Catherine (Tiffanian)

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

When she had finished in full and pressed the load game button, she would feel that same sense of weightlessness that she had initially experienced as the menu vanished and left her floating in a world made of pure white. Although she wasn't treated to the sight of human civilization springing into existence, the tester did get the chance to watch the world around her form out of nothingness again. The ground gradually formed into dirt, and all around her cavern walls rose from it until she could see almost nothing beyond them. The area she was in filled with debris and other items before finally flooding with water, leaving her precisely where she had been floating before the EGG had crashed. The last thing to spring into existence was the various NPCs, who didn't seem affected in the slightest by what had happened. In fact, the female pixie continued exactly where she had left off.

"Not sure," the female pixie signed in reply, exactly as she had earlier. "Humans tend to scatter about as members of different castes grab their favorites. Best way to find them is to search and to avoid others. I would help you search, but I should probably wait here until I'm rid of this," she patted her gravid belly as she finished. After her explanation, however, the diminutive creature cast Catherine an odd look. "Why are you worried about teaching him signs, anyway? All you humans learn it eventually, once you've been here long enough."

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The machine hummed around Catherine for a moment, returning her to the strange weightlessness she had felt when first beginning to play, and the world went pure white. Slowly, bit by bit, the environment of the cavern she had been in generated around her, the floor first, and then the walls and ceiling. The various bits of debris and detritus popped into existence all around her next, which was quite amusing to watch as they floated in the air around her. The water slowly filled from the bottom up after that, at least giving the debris a reason to be floating, and a moment later the scene was completed by the appearance of the pixies. They were in the places they had been right before the game had crashed, and the female quickly picked up her signing from the moment she had begun to reply to the archer. She went on a little longer as well, explaining why she couldn’t help in the search… and then asking curiously why she wanted to teach him the signs. “I don’t intend to stay here longer than I have to” she would reply, or as near to that as she could manage with her current knowledge. “I have plans for my life, plans that don’t involve staying at the bottom of the ocean for the rest of it. And I…” she paused, trying to think how to say this. “want to take him with me” she settled on, nodding. She hoped the explanation wouldn’t upset the diminutive woman.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The diminutive creature cast a curious look at Catherine following the human's explanation. "Are you really going to try? There's a lot of dangerous creatures between here and the surface." She gave the archer a short, thoughtful look after that, followed by a sudden flurry of excited hand gestures. "If you do then you should take us with you! Imagine the adventures we could have on the surface! All the humans we could have fun with! It's really only fair since you're our number one servant." The signs that the female pixie was bombarding Catherine with caused her diminutive male counterpart to immediately drop his forehead against his palm, but it seemed that he didn't have the willpower to try to talk any degree of sense into the little woman right then and that it would be up to the tester to reply as she would to her request-slash-demand.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine almost rolled her eyes at the little pixie’s sudden enthusiasm for the surface world, though she managed to hold it back. The diminutive male agreed with her assessment of the idea as well, clearly facepalming behind his partner, though he didn’t “speak up” as it were. The human took a moment to think how to phrase this with some tact, finally beginning to sign “yes, I’m going to try. But the surface is different. ‘Fun’ doesn’t happen like it does down here, and it would be very dangerous for you. Probably more than the monsters between here and there.” She took a moment to scratch her chin thoughtfully before continuing “no, it would be better for you to stay here. Besides, your people need you, right?”

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

"You're the worst slave ever," the pixie hastily responded, thus concluding Catherine's rapid rise and fall in the ranks of pixie slaves. "Danger is fun. And they don't really need me, I just guide them into doing the things they'd probably want to do anyway. They'll replace us the second we're gone." The diminutive woman gave the undersea equivalent of a sigh before continuing to motion. "It's boring down here and there's so much responsibility. I'm tired of it and I want to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Are you sure you wouldn't be willing to take me with you?" She seemed to be trying the puppy dog eyes route this time. Whether or not Catherine caved in or denied her a second time was up to the tester though.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine sighed as she watched the pixie sign, scratching her head a little. This could only end badly, couldn’t it? Well, the pixie would certainly be helpful in the journey to the surface if she could grant the boon, but what would they do with her once they got to their destination? Would the humans of Westhaven tolerate the creature? Could she learn to speak human language aloud? After a moment she simply sighed again and began to sign. “They really might just kill you as soon as you reach the surface. And besides that, you would have to promise to listen to me and do as I say. You can’t cause trouble for us” she said, putting particular emphasis on the sign for “can’t.” This was a bad idea, she could feel it, but that stupid look the pixie was giving her… “If you’ll agree to that, then you can come with us.” Besides, the pixies would probably be better off with a more sane leader.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

