Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

"I have business with Asp, so I'll be headed there when this is concluded anyway. If I'm quick enough, I suppose we'll meet again," Oormi would reply. The strange man had managed to wear on the blind foxgirl's patience with his comments and mutterings to the point where even she couldn't find it in her to bother with extra courtesies or flattery. The only reason she didn't tell the man not to bother waiting was because she desperately needed coin. She certainly wasn't going to put in the effort to rush to Asp's shop just to be there in time to meet him though.

Oormi would finally allow her muscles to relax with a sigh of relief as the man disappeared from her wavesight. Finally back to business, it seemed, though perhaps more cautiously than before given her conversational partner's whispers about her benefactor. Perhaps her mother had been right. Maybe Oormi herself was the only person who could be relied on to have her own best interests in mind. Still, she had expected she could trust a knight. The sidhe with the whirling tattoos who'd been responsible for a chunk of her training had been nothing if not honorable, and her own mother was an honorary knight of the Summer court. Probably better not to take anything for granted going forward, she supposed.

Shaking herself from the brief reflection, the blind kitsune stepped forward to knock on the door only for it to pull away as she did so. The appearance of the young maid initially drew a light blush from the foxgirl, mostly because the shortness of her skirt did nothing to stop Oormi's waves from mapping out what laid beneath it in her mind's eye. After the initial shock passed, however, the sight drew more contemplation.

A maid in a dress that showed off just about every feature of the woman's youth required some thought given what she'd just been told about her employer. Was the outfit Sir Alvarien's order or did the woman, like the foxgirl herself, simply enjoy dressing up? How much thought should she give to the man's proclivities, and at what point should she begin to consider them alarming? Well, not right that moment, at least. She didn't have enough context on the matter.

"It's not a problem, Miss. All that came of it was a little chat," Oormi would reply to the maid after she shook herself from her thoughts a second time. "I'm ready to see Sir Alvarien right away," she would confirm. "Thank you." When the exchange was done, she would silently follow the other woman.

When they arrived in Sir Alvarien's study, she would take a seat as instructed. She was a little less trusting of the man, but that was no reason to be rude. Her desire to remain polite made the pastries a bit of a conundrum though. She'd already promised to meet the goblins from earlier for a meal after the meeting and didn't wish to fill up before then, and eating during a meeting felt rude even if her host had offered her the meal. There was also the matter of trust, but she didn't think him so much of a scoundrel that he'd poison a guest's food just because of one conversation. Regardless of her reasons to politely decline the offer though, doing so didn't come easily. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and the wafting scent of the untouched pastries served as a painful reminder of that.

"Thank you for the offer, Sir... sorry, Reggie," she stumbled for a moment, nearly forgetting the man's preferred method of address from earlier, "but I think I should wait to indulge in your hospitality until after business is concluded." Her reply came as the man sat on the couch next to her, prompting her to turn and face him despite that there was no need for her to do so in order to see him with her waves. His sitting next to her was another otherwise innocent motion that she was inclined to over-analyze due to her conversation from moments prior, but she forced herself not to think too much into it and instead to keep her mind on business.

"There was some trouble. Two men targeted me not far from here. I believe they intended on stealing your payment to Asp. They wanted it badly enough to even use wind magic on the main streets. I caught one with help from bystanders and turned him over to the guard, but his accomplice got away. After that was taken care of, I was able to meet with Asp and retrieve the package without difficulty." At that, Oormi would present the man's package to him, if only so that she no longer needed to protectively clutch it in her hand. After that, she'd give him the chance to inspect the package and its contents and make his own reply before bringing up the topic of payment.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium and Hentaispider)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP

"Suit yourself, they should keep warm!" he said as he settled onto the couch. Was he getting closer than was strictly necessary for some purpose, or simply by coincidence? He nudged closer, enough that his knee brushed slightly against Oormi's when he shifted to take the package, examining it while she explained her troubles. "I see... One got away you say? What happened to the other? To the guards? You might like to question that one if you can, they'll likely end up on the slaver's block soon and maybe they can tell you who sent them," he said, before unceremoniously ripping open the package and sliding out a map that Oormi could smell even over the sweet scent of the freshly cooked pastries, the musty, ancient piece of stained velum mildly unpleasant and probably unfamiliar.

Reginald handled it gingerly, but even as he held the scroll he continued; "Whoever those thieves are, they wouldn't have gotten anything useful from stealing that shipment, not if they were any ordinary pickpockets. And if they weren't... Well, it bears looking into, but I'll leave that up to you. You have done well my young friend!" He reached out and gave Oormi a pat on the shoulder, but his gaze was focused on the old scroll in his hand. Even so, he reached over her, grasping her other shoulder and dragging her closer, "you can't see what's on this, can you?"

Her waves had no magic to work off of, no sorcerous lines for her to trace or imprints on which to interpret what might be on the scroll. Mmm... No matter. This, my friend, is a map! Sort of, anyway. It's a part of an old scroll, one with... Knowledge that I need on it. For now, I can pay you for your time, but this will require some study before I can give you anything else to do. Why don't you have a pastry or two? You can take the rest if you like, I can always have more made, but they're really quite lovely."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

The blind kitsune would nod in response to her employer's suggestion that she ought to question the one she'd caught. She should've thought of that sooner, but it wasn't until she'd had more time to consider it that she began to believe it might have been a targeted attack. Afterward, she began to idly rub the pointer finger of her right hand over the surface of the signet ring on the thumb of the same hand. The motion mostly served to distract her from the closeness of Sir Alvarien and any thoughts about whether his actions were jovial in nature or if he was of a mind to try and seduce her. Her finger moved all the quicker along the surface of the engraved gemstone as she was pulled closer.

