimi without being discouraged by her growing air of annoyance.

There was one thing that he did understand, however, and that was money. Free money, as she had decided to offer him, in exchange for leaving her alone. And while the daily activities of this clearly more experienced mark held a degree of interest for the boy, finding out exactly what made the cloaked woman so sharp wasn't nearly as enticing as the prize she dangled in front of his face. Accepting the coins into his cupped hands, he couldn't help but to let his lips curl into a giddy grin.

"Whoa! Uhhh... okay, thanks!" he exclaimed, giving her one last look before turning his gaze to the shiny coins in his grasp. Only seconds later, he had scampered off with a bag of Ichimi's leftovers and a handful of her change. It was easy to tell who had been shorted in this exchange... but it was worth it. Probably. Besides, to the Felvari, it wasn't all that much to spare. Even if it might have felt like only days before that she would treasure every last coin she found, squandering nothing.

And just like that, he was gone. Out of Ichimi's sight... and hopefully out of mind and hair, so to speak. Nobody had followed her, at least, not that she could see or hear. She was in the clear, for the time being.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Ichimi held her breath as the urchin scampered off, as if afraid to act too quickly and ruin her chance... but as soon as he was out of sight, she would run down the nearest dead-end alley, use her climbing skills to fly up the wall, and drop down the other side, putting enough distance (and a rather sizeable obstacle) between herself and the urchin that he wouldn't be able to find her again any time soon.
"Hfff... too close. If that brat had gotten my ears noticed and the city guard was around I could have been in for a nice chase halfway through the district. Finding a place to break off and dissapear in the crowd right now might be so easy with the guard on high alert... and outside of the main street it might be hard to find enough people to dissapear easily. The rain earlier probably kept alot of them indoors."

For a moment Ichimi wandered around looking for things to do, as per her original plan... but her mind wouldn't rest now. The close encounter made her nervous, and continuing as if nothing had happened felt like it was somehow tempting Netta, the traditional godess of luck... not that the felvari actually believed in such things.
"What a hassle... damn kid got some of my money too. Oh well... I suppose "it's not often a few coins can buy you your way out of a bad decision" or something that..." the felvari pondered, recalling an old proverb she thought she had heard a long time. "Should have just kicked the brat and left him in the street... too late now though. There's no point in obsessing over it... but I'm not going to be able to enjoy anything by myself for awhile. Maybe I should just go find out where Ced went. At least with him I can have someone else do the talking if things go bad, pretend I'm a good little pet or whatever... on loan from some rich merchant to one of his friends who forgot to outfit me with a collar or something."

Wit that the felvari changed her course, heading back to the warehouse that was her base camp. If anyone was there, she'd be able to get information on where their leader had gone... maybe... assuming he had left already to make preparations and assuming anyone else was there and knew themselves where he had gone.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

It seemed that the goddess Netta had favored Ichimi for the time being. After the boy had departed, she would see a few guards just around the corner, and some through the windows of local pubs... but, contrary to her natural tendency to believe as much, none of them actually appeared to be looking for her, nor did they overhear her little interaction with the boy. Two were chatting amongst themselves about the latest duelist games, oblivious to many of the passers-by around them.

Another was trying his best to woo a lady in a bar, while a fourth found himself window-shopping at a store that sold goods for women--in search of a gift, perhaps? It reminded Ichimi that these town guards were not the most disciplined nor elite of Grisalesca's constables. As their sheer numbers implied, they were the commoners, the everymen. Perhaps it was too much to expect constant vigilance on their ends. After all, doing so was likely incredibly draining, and even Ichimi herself, boasting more physical capabilities than a human girl her age, had found herself weary after an interaction with a single child.

Either way, regardless of Ichimi's reactions to the constables' preoccupied status, this did mean that she was free to return without fear of being followed. Even as she passed by, they gave little notice to her hooded form, and minutes after she departed from the crowd at large, not a single figure trailed her. Unknowingly bringing police to her group's shared hideout would be the worst-case scenario, perhaps worse in a way than being caught on one's own. But the catgirl's sharp senses had kept such a disaster from occurring thus far. Seeing as her teammates lacked such features, it would be embarrassing if she were the first to break such a clean streak.

When Ichimi returned to the warehouse, she would find Cedrian and Augusto absent... as usual. Of the group, those two were the most likely to be out on the town. Hector, oddly enough, seemed to be in his room for once, with the door closed. Rio was out in the main portion of the warehouse, right where Ichimi left him, working on a few outfits. Of anyone, the effeminate youth was the most sedimentary of them all, showing that he certainly was not a pickpocket by choice. Given the luxury to do so, he was more inclined to ply his trade as a craftsman, usually only joining in on jobs when called upon for them. Not that his tasks were unimportant, as already Ichimi could see sketches for various disguises laid out on the table.

Looking up at Ichimi from his work, Rio shrugged. "Ced went out to uhmm, talk to a few of his contacts," he explained. "No idea where Augusto went. Hector's still here though. Hopefully it's not TOO important... I dunno when they'll be back."

