Gutter Life (Kit)

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Anaxas' main trade port; it is also the nation's criminal headquarters, home to the Bad Brothers and Silas Hawke, King of the Underworld. The small town of Plugit is nearby.

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Shae
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:30 pm
Topics: 12
Race: Raen
: Too pretty for you
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Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:06 am

Vortas 35, 2718 | Afternoon
Some random pawn shop
.
Image
Being alive hadn't been this hard before, Shae was sure of it. Maybe it was because he'd been dead for a spell, or maybe it was this body. He was a she now and that was definitely confusing. It left the raen skittering away from certain terms, the idea of saying 'he' too strange when a glance down made it clear that 'she' was more appropriate. Having spent years thinking 'he' and now forced to come to terms with being 'she' had led Shae to consider a neutral alternative. Cordelia was gone, that was clear so 'we' and 'us' was hardly appropriate but 'they' seemed to offer the right neutrality. It was still confusing and it was easy to slip up. Heck, they'd gone into a pawn shop in Vienda and referred to themself as 'kov', which was quite laughable given that they had the body of a small young woman who still carried signs of having recently been pregnant. Needless to say, the proprietor's look at been an incredulous one.

They'd had more days to deal with their new situation, more days to deal with this new body but it wasn't really getting much easier. Shae's original body had been hardy and healthy, able to put up with a rough night on the street or go days without meals or skipping them but Cordelia's body. She'd been a well-off galdor and had likely never gone a hungry day in her short life. She'd probably never had to lift anything too heavy, never had to overexert herself or exert herself at all actually. She hadn't built up any muscle but... that was a galdor for you, wasn't it? To make matters worse, the woman had been recently ill and pregnant; her - their - body was still hormonal. It meant that taking to life on the streets was less than fun.

They'd arrived late the day before, had bundled themselves up, going through an awkward moment where they'd slipped down their dress to put a blouse on underneath. They'd had to find a quiet area and hide themselves in their coat while they did it, not wanting a flash of breast to be taken as invitation. They'd been a man, they knew how provocative that was, it was definitely enough to perk interest. So they'd managed to add to their layers - putting on a skirt under the dress had been a far easier exercise - and then found a doorway for the night. No good quality clothing or good quality coat could help them and they'd stayed there until well into the morning, waiting for the day to warm up a bit before they started to move.

It didn't warm up by much. There was a cool breeze, truly chilling when they were in sight of the water and didn't have buildings to break it up and it really wasn't helping. They were going to get sick, they knew it, the cold that had seeped into their bones seeming to attest to that. They didn't think they'd been warm ever again. They needed trousers. This maternity dress they were wearing was all well and good and it was down past the knee in length but air went under it!

They needed money and a fair bit of it so that they could get some clothing, a bed for the night where they could actually get a good hot bath in private and food. Oh did they need food, they were dreaming of food. They'd gotten something to eat the previous day, some bread that had used up the last of the money they'd gotten from the sale of some jewellery in Vienda. They had nothing left and they were so hungry, nauseous with it and it just made the situation so much worse.

When they finally managed to get their limbs to work and wandered around to gain a sense of where they were, it was dipping into afternoon. Their mind was full of food, the wonderful promise of it. Although they'd have to be careful because the broker they'd gone to in Vienda had definitely ripped them off but they'd been desperate, the man had known it too. This time, they could afford to be a bit more careful, had to be mindful of the jewellery they carried because it was their only source of income at present. It wasn't like they could go busking on the street. They didn't know how these vocal cords worked, if the woman had been able to sing. Cordelia's voice when speaking wasn't pitchy or anything, they weren't shrill but had some depth to their tone, a certain huskiness that Shae thought they could work with if they could just learn to harness it. To sing with it... it could probably be fantastic if they could use the fucking thing.

But as it currently stood, all the money they had was in jewellery form and they weren't going to get the proper money for that either.

They were daydreaming about food and trying not to think too hard about how sick they felt (they were failing at that), when they walked smack bang into a man coming out of the pawn shop. He was more than a head taller than them and quite solid compared to their own flimsy frame. They were hit with a cloud of spirit fumes, which only added to their disorientation, the world reeling from the unexpected physical contact and their soul tendrils began to slip. They clung to the body in panicked desperation, re-establishing their hold but left with unbelievable vertigo as they experienced being in the body and out of it simultaneously. They went down in a dizzy heap, their already dirtied clothing becoming further soiled.

"Oh shit," they croaked out, moving forward dizzily, trying to get their feet under them but struggling on hands and knees not to keel over sideways.

The vertigo, the hunger, the ill-condition of the body, the nausea, the shock of almost becoming dead again all worked against them. They threw up, splattering the stranger's shoes with acid and a few tiny chunks of yesterday's food, their stomach continuing to heave although there was nothing to bring up.

The raen made a pitiful mewl sound, muttering something that sounded like an apology before they flopped over on the ground, panting and then to make matters worse, they started to cry.

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Why were they so gods damned pathetic?!



