2017-06-28: Spice and Cat

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  • Log: Spice and Cat
  • Cast: Catenna, Cyre H. Lorentz
  • Where: Lacour Adventurer's Guild
  • Date: June 28, 2017
  • Summary: Two Medium-holders get to know each other. One reveals his incredibly cute secret.


<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna opted to stop over at the Adventurer's Guild this time. Lacour's a pretty big city and she didn't see any advantageous places outside of it to set up her tent. Not only that, she's got to stick with Jacqueline, the Lunies, Ethius and Kourin now, or she won't make much of a teammate.

The tournament's going on but, having given Lunata her advice, she's opted not to watch any matches that don't involve her friends, finding the whole thing to be a little barbaric. Instead she's found herself a spot out in the courtyard. There's some fighting training going on, but Catenna's task is somewhat more mundane: She's sorting through a selection of supplies she's picked up. Some of it is food but there are other elements, like several bolts of cloth, some light armour, a supply of heal berry-related potions, and the last one she checks out. Namely, a box of shells for her shotgun, which rests to her side.

It rests to her side because she's sitting on a bench, with one leg crossed over the other.

That's easy to see because at the moment, Catenna is not in her priestess robes. She's in a pair of knee-high boots with heels, a leather vest that seems a bit snug on her, and - of course - the infamous shorts.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"You know, when I said I was a lucky guy, I didn't figure it'd be /this/ lucky."

The voice is unmistakable. There's a man in a hooded cloak sitting on a nearby crate. A staff nestled into the crook of his arm and the side of his neck, and a pair of golden eyes peek out from under fluffy tufts of stark, white hair. "Nice to see you again, and so soon! I was just swinging in to see about freshening up a few travel supplies. Looks like fortune's on my side today."

Especially since she's wearing... The shorts.

It is a good day to be a Cyre.

"You're not watching the tournament? I guess that kind of thing gets old if you get too much of it. Bloodsport only goes so far, even when there's no actual blood involved."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

It turns out Cyre got what he wanted after all.

Catenna gasps at the sound of the voice, sitting up sharply and blinking as her gaze snaps towards the source of the sound, only to find the caramel-skinned catboy perched atop those boxes. Her own darker complexion is briefly deepened by a rosy flush, her hands tensing around the box of shells. Then she glances to one side, her legs shifting against each other as she clears her throat. "My robe needed a cleaning," she explains, her voice low and a little pinched with embarrassment. "Perhaps it is luck, or... ah... the cycle of laundry."

The more serious question leaves her lowering her eyes for a moment, then looking up once more. "Lunata's next fight is not for some time," she explains. "And the other fighters are mostly people I do not know well. And I am not a fighting person, to be truthful."

She shrugs. "I am more one to support others than to battle myself... and bloodsports seems awfully... painful, for little gain, to me."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Ahh, I'm sure they all have their reasons," Cyre answers, his legs kicking casually into the air from where they dangle at the box's edge. "Some probably fight because they want to test their mettle, others are doing it for fame and fortune, and I'm sure others just enjoy fighting. Then there're the ones like Lunata, but she's kind of a special case."

There's a beat as his eyes scan Catenna's expression. And the rest of her, but in that subtle, fleeting kind of way that is terribly hard to catch, especially when there's a hood and some hair involved. "Laundry is a cruel mistress indeed. It's hard enough to travel with enough to get by for several days, but maybe it's even more difficult for you? You know, with the robes and all. The hem probably gets all kinds of filthy throughout the day."

"Well, anyway. I'm not one for these kind of fights either," Cyre sniffs, glancing away, then, and towards a host of trophies and stuffed beasts set up on the far wall. "You don't really get anything out of it aside from the fight-- or the prize, if you win. If not, you're kind of out of luck."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"I do not begrudge anyone who wishes to fight," Catenna says with a slight dip of her head. "And I will support Lunata, of course... as she is, yes, a unique case. This is part of her journey. I would not want her to miss out on it, unless she chooses to."

And then Cyre's eyes dart over her; she doesn't see him looking further down, but it's not like there's much hidden when he does. Clering her throat, she adjusts the hem of her vest. It's a little short, much to her irritation. "There are only so many robes I can carry, yes. One must at times make do with... other things." Her hand sweeps through the air as if to indicate her current outfit. "Like this."

Then she flicks back a few locks of har and lets out a low rush of breath. Setting aside her shells, she comes to her feet. Her heels click against the flagstones as she moves to stand near Cyre, close enough to talk.

