|
|
Post by Ossular on Mar 3, 2019 1:52:53 GMT
It was past mid-day, and Waterdeep's Trade Ward was bustling within the markets that stretched down the streets, the wagons that moved back and forth, and the general level of activity of the largest city of Faerun that Orin knew of. It had been an interesting couple of months for the warlock, but she wasn't thinking of any of that. Orin had other things to deal with at the moment.
"And who does that old man think he is, anyway?!" the eladrin woman would mutter to both herself and a cat perched on her shoulder, a long mau riding lazily on the woman's shoulders as she grumbled angrily, carrying a tin can of something in one hand with a bag slung across her body like a messenger, filled with various books and papers.
Tall, as most of her kind were, with hair of light blondes and yellows from sunflowers to canary, always in direct sunlight no matter the amount of shade she walked through, pulled back into a simple ponytail that traveled to the swell of her back. Draped over her shoulders and down the rest of her form was a set of unflattering robes with the design of a long unfurling scroll sewn into the back of a worn, dark brown robe that looked to be older than the elf herself. Underneath, at least, was enough room to still weave armor underneath the sleeves, thanks to the fact that the cloak was also about three sizes bigger than what she actually wore. According to the head cleric, they weren't allowed to wear metal armor while working in the temple. After a terribly lengthy conversation, though, they had settled for leather armor instead- it was what she felt most comfortable in, to be fair, so the cleric finally budged. Today was nice with a comfortable spring wind, so the latches of the armored jacket were open, and she was enjoying the breeze and the small spurts of drizzle that misted Waterdeep randomly throughout the mid-day. From there, a set of leather pants that tucked into a set of boots that were lined with White Fur that seemed really thick for the season.
"I'm a scribe, Lessi, not a- a simple errand girl," she'd looked to the cat. Above her left brow, a scar that ran from the edge of her eyebrow to the top of her ear, as if cut into her head by some dramatic means. The cat she was looking at gave a disinterested meow before licking her paw, staying balanced no matter how Orin moved. The cat that Tim had given her to watch had been her one friend these last several months. She looked both ways, then crossed the street after a horse-drawn wagon carrying supply crates.
"I know, right?" She imposed the other half of the conversation with the feline on her shoulder herself, apparently. "I'm supposed to be researching important things! And here I am, picking up his pre-ground instant coffee flakes instead of using my little amount of free-time on personal research! I only have just over a year, and we don't know how long this is going to take.
"Then there's the if being if this woman I barely remember would even help me, much less the effects of that kind of travel will have on however much time I have left!" the eladrin would scoff and breath, a little hot-headed today thanks to the alignment she was in, before the cat would meow again before dragging a tongue over it's paw.
"Yeah, except I haven't seen Tim the Wizard of Wizards since he handed you to me to take to-" a quick, frustrated pause- "someone I'm supposed to meet on this journey. Cause, you know, he was so precise~!" She would inhale, stopping for a couple of wagons to pass down the road she was in front of now. The cat didn't react, though Orin kept going anyway. "He could have given me a description or a name or anything. But, you know, my life has to be one big mystery."
Another disinterested meow was her response this time.
"Don't even get me started on-" as she went down her sentence, she stopped, looking around, standing up a little straighter, taking the opportunity to pat a fold out of her itchey, horribly dyed robes- "the Lady. Just... not today. Please?"
|
|
Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328 
|
Post by Citrine on Mar 3, 2019 1:57:34 GMT
The warm spring day shined down upon Waterdeep beautifully. The coastal breeze kept the temperature cool and pleasant while the sun's rays warmed the skin while standing in the sun. Not a cloud was in the sky. It was the perfect day for walking around the streets of Waterdeep, particularly the nicer streets of the Castle Ward, even more particularly the northern side of the Ward where it met borders with the The Castle Ward was beautiful, one of the most maintained, kept clean, and lush districts in Waterdeep. Flowers grew in the outdoor flowerbeds, their scent and sweetness marking the entry into the Ward no matter from what path you entered. Sculptures and other weather resistant art enhanced the feeling. Statues of prominent people from the past, stunning in their own right (especially at night, with the mage light effects cast on them) made a springtime stroll a common past time for many in the city. The quality of people here, and their dress were elevated than elsewhere in the city. Only the noble Sea Ward had a higher net worth for outfits, trinkets, and gems dripping from each and every noble, lesser and higher. Colored silks and cottons from the entire prismatic rainbow were on display. There were mostly humans and high elves as the primary demographic - no strange thing considering the most well to do buildings here, besides the castle of course, were the mage towers, libraries, crafting