Josias was also there, a long pipe in his hand. Judging from the aroma, he had taken a break from one of his more intense 'inspiration' sessions to relax with a lighter drug, such as ballweed. It sometimes had different effects, depending on the individual, but for the redhead it helped him relax and opened his mind. At times he would ask himself random, yet profound questions. Still it wasn't something that Ichimi could picture Josias without. Glancing up at her, he offered his pipe forward to see if the Felvari was keen to relax with him. "You seem... spooked," he observed aloud. "You might need this."

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Ichimi's nerves calmed a little as she got closer and closer to the warehouse that served as her home base. This coincided perfectly with the ever decreasing number of people as she got closer and closer to the docks. Unlike the rest of the city, there wasn't much in the way of attractions here. Aside from the occasional loading or unloading of a nearby warehouse, there wouldn't be many people to worry about.
While the crowd in denser parts of the city was good for dissapearing into, the lack of that crowd brought other advantages. For one it was far easier for the felvari to tell if she were being followed, and second she could even dare to take off her hood and perk her ears up to help confirm the first. While someone possessing the felvari's same level of stealth and silence might have been able to follow her without notice, the chances of any normal person doing it were low to none. It was a safe bet to say she hadn't been followed today, and assured of that fact she would waste no time moving from a safe distance to closing the last bit of distance to get home.

"Hey guys, I'm back! Anyone else here?"
Rio would be around to answer the catgirl's question almost immediately. Josias too would respond respond to the catgirl's arrival, although she would find him more annoying than helpful.
"I'm not spooked, alright?" the felvari would answer defensively "I just had to deal with some annoying little brat following me and bugging me for money. Too many guards around for me to just give him a beating and keep on my way." she continued on as a lie, even as her ear gave one of it's telltale twitches.
"Anyway, I don't need your fruity drugs. The last time you gave me something "light" I ended up thinking the floor was fire and woke up under the table. I can't even begin to imagine how much of your head has turned to mush that it doesn't have those kinds of effects on you..."
Declining the offer she would turn her attention back to Rio a moment.
"I don't really care what Augusto is off doing, but I don't suppose you know where Ced's meeting these "associates" of his, do you? I was hoping to go see how all of that is going since I'm not really in the mood to spend all day here..."
Ichimi's ears drooped a little, despite not wanting to spend all day here, she didn't want to go out alone either, not unless it was to catch up with Cedrian.
"You said Hector was here right? Weird he didn't go with Ced, but I'm gonna see if he knows where our charming leader dissapeared to."
With that she would make her way towards the door to the towering member's room.
"Awake in there?" Ichimi would ask with a knock. Despite not being the most proper with manners and such, she was at least respectful not to try opening to door outright.
"I just wanted to know if you knew where Ced dissappeared to. I wanted to go see how preparations were going for this huge plan of his, since I kinda stormed out earlier without taking much of an interest..."

If the felvari recieved an answer, she would head out towards the destination she was given... deciding, after some tough debate, to leave all her knives except a single easily-hidden small one, to better fit the role of one of Cedrian's "associates" if her arrival raised any questions. After all, a typical "working girl" wouldn't be carrying the same large pair of daggers she usually carried... and even though she could normally hide her daggers under her cloak just fine, it would be one less thing to worry about keeping concealed. After all, she wasn't going to actually be stealing anything or doing anything that would stir up danger where she would need them.
If instead the felvari couldn't get an answer, she wouldn't be so reckless or impatient as to waste her time searching the city herself. She may have known her way around, but she was no tracker... and simply didn't travel in the same circles as her charismatic leader. Her chances of finding him on her own were small, and she knew this much.
"I guess I could always kill some time with cards while I wait for him to get back... if the others aren't too absorbed in whatever they're doing. I never get to play while Ced and Augusto are gone, freakin cheaters...."

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Even if Ichimi's ears compromised the opacity her lies, neither of the two present would take notice of the clues. Where Cedrian or Augusto might have teased her for it or at least have caught on, Rio seemed too absorbed in his work, while Josias was, from the looks of it, probably still stoned... not that such a condition for him would be a surprise, in any case.

"A beating? Kinda harsh, don't you think?" asked Josias, plopping down on the couch beside the tailor and looking over some of his work. Two seconds was about as much attention he gave the half-finished articles before he picked up a deck of cards sitting at the edge of the table, proceeding to shuffle them idly by holding the main stack in one hand, pulling a section of the middle out with the other, and dropping it on top, repeating the process in a steady rhythm. This method Ichimi would recognize as the Tana shuffle, just one of at least a dozen different methods for randomizing cards... but with a group such as this one, led by a skilled cardshark, the definition of 'random' with regards to such shuffles could be used very loosely. Some might call it cheating; Cedrian would call it 'adjusting the odds', or some fancy, pretty way of sugarcoating the ruse. However, along with Rio, Josias was one of the members of the group least likely to manipulate the odds in his favor. Like Ichimi he had learned all of the rules of various casino games simply through repeated exposure, but they were far from his primary interest.

"Harsh... I guess that's one way to describe street children," commented Rio. Like Ichimi, he had lived his life on the streets. The catgirl didn't need to have heard the youth's life story to know that he was most likely treated very badly during his time as a homeless urchin. Kids raised by Grisalescan streets had a way of being very tough and hard--if they weren't, they would be given enough time. It was a wonder that Rio managed to retain his gentle and feminine nature after all that. Either way, it wasn't a topic that he cared to go into detail about often.