"No," she would admit with a shake of her head as he inquired about her ability to read the map. Without preexisting magic in the inking to stand out against the other colors in her vision and without any sort of indents or ridges, it might as well have had nothing written on it at all for all the good it did her. But, while her mood had been soured by the conversation she'd just walked in from, the blind foxgirl was certainly excited by the prospect of an old map. That seemed like a promising start to an adventure of her own. Her tail swished back and forth through what little space it had behind her a few times before she stopped it, not really wanting to reveal too much of her excitement given her proximity to her employer.

"Um, yes, I was going to inquire about payment for today's work," she would sheepishly admit. "My budgetary needs have expanded due to the skirmish, so I'm afraid that without a wage I'll soon be without a place to stay." The blind kitsune took the pause after broaching that awkward, or at least awkward to her, subject to finally grab a pastry. The smell had been working against her willpower since she sat down and had finally achieved victory. She would take a large bite without much delay, though she only intended on eating half of the pastry. Surely that little wouldn't ruin her appetite for later. "I'll also graciously accept your offer and take the uneaten pastries with me," she added, still embarrassed.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, 17/27?

(Oormi gains 4 exp for quest completion! Plus 40 dosh and 11 delicious pastries if she still wants to take those.)

"Ahahahahaha, quite alright my dear!" Alvarien said jovially, seemingly quite comfortable with the kitsune so near but making no efforts to make the embrace any more intimate than it already was. Whether or not he took notice of her swishing tail, the nobleman continued to examine the piece of ancient parchment while Oormi reached out to take one of the pastries, though he did spare a glance as she bit into it and smiled.

"Oooh, you got one of the blueberry ones! Those are good," he said as she chewed the flaky crust enough to get her first taste of the fruity contents within. It was absolutely delicious, the bread crust just thick enough that it fully contained what it ought to but thin and flaky and easy to tear through, and also coated in a fine layer of sugar that just barely hinted at the delectable treat that lay within. Once she got to the fruity core, the flavor proved explosive but not overpoweringly so, and the finely prepared fruit still had some bits for texture while the majority of it simply seemed to melt in her mouth.

The pastries weren't large, and some of the stuff oozed out of bite mark she'd left, but she hadn't consumed half of it yet and could easily keep to her word in only consuming half of the offered snack if she so desired. Whether she did so or not, Oormi would find that getting something in her stomach aided her greatly in relaxing in her employer's presence, even with him so oddly close to her. "Not my favorite though, mine are the blackberry ones! They're a little bit on the bitter side, but I like the conflict in them... The way the bitterness and sweetness seem to war in your mouth," he said appreciatively, glancing at the pastries with a sad look. "It's really too bad we haven't had any blackberries in since the invaders hit Chelia, I could do with some... Those are all blueberry or strawberry, still excellent of course but... Well, we all have our preferences, don't we?"

He seemed to realize that he was rambling and grinned apologetically, though as per usual the expression was utterly lost on the blind girl. "Ahhh but I'm rambling, your payment! Well, you did as I asked, and defended my property at personal peril and cost! I think that merits some rewarding, don't you think? How does... Forty sound to you, for now? Mixed currency if you don't mind, I like to make my friends less appealing to pickpockets that like to go after people making a living doing work for noblemen~ Not that you'd have any problems with them of course!" His latest bout of speaking complete, he rose from the couch, though his absence was short lived. Her employer quickly returned to her side with a cloth pouch filled with jingling coin in only a few moments' time, setting it into Oormi's lap as he settled back down.

"Now, if you ever desperately need accommodation, you can always stay here. I have plenty of guest rooms sitting unoccupied," he continued, "I don't have any more work for you just yet, I'm still trying to collect more information, but if you stop by here tomorrow maybe I'll have something more for you. If you're lucky, a true and honest quest!"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

Oormi would patiently listen to her employer's explanation about the different pastries, using the opportunity to slowly but surely work her way toward her initial goal of eating half the pastry. The blind kitsune wasn't certain that she'd ever had anything so sweet before in her life, regardless of blueberries or strawberries or blackberries. She'd tried candied fruits and confectioneries before among the faeries but never anything so potent as the pastry in her hand. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she certainly didn't hate it.

"That sounds more than generous," she took a break from eating for long enough to reply to the man's offer of payment. The moment he turned to leave, however, her attention went back to the pastry, as a small drop of sticky syrup leaked from it and splattered against an exposed part of her inner thigh. It was as she shifted her attention to her leg that something began to feel a little strange, almost sluggish, but she couldn't put her finger on what was wrong. She wondered if she'd used more of her spiritual energy than she'd thought maintaining her waves. That led her to finish the pastry as she awaited her employer's quick return, having decided that it was probably best to get a meal on her stomach so that she didn't exhaust her physical energy as well. Maybe she'd wander back to the Wet Witch after the meeting was over and take a quick nap before going to meet the goblins.

