Spirits of the Earth

It started off as a good day really. The sun was out the birds were chirping and people walked the city streets as if nothing was wrong. of course they did not know that horror lurked in the city slums.  They never knew that the being of such terrible power had come to visit their fair city. Slowly emerging from an alleyway a figure lurched onto the sidewalk.  This was his first time ever visiting this realm and he was feeling a might hungry, so he did what any other hungry citizen would do and that was to find something to snack upon. Toxic green eyes looked around for a potential snack that would hopefully sedate his hunger.

Taking a few steps back into the alleyway he waited. It was then he saw a person that would sedate his hunger and as the vagabond walked by the strange person snapped into action.  As if by motivated by some otherworldly force he grabbed the man by his neck and pulled him into the alleyway with him. His small mouth began to distend come from his throat of beak emerged. The vagabond struggled against the powerful gripping force of this strange person but the attempts were futile.  First the head was engulfed by the large beak, and then he slowly swallowed the man until the only thing left was the foot sticking out from the large beak.  

With one final contraction of his throat muscles the vagabond's foot and leg disappeared into the hungry abyss.  Slowly the beak retracted back into his throat and despite his now distended gullet it began to return to its normal capacity.  One hand moved over his bare chest to rub his stomach; it was definitely a fulfilling meal.  For the first time since he arrived on this realm he began to inspect his body. Translucent skin covered what people would eventually get to know as his actual self. With a small not to himself he headed out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk once more. To him this was new adventure and is a new life to begin once more but doubted that any of his kind would have been here before. With fast jerking movements began to walk, trying to get used to his body once more.

The husk wasn't something that he always had to use, and therefore had to adjust to being trapped in a very confined space.  What was this place that he was in? The buildings were quite strange and yet they seemed so familiar, a comforting thought for a creature lost to time.  Slowly he got used walking once more with two legs instead of five tentacles but he knew it was just not the same. His arms were limp at his side as he walked unknowing what to do with them.  People that he passed gave him quite strange looks but he ignored them for they didn't know him.  Slowly a hand rose to his face to brush away matted and clumped Brown hair trying to clear his vision.  Upon success the hand returned to his side and he let out a small sigh.  

He was full but yet he yearned for more maybe not for another person perhaps but he yearned nonetheless. Expressionless he looked around stopping suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. People walked around him giving him a rather wide berth fearing to get near. Tattered clothes made it seem he was just another vagrant but of course they had no idea what lurked within him.  He decided that he would go to a Tavern or some other drinking establishment.  

The reason was not because he was hungry or thirsty anymore but because he could find information there.  What information did he seek though, just knowledge of what this place was he was in perhaps? Slowly a smile spread upon his face as he found just such an establishment.  He knew it was a Tavern because of the large mug painted above the door.  

One hand went to the door and he pushed but to no avail.  That was indeed strange as most doors swung inwards perhaps it was locked though?  This of course was quickly remedied as the door suddenly swung towards him and a patron exited.  His quick hand grabbed the door and he entered the pub.  It was a fairly well-to-do place actually, well lit, good atmosphere, warm and cozy really. There weren't all that many patrons inside but people were talking in this made the stranger very happy. He found himself a seat and sat down his arms resting on the table top as he simply began to listen to conversations around him.

 He picked up a name, Serendipity, and apparently a city called Arca. He had no idea what the realm was called and usually was bad manners to ask. Instead he waited, a waitress finally got around to him and he ordered his favorite drink, water. With drink in hand he began to sip slowly enjoying and relishing in the crisp, crystal clear liquid. The only thing he had to do now was continue to gather information about strange place. His senses were on overload, he began to try and pick up on anything unusual, which turned out to be a lot more than he had expected.

At least here there was magic. He didn't know why this was comforting but it was. His mind began to reach out and slowly he began to feel people's thoughts and emotions. He only wished he was like one of his brothers, where he could feed simply upon people's energies upon thoughts and the like. This of course was a faint hope as he was still quite young and inexperienced with his psychic powers. He would have to find something interesting to amuse himself while he figured out what he would need to do next.

((Sorry if it's a little long Wonder, I just got Dragon Naturally Speaking and am testing it out X3))

Shink!</I>

The rat didn't even know what hit it. One moment it had been sniffing around the piles of junk and trash that people tended to dump in alley ways, and the next second it was skewered through the middle, impaled at the end of a very large, black scorpion tail.

Which turned out to be attached to a rather tall woman, growing right out of her tail bone.

Grinning proudly, Erus lifted her tail and carefully slid the dead rat off the barbed tip before letting her tail curl back up behind her harmlessly again. Turning the rat over in her hand, she peered around the alley for a few more minutes, sniffing at the air for any more signs of varmints, and then, finding none, she shrugged and stepped out of the alley and back out onto the streets, taking a casual bite out of the dead rat as though it were an apple, and ignoring the horrified gasps of a few people around her that witnessed that. What was their problem? Really, now...wasn't like it was a crime to eat and walk, she thought, slurping up a rat intestine like it was a noodle and licking her lips after. Which it did kind of resemble from a distance...a sauce covered noodle. That was until one saw the rat she held, which was suspiciously missing its belly.

Of course, she was pretty much used to all the odd looks she got on a daily basis, and truth be told she revelled in it! Even as she walked down the street, taking dainty bites from her "snack", she flashed blood-stained grins at the people she passed and waved her tail behind her happily (and it was probably lucky that she had a soldier's uniform and was pretty well known around this part of the town, otherwise she just might have gotten thrown in an asylum). It wasn't just when she was on her self-appointed "pest control" missions that she got stared at, though--she was just plain weird on her own. For one...she had a scorpion tail. A scorpion tail that was really, really big, and really, really long when she actually uncurled it, which was kind of a pain in the butt because it was virtually impossible for her to sleep on her back as a result--though that was also due to the little bat wings that grew from her back, the things absolutely useless; she just never thought about getting them removed. Then there were the ram's horns, a proud set of them growing from her skull and curling along the sides of her face. Tawny lion's ears replaced normal human ears, and when she smiled, she flashed huge canines set in a mouth that, while it looked like that of a weak-jawed human, was well equipped with all the muscles required to crush bones. Which she did, as she ate the things.

Other than that...she looked pretty normal, whatever normal was. She was tall, just a few inches shy of six feet, with a sturdy, muscular build. Her eyes were slightly tilted and gray in color, and her hair was the same tawny color as her ears, shoulder length and dreadlocked as she never had bothered to brush her hair; she saw no point.

Dressed in the blue and silver uniform of a Serendipity soldier (though she'd had to make some adjustments to account for her wings, which resulted in a bare back, and her breeches had to be tailored in a way so that they also fastened in the back, around her rather thick tail), she made her rounds around the city. There were no wars going on. No people breaking laws today. Which...meant today was just one of those days that she spent keeping the rat population down.

Kind of boring, really.

Yawning, she frowned and finished off the rat with a final bite, chewing on its tail absently as she walked (she'd eaten everything else already, bones and fur included), and then she paused to peek inside another alleyway, flicking an ear and sniffing the air. Aw. No rats there...oh well! She was already pretty full, actually, after already eating three of the things, but she could still kill the ones she came across to save them for later!

She much preferred fresh meat to the stuff they served down in the mess hall. Gross stuff, that. But she did like the socializing, so she still ate there, sat down with all her buddies and munched on whatever it was she caught that day. They never liked that, but as long as it wasn't them, they didn't complain too much.

Picking her teeth with a claw to remove some fur that had gotten stuck there, she gave a bored sigh, flicking the fur off her fingers, and headed toward the nearest tavern. Nothing was going on so she could afford a pit stop! Besides, she was thirsty now, anway.

Opening the door to the tavern, she stepped inside and gave a sniff, loving the scent of human flesh that filled the closed space. Ahh...her favorite...but she had to use restraint. She was under the law, now, but it wasn't too big a problem. She still got her fill now and then.

Erus strode up to the bar and ordered an ale, and the bartender was quick to serve her, though he oddly didn't seem intimidated or weirded out at all; nah, Erus was a regular and after a few years of the same thing, well...he seemed used to her. Even if she had given him a bit of...trouble a few years back, but she had since stopped trying to nibble on drunk customers after she learned that was apparently very rude. Taking up her mug and taking a sip--she didn't really like or dislike the flavor, she just liked the color, foam, and bubbles, and lucky for her, her alcohol tolerance level was sky high; poisons in general just didn't have much of an effect on her--she headed on over to find a seat...

And ended up sitting at a table across from an interesting pale, veiny man. Erus found it rather boring to sit alone for, despite her odd habits she was a strangely social creature. The table was chosen completely at random, as usual--she did the same thing at the mess hall, unless she could find her favorite elf, Khas (but he seemed to try and avoid her for some reason), because it allowed her to talk to (and bother) a lot of different people!

Kept her entertained and all!

Uncurling her tail and draping it across her lap--for she couldn't sit in the chair otherwise, not chairs that had a back to them--she stretched out her long legs and crossed them at the ankles, setting her mug on the table top and leaning back in the chair a bit, squishing her folded wings. Then she grinned at the man across from her, her lion-like ears perking up. "Hello there. Who are you?" she asked bluntly, smiling genially.

He was about to leave, at least, he was about to think about leaving. Honestly he had no clue what he wanted to do, and in this husk it was difficult to remember how to stand up. Slowly his arms raised up, and he started at them. No...that wasn't what he wanted. Right direction, wrong appendages. Letting them lower he sighed, staring at the table. That hadn't worked out the way he wanted, but then again he still had to remember how to do all this. Something caught his attention, which made him forget all about leaving.

A woman entered.

Not to say that seeing women wasn't a daily occurance of course, but this one was a hodgepodge of design. Bat wings sprouted from her back, ram horns covered her head, a large scorpion tail sprouting from her tailbone. He had never seen anything like it before....well, he had heard of a chimera before...but this didn't work out to be one.

She seemed to know the place fairly well, and people seemed to know her, so maybe she wasn't all that abnormal. He turned his attention away from her, to look downwards at the table once more. He had to stand up and go now. Just as he was about to however, there was movement from across the table. His  eyes jolted up to look her, locking the illuminated bright green gaze upon her. It was that woman!

Idly, he wondered what she would taste like. No doubt it would be delicious, but he really didn't like the idea of that tail sticking into his eye or any other part of his body. It would no doubt really hurt, and then he would get blood everywhere....It wouldn't be worth it. He'd lose more energy than he'd gain.

He noted that she even had ears that resembled lions! Extraordinary indeed! Then she talked to him, after she seemed to get adjusted. His name....His name? Apparently this woman had no psychic abilities. Well, nothing wrong with that.

"Name....Nagranesh." His voice was like a small screech, as if it was being forced harshly from the vocal cords. Closing his mouth he kept his face expressionless, mostly because he hadn't gotten the hang of facial manipulation. He slowly tilted his head to watch her, examining her face, and the rest of her as best he could.

"Who...what....are you?" He asked, his english was obviously broken, and he had a strange accent to him as he continued to watch her, not blinking once. He did wonder just how many things this woman was comrpised of, it was going to be interesting if she told him.

Oh good, he hadn't run away! If he had, that would have been pretty sad, because a lot of people ran away from her. Flipping her ears back relaxedly, Erus flashed her teeth at him in a happy grin. It didn't seem to bother her that he had such a weird voice and way of speaking, but she didn't exactly have a human's mentality and tended to take even the oddest of things in stride. "Mm, pleasure to meet you, Nagranesh!" she told him cheerfully, wiping the foam from her ale off her upper lip. She also didn't mind his own rather blunt question. In fact, she only grinned more and lightly ran her flat pink tongue (which, yes, was scratchy like a cat's) over her sharp teeth.

"Me? Oh...I'm just a manticore," she told him slyly, leaning over the table a little with her hands clasped before her. "My name's Erus. Now, Nagranesh...what are you?" She paused, then gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. "Silly question, yes? I'm just playing. You're a human...yes?" Another pause as she swept her gray eyes over him, studying him from across the table. And then she shifted slightly and rested her cheek on one hand, still watching him from beneath hooded lids. "Ah, it's been so long since I've...had...someone like you..."

If any other woman but Erus had said that, it might have sounded scandalous. Erus wasn't thinking like that, though; nah, she wasn't really looking at him as she gazed at him, but rather she was studying the veins that showed through his translucent skin, recalling in her mind what human flesh and blood tasted like. She always heard humans saying that once an animal got the taste of human blood, it would forever be a man-eater. Perhaps they were right, because she always craved it, and she'd practically been raised on it as a cub. That was what manticore meant, after all: "man-eater". But...oh, she was only allowed to eat those she killed in battle. And sometimes she was able to sneak scraps from prisoners who had been executed. If the crows could have some, so could she!

She couldn't misbehave, though, and she'd been taught proper human behavior by her foster parents (brave souls, those people). Still, those learned behaviors warred often with her natural instincts and the lessons she'd been taught by her own kind. Sometimes, it was just so <I>tempting, and the only thing that swayed that temptation more often than not was the knowledge that, if she slipped up, she'd be crow-food herself.

Nasty crows.

That didn't mean that she couldn't still mess with people, though. That at least helped her vent some of her natural urges in a non-lethal, almost playful way. For her.

Still smiling at Nagranesh, her tail twitched slightly in her lap, almost like some strange cat's, and she clicked her nails on the table idly. She shot a quick look over to the bartender to make sure he wasn't paying attention--she didn't want to get in trouble!--before turning her full attention back to the being in front of her and leaning in closer, purring. "Humans always were my favorite..."

Nagranesh had heard of manticores actually, in passing, in one of those strange collections of papers. Koobs or...no...Books! Yes. He had read and seen a picture of one in a book before. However, the one in the book looked nothing like the woman who sat in front of him. He tried to smile but it looked a little screwed up, one corner of his lip went up, while the other went down, resulting in a strange expression. He let the face go emotionless as she spoke, asking him what HE was instead. This scared him slightly, but he remembered that his eyes might have given away something of a different nature.

"It's...been never since...you've had someone...like me." He told her hoarsly as he kept his eyes upon her. The flesh of his arms and neck began to wriggle as something seemed to move under his flesh, bumps and lines shifting as he watched her. Then, just as suddenly as his flesh had begun to crawl and squirm, it stopped, residing completely. He had known what she meant, he could smell the blood and flesh of many men upon her.

"One bite into...me...and it would be all over for you." This perhaps would sound just a little strange to someone who didn't know about what lurked under the surface of the human husk. HIs blood was very acidic for most creature, and usually biting him meant a very painful burn or death.

"Not a human...not a man...but a creature." Nagranesh told her carefully as he shifted in his seat. He really didn't like how she was looking at him, but he was pretty sure it was like one of those...large cats looking at its prey. He tried to smile again as he let his hands move over the tabletop.

"I would not be...tasty...at all." He shook his head, letting his eyes focus on her. Then, carefully his flesh started to move again around his head. Slowly his eyes seemed to disappear from the sockets, letting a black membrane pass over them, and then, two more eyes seemed to fall into the sockets.

"What...lurks beneath...the surface." He asked her cryptically. It was his time to have a little fun with the woman, and he was really enjoying this actually. It was fun to say the least, very fun.

Truth be told, it never even crossed Erus' mind that he might not be human. Sure, he smelled weird, but some humans had weird smells and he looked human enough! She just figured that he'd asked her species (which seemed perfectly obvious to her!) as part of another weird human ritual, like how humans always had to ask each other their names. One person asked another their name, and visa versa, and it was polite, which Erus always thought was strange; if she had it her way, she'd just sniff the person! You could learn a lot more that way, after all--but she'd learned early on that sniffing people was considered impolite or somesuch. So, she'd stopped doing that--unless she wanted to creep the person out. Anyway, so just like humans have their little ritual of name exchanging, maybe species exchanging was the new thing? Even if it was obvious? Made sense. So, really, she'd only asked his species to be polite!

She liked being polite, even to the people she liked to eat and mess with.

"Never, hmm? But you're human, yes? I've had humans," she answered with a toothy grin. "Many humans. And other things."

Though that was before his skin started to wiggle.

Erus' eyebrows rose slightly with interest, her keen feline eyes catching the movement. She even leaned forward a bit, enntranced. The man had wiggly skin! Like there was something under it. Oh. Maybe he had parasites of some sort? That would be interesting, and it didn't bother her. Oh no, she'd eaten things with parasites before, many things, but her digestive system was rather good. It had to be to keep up with her! But no, not parasites. He...was not human? His eyes were strange, yes, but some humans had strange eyes. Or maybe they weren't human? Who knew, Erus wasn't good at telling the difference.

"All over for me?" she purred, tilting her head to one side curiously, totally unphased. "Not tasty? Oh, so says the prey..." she said quietly, clicking her nails on the table and rotating her ears forward, flicking one lazily to ward off a pesky fly that decided to visit their table. "The prey always tries to convince the predator that it is nasty. But I've eaten many things some might consider nasty. They're always good." She couldn't help but puff her chest out a little in pride at that. While she was primarilly a hunter, she was also a scavenger, and she had no issues with eating things that had been dead a while, or that had spoiled. Her system could handle it. All the silly humans always got so grossed out by that, but it was fun to her! Better than that gross cooked food they ate. "I think I would have to try you to find out. A predator can never believe the prey--"

Then she blinked, her ears flipping back and flattening to her head a little as his eyes rolled back and a strange black...something...appeared where his eyes should have been. Erus wrinkled her nose a little and furrowed her brow, watching...and then she suddenly perked up, her eyes going big and a smile spreading across her face.

Oh! That question! Was he asking her a riddle?

She rather liked those, and in that moment, her mind abruptly switched gears from "attempt to intimidate the new person" mode to "yay riddles!" mode. Even if it wasn't really in the form of a riddle, but it was still close enough. It was still a guessing game, and those were fun!

"What lurks beneath the surface...ah..." She tilted her head to the other side and sucked on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "A creature...but not a human..." She leaned forward again and took a deep sniff, then frowned. That strange scent. She couldn't place it. "A creature in a human body...mm...a shapeshifter, perhaps?" she guessed, though she was still frowning, not at all confident in her guess.

"I stay...one shape...but borrow...the body of another." He said to her with a small smirk now playing about his lips. He had finally managed to manipulate that all properly. Slowly his hand spread open, palm flat as he watched her. The drink slowly started to wiggle, and then it moved towards him. He picked up the mug and looked at it curiously before setting it down.

"I am...horror. No true name...for what I am....but I exist...and I am thankful." Nagranesh said as he kept his eyes upon her. He knew she would love to bite down into the husk's body, but it was simply a skin to keep around him and let him blend into the local populace. He felt he could tell this woman, she wasn't one to argue with him anyways, nor to go about revealing what he was. She was in the same boat as he...well...somewhat.

"But know...that what is beneath...is not tasty...bad blood...burns things...melts them." He told her carefully, not as a bluff, but as a true warning. He didn't even want to think what would happen if she managed to pierce his stomach and let those acids out. If it could dissolve everything from armour to bones, then it was very powerful.

"Observe this, and understand...Nagranesh."

He looked around, it was pretty dark, and no one was really paying any attention to them. The bartender wasn't watching, and everything seemed to be clear really. He opened his mouth, and slowly a long thin tentacle was produced, sliding from his orifice to land on the table. It stayed there for a moment as it seemed to feel about uselessly, then it slid back into his mouth, disappearing down his throat.

"The husk is dead...preserved by power." He reached to his skin and plucked at it, just as one would pluck at a new shirt or pants. It snapped back like elastic as he moved his gaze back to her.

"Does...Erus understand...what is Nagranesh?" He asked the woman, his head tilting slightly. This was out of curiosity, and because of the weak neck that this host inhabited. Sometimes he wished these humans had bigger heads so he could fit comfortably within them, but alas, beggers can't be choosers at this time.

"Borrow the body of another..." Erus murmured, tilting her head from side to side curiously as he explained. She was really quite fascinated now, no longer really interested in scaring him now that her natural curiosity had kicked in (and he had proven unphased--most people that didn't know her just got creeped out by her looks alone). She blinked down at her mug as it slid over to Nagranesh without him having touched it, and then she straightened, watching him closely with those catlike gray eyes as he picked up her mug. He better not drink it! It was her bubbly and he could get his own! But then he set it down again, and she reached across the table quickly to reclaim and take another swig as he continued.

Mm...horror. Yes, she was intrigued. It really was nice to find someone among all these silly humans and pretty humanoids that was, well, nice and familiar--something strange and deadly and likely appalling by human standards. No, he was like her. She couldn't eat him, even if he didn't have...not so tasty blood. Absently, she ran her flat tongue over her teeth. Burning blood. Well, that was one thing she couldn't consume. She could consume any manner of unedible-by-human-standards stuff and her own digestive system was acidic enough to make short work of bones, fur or hair, and clothes, but she wouldn't be able to handle something that was basically pure acid. She was a mammal, after all, made of soft flesh despite her hardened appearance.

Pity...

Once again, she leaned forward a little as he told her to "observe", watching his mouth as he parted his lips. And then a tentacle slipped out. At first, Erus thought it was his tongue, but then after remembering that the black membrane had appeared in his eyes, too, she ruled that out. Aha! That was the thing living inside the human body thingy! Watching it as it felt around on the table, she had the sudden urge to poke it, wondering what it felt like, but she behaved and only smiled when it returned back inside of him. So that was what Nagranesh was! Then what did the rest of him look like? His whole body beneath that husk?

It was a mystery, and Erus loved those. Dead husk, hmm? Very interesting...though she really wished he didn't pluck at the skin like that. She hadn't had human in far too long, and it reminded her all too vividly of how much fun it was to peel that soft skin off...

"Yes, Erus understands now!" she answered, folding her arms over her stomach to try and keep it from rumbling. She'd just had some rats and she wasn't allowed to eat humans! She had to rein in those cravings. "You're a monster like me, yes?" And that wasn't meant in a derogatory manner at all. Oh, some people had called her that before, but she liked it. It made her feel fierce. "I think I like you, Nagranesh. There aren't many of us around anymore. It's a shame you have to hide. What do you look like all over?"

A monster? Well it was sort of true. In these humans eyes, for all intensive purposes he was a monster. He sort of liked that term, it induced fear and panic. Just the word itself had such power. Monster. Nagranesh gave a weak nod and a smile as he watched Erus carefully.

"Good...Nagranesh pleased Erus understands now." Ugh, how he hated the common tongue. It was so difficult to get the vocal cords to resonate and expel air properly that it would work. He could hear her stomach from all the way over here. One thing about Humans is it was very easy to get the inner ear to listen to sounds and such. He was about to say something about that but she started talking again.

"I don't...need to explain. Can show Erus instead. Mind is...powerful." He grinned as he placed his hand palms flat down on the table, his eyes locking onto her. Slowly he let his presence, his mind, seep out and touch Erus's mind and consciousness. Finally the two connected, and he was pleased.

There, no more bothersome breaks in the conversation, no more need for silly concentration. His voice was powerful, and sounded like he was talking beside her ears almost, no doubt a little disconcerting to say the least.

Minds are such interesting thing. They can accept information, voices, thoughts, sights, anything you could possibly want. For example.

Nagranesh let a picture seep through the line of communication, filling Erus's vision for a moment. It was a tall creature, very octopus like with a large bulbous head that housed fifteen toxic green eyes, a very large almost parrot like beak that seemed very dangerous, and fifteen tentacles extending from the lower half of the body. The creature was completely black, and unlike an octopus the tentacles seemed neither slimy or had suction cups on them. Five of the much larger ones were flatter on the bottom however, indicating that they were no doubt used for moving about.

Do you see? Truly I am a monster as you say. Proud of it too. These squishy little creatures are food, I hide myself from them. After all, if I were to walk around as myself, people might avoid me. Besides, it's easier to talk with people this way...I always like to learn about new cultures and races. It was true, he didn't always think with his stomach. He was mostly good at fitting in. Usually people saw his eyes and simply assumed he was cursed or some such thing. No one would believe what the strange green eyed creature really was.

So what does a monster do for fun in this town?

"Show me?" Erus repeated, leaning forward interestedly. Whatever was beneath that skin, it was quite fascinating and she really was looking forward to seeing more! It was far more interesting to her than all the pretty humanoids; then again, she was a bit fascinated with the grotesque. She could relate to it more. "Yes, show."

She was actually expecting him to literally show her, physically show her. She wasn't expecting the connection that was made, but she didn't respond with much surprise, because not too much was strange to her. She only blinked curiously, then smiled pleasedly when he began to speak to her, right inside her ear seemingly. Oh...well that was interesting! Useful, too, she imagined. Her tail twitched but other than that she was still, simply listening as he explained, completely calm.

And then it happened. He showed her.

Oh wow! He really was a monster! A particularly hideous one, too, which made her grin, quite enjoying the sight. He looked pretty scary, something she could respect and admire, yet in the midst of it all and even after the vision faded, she found herself staring at him and wondering how such a large body fit in such a small space. Her gray eyes narrowed a little, studying him...some part of her wished she could tear him that human shell open just so she could see how he was packaged, how he worked.

She was just curious like that.

Finally, she stopped thinking about all that and simply grinned. He sounded a lot like her. "I see perfectly now, yes. We are a lot alike, Nagranesh. I'm proud of being what I am as well, and it seems we have the same...tastes...as far as meals are concerned. Even if I am on something of a forced diet." A slight smirk, and she paused again at his next question.

Hmm...good question, actually.

"What does a monster do for fun around here...mmm..." She looked toward the ceiling thoughtfully, tapping a finger to her lips. Then she gave a sharp-toothed grin and looked back at Nagranesh, ears perked. "I play with the humanoids. But!" She held up a finger. "Only certain ones. I must behave or else I'll get in trouble. Not everyone understands this monster's idea of fun."

The idea of leaving this civilization and living out her life as, well, a manticore had never crossed her mind. Then again, for a manticore she was oddly civilized, having been raised by humans from an early age. Not that she had really needed to be raised--manticore children were born equipped for survival, and in fact they weren't raised by their mother. Once they were born, it was time for them to leave because if they didn't they might end up as a snack for mother dearest, if she was feeling hungry after those draining hours of labor. In fact, Erus was, as far as she knew, the only survivor of her mother's litter, and the only reason she'd even survived was because her mother knew that at least one of her spawn had to have a chance at making it to adult-hood. That, or she'd just been full after eating the other three.

In any case, she'd been discovered some years later after growing into her humanoid form (though she did still have access to the far less pleasant beast form) and, despite her stinger, some human had taken pity on what to him had probably just looked like a really, really strange, feral child. Thus she'd been taken in, hissing and screaming, and, well...she'd been civilized eventually. Somewhat. Her "parents" had eventually made her enlist in the army, though; she always had been a "difficult" child, and they figured the military could provide her a nice outlet, and some discipline. It had.

She liked killing stuff when they let her. Sometimes she even got to eat it!

But it had never clicked in her head that she could leave all this, become feral again. No, the concept of rules and laws had been pressed into her mind.

"Mm...I also enjoy hunting. Play-hunting, of course! I have a friend I often hunt...I've even gotten to paralyze him a few times! Sometimes he even lets me taste his blood.. That's fun." Of course, her definition of "lets me taste his blood" was pretty different from the mainstream definition. Actually, Khas didn't let her do any of that, but she did it when she was feeling "playful", and often scared the crap out of him. No, he only "let" her taste his blood when he was too exhasperated or exhausted to fight back. Oh, it was nothing major! The worst she'd ever done was take a bit of meat off the tip of his finger!

She saw nothing strange about this at all. Indeed, her idea of play was very rough and tumble and, well...violent.

"It's still hard to say, though...that is only what one monster does for fun. There aren't many of us, though, sadly."

Nagranesh had now finally decided. She wasn't going to be food. She was going to be a friend. His friend. Something he didn't have much of due to what he was and his eating habits.

You want to hunt me? I could do with a friendly game of hunting. However, please be gentle...My blood you understand. I wouldn't want to damage you. Nagranesh said as he slowly picked himself up from the table. It must have seemed odd to everyone around them. One monster talking to a green eyed fellow, he not saying a word, but she was doing all the talking. That must have been disconcerting for some people to say the least.

Slowly he reached down to his leg, to put both hands on it, rubbing it once with the palms of his hand. Underneath his tentacles moved and squirmed, rearranging themselves properly. Two tentacles in each leg, five in each arm to control fingers, and the beak pretty much took up from shoulder to crotch. He usually had to pick taller people to be his husk, as smaller people would be ripped open by his beak.

Also, please be careful with how you think. Every thought that you recall, every memory that you bring up, I can hear, I can see, I can taste what you've tasted, smell what you have smelled. It's very...very distracting sometimes. Not as distracting as some people I've been around, but every time one recollects something while I have the connection open, I hear it clear as day. He didn't MEAN to pry on her personal life and such, just she was the one who had brought up the thoughts and memories. If he could make it so he didn't see, hear, or feel them he would, but alas he hadn't honed his skills that far yet.

If only night was here, then we could have a real game of hunt. I have very little in the way of scent, and my black body makes it increasingly difficult to find. As well as my rather flexible body allows me to hide in the most unusual places. Nagranesh commented idly as he watched her carefully with his eyes. He only wished that he could be in his regular form, but was scared of what the humanoids might think of him. He didn't much enjoy being run out of town after all.

Let's go outside and stalk someone for a little while perhaps, then when darkness falls you can hunt me. I'll bet you one vagabond that you won't be able to find me once the sun goes down. Nagranesh truly was a monster, he bet on human lives usually, and he found this behaviour to be completely acceptable actually. He had said it casually, and he knew she would love that bet, as she mentioned she wasn't allowed to kill people all that often. Well, she didn't mention, she had thought it for the most part. Still, same difference.

...Whatwhat?

"You would let me hunt you?" Erus asked, genuinely surprised and yet perking up with interest and a little excitement. If her scorpion tail weren't completely unsuited for it, it would have probably been wagging at this point. "Oh, yes, I would be gentle! You have bad blood, I understand! I won't hurt you!" She scooted her chair back and also stood, her tail sliding out of her lap and curling up along her back as before, the dangerous tip curled inward so it didn't accidentally hit anyone. That would be bad. It couldn't actually kill anyone unless they were very weak or small and she could control how much venom she injected, but all the same it wouldn't be pleasant for a poor, unsuspecting civilian to suddenly find themselves with a numb arm. She was also completely unaware of how strange their conversation probably was to any bystanders. Then again, she wasn't the most socially savvy creature.

"Mm?" Be careful of how she thought...? Oh! Their mind connection thingy! So he could hear everything? Oops. Well, that was a little easier said than done, though she never really knew thoughts could be loud! "Oh, sorry! I'll try not to think so much, then!" Probably not what he meant at all, but...ah well. She didn't seem very worried or upset that he had seen into her personal life, either. Honestly, she was an open creature; she didn't know the meaning of secrets or why that was even such a big deal at all. Thus, there truly was nothing in her life that she had ever considered "personal" or "private"--it was all just "life".

Humanoids were just weird.

"Well, it should be night soon, in a few hours. Then we could play, yes? I really would like to try to find you; I love challenges like that." It wasn't a matter of winning or losing for her, either--she didn't have that sort of pride. She just liked the experience itself and to try new things, anything to keep her curious mind sated and happy. If she lost and failed, that was all right by her so long as she'd had fun in the process of failure.

Nodding at him and grinning, she stretched her arms over her head and arched her back until it popped, then she flexed her fingers to crack those as well. Oh yes, she really liked Nagranesh. Stalking someone...that sounded like fun. And then she'd get to hunt him! This really sounded like it would end up being a fun day after all...

"Sounds like a plan to me, Nagranesh," Erus said, running her flat tongue over her large teeth. Betting on humans...hmm...perhaps she was being a bit bad. She probably shoudn't agree to this, she could get in an awful lot of trouble if someone found out about this, but if it was kept a secret... "And that's a bet I'm willing to take. On one condition!" She held up two fingers; poor thing couldn't count for the life of her. She was great with riddles and word games, but numbers had always evaded her. "This must be a secret, please, or my friends would be very unhappy with me." Understatement. She'd probably get put down, or at least wind up in jail.

But other than that? She had no problem whatsoever betting oh human lives, either. It was all food to her. Hell, her own species ate each other. Of course it was no big deal to her, and completely natural, too.

"I will find you, though," she added with a smile, turning then so she could walk to the door and hold it open for him in a rather polite gesture.

I'm not afraid of you hurting me. I'm afraid of me hurting you. Nagranesh said with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't much like the idea of her suddenly biting one of his tentacles and sending the green liquid everywhere. He would have to be careful, and he knew that if he did get a wound, he would have to stop all flow to that tentacle. Luckily he could control that much of his body. His husk smiled slightly at her as he watched her, seeing her be careful not to smack anyone. She was quite an interesting design, and he hoped she would be able to control her animal instinct. Hm. He'd have to offer her celerity so she wouldn't fly off the handle and become enraged by her more...bestial side.

That would help me immensely. Also, don't speak with your mouth. Think with your mind. This way it keeps your head occupied and I focus more on the thoughts. Right now you're thinking and then speaking. An awful echo if I've ever heard one. Just speak with your mind Erus, I'll be able to hear you. He always found that much more helpful anyways. It would help him and stop him from getting a psychic headache at least.

I can wait a few hours. Let's entertain ourselves by harassing a poor humanoid. He grinned at that point, starting to move toward the door. His actual stride seemed to get much better now, after he had rearranged his tentacles properly. Perfect indeed. He still hobbled and once in a while his leg would drag slightly but he had it almost down pat perfectly.

An eyebrow was raised as he turned to look at her. One condition but two fingers held up. Poor thing. It was cute to see, and on the inside he was laughing, but his husk was just smiling as he nodded.

You have yourself a deal Erus, and I'll go one better. If anyone is to find out, they won't remember it. I'll wipe the memory from their mind. Still, we'll be careful and I shan't say or think a word to anyone. He told her, putting a hand over his chest, signifying he promised on his life, such as it were. Still...what could the fleshlings do to her? She seemed strong enough, she would be able to handle them, wouldn't she? No matter. He'd protect his new friend, and he'd try to explain to anyone who wanted to harm her for having fun.

Oh you think you'll be able to? Well, we'll just have to see what happens Erus. I'm quite the talented hider. After all, I've been hiding in the guise of humanoids and such for a while now, and they still haven't found me. Nagranesh said to her with a small wink as he headed to the door with her. She even held it open for him, how nice. Once outside he extended his arm to hold it open for her, though he wondered if that was a good idea. He didn't like the idea of her walking through the door way and accidentally swinging her tail in his face. Thankfully humans had such thick skulls, if it did happen, he probably wouldn't feel it.