"Guess it is kind of weird to just follow someone. Must be a new kid or something, 'cause trailing the wrong person like that can get you messed up around here," remarked the redheaded inventor with a shrug. He couldn't help but chuckle at the Felvari's comments about drugs. "Oh, you get used to them... after a while. And hey, I haven't screwed up any jobs or made anything too weird or useless, right?"


"Mmmmaybe not useless," replied Rio with his eyes still on the thread. "But weird... I'd say so! That's not anything new, though," he then added with a slight chuckle.

The light-haired artisan would straighten his expression just enough to answer Ichimi's following question seriously. "Oh, Ced? Yeah, he went to... um, what was it. Definitely a casino... sorry, I was really focusing on the embroidery on this sleeve when he told me. But he did say that he wasn't gonna be gone for too long though, maybe just a couple hours?"

With Rio's answer not entirely satisfying--after all, one could argue that Naralona was nothing but a cluster of casinos--Ichimi would make her way to Hector's room in search for a better one. After knocking on the door she would wait a few seconds, but with her ears fully exposed she'd be able to hear him get up from his cot to answer. Being as large as he was, his footfalls weren't exactly silent. Not that they needed to be, as stealth was Ichimi's specialty and not his.

Dressed in a tanktop and some worn trousers that only accentuated his top-heavy build, Hector was clearly the most active of the group, and it showed in his sculpted physique alone. On the other hand, he was also the least talkative. "Cedrian? He's at the Salida Towers. Should be back soon," said the man with a slight shrug. He wasn't the type to verbally lay out plans in detail, often saying enough just to get by. The longest explanations Ichimi had ever heard him use were part of a job, as a disguise. But around here, he was comfortable, and so he could be himself--and that was a man of relatively few words. As such, it would be all that she would get out of him, unless she cared to prod him for more.

But while the temptation to laze about and play cards inside was certainly there, seeking Cedrian out won the catgirl over, and so she made her way back out of the warehouse before long after making her necessary preparations, such as switching out her weapons. It was a prudent thought; while there was relatively little security in determining who went in and out of most casinos, even the less secure ones had guards leading to other parts of their structures, and one certainly couldn't put it past Cedrian to have the proper connections to be in VIP sections and the like--or merely to talk his way into them.

As she stepped outside, Ichimi would find the weather to have improved significantly. The afternoon sun was back out, at least for the time being, and the rain had gone. It was normal in Naralona for even a heavy shower to pass rather quickly, as the clouds that caused them were often blown out past the port and over the ocean.