"Thank you for your generous offer but I have lodgings for this night, at least," the foxgirl would stand up as best she could. She would take the coins and the pastries, placing the latter in the pouch with the former as she had no other means of carrying them and didn't particularly mind the prospect of sticky coins. "I'll be sure to return tomorrow. I'm keeping a room at the Wet Witch, should you have any urgent need to contact me. For now though, I must attend to some other responsibilities I've accrued throughout this day. Thank you again, Reggie," she concluded with a small curtsy.

While the thought of an honest quest excited her enough to prompt another few wags of Oormi's tail, she was happy enough to be done with the meeting for the time being. The strangeness in her body had her growing a bit worried and she wanted nothing more than to try to sleep it off in a safe bed. After her farewell, she would attempt to exit the room and get on the road back home if nothing stopped her from doing so.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, 5/27?

Finishing the pastry left Oormi with a pleasant warmth spreading through her core, an amazingly relaxing sensation thanks no doubt to the satiation of her hunger. It certainly helped to urge her towards going back to her room to take a nap, and Reginald seemed to have few compunctions about letting her go, only seeming to mull something over for a moment before gently laying an arm around her lower back and leading her towards the door. "Of course of course!" he said, but then frowned as she tried to stuff the pastries into a bag much too small to carry them, and one that was filled with coins to boot.

"Oh, don't do that! I'll have someone get you a proper bag!" he said quickly, staying her hand. As they left his study, he called to one of his servants to bring a bad and the pastries in his study to the door, who quickly hurried off, high cut skirt flipping upwards in her haste to expose lacy red undergarments. Moments later, Oormi was at the door with Reginald still beside her, a coinpurse in one hand, and a sack filled with still warm pastries in the other.

"Do be careful," he said casually, letting the kitsune out of his grasp and then glancing again at her ruined outfit. "If only I had something that would fit you... I'm afraid I lack anything on hand that would do justice to a figure such as yours!" he lamented. Shaking his head, Oormi's employer continued; "Not unless you'd want to walk around in one of the maid uniforms anyway... And some might take issue with that. I hope I've at least funded some new acquisitions for your wardrobe!"

He gave her a bow and let Oormi be on her way, and while the kitsune felt nothing but pleasant there was certainly something unfamiliar going on inside of her. Excitement and warmth was slowly spreading through her, emanating from her core and slowly spreading outwards. It was entirely comfortable though, and did nothing to prohibit her travel back towards the Wet Witch and her entirely comfortable bed.

Just as she was reaching the street on which the inn sat, however, Oormi found herself waylaid by a familiar group of presences. Five of the serpentine women that she had seen huddled together outside of Asps' suddenly formed a half circle in front of her, and one of them pointed a finger at Oormi from only a few paces - or maybe slithers in their case - away. "You!" she said dramatically, drawing a bit of attention from passersby, "we found out that you... Are... Our... Sister! We demand that you come with us!" The two snake girls on the farthest ends slithered closer, moving to circle Oormi, but they didn't reach out to grab her or in any way force her to move, not yet.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

The foxgirl only barely kept herself from verbally admitting that the maid outfits did seem cute, from what she could 'see' of them anyway. She'd have worn something far more substantial underneath the provocatively-cut clothing, but she'd have happily taken an outfit all the same. Still, that didn't seem a professional topic to broach with her employer, so she kept herself quiet and let it go without comment.

Silence meant she would be out of the meeting faster anyway, which was becoming more appealing with each passing second. The kitsune had no idea how to describe what she was feeling, other than it bore a passing resemblance to the nervous flutters in her stomach when she'd picked up that lewd book the night before. The short swordsman had no idea what was prompting it this time though, nor how much worse it was going to get, and her employer's closeness and touches were only exacerbating it. She needed to get back to her room immediately.

So she let the conversation go without doing much more than nodding at the man's comments where appropriate and shaking her head at his offers of a maid's outfit. She would repeat her farewell and curtsy one last time before leaving as quickly as she could manage, and the moment she was outside of the door of the man's estate Oormi would double her pace on the road back to the relative safety of the Wet Witch.

But just when she dared to feel some hope that she'd soon be back in her bed, she was accosted. Through the growing haze in Oormi's head, she didn't immediately recognize the group that stepped, or slithered, in front of her. Even the easily distinguished snake tails weren't enough to immediately connect two and two in the distracted foxgirl's head. Their words, however, would quickly dispel her confusion, and in the process cause her to mentally replay her conversation with Asp.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I am, aren't I?" The words tumbled out of her mouth absentmindedly. The warm fog pervading her senses made it difficult to focus entirely on her naga siblings or the conversation. "Yes, I'm.... I'm Oormi, and, according to Miss Asp, we're sisters." The kitsune was anything but on the defensive about the subject though. She very much wanted to meet and catch up with her half-siblings. Just not right then. Right then she needed a nap worse than ever.

"Um, as much as I'd like to speak with you though, I'm a bit exhausted right now," she explained, not alert enough to consider that the circling of her sisters might be a premonition of intended violence against her. "Could you meet me in an hour after I've had some time to rest? Or could we have this discussion at the Wet Witch? It's on this street."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, 5/27?

"You've got a room!?" said the one to the center-right in a high squeal.

"At a real tavern!?" said another in a similar tone, the one slithering behind her to Oormi's left.

"See! Mom never lets us do anything cool!" said the one to the left, pouting.

"Alright! Enough whining!" said the original speaker, smacking the end of a stick against the ground thrice and quieting her sisters. Fixing Oormi with a long stare that probably would have been impressive on one who hadn't been raised by warriors (or blind), she said; "Alright then! We can talk in your room! In a tavern, psh, so cool..." Her mutterings, uttered quickly and under her breath, were nonetheless caught by the kitsune's sharp hearing despite the light haze clouding her head.