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Kit
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:03 pm
Topics: 3
Race: Galdor
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Writer: Foxing
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Mon Feb 04, 2019 2:46 pm

35th Vortas | Afternoon
Some random pawnshop
Image
Kit had been wallowing in his apartment for two weeks now, barely venturing out to for enough food to sustain him, and it had finally reached the point where the galdor had been living off nothing but bread and absinthe for the last three days.

His rooms were filled with crumpled, ink-stained paper, blankets and sheets similarly disheveled, and Kit lay in the centre of the chaos, arms flung wide, a half-empty bottle in one hand, the neck of his guitar in the other, long fingers picking out chord progressions in a desultory fashion. His dark trousers, the only clothing he wore, were wrinkled and spattered with the same ink that freckled his fingers.

The choking silence was broken suddenly as a loud, rumbling growl split the musty air of the apartment.

Kit winced, letting the uncorked bottle roll out of his grasp with a dull clink, and rubbed a hand over his numb face, fingertips rough from the strings of his guitar rasping over a scornight's worth of ginger beard.

Bread wouldn't cut it this time. He needed

...meat. I need meat.

He had a sudden vision of the roast hog that they served straight from the spit down by the harbour, and his his mouth watered at the thought.

His abused stomach complained again, and Kit swore, levering his aching body up into a seated position.

"Clock this..."

His head swam for a moment, then settled as he crawled over to a heap of laundry in the corner, dragging out a crumpled shirt and tugging it over his head. Not even bothering to button it, the muzzy galdor stood, shoving the shirt hem roughly into his trousers and sat with a thud on the edge of his disheveled bed, which creaked alarmingly.

Groping blindly for the boots he knew were somewhere by the edge of the bed, he groaned.

“Shitting bloody erse… come here, you clocking fucks.”


His stomach gurgled unpleasantly as he stamped his feet to settle his heels in the decade-old boots that fitted him like a second skin. The galdor ducked to snag his red jacket from where he'd flung it on a chair by the door, slammed out of the apartment and, after the traditional moment spent wrestling with the stiff lock, he was on his way, anticipating the crunch of crackling and the full flavour of juicy pork.

------

An hour later, and he was getting very close to hitting the smarmy wick behind the counter of the old pawnbroker's.

The watch in the counter was worth four times what he was being offered, and Kit knew it, the broker knew it- Alioe, the whole clocking street probably knew it by now, after the way Kit's cultured tones had risen to a volume just short of a yell.

The wick sucked his teeth, greasy brown hair falling over his forehead and the cracked spectacles he wore. Behind the grimy glass, his eyes squinted smugly, knowing full well that he had the man over a barrel.

“Oes, ye can take or leave as ye please, but that's me final offer. How else am I s'posed mek me ging off mung jents who forgets their purses like ye good sen?”


Had he not been so hungry, Kit would have swung at the man for that bit of snark. As it was, he shot the wick a venomous glance, snatched the offered coins and strode from the shop, too angry to look where he was going.

Too angry to see the figure that he then collided with. He staggered, cursing.

“Clocking hell…can't you look where you're…”


Then he recoiled as the woman… it was a woman, he could see that now, and...a wick?

Maybe…

Her field was strange, almost fuzzy, and though her clothes were that of a galdor, though clearly illl-used, as his own field crept out towards hers, she didn't feel like one…

All this flashed through his mind in the split second before her vomit splashed his boots.

He recoiled, and as the acrid stench of the sorry creature's stomach lining filled his nostrils, his own stomach turned.

The galdor clapped his hands over his mouth as his body heaved, and managed to hold it off just long enough to duck into the alley beside the sorry pawnbroker's, where he spewed a stream of bile and spirits over the cobbles. Hands braced against the brickwork, watching a concerningly green stream of fluid trickle down the gutter, he gasped for breath.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the dark-haired woman still lying where she had collapsed after painting his boots. She was…

...crying? Oh damn…

Kit sighed, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, and walked back over, hunkering down and placing a hand on the shaking woman's shoulder.

“I am so sorry,” he began, no trace of the anger he'd previously shown in his clipped, soft galdori tones.

“That was entirely my fault. Here-”

The man attempted to help her sit, if she would allow it, and offered a mostly-clean handkerchief from his jacket pocket.


Last edited by Kit on Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shae
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:30 pm
Topics: 12
Race: Raen
: Too pretty for you
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Writer: Maximus
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Mon Feb 04, 2019 6:03 pm

Vortas 35, 2718 | Afternoon
Some random pawn shop
.
Image
The young raen hadn't known what they'd expected but it hadn't been for this man to stand over them swearing, momentarily furious before he seemed to realise what he'd done, seeing the state of the person before him and lapsing into brief silence. However, once Shae had thrown up, practically on his shoes, the man did a runner. Where he'd gone well... it wasn't much of a concern for the former wick, too busy bawling their eyes out at the unfairness of it all.