The crowds on the streets were even busier this time around, not that they weren't before. It was dense enough for Ichimi to find it rather uncomfortable, but luckily there were no signs of thieves about... or at least, not ones quite as blatant or foolish as the kid from before. Hopefully the casinos would be less busy inside, so as to afford her some breathing room.

~~~~~​

The Salida Towers. They were hard to miss, with a sign made from glimmering steel that remained lit, and would continue to shine brightly even after sundown thanks to carefully crafted enchantments. This, combined with the hundreds of signs like it, made the luminous skyline of Naralona rather impressive, even from the docks. While many casinos were fairly new establishments, this one was a set of three tall, slightly weathered spires, no doubt the former residence of a noble family from before Grisalesca's revolution, now converted into a hall for gambling and pleasure... a dwelling for the city's new 'nobility', merchants, as well as everyone below them. It gave the building a grandiose yet old-world feel, even viewed from the outside. And as Ichimi made her way in through the main entrance, which had likely been expanded from its original size, she would find that the interior matched the outside in terms of atmosphere. Within, there was a sense of luxury, with fine carpets and tapestries hung all about, but the original stonework could be seen between each of the elaborate decorations.

While nobody would stop her from coming in through the front door, she did note the security scanning her with their eyes briefly. It was difficult to tell whether or not they had noticed anything peculiar about her figure... but, she hadn't been stopped yet, and thus was free to proceed.

Ichimi wouldn't even have to walk half a dozen steps through the place to be reminded of why she didn't frequent such places quite as often as Cedrian. Amongst the groups of jolly patrons testing their luck at the tables were servers, and even out of her peripheral vision, the thief would notice that they were like her--Felvari. At least three of them were on the floor she was on, if she cared to count, and all were made up in skimpy, revealing outfits typical of many casino waitresses. While the chains they were on were relatively long, thin, and silvery, they were still there--symbolic, if nothing else--to show that these cats were indeed domesticated. One, with blue eyes, a relatively rare eye color for a Felvari, was making her rounds when a customer sitting at one of the tables slid his hand along her backside, giving it a quick grope. But despite her apparent surprise to the lewd gesture, she wouldn't tell him off in the way Ichimi would. Instead, she'd turn to look at him and smile, swishing her tail against his hand playfully. It was hard to tell how forced the expression was, as she had done such a good job at making it look genuine.

Moving on, she would find that Cedrian was nowhere in sight--not on this level, anyway. Sets of stairs went up two ways, and each floor looked eerily similar to the rest, servants and their uniforms included. Finally, on what felt like the seventh story, there appeared to be a special section, with its own security at the entrance. A section for VIPs, or very important people, such as esteemed merchants or even high rollers, maybe? If anything, that was definitely the sort of place Cedrian would be found in. A glance past the double doors and hefty yet well-dressed guards would show that the brown-haired swindler was indeed sitting inside, even if he hadn't noticed her yet. He would be, as usual, talking to a dealer as he surveyed his hand of cards, mingling with the richest of folk around him.

This time around, however, security wouldn't overlook her cloak. After all, there was really no practical reason for her to have her hood on inside, and this was the entrance to a special part of the casino.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to take the hood off, Miss," pronounced one of the burly men. "Do you have proof of membership? This is a special section for VIP members only."

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Though Ichimi had no problem finding her destination, within seconds of walking through the door she was already regretting it. She had thought her spooked feeling from earlier to be gone, to have melted away with her quick visit back to the warehouse and her new sense of purpose... but seeing the slaves inside the casino, multiple of them even, brought that spooked feeling back with an intensity that made her feel cold, even under her cloak in the warm interior of the building.
“F-fuck these places. Who even enjoys coming here? It's all ego-stroking and money-flaunting, none of the hominess or comfort of the smaller places. Fucking creepy backwards alien world... money makes people crazy.”
Ichimi wasn't even sure if she believed the thoughts skimming across the surface of her mind, but it didn't matter, it was enough to keep her from thinking about things too hard as she moved through the building towards her ultimate goal... at least until she caught one of the interactions between the slaves and a more lewd guest at one of the tables. The guest's action was to be expected, but the reaction of the felvari slave chilled Ichimi deep in a way even she couldn't have expected. She could feel the blood drain from her face and her limbs, as a mild dizziness washed over her.
“Oh fuck... breathe. In, one... two... three... out. In, one... two...three... out." It was a calming method she used since childhood, mostly to deal with physical pain, repeating it over and over until the throbbing of a fresh beating or injury died down.
There's nothing to actually be afraid of, there's no real threat. Just a few rent-a-guards who are probably less armed and easier to outrun than the regular city guard. Plenty of people around to cover an escape. Nothing to be afraid of.”
The sensation passed quickly when the Ichimi put it in perspective like that, but not for the reason she thought. Her fear was never so much that she might be in danger, but the strangeness of the whole situation. The reaction of the slave had meant two things, either that the way things played out was normal, or that she had been putting on an act... both were concepts that Ichimi's mind couldn't come to terms with. The alien'ness of it all had made her feel lost and alone, and THAT had disturbed her on some deep primal level, similar to the way the recurring dream of the empty windblown field would do from time to time.
“I could have been home playing cards right now...
No, I'm not gonna jump at every little thing like some scared little kid. First that brat from earlier, now jumping at some uncomfortable sights? No, I'm not some useless dead weight who can't even handle a simple task like this!”
Where Ichimi's blood once ran cold, her new mental perspective would make it boil with a productive sort of frustration, one that would drive her upstairs to check the rest of the building.

