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 Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:46 pm
It was odd to see a dog carrying packages in their mouths in this world, but a cat delivering a message was unseen in both
Crossing the forest and getting past the large stone walls was a piece of cake for a feline, but dodging dozens of people without getting noticed was not as easy
First of all Iris was unusually big for a cat, easily confused with a medium size dog if it wasn't for the characteristic way of walking. Second, there was the sandy colored fur and the odd, violet eyes, which for those familiar with cats would find strange
But the most noticeable thing was really the scribbled piece of paper in her mouth. Even if most people in Loghedge were illiterate, they were certainly able to tell the difference from a random piece of paper from a written note
If Iris was aware of this, or if she didn't give a damn to what humans might think, it was completely impossible to tell. She simply dodged the populated streets, climbed over walls and walked over rooftops and under carts as she got closer to her destination
Like all older cats who learned how to deal with potential threats, she was completely unafraid of people and dogs. Those few who dared getting a bit too close or mistaken her for an easy prey got their helping of hisses and growls, and even a well aimed scratch if that wasn't enough to cure their curiosity
Finally she was in front of the Inn, but facing the cats worst bane, doors. Going through the front door was out of the question because too many people got in and out. And finding an open window in this time of the year was just as impossible
But when a cat wants something they could outwit the devil if that meant reaching the prize. In this case was taking advantage of the kitchen door, which was just slightly open to relieve the room of the stuffy air inside, and sneaking around people's legs when they weren't looking
The air in the inn was driving her senses mad. It was too crowded, too noisy and way too filled with strong scents for someone who used to live in the forest
It would be nearly impossible to find someone she never seen or had the scent before in that organized chaos. So, to relieve her senses and avoid that claustrophobic environment, Iris ran up the stairs and into the corridor. And that's where she caught the faint scent left by Alex
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:14 pm
Frankly, Rick felt like crap.
Whether it was intradimentional-lag, or simply confusion, there was no way that he was able to get a great deal of sleep. His mind simply refused to turn off, or stop thinking about how he had gotten plopped into such a strange world. Plus, plans for what he was going to do later kept zinging around in his head, but too many uncertainties kept squelching taking his plan too far. It was just so chaotic, so play-by-ear, that it prevented him from possibly getting a wink of rest, until he perhaps collapsed from exhaustion.
To hell with bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. He was bleary-eyed and bushy-tongued.
Thus, as he slipped quietly out of his single-bed inn room to perhaps get fresh air, or even start putting some of his plan to seek for a job, he barely took notice of the cat in the corridor, until he had almost set a foot on it. His booted foot descended towards it, but upon sensing another being there, immediately recoiled. However, he still leaned forward, but the only thing to keep him upright was a rather thin patch of air. Unfortunately, physics still did not assist him in this strange new world either, as he pitched forward, barely able to get his arms out and hit the ground with a soft thud, leaving the cat still untouched.
Now that he came to think of it, despite the slight amount of grime, the floor didn't seem like such a bad place to rest, especially after that exhausting escapade. Still, others would likely not take too kindly to the blockage of the corridor, despite his limber body. So, with what will he was able to muster, he drew himself to his hands and knees before leaning his back against the wall, resting against it ultimately. It was only then that he wondered how a feline had managed to get into the inn, or what it was even doing about. Curiously, he gave a baggy-eyed glance towards where he knew he had been tripped up.
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:04 pm
Although by some unknown miracle that man coming out nowhere didn't landed on Iris when he fell, the cat was less than pleased for getting such a startle and nearly becoming the inn's next cat rug
With a definitely menacing growl and bearing of the teeth (though not letting go of the note), she arched her back and puffed her fur in an angry display, which was quite something considering her large size and flashing purple eyes
There was something odd about this man though. No one in their right mind would lay there in the corridor unless dead drunk or practically asking to be mugged. And then there were the odd clothes
Still that didn't prevent Iris from applying a well deserved scratch on his butt though it was only a warning shot, not deep enough to break the skin unless he moved too much
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:30 pm
At first, he was merely groaning softly, then interrupted by not a small yelp of surprise, but the deep and outright roar of, "OWWW!" As he whirled on the aggressor, any sign of sleep gone from his eyes as he was immediately on his feet.
Something made him want to stamp or kick it, due to its uncalled for (in his mind) attack on him. But he caught himself in time, and leaned against the wall, back against it as he stared against the ceiling, wrestling his temper under control.