"Oh, you couldn't hurt me!" Erus insisted with a slight wave of one hand, still grinning from ear to ear. "I'm tough!" Which was true. She was tough with a pretty thick skin, even if it didn't look it in her humanoid form, and she had a high tolerance for pain, but it wasn't like she was invincible. That acid stuff would hurt like hell for sure, but she wasn't thinking about that. No, she wouldn't bite him. After all, they were just playing a game! It was play hunting, so there was no need to hurt him, not if she couldn't eat him and not if his blood was acidic. Not that she was thinking about eating him anymore. Nah, she was far too fascinated with him, could relate all too well to him.

This would be so much fun! She was already getting all hyped up!

"Hmm?" She looked back at him as he told her not to speak with her mouth...and then her grin turned a bit sheepish. Echo? Oh! And it probably did look kind of funny to everyone around them. She had sort of forgotten that he wasn't speaking out loud, because it just sounded like he was talking normally to her. Speak with her mind...hm...she'd never done that before. But hey, it couldn't hurt! Seemed kind of fun, anyway...like having a secret conversation that no one else would hear!

Got it! Talking with my mind, will do! she replied, testing it out, her lips twitching a little because she wanted to talk. It felt weird just talking in her head, like she was talking to herself. In her head. Or something. But it was also fun.

Erus listened as he suggested harassing a humanoid--which sounded awesome to her! She did that often, just more so to her fellow soldiers than to random fellows off the street, because that would get her in trouble--and for a moment she was uncertain. She was tempted to agree, but she wouldn't until she had his word that he would keep it a secret. She didn't want to get in trouble, after all...she didn't like it when people were mad at her. And while she was strong, insanely strong being a manticore and even stronger in her actual manticore form, she could still be shot by arrows, sliced by a sword, and harmed by magic just like any other beast. Of course, if she slipped up and got in trouble to the point that she'd have to be executed or something, it wasn't like she would just go along with it--assuming she actually understood what was happening. Unfortunately, she was a simple creature with a simple mind.

And she actually clapped her hands when Nagranesh agreed to keep her secret. "Oh excel--" She paused, then smiled again. Oh excellent! You could do that? That would be great! she agreed cheerfully, and the curled, barbed tip of her tail did wag a little as she trotted outside after him, careful not to spin around to face him too quickly because she didn't want to smack him with a wing or a tail. She'd become rather good at judging distances.

And yup! I think I can! I have another form, you know, my real one! I'm bigger in that one. But... Erus glanced around the town briefly. I don't think I can use it here. It scares people. We should find a nice empty place for our hunt! she said with a firm nod. Or maybe it wouldn't matter at night. There wouldn't be many people about, right? And even if there were, they wouldn't recognize her, right? Well, except for the tail and wings and horns...but...even though manticores had a rather human face, her face looked so much different in her real form.

It had to in order to make room for the three rows of teeth that filled her mouth, much like a shark's.

Nah! No one would know it was her! Even if she was the only manticore around here that she knew of. But never mind that! Besides, Nagranesh could just do his cool mind erasing stuff if anyone knew it was her being bad!

Smiling at her new friend and brushing her dreadlocked hair over her shoulder, she gave a little bow to him, bending straight-backed from the waist, careful to keep her tail tightly coiled. Thanks, Nagranesh, by the way! Oh! So where should we go looking for a humanoid? In the alleys? Lots of urchins hang out there, I know that! Ah, she couldn't wait...this would be a lovely prequel to the great hunt that awaited later that night.

Please, let's not go through such an idea of who can hurt who. I've squeezed men from their plate mail before. Mm, that is always rather delicious. They became a gooey paste of sorts of brains, blood, organs, skin and bones. It's rather delicious. Nagranesh commented to her with a small grin spreading across his face. His eyes looked away from her, to start scanning the crowd of people around them. Nagranesh was searching for a target, sifting through minds to look for the right person. He needed someone that wouldn't be missed, that no one would really care about. Probably someone who was a vagrant and moved between towns. Yes.

He was rather pleased she was able to speak with her mind, or at least could think instead of speak. That was good indeed, she had a nice level of intelligence then. That was good, he hated to consort with those creatures that could simply think 'eat, sleep, defecate, mate, eat, sleep' and so on. He hated the lower life creatures like that. They...angered him to say the least. The minds were much too muddled and never thought properly.

However, right before him he had the strangest being he had met. She looked feral, a destructive evil being who actually had a fully working mind. Though Nagranesh noted she did seem to slip into certain patterns of simplicity. That wasn't a concern though, for the most part she was cognitive and lucid, which meant he wouldn't end up being hurt in the end.

Good, so we both have different forms. That's another thing in common we have isn't it? I wouldn't worry about your other form however, as it will be dark. Just keep in your other form for the time being though. Nagranesh told her with a grin, his teeth flashing as he continued to search for a particular person. He blinked rapidly as he looked to her, as she bowed to him and thanked him.

I'm already looking for someone. People don't often keep their minds closed as they never expect a telepath. Just wait...I think I found a vagrant who is new to town. He's not completely drunk, but he's tipsy. Mm, and no one will really miss him as only a few other vagrants know he's here. Let the chase begin. Nagranesh lifted one arm to point to a swaggering and dirty fellow. He was trying his best to make his way down the street, to what Nagranesh believed was a degraded part of town.

Looks like he's headed somewhere, I'm not sure where, but if it's a lousier side of town then we'll be able to get him easier. That tail of yours will come in very handy my dear. Nagranesh said as he moved over to her, his hand coming out to gently touch the length of the tail for only a few seconds.

This is going to be a very fun time.

Oh stop, you're making me hungry! Erus thought at Nagranesh, his vivid description of gooey, pastey human parts making her stomach rumble, which she slapped afterwards as though to silence it. It's been so long since I've had human...I'm not allowed to, really. Sometimes I'm allowed to pick off corpses when no one is looking, but...Gods, it's been years at least! Not since the last big battle... Back when some rag-tag group had invaded Serendipity. Oh, the clean up had been fun! She just made sure to sneak out at night when no one was awake to feast on the corpses when no one was paying attention. Honestly, she hadn't known if she was nibbling at the bodies from "their side" or the bodies of the invaders, but she didn't care. Really, they were dead, they shouldn't complain! And eating the stuff was better than those weird burials. That was so pointless! A waste of a lot of perfectly good meat, and it made her kind of jealous to know the maggots could happily feast upon it in the ground while she couldn't.

Well...for the most part. Sometimes if she was feeling particularly naughty she would dig up fresh graves. But she hadn't been doing much of that lately. The villagers had blamed it on wolves and some soldiers had been sent to guard the cemetaries. So, that had put an end to that.

Agh! She'd only just eaten some rats and she was hungry again after Nagranesh's talk! Then again, manticores did have ravenous appetites and she sometimes seemed to have a bottomless pit for a stomach. Snapping her head up, she also started to scan the crowds, flicking an ear absently to ward off a mosquito that buzzed there. Hmm...who would they choose? She decided she'd let Nagranesh choose. After all, this whole thing had been his idea! So he should do the honors.

Yes, that is another thing in common! I can't wait to see your form in real life! You will use it, right? Mine is fun, too. I think you'll like it, I can't wait to use it, too. It's been so long...I feel almost cramped up like this. Only figuratively speaking. Erus just felt more at home when she was herself, so to speak, and it was easier to move around that way, too. She always felt so clunky and awkward in her humanoid form; her mismatched parts were certainly better suited for her other form. But yes, I'll stay like this until it's safe. Oh! You already found someone?

Perking with interest and listening to him "speak", she followed his arm until her sharp eyes spotted the swaggering man, and for a moment her eyes narrowed and her body went still as she watched him interestedly. Oh yes...he was perfect. Like a wounded animal being singled out from the herd...yes, he would do nicely...she ran her scratchy tongue over her lips. She hoped they would get to eat him...it had been so, so long since she'd really tasted fresh, hot human blood, gotten to tear still soft flesh from the bone, gotten to enjoy the marrow...

Then she shook herself and took a slow breath, snapped from her thoughts when Nagranesh touched her tail.

Which she didn't mind at all. In fact, she actually turned her head to grin at him, completely switching gears from "predator mode!" to "happy, weird manticore" again. It was actually kind of cool that he did that. Most people got all freaked out about it and tried to keep as far away from it as they could, and while she also liked that because it appealed to that predatory part of her that liked to see the little prey animals tremble in fear and keep their distance, to finally find someone that wasn't afraid of her and who was just as monstrous as her...it was nice. That was probably a bit strange because she was a manticore and they were solitary beasts by nature, but she'd also been raised and socialized by humans, so...maybe she was sort of torn. She wanted to be solitary, feared, and dominant as was natural for her kind, but maybe part of her also wanted some friends. Khas was her friend! He was just scared of her and didn't know he was her friend. And now there wasd Nagranesh, her new hunting partner as she had deemed him! And he wasn't scared at all.

It always comes in handy, yes. I can stab with it, but I have really good control over it, too, and it has good venom! It makes you go numb, and be unable to move. But I can also just paralyze some parts of the body. It all depends on where I strike and how much venom I use, she told him, uncurling her tail a little before curling it back up again, flexing it. When extended all the way, the thing could arch all the way over her head out in front of her, and she could strike with a snake's precision and speed. She really liked her tail.

Okay! So do we follow him now? Oh! Oh! Maybe you could lure him towards the bad part of town. You look like a human right now. But...it is always fun to have the challenge of separating the prey from the herd, so even if he remains in this part of town...oh, never mind all the talk! Let's go, Nagranesh. And with that said, she started to follow after the vagrant, far too excited to wait too long before getting started.

What could she say? It had been so long since she'd last hunted.

Don't you fret young one, you'll get your food soon enough. We just have to be a little patient. Nagranesh told her, grinning at her as he kept watching that one man.

You'll see my form soon enough, not to worry. I'm glad that you don't fear me. I could only get such acceptance when I was back with my family, and this really strange being I met a few centuries ago...Ahem. However, you can't seriously be cramped. I'm a fifteen foot tall, twenty five tentacled, fifteen eyed creature with a beak that can swallow something larger than a horse stuffed into a six foot two human. Don't you tell me about being cramped. His tone was joking though as he looked at her and winked one of his eyes. It was hard to tell how many other eyes were winking though, as he did have quite a lot of them.

He noted she was happy with his tail touching. It was only natural, because no doubt after he emerged from the husk she would want to touch a tentacle or his beak for that matter. It was only fair after all. He did like the feel of her tail, it sorta reminded him of his beak, though a little rougher. His beak was sleek, hard, very smooth to say the least. Hard as hell though since he had to crush bones, bite through metal sometimes and even dig himself a hole in the ground.

I know a creature whose teeth and fangs can secrete a toxin to paralyse. Oddest creature I ever met, fed on Magic and Negative emotions. He wouldn't kill, couldn't really kill with the toxin, but he was an odd one. That had been the being he had met many...many centuries ago. The creature was immortal as far as he knew, and he would have to find out if that being still existed one day.

He wouldn't have to actually lure that man, he just had to tweak his mind. With it, he could make the man go and do whatever he wanted. Hell, he could make the man kill himself if he so wanted. However, that wasn't what he wanted at this point. He just wanted the man to head to a more secluded part of town. Maybe to other vagrants. That's just what he implanted too. He made the man long for more of his kind, more people like him who would identify with him. Heh heh, sometimes it was so easy.

He's headed that way now actually it seems. Hopefully he'll find people like him...then we can have a true feast! He wasn't actually that hungry, he wanted to see this woman in action, before they hunted each other for fun. He wanted to see her hunting and killing when he wasn't in the path. Ah, he hadn't been on a sort of quest like this in a long time, hunting, killing, and just being himself. He even had a friend to come along with him. That was always a bonus. Someone who appreciated the finer points of hunting and eating their prey, no matter what it was.

Oh he could get used to this woman real fast. She was going to be a fun friend for sure.

Psh, how could I fear you? You're one of my own, yes? A monster like me, even if our species are different, and for that matter, it has been ages since I've found someone completely unafraid of me. The last people like that were my 'parents', and I even made them a little nervous. They had reason to be nervous, I was a very bad child, but they were never afraid like most people. Not that I mind, completely...I like making people afraid; it's fun. Which was both true and untrue.

Erus liked it because it appealed to her predatory instincts and felt only natural, made her feel strong and ferocious and also amused her, but it could also be a little annoying when she actually wanted to make friends. She had an odd way of showing affection, after all, and she honestly didn't know her own strength--which was bad, because her idea of play and affection was rough and tumble. Not to mention she wasn't light at close to two-hundred pounds. Her body was pretty much solid muscle, and her horns and tail only added even more weight to her overall mass; they were probably what made her so heavy to begin with, honestly. A playful pounce from her could easily result in a concussion, and if she accidentally butted heads with the unfortunate pouncee, a coma.

It was like she had to walk on eggshells around all the soft little humanoids.

Even though she was told to speak with her mind, she couldn't help but laugh with her mouth, and a chuckle escaped her as Nagranesh teased her about the whole being cramped issue. Well...he did have a point. Oops. She wasn't stuffed into any bodies or anything, her entire anatomical structure was just...changed. But it still felt awkward! With a laugh, she stuck her tongue out at Nagranesh and then winked one gray eye after. Maybe you should just find a bigger husk thingy. Maybe a half-giant! Or a horse! Could you be a horse? That might be weird though... she added, looking thoughtful, or as thoughtful as she could look.

Then she looked interested as Nagranesh described that other creature he had met, the one who could also paralyze, eyebrows raising. Oh! That would be interesting! She didn't know anyone else that could do that. But then once Nagranesh got to the part where the thing fed on magic and negative emotioned, she wrinkled her nose. That doesn't sound very good... Then again, Erus also couldn't understand vegetarians or people that cooked their meat. Ew. Took all the flavor out of it. First time she'd eaten steak, she'd nearly lost her lunch.

Yes...Erus was practically a living garbage disposer, could eat rancid, maggot-infested flesh and enjoy it, but cooked meat turned her stomach.

What was he? He does sound interesting though! Mm...you've met a lot of people like us, haven't you? She wondered where they all were. Probably scattered...after all, such creatures didn't only have to worry about being hunted by those outside their species, but also by their own. At least, that was the case of her own kind.

She had no idea that it was Nagranesh that was influencing the vagrant, but she only got even more excited when she heard her companion's announcement. Oh...even more vagrants. If he found other people, and they really could go all out on this hunt...Erus could feel her pulse begin to quicken, her slitted pupils dilating. But she continued to walk calmly, her movements surprisingly quiet now that she was putting her mind to it, "stalking" that vagrant as well as she could while in this form--which wasn't very well, to be honest; this form wasn't meant for stalking and she stood out like a sore thumb, but she was too "in the zone" to realize that. Idly, she sheathed and unsheathed the claws of her hands as she walked and flattened her wings to her back, her ears also laying flat against her head. The crowd was starting to thin out the further away from the good part of town they got...

I wish he'd hurry...oh, I hope he leads us right to one of their little hide-outs. I've busted thieves before. Sometimes they dwell together in small groups. Hopefully he's that type... But anxious as she was, and eager as she was, she was luckily a hunter, and that meant she could have the patience of a saint. Despite her own wishes, she could easily trail prey for hours, waiting for the opportune moment to finally strike. Every predator had to have patience; besides, it always paid off in the end.

He smiled at her and nodded. That was very true. More often then not, monsters didn't get scared of each other. How could they? Each one of them was different, and yet...they had something in common. They weren't accepted by normal society, so that in turn made them their own society. However, one had to go searching through realms to meet each one.

Nagranesh wasn't as playful as Erus was. For the most part he was calm and collected, stalking amongst the humans with the grace of a newborn calf. He literally had so many lies that he could tell the humanoids that it was not  repeating some of them. Then there was the truth, which wasn't widely accepted by them. Why should it be? A fifteen foot tall octopus like creature ready to eat them? Seemed a little...scary to him even.

I would find a bigger and better husk but my favourite food is human. I've tried all sorts of creatures, large lizards, small flying creatures with strange snouts and scales, hundreds of beings who fell prey to me...and I prefer humans. They're tasty, mostly clean, and often aren't hard to catch. That and I love their thumbs. Humanoids have it way too easy. I've got small tentacles to wrap around things, while they have hands with thumbs. Nagranesh was glad he wasn't slimy like an octopus or a squid, leaving a trail behind him as he walked. No thankfully his real form was dry, except for the inside of his beak of course. He had been told by quite a few minds before they plunged down his throat that it was quite wet.

I can't remember the name he called himself. It was such a long time ago...Sometimes the details just slip my mind, sharp as it is. My life has been...strange. I live for two purposes. One is to feed, the other is to search. Search for creatures like me so I and they may be accepted. I have the means to fling myself from realm to raelm, so why not use it to look for creatures that I can related to? Yes, Nagranesh was always searching for new beings, on the look out for creatures that humanoid societies rejected. Sometimes he even found friendship with humans who weren't accepted by other humans.


Nagranesh stayed calm as he walked beside Erus, despite his companions all out want for more bloodshed and to hunt. There were only a few people out on the road, and when they saw Erus coming they just seemed to hurry along as fast as they could. He didn't pose much of a threat after all...he was just a human with green eyes. He smiled at her as he listened to her quick thoughts.

In time. We're close I think. I can...hear others...not like him completely...but like him. He might be heading there... If this was like some of the other worlds he had been to, no doubt they would be huddled together in a large alley with fires going and small tents and shelters set up, or inside an abandoned building. His thoughts were confirmed as he slipped inside a rather decayed looking building with large holes in the room and most of the windows broken out.

I sense seven of them in there, including the target. Two doors apparently, one at the front, one at the back. I'll head to the front door and seem like a vagabond to them. You however, go to the back door. When you hear a sound that resembles flesh ripping, you burst through the door. I think it's safe for me to reveal my true form to them. Nagranesh always loved to plan. He loved it because when he made plans, usually the offending party had no idea about them, and he was quite into surprises and the like. He loved to see horrified faces, and for that matter, he loved to be able to get some food as well.

This was going to be very fun. His eyes scanned Erus for a moment, making sure she was ready, then he grinned and started walking toawrd the front door.

Remember the plan.

Erus couldn't help but bark a laugh at that--and then quickly slap a hand over her mouth, since she was supposed to be being all stealthy and stuff, and Nagranesh's thumb comment had effectively snapped her out of her little hunter's trance. Not that it mattered, really, because she really couldn't be all that stealthy in this form; it was very hard to slink around in an awkward human form, and she always felt sort of off balance, teetering around on two legs and having to hold her tail just-so, otherwise, well, she'd probably end up stumbling around a lot and looking like a general fool. Which she probably did already, considering all her mismatched parts, not to mention she stuck out like a sore, well...thumb.

They're nice, yes! she agreed with a wide grin, hooking her own thumbs into the belt loops of her breeches as though to demonstrate one of their excellent uses. I don't have any in my true form...just a lot of claws and paws, which are nice! But I don't need 'em, I got a mouth, but there are so many fun things you can do with fingers. Like count! I'm not very good at that yet, she added with a frown.

Which was highly frustrating, because she did have a few strange habits that directly involved counting. She was a bit obsessive on some levels and, odd as it probably was, she liked to be organized--because she was possessive of things that she considered to be <I>hers. Probably that whole territorial lion thing going on, only magnified because she wasn't a lion but was a strange...thing. If someone were to throw a bunch of her stuff on the ground, she would be compelled to pick it up immedietely and count it all to make sure everything was there. And that usually lead to her getting all distressed because she couldn't count.

It just didn't work very well, but by now most people back at the barracks knew not to touch her things. Because no good could ever come of that.

Glancing over at him as he spoke about realm travelling, she blinked owlishly, not really understanding...but she did perk up when he mentioned finding creatures like them so that they could be accepted. Really? You think they'll be accepted one day? she asked, and then tilted her head, cat-like. <I>But...that means we're not already...but...we are right? Everyone accepts me here! Some are scared, yes, but they're friends! Never mind that she had a somewhat skewed idea of what a friend was. A friend was someone she didn't eat--if she occassionally nibbled here and there--and who didn't want to kill her. She had a lot of those!

However, Erus fell mentally silent again when Nagranesh did, and listened to him as he mentioned that they were close. That was when she started to slowly grow more serious, more focused, her eyes becoming a little more intense, when the smell of humans began to fill her sensitive nostrils again. Her breathing slowed, becoming calmer, and she suddenly didn't seem so, well, hyped up anymore. On the contrary, she had become strangely calm and relaxed, even if on the inside she was bursting with energy and bloodlust.

She slipped into the room after him, and then stopped as he began to "speak" again, explaining the plan. And a slow, sly smile spread across her lips. Ripping flesh, huh? She always liked that sound...

Licking her lips, she nodded at his instructions and took off silently for the back door, getting ready. Understood! I like this plan! We'll surprise them good! she commented, even as she came to a stop beside the back door and crouched a little, waiting, getting ready to bust down that door on a moment's notice. This would be so fun! And it sounded like Nagranesh was finally going to show off his real self.

She was looking forward to that...

Ready when you are! she announced, but then quickly spoke up again when another thought struck her. Oh! Since you're gonna get in your real form, can I get in mine? It was always fun to play show and tell! And she was certain that would only add to the element of surprise.

Poor vagrants. Oh well! This was clean-up! She liked clearing up all the rats, and they were like rats, right?

Well he didn't really need to be quiet, since he could simply filter the noise out in their minds. They didn't seem to really hear her though it appeared, so they were safe for the time being. One of his eyes rotated in the socket to watch her for a moment, then snap back ahead. That was the thing when you had fifteen eyes, they could look in whatever direction you so pleased. That and it just looked creepy for most people and he loved that! Heh heh heh.

No thumbs eh? Well that's another thing we have in common then. He was smirking slightly at her as she talked about how she couldn't count. That was a little distressing wasn't it, but he could help with that. Counting is easy my dear. All you have to know is one through nineteen, then understand the multiples of ten. After that, it all works out on it's own. Maybe I'll transfer the knowledge to you one day. That was somethign Nagranesh had a good control on, was imparting knowledge onto others. Just as long as the other mind was open.

One day we'll be accepted. There just needs to be more of us. Many...many more of us. Nagranesh almost wished he could find a world where they could all go. All the monsters in the realms converge to one place. However, that wouldn't work, as they would need humans to live there. It was best to find a place that had a very large planet, very...very large with humans on it, and live there. That would be a nice thing...for now they just have to survive for the time being.

Nagranesh settled at the front entrance as he waited for Erus to get into position. Finally she said that she did, and he moved in, heading inside the building. It was dim, there was a metal barrel with a fire in it, the men all huddled around it. Nagranesh was smiling as limped over near the barrel, stopping beside a few of the men.

"Welcome friend." One addressed him, and he nodded to the man.

"Thank...you." Nagranesh still hadn't mastered talking with this particular husk's mouth. It was like this with every husk he found.

"You new in town, haven't seen you around here." One of the vagrants said to Nagranesh. He nodded to the man and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah...Came here...yesterday." He was waiting for the right moment, which came as all the vagrants became absorbed by looking into the fire. Nagranesh closed his eyes, slowly waiting for the right time. His skin began to crawl and writhe as he waited for a moment. There! The husk burst apart with the sound of ripping flesh, sending bits of flesh here and there, showing his true form.

He was a large creature, black membrane of flesh writhing about. Twenty five tentacles were around the bottom of his 'body.' There were five rather large tentacles which the entire body was situated on. Twenty smaller tentacles of different sizes were above the large ones. A bulbous head held a rather large parrot beak of sorts, one that was open and letting a guttural scream out. Fifteen toxic green eyes were looking around wildly, focusing on the doors, and on the vagrants. They seemed to stunned to move, even when the barrel was knocked over with the lash of a tentacle.

Nagranesh's large beak came down upon a man, engulfing the upper half of his body. There was a sickening crunch as the body was cut at the waist. Nagranesh slowly pulled himself upwards, pulling the upper torso with him. The spine have been severed, but the organs were still connected, being sliced free finally. The men all began to scream, that was about the right queue for Erus to hurry in now.

Mm, the man was delicious though! They had to kill them first, they could eat them later.

Erus had no idea what Nagranesh was talking about when he briefly explained counting and multiples and whatnot, but she did perk when he said he could transfer the knowledge to her one day! Ah! That would be fun! But that would just have to be saved for another time, because right now she was waiting patiently for her cue, or as patiently as she could considering her growing excitement. Since Nagranesh didn't say that she couldn't get into her true form as well, she decided that since he was going to, that she would too! After all, she was just going to get into her true form later on when they hunted each other, so it never hurt to be prepared! And she was certainly dying to show her form off, and to get to run around for a while and stretch her legs, so to speak.

Besides, that would certainly surprise the poor humans all the more if she came roaring into the room!

Grinning, her keen ears picking up Nagranesh's conversation with the humans, she wasted no time in getting prepared. Just like that, she began to change, her bones shifting, her spine lengthening, muscles growing, thick fur covering her skin...it was a complex process, and yet it only took a matter of minutes for it to all occur. Of course, it had been a long time since she'd actually shifted, so she forgot about the whole clothing issue until her uniform had ripped to shreds--oops, oh well!--which was also roughly the same time that she heard a rather loud ripping sound coming from within the warehouse. The cue she'd been waiting for!

Yet she had to wait a few moments longer as the shift finalized, and by the time it was done, in place of Erus the strange, awkward humanoid, there was Erus the manticore. The really, really big manticore. At over seven-hundred pounds, she was a good eleven feet long, not counting the curled scorpion tail that arched over her back and folded wings, her body covered in thick, tawny fur though it couldn't quite hide the hard muscles that rippled beneath. Her body was indeed that of a lion, or the imitation of a lion, but her head was another story altogether. It was eerily human, the face free of any fur, and for the most part it looked like Erus' face. It had her eyes, it had her dreadlocked hair, and the large ram's horns still curled along her face.

But then, around the mouth and nose, her face took a rather freakish turn, the bones having shifted to form a short of snout and the mouth becoming larger and wider--all the better to make room for the three rows of teeth that were housed there, much the same design as a shark's mouth. Heck, if any teeth were ever knocked out, more would easily take their place.

Shaking out her coat and stepping easily out of he tattered remains of her uniform, she sprang into action, throwing her full weight against the door and bringing it easily down just as the men within the room began to scream, and their screams only redoubled when they found their only other escape route duly blocked--and when the fallen door, and Erus, landed right on top of the unfortunate one who had been in the process of opening it, promptly crushing his body beneath it with a series of sickening cracks. With a loud, inhuman roar, mouth opening to flash all those jagged teeth, she lunged forward to easily bring down the closest man to her, pinning him and snapping ribs beneath her weight, and her tail swung out to stun another man as he tried to escape around her, the barbed end sinking deep into his stomach as she released the paralyzing venom into his bloodstream. He slumped to the ground as soon as she withdrew the stinger, bleeding and unable to move, and she could then focus entirely on the poor, noisy man beneath her, large claws flexing against him.

She did raise her head, though, to look over at Nagranesh as he feasted upon one man's torso, a strange grin fixed upon her face, though it looked more like a snarl. Wow...Nagranesh certainly looked even more interesting up close and in action than he did in that mental image! And even though to a human he was certainly terrifying, she was completely unphased by his appearance or by the bloodshed.

Well! That was easy! she told him, still grinning--right before she lowered her head and tore into the face of the writhing man beneath her, tiring of his screaming. It hurt her ears; she did have sensitive hearing, after all! Mm...Gods...it's been so long... The man had stopped moving, save for occassional muscular twitches, and Erus' eyes were closed in pleasure as her strong teeth and jaws broke through his skull, crunching away on it as easily as if it were just flesh, blood and bits of brain matter spattered on her lips and cheeks and chest, dripping down her chin. And if it weren't already quite obvious that she was enjoying this, a deep rumbling sound was bubbling up from her chest and throat even as she snacked.

She was purring.

Knowing how simply Erus was, by all account of hearing her mind and probing it once in a while, Nagranesh knew that it would really just be easier to transfer the knowledge to her. There was a little question in the back of Nagranesh's mind though. How primitive WAS her mind then? How much information could it retain before it was unable to hold any more. That would be something he should look into! More of a literally look into. He would be able to look through her mind and see just how much information it could store. After all, he didn't want to give her knowledge and then have her suddenly lose her childhood after all.

Despite being in a...conversation with the humans, Nagranesh knew something was happening outside with Erus. He had this distinct feeling that when that door got knocked down, he would see a very different beast from the one he knew now. Ah, true forms always were lovely to have!

A few eyes focused toward the door as suddenly a creature burst through it. His eyes blinked as he watched the creature. That and he was swallowing his meal of half a man. There was no chewing when it came to Nagranesh. No need, his acids would dissolve his meals. However, he usually made a point of killing the people first, as to not have them endure the digestion process.

Nagranesh was counting the men that were dying. One for him, one for her under the door, then another man was pinned...and another god the scorpion tail. That was four in total wasn't it? Hm, that left three then. He would have to kill two more at least! Oh it would be easy too wouldn't it?

The tentacles came out, lashing around and searching for the enemies. He used a large tentacle in this instance, and when it collided with one of the man's legs, the bone within shattering into pieces. There was a yelp as he fell to his stomach with a small grunt. Nagranesh was upon him quickly, a tentacle wrapping around the man's neck, and then the man's appendages. This was going to hurt now wasn't it? Ah well. Nagranesh made it quick, ripping the limbs and head from the torso without any real effort. He was good about it, made it fast so there was no pain for the man. Nagranesh opened his beak, quickly shoving the pieces and torso (Which had been caught by a flailing tentacle) into it and swallowing them quickly.

One of them had huddled in a corner, while one headed for the front door. The logical one to get was the man heading for the door of course. Nagranesh just seemed to pounce, thrusting him forward and landing on the man with all his tentacles wrapping around him. He held the man down carefully, watching him. He needed a new husk anyways didn't he? A tentacle dipped to the vagrant's ear, slipping within. The man squirmed as the tentacle now seemed to somehow slip within the cavity. Digestive enzymes were sent through his skin, into the man, slowly flooding the body. It would travel down his spine, into the man's organs, blood stream, dissolving choice bits of the body. Nagranesh had to leave just the skin, and he managed to do that.

Nagranesh held the body up over his beak, and let the enzymes flow through the man's eyes into his mouth. It was like a delicious slurry, and wouldn't dissolve his own body thankfully. Nagranesh turned to look toward the man huddled in the corner, shaking and shivering. Nagra glared for a moment, letting his own mind filter in.

Kill yourself mortal. This was a command on the already weakened mentality of the man. Slowly the man began to strangle himself, or trying for that matter. It seemed whenever he was close to kill himself, he would let go and breathe once more. Darn. Well he wished it had worked out but seemed to be a failure. Well it would keep the man busy wouldn't it? Nagranesh extended a tentacle and wrapped it around the man's torso, dragging him over to visit with Erus.

Your form is impressive, deadly but with a strange killer beauty. It was a compliment, and the truth at that. He watched her as she bit into the man, feeding on him. She was a messy eater but, they all couldn't swallow people whole after all. Nagranesh brought the man up to look at him carefully. Suddenly there was a strange noise. It was a clicking. This was Nagranesh's beak actually, clicking like a parrot would. He brought a tentacle to the man's head entangling it like ivy on a house. Then he pulled. Blood was sent spraying like a geyser from the body, of course he aimed it playfully at Erus, giving her a crimson shower.

His mouth opened and he threw the head into his mouth before setting the body down beside Erus. He was full at this point actually, needing time to digest everything and put it to good use. He stepped carefully away from Erus though, not knowing the potential or capability to hold herself back. He wasn't sure if she was going to attack him due to blood lust or some such thing. Of course, he could give her clarity if there was trouble.

He would just have to wait and see what happened after she finished snacking. Hopefully a Nagranesh sandwich wouldn't be on the menu next.

Erus was happily munching on her human, savoring that bittersweet, coppery taste she'd missed so much. She didn't know how many humans she had taken out--well, she knew, but she didn't know the number that correlated with it--but that was all right! As far as she was concerned right now, Nagranesh would have the rest, for as soon as the taste of blood and flesh had touched her tongue she'd become completely enraptured, lost in her meal. It had been far, far too long...and human was indeed her favorite food. So tender...

Even as she fed, though, she looked up every now and then with those keen gray eyes to see what Nagranesh was doing, both because she was curious and fascinated by that strange form and because she was protective over her food. She didn't want him to try and take her meal away! It was a silly thought, probably, but it was one of those simple instincts and if Nagranesh came too close to her while she ate at this point, there would likely be nasty consequences. Probably more for her than for him, since his blood was acidic; it wasn't like she would try to kill him, but she would certainly snarl and swipe at him. Indeed, right now Erus' mind was operating in two very different ways--that more "human" side was still running in the background, but the feral, more natural side of her was truly in command.

She watched as he literally ripped a man apart--oh, nice!--and then as he...did something...to yet another man, somehow turning his insides to slush before drinking them, leaving benhind only the skin. Mm...that looked rather tasty. Drinking it all rather than eating it, everything, blood, bone, organs, and muscle all mixed into one. Erus licked her lips, cleaning up some of the blood from her face with her longer, more feline-like tongue though she didn't bother with the blood on her chest. Later, when she was finished eating, there would of course be grooming. She could be a bit anal about the grooming, especially when she was in this form, and she would groom herself thoroughly and then make sure that even Nagranesh was cleaned to her liking, whether he liked it or not.

That is, if there was still enough of Erus left at that point to remember that he was a friend, not prey.

Erus didn't hear the mental command Nagranesh gave that one human, but she did find it odd when he started to strangle himself. Hmm...oh well! With her long, razor-like claws, she easily slit open the man's belly when she had finished consuming his brain, and then she turned so she could begin to dine on that. These were some of her favorite parts to eat...

You think so? Erus replied with her mind, lifting her head, a section of intestine hanging from her mouth, though she quickly bit through it so she could consume a section, though purrs still vibrating in her chest and throat. She licked her lips again as Nagranesh dragged the last still-living man over. Your form is, too! I like it. You can do a lot with it! Yikes. Was it ever an effort not to say something like, "It reminds me of squid! I had squid before. It was good! You look good!" but somehow she managed a fairly coherent reply. It was difficult, though, with the blood scent heavy in her nostrils and the flavor coating her tongue. Very, very hard. Her tail twitched a little, curling and uncurling very subtly.

And then Nagranesh pulled off the man's head, and sprayed the blood onto her.