laboratories, and other suck 'intelligent' past times. Truthfully Citrine had only been in the Castle Ward once… at night when she'd misty stepped on top of a tabaxi named Echo in the Valley… and ended up arrested by the time the night was through. Why else would she come here? Libraries were here. Even being in close proximity to the 'tower of knowledge', for any reason, was enough to turn her wings sour. And her own personal free time? That was the worst reason of them all. It didn't help that the voice in the back of her mind, the one that sounded like Holly, kept trying to get her to go to the library. As if she was going to visit there! IF she did, she'd be manipulated by her sister's voice into reading books that Holly wanted to read. No. Fooking. Hell. No. But that didn't matter today. Today she and Thea, both dressed nicely, were walking around the wider, cleaner streets, of the Castle District. Citrine was wearing a skirt, quite short in the front, but much longer in the back. The feathers that grew around her waist, getting longer as they turned more decorative and ornate in the tail, almost looked like a skirt itself… though they didn't cover the true front. But the dark copper and red of her skirt, hiked up on both sides to be showing quite a bit of leg and thigh, did mix well with the orange, golds, and reds of her tail. On top she wore an eye-pleasing cinched corset, tucking in her sides just so to make the small bird woman seem even more slender and lithe. It was stronger, thicker cotton, more of a canvas really, but with brass decoration in the form of latches and buttons. Nautical without being sailor. Warm rich leather made up the sides and shoulder C halter, hoisting up Citrine's chest in a way that both supported and flaunted. She didn't bother wearing a shirt of any type underneath, preferring to keep her arms bare so she could feel the breeze. Plus, with a corset, it was difficult to have a shirt under that didn't pinch into her wing joints. Her hair was free of any bandana or hat, though there were more braids than usual. She had more trinkets in her hair too, a good number now glass, making the light catch the thickness of her hair and feathers even more than last spring. "Sae, where dae ye want tae 'ave lunch at Thea?" She asked her companion, the two of them pausing at the side of the street to let the flow of wagon traffic go by before foot traffic could continue. ~Meowww~
'I know right! Citrine stopped dead in the center of the road, freezing. She was mid step but for all she knew she'd turned into a statue. Her breath left her lungs, but she didn't need air to breathe. Her body went cold, then hot, then kept going somewhere in between chaotically. It felt like someone ran into her, maybe another citizen walking, maybe not. Citrine didn't care. Her soul knew that voice. A rattling deep inhale broke her out of the stupid she'd been frozen under and whipped around, eyes searching frantically. Her wings flared up and high over her head, and it smelled like several alchemist fires had been set off around them. It was so potent that others were looking around, smelling smoke but seeing no sign of a fire. The yellows of her eyes were wide, pupils dilated to slits. Blonde. Blonde. Blonde. Where was the blonde. It would have to be blonde still. Right? Frantically she kept searching, an extremely agitated posture all throughout her body. She was shaking. Tall. Tall. Tall. She'd be tall still. Right? Had to be. Shading her eyes from the high sun the phoenix tried to see better above the heights of everyone, but she was too short to tell. Armor. Armor. Armor. She'd be wearing armor still. Right? She never wore anything else, the heavier the better. Even in the cities. "Blonde. Tall. Armor." She began muttering to herself, still in her own little world. The alchemist fire smell still hadn't gone away. "Blonde Tall Armor. Blonde Tall Armor. Blonde tall armor." She was repeating herself now, over and over again, when she finally snapped back to herself again, eyes widening even more. "THEA" She now was looking for Whiteish Averageish Blue. Citrine nearly ripped Thea's nice clothing in how hard and tight she gripped the sleeve of her arm. "Thea I need to find blonde tall armor." She said incoherently, making perfect sense to her, but meaning most likely nothing to the genasi. Citrine had been struck stupid. "Orin's here somewhere!" |
|
|
|
Post by moralhazard on Mar 3, 2019 2:21:12 GMT
It was a crisp, clean, beautiful spring day. While, of late, Thea had developed a deeper appreciation for spring storms and the smell of lightning, she hadn’t lost her love of a perfect sunny morning, with a cool, teasing breeze tickling one’s senses. It was the perfect day for a walk, and the Castle Ward was one of Thea’s favorite places in the city. Today, she’d dragged Citrine to a new statue exhibit she had heard about through the glassblower’s guild.
Thea had worn comfortable clothing as well; the genasi wore a dark blue dress, with a scoop neck that on someone better endowed might have been revealing, with three quarters length sleeves. The dress gathered at the waist, tucked in tight with a broad gray belt, and swished out over Thea’s hips to reach the floor, giving her a much more feminine silhouette than she possessed in truth. She wore sturdy brown boots beneath the skirt, preferring comfort over that last little bit of glamour. As if to counterbalance the boots, Thea wore small glass twist earrings, the same deep blue as the dress, which winked beneath her mass of swaying white hair.