"What the hell are cats doing in here, anyways?" He asked himself, mumbling under his breath.
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 8:25 pm
Iris completely ignored the man's reaction and literally spitted the note to his feet, licking the taste off by giving a quick groom to her fur
The paper was a bit wet from the cat slobber and the ink had blotched here and there, but in the middle of random flight notes the sentences "church", "changes" and "get out town" were still clear, along with Alex's signature
((The general message says: the church is the culprit and the group of new arrivals is about to change, so they have to get out of town immediately. Signed, Alex))
Once she was sure he had read it, she jumped to the window above his head and this is where things started to get really freaky
She stood upright on her hind legs and used her front paw to release the hook that kept the window shut. But she didn't use her paw as a paw, but as a hand, using the fingers AND thumb to grab the hook, not pawing it until it was unhooked
With a strong push she forced the window to open, but the hinges were either rusty or she wasn't heavy enough, because the gap was only a couple of inches wide, way too small for anything larger than a mouse to pass through
She turned to the man and did something even more amazing. She spoke!
"Trying to save your sorry a** before it's too late. Run away before they find you!"
And with a swift movement she squeezed through that impossibly small gap like she was made of water and jumped to the street below, quickly disappearing out of sight. Behind she left the note and the open window as proof she wasn't just a dream
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Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:35 pm
For a moment, all he could do was sit and stare at the cat. As if things really couldn't get weirder.
"Talking...cat," Was all he mumbled to himself as he picked up the letter tenderly, not liking the feel of any sort of saliva on his tanned fingertips, quickly scanning it over.
One of his biggest qualms was that he was given this letter by a talking cat. Now, one would say that cats were trustworthy when given information, but on Rick's behalf, he felt that he had the right to be suspicious, especially since it was the one that had given him a swat on the bum.
Another thing was the issue of comfort. Where was he to go? What was he to do? He had just found a place that he could possibly settle down in, and why would he give that up? Again, the issue of trusting a talking cat.
In the end, he decided to seek out some of the others, see what they were up to, and possibly ask for some help on deciding. After all, this letter could possibly have been for more than just him, since he wasn't the only one in this predicament.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 7:23 pm
Seek, and ye shall find.
Or in this case, be found. Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, Karin knew she should be working towards carving out a niche for herself here, just as she had in the firestation back home.
What she did instead was wander Loghedge and squander away most of her free time. After that weird night with Alex, she hadn't seen much of her displaced fellows. By avoiding them she could almost forget the strange event. But it had happened. Alex had left, just as he said he would. And Karin, she was in a full on funk.
She sighed as she returned from a trip about town, seeking the temporary refuge the inn still offered. The sight of a familiar face in the hall stopped her. Karin paused, uncertain if she should continued her self-imposed solitude. Rick looked pretty out of it himself. On the other hand, maybe some friendly conversation was what they both needed,
The firefighter approached Rick, her steps slow and methodical. "Hey," she said, peering at him. He looked even more dumbfounded to her up close. "You okay?"
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 12:20 pm
Rick looked up at her briefly. For a moment, he seemed out of it, thought process in another world. Then he blinked, and seemed to be in this world...wherever that was.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking downwards and screwing his eyes shut for a moment before releasing a deep breath and looking back up, deep brown eyes clearly showing confusion.
"In all honesty...no," He began, "I had the weirdest dream, and didn't wake up from it," As if to prove his point, he held out the letter to Karin.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 8:13 pm
Frowning slightly, Karin hesitantly accepted the offered letter. Grimacing a bit at the damp and illegible spots, she began to read murmuring the words softly to herself as she went. When she finished, the letter slipped from her suddenly numb fingers, the shock of the message strumming the first strings of panic in her brain.
No. Lies, or a mistake. What had happened to Alex was an isolated incident. Had to be. She did not want to believe it, but then, wasn't this whole situation beyond reason?
"Um.." she started, then fell silent. Slowly, so as to give herself time to find compusure, or at least fake some, she bent over to pick up the dropped letter. Deep calming breaths helped to take some of the shaking out of her voice. "H-how." She swallowed nosily, her attempts at self-composure obviously not as successful as she'd hoped. She folded up the letter and offered it back to Rick. "How did you get this? Did Alex come back and drop this off?" If the pilot was back in town, Karin was going to find him and get some answers, like the name of his information source.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:32 pm
Rick's gaze became a bit more intense. He caught her reaction, having a fairly good idea that she knew something that he didn't, but as of what that was, he had no idea. This gave way to a small hint of suspicion, which he squelched, reminding himself not to jump to conclusions.