It was partly their fault sure but everything was just shit, they couldn't be blamed for every crummy thing that was going on in their life right now. They were just one person, it wasn't fair for all these things to happen to them. He'd had to smack into their chest and all and while it probably wasn't as sore as it had once been, the hormones weren't yet entirely settled and so the glands were still tender and swollen - more than they were supposed to be in any case. They'd stopped leaking but their breasts were still so sore. Being thumped into by a tall man with seemingly unstoppable momentum certainly wasn't helping matters.

But it wasn't just the pain that made them cry, It was the frustration of this whole thing, this stupid bloody body! Useless, weak, impossible. They couldn't control the bloody thing, couldn't hold onto it like a proper body. They'd never had to hang onto it before but now if they let go... well actually they didn't know. They weren't sure if they would be able to get back into Cordelia's body if they lost their grip on it but when it had slipped just now, every time it had slipped, they'd gotten a bad feeling about it.

So no letting go of the body.

They lay there simply because there was no point in getting up, the energy required too much for them at the moment and it was so much easier just to lie there and cry and feel sorry for themself. They were vaguely aware of the sound of vomiting close at hand although they didn't connect it with the man who'd bumped into them, had thought him long gone the ersehole but then he was hunkered down beside them, laying a gentle hand on their shoulder.

Shae blinked away tears, fluttering their lashes as they tried to clear them of water so they could gaze up at the man. The eyes widened noticeably, the stare quite fixed as they listened to the voice. Cultured, a pleasant timbre that sent a small tremor through them. They'd always been sensitive to voices and the way someone spoke. It had begun with their father, his intoxicating words, the pleasant way the sounds of Tek rolled from his tongue like honey. Shae had come to understand that Estuan had a greater power over all, the purity of their own accent more charming than if they wove in more Tek and slang. But that voice was... that was true galdor, wasn't it? Pleasant, posh, warm and sounding genuinely concerned for their well-being.

He helped them up and Shae was happy to let them, largely because they didn't feel capable of sitting up on their own steam. They did feel pretty off-kilter, shaking hands holding onto his leather jacket as they tried to prevent themselves from sliding sideways again. They took the offered handkerchief, grateful smile a bit wobbly as they blotted at their face.

"I- You're okay. I mean, I'm okay, I just... I'm having a really shit day and I haven't eaten anything since-" they began before clapping a hand over their mouth. "Circle strike me, I threw up on your shoes! I'm so sorry! I'm such a mess, I'm sorry. I'd offer to pay f-for new ones or- Well, I don't- Well, I was here to get money obviously," they admitted with a shy smile.

Now that their gaze was clear, they could get a proper look at the man and he certainly wasn't something to be sniffed at. With that face and that voice, they wouldn't have wasted a moment trying to seduce him in their previous life. These days, such carefree days seemed quite far off. Oh he was certainly nice to look at but well... new body, new bits, and aches and pains in new places. Not the best. Not that they were lusting after them, they were just... undeniably attractive.

The raen had always had an eye for nice things.

"I just need to get on my feet, get something to eat. I'll be grand then, I swear. But I'm so sorry, really I'm just- Sweet Lady, I'm so sorry about your shoes."


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Kit
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:03 pm
Topics: 3
Race: Galdor
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Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:30 am

35th Vortas | Afternoon
Some random pawnshop
Image
As she clutched at his jacket, Kit smiled, steadying her properly with an arm around her shoulders.

“Here now, I've got you. Just...just breathe. We all act a little strangely when we're hungry.”

She would be pretty, he thought, when she was cleaner and a little less green around the gills. It was refreshing to see a woman with close-cropped hair, and this style looked like it was a deliberate choice. The dark smudges around her eyes seemed to be tiredness and the last vestiges of makeup, but that field...it was just bizarre. Still, he couldn't just leave her after ramming into her like that.

“My boots?” He chuckled softly. “Don't worry, honestly- they've seen much worse. And besides, good quality leather can take a hell of a beating.”

He took the handkerchief off her and gently wiped the corners of her mouth, before delicately spitting into it and cleaning the worst of the offending mess off the aforementioned leather. He tossed the stained linen into the alley and turned back to her, tilting her chin to look into her eyes with what he hoped was a comforting smile.

“You can worry about making some money when I've taken you to dinner. It's the least I can do.”
The galdor straightened, taking her weight, careful not to place his hands anywhere that could be construed as inappropriate, and attempted to help her stand with him.

“Do you know the cookhouse a couple of streets away, down by the harbour? They do the most magnificent spitroast. I was going there myself, I'm clocking starving. It's why I was in such a bear of a mood, I really am so sorry.”

Keeping a gentle arm around her shoulders, not at all sure that she could support her own weight quite yet, Kit ran his free hand through his dishevelled hair, smiling wryly.

“You can call me Kit, and I very much regret the manner of our meeting.”

He wasn't sure quite what it was about this woman that intrigued him so much, but... well. Time would tell...
Last edited by Kit on Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shae
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:30 pm
Topics: 12
Race: Raen
: Too pretty for you
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Writer: Maximus
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Tue Feb 05, 2019 12:30 pm

Vortas 35, 2718 | Afternoon
Some random pawn shop
.
Image
Oh clock the Circle, this man was being far too nice. They had barfed on their shoes and they were being all concerned and helpful and fussing over them.