"Guilt always works!" The diminutive female signed her response with a pump of her fist for emphasis. She pointedly did not respond to the archer's mention of not causing trouble and the possibility that her human kin on land might kill the pixie on sight. "So, when are you going? We could get started right away! The sooner the better!" At the pixie's enthusiasm her male counterpart apparently couldn't hold back any longer, and swam over to the two. "Give us a second, please," he requested of the archer before turning his attention to his short partner. It seemed like she would be out of their conversation for a while, however, because as soon as he did that the two ended up in what appeared to be a heated argument in their own race's signs with him pointedly motioning at the little woman's gravid belly.

Since the two seemed ready to argue until they had tired themselves out with their flailing through the water, the archer could easily choose to use the opportunity to sneak off and take care of any other business she liked, including but not limited to seeking out the humans who had taught her their signs or the golden priestess who had introduced her to the underwater community. If she liked she could also try to mediate the dispute happening in front of her, even if it was only for the purpose of trying to get a more reassuring promise about not starting trouble out of the female pixie. Whatever she did though, it would be entirely up to Catherine because it seemed like the two pixies had forgotten she was even in the room.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine rolled her eyes at the pixie’s response, having known full well that she was being guilt tripped. This was a mistake, wasn’t it? She was about to make a response of her own when the little woman signed that they should get started right away, but she was cut off by the infinitely more reasonable male pixie, who began to sign in the language of their people quite furiously. Being unable to understand it the human’s focus began to wander, especially given how different and seemingly irreconcilable the two were. There was no sense trying to help with it, because she knew she would just be taking the male’s side of the argument, and that the woman probably wouldn’t keep her promises anyway. In any case, they would figure out she was gone eventually, and if nothing else she was pretty sure she could get here again, so rather than waste time fiddling around in the room she would swim over to Roger and try to revive him. Upon success she would attempt to teach him the most basic of signs, enough to give him directions while they were swimming and warn him of potential danger, and then head out to find either a group of humans who could teach him better, or one of the golden sirens (preferably Meda) to give him a more clear understanding of where he was and how life worked down here.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The human archer was able to slip away without issue as the two argued without either of them being the wiser. She was even able to, given a bit of time, bring the exhausted Roger back to wakefulness, even if he was clearly worse for the wear for his time with his hermaphroditic captors. The human man initially recoiled in horror as Catherine woke him up, but after his eyes had adjusted and he recognized her, he wrapped the archer in a hug that was made awkward in every possible way due to the mechanics of attempting it in the ocean and the fact that both were still lacking clothes.

Still, he was about as gentlemanly as a naked man could be in that hug, and before long he pulled away and opened his mouth to attempt to talk, only for bubbles to escape. His failed effort to speak would as surely as anything else lead Catherine to her next task of getting him some aid in that department. With a bit of effort and liberal use of words written in the sand, she would be able to teach him the basics of signing. The game was kind enough to fast forward through the less interesting parts of her tutelage and returned to normal speed after Roger had achieved the basics, and it proved to be doubly a kindness because he didn't take to signing as easily as Catherine had. Afterward she was able to easily guide him in her goal of finding the man a teacher, and with a bit of wandering she would eventually stumble across the same humans who had taught her in a different chamber of the caverns.

Robert, Gavin, and Caster all greeted them with the sign for hello as they came into view, although Caster was a little more clumsy in his motions than the other two. Robert didn't shy away from motioning his head toward Roger and following up with 'He the one you were looking for?"

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

It took a bit of time for Catherine to rouse Roger from his sleep, or at least his unconscious episode. A few gentle shakes, some light patting on the cheek… and finally he awoke with a start. He seemed like he had had a very rough time of it, and especially the look of horror on his face made her wonder just what those nightcrawlers had done to him. She wished they weren’t under all this water so that it would be easier to reassure and comfort him, but no such luck. She just had to wait on him to understand the situation on his own, which didn’t take too awful long all things considered.

Almost immediately he moved to hug her, a task made difficult by the sheer weirdness of constantly floating in the water, and apparently by the fact that the two of them were naked. Roger, ever the gentleman, tried to avoid all sense of impropriety, keeping their lower bodies well apart and trying not to touch her chest overly much. Catherine felt that just a little silly; it wasn’t as if he hadn’t held her nude body to his before, and there was little need for modesty in her mind. Still, she didn’t exactly hate that he was like this. She wrapped her arms around him, gently rubbing his back and nuzzling her chin against his shoulder. After a few moments he broke the hug to try and speak… and of course, no sound came out. That gave the archer her opening, and she drew his attention to the ground beneath them, beginning to write messages to him in the sand and teaching him the most basic of signs.

