Business as usual

[Anonymous]

Ari scowled irritably as she wandered along the slightly busy streets of Zantaric. Some bright spark of a lord had decided that it would be a good idea to let his loud mouthed daughter roam the streets with a bloody great big diamond around her kneck. The temptation alone had been too much for the young shapeshifter to bare. So, in order to better transfer the diamonds ownership, Ari had shifted into a rather tall male form and had followed the young lady.

Everything had been going so well.... right up to the point when the girl had screamed.

Ari had high-tailed it as far away from the girl as quickly as possible, shifitng her form as many times as she could without actually destorying her clothes. For the moment the girl and her father were searching for a tall young man who in no way resembled Ari. Unfortunately Ari had dropped the diamond as she fled leaving it for some other thief to find. She'd been hoping to trade it in for quite a large sum of money with her regular buyer.

Unless she found that damn diamond or stole another expensive gem, she's have to resort to pickpocketing the money for her dinner. Personally Ari hated pickpocketing. It generally meant a lot of un-necessary shifting, and last time Ari had overdone the shifting she'd been out of it for five days.

WIth a sigh and a little effort, she shifted back into her normal form. Avergae looking Arinushka Bedoya. For a moment Ari debated whether or not she wanted to make her hair longer, before deciding to leave it in its usual short state. It would be better for her if people didn't realise she could change her shape.

She lifted the hood of her cowel down, revealing her normal face and continued searching for her lost diamond.

[Anonymous]

The giant black cat had been navigating the streets boredly until he heard the scream. At last. Something worth while. Not that Nathair had any interest in rescuing the damsel in distress. After all, he was a giant demonic cat. No one wanted to be rescued by a black cat with red eyes and the symbol of an ankh on his chest, even if the cat in question considered himself civilized and open. Why did they think he liked to eat humans, anyways? He wondered as he padded on soft, black paws towards the sound.

His dark eyes found the thief, a mysterious someone. Interesting, the cat thought, and tail raised high, bounded after the figure silently. Nathair crouched in the corner and blinked with something akin to wonder as the someone changed their shape Was he/she a demon, like his own father had been? Or one of those considered the Gentry? Maybe life was interesting after all.

Crouching in a corner, the cat saw everything. A young humanling, with short hair. Of course, she was a shapeshifter... He greeted her silently, Lost something, my pretty maid? Nathair preferred to think that his accent was "sophisticated". He rolled his rs, added a slight hiss to his sibilants, and had an undercurrent of a purr to his vowels. Showing, of course, that he was not a savage. After all, his father was a demon!

[Anonymous]

Lost something, my pretty maid?

Ari spun around, expecting to find someone standing behind her. She was surprised when she saw nobody was there before she even though to look downwards. She stepped backward sslightly as she took in the sight before her.

A giant, black, evil looking cat. It had to about the size of your averge boarhound, and those were bloody big dogs. Supressing the urge to turn around and flee Ari drew herself to her full height.

"Actually I'm looking for something a friend of mine dropped. A rather large diamond that used to belong to her dearly departed mother. She's rather fond of it" Ari replied sweetly, the lie coming easily to her. She spoke with a slight northern accent but it was hardly noticable.

[Anonymous]

Nathair gave an amused purr. Just because he was a cat didn't mean he was stupid. And anyways, he was only 1/3 cat. Nevermind that his fther courted his mother in the form of a demon. Scared, was his pretty maid? How amusing. How diverting. If she were a female catling in heat, then he definitely would court her.

He looked at her with amused red eyes, although unless she was adept at reading cat expressions she probably wouldn't be able to tell. No doubt. He gave a small, almost-human, mental chuckle. She was such a sweet liar. Nice try, dear. I can smell the fear coming off you and the slight quaver in your voice. Actually, that was a complete bluff. His paternal ancestors might have been able to, but Nathair himself didn't have that skill. And her voice was definitely not quavering.

He flicked an ear at her nonchalantly, and hoping to surprise her, spoke aloud, revaling pale fangs. "Darling, I believe that it is a custom here to introduce yourself. Otherwise, you would be impolite. And I absolutely despise rude people." He yawned, giving her an excellent view of his teeth...to inform her just what he might do if she didn't meet standards. "And don't bother running." he commented. "I have four legs, you have two."

[Anonymous]

No doubt. Nice try, dear. I can smell the fear coming off you and the slight quaver in your voice.

Ari raised her eyebrow at this. She knew for a fact her voice hadn't quavered, she would have heard it otherwise. It was something that came with being a shapeshifter, you knew when your voice did something it shouldn't. SHe was about to vocalise her doubt when the cat spoke to her aloud.