The exhibit had been everything Thea had heard and more. The sculptor worked in stones of colors Thea had never even imagined; she couldn’t imagine what kind of skill it must have taken to make these statues. Where possible, the sculptor had worked the stone’s natural features into the shapes, using striations to give lines and detail, rather than fighting it. That, Thea felt, was always the best approach; when one made something of glass, it was important to commit to glass as the medium, and never try to pass it off as something else. Too often, the sculptures she’d seen in the Castle Ward seemed to be trying to trick you into thinking they were human; Thea respected the skill with which they were carved, but had much preferred today’s exhibit.
“Well,” Thea began, only to look sideways and realized Citrine had entirely stopped, stock still in the street. “Rain?” Thea stopped as well, two passerbys drifting past her with faintly annoyed, superior looks on their faces.
Citrine looked – Thea had never seen her like this before. She was utterly frozen, and then – flailing, a totally new scent drifting from her wings, her eyes wide, her pupils slits. “Rain!” Thea’s voice ratcheted up, eyes wide. She didn’t think Citrine could even hear her over – whatever this was. Had Citrine used magic? Was this her wildness, coming through? Thea had a terrifying mental image of Citrine striking someone here in the Castle Ward with a lightning bolt, or – or worse – and moved close to her friend, trying hard to get her attention. A strong fire smell was seeping into the air, and that only made Thea panic more; was Citrine about to set the entire ward on fire?
After a moment, Thea realized that Citrine was mumbling aloud, although she couldn’t make the words out; she thought maybe Citrine was repeating herself, over and over, but had no idea what the words might be. “Rain!” Citrine gripped her arm so tightly Thea winced, and her eyes widened. The words clicked after a moment – blonde tall armor? And then – Thea’s eyes widened further. Orin?
The mysterious Orin who Citrine described as the love of her life? The Orin Citrine hoped to reunite with, after a century plus of separation? The Orin who was Citrine’s soul mate, her other half, the reason she was here in Waterdeep, the –
Okay, whatever. Thea could worry about it later. Thea hesitated, but – while she was a foot taller than Citrine, she wasn’t nearly tall enough to see through the crowds of people around them. Thea glanced down at her skirts, suddenly wishing that she had worn anything – anything – with pants today. Gritting her teeth, Thea pressed her legs together as tightly as humanly possible and drifted a foot straight up, winds swirling beneath her and pushing her off the ground – high enough to give her a head over the crowd, but not so high that Citrine would rip her arm off.
Blonde tall armor. Blonde tall armor. There were no women in armor as far as Thea could see – this was the castle ward! Why would anyone be wearing armor in the castle ward? But – blondes? There were plenty of blondes. What was she supposed to – how was she supposed to – Thea gritted her teeth. The tallest blonde she could see was off to the left, wearing ugly brown robes with what looked like – a cat? On her shoulders?
Thea dropped back to the ground. “With a cat?” She asked, eyes wide. “The tallest blonde I see is over here – ” Thea pointed. “Rain, I don’t – I don’t know what she looks like!” Citrine’s panic was contagious, and Thea was starting to freak out as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ossular on Mar 3, 2019 3:42:16 GMT
The cat on Orin's shoulders perked from it's lazed, disinterested stupor to look back as Orin peaked back at the mau as it yawned. Orin turned, spotting a little bit of a commotion down the street, but didn't think anything of it at the moment outside of the wagon that was now stopped. Maybe someone was hurt? Either way, it didn't concern her, so she turned back toward the street, just before Thea rose in the air.
"Right," Orin drawled in response to the cat meowing on her shoulder. The cat itself seemed a bit more awake now, looking back at the commotion behind them. "Hope they're okay. Come on, Lessi. The old man will be mad if he doesn't have his shitty coffee by three." With that, the eladrin in the ugly brown robes turned, walking across the now clear road to the other side.
"I was thinking of maybe asking the cleric for a little more free time, you know?" Orin would continue on with her previous talking point. "Get back to Holly, figure out what's going on, and then find this person I'm supposed to meet." Another cat response as Lessi stirred, sitting up on her shoulders. To that, Orin groaned. "No, you just came back from the last time you left, Lessi," the eladrin would stuff the canister into her side bag before reaching up and grabbing the cat from her shoulder, holding it to her and petting the mau as it groaned, still trying to slink from Orin's grasp.
|
|
Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
|
Post by Citrine on Mar 3, 2019 4:02:59 GMT
Citrine, not realizing she could fly in order to get a higher vantage on everything going on, fretted on the ground while Thea rose into the air. Nervously, sporadically, anxiously she paced in place. "Ah cat? Fookin' 'ell, nae Orin doesn't 'ave ah cat. She's always had ah shield." She tersely snapped back, the emotions and stress of hearing Orin's voice Orin's voice overwhelming for the phoenix.
Trilling in a dispared sort of tone she ran her fingers into her hair and pulled on her braids. "Why would ye think she 'as ah cat?" She asked, completely oblivious to the obvious fact there was no way Thea knew what Orin looked like. Hell, after all this time? She might look something different.
But how the hell was she here? In Faerun?