“Of course the special rooms would be up here. The view had better be worth the climb...”
Seven stories up Ichimi would find what she was looking for. Such a long hike was almost starting to feel like it wasn't worth the effort, but her mood quickly changed when she was able to find Cedrian almost immediately. Unfortunately reaching him without causing a scene would be a little more difficult than navigating the rest of the building had been. Security was tighter here, the most important patrons feeling a need to wall themselves from their inferiors below. Ichimi herself wouldn't be immune to being stopped to make sure she was in the former category.

Ichimi stopped for a moment, having been taken by surprise by the stop and the request for membership.
“I didn't come all this way just to be turned back. Tch... gotta be careful though, gotta handle this... delicately. This high up, even I wouldn't survive a jump from a window. 7 floors is a lot of people to run through... still there's only one guard here right NOW... and I've still got my knife. I could handle him if something goes wrong... probably. Lets try to NOT have anything go wrong though.”
Though it felt like forever, only a few seconds had passed, and an idea had already formed in the felvari's head. Hopefully it was still soon enough for her to use it.
“Better get used to this now, or at least see if I can do it now before I'm put to more serious tests...”

“I'm afraid I don't have any proof of membership, but I belong to a mister Alejandro Ivarra de Leon.” Ichimi started, remembering the fake name Cedrian had said he was going to use earlier, and speaking it with the same exaggerated flair the charismatic thief had used earlier.
“You see, my master had an associate visiting the city for business, and I'm currently on loan to him to serve him however he desires. Anyway, he needs to speak to my master right away, and I'm here to deliver the message.” Ichimi took a small pause, to make sure her story wasn't causing any obvious alarm yet.
“The hood...” she continued on “...is so I don't frighten any patrons.” At this she deliberately lifted her hood and let one of her ears pop up, before quickly speaking again.
“You see, my master's associate is a foreigner, not quite familiar with the fact that I'm supposed to have a collar. Last night was a very busy night, and I'm afraid he... misplaced it in all the fun.
Anyway, I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you I'm perfectly well behaved. My master would be most displeased if he missed important news because he had come retrieve me from a cell in one of the city prisons, he's not the kind to go easy on people who cost him profit... but if you would be so kind as to escort me to him, I'm sure he would mention as much to your employer.”
Ichimi finally finished her explanation with an innocent-looking smile that would have made Augusto proud. By luck or chance, it was a good lie and a good performance, balancing the “salt” of an implied threat with the “honey” of an implied reward for compliance. It was still far from a perfect persuasion... she was bargaining from a position of no real power, and she knew woefully little about her target... but with just a little more luck it may actually have a pretty good chance of working.

Spoiler

Note: Ichimi's keeping her knife hidden in the leg of her boot. So pretty much nowhere openly visible if she's searched or whatever.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The brawny man quirked an eyebrow at Ichimi as she made her excuse. Would it work? He seemed skeptical at first. But as she went on, her story took on an implicitly sexual tone, and the revelation of her features made such a claim more clear, more believable. Indeed--if there was anything that a Felvari slave was used for in Grisalesca, it was sex first and foremost. What started out as a somewhat typical explanation that any hopeful intruder might manage now made a bit of sense in light of her nature. Still, the racy nature of the story caused the two guards to exchange glances as they did their best to stifle chuckles, as there were only a few things they could think of that might require the removal of a collar. Their grins faded soon afterwards upon hearing the consequences of their potential failure, however...

"A Fel without a collar isn't something you see every day. But uh, Alejandro Ivarra de Leon... huh. Err..." The first bouncer briefly exchanged looks with the second, who could only offer him a shrug in reply. He then turned for a moment, calling back towards the patrons inside with a raised voice so that everyone might hear. "Is there an Alejandro Ivarra de Leon here?"

A momentary exchange of murmurs passed between those who didn't immediately recognize the name. Luckily, Cedrian himself, who was seated at a nearby table amongst several people unknown to the catgirl, was much quicker to react than those unfamiliar to her. He perked up, turning to the side to give a look past the guards, and didn't need to look any closer to know who the hooded figure might be. Cedrian raised a hand and made a quick waving motion. "That'd be me," he responded, loud enough for security to hear. "She's mine. Have her come on over," added the hustler in a very natural tone, bringing ease to any confusion or apprehension that the bouncers might have had. The two burly guards then made way for Ichimi to walk on through into the section.

"Looks like your master's in there, all right," said the guard to her left. With that, she was free to enter.

Upon seeing her, Cedrian only showed a bit of surprise, but a very controlled degree of it; the same amount that any master might upon seeing their slave arrive somewhat unexpectedly.

"Oh, hello there, Ciari," greeted her 'master', inviting her to the table and affectionately wrapping an arm around her waist. "Hm... where's your collar?" he asked, making a slight squint and taking a closer look at her neck. It was hard to tell if he had overheard her conversation with the guards at the door, but Cedrian played it safe under the correct assumption that all Felvari slaves should have a marking and designation of sorts. It was, after all, the law here in Naralona. "Don't tell me you've lost it. As much as I love to 'punish' you, I do hate it when you give me an honest excuse to," he reprimanded in a rather believable tone, though the swindler's acting ability was of no surprise to Ichimi at this point.

"And no leash, at that!" commented one stranger at the table, who by his colorful and vividly dyed clothing, looked absolutely loaded. Physically the opposite of the portly Rodrigo from the other day, this man was of rather lanky build, with his shining and puffed sleeves making his frame look bigger than it actually was. Such a detail wasn't difficult for Ichimi to notice even at first glance, given his somewhat gaunt face. "You know, I can't say I've ever seen a Felvari without one. Do you let all your slaves travel this freely, Senor de Leon?" he asked, directing his question towards Cedrian.