"Darling, I believe that it is a custom here to introduce yourself. Otherwise, you would be impolite. And I absolutely despise rude people."

Ari blinked, trying to ignore the little warning bells going off in her head. The cat had just spoken to her! Cats were not meant to be able to do that. He yawned, giving the young shapeshifter a good look at his teeth.

My, what sharp teeth you have.... she thought bemusedly to herself.

"And don't bother running. I have four legs, you have two."

That snapped Ari out of her reverie. All she had to do was touch him and all that could be changed.

"That fact can be easily remedied you know" she replied sweetly. She wandered over to him, squatting in front of him so she was face to face with him. She grinned at him, looking quite friendly despite her dirt streaked face.

"As for introductions, all you need to know is that people know me as Ari"

She cocked her head slightly, a mischevious grin crossing her features as she watched him. She was ready to shift and escape at the drop of a hat, but for the moment she was content to just watch this big cat.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I told you my name, so in all fairness I should know yours..."
[/i]

[Anonymous]

Nathair watched the girl with more-than-usual amusement. What was life but a game? Well, maybe it was a bit more than a game, but the principles were still the same. Obey the rules, or don't.

He loved entrepeneurs and risktakers, those who made the rules instead of played by them. She was one of those, obviously. And daring, too. It took guts to squat in front of him. After all, some large cats liked to grab humans by the head; Nathair wasn't one of those, of course. A good swipe at the neck was so much more efficient. Neater, too.

Nathair purred at her, rumbling deeply in his chest. "I am not fair. You are not fair. Is it fair that you stole...excuse me..." he continued mischeivously, blinking serene red eyes(as much as red eyes could be serene) at her. "...are helping your poor friend search for a misplaced diamond? I assume that it...I mean, she...will line your pockets finely."

He added, But if you insist... Still in the same mood, he told her a translation of his nickname, You may call me Kitten. Nathair gave the equivalent of a cat-smile.

[Anonymous]

"I am not fair. You are not fair. Is it fair that you stole...excuse me...are helping your poor friend search for a misplaced diamond? I assume that it...I mean, she...will line your pockets finely."

Ari resisted every urge to scowl at him. What was it with people this far south and being so bloody patronising? By Odo she'd never had to deal with this at home. At least on Karros people did things subtly, well subtly enough that you had to dig through layers of meaning before you got to what someone was actually saying.

But if you insist... You may call me Kitten.

Biting back a chuckle, Ari consdered the creature in front of her. He had a splendid form, such strong muscles. The cat form she had was tiny compared to this beast! Hopefully Kitten had never heard of Karros, even better if he'd never heard of a shapeshifter.

"If my friend wishes to reward me, I hardly see how that is any concern of yours..." Ari told the cat, removing one of her gloves. She had to be careful with this one. Last thing she needed right now was an injured hand. Gently tucking the glove in her belt pocket, Ari gave the cat a friendly sort of a smile.

"Would you mind terribly if I stroked your fur? I've never seen a cat with such well kept fur in this city...." she asked, hoping to butter him into allowing her to touch him. At least this way she felt better about acquiring his form without out and out asking him.

[Anonymous]

Nathair hid a cat-smile, more out of habit than a wish to hide his feelings from her. He was, after all, making them painfully obvious. He might not be empathic or adept at reading human expressions(they all looked the same to him, and they were forbidden prey), but even he could tell that she didn't quite like the comment.

"It is not, darling." he agreed outwardly, twitching his tail in what was definitely not agreement. Just for the fun of it, he added, But I do believe that there are some constable and a very hysterical woman who mistakenly believe that you have stolen the toy. Which of course you have not. After all, what kind of thief would borrow something and then lose it? He gave her a triumphant glance, but found his eyes dropping to her glove. Why was she taking one off. Surely she would not presume to touch or attack him. The last thing he needed was human-smell all over him. Nathair growled deep and low, subtly shifting his position so that should trouble arise, he could just leap at her, snap her neck, and continue on his business. After all, no one would care, least of all himself.

"Yes, I would mind terribly." he snapped back, eyes flaring with anger. How he hated being touched. But quickly his good humor was restored. "You know of others like me?" he asked, a bit wryly. "Would you mind introducing me to them? If it's a male, I'll kill it. Last thing I need is some sexually arouse tom meddling in my business. But if it's a queen, I'll court her."

[Anonymous]

At his show of anger Ari moved back slightly, ensuring not to touch anything as she moved back. Damn, she was going to have to be sneaky about this. She'd never been able to find someone with red eyes until now; they'd be a fabulous addition to what she already had. Slipping the glove back on she watched him carefully.

"Not others like you per se...." she replied.

