Tavern Fun

[Sola]

Frost 88 4622 Mid- Afternoon

Luna had a successful day thus far since her arrival in Amoren after traveling from Radenor. The journey had been long, taking over two weeks, so she was relishing the conveniences and comforts of being in a city again. She had spent the day exploring the city and had covered many blocks, when she stumbled upon a lively tavern. The tavern was packed with patrons and the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the air, creating a warm and inviting feel. Luna was drawn to the energy of the place and decided to step inside.

Luna was dressed in a one of her nicer dresses. It was black, long, and slender that hugged her form nicely. She wore a thick coat over it though, so it wasn’t visible until she took her coat off and sat down at a table. Luna became aware that she was attracting attention from some of the other patrons. She suspected that this was due to the confident posture and grace she had developed while working as a courtesan. She was used to being the center of attention in that profession and her habits carried over into her current surroundings. She was not uncomfortable with the attention, but instead was pleased that her training was serving her well in this situation.

She swept her hair over her right shoulder after making her order. She leaned back in her chair so she could fully appreciate the tavern’s atmosphere. It was such a different scene than the mediocre boat she’d been stuck on for so long. Luna had been longing for the sight of smiling faces and the aroma of delicious food, which she had been missing since her journey started.

After spending all day without a proper meal, she was starving by the time her food arrived. The sight and smell of the food made her mouth water, so she eagerly dug into her plate without much ceremony. She was too hungry to care about manners and focused on satisfying her hunger.

[Ulgan Vass]

Frost has been a rather quiet season for the half-orkhai/half-sil’norai spy; Ulgan was attempting to keep a low profile since he was in foreign territory, and the likelihood of his clues leading to where he is now slowly fading into the background.

The sense of being able to move around in plain sight as a variety of animals has proved to be extremely useful, as his current form was that of a grey tabby cat with a bit of weight being backed with a single bright orange/amber left eye and a slashed right eye which left his vision impaired for the most part.

Most of what Ulgan has eaten and lived off so far was essentially a cat’s diet of various rodents, fish and the occasional warmth of a hearth by those kind enough to allow a stray cat to live with them in exchange for hunting some mice.

Briefly strolling down the streets with his long grey, spotted black tail up in the air, shortly curling about into the form of a question mark. The Radenorian cat takes a moment to look around, briefly scooting his way over to some stacks of crates, hopping onto them before laying on his back and rolling about as if he was scratching his back. After all, he had no predators, and acting like a cat would reduce suspicion, or so Ulgan would like to believe at least.

As minutes turned into hours, the ashen-grey cat took a moment to scout about, gathering as much intelligence as he could so that he could formulate a plan of sorts to identify other potential bits of information that could be used to report back home once the time has come for him to leave Daravin but for now; he needed to hide for his spy cell was exposed, and all of his colleagues were either killed, tortured, missing in action or in hiding for the time being.

His feline nose takes a moment to sniff the air; while not as potent as a dog's or wolf, A cat’s nose was more than enough to pick up something. The alluring scent of meat was close, and his stomach grumbled. From the looks of it, the orkhai feline begins to start his way over to one of the nearby buildings, fr well-established tavern.

He looked around to see if there was anything that he could use to get a better view of the establishment. A barrel was currently being propped up against a nearby window, and he witnessed a rather stunning-looking lady who was now chowing down on her food as if she hadn’t eaten decent food in a long time. Briefly tilting his head, Ulgan simply started to observe from the window, curious to see what this particular womanly figure was up to since she seemed a little bit out of place, in his opinion that is.

[Sola]

Luna thoroughly enjoyed the tavern's food. Although, it seemed that her eyes were bigger than her stomach because there was a ton of food leftover that she couldn't possibly finish. She didn’t want to bring any of it with her either since she was staying in a cramped inn room with no space for unnecessary things. She frowned at the mess of food before her as she wiped her hands on some cloth.

Luna signaled to an employee to take her payment. She then took a look around the tavern. As much as it was nice to see people enjoying themselves, she wasn’t exactly brimming with energy. She hadn’t been energetic before she’d arrived to the tavern and the food only served to make her yearn for sleep. It was too early for that though. She had to keep herself awake so her sleep schedule didn’t get all messed up.

She scanned the establishment and happened to catch a cat outside of the window. Luna liked cats. She wasn’t exactly an animal person but if she had to choose between a cat or any other pet, she’d choose a cat. She looked down at her leftovers and lifted a drumstick with her forefinger and thumb. She examined it and wondered if cats even ate chicken. She shrugged then made her way outside. Gods willing, the cat would still be there when she made her way around the outside of the building.