It didn’t go all so hot, of course. The game fast-forwarded through a fairly long teaching session, in which Catherine had some trouble expressing what she wanted to, and Roger had some trouble understanding. How much was that she was a poor teacher and how much was down to the fact that he probably hadn’t had much in the way of an education. Still, over time they connected enough that he came out of it with some rudimentary signing ability, and she led him away from the chamber to find a bit of a better teacher than she. Thankfully the group of men who had taught her weren’t very far at all, easy to find, and she smiled and replied with her own “hello.” One of them, Robert, signed at the archer asking if this was the man she had been looking for, to which she quickly signed “yes, found him. Was hoping he could be taught.” She thought for a moment about how to phrase what she said next, perhaps having to write a few lines in the sand to get her point across. “How long until you think you’ll be ready to try to go? I have a little one that would help us. At least give us the boon” she finally communicated, interested in whether the men would be willing to try an escape soon or not, and if the knowledge that they at least shouldn’t have to worry about drowning to death would help them with that.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

'You found one that will ally with you?' Robert hastily signed his question following Catherine's mention that she had the aid of the two sea pixies. The man's joy at the news was unhidden in his expression. 'A chance to finally escape... We can teach him. Just a few hours, four at the most. We'll round up everyone else willing to try to escape when we're done. Take care of anything you need to take care of and then meet us back here. If you don't have anything better to do, some weapons might help us make it out of here in one piece, or any other trinkets you can get your hands on.'

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine could see that she had made the man quite happy with her revelation, though calling the pixie leaders “allies” was… something of a stretch maybe. “She practically begged” she signed back, “wants to go to the surface.” She shrugged slightly after that, as if to say “I don’t get it myself” and then watched as he signed out his instructions. A few hours wasn’t much time to wrap things up down here, but if that was all she had she would just have to make the best of it. “Alright. I’ll be back” she signed, and then she swam off to try and find Meda. The siren had helped her get a weapon before, maybe she would help her in that regard again… If she couldn’t find her she would go to the pixies’ secret room, trying to find things of value for the journey amidst all the junk they had stashed. Beyond that she wasn’t sure what to do, really, but she would figure it out if those plans failed.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

(Huh. Apparently the dice say that Catherine finds Meda on her first try. 17% chance stronk.)

Against all odds of Catherine finding the solitary priestess who had assisted her when she had first come to, the archer would stumble into her again just outside of the cavern system. The golden-skinned woman was waiting nervously for someone or something, though exactly what wasn't immediately obvious to the archer. This time, the archer had the element of surprise on the siren and Meda didn't immediately notice the human watching her. It would be up to Catherine as to whether or not she wanted to alert the woman to her presence or perhaps enact some other plan.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine didn’t know if the game was helping her out right now or if her luck was just really good, but she didn’t have to search long at all to find Meda, stumbling across her as soon as she left the caverns. She seemed nervous, like she was waiting on someone she wasn’t sure was showing up, or for a meeting that might not be pleasant. The human considered being a little bit sneaky, swimming up behind her and surprising the priestess with a bit of a glomp… but then, that might not be the best idea to do to someone with a long tail, even if it was someone who seemed as gentle as Meda did. Instead she swam up in front of the siren, grinning and waving for a moment before putting a hand gently on her arm. Hello again she would think at the woman, it’s been a little while… And I have one last favor to ask of you, Meda. I’ve found a group of humans ready to try and make it to the surface, and a few of the pixies are willing to help us try. I’m looking for anything that could help us. Weapons, anything of value that might be of value. I find it hard to even know where to begin…

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The golden priestess would offer Catherine a smile and a wave in return when the human made her presence apparent. An expression was plastered across Meda's face that could only appropriately be described as chipper, a far cry from the anxiousness that had been apparent in her every movement last time the human had seen her. It would even carry over into her mental greeting, the sea woman sounding as cheerful as the archer had ever heard her. Hello, Catherine! It's good to see you again!