"More like the cats you see at market that sort of thing"

The remark about the constable had hit a sore spot. He must have seen he shift, either that or she still smellt slightly male. The brat she'd stolen the gem off would have described a man, not a woman, and a tall one at that. Ari was too careful about being seen to have made such a blunder.

"You seem to presume that the diamond that was stolen and the one I'm searching for are one in the same... how do you know so much about the robbery?" she asked conversationally.

[Anonymous]

Nathair made a show of being disappointed. He wasn't of course, but it added to the drama. And anyways, he would have smelled them long before. "I bit a piece off one, once. Delicious, you should try some sometimes." It was a complete lie. The cat would hardly think of killing or even eating one of his smaller cousins.

He shrugged at her question, not at all willing to disclose what and how he knew. "I had an intuition." the cat said, shifting his position again to a more  comfortable one. "It isn't too hard, with all the smell of anger around. It was a bridal present, you know." He added matter-a-factly. "One husband might feel like beating his young wife soon."

[Anonymous]

A wedding gift? Ari's innate sense of morality kicked in for a moment, only to be overruled by her sense of feeding herself. SHe may have felt bad for the poor woman, but she wasn't going to bloody well starve herself over it.

"And I should care because?" she asked the cat silkily.

"It was her own stupid fault for wearing it and inviting robbers to steal it"

Did he seriously think she would feel guilty about causing a woman to be beaten? Self preservation was the key force in Ari's life. Self preservation and instinct.

((ack, sorry for the shortness))

[Anonymous]

He had no answer to the first question, but to her comment he did. Nathair laughed mirthlessly. "Are you a fool or do you just not understand humans?" He paused, licking his lips with mischeivous delight. "Let me give you a small lesson in humanity and its quirks. Humanity expects to feel appreciated, expects to be noticed. The poor woman who was stolen from had no choice. And now she is to be beaten for doing what she was told. Compared to humans, we are fair and little angels."

[Anonymous]

Ari's grin changed momentarily into a sneer. Lecturing never made an impact on her, generally she instantly forgot the lesson at hand and went on with her life. She may not have been human, per se, but she damn well understood enough about them to survive.

"Everyone has a choice in what they do" she replied darkly.

"If that woman had known what Zantaric was like she wouldn't have worn the diamond. It's called common sense and human's tend to prize it very highly amongst themselves"

[Anonymous]

"Actually, I believe that humans prize pride above all else. Pride, gold, and a whole lot of kittens. None of which they really care for well." He licked a paw nonchalantly. They were disgusting creatures, humans. Skinless, with only fur upon their heads, and that was oily and shaggy. Their paws were clumsy  and their claws  weak. They were loud, too, proclaiming their allegiances in booming voices with so many variations that they didn't even understand themselves. Human minds worked in circles, and they were blind to the going-ons around them. They ate what grew from the womb of the earth, and were deaf to her cries of pain when they ripped from her her precious green children with nary a word. Humans were more vermin than rats, more vermin than the creatures from the abyss. They were turncoats, refusing to hear the cries of the earth, refusing to live by any rules. They did not understand the going ons of beasts, nor of the sidhe, nor even the chaotic demon and angel-kin. Disgusting, foul pink creatures. The thought of them nauseated him.

[Anonymous]

(Hope no one minds a third party. If ya'll do, tell me to scram. But I'm bored and everyone else I'm RPing with has vanished from the face of the damn planet. -_-*)

Well, it is rather hard to ignore a giant black cat, even if you're a blind as a beggar.

It was, actually, Rekka who alerted him to the demon cat's pressance, her low growl and exited wriggling his signs. Now, Liason is a man to keep to himself; but when Rekka gets worked up, there's usually a reason to follow her.  One long-fingered hand lowered to her ruff and off she leads him, eyes closed and trusting. They run for what seems like quite a long time, but he doesn't grow discouraged- his ears are as sharp as Rekka's, and he can hear the cat leaping lightly just ahead of them.

Which, sadly, probably means the cat? Can hear them, too. Especally becuse their blundering run is about as graceful as a ship. When Liason knows where he's going, he can be as silent and elegent as the next person. A blind- litterally- dash into the unknown however, is something else altogther.

Rekka finnally brings them to a halt, a good pace away from their quarry. He stops, silently making the big dog stay put, and creeps abit closer to the speakers. Male and female; one was obviously their cat-man, the other young,  and wary. Silent and still, he listens, half out of curiosity and half becuse he knows a retreat would make more noise then he wants.