It shouldn't be possible. She got here from a botched ruined spell. She'd lived in this realm for going on four years now. There was no way this was possible.
…
….
……..
Had Holly not fucked up her spell?
'Honestly Rain, I told you starting 4 months, one and a half tenday, 17 hours ago, to come here to Waterdeep. But did you listen? Yes, eventually. But you fought me every inch of the way.'
No. No, no no. This wasn't happening. This was happening? Pulling more taunt on her braids she kreed again.
It felt like she couldn't breathe, and felt dizzy and sick all at once. The usually over confident, swagger filled, never experience self-doubt Citrine was having a panic attack.
She looked in the direction Thea had pointed, somewhere beyond the cart that was angry yelling at her to get out of the way. Citrine looked up to the cart driver, to Thea, to her hand, then back around - cart, Thea, hand… then started running.
It was a poor run, birds didn't really run, they sort of wobbled and bobbed. And with everyone else crowding around the streets to see where the alchemist fire was spreading? It was getting packed. She tried to shove through but was making no progress.
'You're embarrassing yourself sister, fly you imbicle. I didn't send you through the dimensional grid only for you to get caught underfoot a crowd of people and die from being stomped on.' At the reminder from either Holly, her subconscious, or actually having gone mad, the voice knocked some sense into the firebird.
Shaking herself out she went to rise into the air, only to notice that Thea had caught up to her. She met eye contact with the genasi, and Thea would see the panic, confusion, and utter 'I don't even know what to do either' contortions on her face. "Thea… ye once asked me what Aye'd dae when Aye saw 'er again…. Aye didn't think Aye'd die!" As dramatic as the statement was, Citrine did look sickly. A sweat sheen was on her face, her breathing was becoming ragged, and she couldn't stop clenching her fists.
|
|
|
|
Post by moralhazard on Mar 3, 2019 7:00:07 GMT
“I didn’t see anyone in armor!” Thea’s voice was as high-pitched as Citrine. She actually sounded out-of-breath, an extremely rare happening for an air genasi. “The tallest blonde had a cat - I - that’s all I saw!” Thea turned, looking back and forth, frantic, as if someone in armor would magically appear for her.
Citrine was panicking, and Thea felt her stress level rise equally high. She took a deep breath, breathing through the anxiety. One of them had to stay calm, somehow, and since Citrine didn’t seem like she could manage it, it would have to be Thea - somehow. “Citrine, just - just take a deep breath! Try to breathe!”
Citrine did not seem to be listening; instead of breathing she took off in an odd, lurching run in the direction Thea had pointed. Thea stood, still and half-stunned, then took off after her, easily outpacing the other woman. It was initially running and then more like pushing, Thea fighting her way through the crowd towards Citrine.
Thea reached her and Citrine turned to face her, eyes wide, pale and clammy and panic-stricken.
“Rain!” Thea grabbed Citrine’s shoulders, giving her a slight but firm shake. “Get it together! You are Citrine Redbriar, Captain of the Blood Red Rose. You’ve flown hurricanes and walked on the sea floor. You’ve survived 259 deaths at the hands of Lady Maeve! You are an incredible pain in the rear, and the best friend I could ever ask for. You spit in the face of fate every time you use magic, and use it every half minute nonetheless.”
Thea paused. “If you heard Orin here, in Waterdeep? I know you, Rain - you will search every inch of this city until you find her, and you will find her. We will find her. I promise.” Thea gave Citrine’s shoulders a small squeeze, letting go. “We will find her! But you have to breathe. Just breathe.”
|
|
Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
|
Post by Citrine on Mar 4, 2019 15:57:40 GMT
It was what she needed to get snapped out of her shock. Closing her eyes, hands reaching up to brace them on Thea's forearms, she followed the genasi's instructions and forced herself to breathe. This sort of quiet, on the spot meditation (so to speak) wasn't her strong suit. Active meditation, such as the style monks and other martial artists used was her favorite. But here, now? She just gripped onto Thea, crunched her toes against the polished flagstones of the road. And steadied herself.
She imagined she was on a ship, the gentle sway under her feet moving port then starboard, the breeze of sailing in her hair. The warm sun, encouraged by the sun she was feeling right now, was even warmer in her captured memory. One of her hands reached up during her breathing, completed ignoring the shouts and bustle of people scowling at them to get out of the damn road, to softly wrap around the ring around her neck.
Inhale
Exhale
Pause
Inhale
Exhale
Pause
Inhale
Exhale
Pause
Slowly, with each cycle, the alchemist fire receded into steam and ozone - the complementary scents of a hot summer storm bringing a slight shake to Citrine's body. Opening her eyes, seeking out Thea's, she grinned, the panic burned through just as fast as her anger tended to. A thread of wax started to weave through the mix of uncertainty and joy. "Me Captain es around 'ere somewhere Lass!" She stage whispered in a wild mix of excitement, nerves, and anticipation.