"I am glad we agree on that," she says with a hint of a smile, reserved and polite. "And it is... pleasant to meet another who is attuned to the Guardians, as well."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Don't think of it as making do! You've got nothing to be ashamed about hiding, you know. This--" Cyre gestures vaguely in the direction of That Outfit. His cadence is... unrepentant. Utterly lacking in anything even vaguely resembling shame. "This might be a bit tight in some places," Like the chest, for example. "But everywhere else looks to me to be more than fine."

Or maybe he just likes having legs to look at.

Possibly both.

He grins as she approaches. At the very least, they won't have to talk over anyone. Also, she's walking, which for very thoroughly elaborated reasons is just fine in Cyre's book.

"You don't really run into many of us out here, huh?" Cyre says, then, one ear twitching slightly inside his hood. "We're kind of uncommon these days, especially travelling around like this. Though I guess most of the old timers would rather sit around doing Priest Stuff than going out to see the world."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

The way Cyre grins at her like that throws Catenna just a little. Her cheeks colour again as she glances down at herself, then off to one side, her arms folding loosely under the curve of her bosom. "One wonders if you make that observation in point of fact, or if you say that to all the girls," she murmurs with a hint of chiding in her tone, though it's not unkind or bitter - just a mild riposte more than anything.

She inclines her head at his question, eyes turning back to Cyre again. "Not here. Even among my own people... most are not close to the Guardians. I am unusual for being so." She shrugs her shoulders and admits, "It is more common for the Zortroa to have a special relationship with a wild beast than with a Guardian."

Thoughtful eyes drift across Cyre, seeming to search him a little. "...One wonders where it is you come from, then. I know little about you, Cyre H. Lorentz. And I am curious."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Ah, nah. I'm a pretty simple guy, you know. I call it how I see it. If it wasn't true, I wouldn't say anything," Cyre chuckles, leaning forward to rest his chin on a fist. "And if I didn't like what I was looking at, I wouldn't watch. See? Simple."

His hood seems to tent at either side as Catenna continues. It seems something she's said has caught his interest, or maybe this is just what happens when he's having a conversation with just one person. "Beasts, huh...?" Cyre asks, canting his head. "And are those mutually exclusive, or do you have a beasty friend wandering around somewhere too?"

There's a pause, then, as she asks where he comes from. Hesitation? Discomfort? Or is he just trying to find the words. "Well. Wehaca Village is a pretty sleepy town full of pretty sleepy people. It was boring, so I left." Cyre shrugs. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to know?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Then I am, at least, glad that you enjoy what you see," Catenna says, her voice still quiet. There's a bit of a shyness to it in the way she diverts her eyes away, her cheeks still rosy as she touches a hand to one of them. "Though I should hope it is not all that you are interested in."

When her eyes divert back, she blinks slowly as she watches the way the man's hood peaks like that. For the moment she sets her curiosity to one side. The question, though, throws her off, enough that she clears her throat, covering with a muted smile. "I have no such companion, and I have not for some time... though perhaps it will happen again, someday." There's a simple, staid hopefulness to the way she says it.

As Cyre hesitates like that, Catenna offers up a few words of encouragement: "Please do not be uncomfortable. I am also from afar... I will not judge you, wherever it is you are from."

Her shoulders rise, then settle again - a slow shrug. "You said you had trained for a long time to receive your Medium... how did it come to be passed down to you?"

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"A feast for the eyes soothes the soul, but a feast for the mind nourishes it," Cyre chimes from atop his Stack of Boxes. One has to wonder if he's up there for a reason. Maybe he just likes high places? "Don't you worry, if the conversation wasn't interesting, I wouldn't be having it."

The contents of Cyre's hood shift uncomfortably as the subject continues to turn towards his distant home town. Finally, the priest sighs and sags back a little bit. "It's not judgment that bothers me. Home is just... Mmn."

He shakes his head, "Well. I can tell you that much, I guess. It's like I said before, I was born into it. When I came into the world, the shamans took one look at me and said 'this child is blessed by Fengalon. He must be trained to fulfill his destiny!' As for why--" He shrugs, tucking his hands into the lip of his hood and drawing it back. A pair of fluffy, triangular ears flick meaninglessly in the fresh air as a long, thick tail uncoils from its hiding place somewhere under his cloak. The tip curls and uncurls rhythmically on his lap. "You see? Born into it. Or so they said."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"How philosophical of you," Catenna murmurs with a little dip of her lashes, though again, her tone's not unkind. Her eyes are rather on that wiggling hood.