That was probably a bad idea.

Erus actually laughed, a strange, deep, inhuman sound, though her eyes closed with contentment as the warm liquid fell onto her. Oh, she'd really need a good grooming after...after...this. Oh Gods. So much blood. Grinning weakly, she shook herself, sending little droplets of blood flying off her fur, but then, as she looked over at Nagranesh...that already distracted grin turned rather strange, even if it already looked grotesque on her in this form. Her ears slowly laid back against her head, her eyes were narrowed into thin gray slits, and she seemed to be studying him rather intently, her human meal momentarily forgotten. All those flailing tentacles...they were rather distracting, the movement attracting her attention. And with the smell of blood as thick as it was now, the stuff sticking to her fur, dripping off her face...

It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate very well. Or at least, to think like a human. She flexed her claws against the body beneath her, shredding soft skin, and then quickly took a large bite from the human's arm, cracking through bone. No, he was a friend, not food. She had good right in front of her. And she was getting full, anyway. She didn't need his flesh when she already had this flesh...

But whether she was "full" or not didn't really matter. She was a killer in addition to being a hunter. Her species didn't just hunt to eat. They hunted just so they could kill. And right now, Nagranesh was the only thing alive here...and her senses were starting to become increasingly clouded, all those pent up instincts wanting to burst forth.

He was a friend...but she wanted to kill him...

And before she knew it, a low growl was rumbling in her throat, and she was stepping away from the human body and toward the monster before her, leaving bloody pawprints on the ground. The human part of her mind seemed to have switched off completely, and if Nagranesh tried to talk to her, she probably wouldn't even understand the words at this point. Jagged teeth bared, she eyed him critically, clearly trying to work out a good means of attack in her head, analyzing him as she paced cautiously, scorpion tail at the ready. She had seen what he was capable of...and now she was just looking for an opening.

Nagra was enjoying the carnage that was within this building. It was good, very good to watch her kill people, as well as eating. Ah, this was a very nice life wasn't it? Killing and destroying people with his new friend, and getting to feed, and having a new skin to wear. He would wear it later though, because right now well...he was very comfy in his own form, no doubt the same with Erus. He really did like that form of hers, it was really quite interesting. He couldn't understand what she truly was but, he didn't care at this point.

Nagranesh had...well he had no idea this wasn't a good plan to go close to her. Nagra believed she was safe to be around, as he was her friend, but he forgot that in the wild, creatures didn't always have...well the best of friendships. Friendships weren't really the most common thing, symbiotic bonds perhaps but never friendships. He really couldn't recall at this at the time, as he was having a terrific time slaughtering men and the like. Ah it was all good!

I do indeed little kitten. Nagranesh replied, finding that her strange purring was quite an interesting sound. It was hard to explain what exactly that sound was, but he knew that it was a good sound. It was just like those furry cats. He didn't eat those beings, they were just so cute and adorable. Besides, they didn't make much of a meal. They were just...well they were just strange to him. He should have been keeping an eye on Erus's mind...he should have just been watching it for what was going on, but he trusted her. That was such a bad idea on his part, and he would pay for it.

He was going to pay for it with his blood wasn't he?

She laughed, a strange laugh that confused him slightly as the blood just sprayed onto Erus. It had been a funny sight to see, and he was just trying to do something to her. He was curious if she would enjoy it, and apparently she was enjoying it. That was good then wasn't it? Afterwards he was reminded of a dog, where she shook the blood from her fur. It splattered mostly onto him, and he moved backward trying to escape the spray without success. Sigh. Now he felt all...bloody, like he had taken a strange bath in the crimson liquid.

All eyes were upon the girl as she stayed where she was. She had focused on him, and it was strange. It was very odd to see that gaze, it looked...it looked very off. There was something about it. There was something about her look that made his skin...crawl so to speak. She had taken on a different look, she had taken on a new perspective it looked like. Humm. What could that possibly mean?

Wait why he was guessing about all this though?

The growl from her throat scared him. It made him fear...and it made him know something. She was thinking that he was food...that he could be something she could kill. Whether it was to eat or just to kill because she was in a state of blood lust. Oh Hells no. Not when he was here. Not when he had his powers after all! Hah.

You will stand down, you will heel, you will OBEY ME. To her, the sound would be booming, his eyes were throwing off light as stared at her. He was encompassing her mind with his own, trying to filter out her basic instincts. He was frightened though. He was very frightened by her and what she could do. Those claws could shred is delicate skin, but probably not penetrate his beak. Though that still left her with the tail, which would rip his flesh open and spray his blood everywhere.

I am Nagranesh the Only One. You will OBEY! He wanted to get her mind to clear, to stop moving and to wait for her mind to filter out the feelings. He had to bring that intelligence back into her mind. She had been lost to her animal side, and he knew she could think, but she was lost to the side at this point. He would fix her though, he would make her see again, he would make her think again.

He just...he just had to try. If she attacked, the only person to die would be hear. He could live with most wounds, they would heal but the acid would kill Erus. That wasn't going to work out.

Obey me Erus.

Mmm...Erus could smell his fear and it only empowered her all the more, excited her, her heart pumping hard in her chest with anticipation and the coppery smell of blood still heavy around her. Her lip curled in a snarl, tongue running over her teeth, but she still continued to pace. This was difficult; she'd never come across prey built like him, so where would the best place be to place a killing bite? On most animals it was those sensitive spots like the throat, spine, or belly, but he had none of those, just a lot of tentacles and a head...with a beak. The beak could prove a challenge...she could try and lunch for his head and rip that open. Oh yes, she could probably do that. Manticores were amazing jumpers and even despite all her bulk, she could leap to incredible heights and distances. Most people never saw that coming.

Muscles rippling, that growl still rumbling deep in her throat, she crouched down low in preparation to spring, deadly claws kneading the ground beneath her and sharp gray eyes fixed intently on her prey.

And then she leaped.

But it was at that moment that Nagranesh's words suddenly boomed in her head and with a yowl of surprise, Erus twisted in the air like a cat so she landed a few feet short of Nagranesh instead, thudding heavily to the ground on all fours. A loud hiss escaped her as she stared at him, took in his flashing eyes, and then she actually lowered her head to the ground and pawed at her ears as though trying to get that noise out of her head. Her senses were already incredibly sensitive, and having such a loud sound booming in her head like that was certainly distracting and awful!

Whining softly, she didn't actually understand the words at first, but Nagranesh had the right idea. He had distracted her, and he was speaking forcefully and loudly, those words slowly permeating into her brain, touching upon the more human side of her that had been buried beneath the bloodlust. Raising her head finally, she snapped her teeth at him and hissed loudly, shaking her head, clearly agitated. But she didn't seem keen on attacking him again...instead she just started to pace, ears laid back in annoyance and eyes squinting as though she was in pain. The sound did hurt her head...

But the words were finally starting to come through as Nagranesh worked on filtering her more feral feelings out.

Nagranesh...that sounded familiar, that word sounded very familiar...

Panting slightly, a bit distressed suddenly, she looked directly up at him then, tilting her head a little, for a moment afraid that he was going to attack her, and then suddenly confused. She knew what that all meant...he was...he wasn't going to hurt her. She had been about to hurt him. Which...which was wrong, because...

Suddenly, just like that, she snapped out of it. It happened as abruptly as the bloodlust had set in, and those grey eyes of her widened then, sudden realization dawning as she looked up at him as though seeing him for the first time.

...Nagranesh...?

Had she really just forgotten about him? Forgotten who he was and...lost control again?

Jolting a little, Erus shook her head and slowly lowered herself to the ground until she was sitting, obeying him and standing down finally. And then, almost nervously, she lifted one bloody front paw and began to lick at it vigorously. I did something bad just now, didn't I?

Yeah, it wasn't often that he was afraid. The fear was for her however, not for himself. He could lose his limbs and such, they would regrow, but the blood would really hurt her. He didn't like the idea of burning her with his acidic blood. He could see into her mind clearly, and was impressed by her level of awareness to that degree. She was a killing machine, and she was thinking about how to kill him. Heh, she had no idea at least how to kill him, and she was thinking about his beak. That would be the biggest mistake. Never attack a creature who can swallow horses. His bite strength was very powerful, and he had been known to bite many things clean in half.

He was ready for her though when she jumped, his beak slightly open and tentacles ready. This would be it then, if he wasn't careful and his telepathic ways didn't work out...then he would have to fight and subdue her. Tentacle around the neck, front and hide legs, and that scorpion tail. That would be something to subdue her wouldn't it? He just had to keep the girl from trying to kill him...That would be the best thing.

His plan worked, as the girl thudded to the ground in front of him, whining and pawing at her ears. Excellent. She had heard his voice, and she had started to listen once more. He hadn't even thought of her sensitive ears or anything like that. It was good to have a great mind like his, one where he could send his thoughts out and get one's attention.

She didn't seem happy by his abilities, and she was rather angered by it. Well she would have to live with it wouldn't she? The main thing was to get her rational side to awaken once more so she would focus on that part, instead of the gashing and slitting open his stomach. Sigh, sometimes being so delicious looking had its draw backs didn't it? Still, he should be flattered that she wanted to rip him open to eat him...shouldn't he? Of course he should. Yeah.

Then she finally thought, something that was coherent and proper. His name. She remembered him. Slowly his guard fell as she seemed to realize what she was doing. That was a good thing now wasn't it? He would smile if he could, but alas he had only a beak to deal with at this point. So he just clicked his beak instead, once to show that he was happy. It was the best he could do with a giant beak that only opened and closed after all. Nagranesh was very lacking in the visible emotion department after all.

What? Oh no. I think it was my fault kitten. Too much blood in the air triggered a feral instinct within you. In simpler terms, blood made you want more. He told her as he slowly worked his way over to her and settled down beside her. He was able to flatten his body out until he was rather spread out and near her. He was rather amused by her cleaning method though, it seemed so...odd.

You're fine now though. I've managed to keep your animal side at by. Had me worried for a minute there my kitten. He moved forward slightly and bumped the edge of his beak into her side, nuzzling her lightly with it. He did know how to nuzzle, as it was a sign of affection amongst many cultures. This was also of reassurance to her as well.

Whew, so she hadn't hurt him. That relieved her to hear it, because if she had done something to hurt him, well...that would have made her rather sad. Sure, she enjoyed messing with her "friends" and sometimes she did get a little rough and drew blood, but she didn't really want to cause any real damage! She liked to kill, but that human side of her also valued companionship. You didn't kill and eat people who were your friends! Well, not if they were alive...if they died or something, it wasn't just like she was going to let the body go to waste. That would be silly.

Oh good...I...no, that wouldn't be your fault, you didn't know. It...it would just be the blood, yes. It's been a long time since I've tasted human blood and been allowed to kill. I just lost myself again. I'm sorry. Her purrs had stoppe as she focused on cleaning herself. Oh, she loved to kill, but she didn't enjoy losing herself like that. It was a little alarming, because she hardly even remembered what she did and she didn't like not being in control. It was hard to keep your head when bloodlust hit, but she could normally do it. It was when she went without for a long period of time that it became a really, really big problem...

Kitten?</I> Erus looked up from cleaning her paw, head tilting to the side in a curiously feline gesture. Then her lips pulled back from her many sharp teeth in what was probably supposed to be a grin for her, and she lifted her other paw and began to lick at that, even spreading her toes to get at any blood that had seeped between the pads. Kitten. I've never been called a kitten before, she mused, still grinning. She rather liked that, actually. It amused her, and she'd never had a nickname before. It was a funny one, too! Because she sure didn't look like a kitten! Still, it made her feel oddly special. Friends gave each other nicknames, didn't they? Nice nicknames, not just stuff like "monster" and "beast", which were things she'd been called and which she also liked, but those were different. I like that. Heh. Kitten.

And those purrs started right back up again as she finally finished cleaning her paws and started to lick at her chest. Thank goodness for feline flexibility! Especially since it would take her a while to clean all this blood off thanks to that shower she'd gotten, and Erus wouldn't be happy until she was thoroughly cleaned and groomed!

She watched Nagranesh move over toward her, flattening himself on the ground and spreading out in a rather odd way. His form was so interesting...and all those eyes...she swallowed then. Er, right. No looking at him like food. No thinking about how much he looked like a squid! Friends did not eat friends!

Still, he was all dirty, too. Nothing said she couldn't give him a "bath", too! He needed one, just like her. She wasn't going to let him stroll around all dirty!

You were worried? she asked, then paused in her cleaning as he came forward and nuzzled her side...and with a happy, loud rumbling purr, she turned her head and nuzzled her face back against his beak, not at all afraid of it even though it looked like it could snap her body in two if he wanted to. I'm glad. I was worried I had injured you. Erus did, however, frown when she pulled back and realized she'd smeared some blood on her cheek from him, since he'd gotten all splattered when she'd shook out her coat. Huffing, she wiped her cheek with a paw and stood then, rounding on Nagranesh.

You're dirty, she said simply and matter-of-factly before she leaned forward and began to lap the blood off his beak, her scratchy tongue also cleaning up any bits of flesh that happened to get stuck to him during all that ripping and shredding and killing. She was still covered in blood herself, but it would be no good cleaning herself only to get bloody again when she cleaned him! And she planned on cleaning all of him, and he better not protest! That tended to make her cranky because when it came to cleanliness, she was something of a mother cat.

Nagranesh wouldn't allow himself to become hurt, if she had leaped at him, he had been planning to simply catch her with his telekinesis and hold her there. It was much easier though to just access a person's mind and go from there. Much...MUCH easier indeed. This way he didn't end up accidentally crushing her with his psychic powers. He had done that a few times before, when his powers just started to manifest. The end result had been interesting to say the least. Messy too.

I should have known it Erus. Many creatures exhibit such behaviour around the presence of blood. I shouldn't have ah...allowed so much blood to be spilt. The shower probably hadn't improved anything either. Still, it had been fun and none of them had killed each other so there wasn't a problem at this point. He would keep a close eye on her mind from now on however, allowing the Feral Erus to stay dormant while the 'Civilized Erus' came to fruition. At least Civilized Erus had interesting things to talk about and didn't view him as a food source.

Yes, kitten. You remind me of one of those furry little feline creatures. Even as you clean yourself now, you just reassure that name. The nickname worked out pretty well he believed. She looked...somewhat like a feline of some sort? Perhaps not a kitten exactly, but there were some very feline traits that she displayed, both mentally and physically. Lion ears, big paws, the desire to clean herself after a kill. Nagranesh had a few nicknames...like Naggy for one. A young elf woman had insisted that was his new name. Bah. He hadn't much cared for that name, so in the middle of the night he 'changed' her mind so to speak. After that she also seemed to think she was a rabbit. It had taken a psychic three days to undo the damage...after that time he was 'asked to leave the village.' Ah. The good old days.

Still, Nagranesh did love to hear the sound of purring. It was one of those strange sounds that made you feel relaxed....unless it was in the dark and you had no idea what creature was making such a sound. He was pretty amazed by just how flexible she was, it seemed that she could really clean herself easily. Idly he wondered if it would just be easier for her to change into human form and have a bath or something. Hm...Felines weren't fond of water, were they?

Ah, he heard it in her mind. He looked like a squid to her. Now that was slightly insulting. Squid were mindless creatures that just jetted about all the time. He was pretty sure he was more like an Octopus. More legs and eyes though. And a beak on the outside instead of tucked away.

Indeed, I thought I might have to subdue you physically, and that your animal side had taken over completely. He wasn't one to hurt his friends all too much. Of course, he seemed to befriend a lot of strange creatures who sometimes viewed him as a threat. A paranoid king for example...one he found out Nagranesh had psychic powers...whew...that had been-

I am a little dirty I guess... He was planning on just getting into the new body soon enough so it wouldn't really matter but apparently. Though, he blinked multiple times with all his eyes as she started to lick the blood from his beak. Well then. He hadn't expected this now had he.

I'd clean you too but my tongue is locked away in my beak. Though it is absorbent so it might might work out. His tongue was more like a seven foot sponge of some sort. It was meant to absorb liquid so he could get the most of meals. This was more helpful when he got older and larger and had to eat a lot more to keep himself full. He almost felt like a camel sometimes, because he could drain a lot of water when he was thirsty. Right now though he couldn't really open his beak because Erus was busy licking the blood from it.

This would take a while. There was about fifteen feet of Nagranesh to clean, not to mention all his tentacles for that matter, and his head which had gotten some brain and spatter from it. If he were to clean her, it wouldn't take too long, as he could just wrap his tongue around her and absorb the blood into his tongue. Still, he wasn't protesting because he knew better, and it was always nice to get cleaned.

A deep laugh rumbled in Erus' chest as Nagranesh continued to compare her to a kitten, and she flashed another rather scary grin his way. It was supposed to be a friendly grin of course, but it was really difficult to accomplish that when you ended up flashing three rows of jagged, shark-like teeth. So I am cute, yes? There was amusement in her mental voice. That was the only conclusion she could gather from that, because kittens were cute. They were also tasty and rather tender, though a bit too fluffy. But they were cute. No one has ever said that before. She tilted her head a little in a wondering sort of way.

Big tough monster that she was, she probably shouldn't have liked being compared to a kitty, but she actually liked it. It was a compliment and she never got those, so it made her feel more like a person, really. If that even made any sense. It was nice to actually be accepted instead of feared...even if being feared was nice. It was such a complicated sort of feeling, two very different sides competing and conflicting...

And, indeed, just like a domestic and even wild cat, Erus didn't like water at all. She liked to drink it, and that was about it! But she just didn't like being wet, which was another reason why she was so compelled to clean herself, because blood was wet. But blood was yummy, so she didn't really complain about it, she just cleaned herself up after. Ah, but water was another story entirely. If it wasn't for the fact that she was ordered to take baths like normal people, she would never go anywhere within five hundred feet of a bath tub. Unfortunately, people apparently got really disturbed when she cleaned herself her way while in humanoid form, so instead she took baths. And she hated every second of it.

Not to mention it was a really difficult thing to do. Most tubs weren't built to fit her tail. That tail was a pain and a half most of the time, but she loved it so. Baths, however, she did not like. Why couldn't humans just tongue-bathe like every other creature out there? It was a lot more convenient and didn't waste water...and it wasn't so icky.

She'd never fully understand humans. They sometimes just made no sense.

Mm...my animal side had taken over. I think. I can never remember what happens...it's always hazy, yet I know when it happens my thoughts are clear. I don't know if that makes sense, Erus told Nagranesh, and she was even more amused when he seemed so surprised at her for starting to clean him, all those eyes blinking. She smiled, and just continued nonchalantly and determinedly cleaning him. Well, whatever you did do, it snapped me back. Everything is fine now. Don't feel sad now; I had a lot of fun, too! Did you?

She shifted a little, finally finishing with his beak and beginning to get at the bits of brain and flesh and whatever else had smeared onto his head. For someone built as deadly as she was, she was surprisingly gentle even if her tongue was rough, and she still purred contentedly as she worked--even if she felt terribly full by now. Still, she had to get him and herself clean! It would drive her nuts otherwise! And yikes, but did she have her work cut out for her. Nagranesh wasn't exactly small, and it was inevitable that she would end up giving up just because she would grow tired. It wasn't like he was much longer than she was, as she was eleven feet long in this form, but all those tentacles...he had so many more places to be cleaned than she did on her body!

It would take forever.

She paused though when he spoke to her, and lifted her head to look at him, blinking a few times.

You would groom me? Erus asked, genuinely surprised. That was unexpected! Because aside from her foster parents, no one had ever groomed her before, which was kind of sad for her, because she liked it. It was just one of those things that people could do for one another that showed they cared and it made her feel special. And that was why she liked grooming other people, too--well, that and the cleanliness thing, though most people got freaked when she pulled that. Probably a lot of the time because after a battle or something she'd try and lick the wounds of her "companions"...in humanoid form. Hey, she didn't know the difference!

It may have been odd for a monster to feel something like that, but such was the case and it had always been something she'd missed. It might also seem like her parents didn't do a very good job of that grooming thing, considering her dreadlocks, but that had been her own doing--she had raised a fuss whenever anyone went anywhere near her with a comb and had gotten rather violent. Just...no one touched her hair with a comb. Unless they wanted to bleed.

I would like that. But how would you if your tongue is locked away? Does it come out? Curious, she nudged at his beak with her muzzle, as though prompting him to open up so she could look for herself. Or does it just stay inside? It was probably a really odd thing to talk about, but she was easily distracted by even simple things like this, already having forgotten her own discomfort as the blood started to dry on her fur.

The grin that she flashed wasn't scary really, it was just...another grin. It was sort of nice really, all those teeth though were very intimidating to say the least. He nodded slowly though at her question, clicking his beak once. Yes, you are cute. That's too bad no one has told you so. Hmph. Mortals always look with their eyes. Nagranesh told her as he kept his eyes upon the girl. Those teeth still...those teeth were scary for sure. Of course, he wasn't worried, he just had to keep the girl's mind focused and not let her animal side out.

Of course Nagranesh would accept her. She was like him really, accepted by only people like himself, and not welcomed in most places. However, they didn't fear each other and they got along really well. Just as long as her wild stayed inside, things would be fine.

Nagranesh didn't mind baths. They were lengthy though, as he had so much matter to clean. Too much in his opinion, and he'd only keep growing larger and larger. Bah. Soon he'd have to use lakes to bathe in wouldn't he? Eventually that would happen when he got older. For now he just had to use a large tub at least. His beak was always a bit of trouble to wash but it worked out in the end.

Nagranesh suspected that Erus might have had a little trouble with her tail, which was a large scorpion's tail after all. Oh yeah, he could see that there MIGHT just be some trouble with her normal baths. Heh, it must be very interesting to say the least, and he wondered how much water ended up in the room instead of cleaning Erus.

It's called blood lust Erus, don't worry about it. Your mind goes into the fog and you lose control, your animal side takes over. He explained to her calmly as he kept his eyes on her. Nagranesh clicked his beak once, nodding at her. I had a lot of fun yes! Most fun I've had in quite a while. He told her. It was fun, he wouldn't deny that part. It was great fun and he really did enjoy their little slaughter fest. Though, they would eventually have to leave this place...for if they were spotted here or even caught here...well...there would be lots of trouble.

Well, now that his beak was done that was good. It did feel cleaner at least. He wished he understood the whole cleaning with your tongue thing it just...well it seemed odd to say the least, and it fel weird. Not bad, but just weird.

I could indeed. I just have to open my beak. He told her as his beak slowly opened and let his tongue slip out. It was like one of the tentacles except it seemed a little moist. He could control it just like a normal tentacle, but it was a better tentacle. He could absorb liquids with it after all, much better than a tentacle. It reached out toward her slowly, running along her fur. where it touched, the liquid just seemed to disappear from her fur. Ahh. It tasted good too! He could move the blood down along his tongue to where he could swallow.

Though, I think your tongue is better. Feels funny but I like it better. Of course the dried blood took a little more licking because it was difficult to get out of the fur. Still he didn't care, it would just take a little time wouldn't it? At least she wasn't shedding! That was a really REALLY good thing wasn't it? He wasn't sure he'd groom her if he had to deal with a mouth full of fur. Still he probably could just wash his tongue later...or eat the fur. Hm. He wondered how that might actually taste. The fur, not Erus. Eating Erus would be a bad thing, it would end poorly for all of them after all.

Mm, blood and Manticore fur. Delicious! He wasn't really joking either, because the unusual mix did taste nice. That and she was getting really clean while he was getting clean. Still, it might have been nicer to just have an actual bath but...if this is what Erus wanted well then he wasn't going to argue. You didn't often argue with a manticore. Hm. He wondered how the humans kept her in line though. She was the superior species after all...maybe she could be easily stopped? How...trivial.

Well, that was true enough. Then again, Erus couldn't half blame most people for looking with their eyes. It was what all the little prey animals had to do if they wanted to live very long, because big teeth and claws and other sharp parts tended to mean bad things for fragile prey creatures with soft, weak, tasty bodies. Like humans! Though...no...eating humans was mostly bad. Except right now. This had been okay, Nagranesh had assured her it was fine! And the way she saw it, it was a service! Just like cleaning up the rats and vermin, these were just human-shaped rats, really. As long as no one found out about it, she wouldn't get in trouble. Hm. It might seem odd that such a powerful creature as a manticore could be controlled by mere humans, but part of that was her own doing. Essentially...Erus allowed herself to be controlled, whether she actually realized it or not. By answering to human and humanoid authority and buying into their social structures and laws, well...indeed, that had a lot to do with it.

It was such a strange path to walk, being caught between two worlds. Most manticores in the wild were simply that: wild and feral with a repressed humanoid side. This is what she got for being raised by humans, if she was raised with a lot of difficulty.

Mm? No one hasn't told me that, Nagranesh. You just told me that. That makes someone now, yes? Erus corrected him simply, still purring, almost like a hum, obviously very content. She had no objections to being called cute and, in fact, she rather liked it. It was different and pretty amusing, actually, and she did like to be amused! Hmm...maybe she could think of something to call Nagranesh? She'd have to think on that one, though. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't terribly creative outside of stalking and harassing "prey". She was simple like that!

She listened to him as he explained blood lust, which she had never actually had explained to her before. It wasn't the first time she'd experienced it of course, and she'd even experienced it around other people, other soldiers. But they just called it "craziness" and snapped her out of the state by knocking her out. After a few mishaps, they'd learned that she was a hardy and tough creature and that she could take a lot of abuse. She had a thick skull apparently, they didn't have to worry about giving her too much head trauma. Erus liked Nagranesh's explanation for it better, though. She honestly didn't really like that..."craziness" label. She didn't think she was crazy. The bloodlust idea made it just sound like it was just a natural part of her, instead of there being something wrong with her.

A chuckle rumbled in her throat as she continued to clean his head, careful not to lick his eyes, because she knew that would hurt! Really? Well, I know it was the most fun I've had in ages, too. These humanoids I live with...ah! They have so many rules and no idea of how to have fun. This was very refreshing. First time I've actually felt free in Gods know how long.

Then she paused when he agreed to groom her, glancing toward his beak curiously. And then blinking when he opened his beak and...another tentacle came out? Tilting her head like a cat, she licked her lips, her tongue scratchy against her own skin. Well! That was a really interesting thing and seemed like it really came in handy! Especially if you were lazy...it seemed like it could stretch a fair distance. She didn't move as he finally touched it to her, only watched with increasing interest, especially as it just...cleaned the blood right up. Just like that! Sucked it right out of the fur, though she couldn't see how it did that exactly. It felt rather neat, too.

Mine is better? I think not. Making a slight face, she stuck her own tongue out for emphasis. Mine's short and scratchy and yours...yours is very nice! Mine can't do that. She lowered her head finally and started to clean up a tentacle, amused. You know...it is official. You're the only person so far I could ever talk to like this. Or groom and be groomed by. Though I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish your whole body. That is okay? Admittedly, her tongue was starting to get a bit tired. Not that she minded really. He tasted rather good. Not just the blood and flesh that was on him, but also the skin that laid under all that, the taste of what was unmistakingly him.

He had a nice flavor!

But no...no thinking about eating him. He was a friend, not food.

She did have to laugh, though, at his sudden comment, about blood and manticore tasting good. Uh oh! Should she be worried? Well, she wasn't. Oddly enough, even despite her own nature and tendencies, she was a trusting thing. Besides, she was pretty confident that even if he was a threat, she could hold him off. Unless he did that thing to her mind again, that is. Is it really? You taste rather good yourself...hmm...I was almost expecting the taste of something from the sea, but, yes, you have your own taste... she mused, as though she was saying the most normal of things. Then she paused, another curious thought coming to mind. Ah! Nagranesh, are we still going to play the hiding game tonight?

It was probably a random thought and question, but her attention span wasn't all that long, either.

sorts, and he wasn't too fond of the idea of poor Erus being controlled like this. Though he had been able to surmise most of the reasons WHY she let herself be controlled, he still felt pity that she was being taken advantage of. She wasn't stupid by any means, perhaps...simple? After all, her mind was mixed with an animals, and the animal was having an interesting time fighting for dominance. Still...it would be quite interesting to see just how much he could control her. Not by means of getting her to do his dirty work, but to see if she could be kept more...as she wanted to be, and as the humans wanted her to be. It was hard to explain, but in no means did he want to try and have complete control over her.

Well now, this is very true isn't it? I suppose someone has told you then. I hadn't even thought of it that way. Was he surprised by how Erus had just managed to out think him in a way? Of course he was. He was also proud that she had caught something like that. Sometimes even simple minds were complex, and Nagranesh knew there was something more to her mind than just the next meal and entertainment. He would enjoy being around this strange creature, her mind would be fun to explore, and her world would be just as entertaining. This world has so much potential for the...librarian that he was.

Humans crave order and rules my kitten, it is their way. They so desire to keep themselves in line and control each other they don't realize how much of a slave they are to themselves. That is why I am not a big fan of humanoids. So obsessed with control. Nagranesh was rather fascinated with how careful she was with that tongue of hers, she was an expert it seemed. After all, she was a feline and well, had her tongue for a quite a while, so he couldn't be surprised. Still, it was an interesting feeling, he quite enjoyed it actually.

Nagranesh found his tongue handy for cleaning out skins completely of course. It was handy for when he wanted to make it so he didn't become all sticky from the fluids within. Ah, and it came in much handier when he needed to clean himself or in this case clean up Erus. He really did enjoy their little slaughter fest actually, because none of them had gotten hurt. SO to speak. The vagrants had been murdered horribly, but the two of them had come out unharmed through all their fun, despite the fact that she almost tried to harm him.

Well, I suppose it's all just a matter of opinion kitten. Mine may be long but I prefer yours, it feels nicer actually. Mine is just a slimy sponge of sorts. Don't worry about cleaning me off completely, it will dry and flake off, or I'll have a bath later I'm sure. He told her with a few shrugs of his tentacles as he kept his eyes on her. He could hear what she was thinking, and that he was tasting good. Did he fear it slightly? Yeah, he did, but she seemed to get it under control and no longer want to devour him. Whew. Dodged a bit of a shot there didn't he?

Well, I can understand why you would think I taste like the sea but...I'm not really a sea creature so it should be expected. He didn't mind the fact that he didn't taste what like she expected, he was just surprised she liked what he tasted like in general. He wasn't even sure of what he tasted like, he always thought he was a little bland to say the least. Of course Nagranesh had actually devoured one of his own tentacles to discover the taste, and thankfully he found it...tasteless.

Of course, we just had to...kill time until the night came. Nagranesh told her as he looked outside to one of the window and clicked his beak. Yes, it looked like the sun had gone down finally and everyone was moving more off the streets. That meant that it was time for what lurked in the darkness to come out and play. This was usually where a human might do a rather evil sounding laugh, but Nagranesh only wished to smile. Of course, with a beak, there were no emotions to be had. A pity.

Alright Erus, you will stay here and count to twenty, while I however will go outside and hide. You must find me then. He could remember easily how much trouble she had with numbers, so he already took the liberty of implanting into her mind the numbers from 1 to 20. However, he would not tell her this, he would simply be proud of her when she told him that she had counted all by herself. She was like a child that could rip your throat off after all.

With a click of his beak and one last lick of her cheek with his long tongue he was gone, moving outside. There wasn't a soul for quite a while, all minds had been quieted, and Nagranesh could hear dreams playing in his mind. Good. Their fun would go unspoiled. Even so, if anyone happened upon them, Nagranesh would ensure that they would only have nightmares of the two beasts, but never remember a thing about them. He couldn't risk killing them after all, for Erus's sake, and hopefully he could keep her at bay from killing anyone.

Now, the question was...where should he hide? Despite his rather large body and beak, Nagranesh could hide in places much...MUCH smaller than he was. Even his beak seemed to be able to shrink somehow. So, he shot off like a rocket down the street, looking for somewhere of interest. He left very little trail behind him, his large tentacles moving and working together for him as he raced along. He had to find a good spot to hide, and in this darkness laden world that should be too hard. Indeed, he found a small alley filled with some metal containers, and took it upon himself to nestle between them, his tentacles bunched up carefully folded over his beak to hide the large item from the dim light. Though there was the smell of garbage about him, he hoped it would be enough to mask his scent. After all, he had zig-zagged across the street, went back over his own trails, made sure that his scent was sure to confuse the manticore.

This would be fun, and that was all Nagranesh cared about. Of course, he could wait till he had to find Erus. He knew that would be exceedingly hilarious, believing he'd find her hiding behind a pole in her manticore form grinning unknowingly. It would be cute to say the least.

Hmm...that was true and interesting. Humanoids did like control. Erus had never thought about it before, but it was true. But in her case, maybe a little control was good? That's what she had been told, that she needed to learn how to control herself, and when she'd grown older and way too hard to handle that had been when her "parents" had given her over to the military. Which she actually didn't mind since they catered to her tastes when she actually got some action. But she'd never really thought of it as a bad thing before...not when everyone kept telling her it was good...

That was very interesting...

Easily distracted, that thought kept her occupied until Nagranesh said something that really got her attention.

It was, indeed, time to play their game.

But just as she'd started to grin, Nagranesh also went on to say something that swept that smile right off her face. She gave a start, her gray eyes going wide.

Count to twenty? But Nagranesh--! She paused in her thoughts when he licked her cheek, but then he was already off and out of the building, vanishing into the darkness outside and leaving her inside the building to count. Which she couldn't do. Her strange muzzle twisted into a frown as she paced, ears flicking. He probably didn't know she couldn't count. Now if he'd told her to recite a long poem or riddles or the alphabet, that was another thing entirely and she could do that without even having to think about it. That didn't necessarily mean she actually understood a lot of what she was saying, but she could still do it. It came naturally.

With a slight sigh, she sat down. Well, he'd told her to count, so she would count! She didn't know how many twenty was, but she just figured that once she got bored she would have counted enough! With a smile to herself at that plan, she started to count, aloud because she never had been able to do that silently.

"One, two, three, four..." Erus had to pause after four, the words just spilling out of her mouth whereas before she actually had to think long and hard about it and it never did sound right to her. It had always just felt and sounded...off. Blinking her gray eyes a few times and tilting her head in confusion, she opened her mouth and continued, and still the words just flowed freely--and something told her that it was all coming out in the correct order, too. She didn't even know how she knew this, but she felt it, like she'd known it all forever, and before she knew it she'd reached the number twenty. After that, however, she found she could go no further...she had no idea what came next, or if anything even came after twenty to begin with, but that didn't matter! Somehow, some way, she'd actually done it! Really done it! Or at least she thought she had! No matter, she'd reached twenty and now she had to find Nagranesh!