The archer's ensuing request, however, would tone down the priestess's enthusiasm and succeed in turning the siren's lips downward in a small frown. I'm sorry, I don't know what I can really do for you. It's your right and the right of any of those who want to leave to do so and I wish you the best of luck, but the weapons we have are extremely valuable to my kin and cannot be taken with you. You might try to scavenge items of value in order to assemble some weapons of your own. Or you could find those among my kin who might be willing to trade you their own personal weapons in return for a favor, she offered hopefully. Beyond that, I know of no other way you could leave this place armed.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Meda’s body language seemed to change entirely when she caught sight of Catherine, which almost made the human feel sad. She was going to be leaving, after all, which might dampen the siren’s mood. Indeed it seemed to do so as she told the archer that she herself had no weapons to give, and that it was unlikely she would be able to get any. Some might be willing to part with weapons they owned as opposed to the communal ones, but only for favors, and there likely wasn’t time to get a meaningful amount of weaponry in that manner.

Catherine did the mental equivalent of clearing her throat, frowning a little bit. Ahhh… that’s alright. It wouldn’t be fair of me to expect you to do everything for me she thought at the priestess before awkwardly trying to move a little bit closer, instead overshooting her goal and bumping into her. Reflexively she let out a silent giggle, a small cluster of bubbles rising up into the ocean as she wrapped her arms around Meda, pressing her chin down on the siren’s golden shoulder in a somewhat tight hug. I’m sort of sorry I’m leaving so soon, you know? Not that it’s awesome down here, but… I would have loved to have spent more time with you than I’ll get to. You’ve helped me immeasurably, really, and I don’t know that I can ever repay you for it. Is there anything I can do for you? Any favors you need done? I don’t have long before it’s time to make my try, and I should be looking for things to help, but… I’d like to do something for you if at all possible.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The priestess would offer a small, renewed smile as the bubbles escaped the human's mouth after her attempt to giggle and would return the archer's hug tightly enough to fall just short of uncomfortable. It's not pleasant for your kind here, I know. Many of us do, believe it or not, the golden-skinned woman replied patiently. Our races were cursed when the shattering occurred. Without your kind we would go extinct, so we've set up this... guest rule, perhaps to alleviate our own consciences about it. After all, you're no more suited to live out your life below sea than we are to live ours under the sun. It is why most of us do not feel bad when your kind choose to leave, we merely hope that you make it to the surface in one piece.

The siren would release her hug and retreat to arm's length in order to fix her eyes on the archer. If you wish to do something for me then do all you can to prepare for the trip and be safe. It may be exceptionally dangerous. I will pray for your safety. Meda seemed like she was readying herself for a big farewell but she wouldn't get a chance to give it, as before she could the second priestess that Catherine had met came swimming toward them and gently placed a hand on each of their backs. Fancy meeting you two here again, the newcomer would offer suspiciously, sparking a small exchange that fired off before Catherine could manage a thought in edgewise.

Korene, Meda would greet her counterpart warmly and with a tone of longing that didn't escape the human's notice. Do you remember Catherine? She's making the trip to the surface.
Is that so? The archer could sense the relief in the woman's voice, even if she might not be able to immediately determine what that relief was over. Best of luck, Catherine! Our prayers will be with you, the second golden woman seemed ready to leave and drag Meda off with her at that lukewarm farewell, but the first obviously had other plans as she resisted and stayed in their impromptu huddle.
Catherine, this is Korene, you met her before. I suppose since you'll be leaving I can tell you the truth... we're lovers.

Meda! What are you doing!? If she told somebody then we'd be exiled or worse! The second siren was absolutely aghast at Meda's admission toward Catherine, but for once the oftentimes nervous priestess was obviously fully confident.
Don't worry. She won't tell anybody. Right, Catherine? Besides, I thought it would feel really nice to finally admit the way I feel about you to somebody other than you. It makes it feel more... official. That way even should we both vanish, someone will have known our story and it can go on.
Oh, Meda, Korene remarked with the mental equivalent of a sigh. This isn't because I suggest that I wished we could play with the guests together, is it?
No! Nothing like that! Meda seemed taken aback that her apparent lover had likely completely missed the point. Nothing like that at all!

If the archer didn't say or do something soon she might be caught up in the strange conversation for even longer. What those words or actions might be were, as always, up to her.

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Catherine could feel that the priestess was hugging her extra tightly, almost painfully so, though she wouldn’t object. It was almost sort of sweet, she felt. She listened patiently while Meda explained again that her kind needed humans to propagate their species, and that they knew how… unpleasant it could be for the humans, which was nothing new. Something she said worried the human a little bit though, the offhanded comment that her kind weren’t suited to live outside the ocean. It made her worry if there were an extra dimension of danger for the pixies who were helping them beyond just the obvious of their being essentially sea monsters to all those they would encounter. She resolved to ask about it once the goodbyes were out of the way, one last question for the woman…