Cyre pushes his hood back, and immediately Catenna's clear grey eyes light up as if the full moon had risen, even as her expression otherwise remains reserved. Her fingers twitch ever so slightly but she's able to still them by buckling down mentally on a stray thought.

The thought might be 'want to scritch.'

"I suppose that would explain it," she says, otherwise showing no sign that she's bothered by the fact that her flirtatious friend has a pair of big ol' kitty ears and a tail. If anything the barriers behind her eyes seem to go down by a layer or so. The smile she offers Cyre is soft, and a little wider than before. "Do you hide them because you fear others will judge you for them?" she asks. "If that is your worry... then I must let you know that my opinion of you has not changed. Our blessings all take different forms, after all."


<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Finger twitch, check. Eye-sparkle, check. Cyre knows this look. It takes him maybe half a second to identify Catenna as... A cat-person. Not like he is, of course, but in the sense that she would probably keep something upwards of six kitties at home if she could afford it.

Probably.

"Ahahahaha, yeah. Back home, if you're born like I am, it's considered a sign. So, you know," he gestures, "I ended up being trained basically the moment I could walk around on my own, and they shoved a medium onto me as soon as it looked like I wouldn't lose it somewhere." Another shrug. "It's tradition. They want to get you used to it early, so that you can get right into the business when you're older."

There's a beat. His grin draws back into a mischevious little smirk. "Oh, no, that's not it at all. I mean, sure, there are some assholes who see a beastman and think they're subhuman. Mostly it's the kids." He gestures vaguely at his tail. "If I don't hide these, chances are that some kiddo's gonna think it's fine to grab at them, and that's not exactly the most comfortable thing when you're out and about trying to go on with you day. Adults are mostly fine; self-control comes with maturity and all that."

"Not that I don't LIKE people rubbing them, just..." Ear-flick. "Not just anyone, you know?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Cats are nocturnal creatures. Catenna is a nocturnal creature. It fits her paradigm.

Clasping her hands together, Catenna nods back to Cyre seriously. "Then we share, at least, a bond of tradition. I was my mother's chosen heir. Though...." Here she tilts her head to one side. "It was a more open choice for us, as I do not have, ah... such visible signs as you do. But you seem to have made the most of it, in any case."

Then the cat-eared man smirks at her. Catenna widens her eyes ever so slightly but it passes. She clears her throat. "...You have had children grabbed them? I can imagine that being... awkward," she murmurs. Her accent has softened just a little. Again, though, her eyes flick to the ears, then down to the tail, then back to meet Cyre's gaze. Slender arms cross under the slope of her bust, her feet shifting just a little.

"Then the privilege of rubbing your ears is reserved for special people, then? Are they... as sensitive as those of any cat?"

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"You know, I don't actually know," Cyre answers after a thoughtful humm. "I've tried asking a few cats if they can relate, but all they do is meow at me until I feed them or leave. Cats aren't exactly good conversationalists."

"But if you're asking if they're sensitive, then... Uh, yeah, a little bit." Cyre glances furtively away. He may be blushing. "When other people touch them, it's, like... Your brain gets all fuzzy, and all you want to do is find a nice warm spot to lay down in. It's not, like, some kind of awful overriding compulsion, but... You know?"

Cyre has a cat brain.

Or at least part of his brain is cat.

For... For better or for worse.

"I don't like getting that... That way around anyone except the people I trust," he explains, then. "Like, trust a lot. Special people is right. For all I know someone might just keep rubbing at them, and then I don't even know what would happen."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Present company excepted," Catenna murmurs at the mention of the conversational talents of cats. She does not smile, but those incredibly pale grey eyes glitter with a subtle spark of something just the slightest bit... playful.

Then Cyre blushes and makes his admission, and a tiny, internal part of her is incredibly charmed. She unfolds her arms and clasps her hands together at about waist level. "I can understand that. There are certainly people who would... ah, take advantage of it. Fortunately I do not know many such people who would have so few scruples... but it is... better to be cautious." As she speaks, she shifts her weight just a little; the woman's legs brush together slightly, one heel settling back against the flagstones with a soft click. "It does sound like a... pleasant experience, when someone special does it."

Again Catenna's eyes lift to the ears. There's a little corner of her thoughts that is imagining it.

She smiles. The hint of colour in her cheeks hasn't gone away. "Is there someone special to you?" she asks. "Or did you come from your village alone... to pursue whatever it is you wish to pursue?"