And what was more was that she was really excited to find him now, even more excited than she'd already been. He'd be able to tell her if she'd done a good job, and if there was one thing Erus absolutely ate up, it was praise.

Lunging to her feet, she turned and bounded out through the doorway, paws making surprisingly little noise now that her claws were sheathed. For all of her bulk and brawn, she could move quietly when she wanted to. However, once she got outside she stopped, nose lifted to sniff the air carefully. Nagranesh may have normally been scentless and tasteless, but he had also been covered in a great deal of blood and Erus had only cleaned away some of it whereas her own body had been effectively cleaned by Nagranesh's strange tongue. No, he'd told her not to worry about his own body and had instead told her that the blood would just dry and flake off, but that was also where he had made his mistake. Maybe he'd done it intentionally?

In any case, it wasn't long before Erus picked up the bitter scent of blood and took off racing down the street like a bloodhound, all of the awkwardness she expressed in her humanoid form gone. However, it wasn't long before confusion struck her again, the scent trail growing messy as she followed it back and forth across the street, and a low rumble of annoyance left her when the scent trail went from being just a little messy to a jumbled mess that made no sense. Skidding to a stop in the middle of the street, Erus turned around in a slow circle, sniffing busily at the air and then lowering her face to the ground to smell that, too, trying to make sense of it all. Where had he gone? He couldn't have gone too far...and how could he go all over like that?

Ears drooping, Erus stamped a hind leg in slight frustration before, after a moment of thought, she burst into a casual trot and decided to just continue down the street. Mm...his scent was confusing, but it all seemed concentrated in this area, so all she had to do was explore around, right? Right! One thing was for certain: she wasn't giving up! She had to find her new friend and tell him all about her new ability! And Gods if she wasn't bursting to tell him! That, if anything, is what made her search a bit frustrating. She wanted to find him and tell him right now!

Determined, she wove in and out of alleys, quickly leaving the ones that bore no traces of his scent and persistently nosing around in every corner of the ones that bore even the slightest traces of his smell. She knew good and well that she'd have to rely on her nose over her vision because, while her vision was rather good, Nagranesh was still a black creature in the black of night.

However, after a while of "hunting", there did finally come a point where that familiar scent grew noticeably stronger in one of the alleys. Erus' muscles tensed with anticipation, ears perked, as she began to poke around in the area, nudging aside trash and cartons, butting metal containers out of the way, and then, finally, catching sight of the barest hint of a black, fleshy body.

"FOUND YOU!"

So much for discretion. In her excitement, she abandoned mind-speech entirely.

In a flash, all eleven feet of hard, muscular manticore was soaring through the air, only to come back down in a hard pounce atop her tentacly friend. She kind of forgot her own strength and weight, but her claws weren't out, at least! That could have ended badly. "I found you, I found you! Told you I could find--OH! Nagranesh! Nagranesh! Guess what?! I can COUNT!" she gushed, grinning from ear to ear and wiggling like an excited, if scary, dog. "I couldn't before, I could never count ever, but then when you told me to count, I could! See, listen! One, two, three, four, five, six..." She recited her numbers proudly and quickly, chest puffed out and beaming like a child.

Well, a monster child.

Finishing up, she gasped for air, having not taking a breath. "I did good, yes?"

Nagranesh would not make a habit of implanting things like numbers into her mind. This much he knew would be a bad thing. However, he had spent most of the time with her actually probing her mind looking the certain numeric sequence. It had been jumbled and quite a bit of a mess. Thankfully all he had to do was straighten them out correctly. That took a bit of effort, and by the end of it, he wasn't sure he'd be up for a game of hide and go seek. However, he didn't want to disappoint Erus after all. That...would probably be a bad thing.

He knew she was a little disappointed that he had told her to count. She didn't seem to much like the idea of having to count. That was probably a good thing, it would give him more time to enact his little plan. After all, twenty seconds wasn't all that long, and at the same time, it was just what he needed to try and distract her. That seemed like the best thing in the world to do, and it had worked. It gave him time to race down the street, which wasn't an easy feat when you had as many tentacles as he did. Zigzagging back and forth however was a slightly easier thing for him to do. It was more like a sort of jumping, he could launch himself back and forth at least.

Nagra hadn't really thought about her following the scent of blood. He thought most of the blood was gone, but of course he would have needed to completely clean himself off...that would have taken some time to do. Usually he would just use his psychic ability and strip himself of the blood, but after rearranging the chaotic numbers in Erus's brain, he was having a bit of a psychic headache at the minute. He froze up though when he heard her mind come bounding down the road. Erk. That was a bad thing wasn't ti? She had caught something in the air it seemed.

Ah! Thank the cosmos that she was confused by his little trick. He could hear her sniffing wildly to find him, to discover just where it was that he was hiding. Ah, that was good. She had to rely on one of her senses and only one. He made very little noise after all, he was just a black creature on a black background and well...there was the taste and touch thing would be bad in this case...So all he could do was listen to her sniffing out there. That was fine with him, she was a good hunter, so it shouldn't take the manticore TOO long to find him.

Sigh, he could hear her getting closer to him now, sniffing and knocking things over to look for him. Of course, he had not expected the yelling to suddenly happen, which startled him slightly. Well...he really hadn't expected it so he jumped a little at it. That didn't really matter to him though, because suddenly he found himself pinned under the full weight of Erus. Now claws though. No claws...Yes that was good, very good.

She seemed a lot more hyper than before, which was understandable. She had earned the right to be excited after all. He listened to her as she just grinned happily and wiggled. Thank God he had no bones and was just a fluid filled fleshy tentacle monster, or she might actually be hurting him.

Then counting. The counting came quickly and he listened.

That's very good indeed, you did very very good. After all, she could count to twenty and she had found him. Slowly though he wrapped a few of the larger tentacles around Erus, careful to avoid the tail and such, then he moved her off of him. No easy feat considering just how heavy the girl was. Nagranesh let his tentacles release her and he slowly righted himself into an upright position, watching her carefully.

Well, I was wrong then, and you were right. I suppose this also means that I am it now. So now you get to go hide, and I'll count to twenty. He slid down the alleyway, of course not before patting her on the head and scratching her behind the ears before standing against a wall, all his eyes closed and focused ahead at the wall. Then. He began to count.

One...Two...three... This would be most interesting. He was eager to see if he could truly find the eleven foot long and gods know how many pounds Manticore in the darkness, without his mind powers. Just following his 'nose' and his 'ears' so to speak. He would eventually give in if it took him too long, but of course he thought...'just where could she hide without being noticeable?' He had this horrible feeling she was going to break into someone's house and he'd have to use his powers to make that person think that their wall had just collapsed or something. Bah.

If Erus had already been puffed up in pride, as Nagranesh told her that she had indeed done good...well, needless to say, if she could have puffed up anymore she would have probably ended up looking like some sort of fluffy bird. Minus the feathers and beak of course and with a scorpion tail and horns and claws and...okay, so she would't have looked much like a bird at all, but that wasn't the point. Her grin did grow nonetheless as she beamed from ear to ear, flashing all those deadly, jagged teeth. "Oh good! I thought I did good but--" She blinked suddenly, as though realizing for the first time that she was speaking out loud, the words coming out in the deep, intimidating rumble that was her voice while in this form. Oops, right, talking was a bad thing. They were supposed to be quiet and sneaky! She'd failed that, of course, by practically shouting at Nagranesh just a few seconds ago when she'd first discovered him.

But you still hid really well. I could hardly see you, so you did good too! she finished, the words thought this time instead of spoken. She stayed planted firmly atop Nagranesh until his tentacles wrapped around her, lifting her off of him. Erus couldn't help but blink rapidly in surprise at that, even if she was perfectly at ease. She was just surprised that he'd been able to move her because she was huge and heavy; no one could really even lift her in her humanoid form, not that many people actually got close enough to try--not to mention not many people even had a reason to try and pick her up. And by "not many" what was really meant was "no one", because the last time she'd ever been held was when she'd been a child with her foster parents.

Even they had to be careful.

Nagranesh seemed to do it easily, too, all things considered. And he didn't at all mind contact with her, it seemed. Ah, this was great and she was really loving this! She'd only known the strange tentacle monster for a day and already she was having the time of her life.

He certainly knew how to have fun! And it was just really nice and refreshing to finally be around a kindred spirit.

She sat down on the ground as he released her, scorpion tail curled along her back. But as soon as he "spoke", she leapt to her feet eagerly. My turn? Okay! You'll never find me! she told him with a playful growl that turned into a purr as he scratched her behind the ears, and after that there was no more time to waste, for he had moved away to face the wall. And he had begin to count. With a start, Erus bounded out of the alley, giving Nagranesh a friendly lick as she passed by, and then she was back out on the street and running as quickly as she could, covering an insane amount of ground on those four strong legs of hers.

Mm, where to hide, where to hide...? She had to hide somewhere good, somewhere he'd never ever find her! Well, maybe not never because then she'd never see him again, but...at least long enough for him to give up so she could win the game! Not that winning was actually very important to the manticore. To her, it was all about the chase, the hunt. That was the fun and exciting part. Whoever won or lost the game, it didn't really matter, assuming it was a game where everyone came out alive of course--which was the type of game this was.

Even as she ran, Erus was counting in her head. She only had twenty seconds to hide! Not much longer! She did her best to weave down a few different streets, putting some distance between them, before finally settling on a hiding place.

And she had found the perfect one.

There in front of a rather nice building was a clump of thick shrubs, and Erus just knew that if she hid among them, it'd be impossible to find her! The area was rather dark so she'd probably blend right in! Nagranesh would never expect her to hide there, he'd probably expect her to hide in an alley like him!

That decided, she dove into the bushes, branches and leaves crunching and rustling loudly as they shifted and broke to make room for her bulk, and she crouched down low. She was smart, too! She even nudged at the leaves and branches with a paw to try and move more in front of her, hiding herself well, perfectly camouflaged though she of course could see everything still from her hiding spot.

Grinning broadly and trying hard not to laugh over just how clever she was, she watched the streets and waited, perfectly silent...

...And totally unaware of the fact that it was only the front third of her body that actually fit in the shrub, the rest of her body completely exposed, her wings sticking up above it, and her large scorpion tail held high above her like a sign advertising her position. If that wasn't enough, that tail was also wagging happily and excitedly.

Nagranesh would never find her!

She really seemed to get ruffled up about his comment. Ruffled in a good way though, not a bad way. She seemed very proud of her accomplishment so of course he was going to be nice about it. She HAD done good after all so he really couldn't lie about it, nor would he either. That would be wrong to do after all, and he didn't want to get on her bad side at this time, or probably any time. Nagranesh clicked his beak as he listened to her speaking through her mouth, getting the double echo of her speaking. It was hard to hear such at thing, but he would have to deal witht he double talk.

Though she finally got it again.

She was done with it though, she was finished talking with her mouth and using that mind of hers.

She seemed surprised by the fact at hat he could lift her up. It was simple for him though, he was able to use incredible strength by moving blood around into his tentacles to give them more strength. He had plenty of blood at this time after all, plenty to move and give his tentacles more strength and firmness. Nagranesh was just being very careful at this time though to avoid anything sharp and pointy, claws, tails, horns even, teeth, that sort of thing. He had to ensure that he didn't spray any blood.

He had to be extremely careful.

Getting upright wasn't much trouble either, finally doing such he was able to look around, his eyes looking in all direction at first. He just had to make sure at first that things were good, which they were. No minds...no nothing...they were safe. Now though he was down the alleyway counting and waiting for her to start running and hiding. He wondered how easy it would be for him to do so. He could hear the manticore bound off and he clicked his beak. Damn he wished he had a mouth that could smirk and grin, smile and frown! Sadly he wasn't that lucky. He had a beak.

The had barely caught her friendly lick as well, having started concentrating on the counting. He shut his psychic abilities off at this time, or at least, the one that was connected to Erus. He wanted only to hear the thoughts of all but her. This would make it fair. Finally he reached twenty and turned about to face the alleyway. Sliding from it he slowly began to look down the road, smelling the faint scent of manticore in the air. That is where he would go.

So he did.

He slithered, his tentacles moving independently at this time as he wandered the streets. Where could she have gone. He travelled for a while, a few minutes, my she HAD run fast hadn't she? That was amazing. If she hit someone going that fast she probably would kill them or at least shatter a lot of bones in the process. He was scared for the people of this city, wondering how they survived with her here. They must have kept her on a short leash.

All eyes were looking around as he walked. Looking at the alley ways, at the rooftops, for anything that would lead him to the manticore friend of his. Of course...he found it. There were some bushes outside one building, and something looked very off.

First off.

The bushes had wings.

They had a body sticking out of them.

A scorpion tail that just said 'Look Nagranesh, here I am!' and another tail just bashing back and forth.

To some, they might have found it...easy. Nagranesh found it adorable and funny to say the least. He moved on by her though, just ignoring where she was. It was best to pretend that she wasn't there. Of course, he slipped into an alleyway and headed back to here she was. Ahh. Erus was a great girl, she wasn't the brightest but Nagranesh measured spirit and resolve, and she had plenty. She was just as good as any human or monster he had come across.

Oh my! Look what I've found! He actually sounded surprised as he came to see the large back end of his friend, his beak clicking. That scorpion tale looked scary to him no matter what angle he looked at.

I found you Erus! Geez, I must have walked by here already. Nagranesh said as his tentacles went around her carefully and he hoisted her from the ground to swing her around to look at her face to face. You really are good at hiding kitten, you know that? He asked her, all his eyes focusing on her. My, she was a bit heavy but nothing he couldn't handle at this time.

Would you like to try to find me again or should we go exploring?

The people of Arca were probably very lucky that Erus always stayed in her humanoid form. This was the first time in ages that she had actually transformed, and a lot of people were probably grateful. For one, many people found this form terrifying and grotesque, with her strange, mismatched body and all-too-human face, even if that human was was horribly distorted and hideous. At least in her humanoid form she looked...human. She still looked like a hodge-podge of mismatched, dangerous parts, but at least she had a human quality to her that made her a little less intimidating. Prior to this, she'd really only transformed during a battle when some extra brute strength and speed was needed--and when more grace was needed, too. In her true form she was very graceful and had an excellent sense of balance. On two legs, however, she was far more awkward and clumsy.


After all, it was her secondary form, not her natural one.

But awkward and clumsy or not, she could still cause major damage even as a humanoid.

Crouched behind the bush, Erus was hard pressed not to giggle as she waited for Nagranesh. Twenty seconds had to have been up by now, so now she just had to see if he'd find her! she doubted he would, though, just because she knew she was clever. He probably expected her to hide in an alley, not in the bushes! And the bushes were perfect camouflage for a manticore. After all, their natural habitat were the dense forests and jungles, so they were well equipped for blending right on in! He'd never see her.

She was invisible!

Of course, what poor Erus didn't realize was that hiding only worked if your whole body was hidden, not just your head. And the manticores of the forests tended to hide in, well...thicker, denser, wilder vegetation than that of a manicured shrub. Erus had also never actually lived in a forest; she'd never lived as a manticore, but had been raised as a human. So the natural instincts were there, of course, but she just...didn't know how to properly use them. Tame as she was, she'd probably never be able to survive on her own. Food wouldn't be an issue of course, she was an excellent hunter and killer, but even manticores had predators--usually each other. And as a young inexperienced manticore, not even fully grown yet, she'd be a prime target.

She might even fall victim to humans, too. Easily. It wouldn't help that she was friendly to humans--for the most part. After all, she only attacked and ate those humans which she had permission to attack and kill.

After a while of waiting, suddenly Erus tensed, hearing something, and her keen gray eyes watched the streets from in between the folliage. Ah! There he was...Nagranesh. Erus lowered her head a little, the leaves rustling subtly, and then she clenched her teeth together to keep from outfight snickering as he passed right by. Oh, this was so easy! He'd never find her! He'd give up soon enough! Unbeknownst to her, her scorpion tail began to wag all the more as excitement built up within her. She was going to win! She told him she was great at hid--whoa!

Suddenly his voice filled her mind, and Erus froze completely, her gray eyes widening. Uh oh.

And then in the next instant his tentacles were around her, hoisting her from the ground and swinging her around, and she gave a surprised yowl, much like a cat, her flexible body twisting in his grip with her toes splayed and claws out, before she found herself staring Nagranesh in his many green eyes. Blinking, she let her body relax and hang there in his grip, and a slow, sheepish smile spread across her lips. She quickly made sure to sheath her claws, as well; it was simply a startled reaction.

Aw...he'd found her...

Heh heh...you did walk by me before, yes! I saw you, she confirmed, before puffing up with pride as he complimented her. Yes, she was good at hiding! Grinning from ear to ear, her scorpion tail waved behind her. Oh, I know! It took you forever to find me, Nagra. You are really good at seeking, you know that, yes? He was also rather strong. She knew she was heavy, solid muscle that she was, and yet he could lift her. It always surprised her.

Then, at his question, she smiled brightly, flashing those teeth. Can we go exploring? Where would we go exploring? Of course, she'd want to play hide and go seek again later, but for the moment she was curious about that.

Nagra almost always kept to being a human, it was safer that way. Humans had this peculiar habit of killing things they didn't understand. Big tentacle things that could eat people whole. However he had learnt how to use his psychic powers to erase memories, alter what people saw, and in dire circumstances just cause havoc by making three or more of him suddenly appear out of nowhere. It was usually all defensive with Nagranesh, he wasn't one for just killing people who saw him. They deserved a chance after all. He had learnt compassion, and he learnt how to be completely brutal and merciless. He stuck to compassion, brutal and merciless ways were better for his brothers, not for him. He had to keep himself from becoming like them...they were...evil.

Then again, evil was a matter of opinion right? Some people found his brothers to be Gods.

He just found them to be jerks.

Ahem.

Finding Erus wouldn't be too hard. Had she transformed back into human form, that would have made it a whole lot harder for him to find her but...she had stayed in her large manticore form. Manticores didn't seem to be urban creatures, the wild of plains and forests probably suited them a little bit better. Well...maybe not plains. You could probably see a manticore bounding toward you for quite sometime in flatland. Mountains perhaps though...mountains would be much better for something like Erus, where there were places to hide and caves to lurk in. She'd be pretty good to hide in a mountain range...

For all intensive purposes, she DID look like she was hiding behind that shrub very well. It was actually hard for him to see her behind the shrub...well...at least her face was hidden. The rest of her bulk stuck out like a sore thumb. He would have to...he would have to teach her how be a better killer. No...not a killer. How to be a better hunter. If the poor thing ever got let into the wild she wouldn't last a fortnight. She probably wouldn't even last one night...

For her sake, he hoped that she always had these humans to take care of her. If they let her go, that would spell death for her.

He could hear her scorpion tail wagging excitedly as he walked past her. It was...it was just so darn adorable. Even some humans might have found this situation to be funny. Or scary. Some probably wouldn't have spared her feelings here, but he wanted Erus to be proud of her accomplishments. Also because he liked to have her happy, she wasn't the simplest creature in the world, but not the brightest either, so keeping her happy would be a relatively easy thing.

She was wiggling a lot in his grip, and he was careful not to get stung by her tail or to have her claws rip into his flesh. That would be the worst thing. It might cause a bit of pain for the both of them. Luckily she calmed herself down when she saw who had her. She had been startled. Hm. He'd better not do that again unless he wanted a face full of claws. She'd be able to rip him limb from limb...literally. Then...well then it would be death for her if she got his blood on her. Ugh. Having a blood with acidic qualities...well...it made sense to him. It was a warning to most creatures, and he did have the green eyes that glowed. He made sure to keep those shining bright so all predators would see them and know that he was deadly to them.

Much like any poisonous animal in the natural world. Bright colours were bad, that meant death for anyone who tried to eat it.

You're a much better seeker than I kitten. It took you half as long to find me. I was gifted with such a nose. He had to rely on other senses mostly for finding her, while she had that powerful nose that could track scents. It was...well it was all part of nature wasn't it? Slowly he set her down upon the ground in front of him, knowing it was best of have her there instead of...well...in his grip would could spell trouble.

I'm not really sure. Where would you like to go? We could just wander the city and look at all the sites, or we could go outside of the city walls... He had been around Arca before, he had been wandering there for quite a while. However, he did like it outside the city walls...the natural beauty of this world was amazing to say the least. Unspoiled by pollution or the touch of greedy humans mining the land dry for all resources...No, this place was simple and...well...nice. He liked it here...and he had no idea what it was called.

Or if you have any ideas I'm open to hearing them. We can do whatever you want.

Still grinning proudly as Nagranesh set her down, she sat down and lifted a paw to her face, licking it daintily. Indeed, it took very little to make her happy and right now she felt very good about herself. She was a good seeker! Better even than Nagranesh! And she was a good hunter. Erus could have swelled with pride. There was no better compliment for a predator like her. You're really good, too! I just have a better nose, and you weren't as clean, she told him, though, thinking that since he had praised her that she should praise him right back. After all, they were friends and so it was only right! It was what friends did, wasn't it? Erus may not know much about friendship, so she just guessed on that one.

Curling her tail up along her back and folding her wings nice and tight against her, she listened to his suggestion and nodded her large head, gray eyes thoughtful. Wander the city, even go outside the city walls...that was really tempting, and Erus could feel herself start to squirm a little. Outside the city. She hadn't been outside the city many times, only when she and some of the other soldiers went on the occassional mission, but she really liked it out there. After all, a manticore's natural habitat wasn't in the city! And even if she had grown up there her whole life--or at least since she had been very, very young--the wilds of the outside world still spoke to her, beckoned to her.

She may have been humanized and tamed, but she still had her instincts. Even now they were a powerful driving force in her life.

But...could she go out there? It was already late, she should have reported back long ago because her shift had ended right before sundown. It wasn't like no one would notice that she wasn't around; she stuck out like a sore thumb among everyone else. They'd notice that she hadn't come back...they  might get angry or worried. She might get in trouble.

Yet the chance to go exploring for a little...could she pass it up? It wasn't like she was doing anything bad. Well, she'd killed some vagrants, but Nagranesh said it was okay! And said she wouldn't get caught and no one would miss them anyway. So that wasn't bad, was it? Still, she didn't want to get yelled at. Her ears were quite sensitive and she never did like that. It always made her feel bad.

But if she was going to get in trouble, wasn't she already in trouble for staying out late? So what would a few more hours hurt?

That firmly in mind, her ears perked right up and her eyes brightened. Can we go outside of the city? I have no been out there for a long time! Only...we...can't be gone too long. I think I'm already in trouble. I'll get in worse trouble if I'm gone too much longer, I think... she said, a little sadly. Erus didn't really want to go back home...what if she never saw Nagranesh again? But the military was all she knew, and she'd get in so much trouble if she didn't go back. A dangerous creature like her shouldn't live out on its own in society, after all. As it was she was even watched all the time when she was out on patrol, just as a precaution.

The only difference was that, sometimes, she was able to give them the slip. Like today.

Nagranesh, I'll see you again even after I have to go back, yes? she asked suddenly, looking over at him worriedly.

It was cute to see her licking her paw like that. An adorable move that just looked all the cuter when she did it. Giant scary monsters acting like tiny little kittens always was adorable after all. Well, maybe not for others, only for himself actually. That's right kitten. Your nose is so much better than mine, I cannot compete with such a thing. Sigh. Maybe next time I shall clean up first and then we'll see who finds who faster. The longer she stayed around him, the more she'd be able to smell that Nagranesh scent. Barely noticeable, but it was still there to say the least. It just wasn't as strong as other scents. Usually it got lost within smells like human and what not, but he suspected that Erus may very well be able to smell it soon enough.

He could hear her thoughts as she battled with what to do next. She really wanted to go outside, into the open world, but there was that...human part of her it seemed that said that would be a bad idea, that civilized part of her that suggested that she be good and stay here, not getting in trouble. Nagranesh figured that the city wasn't the natural environment for her here, not many creatures except for intelligent humanoids were used to urban environments, or thrived here.

If you want to go outside the city, then we will go outside the city. I've already formulated a little plan. We'll need to head back to that homeless man though. Of course Nagranesh had a plan, how could he not? He was Nagranesh, with a mind big enough to become psychic after all. He had plans though, mainly just being...escorted from the city and what not. With a few 'suggestions' to the guards they would never be able to see this sort of thing coming. It would be quite nice to be able to head outside anyways, the outside world was a whole lot better than this place. Though he liked order and what not, he didn't like it when they were doing things like this to beings like Erus.

Nagranesh had started to make his way back when Erus spoke up, and he clicked his beak as he turned around to look at Erus and chuckled lightly in her mind.

Of course my kitten. Heaven and hell couldn't stop me after all, not to worry. You're my friend, and I am your friend. It would be wrong to keep friends apart like that. Nagranesh said as he started back once more to the area where they had slaughtered the homeless people. He had left a suit there, made from one of the homeless men. Luckily of course it looked almost like his old form, except the hair was a bit brighter. Nagranesh took a few minutes but somehow he seemed to be able to fit into the body, large beak and all.

Secreting a special enzyme helped to seal the wound up for where he had managed to slip into.There was a lot of shifting of tentacles and eyes as he got settled, trying to find that most comfortable spot at this time. He found it though, but still while he walked it was harder and he struggled, stumbled, and shambled along.

The plan is simple kitten. His voice was able to find her, even if she wasn't readily near him at this time. I am going to act a vagabond, we'll pretend that I've been disruptive, and you're going to escort me out. We can stay out for as long as we want, and when you go back, I shall go to a different gate to get back in. You can just say that I offered resistance and you had to slay me, then you got distracted but came back eventually. It was a great plan in theory, and hopefully things went the right way for them too. Sometimes a guard might investigate...that was why they'd have the compulsion to just...stay there and guard.

Next time, then! We will see! Erus agreed cheerfully, confident that she'd be able to find him just as easily as before. She had a powerful nose! She was a great seeker! He'd never be able to hide!

Well, in her mind, that is.

But by the time they played hide and go seek again, she'd probably be used to his scent. Right now she didn't much notice it aside from the faintest hint of it, but she would be certain to commit it to memory. Her memory might not be the best, but she never forgot smells.

She was glad that Nagranesh agreed, that they could go "outside" and out into the world beyond the city gates, and she was even happier to hear that he already had a plan. That was always great to hear! Especially since Erus certainly wasn't very good at making plans, or at least not plans that would actually realistically work. Leaping to her feet eagerly, she perked her ears up and grinned excitedly. She had no idea what the dead homeless people had to do with his plan, but it didn't matter to her!

Oh, good! Because I didn't have a plan, she admitted as she trotted after him like a faithful puppy, not wanting to let him out of his sight now that they were done playing their seeking game. She was relieved, too, to hear that they wouldn't be kept apart, and she visibly relaxed.

Good...because he was her first real friend. Funny, wasn't it? She'd grown up here, and aside from someone she'd just met (and her "parents") he was her first real friend. Smiling all the more, she followed him bouncily back to the place where they'd massacred the vagrants, and the smell of drying blood nearly overwhelmed her as she stepped inside, nostrils flaring, breath catching for a moment. But...no...she had already eaten, she was full, and she wasn't about to risk attacking Nagranesh again. Exhaling, she reminded herself that she wasn't hungry, and instead focused on her friend, watching curiously as he somehow managed to fit into a human skin, and yet for all that she was captivated by that, the only thought that flitted through her mind was that he really was squishy!

Then he was explaining the plan to her, and she listened intently. Then perked up. Oh! That is a great plan! she agreed excitedly, bouncing on her toes. I have had to do that before! But I never got to go far. But yes! That will work! Oh...but I will have to change... she added thoughtfully, looking down at her manticore body. Not many of her colleagues had seen her in this form, after all; they might get scared and try to hurt her. Hold on! I'll be a human too!

And then, with that said, she wasted no time in shifting, the process strange yet quick as bones and flesh shifted around and reformed, shortening in some places and lengthening in others, shedding her coat of fur as easily and oddly as a snake lost an old layer of skin. It was...a pretty bizarre process and it happened quickly, too quickly to really see exactly what was happening, but at the end of it a manticore was gone and a human was left behind--well, a humanoid. She was human except for the wings, tail, ears, horns...and of course her sharp claws and teeth, though only one row of teeth remained instead of three. Straightening as it finished, she wobbled a bit unsteadily on her two strong legs. At least Nagranesh wasn't alone there.

And she was also apparently oblivious to the fact that she was quite naked. Okay! All ready! she announced proudly, grinning. Then, quite suddenly, a thought finally struck Erus as she stood there, wrapping her arms around herself. That thought was that it was...kind of cold. Looking down at herself, she blinked her gray eyes a few times before looking back over at Nagranesh, a puzzled expression on her face. Oh...I have no clothes, she said blankly, stating the obvious, though it was less of a deliberate attempt to speak and more just her thinking to herself.

Indeed, she had sort of demolished her uniform when she'd shifted, and it happened every time she shifted, too--not that she shifted all that often to begin with. No, she hadn't learned yet, and it was likely that she never would learn to take her clothes off before shifting forms. Not that it really mattered to her. In her natural state, in her manticore form, she was naked save for the fur that covered her body. Needless to say, she was quite comfortable in her own skin and saw nothing wrong or weird about it at all--except that a life among humans had meant a life learning the values of clothing, and that running around nude was frowned upon for some reason. She didn't really understand it except that being naked in this form was cold...unless it was the summer.

She certainly knew she couldn't just go walking around town and back to the barracks like this. But she also couldn't go back in her other form without possibly scaring the others and inciting an attack. Glancing around at the other dead humans, she sized them up before striding over to one dead man who was around six feet tall. Perfect for her, since she was only two inches shy. Kneeling down, she simply began to strip the half-eaten corpse, pulling away stiff, bloodied clothing and holding it out in front of herself thoughtfully--and resisting the urge to eat the clothes themselves, soaked in so much wonderful, delicious blood...no! She shook her head and stood up again, then turned and frowned at Nagranesh, showing him the clothes. Aside from being bloody, they were also torn in places from her claws.

They'd also be hell to get on. All her clothes were special made to accommodate not only her wings and tail, but also her head, which had those huge ram's horns. It was impossible to squeeze her head through a normal neck hole.

"I could say the blood and tears are from our scuffle, yes? From when I escort you out?" she asked out loud, cocking her head to one side. "But...they will notice I'm not in my uniform..." How was she going to explain that one? Not too many people knew about her other form, and those that did know about it also knew that Erus didn't need to shift forms to kill a single man. Or even a couple men.

Erk...she was probably going to get in trouble...

But it was okay! It was well worth it to adventure with Nagranesh!

Next time I think I'll win. He would go all out next time. Climbing walls, soaring through the air, scattering his scent all over with psychic power. He would win. After all, he couldn't let her have all the fun.

Unless of course she got used to his scent and was able to distinguish old scent trails from newer ones. He had met a being like that before. No matter how much he scattered his scent, it would always be able to follow the right trail. Blasted thing had been too clever for him.

Don't you worry about having a plan kitten. Leave that all to me. He didn't doubt her ability to come up with something in a quick pinch. Something other than just 'smash, kill, eat, and burst way to freedom' of course. He knew she could probably be just as clever as he was given the right motivation and circumstances. He had seen animals before with less intelligence than Erus get out of sticky situations. Ah the survival instinct within every single creature. It was...powerful, it was admirable, it was what made every being special basically. He loved a being that had the instinct to survive built in. They were always fascinating.

Nagranesh was surprised by her control though as he slipped into the new skin, utilizing some odd physics and psychic powers at the same time to fit that large beak of his into the body. He could hear her mind, and it spoke of wanting to eat, yet at the same time, she reprimanded herself, telling herself she wasn't hungry. Basic blood lust, he knew that all too well from when he was younger. Technically he was still a child but...he wouldn't get into that. It hurt his brain to think about the maturity level of his own species. Though, one thought that crossed Erus's mind that he managed to pick up was about him being really squishy. It was...amusing to say the least.

He was quite squishy, and she would no doubt figure that all out eventually. With the ability to control his bloodflow into the certain sacs and pouches of his body, he was essentially just a large sewer system. At least, that was how one librarian had said. Not to worry, they'll be up for more suggestions and will believe it a whole lot easier. Plus they won't question it or really care. They'll just want to guard their post and then go home, enjoy a nice dinner and drink. Planting a suggestion into a mind was a very difficult thing to do. you had to put it just right, or it wouldn't wory. Nagranesh was used to tricking humans this way, their minds working almost in the same way so...he would be able to manage.

It was Nagranesh who got to stare in wonder at the large manticore who began to change. She was shrinkings, shedding, lengthening, and turning into something quite unlike her original form. He noted that some of the things stayed with her, and she mostly looked like a human save for a few key things about her. It was about the same time that Erus realized she was naked, did he notice that too. He had been too focused on the fact that like him, she was unsteady on her feet.

I...don't think that will work Erus...Just...hold on. I'm going to collapse, but don't worry, I am fine. It didn't look anything like her uniform, and as well it was covered in blood, gore, tears, and torn from her claws and what not. That...wouldn't work. That really wouldn't work at all. Nagranesh closed all his eyes and fell to the ground in a collapsed pile. He was utilizing the full extent of his psychic powers, and as such, he would need to give up things like using his body at this time, and to speak to her now. He was searching for someone in this entire city who could do two things. Not ask questions, and sew.

He found that person.

His eyes flashed open, scrambled slowly to his feet...and began to laugh.

Erus, we're going to visit a tailor. He's not far from here, and he'll be able to cook you up a new uniform almost instantly. Nagranesh was able to talk after his little laughing fit finally. This was too perfect...this was too insane...it also went against all logic and coincidence.

There isn't anyone out right now, if we...hurry, we can make it to his house before anyone sees us. Just...cover yourself up as best you can, then we'll try to run. Assuming she managed to get some clothes on, Nagranesh took off in a fast shamble. It would take him a few minutes to get used to being in this body, but he was concentrating on learning to walk properly at this time. He took alley routes mainly, avoiding any conscious mind that was walking the street. Just like old times. They would soon meet up with someone who was quite used to skulking the back alleys.

They came to a house finally, the lights were out, save for one candle in the living room. Nagranesh could see a man inside on the couch writing in a book. He still kept that thing! Amazing. Nagranesh came up to the door, knocking on it lightly. No need to wake up the other inhabitant of the house after all. Nagranesh turned to look at Erus though. Be very quiet Erus, we don't want the other inhabitant waking up. Now remember, they're both friends, and we can't eat them. Not even a nibble. The door opened to them, a man in the doorway holding a small candle in one hand.