The warmth seemed to have settled where it would, leaving the blind warrior about as inflicted by it as she was likely to be, and the five naga stood in a circle around her for now, waiting for her to lead the way to her room.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

"Er," the foxgirl started to reply to her half-siblings' unexpected reactions, idly rubbing the back of her head. "This is actually my first time having a room of my own. First time being away from home, too," she admitted, expecting that they would find some common ground on the front of what their mothers had and hadn't allowed them to do.

After that small confession, however, she would nod her head and lead the group toward the Wet Witch and into her room without much fanfare. She had really hoped that they'd accept her offer to meet with them in an hour, but she supposed she couldn't blame them for their eagerness. At least the strange feelings working their way through her had begun to settle, even if it was still difficult to focus on any single subject.

"So," she would start once they were all in her room and the door was closed behind them. The foxgirl would unstrap her sword from her sash, set it on the bed, and then all but collapse into a sitting position beside it. "I have a lot of questions but I'm not sure where to start. It's probably best if we start with whatever you wanted to discuss."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, 5/27?

"Ahhhh, that's cool! Psh, she's not that cool... I'll bet it must be really liberating!" said the supposed leader of the quintet of nagas, and a short while later they were following Oormi up the stairs of the Wet Witch, heading up to her room. She wouldn't get up there uneventfully, however, as one of her siblings watched her fluffy tail swish back and forth as a natural reaction to her movements. She seemed almost hypnotized, much like a certain succubus whom Oormi had met not too long ago, but rather than reach out the waving fur she actually asked; "It's... So soft looking... Can I... Pet it?"

It was an awkward question to ask while they were slithering up a set of public stairs, to be sure, and the sibling directly next to her shot her a derisive glare. Regardless of how Oormi answered the strange request, they would soon arrive at her bedroom. One of her half siblings would close the door as they followed her in, and they formed a half circle around her as she sat down, though all of them seemed to be looking around and muttering to themselves.

"Her own room... So cool!"

"Mom never lets us go out... I'll bet all the cool people come to places like this!"

"There's so much space... And for only one person?"

"How much must this cost... We'd have to save up, but mom would never let us..."

"Enough! Enough!" the apparent leader said, whapping her stick against the floor and silencing her sisters. She swept a glare over them, scowling fiercely, and when they all seemed to shrink she slid the stick into a makeshift sheath made from a leather scroll case and some cloth straps. "Questions? Well... You're our sister!" she said, pointing a finger at Oormi, "and that means we've missed... All of your birthdays! And YOU missed... All of ours!"

Her finger wagged back and forth disapprovingly, "that's not fair! That's not fair at all!" She slid a rough equivalent to a step closer, within arm's reach though she didn't make any particular effort to touch Oormi. "And I, the great and powerful Ozriela, have both a question... And a demand! And as my mother always told me to negotiate strong, the demand comes first!" She straightened to a relatively unimpressive height, though she was still towering over the seated Oormi, and her siblings quickly did the same. "We demand.... Birthday presents!" she declared dramatically, and the others nodded and scowled fiercely.

"Mom hardly ever gets us anything!" said one. "We want candy! We want yummy things!" demanded another with a pout. "We only ever get gross things... Like brussel sprouts and bananas!" said a third. "I HATE bananas and brussel sprouts!" declared the last vehemently.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

"I'm glad I did it," the blind kitsune would reply to the apparent leader's comment about how liberating the experience of being on her own was. Part of her felt like she owed her sisters the honest truth, specifically that being on her own was simultaneously the most exciting and frightening part of her life to date, while the other felt like she owed it to Asp not to do say anything that might cause her half-siblings to give the shopkeeper trouble. She settled on her vague half-answer instead and said no more about it as the group climbed the stairs.

"Oh, um, sure. But only if I can touch your tail in return," she suggested with a smile at her other half-sibling's request. She wasn't quite certain what all the fuss was over her fluffy appendage, but she supposed she could understand the draw of something new and unusual slightly better when confronted with the snake-tailed women. "Let's wait until we're there, though." Oormi would quickly add. She had enough trouble with stairs even without an eager sibling stroking her tail.

Oormi quickly forgot about her own request in that bargain, however, once she was in her inn room and confronted by her half-sibling's 'negotiations.' Even slightly distracted by the fading feeling in her chest, the foxgirl wasn't so dense as to fail to understand her half-siblings' games after they so clearly laid them out in front of her. So that was what it was all about? They wanted something more substantial from her than her sibling bond? She glanced at each of them in turn, in as completely unnecessary a gesture as it always was, completely unfazed by their attempts to intimidate her. The blind kitsune might not have been sure of their age, but when it came to maturity it seemed that she was going to have to be the older sister.

But to Oormi, being the older sister meant compassion in this case. At such a short distance and after so much time near her, her siblings' own colors were becoming visible. The foxgirl could all but detect the seed of her mother's soul in four of them and her father's in the last. Each and every one of them was certainly a half-sister and had been through a different upbringing than her. What could it hurt to humor them? "That's true, isn't it?" The blind girl would remark conversationally. "It seems like I owe quite a few gifts."