"Not all of them," replied Cedrian coolly. "Just the ones that I've had long enough and trained thoroughly enough to know that running won't do them any good. I make sure they're well taken care of, so really, they have little reason to do so anyway. Food to eat, a comfortable bed to sleep in... what more could a slave ask for? Heh, I'd say it's a better life than some freemen, all things considered." Cedrian's 'associates' here looked more like the group's usual marks. Perhaps they really were, and he was simply scouting--it wasn't uncommon for him to do.

"So true," another merchant, of a surprisingly sturdy build, chimed in. He had a handsome face, but he was certainly not shy about wearing his wealth on his figure. A larger sword, less for the arena and more for the battlefield, was sheathed upon his back. Ichimi had seen them before. 'Landsknechts', they were called, soldiers of fortune that spent their money frequently, never knowing which day might be their last. "She's a pretty one," he then added, while giving her a closer look. "Is she for... ahm... 'rent'?"

Such a question caused Cedrian to pause for once, somewhat noticeably. It was only a moment, but to the catgirl it might have felt longer than it really was. Finally, her leader gave his answer. "Not at this time, I'm afraid," he responded. "It's my policy to give her a break every once in a while between those kinds of things, and she just finished with one. You know, getting clean and well-groomed and the like. It's only courteous to the next buyer."

"Fair enough," replied the landsknecht. "Do you at least have any others like her?"

"Actually, I do," said Cedrian. "And I normally have a fairly reliable method of getting more just like her. We have an outpost on the southern frontier, near the heart of Vernia, that works to acquire wild and lost Felvari. Quite a nasty place, as you might have read, with all sorts of poisonous plants and animals, which is why suppliers have been scarce as of late. But my men there are real veterans, and they do the dirty work so that esteemed gentlemen like yourselves won't have to." His explanation clearly piqued the interests of the four others at the table around him.

"Thing is, we've come a little short on manpower lately, and it's so hard to find good help without giving proper pay for their trouble. And then there's equipment, proper medicine for disease, rations and so on. Operations would go more smoothly if I had just a few more in the way of rezetas for those hired hands, but... I figure it will come all in good time. I can have at least a dozen more Felvari within the next several months or so."


"Several months, hoh? Are you looking for ah, investors... or rather, business partners?" asked the thin one. "I've been looking for a worthwhile industry, and if it means a fair share of the slaves and a faster return, I'd be willing to put some coin forward..."

"Hell, I'd be willing to track them down myself with the hunting party you have down there," the more muscular mark chimed in.

"Hmm... I'll definitely think about it," said Cedrian. "I imagine you folks will be at the banquet?" His query was met with a series of eager nods from his acquaintances. "It wouldn't be fair for me to exclude other potential investors from this opportunity, but if you're still interested by that time, be sure to contact me, by all means." Cedrian then slowly stood up from his seat, as if to gracefully leave with Ichimi in tow.

"One hundred thousand rezetas!" cried the thin man, not to be denied. "For ten girls like her, by the end of the month!" He motioned to Ichimi briefly. "Can you do it?"

"I hate to decline such a generous offer so quickly," started the swindler, "but I would prefer to see the other offers first, to be sure. I'll definitely keep yours in mind, though." Cedrian gave a polite smile. "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure, but apparently I've some business to handle. I'll see you at the banquet." His farewell was met with nods of approval from his prospective marks.

Unless Ichimi had anything that might keep her in the lounge, she was free to take her leave with Cedrian--of course, while maintaining the guise of a slave.

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

Ichimi couldn't help but give a wide grin as the guard let her pass, her madeup story working perfectly.
"Too easy! It's a shame Augusto's not here to see it, of course he'd be off doing something else when my acting works so perfectly... and he's gonna miss the rest of it too. He plans these things, I swear."
The "rest of it" would come no no more than a few moments later, as the felvari made her way over to the nearby table to explain her presence.

"It's not my fault, Master!" Ichimi found herself starting out with an almost childish tone of speech, intentionally mimicking the "playful" mannerisms of the slaves downstairs.
"I told him I needed a collar and that the laws are different here, but he wouldn't listen to me! He though I was being defiant and started yelling and looked like he was gonna hit me! I barely had time to grab these old clothes and cloak from the servant's quarters on the way out, and I thought for sure the city guard were gonna be able to see through it and grab me before I even got here!"
This part too was delivered in an almost immature pouty fashion. Again this was intentional, as it wasn't unusual for felvari slaves to be "uneducated" in a sense. While human slaves, also legal Naralona law (and afforded more protections), were usually expected to be quiet and "professional", not speaking unless spoken to and doing their tasks out of sight; felvari slaves were kept more for their use as status symbols and "entertainment" than as professional laborers, and certainly wern't expected to converse with humans as equals. This worked out fine for Ichimi, as she didn't know a whole lot about proper manners and etiquette anyway.
Still... obedience was important. Mentally re-examining her performance in her head, Ichimi decided she might not have been quiet deferent enough... having too much of an attitude or allowing her "master" to buy her excuses too easily could be alarming. The moment of silence that had followed gave her a moment to correct this though. Her ears drooped as if she had been having guilty thoughts, and her tone changed from that of a mischievous child to one of a child who knew their excuses wern't a completely acceptable answer for their behavior.
"Master... I was scared. Thinking of getting hit like that reminded me of my... breaking."