He wore a beaten old fedora and a pair of simple breeches and shirt at this time, evening wear before he went to bed. Unshaven chin, and his lips pulled into a grin as he raised the brim of his fedora with the other hand. Two eyes with nooses for pupils stared at the green eyes of Nagranesh. Both of them said nothing as they just stared at each other, one grinning, the other holding no emotion (Mainly because Nagranesh forget how to make a smile).

It's been one thousand two hundred and thirty two years, one hundred and sixteen days, and fourteen hours. Nagranesh let both the man in front of him, as well as Erus hear the conversation.

"Nagranesh it's good to see you again. I'd give you a hug but...I'm afraid I might contract a disease from that skin your wearing." The man's voice was a growling sort of voice, but the tone was overly friendly as he put the candle down onto the small table beside the door. Nagranesh gave a small chuckle as he looked down to his skin and shrugged.

One wears whatever disguise they can find outlaw. Damn! Nexus had forgotten that Nagranesh had an extensive psychic ability. There was no hiding secrets from this being.

"So...just in the neighbourhood or...what?" Nagranesh stepped back to let Nexus see Erus behind him, but Nagranesh already knew that Nexus had seen literally right through him to view the other guest.

"Manticore human hybrid. Interesting mix." Nexus observed as he viewed the strange woman. Damn. He was glad he hadn't run into her on his first day, that was for sure. There might have been a lot of trouble, more so with Niamh pointing at her.

Nexus, you're good with...well...you're excellent with threads and clothes. I need you to make her a guard outfit. You see she...well...she turned into her manticore form earlier with me and now it's ruined so... Nagranesh knew he probably should have said why she had transformed and what not, but Nexus only gave a sly smirk as he nodded. Nexus could swear he saw little green rings start to appear on Nagaranesh's body. Whenever he got threatened or embarrassed, the actual body of Nagranesh showed green rings. It was the blood filling rings to scare off predators...or to show his embarrassment.

It's not like THAT Nexus. We had dinner. Seven vagrants I believe. She had to be in her other form, and she forgot to remove her outfit. Still Nexus had that expression of doubt as he just nodded and stepped back. "Well...come on in...but please be quiet. If...if Niamh wakes up and sees you two in here, she'll throw a fit." As Nagranesh passed Nexus to go into the living room, he could swear he saw a look of pure amusement cross the vibrant green eyed man's face. Once Nagranesh and Erus were inside, Nexus carefully closed the door before going into the living room.

You are the last person I ever would expect to live in a house Nexus...and to be a tailor by choice...and...ah little Nexus is all grown up I think. Nexus just glared daggers at Nagranesh as turned to look at Erus. "Right right...If you're going to be like this Nagra I'm not inviting you over for meals. Hn. Vec is here in the city too you know. Well. He's out right now trying to help people...the God that never sleeps." Nexus lit a few more candles so Erus and Nagranesh could see better. He had no idea how good their night vision was, after all his own was perfect but...you never know with strangers. "Alright. One guards outfit. Please try to stay still Miss...Manticore, it's going to tickle." Nagranesh blinked for a moment. That's right! He hadn't introduced them!

My manners are slipping! Nexus, this is Erus, Erus, this is my old friend Nexus Savaros.

Erus frowned a little when she was told it wouldn't work, frowning down at the bloody shirt. No, it probably wouldn't work. So what was she supposed to do? Maybe she could say that "vagrant" she had to slay messed up her uniform so she had to take his? Mm. Lowering the shirt, she sighed a little and slumped her shoulders, but it wasn't over yet, because Nagranesh told her he...was going to collapse? Tilting her head, she wathed curiously as, indeed, he did collapse into a heap which was strange...but Erus was used to strange, and he told her he'd be fine! Still, she wondered what he was doing. Was his body being funny? Or was it just fun for him to collapse like that? Erus pondered that for a moment.

She'd have to try it sometime.

All thoughts of that, however, flew out the window when suddenly Nagranesh seemingly came back to life, scrambled to his feet...

And started to laugh?

Erus tilted her head to the other side in confusion, ears laid back, for even <I>she found that a little strange and wondered what it was he was laughing about. It all had very odd timing, considering he had just fallen down...and was now laughing. Maybe it was all a silly joke and she should be laughing, too? Erus grinned over at him and then perked up even more when he said that they were going to see a tailor that could make her a uniform, relief flooding her face. She wouldn't get yelled at after all! Oh, good! Thank you, Nagranesh! she exclaimed, bouncing on her toes excitedly and still clutching the bloody, slight damp and sticky shirt. She didn't know how Nagranesh found the tailor, but she didn't ask questions. I'm coming!

She only hurried to get dressed as much as she could, sticking the shirt between her teeth to free her hands so she could wiggle into the breeches, which fit her muscular body well. She had to tear the back with her claws to make space for her tail, and then she was following quickly after Nagranesh, buttoning her fly as she went. Even as she walked she struggled with the shirt, pulling it over her head and trying fruitlessly to get her head through the neck hole--and the result, of course, was that she thudded right into the door jam on her way out. Giving up and pulling the shirt off, she instead just took to holding it against her chest to cover what she could.

While she had no problem walking around topless, humans seemed to hate it.

She kept up with Nagranesh, bare feet silent, and it wasn't too long before they came to the house of the apparent tailor, and Erus eagerly followed Nagranesh on over, peering curiously through the window. She wondered how the tailor would be able to make her a whole uniform in a night, but if Nagranesh said it could be done, it could! She trusted him! Looking over at him as she spoke, she held the shirt to her chest with one hand and used the other to raise a finger to her lips in the classic "shh" sign, nodding vigorously at his instructions.

I'll be quiet, yes. Very quiet. I'm a hunter! I can be quiet, she told him with a grin. And no eating, yes. No nibbling. I won't, I'm still very full! Which...probably wasn't very reassuring, and probably some very bad wording on her part. Would she attempt to nibble them if she wasn't full? Something to ponder, indeed.

Stepping aside and standing behind Nagranesh, she watched as the door finally opened to reveal a tall, rugged man who was grinning at Nagranesh, who stared back at him--while Erus stared at them both. For a few moments there was silence and Erus wondered if maybe they were talking like she and Nagranesh talked. But then, finally, Nagranesh spoke to the man, and she could hear his mental voice still.

The numbers flew right over Erus' head, and there were a lot of numbers. Erus' gray eyes sort of glazed over a little as she tried to figure out just how much that was--she knew fourteen and sixteen, but everything else was beyond her. All she knew was it was big, though she didn't know how big. But aside from the numbers...they knew each other? Oh! They knew each other!

Erus was grinning at that point, tail waving behind her a little. If Nagranesh was friends with this...human?...then that must mean he was good to "monsters" and the like, since Nagranesh was a monster and they were friends! His voice even sounded the part. Growly. It might have intimidated some people, but it just sounded fierce to her, and fierce was good because she was fierce! Maybe he wasn't human and was something in disguise like Nagranesh? He did have strange eyes.

Listening to their exchange, she gave another grin and a wave when Nagranesh stepped aside to let Nexus see her, and pride swelled in her when he said she was interesting. A human that wasn't afraid! "Hi!" she chimed, forgetting after the fact that she was supposed to be quiet. "...Hi," she said again, only this time in a whisper. She was going to be good, on her best behavior! It would be bad to wake the other person, after all, and she wondered who that person was.

As Nagranesh explained the situation, she noticed the sly look Nexus gave, though she didn't really understand what it meant--or why Nagranesh seemed...embarrassed? And it wasn't like what? Erus blinked, puzzled. Oh, humans. She still didn't know why they got so weird when you mentioned taking off clothes. Everyone was naked under their clothes! But she only nodded in agreement to Nagranesh's story. That was what had happened, after all! She did have to bite down on her lip to keep from laughing, trying her best to be quiet, when Nagranesh talked to Nexus, who was obviously a grown man, like he was a child. They really must have known each other for a long time!

Invited inside, and wondering who Vec was, she started up toward the door and ended up smacking a wing against the frame before remembering to fold in her wings. Oh, Nexus had mentioned meals, too...no! No thinking of food! Behaving!

Erus stepped nimbly inside the house and looked around interestedly, tail curling up so that she didn't smack it against any knick knacks or anything. It was really nice inside in her opinion, and it had been a long time since she'd been in an actual house and not the military barracks. It kind of reminded her of her parents' place! She watched as Nexus went about lighting more candles, and she did her best to hold still when he turned to her and told her to--which was a rather tall order, because being still and being quiet were some things she didn't do well, and she was already struggling with one. Yet Erus was determined to be good, and she held still, clutching the soiled shirt to her still.

"Oh, yes! I'm Erus the manticore, Nexus," Erus introduced after Nagranesh, her body completely frozen, only her face moving. She'd...apparently taken that very literally. "You do not mind people like us, yes? Are you really a monster like us too? How are you going to make my uniform? Are you fast at sewing? How do you and Nagranesh know each other? Who's Niamh and Vec?" Thump. "Oh, sorry."

Oops, well, so her tail was moving, too, and had thumped against a wall, but she was quick to once again coil it up tightly. She'd also sort of forgotten to be very quiet, but...she was still rather hyper from she and Nagranesh's hunt and game, and it was hard to keep all that energy bottled up and--

“Oi, Nexus, what’re you doing...?â€? a groggy, annoyed voice called from upstairs, and Erus cocked her ears and peered up toward the staircase. Unfortunately for them all, the other inhabitant was a rather light sleeper. Standing at the top of the stairs and leaning tiredly against the railing was a younger woman with chin-length, messy blonde hair and very light skin, dressed in a large rumpled shirt that reached her knees with some hastily thrown on breeches beneath. She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, seemingly oblivious to Erus and Nagraneshâ€"at least until she lowered her fists. "You're being really loud--uh?" She paused, staring down at the three people below.

Erus, grinning and flashing her sharp teeth, lifted a clawed hand and waved, still clutching the blood-soaked shirt to her otherwise bare chest, barbed tail twitching. "Hi!"

For a few seconds Niamh just continued to stare down at the three strange people, one half naked scorpion woman thing, one strange, dirty vagrant with bright green eyes and a somehow unnatural way of moving, and, of course, Nexus. Bleary-eyed, Niamh just blinked dully a few times, still clearly half asleep. Then with a quiet sigh and a brief look of disbelief, she reached up and rubbed her face, shaking her head. "Hi...yeah...I'm going back to bed..." she mumbled before turning around, ready to shuffle back on to her room.

It was somewhere around then that the reality of it all sank in.

With a sudden gasp, Niamh spun back around, abruptly awake, and clutched at the staircase railing, blue eyes wide and locked on that scorpion tail. Yeah. Half-naked scorpion-cat woman in their house! With a bloodied shirt. And another strange man that just...looked...somehow unnatural. And dirty. Like he was homeless and lived on the streets and what were up with his <I>eyes? And both of them? Were in their house! Nexus had just let them in?! What. The. Hell. Blood-soaked shirt! Weird homeless man! Scorpion! Hello! That was kind of bad!

"Uh...Nexus...?" Niamh managed to get out in a strained voice, still staring intently at the strangers. "Nexus...yeah...why is there a naked scorpion woman and a homeless guy in our house right now...?"

"Oh! Nexus! He is making me clothes!" Erus answered cheerfully, grinning over at both Nexus and Nagranesh.

"What?" Niamh's gaze snapped over to Nexus and her eyebrows raised.

"I destroyed my uniform, yes!" Erus went on. "On accident, it got all ripped up. I forgot to take it off first..."

"WHAT?!" Yeah. The scene before her looked pretty bad to Niamh. Niamh had learned through some of Nexus' comments that he liked men as well as women, and she knew good and well of his sadistic tendencies. And here was a strange homeless man and a woman who looked both bloody and like she was in serious need of clothing...since the ones that she sort of had on were suspiciously torn. It just...it looked really, really bad. And she'd heard thumping before getting up, too, and...and...oh Light.

"Nexus! What the hell do you DO</I> when I'm sleeping?!" Niamh finally yelped, recoiling in horror. "What are you doing?! Who are these people?! Why is one of them <I>naked and bloody, Nexus?!" she demanded, waking up more as irritation and horror started to bloom into anger--and, much to her own surprise, jealousy. He wasn't. They weren't...

At least she hadn't come rushing over to him to see if he was okay. He really didn't need that, he needed complete focus, and someone shaking him and trying to get him to wake up was very irritating. Voices shouting in his mind, his body swearing that it was under attack. It meant he would focus on them and...he very well could kill them with a single wrong thought. That would be very messy and sad, since he really didn't want to accidentally kill Erus. She was a really good friend after all.

Nagranesh had a large mind but even he couldn't fathom the possibility that he would actually meet up with someone that he knew. He did factor in that the man in question was someone who could realm travel as well, so that raised the possibility by a little bit right? Ugh, he didn't want to think about that though.

Well, at least you can fit into the breeches. Though I'm not sure, humans are taboo about all part of the body. Nagranesh commented as Erus walked beside him, having tried with much failure to get the shirt over her head. Nagranesh had no problem with nudity, he couldn't become aroused after all, as well, he was technically naked all the time too. But of course, there were the humans who still found the naked body just so taboo. He wasn't going to argue with them, way too much trouble and just a big headache. Humans could get very loud and throw a huge fuss.

Such silly little creatures with their shame.

Good girl. We don't want the tailor to not help us after all. Though knowing this particular tailor, as long as she didn't nibble any of his important parts he'd probably be fine with that sort of thing. Of course, Nagranesh had grazed his mind, and the once free spirit of a tailor had been tamed and captured it seemed.

Nexus watched the strange manticore woman, smirking to himself. She had a nice figure for a monster. He didn't fancy seeing the other form of her, but he did like this form. Very...nice. Curvy like almost.

Nagranesh also noted that the house looked...well...like a house. That was unusual for someone like Nexus but...at the same time...Nexus had a visitor in this home, a woman, and Vec. It really was quite fascinating, because of everything that Nexus knew, he was slowly going against. This was interesting behaviour, and Nagra would have loved to study this change because it really would be interesting. Still, Nexus was humanizing, turning into a more docile individual. Sort of. Nagranesh could still see the strange glimpses of darkness that was inside Nexus, but slowly light was shining on that.

"Nice to meet you Erus." He flashed a quick smile at her as he shrugged his shoulder. "All people are monster Erus, just some of us hide better than others." Oh that was good, Nagranesh would have to remember that one. "I'm incredibly fast at sewing Erus, not to worry. I'm going to make you some very nice guard clothing...As for who Niamh and Vec are, as well as how Nagranesh and I met...that would take a while to explain." Nagranesh was already storing and filing information in his mind, stealing it from Nexus so he could explain to Erus later. However, both Nexus and Nagranesh froze in place as a voice filled the air, a new voice. Oh gods.

"Nothing Niamh! Just nothing! You know just-" He was cut off from talking because the woman was suddenly there and spotted the three of them. Oh Vec this was not good at all. Not good at all. Everyone just seemed to stare right back at Niamh now as they stood there. Half naked manticore, dirty vagrant, and of course, the master of Deviancy...Nexus. Yeah. This would not end well for him. Though, at the same time, there seemed to be saving grace now...she was going back to bed! Oh the fates were being kind to him now!

Not.

He would never get a break now would he? Damn it all!

"Oh...now...you see....this..." Great. Erus was talking. Damn it all! Nagranesh was doing nothing, in fact he was smiling somewhat! Ah that stupid tentacle monster! He was supposed to help out here and...Damn it all! It was getting very out of control. It was like watching two armies clashing on the battlefield. In this case, one of them was like a 5'4 woman who could become wrath and scorn herself versus what seemed to be a clueless manticore. Maybe it would be easier to just throw some smoke down and disappear into nothingness...No...Vec could find him...and Vec would too.

"Niamh, please...let me explain alright. Just...listen first before you get mad." However, Nagranesh was stepping forward to approach Niamh. Nagra's eyes were glowing much brighter as they focused on the woman.

I am Nagranesh the Only One, Horror of Tal'xinor. Yes, I am speaking to you directly in your mind. What you see before you is a husk, a simple shell in which I hide. I am a very old friend of Nexus', and this woman behind me is Erus the Manticore, she is a friend. Nagranesh was good enough to let Erus and Nexus in on the conversation, something Nexus was thankful for. He really liked to know what was going on at this time with the mind speaking monster.

Erus and I were off having dinner in our natural forms. Erus is a little absent minded at times, and she forgot to remove her uniform when she transformed, thus she ripped it. So we have come to Nexus in order to obtain another uniform for Erus. She is a guard here in the city. We are NOT here having an affair with your Nexus, we are simply seeking his aid in obtaining a new uniform. The only reason that Erus in her state of undress is because she cannot fit the shirt onto her body with her unique physiology. God that being was great, Nexus thought idly, until something clicked in his mind.

"Woah wait. Her Nexus? Since when am I-" Nagranesh turned about to look at the man, which actually silenced him. Nexus look at where you live. I know she's the one who pretty much decorated the house. She pretty much owns you my friend, you might as well admit that soon. Nexus had an inkling about Niamh controlling him, not that he minded losing a little control to her in order to obtain control in other places. Still...he didn't like what Nagranesh was saying...the truth was a little...painful to hear at times.

Though if it's any consolation to anyone, Niamh is a bit jealous with her first assumption that you might be cheating on her with us, more so with Erus than with myself. Now it would be time for Nexus to grin as he looked at Niamh with that little 'Really now?' grin of his. Oh that was good for him, he had a bit of leverage then. Ahem.

"Anyways...if we can just...try to put this all behind us now...Nagranesh, Erus, you too might want to think about having a bath and getting cleaned up while I make for you some new clothes. We've got two bathrooms, I'm sure Niamh won't mind if you use them to get cleaned up while I make you new clothes to wear. Will you, my blushing little poppet of light and beauty?" A little bit of flattery never hurt, nor did looking at Niamh with his best charming little grin. Nagranesh turned his attention to look at Niamh, deciding to ask her as well, this was her house.

Would it be too much trouble Miss Niamh? Nagranesh wondered what would happen if he called her Mrs. Savaros. He'd have to do that when he left, just so Nexus could come tell him about it later. Heh heh heh.

Nexus looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, whereas the vagrant looked only amused and the manticore was...not helping anything, grinning toothily and playing with that bloodied scrap of clothing she was covering herself with, looking way too pleased--which just pissed Niamh off more. Niamh paused after her last statement, her own emotions fluctuating somewhere between jealous and hurt and angry and downright disturbed, and poor Nexus' inability to answer only further incriminated him.

"Start explaining, then!" she snapped back, still holding her ground at the top of the staircase, not daring to go down there.

It was then that Nagranesh began to act, walking suddenly toward Niamh, and Niamh gave a start when she looked at him, noticing his glowing eyes. What the--?! But before she could register much more than that, the man began to speak.

...Directly in her ear? Wait! His mouth, ah, wasn't moving. Niamh froze on the spot, anger and hurt giving way to surprise and for a moment she stared wide-eyed and uncomprehending at him. Until he answered her question even as she thought it.

He was speaking directly in her mind!

CRAP! That wasn't good! She didn't want anyone in her head but herself, and sometimes she didn't even want to be in her own mind!

"Wait! Stop that!" she yelped, a sort of odd panic gripping her. She'd never in her life had anyone communicate with her like that, and she didn't understand it, nor the extent of his abilities. Immediately she was afraid that he'd also be able to actually read her mind--which, unfortunately, was the case as Erus well knew, accepted, and enjoyed. After all, the manticore had nothing to hide, and Erus' grin broadened at the silly human's reaction, and she nodded along as Nagranesh spoke, confirming his story. Why would she want him to stop? Mind-speaking was fun! Niamh, however, felt she had plenty to hide. Especially with Nexus around! Gah, she felt violated already. And why was the manticore nodding? She could hear it, too? Oh man.

"Alright! Alright! I get it! You guys are friends, not doing anything weird! I'm sorry for making assumptions! Now stop that, talk normally!" Niamh demanded, rubbing her temples with both hands as though that would get him to stop. That...was really, really freaky. And unexpected. Wait! What was that about an affair? He thought she was worried that they were having an affair? Whaaat? How...how would he know if she was worried?! Ah, stay calm, Niamh. It was an easy assumption to make. Man and woman living together. Yeah. It didn't mean he was a mind-reader. Stay calm.

She took a deep breath and looked down at Nexus, still rubbing her temples lightly with one hand. "Ugh...you know you could have just said so, Nexus, you could have just said you had friends around that were coming over...wait, the horned woman's a guard?" She blinked down at her, then shook her head. "That's...interesting." What a guard. She didn't seem all that responsible.

But despite her discomfort with the whole mind-to-mind thing, it did relieve her to know that that was the case...just a simple misunderstanding. It made sense, and she knew that she often jumped to conclusions, something she needed to stop doing. Though it was still weird and--

Ack! Nexus could hear the conversation, too?! Her Nexus? Wait...Nagranesh had said that? She'd been a bit too preoccupied with the whole "he's in my head!" thing to really focus on everything he was saying except for the main concepts. She blinked in surprise at Nexus, and was about to open her mouth and protest, suddenly starting to feel embarrassed, when Nagranesh cut in, once again speaking in her--their--minds.

...Well. He did have a point there when he put it like that. Niamh closed her mouth, relaxed a little, and gave a little smirk at that. Folding her arms over her chest, she even threw Nexus a smug, side-long glance, one eyebrow arching. Heh. The vagrant had a point, and Niamh couldn't help but feel amused. Hah. And here when Nexus and she had first met, he'd been intent on owning her! Of course, she really wasn't fond of the idea of either of them owning the other, she just wanted them to be equals even if she did love the competition, but...hey, it was a victory on her end, right? Right.

"You know, I think I like this friend of yours, Nexus," she commented lightly. But that smug satisfaction only lasted until Nagranesh continued "talking".

All of Niamh's worries were confirmed right there--somehow, he'd picked up on her jealousy, and how else but by being in her mind? Her body went rigid, jerking in surprise, and she quickly threw up her hands and waved them in vigorous protest.

"What? I was not! Stop doing that!" she exclaimed, though her blush only incriminated her. And she only blushed harder when Nexus gave her that look. She shook her head quickly. "I wasn't, don't look at me like that! Augh, Nagra...whatever your name was, ah, can you...not do that, please...?" Then she looked back over at Nexus. "Is he seriously a mind-reader? Not that I was thinking that! I wasn't!"

Erus was all out grinning by then, and she cocked her head, ears rotating forward. "They are mates?" she questioned out loud to no one in particular. They seemed like mates to her. They were arguing a lot, and in manticore logic, mating and all that involved a lot of aggression.

"None of your business!" Niamh said quickly, feeling horribly awkward, and she sighed in relief at what Nexus said. Subject change! Yes! It was already difficult enough thinking about certain things, much more actually voicing her thoughts to Nexus, but having strangers prying and a mind reader...Light help her! She did not want some things getting out and--blushing poppet of light and beauty?!

Niamh shifted a little where she stood and smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her nightshirt, concentrating hard on not getting all...bashful, annoyed that she suddenly felt a little calmer. Instead she focused on answering the questions. Jeez. With all that explaining and, um, complimenting, she was starting to feel like a bit of an ass for her initial reaction. But she couldn't help it! It had been the weirdest thing to wake up to, and she didn't wake up well.

Plus, she couldn't help it if she was intimidated by Erus for reasons other than her horns and tail. No, she'd lived around creatures far stranger. It had more to do with the fact that Erus was half naked around Nexus and the complete opposite in body types than Niamh, who felt she was boyishly slender whereas the manticore was...more busty, curvy, and muscular. And obviously had no problem baring skin.

Erus, of course, was completely oblivious.

Ergh...Nagranesh was right, but he didn't have to say it out loud! It was way too late for this. Niamh still felt drowsy.

"Ah...well...no...I don't see why it'd be a problem," Niamh finally said. After all, they were Nexus' friends, this was his house, too, and...she probably shouldn't have assumed the worst right off the bat, and the vagrant seemed polite and his earlier comment had won her over--even if he was also a but intrusive; why wouldn't he speak normally? Besides, from the smell in the room, they needed to bathe and get rid of that bloody shirt--which she now assumed was only bloody from their hunt, which she assumed was some sort of animal. She was partially correct.

She quickly made her way down the stairs to clear up the pathway, though she gave Erus a wide berth as she finally came to stand near Nexus. "I guess one of you can just take the upstairs one and the other the downstairs one. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm Niamh. Which...you already know. Again, I'm sorry for earlier but, you know...Nexus and all." She gave said man a wry, pointed look, as if that statement explained everything.

Erus, however, wrinkled her nose in distaste at the word "bath". She'd already had a bath! Nagranesh had bathed her, and she hated water. She hated baths. Yet humans were always insisting she took a bath in a tub with warm water, and...ick. Not only could she hardly fit in the tubs, but just...water! "I already took a bath, I don't need one," she said, looking over at Nagranesh as though for permission. "See? I'm clean." She held out her arms in demonstration, not even noticing or caring if she also exposed her chest in the process--which was definitely not clean, smeared in blood from her shirt. Next to Nexus, Niamh gave a strangled groan and palmed her forehead.

Erus blinked and looked down, then quickly covered herself again. "Oh. Maybe not so clean, but the blood comes off easy. I don't need a bath! Nagranesh can just lick me again, yes." A nod.

Niamh was still hiding her face in her hand, shaking her head miserably. "It...is way too late for this...Light..."

Nagra could sense the emotions that were fluctuating inside of poor Niamh. Nexus could just see the emotions on her. At least she looked hurt and disturbed...those were always good. Jealousy...well he never really saw that on her so it was a new emotion to know from her. Nexus gulped as she demanded the explanation, but thankfully Nagranesh was there to speak...er...sort of? Niamh didn't seem to...happy about the fact that Nagra could speak into people's minds instead of just using his mouth. Now Nexus and Erus probably would remember that each time he got a new husk he had to learn the vocal chords and what not, but in the presence of people he could trust, talking with his mind was much easier.

I cannot do such a thing. He told her as he just shrugged his shoulders. People were always picky about mind reading. Nexus and Erus weren't...well...Nexus wasn't because Nagra knew well enough to stay away from all thoughts that Nexus had, and Erus just...well as far as he could surmise she liked it! She didn't have much of an idea of privacy and of personal things really. Heh, nexus was happy for once to have the big monster around, he was useful in this circumstance.

I cannot speak anything but in my mind at this time. If I were to try and speak with the husk's voice it would be more of a screeching, crackled, faltering voice. If I were to speak with my own mouth, it would be a loud screeching roar, which I know might hurt Erus's ears. So I have to speak with my mind. Nagra was more intent on listening to Niamh's thoughts really. They were quite interesting. She was figuring things out nicely it seemed...though she was denying it.

Nexus on the other hand was busy making sure that nothing got broken when it came to Erus and Nagra. They were a formidable pair to say the least. Nagra had quite a large and destructive body, what with the acid blood and not to mention psychic powers. Erus well...Nexus had met manticores before. They were just like Nagranesh, large, deadly, and for the most part hungry almost all the time.

Yes, she's a guard for Arca. One of their more feared no doubt...you should see her other form. Nagranesh glanced over to Erus and smiled lightly. He wasn't sure which form he preferred. Being a humanoid got you accepted a lot quicker, but her manticore form was...her manticore form. It was natural, it was supposed to be. A strange quandary to say the least.

Nexus didn't like the sound of her saying that he was 'her' Nexus but...it did make him feel sorta better. What Nagranesh had just said confirmed that Niamh truly did want the relationship to go somewhere...and maybe she wouldn't turn on him in the end. Even though they had gone this far, he was still suspicious...he had done a whole lot more in his life time to get close to someone.

"Yeah, I like him too." Nexus muttered as he cast a small glare toward Nagranesh, who pretended to remain completely oblivious to that sort of thing. However the tables were turned quite easily and Nexus had his time to grin. Good old psychic Nagranesh, always evened the score up.

Earlier you thought I had just put two and two together, a man and a woman living together in a house, it would be easy to think you were a couple and that you would be mad at him having an affair. Also you're 18 years old and come from a place called Solisi where you lived with the Lumenari following the Mother Sun until Nexus met you in Ketra and then Cerenis, where you also met the God Vec who you scoffed at. Yeah, that would probably answer all her questions right? Nexus smiled and nodded after hearing the spiel of Nagranesh.

"Does that answer your question?" Nexus replied as he looked from Nagranesh then to Niamh, smirking all the while. At the next question that came from Erus, Nexus faltered for a moment. Niamh got to reply of course, but Nagranesh was quick to say something on that. Not quite Erus. They're still in the beginning stages of their relationship. I suppose it is the equivalent to a pair of manticores meeting in the wild, and instead of killing each other, it's the beginning of mating season and they feel that spark but they can't act on it. Of course, in the wild that never...really happened. Mating season, two manticores meet, it's baby time really...they were somewhat simple creatures at that point. At least, that's how Nagra remembered it when he had read the book. He had never really MET any manticores.

Nexus... The link was severed to Niamh and Erus so Nagranesh could talk alone to him. I hate speaking like this but...what? Nagranesh smirked ever so slightly. Niamh doesn't much care for Erus, who has many more curves than herself. She's...jealous of that I would say. She is still only human after all... Nexus nodded only slightly as he watched Niamh very carefully. If he looked at Erus, that might be bad.

Aye, I do know Nexus all too well. Nagranesh had opened up the communication back to Erus and Niamh so they could hear him as well. Nexus smirked slightly as Erus looked to Nagranesh, as if...she were a kid and asking him for permission. Of course, Nexus focused VERY fast onto Niamh as the manticore woman suddenly opened her arms. His eyes were practically glued to Niamh's face. If he looked, that would be REALLY bad, though he did so want to, he managed to keep his eyes on Niamh, who didn't seem to like that too much. Nexus suddenly brought Niamh into a gentle hug, kissing the top of her forehead. "It's alright Niamh. She's just...Snrk." That comment about Nagranesh licking her again...oh man.

Nexus could feel the eyes of Nagra upon his back as he just...said nothing. You might as well say it Nexus. Nagra sighed, knowing some depraved thought was coming from the man in the Fedora. And things had been going so well too...

"Oh I could say anything Nagra...anything! It's way too easy though...I mean...I didn't know you worked that fast, was it good for her, is she sweet all over, I bet she makes funny noises...It's endless Nagranesh, endless." Nagranesh just shook his head and sighed, before he turned his attention toward Erus. I'm afraid that water is a much better thing at this time Erus, it'll get you all nice and clean so you can wear your new uniform. When you get that done, then we can go into the forest. I think that's a fair trade don't you? A little bit of water for a few hours out of the city in the forest? Nexus had to admit, Nagranesh knew how to talk to some people. It would explain a lot though when it came to the new uniform and what not.

"Heh, why don't you just help her bathe Nagra? I bet she can't reach everywhere, what with the tail and wings." Nexus said as he slowly let go of Niamh to look at Nagranesh. I could do that actually. While I'm doing that, why don't you explain to Niamh about how you can see through walls, clothes, people, hats, and almost anything you desire? Nagranesh was a bit of a jerk when Nexus tried to push him into things, and Nagranesh had made sure that Niamh heard that sort of thing.

"That's...just crazy talk." Nexus said quickly as he looked down to Niamh with a small sheepish smile. Think about it Niamh, how is he able to see behind him? Wouldn't that mean he could see through his own skull too? I'm surprised you haven't told her yet. Oh this was bad right here. They were just getting to trust each other too! Damn it all! Nexus let out a snarl before he stalked upstairs to go hide in the guest bedroom. Now...that was odd. Nagranesh blinked a few times. I think Niamh should have been the one to do that...

"Y-yeah...I think that answers my question..." Niamh answered quietly, staring at Nagranesh. Oh damn. He seriously was a mind-reader. Not good! If he knew that much, and he would have had to dig a little to learn some of that since a lot of those memories were buried under other thoughts...what else could he know? Anything else he wanted to, and if he was friends with Nexus, and since friends like to talk with their friends...not good! Not good at all! She swallowed and shifted where she stood and started to focus very hard on making her mind blank--which of course didn't work.

Nagranesh was also very right in his thoughts about manticore behavior. When it was mating season and they met it was time to mate! There was really no wooing or romance involved, it was just wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Erus, of course, didn't really know all about it because she'd never met any other manticores, but she had been taught about her own kind from her "parents", who had also had to read up on her species in order to understand her and her needs. And Erus also knew a little from experience. Ever since she'd reached maturity, she came into season somewhere around every three months for four days at a time, and...that was a pretty bad four days for everyone around her. Light and happy and cheerful Erus turned rather crabby and aggressive then, especially toward males. They tended to get stalked, pounced, and just generally smacked around and abused like a cat harassing a mouse.

Most of the other soldiers had her "time of the every three months" marked on their calendars so they knew when to steer clear.

Really, it was standard procedure for mating! Manticore females were rather pushy.

Still, abrupt as a manticore's mating in the wild was, Erus didn't know that. She had a manticore's idea of aggression and bluntness, but a human's idea of courtship. She nodded in understanding, everything clicking in her head. "Ohh..." she said, then smiled brightly over at Nexus and Niamh. "When are you having babies?"

If Niamh was red before, she was burning by then. "Wha...wha...?" she practically squeaked, mortified at the woman's all too casual question, like she was just talking about the weather. She couldn't even think of how to respond to that. "We...we're not! It's not like that!"

Sweet Mother of Light.

Whether Nexus had looked at Erus or not, Niamh hadn't a clue. Her face was hidden in her hand and her eyes were shut, at least until she felt Nexus' arms go around her to pull her into a gentle hug. On reflex, she turned, wrapped her arms around Nexus' waist, and hid her face against his chest. This was so damned embarrassing...she really should have just stayed in bed. She couldn't believe the manticore woman had just...wham! Shown everything like that. And the...er...licking...Light, this was bad. She did not need to know that! Blushing lightly at the kiss on her head, she remained where she was, just in case manticore woman was doing anything else.

"Nngh...it's not funny..." she muttered against Nexus' chest. Oh Light. Nexus better not say anything. Erus had just made a very bad comment, as Niamh well knew and...oh no. Nagra could feel it coming too. Oh no...

And there it was. Niamh twitched and was glad that her face was hidden, though she did dig her fingers hard into Nexus' back for that statement.

Erus, on the other hand, just tilted her head and smiled. "Nagranesh said I tasted good!" she answered with a toothy grin, totally not on the same page as everyone else. Niamh gave another twitch, and Erus just didn't know when to stop. "He liked my purring, too..." she added thoughtfully, looking up toward the ceiling. "It was really nice! His tongue feels much better than mine, yes!"