[Anonymous]

He paused suddenly, ears flattening. "If you'll excuse me, my lovely." He leapt lightly to the side, so that, in case the approacher was a fanatical priest intending to eliminate all demonspawn from the face of the earth, then Ari would take the spearpoint or arrowpoint for him. Hey, he was demonspawn, and when one had the blood of demons, then one could get excused for doing nefarious deeds. Especially since moving to the side technically was not nefarious, even if the end result was the same. He paused, sniffing the air. There was a...dog. He hated dogs for mixed reasons. Firstly, dogs sucked up to men, which gave them the most unpleasant smell, and they were so appallingly loyal, it was so hard to believe that they came from the same lineage...and they did, according to the one who had birthed him,  who had her information straight from the demon's mouth. Perhaps he could not speak to the other person, but to the dog. He grinned. Why not have some fun?
I can smell you. I can hear you. his "voice" was low as caressing. So why not just come out here and spook the living hell out of my dear lady here?He added a moment later, far more sinisterly, Because you would rather come to me than have me come to you...Isn't that right, my sweet? Even if the dog didn't understand, then it would still probably realize the threat he had implied.

[Anonymous]

Well, perhaps the feeling is mutual. The differance being that dogs are bigger then cats, and so can usually make their opinions more known. Not so in this case- but  this is no normal cat, obviously.

Rekka stands insantly and growls, a low rumble in the back of her throat, ready to take on Satan herself for her master, that appaling loyalty shining through bright and clear.She hadn't understood the demon's words, but certianly the intent behind them, and she is ready to fight to defend the man she loves. Not always the brightest, Rekka. But, luckily for her, Liason gently grabs her tail, holding her back with a firm scowl. His hands make their way up her long body, gripping her neck fur again. Damn stupid dog- damn stupid him, for following this pair without really knowing why expect for his idiot dog wanted to. And now what, but to come out?

 Calmly, hand still locked on Rekka's neck to keep her still, he emerges from his spot among the trees, sightless green eyes closed once more. His tail is wrapped lazily around one long leg in a bored manner, but his ears are pricked and swiveling, working as his eyes. He pinpoints the girl's location insantly, then the cat's, somewhere off to his left. Instinct makes him open his eyes now, even though the blackness does not- and will not- fade away for him. Wary, but not frightened, he stops after only a step or two, to get his bearings while he can. Doubtless neither of his 'companions' were very friendly or considerate.

[Anonymous]

"If you'll excuse me, my lovely."

Ari looked and saw the cat bound away. What the hell had him so spooked? Her answer soon emerged from the shadows. Scowling down at the cat she couldn't help feeling incredibly relieved. She'd seen this blind beggar around before. He was no threat to anyone. Or at least, that's what she believed.

"Coward!" she chided the cat.

"He's only a beggar!"

Standing up and giving the beggar the once over, just to sure, Ari removed her glove, holding out her hand.

"What brings you here stranger?" she asked, fiddling with her voice so it sounded more gravelly. Blind the beggar may be, but blind people had bloody good hearing. Ari didn't want to take chances.

[Anonymous]

He had a dog. The cat hissed angrily, obviously meaning the words for Ari's ears(mind?) alone. Irritated that his precautions had been mistaken for cowardice, he turned his attentions-and the fullness of his malevolence, since civilization only went so far-to the dog. He'd leave the beggar to Ari, who apparently was more sentimental than either of them had realized. Hackles raised-more in anger than because of a threat-  the cat walked away from the group and laid down. He raised his tail. Come and get me. he whispered to the dog, this time more than just sinister. Civilization really was limited, after all. And anyways, he hated dogs. Now Ari wasn't going to be spooked, being too busy being the good girl...if he'd known she was one, then he'd have torn her to pieces, no questions asked, no questions answered. She wouldn't even have had enough time to blink. Still thinking antagonistic thoughts, the cat waited for the dog's reaction.

[Anonymous]

Beggar, hm? He resists the urdge to laugh- letting her belive him harmless, for now, was fine with him.  A half-smile quirks his lips up, his hand coming out to find hers with minimal fumbeling.  His grip is surprisingly gentle.  "Only following my guide." He replies, half-frowning when Rekka moves from his side with a growl. "It's never a good thing to have your eyes take off without you." His smirk turns into a deceptivly good-natured smile. He cocks an ear, listening for Rekka.  Play-acting the part of the lost blind man is all well and good, but not something that can be kept up a long time. Best to be gone, if there was nothing to gain here.

Rekka moves to the cat's invite immediatly, hackles up and taking a stiff step forward. Her growl bubbles up savagly, but she doesn't offer to give chase further, only puts herself between Liason and the demon-cat. Instict wanted her to fight, but loyalty held her close by her partner. Torn, Rekka whines and lays her ears, showing the cat her teeth again.