Shae couldn't say that they wanted to complain about that fact...

Still, if they'd been in their own body, their old one, and the same events had played out then they sure as shit wouldn't have this much concern and fussing. More than likely, they'd have ended up with a sore head or something of that like. Apparently having the body of a pretty slip of a girl had its advantages. Thus far, they hadn't managed to come across many of those.

The raen took his advice, taking some deep breaths, pulling a face at the awful taste in their mouth, the scratchy burning at the back of their throat where vomit had seared it on the way up. The inside of their nose burned, even though they'd already blown it into the proffered handkerchief, instantly feeling guilty for doing so. Tears were one thing to stain linen with but they were destroying the thing by being an utter disaster of a person. Her galdor friend - for that's what he was, unmistakably so by the size of the field around him - didn't appear to mind the state of the handkerchief at all, taking the time to further soil it by cleaning the raen's mouth before cleaning his shoes with it and flinging it away.

The young person had to wonder how he could stand to be so near to them, to touch them so casually and let his field come into contact with... whatever the hell it was that Shae now possessed. The field that Cordelia had possessed had shattered and then tried to reassemble itself in a disordered ball of disgruntled chaos. The mona in it was not happy and Shae hadn't tried to use it because it... was not giving out good signals and they weren't stupid enough to ignore them. That being said, they could guess what it must be like to cross in through that mess, to have it tangle with your own perfectly healthy field. Even when they'd only had a glamour, the then-wick wouldn't have stayed near the mess that was present-galdor Shae. If it bothered him, he wasn't letting it show.

The once smooth talking, rather easygoing individual was currently dumb in the face of this galdor who was frankly growing more attractive simply by not being an ersehole. He was currently seeing them at their worst (okay when they'd taken over the body and had still been spotting blood and leaking milk and been ready to fall over without the slightest provocation had been worse but that clearly would never happen again) and he didn't seem to be perturbed.

The gentle touch on their chin, grey-blue eyes forced to rise to meet his bright blue ones elicited a deep blush from the raen who felt their heart rate pick up the pace.

"D...d... d-d-dinner?" they managed to get out in a stunned whisper. What? Was he asking them on a date like this? No, no, he wasn't looking at them like that, he just knew that they were hungry. It wasn't like- he wasn't looking at them like some men had done when they'd been in the Dives, or the way Peregrine had as if they were a piece of meat and an unappetising bit at that. This body definitely got a response and not necessarily in a good way but he wasn't looking at them like that. This galdor was quite safe by comparison, no danger in his gaze or his posture where the others had been... disturbing.

They turned their head away, teeth nibbling and plucking at their lip as they lowered their gaze, blushing like an absolute fool and wondering why this man was being so nice. That initial swear when he came out and bumped into them hadn't seemed like a good indicator, possibly that was the way they were typically, but this version of the man was soft and caring and so hecking considerate. He appeared to take the greatest care with the placement of his hands, offering support but avoiding touching anywhere that might suggest that he was interested in something else.

The hands were certainly a help and they did feel a lot better when they got on their feet although the raen still felt disturbingly weak as if the bout with near body loss had drained them considerably. The vomiting had left them shaky as well so they were glad for the aid and support.

"I... Thank you, you're being too kind, you really are, I don't deserve-" the raen began, their lip giving a dangerous wobble. No, they weren't going to start properly bawling again but damn, once you'd cried it was all too easy to slip right back into that state, wasn't it?

But it had been their fault as much as the galdor's, more their own fault that they'd ended up in a crying heap. After all, they were the one in the possession of a pilfered body. They were the one who'd killed to get it. It had been a mercy, they knew that, they kept telling themself that but poor Cordelia had still died because of them. They'd still stolen everything from her. They could only hope that she got a chance at a proper afterlife rather than ending up as the horrible twisted thing that Shae was.

"I'm... I'm Shae. I'm really sorry, Kit, you don't have to- It was my fault, I should have paid attention," they explained softly. "I was probably going to fall over sooner or later so I guess I'm lucky I bumped into you. I'd like to think that if I had that someone would have come along to help but... people aren't always helpful when you need them to be," the raen explained with a brief, sad smile.

"But I'm sure people have good reason not to help like that. Sometimes you have your own troubles and you can't take on somebody else's," they added more brightly, their habitual positivity showing through. "So thank you. For taking on mine. Not that I- Well, I don't expect you to mind me, just... food and then I can come back here and pawn what I need to so I can get a bed for the night. And clothes," they added, glancing at the woeful state of their attire.

"I... don't know the cookhouse though, no. I only got into Old Rose yesterday evening. I haven't been here in a few years and it all seems... different than I remember. I'm sure it'll come back."