By now the phoenix itched at the ground in thrill. "Sae… ye said ye did see ah tall blonde woman? Let's gae!" She tugged on Thea's sleeve again, sculpture exhibit be damned this was more important.
Finally getting off the street, Citrine not giving the hot-headed wagon driver any indication she'd heard him at any point during her whole episode, re stepped onto the sidewalk. By now the ozone smell seemed to be everywhere around Citrine and her feathers seemed brighter than usual, especially in the sun. A just barely contained tremor was throughout her body. Never before did she think she'd ever been this excited about anything. Ever. "'Undred years… et's been o'er ah undred years." She kept musing, mostly under her breath like a whisper to herself, but audible enough for Thea to catch it.
An idea struck her then. It was hard to be airborn within the city streets, too many flag lines, poles… plus the griffen guard didn't really appreciate sharing air space. Without asking, as usual, Citrine 'popped' disappearing from standing beside Thea to reappearing on top of Thea's shoulders. Like a small child being placed on their dad's shoulders, Citrine was perched on her best friend. It was a good thing Citrine's skirt was as short as it was in front… not suffocating her friend with shirt ruffles was a bonus. Instead it now seemed like the genasi had a cloak of red and gold, especially when her wings relaxed to droop to just barely skim the ground.
Now she could see! Looking around her hawk eyes clearly and easily see over the heads of everyone else. A few dragonborn, some exceptionally tall tieflings, and a few elves. Humming, locking her feet behind Thea's shoulders so there was no way for the genasi to just dump her off her shoulders, Citrine squeezed sharply in excitement. (Though, all things considered, it wasn't a strong squeeze. She wasn't the strongest bird).
"There! Aye see who ye must've spotted. Blonde an' tall, with ah cat." The cat through her off, but the feline was taken from her line of sight at the elf? tucked the cat to her chest. "…. Really blonde." She added as an afterthought, mind processing the visual cues she was seeing with what she knew of Orin. Orin was blond, but not that blonde…. And neither had she been what looked by a quick guess an elf. But… it wasn't impossible that she would be something non human. "We need tae get close Lass, Aye need tae see 'er face tae knae fer sure."
|
|
|
|
Post by moralhazard on Mar 4, 2019 16:21:47 GMT
Citrine was just staring at her, her hands gripping Thea’s arms with surprising force, and Thea thought the smell around them was growing stronger; out of the corner of her eye she could see more than one person wince and cover their nose, and another who was glaring very intently at the two of them. But Thea’s focus was on Citrine, on her friend’s clammy pale face. “Breathe,” Thea whispered. She realized she had been holding her own breath for - well - a little while, and consciously forced herself to exhale, then inhale again, keeping her gaze locked to Citrine’s until the Phoenix woman’s eyes closed.
The seconds ticked by, interminable, and all Thea could do was force herself to keep breathing, slow and steady, as if that might somehow remind Citrine how to do it. Panic threatened, crouching at the edge of her consciousness, and Thea held it off, just breathing.
Thea didn’t know if it was her shake or her words or her breath, but it was like a little shudder ran through Citrine and she came back to life. The smell faded, the Phoenix woman let go of her collar, and this time, when her gaze met Thea’s, it was Citrine again behind those eyes - and grinning.
Thea grinned back, Citrine’s joy infectious. “She is!” She let out a little giggle, ignoring the angry mumblings of yet another group of people forced out of their way by the two. “I did! I did, I -“ Thea glanced around, suddenly unsure which way to go from here.
There was a pop with a very faint edge of burning wax, and Thea had just enough time to yelp before Citrine appeared on her shoulders. Thea choked, writhing instinctively, and felt Citrine’s feet lock into place behind her shoulders. “Rain!” Thea let out a breathless squeak, thrashing again, before giving up and resigning herself to being ridden.
From her new vantage point atop Thea - which was totally fine, just fine, Thea was absolutely fine with it - Citrine seemed to be able to spot the unusually tall blonde. Thea turned in the direction she’d indicated and actually took a step before coming to her senses.
“Then get off, and we’ll go!” Thea bucked again, planting her feet and refusing to move.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ossular on Mar 4, 2019 16:45:50 GMT
Lessi was uncharacteristically rambunctious today, even within the confines of Orin's hands and arms. Normally, the mau was, well, a cat, and while she didn't like being held most of the time, the eladrin didn't feel like letting her leave and disappear for two or three more nights, especially seeing as the bloodhound dog that sat in the temple would wake everyone up if he sensed the cat's arrival in the middle of the night- Finn had done that on more than one occasion, and it led to Orin needing to make it up with all of the other scribes and clerics.
"No- Lessi- Lessi, stop. Lessi," the warlock struggled with the cat. "We're going back to the library. You can hunt birds or whatever there."