At this she fell silent, not really expecting an answer. This short little line at the end had changed the whole dynamic, showed she was still plenty well obedient, maybe even afraid of her master, at least enough to know not to continue arguing about any possible punishments later... yes, all these things as were proper for a felvari slave. Her ears would stay drooped for a moment, but as the conversation continued they would slowly perk back up, especially at the mentions of how "good" she had it... as if such topics and the casual tone of the conversation meant that she knew she had a dodged a bullet as far as any immediate punishments went. She also bit her tongue and said nothing throughout the whole rest of the conversation... "in-character" this could be seen as another sign of obedience, but "out of character" her complete disagreement about any kind of slavery being better than being free stoked her temper to the point where she didn't trust herself to speak with an even tone anyway.
"This isn't so hard... I want to throw everyone here out the nearest window, but as long as I stay quiet there's nothing to worry abo- wait, 'RENT'?!”

In a mere fraction of a second, Ichimi felt her guise almost break, time moved slow for a moment, and she could feel herself losing control over her face... only with great effort managing to redirect the impulse just in time and keep her face passive, expressing no more than mild curiosity as she looked at the one who had mentioned the word “rent”.
She wished she had looked away instead... unlike the fat merchant from earlier, the one that had come to look her over had a much more intimidating air. While she could have easily gotten away from his skinny partner before he did anything to her, this one would be a much more dangerous. Even if the felvari had all her knives with her, it wouldn't have been much of a match against the Landsknecht's weapon if he knew how to use it... and judging by his physique, he did.
“We're on the same page here... right Cedrian? We're not going to go this far to convince them, right?!”
It was an irrational fear, one she knew wouldn't come to pass if she had taken the time to think about it and how little reason she had to distrust the leader of her band... but in the moment the surface thoughts would overtake her state of mind anyway. Perhaps “moment” was the wrong word, from her perspective the “moment” seemed like forever... but finally it passed with an answer that would set her mind at ease.
“Oh thank gods... fuck, is my heart still beating? Yes... I'm fine.”
It was all the felvari could do keep from giving an obvious sigh of relief. In the span of a few seconds acting had gone from “too easy” to one of the hardest things she had ever done... and despite her good performance, the latter aspect showed when she came to realize she had been tightly gripping her "master's" arm since the word “rent”, her fingers digging in from the nervous impulse she had redirected earlier.
Perhaps it was luck that nobody noticed, after all she kept her nails short to make climbing and grabs easier, so her clenched fingers wouldn't be digging nails into Cedrian, although they wrinkled his sleeve a bit... or perhaps they had noticed and just didn't care, instead finding it another part of her “character” as a broken slave. Either way, nobody would move to stop her as she left with Cedrian soon after, grateful that he had cut the meeting short so soon afterwards.

“You hang out in really fucked up places-” Ichimi found herself saying as soon as she had followed Cedrian down a floor and out of earshot of any important patrons.
“-with really fucked up people-” she continued with a glance towards some of the felvari working the floor, though she had put her own hood back up as to not be recognized as one herself.
“-you know that?!”
This wasn't originally how Ichimi had planned for any of this to go. If anything, she owed her leader an apology for interrupting him in the middle of something risky, and another for storming out of the warehouse earlier with a huff. When she had first set out to find him, she was halfway doing it as a reconciliation for that earlier incident... but now her nerves had put up her defenses and venting was all she could manage.
“I thought you were gonna be over here talking with a bunch of courtesans and “working girls”. Whatever happened to that plan, huh? Don't tell me that's what Augusto is busy doing right now... maybe I should have tracked him down instead.”
Whether Cedrian knew why Ichimi didn't really mean any of this or not, she would eventually quiet down, also aware herself of what she doing. She wouldn't speak again until they were outside, but by now her tone had returned to normal, and her mood had calmed a lot just to be out of the world inside the building behind her and back into one she knew.

“I should have made you buy me a drink before we left, for all the trouble...
But thanks... for, you know...”
Ichimi let her words trail off there as she averted her gaze. Apologies weren’t her strong suit... especially back outside with so many people around. Perhaps later.
“Are you heading back to the warehouse now... or was there more business to take care of?”
The question was a disguised statement for those who knew how to read it. Unless explicitly told not to, she would be sticking with her leader for whatever was coming next, not liking the idea of going anywhere by herself right now, despite being too proud to openly admit it.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

The bouncers didn't appear to catch Ichimi's grin as she entered. If they had, it didn't matter--she had an airtight excuse and fallback plan via Cedrian. The only way their cover would be blown was if she made a terrible error, or if her leader did... and the latter was not likely to happen, to say the least, given what she knew of him.

"That's unfortunate. Was he furious? Hopefully we'll be able to fix this misunderstanding sooner rather than later," responded Cedrian, scritching Ichimi behind the ears as if she were nothing more than some animal. As far as most residents of Naralona were concerned, that was exactly what her race consisted of. "I am glad that he didn't end up hurting you, though. I suppose discipline is one thing... but people ought to have respect for another man's property," he proclaimed aloud.

The conversation that unfolded between her 'owner' and his prospective clients proved to be an unnerving event for someone who could very well be among Naralona's last free Felvari, as it threatened her very status as such. To think that the freedom she enjoyed up until that point could all be taken away with but a single word or a misstep had its own way of delivering pressure upon Ichimi. Yet, with Cedrian's carefully chosen responses, one tense moment after another passed by without incident, albeit somewhat slower than the catgirl might have liked. No one at the table--other than Ced, of course--seemed to notice the signs of discomfort that the catgirl exhibited. The landsknecht had given her an occasional glance or two, but it proved too difficult for the nerve-wracked Felvari to determine anything that was meant from it outside of the obvious need to check her out.