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Cyre quietly observes Catenna's reaction to his... embarassing revelation. He can see it in her, under the shifting hips and the glowing blush and the wringing hands. There's something there; a familiar notion. 'I want to pet this adorable animal.' That thought is impossible to miss once you've seen it enough.

Cyre chuckles, shaking his head. What can you do? And his hair DOES look very fluffy. To run your hands through it would be--

"It is, but I haven't had someone like that for a long time." He shrugs, then, glancing back up and away, towards the rafters of the guild hall. "No, I left alone. The village is in good hands, and I felt... The urge to travel. The wind was blowing, you know? I had to go, I could feel it in my bones." Or that's what he tells himself, anyway. Maybe Fengalon does have a plan, or maybe... He's just going with the flow...?

Hmm.

"How about you? Anyone... Significant in the life of Catenna the Wandering Moon Priest?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

It's not all fondness for cute cats. At the most basic level, the Zortroa are beastmasters, attuned to the monsters and animals of the wilderness they've been driven into. That's not untrue for Catenna, even though she lacks such a companion.

Her hands slide together, fingers weaving with each other in a loose clasp as Cyre explains himself. "It can be a lonely journey, to follow the Guardians," she murmurs. "You went where you felt the breath of Fengalon taking with you, even if you were not aware of it at the time. Or perhaps he has breathed with you. It is not always a sacred mission, after all... but sometimes, a choice." The priestess's smile takes on a quiet, wistful note.

Cyre's question isn't unexpected, and it leaves her closing her eyes and smiling a more subdued smile, faint and dignified but with a sadness to it. "No. I was... not widely accepted in my village. Most Zortroa have a familiar, an animal or monster whom they are fond of... I was never good at that, though for a time I did have such a familiar. It was... too brief."

When she turns her eyes to Cyre again, she finds his gaze. "...We seem to have walked similar paths, in some ways. You are far from home, just as I am."

That sadness is gone from her smile as it returns, tentative, but quietly warm. "But... if nothing else, you have companions and friends here."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Sure, something like that," Cyre agrees with a harmless flick of the ear. "Wherever the wind blows, I go. That's how it is when you've got Fengalon in your ears, right?" And not at all for any other reason. Nope. Just the call of the gods. "And it's not always lonely. I get to meet all kinds of interesting people, see all sorts of things that I'd never get to see if I just sat around all day, right?"

Besides, travel is way more interesting than some old Baskar town in the middle of nowhere.

Cyre's expression falters ever so slightly at Catenna's answer, then. So that's how it was. "I see," Cyre says, his voice losing most of its usual playfulness. "Losing a friend like that ain't ever easy. Though..."

He humms again, leaning back to rest his weight on his elbows and the crate beneath them. "An animal or a monster, huh...? Hmmm. I wonder..."

Wonder... What?

Hmm.

"Ah, well, it's true anyway. We're both out in the world, huh? All adrift except the people we meet and the friends we surround ourselves with. The wilderness isn't so lonely if you look at it like that."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"I wonder though," Cyre murmurs, canting his head to one side. "If your people take beasts as familiars... Has anyone had a beastman before?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"I can imagine so. There are times when I wish I could be so carefree as the wind," Catenna muses with a wistful little smile, unfolding her hands and lifting one to chase back a few strands of thick, dark hair. They end up tucked into the lock she wears draped over her shoulder, a couple of bangles caught in it.

"Elru was lonelier," she admits. "Most of it is controlled by the Strangers... a race that dwells north of us, and has taken most of the cities of men. I believe they are sometimes called Veruni in these parts, though... I have seen none, yet."

He doesn't need to know about Ambrosius. Ambrosius is alone, after all.

Her hand falls again; she brings it to rest at one hip, the other resting freely at her opposite side. "Fortunately, I have found friends who are kind and welcoming at heart. I was happy that Jacqueline invited me to go with her, and Lunata as well--"

Cyre asks something truly remarkable.

The catboy gets the privilege of seeing Catenna blush deeply, widening her eyes and drawing in her breath in a little gasp that gets muffled as she cups her hands over her mouth. Her shoulders come up just a bit. "O-oh dear," she breathes, letting her hands fall, but dipping her eyes, then lifting them again, her tone taking on a hint of a nervous tremor. "Ah... I don't... know if it... that is... ah... perhaps it is... doable, but... ah.... oh dear...."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Oh-ho.