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Kit
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:03 pm
Topics: 3
Race: Galdor
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Writer: Foxing
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Wed Feb 06, 2019 6:14 am

35th Vortas | Afternoon
Some random pawnshop
Image
She protested at his kindness, but he shook his head.
“Not at all,” he cut in, “everyone needs a helping hand at some point. Mine came a good ten years ago, and by the gods did I need it...”

He shook his head, smiling, and his gaze fell on the bag she had dropped . He bent briefly to scoop it up in one long-fingered hand, before holding it out to her. “Though I'd gladly save you the weight, I think you'll be more comfortable with it in your own grasp...if it holds what I surmise it does.” He gave her a brief wink, the last words just loud enough for her to hear.

He didn't know what she was running from, but running she clearly was, and if she had been headed to a pawnshop there had to be some small valuables in there. In her place, he'd be wary- Kit was a stranger, and in Old Rose Harbour, a stranger offering help was like to snatch your coin the moment you let your guard down.

Though if she was clearly running from something, he dreaded to think what she thought of him...

“Shae?” he mused. “I like it. Short and sweet…” like its owner. The compliment was left hanging unspoken, but it was there in the twinkle in his eye as he shifted his supporting arm from around her shoulders to offer it in the more socially acceptable fashion. He wasn't at all sure she could support her own weight properly, but he knew from personal experience that walking with an arm around someone in his current state would lead to them both ending up in the gutter.

When she protested, he shook his head.

“Nonsense. In all honesty, I sorely need the distraction, you're doing me a favour. I’ve been rather caught inside my own head for a while. And ah… yes. I'm usually a little better put together than this. I've been trying to finish a song, but the words just won't come, and as for the tune… I think it's drifted off to Osa for all that I can catch it.”

Gesturing to the street ahead with an elegant hand, he added, “Shall we? Though I didn’t grow up here, the place has grown on me, and I know it pretty much like the back of my hand. You’ll smell the cookhouse before we get to it, and if it doesn’t set your mouth to watering I think you might be dead!”

He broke off with a chuckle, walking silently in thought for a few minutes, then turned to Shae again.

“You know, speaking of a helping hand- I think you would be better placed to wrangle with that pawnbroker in the morning after a good night’s sleep. My apartment's not far, and I'll be returning tomorrow to buy back my watch from that swindler- you're welcome to my bed for the night. I've slept on the couch before, it won't do me any harm.” He smiled down at her, gentle teasing in his tone. “And I have a tub. Hot running water...”


Last edited by Kit on Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shae
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:30 pm
Topics: 12
Race: Raen
: Too pretty for you
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Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:17 am

Vortas 35, 2718 | Afternoon
Old Rose streets
.
Image
They really didn't deserve to have bumped into someone so genuinely kind but it was the greatest luck that it had happened. Kit was being incredibly helpful, he didn't appear to want anything from them, either body (understandable under the circumstances because they were a mess and had just thrown up on them, which was hardly attractive) or their belongings. He'd obviously guessed that they were carrying something valuable or at least, something that they deemed valuable enough to pawn but as he picked up their bag (clock the Circle, how had they forgotten about their bag?!), they couldn't help but wonder if the words that followed were purely as a result of the weight.

In truth, it was laughable that he could hand it to them and talk about saving them the weight. What weight? There was honestly more weight on their body than in the bag, their spare clothing was on their person - not that that had weighed much to begin with - and the other oddments they'd brought hardly weighed anything at all. However, as they handed it over and the contents moved inside, there was the distinct clink and jingle of fine metals as they slid against one another. There was the slightest wince from the raen at the sound, certain that that noise was far too seductive to pass up. Their smile was truly grateful as they accepted their meagre belongings though, slipping the bag's strap over their shoulder, the action made a little awkward as they tried to avoid Kit's arm. Maybe the galdor wanted to stop such issues or perhaps he wanted to offer them some semblance of dignity because he took the arm from around them, holding it out for them to grasp instead.

Honestly, they were too pleasantly embarrassed to consider the matter too deeply, their cheeks fuchsia blooms at that charming little compliment of their name, the rest of the words that could go with it easy to guess. Once upon a time, they had flirted so smoothly themself but it seemed like a lifetime ago - had been just that in fact. Just because they could see where the other was coming from, could see exactly how they were operating did not stop them from falling for it. Happily falling for it in fact, as they became a prettily blushing mess, smiling softly, almost guiltily because they should know better, teeth sunk into their bottom lip in a vain attempt at holding the smile in.

It seemed impossible to keep in though, impossible to hide and dropping their gaze to the ground certainly wouldn't help, even with their height difference. Besides, it was actually audible when they spoke.

"Oh well... I hope that I can be a pleasant distraction," Shae retorted, bright eyes turned up towards Kit's face, the smile turned sly now. They were in no condition to be pleasantly distracting in truth but that didn't seem to stop them from flirting, their gaze conveying far more than their simple words had. He was far from being unattractive although his face would likely be vastly improved when it was properly cleaned up and they seemed more than capable of being a tease.