"I think I've got something that will do. First though, since this is a negotiation, I'm afraid I'm going to need something in return. If you'll answer one question, Ozriela, I'll give all of you your gifts." She would wait for her half-sisters to accept her terms before continuing by asking that question. "Are you interested in swordsmanship?" Oormi would motion with her head toward the stick pointing out from its makeshift scabbard on the naga's back..

There wasn't a right or wrong answer though. The question had only been intended to quench the kitsune's curiosity, as she couldn't imagine someone going to the trouble of improvising a sheath for a stick without at least having a passing interest in the art of the sword. Regardless of Ozriela's answer, the foxgirl would present the bag full of pastries to the group of her half-sisters as soon as the questioned naga had answered. "I just got these not even half an hour ago, so they should still be warm. I'm told they're all blueberry and strawberry, and they're very sweet. I hope they'll do as a belated gift." Once her sisters had accepted the pastry bag and began to divvy out their hauls, she would continue. "So, what was your question?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, 5/27?

The serpentine siblings all seemed to accept her simple answer to their collective concerns, and the conflicted kitsune was allowed to get away without further conversation on the subject. When Oormi offered the one who seemed so interested in her tail the opportunity to touch it at the low price of allowing Oormi to return the gesture, and she gave a delighted squeak and replied; "Ooooh!! Yeah, sure!" The others shot her glances containing varying levels of annoyance and jealousy as they completed their journey to the kitsune's rented room.

She would let that particular exchange wait until they were in Oormi's bedroom, and wouldn't press for it immediately when Oormi went to sit down and she and her siblings surrounded the kitsune. While it might be hard to say how far the group might have pushed had she tried to refuse the demand that they issued, it seemed that her course had averted the wrath of the delinquent naga. "Ehhhh, one is enough!" the leader of the group said before the others could stop her, though all of them glared at her in turn.

She seemed surprised when Oormi added a stipulation to giving them gifts, however, and though she initially looked like she was prepared to argue her expression shifted back to surprise when Oormi actually delivered her question. "Uhhhh, sort of. I mean, I've never had a real one, but... Well, I am going to be the greatest ever! And to do that I need a sword! Someday... For now, mom only lets me have this stick though," she answered, gesturing towards the seemingly innocuous wooden stick sitting in the makeshift sheath on her back.

With them nearer she could indeed discern who had been sired by who, as well as a few physical details thanks to her unique form of "vision" that allowed her to compensate for her disability. Of the group, only the one who had asked to stroke her tail shared a father with the kitsune, while the rest had obviously been a result of her mother. She could feel the spark of power in that one, but something similar lay within the leader, something strange and perhaps stronger than the spark of potential in the other young naga. The leader was physically the largest of the group, at least insofar as Oormi could ascertain given their relative lengths, and she could also sense the solidity of the young woman, the denser muscle and thicker bone that she had also felt in Asp. The others tended to be more lithe, their body's lighter, but none of them were quite as flat as her mother or had the sort of bust that Asp had sported. The leader of the group was closest on that front, her chest considerably smaller than Oormi's and her hips thinner. The one with whom she shared a father was the closest to her in build, her breasts about even with the kitsune's and her hips a bit wider, a noticeable bulge present in her body where her legs would begin if she had a normal humanoid form. All of them shared Asp's diamond pattern, but none of them had her exact coloring. Two of them were darker, a dusky red color mixed with a sandy brown, while the third had a more vibrant blue and green mix instead. The leader was the darkest of the lot, her scales a mix of black and white, and the one fathered by Oormi's father had scales in a mix of bright pink accents and dark blue primaries.

All of them had fairly short hair, with the blue-green naga having the longest but only letting her raven locks reach down to her shoulders. The two red and sand sisters shared the raven color but had blue highlights in braided lines at either side of their face, obviously dyed rather than naturally shifted, and one let hers fall just past her chin in a single curtain while the other had hers drawn up into a tight bun. The leader was the oddest in form, having short black hair that was slightly longer in the back and in the front but kept short everywhere else, while the one fathered by her father had bright orange hair with red tips that she had drawn up into a mohawk.

When Oormi handed over the bag of pastries, the group looked universally delighted. Each of them were practically salivating over the bag of baked goods, and clustered around it in a circle as the leader pulled it open. The feeding frenzy that followed resembled a group of pirhana ripping apart a wounded animal more than any example of civilized dining, and by the time Oormi had finished speaking each of them had eaten an entire pastry and were working on their second. That left one, however, and though all the rest were eyeing it speculatively the leader quickly scooped it up and held it high, almost triumphantly.

"But wait!" Ozriela said dramatically, or at least tried to maintain such a tone. It as more difficult to take the gesture seriously when she was speaking with a mouthful of pastry. "There is... An EXTRA!" She promptly held it out to Oormi, "you have to eat it! It's not right for someone to bring treats and not have any themselves! In insist!" She practically pushed the pastry into Oormi's hands, refusing to take no for an answer, though she wouldn't force it down the kitsune's throat.

"Oh well... We talked to mom a bit about you," she began to explain, her gaze flitting back and forth. "And we got to thinking about what we could get you... You know, for all those birthdays of yours we missed," said the one with whom she shared a father. "And our mom said we could get you something after we argued for a little bit," added the one with red scales and curtained hair. "But we had some trouble figuring out what to get you... I mean, we don't exactly get a lot of money, mom only lets us work sometimes, and none of us have gotten anything permanent or lucrative like our other sisters," said Ozriela. "In the end, she told us you fought in the arena, so... We picked something out for you," said the one with blue and green scales.