She’d say, “pspspspspspspspsps” as she walked and searched for the cat, “you want some food little guy?”

Sure, she wanted to feed it, but the thought of trying to capture it crept into her mind. She could think of a handful of things she could test on a captured cat, things such as necromancy or mentalism. She’d have to repress those urges ‘cause there was no way she had the energy to chase after one.

[Ulgan Vass]

Briefly stretching his entire body wide as sitting on all four was rather exhausting for the spy in question; The Radenorian Orkhai takes a moment to listen in as best as he could with his feline ears which twitch for a moment as his spotted grey tail would slowly wave and curl.

The Malformist agent was not too surprised at the types of conversations he was currently picking up on based on what he could hear and see via lip-reading; most of the conversations being taking place were relatively generic and mundane to the point that for a second. Ulgan was thinking of moving on, ditching this tavern-like dust beneath his heavy-footed paws, but as luck would have it.

The feminine figure that he witnessed eating instead ravenously was finishing up her meal, quickly tidying herself up before paying one of the tavern serfs for the service and meal. Based on the clothing alone, this particular figure was relatively wealthy, possibly a merchant, a high-class entertainer or even someone attempting to flaunt around farthings in an act to create a distraction.

Nevertheless, the orkhai/sil’norai agent took this as an opportunity to delve deeper; briefly thinking how this could be potentially advantageous for his current position as a roaming stray that looked fairly chonky didn’t bode well as it gave off a different impression than he would like to emit.

“Whoever this person is… I could use them for some potential cover; gather more details if possible and reconnoitre more before returning….”

The ashen feline thought for a moment about how best to approach a total stranger, letting out a long, slightly deepened purr as he pondered for a moment what he could do. Just then, something caught his attention immediately as his amber-hued gaze locked eyes with the female for a moment before witnessing something more intriguing as the lady picked up the cooked drumstick and made her way out of the establishment.

Her quick strides were quickly met with an all too familiar noise that Ulgan personally hated but knew that it was essentially a call or attempted call to gather a cat. For a moment, Ulgan wanted to play a bit of hard to get by acting aloof, but the chance to deepen his disguise was far too tempting to avoid and as such; the ashen-grey cat would quickly leap off the lid of the barrel he was currently sitting, slowly making his way over to Luna who has a tempted treated.

Letting out a brief chirp, the Radenorian cat takes a moment to run along the courtesan’s legs, with its tail reaching high and curling at the tip. It took Ulgan a long time to understand what a cat was, and based on his training with Malfority, gaining some knowledge through the imprinting process has helped a lot.

[Sola]

Luna shivered as she walked due to the frigid air, pulling her clothes tighter around her body. She had expected the harsh winter that awaited her and couldn’t wait for it to start warming up again. The cold seemed to seep into her bones, making her fingers numb and her nose run. Despite the chill, Luna couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the city. Snow speckled on top of the buildings and the streets. The sun was shining, but it offered little warmth. Luna could see her breath in the air, a cloud of white that seemed to hang around her for a moment before dissipating into the sky. Luna wished she had packed something warmer. She had always been told that courtesans needed to look their best, no matter the weather, but she couldn't help but feel that her current attire was inadequate for the bitter cold.

As Luna offered the drumstick to the cat, she couldn't help but smile at its reaction. She knelt down, holding out the treat for the feline. She thought about how nice would be to make a new friend, even if it's just a furry one.

"Well hello there, little one. Are you hungry? I have a treat for you," Luna cooed to the cat, holding out the drumstick for it to sniff. “What's your name? I'm Luna." Of course, she didn’t expect an understandable response.

Seeing as though the cat rubbed up against her, she tried to pet it along its back with her free hand, though she was wary about the possibility of getting bitten. The last thing she needed was a bloody wound. At the same time she wanted nothing more in that moment than to scoop him up and snuggle him until he demanded her to stop.

[Ulgan Vass]

The meal that consists of a simply cooked drumstick looks rather tempting; his stomach growls lightly as the constant roam and staying in his feline form would take its toll for most, but eating mice and other potential pests were normal to Ulgan. Preferably the Malformist Spy would like to return to his former self, but within enemy territory, he could pass off as a lowborn. Still, his accent would give him away, so it was better to keep his guise as a potential mouser for someone’s home.