~~~~~​

And before she knew it, her time with the circle of strangers had come to a close. After giving his farewells, Cedrian strolled out of the VIP section with his 'pet' in tow, perhaps moving a bit slower than Ichimi would have liked. Then again, she likely couldn't get out of that entire building fast enough, whereas the more experienced swindler focused on keeping a convincing front while other eyes were upon them.

At her initial outburst, Cedrian couldn't help but grin a little. "Got that right. All the scum of Arkeia, and I think I just made a deal with at least a few of them," he replied, waiting until they were in a less populated section to do so. "Would it at least make you feel any better to know that we'll likely be cleaning some out? It's not as if we're looking to become roommates with them."

As they came downstairs to the more populated areas, he exchanged some minor, nonverbal greetings with various girls in the area before turning his attention back to Ichimi. It earned a few surprised, perhaps suspicious looks from a select few, who didn't know what to make of the cloaked and somewhat feminine figure by his side. "Well," the smooth-talker continued, "I already did. It just so happens that I stumbled across some potential business partners in the VIP section, so I decided to stay and chat a while."

The hint of a surprised look showed on his face upon her mention of Augusto. "Actively seeking Augusto? Oof... that's when I know you've had a tough break," he quipped. "Poor thing. Didn't think you'd actually seek me out in a place like this. But since you went all the way upstairs just to see me, maybe I do owe you a drink or two. Your choice, and my treat of course." He made his way out of the building with the catgirl at his side, assuming that she didn't want to stay in there much longer. She could stop him if she wanted to, but otherwise they would hit the streets. The open air proved to be nice and fresh, after all, at least when compared to the interior of the Salida Towers.

Cedrian couldn't help but put on a thoughtful look as they passed by a variety of shops, ever present on the streets of a tourist trap like Naralona. "Though, I was thinking... we'll likely need to get you something more convincing for future reference, since the 'lost my collar' excuse has already been used up as of a few minutes ago." His gaze passed by a shop selling accessories for slaves, a variety of fancy collars being chief amongst their best-selling goods. Slavery was legal here, and as such, there was a public market for related items.

"Listen, I know how much you hate them and what they signify... but I'm thinking we should arrange one for you to have, just in case. Besides you having to wear one during the job itself, it would be good for you to have as a backup. That way, even if you somehow do end up in trouble, I can always swing on by to 'reclaim' you. And the laws around here protect slaves that already have an owner, so you'd even be covered in a legal sense. A girl like you wandering around without one is just giving the guards more reason to be suspicious," he explained.

"So... don't get me wrong, I still want you to enjoy all the freedom you normally do, but I would also like to rest assured that you can come back to us safely. Even if it is late night or early morning by the time you do."

 

[Kat]

Re: The Cat's Share (Kat) GMed by Takimaru

“Right, we'll never be seeing this “scum” ever again after we clean them out... unless this goes badly and I end up spending the rest of my life with one of them whether I like it or not...” Ichimi answered with a dry sarcasm that masked the slightest bit of apprehension.
In the grand scheme of things, Ichimi knew she wasn't really in any more danger than she was in any other job... perhaps less even. However something about playing along so willingly felt like it was tempting fate. The felvari didn't believe in luck, but those that did would often say Netta was a sadist, withdrawing her blessings on a whim just to toy with mortals. Even believing such things were superstition and made-up fairytale wasn't enough to ease the feeling. To the voidic girl, it felt safer to throw herself directly into trouble and be able to run right away than to approach trouble carefully and try court it...
“Forget the drink. The last thing I need right now is to be even a little drunk in a place like this. I'd rather have a clear head if your new “business partners” come back and I have to act again... but mostly I'd rather just get out of here before that happens.”
Despite any arguments, and the fact that she walking as quickly as she possibly could without looking suspicious, Ichimi would bite her tongue and repress her nerves at least enough not to raise her voice or do anything too confrontational. Part of it was because she knew, even in her agitated mood, that it would be reckless to get that way right now... but a bigger part was because she still respected Cedrian enough as the leader that she would almost never get seriously hostile with him. Venting every once in awhile probably would have been healthier, but she owed him too much to ever let anything manifest more as more than an annoyed comment or voice tone. She knew the mood would pass anyway, and perhaps it was some sort of “maturity” keeping her in check... or perhaps her pride simply wouldn't allow her to “whine” too much.
Either way, true to her prediction, her mood would increase considerably once she was outside... at least until passing by a certain kind of shop.

~~~​

“Collar?! Are you serious?!”
The new calm the Felvari had just settled into threatened to dissipate in an instant, but before she could blurt out any kind of reaction, the calm explanation that followed would keep her from boiling over and give her some time to simmer down into a more controlled response.
“You having to come pick me up would be a first. The wind-up toys haven't managed to get me into a cell yet, and they're not going to.”
It was a bold statement... and one made with false logic. The truth was that the guards had caught her before when she was younger plenty of times. But good luck and the fact that she had been younger back then protected her. With children, even felvari ones, there was a bit of rebelliousness to be expected, even with “broken” slaves. But unlike older slaves, young ones wern't considered a threat to anyone's safety... and they were worth less at that age, because waiting for them to reach the physical maturity where they would appeal to more “base” desires required a substantial investment of time. These factors meant that as a child she was worth neither the reward her capture would have brought in or the paperwork required to hold her or try to track down her “master”. To Ichimi's good fortune, the majority of the city guard were content to give her a beating, assuming that it would have been enough to send her back to the “master” they assumed she had, crying and having learned a very valuable lesson.
None of that would be true anymore though... and almost as soon as she had made the argument did she seem to realize this and change her approach.

“Anyway, a collar on it's own doesn't prove anything. Even if I AM wearing it, there's no guarantee they won't just tear it off and keep me to themselves. It would just be your word against theirs... unless you think you'll be able to talk me into getting something irremovable like a tattoo or branding... Good luck with that though, even YOU don't have enough charisma to convince me to do that.”
While Ichimi could have answered with a simple refusal, this felt like the better choice. She wasn't Rio, she was capable of making an adult arguments and listening to them from others. The fact that she thought her own argument was a pretty good one helped... but at the same time it did leave her open, obligated almost, to accept defeat if she lost. It was an unnecessary price to pay when she could have just said no... but the felvari's appreciated respect from Cedrian whom she respected so much in turn, and after the way she had been acting earlier that day she felt compelled to make the attempt.