"It cost us all of our savings," grumbled the other red scaled naga. "Even though mom gave us a discount," said the leader, and pulled out an elongated narrow box from a bag on one of her sister's backs. She presented it to Oormi, still clutching a half eaten strawberry pastry in one of the hands holding the black wooden box. Something that clinked vaguely like metal moved within the box as she jostled it about.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

Yep, definitely her sister and not just for how she'd inherited their shared parent's build. Oormi grinned widely at Ozriela's proclamation that she was going to be the best swordsman. "I might have to protest at that! I intend on being the best," she replied, a sudden burst of energy and happiness infecting her voice. Finally! Another sister who shared her passion! After a long line of siblings interested in magic over brawn with only a few breaking that streak, Oormi was overjoyed to find another sibling who desired to master the sword. "Do you have a master yet? Have you begun training? I'd be willing to give you lessons, if you'd like," she eagerly suggested as she handed over the bag of pastries.

That made shopping for a real birthday gift for Ozriela much simpler. A good waster would probably thrill her without irritating Asp too much. The one interested in her tail would probably be happy with a furry stuffed doll of some sort, if she could discover nothing else about her. Oormi might also offer that one lessons in magic, but she wasn't really familiar with it on more than an instinctual level and wasn't sure how she'd do as a teacher. That left the other three, each of which with interests that Oormi couldn't really guess at. None of their interests were given away by their builds and spirits alone.

Well, if nothing else, she could certainly tell that all five of them loved pastries. Her new siblings were definitely a lively sort. She couldn't help but smile as she watched them devour their treats practically whole. It reminded her of the way her mother would eat after training. And then Ozriela's thoughtfulness would cause her to smile all the wider, as it too made Oormi think of her time among family in the faerie sanctuary and how her mother always ensured that her plate was full of food. Or how her mother took the same precautions with the foxgirl's only full-blooded sister, despite her sister attempting to diet. The foxgirl supposed that was a definite advantage to having a big family at least; she was never really away from home as long as they were around.

The blind kitsune would set about eating her pastry quite a bit slower than her half-siblings, unable to find it in her to refuse their insistence. Only a few bites had been taken out of it by the time her naga sisters began to explain that they'd gotten her a gift. She was unable to hide her surprise at the sudden turn of events. She really hadn't expected them to be so thoughtful or to get her anything. "You really didn't have to," Oormi started. The gesture reminded her of the birthday gift her mother had given her not long ago: a wooden sword. The whole thing made her feel a little misty-eyed. "I would've been happy enough just to meet you all. Thank you," she bowed her head in gratitude. She would have to work out something with Asp to get them their savings back quickly and without them realizing what she'd done.

Unfortunately, her hands were a little sticky for the pastry she'd been eating. She probably very quickly ruined the emotional atmosphere by demonstrating that she was, indeed, their sister and her mother's child by quickly finishing the remainder of the pastry in a number of bites that didn't even require an entire hand to count and then licking her fingers clean. Once the offending stickiness was gone she would gingerly accept present and open it with a sort of reverence usually reserved for holy artifacts.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, Aroused, Weakened, 9/27 Resistance, may or may not be about to take 11 more before the second dose of poison wears off even though that won't necessarily happen next post

5 snekbutts: Aroused

Oormi's response to her proclamation caused Ozriela to grin widely, fiercely, and there was even more energetic passion in her voice now. "Nuh uh! When I get good, you'll never stand a chance!" she said, before Oormi's question deflated her thunder and replaced it with embarrassment. Her siblings gave her sidelong glances and shifted a little away, but they didn't let on as to why and Ozriela certainly didn't seem to be having any sort of violent reaction.

"Well... No," she finally said after a brief pause. "Not yet... Mom doesn't have it in the budget to get me lessons... And we don't really know anyone able and willing to teach me anything, so I've been practicing on my own!" she said, waving her closed fist as if she clenched a sword - or perhaps the stick she was carrying around - in her fingers. she hesitated for a moment, but then ultimately seemed to swallow her pride as she hesitantly replied; "Alright... That could be cool, yeah!"

Munching on a pastry of her own, Oormi found the strawberry filling no less delicious than the blueberry, perhaps even moreso as the red berries were more naturally sweet than the blue ones from her previous taste of the baked goods that had been given to her. It made the added sweetness more balanced, and lacked the sour edge that the blueberry pastry had had at the very least. She felt more pleasant warmth spreading through her as well, a pleased feeling that now spread from her core all the way down to her toes and up to her ears. Relaxation bordering on drowsiness slipped through her as well, identical to what she might have felt if she had just had a very good meal, and her stomach certainly felt full... Even if she was getting more of those uncommon but nonetheless familiar butterflies.

Presented with a box, Ozriela would hold it out while the kitsune polished off her second pastry and then smiled worriedly as she opened the box. "Nonsense! You're our sister! We're SUPPOSED to get you presents!" The other young naga also looked on worriedly while she opened the rough wooden box, and inside was a sword...

Spoiler

Design a 200 denarii sword.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

Oormi would grin once more at Ozriela's acceptance of her offer. She considered opening her mouth to list all the formal training she'd had, but managed to keep her pride in check. Ozriela had choked back her pride to accept the offer, so Oormi would do everything in her power to avoid discouraging her sibling, and it seemed that meant especially avoiding anything that might come off as a boast. As long as her naga half-sister didn't get discouraged, the blind kitsune was confident that she could at least teach her the basics and get her on the road to really being able to teach herself.