There was definitely something that perked up in the feminine face at the mention of music though, a particular glitter in their gaze as they assessed the galdor with fresh eyes.

A musician. A smooth-talking musician. Like their father. Holy shit, what were they, their fucking mother?

Well, it wasn't like they were ridiculously in love with him simply because he'd appeared and opened his mouth because they weren't actually their fucking mother.

Although the thought of them, Tessa and Jerrod both, stirred something within them, a memory of something, like something they were supposed to feel but there was a distinct lack there as if... they'd never really been their parents at all. That was understandable with Jerrod perhaps but Tessa. Their mother had raised them, cared for them for sixteen years and yet... their feelings for them were strangely abstract, surreal... distant. She might as well be a fondly remembered friend or a favoured acquaintance for all the feeling she stirred. And that was distressing because they were meant to feel more, were certain that they had once felt more.

It was bewildering to say the least.

"If it doesn't..." they parroted faintly, eyes suddenly round, shocked, something likely made worse by the fact that they'd been distracted by their own thoughts. "I'll have to get back to you. On the dead thing," Shae commented a little flatly, eyes turned to the ground, suddenly glad that they had the steadying arm as they clung to it with just a little more ferocity than before. There was some desperation in the grasp as if letting go would otherwise cause them to fall over.

Gods, were they dead? They didn't feel dead, they'd been through this. They had died, yes, they were in a living body that certainly felt very alive but they were attached to it, a parasite like a tick, feeding off of it, using it but not properly part of it. They were somewhere in between life and death and it was wrong and awful but they couldn't let go. They couldn't go back to that limbo state of before. That had been worse. A lot worse.

There was silence between them, the raen squirming a little, their discomfort tangible although it wasn't Kit that was causing it but themself, this life, this body. They had a body that had been pregnant, that had lost a baby and was dealing with the consequences of that but it hadn't been their pregnancy or their loss. It wasn't right. It was like they'd stolen... no, Cordelia hadn't wanted this, she'd suffered but... Shae possessed things that she didn't have the right to, physical ailments that were awful obviously but... they should never had had them.

Still for all their guilt, they couldn't deny that they were alive in some regard. Especially as they did begin to smell something pleasant before the cookhouse was in sight. They breathed in deeply, tasting the aromas and the promise of meat, hot, greasy, succulent-

Their stomach growled audibly, a prolonged sound that managed to give the impression that some beast was living in there, growling and moaning at the prospect of being fed at last. It also roiled uncomfortably so that the young raen was left with the impression that they looked a bit green about the gills again because they certainly felt it.

How could they be hungry and dealing with nausea at the same time?!

They looked up at Kit, as much an attempt at distraction as it was to acknowledge him as he spoke. He was making an excellent point and then he mentioned his apartment, earning a bemused rapid blink from Shae. However, when he said 'my bed' before he added that he'd be on the couch, the previously pregnant body went a little wobbly at the knees, the eyes startling wide as they clutched at his arm so they wouldn't fall over and stared.

No, this wasn't a I'm-being-nice-to-you-so-you'll-sleep-with-me thing but the man offering them a bed for the night, a safe one because he thought they needed it. If he'd wanted to stay in the bed though... they weren't entirely sure that they would have said no. To sex, they would have but the closeness, the comfort of another body when they'd been starved of contact for so long, an embrace would be fantastic.

But there mouth was moving of its own accord, ahead of their brain as it stuttered away, nothing but incoherent sounds issuing from it as they tried and failed to grasp what was being suggested, blushing furiously.

Oh damn him, he had a nice smile.

Damn him!

"I-I-I'd like th-that. A bath. And a bed but you d-d-don't have to- I mean, I wouldn't w-w-want to put you out of your own bed," they stuttered out, mind full of the implications of their words. Oh no, they couldn't go giving him the wrong idea, couldn't let him think that not wanting to kick him out meant that they wanted to keep him there, wanted to-

"I don't want to take you to bed!" they blurted out, a moment of horror ensuing as it dawned on them that they'd said it aloud. Now they felt so unbelievably hot with embarrassment that they thought they might go on fire.

Going on fire was probably preferable right now.

So they opened their mouth to try to extinguish the flames and poured oil all over them instead.

"Not that I don't want to, you're very attractive and I would definitely- Just- I mean- Circle strike me," they mumbled, hand now covering their face, red visible at the very roots of their hair. Gods, should they let go of the body now and just die? Why couldn't they say the things right?

Why couldn't they say what they meant to say?

"I just mean... I don't... want you to think... th-th-that I..." they managed to get out through gritted teeth before making a wordless sound of frustration bordering on a shriek. "I'm gonna shut my head. Before anything... else... spills out."

Stupid fucking mouth!


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Kit
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Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:24 pm

35th Vortas | Afternoon
Old Rose streets
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The way she bit her lip when she was flustered was...undeniably attractive, and Kit had to very firmly remind himself that he was being a gentleman today. But then she glanced up at him with a decidedly flirtatious smile… hoping to be a pleasant distraction?

“I look forward to finding out,”
he replied with a wink.