"Mommy, mommy~!" a small child shook the dress of an older woman at the waist. The woman, carrying another child, a baby wrapped in a blanket weaved around her chest, would look down at her older child. "Look, mommy! Those two people are standing on each other~!" Orin would pick that up as she stepped past the small crowd on the same side of the street. Orin's interest picqued, and she turned around to look down the street in the same direction as the children.
Orin's eyes wouldn't see Thea, at least in any significant detail, but they would lock on to an aarakocra that could only be described as a hodgepodge of features, more human than any other aarakocra she had seen, but definitely unique, that was for sure. Maybe there was a flash mob performance? She wouldn't stop to watch for long, but there was a slowed moment that Orin would make some level of eye contact from the distance between them, locking onto the ostentatiously fashioned winged woman.
Then the cat bit her straight in the wrist.
"Thrice-Damned House of Thr- Lessi!? Th' fuck?!" Orin would turn away from Citrine, her focus now on the bite in her wrist. This- this right here- this is why she wore armor all the time- To deal with the damned cat! The eladrin woman would start taking steps away from the display, moving further down the street as she adjusted the cat to hold it more like a packed under her arm. Shaking out her hand, she hissed to herself, keeping her language to herself.
"Maybe I should find your person first," the woman in the robes grumbled under her breath.
|
|
Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
|
Post by Citrine on Mar 4, 2019 17:08:27 GMT
Thea took one step, then froze. Not designing to move at all. Stone. Solid. Unrelenting.
"Thheeeeaaaaaaaaa~" She trilled out, exasperated and pleading at the same time. She bent forward, her bird like ability to bend at impossible angles on display as she looked down from her slight higher point on her shoulders to look at Thea's face from above. "Pleaassseeeee Faodail. Aye look stupid when Aye run, and Aye can't see from the ground bein' sae short, an' the griffin Calvary 'as me on their short list o' invading their air space again - especially this close tae the Castle!" She pleaded, rambling excuses while continually glancing from Thea to frantically keep a steady watchful eye on the blonde.
She squeezed her knees, just like an equestrian rider would in order to urge a mount forward, to no avail. "Pleassseee me bonnie Lass… Aye'll owe ye ah favor!" She sweetened her trill with a rare favor owed out instead of the knack Citrine had at accruing favors from others. It was rare thing for the phoenix to give such a wide-open possibility. "Ah Grand favor even. Fer anything. Aye swear et on me Code."
The blonde turned to look their way, and Citrine froze again, from excitement and nerves, and clenched her hands in Thea's hair. "By the fookin' Sea an' Sky - et es 'er." She breathlessly exclaimed, 12 feet of wings wrapping around Thea's entire self like a cocoon and pulling tight. Her entire world went silent as she stared at her face. A face she hadn't seen in over a century. There were differences of course, a new line to the cheekbones, there were no piercings in the eyebrow, and her nose was a bit more noble and shapely looking. But it was Orin.
Only wind and waves filled her ears as they started ringing, a seeming lifetime of memories waterfalling through her mind.
"… An'…. By the Goddess, Thea, she's got handlebars now." She stated through a Cheshire wide-growing grin, her wings waxing at the implication of such modified longer ears. And with that? Citrine disappeared, showering Thea in a harmless effect of smoky vapor and citrine colored ember sparks…
… and reappeared right in front of Orin.
She breathed in deep, then choked on her words as she was utterly rendered breathless by the growing confirmations of the reality that yes, somehow, in some way, this was Orin. She could feel the aura of the woman, see how she held herself even in those god-ugly scribe robes, and notice the depths of her eyes - this was her Neach-Gaoil. Then she looked into her arms…
"Fookin' 'ell - Lessi?!" She exclaimed, not the first words she ever thought she'd say in the presence of Orin. But really it's not like she needed to introduce herself. Citrine still looked exactly like Citrine since the last time they were together. "Captain! How teh 'ell did ye get Lessi?" She looked slightly in shock at finding not just one lost beloved, but two. But she snapped herself out of it, realizing how stupid she'd just sounded when there were more important things at hand. She flared her wings and embraced the both of them as tight as she could - stepping forward to wrap her arms around Orin's lower torso (really the hip area… Orin was fricken tall) and her wings making up for the lack of height by winding around and behind the eladrin's back and shoulders - wing tips threading through her hair. The smell confirmed it, this was Orin. Without a doubt. "Neach-Gaoil" She murmured into her chest, refusing to acknowledge there were tears growing in her eyes. Her wings were nothing but the light rose scent of the mild wood polish she used to care and protect her favored violin.
She was home now. Because her Captain was back.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ossular on Mar 4, 2019 18:13:18 GMT
"Maybe I should find your person first," Orin grumbled, still shaking her wrist and hand out.
Then the winged woman appeared right in front of her.