"I'm going now." Niamh started to try and pry herself away, blushing, except Nexus was still hugging her and she was trapped. Augh!

Not understanding Niamh's discomfort, nor why what Nexus said seemed to bug Nagranesh, Erus just blinked and looked over at Nagra as he spoke, obviously trying to change the subject. And then she frowned, her wings and tail drooping and a pained look coming over her face. "But I don't like water..." she complained, her expression torn, and then she finally sighed heavily as though she were about to make the biggest sacrifice in the world. "Okay...I guess I can do that..." she agreed reluctantly, still frowning. A few seconds of water. Hours in the forest. And a new uniform. It...she would just hurry! A quick wash! But she wouldn't like it!

And then she actually brightened at Nexus' suggestion, still not seeing what was wrong with it. "Is the bath big enough?" she asked seriously, even as Niamh hissed, "Nexus!" Erus blinked at her, then went right on grinning. "Because it is sometimes hard to reach everything! My wings and tail are big, yes. The baths aren't usually big enough and it's lonely in there."

Pulling away from Nexus as he finally released her, Niamh stepped back and rubbed a hand over her face, which felt very warm "Jeez, you guys are awful...I'm just...I'm going back to bed now," she muttered.

And then froze in place at what Nagranesh said next.

"...W-what did you say?" she asked, whirling around to gape at both Nexus and Nagranesh alike. What...? He...he could...he could see through walls...and hats...and people and...and...

Clothes?!

Niamh's eyes widened, her mouth hung open in horror, then she paled at the realization and quickly hugged her arms around her body, shielding her chest as though she were the one going topless. Oh Light, oh Light...suddenly everything made sense! How he could look through his skull! She'd never questioned that before! And how he had been able to tell the time outside even if there were no windows! He could see through them! Oh Goddess, had he looked?! Of course he had, he was Nexus! He'd probably...oh...oh no...

Staring speechless at Nexus, frozen in her shock though her heart had started to slam fearfully in her chest, she expected one of his usual perverted reactions. For him to make some bad remark, like he had with Erus' comment. Something like that, something horrible, something that would confirm the awful truth, something that would make her panic and race up to her room and hide and never ever want to come back out again, but...instead he did the unexpected.

He snarled and stormed upstairs to the guest bedroom.

Just like Nagranesh--and Erus, though Erus was still brooding a little over the bath issue--Niamh was left blinking rapidly. Wait...what?

...That was like something she would do! Not Nexus! What the...? Still keeping her arms folded over her chest, horror was replaced instead by utter confusion. That...had not been a normal Nexus reaction. He had acted like the violated one here! What...did that...Niamh looked at Nagranesh, completely lost. Maybe Nagranesh had just said that and it wasn't really true.

Shaking her head, she finally lowered her arms and rubbed her temples again with one hand. "Uh..." She blinked at Nagranesh as though seeing him for the first time, then stood up straight and heaved a sigh. "Alright then, that was...weird. Look, you guys just, ah, get your baths I guess. There's one down here and one up there. I'll be right back." And with that said, still confused beyond all belief--way too confused to be freaked out--Niamh bounded up the stairs and to the guest bedroom.

She paused just outside the room and rapped her knuckles on the door frame. "Er...Nexus?" she called quietly, peeking inside. "You alright?"

Back downstairs, Erus was pouting a little. "Okaaay...I guess I'll take a bath..." she muttered, hanging her head and turning to go look for the downstairs one. She would hate every moment of this, but she was doing this to be with Nagranesh out there in the forest.

Most excellent. Do not worry my dear, most of your thoughts are safe within your mind. I do not often go prying to tell people like Nexus of what lurks in the minds. Unless of course Nagranesh believed that Nexus would need such information. Some things were wrong to hide from people. Nagranesh knew this well, and he knew a certain secret that Nexus was holding. That would not just do! Hopefully there would be some justification for saying such things.

Nexus wondered about the Manticore's mating habit...and the time of the month. She looked like the kind of creature that went into heat...and that would mean trouble. He had met the more...wild and uncivilized Manticores before. They weren't happy creatures. During mating season...if you could satisfy that itch, you were a really good candidate. Gods and the riddles sometimes! Nothing was a bigger turn off after having your bones jumped than having to play the 'Guess the answer to the riddle or I'll eat you' game. Usually he just had a cigarette or something after ward, but no, trying to use his wits and guessing a riddle, only getting three guests...it was completely horrible. Ugh.

At least with Nagranesh, he'd be able to...guess the answer and probably get it right a whole lot easier.

Plus he was psychic so he could just read her mind and figure out the answer. Hm. That raised another answer...er...question actually. Did Nagranesh actually...do that sorta stuff? Last time he had met the monster, he had explicitly explained that his maturity hadn't allowed him to...acquire or grow the needed equipment in order to spread genetic material and all that. He felt sorta bad for the creature really...not being able to do all those fun little things. Tch!

"We ah..." Nexus rubbed the back of his neck and Nagranesh smirked. At least he knew his pain then didn't he? "We haven't mated or anything like that. Unfortunately Erus the mating habits of humans are a lot more romantic and takes a little bit longer to court than a Manticore." Well...that wasn't completely true. Of course, Nexus was looking to erm...mate for life technically...not just a quick romp of course. If he wanted a quick romp it wouldn't be that hard to do.

Nexus smiled slightly at Niamh as she wrapped her arms around his waist. That felt good at least, and she really didn't seem to mind the kiss or anything like that. Ah it was so nice to have her this close, she was so soft...so nice...so beautiful. Damn he was smitten with her. Nagranesh was no doubt smiling, but he really couldn't look to him without maybe seeing something that Niamh wouldn't want him to see. Besides, Erus might be just...flaunting herself without knowing it, or maybe knowing it. He really didn't know, and he didn't want to go looking at her because that would be really bad to say the least. More so if Niamh saw what he was doing.

Nexus gave a small moan of pleasure as he felt her fingers dig hard into his back. Oh she's a feisty one. She had to be careful, he still didn't have all his urges under much control, but he was working on it.

"Oh, of course he did. I'm sure you were very sweet."  Man...she just knew how to dig a hole without knowing it. This was hilarious, he couldn't believe her at this time but...damn she must have been interesting to be around. "I'm not sure, I assume a manticore tongue is just like a cat's tongue, and those feel pretty neat." Truthfully he HAD been licked by a manticore before, but he wasn't going to go on about past exploits in front of Niamh. She might blush herself to death after all, and he couldn't have that.

That's a good Erus. I'll help you get clean and make it as painless as possible. He didn't want to force her into the bath, but it would be good for her to scrub down with soap and what not. It got the grime right out. Unfortunatly a tongue would be bad on a humanoid...for more than one reason, not even sexual as well. Well a few might be but...no telling what she would smell like after a tongue bath. The human skin liked to absorb and cake on saliva and dirt and it just...a bath just was a whole lot easier and it was much better on the nose.

"Gah, sorry.Nexus murmured right back to her as he looked toward Nagra and Erus, who thankfully had covered herself up. "Erm well...the master bath is probably big enough indeed....if you do please don't get too much water everywhere...also Nagra I installed good old Uncle Vosteroth's piping system." Nexus was pretty sure that he could see Nagra grinning slightly. "Uncle Vosteroth is a mage who invented a piping system that using two knobs would summon cold water or hot water, and you can mix the water to make it cold, cooler, warm, warmer, luke warm, and what not. He was a genius in my world. Why we call him Uncle I have no idea." Nexus was careful not to tell Niamh that the technology was Drow, since underwater streams and rivers weren't all that common in their Underdark. He was smart and just called him a mage. It wasn't technically lying after all!

Yeah...I don't know why he did that but...go talk to him because that might be good idea...sorry...by the way. If he ruined the relationship, he would have to...make it right. Either by psychic powers or just getting them to talk it through.

"Heh, yeah." Nexus came to the door and opened it fully for her so she could enter, even though she had been peeking before "Can you come in though...we sorta need to talk...I'd like to say of course that I should have told you of this but...the moment was never right. You wouldn't want to be with a guy who ah...could view things so easily." Nexus moved back to the bed, moving to sit upon the black and gold trim bed cover. "Though for the record, and you can ask Nagranesh this but I never once looked at you in any state of undress. I'd like to think that my word is legit but...I guess after holding a secret this big for...months...you shouldn't really take my word on it." Nexus avoided looking at her, instead focused on a loose thread on the bed, one of the gold threads. Damn he loved that gold thread. If this bedspread...no! Had to focus.

I know you don't want to Erus but it is for the best. Besides, I'll help you get cleaned up. Nagranesh had stumbled and bumbled around with her to find the bathroom, and finally he managed to find the right door. It was large, tiled walls of white and some strange gold design, with what seemed to be black and white checkered floor. A compromise no doubt. Nagranesh looked to the very large silver bathtub with a find gold rim around the edge. Hm. It was really large, and there was a lot of soaps and products along one of the walls which...Nagranesh really couldn't tell if they were Niamh's or Nexus's really. There was just...well it was hard to say. Nagranesh went to the bathtub to grab the strange knobs which were connected to the faucet. Ah, the tricks of magic. Nagranesh turned them and water began to fill the tub. This would probably take a few minutes, despite the rather strong water pressure.

One day we'll have to go to a lake Erus and swim there. I bet I can beat you in a race in my natural form. He wanted to keep her spirits up and have an open mind about bathing with water. He didn't know the extent of how well he or she could clean up with only their tongue so...it was good to see how she could do with actual water. In his mind he didn't find a problem with the two of them being in the bathroom like this. After all, they were trying to get clean! Only humans would find this situation to be...of a different matter. Ah, those poor young creatures had so much to learn. One day they would too, but...probably not in his life time.

What sort of water temperature would you like? Warm? Cold? Luke warm? It's all up to you Erus.

As Nexus opened the door and asked her to come in, Niamh stepped quietly inside and only paused to shut the door behind her. Not completely, she left it open a crack, but she shut it just enough so as to give their conversation some privacy. Or as much privacy as you could get when one of the people in the house was a psychic, though hopefully the guy would be occupied with that manticore woman. Ergh. She couldn't believe they were apparently going to take a bath together or something...twitch...well, she sure as hell wasn't going to clean the mess after they were done! They were Nexus' friends, so he could...ah...take care of that.

Oh Goddess, they better not do anything weird in there or she was never using that bathroom again, long wonderful baths with Uncle Vosteroth's system (which she came to love; it really beat heating water on a stove) be damned! She'd take the smaller bath after that. Gyuh.

At least she was still blissfully unaware that the man was actually a strange tentacle creature. Sure, he'd said something about a husk, but she hadn't really understood that nor had she paid much attention. The invasion of her mind had been distracting enough.

Pushing all those disturbing thoughts from her mind, she stayed where she was near the door and looked to Nexus, listening to him talk. Unconsciously, she crossed her arms over her chest, and she while she had been really hoping for him to tell her that, no, what Nagranesh had said really wasn't true...erk. She wouldn't get her wish. There, right there, Nexus confirmed the awful truth, and Niamh swallowed hard--though for some reason she didn't have the heart to be angry, embarrassed, or even to turn and leave like she might have normally if he was acting like his usual lecherous self. Then again, maybe it wasn't so odd; Nexus was acting strange and he sounded regretful and...

Niamh winced a little at his words as he moved to sit on the bed, not looking at her. He...really was down and worried about that, wasn't he?

Jeez...it was weird to see him like this.

With a slight sigh, dropping her arms back down to her sides, Niamh crossed the room, sat down on the bed next to him and turned toward him, one leg crossed over the other. "No...I think I believe you..." she said, resting her elbow on her knee and propping her chin up in her hand. "I mean, look, I shouldn't have to ask other people whether what you say is true or not, and besides, ah...you...haven't exactly ever lied to me before." It was true. Even down to the first day she'd met him back in Ketra, he'd never lied once. For better or for worse, if there was one thing she'd learned about him it was that if he said something, he meant it. Of course, this tended to throw her off and freak her out at times, but...she really couldn't think of a time when he'd actually lied.

"And...I mean...I guess I could see why you wouldn't tell me. We didn't exactly, er, start out on the right foot--" Understatement. "--and I know if you'd told me before it woulda scared the crap out of me. Hah, who am I kidding, it still scares me, Nexus but..." She looked up at him. "I guess in a nutshell I believe you. I mean, sheesh, how could I not, you're acting like the freakin' girl here. You're acting like me. That's kinda even scarier for some reason...I was supposed to be the one running up here and hiding and acting all violated. I can't do that when you're beating me to it...there can only be one of me, you know," she said with a slight grin, reaching out to pat him tentatively on the back--gently, because she remembered how he'd moaned earlier and she was still a little disturbed.

Nexus had, indeed, saved himself by pulling that little act. Because damn if it wasn't hard to be angry at him like that! Not to mention in a way it was kind of...well...funny.

"So, ah...you really honestly didn't look or anything?" She believed him, but it was still a little hard to believe at the same time. Nexus was so perverted! And he had the power to look through clothes!

Suddenly, she found herself respecting him just that much more. He really was honoring their deal...

Then again, even if he had sneaked a peak how would she know the difference? But Light help her, she really did want to believe him, and his behavior alone was enough to convince her.



Erus headed into the bathroom like one condemned to the gallows, ears flattened to the sides of her head and tail limp, almost dragging on the ground. The bathroom was indeed large, and so was the tub, but Erus just stared around the room bleakly before her gray eyes focused in on the tub itself, and then her lip curled in disgust. Ugh. Water. She so didn't want to do this, but Nagranesh was right. And it wasn't like she didn't bathe in the barracks and all. She did take baths...but it didn't mean she had to like them, and she tended to get them done as quickly as she could.

"I know, Nagranesh," she sighed as he spoke, watching him turn the faucets on and curling her tail, hugging the shirt closer to her chest and willing the bath to fill up slowly. Looking over to Nagranesh, she frowned and hunched her shoulders a bit at the swimming in the lake suggestion. "I could beat you, but I don't like swimming."

Indeed, she could swim. It was a natural instinct, and she'd done it before. It was easy in her manticore form, her strong limbs able to propel her and her wings only aiding in that. In her humanoid form, however, swimming was nigh on impossible. She was already awkward as a humanoid, but it was even more so then. She felt all off balance and heavy, and she sank and floundered and thrashed around more than she actually swam. No, she was more graceful in her true form.

But she still hated swimming. Water was only good for drinking! It  just felt so...so...nasty! All wet and cold and icky! Even if the water was warm when you were in it, it was still cold when you got out! And then it took forever for her thick dreadlocks to dry, and speaking of drying, that in and of itself was a pain, with her wings and her tail and...sigh.

It was just all so tedious.

At Nagranesh's question, Erus sighed again and stepped forward, reaching out a hand to test the water. "Mrr...that is good enough, yes," she said, stepping back. It was a little on the cool side, but she just wanted to get this all over with. Dropping the bloody shirt to the tile floor, she slid out of her breeches and then, with some trepidation, stepped one foot into the tub, a soft, involuntary hiss escaping her lips, teeth baring. If she had been in her manticore form, one could imagine that her fur would have been standing up on end, like a disgruntled cat. She wiggled her toes, cringing at the feeling of the water seeping between them, and then, with a deep breath, stepped the other foot in and quickly plopped down in the water, some of said water splashing over the sides. So much for keeping the place nice and clean.

Her wings were pressed tight to her back, tail curled high and out of the water, and her shoulders were all hunched up as she sat there.

Needless to say, she looked pretty miserable, and she was probably making a bigger deal out of the whole thing than it was worth. "This is so nasty..." she growled quietly, grabbing the first soap she could see so she could quickly start scrubbing away the blood on her front. Blech. Nasty, nasty, nasty! Of course, she wasn't mad at Nagranesh at all. She was just mad that water had to be so nasty!

Nexus didn't think anything bad would happen in the bathroom...it didn't seem like something that Nagranesh would do, and Erus was a sort of cat creature so that was really only interesting for her when she was in heat.  Though it always came back to Nagranesh with him...there was always something about that creature...celebit just didn't seem right. He had twenty five tentacles on a large tongue! It just...it didn't make sense at all! Instead he was like a librarian who stayed out of the adult section. Ugh. It was just....it was just way too odd and there had to be something about it. Then he just stopped thinking about that because he really didn't want that mental picture invading his mind. Though it would probably cause the tentacle monster to get angry and that was just he worst. He had seent he monster angry before and it ended really bad for some people...

At least Niamh was taking this really well, or as well as he could while he was controlling the situation at this time. He just had to act...proper, instead of like the lecherous pervert that he was deep inside. That was always a sure fire cure of course.

"Weeeell...that isn't EXACTLY true. Technically I lied to you about the sunlight thing in the um...place..." Just as long as she realized that much of course. But no, he really hadn't lied to her about anything else. Maybe stretched the truth a little here and there but nothing that was an outright lie. It was always good to try and be honest, and usually honesty was a whole lot scarier than lies when it came to Nexus. That's what he just loved about himself. It was so...fun. So very fun.

"That's a bit of a ploy just to stop you from being angry. After all you're completely confused, and the best way to lower someone's defenses is with confusion. Puppies too. Since I don't have puppies on hand at the moment, I'll take the other road. " He grinned right back at her and smiled, a simple short smile of course. He nodded and grinned at her. "We had a deal, and you can bet your sweet clothed bottom that it took every ounce of my body, every fibre of my being to not look that way." It wouldn't be that hard either! He could look through walls, look their her clothes, her sheets while she slept, everything! Of course, the trickiest part would be trying to see her naked while not using his magic powers.

That would be the trickiest part, and a breach of their deal because it WAS a desire after all. Sigh...that deal was really starting to suffocate him. At least there were other ways to get his mind off of that sort of thing.

"Can't act on anything until you're ready to want to do anything along those lines, so I hold myself true to the deal. Vec helps as well with lectures." Vec misinterprets ONE simple scrying spell while Niamh is bathing and suddenly he's getting an earful every time Niamh goes for a bath. Bah! He wasn't going to look! Well...if he just so happened to glance while surveying the entire house he couldn't be blamed now could he? Well...according to Vec he could. Besides she liked her baths too hot and steamy so he probably wouldn't be able to see anything. It was like the side of a river bed on a cold spring morning. So much fog...

"Once more I promise that I haven't looked...if I had don't you think I would have told you by now? said something about it perhaps? Probably boasted and commented on it." After all, he really didn't keep that sort of thing a secret did he? No...he pretty much would have come right out with it the moment he had seen it.



Nagranesh could hear the fact that she really didn't want to do this. Shuffling to the bathroom, tail almost limp, ears drooped at her side...yeah...she wasn't too thrilled with this sort of thing. He would be there to help her though, he had to...he didn't want her to be too upset about this. He just wanted her to be clean because...cleanliness was always good at this point. He made it a little warmer just in case she was lying, which he was pretty sure she was. She really should have remembered he could read her mind. Yeah, that might have been a smart move...but no matter. Well...the mess couldn't be helped at this point and it could be cleaned up, it was only water after all. She really was adorable, even in her humanoid form like this. She was just like a cat, and that really was funny. Washing a cat was real trouble, he had seen it done before too...looked slightly painful...hopefully she would be more cooperative than the cat he had seen before.

Oh, right...of course. Well then, I guess I can be safe in saying that for now I win in the swimming department until you actually want to swim. Maybe it was a bit of a way to see if she would go ahead and head with him into the water for a swimming fest...but for now it would be best to just leave it like this...yeah...it was best to not goad her into this sort of thing.

I know it is Erus but...you have to do this. Nagranesh said to her quietly as he took a sponge and some of the liquid soap, slowly starting to get her back. He was careful about it, spreading a bit of water onto her back and her wings at this time, then began the soap.

Erus I promise that you'll feel better after all this...once you get a nice warm bath, and into some of the clothes that Nexus makes, you'll feel great. At least he hoped she would feel better. He didn't want her to be...well he didn't want her to think this was for no reason after all. Just think of this way though, you'll be all nice and clean so we might be able toe scape from the city and go have fun in the forest. More hide and seek in the forest, that would be rather fun actually. Hopefully the bad would outweigh the good in this case...hopefully.

I would have given you another bath myself but I'm afraid it can be very hard to get my tongue out of this body. He told her as he began to as gently as possible scrub down her wings and then her tail, periodically pouring water over her, careful only to get her back, tail, and wings. Dumping water right on her head might be...you know...very bad at this time. Hm...he could have just gotten Nexus to do his magic little cleaning way but...it was probably better not to do that. Of course after this he would have to have his own bath, this vagrant hadn't bathed in a while so...yes...best to do that. Nexus could always make fake vagrant clothes after all.

"That was the biggest thing you lied about? Huh. That's strangely comforting..." Niamh was staring up at him in surprise, blinking slowly at his answer--and she was also inwardly. Seriously? Just about how he knew the time? That was it? It was almost hard to believe, even though she did believe him, but at the same time it was also a relief. That was nothing! And if that was the biggest thing and he was fessing up about something like that...jeez. She really didn't have to worry about him lying.

Then again, it wasn't like she had ever been worried about any lies on his part to begin with. With Nexus, it was the truth she worried about the most. Funny, that. Kind of twisted and backwards, but what could you do?

For a moment, though, Niamh looked a little annoyed--in addition to just grudgingly amused--at what he said next. Whaaat? Just an act? Granted, it was a good act and it had probably saved the day, but... "Oi, Nexus..." she grumbled and smacked his shoulder lightly, rolling her eyes, and she looked like she was about to say something else when she caught the rest of what he said--and closed her mouth.

Niamh's eyes actually lit up at the word "puppies." Nexus probably shouldn't have mentioned that word, because it brought up a thought Niamh hadn't had since leaving home--a home that had been pet free, despite many attempts on her part to smuggle animals in.

Nexus may not have realized it, but he had just planted a seed.

"I think I would've liked the puppies better..." she said thoughtfully, grinning a little--a secret sort of grin. Hmm...she wondered what he'd say if she asked him seriously about the prospect of animals in the house...

But the thought was put on hold at what he said next, and she snorted a little and shook her head. The tension she'd felt earlier had melted away the more they talked--and it probably helped to be away from the half naked busty scorpion woman and the strange mind-reading vagrant--and she felt reassured by his honesty. "Yeah, I'm sure it did. Pure torture, I imagine. Perv. I'll pass on betting my bottom, though, clothed or not. I don't trust you," she told him wryly, sticking out her tongue, before Nexus continued. Erk...

Niamh gave a subtle twitch, just a slight creasing of her brow, and quickly averted her eyes as the conversation took a turn for the awkward. Because "acting on anything" and being "ready to want to do anything" was just...yeah. She knew what it meant, and that was a sort of freaky and embarrassing subject. Besides, Nexus already knew her stand on that! She may have given up her religion, but she still had her morals and culture. As she was taught, the body was a temple, a gift from Mother Sun, and just like a real place of worship you wanted to keep it clean and untainted. And just as the monotheistic Solisi gave themselves to one Goddess, just as they were initiated into the faith, relationships were modeled off of that, as well. Marriage was the initiation, so to speak, for when you gave yourself to one person.

Niamh was certainly not thinking about marriage. Light, she was still getting used to just...this, the simple hugging, chaste kisses, and getting to know Nexus better, getting used to him more. It was all new and different, and still very foreign. It was taking a lot of getting used to--even if she liked it. But she couldn't help it, she was shy about this stuff and it made her feel strangely vulnerable.

"Er...yeah...something like that. Thanks by the way...for, ah, honoring that," she finally muttered, rubbing the back of her neck and blushing slightly despite herself. Then she looked back over at him, hand still resting on her neck, and couldn't help but smirk. Vec giving him lectures? Ah, why didn't that surprise her...? That ex-God had really been a life-saver here and there. Blush receding, her smirk turned into a playful grin and she shook her head. "Ah, Light, does he take off his blindfold for you, too?" she asked with a slight wince of sympathy. After all, she'd been on the receiving end of a few of those, and...not fun.

Once again, too, Nexus had a point. Niamh blinked a few times. That...actually made a lot of sense. If there was one thing Nexus wasn't, it was subtle, especially about things that made her blush. He'd told her before that he enjoyed making her blush, and, well...thinking that he'd seen her naked would certainly make her pop a blood vessel. "...Point taken. After all, the last thing you are is quiet. I don't know whether to be relieved by that or not. On the one hand, you're honest, on the other...some of the things you blurt out..." She gave him a knowing look, then ran a hand through her messy hair and went to stand, yawning a little.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. So..." She tilted her head a little, then smiled crookedly. "Are you gonna be able to handle being around the naked busty scorpion thing or should I stay up until they go?"

It was supposed to be a joke, but...so what if she was a little worried, too, and was using that joke as a means of gauging Nexus!



"Mrr..." Erus pouted and worked on scrubbing the front of her body, torn. He was challenging her basically, and it sounded like a fun game. It would be a race of sorts, and Erus did enjoy games and races! But...it was in water! But if she didn't participate in it, then he'd just win by default without them ever having raced! That made it pretty awful...Erus didn't care much about winning or losing, but if she was going to win or lose she wanted to actually earn that win or loss! The tip of her tail twitched in slight agitation, the idea racing through her mind--she wanted to try it, but water was so icky!--but then she quickly held still when Nagranesh began to wash her back.

She didn't want to accidentally poke him with that sharp barb. Even if she was in control of whether or not she actually injected venom, the barb was still sharp and painful. "I know..." She sighed heavily, opening her wings slowly and carefully so he could get at both them and her back better...and as much as she didn't want to admit it, that felt kind of good. Not the water, but the scrubbing! It was like having a nice back scratch, and she always was a fan of those! Who didn't like having their back scratched? She arched her back a little like a cat, soft purrs starting to vibrate in her chest and throat.

And Nagranesh was also right. As much as she hated baths, she always did feel better after them. She was kind of like a dog that whined and shivered through the whole bath but then, once they got out of the tub, felt all revitalized and energetic and clean! At least, until they went and rolled around in the mud. Or blood. But Nagranesh's "talking" and scrubbing was gradually making her feel a little better. This was the first time since she'd been a "cub" that she'd been given a bath or had company while taking one! And he was rather encouraging about it, saying things that helped distract her from the misery of bathing. She really was looking forward to getting a new uniform and exploring the forest! That would be fun! A smile slowly formed on her lips, and her ears, which had been drooping, started to perk up.

"You're right, Nagranesh," she said quietly, scrubbing down her legs. "I do feel better when it's over...and we will have fun later, yes..." she admitted with some reluctance, flicking at the water with a hand. Maybe she was being a bit childish about this? But she couldn't help it! Then she paused as though considering something, lowering her voice. "Maybe...maybe one day we can swim." She ducked her head a little, her tail giving a small twitch before she uncurled it slowly as he began to wash that, too. "You cannot just win by default..."

She took a deep breath then and, without further ado, went right on ahead and dunked her head beneath the water before sitting back up and shaking her head, snuffling a little as some of the water went up her nose. Then she got some more soap and began to lather up her thick dreadlocks, scrape at her horns to remove any dirt that was there, too, and carefully scrub at her ears, making sure not to get any water in them. Content with her cleaning job, she fumbled at the knobs the way Nagranesh had to get some water flowing so she could rince out her hair, snarling in surprise when she stuck her head under the faucet and got a face full of icy water. Jerking back and thumping one ram horn hard against the faucet as she pulled back, she shook her head again like a dog, water flying everywhere, before she gently curled her tail back up again and started to stand.

"I think I'm clean enough now," she announced, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering a little as she left the warmth of the water--nasty as it was! Plus her head was freezing after her little...faucet mishap. There were still soap suds on her body where she hadn't rinsed, including some that managed to find their way on her nose and chin, but Erus wasn't particularly anal about those sorts of things.

"Well we've been together for quite a while, but yes that really is the biggest thing I've lied about. I mean...I couldn't...um...exactly say that I was able to look through the walls and what not." Nexus told her with a small wry smile as he watched her carefully. Damn he wished that Nagranesh was here giving him a play by play right now of what was going on in her head. She had such a strangeness to her, probably thinking about how to get back at him or something like that...or maybe she was thinking about fessing up any of her...oh who was he kidding, she didn't lie. At least not that he could really tell...only when she was in a lot of trouble...or wanted to go out and but stuff for no reason.

He grinned a little bit at her comment and just shrugged. "What? I'm just saying that without this whole thing you might have very well...left me." When he said the last two words...he spoke it with fear in his voice, for good reason. He was terrified that she would leave him. Absolutely terrified that she might do that...

He caught that. He caught that part when he had said puppies. Her eyes had just flared to life and it was...it was scary. That really wasn't a good thing. It really couldn't be!

"I'm not really a fan of puppies though I'm afraid. Cats are alright, they're as arrogant as I am. Dogs are just big idiots who run around and drool. Hm. I guess that's why you like me isn't it?" Nexus asked her with a grin as he put his arm about her and gave her a small half hug. "I wouldn't mind a nice cat running around here. Very clean animals....very intelligent...hm...." To be honest he had thought about getting a pet or two for around the house, it might work for when he had to work and she was left here.

"Heh heh, you know me poppet, I'm much better off being tortured after all." He said with another one of his grins. Man he did love her....she was just so great. Well...love was a strong word to say the least, but he liked her a lot. "But it's such a nice bottom too." A simple wink and a small chuckle as he let his arm fall away from her. He knew she wasn't a big fan of him touching her, so it was best for him to just...keep his arms off her for now. She'd get through that eventually.

Uh oh, awkward conversation for Niamh. "Right...sorry...I forgot about your position and what not on all that." He told her as he just sighed. It figured that he would find the one girl that he really...wanted and she ah...she wanted to get married and what not. That would be the only way....But just...living with her was enough at this time. He did...he did want to be closer but...he knew that would never happen unless he got married to her and that was just...well that was probably right out of the question to say the least. For him and for her too...he never could see her trying to marry him...that might just end badly.

Nexus chuckled and nodded once. "I made a deal and I don't go back on those Niamh. I'll honour it as long as you say it's in effect." He told her with a shrug of his shoulders. At least the city offered some...well...relief from his predicament. "Niamh, that...blindfold...if he took it off it would kill me. Remember I don't feel guilt...and...seventeen hundred years of debauchery...one solid hit from his eyes and I would be a goner." The thing that Nexus didn't realize was the simple way to get around it. He had to forgive himself...accept all he had done. Nexus had more of a technique that was really just ignoring it all, forgetting it and pushing it away.

Nexus could be subtle when he wanted to be, just a lot of the time he didn't want to be subtle, because it wasn't fun to say the least. "Heh heh heh, glad you realize it my little poppet. If I had seen you, well you would have known immediately. I would just said it right after you got out of the bathroom or bedroom or something rather." He stood up with her when she got up, smiling all the while at her. Damn he just...he just loved having her about. She was understanding at least. That was always great to have.

"I can handle Erus fine my dear. Yeah she has a nice body but...you're the only girl for me." Nexus said as he brought her into an embrace, grinning down at her with his eyes focused on her. "Besides, I think Nagranesh wouldn't like that too much...he's ah...interested in her. Whether for scientific purposes or what I can't really be sure. Whatever goes on in that mind of his is just...well I don't really know or want to know." Nexus told her with a small laugh as he shook his head. She was such a silly creature, and he did think she could be so adorable at this point.



The conflict was perfect. Erus wanted to prove herself as the queen, the head manticore, even though he really wasn't challenging her for dominance at this point. She could be the leader, he was teh brains, so he would always be the alpha. He didn't mind acting subserviant though, he just hoped it didn't end in trouble, like misunderstandings and what not. She could be a violent creature no doubt, after all she had a relatively simple mind, but she was still powerful no matter what. He just wished that she would be a little more responsive to things like bathing with water. He wasn't sure if he wanted to have to lick her clean all the time, though it never would take very long to do so.

Ah, purring...it is such a nice sound. See this really can't be all that bad. Besides I bet you'll feel oh so nice afterwards. If only this place was big enough for his own body to be revealed so he could clean himself off. He did love baths, personally it was a great feeling to be all completely clean and just...brrr. It was nice to say the least. Exactly my dear, and after all this is done it'll be rather great. She even suggested one day they might be able to swim, and the husk smiled. Ah having a face with a mouth and lips was so great, being able to express emotions that way. I look forward to that day Erus. I don't think I'll be able to win against you if you ever decide to race me. Yeah he would let her win again, but only because she was...well she was a proud creature for one...not to mention she felt so better off when she was won, and it seemed to get her spirits up a lot.

Nagranesh watched her as she tried to wash herself off, getting the soap from her hair. Of course it seemed she had decided to turn the cold one and that...was a bad thing no doubt. He winced when she pulled back and hit her head on the faucet. Geesh. That must have heard a little bit hadn't it? He did all he could to stop himself from smiling and laughing, managing only to let his lips twitch a little bit. When she stood he did so, getting a towel and wrapping it around her, smiling as he began to slowly dry her off, getting the soap suds from her nose and chin.

You're too adorable for your own good Erus. Nagranesh told her quietly as he helped her out of the tub onto the small mat where water could drip onto. Smiling he then proceeded to get into the tub after her, pulling off the rags and discarding them at the side of the tub. Once inside he began to clean himself, getting the dirt off with the soap and sponge. One of his tentacles had slipped from his mouth and was helping him to clean his back and parts he couldn't reach at this point. Sometimes it's handy to have twenty five tentacles. and like times when people caught him asleep, tying up all his tentacles to a tree or some such thing. Hah. He had gotten back though...he had stolen the man's hat and put it onto a very tall tree. After that Nexus and Nagranesh didn't play many pranks on each other.

After I get clean, we'll be able to get our new clothes from Nexus, and then we'll head to the city gates and into the forest we shall go. He didn't want to linger too long in Nexus's house after all, though he wanted to catch up with Nexus, he wanted to go outside and frolick with Erus more. Besides, he had promised her hadn't he? He was supposed to keep his promises! What kind of eleven foot, twenty five tentacled, fifteen eyed monster didn't keep promises after all? Not very good ones at that!

And I'll be able to get out of this human skin and feel free once more. Ah.

That was very true. If he had told her back then that he had that power, it would have possitively terrified her. Back then the tension between them was razor thin and just as sharp; he had just kidnapped and tortured her! Man...she would have never imagined from their first meeting in Ketra that she would have ever come to trust him, much more have feelings for him.