As they walked, Shae seemed to be deep in her thoughts, and they didn't appear to be happy ones. As her grip tightened on his arm, the musician placed a hand atop hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Then her stomach growled audibly, and his own echoed in sympathy. Tocks, he was clocking starving, though his chance meeting with Shae had improved his temper somewhat. He nudged her playfully.

“Hmm. Sounds like we should pick up the pace, at this rate your stomach is going to eat you before we get there. Come on, just around the next corner and then you'll see the place.”

They made good time over the uneven cobbles, and, sure enough, as they rounded the corner the cookhouse came into view. The building itself was small, with wide hatches that opened out into the street, but the striped awnings around it stretched the space out for a myriad mismatched tables and benches, populated by a diverse crowd, all clearly enjoying the place's wares. Steam and smoke billowed from the awning to the side of the building, where two spits turned, cranked by what appeared to be a mechanism driven by a kenser in a large, wooden wheel.

Amongst the riot of chatter and bustle flooding towards them, Kit did manage to catch Shae's reply to his offer.

“It's no trouble, truly- it's a very comfortable couch.”

But then she carried on, words spilling from her mouth as though she had lost control of her tongue...


Kit couldn't help it. He genuinely tried, the back of his hand pressed against his lips as though the pressure could hold back the mirth bubbling behind them, but he failed utterly.

It started out as a chuckle, but slowly developed into a ringing laugh, and he had to stop walking for a moment as he shook, free hand grasping blindly at a lantern pole for support.

“Oh Alioe, you really are hungry,” he observed as the laughter tailed off. “Or do you always manage to say quite this much without the intention to do so?”

He straightened to continue walking again, but the woman on his arm was clearly distressed, and there must have been some absinthe still in him, for the Perceptive spell sprang to his lips almost unbidden, the words for calm and comfort shaped before he had a chance to think.

...that was when it all went pear-shaped, as her heartbeat slowed, but the mona trickled off her like water, refusing to engage with her field. That strange, fuzzy thing, that as he reached out felt...broken?

Something shifted, he felt dizzy and disoriented, and the sheer wrongness made him stagger back, hitting the wall he'd just been leaning against.

“I'm...I'm so sorry…” he managed to stutter out, blinking heavily to clear his head.

“That was...inappropriate, I didn't mean to...lets get you some food.”

Kit straighted, and offered his arm once more with an apologetic smile.

Last edited by Kit on Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shae
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: Too pretty for you
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Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:14 am

Vortas 35, 2718 | Afternoon
Old Rose streets
.
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Beautifully flirtatious, the pair of them. It was nice to exchange words, Shae showing just a touch of their former self in that coy little remark of theirs. When they were back to their usual self - if they ever got back to it - then they'd be a force to be reckoned with; Kit would have a job to keep up with them then.

It would have all gone wonderfully smoothly if they'd just stuck to safe matters. Food for instance. You couldn't go wrong with food, especially when it smelled as intoxicating as that. Food that was actually in sight, a great possibility that they both could have enjoyed as a pair who had their shit together. Except that Shae most definitely did not have their shit together and that was immediately apparent when they opened their mouth and said far too much.

The former wick had always been bad at lying, had been so poor at falsehoods actually that they'd always been more inclined to tell the truth. Sure, it tended to be quite a prettified truth, poetic and attractive to those they spoke it to but the truth all the same. Many had found their honesty to be quite refreshing but this, even by their standards was too much. They were just too out of it to possess any sense, too stupid to be able to prevent their tongue from saying such horribly inconvenient and embarrassing things.

If they hadn't made a fool of themself then perhaps they could have laughed it off but right now, they were inclined to see the words that had come out of their mouth as ludicrously descriptive. Little had been left to Kit's imagination, very little and based on their words, they'd also set it up in such a way that he would now get entirely the wrong idea after all because of their emphatic denials.

Oops?

And then Kit laughed at them.

They heard the spluttered attempts to keep it in, grey-blue eyes raising to look at him from out of their scarlet face and then it burst out, a chuckle growing into a full-blown laugh that had him seeking support so that he didn't fall out of his standing. They went through a brief moment of humiliated anger and then the laugh got them, the pleasant ring of a baritone voice and they found his good-humour contagious. Honestly, there was nothing better that he could have done to make the moment less tense for them but Shae was still horribly embarrassed. They should have more self-control than this, especially given that the situation was vastly different than in their old body; in their old body, they wouldn't even have considered not sleeping with Kit.

Still his reaction drew a smile and then a short embarrassed laugh as the raen batted him on the arm.

"Bloody ersehole! Shut your head, would you?" they remarked, almost playful but it was clear that they still weren't entirely okay with the situation. That they were still distressed was probably pretty clear, even in spite of the show of good-humour for them. They shouldn't have said it and they were fairly certain that their heart was going to come out of their chest it was beating that rapidly, a caged bird that was ready to take flight at any moment.

When the Monite dropped from their lips, they were slow to recognise, the spell they spoke very galdori in its intonation and phrasing and so by the time their mind moved to work out what it was, it was too late.