She wouldn’t get the chance though, at least not immediately. The other siren she had met swam up to them before she could ask, or indeed before Meda could finish her own farewell, and put a hand on both of them. The exchange that followed was… weird. To say the least. It felt almost like there was a bit of hostility in Korene’s tone, some sort of vague suspicion, and then when told that Catherine was venturing to the surface again she seemed relieved. What was that all about? She seemed about ready to drag Meda off and away, though the other priestess wouldn’t let her, instead introducing the two of them again and telling the human the obvious; that the two sirens were lovers. Korene’s reaction made Catherine slowly blink, looking from one of them to the other while they argued. It was a secret? One that they might be exiled for? How bizarre. Meda’s reasoning for telling the human was, of course, hopelessly romantic and a little bit silly in a good way, her lover seemingly missing the point entirely, and something clicked in Catherine’s mind; Korene had probably been a little bit… jealous of her. For whatever reason. And now thought that Meda wanted the three of them to have a bit of fun together. How weird.

That’s a secret? she asked, quirking an eyebrow at them. I knew that from the first time I met Korene. Even just the goofy way you were so nervous about being seen waiting for her, Meda. I didn’t know you were nervous because it was dangerous, though… She didn’t really know how to deal with this situation, although… maybe it was a hook the game was giving her to acquire a couple more companions, and more help on the apparently dangerous journey to the surface. She ought to at least try and steer the conversation that way, right? She liked Meda, after all. If she found even the slightest of opportunities in the conversation that was doubtless coming she would interject I might just have an answer to your problem there… If you would only join us in coming to the surface, you could find a place where the two of you would be free to love one another openly and in peace.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

Er, yes, actually, Meda would admit in response to Catherine's surprise that it was supposed to be a secret with an expression as if she'd been completely betrayed by herself. The siren fell silent as the human continued by explaining that there were other options, but continued on the subject even once the human had suggested that the two might escape with them. It was meant to be a secret because here we might be executed or exiled, which is a death sentence in itself, if our kin ever found out. We priestesses are never to know love or even indulge in pleasure, lest it cloud our judgement and ability to listen to the young voice. But to be honest, I doubt we'd live any better openly around your kind than you have been able to live with ours. I've seen the way your kin react when they awaken to me at least a hundred times now and most immediately view me as a monster after what they've suffered at the hands of my sisters, and who could blame them? I can't see how it would be different up there.

Korene gave the two a pensive look before she offered her own input. It'd be a change of pace, at least? People would disdain us because of what we are rather than because we love. The scenery would be different, too, the second priestess offered with a small smile. It's just a matter of time until we get caught and then it will be us against the world anyway. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to do it on our own terms. We might not ever get a chance to go with a group if we let this one pass us by, and our travel with them would offer them a much greater chance of making it safely. I vote that we go for it, the other siren would conclude. Let's live our lives on our own terms.

Is that truly how you feel? Meda would inquire toward Korene, which received a nod in return from the other priestess. Then... the first priestess would look toward Catherine, I suppose we'll accompany you to the surface after all. Where shall we gather and what's the plan?

 

[Tiffanian]

Re: Catherine (Tiffanian)

The siren's reaction kind of made Catherine feel bad. She just looked so sad in that moment knowing that they'd been found out. After the human had made her offer Meda explained the full penalty for being in love: execution, or certain death through exile. It was some sort of religious thing because they were priestesses, something about the young voice and listening to it... She then expressed her doubt that going to the surface was a viable solution, that humans would never accept the two of them, and that they would be treated much the same as humans were here beneath the sea if not worse. Catherine was about to begin her reply when Korene interjected, offering her vote in favor of leaving, that perhaps it would be easier than trying to hide their love, and that the group offered them a protection they wouldn't get when they were finally caught. The other siren seemed taken aback by this a bit, but ultimately agreed, asking Catherine what the plan was.

Well, first off she started, of course the people you awaken view you as a monster. Their ship was just attacked and they were dragged beneath the ocean quite against their will by some of your kind. It may be difficult for you close to the shore, where people know stories of your people or have experienced attacks, but it's a big wide world above the surface... I doubt every corner of it would judge you harshly. She would then explain how to get to the place where they were to meet up with the rest of the group, and add I was sent to try and find weapons or anything else of value that could help us, either getting to the surface or once we get there. Anything you could provide would be a help, anything you could point me to. After that I'll need to fetch two of those silly pixies the two of you spend such time 'disciplining' who wanted to come with us and go to the meeting place. I'm sure we'll work out the details then. The two of them were actually going to come with them... Catherine really hadn't expected that, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. She liked Meda, and she didn't doubt that they would be more reliable and helpful than those crazy pixies.