Although, by the time she finished the second pastry, Oormi was more ready to nap than to try and do anything. Every second was making her feel stranger. Was there something wrong with the pastries? She could feel the spread of warmth and emptiness as it consumed every nerve ending in her body. Her stomach felt full, but there was a void in her that needed to be filled with something. Every small draft of air was beginning to feel like dozens of butterflies dancing across her skin. It was getting even worse than it had been on her walk back to the tavern. Her only hope to keep herself in the conversation was to focus on the gift she was receiving.

"Magnificent," she muttered without thinking as she first 'saw' the sword in its case. It was unlike any sword she'd ever laid eyes, or waves, on. The core was the same. The handle design wasn't dissimilar to a sabre's. A basket provided hand protection for the leather-wrapped grip and a small cap which barely stood out from the leather served as a pommel. A blade extended far enough from the handle to make the entire assembly around thirty-four inches. That was where the similarities ended, however.

The blade of the weapon was fashioned in the wavy pattern of a flamberge. Along that blade, staggered at irregularly on each side of it, six different branching, sharpened parrying hooks stuck out and forward, each fashioned into the fiery shape of the trunk and each ready to stab, catch swords, or cut as the wielder swung it around. There was no crossguard, and instead the wielder was reliant on the basket to keep their hand from sliding up the weapon. Together, the designer's various choices had resulted in a sword that looked like a blaze given a handle, but even that wasn't the most impressive part about it to Oormi. Her waves never touched the sword. Instead, it swallowed them up and emitted its own waves, angry flickers of orange, yellow, and white heat dancing across its surface as she looked at it in her mind's eye. It was like watching a bonfire again. It seemed to invite her to pick it up and try it out.

The blind kitsune would do just that, picking it up by the handle. To her surprise, it felt as light as a feather in her hand. It felt as if there was no weight to the weapon at all, as if it had been crafted out of illusory steel. That wasn't the case though, as she ran her finger along the flat of the blade and learned that it was very much solid. Out of curiosity at how such a large sword could be so light and yet still hard and flexible enough to take a blow, she decided to prick her thumb against one of the hooks. The mystery of it all began to unravel once she pressed her thumb into the tip and saw little specks of her spirit's essence begin to bleed away into the air. The blade she'd been gifted wasn't one intended for cutting bodies, it was intended for cutting spirits. If she wielded it, she'd never have to worry about accidentally killing an opponent so long as they weren't a succubus or otherwise unable to recharge their energy on their own. As an added bonus, the extra protection offered by the basket hilt fit her preferred fighting style better.

"This is wonderful," she praised her half-sisters as she held the sword up in front of her face. "I've never seen such an amazing sword before!" She brought the weapon in a few slow, testing arcs through the air, just to marvel at how weightless it was. "I can't wait to really test it out. I hope that my next gifts to you are worthy of this one."

Spoiler

SWORD STATS.

A one-handed longsword modified with perfect balance (25) and wound profile (25), enchanted to deal EP damage instead of HP (50) and with 2 instances of 1d8 force damage (40+60). Total: 200.

+1 attack, 2d6+2d8+1+Spirit/4 EP damage.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, Aroused, Weakened, 9/27 Resistance, may or may not be about to take 11 more before the second dose of poison wears off even though that won't necessarily happen next post

5 snekbutts: Aroused

The siblings broke out into delighted giggles as Oormi examined her gift, pleased by the kitsune's approval of what they'd gotten for her. Were she not so enamored with the ghostly blade, she might have detected the brief look of relief that crossed Ozriela's face, though the look was gone from the naga's face quickly. "Yay! She likes it!" one of them said merrily while Oormi was testing the sword, which was unnaturally light and well balanced, and the group began to trade high fives.

While she couldn't see their physical reactions at that point, as she swept her gaze across the siblings who had given her such a gift, she would detect a change in their spirits, almost a flaring. One of them yawned and stretched slowly, and a few moments later the others were making similar motions. "Soooo.... Can I... Pet your tail now?" the one who had asked earlier demanded, slithering a little bit closer to Oormi, a hopeful expression on her face. The others watched her, slithering in a little bit as well but not quite as close, awaiting Oormi's reaction.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

"Oh, sure!" The blind foxgirl gave her half-sibling permission to finally touch her tail. While the naga she shared her father with moved to accept that offer, Oormi would set the sword back in the box and place it gently on the floor for the time being, then set her sheathed scimitar on top of the box. She was going to have to figure out a comfortable way of carrying the unusual weapon on her person at some point, not to mention how to properly maintain it, but for now she just wanted to avoid the possibility of any of her sisters being cut on it as they maneuvered around the room, even if it was incapable of drawing blood.

"I'll be sure to use your gift the next time I'm in the arena," she would remark about the blade. "Maybe tomorrow we can do some training so I can get a feel for it." At that, she turned to Ozriela. "Before I forget though, you said you had a question? I've already asked one of my own, so I think it's only fair that you go next."