"No, Kit! Don't try to-" they began but broke off in a shudder. They felt the mona wash over them, affecting the body but leaving their mind untouched, the sentient particles sliding past them with a disgruntled air. It was freaky to feel their heart slow, their other physical reactions soothed without the blanket of calm settling over their mind that would have made such a thing all right. Without that blanket, it rattled them, the mental distress increasing and trying to tug the corresponding reactions from their body. But the magic kept it soothed for longer than they would have liked, which only increased their internal panic.

This wasn't their body at all, not really and they'd known. Hadn't they known when that galdori woman nursing them at the Gillespie house had tried to run a diagnostic. They didn't have a clue what the spell was, the intent and the phrasing unfathomable to them but the mona hadn't pushed through, it didn't want them and the nurse had been confused. What had the nurse said? "I can't get a sense of what's wrong with you at all. I can see bits and what I do see, doesn't make sense."

They were wrong. They weren't melded with the body, perhaps never would be melded properly. They were a fucking abomination and Kit must know it.

The galdor looked to be the unsteady one now, the raen finding that they were hardly in need of his support as they let go of his arm to avoid being dragged along in his dizzy spell. Whatever he'd seen seemed to have shaken him, confused him but he stuttered apologies, slipping back into that gentlemanly persona.

Shae squirmed.

"It's not your fault, I'm sure... I'm sure that you meant well b-b-but I should have warned you not to use magic on me. The m-m-mona doesn't like me right now. I-I-I don't really know why," the last was a lie, the conviction lacking from their voice, their eyes unable to meet his own as they fidgeted quite obviously.

They didn't know for certain but they had strong suspicions that the mona knew what they were - a bodysnatcher, an intruder.

Their physical response had caught up now, their heart rate ratcheted up, the young body trembling noticeably. They considered Kit's arm with a darkened expression, clearly in an unpleasant place in their head, shaking their head in refusal. The raen adjusted the bag on their shoulder before crossing their arms, fingertips seeking and finding upper arms so they could clasp them, an incomplete hug, an attempt at self-comfort as they turned their face away.

"It's okay, Kit. I can walk by myself, I'm not completely pathetic," they murmured, removing a hand from their bicep so they could gesture for him to continue. "Lead the way, I'll stick with you," they added, offering a brief smile in an attempt to defuse things, to let him know that it wasn't him, that they weren't rejecting his company. Just... they didn't want to touch him now, didn't want to risk him growing tense under their touch.

Revolted by their presence and whatever the heck they were. They didn't think that they could deal with that so best not to touch him. Then he wouldn't have to pretend that they didn't freak him out a great deal right now.


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Kit
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 1:03 pm
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Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:46 pm

35th Vortas | Afternoon
Old Rose streets
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She didn't want to touch him after that, which was fair, he supposed. Had he paid more attention at his studies all those years ago, Kit thought he might know what could have led to such a strange, unfocused, fractured field, what could have happened for the mona to refuse to interact with it... but he didn't need to know. Everyone had their secrets, their past, and he was content to let Shae's be. May be she would tell him, maybe not. Maybe he would wake up in the morning and she would be gone with all his valuables...or maybe they would know each other for a lot longer than just one messy afternoon.

He just didn't know, and he rather liked that uncertainty.

He sighed, looked across at the girl- in her distress she looked so young- and gave her that apologetic smile again, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets to indicate that he respected her wishes, and nodded towards the cookhouse.

“Even what that swindler gave me will feed us both so well that we may well be holding each other up on the way home too. Come on.”

Kit turned and led the way to the wide, open shutters at the front of the building. The scent of roast pork built as they approached, and was joined by herbs and spices, fresh-baked bread, cheese and ale. As he approached, he caught the eye of the man behind the counter, holding up two fingers.

“We'll need the works,”
he declared, with a rakish grin, dropping a handful of coins into the outstretched palm. The man, wearing a stained apron and with his dark hair pulled back in a blue scarf, counted them, nodded, and produced two wide, pewter dishes, which he handed over to the eager galdor.

“Right you are, Mr Edevane, you know the drill.”

“I do indeed, Tom. Thank you.”

Kit's ring clicked against the metal as he turned to hand off one of the dishes to Shae, explaining as he helped himself to various foods from the tiered counter at the front of the cookhouse.

“You take as much as you wish from here- sliced bread, cheese, fruit... ooh, they have sausage today... then over to the spit and the lad will slice it straight onto your platter. And...”
as Tom held up two wooden tankards “...you get a mug of whatever you fancy to go with it. What do you have on tap today?”

“Ale, cider, and water I'm afraid, no juices today, they all went this morning!”

The man was apologetic, but Kit waved it off with a smile.

“Alright. Given the day I've had, it had better be water for me.”

He accepted the brimming mug, and with a couple of long strides was at the firepit, motioning to the boy where he wanted his meat cut from the animal.
“And don't skimp on the crackling,” he added, grinning.


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