Based on the woman’s clothing and body language, it would seem that she was not used to the cold, but it did make sense that, on occasion, Davavin would have drafts of frigid winds come through, and Frost was no exception. But despite it, Ulgan was currently a very fluffy grey tabby that was sitting on the cold, cobblestone ground with no signs of discomfort other than his amber-feline eyes following the drumstick that drifts left and right on occasion.

“A coud swat the drumstick oot her hand gin A really wantit tae... Been a while syne A managit tae get somethin this tasty.”

The chonky grey feline thought to himself but decided that having a potential ‘owner’ had better chances of ensuring his cover. Occasionally, he could slowly learn how to adopt certain mannerisms and even learn more about the Daravinic language.

Once the drumstick was within reach; Ulgan stood up as best as his paws would allow him to, just to take a bite or two; lightly meowing as he took the time to enjoy something cooked for once in. It was only then that a soft hand would stroke his back, which causes the grey tabby to arch its back more towards the source whilst the tail would swish and flick in a friendly manner.

It was only then Ulgan would stop his gentle caressing before lifting his two front paws high up in the air, indicating that he wanted to be carried or picked up. Still, Luna would be shocked if she attempted to pick up Ulgan as he was reasonably heavy and muscular for a street cat.

[Sola]

Luna couldn’t believe it, but she got a heartwarming feeling when the cat stood up on his hind legs and took a few bites of the food. She couldn’t help herself but say, “aww aren’t you the cutest little thing?” and the way he pushed into her hand made her knees weaken. So, when the cat indicated that he wanted to be picked up, Luna didn’t give it a second thought.

She grabbed him around his torso with both hands and held him up to her chest level with an audible grunting sound. He was indeed heavier than she expected. Heavy enough for her to get the feeling that he got plenty of food from suckers like her. Not that she minded. She cocked her head to the side and examined his face for a few moments, before realizing that she had no idea how to properly carry a cat. The few times she’d done it in the past had been fairly brief and the cats hadn’t exactly wanted to be held. She improvised and would try to put him over her left shoulder, the same way she’d try to hold a baby if she’d been handed one.

Afterwards, Luna would start walking down the street, towards the inn where she was staying. If the cat didn’t force himself out of her grip, Luna would say, “There there, I’ve got you little guy. You must be so sad out here all on your own. Don’t worry, I’ll take you back to the inn and I’ll make sure you don’t have to go out looking for scraps anymore. If you’re going to be this well behaved you could live with me, and once I get finished buying a house I’ll make a little hole in the door so you can come and go as you please… Oh this is going to be so fun!”

As Luna talked and walked, she’d stroke the cat gently and also attach an invisible tether to him, if not prevented from doing so. She’d feed him a bit of happiness using her magical powers while getting an idea of what his mural looked like. She didn’t want to drown him in the emotion, she just wanted to give him a little reward for letting her hold him.

[Ulgan Vass]

What little charm the ashen-grey possesses managed to gain the favour of this one fair lady who seemed to have an air about themselves. Something that his gut was telling Ulgan to remain on friendly terms as best as he could; The meal itself, while small, was enough to last for the Radenorian Spy for a bit longer, yet in some strange sense. However, the Orkhai magus did need to stretch his arms and legs when he could, as staying pretty much as a cat for almost an entire season does wear down one’s soul.

As the lady in question picked Ulgan up, the man couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable as it didn’t feel natural being held by the front two legs/shoulders, but what could Ulgan do at this point? The operative in question was attempting to gain as much advantage as possible.

Letting out a low-tone and elongated meow, the ashen-grey cat was letting Luna know that the cat was indeed… Uncomfortable by how she was holding him, but upon closer inspection, it would soon be apparent that the ashen-grey tabby cat was missing an eye as if it lost it due to some fight.

“this is fuckin ridiculous... Bear wi ulgan... Ye will be able tae rest up after some time, an can be on yer merry way..."

The cat took a moment to ponder about its life as his body was essentially slung over Luna’s shoulder, which felt rather odd as it was better just to let the cat follow after being picked up for a moment but then again, some people never owned an animal and based on how the lady was handling the situation, the assumption might be valid to a certain extent.

Only then, as the two started strolling through the cold streets of Amoren, the friendly gesture and comments made the spy feel a bit tense, as evidenced by how rigid his body held itself in place. If only Luna knew that what feline she had in her possession was something more, but then a sudden shift in his emotional status started to bleed into his thoughts.