It was also a bit strange. Of the two of them, Nexus was the lecherous, amoral one, and yet as their conversation went on, Niamh came to a strange realization: of the two of them, she'd actually done the most lying. Back in Ketra, she'd lied when she'd agreed to have breakfast with him when in truth she planned to split the whole time. Man, to think that everything had started with that lie (or so, it seemed to be the case in Niamh's head). In Cerenis she'd also done a lot of lying, but that had been for survival--who could blame her? She'd originally lied about basically giving up and wanting to be his friend, and...well, that lie had turned into the truth when a real friendship actually did form. Even recenty she hadn't exactly been completely honest about her feelings, but that was more a matter of with-holding information than outright lying. For some reason, her natural reaction to anything unfamiliar was resistance, even if it was something that she liked.

Hell...resisting something she liked was strangely a lot easier than accepting it...maybe it came from her upbringing, which strongly discouraged hedonism and made it something shameful.

It was still a really strange epiphany...and she suddenly felt kind of bad for it. Yet at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it.

"Huh?" She was dragged from her thoughts when Nexus spoke again, and she blinked rapidly at that, then sighed. "Oh come on, Nexus. I know I get freaked sometimes, but...look...we've been around each other for how many months now? And I'm the one who wanted to stick around you...I mean...if I found out you were peeping, yeah, I'd be pissed. But I wouldn't leave. People can argue and stuff and still be--"

She paused, blanking out for a moment. Uh. She had been about to say "friends", but...what the hell were they now? They...weren't exactly just friends...but...oh Light, awkward moment, what term to use?! Ah! "--around each other and like each other and stuff. I mean..." Her voice lowered to an embarrassed mumble. "If not, I woulda quit the Lumenari ages ago...it was kinda hard to get a lot of privacy at bathtime...not like I haven't been walked in on..."

And she'd been traumatized for days afterwards, too. After all, Niamh tended to cover up completely, save for her arms and neck and face of course. She didn't even show her legs. Some Solisi had no problems baring skin. Just like anywhere, there were liberal and conservative people all across that country...

"Basically, Nexus, you'd have to threaten me with like...torture..." she added dryly.

Oh man, Nexus caught it. And...well. The way he put it, it kind of made her rethink a few things. Cats were arrogant like Nexus--and herself. Dogs were idiotic and drooly like Nexus. Well, wait, Nexus wasn't an idiot and he didn't drool (that she knew of) but...they did hump everything in sight...and Nexus could be a bit of a dolt at times, and he did like that wolf analogy...Niamh snorted at the visual and shook her head. "Y'know, actually, maybe we should just get a snake or something. I dunno if three arrogant creatures all living together and vying for alphaship would be a good idea, and two lecherous puppies would be...brain scarring. Though I guess at least with a cat we'd know who was on top...the cat."

She gave Nexus an odd look at what he said next, giving a slight twitch at the word "torture". Then she just rolled her eyes, opened her mouth to retort--but instead blushed and forgot what she was going to say when he commented on her bottom. Niamh grimaced a little. Light. "Ngh, keep that to yourself please..."

Like he would.

In any case, soon enough they'd moved on from the realm of the awkward and back into her comfort zone. Honor it for as long as she wanted, eh? Heh heh. Excellent! Niamh grinned unabashedly at that</I>, though it faded a little at what Nexus said next--and she winced. "Oh...yeah...right..." That would kill him. She remembered what effect it had had on her, and...it had kinda hurt. Nexus...

Though did he really feel no guilt? He'd apologized to her a lot lately...

As he stood up with her and made his little comment, Niamh just gave a small laugh and a tired sigh. Yeah. She could bet he would, and she probably wouldn't like what he had to say. Good for her he hadn't then! That would be--

"Mmph!" Niamh exclaimed quietly as she was pulled into a sudden embrace, her own arms remaining at her sides and her body stiff for a moment before she forced herself to relax--before slumping completely against Nexus. Erus. Nice body. Rrgh...she knew it. "Yeah...nice...if you like back problems..." she muttered glumly under her breath before she could help it. Not that Niamh was jealous, so to speak. She liked her body! It worked for her. Just...

Men seemed to like Erus' body type better. Who could blame her for being a little worried?!

Nexus helped to soothe those fears a bit, and she reached around and pat Nexus tentatively on the back. Honestly...she was a little surprised by his words. More so with how they made her feel--which was instantly less stressed, and strangely, well...flattered. That was surprisingly sweet. "Well...that's good to know..." she said quietly, not looking up at him. "Thanks...I guess that means, uh..." Her voice lowered. "You'retheonlyguyforme? Something like that. Gah, this is too mushy, I'm tired, and, yeah, really don't wanna know what goes on in his head either," Niamh babbled, finally starting to squirm a little to pry herself free.

Apparently she had a time limit on how long it was comfortable to hold a hug.



Well...Nagranesh was right. Erus did feel better after her bath, not all sticky with blood or dirt anymore, and she was still purring softly...though she was beginning to regret agreeing to race him in a lake. Yuck. She just got out of the water, and she'd agreed to go back in the water some day! Ew. But, it'd be in a race with Nagranesh...that would be worth it, right? Yes. Maybe. It wouldn't be for very long either...she hoped...but a promise was a promise, a deal was a deal, and words were binding with manticores. Hopefully it would be a long time before Nagranesh would want to go swimming. After this bath today, Erus was certainly in absolutely no hurry.

Her head didn't hurt at all from hitting it on the faucet. After all, she had a ram's horns and she also had a rather thick skull. She could charge into a brick wall with those things and come out better than the brick wall--well, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but it wouldn't really phase her. The horns took the bunt of the blow, and her skull was thick, her brain well protected and set up so that it wouldn't get knocked loose from slamming her head into things. That little bump was nothing, though hopefully the faucet hadn't been damaged.

People and objects had to fear contact with her head. She sure didn't!

Erus gave a little chuckle as Nagranesh called her adorable and helped her onto the mat, even wiping the soap suds off her chin and nose and helping her dry off. She curled her tail close to her body and snapped her wings open when she was sure he was out of the way, sending beads of water flying all over the room. Then she twisted her body around rather flexibly and began to pat her leathery wings dry, before bending her tail around and carefully drying that off next. Even as a smaller human and not an eleven foot long manticore she had a lot of places to dry...it took her a while, and was pretty annoying to her.

"Thank you, Nagranesh," she said as he got into the tub and she worked on wringing the water from her thick, matted hair, as well as dried her ears, the fur becoming soft and fluffy. She was completely unphased as he removed his own clothes and started bathing; after all, it wasn't even his real body, and even if it was? Didn't bother her. Humans were just silly. They were the only animal that wore clothes!

However, she did pause to stare as a tentacle slipped out of his mouth to help wash himself, intrigued. That...just looked very strange. It was so strange and fascinating how that was just a husk, a fleshy shell that he could control...

"I'd like more limbs myself!" Erus announced at what he said, grinning toothily. "Two hands and four legs is not enough. It would be fun to have more, yes. Well...maybe I already have a lot..." she added thoughtfully, looking over her shoulder at her wings and tail. The tail was really handy of course, with its potent venom. The wings...well, no, they weren't useless and just there for show as some people assumed; they had a very practical, yet little known purpose. She couldn't fly with them, she was far too heavy, but manticores were extraordinary jumpers. They did serve to give her an extra boost in addition to what her already powerful legs gave her, and she could glide to some degree, if at a very, very quick pace.

Watching Nagranesh's tentacle at work, Erus grinned again and straightened, wrapping the towel around her waist. Unfortunately, there was really no right way for her to wrap a towel around herself; around her top half and her wings got in the way, around her bottom half and her tail lifted the towel. Poor creature needed custom made everything.

"Okay! Sounds good, I can't wait," Erus said, fidgiting a little where she stood, mentally willing him to hurry up his bath. She'd breezed through her own; she wasn't a stickler for cleanliness and she was impatient. Besides, she was just excited to go roam outside...in the forests...her true environment. And a nice new uniform would be good! Maybe it was a bit silly, but Erus, despite her thinking clothes were silly except in the cold seasons, really liked her uniform. She also rather liked her job as a soldier. It made her feel really important! And it really made her feel like she fitted in, like she was human.

Even if she never could be that.

"We can both be in our real forms, yes? Oh...maybe not me...I don't want to wreck my uniform again..." Ah, poor simple creature. She still hadn't quite grasped that she could take the uniform off before she shifted.

After Ketra, Nexus was pretty sure he would see Niamh again. You know, after he slipped up and the Lumenari captured him...then tortured him for a while. He was pretty sure it would have been dramatic, she would have stood in front of him, gloating all the while...and then he would be dead. Of course he would come back to this world, and with his sense of justice renewed and his usually cold and stoic ways brought into balance, he would have brought order to her. However he didn't die, and he hadn't gone back to Heiroth, and so...things went differently. For the best though. He really liked it this way...there was no trouble...

In Nexus's head it hadn't all started with her refusal of breakfast. Aye, that had been a very large part of it...but no. The moment he had seen her, the moment the city stepped away from her and gave her a wide birth...that had been the time he had decided she would be brought low. He had tried to as well...taking her to the forest...but there was a little spot int he back of his mind that told him to let her go. Conscience perhaps? Morals? It could have been anything. Nexus was learning, living, evolving from the simple automated machine that he had been designed to be. Feris had no idea that once he left the realm, he would be able to start living and learning for himself, judging as he wanted to, not as she said it should be. His mind raced at the thought of it all. Why hadn't it happened earlier? Simple...this was the longest he had ever been alive for. Something around six hundred years or so? So he was able to escape the grip of Heiroth and the Goddess that lived there.

It was beautiful. Vec was here though, but the old deity seemed to have little care for his actions. In fact Vec seemed almost happy that he had changed. Was Nexus going to argue? of course not!

"I..." Nexus rubbed the back of his head and he sighed. He was being irrational...or was he? It was hard to give women his absolute trust. They had hurt and betrayed him, and he knew how bad a woman could really be. He had seen them at work, and he even had forced them to do some things that showed just how powerful a woman could be. He had met demonesses, lady vampires, thousands of female species that could be as evil and as cunning as he could be, perhaps even more.

"...It's just...difficult." There were two parts of him trying to act of course. The primitive male part of him that just saw a female and potential mate, while the other side...the bitter side saw a manipulative, vindictive, angry, spiteful woman that could break his heart and cause him much pain and misery. It was to ignore both sides and just...see Niamh, but thanks to advice from Vec he had slowly been able to see that sort of thing. At least though he knew she wouldn't...leave. Gah, all these fears...it made him feel odd. Comforted but ashamed at the same time. He was supposed to be strong wasn't he?

"Heh heh heh, I think I'll get a cat. Snakes are just...strange creatures. Always slithering on their bellies and looking at things as food. Not much of a pet. At least on a cold night you can curl up with your cat and get lost in the purring." Nexus was going to get a kitten. Plain and simple. It would be a surprise! Besides...their...anniversary was coming up. Nexus had been keeping track of it. One month or so right? He didn't count the chasing from Ketra to Cerenis, just the one day he had spent with her there...then the two days at Cerenis...then the almost four weeks of travelling...So yes. A present would work perfectly for her. "I wont' fight with the cat for Alphaship, just for your attention."

Nexus was going to comment again on her bottom but he just winked at her again. "Very well." Yes, he wasn't going to fight it, a huge surprise and shock for even himself. He would be nice for now. "Well...I wouldn't say I don't feel...all guilt. Now a days it seems I feel guilt...a little too much. Not for the things I've done years ago but strangely the things I've done to you. It's fascinating...seventeen hundred years of no guilt...and then you come along." He didn't say it like it was a bad thing, on the contrary, he said it like it was a good thing.

It really was too. It didn't make him feel like he was a monster anymore. That much he liked.

"Heh, I'm sure Erus has no problems with her back. She's a manticore...I've seen them do some very...scary things. Amazing, but scary." Like attack rock golems head on, a full compliment of trolls, five ogres, no problem! They really had some power to them. It was scary to say the least.

Nexus smiled slightly at her, glad to see she was...relieved by his words. He didn't want her to worry and fret that he would leave her, or that he would cheat on her. He had almost done that too, Nexus had almost broken away from her, but during the last few moments of that train of thought, he would remember Niamh and he would just...leave the situation be. Back to find Niamh at his...house. His house. He still couldn't believe that. A kiss was placed on Niamh's brow before he let her go, grinning at her in return. "Well don't I feel flattered! Alright my poppet, you should head back to bed. I'm going to make clothes for Nagra and Erus then I'll...see you in the morning I suppose." Night always was lonely, having a cat would help to rectify that as well. Since he didn't sleep, only tranced for a few hours he had all that night to burn away. Getting some animal to help out would be worth it...though maybe get a nocturnal animal as well. Something that would be awake at night, sleep during the day, and then have something opposite as well. That'd be nice.

With that said Nexus went to dash downstairs. He had gotten a...ahem, good look at Erus so he was able to make some clothes that would fit properly. Getting something to around the tail was easy, and he had to make some slits for those wings of hers, but when all was said and done, he was pretty sure that he had done a good job. It looked just as it should, well...as best as it should have for the guards of Arca...if the guard had a large tail and wings. He set them outside the bathroom on a small chair, along with a set of 'faux ruined' clothes for Nagranesh. He had been around the monster long enough to know he liked to play the part of drifting vagabond.



Nagranesh wasn't going to challenge her to that race any time soon. Maybe after a few weeks of not bathing in water would help. It would probably work out better that way. He didn't want the poor girl to be uncomfortable after all. Though she'd forget this incident soon enough no doubt, and that he had asked for a race. Hopefully the selective memory would come in handy for him. He didn't want to have to go in there and start tampering with it, he wasn't too sure how the manticore mind worked, and if he erased something important...well..there would be trouble. Putting things in the mind was easy, taking things out...not so much.

At least she didn't seem hurt by hitting her head. He was sure any more damage to her mind might make her a little...too simple. Nagranesh wished he could help expand her mind, but Manticores were strange creatures. They were complex and simple at the same time. Fascinating for him, he had met a few creatures like this, and every time he loved to study them. The only real way that Erus was simple though was her oblivious nature toward Human Civilization and moral code. Manticores didn't seem to naturally need to know things like numbers and how to act in groups...they only needed to know things that manticores needed. Like how to survive, how to hunt, how to kill, how to mate, how to protect themselves, all those things.

At least he knew if she hit him, he wouldn't be hurt. Unless she hit his beak. There would be trouble there but...if she tried to head butt him, it wouldn't work too well. Sometimes being squishy was good.

Nagranesh couldn't help but watch her try to dry off. It was sort of intriguing really...she had so much to clean. Wings, tail, horns...then again he was an eleven foot tall tentacle monster with twenty five tentacles and a beak large enough to eat a man...cleaning off his natural form was the hardest thing to do. So many places to clean, so much to dry, it took at least half an hour.

Trust me Erus, having more is not handy...heh, no pun intended. Ahem. Having more limbs meaning having to manage all of them, and having to clean them all is a hassle. I can remember a few times I've manage to accidentally tie myself up. That had been embarrassing. It was worst because his only friend at the time had large bladed scythe heads for hands basically, so he had to slither and wiggle to get himself free of his own tentacles. A huge pain to say the least. At least in this human form, having one extra tentacle was good to clean himself with. The dirty just poured right off, and after cleaning the gunk from the hair and washing it off carefully, he pulled the plug, letting all the dirt get forced into the small hole, which would pretty much transport it back into the holding tank, clean and fresh ready for the next person to use the bath. Uncle Vosteroth had been a genius to say the least.

The tentacle got him a towel from the towel rack before it receded into his mouth again. Nagranesh dried the husk off carefully, making sure it was perfect. Yes. This was good indeed. If only he could have cleaned his natural form off. Oh well. The blood would dry and be gone from him soon enough. Still...a bath would have been nice. The tub wasn't large enough for his natural form...but he could have gotten as clean as possible.

Don't worry Erus. Your clothes won't be ruined. You could just...take them off before you turn into your real form. He couldn't blame her for that because she didn't understand. Manticores didn't wear clothes, so she didn't understand that they could be taken off. Though...knowing Nexus, he might have made those special clothes. A symbiotic memory thread that reformed to whatever shape it had been set in. If not, he would have to request those for her later. It would take Nexus a few days to make those, summoning that thread with his powers was draining no doubt, just like gold had been.

Opening the door with the towel covering him just in case, he saw the clothes left for them and he smirked, grabbing them and bringing them in. His were put to the side for now as he looked at the ones that Erus were to wear. Nope...not the special thread. Oh well. Here we go Erus. A nice pair guard outfit for you. That man can work miracles sometimes.Nagranesh said as he eyed it critically. It looked like it would fit her perfectly. How Nexus managed that sometimes, he didn't know...but he was thankful.

[...Oh god Shizzy. I got Goosed by Draco. >_> So if there's any weirdness in this post, and you'll know it when you see it...it's all her fault! xD *so trying to make it actually work*]

Difficult...yeah, Niamh could relate to that, and she gave a slow nod of understanding. Heh, their relationship was a pretty strange one, wasn't it? They both had their issues. Nexus had women problems, trust issues, and sadistic tendencies and Niamh got skittish whenever the relationship topic came up. She could definitely see where Nexus' issues came from--he'd explained his past to her and, well, it was pretty damn screwed up.

Herself? Well, her conservative upbringing covered that--as well as the fact that she was still a little traumatized by what she'd been through. She was over it, she forgave and understood Nexus and truly, really trusted him--but her bodystill remembered the pain of being whipped and cut and restrained. It would take some time and getting used to before her mind and body were on the same level, but she had already made progress--she was no longer outright flinching at a simple touch.

Luckily the subject changed and Niamh once again perked up, grinning. "They're pretty fascinating though, the way they eat things. They feel pretty neat, too," she said, remembering the few brief times she'd kept a harmless constrictor as a pet. "But yeah, you're right, cats are cuter and a lot more...cuddly..." she added slowly, raising her eyebrows at Nexus. Curl up and get lost in the purring? That was something she would have never expected to hear from Nexus. Nexus, mister rugged, rough-and-tumble. Cuddling with a kitty. Over time, she'd come to see that Nexus did indeed have a gentler side, but that...

That was just...well, the only word she could think of to describe that was "cute."

No way she was going to tell Nexus that, though!

Then she just shook her head and smirked. "Well, I guess that's good to know. I have enough competition, I wouldn't need a cat fighting you for the position on top of it all. The cat might beat us both."

In any case, Niamh was horribly relieved--and a little surprised--that Nexus decided to bite back any further comments on her rump and instead went for a more serious topic. One that surprised her more than any number of comments on certain parts of her body could. He felt guilt now? Well...that wasn't much of a surprise. He didn't need to say that out loud, the way he had acted spoke that louder than any words could, the way he seemed to be constantly trying to repent to her. What was surprising was that it was the first time in seventeen hundred years. Because she came along? She was the one who was changing him? But...why? Niamh was infinitely glad of that, it made her feel, well...kind of special honestly, and proud, but even as she stared up at him in amazement she couldn't help but wonder why. Why her of all people? What made her any different from anyone else he'd come across in all his travels and years of living?

She was sure he'd met better people than her...prettier, more moral, more exciting, more accepting...

Not that she was complaining. It was just so...amazing.

"Whoa..." she murmured quietly, finally looking away though there was a soft smile on her lips. And he souded pleased about this, too...that was good. "Well...I don't know how I helped or what I did, but...I'm glad, Nexus. I really am. Guess I've just rubbed off on you?" she added with a small chuckle at that thought. Oh man. That was a somewhat scary thought when she really thought about it, because it brought an image of what he would be like if she really rubbed off on him. Suddenly she wasn't sure what was scarier--him being a total pervert, or him acting all demure and blushing like a virgin.

...Actually, the latter would be a lot more disturbing.

"Really scary from what I can see," Niamh agreed with the manticore comment, shaking her head. Oi. Should she head to bed? Or should she stay up just in case, wait until the vagrant and manticore were gone, just in case? Ah, choices...

Sleep ultimately won out when Nexus kissed her brow and let go, and she was surprised at how that simple gesture sent warmth spreading through her body and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Jeez. Stepping back from him and smiling a little, the slightest hint of color in her cheeks, she gave him an awkward wave. "...Alright. Heh. I'll, um...yeah, see ya in the morning," she told him quietly, moving toward the door. She could trust him. She knew he wouldn't do anything around the manticore.

Pausing by the door, she looked back at him one last time, remembering a comment of his that had finally registered. About the cat and the alpha thing. Wait. Was he still claiming to be the alpha? Hah. Well, time to go to bed with one last hurrah to make up for that little moment of giddiness back there after he'd kissed her brow. She couldn't help it...she did love to be competitive.

"Oh, and Nexus? One last thing. Who said you're the 'alpha' here, eh? Heh, the day you're 'alpha' is the day I like blueberries and whipped cream and chocolate...on my chest." Then her eyes widened and she blinked rapidly at what she'd just said, color flooding in her face. Where the hell had THAT come from?! Oh Light, she must be really tired...that or Nexus' presence was slowly corrupting her.

"...Which is to say <I>never," she added quickly, mortified, before bolting out the door and to her bedroom.




"Managed to accidentally tie yourself up?" Erus repeated, amusement in her voice and eyes, a large, toothy grin spreading across her face to bare some of those strong, lethal teeth. Then she raised a hand and laughed into it at the visual she got, wondering how he had managed that. With all those boneless tentacles, she supposed she could see how it would happen, but still, it was silly, and she couldn't help but ask about it. After all, he seemed like such a good hunter--that didn't happen to good, smart hunters! Right?

"How did that happen? Did someone attack you and do that to you?" she asked, still grinning from ear to ear as she watched him dry off.

And then she looked genuinely surprised at what he said about her uniform.

Take them off...?

For a moment she was quiet, ears up and gray eyes large and contemplative. Then, the grin returning, she beamed at Nagranesh and clapped her hands together once in excitement. "I could do that, yes! You are right...I don't know why I didn't think of that," she said with another chuckle, looking a little sheepish. Ah. She could do that. Then they wouldn't get ruined, and she could just...put them somewhere in the meantime for safe keeping, somewhere she wouldn't forget. Because if there was one thing about her, it was that she could be pretty anal and she absolutely hated losing things. It drove her up a wall and made her, well...pretty angry. And an angry Erus was a scary one. Good thing she rarely got angry; she was surprisingly mild mannered for such a beast.

Watching Nagranesh open the door and bring in some clothes, she smiled happily and reached out to take the offered uniform, dropping the towel from around her waist and examining the new clothes. "They're just like my old ones," she said, a happy purr in her voice, before she quickly started to slip them on. She slipped the breeches on first, fastening all the ties and buttons in front before securing the ones that went around her thick tail, and then she eased into the shirt, wiggling her wings through the slits. That was the only thing that was different, really; most of her other shirts had been completely backless.

Finished dressing, she looked herself over and ran her hands along the cloth, which felt tough but comfortable. "How did he make them so fast?" she finally asked, looking over at Nagranesh. "And you got clothes, too! He made both of us clothes..."

[...Oh god that was awful. xD Can YOU guess which part was the goose? xDD]

Not that he didn't like their relationship, he wished it was...well...alright. He wished there was touching. A lot more touching. A lot more...physical contact and what not but...since that was impossible, well then...He got with what he could. Nexus just had to be careful about...well...not saying anything too bad to her, anything about a relationship or that sort of thing. She...hated that and he had to...well he had to be good about it. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable. He always had this nervous fear that she would leave. No matter how much she said that she wouldn't, still, he feared it.

Nexus really wanted to...experiment with her body, make her feel pain again but...he couldn't. He really couldn't. She hated pain, so he had to make sure that she never felt pain again...because...she hated pain. At least she wasn't...flinching and trying to get out of his touch anymore. Though, he technically deserved every flinch that she did. Damn it. Who would ever think that he would end up with a woman that he had planned on torturing?! This was just inconceivable but...he liked it to say the least. It was a strange twist.

"Yes, well, I'd rather have a cat than a snake. I wouldn't want it trying to kill us at night if it escaped. Snakes don't have a concept of...obedience." Nexus said with a small smile as he looked away from her to the ground and sighed. "Yeah, cats are a lot better pets. They're great to say the least. Good hunters too. Heh." Damn, this life was changing him. He felt very different from his regular self. Ah well. Sometimes people just had to change after all. He couldn't get stuck in a rut like...his brothers had. That'd never work out for him. You either changed, or you died. No question. So he opted a change.

"Heh, I'd let the cat take the top position. As if I'd have any real choice when it came to that." Nexus had so many thigns he COULD say about that rump of hers, so many things he wanted to say, but of course...it was best to not to say anything on that subject at this time. Later of course. Heh heh heh. If Nexus knew just how she was managing to change him...well he'd feel a whole lot better about it all. It was slightly unnvering really...There was something about her, and this realm...It just all felt different to him. Really different. Not that he minded of course. This was a whole new experience for him, and even though he wasn't able to...relieve himself with her around, it was still...well...it was still nice. Even though Feris, Rift, and Vortex would all be horribly disappointed in him, at least Vec seemed....to think it was alright. Hey, there wasn't anything wrong with that! Vec knew best...most of the time.

He really wouldn't have this any other way...or have any other woman. Niamh was...perfect.

"Yeah, I'd say you have. Not that I mind of course. You've changed me for the better I think...even Vec says so." To think that SHE was...ah....changing even his personality and what not. That was scary really. Still, it was interesting to say the least. He was becoming more like her, which he was pretty sure she really didn't mind at all. At least he wasn't being a pervert all the time and trying to catch glimpses of more skin and what not. Also you know...making a whole bunch of lewd comments about her breasts and rear end...Not that he hated it of course, he loved it! It was always great!

At least she didn't flinch away from him kissing her brow anymore either. One day he'd even be able to actually kiss her without her...blushing or trying to slap him...Hey, he didn't mind that at all! "Of course, I hope you enjoy your sleep my...poppet." Saying poppet was always more comfortable than anything else. Plus it just sounded like a cool word.

Nexus blinked several times as he heard her. She...she REALLY didn't just say that. If...if that didn't inspire him to rule this house, then nothing would. Alright. So tomorrow the checklist was easy. Go to work...come home...be the dominant male...have a nice dinner of blueberries, whip cream, and chocolate off of Niamh's chest. Yeah. He could handle THAT task list. Why did she say...THAT though? It didn't seem like...something that...Niamh would say. It must have been him corrupting her...heh heh. Well he just loved that for sure! Hah hah hah!




I was younger then Erus, I didn't know how to control all my tentacles properly...and I can get pretty skittish when I just wake up...so...ahem. Yes... It was pretty embarrassing really...to be...well...to be scared when you wake up and then...tying your own limbs up. That got laughs sometimes really...thankfully he had learnt how to control them...Thank the heavens above for having an expanded mind and learning capacity, or else he'd be just like some of the strange tentacle monsters he had seen before...mindless monsters looking for food and what not. Pah.

Don't worry erus, I'll be here to remind you to remove your uniform before shifting. Sometimes she was just too adorable for her own good. Ah, she was going to be fun to have around. She had a child's view of the world, so really it was going to be fun. She was a treasure to be about. We can put my husk and your uniform together, and then when you want to find it again you can just sniff out my husk. It was a simple solution, and that way she wouldn't get...angry. He really didn't want to see her angry, really because she was...well...if anyone looked at her in her natural form...or even this form...well they could understand why an angry Erus is a bad thing. So for him, keeping her happy was a good thing.

He did a good job on them. Nagranesh decided to watch her as she got dressed. It was really...well it was interesting. Nexus had done a good job making the clothes. He was surprised she was able to get her wings through the slits, and that her clothes fit properly. Nexus was just...well, he was the thread master. He managed to pull on the ripped and torn, but clean, clothes that Nexus had made for him and smiled slightly. Finally. Manipulating the skin was a hard task, it took a bit of concentration to do that with psychic powers. Bah, having a beak was sometimes easier too.

Well, Nexus is able to create clothes and what not through magic, though it drains him. Nagranesh explained, just trying to explain it easily. That was about as easy as he could get. Hopefully she understood...Ahem. Yes, he was very generous. They look like vagrants clothes but they're clean...still ripped of course. Ahem. Now, all clean and good?

Niamh closed her door behind her and even locked it once she made it to her room, then slumped in relief and ran both hands over her face. Whoa. Why had she said that? There were a million other analogies that she could have used but why...THAT?! Sure, it was true because she would never like, um, blueberries and whipped cream and chocolate like that, but...Light. Yeah. It was his fault all right. Him and his constantly saying perverted things just...well...and she was tired. She was still groggy from being woken up, and maybe she was a little hungry, too...she did tend to wake up hungry. Guh. Still...

WHY?! Why did that have to pop out of her mouth?! Of course the obvious answer was that she wasn't thinking, and she did do too little thinking when it came to blurting out the first thing that popped into her head.

She'd fled too quickly to see Nexus' reaction and she was pretty happy about that, too, because she did not want to find out what would happen if she stuck around. But now she was safe. In her room. And it was time to go to bed and hope Nexus forgot that. Hopefully he'd just get distracted with other things--things that weren't the manticore--and just...not bring that up. Ever again. And in the meantime, she'd vow to never again open her big mouth when she was tired and comfortable and a little giddy after a hug and a kiss.

Taking a deep breath and finally moving her hands away from her face, she checked the lock one last time before shuffling back over to her bed and crawling under the covers. Curling into a tight ball, she yanked the covers up to her chin.

Blueberries.

For the love of Vec, why blueberries?

Augh.

She didn't even like blueberries.

It was probably going to be a long time before she fell asleep after that one. She just couldn't believe she'd said that. Ergh. No! Stop thinking about the bloody blueberries. Just...yeah...think about something else. Nexus. Heh. He was surprisingly sweet tonight. Only girl for him, huh? And the little hugs and kisses...hee...

...OH CRAP! Bad train of thought! Nexus and blueberries and whipped cream and her, NO!

With a groan, squinting her eyes shut, Niamh rolled over and pulled her pillow over her head.

She'd just think about cactii. That was safe to think about.



"Skittish?" Erus repeated, tilting her head as she looked at Nagranesh. Why would he get skittish? He was a monster after all, he didn't have to fear anything. He was a top predator and she'd seen what he could do! Then again, she was also a monster and she hated water and fruits and vegetables. Blech. But fruits and vegetables were not only disgusting, but they made her stomach feel bad. "Why are you skittish? Bad dreams?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

After all, she was no stranger to bad dreams. Oddly enough, the chipper manticore had nightmares on a somewhat regular basis. It might have seemed strange to anyone who didn't know her--and not many really did--especially with her happy disposition, but she'd had a rather tough life growing up and sometimes it bothered her in the form of dreams. Erus just didn't dwell on it.

Then she smiled when Nagranesh went on to assure her that he'd remind her about her clothes, and told her a way of making sure they didn't lose them. Ah! Excellent! Her tail twitched happily and she nodded. "That will work, yes," she agreed happily. After all, she had an excellent sense of smell; she could sniff that thing down in no time! Hmm...maybe she could even sniff it down without the husk there, though that was a bit difficult--because then her clothes would just smell like herself and she could always smell herself since, well...she was herself. She couldn't exactly escape her own smell.

But his suggestion was still pretty obvious, and it had eluded her until he'd mentioned it. It seemed so simple, yet to Erus it just...wasn't. But she wasn't a human, and her brain was wired differently. She could seem very child-like about some things, oblivious to the simplest things that were so obvious to humans, and yet with other things she could come across as deeply intelligent in her own way. Sometimes it came seemingly at random. In a way, she was just mixed up. Manticores were part part human and a large part beast but they tended to live out in the wild, alone, but she...well, due to strange circumstances she had ended up in a human world at a young age, though still old enough to get a taste of what it was like to live in the wild as a manticore. She had been a feral child in a sense...and it was a strange transition to make.

Watching Nagranesh get dressed, pulling on fake ruined clothes--heh, that was funny! She could have just ripped the clothes for him after all--she listened as he explained about Nexus...and her face lit up with understanding. Ohh...magic. That made sense to her! "This didn't drain him too much, did it?" she asked. "Because that was very nice of him to do...it can't hurt him, can it?"

She knew about magic, but she just couldn't speak about it from personal experience. Namely because she had none.

Then, smiling again, she gave a quick nod and flicked an ear. "Yup! I am...as clean as I will ever get," she said, wrinkling her nose a little at that before adding, "That is, very clean, yes! Very clean so as not to need a bath again for a long time!"

In her mind at least. Other people might not appreciate that. Though of course she did have other ways of keeping clean.

She still didn't want another bath anytime soon.

"How about you? Are you done? Can we go to the forest no--" Her stomach, at that point, decided to interject, giving a rather loud grumble. Ears flattening, Erus gave Nagranesh a small smile, ducking her head a little. "...I think I'm hungry again."

That HAD to have been his doing somehow. Maybe she was finally becoming just like him, or maybe she was just...trying to think of something for him to fight for. If he became alpha, she'd like...well that delicious sounding desert on her chest. Yeah, he could handle that. That had to be easy to do right? Of course, if he had been younger, he would just dominate her and eat off of her anyways but...he was older now...he couldn't do that. He had to hold himself back and not think of doing that. Still...damn...the image of that was just...damn she would look good!

With his task of creating clothes complete, Nexus headed over to the living room, sitting down and getting his journal out. Oh man. This was going to be something to write about. How to start it off...Ah.

Journal Entry number seven thousand...ish? Bah I don't know.

So Nagranesh showed up in the middle of the night. I know. I didn't even know he was alive, nor that he was in this realm. It surprised me really. He brought a friend with him, a manticore woman. They're more...unabashed then I remember. A lot bigger bust than I recall but damn! Sometimes there is nothing sexier than a curvy woman covered in blood. However, there is something far sexier than that I've got to tell you about.

After Nagranesh so rudely exposed the secret of my eyes, I had to act like I was completely angry...which I sort of was. After...sorting everything with Niamh in the privacy of the guest bedroom, I kissed her (On the brow) goodnight and went to leave. Then she said something that I'm NEVER going to forget either.

"The day you become the 'alpha' is the day that I like blueberries, whip cream, and chocolate...on my chest."

I kid you not. I really...bloody wish I knew where that had come from too, because damn I would go and find that place again for sure.

For the love of Vec, where did that come from?!



Halfway across the city, Vec was busy healing a few people who had gotten in a scuffle. He paused in his duties to look up and make a funny face.

"Why is everyone calling my name tonight...I will have to find out from Niamh about these blueberries...and Nexus about...where what came from. I really should start paying less attention to my name being called." Vec murmured to himself as he turned his attention back to one of the youths who had a broken arm. No doubt there would be an interesting story waiting for him at home. He was going to guess that Niamh would stay tight lipped about this and Nexus would just blather on for hours.