"No, and here's the part that I doubt you'll believe: a talking cat gave this to me. I was walking out of my room, almost stepped on this cat carrying a letter. It gave me a good swat on my rear, then gave me the letter and told me to leave town. Are you alright, Karin?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, "You look as if you saw a talking cat of the same like."
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:21 pm
"... talking cat." Her higher brain functions hit a road block upon hearing that. A talking cat. Alex's changes, and the church behind it all. Was the nobility in on it too? The baron had set them up in this inn. If he was involved, then it might not be safe to be talking out in the open.
She let out a pent up breath. "Well... not quite a talking cat," Alex had started to grow feathers, afterall, "but something just as weird." The woman shook her head, giving a furtive glance around to see if anyone was nearby. "No, I'm not okay," she murmured softly, haunted by the words in the letter. Get out before you change too. The surreality of it all made her twitch. "We need to talk, but not out here." She jerked her head in the direction of his room.
How was she going to explain what she'd seen? Would he believe her if he did? Growing a tail versus seeing a talking cat. She laughed humourlessly. "Oh, how things change."
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Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 5:56 pm
Slowly, Rick nodded, "This way," He beckoned, turning on his heel and leading the way, his steps showing his confused mood, before he sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him to encourage her to sit and rest a spell. For a moment, he was silent, as he ran a hand through his hair.
He finally turned his gaze to Karin, "Okay, don't hold back. I've probably seen weirder, so whatever it is, just out with it. I can handle it."
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 7:20 pm
Karin nodded as she sat on the bed next to him. The walk to his room had give her a moment to organize her thoughts into a calm collected report about what she'd seen happened to Alex that night.
It lasted for all of two seconds. "Alex grew a tail," she blurted. And just like that the flood gates were opened. "And his ears grew pointed, and there were feathers and claws and a tail - an honest to god tail - that moved and squirmed and he totally screamed when it was stepped on." She shut her mouth with grim determination.
Admitting what had happened to Alex out had been like opening a window. and now she could see why the incident had really bothered her: the creeping fear that maybe, just maybe something like that could happen to her. And this letter confirmed it. Knowing it only made it worse. Karin closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to get in control of her self again.
"Even if this is some sick joke, I think we need to do what the letter says and get the hell out of town. Now."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:09 pm
Rick closed his eyes for a good long moment, taking this information in. There was always the voice that was telling him to find some way to debunk her theory---or solid proof. However, she was the one that was getting about, visiting with the others, and apparently getting to know them far better than him. She would know more than he did---and she did. Plus, that tone of voice, that utter seriousness...it was either very well faked, or she meant business.
His mind went to future consequences:
1. This is all a hoax. If he called the bluff, what'd happen? Likely people would be disappointed at a good prank, maybe. And if he went along with it? People would laugh at his stupidity. Big deal, it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with that before.
2. This stuff was actually happening. Should he choose to stay, he would be directly violating what the letter (taken as true) advised, and thus probably would throw himself into even more hardships and turns than already.
The second actually seemed more likely to him. After all, hadn't he been stolen from his own apartment---no, it was something else, some sort of unseen force. With his personality, a prank that grandiose would go far less unrewarded than with many others, especially with hiring all those actors, like that woodsman...wait.
"I think I know where we can go," Rick answered, looking up as he stood, "A hunter---or some kinda woodsman---led me to this city. If we can find him, he can give us advise on either finding some way to stay with him away from the city, or perhaps some other advise. Either way, he could probably help out----unless you have a better plan," He left his statement open to her.
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Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 8:05 pm
Karin let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. He wasn't laughing hysterically or throwing her out in disbelief. For a moment, it was nice not to feel so alone in this fiasco.
She shook her head in response to his question. "Alex kind of said where his hang out in the woods was, but I'm not too familiar with the area outside." She felt obligated to add, "A pawnbroker gave me a lift to town in his cart. If we can't find your woodsman, we might be able to hit him up for advice."
She paused. She had been meaning to head over to Jonas's and pick up the rest of her gear. "We might be able to get some supplies from him too." Not that she had a clue about living in the woods beyond weekend camping trips. Of course that might not matter for long, what with potentially growing claws or tentacles or whatnot. The woman couldn't help but shudder at the thought.
"So, get some gear, then try to find your woodsman?"
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