Immediately Ulgan started hissing extremely loudly as he began to paw at Luna’s shoulders and moved somewhat erratically as the sensation of raw magic began to flow through his body & fur. This sensation alone caused the ashen-grey cat to pry itself off of Luna’s hold on its form, quickly scurrying off a couple of metres away before looking back at Luna as Ulgan arched his back and hissed loudly.

[Sola]

Luna was absolutely livid. She couldn't believe that the cat had not only escaped her grasp but had also torn her clothes in the process. The ripped fabric was a stark reminder of her failure to properly handle the situation. As she stood there in the cold street, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising within her. How could that cat have been so reckless and careless? Didn't it realize how important it was for her to keep it safe and under control?

Luna started to imagine all the ways she could get revenge on the cat. Maybe she could set a trap for it and catch it once and for all. Or perhaps she could hire someone to track it down and bring it back to her. The more she thought about it, the more the ideas kept coming. But revenge wasn't enough. Luna wanted to teach that cat a lesson it would never forget. She wanted to make it suffer, to show it that she was not to be messed with. She thought about all the things she could do to make the cat regret ever crossing her.

One idea that came to mind was to trap the cat and make it spend the night out in the cold with no food. Luna couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of the cat shivering and cold. She wanted to make it understand the consequences of its actions. Another idea that came to mind was to hurt the cat in some way. Luna knew it was cruel, but she couldn't help the anger and frustration she felt. Maybe she could break one of its legs or cut off its tail. The thought of the cat in pain made her feel a sense of satisfaction, as if it were getting what it deserved.

But as Luna stood there, contemplating her revenge, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that this was just a cat. It wasn't capable of understanding the consequences of its actions or the anger she felt towards it. Luna realized that her anger and desire for revenge were misplaced, and that she needed to let go of her frustration and move on. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

After a few moments of hesitation, Luna approached the cat once again. This time, she didn't try to touch it. Instead, she simply knelt down on the cold ground and waited, hoping the cat would eventually calm down and come to her.

"Hey there," she said softly, leaning closer to the cat. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. And if you don’t like me using magic to make you happy, I won’t do it again."

[Ulgan Vass]

Ulgan’s thoughts needed some time to slow down and recover as essentially what the female mentalist just did was a form of offence; in his opinion, it was only fair, though, due to the circumstances of recently being freed from a torturous hell hole from a minor Entente when his spy cell got exposed and hunted down. Moreover, even remaining here in Daravin for a time increases the risk of being caught once more since he was not merely a solo operative in a nationwide web of games.

While the Orkhai spy in question was unaware of some of the potential malice thoughts that would run through the feminine figure’s head, it was only then that some of her facial expressions would change from something akin to frost meld down to that of snowfall. Still, his senses were quite sharp, especially being in the form of a cat for so long that the aspect associated with being a small feline was reading the room and observing for hours.

After all, a cat wasn’t at the top of the food chain, making it vulnerable. Hunters of transitional periods from dawn and dusk when most creatures are at rest and the cries fall silent in winter’s embrace yet also a victim of mortality. So the Radenorian spy was somewhat cautious about the situation. Nevertheless, if push came to shove, the half-orkhai / half-sil’norai would use every trick in the book if it meant he would have to escape, and if maiming were required, he would have no trouble executing his plans.

The mission to gather intelligence over Radenor’s enemies was of utmost importance, and Ulgan would do his best to maintain his cover and retrieve intel as best he could. Nevertheless, only then would the female magus slowly approach his diminutive form, which was already artificially enlarging his size by arching his back and tail fuzzed up & pointing straight up in the air.

As Luna’s voice seeps out, mentioning not using magic per se to make one happy, a slight gut-wrenching feeling runs through the Orkhai’s muscles as he recalls that Mentalism was seen as one of most frowned upon forms of Raw Magic there is to the world. Ulgan has seen it and experienced it during his time of capture, manipulating one’s raw emotions for selfish desires, not only that. To look into one’s mural, their form of self or so that was told to him by the various guild mages practising the art of manipulating emotions and surrounding objects.

Still, the existence of such magic doesn’t help ease the Malformist’s mind, for forcing someone’s will was akin to being a puppet that was conscious but had no choice but to play based on seeing Luna’s form, which initially started as being extremely agitated before quickly calming herself down. Ulgan couldn’t help but weigh the opinions… Does he take the risk and slowly approach her or keep a distance… That was the question being posed, but for the time being, it would be best to look like he was being fed and cared for, even if it was with a random stranger.

With slight hesitation, the ashen-grey cat with a single, amber feline eye would slowly approach the female magus, still keeping an eye on her movements if the Radenorian spy had to react in a split second.