Her heart skipped a beat, a small amount of surprise in her features, and she almost- almost- teleported away with a Misty Step of her own, but she waited. There was an awkward feeling, and right before she started to address the awkward sensation, the woman spoke, the cat's name catching her attention more than anything else. This woman called her captain, and as she extended the wings to wrap around them, Orin acted with the cat, taking the mau and lightly shoving her into Citrine's chest to keep a little more than a couple of inches between them.
"Is- is... is this your cat?" the eladrin woman spoke, looking back and forth between the cat and the bird, as if trying to make it a little more awkward. "A, uh, wizard- named Tim?- gave her to me. Said that I would come across her owner on my-" Orin would inhale, catching scents of wood polish, which brought her back to the library as weird as the connection was. She would get in trouble if she took too long to get back with the high cleric's instant coffee.
This was now weird. She had been called captain before- she had seen those memories through her trances across her reveries. She remembered hearing the words Neach-Gaoil, but it was only in conversation with the Winter Lady. There was a sense of familiarity, but she couldn't place it- and why did her chest ache? Why was her mind tripping over on itself? "If Lessi is your cat, I have some food where I'm staying- at the library. At the Temple of Oghma, in the Castle Ward," Orin half-stumbled through her sentence, taking a small step back to at least put a couple more inches between the two of them.
|
|
|
|
Post by moralhazard on Mar 4, 2019 18:51:33 GMT
“No!” Thea said, firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Rain – No! No, absolutely not, you can’t just – ” Citrine was trilling out the most impossibly long vowels, and Thea didn’t even think the phoenix could hear her over her own pleas. “No, I – ” A steady stream of excuses flowed from the phoenix above her – it was so hard to walk, she wasn’t supposed to fly inside the city, blah blah blah –
It was only once Citrine promised a grand favor that Thea groaned. It seemed like no matter what she said, Citrine wasn’t going to dismount, not if the remarkably tight grip she had on Thea’s shoulders were any indication. It was not, Thea supposed, any more ridiculous to walk with Citrine on her back than it was to just stand there.
“Fine! Okay! Fine,” Thea groaned, taking a few more stumbling steps towards the direction Citrine was staring; the phoenix’s body was turned that way so forcefully that Thea didn’t think she could have managed any other direction anyway.
Hands tangled in Thea’s hair and pulled – hard. Thea’s hair, already active thanks to the emotions surging through the genasi, protested enthusiastically, winds swirling through it as if to tug it out of Citrine’s fingers, much the same as it behaved when Thea attempted to use any kinds of hair ties or even braids. Thea took another step, then another and –
Thea squawked, plunged into darkness when Citrine’s wings closed over her like a cocoon. “Rain!” Thea felt her foot catch on a rock and stumbled, barely managing to stay standing; she felt herself brush into the person next to her and, faintly, through the wings, heard a loud yelp and an exclamation of displeasure. “Rain, I can’t – I can’t see!”
And just like that, with the smell of melted wax and a popping of sparks, Citrine was gone.
Thea finally lost her balance, dropping to her knees on the ground with a wince.
“Well I never!” There was a very offended elderly lady clutching her arm and glaring at Thea, eyes narrowed into thin slits. “I have never – never – seen such behavior from a genasi in all my life!” The old woman snapped.
Thea glanced up at her, sighed, and struggled to her feet, brushing off the skirt of her dress.
“Young lady, you will apologize to me this instant!” The old lady snapped, still holding her arm as if the brush from Citrine’s wings had somehow broken it. “Then you will take my arm, and you will – ”
“I am sorry!” Thea took a deep breath, eyes scanning the crowd. There – there! Citrine’s wings. “But I can’t stay – this is for true love!”
With a deep breath, Thea plunged into the mass of people, the normally serene and dignified genasi elbowing past whomever she needed to elbow to make her way towards Citrine, leaving a wake of indignant yelps behind her.
|
|
Citrine
Approved
6 Wild Blooded Sorcerer+ 1 Celestial Warlock
Posts: 328
|
Post by Citrine on Mar 4, 2019 19:21:38 GMT
Space was made between them by Orin stepping back, then again, and again - Khalessi being shoved towards her. It … what… it didn't make sense. Why was Orin sounding…. so… not …. happy? Confusion spread through her features, questions dying in her throat as an awkward sensation settled over the reunion. Her wings were still wrapped around the blonde, though they started to slump lightly - a weird sort of hover-wing effect going on.
"Errr, aye." She answered about the cat, mind awhirl. A strange sort of panic was again starting to creep up her spine as the homecoming took a turn towards the rocky shoals. Citrine didn't notice, but her hands started to shake as Lessi purred and rubbed her face against the birdfolk's chest, then more insistently when Citrine did not respond by a scratch behind her ears. ~mearow~.