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, Aroused, Weakened, 9/27 Resistance, may or may not be about to take 11 more before the second dose of poison wears off even though that won't necessarily happen next post

5 snekbutts: Aroused

A delighted, eager grin spread over the naga's face as Oormi reaffirmed her position, and as the kitsune carefully put aside her new weapon followed by her old one, she would find the naga gently running her hand over the soft fur of her tail. True to their agreement, Oormi would find the naga sliding her tail up for her perusal, the scales along its surface proving quite smooth even if there was a bit of texture. She giggled happily, though if it was from the kitsune's petting or from the sensation of the soft fur running through her fingers it was hard to say. The gesture proved oddly comforting, particularly with the drowsiness and warmth now spreading further and faster than ever.

"Well... The basic question was... If that was an okay gift... Maybe I could have worded that differently! But it would have spoiled the surprise!" Ozriela replied, smiling sheepishly. She was flushed, breathing heavily, and another round of yawns spread through the naga siblings, though not through the one petting Oormi's tail. She, perhaps growing bold, opted to make use of her free hand, not only stroking Oormi's tail but gingerly moving a hand up to the kitsune's head, deftly placing her fingers such that she could gently scratch the base of Oormi's ears.

"Does that... Feel nice?" she asked as she scratched the kitsune's scalp gently, her other hand moving more slowly in turn.

"I'm sleepy," one of the others complained suddenly, to which many of the naga nodded. "Can we take a nap here? You were gonna do it anyway!" said another, grinning hopefully and sliding closer, nuzzling into Oormi slightly. "Warm..."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: Fluffy Tails (Hafnium)

The foxgirl would take advantage of the opportunity to touch her sister's tail, bringing both hands to experimentally stroke the scaly body part. It was... not really what she was expecting at all. Not really cold but not really warm, and almost as smooth as any normal flesh. She would've been a bit embarrassed to mention that she was getting more enjoyment out of her sibling's kneading of her tail than she was out of her own chance to see how a naga's tail really felt. The stroking of her tail was so relaxing though, she just wanted to doze off.

"Oh, okay," she replied almost drunkenly to Ozriela's explanation, only to suddenly gasp and seize up as she felt her sibling's hand scratching behind her ears. Oh, goddess, that felt wonderful. The sensation was to touch as fine chocolate was to taste. Her tail swished happily in her sister's hand as the kitsune recovered enough from the sudden sensory overload to unclench her muscles. Her eyes drifted shut as she murmured her response to her responsible half-sibling's question; "mhm."

"Okay.... That's fine," she assented to her siblings. Oormi was already in the process of melting toward the lap of the one scratching her ears, and ended up on her side in such a position that the naga could easily reach all of her fox-like appendages. Something about it all felt so wrong, like she should get up on her feet and fight the strange sensations brewing inside her. Her half-sister's hand was in just the right spot behind her ears though, and Oormi had long ago lost the willpower to pull away and lose those wonderful sensations. "Just, someone..." she interrupted herself by yawning. "Make sure the door is locked, please...." The blind kitsune found herself quickly dozing off into the warm embrace of sleep.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Fluffy Tail (Hafnium)

Spoiler

Oormi: HP = 80, PP = 72, EP = 15/60, Status = Fine, +12 Perception (Lesser Strength) +12 Body (Lesser Strength) Locate (Casting Couch) Clothing at 4/25 TP, Aroused, Weakened, 9/27 Resistance, may or may not be about to take 11 more before the second dose of poison wears off even though that won't necessarily happen next post

5 snekbutts: Aroused? Horny? Who knows? :3

With Oormi both melting into her half sibling's touch and acquiescent to their desire to join her in taking a nap, Oormi found all five naga slithering over the bed in short order. "Got it!" Ozriela said, hastily going over to the door but returning too late, all of her siblings having taken all of the best pots. Oormi found herself nudged over to the center of her rented bed, with two naga on either side.

Both of her legs were gently trapped by smooth, serpentine bodies, one each gently wrapping around her lower thighs and the other, farther away naga coiling their tales around her calves. While at first it was all disruptive jostling as the others tried to get into comfortable positions, Oormi soon found her tail being fondled by three hands, one from three separate naga, all of whom quite merrily ran their fingers through her soft fur in between affectionate strokes. The one who had originally asked to touch the kitsune's tail briefly found her hand partially displaced from Oormi's head as one of her sisters joined her, but soon there were two sets of fingers deftly scratching at the base of each of her ears.

"Hey! Make room!" Ozriela said, and she slithered almost directly over Oormi, using gentle handholds on the kitsune's legs and back plus the muscles of her snake half to keep herself from resting fully on Oormi's back. Eventually, she ended up hovering over Oormi's back, palms gently pushing into the kitsune's shoulder blades while her thumbs worked along the kitsune's spine. A few moments into her massage Ozriela leaned down, resting gently against Oormi's back, "mmmmm... You are warm~" The naga gently nipped Oormi on the section of muscle between her neck and shoulder, and then began nibbling on it assuming the kitsune's reaction proved positive.

At about the same time, one of the hands playing with her tail shifted down to gently grasp part of the blind warrior's bottom, kneading the soft flesh and asserting a different sort of pleasant feeling that the unfamiliar butterflies racing through her form seemed to amplify. "Soft..." The relaxing pall that had fallen over her was taking ever greater strides towards leaving Oormi in a state of perfect relaxation, the only disruption being the strange void growing in her core. The bombardment of attention from the naga was effectively causing both sensations to grow, but if she wished to ask them to stop she still had the ability to do so, even if it might not seem like she would have that potential for long. The feel of her shredded clothing on herself was probably the biggest immediate source of discomfort at that point, the ruined outfit bunching up beneath her and causing points of pressure and hardness in various places.