Oh-ho-ho-hoh.

Another unmistakable expression. Cyre's lips curl up at the corners, his eyelids falling half-way over a mischevious gaze. He pushes forward, slinking languidly down the stack of boxes, until he's spread out over a much more nearby crate. "Huhhhh. It looks like you're thinking about something interesting."

His ears flick curiously. His tail twitches in the air behind him. He's the very image of a cat at play. "Nyahahaha, could it be that you're thinking of..." He smirks, "Me?"

There's a beat, before Cyre suddenly pushes up and leans back, falling into a position that's significantly less... Whatever that was. "Oh! I should probably tell you. Jacqueline invited me along too, so it looks like we'll be seeing plenty of each other." Cyre grins like what just happened NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED. "Plenty of time to swap stories, eh?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Cyre H. Lorentz is the worst man alive, and the worst part is that Catenna still likes him.

As Cyre moves to drape himself over the crates, Catenna is just in the process of lowering her hands - but then come those catlike mannerisms, and Catenna once again cups her hands over her mouth and blushes a hot blush. But there's more. Muffled behind those hands is--

"ee-"

She chokes off the beginnings of the squee. Her eyes are wide with embarrassment as she stares at the lounging catboy. Her fingers twitch - and then it's over and he's sitting back up, and she blinks, still absolutely aghast at herself for reacting just so.

Is... is this flirting? Does he do this for all the women?

The bombshell follows, and Catenna clears her throat, inhaling and adjusting her collar, only to remember she's wearing the vest and the collar is much lower. She settles for tightening her laces and shaking her hair out with a quick flick of her head, doing her best to restore her dignity - but she's still blushing furiously. "Jacqueline had not told me yet, no," she says simply. "But I am glad you are traveling with us. You seem to be... a good man."

One hand touches to a flushing cheek as she lets her guard slip just enough to murmur a mild, "I should wonder if you wiggle your ears for all the girls you meet, or if it is just me."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Is it flirting? Is it just Cyre indulging a part of his brain that otherwise gets extremely vocal about not being paid attention to? It's a mystery. But it's probably flirting.

Aw. She squeaked, too.

Cyre grins innocently, even though his heart is ANYTHING BUT. There is nothing but darkness in that soul. Nothing but mischief in that will. Neither will complain about laces being tightened anywhere. "Yeah. It'll be a lot easier than going by foot or trying to hitch-hike my way west. And besides, it lets me keep an eye on some of my favorite people."

His ears twitch.

He caught that.

"Only for the ones I think are really cute," Cyre says with an almost... casual air. Like this is just another part of Being Cyre. Just like sometimes being the worst kind of person. "And especially the ones that get all flustered when I do. Has anyone ever told you that you're extra cute when you blush?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Cyre H. Lorentz, you are a terribly wicked man, do you know that?" Catenna huffs as her blush comes roaring back. She cups her cheeks in her hands and looks off to one side. As indignant as she sounds, though, there's no actual unkindness behind the words - just a mild chiding.

Her lips come together for a moment. Thoughts swirl behind those pale grey eyes. When finally she looks back to Cyre, though, the indignation is gone, though the blush lingers. "...I look forward to traveling with you, then. And to learning who your favourite people are," she murmurs. "It is late, though... and I should retire."

Once again, her hands fall, giving her laces another small, tightening tug. Just an idle gesture, of course.

Those pale eyes nevertheless sparkle slightly as she finds Cyre's gaze again. "Perhaps we should talk again soon," she suggests, voice quieter.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Ah, your words wound me," Cyre clutches his chest and sags back dramatically into a crate. "Even if they are utterly true." He laughs and spreads his arms, draping them over a pair of adjacent crates. "But I'll only apologize when you stop enjoying it."

Because that is the mark of the true devil-in-flesh.

"Of course," the cat-shaman chuckles. Definitely just an idle gesture, that tug, yep. "Whenever you like, my ears are always ready."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"I will make sure to treat them with the respect they deserve," Catenna assures Cyre with a little bow of her head. "And not scratch behind them for overlong. Until then, be well, Cyre." With a neat smile, she turns to move off.

Her pace is a little slower; she walks away from Cyre and stops to begin collecting her supplies, sliding them into her pack. The last thing she does is bend shallowly at the waist to pick up her shells, then straighten to rest her shotgun over a shoulder.

She looks back over her shoulder. Quiet grey eyes hold on Cyre for a second before she turns to walk off towards wherever it is she's chosen to stay tonight.