The scent of smelling salts, with their shocking ammonia smell, began to curl through the smell of the rose-infused wood polish. "… Lass…. Orin… are…. Are ye alright?" She asked, voice jagged and cracking as the panicking thoughts of something bad having happened to Orin - or even worse… this wasn't actually Orin and somehow she had been longing and missing her better half for long she had actually gone mad and was overlaying her memories onto someone else who happened to look like Orin.
Citrine was starting to frantically look over Orin, taking in all the details she could. Green eyes (that was new) height (she'd gotten taller), scar of her face (new as well… replacing the one she'd had before), blonde hair (stunningly blonde at that) and a sort of aura around her she couldn't quite place but wanted to discover more about. Despite the differences, it was her. The way her shoulders were held. The twist of her mouth as she stared back with a confused expression on her face. Just… the essence of what made Orin -Orin- was present. Even if nothing else matched up. "Ye... ye name es Orin, aye?" She asked, as stupid as it felt to do so. But she just wasn't responding like she thought she would, she had to.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ossular on Mar 4, 2019 19:44:27 GMT
Orin looked down to the avian woman as she took hold of the cat. Lessi did seem to purr in recognition, and whereas Citrine didn't respond with a scratch behind the mau's ears, with a long reach, Orin did before the scent of ammonia became to pierce through the wood-polish. An eyebrow perked as her eyes darted away from Citrine for a moment, looking to see if the cargo in the wagons on the street next to them had carried anything to explain the smells on the winds she was currently perceiving.
Then... this woman said her name.
A yellow flag of caution was brought in Orin's features, taking another step back. Something wasn't right here, and while not the most insightful person, Orin could read the woman before her well enough. The cracking voice. The panic across her face. The wings pulling back a little bit. So... this woman knew her name. "Be wary who you believe." Lady Susan had been right, and having found out that Orin couldn't trust anyone, even Lady Susan herself, the point still stood. Was this just another one of the Winter Lady's tricks? Was this a set-up? Something to get through to her, to manipulate her- again?
Even still, though, Orin couldn't cause much of a scene here. "I- yes?" Orin would read the confused expression. "Yes-" more composed now, as the elvish should be- "my name is Orin... but I don't remember introducing myself. Just- who are you?" Orin would say, as politely as she could, but then close her eyes and take a slightly frustrated breath, nostrils flaring.
"I- I need to get back to the temple, excuse me," Orin would exhale. With the woman's wings, though, it'd be awkward to step around, and as her ears went flat as she focused. Looking over the woman, the eladrin, in similar fashion, would become a white-silver mist, and a wind would mist over Citrine- one scented with the frost of Winter- before appearing about thirty feet behind her. "I'm glad you found your cat," Orin called back before starting to walk down the street, her bitten hand reaching to pull the strap of the bag over her shoulder more, the light of summer partially muted with the conflicted confusion that was now cycling through her mind and chest.
|
|
|
|
Post by moralhazard on Mar 4, 2019 19:56:38 GMT
Thea kept her gaze fixed on the distant points of Citrine’s wings as she moved through the crowds, at least until they dropped out of sight. At that point, Thea tucked her head down a little, and plowed forward, stepping on two feet, elbowing one man who looked very discomfited, and generally just refusing to stop until she made it out of the square, stumbling to a stop with Citrine right in front of her.
Thea expected – she wasn’t sure what she expected. She expected a reunion so tender it would make her blush, plus, from Citrine’s comment about handlebars, she thought that it would probably be inappropriate for her to watch for more than a moment. She expected to confirm that Citrine had been reunited with Orin, then promptly flee to give the two of them some much needed privacy.
She didn’t expect to see Citrine cradling a cat – the same cat? Thea hadn’t really seen it for more than a second, it was very hard to tell - and smelling strongly of wood polish, staring as a very tall and thoroughly blonde elf walked away.
“… Rain?” Thea whispered. She felt her own mood come crashing down with miserable abruptness, and couldn’t even begin to imagine how Citrine must be feeling. Hesitant, she stopped forward, touching her friend’s arm with two fingers. “Is it – it’s not her?”
Had it just been… some random blonde stranger, who had happened to give Citrine a cat? That answer didn’t really make sense to Thea. Why would a stranger give Citrine the cat? But – but what else could it be? It made more sense than…
Unless…
Unless Orin was more like Dom than Citrine had hoped? Thea felt a lump rise in her throat. What if the reason Citrine hadn’t been able to find Orin was that, well, Orin didn’t want to be found? A hundred years! Who could know how they would feel a hundred years from now? Yes, Citrine had held on, but what if Orin… well… hadn’t? Was that why it had been so hard for Citrine to find her? Was that why the woman they had thought might be Orin was walking away even now? Thea’s heart ached just to think of it, and she swallowed, hard, working at the lump in her throat. Thea had had her own doubts, but Citrine – she had trusted Citrine’s vision of her and Orin, had never expected anything less.
“What happened?” Thea asked, softly, not wanting to guess any more.
|
|