Getting Niamh to talk would probably be...a lot more fun, without Nexus and his little side quips and stories.

Yes.


I was being chased I believe, and at the time my psychic powers weren't up to par. I was afraid, in a new world I didn't understand, and these people had a distaste for me since I was different. Or was it that they had a taste. They did want to eat him, even though he had tried to explain his acidic blood by...bleeding all over a carriage. That still hadn't worked out of course but...it had been worth a try. He was lucky he had managed to find the cave in the hills, or he might have been slaughtered and eaten somehow! A terrible fate...Heh...still, ironic in his mind.

Nagranesh preferred that when he slept, he invaded other people's dreams instead. He couldn't really help it either, his mind stayed active while his body rested, so it went looking for things to do. At first he had been barely aware of this, he would pick up objects and move them around, thinking it was a dream, but when he awoke, the objects had indeed moved. That's when he started honing his powers when he slept. Soon he had been able to reach out and invade people's minds. That had always been a lot of fun really.

Nagranesh was pleased that his idea had been a good one. After all, if there is one thing I'm sure you can find easily, it's a human. He would generally remember where he put his husk, but he would let her track it down, to be fair and nice to her. Besides, he wanted her to get used to that sort of thing. Taking the outfit off before changing, and then being able to find it later on. That was the key he would help her to learn at this point. She was only part human, she was mainly a large creature living in a world where people didn't exactly want her to be here. This wasn't her society, so she probably had no qualms about walking about naked. However, humans did, and since she was in their society, she would have to learn to adapt...which probably was more difficult that people knew.

No, it doesn't hurt him, but it makes him tired. He's got to expend the energy in order to make it. He'll be fine though. He's doing this for a living now. When he had gone searching for a tailor, that's all he was looking for. People who could make clothes. Nexus could make clothes, and he was right on the list of that sort of thing. So Nagranesh had picked him because...well...it was Nexus. He hadn't seen the man in forever, and he would make them some clothes quickly, discreetly, and perfectly. Everything always fit when Nexus made it.

Unless he was being mean, then they never fit.

Well, we can only hope Erus. You might get very dirty in the forest, so we'll have to be careful out there. No jumping in the mud. It felt like talking to a small child, and she was...sort of. In spirit she was. Still, he wanted to save her from having another bath after all. Unless of course you want to have another bath after your trip into the forest. It was a threat technically, more like...telling her what would be the end result if she got dirty. She hated baths, and so, this would serve his purpose well.

I am indeed ready and.... He blinked several times. Hungry? That...It will have to wait till we get to the forest. We can hunt some wild game out there. Alright time to leave QUICKLY then. With two people being here, they were easy targets, and he didn't want her eating them. That would end badly no doubt. Not to worry. We'll rush to the gate and into the forest for some nice food. Nagranesh pulled open the door to the bathroom and strolled out, though limping slightly. Walking was tough sometimes. He passed through the living room to where Nexus was, giving the man a smile.

We're going now Nexus. Erus is...hungry again. So we can't stay for pleasantries. It was good seeing you again old Wolf, I hope to visit again. Nagranesh said as Nexus stood up and shook his hand with a smile. "Good to see you too Nagranesh. Enjoy yourself out there. You too Erus." He gave a curt nod of his head to the Manticore woman, probably best not to get his scent on her or anything like that. Nagranesh stepped past him now into the hallway, going for the door before looking upwards to where Niamh was.

Goodbye Child of Light, may the sun shine brightly for you. Pleasant dreams of Nexus and blueberries for you. Okay, so he had peeked on what was going on maybe. Still. He couldn't help it. Even he found this situation funny. Stepping outside the door he got into the cool night air, which made him sigh happily. The night air always welcomed him.

Niamh had been on the verge of escaping her humiliation and slipping into blissful slumber when a voice suddenly echoed. In her head. And who else spoke to her in her head except for a certain vagrant? Grumbling slightly at being woken up again, Niamh snuggled defiantly into the covers and clenched her eyes shut tight, still half asleep and too tired to care about answering--until she registered some of the words. She froze instantly, her stomach doing an odd sort of flip-flop.

Pleasant dreams of Nexus and blueberries for you.

Oh. Dear. Goddess.

He knew too?!

Pressing her burning face into her pillow so it would muffle her frustrated groan, Niamh contemplated just smothering herself, just getting it all over with so she wouldn't have to ever hear about blueberries again and die of embarrassment down the road. But after a few seconds she flipped over onto her back so she could breathe again and instead just glared up at the ceiling. Stay out of my head! she thought as hard as she could, just so that if Nagranesh was still poking around in there he'd hear her and...not pry into her mind. Hopefully. And I don't even like blueberries!

This was going to haunt her for the rest of her life. She just knew it.

And now she was wide awake, annoyed, and couldn't fall asleep. Even though she was still tired.

Wonderful.

Niamh laid in bed for a few more minutes, counting out the seconds and watching the shadows dance on the ceiling from the flickering candlelight, before she finally threw back the covers and rolled out of bed. She grabbed the pair of breeches she'd tugged on the first time she'd been woken up, strewn on the floor where she'd kicked them off, and once again yanked them up and fastened them under her long, knee-length shirt. Pulling the shirt back down, she unlocked her door and shuffled out of her room.

This stupid blueberry thing was going to gnaw at her until she cleared it up, and unfortunately Niamh was the type of person where problems would bother her all to hell until she resolved it or...burst. Figuratievly speaking of course. Hopefully by now the blasted vagrant and the busty manticore...thing...were gone. Nothing against them of course, they were Nexus' friends, but right now while she was half asleep and after having such a strange first meeting with them, she wasn't sure how much she liked them. The vagrant guy, he was alright. He'd taken her side, after all, which instantly gave anyone bonus points in her head. The manticore...

She made sure to walk quietly as she crept down the stairs and only stopped when she reached one of the middle steps, from which she could see the living room through the bars. Leaning tiredly against the railing, Niamh stared over at Nexus, still too embarrassed to go any closer than that. Really, she didn't even want to think about the connotations of her little remark, and she had a feeling that if she didn't settle it now, it would follow her wherever she went. Grk. It wasn't so bad if just Nexus had heard that (and that was bad enough) but Nagranesh too? The guy better keep his mouth shut.

"Ahem. Nexus." She cleared her throat, kept her expression neutral and voice deadpan. It was a defense against her own embarrassment--and because she knew he got a rise out of it. She would not crack. She could do this. "Just so you know, I hate blueberries. I just thought I should let you know that so what I said back there, you'd do best to just forget--hey, what's that?"

The act cracked and curiosity took over as she finally noticed what he was doing. Writing...?

---

Erus could understand that...well, she could more than understand that, she could <I>relate to it, empathize. After all, much of her own story was like that, growing up as she had in a human world. It wasn't easy, but she coped and adjusted as well as any manticore could.

Not that there were many manticores living among humans. As far as she knew, she was the only one.

"Oh yes, it is my favorite scent after all!" Erus agreed with a mischievous grin and a flick of her tongue over her wicked, elongated canines. Of course, any scent was fair game for her nose, but human...ah. It was probably strange that out of all the creatures in the world, manticores loved human flesh the most. Specifically human. Elves and humanoids were yummy, but nothing was as good as pure, unspoiled human flesh...raw...right off the bone...and forget about half-humans! Not even that was as wonderful as the real thing, one-hundred percent, grade A human. And this place had the human scent all over it...

Erus swallowed to keep from salivating. Oh, she was hungry all right. Manticores were rather voracious feeders, one of nature's top predators. Like a shark on land, only...in weird human-headed lion form. Must not think of food now though. Not with Nagranesh's friends around.

"Oh, energy?" Erus tilted her head, blinked, then smiled, not looking so concerned anymore. "Then it's not any different from anything else. Everything takes energy. Hunting takes energy, running does...and if you do too much of anything it makes you tired." Nodding to herself, she seemed pleased by her conclusion. "So that's how magic works, yes?"

It made total and complete sense in her head. If it took energy, it was no different from her running around until she was too tired to run anymore and had to rest until she wasn't tired anymore. And that couldn't hurt you unless you were silly and overdid it. Thus, she was no longer worried because now she understood it.

At Nagranesh's cautionary words, Erus wrinkled her nose and made a soft sound that sounded remarkably like a hiss--though not as loud as the one she'd made when she'd stepped into the bath tub. Hugging her arms around her body, she shook her head from side to side, dreadlocks swinging. "I won't jump in the mud..." she said sulkily. That was half the fun of going outside! But...her dislike of water and baths won out over her love of getting dirty. She liked getting dirty, but she had to remain clean so she didn't have to take a bath. "I'll be good. I guess that means I cannot hunt, either, yes? Otherwise I'll get bloody." She huffed a little.

Her first trip in ages out to the forest and she would have to limit herself, wouldn't be able to enjoy true freedom, just a taste of it. That was enough, though!

She perked right up again when Nagranesh announced that he was ready, tail curling upward and ears erect, and she happily followed Nagranesh out the door, careful when she turned so her wings or tail didn't hit anything. She was practically bouncing along behind him with excitement and energy. They were going to go! Soon they'd be out there! And hunting...hmm...

"Do you think I could hunt small animals and not get too messy?" she asked as she walked, trying to visualize it in her head. A rabbit. That wouldn't be bad. She would just have to clean her face and her uniform wouldn't get messy because she would take it off before hand. Yes. A rabbit should be fine.

Still hugging herself as though trying to muffle the sounds her belly was making, she grinned over at Nexus as Nagranesh said his goodbyes, giving a little formal bow herself, from the waist like what they did in the military. "Thank you, Nexus, for the uniform! It was nice meeting you," Erus said, straightening. "I'll try to keep this one clean and won't tear it! It'd be bad to wreck a gift from a friend." A nod, and Erus turned to walk out the door.

Yes...for all her supposed ferocity, Erus did become attached to people fast. Nexus was now a friend. He was like she and Nagranesh in a way...

Stepping out of the house and out into the night, Erus breathed in deeply, happy to be outside in the cool air. But before she could start in on Nagranesh and pester him to get moving and go to the gates, something else piqued her interest. "Blueberries?"

She felt like she'd missed something.

Nexus had his eye trained on Niamh the whole time, from the moment he had heard her get up and start heading downstairs. He smiled a little bit as he focused both eyes on the journal, turning about to look at her. He scribbled a few more things onto the page and smiled at her slightly, listening to her try and explain herself. It was cute really, she was actually trying REALLY hard NOT to do anything bad, like blush, or let her voice waver and crack. No, she was actually doing really well at this point, he was very impressed, he wasn't buying it of course but he was impressed none the less.

"Doesn't have to be blueberries. I'm partial to strawberries m'self." Nexus said with a shrug, his eyes looking down to the book in his hand. Once more he smiled at her and closed it, folding the little button clasp over it and shrugging. "Journal of course. I have to write about the days events. I'd say the entries over the last few weeks have probably been the better of the sorts." Nexus shifted the book into his satchel, standing up and giving her a strange look.

"Shouldn't you be in bed Niamh? Or did you really just come down here to try and get my mind off of what you said?" A grin, a large toothy, wolfish grin spread on his face. "Because I'm never forgetting that. Not ever." It would keep him warm on cold nights, he would be the dominant male of the house. When...time permitted and vec wasn't around. Heh.

"But I'm glad you came down and...tried to clear that up. Vec knows I wouldn't have been able to figure that out."

------------------------------

He may have been walking home by now, but he was still paying attention to whenever his name was being said by someone. Damn it all. He really shouldn't eavesdrop like that but still. This sounded really juicy.

"Yes Nexus, I am sure you would not have been able to figure it out on your own." Vec murmured to himself as he strode through the streets of Arca. Maybe he should let them know that whenever they say his name, usually the sentence following it he can hear. It's just like praying, except now he could only focus on his own name. No matter of course.

There must have been something about this whole thing, he really did want to know just what was going on at the house when he wasn't there! Blueberries! That was the one thing that really interested him. Niamh sounded a little distraught when she had said that.

-----------------------------

Of course, they're such smelly creatures. Easy to track after all. I could smell them anywhere. Following them is quite easy. His own tongue ran along his beak from inside. He could taste the human skin that he was using as a shell, a husk, it was delicious really. Man...he did so miss their taste. Still, he would have to be careful, he couldn't just go about killing people after all. There has to be justification sometimes...

Well, that's...sort of how magic works. It's a lot more complicated. I'll explain it to you one day my kitten. Maybe the manticores can even use it. Nagranesh said with a small smile crawling across the husks face. It was interesting how the body worked, he wasn't sure how the muscles worked, mainly because there wasn't any. So he had to make do with what he had. Which was using psychic powers and what not to get his point across. Hm. Maybe teaching Erus how to use magic would be bad.

You can hunt my little kitten, just try not to get to messy. If you're going to get messy, be prepared to clean yourself up. That's all I want you to understand. Nagranesh explained to her, chuckling a little bit as she huffed at it. I would never deny you a chance to hunt after all. In the forest it's alright, because there are only animals in there. So by all means furry one, hunt inside the forest. Just try to be careful and not become too messy. Though the threat of the bath would probably make her ah...a little more careful after all. If it got onto the front of her manticore body it might be alright, that could be cleaned up quickly, but he didn't want to have to spend hours helping to lick the mud and blood from her fur.

Hunting small animals, even deer should be fine...Just be careful when you kill them. Try not to get splatter on you. Maybe pounce on them first, crush their body, then eat them. He wasn't sure if her claws would come out with a reflex, but he would have to teach her how to attack something without really using her claws. Just her paws...those things were big enough to snap a neck after all.

"Heh, no worries poppet. If you ever need anything made, just come on back. I'll make whatever you need." Nexus told her with a polite smile as he bowed right back to the woman. Polite at least, that was a rather interesting turn. Not unexpected of course, but still interesting. She was just like Nagranesh, polite and...well she wasn't as intelligent as Nagranesh but she had style, she'd be an interesting hunter to watch...

It's a long story...sort of...Let me try to explain it... Cutting Niamh and Nexus from the whole conversation, he closed the door with his mind and then started shambling along with her. For some reason, Niamh made a comment about Nexus being the Alpha Male when she liked blueberries, whip cream, and chocolate on her chest. Now Nexus is determined to become the dominant male, and poor Niamh is unable to stop thinking about Nexus wanting to lick the dessert from her body. They're unfortunately a couple who is...well...they're frustrated and they have to work through a lot of things. Niamh is a very nice girl, misguided, and Nexus is a very...very nasty man. He's changing though, and that's good. They have a lot of things to work through. Human behaviour...it was a fascinating subject.

It didn't take them long to reach the gates of the city, Nagranesh could see the forest not far from the gates, it'd take maybe twenty minutes or so to walk there...less if he changed...

Alright Erus. This is where you tell them you're taking me outside of the city to the forest. They'll believe it, they'll be very suggestible to it...and they'll want to stay here and guard for a while, then go and drink for a few hours. Heh. These humans were...easy to manipulate. Their minds were open to a lot of hypnotic suggestions, no fooling around with anything in the mind and ruining them...instead just...suggesting things to their minds that they wanted. These men didn't want to go anywhere, they just wanted to stay here, and after the shift was done, they wanted to go drinking.

No harm in that after all. Nagranesh was just...helping them out.

"...Um...yeah." Niamh nodded, still struggling to maintain her completely calm, neutral, and so not embarrassed act, even though it was beginning to crack. That wolfish grin. The strawberries comment. The fact that she now knew that he kept a journal and write about this stuff. gah! What did he write? No, she didn't want to know.

Well...maybe she did a little.

She shifted a little and cleared her throat. She wouldn't comment on it. She'd just play it cool. "Yep. That was, ah, all I wanted to tell you. Please do try and forget it." Another calm nod. "Ahem. So. Yeah. G'night!" And with that said, she promptly fled back to bed, somehow feeling like she'd done more harm than good in her attempt at "clearing things up." Yeah. She had this funny inkling that she really needed to learn when to just keep her mouth shut and when she should just not try and make things better. Because in her case, she had this funny habit of just making things worse in the process.

----

Oh good! She could hunt! Even deer? As long as she didn't get any splatter on her...hmm...that could be a little tricky. Manticores were graceful creatures in their true forms, but they were not neat killers. When it came to taking down their prey, they killed swiftly and efficiently, but it wasn't exactly a clean kill, not with their rows of teeth and hooked claws. Of course, there was the alternative of simply ramming into their prey and killing them from the bone-crushing force of the blow itself or knocking them over and injecting them with their venom to paralyze them before making a kill, but...manticores did enjoy blood and gore.

Erus tended to be a violent killer.

"Okay...I could try that. I can ram it!" she said with a nod and a toothy grin. "That can break bones and kill it, yes? But it'll still bleed when I eat it..." But if she was careful and didn't have her uniform around, it should be fine, she decided. After all, she could just lick any blood off herself and be fine! Uniforms...well, blood just never came out of those! She never understood why. They were supposed to be like human fur, but blood came out of fur...

It made no sense.

Once outside and walking with Nagranesh, she remembered to revert to thinking instead of speaking. After all, she didn't want to attract attention! She listened to Nagranesh as he explained the two humanoid's situation, blinking owlishly at him. Oh...then why don't they just have the blueberries and whipped cream and chocolate together? she asked with a tilt of her head. You licked blood off of me. They can do the same, yes? Only with their... She wrinkled her nose. ...nasty whipped cream and blueberries... Obviously she didn't get it. In her head, it was all completely platonic and not even remotely sexual, so she couldn't understand why that would be a big deal at all.

Her mind just didn't work in that dimension. She knew all about reproduction, of course, but she only thought about it in a bland, practical text book sort of way. Anything else was lost on her. Manticores just didn't mate for pleasure like humans did.

She just shook her head and chuckled. Humans are strange. Nexus did not seem nasty. He seemed like one of us.

Before long (or at least, it didn't feel like that long to Erus, who was walking rather fast and all anxious to get going, her stomach still rumbling persistantly) they had reached the city gates and Erus could see the two guards posted there, looking bored and sleepy. Ah, excellent night vision was always a bonus.

Erus couldn't hardly blame the guards for looking so bored, guard duty was horribly dull! But then, she also had a short attention span. Which was why she tended to wander when she was on guard duty, and get reprimanded when she was caught. She just wasn't cut out for standing still.

She listened to Nagranesh as he explained their course of action, then nodded and stepped in close to him. Got it! It'll be easy, she said, reaching out and taking hold of his forearm as though apprehending him. <I>I'll just say you were...causing trouble, yes. They'll believe me. Even without that, they would I think...I have the uniform, and they all know me. Or...at least...have heard of me, she said with a mischievous grin before, just for show, she tugged at him a little roughly. Resist a little.

By that time they'd reached the gates and Erus had set her face into a grumpy sort of expression, lips drawn into a grim line. She raised her free hand in a salute to the two soldiers, and they returned the gesture in kind. "Hi!" she greeted, tugging Nagranesh closer to her. "This one was causing trouble for some citizens...he got drunk and rowdy and I checked him over and he's not even a citizen. So I'm just going to escort him out a safe distance, yes? I will make sure he doesn't come back!"

One of the guards made a face and the other opened his mouth in horror to reply, and Erus instantly realized what she'd said wrong. They thought she was going to eat him.

"Won't come back to Serendipity I mean! I am just going to escort him to the main road, then I will be back. He will be fine." She offered up her best smile, keeping her mouth closed and teeth behind her lips, and to her surprise the guards opened up the gates to let them pass.

Another time and they probably wouldn't have. But apparently Nagranesh's powers of suggestion were more powerful than any concern for the vagrant.

As a human Erus would be an easier clean at this point, she would be a whole lot smaller, which would make bath time using his tongue so faster. He should have stolen a towel, maybe they could just wipe her down after every little encounter. Bleh. There would be some way to get her clean, and they would find the perfect medium, because Nagranesh could tell this creature just LOVED to get dirty, and if he didn't find a way to get her clean, things wouldn't work out all that well. The Guards might force her to take more baths then, and he knew how much she would hate that sort of thing.

Best to find a quick way to clean her off. Hm.

Psychic powers. He had forgotten all about them. Nexus had a brother, man named Vortex, who used psychic powers to influence the particles in the world around him in order to achieve his goals. From rearranging matter to even forcing things around him, creating a bubble around him to protect him from attacks. He should have thought of that earlier, using telekensis to help clean her up.

Perfect.

Yes, you can ram it and bat it around with one of those large paws. Remember damage on the inside can kill people, not just on the outside. Nagranesh had no idea if she understood this sort of thing, she was a simple being after all, so he hoped for the most part that she understood that things didn't always die because of outside problems like scratches and deep cutting wounds. Nagranesh began to laugh as she started talking about the situation between Niamh and Nexus. She was an adorable being, she really didn't understand it all.

HUman mating habits are a lot more deeper than yours or mine Erus. While you might mate to survive and continue on your species, humans mate for a little deeper reason. There are emotions within mating for them, they want to be together for a long time, they mate, and they stay with their chosen partners. For Niamh to allow Nexus to do something like that, which they both view as a sexual act, she would like to be engaged to married with him, or even married. Nexus however has very few inhibitions when it comes to acts of a sexual nature, so they are in a lot of troube. Nagranesh explained patiently to her, not really knowing if it would all sink with her, or if it would just go over her head like some things often did with her. Nagranesh quietly laughed as she spoke about Nexus being like them, and he nodded to her as he wiggled along the ground.

Nexus is indeed like us, you haven't a clue how much he is like us. He can be a very brutal, effective, and heartless man, with very little thought as to how some people end up. However Nexus is in a turning point of his life, and he will learn so much about himself in the coming weeks. Nagranesh enjoyed knowing that Nexus was going to change and not be such a heartless creature anymore. He could be such a strange man, and yet, it was going to be interesting.

Right, I shall resist, or act as belligerent as possible.  He said as he began to try and tug himself from her grip, muttering to himself in the human tongue, using psychic powers to create voice in the husk's throat. It was a little screechy but it soon became rougher and a little mored...crazed he hoped.

"I wasn't...doing nothing...just getting a drunk...bitch here harassing me...Always putting the less fortunate down!" Nagranesh said as he tried to fight against Erus as she talked to the men. He pretended that he didn't understand what she meant by making sure he didn't come back. "I want to stay here damn it! I like this city...got some reaaaal nice ladies in it." He kept his head low though to stop them from seeing his eyes, but when he looked up he simply put a psychic filter on his eyes, making them look normal. Ah, the psychic filter, if you wanted something to be invisible or look different, you just put a psychic filter on it. That's what he loved about humans with weak minds.

They were so easy to manipulate.

Very good work Erus. Nagranesh complimented her as he headed outside the gates with her, when they were far enough away from the gates he snuck from her grip with a small grin. If she listened carefully she might hear a small clicking noise from the stomach of the husk. He was actually excited about this, which one click usually meant. It was to denote happy emotions. Sad emotions would be dealt with two clicks, and then nervousness would be multiple clicks, from five onward usually. He might want to tell her that someday. Maybe.

Now we will be able to hunt for a while.

Erus still really didn't understand what Nagranesh meant about human mating habits and marriage and whatnot. Oh, sure, she knew what marriage was; her foster parents were married and they both wore rings on their fingers to show it. The way she understood it was that it meant they were mated for life and that they'd had a little ceremony, but...she just didn't understand the point. Why did you need rings and a ceremony to mate for life? Why would you need to have that little ceremony before you could mate and produce children? She could see how it would be a problem, though, if one wanted to mate and the other didn't. Hm. Maybe it was a human mating ritual of some sort? A lot of other animals did that. Lots of females played hard to get. Like deer. They could be so picky.

That's probably what it was, Erus decided. It was the only thing that would really make sense in her very animal brain.

What she really could understand, though, was how that man was a lot like them. It was really interesting, too...a human that was like a non-human. Or was he human? He looked human. Those people were rather fun, though! Maybe one day they could visit them again. It was nice being around some humans that didn't freak out at her for being different. Maybe she'd get to meet more of Nagranesh's friends, too! It was just a little unfortunate that she wouldn't really be able to do the same for him...she didn't have many friends.

Going through the gates, it was an effort not to giggle as Nagranesh struggled, partly because she knew they were pulling the wool over the other soldier's eyes and partly because he really was doing a good job acting like a drunkard. She'd had to deal with a number of drunks in her life, and it was certainly convincing!

She just about lost it at the "reaaal nice ladies" part, but somehow managed to keep her expression grim and serious, only yanked on him harder as he resisted. Tossing unruly folks out of the city wasn't unfamiliar to her, either, and she'd literally thrown a number of them out. She was a pretty good throw, too. Those muscles came in handy. "Knock that off now," she growled at him, baring her teeth. "You can find ladies in anpther city. You can come back when you can behave properly!"

That coming from a manticore.

Erus didn't finally release him until they were well out of the soldiers' line of vision, hidden by the shadows the forest trees cast, though they weren't <I>in the forest yet, only near it. The moon was high and bright, casting just enough light for them to be able to see...not that Erus needed it, because her vision at night was excellent.

She grinned proudly at Nagranesh as he praised her. Thank you! You did good, too, Nagranesh. You acted just like a real drunk person! Maybe not the best compliment, but it was a compliment to her.

She tilted her head a little at the clicking sound he was making and perked her ears, which swiveled to catch both that and the sounds of the forest near them. Was that coming from his stomach? Erus blinked and looked down at the husk's stomach, then just shrugged it off. Weird.

So I can change now, yes? Erus asked, but even as she thought it, she was already stripping off her clothes to prepare to shift. He said they could hunt now, so that meant she could change! And look, she even remembered to take off her clothes first! Of course, that was probably because everything regarding her clothes and shifting was still very fresh in her absent-minded head. In any case, it was pretty amazing how quickly she could get that uniform off, but the excitement probably had a lot to do with it. The top came off, the breeches soon followed, and she hung both over a low tree branch. She gave herself a quick once over to make sure she didn't forget to take off anything, and then she soon launched into shape-shifting.

Like before it was quick, though bizarre and a little on the noisy side. Which is why it was good that they were away from the town, what with all the bones grinding, creaking, and shifting as they rearranged themselves and lengthened in places, in some places completely reforming, and thick tawny brown fur grew all over her body. Her face lengthened into a snout and her teeth grew and changed until, instead of just one row of teeth there were three, shark-like and wicked in design. When it was finally over, an eleven foot long manticore stood where the humanoid had once been, a lion's body with that strange, grotesque human face that was still so animalistic and lengthened.

The only thing that really ruined the scariness of her true form was the way she started bouncing happily around Nagranesh when she finished. Your turn! Your turn! she said happily, finally landing in front of him and pawing at the ground, grinning goofily. Hurry!

It's alright Erus, I don't much understand the customs of humans, but as I see it, what they do is they choose a mate they want for life, then they court this mate. Giving gifts that the mate likes, spending time with them and learning all about them. Sort of like an assassin wanting to make the perfect kill, one the hunter, the other the prey. Then when both mates finally are attracted enough to each other, they will usually get married, and from there on out it is children and trying to survive in the world with the family. Of course, some humans don't like marriage, or getting mates for life, they prefer mates that last one night and then go away. Nexus...used to be like that. Of course, he would kill his mates...However, it seems that Nexus has no intention of hurting his new mate. Which to Nagranesh was a good thing. He didn't like it when people hurt and suffered. That's usually why his kills were so quick and efficient. The less pain they felt, the less that Nagranesh would have to hear screaming in his mind.

Nagranesh was extremely pleased to know that friends from his life were here, AND as well that he was meeting new people, like Erus! She had probably been the biggest discovery in a few hundred years. Nagranesh didn't count the Abyssal Walkers or the Demni, as they were a lot more human than most monsters, and had a greater concept of law and order, while Erus could probably be convinced to murder an entire garrison if he worked her up enough.

Still. Nagranesh was NOT going to do anything with her brain, only to help her development, and that was it. He would do nothing to endanger the other people. After all, he had even given her the gift of numbers. Well, she already had numbers, he just rearranged them for her, a rather simple thing that hopefully hadn't changed anything else. After all, when you tweak with the brain, you tweak another side of it by accident. Since numbers were a rational thought, something artistic had to have been tweaked, but until he could get a better look in her subconscious, he wouldn't know. Hell, he might have accidentally given her some poetic or painting ability, or just reduced her creativity. Usually when something was tweaked, another thing had to go up to compensate, so more than likely she'll have some subconscious ability to string prose together.

That...would be terrifying and at the same time mighty interesting.

Nagranesh knew that poor Erus was having a lot of trouble keeping it together as he acted like a drunkard. Nagra liked acting, and he liked to deceive people, usually when he did that, others wouldn't get hurt. "I wanna come back now damn it, all I did wuz sample tha' merchandise of a few of 'em young lasses." As he recalled, humans looked down upon drunken molesters, so it should probably help just a little bit. Nagra also found the irony in her telling him his behaviour wasn't acceptable. He'd have a chuckle about that later. Once they were beyond eyesight and earshot of the guards, she finally let him go and he laughed quietly. Well, they aren't that hard to imitate! Just got to be loud and obnoxious. Nagra wasn't sure if he had gotten the obnoxious part, but the loud thing was down pat he was sure.

That's right Erus, you can change now. Just remember to... Nagra's eyes swiveled to look at her as she got undressed and he smiled. Get undressed. Very good Erus! You remembered and everything! He was really proud of her for remembering that. He watched her though as she started to shape-shift, which really was just an amazing thing to see. Bones changing, skin shifting and lengthening, not to mention the fur that grew, and her face that changed. It was actually something that he was honoured to see. Not very many people got a chance to see the woman change he was sure of that, mostly because some people would find it either disgusting, or perverted. More so changing back. Humans and their idea of shame and clothing, it was just so odd, he didn't understand it. Probably because they didn't have a mating seasons, just they could mate any time, it probably got hard to control. Tch. That's why animals and monsters were mostly superior, they didn't need to think of such things ALL the time. They could set priorities and what not.

Heh, alright Erus, calm down. I have to this carefully. If I rip the husk too much, it'll be useless and I won't be able to get back into town. Nagranesh shuffled back from the manticore as she pawed at the ground in anticipation, a large goofy grin on her face. His eyes closed and slowly he began to drag the tip of his beak along the belly, slicing it from the waist to the neck. He could heal that later, he knew that much, so he first got his beak out, which was the biggest problem to say the least. It finally managed to slip out, and with that he compressed his body and let him slide out of it, all of his tentacles following from their hidden areas in appendages and what not. When he was finally out he picked the body up and wrapped it up onto a high branch, making sure no creatures could get at it for a snack. He knew where he left it, but he would let Erus find their clothes and what not later on.

Oh that is so much better. I hate being cramped inside such a small space for too long! Nagranesh exclaimed as he gave his large gelatinous body a wiggle, feeling very free and liberated from that. Lords and Ladies above it was good to be able to move again with all his appendages. Humans and their four appendages. Bleh. Four small appendages for that matter. Alright Erus, pick up the scent of a deer and let us be off. Remember, pouncing and hitting with your paw only missy, we can't have you getting dirty. If she couldn't help it, Nagranesh would clean her later, she would just have to change into her smaller form. Less surface area to clean, though he really hoped she only got blood on her, he was not going to enjoy the taste of mud in his mouth. Blech.

That sounds like a lot of work, was all Erus said in reply to Nagranesh's explanation. All that work just to make babies? It didn't really sound worth it to her. If she went into heat and wanted babies, she would just go out to get those babies and that was about it! Of course, she'd never been successful. Even for all her harassing of the male soldiers during her "time of the year", for some reason, they just never wanted to give her babies even though she didn't expect gifts and attraction and marriage. Something about sharp parts and they didn't seem to like her smacking them around and they were afraid she was going to eat them or something...something about her teeth and certain anatomical areas. But she didn't want to eat them--she wasn't allowed, after all--and she only smacked them around to get their attention and show that she was interested! That's what you were supposed to do, right?

Humans just seemed to make everything so difficult. Not that she minded now, because she wasn't in season. But when she was in season she minded a lot. It was all just strange to her.

It was also true that no one had really seen her shift before. Her "parents" had, and while it had frightened them they had also accepted her for who--and what--she was. A few soldiers had seen her shift as well, but she hadn't shifted in front of anyone since then. Everyone had been horribly nervous around her, and while she didn't mind that all too much because it made her feel big and tough, the human side of her didn't like her "friends" being scared of her. That and she'd been told not to do it again unless there was a fight or something and the shift was necessary.

So, from there on out she just didn't do it.

In any case, Erus was happy that Nagranesh sounded proud of her for remembering to undress before she shifted, and she grinned broadly at his praise, lips pulled back to expose all those rows of shark-like teeth. I did remember! she said happily, still prancing about him. I didn't want to ruin my clothes again and get in trouble! I won't forget where they are, either! I--oh, I'll be calm, yes,</I> she said when he told her to calm down, freezing in mid-prance for a few seconds before lowering her front end into a sort of bow that looked reminiscent of a dog's play bow, her rear end high in the air and wiggling a little with repressed excitement as she waited for him to change. Then she just watched him intently as a beak suddenly sliced through the husk, tearing it neatly open.

...And she couldn't help but lick her lips. The sight of something sharp cutting through something fleshy was just always so...so...

Bad Erus! She had to control herself. She'd get to eat again soon enough!

Finally Nagranesh began to emerge, and Erus began to wiggle just a little more, scratching at the ground as it took every ounce of willpower not to pounce him in her excitement. No, she had to be good, he wasn't out all the way, if she pounced she'd damage the husk and--there! He was finally out, he'd draped the skin over a branch! He gave himself a wiggle! He'd said something about pouncing!

That was as much of a cue as anything.

With one great leap, Erus sprang into the air with all the grace befitting of a sinewy feline and not a bulky, heavily muscled and lethal-looking creature that weighed nearly half a ton. A second later, and all those muscles and horns and tail and claws came crashing down on the poor tentacled beast--though fortunately for the both of them, she made sure her claws were sheathed. Like that?! she asked with a large grin, leaping off of him as quickly as she'd pounced him and landing nimbly on the ground. Pounce and hit with my paws like that, yes? Oh, you're so squishy, you're very fun to pounce. I wish we could be in our forms all the time and then--oh! Deer! she suddenly exclaimed, as though remembering what he'd asked her to do. Sniff for deer. Yes, let's see...

Lifting her head, she sniffed the air, taking deep, powerful breaths. She even opened her mouth a little as though to taste the air, and it wasn't far from the truth. It did help her sample all the different scents. Mmm...I think...I smell...mrr. I can't tell if that is an old scent of a fresh one. But there was something around here. Can we go in into the forest?>